The article ?Dandelion Rides? by Bud Miller/Zen Motorcyclist was originally published on the ?RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel? magazine website on 06/04/18. ?So, raise a glass to ?turnings of the season? and watch it as it arcs ?towards the sun?... (READ MORE)
The second method of downloading from Xuite is to add “sfrom.net/” or “savefrom.net/” at the front of the URL and press enter.
This method is used not only for Xuite videos but to download from 99% of web pages containing videos.
As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the borough was 76.3% White, 18.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.1% of the population [1].
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 4,313 people, 1,751 households, and 1,157 families residing in the borough. The population density was 7,235.4 people per square mile (2,775.4/km²). There were 1,817 housing units at an average density of 3,048.1 per square mile (1,169.2/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.30% White, 4.34% African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.
There were 1,751 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $47,292, and the median income for a family was $59,595. Males had a median income of $42,047 versus $31,129 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,134. About 4.0% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
Aldan has a Trolley Stop Museum, a swim club, a non-denominational church named Aldan Union Church, a Municipal Building, and a Veterans Memorial that has been expanded into a park right outside of Aldan Elementary.
Aldan Veterans Memorial Park (2000–Present), dedicated to the veterans of Aldan, There is playground equipment in the background of the park.
Jack Edmundson Park (2007), dedicated to Jack P. Edmundson, former mayor. It was formerly known as the Triangle and located at W. Providence Road at Ridley Avenue.
Providence Park (2006), former historical house purchased by Aldan Union Church and converted into a park.
This article or section possibly contains synthesis of material which does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Early Mormonism had a range of doctrines related to race with regards to black people of African descent. References to black people, their social condition during the 19th century, and their spiritual place in Western Christianity as well as in Mormon scripture was complicated.
From the beginning, black people have been members of Mormon congregations, and Mormon congregations have always been interracial. When the Mormons migrated to Missouri, they encountered the pro-slavery sentiments of their neighbors. Joseph Smith upheld the laws regarding slaves and slaveholders, and affirmed the curse of Ham as placing his descendants into slavery, "to the shame and confusion of all who have cried out against the South."[1][2] With that being said, Smith still remained abolitionist in his actions and doctrines. After the Mormons were expelled from Missouri, Smith took an increasingly strong anti-slavery position, and several black men were ordained to the LDS priesthood.[3]
The first reference to dark skin as a curse and mark from God in Latter Day Saint writings can be found in the Book of Mormon, published in 1830. It refers to a group of people called the Lamanites and states that when they rebelled against God they were cursed with "a skin of blackness" (2 Nephi 5:21).
The mark of blackness was placed upon the Lamanites so the Nephites "might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction" (Alma 3:7–9). The Book of Mormon records the Lord as forbidding miscegenation between Lamanites and Nephites (2 Nephi 5:23) and saying they were to stay "separated from thee and thy seed [Nephites], from this time henceforth and forever, except they repent of their wickedness and turn to me that I may have mercy upon them" (Alma 3:14).
However, 2 Nephi 33 states: "[The Lord] inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come, black and white, bond and free, male and female...and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile." Although the Lamanites are labelled as wicked, they actually became more righteous than the Nephites as time passed (Helaman 6).
Throughout the Book of Mormon narrative, several groups of Lamanites did repent and lose the curse. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies or Ammonites "open[ed] a correspondence with them [Nephites], and the curse of God did no more follow them" (Alma 23:18). There is no reference to their skin color being changed. Later, the Book of Mormon records that an additional group of Lamanites converted and that "their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites… and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites" (3 Nephi 2:15–16).
The curse was also put on others who rebelled. One group of Nephites, called Amlicites "had come out in open rebellion against God; therefore it was expedient that the curse should fall upon them". (Alma 3:18) The Amlicites then put a mark upon themselves. At this point, the author stops the narrative to say "I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation."(Alma 3:19) Eventually, the Lamanites "had become, the more part of them, a righteous people, insomuch that their righteousness did exceed that of the Nephites, because of their firmness and their steadiness in the faith." (Helaman 6:1)
The Book of Mormon did not countenance any form of curse-based discrimination. It stated that the Lord "denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile". (2 Nephi 26:33). In fact, prejudice against people of dark skin was condemned more than once, as in this example:
O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God. Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness... (Jacob 3:8–9).
In 1833, Joseph Smith recorded the following, as verses 79 and 80 of what would become section 101 of the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C).
In the summer of 1833 W. W. Phelps published an article in the church's newspaper, seeming to invite free black people into the state to become Mormons, and reflecting "in connection with the wonderful events of this age, much is doing towards abolishing slavery, and colonizing the blacks, in Africa."[4] Outrage followed Phelps' comments, (Roberts [1930] 1965, p. 378.) and he was forced to reverse his position, which he claimed was "misunderstood", but this reversal did not end the controversy, and the Mormons were violently expelled from Jackson County, Missouri five months later in December 1833.[5]
Coincidentally, on December 16, 1833, Joseph Smith dictated a passage in the Doctrine and Covenants stating that "it is not right that any man should be in bondage to another." (D&C Section 101:79).
In 1835, the Church issued an official statement indicating that because the United States government allowed slavery, the Church would not "interfere with bond-servants, neither preach the gospel to, nor baptize them contrary to the will and wish of their masters, nor meddle with or influence them in the least to cause them to be dissatisfied with their situations in this life, thereby jeopardizing the lives of men." (D&C Section 134:12).
On February 6, 1835, an assistant president of the church, W. W. Phelps, wrote a letter theorizing that the curse of Cain survived the deluge by passing through the wife of Ham, son of Noah, who according to Phelps was a descendant of Cain. (Messenger and Advocate 1:82) In addition, Phelps introduced the idea of a third curse upon Ham himself for "marrying a black wife". (Messenger and Advocate 1:82) This black wife, according to Phelps, was not just a descendant of Cain, but one of the pre-flood "people of Canaan", not directly related to the Biblical Canaanites after the flood.
In 1836, the rules established by the church for governing assemblies in the Kirtland Temple included attendees who were "bond or free, black or white." (History of the Church, Vol. 2, Ch. 26, p. 368)
It is my privilege then, to name certain passages from the bible, and examine the teachings of the ancients upon this nature, as the fact is incontrovertible, that the first mention we have of slavery is found in the holy bible, pronounced by a man who was perfect in his generation and walked with God.
And so far from that prediction's being averse from the mind of God it remains as a lasting monument of the decree of Jehovah, to the shame and confusion of all who have cried out against the South, in consequence of their holding the sons of Ham in servitude!
And he said cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem and Canaan shall be his servant. —Genesis 9:25–27
Trace the history of the world from this notable event down to this day, and you will find the fulfillment of this singular prophecy. What could have been the design of the Almighty in this wonderful occurrence is not for me to say; but I can say that the curse is not yet taken off the sons of Canaan, neither will be until it is affected by as great power as caused it to come; and the people who interfere the least with the decrees and purposes of God in this matter, will come under the least condemnation before him; and those who are determined to pursue a course which shows an opposition and a feverish restlessness against the designs of the Lord, will learn, when perhaps it is too late for their own good, that God can do his own work without the aid of those who are not dictate by his counsel.
—  Joseph Smith, Messenger and Advocate Vol. II, No. 7, April 1836, p. 290; History of the Church, Vol. 2, Ch. 30, pp. 436–40.
In 1836, Warren Parrish (Smith's secretary) wrote regarding the sentiments of the people of Kirtland:
The Church never denied membership based on race (although slaves had to have their master's permission to be baptized), and several black men were ordained to the priesthood during Joseph Smith's lifetime. The first known black Latter-day Saint was "Black Pete", who joined the Church in Kirtland, Ohio, and there is some evidence that he held the LDS priesthood.[6] Other African Americans, including Elijah Abel in 1832, Joseph T. Ball in 1835 or 1836 (who also presided over the Boston Branch from 1844–1845), and Walker Lewis in 1843 (and probably his son, Enoch Lovejoy Lewis), were ordained to the priesthood during Smith's lifetime.[7] William McCary was ordained in Nauvoo in 1846 by Apostle Orson Hyde.[6] Two of the descendants of Elijah Abel were also ordained Elders, and two other black men, Samuel Chambers and Edward Leggroan, were ordained Deacons.[7]
Early black members in the Church were admitted to the temple in Kirtland, Ohio, where Elijah Abel received the ritual of washing and anointing (see Journal of Zebedee Coltrin[page needed]). Abel also participated in at least two baptisms for the dead in Nauvoo, Illinois, as did Elder Joseph T. Ball.
Elder Hyde inquired about the situation of the negro. I replied, they came into the world slaves mentally and physically. Change their situation with the whites, and they would be like them. They have souls, and are subjects of salvation. Go into Cincinnati or any city, and find an educated negro, who rides in his carriage, and you will see a man who has risen by the powers of his own mind to his exalted state of respectability. The slaves in Washington are more refined than many in high places, and the black boys will take the shine off many of those they brush and wait on. Elder Hyde remarked, "Put them on the level, and they will rise above me." I replied, if I raised you to be my equal, and then attempted to oppress you, would you not be indignant? […] Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species, and put them on a national equalization.
It should be noted here that in 1838, and throughout the 19th century the term "species" was borrowed and commonly used to imply that the black population was inferior.[8] The biological use of the term species was first defined in 1686.[9]
In 1838, Joseph Smith answered the following question while en route from Kirtland to Missouri, as follows: "Are the Mormons abolitionists? No ... we do not believe in setting the Negroes free." (Smith 1977, p. 120)
By 1839 there were about a dozen black members in the Church. Nauvoo, Illinois was reported to have 22 black members, including free and slave, between 1839–1843 (Late Persecution of the Church of Latter-day Saints, 1840).
In the evening debated with John C. Bennett and others to show that the Indians have greater cause to complain of the treatment of the whites, than the negroes or sons of Cain
Beginning in 1842, Smith made known his increasingly strong anti-slavery position. In March 1842, he began studying some abolitionist literature, and stated, "it makes my blood boil within me to reflect upon the injustice, cruelty, and oppression of the rulers of the people. When will these things cease to be, and the Constitution and the laws again bear rule?" (History of the Church, 4:544).
On February 7, 1844, Joseph Smith wrote his views as a candidate for president of the United States. The anti-slavery plank of his platform called for a gradual end to slavery by the year 1850 . His plan called for the government to buy the freedom of slaves using money from the sale of public lands.
My cogitations, like Daniel's have for a long time troubled me, when I viewed the condition of men throughout the world, and more especially in this boasted realm, where the Declaration of Independence "holds these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;" but at the same time some two or three millions of people are held as slaves for life, because the spirit in them is covered with a darker skin than ours.
Although Joseph Smith is not known to have made any statements regarding blacks and the priesthood, he was aware of the ordination of at least one black man to the office of elder. Elijah Abel was ordained on 3 March 1836 by Zebedee Coltrin.[10] Six months later, he was ordained to the office of seventy and was called to serve in the Third Quorum of the Seventy. Abel served his first mission for the church to New York and Upper Canada. In 1836, he moved from Kirtland to Nauvoo, Illinois, where he participated in the temple ordinance of baptism for the dead. In 1843, a traveling high council visited Cincinnati, where Abel lived, but refused to recognize Abel for the sake of public appearance and called him to his second mission to the "colored population" of Cincinnati.[11]
Abel joined the other Latter-day Saints in Utah Territory in 1853. By then, Brigham Young had formalized church's policies against black people. However, no attempt was made to remove Abel's priesthood or drop him from the Third Quorum of the Seventy. He remained active in the Quorum until his death.
Born in 1829 Green Flake, the slave of James Madison Flake, a convert to the LDS Church, was baptized at the age of 16 on April 7, 1844 by John Brown. He accompanied the Flake family to Nauvoo, Illinois. Green remained a slave but was a member of the church throughout his life. From family diaries and the memory of a grandson, it is believed that it was Green who drove the carriage and team that brought President Brigham Young into the Salt Lake Valley. Brigham Young freed Flake in 1854.[12]
Walker Lewis was another free black man who held the Mormon priesthood prior to the death of Joseph Smith. A prominent radical abolitionist, Episcopalian, and Most Worshipful Grand Master of Freemasonry from Lowell and Boston, Massachusetts, Lewis became a Latter Day Saint about 1842. In the summer of 1843, he was ordained an elder in the Melchizedek priesthood. His son, Enoch Lovejoy Lewis, also joined the Latter Day Saints about the same time, and Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier heard young Enoch preaching in Lowell just after the death of Joseph Smith in July or August 1844. It has been speculated[by whom?] that Enoch led Young to instigate the ban against black men holding Mormon priesthood when Enoch L. Lewis married a white Mormon woman, Mary Matilda Webster, in Cambridge, Massachusetts on September 18, 1846[citation needed]. On December 3, 1847, Young told the Quorum of the Twelve at Winter Quarters that "if they [Enoch and Matilda] were far away from the Gentiles they wod. [would] all be killed – when they mingle seed it is death to all." (Quorum of the Twelve Minutes, December 3, 1847, pp. 6–7, LDS Archives.)
Young, Brigham (1865). Watt, G.D.; Long, J.V., eds. "The Persecutions of the Saints—Their Loyalty to the Constitution—The Mormon Battalion—The Laws of God Relative to the African Race". Journal of Discourses Delivered by President Brigham Young, His Two Counsellors, and the Twelve Apostles, and Others. Liverpool: Daniel H. Wells. 10: 104–111. Retrieved 9 May 2017. Remarks [...] made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, March 8, 1863.
"Race and the Priesthood". LDS.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. December 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2017. one of the Gospel Topics essays
BlackLDS.org: A Web Site Dedicated to Black Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Authoritative Statements on the Status of Blacks, and Chronological Bibliography on the Negro Doctrine, from Signature Books at signaturebookslibrary.org
Desiré Delano "Dési" Bouterse[1] (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdesɪ ˈbʌutərsə]; born 13 October 1945) is a Surinamese politician who has been President of Suriname since 2010. From 1980 to 1987 he was Suriname's de facto leader after conducting a military coup and establishing a period of military rule.
Bouterse is the chairman of the Surinamese political alliance Megacombinatie ("Mega combination") and the leader of the National Democratic Party (NDP), which is part of the Megacombination. On 19 July 2010, Bouterse was elected as President of Suriname with 36 of 50 parliament votes[2] and on 12 August 2010 he was inaugurated.[3]
Bouterse is a controversial figure, held responsible by some for numerous human rights violations committed during the military rule in the 1980s. Most notable was the December murders in 1982 of fifteen leading opposition figures. He was prosecuted for the murders and a trial was initiated, but the National Assembly extended amnesty to him in 2012. He is also suspected of having directed the Moiwana massacre in 1986 during the civil war by the Maroons, led by his former bodyguard.
In 2000, Bouterse was sentenced in absentia in the Netherlands to 11 years' imprisonment after being convicted of trafficking 474 kg (1,045 lb) of cocaine.[4] Bouterse always claimed innocence; he claimed that the star witness in the case, Patrick van Loon, was bribed by the Dutch government.
According to WikiLeaks cables released in 2011, Bouterse was active in the drug trade until 2006.[5] Europol has issued an arrest warrant for him. As Suriname's president, he enjoys national immunity from arrest in his country. Because Bouterse was convicted of the drug offense before his election in 2010 as head of state, he enjoys no international immunity on these charges.[6]
Desiré Delano Bouterse was born on 13 October 1945 in Domburg, located in Suriname's Wanica District. His family were of multi-ethnic Amerindian, Afro-Surinamese, Dutch, French, and Chinese ancestry.[7][8] As a young boy he moved from Domburg to the capital Paramaribo, where he was raised by an aunt. He attended the St Jozef boarding school and later the Middelbare Handelsschool (roughly equivalent to junior secondary general education), which he did not finish.[8][9]
In 1968, Bouterse moved to the Netherlands, where he was conscripted into the armed forces of the Netherlands (Nederlandse Krijgsmacht). After completing his military service, he signed up to train as a non-commissioned officer at the Koninklijke Militaire School in Weert. In this period, Bouterse became known as an athlete, and he was chosen as head of the basketball team.[10]
In 1970, Bouterse married Ingrid Figueira, whom he had known as a teenager in Suriname. They had two children: Peggy and Dino. Shortly after the marriage, Bouterse was assigned to the Dutch military base in Seedorf, Germany.[10]
On 11 November 1975, Bouterse returned with his family to Suriname after it gained independence from the Netherlands. He wanted to help establish the Surinamese army. In 1979, Bouterse accepted a request by Roy Horb to become chairman of a new Surinamese military union (union BoMiKa; Bond voor Militair Kader).
On 25 February 1980, Bouterse, Horb and fourteen other sergeants overthrew the Henck Arron government with a violent military coup d'état, now known as the Sergeants Coup. This marked the beginning of the military dictatorship that dominated Suriname from 1980 to 1991. The sergeants who accomplished this coup were known as the Groep van zestien (group of sixteen). Bouterse was the leader of the Groep van zestien. After the coup, he became chairman of the National Military Council of Suriname, which replaced the democratic government, and effectively ruler of the government.
On the day of the coup, Bouterse's soldiers shot and burned down the Central Police Station of Suriname. The remains of this building now form the "monument of the Revolution." Annually on 25 February, the coup is commemorated.
The military dictatorship imposed an evening curfew, and curtailed freedom of press (only one newspaper, de Ware Tijd, was allowed to continue publishing, but they were subject to heavy censorship). In 1985 it banned political parties and restricted freedom of assembly. It was characterized by a high level of government corruption and the summary executions of political opponents.[11] After the 'December murders' of fifteen opposition leaders in late 1982, Bouterse closed the University of Suriname.
From the beginning of the dictatorship until 1988, the titular presidents were essentially army-installed by Bouterse, who ruled as a de facto leader of Suriname. After the coup, Bouterse initially sought support from Cuba, Grenada, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and, later, from Libya.
On 7 and 8 December 1982, fifteen prominent Surinamese men who had criticized Bouterse's military dictatorship or were connected with the coup d'état attempt on March 11, 1982, were brought to Fort Zeelandia (then-headquarters of Bouterse), where they were tortured and shot dead. These killings are known as the December murders.
On December 10, 1982 Bouterse stated on STVS television channel that 15 arrested "suspects who were plotting to overthrow the government later in December were shot dead while trying to flee Fort Zeelandia".[12] Years later Bouterse said that he was not present at the killings. In 2000 he stated that the decision for these killings was made by the commander of the battalion, Paul Bhagwandas, who died in 1996. Bouterse accepted political responsibility as leader, but still denied any direct involvement.[13]
The trials for the December murders did not take place in Suriname until November 30, 2007. Among the 25 indicted suspects, Bouterse is the chief figure. Since the trial began, Bouterse never went to court. In an interview with Al Jazeera in 2009, Bouterse said that the trial was being used by his political opponents to prevent him from running for office again and for their own political gain. In April 2012, two months before the verdict in the trial was expected, Bouterse's party member Andre Misiekaba said, during a debate in the Surinamese parliament, that: "The December Murders trial is a political trial which has the purpose to eliminate Bouterse from the political arena and therefore the Amnesty Act is needed."[14]
On February 1, 2012, Ruben Rozendaal, one of the military suspects, announced in local media that it was time for him to come forward with the truth about the December Murders because he wanted to clear his name before he died. (He was suffering from a severe kidney disease, and the doctors had told him he did not have much time left to live).[15] After consulting with his lawyer, Rozendaal decided to withdraw the testimony he had given in 2010. After the last suspects and witnesses in the December Murders case were heard, the court-martial decided to hear Rozendaal again, and this hearing was set for March 23, 2012.
On March 19, five members of Bouterse's political party Megacombinatie and one member of Paul Somohardjo's party Pertjajah Luhur proposed a law in the parliament, which in effect would grant amnesty for the suspects in the December Murders, including Dési Bouterse.[16][17] The amnesty law would also cause immediate termination of the trial.[17][18] The parliamentary voting was to be held on March 23, the same day Ruben Rozendaal testified in court that Bouterse personally killed two of 15 victims of the December Murders: union leader Cyrill Daal and military member Soerindre Rambocus.[19][20] That day there was no quorum in the parliament, and the voting did not continue.[21]
On April 4, 2012, after three days of strong and emotional debate, the Assembly passed the amnesty law with 28 votes in favor and 12 votes opposed. The political parties Nieuw Suriname and BEP, both members of Bouterse's coalition, left the room when the voting started because they "did not believe that they should support a law which is being opposed by a large part of the Surinamese community."[22] The chair of the Surinamese parliament, Jennifer Simons, who is also a member of Bouterse's party, voted for the law.
The controversial law granted amnesty to Bouterse and the 24 other suspects of the December Murders. This could also mean that the ongoing December Murders trial will face an immediate stop.[23]
On April 13, 2012, the public prosecutor in the December Murders trial formulated the demanded sentence against five suspects, including the main suspect, Bouterse. His defense lawyer, Irwin Kanhai, requested that the trial would be declared moot because of the amnesty law. On 11 May 2012, the court decided whether the trial would continue or not.[24]
Edgar Ritfeld, one of the 25 suspects, said that he did not want amnesty because he knows he is innocent. He wanted the trial to be continued so that his innocence could be proven.[25] Ruben Rozendaal and Wim Carbiere, both suspects, also asked for continuation of the trial.[26]
The controversial amnesty law was protested both nationally and internationally. Organizations such as the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned the law and urged the Surinamese judges and the Public Prosecutor's Office to continue the trial.[12][27][28][29][30] On 19 April 2012, Human Rights Watch demanded an immediate retraction of the law.[29]
After passage of the amnesty law, the Netherlands immediately stopped the 20 million euro aid that was planned to be given to Suriname.[31] President Bouterse was unmoved by this decision, saying, "I never asked you for 20 million euros. We have economic reserves of almost 800 million dollars."[32] The Dutch Labour Party and the then ruling People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) believed that this sanction was not enough. They called for more penalties such as economic sanctions, expulsion of the Surinamese ambassador (who is the daughter of MP Rashied Doekhi, one of the 28 MPs who voted in favour of the law), and a ban on European travel for all the Surinamese parliamentarians who voted for the amnesty law. Dutch minister of foreign affairs Uri Rosenthal did not agree with these requests.[33]
On 8 April 2012, the Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said it was "indigestible" that amnesty was granted to the suspects in this stage of the trial (the amnesty law was passed two months before the verdict in the trial).[34]
The Suriname Guerrilla War (1986–1990), also known as a civil war, was between the Surinamese military regime, headed by Dési Bouterse, and the Surinamese Liberation Army, a guerrilla Maroon group better known as the Jungle Commando, led by Bouterse's former bodyguard Ronnie Brunswijk. On 29 November 1986, members of the national military massacred at least 39 villagers of Moiwana, Brunswijk's home village, killing mostly women and children. The soldiers also burned down the village dwellings, including Brunswijk's house. The survivors fled as refugees with hundreds of other inland inhabitants across the Marowijne river to neighbouring French Guiana.[12][35]
The human rights organisation 'Moiwana '86' has committed itself to achieving justice with regard to this event. It is seeking to hold military officers and the government as responsible for the massacre.
Herman Gooding, a chief inspector of the police, was assassinated in August 1990 during his investigation of the massacre. Reportedly he was forced out of his car near Fort Zeelandia and shot in the head. His body was left outside the office of Desi Bouterse. Other police investigators fled the country for safety, stalling the progress of the investigation.
The government has stated that it is still continuing its investigation of the massacre. It claimed that prospective witnesses had either moved, died, or were uncooperative. It has also said that an investigation of the murder of Herman Gooding was continuing.
In August 2005, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered Suriname to pay 3 million USD in compensation to 130 survivors of the massacre, and to establish a 1.2 million USD fund for the development of Moiwana.[36] The Inter-American Court of Human rights has judged that the responsible persons have to be prosecuted and punished;[37] however, previous governments, and Bouterse's current government, have failed to do so.
In July 1999, Bouterse was convicted in absentia in the Netherlands to 11 years in prison for trafficking 474 kilograms of cocaine.[38] Bouterse always proclaimed his innocence. He claimed that the star witness in his case, Patrick van Loon, was bribed by the Dutch government. Bouterse is believed by law enforcement officials to have been the leader of the so-called Suri kartel, which is held responsible for the trafficking and smuggling of large amounts of cocaine from Suriname and Brazil into Europe (especially into the Netherlands) in the 1980s and 90s.
Since 1999 Europol has maintained an international warrant for his arrest. According to the United Nations Convention against illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, since Bouterse was convicted before his election as head of state in 2010, he has no immunity under international law. This was confirmed by various specialists in international law.[39]
In 2011, WikiLeaks published a few cables in which the United States embassy confirmed Bouterse's involvement in the drugs trade through 2006, together with that of top Guyanese criminal Roger Khan.[40] The opposition in the Surinamese parliament demanded that President Bouterse respond to these reports but he said that he would not respond to "rumours from Wikileaks."
In April 2012, Ruben Rozendaal, former fellow soldier of Bouterse and also a suspect in the December 1982 murders, said that in the 1980s and early 1990s, Bouterse supplied the FARC of Colombia with weapons in exchange for cocaine. A 2006 document from the American embassy (published by Wikileaks) reported a possible connection between Bouterse and the FARC.
Bouterse's son Dino Bouterse was sentenced in 2005 to eight years' imprisonment in a Surinamese court for narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking, and theft of luxury vehicles. He was released early for good behavior. The government's counter-terrorism department appointed him to a senior role.[41]
On August 29, 2013, Dino was arrested by the U.S. government's Drug Enforcement Administration in Panama while traveling on a diplomatic passport. He was extradited to the United States and taken to New York City. He was prosecuted and in March 2015, he was sentenced to a 16-year prison term on convictions of drug smuggling and trying to help Hezbollah set up a base in Suriname. In a letter, Dino Bouterse insisted he had no terrorist leanings and was motivated only to make several million dollars. Bouterse was arrested after an elaborate international sting in which he was recorded meeting in Greece and Panama with DEA operatives posing as Hezbollah and Mexican drug traffickers.[42]
After the return of democratic government, led in succession by Ronald Venetiaan, Jules Wijdenbosch, and Venetiaan again, Bouterse tried repeatedly to return to power through elections. In the 2010 Surinamese legislative election, Bouterse and his coalition, the Mega Combination (Mega Combinatie) became the biggest party in Suriname, gaining 23 of the 51 seats in the parliament. The coalition failed to gain an absolute majority in the parliament by three seats (the half of 50 plus 1 was needed). In order to secure the votes necessary to become President, Bouterse cooperated with the party of his former archenemy, Ronnie Brunswijk, which had 7 seats; and the Peoples Alliance party (Volks Alliantie) of Paul Somohardjo (6 seats), who had left the ruling New Front party before the election.[43]
On July 19, 2010, Bouterse was elected as President of Suriname with 36 of the 51 votes; he was installed to the office on August 12, 2010. His running mate was the current Vice President of Suriname, Robert Ameerali.
The first minister of Spatial Planning Martinus Sastroredjo (KTPI) had been relieved of his duties at the end of 2010 due to his life partner asking for a piece of land with the help of a ministry official. He was succeeded by Simon Martosatiman, also a member of the political party KTPI. The second minister to leave office due to personal reasons was Miss Wonnie Boedhoe, the first minister of Finance & Planning of this cabinet.
By the end of April 2011, several ministers had been dismissed due to political changes in the cabinet. They included Paul Abena (Sport- & Youth Affairs), Martin Misiedjan (Justice & Police), Celsius Waterberg (Public Health), Linus Diko (Regional Development), and Simon Martosatiman. The ministers Raymond Sapoen, Michael Miskin and Ginmardo Kromosoeto were assigned to new posts. In addition to the newly formed cabinet, two deputy ministers were installed. Mahinder Gopie had served as the secretary of the president and was made the deputy minister of Regional Development. Abigail Lie A Kwie, a loyalist of Pertjajah Luhur chairman Paul Somohardjo, started as the deputy minister of Public Works & Traffic, but was moved in October 2012 to the ministry of Agriculture.
The president's four top advisors are Jules Wijdenbosch, who handles the country's administrative and constitutional affairs; Errol Alibux, who advises the president about foreign affairs and international laws; Eddy Jozefzoon, who deals with the country's social and educational issues; and Andy Rusland, who oversees the nation's economy. The president appointed Cliffton Limburg as his press secretary and cabinet's spokesman; he was a propagandist for Bouterse and a talkshow host. Bouterse installed Gilmore Hoefdraad, a former International Monetary Fund (IMF) official, as the new governor of the Central Bank of Suriname.
After his inauguration as president, Bouterse immediately honoured the nine surviving conspirators, who together with him had conducted the violent 1980 Surinamese coup d'état; he awarded them the Grand Cordon of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star, the highest honor of Suriname. This action was met with international outrage, as all nine (and Bouterse) were accused of involvement in the December murders of 1982.[44]
After becoming president, Bouterse designated February 25, the anniversary of the coup d'état, as a national holiday.[12] Former president Ronald Venetiaan has said that 25 February should not be a holiday, but a national day of mourning.
In December 2011, President Bouterse granted a pardon to his foster son Romano Meriba, who in 2005 was convicted to 15 years' imprisonment for the 2002 murder and robbery of a Chinese trader. Meriba was also convicted for throwing a hand grenade at the house of the Dutch ambassador. Judge Valstein-Montnor ruled that the evidence proved that Meriba tried to commit a robbery at the ambassador's house similar to that of the trader. After it was prevented by guards from the Dutch embassy, Meriba threw a hand grenade from a car at the ambassador's residence.
The pardon was controversial, as it is the first time a Surinamese President has pardoned someone convicted of murder and robbery. "People that have committed such heavy offends should not get a pardon" said former justice minister Chan Santokhi. "Besides, the requirement that a thorough investigation must be conducted and that the decision should be based on the advice by the judge who passed the sentence was ignored."[citation needed] Bouterse's staff said that Meriba's status as the foster son of President Bouterse was not part of the decision, and that there were strong legal arguments for the pardon. According to rumors, after Meriba was released from jail, he was hired by the heavily armed Counter Terror Unit (CTU). Dino Bouterse, son of President Bouterse, was appointed to head this unit.
Bouterse has hired other convicts. His delegation that visited a South American summit had two members besides Bouterse who had criminal drug records: former military Etienne Boerenveen and Hans Jannasch. "Such people now circulate around the state power", said Ronald Venetiaan, former president of Suriname.[45][46][47]
Meriba was arrested again on March 23, 2012 in Paramaribo on charges of assaulting a citizen and police officer the night before in a nightclub.[48] He was not long held in police custody because the complaint was retracted the following day.[49]
After the 2015 Surinamese legislative election, Bouterse's NDP won 26 seats; he was reelected unopposed on 14 July 2015.[50]
WikiLeaks cables released in 2011 reveal that US diplomats believed that Bouterse was involved in drug-trafficking until 2006. The cables report the connection between Bouterse and top Guyanese criminals Roger Khan and Eduardo Beltran.[5] Khan was believed to help Bouterse's financial situation by giving him the means to supplement his income through narcotics trafficking. According to the cables, Bouterse met Roger Khan several times in Nickerie at the house of MP Rashied Doekhi, who is prominent member of Bouterse's political party.[51] The cables also reported that Bouterse and Khan were plotting to assassinate Minister of Justice Chan Santokhi and Attorney General Subhaas Punwasi.
Khan, who is known as the "Guyanese Pablo Escobar," and whose name is mentioned in connection to almost 200 murders in Guyana[52] was arrested in Paramaribo in June 2006 in a sting operation by the Surinamese police. By order of Minister of Justice Chan Santokhi, he was deported to the United States. There he was prosecuted and convicted, then sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment on charges of smuggling large amounts of cocaine into the United States, witness tampering, and illegal possession of firearms.[52][53] Eduardo Beltran is a major regional narcotics logistics/transportation handler operating out of Venezuela. Beltran reportedly traveled to Suriname on a monthly basis.
^ According to the Statutes of the DNP written as Desiré Archived 2013-12-20 at the Wayback Machine.. Ndp.sr (2004-04-24). Retrieved on 2012-01-08.
^ "Suriname Grants Amnesty to 'Narco-President' Bouterse". 10 July 2012. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
^ "Controversy as Bouterse grants pardon to foster son", Stabroek News – Guyana, 30 December 2011; Retrieved on 2012-01-08.
Harry Volkman (April 18, 1926 – August 20, 2015) was an American meteorologist.[1] He was the first weatherman to issue a tornado warning.[2][3]
Volkman was born in Medford, Massachusetts. Having an interest in radio since childhood, Volkman and his brother built a radio station at their Boston area home. The brothers worked hard on their radio productions even though only the family was able to hear the broadcasts from their small transmitter. His interest in radio carried over into the Army where he attended radio classes, but opted to study physics at Tufts University before meteorology captured his imagination and brought him to the University of Tulsa.[1][2]
Volkman got his start as a weatherman at KOTV in Tulsa, Oklahoma in January 1950. While there, he also served as a booth announcer, model, on-air salesman, sportscaster, variety show host and switchboard operator. He also claims to have worked briefly as a custodian for the station and not having been paid for his first three months. His beginning pay was $25.[1][3]
A fine vocalist and a member of his church choir for many years, Volkman would often mix a little music into his weather forecasts wherever he worked.[1] His most recent contribution to society is a book about his life as a weatherman, Whatever The Weather: My Life & Times As A TV Weatherman.[2][3][4]
Volkman was the father of three sons and a daughter. His son, Ed, formerly hosted a long-running morning radio show in Chicago titled "Eddie & JoBo" on WBBM-FM B96.[5] Volkman's long-time work in Chicago area television was recognized in 1998 when he became a member of the local Emmys Silver Circle.[6] During the many years Volkman spent at various Chicago-area television stations, he received local Emmys for his weather forecasting in 1961, 1964 and 1967.[7][8][9] At the time of his 2004 retirement, Volkman had spent 54 years in television.[2]
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 16,776 at the 2011 Census, with its population split between the Hatfield and Thorne wards.[1][2]
It is located within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire on the border of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and is bisected by the M18 motorway. Junctions 4 and 5 of the M18, and Junction 1 of the M180 motorway are all within the parish. Hatfield forms part of the parliamentary constituency of Don Valley.
Hatfield (also called Heathfield historically) near Doncaster is an ancient settlement and a Palace of the Northumbrian Kingdom called Meicen[citation needed] (may also be referred to as Meigen).
On 12 October 633 AD, King Edwin was killed in Battle of Hatfield Chase by Penda, King of Mercia. Penda was assisted in the battle by the Welsh under the leadership of Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Welsh (British) King of Gwynedd. Osric, a possible successor to Edwin, was also killed in the battle. Edwin's son Edfrith also surrendered to Penda.
It is thought that this battle gave rise to the name of Slay Pit Lane in Hatfield where it is rumoured that the battle took place and the bodies of soldiers lay close by.
Section from Shepherd's map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria. Click on the Picture to see the Meicen Capital – Hatfield (Heathfield)
Dunscroft lies on the A18 road, about 6 miles (9.7 km) from the centre of Doncaster. It is located at approximately 53°34′10″N 1°1′0″W﻿ / ﻿53.56944°N 1.01667°W﻿ / 53.56944; -1.01667, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level. There is the Sheep Dip Lane primary school. The church is dedicated to St Edwin.
Dunsville lies on the A18 road, about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the centre of Doncaster. It is located at approximately 53°33′40″N 1°1′30″W﻿ / ﻿53.56111°N 1.02500°W﻿ / 53.56111; -1.02500, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level.
Hatfield lies on the A18 road, about 7 miles (11 km) from the centre of Doncaster. It is located at approximately 53°34′40″N 1°0′0″W﻿ / ﻿53.57778°N 1.00000°W﻿ / 53.57778; -1.00000, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level. It is served by the Hatfield and Stainforth railway station in Stainforth and Thorne.
The Domesday Survey of 1086 mentions a church at Hatfield but nothing of that building remains to be seen. The present imposing parish church of St. Lawrence was probably begun in the twelfth century. The south and west doors are Norman and so is the lower part of the outer walls of the nave. The Norman pebble construction can be seen quite clearly outside.
Hatfield has numerous public houses, including The Bay Horse, The Hatfield Chase, Hatfields, The Blue Bell, The Ingram Arms and The Green Tree. The original building known as the Abbey or Dunscroft Grange was demolished in 1966–7. For the final twenty years, this building was owned by Mr Harry Lewis. The old Abbey was possibly a dormitory to Roche Abbey at Maltby. Unfortunately, it had to be demolished because the 12th-century masonry and stonework were unstable. The main school for the area is Ash Hill Academy. There is the Travis St. Lawrence CofE Primary School and Hatfield Crookesbroom primary school.
Hatfield Woodhouse is a small, semi-rural village which lies on the A614 road, about 7 miles (11 km) from the centre of Doncaster. It is located at approximately 53°34′10″N 0°59′0″W﻿ / ﻿53.56944°N 0.98333°W﻿ / 53.56944; -0.98333, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level. It has a population of 137 people.[3]
Hatfield Woodhouse also gave rise to RAF Hatfield Woodhouse two miles south of the village. The airfield was later named RAF Lindholme.
The new Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is nearby, at Finningley close to the border with Nottinghamshire. Although there has been much debate surrounding the use of the name Robin Hood in the name of the airport, the longstanding existence of the pub Robin Hood and Little John helps to justify the case for the name, as does its proximity to Sherwood Forest and also Barnsdale Forest.
Recently an application has been proposed to allow the demolition of the pub and several flats to be built in its place. This application has recently been denied due to rallies by locals to have the plans rejected. There is the Hatfield Woodhouse primary school.
West End is a small village to the south-west of Hatfield Woodhouse. It is located at approximately 53°33′40″N 0°59′40″W﻿ / ﻿53.56111°N 0.99444°W﻿ / 53.56111; -0.99444, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level.