I am now cured, but I had to learn the hard way.........

A close friend and I split the cost for a Michigan Supper Raffle Ticket this month. I had went out and bought the ticket, but I did not listen to her. I am not a regular lottery enthusiast nor do I play every week She had advised me to go outside the city to purchase the ticket, but I didn't. This was the second time that I had played Supper Raffle and the last time I did it was last fall when I split the cost with another acquaintance. I have never played the Millionaires Game. When I did not win back then, I still did not take my friend seriously about her emphasis on location. However, after checking all the past winning ticket purchase locations of the Super Raffle and the Millionaire Raffle after this last drawing, I do now think there is some validity to her argument.

An avid lottery player and sometimes winner, my good friend believes that the chances for a winning ticket bought in the city of Detroit for a major lottery amount are nil. I did not agree with her at the time. So she suggested that I check online all the purchase locations for those particular lotteries. After doing so, I saw that she seriously had a point. I checked all those seven past lotteries major winners (1 million, 2 millions, and 100 grand). None of the million dollar winners were from Detroit, and only one of the 100 grand winners were purchased in Detroit.

I had read once that the ones least favored to win, are the ones that spend the most money. I was the same fool twice, but won't repeat that mistake again. Although they protest too much, the State of Michigan has to be cleaning up with Super Raffle and the Millionaire Raffle. It is too lucrative for them to stop, and the public (especially Detroit citizens) need to recognize those lotteries for the money sucking scams that they are, and keep their money in their pockets. I know that is what I am going for now on also.

Now it's On..............Get Ready to Rumble..............

Now that the charges have finally officially come down against the Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty, I was impressed by Prosecutor Kym Worthy and the Mayor's attorney Dan Webb. This morning I listened to both of them on several radio programs, and both lawyers are presenting a strong front. However I am a bit worried with Dan Webb's assertion during the press conference that the text messages were illegally obtained during the civil whistle blower trial. Today's Free Press article indicates:

“Dan Webb, former U.S. attorney in Chicago, said he will attack Prosecutor Kym Worthy's case on at least three fronts: that the telltale text messages should be excluded from evidence because they were obtained in violation of federal Stored Communications Act; that Worthy's office rarely -- if ever -- charges anyone with perjury resulting from a civil case, and that the evidence of perjury is vague.”

If Mr. Webb's argument is successful in excluding the text messages from the trial, I hope that Prosecutor Worthy is capable in having other documentation and proof that will successfully prove her case. However I doubt the citizens of Detroit and Michigan are looking forward to the potential of some long term legal proceedings that will keep the current Mayoral stalemate going.

I found the below interesting article at the Chicago Tribune's website (chicagotribune.com). It is also listed on the WWJ Radio site also. (wwj.com)

Some US mayors who have faced criminal charges

By The Associated Press 10:45 AM CDT, March 24, 2008

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was charged Monday with conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice, misconduct in office, perjury in a court proceeding and two counts of perjury other than in a court proceeding.

Some other U.S. mayors charged while in office or after they left, include:

Former Newark, N.J., Mayor Sharpe James is accused of steering nine city contracts to a girlfriend when he was in office. The federal corruption trial is under way. James has pleaded not guilty. After this trial, which is expected to last several months, James is to be tried on charges he used city-issued credit cards to pay for $58,000 worth of personal expenses while he was mayor, including trips with several women other than his wife.

-- Austin, Texas, Mayor Will Wynn pleaded no contest earlier this month to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from a 2006 incident. Wynn was ordered to pay $68 in court costs and perform 20 hours of community service or receive private counseling.

-- Collins, Mo., Mayor Allen Kauffman was charged in January with soliciting sex over the Internet from a police detective posing as a 13-year-old girl. Kauffman, 63, is charged with three counts of felony enticement of a child. He has resigned from office. His lawyer has said the 62-year-old expects to plead not guilty at an arraignment set for April 14.

-- Former Syracuse, N.Y., Mayor Lee Alexander was indicted in 1987 and spent six years in prison after his conviction for racketeering, tax evasion and conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation in a scheme that brought him $1.5 million from city contractors.

-- San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock was forced to resign following a 1985 conviction for perjury and concealing illegal campaign contributions.

SOURCE: Associated Press research

At least Jerry Oliver found a way out..................

Kym Worthy will have a news conference at 11 am and I, along with million of other citizens will be watching to see what charges will be filed against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Christine Beatty and others in his administration.

However what has my attention right now, is how Jerry Oliver figured in this scandal and fiasco. I was always puzzled by former Detroit Police Chief Jerry Oliver getting caught with a gun in his luggage at the airport. When it originally happened, all I could think was, “What was he thinking?”

Here is a man who had a lot of experience in law enforcement, and had to have a clear comprehensive understanding of the law, but tried to board an airplane with a gun. But as the scandal grows and more information is revealed about the Detroit Police Department and the Mayor Administration's by the Detroit whistle blower trial and The Detroit Free Press, I have a theory now. After being chief for a while, Oliver must have realized that he was caught up in a dirty mess that was going to burst at the seams.

According to the below Free Press article, Jerry Oliver seemed to be surprised by the text messages between Ella Bully Cummings and Christine Beatty. However, I definitely believe that at the time, former Chief Oliver knew that he was only a figurehead. I now think it was a smart ploy getting busted at the airport. Oliver probably was frustrated by not being able to trust his boss or the folks around him, and he needed to find an exit route from that position. If Jerry Oliver had tried to quit voluntarily, there could have been a possibility of raising suspicion that he would potentially out the Mayor, his administration, and the Detroit Police department.

There also could have been a potential negative backlash from his former boss, Mayor Kilpatrick regarding Oliver's performance if he had quit because he no longer wanted the job. Or who knows, there could have been a fate worse than that. I don't believe that he was an angel, but catching a case with the Feds was a perfect foil to me. Although he has a record with the Federal government for a so called stupid mistake, his reputation is still much intact, (well, at this time) and he is still able to be employed elsewhere. At least Jerry Oliver is now working in Arizona, and is not totally caught up in the mess that is enveloping Detroit right now.

Ex-police chief surprised

by SUV text messages

BY BEN SCHMITT, JIM SCHAEFER and M.L. ELRICK •

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • March 24, 2008

Text messages obtained by the Free Press raise new questions about an old controversy: Lincoln Navigators police officials obtained for Carlita Kilpatrick, the wife of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

The text messages show that in fall 2002, Ella Bully-Cummings, then assistant police chief, was instrumental in acquiring a new Navigator for Detroit's first lady, long before the infamous red Lincoln Navigator controversy of 2005, when reporters learned the city paid nearly $25,000 to lease a replacement Navigator for the mayor's wife.

Jerry Oliver, Detroit's police chief at the time, told the Free Press this month he was floored by the messages involving Bully-Cummings, then one of his top assistants, because he directly told the mayor it was inappropriate to obtain a Navigator for Carlita Kilpatrick out of the police budget.

"Clearly, they were intending to do it whether the chief thought it was a good idea or not," he said after viewing the messages.

Bully-Cummings, who Kilpatrick appointed chief after Oliver resigned in October 2003, said in a statement Friday that Oliver is "totally dishonest" for saying he did not approve the lease.

"I was directed by Jerry Oliver to facilitate the processing of the paperwork related to this leased vehicle," she wrote. "His failure to take responsibility for his actions after the fact is disappointing."

On Sept. 11, 2002, Bully-Cummings, one of two assistant chiefs under Oliver, wrote a text message to Christine Beatty, the mayor's chief of staff.

"When you get a free moment, can you call me regarding a vehicle for the First Lady, or direct me to the person, I need to have that discussion with," she asked. "Thanks."

Beatty replied: "I'll call you in about 20min."

Bully-Cummings followed up on Sept. 20, 2002: "Hi Christine, Any feedback on the First Lady's vehicle? Just checking so that I can get the process moving on her currently identified vehicle of choice. Thanks."

In early 2005, when Bully-Cummings admitted in a news conference that she had ordered the replacement Navigator for Kilpatrick's family, the chief also revealed the earlier 2002 lease, which she said cost the city $14,100. But it was not known at that time that Oliver claimed no knowledge of the deal.

Kilpatrick told the media during that news conference that he and his family do not special-order vehicles from the Police Department. His spokesman, James Canning, said Sunday that the mayor was unavailable for comment.

Back in 2005, Kilpatrick said: "I need to be absolutely clear. When the deputy mayor (Anthony Adams) stands up and says there was never a vehicle ordered for my wife, that is absolutely true."

By the Grace of God...Have a Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a nice Easter. Please be careful out there. If I didn't have to participate at church, I would not ventured out in this new snow.

Here is a tape of a guy that ran a red light that was posted on GodTube.com. I was so amazed that I had to watch it several times for the action to sink in. The magnitude of how blessed the other motorists were definitely only through the Grace of God!

Macomb County Circuit Chief Judge Antonio Viviano dropped the ball regarding Maria Djelaj's request for a PPO

I was so angry when I read the below Detroit Free Press news article today.

I feel that Michigan Macomb County Circuit Chief Judge Antonio Viviano needs to step down.

This incident is not the first time that a woman has been killed by her husband. This incident is not the first time a woman of Albanian or Armenian heritage has been killed by her husband in Michigan. There was another case where a woman who wanted a divorce from her husband was killed by him and later he fled the country.

What in the world was that judge and the woman's lawyer thinking? Who does the legal research for them? Michigan just recently went through the horrific murder case of Stephen Grant who killed and dismembered his wife, Tara Lynn Grant right in front of their children. Stephen Grant's case was all over the news last year and he was recently sentenced to life. Macomb County Circuit Chief Judge Antonio Viviano was also involved in the legal proceedings of the murder trial. Judge Viviano was the one to select Attorney Stephen Rabuat, to replace David Griem, the Detroit lawyer who withdrew as Stephen Grant's attorney because of irreconcilable differences.

Already folks are trying to do damage control. In the Detroit News article, the officials claimed that because the PPO issue was not raised in court at the time of the hearing, the judge did not believe it had merit when it was presented to him later. The article indicated:

“Viviano could not be reached for comment Thursday. But county spokesman Phil Frame said Viviano did not grant the protection order because it had not been mentioned at the divorce hearing and there did not appear to be a need to act on it immediately. A lot of times (personal protection orders) are granted after a hearing. That would have been a good chance to raise that issue," he said. It's not clear whether the order would have made a difference, said Carmen Wargel, director of community development for the Mount Clemens-based nonprofit Turning Point, which supports domestic violence victims.”

After reading the response from the county spokesman and Turning Point, I can not help but believe that either Viviano (whose son is Judge David Viviano) carries a lot of political clout or folks are nervous and trying to be careful in the event that a potential lawsuit is filed on behalf of the children. I know for a fact that Turning Point relies on a lot of financial support from the Macomb County community. I definitely believe they do not want to ruffle the feathers of any potential contributors or county officials.

Here is some logic folks.............

The articles indicated that Maria Djelaj filed the PPO request after the hearing. Why didn't Judge Viviano consider that her husband, Djerdj Djelaj was upset after the hearing and made those threats to her later? According to the below article, the judge knew that the relationship between them was tense, and he had to order them to "not to bad mouth each other in the presence of their children." I know many folks claim that a PPO is not worth the paper that it is printed on, but to me it is important that at least the claim of a threat has been acknowledged and documented by the police and the court. The couple had already been to court regarding domestic abuse, but unfortunately Mr. Djelaj was acquitted in December 2007.

I find it so sad that Maria Djelaj's claim that she was afraid that her husband was going to kill her was not taken seriously, and I feel Viviano and her lawyer definitely dropped the ball on this situation. I hope that her children sue the pants off of Viviano or Macomb County. If they do not, I just hope that folks, especially those that care and all women who have experienced or known someone who went through domestic violence or died as a result of it, will remember this case and do not let Judge Viviano forget the incident when he runs for or is assigned another prominent public office position.

Detroit Free Press Article

SHELBY TOWNSHIP

Wife sought protection order 9 days before murder-suicide

BY AMBER HUNT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • March 21, 2008

Maria Djelaj's note was prophetic: "I'm afraid he is going to kill me."

She scrawled those words on a request for a personal protection order March 10. Nine days later, she was dead, shot and killed by the man she feared -- her husband.

Djerdj Djelaj, 46, gunned down his wife while the two sat in a parking lot at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church, Shelby Township Police Detective Terry Hogan said. Djelaj then turned the gun on himself.

Before he did, police said, he called the couple's two adult children and said good-bye. The young adults -- one turned 18 recently -- found their parents' bodies and called 911.

"Sadly, I'm not surprised," said Roberta Sarkis, the Mt. Clemens lawyer who was representing Maria Djelaj in her divorce.

Sarkis appeared in court March 10 with Maria Djelaj, 38, and her father, Kola Gjola. Both filed for protection orders after the hearing, on Sarkis' advice.

In the request, Maria Djelaj wrote of a Sept. 16 incident that resulted in a domestic violence charge against her husband of 21 years, but a district judge acquitted him in December.

She also said that on March 4, her husband "came straight in my face and said I will break every bone in your body," she wrote in the petition.

And she said that on June 30, he beat her so severely she needed stitches in her head.

"Over the years, he has threatened me and my children," she wrote.

Her father, in a separate request, wrote that on March 10 his son-in-law said: "From today on wherever you are I will find you and kill you."

The protection order requests were denied the next day by Circuit Judge Antonio Viviano, who was set to handle the couple's divorce trial in May.

Court officials said neither Gjola nor his daughter told Viviano in person that they feared for their safety, and the acrimony was so intense that Viviano ordered the two sides not to bad-mouth each other in front of their four children, two of whom are minors.

That isn't the couple Hana Lulgjuraj said she knew. The Oakland County paralegal knew the couple because of their shared Albanian heritage and worked with them in 2002 on a civil claim stemming from a car accident.

"They appeared to be a very happy couple," Lulgjuraj said. "She was happy and full of life. It's devastating."

Contact AMBER HUNT at 586-469-4682 or alhunt@freepress.com.

Update: The Macomb Daily provided more detailed information.

Macomb Daily
PUBLISHED: Friday, March 21, 2008

Victim sought protection
Judge denied request; police say husband then killed wife

By Frank DeFrank,
Macomb Daily Staff Writer

A woman shot and killed by her husband in the parking lot of a Shelby Township church had unsuccessfully sought a personal protection order just nine days before she was killed because, she told court officials, "I'm afraid he's going to kill me."

Maria Djelaj, 38, was shot to death Wednesday in what Shelby Township police have determined was a murder-suicide. Djelaj's accused killer, her estranged husband, Djerdj Djelaj, 47, took his own life. The couple were in the process of a divorce, and Djelaj previously had been acquitted during a court trial on a domestic violence-related charge.

"I'm afraid he is going to kill me," Maria wrote in her petition for a personal protection order, filed March 10, 2008 in Macomb County Circuit Court.

Maria also highlighted other occasions during which her husband "beat" and "threatened" her.

The petition was for an "ex parte" order, meaning it would have to be granted without the knowledge of Maria's husband. According to court records, Judge Antonio Viviano denied the request because, "The allegations in the petition do not provide reasonable cause to believe immediate and irreparable injury will occur if an ex parte order is issued without a hearing."

Viviano also advised the woman she could request a hearing for a protection order within 21 days.

The request for a protection order wasn't the first time the couple's rocky marriage wound up in court. Djelaj was acquitted on a domestic violence charge earlier this year in Shelby Township's 41A District Court, said Phil Frame, a spokesman for Macomb County.

About 7:40 p.m. Wednesday, Shelby Township police Chief Robert Leman said a man telephoned Shelby Township to report his brother was about to kill his wife and himself. When police responded and found the couple in a minivan, she was dead and he was mortally wounded. Djelaj died later after emergency personnel transported him to a hospital.

"(The caller said) his brother had either killed or was going to kill his wife and himself," Leman said.

The brother told police Djelaj was near a church in the vicinity of 21 Mile Road and Patterson. Officers were dispatched to St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church, located along Schoenherr Road near Patterson Street.

"We put two and two together and responded there," Leman said.

When officers arrived, they found a minivan in a back section of the church parking lot. Inside, officers found the deceased woman and the wounded man.

Following additional conversations with family members, Leman said he learned Djelaj and his wife were Shelby Township residents, but had separated. The couple, married in 1986, had four children.

The chief also said officers were called to the couple's home on a domestic violence call at least once in 2007.

"They had some domestic problems," Leman said.

Djelaj's choice to pull into the parking lot at St. Therese of Lisieux may not have been coincidental. Leman said the couple, although not members, had attended the church on occasion.

Linda Maccarone, church administrator, arrived at St. Lisieux shortly after police were summoned. She said initial media reports that a service was in progress and interrupted by the shootings were inaccurate.

"There were people in the church," said Maccarone. "There was a meeting going on … But nobody really heard anything."

Maccarone also said a funeral for Maria Djelaj is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at the church.

State of the City...........hollow message

I could only shake my head as I listened to the last minutes of the message that Mayor Kilpatrick gave on the state of Detroit. It started off the way it should have, and later deteriorated into a petty tirade. As usual, he lambasted the media for his problems. To my surprise, his statements prompted long time WDIV broadcaster Carmen Harlan to make a personal commentary. She let the mayor know that his problems were of his own doing, and were not the fault of the media. I must say that WDIV (Channel 4) has been the most charitable of the three local news stations, especially when they were the station chosen to originally broadcast his January 30th "apology" at his church.

I think that the media has been very lenient with Mayor Kilpatrick, especially The Detroit Free Press who has the text messages. Although they have already revealed some salient details, they have held back which I feel is best option right now. WCHB Radio Host Mildred Gaddis made a valid point on her program today. She suggested that until Mayor Kilpatrick has been formally charged by the Wayne County Prosecutor, holding back the text messages would be in the best interest for any future legal proceedings concerning him. He could demand a change of venue for a potential trial because his argument would be that potential jurors could be influenced by the text messages published by the Detroit Free Press.

I just hope the Wayne County Prosecutor is ethical, and is able to build a solid case against Mayor Kilpatrick when she formally reveals the charges against him. On another note, seeing Carlita Kilpatrick who has maintained a low profile lately, made me pause. Observing the outfit that she wore to the event had me wondering if she was trying to make a political statement. Most of the rest of Kilpatrick clan was dressed conservatively.

But with Mrs. Kilpatrick's attire of a white pantsuit with a black blouse, I could not help but think of widely publicized image of Al Pacino in the movie "Scarface". Was she trying to let folks know that she was on top of the world? Or was she rebelling against the image consultants that her husband recently hired?

A Sister's Dilemma: Gamble, Sit still, or Roll Over?

In this whole scandal that has enveloped Detroit, I feel for the women in this mess. We as women take on many roles as for example; wife, mother, mistress, cohort and ally. I feel and know that some roles we do willingly and some we do begrudgingly.

With the current news that a former police mail clerk has come forward indicating that she saw a police report indicating that Mrs. Kilpatrick assaulted dancer Tamera Green, the plot thickens. Sure the information has been out there for a long time, but this is the first time someone has personally attempted to come forward and make an actual claim that Tamara Greene was assaulted by Mrs. Kilpatrick at the rumored party held at the Manoogian Mansion. I really hope that Attorney Norman Yatooma can get his hands on those text messages for his case. I also hope that for the ex-clerk's sake, she has protection, and a clear background because after the father of Tamara Greene's son indicated that his house was broken in and vandalized, no telling what may come at her because of her statements.

Whether the accusation is true or not, remains to be seen. Since the Kilpatricks' January 30th broadcast from their church, Mrs. Kilpatrick has kept a low profile. I don't blame her because I would have done the same. Ms. Beatty has been seen around and about briefly when she visits her lawyers. The toil of the scandal must be stressful, and it can be seen on their faces. Ms. Beatty, in a recent Detroit News photo, appears like the situation is draining the life out of her.

Neal Rubin's column in today's Detroit News made a suggestion that may play out in Ms. Beatty's favor, but I doubt it will happen soon. He suggested in order for her to save herself and keep her life from going down the toilet, she needs to drop a dime on the mayor. After the rumored police hit on Tamara Greene, the rumored death of another Detroit dancer in Atlanta, and the upheaval of the lives of the police officers who filed the whistle blower suit in which she played a part, I believe that it will take a lot of convincing for Ms. Beatty to take that route. I think the Fed would have to offer a lot of protection, relocation and guarantees before she would even consider that option. It would also depend on how deep the emotional attachment and feelings that she may still have for Mayor Kilpatrick. I think once legal proceedings began including if and when they are indicted, the scenario will sharply change the loyalties and relationships between all the players in this drama.

'What ifs' float around as text scandal drags on'

Detnews.com
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Neal Rubin

A friend who used to get paid for prosecuting bad guys floats an interesting notion: What if Christine Beatty rolled over on the mayor?

Not rolled over, literally, like in the good old days when the taxpayers were sending them on romantic getaways. She means rolled over as in testified. Snitched. Finked. Sang. Turned state's evidence.

So far, Beatty is the only one who's paid a price for the widening text message scandal. A few months ago, she was Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's imperious chief of staff. Now she's an unemployed law student, working toward a degree she might never get a chance to use.

Even when she was earning $140,000 a year, she needed help buying a house: A sketchy $12,000 bank grant and a $237,000 mortgage approved despite her poor credit rating, after a bank official wrote a memo describing her as "a personal referral from the mayor."

Historically, being the mayor's friend has not been much of a character reference. Among his running buddies is Bobby Ferguson, whose heavy construction company has received tens of millions of dollars in city contracts. Ferguson's resumé includes whacking bouncers with a bat outside a sports bar, firing a gun into a crowd during a street fight, pleading guilty to a misdemeanor related to carrying a concealed weapon and serving time for pistol-whipping an employee.

In some jurisdictions, those things might disqualify a fella from cashing in on city work. But not in Detroit, where Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy says she's close to a decision on whether to prosecute Beatty and Kilpatrick for lying on the witness stand during a whistleblower lawsuit filed by two former police officers.

The jury didn't believe them, awarding the officers $6.5 million, and that might be what keeps them out of jail. Prosecutors tell me the stern hand of justice gives much larger wedgies when a lie affects the outcome of a trial.

Blame anyone else

Kilpatrick's response after the verdict was instructive: He blamed the racial makeup of the jury, which had only one black member. He's all about building bridges to the suburbs until it suits his purposes to dig a moat.

The latest company line is also illuminating. Frankie Darcell of WMXD-FM (92.3) floated it on Devin Scillian's "Flashpoint" on WDIV-TV (Channel 4), and it goes like this: "You don't right a wrong with a wrong."

Darcell landed the first interview with the mayor after the scandal broke. It was somewhere between soft-hitting and fawning. Now she and the other mayoral apologists are contending that since the Detroit Free Press obtained the text messages illegally, no one should be called to account for their contents.

It's a clumsy bit of sleight-of-hand, built on the unsupported assertion that the Free Press broke the law. But let's assume, for the sake of ridiculing a frivolous argument, that skulduggery was involved. The mayoral position is that a bank robber shouldn't have to return the money if the private party who tracked him down and made a citizen's arrest committed trespassing.

What's next?

My guess is that the mayor will plead out to a misdemeanor and get re-elected. When we're talking about voters who put municipal leech Alonzo Bates on the city council, a third term seems almost reasonable.

If Kilpatrick continues to paint himself as a victim, though, my friend the ex-prosecutor says to expect some heavy leaning on Beatty. A felony conviction would keep her from getting a license to practice law. A misdemeanor might not, a stern lecture wouldn't, and a friendly word to the bar association from Worthy's office could only help.

Right now, Kilpatrick has a job, a spouse and a future. Beatty no longer has any of those things, but she has information, and there may come a point where her only choice is to throw the mayor under a bus.

He's a large man, but it's a big Greyhound.

Reach Neal Rubin at (313) 222-1874 or nrubin@detnews.com.

Revelations and perplexity

I have been dealing with some issues (unemployment, financial, & health wise) during these last couple of months. Although I have told my family and some other close friends, last night I had to tell one of my oldest and dearest friends about my impending breast biopsy next week. She said that she can not take it anymore bad news since her nephew is dealing with cancer right now. I remembered her nephew when he was a baby back in the 1980s. He was currently in college with and had to drop out. My friend said that her uncle died of the same cancer, but the doctor has hope with her nephew's situation. I could tell she did not want to talk much about it, and I regretted telling her last night while we were out for dinner. I must say that her reaction did not surprise me. However I did let her know that I was positive that things would go well and left it at that.

Also being the physical being that I am, I wanted to jump High School Crush's bones since I was going to be near his side of town recently. Unfortunately, I was disappointed when he told me that he had something to do. He also told me to be patient and I felt that he was throwing my own statement back in my face. We recently reconciled after a month long break. I have fell for this guy, although the chances of maintaining a long term serious relationship is low. My mother who vehemently does not like cohabitation, told me to "Be Like Elizabeth Taylor"......Marry the guy, and if it does not work out, divorce and move on, at least knowing that I tried.........

After we somewhat reconciled, I had asked High School Crush for patience, but I was talking about me considering marriage and meeting his family. For a moment, I felt like a little child that was denied candy, and being with him in the carnal sense, is close to enjoying candy for me. I teased that he must be scared or was not telling me something. Surprisingly, High School Crush kept his composure and did not get excited like he usually does when I raise his ire. Although we ended our conversation amicably, I was disappointed because I am tired of the cat and mouse covertness of our relationship, and felt that he is still somewhat withdrawn. I resolved not to call him for a while, and not to push for anything, since there are no commitments on either of our parts. However, High School Crush seems to be in a wary mood, and initially I found that bewildering, but later had to reconsider the situation. We both have emotional baggage that is still an issue with us. I also had to wonder if the news of my impending biopsy had an affect on him. Or was he involved with someone else. I had already cut my friendly ties to my ex-boyfriend when he did not respond back to my news of the biopsy. It was a wake up call for me. There is no point in trying to analyze him anymore, nor expect a continued friendship, and will focus on the present now.

Back to High School Crush. He was the one that reached back out to me, and I am grateful. However, when I responded with back with enthusiasm, he seemed to protect himself as if I was going to squash him with affection. I want closeness, harmony and bliss. I want to cozy up in bed with his arms wrapped around me, and whisper sweetly while nuzzling each other. I want to make breakfast for him in the morning, and later curl up and watch sports on TV in the afternoon. I want to hang out with him in Home Depot or Lowes. What guy wouldn't want that? I don't know right now what he wants, but I will try to be patient like he requested. And that is hard for me.........

Like most of the media, L.A is also focusing on Detroit also.....

From the Los Angeles Times............link provided below

(http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-detroit8mar08,1,7865919,
full.story?ctrack=2&cset=true)

An old killing and new
rumors roil Detroit

Jeffrey Sauger / For The Times

LEFT BEHIND: Jonathan Bond was 10 when his mother was killed nearly five years ago.
His father, Ernest Flagg, right, and attorney Norman Yatooma helped Jonathan sue the mayor
and the city, charging that they quashed an investigation.

A stripper's shooting death nearly five years ago is emerging as a key story line in the ongoing civic soap opera.

By P.J. Huffstutter, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 8, 2008

DETROIT -- In a city that routinely sees more than 400 homicides a year, the 2003 slaying of Tamara "Strawberry" Greene was an easily overlooked crime.

Few people initially took notice when the 27-year-old stripper was found slumped over the steering wheel of her green Buick Skylark. But soon the city was buzzing with rumors that she had danced at a party at the mayor's mansion -- a story that has never been proven.

Victim

click to enlarge

'Hip-hop mayor'

click to enlarge

The investigation into the rumored party and her slaying helped launch Democratic Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick's avalanche of current woes, but nearly five years later, Greene's death has been overshadowed by recent revelations of an affair between the mayor and his then-chief of staff, Christine Beatty.

The scandal, complete with text-messaged endearments, has been fueled by reports that Kilpatrick and Beatty lied about the affair while testifying last year.

Now Greene's shooting death in April 2003 is emerging as a key story line in the city's civic soap opera.

Lawyers for Greene's 14-year-old son are pushing forward with a $150-million federal civil lawsuit against the mayor and the city, charging that they quashed the investigation of her slaying.

They recently filed a statement from a former Detroit police officer alleging that his homicide unit was pressured to drop the case, even though it appeared to him that Greene's slaying was a hit -- one possibly carried out by another police officer. They've also subpoenaed a slew of text messages between city employees, including those sent between 1:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on the day Greene was killed.

The city is petitioning for the case to be dismissed. A federal judge ordered SkyTel and the city to save certain messages from 42 city pagers, including Kilpatrick's, as well as all messages sent on the day Greene died.

The tale of Greene's slaying revolves around the rumored party at Manoogian Mansion, the official residence of the mayor. Court documents lay out the following sequence of events:

An officer with the mayor's Executive Protection Unit reported that a party for the mayor and his friends had taken place and " . . . the party featured nude female dancers," according to a 2003 internal affairs memo commissioned by then-Police Deputy Chief Gary Brown.

When the mayor's wife, Carlita Kilpatrick, unexpectedly arrived at the mansion, she saw her husband and the strippers, according to Harold Nelthrope, the officer who reported about the party.

Nelthrope, who was not at the alleged event but learned about it the following day, "further stated that a fight ensued between Ms. Kilpatrick and a dancer, and that the dancer received injuries requiring medical attention." Nelthrope did not state who told him about the alleged events.

The dancer -- believed to be Greene -- was taken to a hospital, " . . . and the Executive Protection Unit confiscated all activity log sheets" from the police precinct that responded, Nelthrope said.

The mayor, who declined to comment for this story, has repeatedly denied that the party or any assault ever took place. Carlita Kilpatrick also declined to comment. So, too, have Detroit police officials -- at least publicly. A state investigation resulted in Michigan Atty. Gen. Mike Cox dismissing such claims as urban legend.

"They have no eyewitnesses, no caterers, not one person that said they were there that has been named," said attorney Mayer Morganroth, who is defending the city and the mayor in the lawsuit filed on behalf of Greene's son, Jonathan Bond.

Jonathan's attorney Norman Yatooma said, "The mayor is a proven liar and perjurer. Neither the party nor Tammy's murder are urban legend. It's another legendary cover-up."

Brown, a 25-year veteran of the force, was also looking into allegations that officers on the mayor's security team falsified overtime payroll, drank on the job and hid accidents in city cars.

He was unexpectedly fired after the 2003 memo -- in part, Brown claimed, for investigating the rumored party and because the mayor and Beatty feared their relationship would be exposed.

The investigation into Greene's slaying, meanwhile, was quietly being sabotaged, court documents allege.

In a 10-page affidavit filed earlier this month in connection with the son's lawsuit, former Detroit Police Lt. Alvin Bowman -- a 31-year police veteran who led the homicide unit looking into the Greene slaying -- said that top police officials derailed his investigation in order to avoid any inquiry into the party.

Bowman said files and case notes on the killing were deleted from homicide investigators' computers and reports were removed from the file. At one point, the file was placed in a combination-lock safe that Bowman and others couldn't get into. "The focus of our investigation was to solve Ms. Greene's murder, not to investigate the Manoogian Mansion party," Bowman stated in his affidavit. "However, because of the persistent and pervasive rumors concerning her appearance at that party and rumored assault by the Mayor's wife, Carlita Kilpatrick, my investigation required my [s]quad to follow up and investigate those rumors."

This week, Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings told reporters that Bowman's accusations were "reprehensible," and that "there is no cover-up in this police department into the death of Miss Greene."

Called the nation's "hip-hop mayor," Kilpatrick at one time faced a bright political future. Many people -- particularly his mother, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) -- predicted that the charismatic attorney could win a seat in Congress, or be the first black president.

But his reputation was overshadowed by scandal, including a series of police whistle-blower lawsuits.

Last year, after a jury sided against the city in one of the suits, Kilpatrick convinced the City Council to approve an $8.4-million settlement with three police whistle-blowers.

Part of the deal that the council did not know about but that was reportedly approved by the city attorney: that proof of the text messages showing the mayor and Beatty lied under oath about their romantic relationship was to be concealed.

The affair was first reported in the Detroit Free Press in January, after investigative reporters obtained almost 14,000 text messages sent from, and received by, Beatty's city-owned pager in 2002 and 2003.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy opened an investigation into possible perjury and other charges against the mayor.

The investigation, expected to be completed next week, and the mayor's troubles have galvanized this blue-collar community.

At a City Council meeting this week, angry residents clutching handwritten speeches crammed inside the public chambers to voice their views about the mayor.

"He has disgraced my race, and he is no longer able to carry on as mayor of this city," said one resident, retired city schoolteacher Hattie Massey, 73.

Jonathan Bond was 10 when his mother was killed. Jonathan's father, Ernest Flagg, filed the lawsuit on behalf of his son. His family has told him to let the case go.

Flagg recently moved his family out of Detroit, after their home was broken into and trashed.

"I had to move," said Flagg, 35, a business consultant. "I also have to do this. What kind of a man am I teaching him to be, if I don't fight?"

p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com

a person's legacy............

Attended the funeral of my children's Great Uncle last week. Even if you did not know the person, you can tell how that person lived by just listening to the people that spoke. The last time I was at that same funeral home was for my own great uncle several years ago, and similarities of the recent funeral was so close to his that I found it sad. Both men lived outside the lines, and had children and grandchildren. They both had been convicts, drug addicts and alcoholics, so there was not much of a close paternal relationship with their children.

As I watch the recent funeral unfold, I was reminded of its similarities to my great uncle's funeral, in that there was a reluctance among my cousins to speak. My children were surprised at that. They have attended some funerals and always saw the children of the departed speak. But my great uncle's seven children did not show much emotion. Finally at the end, one of his sons did finally get up and say a few words after my grandmother, my mother, my uncle, and my aunt spoke. He reminded his siblings that although their Dad was not active in their lives, there were some bright moments.

However, this time after all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and church members spoke, not one of this great uncle's three children or grandchildren spoke on his behalf. Later after making an inquiry, I found out that they did not assist with writing the obituary either. It was written by his nieces, daughters of his oldest sister. I also realized that my ex was closer to him than his own sons. The great uncle was a lively, fun loving person that was the baby of the family and also was a ladies man. From the photos I saw and stories that I heard, he certainly was a Dapper Dan in his heyday. When I met the great uncle for the first time twentysome years ago at a wedding reception, he asked my ex (Who was my boyfriend then) while eyeing me in his most flirtatious manner, "Well son, who do you have here?" It didn't help either that I was hot from head to toe: Burgundy hair, hot pink hip hugging dress with burgundy spike heel shoes. Later at the after party at a relative's home, he was the life of the party.

All I can say is that he will be missed.