Pinckney Held in Michigan in Violation of Article 48 of the Geneva Convention

This is just a short post to inform members that Rev. Edward Pinckney, of Benton Harbor, Michigan, a social activist often featured on Webster Tarpley's World Crisis Radio program, who is famous for getting a monkey wrench and going around turning on the water supply of poor people, which had been cut off by the authorities (lol), and who is currently involved in a scandalous Jim Crowe style pseudo lynching in court, has been told by prison authorities, who are trying to cut him off from the outside world by moving him to a remote prison installation six hours away from where he was originally held, that they will not forward his mail to him.

In other words, mail addressed to his original place of incarceration will not be forwarded to his new location. This is a blatant attempt to cut an important activist off from his supporters and depress his morale. His conviction in this case was thought to have been engineered, possibly by suborning at least one jury member.

We know the corporatist oligarchy is at war with the American people, but they want to go beyond war, to war crime.

They are treating Rev. Pinckney in a manner which is in contravention of Article 48 of the Geneva Convention (Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949.)

In other words the justice system in Michigan is treating one of their own citizens worse than they would an invading soldier taken prisoner.

www.icrc.org...

Art 48. In the event of transfer, prisoners of war shall be officially advised of their departure and of their new postal address. Such notifications shall be given in time for them to pack their luggage and inform their next of kin.

They shall be allowed to take with them their personal effects, and the correspondence and parcels which have arrived for them. The weight of such baggage may be limited, if the conditions of transfer so require, to what each prisoner can reasonably carry, which shall in no case be more than twenty-five kilograms per head.

Mail and parcels addressed to their former camp shall be forwarded to them without delay. The camp commander shall take, in agreement with the prisoners' representative, any measures needed to ensure the transport of the prisoners' community property and of the luggage they are unable to take with them in consequence of restrictions imposed by virtue of the second paragraph of this Article.

The costs of transfers shall be borne by the Detaining Power.

The issues surrounding Rev. Pinckney's social activism in Benton Harbor, Michigan are explained at the following website:

www.bhbanco.org...

who is famous for getting a monkey wrench and going around turning on the water supply of poor people,

Sounds like he is getting a taste of his own medicine.

a reply to: neo96

If the poor people have to take their own medicine, at least some of them will have water to drink it down with thanks to him. Shutting off a person's water, in a civilized society, borders on "huh?" What's a poor person to do, go to the bathroom in the yard and sip rainwater?

a reply to: neo96

How?

Or do you think this was some heinous crime that deserves what he is getting?

originally posted by: neo96

who is famous for getting a monkey wrench and going around turning on the water supply of poor people,

Sounds like he is getting a taste of his own medicine.

And now they give him bread and Water

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: neo96

If the poor people have to take their own medicine, at least some of them will have water thanks to him. Shutting off a person's water, in a civilized society, borders on "huh?" What's a poor person to do, go to the bathroom in the yard and sip rainwater?

Sorry misread it.

a reply to: neo96

I don't think so. I don't think the two things are comparable at all. I haven't gone into the water issue myself, but some people think that cutting off water is a fundamental violation of human rights.

What civic authority could possibly believe that the situation in any community could be helped by cutting off water. When you have activists bringing symbolic truckloads of drinking water from Canada to Detroit, it raises questions about the competence of civic authorities to manage a tough situation.

I think the authorities in the incarceration situation are playing dirty, but Pinckney, in turning the water back on is simply being rational and compassionate.

a reply to: ipsedixit

Water is not a 'human' right.

I wonder how many of those poor folks have cell phones, and other luxuries we Americans are famous for.

While screaming we're poor!.

Theft is theft.

Steal from the city that supplies water ?

What do people think was going to happen.

a reply to: neo96

The United Nations has passed a resolution declaring that water is a human right.

www.un.org...

On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights. The Resolution calls upon States and international organisations to provide financial resources, help capacity-building and technology transfer to help countries, in particular developing countries, to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.

a reply to: neo96

I wonder how many of those poor folks have cell phones, and other luxuries we Americans are famous for.

What if they don't have any of those things?

You are just assuming the worst of these people IMO.

And this isn't about him getting charged, it is about his treatment.

a reply to: ipsedixit

I don't give a rats snip what the UN says.

They aren't the 'boss' of Americans.

a reply to: neo96

Is water not essential to life?

Is life not a right of all americans?

a reply to: Sremmos80

The worst is this.

That guy could have done any number of things from water drives to taking up collections for them.

What HE, and the rest of us here don't have the right to pick, and choose what laws to follow, and which ones to ignore.

The entire foundation of modern society is obey the law.

Hell there are a snip loads of laws I dislike, but I don't break them.

Those that support this support anarchy.

If he doesn't, I don't, and no one else has to.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: neo96

Is water not essential to life?

Is life not a right of all americans?

Seems to me there is no issue

asktheexpert.custhelp.com...

Other than people trying to manufacture it into one.

a reply to: neo96

And this isn't about him getting charged, it is about his treatment.

I will quote my self here cause that was the point of the post.

You keep going on and on about him breaking the law, fine he did.
The OP is about the treatment of him.

a reply to: Sremmos80

And ?

I ain't doing it to him.

So you want me to feign outrage for a guy who broke the law ?

Ain't happening.

originally posted by: neo96
a reply to: ipsedixit

I don't give a rats snip what the UN says.

They aren't the 'boss' of Americans.

That's fine as a personal position but your country does care what the UN thinks and regularly signs on to UN resolutions and regularly seeks UN approval when it wants to invade someone.

Whether you personally believe in the legitimacy of international law doesn't really matter, your country does, and is a party to all kinds of international conventions designed to make the world run more smoothly.

The US would be the laughingstock of the world it it refused to endorse a UN resolution recognizing water as a human right.

a reply to: neo96

The entire foundation of modern society is obey the law

You said this.
Or does that not imply to laws about treatment of people you feel don't deserve it?

a reply to: ipsedixit

Seriously ?

The UN is a laughing stock because it makes billions off misery, and suffering, under the false pretense of giving a snip.

a reply to: neo96

Everything is not black and white. I agree the UN has problems but the world would be very badly off without it or some equivalent organization.

I agree with you that water has to be paid for and people have meters for that, but in a situation like that of Detroit, where huge amounts of financial aid were given to corporations going bankrupt, I think the least the city could do for the ordinary population, whose tax money was handed over to businesses many might consider "corporate welfare bums", is not to cut off basic services.

Some formula needed to be found to deal with that situation. Things are bad enough without cutting people's water off. They helped the Ford Motor Corporation with hundreds of millions of dollars. How much money would it take to keep the water running for the poor?