MICHAEL POTATO HEAD IN DC...

Here is an exclusive picture of Michael T and his family protesting in support of the Mohamad cartoons for the Danish Ambassy...

One big piece... Dismissed, at last!

What I am about to write is a very sensitive subject... At least to me!

THE FACTS
Since Sept 5th 2005, I went through a new system... The American judicial system... Yes, i have been through a few troubles since I was caught in Newport News airport carrying in my carry-on some illegal substance.The fact itself is not really relevant, what is interesting is the process that went on after this incident.Being arrested as a foreign national in the US is quiet unpredictable. First you should have seen the face of the policeman that arrested me when he saw that i was a foreigner. He had never seen a French passport before in his life, and on this labor day of 2005, he didn't expect to go through its own judicial system. "-This is the FBI?" -Yes... -I have an issue with a foreign national that got caught... I don't know what to do with him, he seems pretty nice, but there are too many witnesses to let him go free (...) I believe this was just a one time thing (...) Should we send him downtown... Can I take his handcuffs off? (...) Did you do a nationwide computer check about him? (…)"FBI, wow, it seems pretty serious, well, I though that the all security system in airports was to prevent another 9/11, not to catch a 31 years old not responsible enough to keep its illegal substances at home...Stupidity... Irresponsibility... I know, I know, I don't need more lessons about it, you'll read later that I had lots of lessons later on after this...Well to you, lucky American, you would have been free in a few minutes with a call to the closest tribunal to admit or deny and leave free...Leaving free for me would have been: "go back to France"... hum.... honestly? NO WAY!Remember 'women on the verge of a nervous breakdown'? Well, I was on my play to re-enact it as "Alien on the verge of a stressed breakdown'... the problem is to fight stress, i use this substance... Vicious circle...They let me free, not without giving me the advice not to leave the US territory if I ever wanted to continue to live here. So, in order to be able to come back to the US, I had to stay in the US, Makes sense… I mean… does it?

BACK HOME
As soon as I got back to NY, my home sweet home, I started to Google my case, trying to understand the consequences of my behavior. --- Misdemeanor…up to 1 year in prison --- PRISON??? Well you have to know that Virginia is one of the worst states regarding this substance. President Bush made the war against this dr*g one of the priority of this government… Thank god, Oprah decided that Tina was more dangerous than pot, unfortunately, Oprah is not my prosecutor, my judge, or the policeman that arrested me…

STRATEGY
I called a lawyer. Of course, I had to find someone that could plead my case in Virginia, that would understand the fact and the consequences that I am a foreign national, that I live in the US, with a legal Visa, but a very specific one, and of course, that I still want to live in the US… The first question my lawyer asked me: “Do you have a partner?” Yes, I do… “Well the best thing you should do is to marry her, which would help your case… Well, sure, I’d love to marry HIM, but I would have to go through more technical problems… I’m not allowed to marry my boyfriend. Can you do something about it too?So, what do we do, well first of all, stop taking any substances, take weekly urine test, prove your case to the prosecutor, and try to show you are a person of good behavior. As Jerry McGuire told his player “Help me help you…. Help me help you”… I’ll help you as much as you want, as long I don’t go to jail, as long as I can stay in the land of the free…So starting September 6th, I stopped smoking pot, even though i was a very occasional user, of course, started to take weekly urine test, prove my case, organize my life differently… I called several lawyer friends that went pretty blank because that had no idea what to do concerning my citizenship…

FIRST TRIAL
I decided to go ahead and start a drug education program, and trust me, that was a very moving experience… As a little privilege French young man living in the US, I don’t think I was ready to interact with the people I met during the illicit substance group education program I had to go through for 3 weeks…The prosecutor agreed that if I took a drug education program in NY, she would agree to dismiss my case. That doesn’t mean that my records would be expunged, but still, no condemnation can really help my case in future requests regarding a potential new Visa, or immigration issues.

THE PROGRAM
Meth, Coke, Pot, Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol… wow, it seems like Americans have a huge issue about Alcoholism… Disease, social dysfunctionment, addiction, hepatitis C, HIV, liver cancer… I had to see video everyday, talk about my problem to others, but my problem compare to theirs seems so ridiculous… I was so uncomfortable sharing my judicial issue… The social worker had a rule: when you participate to this program; you have to be totally substance free, meaning alcohol too… I never had a problem with alcohol, never passed out, never been wasted or just simply drunk. I was educated to appreciate a nice glass of Red Chateau Margot, never to much, drink it with “responsibility”… But no drinking for three weeks when you like to go out with friends, not being high, happy, etc… feels weird and turns your world inside out in a much unexpected way.

LAST TRIAL
After succeeding all my sessions, all my urine test, back to the court… Well actually, I didn’t have to go to court again, just a few emails, faxes, and phone call between my lawyer and the prosecutor helped me being dismissed. MY CASE HAVE BEEN DISMISSED… This Thursday February 23rd 2006 I can officially say that this case is closed. What I will always remember is my face, even though I didn’t see it, when I was arrested 6 months ago, the fact that since I was arrested, and obliged to stay in the US for the remaining time of my case, I literally missed 4 weddings and a funeral that took place overseas, the interaction with the other ‘patients’ during the drug education program, and most definitely patience… I find myself pretty lucky to have had the right lawyer, the right people around me to advice me, and the patience to not touch any substance, any beverage for the remaining time of this all process…

Free, at last, I just hope I won’t have any surprises the next time I will leave the country and try to come back home to NY.

Anti-Semitism blamed for Paris murder

French Jewish community security sources have joined the family of murdered Paris Jew Ilan Halimi in blaming anti-Semitism for the killing.
“We think there is anti-Semitism in this affair,” Rafi, Ilan’s brother in law, told journalists.
"First because the killers tried to kidnap at least two other Jews and secondly because of what they said on the phone. When we said we didn’t have 500,000 euros ($600 000) to give them they answered we should go to the synagogue and get it,” Rafi stressed.
“They also recited verses from the Koran. We didn’t know what they were saying but the police told us."
Ilan’s mother, Ruth, revealed to the press that the police told the family to ignore the gang’s attempts to contact them for five critical days, after which his son was found near death outside a city, 30 kilometres from Paris.
She also accused police of ignoring the anti-Semitic motivation of the murder in order not to alienate Muslims.
“If Ilan hadn’t been Jewish, he wouldn't have been murdered,” she said.
French daily Le Monde revealed that one of the people arrested told police that the gang had chosen “Jewish targets.”
But the Paris prosecutor said there was "so far no evidence of an anti-Semitic motive" and that the gang was apparently driven by money. Text messages and emails showing pictures of him, captive and blindfolded, had been sent to his family along with demands for a 400,000-euro ransom. According to the prosecutor, however, Halimi was tortured in scenes reminiscent of the abuse of prisoners at Baghdad’s notorious Abu Ghraib jail. Naked prisoner Held prisoner in a Bagneux apartment, "naked, with his face covered," he was abused in "a repetition of scenes seen elsewhere", the prosecutor said. Marin also said the ringleader had repeated his ransom demands in a telephone call to Halimi’s family on Thursday, days after the young man’s body was found, threatening them with death unless they paid. Police quoted in the French press had questioned whether money was the real motive, one saying the gang appeared to playing a sadistic "game". The gang had lowered its ransom demands from 400,000 euros to 100,000 then dropping them as low as 5,000 euros, before it eventually broke off contact. The breakthrough in the investigation came on Thursday, when a young blonde woman turned herself in to police, saying she had recognized herself in a computer-generated portrait of a suspect circulated to the press. She confirmed that she had been asked to entice two young men, without knowing what they risked, but had failed to draw them in. The young women, who has also been detained, agreed to lead police to the other gang members. The gang’s method of using sex to lure in kidnap victims mirrors the plot of a 1990s French film, "L’Appat" (The Bait).

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Update
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Every year, the French Prime minister delivers his speech to some 800 invitees, France’s top political, social, religious, business, diplomatic and communal leaders. But this year, while statements about Hamas and Iran were expected to top the agenda, the atrocious murder of Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old Jewish Parisian man, radically changed the priorities of the dinner meeting, Monday night, at the Pavillon d'Armenonville in Paris. “It is not a festive meeting. Never France has known such a grave moment of crisis. We must find solutions to live together and find again a fruitful dialogue beyond the differences,” chief rabbi of Paris, David Messas, told EJP. Writer Marek Halter claimed that “there is a real malaise about the dangerous relation people still make between Jews and money,” in a reference to information that Ilan Halimi’s kidnappers targeted Jews because they thought “that all Jews are rich.” Communal shockFrench Jews have been shocked by Halimi’s killing and suspicions of the anti-Semitic motivation of the perpetrators were confirmed by Prime minister Dominique de Villepin himself. Members of the Jewish community asked the representative body for a strong and clear stand at a march last Sunday in memory of the murdered man.This led the CRIF to ask for a “clear response” from the authorities during the dinner. “Is Ilan dead because he is Jewish? Mr Prime Minister you owe the truth to the country,” Roger Cukierman, the CRIF’s president, who attended Ilan Halimi’s burial last Friday, asked the guest of honour outright.An emotional Villepin responded that “all light has to be shed" on the odious and brutal murder of Halimi and declared that the judge investigating on the gang that kidnapped tortured and murdered the young phone salesman decided to retain the thesis of a racist crime.“Barbarous crime”“I want to tell Ilan’s family that all my thoughts go to them. I want them to know that we are going to do all what we can to arrest the authors of this barbarous crime and bring them to justice,” the Prime minister said. “Allow me to convey tonight a message to Ilan Halimi’s family and tell them how much I share their sorrow,” Villepin added. French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who attended the dinner, was due to meet Tuesday afternoon with Ilan Halimi’s family members and the CRIF leaders.News that the murder has had anti-Semitic motivations came as the reported number of anti-Semitic acts in France has sharply declined last year.“This evolution does not mean that the roots of evil have disappeared,” said Cukierman. “The level of anti-Semitic acts is seven times higher than six years ago,” he stressed. “It’s the result of the mobilisation of all,” Villepin said, hailing the determination of interior minister Sarkozy who, he said, “is particularly devoted to this fight.” “Fight against anti-Semitism is an absolute priority and a moral duty. It must help us build a society of the Republic and not of communities,” the Prime minister stressed.Villepin announced that Education minister Gilles de Robien will work out a « reference dossier » to help teachers and schools directors “who have to face with the scourge of anti-Semitism.”

professionalism...

We did it... First photo shoot for movmnt... The magazine will come out next June... Stressed of course, but still very excited...
Organizing a fashion editorial for a magazine is everything but simple. Try to gather talented people, committed to their task, professional in everyway... Well good luck.
Talking about luck, I have to say that we were very lucky to find amazing hairstylist, make up artist and photographer, some of them showed up even with a very last minute notice, that's what I call true friendship, and commitment...
But since the beginning of the preparation of the shoot I had issues regarding the fashion stylist. You're going to tell me, well, that's major, of course it is major! Two stylists stood me up last minute on Thursday night, 3 days before the event…
So I had to run right and left to find clothes by myself, and find a stylist to ease my tasks the day of the photo shoot… Alexander Mc Queen, Alvin Valley, Topless, t-county, I got great clothes, he got nothing by himself… didn’t come with a steamer, forgot a shirt on the photo shoot location, didn’t return clothes on time to certain designer… Why can’t people be professional… The worth is that he his the only one I had to pay because I was desperate to find somebody!
Well this seems like the fashion world is not a very trustful world… I’ve done tons of photo shoots before, and it’s weird to see that I only had troubles with fashion stylist, EVERYTIME! What is my problem with them? Guys, girls, gay, and straights (or in the closet), they all have issues…
If you are a professional stylist, ready to work for some editorial in an amazing magazine to come, LET ME KNOW J

Finally, the result is amazing, here is a sneak preview… with hard work comes amazing result… ok it’s cheesy, but so true! Plus my friend Michael Taylor will tell you that I love cheesy J

Blizzard of 06 - House of Joy

 

PARIS/EUROPE IS NOT BURNING YET...

Well, I watched the video of a few reporters in Paris' street about some crazy extremists against the infamous "anti-mohamet cartoons"... Well, this seems so light compare to what reality is in Paris and all around France and certain European cities…It’s BAD BAD BAD… My friends and family don’t feel secure at all living in Europe anymore.

The threat is more than real, and by being so tolerant with Islam, islamists, the Muslim world in general and extremist in particular, but n only, well, then you have this so needed freedom of speech used in free country like France by those extremist that use our streets to express their hate. Then it’s broadcasted on Al Jazeera to spread it all around the Muslim world…

I’m not confused; I’m just tired of it all. I used to be a very leftist Jewish activist that believed that Arabs and Jews could be together, could live together in peace etc… I became lately a Sharon activist (the Sharon of 2005) that believes that you need to defend yourself by attacking to be able to continue to live freely…
And I know that the occidental world is not perfect, but I’m getting tired of it, the French medias for the first time in decades defended the freedom of speech against the reaction of the muslim world, it is a first step, but wow, the way is still long until we can recover…

Here is the link to watch this video