Top Comments: November, 2018 update edition

An update to several earlier stories of mine, after the jump ………

But first: Top Comments appears nightly, as a round-up of the best comments on Daily Kos. Surely ... you come across comments daily that are perceptive, apropos and .. well, perhaps even humorous. But they are more meaningful if they're well-known ... which is where you come in (especially in diaries/stories receiving little attention).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send your nominations to TopComments at gmail dot com by 9:30 PM Eastern Time nightly, or by our KosMail message board. Please indicate (a) why you liked the comment, and (b) your Dkos user name (to properly credit you) as well as a link to the comment itself.

Six weeks ago I wrote about the upset Democratic primary election victory here in New Hampshire of Safiya Wazir— a 27 year-old former refugee from Afghanistan, who spent years in a refugee camp, learning English by studying the dictionary. She defeated a four-term incumbent (in September) to advance to the general election for the state House of Representatives in the capital city of Concord. Her opponent Dick Patten was an old-school veteran politician (with labor support) yet with harshly nativist views, who vowed to vote for Safiya Wazir’s Republican opponent Jerry Soucy because … he was a 50-year resident of the district.

You can read my original essay at this link.

Now …... an update.

She won the general election over said opponent Jerry Soucy by a vote of 907-718. And sure enough, some of those who were also not long-term residents said her story resonated with them:

“She’s one of the reasons I registered,” said Gopal Timsina, who voted for the first time Tuesday after he turned 18 in July. Timsina’s family came to Concord in 2008 from Nepal.

“It’s great to see minorities stepping up,” he said. “And it’s good to see (refugees), because they’ve been through a lot and some tough times, but now they can be whatever they want.”

Yet those who were longer-term residents ... also spoke positively about her:

Helen Ford said she used to be a Republican, but switched over “some time ago.” She was particularly concerned with President Donald Trump’s family separation policy, calling it “terrible,” and praised Wazir for her community involvement.

“She’s very nice, very put together,” Ford said. “I think it’s excellent someone from outside the country can come to this community and establish themselves.”

Rep-elect Safiya Wazir and daughter

Three-and-a-half years ago, I devoted half of my Top Comments diary to the advent of the best-selling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks— which was the result of a woman who (as a teenager) heard a brief snippet about Lacks’ cancerous cells … and later decided to write a book about her (without a contract).

The story of Henrietta Lacks delves into how people of color were routinely treated by the medical community in the 1940’s, and also about the more general topic of obtaining consent from patients before taking samples, etc.

You can read my original essay (the first half of a previous Top Comments diary) at this link.

Now …... an update.

Since then, an HBO movie (starring Oprah Winfrey as Henrietta’s daughter Deborah) was made. 

And just last month, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (where her blood cells were drawn) decided to name a new research building on campus to Henrietta Lacks. In fact, it turns out: a few years ago a science-oriented high school in the state of Washington had been dedicated to her, as well.

      Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951)

Finally, a story that I did not originally write in a Top Comments essay … but instead, in a stand-alone diary this past September. In it, I related the story of a man who had been wrongfully convicted of murder, serving twenty-seven years for a crime committed by another man (who in fact admitted to his crime two days later). All of which led to Valentino Dixon being freed that September day.

Incredibly, what should have been a case that had a series of red flags was forgotten … until the imprisoned Valentino Dixon re-discovered his childhood aptitude for drawing. And after a warden asked him to draw (from a photo) the 12th hole of the Masters tournament in Georgia ...

12th: Augusta National Golf Club

…. he found his calling, with some of his work reaching the publication Golf Digest. That’s why I was compelled to recount his story: although the traditional social justice forces eventually ran-with-the-ball (leading to his freedom) — including several students at Georgetown University — Golf Digest was the first to examine his criminal conviction …. and publicly find it severely wanting.

My original account of the freedom for Valentino Dixon is at this link.

Now …... an update.

Earlier this month, Valentino Dixon met-up again (at a public forum) with the Georgetown students who had interviewed him and others connected with the case. It was they who discovered that Dixon’s hands and clothes were tested (at the time of the murder) for any gunshot residue … and which came back negative.

Georgetown University program guide

Yet it was the NPR sports program Only a Game that gave the back-story to his wrongful imprisonment …. which was not detailed in a mainstream publication at the time I wrote the first time about him. (Below is my summary of the story).

It turns out that he attended a school for the arts in his teens, but fell under the spell of drug dealing in his tough East Buffalo neighborhood. While out on bail for drug possession in 1991, he fled a fast-food restaurant when he heard shots ring out. He was arrested when different witnesses gave conflicting testimony, with him having a criminal record being (he felt) an attractive target for law enforcement. (Despite the fact that the shooter had admitted to the murder).

It gets worse: the prosecutor charged two witnesses (who exonerated Dixon) with perjury charges. This in turn led other potential witnesses to clam-up, so that only those who would parrot the prosecution line could be heard from.

In the words of Keith Olbermann, “It gets worser”. His public defender made no opening argument, called no witnesses, introduced no exhibits. Dixon was convicted and sentenced to thirty-eight years to life.

It gets even worser: Dixon visited the prison library, made meticulous notes and filed an appeal. The same judge said he had been given a fair trial. Then his father hired attorneys on his behalf …. who took his money and did very little. (Worst).

Then a gift of colored pencils opened up a new world for him.

As noted, the warden’s request led him to read golf magazines, looking for subjects. And it was the Golf Digest columnist Max Adler, whose recurring “Golf Saved My Life” column  got him thinking, and he sent Adler a letter (along with a drawing). That led to a visit to the infamous Attica State Prison that resulted in Max Adler taking up his cause.

Valentino Dixon was scheduled to play his first round of golf last week in Mexico— where he was to meet his wife Louise, who is barred from the US due to immigration rule violations.

He intends to maintain ties to his hometown of Buffalo, regardless of where his work takes him. And his artwork is now for sale on his own website — lots of golf, yet lots of African art and portraits — at ValentinoDixon.com

He draws a lot more than golf, too

Let’s close with Joan Osborne’s rendition of the classic John Mayall blues tune Broken Wings — with today being John Mayall’s 85th birthday.

Valentino Dixon’s wings have now been mended … let’s hope for good.

x xYouTube Video

Now, on to Top Comments:

From bubbanomics:

In my own diary showcasing some anti-Trump memes— this one from Fletch17c — a parody of a recent pro-Trump GOP artist rendition — is awesome.

From BMScott:

In the diary by Freelance Escapologist about gratitude for support by the community during medical treatments  — this comment by cloudykate isn’t the usual type of Top Comment, but twingrace and I both thought it well worth singling out as being both kind and charming.

And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........

In the front-page story about the arrest today of Laura Loomer— the right-wing Islamophobe who was recently banned by Twitter who handcuffed herself to the firm’s NYC headquarters in protest (with a Star of David to claim anti-Semitism) — jhecht and jan4insight both offer Separated-At-Birth analogies (which regular readers of mine know that ... I have an affinity for) ….. yet I side with Brubs as to the most apt comparison.    

TOP PHOTOS November 28th, 2018 Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful *PictureQuilt™* below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. Element removed (NOTE: Any missing images in the Quilt were removed because (a) they were from an unapproved source that somehow snuck through in the comments, or (b) it was an image from the DailyKos Image Library which didn't have permissions set to allow others to use it.)

And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:

1)  The NY Times has become utterly unreadable. Sinc … by Longbeach +208 2)  I think that the the Easter Bunny might bring yo … by ursulafaw +174 3)  Several of their reporters are clearly trading f … by rugbymom +168 4)  Ain’t no help for DT if Rudy Guiliani is “the gr … by kahyatonhkwa +158 5)  They also never mention elderly white rural work … by claude +148 6)  I’m glad to see someone doing something. This ca … by Just Bob +138 7)  Good morning. Thanks, Dr. D. by Rikon Snow +133 8)  “He was just emotionally, culturally, physically … by LeftCoastTom +121 9)  The organization is an accomplice to an act of b … by Seraphiel +116 9)  Obey or die. by jimmr +116 11) *Mystery Sci-Fi Theatre* > Mystery Science Th … by Rashaverak +110 12) Rachel Maddow cited David Nir tonight on her sho … by txdoubledd +107 13) Despite the absolute and ongoing horror of her f … by mama jo +104 13) Hereby another approach: Don’t let the White Hou … by dweb8231 +104 15) EVERY member of this regime should be fact check … by Slideman +103 15) Indeed it should be. Whether it will be in front … by BoasMC +103 17) I think it’s picking up steam faster than that. … by rugbymom +99 18) What’s the latest on Ivanka’s e-mails NYT? by skillet +96 19) I’m trying to think of a joke about this, but I’ … by Toro Blanco +88 20) Good morning Greg. Mississippi Goddam by Denise Oliver Velez +87 21) Excellent read from Richard Hasen by Denise Oliver Velez +84 21) Because she’s a woman. … by kay3295 +84 21) g-d did provide, for the tribe’s safety. by ynohtnA +84 24) The organization that provided support and encou … by alx9090 +78 25) [embed] … by durrati +75 26) I too wrote a diary on this case that published  … by VClib +72 26) I agree this is a smart idea from CNN; I guess I … by Hugh Jim Bissell +72 28) Well, I followed your link (thank you, well done … by 4CasandChlo +70 29) As Betty Bowers said: by thurayya +69 29) My take is slightly different. … by PeterHug +69 29) Yeah. Earlier contact attempts sponsored by Indi … by Oregon Expat +69