Marcus Dixon
John C TX
that player. I forgot about this story.
All this spam kills me.
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jet_incredible_journey_from_slammer_RWMp6MS4O0gu3f5WIvHj1K
You probably don’t know Marcus Dixon.
He is one of the newest Jets, having been signed off the waiver wire
on Sunday, the day after the NFL’s final cutdown day.
He is not likely to play in the Jets’ season opener against the Ravens
on Monday night at the New Meadowlands Stadium, because he’s raw,
inexperienced and doesn’t yet know the system.
There is, in fact, no guarantee how long Dixon will be a Jet
considering how fluid the bottom of NFL rosters are with players
constantly being signed and released.
But whatever happens to Dixon, this much is certain: Good or bad,
he’ll take it in stride.
VOTE: JETS GAME BY GAME
2010 POST NFL PREVIEW
The soft-spoken, polite young defensive end has been through the kind
of unspeakable hell in his life that few can comprehend unless they
have experienced it — and that has nothing to do with the
disappointment of being cut last weekend by the Cowboys, for whom he
has been since 2008.
The most indelible mark on Dixon’s life is the 15 months he spent in
jail for aggravated child molestation — a charge that, by almost all
accounts, should never have been levied — and statuatory rape.
In February of 2003, when he was 18, Dixon, who is black, had what he
said was “consensual sex” with a 15-year-old white girl named Kristie
Brown, a fellow student at Pepperell High School in Lindale, Ga.
What ensued was a flood of accusations by the girl’s father and,
according to Dixon’s adopted father, Ken Jones, a blatant rash of
racism — from the father of the girl to the arresting police officer
to the district attorney.
The fascinating twist here is Dixon’s adoptive parents, Ken and Peri
Jones, are white. They adopted Dixon as legal guardians from Dixon’s
grandparents when he was 12 and, to this day, he calls them “mom and
dad.” Ken Jones met Dixon when the latter was 9 years old and later
became his all-star baseball coach.
“The girl’s daddy was a racist and he wanted to get some money, so he
sued the school; that was the whole push and shove of this,” Ken Jones
told The Post in a telephone interview yesterday from the Georgia high
school where he works. “Marcus was totally lied on from the get go. If
you were in the courtroom listening to the things [the girl] said, you
would have said they’re going to throw this thing out, because it was
absolutely ridiculous.
“The DA wanted to send him to jail. They tried to say it wasn’t a
racist thing, but the whole time the father was using the ‘N’ word.’
Even the [arresting] police officer had a thing against black officers
and black people, period.”
When Dixon was convicted and sent to jail for a 15-year sentence with
no hope of parole until after 10 years, he thought his life was
“over.”
Dixon’s controversial case created a national stir.
While in prison, he appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and HBO’s
“Real Sports” with Bryant Gumbel. Based on the reaction those shows
generated, many believed Dixon was wrongly accused and railroaded to a
prison sentence he didn’t deserve.
“There was a point where I didn’t think I was ever going to get out of
[jail], but I had so many people that helped keep my faith up high,”
Dixon said in an interview with The Post on his first day as a Jet.
“If I didn’t have that support, I probably would have lost my mind ...
I mean honestly lost my mind.
“I’m a strong-minded guy, but something like that at age 18 and you
know you’re not supposed to be in prison, you feel like it’s all
slipping away from you.”
Dixon’s strongest pillars on which to lean were the Joneses, but he
said the support became so wide-ranging it was overwhelming.
“I got letters in prison from all over, Oprah helped, Bryant Gumbel
helped, tons and tons of people helped nationwide,” he said. “I got
letters from people in the military overseas in support of me.”
The national attention caught the eye of Atlanta attorney David
Balser, who made it his business to get Dixon out of prison.
On May 3, 2004, Dixon was released, as the Georgia Supreme Court ruled
Dixon should have been prosecuted solely on the statutory rape charge,
which carries a maximum one-year sentence, rather than the child
molestation charge.
“We kept trying to tell everybody that Marcus didn’t do anything any
other teenage boy does,” Ken Jones said. “That stuff still goes on,
because in school, kids sneak around and get together. He didn’t
commit any rape.”
Because it’s a small community, Ken Jones said he still sees both the
girl and her father occasionally.
“I’ve seen him a couple of times and I keep my mouth shut,” he said.
“He would see me and pull off, leave, walk away. I’ve seen the young
lady a bunch of times but have never said anything to her. I believe
in keeping my mouth shut. ”
Dixon, who ended up going to Hampton University after the scholarship
from Vanderbilt he had signed was rescinded following his conviction,
said he never has seen the girl again. But he insisted he holds no
hard feelings.
“My grandmother told me never to hold grudges, to forgive and forget,”
he said.
The incident is now far removed from Dixon in calendar time, but its
effects remain a part of him.
“Once I got locked up, it made me realize you can’t take anything for
granted,” said Dixon, who will turn 26 next week. “You wake up and you
breathe and a lot of people take that for granted. That’s why I always
thank the Lord for another day, because a lot of people don’t see this
day.
“I really learned the true value of faith and I had to showcase it a
little bit this weekend when I got released. I was down but I had to
have faith that I would get picked up by someone.”
His faith was rewarded when the Jets called. An inside Jets source who
was privy to the background check called the 2003 incident “an
aberration” and said everyone the team talked to had positive things
to say about Dixon.
Dixon was so incredulous that the Jets picked him up he thought his
agent, Howard Shatsky, was pulling a joke on him.
“He was like, ‘Pack your stuff; you’re going to the Jets,’ and I just
started yelling,” the 6-foot-4, 295-pounder said. “I’m not going to
take this job I have here with the Jets for granted. I just try to
live every day like it’s my last.”
MZ
> X-No-Archive: Yes
>
> b, I saw the HBO report & couldn't believe it -- a HS teenage girl
> having sex with a HS football star--shocking. I forgot all about
> him. It is a dangerous thing to end up in front of a grand jury. Too
> many innocent people are sitting in jails because of bad counsel &
> that meat grinder once it has you is tough to slip by. It would be a
> nice ending to his story to succeed.
>
> The Koran burning is just idiotic & dangerous. Some half wit wants to
> be in the news. Imho similar to the Iman in NY as they both want fame
> even if what they are doing is bad form, although legal and should be
> protected. I feel bad for the overwhelmingly good Muslims and I feel
> sad for America although in general Islam scares the hell out of me.
>
> A good book I read a few months ago: The Island at the Center of the
> World points out how NY not NE created the American culture of live &
> let live when it comes to religion. Ironic that the mosque debate is
> in NYC. Great book & easy read.
Even more ironic is how much of a say people OUTSIDE of NYC seem to have
on local politics. Sort of reminds me of how frightened people in
Oklahoma were following 9/11. Al Qaeda isn't targeting Tulsa. Politics
being what they are, every person on the planet has to get involved in
every stupid thing.
Not sure if any of you guys watch Louis C.K.'s new comedy on FX, but
it's crass and base which is probably why I like it. Anyway, he
recently had an episode where he was in a dream and wandering the desert
where he came upon Bin Laden. He got into an argument with him, saying
to him, "You totally shouldn't have done that 9-11 thing. I don't mean
to offend you, but you're an asshole." Then there's a long pause and
Bin Laden quietly says, "...I just never thought of it that way before."
It was an idiotic scene but I couldn't believe how succinct and
straightforward the argument against terrorism and the response to
terrorism was. It changed my life -- now I'm content just calling
everybody involved an asshole.
John C TX
I must be a terrorist then.
Harlan Lachman
<8e9eb13f-af5d-4939...@q26g2000vbn.googlegroups.com>,
John C TX <johnc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The Koran burning is just idiotic & dangerous. Some half wit wants to
> be in the news. Imho similar to the Iman in NY as they both want fame
> even if what they are doing is bad form, although legal and should be
> protected. I feel bad for the overwhelmingly good Muslims and I feel
> sad for America although in general Islam scares the hell out of me.
John, I am a proponent of free speech, burning the flag, using names,
etc.
But, I wish Obama, here as with most things, had taken things a step
further. I wish he had applied for an injunction on the grounds that as
in shouting fire in a theater, this is putting people at risk, our boys
in harms way and nationals oversees.
Besides the fact I am tired of half measures from him, I think this jerk
does not even deserve the right to do the right thing and change his
mind. The idea is so revolting, so disrespectful to muslim americans
under attack at home because of the nut job leaders oversees, so
thoughtless as the danger it puts americans in, he should be told you
are a jerk by a US judge.
harlan
papa.carl44
"buRford" <buR...@buR.ford.com> wrote in message
news:466j86pvk9c1hciio...@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 9 Sep 2010 11:51:12 -0700 (PDT), John C TX <johnc...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>X-No-Archive: Yes
>>
>>b, I saw the HBO report & couldn't believe it -- a HS teenage girl
>>having sex with a HS football star--shocking. I forgot all about
>>him. It is a dangerous thing to end up in front of a grand jury. Too
>>many innocent people are sitting in jails because of bad counsel &
>>that meat grinder once it has you is tough to slip by. It would be a
>>nice ending to his story to succeed.
>
> reading an article
> before... some candidate endorsed by Palin, said abstinence isn't enough.
> Teens shouldn't
> do any *self-styled* erotic play either. That's un-American I tell ya ;)
>
>>
>>The Koran burning is just idiotic & dangerous. Some half wit wants to
>>be in the news. Imho similar to the Iman in NY as they both want fame
>>even if what they are doing is bad form, although legal and should be
>>protected. I feel bad for the overwhelmingly good Muslims and I feel
>>sad for America although in general Islam scares the hell out of me.
>
> lots of Muslim
> merchants, that I'd talk with, & grew friendly with. They'd always get
> terrified, when
> the crazies would do the suicide thing. Then 9-11, and some of them
> actually headed back
> to their old countries, because they were so scared. In the end, we're
> all the same. And
> all religions have their crazy zealots. The problem now, is that the
> Media feeds this
> crap. And in general, Americans are lazy, ignorant simpletons, who
> believe whatever
> they're told. When this cultural center crap started, the people in NY,
> in general, had
> no problems with it. After weeks, then months of the propaganda
> drumbeat... now many are
> against it. I'll tell ya, lots of times Muslim people look shifty, only
> because they're
> so scared how they're being judged as unhuman terrorists. It becomes
> paranoia after a
> while. BTW, they've been praying in that building, since the building was
> purchased.
> Nobody ever complained.
Six years ago when I was sick something very interesting happened. First,
more than a couple of my doctors were Muslim. The surgical team was led by
a Jew from Israel with a complete United Nations around him. My advocate
and hepatologist was a Hindu. One of my nephrologists was a Muslim in
practice with a Hindu. But what was interesting was something that happened
at home. There is a gas station at the corner of our street. I got to know
the young guy who worked there and saw him progress in his mastery of
English. I got sick quickly, was stopping in the station weekly and then
all of a sudden not there. One day, that young guy took it upon himself to
walk up the street to check and see why he hadn't seen me. My son told him
the story and he asked him to tell me he was concerned about me. So, I had
my cousin having a mass said for me, my good friend a Jew praying for me and
a Muslim looking out for me along with all the doctors. Good Karma works.
Johnny Morongo
>
> It's all the self-righteous horseshat in this country. I mean, I was reading an article
> before... some candidate endorsed by Palin, said abstinence isn't enough. Teens shouldn't
> do any *self-styled* erotic play either. That's un-teen I tell ya ;)
>
Fixed it.
Johnny Morongo
Now, now, boys. Play nice. Ejits!
Johnny Morongo
> On Thu, 9 Sep 2010 23:01:56 -0400, "papa.carl44" <papadotc...@nospamverizon.net> wrote:
>
> >"buRford" <buRf...@buR.ford.com> wrote in message
> >news:466j86pvk9c1hciio...@4ax.com...
> >> On Thu, 9 Sep 2010 11:51:12 -0700 (PDT), John C TX <johnctxj...@gmail.com>
> will get the Israelis & Palestinians together, will be when Jerusalem is invaded by
> others, or ETs. They'd quickly discover each others humanity, in their common purpose to
> defend their mutual homeland.
>
>
>
> >>>A good book I read a few months ago: The Island at the Center of the
> >>>World points out how NY not NE created the American culture of live &
> >>>let live when it comes to religion. Ironic that the mosque debate is
> >>>in NYC. Great book & easy read.
Ah! The "One State Solution." Works for me.
papa.carl44
"buRford" <buR...@buR.ford.com> wrote in message
news:466j86pvk9c1hciio...@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 9 Sep 2010 11:51:12 -0700 (PDT), John C TX <johnc...@gmail.com>
>
>>X-No-Archive: Yes
>>
>>b, I saw the HBO report & couldn't believe it -- a HS teenage girl
>>having sex with a HS football star--shocking. I forgot all about
>>him. It is a dangerous thing to end up in front of a grand jury. Too
>>many innocent people are sitting in jails because of bad counsel &
>>that meat grinder once it has you is tough to slip by. It would be a
>>nice ending to his story to succeed.
>
> It's all the self-righteous horseshat in this country. I mean, I was
> reading an article
> before... some candidate endorsed by Palin, said abstinence isn't enough.
> Teens shouldn't
> do any *self-styled* erotic play either. That's un-American I tell ya ;)
Just tell the kids it will make them go blind...that line worked so good way
back when...almost as good as "Just say no." That was a brilliant plan to
let insurance companies off the hook for treating addictions.
papa.carl44
"John C TX" <johnc...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:eb75ad27-a531-4d9d...@k30g2000vbn.googlegroups.com...
X-No-Archive: Yes
> It's all the self-righteous horseshat in this country. I mean, I was
> reading an article
> before... some candidate endorsed by Palin, said abstinence isn't enough.
> Teens shouldn't
> do any *self-styled* erotic play either. That's un-American I tell ya ;)
I am sitting here with reading glasses how do you think I feel.
b, I am mature enough not to hate the person. I don't hate the
religion either. I am Catholic & know much of what I try to believe
in has huge chasms bridged by faith so I don't want people tearing me
apart because of that. Religion should be about waking up & being a
better person.
Islam's structure, which in many ways is non-existent, can allow evil
to twist the Koran to appeal to the those with no hope -- see Catholic
Church Dark Ages-- and that is what scares me, not the Pakistani,
Indian or Arab.
And the Old Testament????? The Christian Extreme Right are
bonkers.....anybody who thinks Jesus is telling them to burn books needs to
go to the crisis center and be evaluated...then they take their meds or go
inpatient for a while.
papa.carl44
X-No-Archive: Yes
> And the Old Testament????? The Christian Extreme Right are
> bonkers.....anybody who thinks Jesus is telling them to burn books needs
> to
> go to the crisis center and be evaluated...then they take their meds or go
> inpatient for a while.
b, I agree with you. Again, the non-denominational churches with no
hierarchy generally produce the biggest nut jobs. There is something
to be said for process. In my church we could have had a better one in
the lat 20 years o if ayone wants to talk about pedophilia talk to
someone else.
Most mainstream, again I said most, Christian & I believe all Jews do
not believe the Bible is the word of God but divinely inspired.
When are extremist on either side not dangerous? The problem is both
sides are too quick to call a differing opinion extremists. In my
experience many aren't extremist but opportunist & some labeled
extremist are being done so for a political advantage.
Right...like putting all Muslims in the same category. I sure as Hell don't
want to be categorized with Rev. Jones, The Fla, one. Some extremists
become almost hermit like...and they don't bother anybody else. Some are
merely annoying, preaching on the street etc. But when a group takes it
upon themselves to set the standards they think all should live by and work
towards that end by any means it is extremist. That also applies to any
media group that would bend or fabricate the truth about any of these
groups. Someone who ignores the role that tolerance and acceptance played
in the creation of our basic cultural and societal develpment is an
extremist. Someone who goes toward the extremism of pluralism tends to be
inclusive, but when one is completely exclusive in what they believe is
acceptable belief they become intolerant.
John C TX
wrote:
> "John C TX" <johnctxj...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:d3e4a1c1-ed51-46b3...@y31g2000vbt.googlegroups.com...
Agree 100% about Muslims.
The media's role in promoting this idiot with a congregation of 50 may
be more egregious than any of the corporate greed we have seen in teh
last 30 years.