Noted doctor encourages Young Life

By Zaina Adamu His nickname was Dummy. He grew up on food stamps and could not afford new clothing when the first day of school rolled around. Now Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D. is a full professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He says God and his mother Sonya were the forces behind his success. He simply states that he is blessed. On October 5, 2009, Carson spoke to nearly 600 guests at a Young Life event in Baltimore. Young Life, a non-denominational Christian organization, is devoted to connect teenagers with community leaders who mentor them in their adolescent years. This program has truly changed the lives of my children, said Tom Smyth, father of children enrolled in Young Life. They enjoy participating in the activities offered here. In an hour-long address to Young Life attendees, Carson took his audience through the journey of his upbringing. He went from an impoverished and hottempered child to a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to an American citizen. One of the people you have on your side is you, said Carson. When I was in fourth grade I thought I was stupid so my classmates thought I was stupid. When I got to the fifth grade I told myself I was smart so my classmates started to think the same. Carson is recognized for being the first neurosurgeon to successfully separate Siamese twins joined at the head in 1987. The Detroit native holds more than 50 honorary degrees and was named by CNN and TIME Magazine as the one of the 20 foremost physicians and scientists. He is also one of the 89 Living Legends, an honor given by the Library of Congress on its 200th anniversary. The power of the mind, Carson advoPage 2

An update, and a proposal

Continued from front page If I were at all convinced that Conway was the man who committed the murder, they wouldnt even be seeing this column. For the FOP, I have to say: tough luck. Have all the fits you want. When you stop giving awards to cops who beat and torture confessions out of suspects, then you have room to gripe. Until then well, as the saying goes, not so much. Dont take my word for it. Read Bill Marimows and Jonathan Neumanns Pulitzer Prize-winning series of stories for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1977. The series gives the details on how Philly homicide detectives routinely tortured murder suspects. One of those detectives received an FOP award, though not, I hope, for the torturing. Neither that detective nor any other detective involved in the abuse received so much as a slap on the wrist for knowingly and fragrantly violating the Constitution, known outside of every police headquarters and precinct in the United States as the Law of the Land. And that brings me to precisely why Conway should be pardoned. Lets assume Conway is guilty of murdering Sager. Thats quite a stretch, since the states main evidence against Conway was a jailhouse snitch named Charles Reynolds. The account of how Reynolds came to be the star witness in the Sager murder case is so fantastic that even Boo Boo The Fool wouldnt believe it, but a Baltimore jury did. A man named Jack Ivory Johnson, who was arrested with another man near the scene of the Sager murder and charged along with Conway for the crime, was supposed to be the star witness. But just before trial, he dummied up. Uttered not a word. Claimed cops tortured his confession and proposed testimony out of him. They must have thought they were in Philly. Anyway, just after Johnson refused to testify, Reynolds was way out in a MICHIGAN prison when he had an epiphany: he was Conways cell mate when both were in the Baltimore City Jail awaiting trial, and he remembered EVERYTHING Conway told him about murdering Sager. Thats believable, right? I mean, whenever YOU murder somebody, you ALWAYS tell COMPLETE STRANGERS whose testimony can send you to prison for life, or to death row, every intimate detail of it, right? Of course you wouldnt. Heck, you wouldnt even tell a close friend or relative, much less a complete stranger, that you shorted the Internal Revenue Service 50 bucks on your last tax return. But were supposed to believe Conway told Reynolds about murdering Sager. But as I said, lets assume he did. In that era, police often committed flagrant acts of murder themselves. There was Fred Hampton, gunned down in his sleep by Chicago cops in 1969. There were the three black men Detroit police killed at the Algiers Motel in 1967. There were the over 20 black civilians murdered by Newark police and New Jersey state troopers and National Guardsmen in the riot of 1967. Im saying either throw some of those people in prison or let Conway out. Frankly, it seems a lot simpler to let Conway out.

Dr. Ben Carson, full professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine speaks to an audience of nearly 600 at a Young Life event in Baltimore on October 5, 2009. Photo by Zaina Adamu cated, is what led him to author Think Big, a motivational book focused on reaching intellectual achievement. He creates a paradigm structured for readers to easily follow, and opens an outlet for spiritual and educational advancement. There was not one person in the room whose eyes were not transfixed on Carson as he casually spoke on his insecurities, struggles and hardships as a child. He warned Young Life members that his triumphs were measured through his faith in God, and not by the superficialities of materialistic possessions. From Gods view, the poorest person in the world and Bill Gates are both looked at the same, Carson said. When we understand where real wealth and power come from, it makes everything much easier. Thats right, a woman replied. Her son glared at her assuredly and nodded his head. Events like these, said Smyth, are instrumental to the participants of Young Life. Its great that we can have someone like [Carson] to speak to our youth. For Carson, helping children achieve their greatest potential is an obligation. The effect it has on young people is irreplaceable, he suggested. We have a real responsibility to help children succeed.

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