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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL Does El-Masri case prove ... Assertions of secrecy a concern for us all? Dear Readers: At the begin ning of the year, I had described the relation ship between the ancient “Writ of Habeas Corpus” and the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. I observed then how courts have historically tended to defer to the Executive Branch in times of conflict. Recently, this tendency was in evidence again. Jim Rockefeller The “Law” man Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court was asked to con sider whether or not Khalid El- Masri, a German citizen, could sue for being a victim of the ClA’s “extraordinary rendition” and detention of him in “secret” inter national prisons. El-Masri has claimed to have Your beliefs, your expectations - Part 1 Many leaders underestimate the power of beliefs and expectations. Some, per haps, have never considered the effects described in this article! In stimulating individuals to consider improvement, I often ask, “What change would you make if you had a magic wand?” The concept tends to free people from the constraints of realistic thinking. Beliefs and expectations may be even more powerful than my imaginary magic wand. They are very real influences on a behaviors and achieve ments. Though the power of a magic wand is imaginary, a person’s beliefs and expecta tions have the power of cre ating self-fulfilling prophe cies. They can work for you, but they often are invisible constraints that prevent progress where you think it should be occurring! Let’s look at how this develops. Your parents’ beliefs and expectations. When you are a little kid, your par ents are the most powerful people in the world! (Some individuals were raised by adults other than parents. These comments apply to whomever served as your primary authority figures when you were young.) Unwittingly, you are learning from your parents all the time. Certainly they teach you some things con sciously. But because of your dependence on and respect for your parents, you are learning even when they are blissfully ignorant that they are building foundational concepts in you. The beliefs and expec tations you develop as a child are indelible. Unless consciously overridden, they are with you for life. Some are distortions of truth, folklore that your - pMII jg li M: s . Roxanne Hinson If you have been seriously injured in an automobile or truck accident, you need professional representation. CALL Roxanne Hinson for a free consultation on the phone or in our office located in the Wachovia Building on Watson Blvd. Her years of experience will help you obtain a prompt and fair resolution of your claim. Appointments are also available for Social Security claims as well as Wrongful Death claims. Telephone 478-328-8300 Westmoreland Patterson Moseley & Hinson LLP 1211 Watson Blvd, Warner Robins GA 31093 been kidnapped by the CIA, as he crossed into Serbia from Macedonia. He has alleged that he was held for five months in a secret CIA prison in Afghanistan known as the “Salt Pit,” where he was beat en, sodomized, abused, force-fed, and otherwise tortured, all while being accused of being an A 1 Qaeda operative. He says that Americans were amongst his interrogators in Afghanistan. Eventually, his inter rogators realized their mistake and El-Masri was dumped in Albania. By the time he made his way back to Germany, he found that his wife and children had fled to Lebanon. El-Masri sought to sue George Tenet, as the CIA director, and two airline corporations involved in transporting him, for the viola tion of basic due process rights guaranteed by our Constitution., Both a District Court Judge in parents probably learned from their parents. As a child, you begin to believe things about yourself and devel- op expectations about the rest of the world that put limitations on what you are willing to try. 4 Beliefs and expectations of others you value. As you aged, others in your life became important. Your friends became the main source of influence regarding where you went, what you did, and what you thought and felt about yourself. Now that you are an adult, there are other important authorities in your life - your husband or wife, your other close relatives, your friends, your colleagues at work, and even what you see in the media. Your boss has major beliefs - and expecta tions about your capabili ties, your motives, and your commitment. . These expectations influ ence the assignments dele gated to you, and the beliefs affect the degree of challenge and support you receive. 4HIP Ball Street Perrtj, GA ** 20 years experience in the beauty industry ** SVbobile Spa Service ■ On location hair styles for bridal party 'Make-up ‘Message Therapist Certified So. Cap. Extensions Hrs: Tues.-rH. Sat. lOam-Zpm Westmoreland Patterson Moseley & Hinson llp Injured or Disabled? Dennis Hooper Leaders Building Leaders Kelli Cniaser @The Salons ATTORNEYS AT LAW Virginia and the 4th Circuit of Appeals dismissed his case pursu ant to the government’s “state secrets” privilege. “State secrets” is an eviden tiary privilege asserted by the Government that facts should remain secret in litigation, due to national interests. It was last addressed by the United States Supreme Court in the case of United States v. Reynolds. This was in 1953, more than 50 years ago, and only the fourth time ever directly addressed by the Supreme Court - President Nixon had unsuccessfully tried to raise this privilege in the fight over the release of the infamous tapes that brought down his presidency. In Reynolds, four civilians were killed in an aviation disaster in Waycross while observing the test ing of secret military equipment. The government asserted that documents associated with the air Beliefs and expecta tions of self. During your youth and early career, you begin to believe and expect certain outcomes from your behaviors. I am fascinated by individuals whose confi dence does not match their competence. Some individuals who are quite capable seem very inse cure, behaving as if they are impostors, having been given responsibility for which they are inadequate. Others seem to have great confidence, but people quickly learn to not count on them to fulfill their commitments. You have underlying 2nd Annual Collector’yVay featuring Cream City Music’s : Guitar Road Show Sat., Oct. 27 9 ,-4 p.m. Sun., Oct. 28 1 - 5 p.m. Regular museum admission. • 100 Gretsch guitars on display • FREE guitar appraisals • Museum yard sale features holiday/party decorations, educational materials and more' rviusic 200 MLK Jr Blv.d Downtown Macon 888-G A-ROC KS georgiamusic.org tHT Admit tOf* WtWWMP A .. r .. —lllftii Mta ... u OPINION assumptions about who you are, what you can do, and what outcomes you expect to generate. These are not “truths,” but they njay as well be, because these beliefs and expectations con trol what you will attempt. They become your personal self-fulfilling prophecies! All of this provides a dou ble whammy for leaders. First, all of the above is true for you. And it is true for those under your authority. It is your responsibility to influence those who serve your internal and external customers, yet they are con strained by their self-limit k. TRY ANY TV PACKAGE!* NOBODY BEATS US! k • NO INSTALLATION CHARGES • NO ACTIVATION FEES • NO HIDDEN >s>< >2h , v y->' * <s>•' l .. . 55 153 EXPANDED AP* CABLE I First 3 months (Then $39.95 per month) DIGITAL (H4A nr* CABLE | First 3 months (Then $49.94 per month) DIGITAL W/ tff 4A AP* HDTV/DVR I First 3 months (Then 559.90 per month) Com§«iJi WWW.COMSOUTH.NET QUESTIONS@COMSOUTH.NET 54920 * Offer applies to new tnslrmtws with 24 month term agreement Semite not avoitoble at all locations. Subjatl to riwlft approval Early teiminoHen penalties apply. craft were “state secrets” vital to our defense. The Supreme Court ultimately agreed; the case was not allowed to go on since there was no indication that the “secret” equip ment caused the tragedy and other evidence to support the claim. In El-Marsi’s case, he argued that he could also rely on other evi dence - especially the airline com panies’ records and media reports of the “extraordinary rendition” program. However, the courts found otherwise, and agreed that even the government’s admis sion or denial of a rendition poli cy would potentially reveal state secrets, even despite public com ments by government officials. El-Marsi attempted to appeal to the United States Supreme Court. To do so, four justices needed to agree to “accept certiorari” or con sider his case. On Oct. 9, this request was denied. El-Masri will never be able to seek justice for ing beliefs. Are the pre-existing expec tations beyond your control? Fortunately not! We’ll cover that next week! Dennis Hooper is a local Assessing Your Leadership Skills -SBS/person , iMk. + I SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2007 his five months spent in hell at the hands of our government. Is this such a bad thing? Maybe not, maybe the right decision was reached. Yet, what we might need to worry about is that in today’s environment, unlike the Nixon Presidency, presidential assertions of secrecy, seems to be unchecked by the judiciary - the delicate bal ance between our three branches of government is tilting towards the executive. Maybe too far for all of us. Local attorney Jim Rockefeller owns the Rockefeller Law Center and is a former Houston Co. Chief Assistant District Attorney, and a former Miami Prosecutor. E mail confidential legal questions to ajr@rockefellerlawcenter.com. Visit www.rockefellerlawcenter.com for Frequently Asked Questions and Jim’s blog, The Rockefeller Report. F. 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