NBA Investigating Jay-Z

Per Billboard.com

An NBA spokesman confirms that the league is investigating Jay-Z's presence in Kentucky's locker room after the Wildcats clinched a Final Four berth.

The rapper visited the players after their victory over North Carolina on Sunday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J, home of the Nets. Jay-Z is a part-owner of the team and attended the Nets' 120-116 loss at New York on Wednesday.

NBA rules prohibit team personnel from having contact with players who are not yet draft eligible, and spokesman Tim Frank told the Associated Press the league is looking into it.

The investigation was first reported by CBSSports.com.

8ft-long shark jumps onto fishing boat

Three fishermen got the shock of their lives when a huge shark landed in the back of their boat in the Gulf of Mexico. Jason Kresse, 29, from Texas, and two crew members were fishing for red snapper about 50 miles out to sea in the early hours of Monday morning.

They were throwing fish guts over the side when they heard two big splashes and "all of a sudden something hit the side of the boat". It was an 8ft-long mako shark which, in a rush to start feeding, "ended up landing on the back of the boat". The shark was thrashing around so badly that the fishermen could not get close enough to free it and put it back in the water.



It died hours later, but not before doing more damage to the boat. The crew did not have a permit to catch sharks, so Mr Kresse contacted officials on shore.

Mike Cox, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesman, said there was no violation because the shark's death was an accident. The creature is currently on display in Freeport, about 55 miles south of Houston. "I'm going to get a mount of it," the fisherman said. "A fish jumping in your boat, 400lb, that's unbelievable."

Posted byarbroath

Downing Street goes for much needed shock therapy

With the eurozone destined for years of navel-gazing, as it struggles through the current sovereign debt and banking crisis, the UK is actually very well placed to push for EU reform. Its own economic challenges aside, Britain now has a chance to use the debt and competitiveness predicament facing several European countries and the EU as a whole as a springboard to get Europe back on the road to growth.

In other words, this could be turned into a benign crisis for those of us who are in favour of a growing and competitive Europe (it's hard to argue that Europe doesn't need reform when several countries are on the verge of bankruptcy).

Encouragingly, Downing Street has moved today to try and push this agenda, with a new initiative entitled "Let's choose growth" - and there's lots of good stuff in there (and the format is refreshingly innovative and easy to grasp, including this You Tube clip). Besides the proposals to liberalise the single market further, by creating a common market for digital and service industries and calling for deregulation, there also seems to be an emphasis on 'shock therapy'. Cameron and Co have made it plain to EU leaders that standing still is not an option as the rest of the world moves on.


This chart should be all the motivation Europe needs. As you can see, by 2050, only Germany and the UK are predicted to remain among the world's economic elite, and they will only be hanging on to the bottom two rungs of the ladder.

The rise of the likes of China, India and Brazil is inevitable but this is no excuse for Europe to give up. The big question however is whether the UK and other like-minded governments, such as the Scandinavians, the Dutch and the Czechs, will be able to keep the eurozone's attention long enough to make the point.

For this to happen, the British government needs to roll up its sleeves and get down to business: form alliances (cultivate, cultivate, cultivate the Scandies, new members - and the biggest prize of them all - Germany), horse-trade, manage the European Parliament, convince through pursuing best practice at home (such as the 'Better Regulation agenda', and a strong, healthy economy), on EU proposals get in early and get in low - but be tougher and shrewder when negotiations get rowdy.

Downing Street should be given credit for raising its game on EU reform. But now it must show it can turn a catchy pamphlet into concrete action.

U2 - One - Anton Corbjin Version

Politically neutral Sweden thirsty for war

Sweden, that is not a member of NATO but a country powerful in respect of its military, is ready to join the bombing of Libya. This means increased cooperation of the Swedish with the alliance. This may negatively impact the geopolitical situation in not so much Libya as Russia.



The Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt was the first one to announce the initiative of the participation of Scandinavians in the military operations against Gaddafi. This politician, who at some point was a prime minister, is known for his favorable attitude towards the cooperation of his neutral country with NATO. As it turned out, the initiative of the head of Swedish diplomacy was backed by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.







Before a meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Reinfeldt has proposed to send eight Swedish fighters Gripen, a military transport ship "Hercules" and a scouting aircraft to Libya. The final decision on sending a Swedish aircraft to Africa must be made by the parliament. Reinfeldt is hopeful that members of the Riksdag approve his plans.







The question of participation of the Swedes in the Libyan operation of NATO may be an example of bonding "brotherhood in arms", which may be followed by Sweden's membership in NATO. This would cause a change at the very borders of Russia - the Baltic Sea and the Arctic.







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SharePrint version Font Size Send to friend For nearly 200 years, Sweden has been a neutral country. However, this neutrality lately seems declarative. Swedes (as well as non-aligned Finland) participated in NATO's Partnership for Peace. NATO forces are conducting increasingly more exercises on Swedish territory. Two years ago, Sweden and Finland have agreed with the members of the Alliance Norway, Denmark and Iceland on joint patrolling of maritime boundaries in the Arctic and creating combined Navy and a rapid response unit.







Earlier this year, at the initiative of the UK, a meeting with the British, the Baltic states and representatives of all five Nordic countries was held in London. The meeting was dedicated to the strengthening of military cooperation in the Arctic and Baltic regions. The organization has been already called the "Arctic mini-NATO". Apparently, its future shape will be discussed by the NATO secretary general and former Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen and head of the Swedish government Reinfeldt on Thursday.







There are many indicators that it will not be long before Sweden loses its neutrality and joins NATO. If this happens, the Swedes will be a beneficial acquisition for NATO rather than a burden. The alliance will obtain a new Baltic country near the Russian borders. This, however, is not the only advantage of having Sweden as a member.







This small nine-million country has a strong army and military-industrial complex for its size. Even during the Cold War, the neutral Sweden was the tenth largest exporter of weapons. Over the past 20 years it has moved up to the seventh place, selling weapons worth nearly two billion dollars. Customers of the Swedish defense industry are the Netherlands, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Latin America and even the U.S. and Britain.







Fighters JAS 39 Gripen (the same ones that are ready to fly to Libya), CV90 infantry fighting vehicles and artillery radar ARTHUR have earned particular fame. The Swedish defense industry also produces helicopters, submarines, surface ships and radars for these systems, airborne early warning systems, tanks, self-propelled howitzers, and man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS).







The Swedish army is 25,000 people strong, but the local General Staff has developed a plan that allows it to quickly double. The Scandinavian military machine has 165 combat and 102 support aircrafts, over 50 surface ships and five submarines. It is noteworthy that the decision to build combat power in Sweden was made after the war in South Ossetia.







Sweden's participation in the bombing of Libya is a possible trial step towards membership in NATO, or at least establishing a special relationship with the alliance. How does it change the situation at the Russian borders? What kind of troubles Sweden's membership in NATO can cause Russia? Military experts Leonid Ivashov and Anatoly Tsyganok shared their thoughts with Pravda.Ru.







Leonid Ivashov, president of the Academy of Geopolitical Issues:







"I would not say that Sweden has too strong of an army, capable of solving extra-combat tasks. It thinks more about maintaining its higher status in comparison to Norway and Finland. During last decades Russia has had good cooperative relations with the Swedes. The Swedish General von Sydow was very happy that his country did not participate in the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia. This fact should be noted separately.







"However, the U.S. is carrying out an active policy of encirclement of Russia, creating a ring of military bases around us. There are bases in the Black Sea region, at our northern borders. The Americans started working with Sweden to attract it into NATO. It seems that the political decision has been made and the Swedes will be joining the North Atlantic bloc. Participation in the bombing of Libya and the creation of "Arctic mini-NATO" are steps in this direction.







"Sweden alone is unlikely to threaten Russia. However, as a part of NATO, it is much more dangerous. The Alliance is a well-honed, sophisticated American system designed to encircle Russia. In that sense, the end of the era of Swedish neutrality is not good for Russia."







Anatoly Tsyganok, head of the Center for Military Forecasting, Institute of Political and Military Analysis:







"To date, there is no consensus about the possible entry into NATO in Swedish society. Proponents point to the danger posed by Russia, the adversaries point to the costs of the membership in the alliance. However, the fact that the Swedes have been recently coordinating closely with NATO forces, and that the planes have been sent to Libya, says that the "Atlantic" vector of Swedish politics today is stronger.







"If Sweden joins the Atlantic alliance, it will create many problems for Russia both at the Baltic Sea and the Arctic. In the north, near Russian borders, a joint Swedish-Norwegian strike group will appear, theoretically able to act against our Baltic and Northern fleets. Today, NATO is increasing its presence in the Arctic. In this regard, the addition of Sweden to the alliance is a very bad signal for Russia."

News from Mexico

Our son Michael peers out from a window in "One Small House." In just three days the team (which includes Mike and PCMK member Dave Dobson) have nearly finished building a new home for Mauricio and his family of five.  The work, while modest, makes a big difference in the lives of these families. 

Dave and Mike joined students from SUNY Downstate in constructing this new home in Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico. In addition, they are doing follow-up work at the newly constructed community health clinic, Casa de Salud.

--Jack Lohr, Interim Pastor

China Blames US For Increasing Military Presence In Asia Pacific

By BOB Goswami

CHINA NEWS - China has accused the United States for its rising military incursion in Asia-Pacific region. In a recently published nation's National Defense white paper, it says the United States is increasing its military presence in Asia-Pacific region to combat with China and as a result the region is becoming more volatile.

The paper has highlighted country's current views on security issues and outlined its defense strength.

In the document, China alleged the United States for strengthening military presence and expressed concern on regional security situation. It says, relevant new powers are increasing their strategic investment and international military competition remains fierce.

The document clearly mentioned US name as a major military presence in the region and alleged to force defense alliances and involved in regional affairs.

China further accused due to spreading rumors about China dictatorial leadership, foreigners are now more suspicious of China. It is reported that China has a bitter relationship with the United States over military matters and substantially strained over the years.

The United States quite livid over the rising military presence of China in Asia-Pacific region, and in a recent visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit actually eased out a bit the tension between two world forces.

The relationship between two countries has become more turbid when US openly announced support for Taiwan, a self-governing island off China's eastern coast that Beijing considers its own.

"The United States continues to sell weapons to Taiwan, severely impeding Sino-US relations," says the white paper.

China clearly mentioned that the two nations should respect each others core interests, and for China that includes Taiwan. China emphasized on working with US albeit based on respect, trust, equality and mutual benefits.

On the other hand, the United States and other neighboring countries have expressed their concern over the rapid increase of Beijing military modernization.

Explaining the increasing military growth, China has assured nothing to feat about. The white paper says, it has a strategy of "attacking only after being attacked".

Video: Former MVP Testifies in Bonds Perjury Trial The Associated Press

Video: Combat camera: Video of Belgian F16 bombing Gaddafi military compound RT

Threats From Mexico May Move to U.S. Littorals, Official Says

Despite plenty of bumps and bruises along the way, the Department of Homeland Security says that it now has a viable, sustainable, affordable plan for using a mix of technology and border patrol agents to provide security along the southern and northern borders. Note that I didn’t say absolute security—DHS and Border Patrol officials will be the first to tell you that perfect security along the border is a chimera not worth chasing, even with the addition of National Guard troops along the southern border. 

As a matter of fact, those 1,200 troops sent by president Obama last year are scheduled to leave in June of this year, to be replaced by 1,000 new Border Patrol agents. Speaking at a border security symposium Monday morning in Washington, David Aguilar, deputy commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection, called the National Guard deployment a “bridge” to growing the Border Patrol and getting new technologies in the field.

If the growth in the number of officers on the ground and the new commercial off the shelf technologies work the way the government envisions—leading to some high-traffic smuggling routes being choked off—Aguilar predicts that the problem will simply move rather than disappear, just as it did in the 80s and 90s from the Caribbean to Mexico as the point of transit north. Aguilar sees the next drug smuggling battleground being in the littoral waters along the Gulf Coast and along the Pacific coast. He said that the Department of Homeland Security is working through the Coast Guard to prepare for such a future.

But reducing drug smuggling, cross-border gun running, money laundering, and illegal immigration must come from some serious cross-border coordination said K. Jack Riley, director, RAND National Defense Research Institute. He said that Mexico’s “fractured law enforcement and security service” and “tremendous command and control problems” need to be addressed with more American help, but this assistance shouldn’t be relegated to technology transfers. 

Over the last decade the U.S. has done a pretty good job of helping Mexico with technology such as helicopters and surveillance systems, but what we haven’t done enough of is to “engage with them in institution building and capacity” development, in an effort to assist with programs the Mexican government already has in place to clean up and reform an often corrupt and ineffective Mexican police force.

Mexican officials were in Washington on Monday to defend the conduct of its war on drug cartels before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, part of the Organization of American States. Mexico’s under-secretary for Juridical Affairs and Human Rights, Felipe de Jesus Zamora, squared off with representatives from 18 aid groups who criticized the conduct of Mexican security forces. 

While Zamora claimed that his government is conducting the fight “with strict respect for human rights,” Carlos Karin Zazueta of Citizens in Support of Human Rights told the organization that the war on the cartels is failing, since “violence, the murder rate and citizen insecurity have skyrocketed.” Complaints about human rights abuses by Mexican security forces have been well documented, and are something that the United States can help with, if it decides to focus on training, and capacity building.

Pic: National Guard

Posted by Paul McLeary

Report: PA's structurally deficient bridges worst in the nation

(Undated) -- A new report ranks Pennsylvania dead-last, when it comes to the percentage of bridges that are structurally deficient. The Transportation for America study shows nearly 27 percent of its bridges – a total of nearly 6,000 – have problems. Oklahoma is the runner-up, at 22 percent. Governor Corbett acknowledged it’s a problem, but said funding repairs needs to take a back seat to the budget, right now. "Are we trying to…find the funds for it? Yes. But I will go back, and you’ve heard me say it repeatedly: we inherited a $4.3 billion deficit that we have to resolve." The Republican wants to fund efforts through privatization, and blamed his predecessors for not acting to fix infrastructure problems. Governor Rendell disputed that take, saying he put a lot of effort into fixing roadways, beginning with 2007’s Act 44. "It was probably the most historic step in investment transportation funding in the history of the commonwealth," he said Tuesday. "We had a $400 million bond issue that I pushed through for our bridges, as you recall. Even before that $400 million bridge initiative, I tripled the amount of spending on our bridges from $250 to $750 million, on an annual basis." But the federal government rejected a key portion of Act 44’s funding plan when it denied a request to toll I-80. Rendell spent his final months in office urging lawmakers to pass a gas tax to fund infrastructure repair, but the initiative never gained momentum. He did, however, oversee over $1 billion in federal stimulus expenditures on roads and bridges in 2009 and 2010.

Written by  Scott Detrow

Obama Sends CIA Into Libya To Help Lame Rebels

You might have expected the CIA was already on the ground in Libya. Maybe so. But now the Obama Administration is at minimum using CIA agents in Libya to gather intelligence and coordinate with rebels. The New York Times reports British MI6 and British special forces are in Libya with the special forces calling in air strikes and tracking Libyan government troop movements.

Obama so far denies he wants to overthrow Khadafy and he's just trying to protect the civilians. So he's lying, boxed in by his desire to portray his foreign policy as less aggressive and more respectful of the sovereignty of other nations than George W. Bush's. Yet Obama does not want Libya to become yet another long running American war in the Middle East with lots of chaos and decay. Therefore he needs Qadafi's regime to fall - and quickly before his coalition falls apart. So, all his rhetoric aside, the US and its allies are going to help the rebels in more ways.

The Brits (who are running low on pilots for the air campaign) and probably the French as well are already using spies and special forces to topple Gaddafi. Plus, Qatar and Saudi Arabia will probably provide weapons to the rebels.

The US voted for a UN Security Council resolution that authorized the air war while at the same time disallowing outside support for either side in Libya. But now it looks like the US, France, Britain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar will violate the the very Security Council resolution they are currently using to legitimize the air war. Is that cool, or what?

Hypocrisy in the service of what? The rebels are lame. In spite of impressive air support and capture of a number of tanks and Grad rocket systems, the rebels are once again in retreat, abandoning cities they had just recaptured yet again. With massive air superiority they can't even hold ground? Lame, lame, lame.

Remember when the White House was trying to portray the US role in the air strikes as minimal? As recently as March 19, 2011 Obama tried to portray US involvement in Libya as a support role which would not involve US troops on the ground. So he'll have to use mercenaries.

Good afternoon, everybody. Today I authorized the Armed Forces of the United States to begin a limited military action in Libya in support of an international effort to protect Libyan civilians. That action has now begun.
...
As a part of this effort, the United States will contribute our unique capabilities at the front end of the mission to protect Libyan civilians, and enable the enforcement of a no-fly zone that will be led by our international partners.  And as I said yesterday, we will not -- I repeat -- we will not deploy any U.S. troops on the ground.

If Obama sticks with that promise either the Brits and French will have to send in many more special forces or it is time for professional mercenaries to get paid to fight for the rebels.

Here is an incredible irony: By trying to avoid leading a coalition Obama managed to create the smallest coalition out of any US intervention of the last 20 years. His very attempt at multilateralism made the coalition must less multi.

President Obama has touted his emphasis on multilateralism in the U.S. military intervention in Libya, but — for political, operational and legal reasons — his “coalition of the willing” is smaller than any major multilateral operation since the end of the Cold War.

Half-hearted commitment to half measures leads to failure.

By Randall Parker

Obama Energy Speech An Epic FAIL

Three words were all that speech needed to be:

Drill, baby, drill!

Instead, we get exactly the opposite.
Our Lord and Savior Barack Hussein Obama lectures the American people on the need to reduce our dependency on foreign oil yet lays out a plan to do just exactly the opposite.

Obama went to Washington’s Georgetown University to outline what he calls a “Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future.”

The president said his goal of slashing oil imports is reasonable, achievable and necessary for protecting U.S. economic security.

“When I was elected to this office, America imported 11 million barrels of oil a day,” said Obama.  “By a little more than a decade from now, we will have cut that by one-third.”

In the words of Joe Wilson: “You lie.”
This is a regime that has done nothing to expand domestic drilling and production of coal, oil and natural gas, despite overwhelming evidence that we have bountiful natural resources. In the wake of the BP oil spill, all leases for any drilling in the Gulf of Mexico have been held up, despite an order from a federal judge to begin reissuing those leases.

In fact, the Obama Regime has looked the other way while the ChiComs drill in the Gulf, and now courtesy of Obama Himself, the U.S. taxpayer will be financing Brazilian oil exploration and drilling to the tune of $2 billion.

The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil’s Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a “preliminary commitment” letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas.

And, Dear Leader, after consulting the U(seless) N(itwits) instead of Congress and the American people, commits to U.S. military involvement in Libya to guarantee the free flow of oil at market prices — for Europe.
Billions for Brazil. American blood for Europe. But not one red cent for the American people.
Worst. President. Ever.

Experts in the energy field are questioning just what it is the regime intends to do:

Eric Smith, who is associate director of the Tulane Energy Institute at Tulane University in New Orleans, said the moratorium on new drilling imposed after last year’s accident, as well as new regulations, have slowed energy development, in spite of what the president says.

“He points to the things like an increase in permits for shallow-water drilling without making the point that shallow-water drilling does not produce oil, it produces gas. Deep-water drilling produces oil. He points to seven permits being issued. In fact there were six permits issued and these were only for wells that had been started before the impact of the moratorium,” he said.

The point is: all Obama cares about is pushing his green energy agenda: wind and solar coupled with electric cars and mass transit.

Typical of an elitist. Electric putt-putt cars can go about 40 miles before having to be recharged. Translated: living where you want to live and working where you want to work are a thing of the past. That in turn will force people to relocate to the urban areas to live near where they work. Then Obama and Ray The Hood can push the choo-choo on them. After all, one of their primary goals is to force trains, a 19th century means of transportation, on the American people.

Back to the future.
Recall this piece of Red State’s Erick Erickson that appeared in Human Events, which we linked to here, as to why the steep increase in energy prices is intentional and why Obama has no intention on doing anything to reduce them:

There are two reasons gas prices must go up.  The first is to get people into coal powered cars.  Coal powered cars can only be driven around 40 miles before they must be plugged back into the grid for more coal power.  If everyone moves to coal powered cars, the drivers will be forced to live closer to cities.

Living closer to cities will increase urban density and decrease the supposedly anti-environmental impact of strip mall exurban utopias.  In the liberal reorganization of society, only farmers should live in rural areas.

Once urban density is increased to European levels, then Barack Obama and the left can finally make a viable case for high-speed rail.  There are, after all, two things high-speed rail supporters admit they need for viability: (1) high urban density and (2) high gas prices.  Hmmm . . .
See, it is not a conspiracy on Barack Obama’s part.  There is no secret.  This President and those he surrounds himself with actively want high gas prices.  They either do not care or are oblivious to the fact that high gas prices will wreak further havoc on the economy.

And as we wrote, there may be an even more ominous intent: control of the people.

It also fits in with the global agenda of the U(seless) N(itwits). Something called Agenda 21. Sustainable communities. All centralized global planning aimed at limiting the freedom of liberty of the Great Unwashed to come and go as they please. The automobile gives Americans freedom. Crisis-created mass transit takes it away and puts Americans at the mercy of the central planners who can then regulate their every movement.

Remember what Rahm Emanuel, the former White House adviser recently elected as Chicago’s Mayor said:

Never let a serious crisis go to waste. What I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things you couldn’t do before.

It is a frightening concept to be ruled by power-hungry individuals who look at a crisis as little more than an opportunity to radically change America and in the process extend the powerful grip of the rulers over the people.

By The underground conservative

US May Give Arms to Libyan Opposition

Despite a UN arms embargo imposed on Libya, US President Barack Obama says he is considering a plan to supply Libyan opposition forces with arms for use against Muammar Gaddafi.

“I'm not ruling it out. But I'm also not ruling it in. We're still making an assessment partly about what Gaddafi's forces are going to be doing,” President Obama said on Tuesday during a series of interviews with mainstream US broadcast news networks.'

Read more...

Posted byDotConnector

U.S. Offers $5 Million Reward in Murder of ICE Agent and Wounding of Another; Mexico Offers 10 million Pesos

ICE Agent Jaime Zapata killed in Mexico/ice photo

By Allan Lengel

WASHINGTON— Federal authorities on Wednesday announced a reward of up to $5 million for info leading to the arrest and conviction in the Feb. 15  murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata and the wounding of another agent Victor Avila.

Additionally, the government of Mexico announced that it is offering up to 10 million pesos for information leading to the arrest in the case.

Meanwhile, the FBI and ICE have set up a 24-hour tip line in the U.S.

People in the U.S. can call the tip line at 1-866-859-9778. In Mexico, people can call +001 800-225-5324. Spanish language speakers will be available for either  number, authorities said.

Additionally, authorities said anyone can email info by visiting https://tips.fbi.gov.

The Mexican government has also set up a tip line: (55) 53-46-15-44 and (55) 53-46-00-00, extension 4748 in Mexico City and 01-800-831-31-96 outside of Mexico city.

Zapata and Avila were ambushed in Mexico on February 15 while traveling in their U.S. government-issued vehicle from the state of San Luis Potosi to Mexico City.

Authorities said that Mexican investigators have detained several individuals in the case and the probe continues.

If one listens carefully, what is said is often not what is meant. I have come to this conclusion with respect to the ubiquitous Tea Party movement. Sure, pundits and the like would assert that it is a movement aimed at pointing out that people are taxed enough already, but I would disagree. If such was the case they would have reared their ugly head earlier for example, during the first G.W. Bush administration but they did not. Instead they waited until it was evident that a man of color without a traditional European name was elected president of these United States of America.

Even if one accepts the conditional that the origin of the Tea party returns one to the colonial roots of America, it does not past the smell test, historically that is. For their presence in North America began with conquest through violence and disease and a sort of self-righteousness that began with the likes of Christopher Columbus, Hernando Desoto, Bartholomew de la Casa and General Amherst.

Everywhere in the new world the descendants of the Tea party touched,overwhelmingly ended in destruction, death and disease. This is their true order, not taxes. Research supports the contention that the Tainos people living on Espanola when Columbus first arrived number near 8 million but 20 and 50 years later they were down to 28,000 and 200 accordingly. Most of which died from disease brought from Europe and the intentional slaughter by the ones who called themselves conquers. The same is true for the Carib of what we now call St. Kitts, where in 1626 English and French soldiers backed 4,000 into a deep ravine, now called Bloody Point where they were brutally slaughtered and killed.

Such actions are those of individuals afraid of anything different and reflecta collective emptiness in one that parades the conscription that one culture is superior and better than the other. This is the central tenant of the present day Tea party. The representation of culture that hunts for sport and not survival, which live by the concept that nobility, is defined as being the conqueror. Even as late as 1893, when Queen Lili’uokalani was overthrown by US military might and made to give her kingdom of Hawaii to United States, this practice defined this premise and continues presently.

Even their hero’s from Ronald Reagan to David Crockett are suggested as such mainly because of this psychopathy and belief orientation. After all, the battle against Mexico and Santa Anna for the Alamo was really a quest, based on fact to take Texas from Mexico to institute slavery in the state. But it can only be expected since they left a world of intolerance, disease, famine, greed and the plague. They used their good to justify the actions of folk like King Leopold of Belgium to bring Africans to do work they could not do or were too lazy to do for themselves. They made treaty after treaty after treaty with the people who were here before them they referred to as savages who taught them how to survive in their new and strange home. And with each treaty came more death, slaughter and murder, for with such it is easier to steal what is not theirs, fail to recant that one cannot discover what other already subsist upon.

Yes this is the history of the so-called Tea party. This is what is meant when they say they want to “take back America.” It is code for getting back to basics and their roots. They do not feel it is a nation for aliens – people from other nations who were here before they came. It is not a nation for men similar to Barack Obama who have names and skin colors they are uncomfortable with, or Mexicans, Muslims or Arabs as their vehement vitriol enunciates.

The tea party is not about taxes so do not let them fool you. They are no different than the sheep with new clothing. They live by the same credo of those they call terrorist but see themselves as being different even though in their history are of men that bomb churches and kill little girls while attending Sunday school. They are those that persist upon majority and mob rule, who send attack dogs on people and batter them with the force of water from hose. They say that the majority do not desire a Mosque near Ground Zero in New York; the same majority that did not want blacks to attend school with whites or have equal rights or the rights to vote. This is the Tea party. Throw away the “taxed enough already” for just as the Klan can become the Council of Conservative Christians, they really mean the “Total Extermination of Aliens” – period. For the reality for me is that I could not pick a current member of the Tea party out from one of the colonial era if they had sheets over their heads.

BRAXTON SISTERS & MOM DISCUSS BRAXTON FAMILY VALUES

by Danielle Canada While speaking with the press about her upcoming reality show “Braxton Family Values”, Toni Braxton also spoke on filing for bankruptcy not once, but twice.

As previously reported, Braxton filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and was reportedly $50 million in debt after previously filing in 1998.

Not shy to talk about her money woes, a brave Toni told HipHopWired and fellow press that she was ready to share her story with the world.

“When I filed for bankruptcy, I was like ‘I can't do it, I don't wanna be on the show, I can't put my life out there' but my sisters told me you have to tell your story because no one knows what really happened…Everyone knows I have heart issues, but no one knows why I have heart issues....


So I reveal my health problems that led to my financial problems…”

She adds,

“Even with the first bankruptcy, no one knew that my first royalty check was less than $2,000 so that's why I filed for bankruptcy…I talk about that during the show.”

Hague: 'No Immunity' For Gaddafi Insider

The Libyan foreign minister who has resigned and defected to the UK will not be offered any immunity from international or British justice, William Hague has said.

Addressing concerns over Musa Kusa's defection, foreign secretary Mr Hague added he had been communicating with the controversial politician over recent weeks.

"He has been my channel of communication to the regime in recent weeks and I have spoken to him several times on the telephone.

"His resignation shows that Gaddafi's regime...is fragmented, under pressure and crumbling from within.
"Gaddafi must be asking himself: who will be the next to abandon him?"

Sky.com
Read More...

More on guns to Mexico

Posted by David Hardy ·

The Latin American Herald Tribune has a story on Wikileaks' diplomatic cables:

The assertions appear in embassy cables written after three bilateral conferences on arms trafficking that took place between March 2009 and January 2010 in Cuernavaca, Mexico; Phoenix; and Tapachula, Mexico, respectively. 

The cables’ authors note that Mexican officials and politicians never hesitate to remind U.S. diplomats that Mexico’s drug war – which has claimed 35,000 lives in the last four years – is fueled by Americans’ demand for illegal drugs and by guns bought in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Yet one of the cables maintains that 90 percent of the heavy armament Mexican security forces seize from cartel gunmen comes from Central America.

The cable, which does not offer any particulars or supporting documentation, does acknowledge that the vast majority of the handguns and many of the assault rifles used by the cartels enter Mexico from the United States.

A message drafted after the October 2009 conference in Tapachula blamed the Mexican government for not doing enough to patrol the southern border with Guatemala.

“While there are 30,000 U.S. CBP (Customs and Border Protection) officers on  the 1,926 mile Mexican/U.S. border, only 125 Mexican immigration officials monitor the 577 mile border with Guatemala,” the embassy cable says.

La Jornada’s publication of the cables follows revelations in the United States about a botched sting operation, “Fast and Furious,” that saw members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allow close to 2,000 weapons to be smuggled from Arizona to Mexico over 15 months.

Via PJ Tattler and Howard Nemerov.

Mobile Government Applications from University of Aegean

Within the Software Engineering lesson of the pre-graduate program of the ICS department, several Mobile Applications were developed by students. Two specific training sessions provided hands-on experience in Android and Windows 7 development platforms, provided by ATC SA and Microsoft Hellas.



The applications targeted simple mobile government functionality, through reusing open data / open services from the Greek public sector information systems. At the time of development (Nov 2010 – Feb 2011) not many open web services existed within the Greek Public Sector, thus limiting possibilities.



The applications developed for Android and Windows 7 mobile platforms are the following: 

- Automated VAT number validity check (Ministry of Finance)



- The new structure of Greek Local Administration, after the 2010 reform – “Kallikratis” programme



- The structure of Central Administration (Ministries, General Secretariats)



- A mobile tourist guide for Samos, including public administrations in the Island (in English)



- The list of electronic services provided by the Greek eGovernment gateway “Ermis” (Ministry of Interior)



- The Greek Government daily news via RSS (Presidency of the Greek Government)



- The open Government daily news (RSS from open government site “Diavgeia.gr”)

AP Fact Checks Obama's Pretexts for Libyan Adventure

Posted by Van Helsing at March 29, 2011 10:43 AM

Even the moonbats at AP can smell a rat regarding Comrade Obama's justifications for going to war on behalf of al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya. When he finally got around to telling us why he has started another expensive war, they went so far as to fact check his lies:

OBAMA: "Our most effective alliance, NATO, has taken command of the enforcement of the arms embargo and no-fly zone. … Going forward, the lead in enforcing the no-fly zone and protecting civilians on the ground will transition to our allies and partners, and I am fully confident that our coalition will keep the pressure on Gadhafi's remaining forces. In that effort, the United States will play a supporting role."

THE FACTS: As by far the pre-eminent player in NATO, and a nation historically reluctant to put its forces under operational foreign command, the United States will not be taking a back seat in the campaign even as its profile diminishes for public consumption. …

OBAMA: "Our military mission is narrowly focused on saving lives."

THE FACTS: Even as the U.S. steps back as the nominal leader, reduces some assets and fires a declining number of cruise missiles, the scope of the mission appears to be expanding and the end game remains unclear. Despite insistences that the operation is only to protect civilians, the airstrikes now are undeniably helping the rebels to advance. …

OBAMA: Seeking to justify military intervention, the president said the U.S. has "an important strategic interest in preventing Gadhafi from overrunning those who oppose him. A massacre would have driven thousands of additional refugees across Libya's borders, putting enormous strains on the peaceful - yet fragile - transitions in Egypt and Tunisia." He added: "I am convinced that a failure to act in Libya would have carried a far greater price for America."

THE FACTS: Obama did not wait to make that case to Congress, despite his past statements that presidents should get congressional authorization before taking the country to war, absent a threat to the nation that cannot wait. … Obama's defense secretary, Robert Gates, said Sunday that the crisis in Libya "was not a vital national interest to the United States…"

OBAMA: "Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as president, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action."

THE FACTS: Mass violence against civilians has also been escalating elsewhere, without any U.S. military intervention anticipated.

Too bad the media didn't do much fact checking prior to installing the Manchurian Moonbat in the White House. Maybe it can redeem itself by figuring out his furtive motives.

The role doesn't suit him. Via the People's Cube.

On tips from the MaryHunter and ComradeNeotrotsky.

Kazakhstan towards definitive abolition

March 28, 2011: Kazakhstan took another step towards the abolition of the death penalty. The Presidential Commission for Human Rights in Astana asked the government to abolish capital punishment, press agency Interfax reported.

Commission head Tastemir Abishev, in announcing the request for abolition, reminded that Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbaiev imposed an unlimited moratorium on the death penalty from 2003 onwards and that Astana is an active member of the International Commission for the Abolition of the Death Penalty.

Since 2007, after a constititional modification, the death penalty in Kazakistan is only allowed for those who commit terrorist attacks that cause death and for serious war crimes.

Source: TMNews, March 28, 2011

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Hamas court orders execution of 'collaborator'

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — A Gaza military court has condemned a man to death and sentenced another to forced labour for collaborating with Israel, the Hamas interior ministry said on Wednesday.

"The permanent tribunal on Tuesday sentenced the accused to death by hanging for treason and complicity with murder," the ministry said in a statement which identified the condemned man only as a resident of the central Gaza Strip.

The second man was sentenced to 15 years of forced labour, the statement said, adding that both judgements were subject to appeal.

In April, Gaza's Hamas rulers executed two alleged "collaborators" in the first executions to be carried out since the Islamist movement seized power in June 2007.

It was also the first time executions had been carried out in the coastal enclave for five years.

Palestinian law defines collaboration with Israel, murder and drug trafficking as capital crimes.

It says the president must approve all execution orders before they can be carried out, but Hamas no longer recognises the legitimacy of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose four-year term ended in 2009.

Israeli security forces routinely use Palestinian informers to thwart militant attacks and assist in the assassinations of top militants.

Source: AFP, March 31, 2011

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Texas caught illegally dispensing lethal injection drugs under the name of a hospital that closed 30 years ago

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has today been reported to the US Attorney General Eric Holder for illegally purchasing and dispensing lethal injection drugs under the name of a hospital that closed in 1983.

In a letter to Holder and to the Texas Department of Safety, lawyers for death row prisoner Cleve Foster describe how the state's prison agency has been purchasing controlled substances – including drugs used for lethal injections – under a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration certificate assigned to Huntsville Unit Hospital, which has not existed for 30 years. "[A]s a result, we believe that TDCJ is unlawfully in possession of and unlawfully dispensing controlled substances," the lawyers write.

Under US drug laws, DEA registration numbers must be renewed every three years. Yet Foster's legal team, Maurie Levin and Sandra Babcock, have discovered that the TDCJ “has failed to advise the DEA for the past twenty-eight years of the fact that the Huntsville Unit Hospital no longer exists," or to admit that what actually exists at that location is a prison unit with a warden "purchasing and dispensing controlled substances".

The lawyers further report that Texas’s drugs are not kept at a pharmacy or by a DEA-registered handler: "At no point is an appropriately licensed or authorized practitioner involved in the dispensing process, and at no point is a prescription written to transfer the controlled substances to a member of the execution team”.

Levin and Babcock have asked Attorney General Holder to direct the DEA to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation, noting "the potential for abuse is rampant." If violations are found, they request the immediate revocation of agency registration and seizure of the ill-obtained drugs. Any such action would disrupt Texas’s busy execution schedule; seven executions are slated for August, with Cleve Foster due to die on April 5.

Reprieve Director Clive Stafford Smith said:

“Every day, the US capital punishment system looks more ridiculous. If the Texas Department of Criminal Justice can’t even manage to obey the law, why on earth should they be granted the extraordinary power to kill prisoners?”

For more information please contact Katherine O’Shea at Reprieve’s Press Office katherine.oshea@reprieve.org.uk / 020 7427 1099 / 07931592674.

Reprieve, a legal action charity, uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantánamo Bay. Reprieve investigates, litigates and educates, working on the frontline, to provide legal support to prisoners unable to pay for it themselves. Reprieve promotes the rule of law around the world, securing each person’s right to a fair trial and saving lives. Clive Stafford Smith is the founder of Reprieve and has spent 27 years working on behalf of people facing the death penalty in the USA.

Reprieve has represented, and continues to represent, a large number of prisoners who have been rendered and abused around the world, and is conducting ongoing investigations into the rendition and the secret detention of ‘ghost prisoners’ in the so-called ‘war on terror.’

Source: Reprieve, March 31, 2011

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British Private Security Companies "not involved" in Libya

When I met my MP last week, he asked me to research the question of whether British private security companies were involved in supplying mercenaries to Gaddafi.

There are 9 British companies who supply private security services.

Aegis Defence Services ArmorGroup International London Branch of G4S plc Blue Hackle Control Risks Group Edinburgh Risk Erinys International Dubai (Joint South African-British company) Hart Security International Intelligence Limited Tecnodef (Sandline International London Ceased operations on April 16, 2004)

I was put through to the British Association of Private Security Companies, and spoke to their CEO, Andy Bearpark. He told me there was "zero" chance that British companies were involved in Libya. I have no reason to disbelieve him.

In our conversation, interestingly, he said that "mercenary" activity is in fact illegal. South Africa has substantial legislation to forbid it, but UK law is vastly outdated.

SoCal Toxic Skies Update

"these sorties are from Luke; from west of Catalina Island right to Joshua Tree"

CLOSE UP



"Trails galore"

".....but the spray makes them oh so pretty.......SoCal"


"Massachusetts bombarded with radiation in water and we have ozone missing and soaring temps!"

War News for Thursday, March 31, 2011

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attacks in an undisclosed area in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, March 29th.


Signs of Strain as Taliban Gird for More Fighting

Within Obama’s war cabinet, a looming battle over pace of Afghanistan drawdown


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: One civilian was wounded on Wednesday by a sticky bomb explosion in western Baghdad, a security source said. “A bomb, stuck to the vehicle of Zuhair Mahdi, a member of the Baghdad council, went off in al-Yarmouk region, western Baghdad, injuring a passing civilian, while the official survived the attack,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Diwaniya:
#1: One person was killed and two more were wounded in a Katyusha rocket attack on Wednesday evening in central Diwaniya, an army source said on Thursday. "The rocket hit a civilian car near a hospital in central Diwaniya, setting the car ablaze, killing a civilian and injuring two more," the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Tikrit:
#1: Update Casualties from the armed attack on the Salah al-Din council yesterday reached 56 dead and 91 wounded, a security source said. “Three of the local council members were killed in the raid, in addition to reporter of the al-Arabiya channel, Sabah al-Bazi, and Iman Salah, a journalist in al-Ayam al-Sabaa newspaper,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Security elements and a cameraman working for al-Fayhaa channel are among casualties,” he continued, noting that death toll likely to increase as several wounded persons are in critical condition.


Kirkuk:
#1: Two persons were wounded on Thursday by a tsicky bomb blast in southwestern Kirkuk, a security source said. "A bomb, stuck to a civilian car, went off in al-Matar street, near al-Maared, southwestern Kirkuk, injuring two civilians," Major Raed Abdulsalam Zankana told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: A student was wounded on Thursday by U.S. army fire in southwestern Kirkuk, a police source said. "A U.S. army patrol opened fire on Thursday (March 31) on a bus carrying students in Dour al-Ray neighborhood behind the Kirkuk park in southwestern Kirkuk, injuring a student and damaging the vehicle," the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. a passing eyewitness told Aswat al-Iraq news agency that the U.S.
headquarters came under missile attack in the region, forcing the army to send a patrol to search the region. "They ordered the bus driver to stop, but he did not understand the order, forcing them to open fire on the bus, injuring a student."


Mosul:
#1: A civilian man has been killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast south of northern Iraq’s city of Mosul on Wednesday, a Ninewa security source reported. “A civilian man has been killed this morning (Wednesday), in an IED explosion close to his house in southern Mosul’s al-Yousef village,”

#2: A total of 13 civilians were wounded on Wednesday in a hand grenade explosion in central Mosul, a security source said. “Unknown gunmen threw a hand grenade on Wednesday afternoon (March 30) on a police vehicle patrol in Souq al-Shaareen region, central Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide bomber struck a convoy carrying a prominent hardline Islamist leader in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing 12 people in what was the second attack that targeted the politician in as many days, police said. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, told local TV after the attack in Charsadda town that he was unharmed but his vehicle was slightly damaged.
The 12 dead from Thursday's attack included at least three policemen, said Liquat Ali Khan, police chief in Peshawar city. The blast also wounded at least 20 people. It was unclear if the bomber was on foot or on a motorcycle.

#2: At least five civilians have been injured in a NATO missile attack in South Waziristan Agency in northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. Pakistani local media said two missiles were fired from Afghanistan's Paktika province where NATO forces are stationed, a Press TV correspondent reported on Thursday. Pakistani local officials say the missiles hit a market in Angor Adda area, injuring five civilians. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment, the report added.

#3: NATO soldiers killed three Afghan civilians and injured four others after opening fire on a car which the force said had tried to attack a patrol in the city of Kandahar. Local police say it was just a traffic accident.

Four Afghan civilians and three NATO soldiers sustained injuries as a vehicle of the alliance struck a civilian car in Kandahar province 450 km south of capital Kabul on Thursday, police said. "The road accident happened in the north of the provincial capital Kandahar city at 09:00 a.m. local time as a result four civilians and three foreign soldiers were injured," deputy to provincial police chief Fazal Ahmad Shirzad told Xinhua.

#4: A suicide bomber targeted a convoy of NATO-led troops in Kapisa province, 70 km north of Afghan capital Kabul, on Wednesday, injuring nine people, including four foreign soldiers, a local official said. "It was a suicide attack carried out by militants against international troops in Tagab district at 2:30 p.m., which left four foreign soldiers and five Afghan civilians injured," police chief of Tagab district, Padshah Gul Bakhtyar, told Xinhua. Meantime, Zabihullah Mujahid, who claims to speak for the Taliban militants, in talks with media via telephone from undisclosed location claimed responsibility, saying a Taliban fighter, named Abdul Rahman, exploded his explosive-laden car next to a convoy of French troops, leaving himself and 12 French soldiers dead. However, police officer Bakhtyr rejected the claim, saying only nine persons sustained injuries in the blast.

#5: Pakistani security forces killed at least nine militants and destroyed their three hideouts on Thursday morning in the country's restive northwestern Kurram Agency, security sources said. According to sources, the security forces carried out a sudden search operation in Ali Sherzai, Chanarak and Spirkat of central Kurram Agency, Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan. As the forces reached the said areas, some militants attacked them and in retaliation security forces shelled their hideouts, in which nine militants were killed. Later, security forces cordoned off the area to make the operation more successful.


DoD: Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess

DoD: Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus

Death Penalty Opponents Assail Troy Davis Ruling

Troy Davis

Anti-death penalty activists criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reject without comment death row inmate Troy Davis’ appeals seeking to delay his execution while he attempts to prove he was wrongfully convicted of killing a white police officer in 1991.

Without another appeal, commutation or pardon, Monday’s decision likely will allow the state of Georgia to set another execution date for Davis. There may be a slight delay in scheduling because of questions over the state’s supply of a key lethal injection drug.

Federal regulators seized the entire stockpile of sodium thiopental earlier this month after questions arose about the way the state obtained the drug.

“We are deeply shocked and disappointed because we think that [Davis] has made a compelling case of innocence and that there are too many questions to go forward with his execution,” Diann Rust-Tierney, executive director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing Mark MacPhail, an off-duty Savannah, Georgia police officer, largely on the basis of eyewitness testimony, but 7 of the 9 witnesses who implicated Davis have since recanted, and other witnesses have come forward to say another man confessed to killing MacPhail. Further, there has been no physical evidence linking Davis, who had no prior criminal record, to the killing.

Restrictions on federal appeals prevented Davis from having a hearing in federal court on the reliability of the witness testimony used against him. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles also rejected Davis’ application for clemency. An appellate court stayed Davis’ execution date so that his lawyers could file the appeals to the Supreme Court.

Davis was granted a stay of execution by the U.S. Supreme Court 2 hours before he was to be put to death in 2008, and the court in 2009 ordered the federal District Court to take another look at the case.

After holding a hearing to review evidence, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled earlier that Davis "failed to show actual innocence" in the case. The District Court suggested that, for procedural reasons, Davis should take his appeal of its ruling directly to the Supreme Court.

In January, Davis’ lawyers filed two pleas. One sought review of the Georgia federal judge's rejection of the innocence claim, and the other asked for a test of the 11th Circuit's refusal to review the case.

"Nobody walking out of that hearing could view this as an open-and-shut case," Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, told WSAV-TV after Monday’s Supreme Court ruling.

"The testimony that came to light demonstrates that doubt still exists, but the legal bar for proving innocence was set so high it was virtually insurmountable," said Cox. “It would be utterly unconscionable to proceed with this execution, plain and simple."

“I think the position of the state has been the burden of proof is on the defense since there’s been a determination in the process,” Rust-Tierney said. “But when all the legalese is pushed aside, the question is is there enough confidence in this conviction to go forward with an execution?”

Davis' sister told CNN Monday that she was "very disappointed" by the Supreme Court's rejection.

Martina Correia-Davis said Davis' attorney told her they would continue to pursue all possible legal options, including a possible repetition of the Georgia State Board of Parole.

MacPhail’s son, Mark MacPhail, Jr. told WSAV-TV in Savannah that the High Court’s ruling proved what the evidence has always shown and what his family has known all along: that "Troy Davis is guilty."

MacPhail, Jr., who was just a few months old when his father was slain, told the television station he had been getting somewhat frustrated and nervous and "wondering what was taking so long."

But Davis’ case has received broad support from entertainment, social and political figures, including former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI. There also have been calls for the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to commute Davis’ sentence.

It is unclear what Davis’ lawyers' options are, but defense attorney Jason Ewart told The Associated Press the likeliest route is appealing to the pardons and parole board, a five-member board that rarely postpones executions.

"The Troy Davis case is emblematic of everything that is wrong with capital punishment," Laura Moye, director of AIUSA's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign, told WSAV. "In a system rife with error, mistakes can be made.

“There are no do-overs when it comes to death," said Moye. “Lawmakers across the country should scrutinize this case carefully, not only because of its unprecedented nature, but because it clearly indicates the need to abolish the death penalty in the United States."

Source: BlackAmericaWeb.com, March 30, 2011

Why the war to save Troy Davis isn't over

On March 28, 2011 I woke up elated about my 10 year anniversary as a cancer survivor. I looked outside and it was cold and gloomy, the sun was nowhere to be found. It's about 9:30 a.m. and the phone rings, it's my brother Troy Davis' lawyer and from the tone in his voice I knew, it was not good news.

My heart sank to a heavy place as I listened to his monotone voice saying, "We just received news that the United States Supreme Court has denied Troy's appeal." Knowing that the appeals for Troy have always been an uphill battle and the lawyers have always stated that from a legal standpoint. Yet today I also heard optimism in the statement, "We will seek and exhaust all legal means available to us." I know from a legal standpoint denial by the Supreme Court is nothing a lawyer finds optimism in, yet I felt the readiness for yet another battle.

My first concern was my mother and my brother Troy. I cannot imagine facing three execution dates and the possibility of a fourth. I knew Troy would be more concerned about our family than himself, but I also knew that as much faith and spirituality as my mother has, she is still a mother and we are fighting for my brother's very existence. In this fight Troy is no longer voiceless and my family is no longer invisible, yet the court still refuses to hear what we have to say. Innocence does matter and beyond a reasonable doubt should be of utmost.

One thing for certain is that the global concern about this case is growing and yet the highest court in the United States is not willing to address the issue of innocence and new evidence. We live in country that is supposed to promote democracy and human rights for other countries yet it is not unconstitutional for us to execute innocent people in the U.S. if the courts feel they received a fair trial.

I am both enraged and empowered, for this battle to save Troy is a war of life and death for me! Until there is no breath left in my body I will fight for Troy, fight against the injustice of the death penalty, because this battle is bigger than Troy it is a war against a system is not impartial, a system that cares less for fairness and more for finality. In no way have we ever diminished the loss and hurt of the McPhail family, yet both families have been victimized. Being a mother and having Stage 4 cancer I understand the importance of life and I am willing to give my life to spare my brother's. No matter the final outcome of this case, my war against the death penalty is far from over and I will no longer be a victimize by this system in the United States, that justice depends on your ability to pay for it.

The hearing held in June 2010 in Savannah was like a puppet show, it was entertaining to some, upsetting to others, yet once the judge opened his mouth and looked at my brother with disgust I knew that no matter what Troy's lawyers had to present the judge had already made his decision to deny Troy, so he was just going through the motions like a puppeteer. I saluted the witnesses, even though they were criminalized by the state prosecutor for recanting their trial testimony. When they testified against Troy all those years ago, the police treated them like heroes, even though they had the same criminal history in 1989. It also seemed amazing that all the police who testified had amnesia about their role of misconduct with the witnesses, yet the judge chose to believe them over recanted testimony of the very witnesses they used to secure a conviction and death sentence for my brother.

The Georgia Parole Board said they will not execute when there is doubt. The case of Troy Anthony Davis is full of doubt.

As Troy said to me, "It's not over 'til God says it's over, this fight for justice did not begin with me and will not end with me."

The battle for Justice and the War to save Troy wages on! My name is Martina Correia and I am on Death Row because that is where my brother lives, our lives intertwined. If Troy is executed he will become even more powerful, because people all around the world are saying, "I AM TROY DAVIS," and his story will be heard.

Source: Opinion, Martina Correia, The Grio, April 3, 2011
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