THANK YOU ALL! -- ACTIVISM IS THRIVING

The times they ARE a'changing

I want to say thanks to each and every one of you.

"House on Fire" has grown faster than I ever expected. It now has 100 followers and has reached 40,000 pageviews. This is really encouraging for a small blog that started without any fanfare or a ready-made support base. The "hits" are growing exponentially. Thank you so much for the support!


This is an Ad-Free Zone

Apparently Google is well aware of this success and has been hitting me up to run ads. I won't do this. I am essentially against all commercial advertising. I would not be against non-persuasive information about worthwhile products and services available to us but it just isn't like that. I won't be a part of the con. "House on Fire" will remain completely independent and I will write it for all the right reasons, not for payment.

That said, I WILL consider running "ads" for non-profits and worthwhile causes if people want to contact me. No, I won't run political ads for the elitist nimrods running for president. However, I will run ads for Norman Solomon's run for Congress if he wants me to because I know him personally and I know he is going to get to Capitol Hill and raise some hell. Solomon is a lifelong activist and one of the finest people I know.

Of course, being the "techodumbo" I am, I will have to work out how to put such ads on my page. I can barely operate this blog as it is! :-) (I'm like the guy in the classic Christopher Guest parody movie "For Your Consideration" who says: "The Internet. That's the one with email, right?")


The Better Angels of Our Nature

Above all, I want to thank you all for your compassion. For caring. The feedback I get -- apart from the folks on the far right who want to get their hands around my throat and call me all kinds of nasty names that I guess are supposed to make me blush or tremble or something -- is so encouraging: not just for me personally but for our bid to make the world a better place. There are so many great people out there and we are going to win!


The Future of "House on Fire"

As I've said before, this blog is going to be rolled into a very special activism site that I've been planning for years. That day is getting closer. If I can raise the necessary funds, it may be born in six months. It has already been endorsed by Noam Chomsky, Medea Benjamin, Father Dan Berrigan, and the late Howard Zinn. I'm expecting more such endorsements from prominent activists. If my projections are even close to the mark, in years to come this site will scare the crap out of the Establishment.


Upcoming Posts

Finally, I have several things I'm planning to blog about: Palestine's bid for statehood, the Wall Street Protests, the importance of small actions, another tragic instance of gay bullying, the dangerous decay of our First Amendment rights, and much more. I am behind on these subject because, as you'll have noticed, I've been devoting "House on Fire" to Troy Davis' cause recently. His execution is one of the most disgusting domestic examples of the violence our governments and courts are capable of that I've witnessed in a long time. This was state-sanctioned murder. To euphemize what happened with more palatable words is to join with the spirit of the crime against Troy. Troy Davis wanted us to continue the fight against capital punishment: We must honor his memory by doing just that until this abomination is eradicated not only from the United States but from the entire world. (GO HERE to sign the ACLU's Pledge to End the Death Penalty.)

But again, I thank you. I was moved by the hits that my blogs about Troy received. Again, not for me, but because it was further evidence of the collective care that exists. It inspires me and I know that good will always triumph over evil, even if we have to fight like hell to get there.

So thank you, 40,000 times. I am committed to finishing what I started with this blog and doing my small part to, yep, change the world. And you are all a part of that. You rock!

Have a great weekend (but keep the activism going),
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might also like to take a look at THE REVOLUTION IS KNOCKING -- PT. 2.

Georgia killed Troy Davis

After a torturous delay of more than 4 hours, the State of Georgia killed Troy Anthony Davis on the 21st September 2011. Davis was pronounced dead at 23:08 (03:08 GMT Thursday), 15 minutes after the lethal injection began.

"I am innocent," Davis said moments before he was executed. "I did not have a gun. For those about to take my life, may God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls. All I can ask... is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight."



Like many across the world my heart is heavy. I am sad and angry. The state of Georgia has proven what we already know. Governments cannot be trusted with the awful power over life and death. Today, Georgia didn't just kill Troy Davis; they killed the faith and confidence that many Georgians, Americans and Troy Davis supporters worldwide used to have in the criminal justice system.

The state of Georgia has proven that the death penalty is too great a power to give to the government. Human institutions are prone to bias and error and cannot be entrusted with this God-like power. The death penalty is a human rights violation whether given to the guilty or the innocent, and it must be abolished. While many courts examined this case, the march to the death chamber only slowed, but never stopped. Justice may be blind; but in this case, the justice system was blind to the facts.



The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial. Since then, all but two of the state's non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony. Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis. One of the two witnesses who has not recanted his testimony is Sylvester "Red" Coles — the principle alternative suspect, according to the defence, against whom there is new evidence implicating him as the gunman. Nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating Sylvester Coles.

Troy said the day before he was executed;

"The struggle for justice doesn't end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I'm in good spirits and I'm prayerful and at peace."

It is only perhaps in America with its addiction to violence, to guns and to retribution that killing a person who did not commit a crime makes sense and gives false closure to the family of the victim. It is only in American with its obsession with retribution and vengeance that the huge diversion of resources to maintaining a fallible and brutal death penalty and imprisoning 1 in 10 young black men that this makes sense. It is only in America does it make sense to station troops in 143 countries of the world, not ask what the motive was for the vicious attack on 9/11 and launch a murderous war on Iraq which had nothing to do with the events of 9/11 to keep America “safe.”



The vicious death penalty does nothing to keep Americans safe nor does the sad addiction to guns. Only in the Deep South does it make sense to keep a black man in prison for 22 years and then take him out and execute him when the case against him has fallen apart. This "Freedom Loving Democracy" which refuses to sign up to the International Criminal Court and kills innocents with "precision" drones well away from media coverage is in no position to lecture other brutal execution luvin' regimes in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Saudi Arabia (the place the 9/11 guys came from) on Human Rights.

Let's take a moment to honour the life of Troy Davis and Mark MacPhail. Then, let's take all of our difficult feelings and re-double our commitment to abolition of the death penalty.

I am Troy Davis. You are Troy Davis. We will not stop fighting for justice.




See also;

Don’t execute Troy Davis

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-execute-troy-davis.html

The Troy Davis Campaign Website

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org

Georgia killed Troy Davis

After a torturous delay of more than 4 hours, the State of Georgia killed Troy Anthony Davis on the 21st September 2011. Davis was pronounced dead at 23:08 (03:08 GMT Thursday), 15 minutes after the lethal injection began.

"I am innocent," Davis said moments before he was executed. "I did not have a gun. For those about to take my life, may God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls. All I can ask... is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight."



Like many across the world my heart is heavy. I am sad and angry. The state of Georgia has proven what we already know. Governments cannot be trusted with the awful power over life and death. Today, Georgia didn't just kill Troy Davis; they killed the faith and confidence that many Georgians, Americans and Troy Davis supporters worldwide used to have in the criminal justice system.

The state of Georgia has proven that the death penalty is too great a power to give to the government. Human institutions are prone to bias and error and cannot be entrusted with this God-like power. The death penalty is a human rights violation whether given to the guilty or the innocent, and it must be abolished. While many courts examined this case, the march to the death chamber only slowed, but never stopped. Justice may be blind; but in this case, the justice system was blind to the facts.



The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial. Since then, all but two of the state's non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony. Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis. One of the two witnesses who has not recanted his testimony is Sylvester "Red" Coles — the principle alternative suspect, according to the defence, against whom there is new evidence implicating him as the gunman. Nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating Sylvester Coles.

Troy said the day before he was executed;

"The struggle for justice doesn't end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I'm in good spirits and I'm prayerful and at peace."

It is only perhaps in America with its addiction to violence, to guns and to retribution that killing a person who did not commit a crime makes sense and gives false closure to the family of the victim. It is only in American with its obsession with retribution and vengeance that the huge diversion of resources to maintaining a fallible and brutal death penalty and imprisoning 1 in 10 young black men that this makes sense. It is only in America does it make sense to station troops in 143 countries of the world, not ask what the motive was for the vicious attack on 9/11 and launch a murderous war on Iraq which had nothing to do with the events of 9/11 to keep America “safe.”



The vicious death penalty does nothing to keep Americans safe nor does the sad addiction to guns. Only in the Deep South does it make sense to keep a black man in prison for 22 years and then take him out and execute him when the case against him has fallen apart. This "Freedom Loving Democracy" which refuses to sign up to the International Criminal Court and kills innocents with "precision" drones well away from media coverage is in no position to lecture other brutal execution luvin' regimes in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Saudi Arabia (the place the 9/11 guys came from) on Human Rights.

Let's take a moment to honour the life of Troy Davis and Mark MacPhail. Then, let's take all of our difficult feelings and re-double our commitment to abolition of the death penalty.

I am Troy Davis. You are Troy Davis. We will not stop fighting for justice.




See also;

Don’t execute Troy Davis

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-execute-troy-davis.html

The Troy Davis Campaign Website

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org

TROY DAVIS DENIED CLEMENCY -- THERE'S STILL HOPE!

WE ARE ALL TROY DAVIS!  And no matter what specious arguments some may put forward, this is cold-blooded murder, nothing less.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PAGE HAS BEEN RECEIVING A LOT OF HITS WHICH INDICATES THAT THERE ARE MANY CARING PEOPLE OUT THERE. SADLY, I MUST INFORM THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NOT KNOW, TROY DAVIS WAS EXECUTED LAST NIGHT (SEPT. 21), SO OBVIOUSLY IT IS TOO LATE TO TAKE ACTION TO HELP HIM. HOWEVER, AS TROY WISHED, WE MUST CONTINUE THE FIGHT AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE SITE OF THE CAMPAIGN TO END THE DEATH PENALTY. IT IS UP TO US TO END THIS BLIGHT ON OUR SOCIETY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CARING. AND NEVER FORGET TROY DAVIS.



Georgia is going to murder Troy Davis.

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles -- virtually Troy's last chance ahead of his scheduled execution tomorrow evening -- denied him clemency this morning.

There is still hope! Please call or email the board and ask them to reverse their decision: 404-656-5651 and webmaster@pap.state.ga.us

You can also go here to read the latest update of the situation by Marlene Martin of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP). Marlene has been a stalwart for Troy Davis' cause.

At the top right of that page you'll find CEDP's "5 Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty." I would add one that I believe is crucial: The death penalty (which, quite simply, is state-sanctioned murder) demeans the humanity of us all. To carry out executions is to mimic the very crimes we say we abhor.

And remember: The case against Troy Davis has completely fallen apart. It is only the mechanisms of our "justice" system that disqualify all the facts now available to save Troy. Millions around the world are calling for clemency.

Please, keep fighting,
Adrian

ONCE AGAIN: Please call or email (or both) the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles and ask them to reverse their decision: 404-656-5651 and webmaster@pap.state.ga.us

State of Georgia set to execute an innocent man

Southern trees still bear bitter fruit, nowhere it seems more so than in the State of Georgia, USA. It is with a very heavy heart and a deep sense of outrage that I let you know that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles voted to deny clemency to Troy Davis. This means that very little is now standing in the way of the state of Georgia executing a potentially innocent man this Wednesday, September 21 st at 7pm.

The actions of the Board are astounding in the face of so much doubt in the case against Troy Davis. However, we should not be prepared to accept the decision and let anyone with the power to stop the execution off the hook. Join Amnesty in calling on the Board to reconsider its decision, and on the Chatham County (Savannah) District Attorney Larry Chisolm to do the right thing. They have until the final moments before Troy's scheduled execution to put the brakes on this runaway justice system.



“I am writing to urge you to seek a withdrawal of the death warrant against Troy Davis. He has been denied clemency by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles despite the fact that significant doubts continue to plague his conviction. Executions when there are still substantial doubts about guilt should never be permitted to proceed, and the responsibility rests with you to ensure that does not happen in this case.

It would significantly undermine the credibility of the Georgia system of justice if an execution were carried out under such a persistent cloud of doubts about guilt. It would show a callous disregard for the very real possibility of putting an innocent person to death, and public faith in Georgia’s commitment to a fair justice system would be shattered.



You have it in your power to prevent this affront to justice from happening. I urge you to call for a withdrawal of Troy Davis’ death warrant without delay.”

Send on this link;

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=516533&msource=W1109EADP04D&tr=y&auid=9522344

Troy Davis was convicted on the basis of witness testimony – seven of the nine original witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony. He has survived three previous execution dates, because people like you kept the justice system in check! Let Georgia authorities know you oppose the death penalty for Troy Davis!

NOTE: Due to high volume of supporters, please keep trying to sign this petition if your initial attempt does not succeed.

Or try contacting the Chatham County's District Attorney's office by phone/fax: Telephone: 912-652-7308 Fax: 912-652-7328.



Davis was given the death sentence for the August 1989 murder of Mark MacPhail, a police officer from Savannah who was shot and killed while trying to help a homeless man who was being beaten up in a restaurant car park. Davis was present at the scene, but has always insisted that another man, Sylvester Coles, attacked the homeless man and shot MacPhail when he intervened.

Davis was convicted at a 1991 trial almost exclusively on the basis of nine witnesses – including Coles himself – who all said they had seen him carry out the shooting. The murder weapon was never found, and there was no DNA or other forensic evidence. In the years since the trial, seven of the nine witnesses have come forward and recanted their evidence, saying they were put under pressure to implicate Davis by the investigating police. Other witnesses have come forward to say that they had heard Coles confess to killing the police officer.



The parole board heard from one of the jurors who originally recommended the death penalty for Davis. Brenda Forrest told the panel that she no longer trusted the verdict or sentence: "I feel, emphatically, that Mr Davis cannot be executed under these circumstances," she said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The execution of Troy Davis, a Georgia death row inmate scheduled to die in less than a week, should be halted because of "pervasive, persistent doubts" about his guilt, said William S. Sessions, a former federal district judge in Texas and FBI director under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, in a sharply-worded editorial on Thursday.

"Serious questions about Mr. Davis' guilt, highlighted by witness recantations, allegations of police coercion, and a lack of relevant physical evidence, continue to plague his conviction," Sessions wrote. He urged a state pardons board to commute the sentence to life in prison.

Bob Barr, a former federal prosecutor and four-term Republican congressman from Georgia, urged the board to grant clemency for Davis in an editorial published in the Savannah Morning News on Wednesday. In 2007, the five-member board pledged that "it will not allow an execution to proceed in this state unless and until its members are convinced there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused," Barr noted in the editorial.



"I am a longtime supporter of the death penalty. I make no judgment as to whether Davis is guilty or innocent. And surely the citizens of Savannah and the state of Georgia want justice served on behalf of Officer MacPhail," Barr wrote. "But imposing an irreversible sentence of death on the skimpiest of evidence will not serve the interest of justice."

Troy Davis has three major strikes against him. First, he is an African American man. Second, he was charged with killing a white police officer. And third, he is in Georgia.

More than a century ago, the legendary muckraking journalist Ida B Wells risked her life when she began reporting on the epidemic of lynching in the Deep South. She published Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All its Phases in 1892 and followed up with The Red Record in 1895, detailing hundreds of lynchings. She wrote:

"In Brooks County, Georgia, 23 December, while this Christian country was preparing for Christmas celebration, seven Negroes were lynched in 24 hours because they refused, or were unable to tell the whereabouts of a coloured man named Pike, who killed a white man … Georgia heads the list of lynching states."



The planned execution of Davis will not be at the hands of an unruly mob, but in the sterile, fluorescently lit confines of Georgia diagnostic and classification prison in Butts County, near the town of Jackson. The state doesn't intend to hang Troy Davis from a tree with a rope or a chain – to hang, as Billie Holiday sang, like a strange fruit:

>"Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees."

See also;

Don’t execute Troy Davis

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-execute-troy-davis.html

The Troy Davis Campaign Website

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org

State of Georgia set to execute an innocent man

Southern trees still bear bitter fruit, nowhere it seems more so than in the State of Georgia, USA. It is with a very heavy heart and a deep sense of outrage that I let you know that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles voted to deny clemency to Troy Davis. This means that very little is now standing in the way of the state of Georgia executing a potentially innocent man this Wednesday, September 21 st at 7pm.

The actions of the Board are astounding in the face of so much doubt in the case against Troy Davis. However, we should not be prepared to accept the decision and let anyone with the power to stop the execution off the hook. Join Amnesty in calling on the Board to reconsider its decision, and on the Chatham County (Savannah) District Attorney Larry Chisolm to do the right thing. They have until the final moments before Troy's scheduled execution to put the brakes on this runaway justice system.



“I am writing to urge you to seek a withdrawal of the death warrant against Troy Davis. He has been denied clemency by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles despite the fact that significant doubts continue to plague his conviction. Executions when there are still substantial doubts about guilt should never be permitted to proceed, and the responsibility rests with you to ensure that does not happen in this case.

It would significantly undermine the credibility of the Georgia system of justice if an execution were carried out under such a persistent cloud of doubts about guilt. It would show a callous disregard for the very real possibility of putting an innocent person to death, and public faith in Georgia’s commitment to a fair justice system would be shattered.



You have it in your power to prevent this affront to justice from happening. I urge you to call for a withdrawal of Troy Davis’ death warrant without delay.”

Send on this link;

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=516533&msource=W1109EADP04D&tr=y&auid=9522344

Troy Davis was convicted on the basis of witness testimony – seven of the nine original witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony. He has survived three previous execution dates, because people like you kept the justice system in check! Let Georgia authorities know you oppose the death penalty for Troy Davis!

NOTE: Due to high volume of supporters, please keep trying to sign this petition if your initial attempt does not succeed.

Or try contacting the Chatham County's District Attorney's office by phone/fax: Telephone: 912-652-7308 Fax: 912-652-7328.



Davis was given the death sentence for the August 1989 murder of Mark MacPhail, a police officer from Savannah who was shot and killed while trying to help a homeless man who was being beaten up in a restaurant car park. Davis was present at the scene, but has always insisted that another man, Sylvester Coles, attacked the homeless man and shot MacPhail when he intervened.

Davis was convicted at a 1991 trial almost exclusively on the basis of nine witnesses – including Coles himself – who all said they had seen him carry out the shooting. The murder weapon was never found, and there was no DNA or other forensic evidence. In the years since the trial, seven of the nine witnesses have come forward and recanted their evidence, saying they were put under pressure to implicate Davis by the investigating police. Other witnesses have come forward to say that they had heard Coles confess to killing the police officer.



The parole board heard from one of the jurors who originally recommended the death penalty for Davis. Brenda Forrest told the panel that she no longer trusted the verdict or sentence: "I feel, emphatically, that Mr Davis cannot be executed under these circumstances," she said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The execution of Troy Davis, a Georgia death row inmate scheduled to die in less than a week, should be halted because of "pervasive, persistent doubts" about his guilt, said William S. Sessions, a former federal district judge in Texas and FBI director under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, in a sharply-worded editorial on Thursday.

"Serious questions about Mr. Davis' guilt, highlighted by witness recantations, allegations of police coercion, and a lack of relevant physical evidence, continue to plague his conviction," Sessions wrote. He urged a state pardons board to commute the sentence to life in prison.

Bob Barr, a former federal prosecutor and four-term Republican congressman from Georgia, urged the board to grant clemency for Davis in an editorial published in the Savannah Morning News on Wednesday. In 2007, the five-member board pledged that "it will not allow an execution to proceed in this state unless and until its members are convinced there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused," Barr noted in the editorial.



"I am a longtime supporter of the death penalty. I make no judgment as to whether Davis is guilty or innocent. And surely the citizens of Savannah and the state of Georgia want justice served on behalf of Officer MacPhail," Barr wrote. "But imposing an irreversible sentence of death on the skimpiest of evidence will not serve the interest of justice."

Troy Davis has three major strikes against him. First, he is an African American man. Second, he was charged with killing a white police officer. And third, he is in Georgia.

More than a century ago, the legendary muckraking journalist Ida B Wells risked her life when she began reporting on the epidemic of lynching in the Deep South. She published Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All its Phases in 1892 and followed up with The Red Record in 1895, detailing hundreds of lynchings. She wrote:

"In Brooks County, Georgia, 23 December, while this Christian country was preparing for Christmas celebration, seven Negroes were lynched in 24 hours because they refused, or were unable to tell the whereabouts of a coloured man named Pike, who killed a white man … Georgia heads the list of lynching states."



The planned execution of Davis will not be at the hands of an unruly mob, but in the sterile, fluorescently lit confines of Georgia diagnostic and classification prison in Butts County, near the town of Jackson. The state doesn't intend to hang Troy Davis from a tree with a rope or a chain – to hang, as Billie Holiday sang, like a strange fruit:

>"Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees."

See also;

Don’t execute Troy Davis

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-execute-troy-davis.html

The Troy Davis Campaign Website

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org

THE THIRD WORLD -- WELL WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE

The Third World exists in America too

A new Census Bureau report confirms what many people already knew: The Third World exists in the U.S. as well.

The basic findings (for the year 2010):

* Nearly 1 in 6 Americans lives in poverty
* The poverty rate went from 14.3% in 2009 to 15.1% (46.2 million people) in 2010
* That number represents the biggest total since tracking poverty began in 1959, and ties the 1993 percentage and is the highest since 1983
* More than half the poor are black and Latino
* The gap between the rich and poor continues to widen.

A couple of thoughts on this. Firstly, a lousy $22,314 annual income for a family of four is the official poverty level. That's insane. You're talking about a poor quality of life and no health coverage, probably malnutrition, and no security. This number should be higher to even be logical. And if you did raise the poverty line, imagine how many people would really be under it!

Secondly, I have a healthy and well-founded distrust of official figures on unemployment, poverty, etc. There are a variety of factors -- and interpretive devices -- that come into play that make the numbers look better than they are. Certain government "safety net programs" that the report mentions seem to have had such an effect on these poverty numbers.

The bottom line is we have serious poverty in this country. There is devastating poverty around the world and we must not be so parochial as to ignore that. But the severity of the problem right here, in the wealthiest nation in history, is both devastating and pathetic.

Health Coverage

The same Census report stated that, in 2010, the percentage of Americans without health care rose from 16.1 to 16.3 (49.9 million people).

But one must remember that MANY other people are under-covered, and that coverage in general in this country, well, sucks! Try dealing with insurance companies and all their BS and you get the picture fast. We have an overpriced, inefficient health system that is screaming to be taken out of the private sector. Universal health care is the only way. And guess what: Not only will it be much more efficient, it will also save the government a ton of money! True.

General Augusto Pinochet: One of many tyrant leaders that the U.S. has backed

Did You Know?

In addition to what happened here in the U.S. in 2001, September 11 is the anniversary of several other very significant events that we should all be aware of. Here are two major ones:

1/ Sept. 11, 1973. The U.S.-backs a coup by the Chilean military which overthrows the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende (who is murdered in the process). The coup brings the notorious General Augusto Pinochet to power, and decades of murder, torture, repression and terrible suffering for the people of Chile ensue. This was the dawn of a very dark time in Chilean history and another blot on U.S. "foreign policy." Anybody who tries to argue that America is not a terrorist state simply hasn't read enough. All of this is in official documents. It's another part of U.S. history that is swept under the carpet.

2/ Sept. 9-13, 1971. Inmates at Attica Correctional Facility in New York State take matters into their own hands after repeated appeals to have serious grievances remedied are ignored. The climactic day sees a massive teargas assault followed by a hailstorm of bullets -- into the cloud of gas -- by the authorities. Twenty-nine prisoners and 10 guards are killed. The full story is one of torture and abuse of prisoners and all adult Americans should have some knowledge of the events. No, the prisoners weren't totally free of blame, but our prison system is a disgrace and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller should have been locked up to rot for the way he "handled" the Attica bloodbath.

YOU can help save Troy Davis

Please Help Troy Davis

The state of Georgia will put Troy Davis to death next Wednesday unless enough people contact the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to ask for clemency. They hold a final hearing with Troy on Monday (19th). Please email them at Clemency_Information@pap.state.ga.us You can also go here to sign an NAACP petition to the District Attorney in the case who has the power to petition the judge to withdraw the death warrant. Anything you can do is significant and an act of humanity.

Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a police officer in 1991 but nearly all of the original witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony and there is no physical evidence tying Troy to the crime. In addition, another man has been identified as the killer by several people. There is no way this execution should go ahead!

Never stop fighting!
Adrian

YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT TROY DAVIS, AND TAKE ACTION, HERE.

Save Troy Davis

I stand with Amnesty and their Death Penalty Abolition Campaign to fight for the life of Troy Davis, who within weeks could be executed for a crime he may not have committed. There remain serious doubts of his guilt. His death sentence defies all logic and morality.

The day is now here - the state of Georgia has set Troy Davis' execution date for September 21st, just 10 days from today. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his final appeal earlier this year. But the story remains the same - Troy Davis could very well be innocent.

Troy Davis and his mother

However, in the state of Georgia, the Board of Pardons & Paroles holds the keys to Troy's fate. In the days before Davis' execution, this Board will hold a final clemency hearing - a final chance to prevent Troy Davis from being executed. Davis was convicted on the basis of witness testimony - seven of the nine original witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony.


Martina Correia, sister of Troy Anthony Davis, in front of the O'Connell Monument in Dublin, Ireland with supporters. She received The Sean McBride Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights 2010.

One witness said in a CNN news interview "If I knew then, what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row." I know it's difficult to believe that a system of justice could be so terribly flawed, but keep in mind that Troy has survived three previous execution dates, because people like you kept the justice system in check!
We've been bracing for this moment and the time for action is now! Here's what you can do to join the fight:

Sign Amnesty’s petition to the Board of Pardons & Paroles urging them to grant clemency! They'll deliver your signatures next week.
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=12970&msource=W1109EADP01&tr=y&auid=9445274

Organise locally for Troy: Take to the streets with us. Soon we'll be announcing the date for the official Troy Davis Day of Action. Sign up now to rally in the coming days to stop the execution of Troy Davis.

Tell everyone you know! Spread the word about this injustice on Twitter by using the hashtag #TooMuchDoubt. Be sure to tell your Facebook friends Troy's story too!
https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2Fo93bAE



The death penalty is costly, arbitrary, and ineffective. Yet one of the great disappointments for those of us who supported Barack Obama is that the US Justice system is still heavily focused towards revenge not rehabilitation, criminalises a huge proportion of young black men and in a number of states despite the evidence of legal shabbiness, miscarriages and innocents being killed by the state a huge amount of penal resources are devoted to putting people to death. In this the United States is right up with those other Great Democracies, China, Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Who says you can’t judge a country by the friends it keeps?

Whilst the situation is complicated by the separation of powers in the United States between the Federal and State Governments for many the bell weather case of whether Obama’s American is any different is the case of Troy Davis. Troy Anthony Davis, who is African American, was convicted in 1991 of murdering Mark McPhail, a white police officer. Davis' conviction was not based on any physical evidence, and the murder weapon was never found.

The prosecution based its case on the testimony of purported "witnesses," many of whom allege police coercion. Seven of the nine non-police witnesses for the prosecution have recanted their testimony in sworn affidavits. One witness signed a police statement declaring that Davis was the assailant, and then later said, "I did not read it because I cannot read." In another case a witness stated that the police "were telling me that I was an accessory to murder and that I would ... go to jail for a long time and I would be lucky if I ever got out, especially because a police officer got killed ... I was only 16 and was so scared of going to jail."



There are also several witnesses who have implicated another man in the murder. According to one woman, "People on the streets were talking about Sylvester Coles being involved with killing the police officer, so one day I asked him ... Sylvester told me that he did shoot the officer."

Troy's case is so powerful because it has inspired:

A majority of witnesses to admit that they lied 19 years ago

Four witnesses to finally testify against the person whom they suspect to be the real killer of police officer Mark MacPhail

Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to all call for clemency

A movement of human rights supporters to unite and pass Troy's story along from one person to the next to the next...

Nearly two decades later, Davis remains on death row with an execution date in 10 days time– even though the case against him has completely fallen apart. Don’t let the state of Georgia put finality before Justice.

See also;

Don’t execute Troy Davis

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-execute-troy-davis.html

The Troy Davis Campaign Website

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/



Audio recording from Troy Davis, who faces execution despite the fact that there was no physical evidence and 7 out of 9 non-police witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony.

Save Troy Davis

I stand with Amnesty and their Death Penalty Abolition Campaign to fight for the life of Troy Davis, who within weeks could be executed for a crime he may not have committed. There remain serious doubts of his guilt. His death sentence defies all logic and morality.

The day is now here - the state of Georgia has set Troy Davis' execution date for September 21st, just 10 days from today. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his final appeal earlier this year. But the story remains the same - Troy Davis could very well be innocent.

Troy Davis and his mother

However, in the state of Georgia, the Board of Pardons & Paroles holds the keys to Troy's fate. In the days before Davis' execution, this Board will hold a final clemency hearing - a final chance to prevent Troy Davis from being executed. Davis was convicted on the basis of witness testimony - seven of the nine original witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony.


Martina Correia, sister of Troy Anthony Davis, in front of the O'Connell Monument in Dublin, Ireland with supporters. She received The Sean McBride Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights 2010.

One witness said in a CNN news interview "If I knew then, what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row." I know it's difficult to believe that a system of justice could be so terribly flawed, but keep in mind that Troy has survived three previous execution dates, because people like you kept the justice system in check!
We've been bracing for this moment and the time for action is now! Here's what you can do to join the fight:

Sign Amnesty’s petition to the Board of Pardons & Paroles urging them to grant clemency! They'll deliver your signatures next week.
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=12970&msource=W1109EADP01&tr=y&auid=9445274

Organise locally for Troy: Take to the streets with us. Soon we'll be announcing the date for the official Troy Davis Day of Action. Sign up now to rally in the coming days to stop the execution of Troy Davis.

Tell everyone you know! Spread the word about this injustice on Twitter by using the hashtag #TooMuchDoubt. Be sure to tell your Facebook friends Troy's story too!
https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2Fo93bAE



The death penalty is costly, arbitrary, and ineffective. Yet one of the great disappointments for those of us who supported Barack Obama is that the US Justice system is still heavily focused towards revenge not rehabilitation, criminalises a huge proportion of young black men and in a number of states despite the evidence of legal shabbiness, miscarriages and innocents being killed by the state a huge amount of penal resources are devoted to putting people to death. In this the United States is right up with those other Great Democracies, China, Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Who says you can’t judge a country by the friends it keeps?

Whilst the situation is complicated by the separation of powers in the United States between the Federal and State Governments for many the bell weather case of whether Obama’s American is any different is the case of Troy Davis. Troy Anthony Davis, who is African American, was convicted in 1991 of murdering Mark McPhail, a white police officer. Davis' conviction was not based on any physical evidence, and the murder weapon was never found.

The prosecution based its case on the testimony of purported "witnesses," many of whom allege police coercion. Seven of the nine non-police witnesses for the prosecution have recanted their testimony in sworn affidavits. One witness signed a police statement declaring that Davis was the assailant, and then later said, "I did not read it because I cannot read." In another case a witness stated that the police "were telling me that I was an accessory to murder and that I would ... go to jail for a long time and I would be lucky if I ever got out, especially because a police officer got killed ... I was only 16 and was so scared of going to jail."



There are also several witnesses who have implicated another man in the murder. According to one woman, "People on the streets were talking about Sylvester Coles being involved with killing the police officer, so one day I asked him ... Sylvester told me that he did shoot the officer."

Troy's case is so powerful because it has inspired:

A majority of witnesses to admit that they lied 19 years ago

Four witnesses to finally testify against the person whom they suspect to be the real killer of police officer Mark MacPhail

Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to all call for clemency

A movement of human rights supporters to unite and pass Troy's story along from one person to the next to the next...

Nearly two decades later, Davis remains on death row with an execution date in 10 days time– even though the case against him has completely fallen apart. Don’t let the state of Georgia put finality before Justice.

See also;

Don’t execute Troy Davis

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-execute-troy-davis.html

The Troy Davis Campaign Website

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/



Audio recording from Troy Davis, who faces execution despite the fact that there was no physical evidence and 7 out of 9 non-police witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony.

JERRY SEINFELD IS BIG FOOT!

Seinfeld's cozy Colorado digs: "You ever noticed how celebrities need 500 rooms to feel at home?"

Okay okay, I needed a catchy title, but it's relevant.

I read an article recently about a mammoth home Seinfeld is selling. You know the kind: 14,200-square-foot interior (the joint also has a deck the size of an airport tarmac); 11 bedrooms; 11 full bathrooms and three half baths; and a great room that looks like it took an entire forest to build. Asking price: $18.25 million. The kind of place you definitely need when you go on vacation and take half of New York City with you.

MoneyWatch.com (of course) reports that the "enormous compound is only a small part of Seinfeld’s massive real estate portfolio," which also includes the East Hampton estate that he copped off Billy Joel for the low low price of $25.6 million.

Now, I'm of the opinion that Jerry Seinfeld is one of the best entertainers around. But I think high-profile celebs like he are insanely overpaid (and TV should be publicly controlled, not run by profit-mongering corporations) and tend to live obscenely extravagant lifestyles. The kind of sickeningly self-indulgent spending that my mother has always referred to as "wicked." Mum's no fool.

Anyway, when I read the Seinfeld article, I wondered: What is this guy's ecological footprint? Hey, I have no reason to doubt that he's a nice person and he certainly brings joy to people. But does that entitle him (or anyone) to hack up the environment like John Bunyon on steroids. (Not to mention the accumulation of wealth that, if not spent on mansions and Porsches could, I dunno, save lives.)

Well, Seinfeld was just an example to illustrate a point. I've already talked about CEOs in this blog. But this stuff applies to all of us -- to one degree or another. I believe we should all ask ourselves questions like: How much is enough? What do I really need? What is my ecological footprint?


What is an "ecological footprint"?

Here are a couple of plain-English definitions of "ecological footprint":

1/ A measure of how much biologically productive land and water area an individual, population or activity requires to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb the waste it generates using prevailing technology and resource management practices;

2/ the amount of productive land appropriated on average by each person (in the world, a country, etc) for food, water, transport, housing, waste management, and other purposes.

You have one, I have one, America has one. Every individual, community and country has one. The problem is that our eco footprints are way too big -- our resource usage, our wastefulness, and our sheer greed are simply unsustainable. And we're in a hurry to crash.


"Need" Vs. "Want"

I've often asked people the question "Why do you need a big car/big house/fifty pairs of shoes/etc etc?" and received the answer "Because I want it/them!" And the answer comes without a hint of irony, without a whiff of the notion that there's a huge divide between "need" and "want" and a lot of people, in the Third World in particular, are tumbling into that chasm. At it's killing the planet herself.

Just as there's the concept of "peak oil," there's essentially a "peak everything." The days of houses on tasty blocks of land are numbered. We have to accept that. The gas guzzler must go. Shopping for the sake of shopping must, and will, atrophy. Bottled water is a disastrous gimmick that has to end. The list goes on.

I can honestly see a day when the government can't push the truth to one side any longer and there will be limits on a variety of things and fines for not recycling. Finite resources and insane consumption. You do the math.


What to Do?

You already know this answer to this, right? It's commonsense. Cut back. Use less. Recycle everything possible. Buy used, not new. Live more modestly. Don't live a consumer-junkie lifestyle. Accumulating isn't living; and it just may well be the fast track to murdering the planet.

Read up on the facts and talk about this stuff. Spread the word.

On the large scale, it's the usual things: sign petitions, write to your congressman, join environmental groups, picket corporations, do anything you can to pressure for limits, controls and regulation when it comes to any kind of environmental devastation and degradation. If you know how to use the Internet, it's pretty easy to do quite a lot: If you're willing to put forth a modicum of effort.

Live an activist's life in everything you do. Think like an activist. From the small, to the big. It's easier than you think. And the payoff is pretty cool: survival.

This is getting too long. We'll pick it up again. Maybe a bit more on consumption.

Take care and be practical,
Adrian

IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE: Death row inmate Troy Davis, about whom I've written on more than one occasion, is now scheduled to be executed on Sept. 21. Not only is the case against him full of holes, to execute anyone demeans the humanity of us all. Please GO HERE to sign a petition to try and win clemency for Troy Davis. You can also GO HERE to help spread the word. Thank you!

URGENT: PLEASE HELP SAVE TROY DAVIS!

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PAGE HAS BEEN RECEIVING A LOT OF HITS WHICH INDICATES THAT THERE ARE MANY CARING PEOPLE OUT THERE. SADLY, I MUST INFORM THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NOT KNOW, TROY DAVIS WAS EXECUTED LAST NIGHT (SEPT. 21), SO OBVIOUSLY IT IS TOO LATE TO TAKE ACTION TO HELP HIM. HOWEVER, AS TROY WISHED, WE MUST CONTINUE THE FIGHT AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE SITE OF THE CAMPAIGN TO END THE DEATH PENALTY. IT IS UP TO US TO END THIS BLIGHT ON OUR SOCIETY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CARING. AND NEVER FORGET TROY DAVIS.

This is an urgent appeal for you to send an email to help save an innocent man.

Just hours ago, an execution warrant was signed for Georgia death row prisoner Troy Anthony Davis. This planned murder of an innocent man is scheduled to take place sometime between the dates of September 21st and September 28th.

Please EMAIL the Georgia Board of Paroles and Pardons and ask for clemency for Troy Davis. (Clemency_Information@pap.state.ga.us)

Click here to read about Troy's case on the Amnesty International website.

Please, CLICK HERE to email the Georgia Board of Paroles and Pardons and ask for clemency for Troy Davis.

And please, spread the word!

Thank you,
Adrian

CLICK HERE to read my post TROY DAVIS MURDERED BY THE STATE OF GEORGIA

ACTION ALERT! -- PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO SAVE TROY DAVIS' LIFE

There is international support for Troy Davis

Troy Davis could be dead soon.

I've blogged about Troy before. He's on death row in Georgia for a murder he almost certainly didn't commit -- this is way beyond "reasonable doubt." And time is fast running out for Troy.

Sept. 20 Update: The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied Troy Davis clemency and he is now due to be executed tomorrow evening. There is still hope! Please call or email the board and ask them to reverse their decision: 404-656-5651 and webmaster@pap.state.ga.us

Here, as background information of the current state of Troy's situation, is the text of a mass email I received from Ben Jealous, the President and CEO of the NAACP.

Innocent until proven guilty.

These four words helped establish our criminal justice system. But in a nation that prides itself on our belief in liberty and justice for all, why is Troy Davis -- with an overwhelming body of evidence pointing to his innocence -- facing execution?

Twenty years ago, Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a white police officer. Since then, seven of the nine witnesses recanted their statements, new witnesses have come forward identifying another man as the murderer, and the alleged murder weapon has still not been found.

Despite these new developments, the state of Georgia is putting Davis on track to be executed -- perhaps as early as next month.

You can help save Troy Davis' life today by standing up, adding your voice to our "name wall" and asking the Georgia Parole Board to commute his sentence:

http://action.naacp.org/Save-Troy-Davis

When the Supreme Court heard the evidence, they understood that there were many more questions to be answered. But instead of granting Troy Davis a trial where his peers could decide his fate, he was forced to face a single federal judge where the burden was on Troy to prove his innocence -- the exact opposite presumption of a jury trial.

In hopes of exonerating Troy after 10 years of imprisonment, his lawyer submitted each piece of evidence at the hearing. And each piece of evidence was rejected by the judge. Despite noting that the case against Troy was not "ironclad," he nevertheless refused to grant a new trial.

A jury trial would have made this issue moot. Reasonable doubt would have freed Troy Davis.

Now it's up to you to put a stop to Troy Davis' execution. You are his last hope, and time is running out. Tell the Georgia Parole Board not to execute a man with such an overwhelming body of evidence pointing to his innocence:

http://action.naacp.org/Save-Troy-Davis

As an American, I have faith in our justice system. But as President of the NAACP, I have seen how our justice system can fail. Sometimes even when it comes to life and death. It is up to us to right this wrong.

This is his last chance. Stand by Troy and stand up for liberty and justice for all.

Thanks,

Ben

Benjamin Todd Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

You can also sign this very important petition to the District Attorney in Troy's case. And please pass it on.

Onward,
Adrian

Troy Davis

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might like to take a look at THE DEATH PENALTY -- PART 2: I AM TROY DAVIS.

THE DEATH PENALTY -- PART 2: I AM TROY DAVIS

The state of Georgia is hell bent on murdering Troy Davis.

In the execution world, Davis' case is the current cause celebre. But really, his is simply one more example of an unjust system and a sick penalty.

BACKGROUND: Davis, who has been on death row since 1991 (that alone has to do something to you!), was convicted of the 1989 slaying of police officer Mark MacPhail. A horrendous crime, as is any murder. Unfortunately, there are many reasons to believe that the wrong man has been convicted and the system doesn't give a damn. Unreliable witnesses (most of whom have now recanted), a lack of physical evidence, claims of police coercion in gaining testimonies (gee, there's a shock), the usual poor public defense system, and ongoing appeals -- a two-decade saga of, literally, tragic proportions. There is a huge international campaign on Davis' behalf and its motto is "I Am Troy Davis." Think about that.

If you want to learn more about Troy Davis, check out these websites (you can even find links to send an email to the responsible/irresponsible authorities on Davis' behalf):

http://www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/troy-davis-finality-over-fairness/page.do?id=1011343

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/09/10/fed-judge-william-moore-and-georgia-want-innocent-man-killed/

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/

A closing thought: If you want your day in court, and you really want to have a chance, it'll cost you. Law is a business, first and foremost.

Believe what you will but what is happening to Troy Davis -- and many others -- could actually happen to you or me. And your odds go up if you're a young, black male. Injustice, false incarceration, execution/state-sponsored murder. It's just a twist of fate away for any of us.

I am Troy Davis.

Take care,
Adrian Zupp

IF YOU FOUND THIS POST INTERESTING you might like to read "THE DEATH PENALTY -- PT. 1: SOME BACKGROUND" and "THE DEATH PENALTY -- PT. 3: WHAT NOW?"