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.

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.

10/10/10 -- A GLOBAL DAY OF DOING

Today, Sunday 10, October (10/10/10) is "A Global Day of Doing" and being billed as "the biggest-ever day of positive action on climate change."

A day when we can all do things, small or big, to positively impact our environment. (Well, we should do that every day, right?)

Get the full lowdown HERE.

Please take a look and do your bit!

Just a reminder that today is also World Day Against the Death Penalty.

You can learn more about it and things you can do by checking out Amnesty International's 10/10/10 page.

I wrote on the Death Penalty a few times recently. Here are the links:

THE DEATH PENALTY -- PT. 1: SOME BACKGROUND

THE DEATH PENALTY -- PT. 2: I AM TROY DAVIS

THE DEATH PENALTY -- PT. 3: WHAT NOW?

I urge you a to take a few minutes to express your humanity today by going to the Amnesty International page or searching the Net for similar pages with online petitions and suggested actions.

Soooo, you can take a little time out of your Sunday to do some good and still have plenty of daylight left for having fun.

And you'll feel better about yourself.

Take care... of yourself and others,
Adrian Zupp

TOMORROW IS COLUMBUS DAY. You might want to rethink that whole thing: SHOULDN'T WE CELEBRATE CHARLES MANSON TOO?

IS THIS REALLY OUR COUNTRY? -- VIRGINIA EXECUTES TERESA LEWIS

No sooner do I finish blogging about the death penalty than this Washington Post bulletin arrives in my email:

"Virginia has executed Teresa Lewis, 41, by lethal injection, making her the first woman put to death in the state in nearly a century. Lewis was convicted for her role in arranging for the murder of her husband and stepson in a scheme to collect insurance money. The case drew international attention because Lewis had a low I.Q. and the two triggermen got life sentences, not the death penalty."

Read the full Post story here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/23/AR2010092306827.html

This is Teresa Lewis' website with plenty of information on her case:
http://www.saveteresalewis.org/

We should all hang our heads. But better to raise our voices. I will be adding a link here soon for Governor Bob McDonnell's contact page so you can tell him what you think. Right now access to the page is jammed.

Evidently there are many voices crying out.

[LATE NOTE: HERE IS THE LINK... http://www.governor.virginia.gov/aboutthegovernor/contactgovernor.cfm]

Take care,
Adrian Zupp

THE DEATH PENALTY -- PART 3: WHAT NOW?

I used to support the death penalty.

And I despise violent crime as much as anyone. It's easy to hate someone who perpetrates an act that deprives another of their life or their humanity.

But the fact is, we diminish our own humanity, as a race, by condoning the death penalty. It appeals to our sense of vengeance rather than our sense of decency.

One does not have to side with the criminal or forgive the crime to say no to executions. One only has to look within and see that our desire to take an eye for an eye stems from our own worst impulses.

Furthermore:

-- The law, such as it is in any given case, often gets it wrong. How can we live with that?
-- And did you know that it generally costs more to put someone to death, after all the appeals and so forth, than it does to incarcerate them for life?
-- And is life without parole really letting the murderer off lightly? If you know anything about prisons, you know the answer to that is "no."
-- And execution, in any form, is neither clinical nor humane. Even death by lethal injection is horrendously cruel: The sedated inmate may look calm on the outside but his/her internal organs are erupting as the poisons flow into his/her system. If execution is not cruel and unusual punishment, what is?
-- If death penalties are supposed to send a message about murder, shouldn't they be applied to the White House?
-- The United Nations, that body that the U.S. alternately dominates and disregards, has condemned the death penalty. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/un-calls-halt-executions-20071218

The U.S. is behind the rest of the so-called democratic world on this issue when it should be leading the way. Why are we so barbaric?

We must ALWAYS think of the victims and their families. But we should also bear in mind that those closest to tragedy are in the worst position to adjudicate on the crime. It is emotion, as much as anything, that continues to fuel the death engine.

So what can you do?

Here is a link about 10-10-2010, "World Day Against the Death Penalty":
http://www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/world-day-against-the-death-penalty-october-10-2010/page.do?id=1721023 It includes a link to 10 things you can do. Some are very simple. But every voice counts.

Another good site for information: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/

If we are to have a more humane world, then we must become more humane. There is no greater test of that than mercy for those who are most easy to despise.

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. 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?"

THE DEATH PENALTY -- PART 1: SOME BACKGROUND

America loves killing people.

Invading other countries, hyping up unhealthy junk food, building cars that go three times as fast as you'd ever be able to legally drive them, evolving into an often depressive culture, inflicting prohibitive health care costs, cigarettes, stress, obesity, carcinogens in the air, unsafe food... the list goes on.

Then there's the death penalty.

America is the only Western democracy to still have the death penalty. Though, of the 18 countries around the world that still put people to death, in 2009 it "only" came in fifth of the Big 5 with 52 executions, behind China (thousands), Iran (388), Iraq (120) and Saudi Arabia (69).

But it calls into question this "world leader" thing. The barbarians are not at the gates, as we are so often told. They are inside our borders and they wear expensive suits.

I personally knew at least a couple of murderers, from before they committed their crimes. So I don't come from such a sheltered environment that I am completely removed from the realities of this subject. This was in Australia. We got rid of the death penalty in 1973 with our last execution taking place in 1967. That was the hanging of a man named Ronald Ryan in Melbourne. Doubts still exist about his guilt.

But I want to focus on the United States because of its place in the world and the information available. (It is very difficult to get this kind of information about China, but they've basically run amok.)

Colonized and "modern" America has had the death penalty throughout its history, except for a brief period in the 1970s. It was famously/infamously resumed with the firing squad death of notorious murderer Gary Gilmore in 1977 (featured in Norman Mailer's book "The Executioner's Song" and the attendant movie). Gilmore murdered two men in extremely cold-blooded circumstances.

Gary Gilmore refused to contest his sentence -- actually insisted he be put to death -- making the occasion even more lurid. I remember reading about all this in Australia. Front page news.

Here is one of several good starting points if you want to read a little more background info on the death penalty in the U.S.:


http://www.opposingviews.com/i/amnesty-international-releases-2010-report-on-death-penalty-statistics

Much more to say in the next couple of blog entries. Unfortunately.

Take care.... and care,
Adrian Zupp

IF YOU FOUND THIS POST INTERESTING you might also like to read "THE DEATH PENALTY -- PT. 2: I AM TROY DAVIS" and "THE DEATH PENALTY -- PT. 3: WHAT NOW?"

FOOTNOTE
From the outset I knew that many of my entries in "House On Fire" were rather lengthy -- by certain (not all) blogging standards. The reason for this is that this isn't a personal blog about things I do each day or other such casual or entertaining topics. The serious issues discussed here warrant a certain degree of backgrounding, analysis, discussion and supporting evidence. They are like mini papers on very serious subjects and I feel duty bound to not short-change readers on the facts they need to make decisions about the subject matter, or the exposition necessary to make my own position very clear. That said, I am aware that reading is more onerous for some folks in our nanosecond cyber culture (no insult intended!) or what I'm writing about is not peppy enough to carry them through 1000 words. Therefore, I am going to try and be a little more concise in my blogging. Often this will manifest itself in the breaking down of subjects into several entries or parts. I hope this helps. Thanks.