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23 Sep 2011 08:20

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U.S.: Ali Abdullah Saleh returns to Yemen after assassination attempt

  • This video really needs Eminem’s “Without Me” as its soundtrack. Three months after an assassination attempt that nearly took his life and left much of his body burned, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh is back in Sanaa, looking pretty good for a guy who had 40 percent of his body burned. Saleh returns to Yemen at a time of increased tension in the country —including violence that’s killed over 100 in the past week alone. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Sep 2011 19:02

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U.S.: A local government cracks down on … wait for it … Bible study

  • San Juan Capistrano, calif. claims it’s a zoning issue. A couple in California has held a number of twice-weekly Bible study meetings in their home, but the city says that went against city zoning codes. So they fined them $300. A spokeswoman for the city says that it was to stop them from “transforming a residential area into a place where people regularly assemble” — but emphasizing that the city was in fact not trying to block people from being able to hold Bible studies. Pacific Justice Institute (a “religious legal non-profit group” which sounds like the ACLU, except for issues of Christian faith) is fully prepared to take this to the Supreme Court “if necessary.” source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Sep 2011 00:24

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U.S.: Jamey Rodemeyer: 14-year-old’s suicide stirs emotions

  • I didn’t realize how many people he touched. He was the sweetest, kindest kid you’d ever know. He would give all his heart to you before he gave any to himself.
  • Tracy Rodemeyer • Discussing her 14-year-old son Jamey, who took his own life this week. He was bullied in school for many years for his perceived homosexuality; he recorded his own “It Gets Better” video and was called “outwardly upbeat and extroverted” by his peers. But clearly, this wasn’t enough. Buffalo News writer Sandra Tan asks aloud the one question that needed to be asked: “Given Jamey’s prolific writings and raw commentaries online, could someone have intervened sooner and saved him?” source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Sep 2011 22:34

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U.S.: Man involved in infamous James Byrd Jr. hate crime executed

  • Hopefully, today’s execution of Brewer can remind all of us that racial hatred and prejudice leads to terrible consequence for the victim, the victim’s family, for the perpetrator and for the perpetrator’s family.
  • Clara Taylor, the sister of James Byrd, Jr. • Speaking of the execution of Lawrence Russell Brewer, one of the men responsible for the infamous hate crime that took her brother’s life. “We’re making progress,” she said. “I know he was guilty so I have no qualms about the death penalty.” This is in contrast to Taylor’s nephew, Ross Byrd, who felt it wasn’t the right move prior to the execution. Brewer was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m. local time — or 7:21 EDT. His final words: “No. I have no final statement.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Sep 2011 21:24

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U.S.: Troy Davis execution delayed as Supreme Court mulls over case

  • yeah … The U.S. Supreme Court has stepped in to render a decision on the ultra-controversial Troy Davis death row case, which delayed his execution past 7 p.m. EDT.
  • … butAll they’ve forced right now is a delay — there is a chance that the court might let the execution go forward. His supporters are in a frenzy this evening. source
  • » A last gasp: The Supreme Court’s decision is Davis’ final option — today alone, he’s offered to take a polygraph, he’s tried to appeal to the Georgia pardons board, he’s gone to the Georgia Supreme Court … and the U.S. Supreme Court’s move was a hail-mary play which had no guarantee of working. The court likely knew it was coming, though. Davis has knocked on their door before, and they’ve answered at least once — back in 2008, they gave Davis an opportunity for a new trial, but a federal judge didn’t go for it.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Sep 2011 10:58

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U.S.: Death penalty: One of James Byrd Jr.’s killers will be executed tonight

  • With all the hubbub over Troy Davis’ probable execution, there’s another death penatly case that’s about to hit a head tonight, and this one was probably far more notorious at the time. In 1998, James Byrd, Jr. (right), was murdered in one of the worst hate crimes in modern times — dragged behind a pickup truck that was moving at full-speed. Lawrence Russell Brewer, left, is an avowed white supremacist and one of two men on death row for the attack. Brewer is scheduled to die tonight, but Byrd’s own son doesn’t want that. “You can’t fight murder with murder,” Ross Byrd said about the case. “Life in prison would have been fine. I know he can’t hurt my daddy anymore. I wish the state would take in mind that this isn’t what we want.” The execution is set for 6 p.m. local time tonight. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Sep 2011 18:28

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U.S.: The end of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” summed up in a single video

  • The first day of a new military reality: It’s easy, especially when major civil rights policy comes down to a big, dramatic vote, to check the “accomplished” box and move along. In the case of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, this would have been considerably premature, as it wasn’t until midnight this morning that the ban was finally lifted. Congratulations to all the people who’ve had the weight of a big injustice pulled off their shoulders by this. The above video was recorded hours after the ban was lifted, and is a pretty emotional scene to watch unfold; a soldier, finally able to state his sexuality without discrimination from the military, calls his father to come out to his family. Be warned, it might make you a bit misty-eyed. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

20 Sep 2011 10:49

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U.S.: Georgia denies clemency for controversial death row inmate Troy Davis

Davis, shown here in 1991, drew considerable support for his case, in which witnesses recanted testimony that led to his conviction in the murder of a police officer. But Georgia’s pardons board remained unconvinced. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Sep 2011 00:33

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U.S.: Good news: Gas prices are down, but not from a year ago

  • $3.60 the average price of gasoline in the U.S.
  • -35¢ the decrease in price from May’s peak
  • +87¢ the increase in price from a year ago source
  • » What caused the increase? To put it simply, many analysts point to the civil war in Libya for inflating the price of gas, as it took 1 million barrels of oil out of the supply chain each day, raising the price of oil by $20 per gallon at its high point. The recent successes the rebels have had since NATO started its air strikes exactly six months ago tonight have helped to bring the prices down to more manageable levels. Seasonal factors are also at play, and with Labor Day behind us, gas prices should continue to decline through Christmas.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2011 20:50

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U.S.: Appeals court: Give this Jose Padilla guy a harsher sentence, already!

The al-Qaeda supporter, center, received a 17-year sentence in 2008 from a Miami judge. Now a Georgia appeals court says that’s too lenient, and ordered Padilla to get re-sentenced more harshly. That doesn’t happen often. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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