CALL FOR HELP! SUPPORT BARRIERE LAKE ALGONQUINS AGAINST QUEBEC POLICE ATTACKS, ARRESTS, BEATINGS, HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES

Indigenist Intelligence Review

Article by Mohawk Nation News
Photos: Barriere Lake community

Oct. 12, 2008. On Monday, October 6, 2008, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake had enough and blocked Highway 117 in Northern Quebec. They want Canada and Quebec to live up to the "trilateral agreement" signed in 1991 between the 3 parties. The Algonquins have a right to sustainably develop and co-manage their traditional territories and to have a share in resource revenues. Canada and Quebec obviously believe in stealing but not sharing. Isn't that the "slippery slope" that multinational corporations are sliding into right now? They refuse to comply with the agreement which would save the environment.

Rotten to the core, Canada and Quebec responded to the blocked road by sending in almost 100 Quebec police, some fully-equipped riot police, to attack the Algonquins to get out of negotiations. Tear gas was shot into a group of youth and elders. One canister hit a handicapped person in the chest. Nine people, including; an elderly women, a pregnant woman, and two minors, were arrested. Severe "pain compliance" techniques were used on peaceful men, women and children who had secured themselves to concrete-filled barrels. The cops twisted their arms, dislocated their jaws, left them with bruised faces and sore necks and throats from the tear gas.

The Algonquins of Barriere Lake intend to demonstrate until Canada's Conservative government and Quebec honor signed agreements and Barriere Lake's leadership customs.

Allies and supporters are needed as witnesses. From Montreal: Take #15 North to St. Jerome where it turns into #117; drive north past Mt. Laurier and 1 hour after Grand Remous to LaVerendrye Park; turn right on "#362 km" sign; drive 8 kms to the community of "Rapid Lake". Needed are camping equipment, food, phone cards, cameras; volunteers, equipment and everything necessary for makeshift schools. See contacts at end.

To view the video of the brutal police attack, go to www.barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com.

In 1996, Indian Affairs tried to hijack the agreement by sneakily replacing the legitimate chief and council with their outside nominees [sort of creating "New'gonquin appointees] to stop the agreement.

Algonquins, who are not part of the colony of Canada, do not come under the Indian Act. Elders nominate eligible leaders who are then approved, by consensus if possible, in assemblies. Participation is open only to those who live in the community, speak the language, and have knowledge of and connection to the land. Since they rejected the colonial "implants", the majority have been deprived of employment, education and social assistance. Electricity is being run by local generators. The parents of more than half of the children refuse to send them to Indian Affairs funded schools. The reason is because the curriculum, no Indigenous language instruction and no say in the running of the school. Volunteer community members are educating the children. They need school and food supplies. There are no phone lines. They subsist on bush food and donations. This sounds like Kanehsatake. We wouldn't be surprised if the same players are involved in Barriere Lake. See the list of slimy bureaucrats at end of this article.

Smile Precious Erica

Now that the trials are over, I believe ERICA GREEN can look down on us with a big smile -- Remembering Erica with Love - KWH

Racist, Sexist Buffoonery from Arkansas City, Kansas Mayor- SHAME ON YOU!

MAYBE HE AND CHARLES KNIPP CAN GET TOGETHER

THE DEGRADATION OF BLACK WOMEN MUST STOP!!!

Hat tip to BumpShack.com

Arkansas City, Kansas mayor Mel Kuhn found himself amid a heap of controversy after dressing in drag and blackface at a fundraiser for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Mel performed as the character “Smellishis Poon” and actually won the contest. His backup dancers were the “Red Hot Puntangs.”

Mel Kuhn, the Mayor of Arkansas City Kansas, won a beauty pageant fundraiser last weekend. Kuhn participated in the Men in Tights, drag queen contest that has become an annual fund raiser for CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates. The agency supports foster children in the court system.

Kuhn named his character “Smellishis Poon,” and the name appeared on programs and was announced during the event. He also had back up dancers for the talent portion, and called them his “Red Hot Puntangs.”

After the local NAACP talked with Kuhn he seemed to realize the severity of his actions and issued an apology after initially declining not to.
“It has been brought to my attention how offensive this was and I absolutely agree that it was shortsighted of me not to see that in the first place. I am sincerely sorry and I sincerely apologize for the offensive nature of my actions. This was not CASA, this was of my own volition, and I take full responsibility for my actions. The buck absolutely stops here”. - Mayor Mell H. Kuhn

Mayor Kuhn used extremely bad judgment even if it was for charity. He initially said he was in tan face not black face. Either way he should have been smart enough to know how it would be perceived. Even if he didn’t mean anything racial he should have been more mature than to use the names “Smellishis Poon” and “Red Hot Puntangs” which are dirty and vulgar. They remind me of names frat boys would have used during a skit in college.

Kuhn seems sincerely apologetic and has agreed to more meetings with the Wichita NAACP to ease feelings and talk about working on race relations in the are. Sometimes people are naive and not racist and other times people are just racist. Maybe Kuhn can use this as a good thing and work with the NAACP to truly help race relations there in Arkansas City.

Ward Connerly and Ignorance

Right-wing's darling Ward Connerly has made a name for himself in opposing racial preferences in California back in 1997. He allied himself with the most right-wing, racist, most backward groups in America. The biggest irony is that many of those same right-wing groups snub him. So he became a better self-hating bigot by selling out people of color, being anti-immigrant, and blaming people of color for their problems, not institutional racism.

The thing is that his one-time ally against racial preferences, Mr. Wood, was against Connerly's proposal to abolish racial categories in California. Mr. Wood, a longtime opponent of affirmative action, disagree. He thinks racial profiling college applicants is a good thing.

A lot of his white conservative base oppose intermarriage between Blacks and nonblacks. Ward Connerly doesn't get it. When he told his white audience that he's Irish, French, and American Indian, they laughed at him. So much for pleasing the right wing, eh.

Ward Connerly to me is worse than Clarence Thomas. With Clarence Thomas, what you see is what you get. As for Connerly, he's too secretive and sly. And his white right-wingers and Republicans neither respect nor liked him period.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristina-wilfore/ward-connerly-cashes-in-p_b_126806.html

Follow the Money

Follow the Money behind Ward Connerly's divisive campaign to outlaw equal opportunity programs.

Voter Fraud

Ward Connerly campaign to outlaw eqaul opportunity programs has left a trail of voter fraud and deception.

Ward Connerly Exposed!

I found this article at an Open Left website. It basically exposed Ward Connerly's dubious financial dealings and his efforts at derailing affirmative action in various states around the nation.

Here's a link exposing his dubious financial practices:

http://www.bigmoneyconnerly.org/

The Great Black Vote

Paul Newman, R.I.P.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/2008/09/27/2008-09-27_matinee_idol_handsome_paul_newman_prefer.html

Rest in peace, Paul Newman. You are surely missed!

Palin's Email Habits Echo Worst Practices of Bush Administration Says Expert

ABC News: Experts Don't Yahoo! Over Palin's E-Mail Practices

Gov. Sarah Palin's e-mail habit of using a private account to
communicate with aides echos the worst practices of the Bush
administration, says one expert.

It's not a great idea to run a government using Yahoo! e-mail accounts.

That's the word from experts, anyway, reacting to news that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's Yahoo! e-mail had been hacked earlier this week. McCain's vice-presidential pick apparently used the accounts to communicate with key aides about government business.

The practice is dangerous, said experts, and can run counter to laws
ensuring government is open and accountable -- a tough point for Palin,
who has made "open government" a catchphrase of her political identity.

By using non-governmental email systems, "Your information is out
there available, beyond the official mechanisms there to protect it,"
said Amit Yoran, the nation's first cybersecurity chief. Yoran is now
CEO of Netwitness Corp., a computer security firm for government and
private entities.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From LegitGov.org

Sarah
Palin Yahoo account 2008 (Wikileaks) 16 Sep 2008 Circa
midnight Tuesday the 16th of September (EST) activists loosely affiliated
with the group 'anonymous' gained access to U.S. Republican Party Vice-presidential
candidate Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account gov.palin@yahoo.com
and passed information to Wikileaks. Governor Palin has come under
criticism for using private email accounts to conduct government business
and in the process avoid transparency laws. The zip archive made available
by Wikileaks contains screen shots of Palin's inbox, two example emails,
address book and a couple of family photos.

AP
refuses Secret Service request in Palin email leak 17 Sep 2008
Hackers broke into the Yahoo! e-mail account that Republican vice presidential
candidate Sarah Palin used for official business as Alaska's governor,
revealing as evidence a few inconsequential personal messages she has
received since John McCain selected her as his running mate. "This is
a shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law.
The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we
hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them," the
McCain campaign said in a statement. The Secret Service contacted The
Associated Press on Wednesday and asked for copies of the leaked e-mails,
which circulated widely on the Internet. The AP did not comply.

Homeland Security Sets up Suspicionless Checkpoints Along Roads in Washington State

seattle.indymedia.org

Homeland security has setup up 3 internal checkpoints on the Olympic Peninsula. These checkpoints are in addition to checkpoints at Washington Ferry docks and highway border crossings. According to the U.S. Border Patrol, it has a jurisdiction of about 100 miles from the border. This puts most of Washington state in an area where border checkpoints are authorized, including Seattle.

In August and again in the beginning of September, the Department of Homeland Security has set up suspicion-less checkpoints on the Washington peninsula. The checkpoints are in the town of Forks, at the west side of the Hood Canal bridge going east bound, and at the third near Discovery Bay on US 101. Forks is a timber town of 3,200 people that is 56 miles from the nearest ferry terminal connecting Washington to Canada. At the road checkpoints there and elsewhere, the border patrol ask drivers different types of questions to gauge their status in the U.S., including questions about citizenship. Please review this video to understand how to deal with this illegal check points: 

You don't have to answer Border Patrol's questions. Ask if you are being detained.

At the end of August, about 60 people demonstrated against the
Forks Border Patrol checkpoint. Edgar Ayala, a Forks High School
athlete who graduated with honors in June, was arrested on August 20th
at the Border Patrol checkpoint and deported to Mexico. Tanya Ward, one
of the organizers of the protest, is a member of the Hoh tribe and told
a reporter from the Penninsula Daily News that she felt that
immigrants are treated with the same unfairness shown to Native
Americans. She said, "I don't think it's right for them to be taken out
of their homes when their children are here and they're not doing
anything wrong."

If you are interested in protesting these illegal road blocks please contact me: ceakins at gmail dot com

I live in the Peninsula, in Kitsap county.

Hurricane Ike Houston Part 2

This is the aftermath of hurricane ike in houston driving around. Check out all the trees that were just snapped in half

Hurricane Ike Houston Texas the Aftermath

A Tour Of Poor Dayton - A State of Emergency

This video will describe the aftermath from the Hurricane Ike. The storm's remains came through the Dayton metro area leaving thousands of residents out of power, gas prices soar to $3.999 or $4.099. One gas station was selling gas at $4.299. I will elaborate on the costly clean-up for not only this area but the state of Ohio.

The reasons why I called this A Tour Of Poor Dayton is pretty simple. Our economy is hit hard by the recent manufacturing crisis. Our city is facing turmoil. Population decreasing, crime on the rise, and homes being foreclosed at rapid rates in not only Dayton, Ohio but the Midwest in general! I make these videos to inform and inspire others to show concern for our communities. I also help reignite those who previously lived and reside in the Dayton area with memories of their once beloved hometown.

So once again, I will put to rest all the criticism by stating that I am in no way disrespecting Dayton, Ohio. I am putting a retrospective of living in the Rust Belt. If you have any questions or want to correct me on the record. Please do not hesitate to message me and/or make video responses. I am not perfect and I am not trying to be a know-it-all. All I am doing is taking a camera and making a difference. You cant stop me from doing that, right? Thanks to everyone who views these videos.

See previous videos here on my YouTube Page or the original page at http://youtube.com/LILVOKA.

Conference on Prosecuting High Level American War Criminals

NO LIES RADIO

Live from Andover, Massachusetts

This was a Live Broadcast -- 2 Day Conference -- All Day Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 13-14th, 2008

Find partial archive here. See WarCrimes Video Clips Section.

A two-day conference on obtaining prosecutions of high level American war criminals will open September 13th, in Andover, Mass. The conference will explore the legal grounds for, and plan for, obtaining prosecutions of President Bush and top officials of his Administration for war crimes. In the tradition of America's Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremburg War Crimes Trials after World War II, Justice Robert Jackson, the Conference's purpose is to hold high U.S. officials accountable in courts of law and, if guilt is found, to obtain appropriate punishments. Otherwise, said the Conference's convener, Lawrence Velvel, the future will be threatened by additional examples of Executive lawlessness by leaders who need fear no personal consequences for their actions, leading to the possibility of more Viet Nams, more Iraqs, and more repression. Velvel emphasized: This is intended to be a planning conference, one at which plans will be laid, and necessary organizational structures will be set up, to seek prosecutions to determine guilt and, if guilt is found, appropriate punishments. Attendees will hear from prominent authorities on international law, criminal prosecutions, and constitutional rights who are determined to give meaning to Justice Jackson's words: The common sense of mankind demands that law shall not stop with the punishment of petty crimes by little people. It must also reach men who possess themselves of great power and make deliberate and concerted use of it to set in motion evils which leave no home in the world untouched.
The conference video and audio feed is a production of War-Crimes.info. Any questions or concerns should be directed to same. For more information click here.

Topics to be discussed, Velvel said, include:

* What international and domestic crimes were committed, which facts show crimes under which laws, and what punishments are possible.
* Which high level Executive officials and Federal judges and legislators as well, if any are chargeable with crimes.
* Which international tribunals, foreign tribunals and domestic tribunals (if any) can be used and how to begin cases and/or obtain prosecutions before them.
* The possibility of establishing a Chief Prosecutor's Office such as the one at Nuremburg.
* An examination of cases already brought and their outcomes.
* Creating an umbrella Coordinating Committee with representatives from the increasing number of organizations involved in war crimes cases.
* Creating a Center to keep track of and organize compilations of relevant briefs, articles, books, opinions, and facts, etc., on war crimes and prosecutions of war criminals.

Scheduled to address the Conference include:

* Famed former Los Angeles prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, author of the best-selling "The Prosecution of George W. Bush For Murder"(Vanguard).
* Phillippe Sands, Professor of Law and Director of the Centre of International Courts and Tribunals at University College, London . He is the author of "Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values" (Penguin/Palgrave Macmillan), among other works.
* Jordan Paust, Professor of Law at the University of Houston and author of "Beyond The Law."
* Ann Wright, a former U.S. Army colonel and U.S. Foreign Service official who holds a State Department Award for Heroism and who taught the Geneva Conventions and the Law of Land Warfare at the Special Warfare Center at Ft. Bragg, N.C. She is the coauthor of "Dissent: Voices of Conscience."
* Peter Weiss, Vice President of the Center For Constitutional Rights, which was recently involved with war crimes complaints filed in Germany and France against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others.
* Benjamin Davis, Associate Professor at the University of Toledo College of Law and former American Legal Counsel for the Secretariat of the International Court of Arbitration.
* David Lindorff, journalist and co-author with Barbara Olshansky of "The Case for Impeachment: Legal Arguments for Removing President George W. Bush from Office"(St. Martin 's Press).
* Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, responsible for drafting the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, and the U.S. implementing legislation for the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention.
* Lawrence Velvel, a leader in the field of law school education reform, has written numerous internet articles on issues relevant to the conference.

war crimes, bush adminstration, world news, international law

Conservative Bigot Eruption: Obama Parodied As Aunt Jemima

Conservative Bigot Eruption: Obama Parodied As Aunt Jemima » Oliver Willis

Can’t help themselves.

A conservative political forum on Saturday sold boxes of waffle mix depicting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as a racial stereotype on its front and wearing Arab-like headdress on its top flap.

The product, Obama Waffles, was meant as political satire, said Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, two writers from Franklin, Tenn., who created the mix and sold it for $10 a box from a booth at the Values Voter Summit sponsored by the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council.

Republican Party stalwarts Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney were among speakers at the forum, which officials said drew 2,100 activists from 44 states.

Black women face higher rates of domestic violence

Here is a very a sad stat that should shock and upset good black men as well as black women. African-American women experience intimate partner violence at rates 35-percent higher than white women and about 22 times the rate of women of other races.That is sickening and has to stop. Beating women does not make you a man, not even close... Watch Yvette Cade, herself a survivor of a horrific domestic violence attack discuss this by clicking the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

Adverts which use sex to sell or promote gender stereotypes could be banned by the EU.

Fire Witch Rising: EU Wants To Ban Sexist TV Commercials

MEPs want TV regulators in the EU to set guidelines which would see the end of anything deemed to portray women as sex objects or reinforce gender stereotypes.

This could potentially mean an end to attractive women advertising perfume, housewives in the kitchen or men doing DIY.

Such classic adverts as the Diet Coke commercial featuring the bare-chested builder, or Wonderbra's "Hello Boys" featuring model Eva Herzigova would have been banned.

Sarah Palin: Good for the Jews?

Sarah Palin: Good for the Jews? | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

By Michelle Boorstein
American Jewish organizations and Jewish bloggers are lit up over Gov. Sarah Palin's little-known record on Israel and other key Jewish issues.

Online, much of the chatter has focused on the fact that, a few weeks ago, Palin sat in her Alaska church as her minister glowingly introduced the head of Jews for Jesus, a group of mostly evangelical Christians who aim to convert Jews to Christianity. In the talk, group Executive Director David Brickner blamed Middle East violence in part on Israeli Jews who didn't accept Jesus.

A spokesman for the McCain campaign said earlier this week that Palin did not know Brickner would be speaking that day and did not share his views. "Governor Palin does not share the views he expressed, and she and her family would not have been sitting in the pews of this church for the last seven years if his remarks were even remotely typical," Michael Goldfarb wrote in an e-mail to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

But that didn't stop the National Jewish Democratic Council from slamming Palin as "a poor choice" in a statement yesterday.

"We in the Jewish community have to question McCain's judgment for choosing a right-wing religious conservative with absolutely no foreign policy experience and a brewing scandal which is being investigated by the Alaska state legislature," the group said, calling Palin "totally out of step with Jewish public opinion" on everything from abortion to climate change to creationism, which she says should be taught in school along with evolution.

Indianz.com plays along with Right-Wing media pumping of John, "Gook" McCain

Check out how the "Native" media reports on the colonial U.S. presidential election: I

Indianz.Com > News > McCain cites tribes in GOP acceptance speech
---------------------------------------------
McCain cited his record as an opponent of corruption in his speech at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. "I've fought lobbyists who stole from Indian tribes," he said. McCain served two terms as chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. In his second term, he focused on convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was sentenced on Thursday for four years in prison for defrauding his tribal clients out of millions of dollars.
--------------------------------------------

First off, John McCain had little, if anything to do with defending Aboriginals against federal exploitation. Abramoff was a republican. A republican with a long reach in the Washington D.C. old-boy network, including people POW McCain calls his "friends", my friends. Indianz.com of course has been hyping this version of McCain, the War Hero as opposed to the reality of John McCain's true record of incompetent military service, his dropping of his first wife after she lost her looks for a former model and his horrible record of cutting funds for other veterans who have earned their benefits fighting an oil war republicans and their coroporative fascist sponsors purposefully started in a mad bid to monopolise Western Asian petroleum sources. West Africa is next on this list as evidenced by U.S. Secretary of State Condi Rice's odd visit to Libya, a former high-level target of American abuse (President Ronald Reagan ordered an attack on the Libyan leader's private residence that missed him but succeeded in killing his young son) and the quiet creation of AFRICOM on the heels of former U.S. President Bill Clinton's first photo-jaunt through Africa talking of plans to create an Western-based African version of GATT for the Dark Continent.

Now, if the reader takes into account recent events in Afghanistan, Iraq, Georgia, Kosovo and the juvenile sword-rattling towards Iran, Hugo Chavez and a curious little aborted venture in Africa with Mark Thatcher & Simon Mann, it would be elemental to state that oil is at the root of this contemporary geo-political evil. It points to a series of logical fallacies justifying the end goal of implementing a total proto-European military power canopy over the entire world's supply and trafficking of petroleum. Demonising the Arab people as backward anti-Christians and purposefully mis-representing the Muslim world in particular as an "evil" force serves the propaganistic purpose of engendering an atmosphere of a perpetual war psychology, a tactical socio-political necessity for the Western oil industry.

With Aboriginal peoples around the world threatened by this, including Indigenous communities in the United States, Indianz.com sees fit to ignore this data in favour of Republican-positive "news" that flies in the face of of what is really going on.

One of the main things that disturbs me is that Indianz.com does not see a responsibility to report the damage John McCain has inflicted on Native people:

". John McCain sponsored PL104-301 in 1994 whereby John McCain dispossessed the Natives of their Right to own their own property. A liberal Supreme Court upheld challenges to this law in bad guidance claiming that Navajo don't own their property, their tribe does, so therefore they individually can not protest relocation. Since there is no mechanism in the law for participation by the whole tribe, this fait acomplis does clearly represent a corrupted Supreme Court process in the 1995/6 time frame, a Court stacked by Bill Clinton, who also signed the McCain bills into law.

John McCain sponsored S1973 in 1996 whereby John McCain (read copy) implemented the partitioned land initiative to make it feasible for the land occupied by the Native American's to be considered "public lands" after Natives were (false characterization:) "voluntarily resettled". (Bill History) .

John McCain's sponsored the "Settlement Act" in 1998 which attempts to force (under PL 104-301) the Native Navajo to SIGN illegal laws of a non-existent Hopi Nation created by the Partitioned Land Act (also enforced by McCain and his peers on the Senate Committee on IA), thereby making the lands (false characterization) "voluntarily resettled" per S1973 after the forgery of Dineh-Navajo signatures is brought before the Senate by opposing Senators.

John McCain organizes the "Rapid Resettlement" Enforcement Action which was sponsored by John McCain in 1999, citing Bill Clinton's support, asking the secretary of the Interior and the Attorney General to force the Natives to hurry up and sign the land over. "


VANISHING PRAYER - Media Player - Part 1 (Click here..>) | VANISHING PRAYER - Media Player - Part 2 (Click here..>).

If you have reviewed this documentary and still think that John McCain or his new running mate give a damn about First Nations people, I question your Indianness. I really do. Especially those of you who like McCain enjoy throwing their military service in the faces of those in Indian Country who do not tow the party-line that the BIA (Bureau for Intimidating Aboriginals) feeds them through the likes of Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Tell me the truth, while you were struggling to extend democracy overseas, did you or your people have freedom stateside? If you say yes to that, please explain the information above as evidence of America's love for the Indian. I would really like to hear what you have to say. I want to understand how an Indian could support such a person poltically knowing full well that placing them in that sort of power potentially spells doom for your own community.

See: Gregg Wager: Some things never change, including the government's
attitude toward Native American real estate...

I also expect Native people who think the U.S. is the best thing since commodity-box cheese will support the McCain-Palin ticket based on the allegation that her husband is a White Indian. According to Indianz.com, who made a point of parting with this bit:

McCain's running mate is Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), whose husband, Todd Palin, is Alaska Native.

So what, right? Not really. The "Indian", i.e, "minority connection" has recently flooded the airwaves in defense of Gov. Palin's use of political weight to get a law officer terminated from his position following his seperation from her sibling. She claims that the officer, her former brother-in-law, made an derogatory comment towards Alaskan Natives and that her insistence on his firing was based on her deep respect for First Nations peoples.

So she and her handlers say, but if she is so pro-Indian, why is she running alongside someone so anti-Indian? Why is she pro-Indian but ready to drill on Indian land without regard to the impact it will have on those communities and the environment? And so what if her husband is of partial Indigenous descent? Does that mean that Palin will check the "I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." McCain that peeks out from behind his crude jokes about rape and bombing nations that have not threatened the United States? What is her opinion on the way McCain has used White angst to whip up racial resentment towards Barack Obama? Is she preparded to expose the congenital anti-Indian, Anti-African and anti-Arab racism that drives the neo-conservative rabble?

I doubt it. And so should you. Especially since her church thinks that Jews deserve the animosity they experience. So, she is a Creationist Judeophobe. And this is who Indianz.com, National Public Radio and FOX NEWS favour over someone like Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney? Doesn't make sense that a "Indian" news agency would overlook these facts when they tout the McCain the mainstream corporate disinformation machine illusion of a capable leader who just also happens to not know what country he is talking about in his speeches to his ditto-heads. And worse, he flat-out lies about his commitment to Indian rights when he is directly responsible for committing genocide against the Dine' people.

Indian media, or White Man's Indian media? You decide.

- The Angryindian

racism, elections, indigneous, aboriginals

Education: Black Caribbean children held back by institutional racism in schools, says study

Education: Black Caribbean children held back by institutional racism in schools, says study | Education | The Guardian

Teachers have been accused of underestimating the abilities of black Caribbean students.
Black Caribbean pupils are being subjected to institutional racism in English schools which can dramatically undermine their chances of academic success, according to a new study.

Researchers have uncovered evidence that teachers are routinely under-estimating the abilities of some black pupils, suggesting that assumptions about behavioural problems are overshadowing their academic talents.

The findings, based on a survey which tracked 15,000 pupils through their education, add weight to the theory that low achievement among some black students is made worse because teachers don't expect them to succeed.

Black education groups welcomed the evidence, calling for urgent measures to be taken to stamp out any covert racism in schools. But other experts said the study was evidence that there needed to be new efforts to tackle behavioural problems among young black Caribbean pupils.

Florida man nabbed for violating city's new baggy trouser ordinance

Caught With His Pants Down - September 3, 2008

SEPTEMBER 3--Meet Kenneth Smith. The Florida man, 29, was arrested yesterday for wearing baggy pants. Smith was busted by Riviera Beach cops for violating a city ordinance governing low-slung trousers (or, legally speaking, "exposure of undergarment in public"). According to a Riviera Beach Police Department affidavit, cops were investigating a report of a man selling drugs from a parked Chevy Impala when they spotted Smith standing beside the vehicle. As Officer B. Jackson noted in the report, Smith's brown and white plaid shorts "were so low that it exposed his blue and white boxer shorts approximately two inches below his waist."

Smith, who was also charged with disorderly conduct, could be fined up to $150 on the pants charge. In a bid to criminalize a fashion style popularized by urban youth and hip-hop fans, Riviera Beach voters approved the new ordinance earlier this year. While first offenders like Smith only face a monetary hit, if a baggy pants devotee gets nabbed more than once, he/she could face up to 30 days in jail. (3 pages)

Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial Worldview

Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial Worldview

Three months before she was thrust into the national political spotlight, Gov. Sarah Palin was asked to handle a much smaller task: addressing the graduating class of commission students at her one-time church, Wasilla Assembly of God.

Her speech in June provides as much insight into her policy leanings as anything uncovered since she was asked to be John McCain's running mate.

Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Religion, however, was not strictly a thread in Palin's foreign policy. It was part of her energy proposals as well. Just prior to discussing Iraq, Alaska's governor asked the audience to pray for another matter -- a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.

Michele Obama , Super Woman

Check out this video by George Cook of www.letstalkhonestly.com

Alan Maass looks at the Religious Right zealot who the Republicans are nominating for vice president.

A new face for the Republican right | SocialistWorker.org

"A LADY who's a leader," gushed the Weekly Standard's William Kristol. "I would pull that lever," declared James Dobson of Focus on the Family. "[P]icking Sarah Palin may go down in political history as a masterful stroke of genius by John McCain," predicted the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody.

After months of grumbling about their party's nominee and even threatening to sit out the election, leaders of the Republican right were over the moon about John McCain's choice for a running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The pick was evidence of the hold that the Christian Right still has over the Republicans, in spite of McCain, who is viewed as dangerously "liberal" by conservatives, winning the presidential nomination. "The two constituencies who are most energized by Palin," wrote Jonathan Martin in the D.C.-based Politico newspaper, "just happen to be the twin grassroots pillars of the GOP: anti-abortion activists and pro-Second Amendment enthusiasts and sportsmen."

Boot Print on the Back of a Teenager

Adrienne Carey Hurley: Boot Print on the Back of a Teenager

According to an article by his mother in the Minnesota Independent, Keith Smith (17) wasn't allowed to call her while in police custody, was beaten, and was denied medical treatment for the injuries you see in this photo. Excerpt:

To our horror, despite his medical
needs, he was released from the Juvenile Detention Center, into the
darkness of night, alone, without a parent ever having been contacted,
to a city that was unfamiliar to him, by the Ramsey County Juvenile
Division. He was forced to borrow a stranger’s cell phone to call
home. After much confusion about his location, his father found him and
brought him into our hometown hospital for medical treatment. They
treated his multiple wounds, bruises and scrapes, took pictures, wound
measurements and after hearing the story, stated that they would record
the incident as a criminal assault.

Levi Johnston: Bristol Palin's Baby Daddy is a self-defined "Redneck"

Levi Johnston: Bristol Palin's Baby Daddy Revealed (PHOTOS)

People magazine is reporting that Levi Johnston, Bristol Palin's boyfriend, will be attending the GOP convention to be with the Palin family.Levi Johnston, the boyfriend of Sarah Palin's 17-year-old pregnant
daughter Bristol, is going to join the Palin family at the Republican
National Convention, according to his mother. Sherry Johnston told reporters that Levi left Alaska on Tuesday to fly to St. Paul, Minn., according to the Associated Press.

The New York Post has excerpts from Johnston's MySpace page:

On his MySpace page, Johnston boasts, "I'm a f - - -in' redneck" who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes.

"But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with
the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s- - - and just f - - -in'
chillin' I guess."

"Ya f - - - with me I'll kick [your] ass," he added.

He also claims to be "in a relationship," but states, "I don't want kids."

PALIN MEETS WITH AIPAC

Palin meets with AIPAC - First Read - msnbc.com

From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger
MINNEAPOLIS -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin today met with the board of directors of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, NBC/NJ has confirmed.

The meeting took place inside Palin's hotel, sources said.

A campaign official would not say who asked for the meeting, but said it was geared towards putting the American Jewish community at ease over her understanding of US-Middle East relations.

"That's obviously going to be an issue," the aide said. "It's not like being the senator from New York, obviously. But these aren't issues that are off her radar."

Palin, joined by Sen. Joe Lieberman, expressed her "heartfelt support for Israel" and spoke of the threats it faces from Iran and others, the campaign official said.

Why did the FBI raid Long Haul Infoshop?

Why did the FBI raid Long Haul Infoshop? | SocialistWorker.org

On August 27, the FBI, Alameda Country sheriff's department and University of California (UC) police raided the Long Haul Infoshop, a community center and anarchist meeting place in south Berkeley. With guns drawn, the officers broke doors, cut locks, searched the lending library logs and seized a dozen computers and other equipment. The FBI and police claim they were looking for evidence of threatening e-mails sent to animal researchers at UC-Berkeley.

Sid Patel spoke to Paul B., a member of the Long Haul, about the significance of the raid.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Come to a demonstration to protest the
raid on the Long Haul Infoshop on September 4, at 11 a.m., in Sproul
Plaza on the campus of UC-Berkeley.

Check out the Long Haul Infoshop Web site
for updates and more information about what you can do to help, or to
send messages of solidarity. Long Haul is requesting donations to help
with legal expenses. Send checks, payable to "Long Haul," to: Long
Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705.

Obama support climbs to 50% in poll

Obama support climbs to 50% in poll | World news | guardian.co.uk

Barack Obama has reached the 50% mark in polling of US voting intentions, giving him a clear lead in the race for the presidency.

A well-received acceptance speech at the Democratic convention in Denver last week, coupled with the fallout from John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as running mate, helped Obama gain five percentage points in yesterday's Gallup tracking poll.

The invisible pregnancies of presidential daughters.

The invisible pregnancies of presidential daughters. - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

Is Sarah Palin the first nominee on a major-party presidential ticket whose daughter got pregnant out of wedlock? Or is she just the first whose daughter didn't get an abortion?

The reason you're reading about Bristol Palin's pregnancy is that she's taking it to term. If she had aborted it, you'd never have known. Which raises the question: How many other daughters of nominees have gotten knocked up without your knowledge?

A Tour Of Poor Dayton - Let's take a ride down Salem Avenue [Months Later]

None of us is safe from police raids

None of us is safe from police raids -- baltimoresun.com

Prince George's County case offers a window into the brutal reality of paramilitary-style no-knock drug invasions

By Vera Leone

Imagine you're Cheye Calvo, the white mayor of Berwyn Heights, an affluent part of Prince George's County. Coming home one night in late July, you find on your front porch a large package that, unbeknownst to you, happens to contain a lot of marijuana. As it turns out, your spouse is the victim of a drug-smuggling scheme that targets innocent customers in the UPS system. You bring the box inside; moments later, the SWAT officers standing by break in and shoot your two beautiful Labradors. As the dogs lie there bleeding to death, you're held in the same room, handcuffed for hours. Nearly a month later, you have yet to receive an apology.

Because of who he is, the nation knows what happened to Mr. Calvo a few weeks ago. Here's what most Americans don't know: There are perhaps 40,000 such raids each year, according to a Cato Institute report, "Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America."

Now try to imagine that instead of a middle-class white man in the Maryland suburbs, you're a young Latino boy in Modesto, Calif. Shortly before dawn, in early September 2000, a SWAT team forces its way into your house. Thirty seconds later, although you comply with police orders to lie face down on the floor, you are dead from a shotgun blast to the back. The officer responsible is later cleared of wrongdoing in what is concluded an accidental shooting - though it was not the first time his weapon had "accidentally" discharged during a raid. Alberto Sepulveda had just begun the seventh grade.

Newsvine - Restraining order sought against police at RNC after independent journalists repeatedly targeted.

Lawyer and advocacy groups gathered in front of the Hennepin County Government Center this afternoon to request temporary restraining orders against police before the Republican National Convention kicks off on Monday. The request is due to a concern over increased incidences of unlawful seizure of media equipment being utilized by independent media groups and journalists. The legal order is aimed at preventing police to seize equipment such as video and still cameras, audio recording devices, and cell phones that may have these features.

VP Nominee Says Teen Daughter Is Pregnant

VP Nominee Says Teen Daughter Is Pregnant : NPR

Day to Day, September 1, 2008 · John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin says that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months' pregnant. Palin says her daughter Bristol will keep the baby and marry the baby's father.

Did a Mississippi Raid Protect Rightwing Politicians?

t r u t h o u t | Did a Mississippi Raid Protect Rightwing Politicians?

Laurel, Mississippi - On August 25, immigration agents swooped down on Howard Industries, a Mississippi electrical equipment factory, taking 481 workers to a privately-run detention center in Jena, Louisiana. A hundred and six women were also arrested at the plant, and released wearing electronic monitoring devices on their ankles if they had children, or without them if they were pregnant. Eight workers were taken to Federal court in Hattiesburg, where they were charged with aggravated identity theft.

Afterwards Barbara Gonzalez, spokesperson for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), stated the raid took place because of a tip by a "union member" two years before. Other media accounts focused on an incident in which plant workers allegedly cheered as their coworkers were led away by ICE agents. The articles claim the plant was torn by tension between immigrant and non-immigrant workers, and that unions in Mississippi are hostile to immigrants.

Blackwater Preparing to Deploy Into Areas Affected by Hurricane Gustav

Citizens for Legitimate Government

Bring it On

Email disseminated 29 August 2008 from Blackwater Worldwide



Blackwater Worldwide

Security for Hurricane Gustav

Blackwater is compiling a list of qualified security personnel for possible deployment into areas affected by Hurricane Gustav.
Applicants must meet all items listed under the respective Officer posting and be US citizens. Contract length is TBD.

Law Enforcement Officers (all criteria must apply)

1. Current sworn [may be full time, part time or reserve]
2. With arrest powers
3. Armed status (must indicate Armed and/or Semi Auto. Revolver only not accepted) expiration must be greater than 60 days out
4. Departmental credentials (not just a badge)

Armed Security Officers (all criteria must apply)

Only from the following states: OR, WA, CA, NV, NM, AZ, TX, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, IL, OK

1. Current/active/licensed/registered armed security officer
2. All training verification [unarmed and armed certificates of completion]
3. Current state issued face card indicting armed status [expiration must be greater than 60 days out]


Applicants will be required to provide an electronic copy of the above required credentials/documents, recent photo within the last six months with response to this AD prior to consideration for deployment.

Personnel who meet the above qualifications and are interested, please send resumes and files to: 25505@blackwaterusa2.hrmdirect.com.

'When crisis or disaster strikes the Blackwater Foundation reaches out to help those in need.'

"Crazy" John Mc Cain chooses Gov. Palin of Alaska as his second...What will the hardcore misogynist Radial Right think about this?

Inteligentaindigena Indigenismo Novajoservo: "Crazy" John Mc Cain chooses Gov. Palin of Alaska as his second...What will the hardcore mysoginist Radial Right think about this?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife An Angryindian Editorial -

So, John "I can say Gook if I want to" McCain has finally announced his running mate, "Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a self-defined "hockey mom" who like Democratic Party pick Barack Obama has only recently entered political service is the "surprise" GOP Vice-Presidential candidate.

I for one cannot understand why anyone would be surprised since she logically helps balance McCain out with the Christian Right. She accepts Creationism, opposes abortion rights, laughs at his off-colour jokes and evidently does not personally see a problem with McCain's anti-female screeds that offend most everybody else. In effect, she is the perfect comic foil to McCain's Colonel Klink who will, as he has for the past several months, continue to stumble, misidentify or gaffe his way through his presidency should he be elected, or appointed by the corporate class like George W. Bush.

Being female she could sucker some of the disaffected among Hillary Clinton’s firm supporters but in the end it’s a White woman representing the elite classes versus the “Black Muslim” from the anti-White church with the White mama and funny name.

I could go on, but others have done the work already:
Who’s That Lady?
Poll: Voters uncertain on Palin
Palin currently being investigated for abuse of office
McCain VP pick laughed as radio host called Alaskan Senator a 'b*tch' and a 'cancer'

Exclusive: Chief Fired by Palin Speaks Out
Palin's Wikipedia Entry Gets Overhaul

Thanks To Palin, It's All About Abortion Now

Fox Pundit: Alaska ‘Right Next Door to Russia’
“Fox & Friends” co-host and international relations genius Steve Doocy filled some time before John McCain’s official VP unveiling extravaganza on Friday by suggesting that McCain’s chosen She-publican, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is actually a formidable player on the world stage because of Alaska’s proximity to Russia.

FISA court rejects ACLU request for transparency

The Raw Story | FISA court rejects ACLU request for transparency

A court created by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act denied an ACLU motion Thursday that would have increased public scrutiny of how the Bush administration's new spying law is reviewed, according to a statement released Friday.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the motion 10 hours after President Bush signed the FISA Amendments Act (FAA) into law July 10, requesting that any further proceedings that might question the law's constitutionality be revealed to the public, according to an ACLU press release.

DNC Protests: Police slam CodePink protester to the ground

YouTube - DNC Protests: Police slam CodePink protester to the ground

Police slam CodePink protester to the ground, call her a "bitch" before arresting her.

brutality, police brutality, protest, political, news, violence, america, usa, police state, war, democracy

"Because Obama Is Black" - Denver plot revealed, but only gun and drug charges for three

"Because Obama Is Black" - August 26, 2008

AUGUST 26--The U.S. Attorney's office in Colorado filed felony weapon and drug charges today against Tharin Gartrell, Nathan Johnson, and Shawn Adolf, three idiots allegedly involved in a plot to kill Senator Barack Obama.

According to an affidavit filed in federal court in Denver, an excerpt of which you'll find below, an unnamed female told a Secret Service agent that she went to a hotel room on Saturday with the three men and another woman to "'chill and do drugs'" and that the men discussed how they "'could not believe how close he (Obama) was to becoming president,' and that no 'nigger' should ever live in the White House.

" The woman also told the agent that Adolf, 33, believed that the prospective Democratic presidential nominee had a suite on the third floor of the same Hyatt hotel in which they had rented their room. Johnson, 32, who began to cry during his questioning by the Secret Service admitted that Adolf had previously threatened to kill the Illinois senator and that the group's desire to assassinate him was not political, but "because Obama is black."

While none of the men have been charged with making threats against Obama, the trio came to the attention of the authorities after Aurora police stopped Gartrell, 28, for suspected drunk driving. A search of the vehicle turned up rifles (one with a scope), ammunition, a bulletproof vest, walkie-talkies, and drugs. Gartrell, Johnson, and Adolf are pictured above in mug shots from left to right. (6 pages)

So-called "Hispanic" Heritage Month

Los Indios: So-called "Hispanic" Heritage Month

Despite my own contentions with the term "Hispanic" because of its obvious conveyance of Spain's cultural dominance over our identity, the following article is good. It shows the denial and reluctance to accept who we are as so-called "Latin Americans" which stems from the conditioning and miseducation we received over the past 516 years of oppression. This labels of identity, fostered by someone other than our own selves, that we ultimately aligned ourselves with and pledge allegiance to, as if the people who created these terms had the majorities best cultural interest in mind.

Afro-Latino’s View on National Hispanic Heritage Month
Written by Christopher Rodriguez - Blacktino.net

"National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated throughout the nation between the dates of September 15 and October 15, to observe the historical contributions Hispanics/Latinos have made in the United States especially in the arts, literature, music, politics and education.

Since I was born in the United States, this was a great opportunity to celebrate the diversity of people, which has become a hallmark of our nation’s history.

Video Exclusive: Alex Jones confrontation with Michelle Malkin at DNC

Peoples Press Collective » Video Exclusive: Michelle Malkin Attacked at DNC; “Kill Michelle Malkin”

Michelle Malkin was attacked by protesters and conspiracy nut Alex Jones during the “Shake Your Money Maker” event while Recreate68 attempted to levitate the Denver Mint. Another protester began shouting “Kill Michelle Malkin.”

Lame MSM description of the event, another reason for new media and not relying on the MSM for accurate coverage.

Gateway Pundit was there as well and has photos and another video.

[11:15 - bumping to top]

Arrests Made in Alleged Obama Assassination Plot

Truthdig - Ear to the Ground - Arrests Made in Alleged Obama Assassination Plot

A possible plot to kill Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama during his acceptance speech Thursday at the Democratic National Convention was foiled in Denver on Monday night when at least three suspects were arrested, authorities reported.


The New York Times:

The United States attorney’s office in Denver has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon to discuss its investigation. A spokeswoman for the Denver Police Department said that an “aggressive” inquiry had been under way since the first arrest in the case. That occurred during a traffic stop in Aurora, Colo., on Sunday morning, when the police seized firearms and methamphetamine, the authorities said.

It was not clear how well along the possible plot was, or whether the people under arrest had found a way to overcome the heavy security surrounding the Democratic convention. Mr. Obama is scheduled to deliver his speech at Invesco Field, near the convention center.

The United States attorney for Colorado, Troy Eid, seemed to play down the degree of threat that Mr. Obama faced.

“Because this matter is currently under investigation, there is little we can say right now,” Mr. Eid said in a statement. “We can say this: We’re absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the candidate, the Democratic National Convention, or the people of Colorado.”

Victims: Angels Resort

This short video is intended to help us remember these victims of violence. Both the Families and the Victims are crying out "DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME". I know I won't -- KWH

“All You Fucking Niggers Tapdance.”

The Try-Works » Blog Archive » “All You Fucking Niggers Tapdance.”

Just in time to welcome thousands of protestors to Denver, Westword digs up a Denver PD training video from 1979. Including the quote that I chose for the title of this post. And many, many more.

Ancient history, you say? Well, sort of. Until you recall that, as Westword points out, many of the officers in the video are now in the upper ranks of Denver’s Finest. Meaning, the pig assholes who found this shit perfectly fucking acceptable are now in charge.

Make no mistake about it, this is Denver Police culture.

Enjoy.

Obama and McCain differ on Native Hawaiians

Indianz.Com > News > Obama and McCain differ on Native Hawaiians

Native Hawaiians will be treated very differently by the person who wins this year's presidential election.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois), who was born in Hawaii, said he will push for passage of a bill to extend the policy of self-determination to Native Hawaiians. If that doesn't happen this year, he said he will definitely sign the bill into law if he is elected president.

Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), on the other hand, does not support recognition for Native Hawaiians. He said doing so would create "race-based" government, an argument other conservative Republicans have made against the bill.

Delegates at the Democratic National Convention will vote on adding Native Hawaiian recognition to their platform. In 2000, the Republican Party included Native Hawaiians in the same section of their platform as American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Special Correspondent Thea Lim: New study: biracial asian-americans are more likely to be sad

New study: biracial asian-americans are more likely to be sad at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture

Do you remember last last week’s Freakonomics study that claimed biracial black/white kids were liable to be twice as messed up as kids who were monoracially black or white?Apart from the racist generalisations of that study, some of our readers (including myself) were peeved at the insinuation that the only kind of biraciality that exists is the black/white kind. But good news everybody: there’s now a study for Asian/white biracials too!

Biracial Asian-Americans are twice as likely as monoracial Asian-Americans to be diagnosed with a psychological disorder, U.S. researchers said.

At first glance, this study seems to be treading the same problematic lines as the Freakonomics study. Like, call us crazy (haha!), but us biracial Asian Americans don’t like being told by a researchers that we’re twice as likely to be bananas as our monoracial Asian friends and relatives.

Surveillance made easy

Surveillance made easy - tech - 23 August 2008 - New Scientist Tech

"THIS data allows investigators to identify suspects, examine their contacts, establish relationships between conspirators and place them in a specific location at a certain time."

So said the UK Home Office last week as it announced plans to give law-enforcement agencies, local councils and other public bodies access to the details of people's text messages, emails and internet activity. The move followed its announcement in May that it was considering creating a massive central database to store all this data, as a tool to help the security services tackle crime and terrorism.

Limbaugh: Obama won primaries because no one ‘had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy.’»

Think Progress » Limbaugh: Obama won primaries because no one ‘had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy.’

Yesterday on his radio show, right-wing talker Rush Limbaugh said it’s “striking how unqualified Obama is and how this whole thing came about within the Democrat Party. I think it really goes back to the fact that nobody had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy.” Limbaugh continued:

limbaughweb.jpgI think this is a classic illustration here where affirmative action has reared its ugly head against them. It’s the reverse of it. They’ve, they’ve ended up nominating and placing at the top of their ticket somebody who’s not qualified, who has not earned it. […]

It’s perfect affirmative action. And because of all this guilt and the historic nature of things, nobody had the guts to say, well, wait a minute, do we really want to do this?

Media Matters has the audio.

Texas Death Row Prisoner Faces Execution Tonight for Murder He Didn’t Commit

Democracy Now! | Texas Death Row Prisoner Faces Execution Tonight for Murder He Didn't Commit

A thirty-five-year-old man on death row in Texas faces execution tonight for a murder he didn’t commit. Jeff Wood is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 6:00 p.m., unless Governor Rick Perry grants him clemency. Wood was an accomplice in a 1996 convenience store robbery. He was sitting in a truck outside when the clerk was shot and killed. The man who pulled the trigger was executed six years ago, but Wood was given a death sentence for the same crime under the Texas law of parties. We go to the prison where Jeff Wood is awaiting death to speak with his wife, mother and father outside. We also speak with Liliana Segura of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty.

No one disputes the fact that Jeff Wood did not kill anyone. But he
was convicted and sentenced to death under Texas’s law of parties
for the 1996 murder of convenience store clerk Kriss Keeran. Wood was
sitting in a truck outside the store when the murder occurred. The man
who confessed to the murder, Daniel Reneau, was executed six years ago.

But
the Texas law of parties allows accomplices to be subject to the death
penalty if a murder occurs during a crime, even if he or she did not
commit it. So one year after Renaeu was given a death sentence for
killing Keeran, Jeff Wood, was given a death sentence for the same
crime. Essentially, for failing to anticipate that a murder would occur
during the robbery.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied
Wood clemency on Tuesday, the day he turned 35 on deathrow in
Livingston, Texas. His lawyers have filed a clemency letter with
governor Rick Perry requesting a 30-day reprieve. The letter notes that
Wood may be incompetent to be executed and requires mental health
services. An initial jury had found Wood to be mentally incompetent to
stand trial.