Execution stay for Hank Skinner, but DNA testing not a sure thing

Texas death row prisoner Hank Skinner had been scheduled for a November 9 execution, despite the existence of untested DNA evidence that he contends could prove his innocence.

Fortunately, today the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay of execution. But there's a catch: As noted on the blog The Agitator, "it doesn’t look like this is an order for DNA testing so much as a stay to determine whether [a new Texas law] allows Skinner to get DNA testing."

This technicality makes me uncomfortable, because there should be no excuse for executing Skinner as long as there is evidence that has not been considered. Texas should want to be absolutely sure it is not killing an innocent person. And so Texas should want to test the evidence for that reason alone.

Unfortunately, the Texas authorities have been fighting it every step of the way. What are they afraid of?

Fingers crossed in hopes that true justice will ultimately prevail.

Stay tuned for updates.

Establishment of religion?

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution clearly states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Our nation's Founding Fathers drafted that Amendment for good reason: They knew from experience (via the Church of England's influence over the British government) that mixing religion with politics can impede individual freedom and democracy.

But that didn't stop the U.S. House of Representatives from taking a vote on Tuesday to reaffirm the phrase "In God We Trust" as the national motto. It passed by a vote of 396-9!

As Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, noted in a recent Washington Post blog post, "'In God We Trust' became the national motto is 1956 at the height of the Cold War. It was slap against those Godless commies. The fact that it was as bland and generic an endorsement of faith as one could get was actually seen as a plus."

It was unnecessary alarmist divisiveness then, and it's unnecessary alarmist divisiveness now.

As Rev. Lynn also noted in his blog post, "The fact is, we had perfectly good unofficial motto for a long time. 'E Plubus Unum' ('Out of Many, One') appears on the Great Seal of the United States, which was codified in 1782. That phrase really encapsulates what the United States is about. It celebrates that we are a diverse nation, a people drawn from many backgrounds who are united as Americans."

But apparently Congress is still afraid of the Godless commies.

Or a president with a foreign-sounding name, whom too many Americans mistakenly believe to be a secret Muslim.

But 396-9?

The Founding Fathers are surely spinning in their graves.

Kim Kardashian and the real marriage threat

Those on the right speak out against same-sex marriage, saying that it would destroy the sanctity of the institution.

But would it?

I know several same-sex couples who have maintained loyal, faithful relationships that have lasted much longer than my own heterosexual marriage did.

And then we have reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who has filed for divorce after only 10 weeks of hetero marriage. And I don't think the gays had a hand in the fate of Kardashian's short union.

So think about it: Who - or what - is the real threat to the sanctity of marriage in this country?

Poll: Hillary Clinton would have a better chance than Obama of winning in 2012

According to TIME, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would have a better chance than Obama of beating the leading Republican presidential hopefuls in 2012:

A national poll conducted for TIME on Oct. 9 and 10 found that if Clinton were the Democratic nominee for President in 2012, she would best Mitt Romney 55% to 38%, Rick Perry 58% to 32% and Herman Cain 56% to 34% among likely voters in a general election. The same poll found that President Obama would edge Romney by just 46% to 43%, Perry by 50% to 38% and Cain by 49% to 37% among likely voters.

This speaks well of the new image that Clinton has created for herself after her years as First Lady, when she was seen as a polarizing figure.

Not so much for Obama.

But, of course, I've heard Clinton say multiple times in interviews that she is not interested in running for any political office once this term is up.

And I certainly cannot see her challenging Obama for the 2012 Dem ticket. (She's too classy for that.)

But is there a lesson that Obama can learn from this?

SCOTUS to review health care cases in November

Per Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSblog:

"The Supreme Court will take its first look at the challenges to the new federal health care law at its Conference on Thursday, November 10. Five of the six pending petitions (the sixth is not ready yet) were distributed to the Justices' chambers on Wednesday, for consideration at that private session. Although a grant of review is not assured, that is highly likely, since all sides agree that the Court should take on the controversy, and the constitutionality of a key provision of the new law has been decided differently by federal appeals courts."

Given the current makeup of the Court, anything could happen.

Meanwhile, for more information:

>> An overview of the various petitions that have been filed, and the specific issues involved, can be found on the SCOTUSblog site here.

>> The actual filings in these cases can be found on the Supreme Court's website here.

Urgent petition: Call for DNA testing for Hank Skinner

As I wrote in a recent column, Texas death row prisoner Hank Skinner faces a November 9 execution date for a triple murder, despite the existence of untested DNA evidence that Skinner says could prove his innocence.

Instead of testing the DNA to ensure they've got the right guy, Texas just wants to go ahead and kill him.

There's no way that this can be called justice.

A hearing was conducted today in federal court in an attempt to force the prosecution to hand over the evidence for testing. But we must do more than just sit idly by as we await the results of this last chance at justice. We must leave no stone unturned. This is literally a matter of life and death.

What you can do:

>> Please click here to sign an online petition from change.org. The petition calls on Gray County District Attorney Lynn Switzer to turn over the DNA for testing before it is too late.

Please hurry. The petition will close on November 1.

Thank you!

Will Rick Perry kill another innocent man?

Texas governor and Republican presidential contender Rick Perry has faced criticism from the left (and applause from the right) for his heavy-handed use of the death penalty. And Perry has said that he loses no sleep over the possibility that he may have executed an innocent man.

This is despite the fact that it appears that Perry has done just that - and could very likely do it again very soon.

In 2004, Texas death row prisoner Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for an alleged arson that claimed the lives of his three daughters in 1991. However, a later forensic review of the case led to the conclusion that "a finding of arson could not be sustained." In other words, the fire for which Willingham was executed was probably just an accident.

Instead of acknowledging that an innocent man may have been executed, and working to correct the system that allowed such a grievous error, Governor Perry appears to have taken steps to impede the investigation into the Willingham fiasco.

And now we have another Texas death row prisoner, Henry Watkins "Hank" Skinner, facing a November 9 execution date for a triple murder, despite the existence of untested DNA evidence that Skinner says could prove his innocence.

Skinner had been convicted and sentenced to death for the New Year's Eve murder in 1993 of his girlfriend Twila Busby and her two adult sons. The DNA in question went untested during the original trial because Skinner's attorney was afraid that it could incriminate his client - a decision that Skinner contends he never agreed with.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Skinner may pursue a civil rights claim to obtain the DNA testing. In the meantime, however, Texas has jumped the gun. Instead of waiting for the civil rights suit to unfold, and for the DNA to be tested to ensure they've got the right guy, the state went ahead and scheduled the November execution.

What are they afraid of - the possibility that Skinner's conviction, like Willingham's, might be proven wrong?

Governor Perry, as noted above, has bragged that he really does not care. Neither, apparently, does anyone else in charge of the busiest death chamber in the country.

Killing a prisoner, apparently, is more important to them than killing the right prisoner.

Killing a prisoner, apparently, is more important to them than true justice.

Amnesty International's remarks on Gaddafi's death

Yesterday, Libyan dictator Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi was killed by rebel forces. The Libyan people celebrated in the streets. He was, after all, a brutal tyrant.

But human rights group Amnesty International (AI) noted in a press release that "[al-Gaddafi's death] brings to a close a chapter of Libya's history marked by repression and abuse, but does not end the story."

"The legacy of repression and abuse from Colonel Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's rule will not end until there is a full accounting for the past and human rights are embedded in Libya's new institutions," said AI Senior Director Claudio Cordone. "Colonel al-Gaddafi’s death must not stop his victims in Libya from seeing justice being done. The many Libyan officials suspected of serious human rights violations committed during and before this year's uprising, including the infamous Abu Salim prison massacre in 1996, must answer for their crimes."

"The new authorities must make a complete break from the culture of abuse that Colonel al-Gaddafi’s regime perpetuated and initiate the human rights reforms that are urgently needed in the country," he added.

AI also called on Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) to "make public information about how Colonel al-Gaddafi died, making the full facts available to the Libyan people."

In addition, AI called on the NTC to "ensure that all those suspected of human rights abuses and war crimes, including Colonel al-Gaddafi's inner circle and family members, are treated humanely and, if captured, given fair trials."

Amen. Only then can Libya's new government truly progress beyond the brutality and lawlessness of the Gaddafi era.

10 days' pay for two faces full of pepper spray

NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna (aka "Tony Baloney") rose to fame (or, rather, infamy) when he was caught on video pepper spraying two peaceful female Occupy Wall Street protesters without provocation.

On October 18, the NYPD meted out its "punishment" for that particular act of police misconduct. The New York Daily News reports:

"The NYPD found that Bologna violated departmental guidelines and docked him 10 vacation days, or the equivalent amount of pay, police sources said."

By the way, the article goes on to mention that Bologna makes $154,300 a year.

So this is a high-ranking and highly paid police officer who should be setting a proper example for the force. Yet he pepper sprays two innocent people for no discernable reason, and he's given what amounts to a slap on the wrist.

I'm hoping that his victims will sue - and win. That would be true justice.

Wear purple tomorrow to fight bullying

It started last year, and is happening again this week.

Thursday, October 20, is Spirit Day, named for the purple stripe of the rainbow flag representing "spirit".

On Spirit Day, please wear purple to show your support for ending the plague of bullying aimed at LGBT persons. I certainly will. (The photo is from last year's Spirit Day.)

New SCOTUS decision in Abu-Jamal case is good, but not enough

The drama continues in the case of America's most famous living death row prisoner.

On October 11, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request from the Philadelphia District Attorney to overturn a federal appeals court decision declaring Mumia Abu-Jamal's death sentence unconstitutional. Abu-Jamal had been convicted and sentenced to death for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner.

Now, according to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), "Mr. Abu-Jamal will be automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole unless the District Attorney elects to seek another death sentence from a new jury."

This development is good, but it's not enough.

For years, rights groups have been speaking out against Abu-Jamal's death sentence. A 2000 report by Amnesty International noted that "numerous aspects of this case clearly failed to meet minimum international standards safeguarding the fairness of legal proceedings." Amnesty expressed concerns about judicial bias and hostility, police misconduct, and the apparent withholding of evidence from the jury. Amnesty called for a new trial "in a neutral venue, where the case has not polarized the public as it has in Philadelphia."

Abu-Jamal's supporters insist that he is innocent, that he was set up, and that racial bias and witness coercion had played a big part in an unfair trial. They also point out that Faulkner was killed with a .44 caliber gun, while the gun found on Abu-Jamal was a .38 caliber.

This most recent court decision, however, concerns only the penalty, not the question of guilt or innocence. At this stage, the death penalty was challenged because of flawed jury instructions in the sentencing phase of Abu-Jamal's original trial. The issue involves how jurors were to weigh various mitigating factors that may have resulted in a sentence other than the death penalty.

Professor Judith Ritter of Widener Law School, who, along with the LDF, represented Abu-Jamal in this phase of his case, weighed in on the new decision: "Like all Americans, Mr. Abu-Jamal was entitled to a proper proceeding that takes into account the many substantial reasons why death was an inappropriate sentence. Our system should never condone an execution that stems from a trial in which the jury was improperly instructed on the law."

Indeed.

Again, this latest development is good, but it's not enough.

Unless Abu-Jamal is granted a new - and fair - trial to address his guilt or innocence, I will not believe that justice has truly been served.

I shall not hold my breath.

Why I won't celebrate Columbus Day

Today, the second Monday of October, is Columbus Day in the USA -- a federal holiday recognizing Christopher Columbus' arrival to the Americas on October 12, 1492.

But I will not be celebrating.

What we learned about Columbus in school was not the whole truth. In some cases, it wasn't the truth at all.

First of all, Columbus did not originate the theory that the earth is round. Such had been known since ancient times.

Columbus also did not discover America. Leif Ericson and his Norsemen had built a settlement in what is now the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador some 500 years before Columbus wandered into the West Indies.

And, once Columbus got here, he enslaved the Native Americans and forced them to convert to Christianity, while helping himself to the new world's gold and other precious resources.

In other words, it seems that he paved the way for the better-known genocide and subjugation of Native Americans that took place on the North American mainland in later centuries.

Is this the kind of thing we should be celebrating?

Not me.

Oral arguments tomorrow in appeal of Gitmo death case

Tomorrow, oral arguments will be heard in the case of Al-Zahrani v. Rumsfeld. This is a civil case filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of the families of two Guantanamo detainees who died in June 2006 under "questionable circumstances". Plaintiffs include the United States and 24 federal officials, including former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, "for their role in the arbitrary detention, torture, and ultimate deaths of Yasser Al-Zahrani of Saudi Arabia and Salah Al-Salami of Yemen."

The case had been dismissed in February of 2010. However, CCR has since filed a motion for reconsideration in light of new evidence: Four brave soldiers who were stationed at Guantanamo at the time of the deaths have come forward "with eye-witness accounts strongly suggesting a cover-up of the cause and circumstances of the deaths and that the men may have been killed at an off-site location."

So will justice be served this time around? I am not optimistic, but I will keep my fingers crossed. Stay tuned.

>> Learn more about this case at ccrjustice.org.

Christie not running - this time

Today, despite calls from some key members of the GOP for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to run for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, he announced that he will definitely not run.

In a way, I'm relieved, because I was concerned that Christie might be harder for Obama to beat than any of the other current GOP contenders. On the other hand, I'm guessing that Christie will reconsider for 2016.

With Rick Perry apparently having jumped the shark, it now appears that Romney may be the one to beat in 2012.

Can Obama do it?

New international human rights logo

A new international human rights logo has been chosen in a competition organized by the German Foreign Ministry. More than 15,000 logos were submitted.

The winning entry was designed by Pedrag Stakic, a 33-year-old freelance graphic designer from Serbia. The logo combines two universal symbols -- a hand and a bird --- to symbolize a "free, just, and peaceful world."

This beautiful open-source logo can be downloaded from www.humanrightslogo.net and used freely for the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights.

Sarah Palin's media enablers

The media pundits on all sides are abuzz with speculation on whether or not Sarah Palin will soon announce her candidacy for the 2012 presidential race. Rumor has it that she will announce by the end of this month. That means either today or tomorrow.

Frankly, I don't care either way. Unfortunately, the media do seem to care -- a lot.

Palin is easy headline fodder, and so they are more than happy to eat right out of her hands, giving her the attention she craves with very little real work required on Palin's part.

Palin has become the Paris Hilton of politics -- famous for being famous (and photogenic), with or without a real job.

And that I why I suspect she will not run. It would require real work, unnecessary work.

Because the lazy media would rather cover her every irrelevant move than deal with the real problems facing this nation and the world -- like the bankers who go unpunished after causing the economic crisis that continues to drag on, and the Bush administration's war crimes which remain unpunished.

Ironically, these are the same media that Palin routinely criticizes.

Like Palin, I guess the media just don't want to do too much work.

Troy Davis funeral details

Troy Davis's funeral will be held on Saturday, October 1, starting at 11:00 am, at the Jonesville Baptist Church, 5201 Montgomery Street, Savana, Georgia. According to Amnesty International, "The service is open to the public, but media cameras will not be permitted."

Cards and donations can be sent to the Davis family at:
"I am Troy Davis", P.O. Box 2105, Savannah, GA 31407

Prior to Saturday's funeral, flowers and plants can be sent to:
Sidney A. Jones and Campbell Funeral Services
124 West Park Avenue, Savannah, GA 31401-6439
(912) 234-7226

Troy Davis funeral expenses

As you probably already know, Troy Davis was executed in Georgia on September 21 despite compelling evidence suggesting that he was innocent.

Now, to add insult to injury, Troy Davis's family must pay all funeral expenses.

If you would like to help, go to troyanthonydavis.org and click the "Donate" button on the left side to donate via Paypal.

President Perry's Secretary of State

If Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry wins the White House, we can kiss the First Amendment's establishment clause goodbye.

Perry wears his fundie Christianity on his sleeve, and is promising to govern the way he thinks God wants him to -- and that means backing Israel to the hilt. Screw the innocent little Palestinian children whose legitimate homes are being illegally destroyed by Israeli "settlers".

Per an interview with Mother Jones: "When ... asked if he believes America's continued support for Israel is a theological priority, Perry answered: 'As a Christian, I have a clear directive to support Israel. So from my perspective, it's pretty easy. Both as an American, and as a Christian, I am going to stand with Israel.'"

As a friend commented to me about this: "Nice to know that God is going to be the new Secretary of State if Perry wins."

And what an un-Christlike God that would be.

Troy Davis, RIP

At 11:08 pm in Georgia last night, Troy Davis was pronounced dead.

Cause of death: Lethal injection for a crime he might not have committed.

His execution had been delayed from the originally scheduled time of 7:00 pm so the U.S. Supreme Court could consider a last-minute plea for a stay.

But the high court decided instead to allow Georgia to kill a possibly innocent man.

Davis's original trial was flawed. Most of the witnesses have since recanted or contradicted their stories, with many claiming that they had been pressured or coerced by police. And there is no physical evidence linking Davis to the crime. His conviction was based solely on that questionable testimony by witnesses. In other words, there is reasonable doubt as to Davis's guilt.

But they killed him anyway.

And, if Davis's claim of innocence was true, that means the real killer walks free.

This is not justice.

Troy Davis still in limbo

Yesterday, after a hearing, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles failed to issue its life-or-death decision in the Troy Davis case.

We expect a decision today, so stay tuned.

Depending on the decision, actions are planned as follows (per the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty):

-----

If Clemency is granted or the execution is temporarily stayed:

- Atlanta: gathering of gratitude at 7pm at Central Presbyterian Church (across the street from the Capitol at (201 Washington St. SW; Atlanta, GA 30303)

- Everywhere: gatherings of gratitude and a call to commit to building the abolition movement are encouraged. Check with your state coalition to see what plans they have.

If clemency is denied:

- We will urge the Board to reconsider, asking everyone to send more emails and faxes to the Board

- Tuesday will be a "Day of Protest"

- People are asked to wear a black armband, with "not in my name!" written on it

- ATLANTA: protest rally at the state capitol 7pm (Washington Street side);

- Everywhere: protests are encouraged. Check with your state coalition.

-----

Fingers crossed for justice. There is no excuse to execute a possibly innocent man.

UPDATE (10:45 AM): The Georgia Board has rejected clemency for Troy Davis. He will die tomorrow at 7:00 pm despite all the evidence that he may be innocent.

Troy Davis's last hope

Today, the Georgia Board of Pardons & Paroles will review the case of Troy Davis, who is scheduled for execution on Wednesday despite considerable evidence that he might be innocent.

At this point, it appears that Davis has exhausted all other legal options, so his fate now rests with the Board.

Davis's original trial was flawed. Most of the witnesses have since recanted or contradicted their stories, with many claiming that they had been pressured or coerced by police. And there is no physical evidence linking Davis to the crime. His conviction was based solely on that questionable testimony by witnesses.

Nevertheless, the Board rejected previous calls for clemency.

Will they make the same reckless mistake this final time around? Or will they take seriously the hundreds of thousands of signatures on petitions in support of Troy Davis that have been pouring in from around the world, and grant clemency?

Fingers crossed for the latter.

Stay tuned.

Rick Perry embraces science (when it's convenient)

Now that the Republican presidential contenders are all busy fighting amongst themselves, Rick Perry has suddenly reversed course and decided to embrace science - just this once.

In responding to Michele Bachmann's claims that the HPV vaccine (mandated in Perry's Texas) causes mental retardation, Politico quotes Perry as follows:

"It was an ill choice of response when she had no scientific backing, to say the least," Perry said. "There were a number of venues that have responded to that and responded appropriately. To put our vaccinations of our children in question with hearsay and innuendo is not in the best interest of the healthcare of our citizens... To make statements without clear and incontrovertible evidence is not good for the general debate and my bet is if Mrs. Bachmann had the opportunity to retrieve those words that she certainly would."

But don't worry. He still doesn't believe in global warming.

1/6 of Americans now live in poverty

This is shameful: Here in the USA, often touted as the richest nation in the world, almost 1/6 of us live in poverty.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. poverty level jumped to 15.1 percent last year. This is a 17-year high, attributed at least in part to the ongoing unemployment crisis.

And it gets worse: 22 percent of our children under 18 are living in poverty.

To add insult to injury, the number of people without health insurance increased to 49.9 million -- a new high.

So we can all just starve or die of untreated illnesses.

Meanwhile, the richest of the rich continue to grow richer, enabled by their paid servants on Capitol Hill.

And, unlike the rich, we must still pay our taxes as we starve and die.

Is Obama's jobs bill doomed?

Obama's jobs bill looks like a good, if perhaps inadequate, start at creating much-needed jobs. Some money would go towards infrastructure, some towards schools, some towards police and fire department payrolls, etc. All important work to keep things running.

But don't hold your breath.

According to The Hill, Obama wants to pay for it all "by raising taxes on the wealthy and businesses."

Surely that won't pass the GOP-dominated House.

The GOP will likely push instead for more cuts to social services that benefit everyday people, so that the rich won't have to pay their fair share.

And, if recent history is any indication, any "compromise" will likely also result in reducing the cost of the plan, and therefore reducing the number of jobs created.

How much will Obama bargain away this time in the name of "compromise"?

And who will the voters blame next November?

Help save Troy Davis from 9/21 execution

An execution date of September 21 has been set for Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis. That is less than two weeks from today.

This is despite overwhelming evidence that I believe provides reasonable doubt as to Davis's guilt in the case: Davis's original trial was flawed. Most of the witnesses have since recanted or contradicted their stories, with many claiming that they had been pressured or coerced by police. And there is no physical evidence linking Davis to the crime. His conviction was based solely on that questionable testimony by witnesses.

But, this past March, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected without comment Davis's appeal to overrule a federal judge who decided that Davis's innocence claim wasn't good enough.

The SCOTUS decision cleared the way for Georgia to execute a man who may be innocent, while the real killer will remain unaccountable.

What you can do:

>> Please click here to sign Amnesty International's petition to Georgia's Board of Pardons & Paroles urging them to grant clemency. Amnesty will deliver our signatures next week.

And please ask your friends to sign it too.

This may be our last remaining chance to stop this injustice!

Obama caves in to the polluters

In case you haven't heard about this, since it came down at the start of a holiday weekend: Last Friday, President Obama gave in to the corporate polluters and rejected new standards for air quality.

In a staff blog post for the National Resources Defense Council, John Walke points out that

"[Obama's] own rationale for interference defies the Clean Air Act and a unanimous Supreme Court decision, elevating unlawful considerations above public health, science and the law."

The New Jersey Star-Ledger editorial board had this to say about it:

"Tens of thousands of people are dying prematurely each year from breathing dirty air. Many more fall ill with asthma, bronchitis or heart attacks. But major polluters don’t want to talk about the smog that’s killing them.

"They’d rather spin this into an economic threat. Dirty industries know they can exploit unemployment anxiety by howling that stronger standards under the Clean Air Act would lead to job losses."

And Obama fell for it.

He apparently doesn't care about the quality of the air that his two young daughters will have to breathe in the future.

And apparently he doesn't care about the fact that pursuing clean energy alternatives could more than make up for any job losses from reduced pollution.

All he apparently cares about is appeasing the Republicans and their corporate overlords.

This Labor Day, reflect and take action!

Today is Labor Day in the U.S. - a holiday on which we honor the American workforce.

But what is there to celebrate this year, when some 9.1 percent of us are unemployed, and millions more underemployed?

What is there to celebrate this year while American businesses continue to ship our jobs overseas where they can take advantage of slave-level wages?

What is there to celebrate this year while Republican presidents across the nation are doing everything they can to destroy the unions that have for decades given the American middle class a fair shot at the American dream?

What is there to celebrate this year while Congress insists on tightening the national belt rather than providing stimulus funds that could create jobs that could fix our crumbling infrastructure, thereby solving two problems at once?

What is there to celebrate this year when our democracy has morphed into a corporate plutocracy?

I suppose we can celebrate the fact that We The People are still allowed to vote and to speak out. So we must keep the pressure on Washington and on state houses across the country.

Here are some pro-worker actions you can take right now with just a few clicks of the mouse:

>> Tell Congress:Tax Wall Street to heal Main Street

>> Tell Congress: Just Say 'No' to the 'No JOBS' Act!

The two faces of Barack Obama

With President Obama running for a second term, I cannot help but wonder which Obama we will see as the reelection campaign heats up over the coming year.

In 2008, we saw Obama the Candidate, who promised us change we can believe in. He inspired and energized us.

Now many of us on the progressive end of the political spectrum are dealing with 2+ years of disappointments from Obama the President.

We're still holding prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

We're still wasting money on unnecessary military operations.

The unemployment rate is still much too high.

The bankers are still raking in obscene salaries and bonuses as home foreclosures continue.

The rich still enjoy their Bush-era tax cuts (which are now Obama-era tax cuts).

And our Social Security and Medicare are on the line as possible bargaining chips in the ongoing budget wars.

This is not change I can believe in.

Perhaps Obama feels trapped in a position where he has no choice but to "negotiate" with the right. But negotiation, by definition, is supposed to be at least two-sided, with some give-and-take on all sides.

So has Obama pushed back strongly enough? I haven't heard enough words in his speeches to convince me that he has. I just keep hearing him use the word "compromise" while what he actually does is capitulate.

Still, next year, we the voting public will have to choose between Obama and his still-unknown Republican challenger.

More progressive Democrats have proven unelectable in the past, so we won't see a Dennis Kucinich or a Russ Feingold reaping any kind of surprise overthrow victory at next year's Democratic National Convention. And a progressive running as a third-party candidate (remember Ralph Nader?) would only potentially steal enough votes from Obama to reward us with a President Bachmann, a President Perry, or (at best) a President Romney.

So will Obama step up to the plate and try to win back the progressive base that worked so hard to get him elected in 2008?

If so, will enough of us support him?

That last question is not a rhetorical one. Sometimes we just have to face reality and vote for the proverbial lesser of two evils. We cannot afford any more Republican Supreme Court appointments.

But we can - and we must - make noise in the meantime. For democracy. And for true change that we really can believe in.

Pastor wants atheist watch list

Internet pastor Mike Stahl thinks atheists should be listed in national registries, like sex offenders and terrorists.

He seems to think that if you don't believe in a magical deity, then you're a threat to those around you.

I would like Pastor Stahl to consider the following:

- Islamic terrorists are motivated by religion -- not by atheism.

- Christian terrorists (Hitler, McVeigh, Rudolph, etc.) are motivated by religion -- not by atheism.

- Many of the most high-profile sex offenders today are members of the religious clergy, or are religious cult leaders -- not atheists.

The atheists I know are smart, peaceful types who would never engage in terrorism and would never inappropriately touch a child. Nothing physically dangerous about them.

That said, by definition the only thing that separates atheists from others is that they simply do not believe in any of the alleged gods -- just as you do not believe in the gods of all those other religions besides yours. Should Buddhists be registered too, since they do not believe in your specific Judeo-Christian god?

Of course, radical religious nuts will not let fact or logic get in the way of their blind hysteria.

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
-- Stephen Roberts