GOP governors and hurricane relief hypocrisy

All year we've been hearing from the GOP that the Obama administration spends too much money.

But now that the east coast is recovering from the effects Hurricane Irene, Republican governors of storm-ravaged states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania can't wait to get some government handouts of their own.

Don't get me wrong: I think it's great that the federal government is providing funds to help the states recover from the storm's devastation. The funding itself isn't the issue here. The issue is the GOP hypocrisy.

It appears that the GOP leaders decry federal spending only until they need some of that federal money for their own local interests.

Katrina, Bush, and election timing

Yesterday was the 6th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Coincidentally, this anniversary has arrived while much of the east coast of the United States is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Irene, which struck over the weekend.

And, in observing President Obama's calm and practical response to the threat and aftermath of Irene, I couldn't help thinking about George W. Bush's opposite response to Katrina.

According to Firedoglake, while New Orleans was under water, George W. Bush "famously said the day after Katrina hit that New Orleans 'dodged the bullet.' And ... continued on with his vacation, clearing brush, riding his bike, getting a new guitar ... all the while, New Orleans was drowning ... for days before the President seemed to get the message."

Katrina struck 7 months into Bush's second term. And I cannot help but wonder if he would have been reelected if Katrina had happened prior to the 2004 election.

I hope not.

On the other hand, in light of the recent rise of the Tea Party, nothing would surprise me.

August 26 is Women's Equality Day

Today, August 26, is Women's Equality Day. On this date in 1920, the 19th Amendment was incorporated into the United States Constitution, giving women the right to vote and to hold elective office.

We've come a long way since the days of the suffragettes, but we must not rest on our laurels. Conservatives would like to roll back much of the social progress we accomplished in the 20th century. Like the suffragettes, we must stand strong and keep raising hell in the ongoing fight for equality and social justice for all.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
-- Margaret Mead

Right winger disappointed that earthquake didn't destroy White House

Yesterday, a 5.8 earthquake hit the east coast of the United States. Centered in Virginia, the quake was felt as far north as New Hampshire. I felt it here in Philadelphia, and it was very weird.

A few hours later, I ran into my Republican neighbor. After exchanging some small talk about the earthquake, he said, "Too bad the quake didn't destroy the White House."

He was not laughing when he said this. I could tell that he was serious.

This is a good demonstration of right-wing "logic":

1. He doesn't consider that the building is used by presidents of both parties.

2. He doesn't consider that President Obama (whom he resents, despises, and regularly refers to as a "jerk") is not in the White House but is currently vacationing at Martha's Vineyard.

3. He doesn't consider (or maybe he does) that a collapse of the White House would injure or kill countless White House staff, not just the president he so hates. And not everyone who works at the White House is a liberal, or even partisan.

But I didn't bother to point these things out. I know this neighbor well enough to recognize when I would be wasting my time and energy.

And so I must resign myself to the fact that he will continue to cancel out my vote in every single election. And I will continue to be adult enough to not wish that his own home would crumble.

Amnesty calls for release of American hikers in Iran

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, two American hikers who were arrested by Iranian officials along the Iraq-Iran border in 2009, were recently sentenced to eight years in prison for spying and illegal entry into Iran.

Sarah Shourd, who was arrested with them, was released last year for medical reasons.

Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Middle East Director, believes that their trial was not conducted in a fair manner.

"The conduct of this trial has quite simply made a mockery of justice. There does not appear to be any substance to the allegations that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal are spies," said Smart. "The way this case has been handled from the outset strongly suggests that they are being held as a bargaining chip to allow Iran to obtain unspecified concessions from the US government."

Indeed, no evidence was presented in court to suggest that Bauer and Fattal are spies. And some eyewitnesses maintain that the hikers were inside Iraq, not Iran, at the time of their arrest. But it seems that Iran's court system is about as fair as those Guantanamo military tribunals.

Their lawyer is planning to appeal the sentence. Fingers crossed for justice.

No true justice for the West Memphis Three

On August 19, three men walked out of prison in Arkansas after spending nearly 20 years behind bars for a triple murder that they maintain they did not commit. The crime involved the brutal killing of three eight-year-old boys.

Damien Echols had been on death row for the murders. Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin were both serving life sentences. They had been nicknamed the "West Memphis Three".

Their first big break came in 2007, when new forensic evidence showed that the DNA from the crime scene did not match any of the defendants. After four years of appeals, a plea agreement was reached by which the three would enter Alford pleas in exchange for having their sentences reduced to time served. Under an Alford plea, a defendant can assert his innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors have enough evidence to obtain a conviction.

So what led to the convictions if the DNA says otherwise? Campbell Robertson, writing for The New York Times, describes the web of hearsay, speculation, and coercion that led to the guilty verdicts:

"The grotesque nature of the murders, coming in the midst of a nationwide concern about satanic cult activity, especially among teenagers, led investigators from the West Memphis Police Department to focus on Mr. Echols, a troubled yet gifted 18-year-old who wore all black, listened to heavy metal music and considered himself a Wiccan. Efforts to learn more about him through a woman cooperating with the police led to Mr. Misskelley, a 17-year-old acquaintance of Mr. Echols's.

"After a nearly 12-hour police interrogation, Mr. Misskelley confessed to the murders and implicated Mr. Echols and Mr. Baldwin, who was 16 at the time, though his confession diverged in significant details, like the time of the murders, with the facts known by the police. Mr. Misskelley later recanted, but on the strength of that confession he was convicted in February 1994.

"Mr. Echols and Mr. Baldwin soon after were convicted of three counts of capital murder in a separate trial in Jonesboro, where the proceedings had been moved because of extensive publicity in West Memphis. The convictions were largely based on the testimony of witnesses who said they heard the teenagers talk of the murders, and on the prosecution's argument that the defendants had been motivated as members of a satanic cult. Mr. Misskelley's confession was not admitted at their trial, though recently a former lawyer for that jury's foreman filed an affidavit saying that the foreman, determined to convict, had brought the confession up in deliberations to sway undecided jurors."

Now the DNA evidence exists that casts reasonable doubt as to their guilt. Why then were they forced to acknowledge otherwise as a condition for their release? It was either that or remain in prison (and, in Echols' case, remain on death row).

Lawyers for the three defendants say that they will pursue full exoneration. That would be one big step towards true justice in this case.

Another big step would be to reopen the case and find the real killer(s).

We owe it to the victims and their families.

Weather "coincidences"

Record-breaking heat in the summer. Record snowfalls in the winter.

Hurricanes here. Tornadoes there.

Massive floods here. Serious droughts there.

Just as the climate scientists warned us about.

But global warming is a hoax, says Fox News - and some GOP presidential candidates.

So I guess it's all coincidence.

Deadly coincidence.

So enjoy your coal-fueled power and your gas-guzzling SUV.

After all, we'll all be dead before the worst predicted consequences hit the fan.

But don't you care about your grandchildren's and great-grandchildren's future on a planet that is dying at our own hands?

Is your giant minivan really worth the risk?

Rick Perry's rogue state attitude

As expected, Texas Governor Rick Perry has thrown his hat into the presidential campaign ring. And he hit the ground running over the weekend with a speech heavily criticizing President Obama.

For example: "We are indignant about a president who apologizes for America," said Perry, as quoted by the Washington Times.

Are we, Governor Perry?

First of all, in a fact check of Perry's speech, the Washington Post reported the following:

"We examined this claim in great detail some months ago, and there is no evidence Obama ever apologized for America. (Some might argue — though we don’t agree — that some of his early speeches had an apologetic tone, but that’s an entirely different matter.) Go back and look at our original column, which includes a number of examples of George W. Bush saying much more apologetic-sounding phrases than Obama."

But, of course, the GOP doesn't care much about facts that disprove their knee-jerk talking points.

That said, I for one admired Obama's ability to point out (if not apologize for) the misguided and arrogant foreign policy of his predecessor. That is how you win hearts and minds.

On the other hand, Governor Perry would apparently prefer that the U.S. do whatever it wants, without apology, regardless of international law and protocol.

That, Governor Perry, is the definition of a rogue state.

And apparently, like a certain Texas governor-turned-president before him, he doesn't care.

Corporations are like Mitt

Yesterday, while campaigning at the Iowa State Fair, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told the crowd that "corporations are people."

No, Mitt, corporations are not people.

Corporations are born on a piece of paper, conceived of legal jargon and clever tax loopholes.

People have flesh and blood, hearts and minds.

Corporations are just vehicles, often used by those whose hearts and minds are a little more greedy and selfish than the average person. Corporations don't care.

And just because corporations represent the tax loopholes and lack of accountability that you love so much, that doesn't make them people, Mitt. Although - if they were people - they would be much more like you and much less like the people in your audience yesterday.

Warren Jeffs's legacy?

On Tuesday, polygamist pedophile pervert Warren Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison for having sex with underage girls whom he called his "spiritual wives". Fortunately, this sentence guarantees that he won't be raping any more 12-year-olds.

But what about the followers he leaves behind in his fundamentalist Morman sect? Surely there will be a successor to lead the group going forward, just as there were leaders before Jeffs.

Will Jeffs's arrest and conviction teach them that their practices are wrong? Or will they see it (as Jeffs does) as religious persecution?

Sadly, I suspect the latter.

I feel so sorry for the children, who are brainwashed from birth, and who suffer without knowing any better.

I hope the lay authorities will keep a close watch on things.

Wisconsin recalls should be an inspiration, not a discouragement

Yesterday, in the Wisconsin recall elections, only two Republican senators were recalled, with the other four surviving. So the GOP retains control of the state Senate.

It would be easy to feel discouraged by this. But we cannot afford to.

We should appreciate the victories in those two cases, and let them inspire us to spread the movement throughout the country, to other states where Republican governors and legislators are working to undermine workers' rights and the middle class.

To give up now would be to risk forfeiting the America we grew up in.

We cannot afford that at any cost.

Torturer Graner out of prison; high-level accountability still lacking

Charles Graner, who gained fame as one of the Abu Ghraib prison guards posing with thumbs up amongst the abused and bloody detainees in the infamous torture photos from that prison, was released on August 6 after serving a 6 1/2 year sentence at Ft. Leavenworth military prison.

Some of his co-offenders, including Abu Ghraib dominatrix Lynndie England, have also served time for their war crimes.

It is good that these low-level soldiers were held accountable once their abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib came to light. They clearly did wrong, and they probably knew it at the time. But were they simply having too much fun following the misguided orders they were given?

Abu Ghraib may have been the work of a few bad apples, as was an excuse at the time. But the rottenest of apples happened to be sitting in the West Wing and the Pentagon. Little Lynndie England sat in a prison cell for following orders (to break the detainees), while Donald Rumsfeld sat comfortably at home.

The Bush administration's actions were evil but cunning. The Bushies hid - and continue to hide - behind the legal justifications that they ordered from their legal counsel. And Jay Bybee and John Yoo were unscrupulous enough to twist rhetoric and law to the point where it would seem to justify the unjustifiable.

And, for some unimaginable reason, it has all gone unchallenged, even by the Obama administration.

So, despite the low-level convictions and sentences, torture ultimately wins.

Humanity loses, as does the rule of law.

And, perhaps most distressing of all, this could lend itself to an unthinkable sort of slippery slope over time.

The trickle-down theory is a naked emperor

The GOP continues to insist that the only real way to create jobs is to keep giving tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. They keep telling us that it will "trickle down" - that the rich guys will use that money to create jobs for us working stiffs.

But wait a minute: The billionaires and corporations have had their tax breaks for several years now - on and off since Reagan, and stuck in the "on" position for the past decade. And what did it lead to? It eventually led to an unemployment rate near 10%. The rich guys aren't investing in jobs for us working stiffs. They're investing in growing their own personal wealth (while exploiting the workers who succumb to low wages and long hours because they need that paycheck).

The fact is (or should be) clear: It doesn't trickle down, people. Otherwise, we'd all have jobs!

Hopefully the voting public will soon open their eyes and see that this particular emperor has no clothes.

Entitlements still in limbo

First of all, I am glad that the U.S. will not default on its debt, as was a huge concern for many of us.

That said, I'm not too happy about the "deal" that President Obama and Congress reached to prevent the potential economic catastrophe.

While President Obama kept talking about "compromise", I saw very little compromise on the the side of the GOP. The Republicans and their rich corporate benefactors got almost everything they wanted. All they conceded was entitlement reform (for now), so they will not be taking food out of Grandma's mouth or medicine out of her cabinets - yet.

But the "deal" also calls for the creation of a special bipartisan "super committee" of 12 members of Congress who will study the issue further and make recommendations for further budget tweaks. Obama said that everything is on the table for the "next phase", and that likely includes further scrutiny of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Let's hope that the super committee doesn't turn out to be a death panel.

Norwegian terrorist admires the Tea Party

Last Friday, a bomb exploded in Oslo, Norway, outside some government buildings. Many people immediately assumed it was al-Qaeda.

Then, less than two hours later, a gunman opened fire at a youth camp.

More than 90 people were killed in these two acts of violence.

Ironically, the admitted perpetrator in both incidents, Anders Behring Breivik, is not an Islamic terrorist, but rather a white radical right-wing Islamophobe who admires the American Tea Party movement and wants to save the Western world from Muslim infiltration/influence.

Violence based on that kind of attitude will never solve anything. Indeed, it's the mirror image of Islamic jihad. It leads only to unnecessary suffering and death.

Might does not make right. But, sadly, some people don't care about that.

"Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!"
-- Sarah Palin

The financial panic begins

With no agreement in Washington yet on raising the debt ceiling, a couple of people have told me that they are looking into moving their personal investments out of the stock market and into something safer.

If enough people do this, I'm guessing that it could destabilize our economy even worse.

Not that I blame them.

Some others, who are government workers, are slashing their personal spending even more, fearing loss of their paychecks. Since personal spending is what stimulates the economy, this too will have a negative effect.

Not that I blame them.

Will the GOP please stop playing games with our lives and livelihoods? (Rhetorical question, of course.)

Lesbian couple sues VT inn for discrimination; inn cries misunderstanding

It seems that lawsuits are never simple, and there are always at least two sides.

The latest example to catch my attention is the case of Baker and Linsley v. Wildflower Inn. In this case, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is working with a lesbian couple, Kate Baker and Ming Linsley, to sue a Vermont inn for refusing to host their wedding reception.

According to some case background on the ACLU website, the Wildflower Inn seemed very eager to host the reception until the innkeepers learned that the happy couple are two lesbians. Never mind the fact that same-sex marriage has been legal in Vermont since 2009; it appeared that the innkeepers wanted no part of it on their property.

The ACLU quotes an email from an employee of the inn who had been working with the mother of one of the brides on preliminary arrangements: "After our conversation, I checked in with my Innkeepers and unfortunately due to their personal feelings, they do not host gay receptions at our facility."

And this wasn't the first time, allegedly. According to the ACLU's official complaint, filed July 19, "during the same 12-month period in which the Meeting and Events Director refused to allow Ming and Kate to hold their reception at the resort, the Meeting and Events Director also turned away at least two other same-sex couples pursuant to the Wildflower Inn's no-gay-reception policy."

Imagine the public outrage if interracial couples were treated this way in 2011!

According to the ACLU, "The Vermont Human Rights Law has prohibited public accommodations from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation for nearly 20 years."

And, notes the ACLU, "This case is about discrimination, plain and simple. When a business that is open to the public refuses to serve two people and their guests solely because the two people are a same sex couple, it is no different than restaurants not serving individuals because they were black, or other businesses keeping out women or Jews. It is discrimination and it is illegal."

But, as I noted above, there are always at least two sides to every lawsuit. So I called the Wildflower Inn. I expected to hear, "No comment." Instead, I ended up speaking with a woman who wanted to talk, albeit reluctantly.

When she answered the phone at the inn, I introduced myself and explained that I am a writer in Philadelphia hoping to hear their side of the story. The woman (who did not give her name) said it was all a misunderstanding.

She went on to say that the Wildflower Inn employs a number of gay people, and that numerous gay guests have stayed there in the past and have returned for repeat visits.

Whey then, I asked, were Ming and Kate turned away?

I did not get a straight answer to that question (pun unintended). But the woman on the phone seemed to imply it was the decision of the Meeting and Events Director, who had allegedly not consulted the owners at all.

I'll leave it to the lawyers on both sides to drag out the real facts. And I'll leave it to the courts to ultimately decide who at the inn broke the law, if indeed a law was broken. But, at the very least, the email quoted above certainly does make it seem like someone at the inn has a homophobia problem.

In the meantime, ABC News reports that Ming and Kate have found a different place to hold the festivities. I wish them all the best.

Senate committee to consider DOMA repeal today

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will conduct a hearing to assess the impact of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and to consider Senator Diane Feinstein's bill S.598, the Respect for Marriage Act.

According to Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), S.598 "would effectively repeal DOMA by allowing the U.S. federal government to provide benefits to married same-sex couples living in the 6 states (and the District of Columbia) that recognize marriage equality."

It is not total equality, but it's better than DOMA!

According to the Courage Campaign, "29 Senators now support repeal, which is more than twice the number of Senators that voted for DOMA in 1996." And President Obama has endorsed the bill.

Stay tuned for updates as this bill hopefully continues to move through Congress and on to the president's desk!

Philly archbishop resigns in wake of sex abuse scandal

Is it coincidence? I don't know.

But I find it interesting that Cardinal Justin Rigali, head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is now resigning. This comes just a few months after a new grand jury report cited him for failing to adequately follow a previous report's recommendations issued in 2005 for dealing with clergy sex abuse scandals in the archdiocese.

According to the Associated Press, the 2005 report "charged that Rigali and his predecessor hid credible sex-abuse complaints made against dozens of Philadelphia priests."

According to KYW, Philadelphia's CBS affiliate, "Rigali put several reforms into place after [the 2005] grand jury's findings were released, hired an advocate for victims, and pledged to pastorally deal with the crisis."

But many believe he didn't do enough.

In all fairness, under Church law, he was required to retire when he turned 75 last year. But the Pope did not accept his resignation until now.

I hope Rigali's replacement will do a better job of protecting the children and supporting the victims.

In the meantime, I'm glad that the legal system is following up on this issue, since the Church is obviously not doing enough.

To Marcus Bachmann: Who are the real barbarians?

It's Friday, so I'm going to have some (sort of) tongue-in-cheek fun here.

Unfortunately, I'm thinking about Marcus Bachmann, homophobic husband of Congresswoman and GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-MN).

I'm thinking about how Mr. Bachmann referred to homosexuals as "barbarians".

And I'm thinking that Mr. Bachmann obviously did not give a lot of forethought to that label before using it.

After all, the opposite of barbarism is culture. And the height of culture is fine living -- i.e., well decorated homes, an appreciation for beauty and art, and a flair for fine dining.

So tell me: Who can beat the gays at those things? For instance, who (besides Martha Stewart) can beat the gays at throwing a beautiful and fabulous gourmet brunch?

Probably not Marcus Bachmann.

Or, if he can, then maybe there are other questions we should be asking. ;-)

In any case, on the other hand, barbarism usually involves intolerance based on ignorance (willful or not).

QED.

A missed teabag opportunity

At lunchtime yesterday, while enjoying a salad at a local cafe, I noticed a 50-something man and his wife sitting nearby. The man was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Barack Obama and the words "RACIST JERK" (in capital letters).

I was tempted to approach him and strike up a conversation. I thought it might be fun to act like a naive but inquisitive conservative seeking his higher knowledge.

In my mind, I imagined sweetly delivering the following opener: "Hey, I like your t-shirt. I heard Glenn Beck say Obama's a racist, too, and he knows about these things. But I keep wondering: How could he be a racist when his mother was white?"

I really, really wanted to do it. Because I really, really wanted to see how he would respond. And how his wife would react.

But, by the time I worked up the nerve, they had finished their lunch and left the building.

I need to be bolder faster.

Grayson wants his seat back

Good news for progressives: Former U.S. Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) is apparently running for office again.

According to WFTV in Orlando, "Grayson already raised nearly $100,000 in donations before filing his paperwork on Monday."

We need Grayson's progressive voice back in the House again, especially in the wake of Anthony Weiner's recent self-destruction.

Fingers crossed in hopes for a Grayson victory in 2012.

Will jobs cost Obama the election?

Last week's unemployment numbers came as a sad surprise to those of us who have to work for a living. New jobs were fewer than expected, and the unemployment percentage inched up to 9.2 percent.

If these numbers don't improve soon, I'm afraid President Obama might stand no chance of reelection.

And perhaps he will deserve that fate. After all, when he took office, he chose financial advisors who are sympathetic to Wall Street and corporate America - the folks who cause this economic mess. And, in his constant efforts to placate the GOP, he has seemingly abandoned his base.

On the other hand, if Obama loses in 2012, things will surely go from very bad to much worse.

I'm tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. Where is the change I can believe in?

Bachmann vs. the First Amendment

GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, known for her extreme right-wing "religious" crusade against all things "evil" (like science), has officially joined a war against pornography.

It's part of a broader candidate pledge that she signed to save marriage and the family (i.e., the right-wing "ideal" for each). Bachmann was the first candidate to sign the pledge.

The pledge also registers opposition to same-sex marriage, birth control, and marital infidelity (as well as that huge looming threat of Sharia law replacing our Constitution).

But it's the pornography thing that concerns me right now. Signers of the pledge vow to support the "[h]umane protection of women and the innocent fruit of conjugal intimacy - our next generation of American children - from ... all forms of pornography."

While I can understand wanting to shield children from porn, we already have measures in place for that, so there's nothing for Bachmann and her cohorts to do.

But they want to "protect" everyone - and especially women - from porn (as if I need to be protected from it).

I'm no constitutional attorney, but it seems to me that there have been several cases in which the Supreme Court has ruled that pornography is protected under the First Amendment.

And that is healthy, in my opinion. After all, if you start censoring that which someone finds subjectively offensive, you construct a very slippery slope.

It's the very kind of thing that our Founding Fathers worked so hard to try to prevent.

It's sad and scary that Bachmann so hates our freedom.

Will Obama pull the plug on Grandma's income?

In all the talk about the deficit and the debt ceiling, I thought Social Security and Medicare had long ago been taken off the table. Apparently that's not the case.

The news yesterday was that President Obama might be willing to trade Social Security and Medicare cuts in exchange for tax increases.

Whose side is he on?! Certainly not on the side of our non-rich senior citizens.

I am appalled.

Sick of Casey Anthony

Today in Florida, Casey Anthony will be sentenced for the handful of misdemeanors for which the jury on Tuesday found her guilty, all related to giving false information to law enforcement. Since Anthony was acquitted of the more sensational charges against her, I am hoping that the whole media circus will now go away.

I am sick of it. And I am sick of the pundits and everyday citizens expressing their outrage over the jury's decision on Tuesday that Anthony is not guilty of the murder of her 2-year-old daughter. (As if these armchair critics are privy to some secret evidence that would erase the reasonable doubt. But no, they just know it anyway.)

Just after the verdict broke, an acquaintance asked me what I thought of it. I answered honestly: I don't care. I do not personally know Casey Anthony. She is not a member of my family or my professional or social circle, so it's none of my immediate business, unless her human rights are at some point violated (which would have been the case had she been convicted with a death sentence).

The Casey Anthony story got so big, and so out of control, because the media saw some glamour (and therefore ratings) in it. A hot white middle-class mom may have killed her cute white daughter because the toddler was interfering with mom's party-happy social life. Cha-ching! Not even Paris Hilton can compete with that.

But I hear stories every week here in Philly of missing children. In many of those cases, a parent is a suspect. But those other cases don't become national news sensations. Maybe they're just not glamorous enough. The parties involved might be minorities, or they just might not be interesting or edgy enough to capture the national spotlight.

This double standard is not solely the fault of the media that hype the select few cases. It's also the fault of the sheep who turn them into a ratings success.

Get a life, people.

Sadly, though, I predict some major magazine exposure for Anthony after this, along with maybe a book and a made-for-TV movie.

Again: Get a life, people.

Will Texas execute a Mexican national tomorrow?

Humberto Leal Garcia Jr., a Mexican national, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection by the State of Texas tomorrow, July 7.

He was convicted of the 1994 rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl. Having been found guilty, punishment is warranted. But not the death penalty in this case.

That is because Texas cut legal corners in the case. Under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, international arrestees are entitled to help from the consulate of their home country. But Leal didn't find that out until he was already sitting on death row.

Texas is obviously not interested in true justice. They're just interested in procedural expediency. And so they have ignored mitigating evidence in Leal's clemency petition that the jury never heard during trial and sentencing, and that Leal (like so many other non-rich, non-white criminal defendants in this country) had inadequate and ineffective legal representation.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "The International Court of Justice has called on the United States to review Leal's case, as well as the cases of other Mexican nationals who were never told of their rights under the treaty."

Not good enough for Texas.

Even former President George W. Bush (who, while Governor of Texas, and under the influence of Alberto Gonzales, seemed to just love signing death warrants while ignoring mitigating evidence) called on Texas to comply with the Convention.

Not good enough for today's Texas.

So the Obama administration also called for a review of the case. According to the Telegraph (UK), "The Obama administration, adopting a similar stance to the one taken by President George W Bush's, believes executing Leal could endanger Americans abroad who are also entitled to consular assistance under the Vienna Convention."

Still apparently not good enough for Texas.

How you can help:

Click here to call on Texas Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Leal's sentence.

Please hurry.

Obama, the new war president

George W. Bush proudly described himself as a "war president". But it seems his successor has beaten him at the game, only 2 1/2 years in.

Under Bush, we carried on military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Under Obama, we continue killing and/or being killed on those fronts while also using military force in Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia.

Bush must be so jealous!

Don't underestimate Bachmann

Yesterday in Iowa, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) officially launched her 2012 campaign for the U.S. presidency.

Some on the left seem so quick to dismiss Bachmann's candidacy, calling it a long shot. But I want to remind those skeptics that we thought the same thing about George W. Bush at this stage of the game. And Bachmann is much more articulate than Bush.

If the economy remains sluggish and unemployment remains high, the people will crave change. And they will vote for change (no matter how bizarre the prospects), because they're desperate.

Heaven help us if that happens next year.

Same-sex marriage now legal in New York

In another big step forward towards equality for all citizens, last night New York became the sixth and most populous state to allow same-sex marriage. Governor Cuomo signed it just hours after it passed the state Senate.

For a while, it looked like the bill might not get through the Republican-controlled Senate, but finally a compromise was reached. The compromise provides that churches and other religious groups will not be penalized if they refuse to perform or bless same-sex marriages.

Fair enough.

I hope other states will see this as an example worth following.