LA Times:

By Richard Fausset, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 13, 2008
ATLANTA -- Georgia's parole board on Friday denied clemency for a man set to be put to death for killing a police officer, even though seven of the nine witnesses who testified against him have since changed their stories.

Troy Anthony Davis, 38, is set to be executed at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at a prison in Jackson, Ga. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Davis' appeal Sept. 29.

His execution date is Sept 23. His appeal is Sept. 29.

Real Judge Jimbo genius at work in Jodga.

On Friday, Davis' attorney, Jason Ewart, said he would file an emergency stay with the high court, asking the justices to take up the case as soon as possible.

"It's probably the hardest thing I've ever had to hear," Ewart said of the parole board's decision.

"The hardest thing I've ever had to do was to tell Troy we're denied."

Davis was convicted of killing Mark MacPhail, a Savannah, Ga., police officer, in August 1989. At the time, MacPhail was working his second job, as a Burger King security guard. He was fatally shot after rushing to help a man who had been beaten outside a bus station.

Police did not recover a weapon, and prosecutors relied on witness testimony to convict Davis. Since then, most of the witnesses have altered or cast doubt on their versions of events sworn in affidavits. Some said they were pressured by police to make their original statements.

In March, the Georgia Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, rejected Davis' request for a new trial after reviewing the recantations.

See: TroyAnthonyDavis.org

Introduction

Jerry Springer, meet Sarah Louise Heath Palin:

Ms(.?) Palin (who pales in comparison to most feminists) is the Republican governor of Alaska who won her gubernatorship by beating incumbent Republican governor Frank Murkowski. And Jerry, there are also rumors floating about the internets that Palins youngest child is actually and in reality her grandchild - most likely born of her 17 year old 5 month pregnant daughter.

Please, Jerry. Please put her on your show. This is right up your alley.

God Bless America. I can't stop laughing.

Megyn Kelly has her head up her ass

From Media Matters:

Summary: Fox News' Megyn Kelly noted that during her DNC speech Michelle Obama said, "The world as it is just won't do," and then Kelly continued: "If you replace 'world' with 'country', you are back to the same debate, arguably, that you have been having about Michelle Obama's feelings about the country. Did she give her critics any fodder with that comment?"

Real good Megyn. Edit someone's speech THEN criticize what YOU added. How ignorant are Fox viewers?

I've heard some back assward BS from false conservatives before, but this takes the cake.

WASHINGTON (AP) —

It is a tradition at many kitchen tables to yell at the newspaper. At John McCain's kitchen table, it is becoming a tradition to yell at one paper in particular: The New York Times.
The latest dustup between the Republican presidential candidate and the big-name newspaper centered on the editorial board's back-to-back criticisms of McCain, one dispatch accusing him of taking the low road and another contending that he was playing politics with race.

The second editorial, which appeared on the Times website, said McCain's ads conjured up loaded racial images in taking on Democrat Barack Obama, whose father was black.

"The presumptive Republican nominee has embarked on a bare-knuckled barrage of negative advertising aimed at belittling Mr. Obama," the editorial board wrote.

It's the oldest trick in the GOP book. Rather than defend his actions; McCain attacks the fact that he's had two negative articles in a row from The Times about his campaign tactics. He proves the author's points to those who are capable of understanding. Luckily, that's the majority of Americans.

Another whiny Republican crying, "Unfair!" But the articles stand on the facts. The fact you turn a blind eye to.

Obama: New Hampshire Jan. 09, 2008

Yes We Can

Our last inspirational president was John F. Kennedy who was assassinated after my conception, and before my birth. Kennedy was my father's hero. He promised an end to Washington coruption. He and his brother Robert would have done a lot to end the corruption in Washington DC had they not been wiped out by the criminals who run the Whitehouse today.

Kennedy was my Irish American father's hero; that made him my hero as well. His speeches were of change, and justice.

Obama isn't as progressive as I'd like, but Kennedy wasn't that progressive either.

Here's the last 3 minutes of his famous speech in text followed by the complete 13 minutes in the video below.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.


We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.


But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we’ve been told that we’re not ready, or that we shouldn’t try, or that we can’t, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.


Yes we can.


It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.


Yes we can.


It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights.


Yes we can.


It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.


Yes we can.


It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.


Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can.


And so tomorrow, as we take this campaign South and West; as we learn that the struggles of the textile worker in Spartanburg are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas; that the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America’s story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea – Yes. We. Can.

Yes I can.

Stalkers

I was given these links by someone who has been and is still being harassed by both kinds of stalkers mentioned below.

From Dr. Sam Vaknin

Stalkers are not made of one cloth. Some of them are psychopaths, others are schizoids, narcissists, paranoids, or an admixture of these mental health disorders. Stalkers harass their victims because they are lonely, or because it is fun (these are latent sadists), or because they can't help it (clinging or co-dependent behaviour), or for a myriad different reasons.

Clearly, coping techniques suited to one type of stalker may backfire or prove to be futile with another. The only denominator common to all bullying stalkers is their pent-up rage. The stalker is angry at his or her targets and hates them. He perceives his victims as unnecessarily and churlishly frustrating. The aim of stalking is to "educate" the victim and to punish her.

Hence the catch-22 of coping with stalkers:

The standard – and good – advice is to avoid all contact with your stalker, to ignore him, even as you take precautions. But being evaded only inflames the stalker's wrath and enhances his frustration. The more he feels sidelined and stonewalled, the more persistent he becomes, the more intrusive and the more aggressive.

It is essential, therefore, to first identify the type of abuser you are faced with.

(1) The Erotomaniac

This kind of stalker believes that he is in love with you and that, regardless of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the feeling is reciprocal (you are in love with him). He interprets everything you do (or refrain from doing) as coded messages confessing your eternal devotion to him and to your "relationship". Erotomaniacs are lonely, socially-inapt people. They may also be people with whom you have been involved romantically (e.g., your former spouse, a former boyfriend, a one night stand) – or otherwise (for instance, colleagues or co-workers).

Best coping strategy

Ignore the erotomaniac. Do not communicate with him or even acknowledge his existence. The erotomaniac clutches at straws and often suffers from ideas of reference. He tends to blow out of proportion every comment or gesture of his "loved one". Avoid contact – do not talk to him, return his gifts unopened, refuse to discuss him with others, delete his correspondence.

(2) The Narcissist

Feels entitled to your time, attention, admiration, and resources. Interprets every rejection as an act of aggression which leads to a narcissistic injury. Reacts with sustained rage and vindictiveness. Can turn violent because he feels omnipotent and immune to the consequences of his actions.

Best coping strategy

Make clear that you want no further contact with him and that this decision is not personal. Be firm. Do not hesitate to inform him that you hold him responsible for his stalking, bullying, and harassment and that you will take all necessary steps to protect yourself. Narcissists are cowards and easily intimidated. Luckily, they never get emotionally attached to their prey and so can move on with ease.

It’s not what you have, but what you believe you can have that drives the American economy.

We should all understand that Republican fiscal ideology is focused on benefits for the wealthy. It costs the wealthy too much to help out those down on their luck, so we shouldn’t do it is the Republican mantra. However, in marketing this to the common man the Republicans normally drop “the wealthy” modifier and change “down on their luck” to “welfare cheating scum buckets” or some other derogatory adjective.

As Senator Phil Gram, the former Texas A&M economics professor, tells us that the economy is not as bad as we are imagining. Senator Gram said, “We have sort of become a nation of whiners. You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy.” Now, Senator Gram is pulling a Republican fast one on us here. What is more important to the average man, being able to feed his family or Apple being able to make a huge profit selling more iPods? If the man is an executive at Apple then the question is one and the same, but if he isn’t there will be layers of a complex economy clouding the issue.

If your paycheck has been constant over the last few years, and the price of gasoline and food have gone up, then you will be feeling the pinch. If your pay check has gone up by more than the cost of gasoline and food over the last few years, then I would venture to guess that you aren’t hurting so bad. So, I’ll ask - is Senator Gram right when he says, “the constant drubbing of the media on the economy's problems is one reason people have lost confidence.” Maybe it is one reason, but I’m guessing that to those on the lower end of the economic scale will be feeling more than what they are told by the media.

In America, though, we have some expectations when it comes to economic status. Expectations may be good, and they may be bad. Either way we need to remember that they are expectations and not reality. In fact success in America is measured by certain expectations. If a person meets or exceeds those expectations we have celebrations and fan fare. And, when those expectations are not met, then a person’s fiscal failings are kept in the shadows, something that we would rather not talk about. Fiscal failings are considered a source of embarrassment for the man down on his luck. But, if this information is kept hidden and not spoken about, then no one really knows if the expectations are even reasonable.

In America people have accepted that they should be better off in every proceeding year from the last. A small cost of living raise serves as an illusion to this expectation, while it shows a rising wage, it doesn’t always even match inflation. When a company is doing well they will often compensate the employees, but these compensations aren’t always justified in their distributions. Truth be told, fiscal failings behind common expectations are the rule rather than the exception. Americans have discovered how to continue the illusion in the face of this failure to meet expectations. Americans have taken to borrowing money in order to appear that they have exceeded expectations.

American expectations plaque the American economy in many ways.

The entire mortgage crisis that has recently burst the housing market bubble was caused by people meaning to appear to meet the expectations of the American dream. People bought into the idea that things were going to be better further down the road. They deluded themselves into believing that five years down the road they would be able to pay the mortgage when the payment jumped in their sub-prime loan.

Let me take the example of our neighbors, who confided recently that they will be moving out of their house. Five years ago when they bought the house they were able to do so by borrowing the money at a low interest rate. Even with that low interest rate they still had to make a $3000 per month mortgage payment. I don’t really know what they were thinking when they were told that in five years the payment would jump to $6000 per month. They were able to make the $3000 per month payments by having several families live in the same house and pool their resources. In addition one of the women in the house opened a day care in the house to take care of the children a raise a bit of extra cash. I could imagine that they might have been thinking that they could increase the number of children that they took in to significantly defray the cost when the payment jumped. They could have been thinking that they would all be making double their wages in five years and hence have the additional money needed when the payment jumped. Maybe they were thinking that they could double the number of occupants in the house over the next five years so that they could make the payment when it doubled. I don’t know what they were thinking, but whatever it was they were not able to make it happen; so they will be moving out of their house shortly.

The whole story above was forced into play by unreasonable expectations. The people moved into that house because they had expectations that they should be living in this house that was beyond their means. But, in America we have expectations that anyone should be able to “make it” if they work hard. They people living in this house accepted those expectations and proceeded the best way they knew. They set up an illegal day care and tried to make some extra cash. They work extra long hours putting in as many as they could, leaving in the morning before sunrise and getting home long after sunset. The main obstacle was not motivation or ingenuity. Their main obstacle was the expectation.

Expecting success often delivers success. A person is often motivated to work hard just believing that success will find a way. Many people, myself included, have operated under this premise. The ugly truth, however, is that many people also fail to meet these expectations following these same principles. Success or failure is not conditioned on how much work is put into an endeavor. Success or failure happens for many unforeseen reasons. And, because the reasons are unforeseen each individual that succeeds succeeds mainly because of luck. And, the entire concept of success is nestled in the expectations for the endeavor itself.

So, American entrepreneurial spirit is based on expectations. Entrepreneurs expect to invest time, energy and resources into a risky venture and succeed in producing something new and novel. This type of expectation is good for America and infects the American society with the can-do rags-to-riches mentality. But, if everyone in the country comes to expect that they to can become wealthy by selling shlock that no one wants or needs to the next guy, then that entrepreneurial spirit has changed from a net positive to a net negative for American society as a whole. And, the only real thing that has changed in this equation is the expectation. People once believed that innovation was a key to make a new product worthwhile has been changed into the belief that slick marketing can sell any old crap to anyone and make the seller wealthy. People won’t by crap was once the counter to this argument. But the real life counter example to that argument is how many people bought Windows computers and operating systems instead of much better alternatives such as Unix. The legacy lives on unfortunately. Marketing outmaneuvers substance.

Marketing after all is all about expectations. Marketing starts out by telling you what you should expect, then it claims to fill that expectation with the perfect product. Since America is the capital of the capitalist world we shouldn’t expect anything different than the marketing of many unfulfilled expectations and products that can’t fill them.

Since the Great Depression and FDR calling for Americans to expect a chicken in every pot our expectations have continued to grow with American marketing machine. Chickens in our pots, Cars in our garages, houses on our golf courses and yachts on our rivers and lakes we finally expect that we should control the world itself. Obviously we can always create expectations that are higher than we can realistically achieve and we most likely will continue to do so. And, when we do so how will we be able to know which expectations are reasonable and which ones are not?

Well, perhaps Senator Gram has an answer for that as well. When he lashes out and calls us a nation of whiners, then perhaps we will know that our expectations are a bit too high. Or, perhaps his expectations are too low?

How do Republican's REALLY feel about their "candidate" ?

In my search to find the answer to this question I happened upon the following post authored by known blog stalker and woman harasser, Cj, who considers himself, and Rush Limbaugh a reliable source of political information. Please, read on:

McCain Dooms Us All
If McCain ends up the Republican nominee then you can kiss the White House goodbye. Hillary, and especially Obama, will have little trouble defeating a McCain who is not a vibrant speaker, a dull personality, and older than dirt. Remember Bob Dole and how out of touch and clueless he seemed to the American people? McCain does exhibit some senior moments at critical moments.McCain simply does not inspire traditional conservatives and they will easily stay home this election. Rank and file conservatives have had enough of the RINO doublespeak and their constant back stabbing core party principles. If their brand of tepid Republican politics swamps the party then it is doomed.I despise 3rd party efforts. They are usually fruitless. But it may come to that if we want to reclaim the conservative high ground.Potential scandal? Don't underestimate how low the left will go to undermine our efforts, "Independents Voting in Florida?" - Rush Limbaugh

Great news people: Neocons and liberals have finaly found some common ground. Thanks, Rush Limbaugh. I absolutely agree with what you said in this particular article. And only this particular article. Good for you.

Seems the arrow to the White House is permanently stuck on red for the Republican candidate. Too bad.

Use it baby. Use it!!! Sign up and read what Rush thinks about McCain.

Angels Win Again

Football and baseball are my favorite sports. Well, beach volleyball is fun to watch. But ummm... Oh yeah, The Angels won their 64th game this season putting them 4 games up on the next closest teams, and 10 up on the 2nd place team in their division, the Rangers.

I must admit, I was a bit ticked off when the Angels got rid of Troy Percival and made Francisco Rodriguez there closer, but with K-Rod's 43 saves already this season, there is little doubt he will shatter the single season saves record. Rodriguez already has more saves than the Seattle Mariners have wins. The Angels bats have finally woken up as of late, as is evident by today's 11-6 victory over the Orioles. So things are looking much improved compared to last season.

August 5 will be a home game. Kids get in for $3, so I'll give myself a day off, pick up my sisters 2 kids, and take them to their first MLB game. They both play little league ball.

The rest of my night will be spent with a new friend. So I'll use comment moderation till I get back home. I can't baby sit a blog all night, life does and should go on in the real world. The blogosphere is not the real world.

Sign this petition, and pass it on:

Dear Roger Ailes,
I was outraged to learn about Fox News' aggressive use of irresponsible language and racist stereotypes in coverage of Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. From E.D Hill's "terrorist fist jab" comment to demeaning Mrs. Obama's role as wife and mother by demoting her to "Obama's baby mama," Fox continues to malign the progress, politics and personalities of Black America.

Fox has developed a pattern of airing racially offensive attacks, then apologizing only after controversy erupts. Forced, half-hearted apologies do not demonstrate good faith when the larger pattern of offensive rhetoric continues. Fox has a serious problem with using race as a divisive tool. Your network must find a solution to address racial stereotyping and hate-mongering before it hits the airwaves.

What new changes will Fox News make to ensure the integrity of its coverage? This is a question you should be able to answer immediately. Throughout this election campaign, and beyond, I intend to hold you, your network, its advertisers and personalities accountable for any further attempts to undermine the Obamas, Black institutions and other Black Americans by preying on prejudice, ignorance and racial division.

Signed,

[Your name]

Obama Calls For Withdrawal Timetable

From Reuters:

Obama has said the draw down would enable more troops to be deployed in Afghanistan, where insurgent attacks in the past two months have killed more U.S. soldiers than in Iraq.

He described the situation in Afghanistan as "perilous and urgent" and said al Qaeda and the Taliban were planning more attacks in the United States.

"In Afghanistan and the border region of Pakistan, al Qaeda and the Taliban are mounting a growing offensive against the security of the Afghan people and increasingly the Pakistani people, while plotting new attacks against the United States," he said.

From the video at reuters.com:

"My view based on the advice of the military experts is that we can redeploy safely in 16 months...The message we heard from Iraq's leaders is that they're ready to do more, and they want to take more responsibility for their country. I believe that the best way to support Iraqi sovereignty, and encourage Iraqis to stand up is through the responsible redeployment of our combat brigades."

This has always been Obama's stance on the wars in the Middle East. The rebuilding of al Qaeda and the Taliban are concrete evidence that George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq, rather than staying the course in Afghanistan has put the US at risk again.

Of course, McLAME has jumped on the "fight in Afghanistan" band wagon in recent speeches, but has not said a single word about the new threats. Seems Obama actually did a lot more fact finding in the Middle East than Johnny "Smile For The Photo Op" McLAME. About the only thing McLAME's camp had to say about a terrorist attack on US soil was this gem from McCain campagn advisor Charlie Black. From HuffPo:

...another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. "Certainly it would be a big advantage to him (McCain)," says Black.

McCain quickly denounced Black's words, but one must really consider how much these neocons want power and what they're willing to allow happen to get it. Perhaps another 8+ years war in Afghanistan next? Another attack on US soil? Seems Black has taken the fear mongering card out of McLAME's hand by announcing to us all what they're truly hoping for. Another reason to desecrate the flag by wearing it on a shirt, or polyester jump suit and singing another chorus of Toby Keith crap while we cry in our mason jars full of cheap beer.

Others have said it, and it's worth repeating: McCain basically challenged Barack Obama to make an appearance in Iraq, then cried "unfair" when Obama did just that. I can't remember the last time a US politician made a successful trip to the Middle East. It was a huge success for Obama. A three-pointer right in McCain's face. Nothing but net.

One talking point conservatives have long used is "liberals are socialists." Fact is: The US has long been a socialist state. Public schools, public roads, public health care for politicians, publicly-financed pensions, publicly-financed political campaigns, publicly-owned sports arenas, public food supply systems and much more. And every conservatives favorite: Public subsidies to huge corporations.

What also smacks of communism is: the end of Habeus Corpus, a blanket warrant for guns in homes in Washington DC, legalized torture, the ability of your own government to declare you an enemy of the state. No lawyer, no call, no judge, no hearing, no jury, but there is incarceration. Woohoo!

The precedents set over the last 7 years have brought Freedom in America to its knees.

Pot O' Gold

Being self-employed in a country that is ruled by gov't that bows to big business takes some courage, especially when you put your savings on the line to start anew. Not being a fortunate son, I took a bigger chance than most neo-cons who were given the money by their daddies, and who eventually filed for a chapter 11. I need both hands to count them. They borrow and borrow on their investments to buy more than they can afford. This goes to show the inacountability of the son-of-the-rich, and more accurately neo-con business practices.

Every one of the contractors I know that started out just before or after I did have folded under and moved on. They are all die-hard Republicans, who rather than maintain and slowly build their business were trying to claim an instant pot o' gold. Instant gratification, rather than the pride that comes from planning and building your own future. This is the moral to the old Irish fable of the Leprechaun. I like to call it, "fool's gold". Others may call it attention deficit disorder, too much detail for tiny brains to compute. I call it greed.

Just like our countries CEO, I could easily leave my business for others to handle while I vacation more than most Americans. I could borrow from banks to pay the bills that I'm responsible for. But I'm not willing to push my business into debt. I can't pass the bill to taxpayers. Unlike our president, I'm building a future, not throwing it down a pit that bottoms out in Tienanman Square.

Since I can easily afford it, I have planned a weeks vacation to the Grand Canyon. I'd like to see the Sky Walk some idiots built over the edge the ever widening, ever deepening Grand Canyon. Of course this man made disaster waiting for a natural disaster to occur is in McCain's state of Arizona. Still, I'm pretty sure it's safe for the time being, plus I can drop a few bucks into the dollar slots and see what happens. It's my money, not John Q. Taxpayers.

Cut and run, Phil Gramm

(EDITED) umm...posting on Friday night can cause errors. Shame on me.

Seems former Texas senator Phil "Nation Of Whiners" Gramm has been thrown under the bus by the McCain campaign. Gramm explains that the Democrats are focusing on his whiny Americans comment rather than the issues, and does not want to hurt his long time friends chances of losing by something less than a landslide. Sorry pal, but the fact that McCain made the big mistake of hiring you as his campaign adviser - you, who working with Enron lobbyists drafted the Enron Loophole that oil companies are using to drive the price of oil up to it's current level will not be unlinked from John McCain by anyone else with a fully functioning brain. Ain't gonna happen Phil, you're not skating.

No good riddance for you, pal. Not till November.