| |
There was a lot of news today which I thought interesting - and I made my comments. Since you rarely make comments on my comments - or even read them for that matter, I've bundled the various news items into one thread which you can comment on if, surprisingly, you wish to. I think we can figure out which you are commenting on and you can jump around with your [ctl][f] buttons:
>Williams' Death Doesn't End Debate on Life
>Pentagon may be spying on anti-war activists - NBC
>American Red Cross President Resigns
>Specter seeks Alito's views on power of precedent
>Ford caught in public relations quagmire
----------------------------------
Williams' Death Doesn't End Debate on Life
By KIM CURTIS, Associated Press
[You can read what I think of this, this time, at the end of the article...AG]
SAN FRANCISCO - The argument over whether convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams was a man of peace or a death-row con artist raged on after his execution Tuesday, with supporters announcing they would give him a funeral "befitting a statesman."
The 51-year-old founder of the bloody Crips gang died by injection at San Quentin Prison just after midnight for the murders of four people in two 1979 holdups, professing his innocence to the very end, even when an admission of guilt might have helped save his life.
His last, best hope was an act of mercy by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the governor was unconvinced by Williams' supporters — several Hollywood stars among them — who argued that he had redeemed himself behind bars with memoirs, children's books and lectures against the dangers of gang life.
After the execution, Williams' supporters vowed to continue his work to discourage youngsters from following in his footsteps, and promised another book from writings he left behind.
"If they think they succeeded by killing him in getting people to forget about him, they have done just the opposite," said Barbara Becnel, his collaborator and most vocal supporter.
Williams declined to make a final statement as he went to his death.
He seemed frustrated by the time it took officials to insert the intravenous lines into the former bodybuilder's muscular arms. At one point, Williams uttered something to the nurse and offered to help, said Steve Ornoski, the warden. About 15 minutes after the process began, he appeared to ask: "You doing that right?"
Williams refused a sedative, said Becnel, one of the witnesses. She said he was "brave and strong and he was everything we believed him to be."
Other witnesses included Rudy Langlais, executive producer of "Redemption: The Stanley Tookie Williams Story," a TV movie starring Jamie Foxx.
Joan Baez, who sang "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" outside the prison, called the execution "planned, efficient, calculated, antiseptic, cold-blooded murder."
But another one of the witnesses, Lora Owens, stepmother of one of the four people Williams was convicted of killing, told ABC: "I believe it was a just punishment long overdue."
The execution also drew fierce criticism in Europe, where politicians in Schwarzenegger's native Austria called for his name to be removed from a sports stadium in his hometown.
"Schwarzenegger has a lot of muscles, but apparently not much heart," said Julien Dray, spokesman for the Socialist Party in France, where the death penalty was abolished in 1981.
Williams was condemned in 1981 for using a sawed-off shot gun to kill 7-Eleven clerk Albert Owens, 26, in Whittier. Weeks later, he killed Yen-I Yang, 76, Tsai-Shai Chen Yang, 63, and the couple's daughter Yu-Chin Yang Lin, 43, at the Los Angeles motel they owned.
In denying clemency, Schwarzenegger said Williams had failed to atone for his crimes, and questioned whether claim of redemption was just a ploy. The governor also questioned the effectiveness of Williams' anti-gang rhetoric.
"It is hard to assess the effect of such efforts in concrete terms, but the continued pervasiveness of gang violence leads one to question the efficacy of Williams' message," Schwarzenegger said. "Williams co-founded the Crips, a notorious street gang that has contributed and continues to contribute to predatory and exploitative violence."
Becnel said she was planning a memorial service "befitting a statesman" for Sunday or Monday in Los Angeles. She said Williams asked to be cremated and have his ashes spread in South Africa. Foxx and rapper Snoop Dogg are expected to attend, she said.
Snoop Dogg, a former Crips member, spoke to Williams by telephone about two hours before his death and talked about the book they planned to write about sharing wisdom among black men — father to son, grandfather to grandson.
"Stanley had the credibility to be heard when speaking out about gang violence," Snoop Dogg said. "We will remember Tookie for what he stood for in the end, and hopefully, we have brought enough light to his story that others can be influenced and inspired to change their ways as well."
[Maybe this is the difference between being a "liberal" and a "progressive." (I personally am progressive, but not very liberal.)
I sat up and watched CNN last night far beyond my bedtime during the execution of Williams. I heard every detail of the episode from a bevy of reporter/witnesses. It was awkward but not very emotional and he died much as I think I would under similar circumstances - with as much pride as possible.
I can't believe such crap by Hollywood notables in the support of this man! Williams was a murderer of four people who might be alive today if he hadn't killed them - and at least in one case for $100 bucks?! Despite his lawyers best efforts over the past twenty years or so they couldn't convince anyone that he didn't commit those crimes and although he never confessed to those crimes, alluded to the fact that he had done as much and actually didn't blame the system for putting him away.
Redemption? No way! There is no such thing as redemption (unless you're Catholic). The basics of "a tooth for a tooth" is a socially valid method for any society. By that I mean that if Bill Gates murdered his mother the fact that he also gave a billion dollars to AIDs research and treatment would not in the slightest absolve him of his crime. What the TFT policy does in any civilization is to let all citizens know that what ever they might do to another citizen can and will be done to them. In more popular parlance "whatever goes around, comes around." And, of course, there is the old colloquialism, "one gets what he deserves."
Now, there are those who question the right of a society to execute those who have greatly exceeded the limits and rules of social behavior dictated by the society. They call it ‘murder'. And in some societies as viewed by different societies, that may be true. But then, one has to look to the crime and the punishment to determine whether it is an execution or simply murder.
I suspect that any reasonable person would objectively say that the killing of a murderer by any society is an execution whereas the killing of a person for political non-lethal reasons is murder. So you see, that life is not that complicated if you don't get caught up in the emotional aspects and spin of the subject.
I'm sure that there might be some who would say that the problem is racial and that it might not have happened to him had he not been black. Well, it turns out that since the death penalty was re-instituted in California there have been eleven people euthanized. Two of them were black, one was Hispanic and the remaining eight were white.
Bottom line: Williams deserved to be executed and he knew it. He also got twenty years of life his victims didn't - and I'm quickly learning that life is not infinate.
---------------
Pentagon may be spying on anti-war activists - NBC
[So maybe ‘big brother' is indeed monitoring Footprints! Don't hold your breath fellow conspirators because "We're, (mostly Dee and me - you first Dee, of course), are pretty small potatoes as we used to say in the old west.
So what else is new? Anyone with an ounce of brains would assume that the Pentagon is monitoring anything and everything they can - that is their job security (job security). And, of course, the Internet is - or should be - duck soup for them!
So Pentagon: I was against the unwarranted attack on Iraq from the very beginning! Despite my political representatives beliefs because they were hoodwinked in the lies and deceits presented by the Bush administration, I knew better and was, as you well know, right!
The Pentagon was not able to push Clinton into an attack on Iraq in the 90's after Old man Bush refused to go in and take the country over but after 9/11 they were able to con dumb-dumb to
finally do it. One wonders who it is who really is in charge of the Pentagon and in essence, the entire military power of the US which we all agree is "AWESOME!" (and it should be, we're paying for it!)
This is reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz when it all turned out to be – Rumsfeld? or Cheney? or how about Rove? OR how about all three of them together? ...AG]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon has a secret database that indicates the U.S. military may be collecting information on Americans who oppose the Iraq war and may be also monitoring peace demonstrations, NBC reported on Tuesday.
The database, obtained by the network, lists 1,500 "suspicious incidents" across the United States over a 10-month period and includes four dozen anti-war meetings or protests, some aimed at military recruiting, NBC's Nightly News said.
The network said the document was the first inside look at how the Pentagon has stepped up intelligence collection in the United States since the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The report quoted what it said was a secret briefing document as concluding: "We have noted increased communication between protest groups using the Internet," but not a "significant connection" between incidents.
Americans have been wary of any monitoring of anti-war activities since the Vietnam era when it was learned that the Pentagon spied on anti-war and civil rights groups and individuals. Congress held hearings in the 1970s and recommended strict limits on military spying inside the United States.
A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the NBC report about the database. However, he said: "The Department of Defense uses counterintelligence and law enforcement information properly collected by law enforcement agencies.
"The use of this information is subject to strict limitations, particularly the information must be related to missions relating to protection of DoD installations, interests and personnel," he added.
The Pentagon has already acknowledged the existence of a counterintelligence program known as the "Threat and Local Observation Notice" (TALON) reporting system.
This system, the Pentagon said, is designed to gather "non-validated threat information and security anomalies indicative of possible terrorist pre-attack activity."
----------------------------------------
American Red Cross President Resigns
By DAVID CRARY, AP
[Well, I don't want to dump on the Red Cross simply because everyone else does and, frankly, what else is there? On the other hand, I'm a small time giver to charity if for no other reason than I have family who deservedly or not requires help. However, I also believe that charity begins at home and there are plenty of needy here in Kingman - as I'm sure there are in your own home towns wherever you are - so why send your charity out of town? ...AG]
NEW YORK - American Red Cross President Marsha Evans announced her resignation Tuesday because of friction with the board of governors, shortly before witnesses and lawmakers at a congressional hearing assailed the charity's response to Hurricane Katrina.
Red Cross spokesman Charles Connor said the board was not unhappy with Evans' handling of the hurricane crisis, "but had concerns about her management approach, and coordination and communication with the board." It was the second time in three years that such feuding led to a leadership change after a national disaster.
At the hearing in Washington, lawmakers said the Red Cross's uneven response to Katrina calls for major changes in how the charity coordinates with local groups, handles its finances and distributes aid to the disabled. A Louisiana congressman even suggested the possibility of stripping the Red Cross of its dominant role in major relief campaigns.
Jack McGuire, executive vice president of the charity's Biomedical Services, was named to serve as interim president while a search for Evans' permanent successor is conducted.
A former Navy rear admiral who previously ran the Girl Scouts of the USA, Evans took over at the Red Cross in August 2002 as the organization was shaking off criticism of how it handled some donations sent in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Evans's predecessor, Dr. Bernadine Healy, said she was forced to resign partly because of disagreements with the board over whether money coming in after Sept. 11 should be placed in a separate fund or a general disaster fund. Some donors were upset that $200 million was set aside for future terrorist incidents.
Healy, now a health columnist with U.S. News & World Report, said in a telephone interview that her departure and Evans' removal reflected serious problems in how the 50-member Red Cross board addresses its internal conflicts and clashes with its top executives.
"You can't have 50 people making decisions," Healy said. "The Red Cross is a public treasure that belongs to America and must serve America. Until these governance problems can be sorted out, it won't be able to do so effectively."
She noted that the Red Cross is chartered by Congress, and the U.S. president is its honorary chairman. "The only people who can fix it are at that level," she said. [Who? Bush? Ya gotta be kidding!. ...AG]
After the Sept. 11 donation dispute, the Red Cross promised greater accountability. But the unprecedented challenges posed by this year's hurricanes raised new problems.
Critics said the Red Cross failed to respond quickly enough in some low-income, minority areas; others faulted it for balking at cooperation with grass-roots organizations even as it collected the bulk of hurricane relief funds — more than $1.8 billion to date.
On the positive side, the group mobilized roughly 220,000 volunteers in response to the hurricanes, accommodated hundreds of thousands of evacuees in shelters, and provided financial aid to about 1.2 million families.
Evans, 58, acknowledged in September that the organization's response to Katrina and Hurricane Rita had been uneven, saying the destructive power of the storms "eclipsed even our direst, worst-case scenarios."
In recent weeks, the organization has vowed to address some of the criticisms by seeking greater diversity within its ranks and establishing partnerships with local groups.
At the congressional hearing, Rep. Jim McCrery, a Louisiana Republican, called on Congress to reconsider whether to continue giving the Red Cross a lead role in responding to natural disasters. Having such a designation gave the organization a substantial boost in fundraising, absorbing about 60 percent of all donations, he said.
"If it is not the responsibility of the National Red Cross to step in when a Category 4 hurricane decimates a major metropolitan area and overwhelms one of their local chapters, whose responsibility is it?" asked McCrery.
Joseph C. Becker, senior vice president for response and preparedness for the Red Cross, said the group did its best. "We chose to help those whom we could without delay, while striving to serve all who needed us," he said.
Evans said in a message to her colleagues that she had been thinking about leaving the Red Cross earlier, but stayed on after Katrina struck to "lead our pivotal response to that epic tragedy."
Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, who chairs the Red Cross board, praised Evans' performance, including a reorganization at the Washington headquarters and a strengthening of local disaster response practices. Her statement did not elaborate on the board's friction with Evans.
Paul Light, a professor of public service at New York University, said the rapid turnover at the helm of the Red Cross raised serious questions about the board of governors, which he described as too large and disjointed. "Sacking the president isn't the panacea for what ails the Red Cross," he said.
He said the group needs to upgrade its technology and organization, and recruit new volunteers "who are representative of the communities hit hardest by disasters."
McGuire, the interim leader, has been with the Red Cross since March 2004; he previously was president of Whatman, PLC North America, a British-based manufacturer.
As head of Biomedical Services for the Red Cross, he has sought to improve relations with the
Food and Drug Administration, which has charged the Red Cross with repeatedly violating federal safety rules in its handling of blood collection.
----------------------------------
Specter seeks Alito's views on power of precedent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Republican who will preside over Judge Samuel Alito's Supreme Court confirmation hearings next month asked him on Tuesday about the role of precedent in key aspects of criminal law and religious freedom of expression.
While much of the public debate over Alito has focused on abortion, Pennsylvania Republican Arlen Specter, who chairs the Senate Judiciary committee, wrote to Alito urging him to be prepared during next month's hearings to discuss his judicial philosophy regarding the implications of overturning a long-standing Supreme Court precedent.
President George W. Bush chose Alito, an appeals court judge, to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring. The nomination has attracted intense scrutiny because Alito, who has a more conservative record than O'Connor, could potentially swing the court to the right.
Specter's five-page letter addressed the "Miranda" warnings to criminal suspects, rules governing when improperly seized evidence must be excluded from a trial, and the racial composition of juries. Alito's dissent in a case about jurors' race has drawn criticism from liberal and civil rights groups.
Specter also outlined several potential areas of questioning in cases involving religious minorities, and he noted that Alito had often upheld their rights. Specter cited one case in which a police force did not allow Sunni Muslim officers to wear beards as required by their religion, while permitting other officers to grow beards because they had skin conditions that made shaving difficult.
On precedent, Specter asked Alito if he agreed with Chief Justice John Roberts' statement that overturning a precedent could be a "jolt" to the legal system, and what the consequences to the "national culture" could be.
With the Senate back at work after a long Thanksgiving break, Alito resumed his courtesy calls on Senators. The full Senate is expected to hold votes on Alito in late January.
-------------------------------------------
Ford caught in public relations quagmire
By Poornima Gupta
DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. is caught in an ideological divide between a Christian conservative group and gay rights advocates over its advertising plans, adding a public relations nightmare to the set of problems it needs to fix.
Ford said last week its Jaguar and Land Rover luxury brands will pull all advertising from gay publications after facing a boycott threat from the American Family Association, which has criticized the automaker for being gay-friendly.
Gay advocates are now pressuring the No. 2 U.S. automaker to reverse its decision and distance itself from AFA. Senior Ford executives met with the leadership of national gay and lesbian organizations on Monday in Washington, D.C.
"We have asked that Ford repudiate its relationship with this extremist group, reinstate its advertising of Jaguar and Land Rover and continue investing in organizations working for equality," Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest U.S. gay rights organization, said in a statement after the meeting.
While Ford said the ads were being pulled as a result of cost cutting, the perception that Ford agreed to anti-gay demands from the AFA has drawn protests from gay groups across the United States.
Ford has made no commitment to review its decision to drop the ads.
The automaker needs to clearly communicate to consumers the reason behind the decision, said Judy Phair, president of Public Relations Society of America and PhairAdvantage Communications, a Washington, D.C.-area marketing consulting firm.
"They have gotten caught in the cross-fire of a cultural battle," Phair said. "It's about cars, it's not about lifestyle choices, that's what they have to keep emphasizing."
Ford -- which is working with Washington D.C.-based public relations firm Whiteck-Combs Communications to navigate the issue -- is not the first company to come under fire over its stance on homosexuals.
Other large companies including Microsoft Corp. and Walt Disney Co. have also found themselves trying to appease groups on both sides of the cultural divide.
"Part of it has to do with increased polarization," Phair said, adding that gay rights is "a real hot-button issue."
The controversy comes at a bad time for Ford, which is in the middle of planning a restructuring strategy to turn around its money-losing North American vehicle operations.
Ford, which has seen its U.S. sales fall in all but two of the last 18 months, needs both conservative Christians and gay consumers to buy its vehicles, Dave Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, told Reuters.
"It's a typical Catch-22 situation," Cole said. "There is often no middle ground to work on and what Ford is trying to do is find that middle ground."
The AFA had called for a boycott of the automaker's vehicles in May, but suspended the move in June for six months after talks with Ford dealers, and now has ended it altogether.
"We value all people -- regardless of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and cultural or physical differences," Ford Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Ford Jr. said in a statement released after the meeting with gay rights groups.
Ford spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes said on Tuesday the company had no further comment.
"It's one of those kinds of situations where there is no place to win," Cole said.
| | |
|
|
|  | |
