California Prohibits Lethal Injection

“Today has been the most significant day in the history of the death penalty in America in many years,” said Jamie Fellner, the director of the Human Rights Watch program, referring to Friday, December 15, 2006. On this day, Governor Jeb Bush suspended all upcoming executions in the state of Florida. The causes of the suspension were a problem with an execution that occurred this past Wednesday and the fact that many believe execution is unconstitutional. The troubled execution was that of Angel N. Diaz. Because of the trouble, it took two doses and thirty-four minutes for Diaz to die. On Friday, a federal judge claimed that execution in California violates the 8th Amendment, which bans cruel and unusual punishment. This was carefully considered for four days and may be the fullest consideration of whether lethal injection is a violation to the Constitution. Since the reinstallation of the death penalty in 1976, California has executed thirteen people, and has had six-hundred and fifty people on death row, which is the largest number of people on death row in the United States. Florida, on the other hand, has executed a total of sixty-four people since 1976. Judge Fogel has been concerned with the chemicals being used for the lethal injection, and believes it is unconstitutional to use two of them. There are three chemicals in all: one that causes unconsciousness, one that paralyzes the inmate, and one that stops the heart. The last two are believed to be unconstitutional because the one that paralyzes the inmate would cause him or her to be conscious while suffocating. The last chemical is potassium chloride, which would be very painful. However, Judge Fogel also suggested that if inmates were executed the way animals were euthanized, the constitutional concerns would be eliminated.


On February 18, 1972, The California Supreme Court declared that the death penalty violated the Constitution as cruel and unusual punishment. Because of this, over one-hundred inmates were taken off death row and resentenced. The same happened in 1976, when sixty-eight inmates were resentenced.

Will Mother Nature Rest?

4 Dead and Million Without Power as Fierce Storms Hit Pacific Northwest

Dec 15 – The Pacific Northwest was devastated
Thursday night and Friday morning by a storm that knocked out a total of 64 major electrical feeders, wiping out power for millions. Four have died in the storm, including one woman who drowned in her basement. The storm brought with it winds reaching 69 mph in the Seattle area and 113 mph throughout the Cascade Range along with heavy rain. Many roads and a bridge across Lake Washington were closed for safety precautions. The bridge had been damaged by oncoming waves. Numerous houses were struck by trees causing extensive damage. This is not the first severe weather that the area has experienced this year. The month of November was one that will not soon be forgotten. Previous records were broken when rainfall flooded much of the Pacific Northwest with harsh cold streak following it. However, that was not the end of it, unpredicted snow and ice blanketed the region.

Businesses have been immensely affected by storm. Alan Johnson, store director of the Quality Food Center has been forced to keep perishables in other shops do to faulty coolers. A local power company, Puget Sound Energy, has announced that an estimated 700,000 of its consumers have lost power. Puget Sound Energy has only one million clients. Spokesman for the company, Martha Monfried, stated yesterday, “Our system was really hit, probably harder than it ever has been.”

Dean Custis, 62, is an inhabitant of Seattle and had this to say about his experience, “The top of my hot tub blew off, so I just went out and sat in it.”

These storms, although not as harsh, can be related to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast and was recorded as one of the deadliest hurricanes in the US killing more than 1,800 people. Due to the flooding, which engulfed nearly 80% of New Orleans, millions of citizens lost their homes and were forced to evacuate. The reconstruction of New Orleans and other cities is still ongoing. Hurricane Katrina is without a doubt on a much larger scale than the recent events in northwest; however, the past two months must have seemed apocalyptic to the residents.

Mass Arrests in Western, U.S.

Immigrant families have been racing about, trying to locate detained family members and relatives. They have been trying to recover from a string of raids this week, on meat-packing industries in six different states by immigration officers. The raids were said to be part of a federal operation against identity theft. Both legal and illegal immigrants were arrested for a grand total of 1,282. In Cactus, Texas, 275 employees were arrested. There were 230 arrests in Worthington, Minnesota. Most of the families of people who were detained, went into hiding to save themselves. The raids targeted hundreds of immigrants who were legal citizens, but did not carry their papers with them to work. The illegal immigrants were told they must leave the country or face deportation. They have not been allowed to contact any members of their family and are being treated as criminals.

Some of you might not see how this story has any link to history at all. However, the connection that was found was one of great similarity. The manner in which the immigrants are being taken from their jobs and bussed to immigrant detention camps is bitterly reminiscent of the way the Jews were treated precedent to the Holocaust. They were plucked from their businesses or place of employment and sent to detention camps and were separated from their families. They were also treated like criminals but had no reason to be. The Jews were targeted by the Nazis ever since Hitler came to power, thus sparking the Holocaust.

Mass Arrests

Saudi Arabian Lawyer Decides American Foreign Policy

For those among us that wish to travel to the state of Israel it may no longer be a possibility. The Iraq Study Groups Report on the situation in Iraq says that the United States should seek the help of the evil countries known as Syria and Iran. In essence, we are being told to negotiate with the enemy. Iran has noted their intentions to wipe, our ally, Israel off the face of the map and they are only called the “little satan”. what is our fine country called, the “big satan”. if he plans to wipe the little version of us off the face of the map then what does he intend to do to us. That is not even the most alarming fact in the whole plot. James baker, the man who is the head of the Iraq Study Group, is the lawyer for the House of Saud. In other words the country that we know as Saudi Arabia, the place where the majority of 9/11 hijackers come from and also the home of the number one most wanted man by the US FBI, Osama Bin Laden.

Quite honestly this type of debacle has never happened on the large scale that it is right now. However it is somewhat like when we let the liberal appeasers of the 30’s try to negotiate on our behalf in front of Hitler. Unfortunately we are dealing with his reincairnation now, what we do with him will be more pivotal this time around.

Rivalry in Rwanda

Rivalry in Rwanda
By Kevin Mahoney


On December 13th, Rev. Athanase Seromba, a Roman Catholic priest originally form Rwanda was convicted to fifteen years in prison. The priest was convicted of ordering his church to kill over 2,000 refugees in 1994, by smashing a bulldozer into a Tutsi church. The killings occurred during the Rwanda genocide of 1994, when Hutu extremists began to hunt out and kill members of the Tutsi and moderate Hutu community. Seromba was able to escape persecution for so long by escaping to Florence, Italy and serving as a priest in two churches there. Charges were not filed against him until February 6th, 2002, of which he pleaded not guilty. Although he may be one of the first religious leaders of Rwanda to be punished fro his crime, he will certainly not be the last. There are at least two other Catholic priests are awaiting charges, as well as three other nuns, and over a dozen clergymen and religious leaders. Although there are many members of the Hutu clan who are being penalized for their actions in the 1994 genocide, there is still a great deal of hostility and animosity between the two groups.
The Hutu and Tutsi groups make up most of the population of Rwanda, with the Hutu’s making up around 90% of the population, and the Tutsi making up around 9% of the population. There is some claim that there are slight physical differences between the two groups, but other than that they are relatively the same. They pseak the same language, follow the same clan, and practice the same religion. For almost 400 years the two groups got along quite well, that was until Germany and Belgium began to advise them to do otherwise. Belgium took over the Rwanda colonies in 1916, and thought that clans should be governed on different hierarchical form. They saw the Tutsi as the superior group, and therefore were treated so. This hierarchy lasted for around 40 years, until 1959, where the Hutu clan began to assume higher roles in government and society. Animosity and anger towards each other has lasted ever sense.
It is an absolute shame that the root of anger between the two clans was because an outsider told them who was superior to each other. You would thin k that through all of the bloodshed and lives lost they would learn to work together as a single force.


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/world/africa/14rwanda.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/53482/a_history_of_rwandas_genocide_hutu.html

Non-believers and Sinners unite to discuss- The Holocausts Existance

A government sponsored conference was held in Iran for those who do not believe in the Holocausts existence. The men and women attending discussed whether or not millions of Jews were murdered unjustly by the Nazis, and if gas chambers existed. The conference was held in Iran because the attendees could discuss the matter “away from Western taboos and the restriction imposed on them in Europe,” said Rasoul Mousavi, who is the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Institute for Political and International Studies. Mr. Mousavi's company organized this controversial event.
David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and current American Politician is a white supremacist to the extreme. He made remarks during the conference, and wrote a paper concerning the issue at hand. Mr. Duke claimed that he did not believe the Nazis would use such methods as gas chamber, or even concentration camps. He believes that more simple and less expensive methods would have been used. “Depicting Jews as the overwhelming victims of the Holocaust gave the moral high ground to the Allies as victors of the war, and allowed Jews to establish a state on the occupied land of Palestine,” this excerpt from Mr. Dukes paper further proves his views toward the situation.
Another well noted speaker during the conference was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is the Iranian President. Many of the men and women present agreed with all that the president had to say, and they praised him.
On the other hand, much of the West condemned this conference. They, like much of the rest of the world cannot deny that they Holocaust occurred, and that millions of Jews were murdered because of who they were, and what they believed in.
The Holocaust commenced during World War II. The war was begun because of a man named Adolf Hitler. He believed that all types of people that were inferior to the white man, the Jews, Poles, Gypsies, Disabled people, ect., should be obliterated. It seems unimaginable that one seemingly truthful and quite charismatic man should bring about such violence, and it is also remarkable that a group of people in today’s world does not believe that something like the Holocaust could occur.

Missiles and icebergs?

Fort Greely, Alaska, has become the newest edition to the outposts of America's missile defense system. Members of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard were chosen to help field test the missiles. This frigid outpost is where progress on the missile system is said to be the most evident. Interceptor missiles are installed in underground silos, buried deep beneath the snow. Interestingly, when North Korea warned that it planned to fire a missile this summer, Fort Greely was put on alert status and was ready to respond if the situation required so. Alaska has been crucial to American military interests since way before it became a recognized state in 1959.

Another place that had been the site of a missile defense system was Cuba, back during the late 1950s - early 1960s. Cuba, however, attempted to conceal their missiles to use against the U.S. Although the two situations varied slightly, both places were homes to missile systems.

Shuttle Launch Postponed
NASA officials hoped to launch the shuttle Discovery, today at 9:30p.m. in Cape Canaveral Florida. This particular liftoff would be the first to occur at night in four years. Flight controllers were tracking the rapidly changing weather patterns at the Kennedy’s Space Center launch pad all day. They were encouraged by a pilot flying above the space station who said that the clouds seemed to be high enough for the launch that was scheduled to occur 90 minutes later. However, 30 minutes before launch time the weather was rendered too cloudy for a successful launch. This was a disappointment to the seven astronauts who had been in the shuttle two hours earlier than their launch time. They all had previously toasted to one another at the pre-launch meal due to the fact that five of the astronauts were going to space for the first time.
The decision to postpone this launch until Saturday was perhaps a wise one. Unfavorable weather conditions represented such as too many clouds, prevent the necessary observation of the shuttle during its ascent, and the shuttle commander needs visibility if an emergency landing is required. The launch of a shuttle into space has become a delicate matter ever since the Challenger disaster in 1986. Like the Discovery, the Challenger had originally been delayed due to bad weather and cross winds that exceeded limits at the Kennedy Space Center Landing Facility. When it was finally launched at 11:38a.m. it exploded only 73 seconds into the launch and killed its seven crew members. The Challenger provides an accurate explanation as to why it is imperative for all elements of the launch to be sufficient, especially the weather.

Pearl Harobr: A Day to Remember

Honoring Pearl Harbor
By Kevin Mahoney

Many war veterans, politicians, and survivors gathered today, December 7th, 2006, to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Veterans of the war were honored in a special ceremony today in Oahu, Hawaii, many of them worried that this will be the last time they will be alive to see recognition given on this day. ''Sixty-five years later, there's not too many of us left,'' said Don Stratton, a seaman 1st class who was aboard the USS Arizona on Dec. 7, 1941. ''In another five years I'll be 89. The good lord willing, I might be able to make it. If so, I'll probably be here. I might not even be around. Who knows? Only the good Lord knows.'' (1). the ceremony included a Hawaii blessing performed from a native island priest, and also a gun salute from the Marines stationed on the island. Although all who attended the event viewed it as a respectful, honorable moment, this does not mean however the lives of those taken were not missed.
The attack on Pearl Harbor took place on a Sunday morning at 7:55 am, December 7th, 1942. The Japanese army’s surprise attack totally wiped out the naval base, damaging or destructing 8 naval ships, and leaving over 2,403 dead. The attack lasted a grand total of two hours, the first wave of planes hitting at 7:55, and the second aerial attack occurring an hour later. By 9:55, the attack was over and Pearl Harbor was left in turmoil and destruction. The morning after the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress declared war on Japan. The nation now jumped to action.
Pearl Harbor has unquestionably left a mark on our country. Although the exact facts of that day, and the countless people lost may be forgotten, the reaction of our government, to not stand aside and allow the Japanese to attack us without punishment, but to defend, will not.












http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Pearl-Harbor-Remembered.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl.htm

Pittsburgh is all smoked up!

On December 6th, 2006, the Allegheny County Board of Health met in the early morning to discuss Pittsburgh's new ban on smoking in the workplace. The board approved the ban and agreed that it would go into effect on January 2, 2007, with a budget of 25,000 dollars. This ban will make sure that all public buildings and workplaces in the county are smoke free with a few exceptions.
"Don't expect to eat a smoke-free meal at:
1.) Bars with fewer than 10 employees
2.) Bars where food sales make up less than 10 percent of their business
3.) fundraiser staffed by volunteers (no minors allowed on premises)"
Dan Onorato, the county chief executive, interestingly does not support this new bill. He feels that some restaurants cannot be asked to hold up to the "fifteen foot rule", which states that one must be fifteen feet away from the premises of a building in order to smoke. He argues that fifteen feet away from certain, smaller, local restaurants would leave a person smoking in the middle of the street! Although smokers in the Pittsburgh area agree with Mr. Onorato's views, the ban is still being issued in January, regardless of their opinions.

From 1920 to 1933, the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes" was prohibited in the United States. This amendment was passed through the US Constitution's attempt to end social problems that many Americans were experiencing and was formerly known as the "Dry Law". Prohibition of alcohol or smoking is not new to Americans and citizens in the Pittsburgh area may find that their new nonsmoking rules may turn out to be more of a blessing than a nuisance.

Execution of the mentally handicapped: Should it be permitted?

Whether or not the state should be allowed to execute an inmate that they think is mentally ill has been a controversy for many decades. In many cases, people who have been executed were mentally ill, while others may have faked it in hope to be pardoned for their crimes. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Bar Association believe the state should not be allowed to execute the mentally ill. On Friday, November 24, 2006 , Guy Tobias LeGrande, a forty-seven year old male, had been given the death penalty. However, three days later on Monday, November 27, a judge ordered the execution delayed for sixty days. LeGrande had been found guilty for the murder of Ellen Munford in 1993. The execution was delayed because the judge wanted psychiatrists to evaluate LeGrande (and they will have forty-five days to do so), since many believe he is mentally ill. Those who believe LeGrande is mentally ill include opponents of the death penalty. These people also believe the inmate should never have been allowed to represent himself. However, prosecutors argue that LeGrande had simply been putting on an act in the courtroom. A Duke University law professor by the name of James Coleman says that a psychiatrist who had already examined LeGrande claims he is mentally ill. However, current district attorney Michael Parker claims that transcripts from the 1996 trial conclude that LeGrande indeed knew what he was doing, and that his outburst came only at the end of the trial because of the verdict.


The United States is one of the only two countries in the world to permit the execution of the mentally handicapped. By the year 1989, only Georgia and Maryland prohibited this type of execution. This has changed within the past decade. Now, there are thirty-one states that permit the death penalty. Of these, thirteen prohibit the execution of people with mental disabilities. Six more have been considering prohibiting the execution of such people. The United States Supreme Court is still not sure whether or not the execution of mentally handicapped people violates the 8th Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.

Seattle's "Open Choice" policy faces criticism

Supreme Court Case focuses on Race in schools Blog #5

The Seattle “open choice” program, meant to help promote racial balance, has been refuted by the Supreme Court. Michael Madden, the school district lawyer is having some difficulty trying to convince members of the Supreme Court that the current system is the best system. Madden argued that the Seattle school system is doing what is required under the narrowly tailored legislation; they are not denying admissions to any student. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and Justice Antonin Scalia were not impressed with this answer and seemed to think that such an argument was still selective because it was not available to every student who applied.
The “open choice” policy looks to place students given their proximity to a school, whether or not they have siblings at the school, and their race. The plan is designed to overcome the effects of segregated housing patterns in its ten high schools. Unfortunately this plan does not seem to avoid narrow-tailoring problems. Also, the plan is not only facing criticism in the Supreme Court. Parents have challenged the plan stating that minorities are being denied admission to schools without individual consideration.
The suggestion that race has limited the admissions of minority students to different schools brings to mind the well known Brown vs. the Board of Education. The Supreme Court combined five cases under the heading of Brown vs. Board of Education, the namesake being Oliver Brown of Kansas. The cases include Belton v. Gebhart (Delaware), Brown v. Board of Education (Kansas), Briggs v. Elliot (South Carolina), Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County (Virginia), and Bolling v. C. Melvin Sharpe (Washington, DC). These cases all took place in 1950 and 1951. The five cases dealt with segregation in schools and many were linked with the NAACP.

Difference of Opinions

Iran Promises to Help Iraq in Ending Violence There

Nov. 27 – In a meeting with the Iraqi president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed to stop the rising violence in Iraq. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, stated in a recent press conference, “The Iranian government and people will stand by their brothers in Iraq and will do anything to help bring peace into Iraq… A safe, developed and strong Iraq is better for Iran and also for the region. ” Iran is held in high regard with the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, as well as the Iraqi population. Iraqi citizens lived in Iran during the rule of Saddam Hussein, creating close ties between the two countries. President Talabani feels as though Iran is needed to bring peace having this to say, “We seriously need Iran’s help to restore stability and security.” Iran also invited Syria to join in the effort in an attempt to boost its influence. It is surprising to see how little people appreciate all that the American military has contributed over there.

The US has other plans for Iraq. Rumsfeld, announcing his resignation just weeks ago, recently proposed major adjustments for Iraq. One of his suggestions would be punishing provinces that failed to cooperate. They would do this by withdrawing security and assistance. Rumsfeld told reporters, “Stop rewarding bad behavior, as was done in Falluja when they pushed in reconstruction funds, and start rewarding good behavior.” After an American offensive attack, Falluja was left devastated which found America with no other options then to rebuild or evacuate the city. Since then, the city is considered one of the more stable districts in the province. Rumsfeld, along with other military leaders, suggest calling in reserves for more support in Iraq. What ever the strategy may be, one thing is clear, Iran and Syria are not included.

The current situation most easily relates to Germany right after WWII. After the defeat of Hitler and Nazi Germany, both America and the Soviet Union were occupying the country. America, with the assistance of the United Kingdom and France, form Western Berlin while the Soviet Union formed Eastern Berlin. As time passed, the dissimilarity of their politics separated the two territories of the country. With the construction of the Berlin Wall and the incident at Checkpoint Charlie, the connections between the two sectors of Berlin were complete severed.

With more countries involving themselves with Iraq, the ideas of how it should be dealt with will differ as well. Amidst the different theories and plans, the country will split even more than it has already, particularly when Iran, one of the members of the Axis of Evil, is engaged.

chinese or american garlic?

Produce farmers are uniting to lobby for a bill that will be put forth to Congress in January. Historically, only interchangeable commodities such as corn, cotton, wheat, rice and soybeans have been supplied with federal government subsidies. A subsidy is the opposite of a tax; it is a grant from the government that will help in the prodution of a good that will benefit the public. Fruits and vegetables are not considered interchangeable commodities. Instead they are specialty crops because their taste and quality vary. The farmers of these specialty crops are uniting to ask for government funds so that they may contend with foreign competition. The farmers of the commodity crops expect to generate fifty two billion dollars this year. The farmers of fruit and vegetables are gaining influence, because when united, they expect to make fifty two point two billion dollars. The produce farmers supporting this bill have the advantage of having substantial representation in Congress. Increased importation from China and Hong Kong has put produce farmers at a great disadvantage thus forcing them to unite. In 2000, less than one million pounds of garlic was imported. Last year, 112 million pounds were imported. Consumers can pay fifteen dollars for a thirty pound box of Chinese garlic or twenty eight dollars for the same size box from California. The bill that the produce farmers are lobbying for is not hand-out, it is to be used for research that will educate others and improve their industry.


Farming has always played a crucial role in American life. When drafting the Constitution, one of the issues that spilt the delegates was the issue of taxes on exports from American farms. The Agricultural group of people was in favor of no export tax because it would make their products better able to compete with foreign products. The Commercial Compromise granted this wish, as well as calling for control of interstate and foreign trade.

What the US has learned so far in Iraq

Listing the things done wrong in Iraq, one veteran US policymaker put it bluntly and stated that Pentagon leaders ignored analyses that indicated they needed more troops to keep order. The military was slow to develop a clear plan to counter the insurgency. Many are saying that this war was not worth what it has cost the country in resources and lives of American soldiers. The fact that the war was to provide safety and security for Iraqi people has also raised questions about whether or not it was smart to even enter the country at all. All of these topics resemble those that took place in Vietnam. The US was attempting to have a country maintain a democratic government. In Iraq, the US is basically attempting to build a democratic form of government. Had the US looked into the past and seen that it was a bad idea to go about doing this sort of thing again, the war in Iraq may have gone through more gracefully.