Modern day (court approved!) lynching
The story: A jury with a single black person deadlocks, so the judge declares a mistrial. At the second trial, the prosecutor sees to it that there are no black persons on the jury. The lily white jury takes 30 minutes to convict a black man for murdering a white man. Notice that in the Tribune’s story a “black man” punches a “white teenager,” despite the fact that they were both legal adults at the time of the death. Also, their ages must have been much closer before we stopped counting for one of them. Descriptions like this tend to subtly, er, color most readers’ opinions.
An all- white Tampa jury took about 30 minutes today to find a black man guilty of murder for killing a white teenager with one punch.
The jury found Alan Thompson Jr., 23, guilty of third- degree murder and manslaughter for the May 19, 2002, punching death of Christopher Fannan, 18, in a Steak 'N Shake parking lot in the Town 'N Country neighborhood.
Fannan's family said they were pleased with the verdict.
``We've waited for this for a long time. I'm happy,'' said Cyndi Fannan, Christopher Fannan's mother.
Minutes after the verdict, Thompson's family criticized the fairness of the jury selection and the speed of the verdict.
``I don't think the jury was a jury of Alan Thompson's peers,'' said Latarsha Brown, Thompson's cousin who is also a student at the Stetson University College of Law. She said a more racially balanced jury would have at least taken more time to deliberate.
Thompson was tried in November, but the sole black on the jury would not support a guilty verdict and the judge declared a mistrial.
But in the second trial, which began Tuesday, there were no blacks on the final jury panel.
That is because one black man was removed during the jury selection. The prosecutor, Curt Allen, used a peremptory challenge to remove the juror.
Our aWol President
Hmmm... this old story about our aWol commander in chief (first broken by the Boston Globe in 2000... see Michael Moore’s site for tons of links) may finally be gaining some legs.
It seems that heads on CNN were talking about it tonight, with Wolf Blitzer admitting that he did not know the facts. With any luck, it could show up on the Sunday talk shows and really gain some momentum.
Here’s a really good article by Marty Heldt which concisely summarizes the known facts to date, and ends with this quote:
"In short, for the several hundred thousand dollars we tax payers spent on getting [Bush] trained as a fighter jock, he repaid us with sixty-eight days of active duty. And God only knows if and when he ever flew on those days," concludes a military source. "I've spent more time cleaning up latrines than he did flying."
It’s the truth: Bush Lies.
Bush the deserter
Peter Jennings went after presidential candidate Wesley Clark last night during the debate. Peter was upset that Michael Moore had pointed out that Dubya failed to show up for National Guard duty in the early 70's while he was endeavoring not to fight for his country.
Today, Michael Moore has an answer.
In last night's Democratic Presidential debate in New Hampshire, broadcast on the Fox News (Nuisance?) Channel and ABC's Nightline, Peter Jennings went after Wesley Clark -- and me -- because I said I want to see Clark debate Bush... "The General vs. The Deserter."
Jennings, referring to me as "the controversial filmmaker," asked if Clark wanted to distance himself from me and my "reckless" remark. Clark would not back down, stating how "delighted" he was with my support, and that I was entitled to say what I wanted to say -- AND that I was not the only one who had made these charges against Bush.
The pundits immediately went berserk after the debate. As well they should. Because they know that they -- and much of the mainstream media -- ignored this Bush AWOL story when it was first revealed by an investigation in the Boston Globe (in 2000). The Globe said it appeared George W. Bush skipped out in the middle of his Texas Air National Guard service -- and no charges were ever brought against him. It was a damning story, and Bush has never provided any documents or evidence to refute the Globe's charges.
George W. Bush was missing for at least a 12 month period. That is an undisputed fact. If you or I did that, we would serve time.
Senator Daniel Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii and a World War II veteran, joined with Vietnam vets Sen. Max Cleland and Sen. Bob Kerrey to challenge Bush on the gaps in his military record. "The question is, where were you, Governor Bush? What would you do as commander-in-chief if someone in the National Guard did the same thing? At the least, I would have been court-martialed. At the least, I would have been placed in prison," Inouye said.
Liar liar…
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The Pants on Fire-mobile is coming to Tampa!
This campaign uses a 12' high statue of George W. Bush with his Pants on Fire. The statue is mounted on a flat bed trailer and pulled by an official looking, very classy, American flag laden, American sedan with leather interior. It's a very cushy ride.
The flames actually are artificial fire that looks very realistic. George is outlined in electroluminescent wire for a very spooky effect (and so he's visible at night).
The construction of the statue and the purchase of its tow vehicle were made possible by the members of TrueMajorityACTION.
We DEPEND ON VOLUNTEERS who agree to drive the Liar Liar Pants on Fire-mobile for one or more nights in their hometowns.
Look for George on a Tampa area road near you, starting Tuesday, February 3!
County caves on billboards
After a 20-year hiatus from Hillsborough County, new billboards sites are on the verge of staging a dramatic comeback.
Two weeks ago, county commissioners settled a lawsuit brought by Maverick Media that challenged the county's 1985 ban on billboards on county roads The deal gives the company conditional approval to add 29 billboards in the county.
Eighteen billboards would be allowed along Interstates 75 and 275. In the next 60 days, commissioners will agree on another 11 sites - mostly along strips such as Dale Mabry Highway, Hillsborough Avenue, the Veterans Expressway or Ehrlich Road - before the lawsuit is officially settled.
This comes after the county settled earlier lawsuits with two of the largest billboard companies in the country, Viacom and Clear Channel, that allowed them to keep their 65 billboards in place despite the ban.
Commissioners Pat Frank, Tom Scott, Jim Norman, Ronda Storms and Ken Hagan approved the Maverick Media settlement. Commissioners Jan Platt and Kathy Castor voted no.
"I think it's too generous," Platt said after the vote Jan. 7. "We might as well not have a sign ordinance."
......Marion Hilliard, the executive vice president of Citizens for Scenic Florida, which opposes billboards, was stunned to hear about the proposed Maverick Media settlement.
"I beg your pardon?" Hilliard said. "How did that happen? When they passed their sign ordinance in the 1980s, it was considered a model for how to pass a ban in a heavily populated area. Now there doesn't appear to be much left of it."
......Last year, the 11th Circuit upheld billboard bans in St. Petersburg and Clearwater against the same lawyer, Atlanta attorney Adam Webb.
San Diego lawyer Randal Morrison specializes in defending bans on billboards. He said Webb has made a lucrative career out of challenging antibillboard ordinances.
"He has 40 of these lawsuits that I know of currently filed across the nation," said Morrison, who is involved in four of those cases in California. "He does it enough so that if he loses 80 percent of the time, he still makes enough. Billboard permits are worth huge amounts of money."
Morrison said Hillsborough had better odds than those handicapped by Allen.
"Without any possible doubt, they would have won," Morrison said. "But Webb is a smart guy. He's skilled at bluffing, I'll say that much."
USA Toady on SOTU
Weapons of mass destruction
What Bush said: Search teams have "identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities" in Iraq. "Had we failed to act, the dictator's weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day."
Context: The Bush administration has struggled to explain why weapons hunters have found no chemical or biological weapons in Iraq in 10 months of searching. On the eve of the war, President Bush said there was "no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised." He said terrorist groups could acquire weapons from Iraq and use them against the United States. A search effort led by CIA appointee David Kay has turned up no weapons and no evidence of any advanced weapons program, raising questions about the quality of U.S. intelligence and the Bush administration's justification for war in Iraq.
Cho moves on
Margaret Cho got a bunch of right wing hate mail after Matt Drudge published some out of context quotes from her appearance at the MoveOn.org awards.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff"
To: margaret@margaretcho.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 5:26 AM
Subject: Go HomeThere is a reason your once large fan following has
dwindled down to a fraction of what it once was.
Please go back to your native land your overweight,
fisting lesbian. America has no room for your kind of
intolerant hate-spreading. Why don't YOU fucking
apply yourself? You might find a better world that
has always existed without the rage which fills your
obsese veins.
This is actually one of the tamer ones. The website listed above published the hate mail, and the senders have been inundated with responses from supporters of Margeret. Some of them have even apologized. Here’s Margaret with a very reasoned response to one of the letter writers:
Or would you only prefer to see
all non - liberals, non-democratic
party members rounded up and
executed?No. I would like to see them educated, on their own terms, with whatever they might need, an overhead projector, flashcards, crayons, markers that smell like fruit, rubber cement, #2 pencils - all that. I would give them all the finger paint and avocado seeds that they could sprout on the windowsill so they could learn something about the way things grow, then maybe bumping them up a grade, and then s-l-o-w-l-y having the idea introduced that maybe it would be possible we could actually allow for the separation of church and state, to live in the country that this is supposed to be, you know, that land of the free, home of the brave - all that shit.
Her post is much longer than this little excerpt, and much better in context. Follow the link!
Get Up with MorningWood
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W pisses on Dr. King’s grave as Coretta Scott King tries but fails to locate the phantom bulge so prominently displayed during his flight suit sausage strut
Get Up with MorningWood, on Community Radio WMNF 88.5 fm, Tampa, and streaming at wmnf.org.
4 to 6 am every Tuesday!
Studio line: 813-239-9663. Call anytime!
Today on MorningWood
It’s the SOTU special. W will be giving the State of the Union speech tonight. I have a preview, along with highlights from previous speeches, a W debate classic, tons of great music, all related somehow to today’s theme, and lots more!
Listen up for a chance to win a compilation CD of GWB cutups. I’ll give away just one CD this week, but every single person who pledges during MorningWood next week (see below) will get a free CD as well as the usual thank you gifts.
Winter Minithon
As you may have surmised, WMNF will be holding its Winter Minithon fundraiser next week. We still need phone answerers (yes, we use volunteers, not paid phone banks) and other volunteer help. Call 813-238-8001 during business hours or 813-239-9663 at any other time and sign up to help.
WMNF relies on listeners’ contributions to stay on the air. WMNF is community radio. WMNF is not affiliated with any university. WMNF is not an NPR station. (We play NPR headline news and other programming, but we pay for that privilege.)
This particular Minithon is extremely important to me. Randy has yet to make a decision on who is going to take over the Saturday afternoon slot that DJ DDP is vacating. (see sidebar and below for details) A good showing for MorningWood can only help when Randy does eventually make his decision.
Please help me out by calling in your pledge during MorningWood next Tuesday from 4 to 6am. If you’d like to support MorningWood, but can not make it to your phone or radio next Tuesday, call me at the station during today’s show: 813-239-9663 or email me and we’ll arrange for an absentee pledge.
Don’t forget: a FREE CD of GWB cutups to every single person who pledges to MorningWood next week!
Playlists
DJ DDP is leaving Saturday Asylum, so there is an opening for a programmer on Saturday afternoon. Call or Email WMNF Program Director Randy Wynne and ask him to pick Norwood for this slot from 2-4 PM on Saturdays! (Phone number is 813-238-8001, ex 16) I know: I’ll have to come up with another catchy name, since MorningWood seems somehow inappropriate in the afternoon, but I’m willing to make the sacrifice.
The saga continues
I want to thank everyone who has already called or emailed Randy Wynne. He has noticed and your efforts are making a big difference, but there are lots of qualified candidates. Randy told me last week that his final decision is still a few weeks away. So please keep the calls and emails coming. Let Randy know that it’s time for Wood in the afternoon!
FREE Stuff!
Free GWB cutups on CD! One CD will be given away on the air this morning, so listen up! You can also get this CD by pledging during MorningWood next week. (details above)
WMNF Community Radio
WMNF is a non-commercial community radio station that celebrates local cultural diversity and is committed to equality, peace and social and economic justice. WMNF provides broadcasts and creates other forums to serve the community by the exposure and sharing of these values.
We need volunteer help for our Winter Minithon! If you can help with phone answering or other jobs on January 26 and 27, call 813-238-8001 and sign up!
100,000 Florida kids left behind
"I always thought that as Americans we were much more ethical and merciful ...”
Over 100,000 sick and needy Florida kids are being denied critical care by Jeb and his heartless henchmen in the Legislature. These children have hard working parents, but like a lot of families these days, maintaining health insurance coverage is literally impossible.
Jeb! could help all of these kids right now, simply by allowing federal funds that the state already has to be spent. Don’t hold your breath, though, ‘cause it aint gonna happen.
Last year, facing budget trouble, state lawmakers halted enrollment in KidCare, the umbrella health insurance program for children from lower-income families.
The waiting list grew quickly.
By Dec. 24, 89,770 children, some with life-threatening illnesses, were waiting to get KidCare coverage.
Last week, the list stood at 100,840, said Rose Naff, executive director of Florida Healthy Kids Corp., which handles eligibility for KidCare.
Some lawmakers and child advocates have been pressing the Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush to funnel some of a federal economic stimulus package to KidCare, with no success so far.
Bush, who said funding for KidCare has grown 85 percent since 1999, said he doesn't support pouring "one-time nonrecurring" federal money into the program. He promised to increase funding in the next fiscal year.
"It is not possible to tell you where your child is on the wait list or how soon he or she will be enrolled," a recorded male voice on the KidCare information line tells callers.
......For 2-year-old Abigail Confalone, sleeping can be scary, and not because of a boogeyman. Abigail suffers from cherubism, a rare genetic disorder that dissolves jawbones and leads to an overgrowth of fibrous tissue.
......Abigail needs a CAT scan every three months to make sure the tissue isn't cutting off her optic nerve, which would cause blindness.
The girl, who loves the stuffed horse one of her older brothers gave her for Christmas, last visited the doctor in November. So far, she has no appointment to see the doctor again.
In December, the Confalones lost their Medicaid health insurance after their income rose by $3,000. That same month, Confalone, who runs a home day care, and her husband, Donald, an air conditioning technician, applied for KidCare for Abigail and their two sons, Michael, 3, and Jacob, 11.
"They said it would be a very long time" before the Confalone children would be enrolled in KidCare, Debra Confalone said. "It's been very stressful because we don't know where this tissue is going in her head. We don't know if she's going to wake up tomorrow and not be able to see or if the pressure in her brain is increasing, which could cause brain damage. We're just watching day to day to see how she is.
"I always thought that as Americans we were much more ethical and merciful and wouldn't withhold this intensely needed health care from a 2-year-old little girl."
* * *
Matt Hawkinson said he and his fiancee, Jennifer Morgan, applied for KidCare for their nearly 2-year-old daughter, Jolina, the day before the state stopped enrollment. They were told to call back the next day. When they called back, they learned enrollment had been suspended, Hawkinson said.
"They just gave us the runaround," he said. "It was a big fiasco."
The couple - she delivers pizza and he works in construction - already had been turned down for Medicaid.
Jolina, who has hydrocephalus, an abnormal amount of spinal fluid in the brain, has been on the waiting list ever since. She has missed at least three appointments with the geneticist and the neurologist because she has no insurance, Hawkinson said.
"If it doesn't get fixed, it could cause serious brain damage," he said as Jolina played near him in their Sarasota home. "It's pretty hard. It's way too expensive to pay out of pocket."
* * *
Since Aryanne Koch Kraavi was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in June, life has changed.
......Her father, Andy Kraavi, has spent much of the past year pretty upset, too. Last January, he lost his architectural design job. He and Aryanne have since given up satellite TV, a home telephone, the Internet, dinner outings and frequent trips to see friends in Sarasota.
They also lost their health insurance. Six months later, in June, Aryanne was diagnosed with diabetes. She will need insulin shots every day for the rest of her life, her father said.
Kraavi applied for Medicaid but didn't qualify. So in July, he applied for KidCare for Aryanne.
In August, the same month Kraavi's unemployment benefits ran out, one of the programs under KidCare began paying for Aryanne's diabetic supplies and visits to a specialist, but she doesn't have full health care coverage.
"I went from making $38,000 a year to $10,000 a year," Kraavi said. "There's no way I could have (paid for) the supplies and doctor visits. There's something wrong with the system if you make too much money to get Medicaid and not enough to pay for your own health insurance. There should be something to fall back on."
......"I have to hope nothing happens," her father said as Neeko, their yellow Labrador, sniffed out a visitor. "That she doesn't get a cold or the flu or a cut or break a bone or nothing. Otherwise, it'll put me in big debt, and I'd probably never recover from it."
Boca Raton Rep. Wexler stands up for democracy
As I wrote yesterday, a paper trail is exactly what is needed.
Arguing that he's exhausted other options and that time is running out to ensure an accurate 2004 election, U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, turned to the courts Friday in his quest to require paper printouts from electronic voting machines.
In a lawsuit against Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood and Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Theresa LePore, Wexler asked a judge to conclude that both officials are violating their duties to ensure votes are counted accurately.
Wexler's desired fix is a printed duplicate of all ballots cast on electronic voting machines used in Broward, Palm Beach and other Florida counties. He said such a paper trail is the only way to guarantee fair elections because it's the only way to conduct an accurate recount in a close race.
Wexler said he's long been concerned about the lack of a paper record for touch-screen machines, and his fears were confirmed by last week's special election for Florida House District 91 in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Ellyn Bogdanoff was declared the winner by 12 votes. Voting machines showed that 137 people who went to the polls that day cast no ballot even though it was the day's only election.
The outcome prompted him to go to court because he's been writing letters to Hood and LePore for months and nothing has happened.
"It is mind-boggling to me because there is nothing partisan about this issue. There is nothing Democratic about it, and there is nothing Republican about it. This is as American as apple pie," he said.
Actually, there is a partisan edge to the debate. The push for ballot printers has largely come from Democrats, with Republicans and election officials offering resistance or raising questions.
And why is it that Republicans are against an accurate counting of our votes?
More on e-voting