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Another murder victim's family opposes death penalty
Mary Shaw
A Philadelphia suburban district attorney has announced that he will not seek the death penalty against a woman and her lover for the June murder of the woman's husband, Kevin Mengel.
Chester County DA Joe Carroll said the case does not meet the conditions required to pursue the death penalty.
Carroll also noted that the victim's parents did not want the death penalty for their son's murderers. And that is why I am writing this.
Whenever I write or speak about my opposition to the death penalty, I invariably hear from death penalty proponents who argue that killing the killer serves the best interests of the victim's family, giving them closure. But not all families are thirsty for revenge. This Chester County case is one example of that. So are the cases of the many family members who form the organization Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation (MVFR). Founded in 1976, MVFR actively works for abolition of the death penalty in all states that still use it.
We Need a New Language to Provide a Vision for a New Economy
By Kevin Zeese
The Late Tony Judt’s Last Book Focuses on Ending Concentrated Wealth and Creating an Economy That Works for All
I was saddened to read of historian Tony Judt’s death at too early an age. He was the type of historian we need to hear more from. He confronted the myths on which governments and their people build lives, myths that need to be confronted so the people can be uplifted and their necessities met “not one in which we tell pleasant lies about ourselves.”
I recently read Tony Judt's last book, Ill Fare’s the Land. His important premise was that we need to develop a new language that builds on the success of social democracy programs (in the U.S. those would be New Deal and Great Society programs) combined with putting forward a new vision for an economy that works for more than the top .5%. His views re-enforced the work we are developing at ProsperityAgenda.US – describing and advocating for a new economy in language that people can understand – post-capitalism, post-socialism, a new democratic economy.
Israel Prohibiting the Right to Demonstrate
by Stephen Lendman
The 1907 Hague Convention's Article 43 and Fourth Geneva's Article 64 require that occupied territory penal laws stay in force, applicable to both occupier and occupied. However, since 1967, Israel issued over 2,500 Military Orders, controlling daily life solely for Palestinians, not settlers, the military commander having final authority over institutionalized discrimination, suppressing democratic freedoms, including free expression and right to gather peacefully to protest.
Under Israel's 1967 Military Order No. 101 ("Order Regarding Prohibition of Incitement and Hostile Propaganda Actions" as amended), gatherings of more than 10 Palestinians are prohibited without advance IDF notice, including names of participants, those in violation subject to 10 years imprisonment, a heavy fine, or both. The order implies that Palestinians have no legal right to demonstrate, express views freely, or engage in nonviolent peaceful protests.
The Unrivaled Legacy of Avicenna
Kourosh Ziabari
Historically, Iran has been a land of prominent, influential figures in science, letters, arts and literature whose impact on the global civilization will remain in place forever.
Throughout its ancient history, Iran has introduced numerous people to the world who have been among the most impressive, notable and valuable figures in their own field of expertise.
Although the European nations usually boast of being the foremost pioneers and harbingers in various fields of science and arts, they know well that they owe to the Persians the achievement of many peaks and breakthroughs which they introduce as being theirs. Persians have been traditionally skilful and dexterous in different branches of astronomy, mathematics, physics, medicine, psychiatry, architecture, philosophy, theology and literature and the unparalleled names of Ferdowsi, Rumi, Rhazes, Rudaki, Biruni, Al-Farabi, Al-Khawrizmi and Avicenna attest to the fact that Iran has been perpetually a land of science, knowledge and conscience in which cleverness grows and talent develops.
The Maxine Waters Investigation: What is Iran Doing in this Picture?
By Katherine Smith PhD
The timing of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which on August 2, 2010 formally brought a case against Congresswoman Maxine Waters, one of America’s most enduring liberal and fierce Anti War politicians, and the WikiLeaks of tens of thousands of Army documents related to the war in Afghanistan may be connected.
Speculation by bloggers, including John Young of Cryptome.com, and an expose at The Intel Hub that the WikiLeaks is part of a disinformation operation, and that the documents themselves could even be fake, should put every left leaning American on Yellow alert.
Fox News wasted no time exploiting the WikiLeaks documents to further vilify Iran, pointing out that the documents indicate the U.S. belief that Iran is arming the Taliban insurgency. This adds another layer to Fox's steady stream of propaganda that has flowed over the years advocating for an attack on the country, and stands as a reason why some believe the leak was staged. WikiLeaks documents-- disinformation or not-- are being used for anti-Iran propaganda, OpEdNews
Bradley Manning: An American Hero
by Stephen Lendman
Manning, of course, is the courageous Army intelligence analyst turned whistleblower, who admitted leaking:
-- "260,000 classified United States diplomatic cables and video of a (US) airstrike in Afghanistan that killed 97 civilians last year," and
-- an "explosive (39 minute) video of an American helicopter attack in Baghdad that left 12 people dead, including two employees of the Reuters news agency" - "collateral murder" he felt obligated to expose.
It got him in trouble. On June 7, the military in Iraq arrested him, saying:
"The Department of Defense takes the management of classified information very seriously because it affects our national security, the lives of our soldiers, and our operations abroad."
Beware Julian Assange and Wikileaks - Darlings Of The Mainstream Media
Joe Quinn Sott.net
Mainstream Media darling - Julian Assange
A friend recently asked me what I thought of the wikileaks business. The person said that they were still a little idealistic, and perhapst there are still some "good guys" out there who can really make a difference. I wondered, in terms of the wikileaks documents, precisely what kind of change could be hoped for? After all, we are talking about documents that describe US military activity in Afghanistan, in all their gory and criminal details. I presumed then that the difference that so many are hoping that the wikileaks documents (and their purveyor, Julian Assange) will make, is nothing less than the halting of the American Empire's unholy crusade across the Middle East and S.E. Asia. Now that would be nice!
August Forecast: Cloudy With a Chance of Mayhem
by Keith Johnson
July may have gone out with a whimper, but August may very well come in with a BANG!
The eighth month on the Gregorian calendar has a notoriously violent past. World War I kicked in to high gear on August 4, 1914 when Great Britain declared war on Germany (after they refused to withdraw from Belgium). World War II went up in smoke on August 9th, 1945 when the U.S. dropped its 2nd nuclear bomb—on the people of Japan—at Nagasaki. Will August 10th, 2010 go down in history as the beginning of World War III?
Indulge me.
Can Americans Who Oppose War and Empire Work Together?
Kevin Zeese
Or will both sides generalize about the worst of the other and allow militarists to win?
Senator Lindsay Graham, a war supporting senator from South Carolina, said what he fears most is a left-right alliance against the Afghanistan War. He recognizes that such an alliance could stop war funding and force American troops to return home. But, the masters of war may not have to use divide and rule tactics because many war opponents on both sides of the political spectrum seem too willing to divide themselves.
The recent war funding vote in Congress, while showing some progress in legislators voting against war, also showed that a left-only anti-war movement will never succeed in achieving its ends. The Democrats were divided but that was not enough. Despite broad opposition among Americans to the Afghan War, widespread evidence of its failure and leaks of tens of thousands of military documents showing that as bad as the war has been reported, it is worse; the Congress voted by a landslide to pour tens of billions into the failed war.
9/11 Truth Truth
Joel S. Hirschhorn
Months, years and then decades slip by. Despite an avalanche of information burying me everyday I had not read or heard anything about 9/11 truth for many, many months. Sometimes movements become so marginalized that they no longer have enough vitality to stay within the consciousness of very many people.
I am sure, of course, that there are 9/11 truthers out there that still give and attend talks, write and receive emails and have lively conversations about the insanity of the official government story about 9/11 surviving and various alternative explanations of what really happened. Yet, in not too many weeks, another 9/11 anniversary will be here. And maybe then I will be hit again with chatter about what really happened on that past fateful and awful day. But today it is this writing by me that is my 9/11 truth: Hardly any Americans are concerned about 9/11 truth and there is no real interest in Congress in launching a new investigation.
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