Grateful Dead

You may have a differing view than others about whether Manning and Snowden were traitors to their country. You may believe they deserve long jail sentences for their acts of what some consider to be civil disobedience. I guess it depends on whether you believe we have a moral imperative to act in the face of of governmental "over-stepping" their responsibility to protect out rights to privacy (Snowden) and our right to know when our government acts in a way they may offend our morals and and religious beliefs during a time of war (Manning). What cannot be disputed is the chill being sent out but the Obama Administration to silence any of it's critics by vigorous prosecution of even whistle-blowers. I don't remember the exact number but the espionage act of 1910(?) had something like 7 prosecutions before Obama and now there have been something like nine more under his administration. The government will always find another enemy for us to be afraid of. The current effort to silence anybody who disagrees with their methods is odious. The Bill Of Rights is being torn asunder. What does the bumper sticker say? If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention? Shut up, be silent, consume without question

Headline from USA Today: "Pressure builds on Weiner to quit NYC mayor's race"

Take the British Open. You can do it, think I'll sit the monsoon out today and watch the open from hotel room here in Kathmandu.

Obama had his show trial. The prosecutor reached too high (should have been a lesser charge, at least to convict, certainly not for real justice.) The judge gave impossible instructions for the jury to convict on manslaughter or, more correctly, 2nd degree murder. That is justice in Florida and America. If I was a juror I would have hung that jury even if the judge deprived me of food until a verdict. Civil damages are not enough! Martin's family deserves justice!

It doesn't matter from which angle I look at the case, I can find no defense for George Zimmerman's actions. He was told by his neighborhood watch group to not carry a firearm; he chose to anyway. On the night of the shooting, he contacted the police about Trayvon and was told to not pursue; he chose to anyway. Maybe Florida really is as backwards as it appears, but, where I come from, when you don't do what the police tells you to do, YOU GO TO JAIL. So how he can be acquitted of not only disregarding neighborhood watch directives but the orders of the police is so far beyond my grasp I'm seeing stars. What kills me the most, though, is all the right-wing gun nuts pumping their fists in the air over the verdict. They keep saying, "This case isn't a race issue!" and ignore the fact that an unarmed 17 year old kid was shot and killed by an adult. An adult who was studying mixed martial arts and was getting his rear end handed to him by a kid almost half his age. If the trial isn't about race, why does no one care that Trayvon's dead? Oh, wait, because he's black! Stand your ground? More like save your ass....

Ed Snowden roams the transit lounge at the Moscow Airport like a ghost. Wikki-Leaks and The Guradian have his blueprint of the NSA so in case he is violently taken out the whole thing becomes public. Against international law, the Head Gangster nation USA is violating all kinds of international laws by not allowing safe passage to one of three nations that have offered him asylum. Therefore he has been put in the position of begging Putin for temporary asylum until such time as safe transit can be arranged. Our country is the Mafia Godfather of the world and the rest of the Anglo nations are the Capos. Just thought you might want to know... Are you one of those silly people who are scared shitless of the perceived Muslim threat? If you are, read up and get a life. Nobody else in the rest of the world is buying this crap.

Martyrs Trayvonn. There should be riots. Florida is so beyond the pale. Stand Your Ground, What a concept! Only in this violent land forsaken by God! I live in a strong "Stand Your Ground State" Where everybody can buy a gun and carry concealed without a permit. Taking a pointer from this, I should carry my loaded glock with the safety off and a bullet in the chamber at all times so if anybody impertinently insults me by looking too Republican in their Jaguar, I get to whip it out and empty the clip at them. Republicans are definitely a threat to my safety and well-being and no working-class jury in my state would disagree!!! Hey, this is America. Stand Your Ground! (This is very thinly veiled satire)

a long time ago I decided it would be a very good idea to educate myself about state and federal laws regarding various fun activities . I read a lot. A lot. The one common theme that was repeated over and over is that a jury - any jury - anywhere in this country - has more power than any judge. A judge usually instructs the jury at the start of a trial to obey his/her directions to the letter. What most sheeple citizens don't realize is that they have full power and authority as jurors to say to the judge, "fuck you, we'll think the way we want and vote the way we want". One needs to look no further than the original OJ trial. Critical thinking for the average citizen in this country has gone straight into the shitter. Obey, obey, obey. Zimmerman went looking for a fight, armed with a loaded pistol, period. All he had to do was call the police if he was that worried. Sweet dreams, George. Your memory will be your jury for the remainder of your life. Anyway, that brings me to the state of Oregon where critical thinking is taking the lead. The legislature of Oregon is actually working together to pass a bill to be the first state in the nation where, by 2015, as a trial, all colleges in the state will suspend the cost of tuition for the entire time a student is enrolled in college. Students are charged room and board and books. It does not matter for how long or what the major is. When, and only when, the student finds a job will the cost of tuition be reimbursed as a 3 - 4% deduction from their paycheck for up to 20 yrs. or until the loan is paid. I believe that, currently, repayment of the loan begins 6 months after students graduate, regardless of employment. The entire point of this legislation is to get students into college who might not otherwise be able to afford it and to have a significantly larger percentage of the public who are college educated. (This shit sounds highly liberal and who's gonna supply bodies for the military?!!!!) Apparently this is modeled after Australia's higher education policies. And we're the leader of the free world? (in bullets and money and milk and honey).

Parkas4Kids, I read in another thread that Anna rRxia is traveling, so I think that's why we haven't seen much action in this discussion lately. As for mice elf, I've been teaching a couple of short term summer classes and only get a chance to stop in here to read a few posts when I'm not busy grading papers. I will note here your mention of the "Martin/Zimmerman Trial", which I think accurately represents what went down in The People of the State of Florida versus George Zimmerman. In my observation, it was not just George Zimmerman who was put on trial here; the jury seems to have rendered their judgment on the matter of Trayvon Martin as well.

I'm surprised no one has commented yet on the outcome of the latest Floridian travesty of justice. At least no one listened to Jamie Foxx's advice....