But, I didn't do anything!

Hi Friends;

  I read the post below and imagined the horror of being charged with a crime and being innocent.  The powerlessness of knowing the truth and being unable, by lack of ability or the way things are formatted, to make others see that truth.  The dread, the absolute fear.
  I have been guilty all too often of a rush to judgement.  I don't have all the information, yet make calls based on presumption and even a want for the information to go a certain way.  I guess I'm not alone in that failing.  What frightens me is that the very professionals we ask to weigh the evidence and make good and fair judgements fail so often to do that very vital chore.
  We Americans are such a proud people, believing ourselves so very wise and grown up.  And yet, with less than 5% of the world's population, we hold 25% of those incarcerated.  Why can we not find better ways to help people be productive members of our society?  Why do we simply find locking a man, woman, or - horror of all - child away a viable manner of dealing with our problems?
  When I think on this, I think about this poem:

For Whom the Bell Tolls

by John Donne

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee. 

Guilty Until Proven Innocent?


By Cassandra Stubbs, Capital Punishment Project at 6:09pm
https://www.aclu.org/blog/capital-punishment/guilty-until-proven-innocent
This week, Northwestern and the University of Michigan law schools released a National Registry of Exonerations, a new database chronicling the ever-growing number of exonerees from our nation’s criminal justice system. The database includes over 2,000 people who spent time – sometimes decades – in prison after being wrongfully convicted of serious crimes. This includes over 100 wrongfully convicted of capital murder – which means they were awaiting execution before their sentences were reversed. The Death Penalty information Center, which tracks information about the death penalty, has documented 140 cases where inmates were released from death row with evidence of their innocence.

As astounding as the numbers in the database are, the list of the innocent is likely far longer than what is documented in this valuable resource - and not all of them were exonerated in time. Troy Davis, an African-American man in Georgia, Carlos DeLuna, a Latino man in Texas, and Cameron Todd Willingham, a white man in Texas, were all executed despite compelling evidence of innocence. The judicial system failed these men twice: it failed them first by convicting them of crimes of which they were likely innocent, and it failed them again by denying them meaningful opportunities to prove their innocence, in time to save their lives.

The National Registry of Exonerations compiles explanations across cases, helping shed light on just how these wrongful convictions happen. The explanations are themselves deeply troubling: false accusations or perjury played a role in a full half of the cases (51%); official misconduct contributed to a large percentage of the wrongful convictions (42%); and junk science or false or misleading evidence played a role in almost a quarter of the cases (24%). Although the ACLU Capital Punishment Project, along with many others, continue to push for important reforms in the area of junk science, it is hard to be optimistic that the problems of perjury or police misconduct will ever fully be untangled from the criminal justice system. Ending the death penalty will not solve these problems - but it will make sure that no one else pays for these flaws with his or her life.

A busy busy busy week!

Hello friends;

  I'd like to let you know what this week has been for me in the hopes of gaining your understanding why I've been absent from the blog.  As I said, it's been a busy week!

As some of you know, I went on a short vacation last week from Thursday - late Saturday night.  Now some of you are thinking 'that's not much of a vacation'.  And, you're right.  Unfortunately, it was about the most I could manage.  I went to see my parents for Mother's Day.  I don't see them all that often, and it's important for me to maintain what few family relationships I still have.

  Sunday, I spent the day doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, and then sleeping as I had to be at work in the early evening.  I didn't make it home until more than 13 hours later - to a pups with seriously crossed legs!  In the course of the week, I've worked such odd hours, accumulating over 60 paid hours.  That's a bit unusual for me.  Adding onto that, I managed to mow 4 lawns, (have two remaining) and volunteered 3.5 hours with the local pet rescue organization.  Then, just to cap everything off, I got a call from my parents today that they were on their way - and the house is not in shape for visitors!  I can always sleep sometime next week....
  All of these hours came for one purpose:  I'm finally joining the "normal" people and getting the chance to work day shift hours, moving to another position.  Even got a small raise!  I've wanted this type of move for a long time, and it came in a rush.  So, for the first half of my day I trained my replacement as much as possible, and for the second half I trained for my new position with tired feet and bleary eyes, but a grin.  I'm excited and nervous for the new responsibilities, and I'm somewhat sad to move away from the people I've worked alongside for so many years, but I think in all this is going to be a good match for me.
  So, to all of you who have made comments but not seen me acknowledge them... I saw them, but couldn't put to cogent thoughts together to understand or respond to you.  I think, though, that I will have a better chance to put together a good blog for your enjoyment as I get the chance for rest and even a passing opportunity to get exercise and eat right.  Hey, it could happen! 
  Thanks for your patience, my friends.

randy.

A Wonderful Story

http://www.lib.ru/RBACH/seagullengl.txt

 Hello Friends;

  Above is a link to a book I loved called Johnathon Livingston Seagull.  Many of you likely already know this story.  For those who don't, take a read.  You may like it, too.

hugs

My Adoption Day Event

  Hi Friends;

  As some of you know, my dog - who is more and more important to me everyday - came from a local rescue organization.  She was likely taken in by a family as a puppy, given little training and attention, then given up to a near by Animal Control.  The rescue organization found out about her - being a pure breed she gets a bit of precedence for the mere reason of being more likely to be more adoptable - just an hour before being given the euthanizing shot. 

  The story goes, she was uncontrollable.  Wild.  Unadoptable.  My experience has been anything but those labels:  She has been a loving dog who enjoys being very close.  She loves to play and is an attention junkie. 

  What has been the difference?  I needed a friend as much as she needed one.  We have become family.  It takes a commitment, though.  So, if you out there are needing a friend, are willing to put forth effort, give love, be patient and understanding, there is a reward in loving a pet that I have no words to describe.  I can only hope that you have the opportunity to learn it.

Be well.

It's About Damned Time!

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/09/politics/obama-same-sex-marriage/index.html?iref=obinsite

Obama said in an interview with ABC News, "At a certain point I've just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married."


Obama once opposed such marriages. He later indicated his views were "evolving."

"I had hesitated on gay marriage, in part, because I thought civil unions would be sufficient," the president said. "I was sensitive to the fact that -- for a lot of people -- that the word marriage is something that provokes very powerful traditions and religious beliefs."

Hi Friends;
  You know there are going to be some who see this as a clarion call for the end of the world.  I'm sure they are the same who thought a black man as president would spell the end of the world, so take whatever grains of salt are required.  But, for me, it is a moment of hope that this country can change, grow, evolve, survive. 
 
hugs;
randy