David Foster Wallace, Rest in Peace
September 22, 2008 by TomDavis Clemency Petition Denied
September 15, 2008 by TomFrom Amnesty International, an update on the story from the previous post:
On Friday, September 12, the Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles voted to deny clemency for Troy Anthony Davis. Troy Davis is still scheduled to be executed by the state of Georgia on September 23, even though his serious claims of innocence have never been heard in court.
(emphasis added)
Please urge the board to reconsider its decision now.
Troy Davis Execution
September 4, 2008 by TomTroy Davis is scheduled to be executed on September 23. Amnesty International is one of the organizations spreading word of an effort to stop the execution.
Troy Davis was convicted of murder solely on the basis of witness testimony, and seven of the nine non-police witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony, several citing police coercion. Others have signed affidavits implicating one of the remaining two witnesses as the actual killer. But due to an increasingly restrictive appeals process, none of this new evidence has ever been heard in court.
On July 16, 2007, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles stayed Troy Davis’ execution, stating that it would “not allow an execution to proceed in this State unless and until its members are convinced that there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused” (emphasis added). The failure of courts to hear the compelling evidence of innocence in this case means that massive doubts about Troy Davis’ guilt will remain unresolved.
Is Mr. Davis innocent? Clearly even the State of Georgia is uncertain. Yet he is scheduled to be executed.
If you can help, please follow this link.
Beware of My Temper, and the Dog That I’ve Found
August 26, 2008 by TomStill working on what may be the slowest, most drawn-out response to a meme in internet history.
Theme today is Down Home Psychotics. It’s very relevant to me right now.
#2. Tom Waits, Cold Cold Ground
(The audio here is kinda hard to follow on the tinny little speakers in my laptop. Headphones work a lot better.)
Now don’t be a crybaby when there’s wood in the shed,
And a bird in the chimney and a stone in my bed.
When the road is washed out we’ll pass the bottle around.
And wait in the arms of the cold cold ground.Cold cold etc.
There’s a ribbon in the willow and a tire swing rope,
There’s a briar patch of berries taking over the slope,
The cat’ll sleep in the mailbox & we’ll never go to town,
And bury every dream in the cold cold ground.Chorus
#3. Neko Case, Things That Scare Me
The hammer clicks in place, the world’s gonna pay
Right down in the face of God and his saints.
Claim your soul is not for sale.
I’m a dying breed who still believes,
Haunted by American dreams.
Nezua in Cool New Digs
August 17, 2008 by TomI’ve been AWOL from blogging for months (work; plus our house turns out to be basically rotting; but also I discovered this cool place called “outside”). Still, every time I see the glowing transparent-looking “back” button on the latest Firefox I think of Nezua’s graphics. (Now I don’t know that Mozilla lifted it from Nezua, but I know where I saw it first…)
Anyway I’m probably the last person in the blogoshmear to realize that Nezua is installed in snazzy new digs. But in case I’m only second last, go check out the cool new incarnation of The Unapologetic Mexican asap!
Hui Liu Ng’s Death
August 17, 2008 by TomICE Tortures And Kills A New York Homeowner, at Zuky.
Hui Liu Ng was a computer professional from Hong Kong working in the Empire State Building and a married father of two US-born sons. Then ICE had its way with him. He was detained last year and swept into the nightmarish and sadistic prison/deportation system. He died last week in ICE custody with a broken back and untreated cancer.
Mr. Ng’s Death, at The New York Times.
another shameful case of someone entering immigration detention, getting sick, and dying. This time it was Hiu Lui Ng*, a computer engineer from China. He paid the ultimate price for overstaying a visa, and getting lost in a sprawling system that some have likened to a gulag.
This Blog
August 15, 2008 by TomOther things have been taking me away from blogging lately. But I want to refine what I’m doing here a little bit anyway.
I think the culture I belong to is badly broken in some ways. By reading blogs & talking to people, I’m trying to connect with folks who seem to feel the same way. And people who are doing something about it.
I think culture is a lot deeper and more interesting than political theory.
Maybe that sums up how I got here and where I want to go with the blog. Specifically, maybe the big themes here so far have been racism and child abuse. But I don’t want to get trapped in a single-issue (or two-issue) perspective.
One Foot Dancing One Foot Nailed to the Floor
August 11, 2008 by TomJay Smooth on How to Tell Someone What They Said Was Racist
August 5, 2008 by TomWhy Don’t We Do This Kind of Thing Here?
July 30, 2008 by TomChinese air travellers rebel at ill treatment. Even the news agency seems to accept the passengers’ response to this situation. I’m not sure I can picture AP doing the same here.
My own guess is that many US folks would rather identify with the system than represent our own interests.
I understand that around the time the US constitution and bill of rights were put together, rebellions were common. Same thing for the civil rights era of course. Funny thing, when we stand up for our rights, the people who are taking them away will sometimes back off.
