Sunday, February 14, 2016

Remembering Justice Scalia


"Black people don't belong in academically challenging schools," is how some people construed Justice Scalia's statement regarding affirmative action. We are going to miss that man! May the Lord have mercy on his soul and console his family and close friends.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/22/justice/scotus-michigan-affirmative-action/index.html

In his own way, Justice Scalia was something of a truth-teller. It was Scalia who revealed how little innocence matters in this very criminal justice system. In dissenting from the Supreme Court's decision in 2009 to allow Troy Davis another hearing, Scalia said, "This Court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is ‘actually’ innocent. Quite to the contrary, we have repeatedly left that question unresolved, while expressing considerable doubt that any claim based on alleged ‘actual innocence’ is constitutionally cognizable."
http://freespeakblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-important-is-innocence-in-criminal.html

Scalia’s fellow justices noted that his position allows no legal avenue for even an obviously innocent person to have his or her case heard, including condemned people facing imminent execution. Frankly, the United States has thousands of "obviously innocent" people behind bars and more being incarcerated continually. Wrongful convictions are common, primarily among mentally ill citizens, people of color, and poor whites. Excerpt from "Judge Anderson vs. Michael Morton: Wrongful Conviction": America wrongfully convicts from 5k to 10k people per year, mostly people who are black or poor. The USA keeps these inmates throughout their childbearing years to use them as slaves and for eugenics (to prevent population growth among "undesirable" populations of people, such as blacks). Around the age when people would normally retire, the injustice system may finally admit its mistake and release a few each year (mostly senior citizens). That way the public is convinced the system really cares about innocence, although it does not. The game is eugenics and slavery while promoting the illusion of inclusion.
http://freespeakblog.blogspot.com/2014/09/judge-anderson-vs-michael-morton.html

Truth-teller Scalia honestly affirmed that internment of American citizens on our own soil by the government would likely happen again as it did to the Japanese during WWII. Scalia was responding to a question about the court's 1944 decision in "Kore­ma­tsu v. United States," which upheld the convictions of Gordon Hira­ba­ya­shi and Fred Kore­ma­tsu for violating an order to report to an internment camp. "Well, of course, Kore­ma­tsu was wrong. And I think we have repudiated in a later case. But you are kidding yourself if you think the same thing will not happen again," Scalia told University of Hawaii law students and faculty during a lunchtime question-and-answer session in 2014. "In times of war, the laws fall silent." Lawlessness is attractive to elite white supremacists.

Justice Scalia was such a colorful conservative. He inspired satires about threats to resign should gay people win the right to marry. He was also quite prolific. Scalia reportedly wrote more concurring opinions than any other justice, and only two justices have written more dissents. Scalia described himself as an originalist, meaning that he interpreted the Constitution of the United States as it would have been understood when it was adopted. According to Scalia in 2008, "It's what did the words mean to the people who ratified the Bill of Rights or who ratified the Constitution." One thing is clear: The forefathers certainly did NOT mean liberty and justice for ALL - Africans and Native Americans were absolutely excluded from the rights declared in those documents in minds of the men who framed them; so one might presume that Scalia, as an originalist, concurred.

Justice Scalia's truth-telling was his most special quality (I am not saying that "his" truth was always "the" truth, you understand). It is important to know how one's opponents think. Justice Scalia exposed the conservative mindset more honestly than most political figures, and he did it so efficiently. I have spent at least a decade online attempting to inform Americans and the world about this nation's decline into Nazism, which became evident when I realized the government's discrimination against mentally ill people. They are generally treated as being exempt from the "right to life" principle regardless of their race and socioeconomic status. That is also where Germany began its campaign to rid that country of undesirables in the 1930's. The Jewish Virtual Library relays that roughly 300,000 persons labeled as being mentally ill (ages 2 to elderly) were exterminated before targeting Jews, Blacks, homosexuals, and dissidents. I may have written a million words on the subject, but Justice Scalia summed up the problem in 2013 using just one sentence: "The Constitution is dead, dead, dead!" That truth-telling from a U.S. Supreme Court justice affirmed my decade of articles, emails and radio broadcasts in just six words.

Long ago, I would listen to Rush Limbaugh to learn what conservatives were thinking until I found Justice Scalia. For that, we will miss him. I can think of no reason at all why we will miss Clarence Thomas, but some corporations might. Maybe without Justice Scalia to partner with, Thomas will go ahead and retire and give us the chance to learn what life can be like without the dynamic conservative duo on the U.S. Supreme Court.
http://www.alternet.org/story/152901/were_u.s._elections_sold_to_corporations_so_clarence_thomas_could_reward_his_friends

Justice Antonin Scalia was a man who had humor, wit, and uncommon honesty. It should now fall to President Obama to choose his successor, but that may not happen. It would be unusual for the Supreme Court to have a vacancy for a lengthy period of time, but political commentators anticipate the Republican-led Congress will refuse to confirm a new justice until after the election. Once Obama leaves office, Scalia's replacement would be decided by a president who is a fellow conservative, unless, of course, Senator Bernie Sanders wins. #feelthebern
https://plus.google.com/explore/feelthebern

Mary Neal
Writer of Wrongful Death of Larry Neal.com
http://WrongfulDeathofLarryNeal.com/main.html
Director of Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill
and Davis-MacPhail Truth Committee
Author of "The Cochran Firm Fraud"
Note: There are twelve(12) links in this article. Links in this article and throughout this blog may lead to sites that use cookies.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Reprieve: Free Andy Tsege > Free All Political Prisoners

Re-published from "Human Rights for Prisoners March" blog at http://HumanRightsforPrisonersMarch.blogspot.com



Human rights advocacy is under attack, and so are activists. We are censored, persecuted, and sometimes prosecuted on false criminal charges as punishment for speaking truth to power and standing with the people against tyranny. Arresting advocates like Ethiopia did to Andy Tsege serves two purposes: It rids oppressors of the activists' voices, and it also warns others not to follow the activists' obedience to Proverbs 31:8-9: "Stand against oppression of the poor and needy. Judge righteously. Speak on behalf of everyone who is appointed to destruction."

The wrongful conviction and incarceration of Rev. Edward Pinkney, of Benton Harbor, Michigan is an example of oppression to silence dissent. Pinkney is founder and director of the B.H. BANCO organization, and he hosted the "Pinkney to Pinkney" Blogtalkradio show on Sunday evenings. His principal fight is against what he called the corporate takeover of Michigan, beginning in Benton Harbor. Pinkney accused Michigan's governor and local government officials of being grossly unfair to Michigan residents in giving corporations large tax breaks at the expense of public services to the People. Pinkney also complained about officials giving away and selling public lands, then undermining the electoral process by setting city managers over the areas that had been impoverished by those same tax breaks that benefited wealthy corporations.

Rev. Edward Pinkney may be the first American to be ordered off the Internet by a court of law. That never happened to criminals using the Internet to extort people or to pedophiles who use the Internet to attract helpless children, but it happened to Pinkney. He used the Internet to decry Michigan's marriage of corporations and government, which left the citizenry in the position of used and abused stepchildren. Privatizing the water supply and lead poisoning of Flint's residents are examples of the government's disregard for human rights, which Pinkney opposes. Pinkney was charged with election fraud in connection with a recall petition he sponsored to remove Benton Harbor's mayor. He was tried and convicted without proof of wrongdoing by an all-white jury comprised of people who live in the 90% Caucasian community across the river from Benton Harbor. Pinkney was sentenced to serve up to 10 years in prison for a crime that never happened, but he is no long on radio each Sunday calling Governor Snyder a dictator.

Pinkney's radio broadcasts had an open forum, and he gave voiceless people throughout America an opportunity to speak. His was one of the first radio shows that welcomed this writer, Mary Neal, who exposes the secret arrest (kidnapping) and euthanasia of Larry Neal and The Cochran Firm fraud. My brother Larry was murdered in Memphis Shelby County Jail after 18 days of secret incarceration. Few media companies will air news about the government abduction and murder of the black, mentally ill heart patient even now, 12 years later. Larry's murder is denied open disclosure, an inquest, investigation or explanation, and it remains unrequited. The cover-up around Larry's murder exists because Memphis Shelby County Jail was operating under an Agreement with the USA, and the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) was in charge of the jail's operations at the time of the disabled American's demise. The USDOJ is complicit in the cover-up.

Whereas this writer was never brought up on false charges, I experience surveillance, financial persecution, and terrorism to discourage my justice quest regarding the secret arrest and wrongful death of Larry Neal and my advocacy for other mentally disabled Americans through an organization I founded and direct -- Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill ("AIMI"). I also experience censorship of articles, social media posts, and radio broadcasts on "Human Rights Demand" channel at Blogtalkradio. Censorship also happens frequently at a radio channel I host under National Network in Action (NNIA1). Examples are available online in "Justice Gagged" blog at Blogger (a link to the blog is below). Rev. Floyd Harris, Jr. directs NNIA and is assistant minister at New Light for New Life Church of God in Fresno, California. Harris recently faced criminal charges related to his peaceful participation in a "Black Lives Matter" march in Fresno. He went to court on January 6, 2016, and may now be on probation for his "offense."

Unfortunately, there are numerous political activists in U.S. prisons, including some who have been incarcerated ever since the 1960's. Most are people of color, as the USA strives to "maintain the status quo" (elite white supremacy). Numerous political prisoners were members of the Black Panther Party (BPP), including Mumia, who activists assert suffers medical neglect in prison. Political prisoner Leonard Peltier was a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Activist attorney Lynne Stewart became a political prisoner while providing legal defense for the Blind Sheikh of Egypt, Abdel-Rahman. Stewart was finally granted a compassionate release from prison, but the Blind Sheikh is serving a life sentence. He called for the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president (Mubarak was reportedly a Western-backed dictator who was later ousted by Egyptians). Abdel-Rahman and nine others were convicted of seditious conspiracy, which requires only that a crime be planned, not that any crime was necessarily attempted (Wikipedia).

More U.S. political prisoners are listed by the Jericho Project (link is below) and discussed during Ralph Poynter's weekly radio shows on Tuesday nights at 9pmEST at "Human Rights Demand" channel on Blogtalkradio -- "Ralph Poynter What's Happening." Political prisoners are often tortured, whether in the USA or other countries. Former BPP member Albert Woodfox is an example. For 43 years, Woodfox has been held in solitary confinement, mostly in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. On June 8, 2015, US District Court Judge James Brady ruled that the Angola 3's Albert Woodfox be both immediately released and barred from a retrial, yet he remains imprisoned today. Prolonged solitary confinement was determined to be torture by the United Nations, of which America is a prominent member.

Reprieve's letter regarding Ethiopia's political prisoner Andy Tsege is below, followed by twelve(12) links to websites and articles related to U.S. political prisoners and persecuted human rights activists discussed herein:

Dear Mary,

Andy Tsege was abducted 600 days ago this week and taken to an Ethiopian secret prison as punishment for his political activism. Today he will spend his 61st birthday in a cell under sentence of death – the second birthday he has spent locked away from his partner and three children.

Andy is a British citizen, but the British government is refusing to act – despite both the United Nations and the European Parliament calling for his release. But thousands of us have taken action to make sure they can’t continue to quietly stand by while the Ethiopian authorities hold a British citizen in illegal detention under sentence of death.

Today Andy’s partner and three children will deliver our petition to 10 Downing Street - signed by nearly 130,000 of us - calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene to secure Andy’s release.

Andy’s situation is now more desperate that ever – and a demand for his release cannot come a moment too soon. He was moved from a secret location to a notorious prison where torture is commonplace. He has no information about the charges against him. He only knows that he has been sentenced to death and could be executed at any time. As a result, his mental health has deteriorated rapidly. The experts have said that there is now an ‘urgent need’ to remove him from his current conditions.

Andy is a prominent political activist who spoke out against Ethiopia’s human rights record and was sentenced to death by the regime. He was standing up for vales that are important to us all – human rights, democracy and justice.

Nearly 130,000 of us, along with the UN and the EU, have demanded Andy’s immediate release – now it’s time that the British government stands up for one of its own citizens by doing the same.

Thank you for all you do,
Clive Stafford Smith
Founder & Director of Reprieve

TWELVE(12) reference websites and articles regarding U.S. political prisoners and persecuted activists:

1.  Why Mumia Must Live, and US imperialism Must Die: The Link Between Political Prisoners and the War on Terror
http://blackagendareport.com/mumui-must-live

2.  "Ralph Poynter What's Happening" airs on "Human Rights Demand" channel (with Lynne Stewart, Prof. Betty Davis, Larry Pinkney, Mary Neal, and others)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/humanrightsdemand

3.  Journalists Respond to Rev. Pinkney's Sentencing
http://humanrightsforprisonersmarch.blogspot.com/2014/12/journalists-react-rev-pinkney-sentenced.html

4.  Free Leonard Peltier website
http://www.freeleonard.org/case/

5.  Wrongful Death of Larry Neal
http://WrongfulDeathofLarryNeal.com/main.html

6.  Justice Gagged
http://JusticeGagged.blogspot.com

7.  Jericho Project website
http://www.jericho-project.org/

8.  Justice for Lynne Stewart website
(regards efforts to free current political prisoners)
http://lynnestewart.org/

9.  Fresno Police Chief Says Civil Rights Activist Is "Brainwashing" Youth (Rev. Floyd Harris, Jr.)
http://fresnopeoplesmedia.com/2015/08/police-chief-says-civil-rights-activist-is-brainwashing-youth/

10.  FRESNO POLICE TARGET LOCAL PASTOR
http://www.briandavidsumner.com/fresno-police-target-local-pastor/

11. Albert Woodfox News from the Angola 3
http://angola3.org/category/albert-woodfox/

12.  Healing Our Wounds: Restorative Justice Is Needed For Albert Woodfox, The Black Panther Party and The Nation --An Interview With Law Professor Angela A. Allen-Bell
http://angola3news.blogspot.com/2015/06/healing-our-wounds-restorative-justice.html

Demand the immediate release of all political prisoners!

"Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never has, and it never will." ~Frederick Douglass

~ Rev. Floyd Harris leads a demonstration ~

Thanks for participating in the "Human Rights for Prisoners March" across the Internet to demand respect for all people. All lives matter.
"Human Rights for Prisoners March" blog
Human Rights Demand and NNIA1 Blogtalkradio channels
Mary Neal, a/k/a MaryLovesJustice, director 
(678)531-0262
Comments are invited in the comment field below. Share articles from the MaryLovesJustice and other blogs by this writer with a link to the original. Blessings.

Paragraph 1 repeated:
Human rights advocacy is under attack, and so are activists. We are censored, persecuted, and sometimes prosecuted on false criminal charges as punishment for speaking truth to power and standing with the people against tyranny. Arresting advocates like Ethiopia did to Andy Tsege serves two purposes: It rids oppressors of the activists' voices, and it also warns others not to follow the activists' obedience to Proverbs 31:8-9: "Stand against oppression of the poor and needy. Judge righteously. Speak on behalf of everyone who is appointed to destruction."