Someone should cut Rupert Murdoch's penis off.

Help Congress Pass The Children's Insurance Bill-Stop Bush's Veto

Congress has just magnificently passed a children's insurance bill, which will help get medical care to the children of this country. Press your congresspeople to support this bill, especially if you live in Republican areas. Make sure they don't support a Bush veto. We need sixty votes!

Ghost In This House

Alison Krause

I don't pick up the mail
I don't pick up the phone
I don't answer the door
I'd just as soon be alone
I don't keep this place up
I just keep the lights down
I don't live in these rooms
I just rattle around

I'm just a ghost in this house
I'm just a shadow upon these walls
As quietly as a mouse I haunt these halls
I'm just a whisper of smoke
I'm all that's left of two hearts on fire
That once burned out of control
You took my body and soul
I'm just a ghost in this house

I don't care if it rains
I don't care if it's clear
I don't mind stayin' in
There's another ghost here
He sits down in your chair
And he shines with your light
And he lays down his head
On your pillow at night

I'm just a ghost in this house
I'm just a shadow upon these walls
I'm living proof of the damage heartbreak does
I'm just a whisper of smoke
I'm all that's left of two hearts on fire
That once burned out of control
And took my body and soul
I'm just a ghost in this house

Oh, I'm just a ghost in this house

Take Me For Longing

Alison Krause

Dont choose me because i am faithful
Dont choose me because i am kind
If your heart settles on me
Im for the taking
Take me for longing, or leave me behind

I would be for you a fire in a rainstorm
i would be for you an opening door
Time and hard lessons
Are one kind of wisdom
Try to forget them, or love me no more

Im not asking your heart to believe me
Im not asking for promise or pledge
Whatever the answer
Its yes thats the question
I am the fool, dancing over the edge

Dont choose me because i am faithful
Dont choose me because i am kind
If your heart settles on me
Im for the taking
Take me for longing, or leave me behind

The Lucky One

Alison Krause

You're the lucky one
So i've been told
As free as the wind,
Blowin' down the road
Loved by many, hated by none
I'd say you're lucky 'cause I know what you've done
Not a care in the world
Not a worry in sight
Everything's gunna be alright
Cause you're the lucky one

You're the lucky one
Always havin' fun
A jack of all trades a master none
You look at the world with a smilin' eye
And laugh at the devil as his train goes by

Give you a song and a one night stand
And you'll be looking at a happy man
'cause you're the lucky one.

Well you're blessed i guess
By never knowing which road your choosin.
To you the next best thing
To playin and winning is playin and losing

You're the lucky one i know that now
Don't ask you why, when, where, or how
You look at the world thru your smilin' eye
And laugh at the devil as his train goes by

Give you a song and a one night stand
And you'll be looking at a happy man
'cause you're the lucky one

Well you're blessed i guess
By never knowing which road your choosin.
To you the next best thing
To playin and winning is playin and losing

You're the lucky one i know that now
Don't ask you why, when, where, or how
No matter where you're at, it's where you'll be
You can bet your luck won't follow me
Just give you a song and a one night stand
And you'll be looking at a happy man
Cause you're the lucky one.

I very much like Alison Krause

Call Reed Walters-D.A. in Jena,Louisiana and Demand That He Resign

28th Judicial District
Parishes Served: LaSalle

J. Reed Walters
P.O. Box 1940
Jena, LA 71342-1940

LaSalle Parish
Office Phone: (318) 992-8282
Office Fax: (318) 992-4731

An Interesting Article on Racism in Housing Practices in the United States: A History of Suburbs and Inner City Ghettos from Freedom Road

Many years ago, I did a paper on the history of tenements and skyscrapers in the United States, it is an interesting, twisted, and sorted history demonstrative of what American values truly are. This article on Freedom Road is an interesting assessment of that legacy.

Walmart Working Teenagers in Mexico For Free

Check out this story from Lucky White Girl about Walmart using Mexican teenagers as baggers without giving them pay--and advertising about it.

Armed Forces Committee Hearing -Yesterday on CSPAN

Yesterday on CSPAN I happened to see the House Armed Forces Committee Hearing, chaired by Representative Susan Davis of California. What I saw, on the part of the military was a lot of lying--big time and what I describe as grandiose begging: " Dear King we are in need of more funds and more troops." One of my first obersvations and impressions upon seeing this were the people of color sitting up in the front, two Blacks and a Latino,in their military brass serving as the mouthpieces while one white man sat on their side, speaking after them. Another thing I took from it, I began to think about this idea of an "all volunteer army"--this new american idea- as oppossed to a conscript one, such as what Israel has. Overall, they looked, and sounded like they were in deep trouble. Also, I wonder what"unique recruiting authority" is. Also, people of color better let white people play in their own bullshit and stay out of it.

I very strongy advise young Black and Latino youth not to enlist in the military.

Racism in Alabama's Governor's Office-Any Surprise?

Citizens of Lowndes County, Alabama are upset this morning, particularly the Black citizens of the county, because Governor Bob Riley of Alabama-Republican, has overlooked long-serving Lowndes County deputy John Williams, with thirty years of service under his belt, as the new sherrif of Lowndes County, to replace the late Sherriff Vaughner, who died recently. The citizens of Lowndes County are on the move to have this man who is a public servant undo his appointment and appoint a Black sherriff to represent the Black citizens of a majority Black county. To contact the governor of Alabama and tell him to undo his appointment call, fax, or email

Switchboard: 334-242-7100
Fax: 334-353-0004
http://www.governor.state.al.us/contact.htm

News From Aljazeera: Iraqi Death Toll for July

1,652 Iraqis have been killed in the month of July.

Angelina Jolie as Marriane Pearl

Above is a link to a story done by the Huffington Post on the controversy surrounding Angelina Jolie playing Marriane Pearl, the wife of Daniel Pearl who is of Afro-Cuban descent, in A Mighty Heart. I personally have no problem with it. I think she is a fine actress and she has many commendable performances. On a further note, Jolie looks like she has a bit of color somewhere in her system. Have you seen those lips? I give many kudos to Jolie and applaud her on this effort.

Someone should castrate Michael Chertoff.

If Israel, the United States, or any of the other US Satellites in that region attack Iran, we know it was preplanned and we know what its all about.

I wholeheartedly support and encourage others to support the impeachment of Alberto Gonzales.

Letter to Governor Blanco from JuliusSpeaks Reader

Dear Governor Blanco

After listening to a report on National Public Radio on July 30 about a case involving youngsters in the Jena area, I became appalled by one of Louisiana’s district attorneys, specifically Reed Walters of Jena.

NPR’s Wade Goodwyn reported on events that began to unfold last year at Jena High School, a school apparently plagued by racial tension and self-segregation.

Here is the link to the story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12353776

To make along story short, Robert Bailey, a young black student got into a scuffle in a liquor store after a long, drawn-out confrontation between whites and blacks at the school. The white youngster ran and grabbed a gun from his car, and Bailey was able to take it from him, perhaps saving his own life.

Afterward, a young white student named Justin Barker was beaten by six black students after loudly gloating about a fight between Bailey and white students at a previous party. Barker was beaten by six black students. The injuries he received were so minor that he was treated by a doctor and released from care that same day.

Walters chose to charge Robert Bailey with theft of a firearm, second degree robbery and disturbing the peace, while the young white man who fought with Bailey and tried to pull a gun on him got off without any charges at all. I find this completely outrageous and criminally unfair on Walters' part.

I also feel Walter’s charging the six youngsters with attempted murder is ludicrous. The fact that Justin Barker managed to survive an attack by six young men, some of them athletes, with nothing but superficial cuts and scrapes proves the opposite of Walters’ charge. This was not attempted murder. The six boys obviously used a great deal of restraint. They easily could have killed him if they had not.

This to me is an obvious display of racism on Walters’ part. As a white American, I am sickened and embarrassed that in the year 2007, this blatant bigotry is allowed to persist in our legal system. It has been a half-century since institutionalized racism has been abolished. It is an embarrassment to the American criminal justice system, the state of Louisiana and the entire country that Walters is allowed to carry on this way.

I feel Walters has no respect for the laws of this country, and that he believes laws should be applied differently according to a person’s skin color. People like this should not be allowed to practice law, let alone function as district attorneys. He is frighteningly backward and I can only hope he is an abnormality among Louisiana’s practicing attorneys.

I hope, for the sake of credibility and decency, you as governor consider removing him from his district attorney post.

Sincerely,
Bethania Palma
Orange County, California

Interview With Esther Brown of Project Hope Discussing the Execution of Darrell Grayson

On becoming aware of the case of Darrell Grayson, the 46-year-old Black man who was executed this past thursday on flimsy evidence that did not include DNA testing and who was found guilty by an all white jury in 1981 Alabama, I felt that I had to do something. I contacted Lisa Thomas, whose dedication to Grayson's cause obliged her to stage two walks-one from Selma to Washington D.C. and one from Selma to Montgomery in protest of the death penalty and in support of Grayson, and I asked her if I could interview her for JuliusSpeaks. In turn, Ms. Thomas gave my information to Esther Brown of Project Hope, an organization for people on death row in the state of Alabama that serves as a support group, works to abolish the death penalty, and advocates for the cases of death penalty inmates. Brown serves as the outside contact person for the group. We had a lengthy discussion over the phone and later she replied to some direct questions over email.

Esther Brown is a fiesty older lady, a German immigrant who came to the United States fifty years ago and who has dedicated a large part of her life to ending the death penalty, a cause which burns deep within her soul. When asked if there was anything she might say to Alabama governor Bob Riley, Brown replied, " It perhaps would not be printable." When I asked her to talk about Grayson, she told me that over the years she and Grayson had become the closest of friends. She described him as being "more thirsty for knowledge than anyone I ever met." When Grayson entered prison in 1982 at the age of 19, he suffered a severe depression, after which he vowed to "make something of his life." He applied for a pell grant, earned an Associate's Degree and became a poet and writer, publishing three chapbooks and serving as a correspondent for a Black-owned Alabama newspaper.In that time, Grayson also helped to found and became the chairperson of Project Hope, which was founded by Alabama Death Row Inmates in 1989.

When I asked Ms. Brown what life was like for Grayson on Death Row, she said that life for him was solitary, but that he kept himself involved because he "wanted to make a difference and leave the world a better place than he found it." In a conversation between the two of them about his life, she says he sighed and said whimsically, "Darling, this is prison." Over the years, Brown says that she and the Alabama Death Row inmates of Project Hope have become a close-knit family, saying that "family isn't about bloodlines, it's about connection." In terms of family, Grayson has one sister who stuck by him throughout his ordeal in the justice system.

In terms of allies who aided in Grayson's case, Brown says one of the strongest allies they had was Alabama state senator, Hank Sanders, Democrat. Senator Sanders has constantly introduced moratorium resolutions before the state assembly over a number of years to no avail, objecting to the racial and class discrimination that is inherent in the death penalty. According to Brown, Senator Sanders said of the moratorium bill, "anything concerning race and poverty has a tough time in Alabama." Other allies in Grayson's struggle were the NAACP who have their own effort to end the death penalty, the group Alabama Arise, and the New South Coalition.

Racial and class bias are inherent in death penalty cases throughout the United States; cases where white victims are involved recieve death penalty sentences far more than those in which there are black victims, blacks are the usual victims of violent crimes, black defendants recieve death penalty sentences more than white defendants and throughout the system many who are convicted cannot afford adequate representation, leaving lower-income defendants to the mercy of uncaring public defenders who do little to advocate on their behalf. In the case of Darrell Grayson, Grayson, who grew up in poverty in Alabama and was convicted of murder by an all-white jury in 1981, was not able to afford decent representation and as a result witnesses who needed to be interviewed regarding the case were not interviewed and all of the evidence that pointed away from Grayson and that was taken care of through affadavits was ignored by the current governor of Alabama and other state officials. One of the major issues in Grayson's case was the failure of the state to do a post-conviction DNA test, a test which Grayson and others felt might exonerate him. When he was convicted in 1981 by an all-white jury, there was no such thing as DNA testing. After Grayson recieved his execution date, the Innocence Project, a national organization that pushed for DNA testing in death penalty cases, picked up Grayson's case and advocated for him. Alabama's governor Bob Riley refused all pleas for DNA testing in Grayson's case, even after Grayson supporter Lisa Thomas staged a walk from Selma to Montgomery in support of Grayson and to end the death penalty.

In turning to a discussion of the injustice and inhumanity that is the death penalty, Ms. Brown adamantly told me that the death penalty and the practice of lynching are the same thing. Indeed, lynching and the practice of the death penalty in the United States have a related and twisted history in the United States. In her reasoning for abolishing the death penalty, Ms. Brown stated that "Fallable people are in charge of the justice system, for that reason alone there should be no death penalty." Brown says that the Association of African American Police Chief Deputies has recently issued a statement declaring that the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime. In her fight to end the death penalty, Brown says that her message to the public is "We are going to continue our fight in the spirit of Darrell Grayson."

--------

Interview with Esther Brown

Question:
Who was Darrell Grayson?

Brown: Darrell was a poet/activist, a leader and father figure to many on the Row, a man with a thirst for knowlege with the desire to leave the world better than he found it. He was also my very dear friend.

Question:
How did you become involved with this case?

Brown: I became involved in the case because of our very close friendship.

Question:
Tell me about Project Hope. How did it get started?

Brown: Phadp was founded in 1989 by Alabama death row inmates who wanted to reach out to a mentally retarded brother on the row. The board is on the row and I am the executive director on the outside. We publish a newsletter 4 times a year which is printed and formatted on death row and then sent to me for printing and mailing. We also have an email group and our focus is to educating the public on the death penalty. We have also been working on a moratorium and you will find the city councils/county commissions and Al churches and organizations that have come out in support of this.

Question:
What was Darrell's life like in prison? What were his living conditions?

Brown: Darrell's life in prison was solitary. He spent much of the time reading, writing poetry, working on phadp matters and on the phone with me for 3-4 hours daily. The board of phadp meets once a week and they call me from their meeting.

Question:
How big was Project Hope? How many people were involved?

Brown: How big is phadp? Depends on how you count it. About 30 men on death row, I am the full time volunteer chief cook and bottle washer, our web master and 600+ on our email list and 1,000 on our mailing list, not all of these in Alabama. We work together with grassroots organizations, Alabama New South Coalition, Alabama Arise, Peace groups around the state, NAACP where I am the chair of its Death Penalty/Moratorium committee. Smaller groups as well as the Quest of Social Justice in Mobile, TOPS of Dothan and others.

Question:
It seems that Darrell was making something of his life. He was getting his education, becoming an activist and an organizer. How did this transformation come about?

Brown: His career as an activist and organizer was fostered by joining phadp, working his way up through the ranks and of course my giving him a voice. Hard to be heard from death row unless there is someone on the outside who promotes you.

Question:
Did Grayson have any relatives? How are they coping?

Brown: Family? One sister who stayed devoted to him and who is now coping by making sure I am okay, calling every night.

Question:
At any time did Darrell recieve any ehlp from the ACLU, NAACP, or other civil rights organizations?

Brown: The help Darrell received from civil rights organizations came from Alabama New South Coalition,(of which I am a member) and the NAACP. Both made statements, wrote to the Governor, came to the rally on Wednesday, ie Senator Hank Sanders and Ed Vaughn. Judy Collins Cumbee, my close friend is first vice chair of ANSC and was a large degree instrumental in rallying the forces for the rally.Greater Birmingham Ministries. I'm just hoping that I am not leaving anyone out!

Question:
Tell me about the Innocence Project.

Brown: The Innocence Project takes on cases where there is DNA and the possibility of innocence.

Question:
Alabama has a legacy with regards to Black men and the death penalty, whether with the courts or through the practice of lynching. Do you think that Darrell Grayson was a victim of racism?

Brown: Of course! An all white jury in 1981, an all white courtroom, a white victim? The modern day lynching. 80% of the men on death row are there because of a white victim, yet more African Americans are murdered than whites!

Question:
If you had the opportunity, what would you say to Governor Riley?

Brown: What would I say to the Governor? Perhaps not printable! I hope you never take the pledge of allegiance and say with justice for all! Alabama does not know what that means and the rest of the world cannot believe how we are still back in the dark ages of racism. And you know, to quote Bryan Stevenson of EJI Alabamians with their terrible history do not have the right to execute a black man. The question we must ask is not whether that person deserves to die but whether we deserve to kill.

Question:
Do you have anything else you would like to say? Perhaps to the public?

Brown: We will persevere, now more than ever and we will overcome one day!

Good talking to you!

Esther
Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty:
www.phadp.org

Sad Tidings

Ingmar Bergman is dead. What a wonderful director he was. My favorites were Wild Strawberries and Fanny and Alexander.

There's Hope

India Arie

Two, one, two, one, two, two, two, one
(there's hope)
two,one,two,one,two,two,two,one
(ther's hope)
two,one,two,one,two,two,two,one
(the india arie)

Back when I had a little,I thought that i needed alot. A little was over rated, but alot was a little to complicated. See zero didn't satisfiy me , a million didn't make me happy. That's when I learned the lesson that its all about your perceptions. Hey, are you a papa or a super star so you act ,so you feel, so you are. It aint about the size of your car, It's about the size of the faith in your heart

There's hope. It doesn't cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that.There's hope. It doesn't cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that. There's hope

Off in the back country of Brazil, I met a young brotha that made me feel that, that i could accomplish anything. Ya see just like me he wanted to sing he had, NO windows and NO doors, he lived a simple life and was extremely poor. On top of all that he had no eye sight, but that didnt keep him from seeing the light he said, Whats it like in the USA, and all I did was complain. he said living here is paradise, he taught me paradise is in your mind,you know that ....

There's hope. It doesn't cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that.There's hope. It doesn't cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that. There's hope

Every time i turn on the t.v ( there's hope)
Somebody's acting crazy (there's hope)
If you let it'll drive you crazy (there's hope)
But im taking back my power today (ther's hope)
Gas prices they just keep on rising(there's hope)
The government they keep on lying (there's hope)
But we gotta keep on surving, keep living our truth and do the best we can do because

There's hope. It doesn't cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that.( Yea yea ).There's hope. It doesn't cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that. (Yea yea yea) There's hope

[There's Hope Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com]
Stand up for your rights, Keeping shining your life, and show the world your smile

Stand up for your rights, Keeping shining your life, and show the world your smile

There's hope. It doesn't cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that.( Better thank God for that) .There's hope. It doesn't cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that. Yea yeaThere's hope

Two, one, two, one, two, two, two, one

Project Hope

Inmates and concerned citizens, working with supporters, family members, and advocates, in Alabama and nationally, to abolish the death penalty.



Total on Death Row 196:

African American (93) White (103)

Latino (2)

Women (2) Juveniles (14)

Executions in Alabama Since 1976: 37

36 Male 1 Female (2002)

Executions in the USA Since 1976 (through January 15, 2005): 945

Executions by Region Since 1976:

South (779 )

West (61)

Midwest (102)

Northeast (3)

Alabama does NOT forbid the execution of juvenile offenders.

Sentencing is decided by a Judge who can override the jury’s recommendation.

COSTS OF THE DEATH PENALTY

IS IT WORTH IT?

The most comprehensive study in the country found that the death penalty costs North Carolina $2.16 million per execution over the cost of a non-death penalty murder case with a life sentence. (Duke University, May 1993)

Florida spent an estimated $57 million on the death penalty from 1973 to 1988 to achieve 18 executions – that is an average of $3.2 million per execution.

While we have been unable to find numbers for Alabama specifically, it is fair to assume that we are spending a great deal of money over what it would cost to keep someone in prison for life. Alabama’s justice system is bankrupt and yet, they are pushing ahead to spend $250,000 on the lethal injection chamber and untold amounts to fight the new ruling from the United States Supreme Court against executing the mentally retarded and the role of Judges in the sentencing process. How might this money be better spent?

ALABAMA is 44th in the nation on per pupil expenditures. The states that spent less are Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, South Dakota and Tennessee. (National Center for Education Statistics) Spending in 2002: Alabama $5,937 Georgia $7,633 Louisiana $6,270

From 1992 – 2000, ALABAMA was below the national average in every tested area in grades 4 and 8. The areas tested are Math, Reading, Science and Writing. In 2001 the ACT-tested graduates in Alabama scored below the national average.



PROJECT HOPE TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY

WWW.PHADP.ORG

P. O. BOX 1362

Lanett, Al 36863