Day 4 - Shawna Forde Murder Trial

Guest Voz - Porter Corn - Immigration Clearinghouse:

Oin Oakstar was the sole witness to take the stand on Day 4 of Minuteman Shawna Forde’s capital murder trial.
According to Oakstar, who was supposed to be participate in the murders, but was to drunk to do so, it was all business according to something called the “Arivaca Rules”. Either Raul Flores was going to kill him and Albert Gaxiola or they were going to kill Flores, because he and Gaxiola has stolen hundreds of pounds of marijuana from Flore.

They figured they should kill him before he killed them in retaliation. But Oakstar insisted they never discussed a plan involving Flores’ wife and children.

According to David Ricker who is observing the trial: But, they soon began to consider other alternatives. “Once we had gone that far either he was going to kill us or we were going to kill him,” Oakstar testified. “Albert thought we should kill him. We discussed having it done by somebody else. We also discussed doing it ourselves.” There was no discussion of harming the remainder the of the Flores family. “There was no reason to involve his family,” Oakstar testified. “This was business.” Oakstar testified that Gaxiola had met Forde in May 2009. “He suggested inviting her down to help us with our problem,” he said.

And from Kim Smith of the Arizona Daily Star: After he hooked up with Gaxiola, the two decided to kill Flores and other rival drug smugglers, Oakstar said. They decided the best way to kill Flores was to ambush and shoot him from a distance, but rather than “jump in with both feet” they mulled it over for a few months, Oakstar said. When Gaxiola introduced him to Forde in early May, the plan was accelerated, Oakstar said. Forde told him she wanted to rob and kill drug smugglers to fund her Minutemen project, Oakstar testified.
Oakstar also connected the teal van seen cruising past the Flores residence with Forde. The same van was found on Gaxiolas property after the murder with blood stains which were matched to the shooter Jason Bush. Oakstar admitted his testimony was part of a plea agreement which prevented him from going to prison for up to 15 years on weapons charges. However, Oakstar admitted to defense attorney Eric Larsen he was afraid of being charged as an accomplice in the slayings, he had lots of incentives to cut a deal, and all he could think about was getting out of jail.
The trial continues next week. But it appears, a conviction is inevitable.

Let Level Heads Proceed Regarding How We Respond to the Turmoil in Egypt! Support our President and Hillary!

Egypt is on the midst of Revolution. They are deposing their current Leader, President Hosni Mubarak. The protesters have demanded Mubarak resign. Large groups of protesters, in the thousands, gathered across Cairo, their Capital city. The marchers are demanding Mubarak step down. They are tired of the division of classes, the mistreatment of women and years of neglect, rampant poverty, continuous unemployment and rising food prices.

For years, they had been promised Democratic elections. With years of broken promises and with his plans for Mubarak to hand over his Presidency to his son, the people revolted.

There were smaller protests in Assiut south of Cairo and al-Arish in the Sinai peninsula. Regional television stations were reporting clashes between thousands of demonstrators and police in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria and Minya south of Cairo. At the upscale Mohandiseen district, at least 10,000 of people were marching toward the city center chanting "down, down with Mubarak." The crowd later swelled to about 20,000 as they made their way through residential areas.

Foreign governments have been leery about getting involved in this internal strife. However, they have stepped up their warnings about travel to Egypt, with several urging their nationals to evacuate as soon as possible, further fueling uncertainty over where the Arab nation is headed after nearly a week of mass protests.

We, in America, are very fortunate to have level heads in Washington. The U.S. appealed for an orderly transition to lasting democracy in Egypt even as escalating violence in the Mideast threatened stability in that Region and put President Barack Obama in a diplomatic bind.

Why is there a Diplomatic Bind in the Middle East? Even though Mubarak is a Dictator and has broken his promises regarding Democratic elections to his people, he has been our ally in the Middle East. This is so critical since we still have our military in Iraq and Pakistan. For decades, Egypt's Mubarak's administration helped maintain stability in the Middle East. Mubarek was the first Nation to sign the Peace Treaty with Israel. And those of us over forty remember when Iran's people rallied on the streets for Democracy in the 1980s, ousted the Shah of Iran and brought back the Ayatollah Khomeini, putting him back in power; and one of the student leaders who helped put him back in power was the current President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who we are now struggling with as Iran attempts to build up their nuclear weaponry. We remember the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1980 when these same students who overtook the American Embassy and kept our people hostage for 444 days. However, some may argue, that at least part of the responsibility for these tragic events was due to America's/CIA's continued involvement in other countries' governments.

Today, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton refused to speculate on the future of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak or his teetering government. But she and U.S. officials said, "obviously we want to see people who are truly committed to democracy, not to imposing any ideology on Egyptians."

Hillary warned against a takeover resembling the one in Iran in 1980, with a "small group that doesn't represent the full diversity of Egyptian society" seizing control and imposing its ideological beliefs. Hillary's comments came as President Obama's administration continued to observe the fast-moving situation in Egypt. Left largely unsaid is the growing fear that a government hostile to the U.S. could gain control of such a large and important Arab nation.

I, for one, am glad of one thing. We have sane, level, thinking heads in Washington right now. Sarah Palin and John McCain's song "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" continues to resound in my head. And GOP Conference Chairman Thaddeus McCotter saying to stand behind the Dictator Mubarek and stop the protestors. (Yikes...How Dangerous!)

We need to stay out of this mess until their own country determines their destiny. We need to support our people in getting out of Harm's Way and returning home to America. We The People Need to Support our President and our Secretary of State. Let Level Heads prevail!
PS: My Fellow Americans -- Know that at the end of the day, one thing that will surely impact us as a result of all of this conflict: OUR GAS PRICES ARE SURE TO GO UP! Please... DO NOT BLAME OUR ADMINISTRATION FOR THE INEVITABLE!

TeaParty Champions, David Vitter and Rand Paul, Jumping on the Attack Against Latino Citizen Children!

As we predicted, the attacks against Latino Citizen Children are coming fast and furious now! The Tea Party supporters of the US Constitution are now up in arms against it! They are rallying to take away citizenship rights of Latino US American Children. The ANTI newspapers writing about their charge against Latino babies are even abusively calling these innocent children "Anchor Babies!"
From the extremist right wing site thenewamerican.com reports: Senators Vitter and Paul Seek Closing of Anchor Baby "Loophole"
Tea Party Favorites Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ken., are co-authoring a resolution to change the Constitution and deny citizenship to anyone born in the United States "unless at least one parent is a legal citizen, legal immigrant, active member of the Armed Forces or a naturalized legal citizen." According to a statement jointly released by the pair of lawmakers. They say For too long, our nation has seen an influx of illegal aliens entering our country at an escalating rate, and chain migration is a major contributor to this rapid increase – which is only compounded when the children of illegal aliens born in the U.S. are granted automatic citizenship. They say Closing this loophole will not prevent them from becoming citizens, but will ensure that they have to go through the same process as anyone else who wants to become an American citizen. Citizenship is a privilege, and only those who respect our immigration laws should be allowed to enjoy its benefits. This legislation makes it necessary that everyone follow the rules, and goes through same process to become a U.S. citizen.

For years, the halls of Congress have resounded with calls from several key GOP legislators for hearings into the 14th Amendment’s supposed grant of citizenship to children born in the United States who they believe are "illegal immigrants."

They say the anchor in “anchor babies” refers to the purported ability of children born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents to sponsor those parents in their request for permanent residency here. According to the argument, as citizens of the United States, those children have the right to sponsor the immigration efforts of family members seeking legal immigration status.

Why Isn't the Brisenia Flores Murder Trial on the National News? Minuteman Leader Shawna Forde is on Trial! Why No Coverage?

It is appalling. The trial of Shawna Forde, head of the ANTI Immigration Reformist Minuteman Group is underway. She and her 2nd in command, Gunny Bush, are accused of shooting and murdering 9 year old Brisenia Flores and her Dad.
Why isn't this trial on the National News?
There is countless coverage of the Robert Krentz murder. No one knows who shot him. No one has been accused. The local sheriff believes an American killed him. However, some in the ANTI Immigration Reform movement, including the heinous sb1070 sponsor Russell Pearce "assume" the perpetrator just might be an illegal immigrant. There is NOTHING to substantiate this, yet the media covers this possibility religiously.
In the murder case of 9 year old Brisenia Flores, the police know and have charged the murder and currently have her on trial. However, THERE IS NO NATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE!!! WHY!!! Doesn't 9 year old Brisenia deserve the same coverage as Robert Krentz?
What about the FAKE shooting of Louis Puroll. You remember him don't you? He is the "dirty cop," recently FIRED FOR LYING, who "said" he was shot by some "unknown illeeegal immigrant." However, now that all the news has come out, no one has ever been charged and Puroll has been FIRED for LYING to his boss over this incident.
When will Brisenia receive Justice? 9 year old Brisenia DESERVES Justice! Her murderers need to found GUILTY! Their court case needs to be ON THE FRONT PAGE OF EVERY MEDIA OUTLET IN ARIZONA AND ACROSS THE NATION!
WE NEED JUSTICE FOR 9 YEAR OLD BRISENIA NOW!!!

Mixed Justice for Luis Ramirez: Two Cops Guilty of Cover-Up, Piekarsky's Mom's Boyfriend Acquitted -- Says He Wants to be a Cop Again!

standardspeaker.com reports: WILKES-BARRE - Tears of joy mingled with sadness as one former Shenandoah policeman was acquitted Thursday of obstructing the investigation of the fatal beating of Luis Ramirez, while two of his former colleagues were each convicted of one charge. In a courtroom packed with the defendants' families and friends of the accused, and after about 14 hours of deliberations over two days, a federal jury of eight women and four men found the accused Jason Hayes, 37, of Shenandoah, not guilty of conspiracy and filing a false police report. "I feel terrific," said a smiling Hayes, who added that he wants to become a policeman again.

However, the same jury found Matthew R. Nestor guilty of filing a false police report and William Moyer guilty of lying to the FBI. Jurors ruled Nestor and Moyer not guilty of conspiracy and Moyer not guilty of filing a false police report, tampering with evidence and tampering with a witness. "I think I had a fair jury," Moyer said. "I'm very thankful I was found not guilty of the other charges. The thing I'm most thankful for is that I have a good family behind me."

Nestor said nothing as he left the Max Rosenn United States Courthouse, Wilkes-Barre, following the verdict, which elicited happiness among Hayes' family and friends, especially his fiancee, Tammy Piekarsky (murderer Piekarsky's mom), who jumped up and down and wept with joy after he was found not guilty.

Senior U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo, who presided over the 13-day trial, set April 29 as the date for the sentencing of Nestor and Moyer, who face possible sentences of 20 years and five years, respectively. Both men are free pending sentencing. Joseph P. Nahas Jr., Frackville, one of Nestor's lawyers, said he would "absolutely" file an appeal of his client's conviction, while Enid W. Harris, Kingston, Moyer's lawyer, said she probably would not appeal her client's conviction. Any appeal by Nestor or Moyer would be heard by the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Prosecutors are legally barred from appealing the not guilty verdicts.

Day 3 & 3 1/2 - Shawna Forde Murder Trial

Guest Voz - Porter Corn - Immigration Clearinghouse:
Day Three – Shawna Forde Murder Trial – Laine Lawless defies judges order, tries to sneak into courtroom!
The circus is in town apparently today as Roberta Dills aka Laine Lawless blatantly defied Judge John Leonardo’s order banishing all potential witnesses from the trial until after they had testified. That wasn’t enough to stop the border loon from donning a black wig, black trenchcoat and marching into the courtroom as if she owned the place.
Lawless, always one fry shy of a Happy Meal, and who has also blatantly violated Judge Leonardo’s gag order by posting as “Shawna Forde” on the Facebook page she established. She sat behind two detective who immediately recognized her and notified prosecutor Deputy County Attorney Rick Unklesbay who asked the court to stop proceedings. He informed the Judge that “Ms. Lawless is standing here in some sort of disguise.”
According to Dave Ricker, who is covering the trial daily.

Leonardo questioned Lawless as to why she was in apparent violation of his earlier order regarding witnesses. “I am a citizen reporter and have First Amendment rights to be here as any other reporter here,” Lawless said….

Johnson informed Leonardo that she had received an email from Lawless asserting her right to be present in the courtroom during trial. “Despite what she may believe we have not made any decisions as to whether she would be called as a witness,” she said.

Unklesbay told the court that the previous witness had mentioned to him that Lawless had been discussing the case in the hallway outside the courtroom with another individual prior to her summons to the courtroom to testify. He asked Leonardo to order Lawless to not come to the courthouse unless she was summoned to testify in the case. Larsen added that she be ordered from blogging about the case or doing radio interviews as well. “She has had conversations with my client at the jail about daily court events,” he said.
We’ll watch and see what stunt she pulls next and if Judge Leonardo will sanction her as he should.

Other witnesses called included Melanie Aranda, Forde’s younger sister who briefly testified talking with Forde in April 2009. Forde talked to her about robbing people to fund her little Minuteman group.

But, Aranda said, “I didn’t take it seriously, mainly because she has a habit of exaggerating. She likes to talk big”

Chuck Stonex, Shawna Forde New Mexico “director” and the person called to bandage Bush’s bullet wound testified about the event and concluded with telling the prosecutor that he believed Forde was in charge of whatever mission they were on the night Bush got shot.
As usual, we’ll be updating as things happen.

Day 3 1/2 – Shawna Forde Murder Trial – Witness ties Forde to shooter Jason Bush
Minuteman Shawna Forde’s “New Mexico Director of M.A.D.”, Chuck Stonex, took the stand yesterday and under oath, ties accused Minuteman child killer Shawna Forde to her number two in the gang, Jason “Gunny” Bush, the suspected triggerman.
‘You should have seen how scary he looked last night with his face all blacked out,” Stonex, told the jurors referring to comments Shawna Forde made directly to him the night he and Laine Lawless were called to a home in Arivaca Arizona to tend to a bullet wound Bush had received.

More on this witnesses testimony can be read here.

Day Two – Shawna Forde Murder Trial – Prosecution has a “surprise” witness – Jason Bush’s girlfriend

Guest Voz - Porter Corn - Immigration Clearinghouse:
Day Two – Shawna Forde Murder Trial – Prosecution has a “surprise” witness – Jason Bush’s girlfriend
Testimony continued to move along today with the defense cross examining the widow of Raul Flores and mother of 9 year old Brisenia Flores in Minuteman Shawna Forde’s capital murder trial. Perhaps the highlight of the day was when prosecutors announced to the Court that their investigators had found Jason Bush’s girlfriend, Melinda Shelton and were going to have her testify. The stunned defense attorney Eric Larsen immediately objected saying they needed time to interview her and investigate her story. (another defense ploy to delay the trial) Prosecutor Rick Unklesbay replied Larsen shouldn’t be surprised because Shelton has always been listed on the witness list and had in fact, been scheduled to testify today.

Judge John Leonardo declined to allow prosecutors to present her as a witness until tomorrow, giving Larsen and Jill Thorpe the opportunity to interview her this evening. It is being reported that Shelton will testify that Shawna Forde at her house in Meadview Arizona in late May (the murders occurred on May 30) and the next time she saw Bush, he was suffering from the gunshot wound to the leg.

Larsen continued his cross examination of Gina Gonzalez by trying to get her to admit she couldn’t identify Forde as the “mean” woman who was barking orders to Bush and the other home invaders. Vut Gonzalez, a brave woman to say the least, threw it right back at him. Larsen asked her, “As you sit here today you still can’t say Shawna Forde was in your home, right?” Gonzalez answered, “No, because I don’t know Shawna Forde.”

Further along in the testimony, Gonzalez stuck to her guns insisting, “She looks like the person in my house.”
Larsen asked, “You also indicated that she was initially in brown camouflage, correct?” Gonzalez answered, “Yes.” “And the second time she was now in green sort of border patrol,” Larsen asked. Gonzalez said, “Yes, like she had taken her jacket off.”

Gonzalez testimony also put the teal mini van found on Albert Gaxiolas property which had Bush’s blood and DNA in it and that had been seen cruising the Flores neighborhood earlier in the day.

Albert Gaxiola’s next door neighbor was also called to testify and she placed Shawna Fordes orange Honda Element at Gaxiolas house 4 hours after the murders. Earlier she testified, about 01:15 Gaxiola was out in his yard trying to start a flooded car. This was half an hour after Gonzalez 911 call. The witness also put Forde and another man at a gathering in Gaxiolas back yard about a week before the murders.

Testimony continues tomorrow as David Winston a medical examiner continues his testimony the autopsy and jurors get a first look at the victims.

Breaking News: Arizona Lawmakers Introduce ANTI Latino Racist Hate Bills Attacking Citizen Babies!

Breaking News: THEY DID IT!!! (Yes they Did!)
Tucson Citizen.com reports: Arizona Lawmakers (AGAIN) Introduce ANTI Latino Racist Hate Bills Attacking Citizen Babies!
Arizona lawmakers on Thursday filed four bills for consideration that they hope will change how the U.S. recognizes US CITIZEN children of UNDOCUMENTED immigrants.
First, two bills that attempt to change the Constitution and Jus Soli
1. House Bill 2561 and
2. Senate Bill 1309 defines an Arizona citizen (notice they say Arizona citizen) as someone “lawfully domiciled” in Arizona who is born in the U.S. and is “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” It defines individuals who are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. as children who have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national or a legal permanent U.S. resident.
3. House Bill 2562 and 4. Senate Bill 1308 would require Arizona to create separate birth certificates (Separate??) for children who are deemed to be "Arizona citizens" (by Arizona) under House Bill 2561 and those who are not. It also seeks permission from Congress to form compacts with other states doing the same thing.

This morning, opposition groups gathered at the state Capitol waving signs and speaking out against the effort. Democratic lawmakers and immigrant rights groups held news conferences throughout the day. Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, and Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, are the primary bill sponsors. Twenty-seven Republican lawmakers have signed on support, but others commented that the Legislature should be focusing on the budget, jobs or border security instead.

(Racist) Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who along with Kavanagh led the effort to get Senate Bill 1070 passed last year, has been working on this issue for years. Kansas attorney Kris Kobach (from Racist HATE Group F.A.I.R.), who helped draft SB 1070 and in November was elected Kansas Secretary of State, also helped with this legislation.

Unlike with SB 1070, Arizona won’t be alone in this effort. (Yes! FAIR is promoting other states introduce this Hate Filled, Racist Legislation) -- (Racist) Lawmakers from about a dozen states have united under (the Hate Group) "State Legislators for Legal Immigration" and are expected to consider identical birthright citizenship legislation in their states this year. However, Arizona seems to be the first state so far to actually introduce the bills. (They are saying that ) states have oversight over birth certificates and, to an extent, over who can receive state services, HOWEVER THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT citizenship is a Federal Issue. And Creating different birth certificates, or giving people different levels of access to state services based on information on birth certificates, OPENS the state to federal lawsuits.

(RACISTS) Kavanagh, Pearce and the other lawmakers say that’s exactly what they want: to force these lawsuits so the federal courts will consider whether the 14th Amendment truly grants citizenship to children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants. “The court needs to rule on this so we can figure out how to treat these kids,” Gould said.

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Those who favor reform say illegal immigrants aren’t “subject to the jurisdiction” of the U.S, so their children can’t qualify for birthright citizenship. “The parents broke the law,” Pearce said. “There are consequences of breaking laws.”

Rep. Richard Miranda, D-Tolleson, said the Legislature should be working to strengthen Arizona’s economy, not bringing the state more “ridicule and anger.” “We must act together to move Arizona forward and not act as individuals who seek to be celebrities,” he said.

Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, compared the idea of two birth certificates to the days of “separate but equal.” “This takes us back to the time when we had separate drinking fountains … swimming pools … public education, one for Black and one for White,” he said. Rep. Catherine Miranda, D-Phoenix, compared the bill’s agenda to that of Nazi Germany. “Today in Arizona, thousands of Arizona mothers go to work not knowing if they will return to their families or end up in deportation centers,” she said. “Who can doubt that we are experiencing a holocaust in Arizona.”

Rep. Albert Hale, D-Window Rock, a Navajo, said that under these bills he would be considered an “anchor baby” because Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1924. “My grandfather was not a citizen. My mother, born in 1919, was not a citizen,” he said. “So I am a child of a non-citizen and therefore illegal. Am I to be deported? And If I am, where are you going to deport me to?” He warned that passing these bills would create a crisis of children “who are stateless and without a country.” “This will create a class of people who are not welcome in the country where they are born,” he said. “This is not the Arizona I know. This is not the Arizona I want.”

Attorney Steve Montoya, who was involved with the lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of SB 1070, called the bill a “complete waste of time.” “When we’re having to close schools because we’re bankrupt, these jokers are pushing laws that will only push the state further into debt,” he said. “This law reflects the ignorance of the people who wrote it.” He said the bills are so blatantly unconstitutional that it’s unlikely the Supreme Court would even consider them. “The state of Arizona cannot overturn the 14th Amendment,” he said.

Day One – Shawna Forde Murder Trial – Gina Gonzalez Testimony

Guest Voz - Porter Corn - Immigration Clearinghouse:

Day one in the capital murder trial of Minuteman Shawna Forde began mundanely enough with a conference in Judge John Leonardo’s chamber with the attorney’s on both sides and media representatives present. One of Judge Leonardo’s first ruling in the case in principal was to issue a gag order prohibiting any witnesses that might potentially be called to talk about the case to anyone including radio stations, blogs, email or person to person, television, etc. Not surprisingly, one of the potential witnesses has already seen fit to ignore the Judges order.

Opening statements were the first order of business. For the Prosecution, prosecutor Kellie L. Johnson told the jury ”Not only will the state prove to you that Shawna Forde was in that house that night, barking orders and telling people what to do, the state will prove that Shawna Forde organized and planned this offense.” With apparent difficulty, Johnson went on to describe the crime and Brisenias last moments.

Up next, defense attorney Eric Larsen told the jurors the state’s case is essentially a donut, with circumstantial evidence all around, but nothing to put Shawna Forde in the middle. He went on to say his client, Shawna Forde is a “big mouth” and an ”exaggerator extraordinaire” for boasting of her plans to rob drug smugglers. Nothing more than a woman who wants to be more than she is, but she wasn’t in the house that morning.

Gina Marie Gonzalez, widow and mother of the murder victims disputes that.

The highlight of the day was the testimony of Gina Gonzalez and we got a glimpse of what transpired on the morning of May 30, 2009.

Gonzalez testified that as she lay on the floor pretending to be dead, in hopes that the shooter would ignore her and leave, listening to her husband dying, the shooter, who evidence will identify as Jason “Gunny” Bush, interrogated 9 year old Brisenia Flores about the whereabouts of her sister. Brisenia told Bush her sister was with her grandmother and Bush demanded to know where she lived. Earlier, Bush had said to Raul, ”Don’t take this personal, but this bullet has your name on it,”

“She was really scared. Her voice was shaking. I know she’s crying and really scared,” Gonzalez cried.
Bush, out of bullet after shooting Raul and Gina, stood there calmly reloading his weapon as Brisenia demanded to know why he had shot her father and why he had shot her mother.Ignoring Brisenias pleas, Bush put the gun to the childs face and pulled the trigger. Gonzalez testified she heard the shot and saw her daughters body go flying across the room. That was followed by a second shot which blew out the back of the child’s head.

Gonzalez testified that the woman in the house looked like Forde, but she said she couldn’t definitively say it was her “because I don’t know her personally.” She failed to identify Forde in a police lineup after the shooting. Some have considered that Forde might have been wearing a brown wig when she entered the house the first time, which would explain Gonzalez confusion in the identifying Forde completely.

More tomorrow as things develop.

Guest Voz - Indigenous Xicano: Illegal Immigration:"The law is the law"

Guest Voz - Indigenous Xicano: "The Law is the Law!"
The law is the law. So let us treat everyone the same. Show empathy for first-time offenders. Offer an avenue of forgiveness as we do to those who break the law and never get in trouble again. Allow good hard working people a chance to pay a price for their crime of illegal entry...
The law is the law. I hear that short phrase used often to argue for the enforcement against the workers in this country who entered illegally. I agree-the law is the law and popcorn is popcorn and purple dinosaurs are purple dinosaurs. None of these phrases actually mean a thing in any intelligent conversation. I know that the meaning of the phrase is supposed to mean that it is against the law to enter, reside, and work in the U.S. Point noted. The phrase also is meant to convey the message that the law calls for the deportation of the workers who are here illegally. Again, the point is taken. But the phrase is still meaningless. “No nation can exist without laws.” I hear this phrase often repeated by those passionately fighting for the deportation of all illegal immigrants. But no one is arguing for the nation to exist without laws. But the presence and functionality of illegal immigration strongly suggest that current laws do not work. We have evolved into a nation of bad laws that we stubbornly cling on to in order to maintain a facade of being tough on crime, when in reality we create the status of crime when and where there is no crime.

We do not need to create criminals out of workers simply from our lack of sound immigration policy and law.
Some things should obviously be crimes. Thou shall not murder. Without saying, it helps to maintain societal order if people are not ruthlessly killing each other. Ironically, our bad drug laws plays a major part on the rate of murder in our country. By criminalizing the street drugs that we keep illegal, we surrender both the regulation of commerce and the distribution of a product that is as every part of our reality as stocks, sports, and drive-through restaurants. Our bad laws surrender this regulation and distribution to ruthless thugs. One can argue that our bad laws that fail to regulate Wall Street also surrender that regulation to ruthless thugs in pin-striped suits. But these are other arguments for other times.

Immigration. Illegal immigration.
Cheap, inexpensive labor is historically part of the American way. The illegal immigrant is the latest group to become exploited by the need of capitalists to maximize profits. Defenders of our system argue that capitalism and profits are good things. The most conservative of these defenders will also stress that regulation suppresses the ability of free markets to flourish. Illegal immigration is a symptom of that free market playing out. Thus we have a reality in conflict with our laws. Businesses want the inexpensive illegal laborer. The law against hiring illegal workers is then ignored.

When I was a kid growing up in Chicago, I would often hear the phrase “nothing is illegal if you do not get caught.” If there was no one to see you drive through the red light at 3am then it is not illegal. If the government does not punish employers for hiring illegal workers, then it is not illegal for employers to hire illegal workers. But the illegal worker does not get the same pass. No one gets caught and nothing is illegal. For some unethical people in power it is the American way. For business owners who hire illegal laborers it is the latest example of the “nothing is illegal if you do not get caught” mentality.

If powerful people can break a law with no consequence while the vulnerable and exploited worker are punished for participating in the same crime, then something is wrong with the law or the enforcement of the law. The law is uneven when it comes to enforcement. The law is only meant for the voiceless poor. The government does not want to punish and stifle commerce. So it goes after the worker in planned and publicized events meant to showcase their desire to enforce the law.

Turning the other way creates a de facto immigration policy when it comes to employing illegal workers and enforcing current laws against employers. The law seems to apply more for the exploited that it is for the exploiter. The law is never just the law. Justice is not blind; it winks at those it gives a pass to. Unethical employers who break laws to maximize profits go unscathed. Workers who only want to earn money by selling their labor should not be casted as criminals simply because we are unable to provide sensible laws that allow for reality to become legal.

With the breaking of the law comes varied legal consequences. The supporters of the “law is the law” do not want to enter this realm of legal reality. They want deportation as the only option for the breaking of immigration law. But no laws are adjudicated in the same manner to those who break the same law. There is no “one punishment fits all” sentence for every law breaker. There are different consequences for breaking laws. Then people get on with life. See Michael Vick run.

Deportation is not the only option for entering the country illegally. Precedent has been set in many cases when factors are weighed in to allow someone to remain here. Then there are laws that allow for some to remain here legally such as victims of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking. When someone breaks a law and is found guilty, there are factors that are taken into consideration. A judge may offer a plea in abeyance to first time offenders of a non-violent crime. A plea in abeyance basically is a plea where the defendant pleads guilty to a crime and if he/she does not re-offend in a set time, then the conviction is tossed out. It is as if it never happened. Probation is almost a sure thing for first-time offenders of non-violent crimes. First time big time swindlers in suits have benefitted from no jail time. But we cannot offer probation to a college student who lacks nine-digits?

Putting up dry wall at minimum wage without papers is a non-violent offense. If a person has been here for years and has never been in trouble with the law, then why can they not be afforded the same options as other first-time offenders? After all the law is the law. Empathy is part of the law-it is part of how our judicial system plays out in its daily arenas.

The same people yelling “the law is the law” also demand that there is never an amnesty for illegal immigrants. But our laws offer amnesty to many that violate the law. Not only do first-time offenders receive probation or a plea in abeyance, they usually have an opportunity to expunge the arrest and conviction from their record if they prove worthy. It is an act of forgiveness.

Many undocumented workers have proven themselves worthy of this same type of forgiveness that is a part of our legal system. If we are to use “the law is the law” rhetoric as the main point of an argument against the undocumented worker, then we should go beyond the surface of that statement and allow the full application of the law in dealing with the undocumented. Mercy and forgiveness are without a doubt part of our legal system.

I am all for deporting the dangerous criminals who enter illegally. But those who work and contribute are not criminals. They are not the drug runners and/or human smugglers. They come here to work. Our inability to repair our immigration policy surrenders the regulating of the employment of the undocumented over to the employers who choose to break the law. They know they can get away with it.

When we surrender the regulation of employment of these workers, we allow for a system of cheap wages, lack of benefits, fake social security numbers, and unsafe working conditions to flourish. The workers no longer are the mainstays of only the agricultural industry. Greedy employers from all industries are now dipping into this pool of cheap labor. All American workers are hurt when greedy employers exploit workers.

Immigration reform that protects and regulates the fair wages and safety of all work places benefits all workers.

The law is the law. So let us treat everyone the same. Show empathy for first-time offenders. Offer an avenue of forgiveness as we do to those who break the law and never get in trouble again. Allow good hard working people a chance to pay a price for their crime of illegal entry into the country. Then, if they are worthy, allow them the dignity to have their case heard on its individual merits. Punish them as we would others in the same situation. The law is, after all, the law. If they are worthy of probation and eventual forgiveness, then allow them that legal consequence.

Then let us get on with life.If Michael Vick can receive forgiveness and another chance, then why can't a worker whose only crime was sneaking into this country to work not receive the same forgiveness and a chance to shed the demonizing and perpetual status of being illegal?

Guest Voz - Russell Simmons: The Night the Lights Went Out at NBC

Guest Voz - Russell Simmons: The Night the Lights Went Out at NBC
NBC is a great institution based in the landmark Rockefeller Plaza, where TV and radio began in this country. On Friday night, a bright light was dimmed for no explicable reason, when Keith Olbermann delivered his final show of Countdown on MSNBC. It is being reported that the deal for his removal from the network has been in the works for weeks. Maybe it was someone's ego; maybe he was too honest and forthright. But I can't help but feel that the less honest the extreme right-wing is, the more heavily they get promoted; the more honest the progressive voices are, the more they get silenced. This is where Edward R. Murrow's American media is at today.

Sure, Keith will be just fine. In the case that he is not, I invite him right now to have his own video nightly session on my online platform, GlobalGrind.com. But the web still hasn't overtaken the reach and power of the cable networks. That's why my friend (and political opponent) Roger Ailes is so successful. I may not like his politics but he sticks with and supports his team no matter how outrageous they get. Olbermann was only "outrageous" in spitting truth to power. I only wish the other side was so honest. I only wish my friend, Sean Hannity, didn't repeat false talking points like the "two hundred million dollar" Obama trip to the far east, or the lies murders by immigrants in Arizona. I only wish guys like Beck, O'Reilly and Limbaugh didn't give a moment of airtime to people who question the president's citizenship. I only wish that all of the networks didn't promote a preacher with a couple of dozen parishioners who wanted to burn the holy Koran, when there was a lot more important news to report those nights.

Keith wasn't strong on opinion (ones I happen to share), he was strong on the FACTS. He corrected every mistake. This was a rarity on cable news. How MSNBC thinks it can just move on and remain credible is beyond my comprehension. Would Roger Ailes ever think of firing Bill O'Reilly? Advertisers boycott Glenn Beck, but no one touches him. Sarah Palin, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich and their friends spin a "Mad Hatter" view of the Alice In Wonderland America they have created in their own minds. But who gets dumped? Keith. The honest, powerful advocate who created critical care clinics with donations from his viewers. Who helped Haiti, New Orleans, fought tirelessly against two unjust wars and who made the cause of humanity and honest truth, his cause. That's the guy who gets thrown overboard.
Let me suggest this: Keith, don't be concerned by Air America's lack of success. They didn't have the forum or the real financial support. Let's start a new channel together and make it stick and become a beacon to all Americans.
Keith's is a voice that can't be silenced. The truth can never be silenced.

Guest Voz IC: Opening Statements Tuesday in Minuteman Shawna Forde Murder Trial

Guest Voz - Immigration Clearinghouse: Opening Statements Tuesday in Minuteman Shawna Forde murder trial
Opening statements in the capital murder trial of accused Minuteman child killer Shawna Forde, will begin Tuesday, January 25, after attorneys on both sides concluded their voir dire of the pool of 98 potential jurors this afternoon and jury instructions were given .

It began on the morning of May 30, 2009, Raul Flores heard a knock at the door of his Arivaca, Arizona, home. When he opened it, he found a man and a woman claiming to be law-enforcement officers in search of fugitives. Minutes later, the man shot Flores six times, in the head, chest and arm. He died at the scene Then he pumped three bullets into Flores’ wife, Gina Gonzalez, hitting her in the arm, leg and chest. She survived but played dead.

“Why did you shoot my mom?” Gonzalez’s 9-year-old daughter, Brisenia Flores, asked the gunman. Those were her last words. The man put a gun to her head, fired off two rounds,one through the cheek and the other other that blew out the back of her head.

Senseless murder conceived and acted on by Shawna Forde, a notorious nativist who was so zealous in her quest to control the border she came up with a plan to fund her organization; stealing from people she thought were connected with drug cartels.

More than 60 witnesses are expected to take the stand during the trial. According to Kim Smith of the Arizona Daily Star:
•Gonzalez – She will testify that although she was unable to identify Forde as the woman home invader in the days after the slayings, she now believes Forde looks “exactly like her.”
•Oin Oakstar – The ex-con will testify he and Gaxiola wanted to get rid of Flores, a competitor in the drug trade. Oakstar claims the plan was for Bush to shoot Flores outside his home, and nothing was said about a home invasion or harming Flores’ family. Oakstar said he got too drunk to go the night of the slayings. He will also testify he had damaging conversations with the suspects after the shooting.
•Robert “Anglo” Copley and Ronald “Raven” Wedow – The two Colorado men say Forde recruited them to take part in a home invasion in which a second team would gather up drugs, money and weapons, which would be sold to help the Minutemen American Defense.
Copley and Wedow are the two Colorado Minutemen whom Forde approached with her home invasions plans and who later reported the encounter to the FBI.

The state will also present physical evidence that ties Forde to the murders.
According to court documents, prosecutors have damning texts sent between cell phones registered to Forde and Gaxiola, texts that were sent the morning of the slayings. In addition, detectives found jewelry belonging to Gonzalez in Forde’s purse and women’s camouflage clothing in Gaxiola’s house.
If convicted, Prosecutors Rick Unklesbay and Kellie Johnson will go for the death penalty.

Arizona Racism Exposed!

Guest Voz - Immigration Clearinghouse reports: Arizona Racism over sb1070 EXPOSED!
These three spout violence, shooting "Blow you MF'ers away!" "Buy Guns!" "Blow Head Off!" "If you are Brown, wear shitty ass clothes, then it's your fault you get questioned." "If you don't like it, Kiss our Axx!"

The Yellow Moon Filled the Sky Tonight! Watch Out for the Chupacabras!

As my husband and I were driving home tonight, the full yellow moon filled the Dallas sky! It was so close, we could almost touch it. I took this picture just to show you how close, big and yellow it was. I decided to check the internet and it says it is the Wolf Moon.

The Wolf Moon is a full moon that occurs in January. Its name comes from hungry wolf packs that would howl outside the villages of Native Americans. This full moon is also known as the Old Moon or the Moon After Yule.

According to Native American/Mexican American folklore, now is the time that wolves howl at the moon. Pregnant women cannot walk outside during a Wolf Moon, otherwise their children are destined to become chupacabra. Brrrrr. Makes you shiver, just to think about it. The Good News? It's only a folklore!

New Documentary About Joe Arpaio: "Two Americans"

A New Documentary is being made about Joe Arpaio. Here is their website.

Conservatives Already Clammering to Take Gabrielle Giffords Seat!!

I've been listening to Right Wing Talk Radio lately, just to see what they are up to.
One of their Hot Topics is, How Soon Can WE Take Over Rep. Giffords' seat!
Some Tea Party Bloggers are even DEMANDING Gabby give up her seatNOW! (They are delusional!) Americans will NEVER stand for it!
Think Progress Reports on the unbelievable tactics of the Right:
Think Progress reports: Conservative Blogger Calls For Giffords To Resign, Says Holding Seat Akin To ‘Political Brett Favre’
In an article published on theloop21.com, John Wilson, a “regular contributor to Hip Hop Republican,” mused that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) should resign her seat as she recuperates from her gunshot wounds. Citing media reports about Gifford’s medical condition, Wilson compared Giffords to the late Rep. Gladys Spellman (D-MD), who went into a coma while in office. He then asked, “Should constituents allow members to hold onto their seats like political Brett Favres with no concept of when it is time to go?” FrumForum, the conservative news site managed by former Bush administration official David Frum, promoted the article on its website this afternoon.
Wilson says he is calling for Gifford’s resignation in deference to her constituents who need active representation. However, it seems quite early to make that call. Giffords could be released from the hospital and enter rehab as soon as this week. Since the tragic shooting in Arizona, she only missed one substantive vote. Furthermore, Wilson never voiced a demand for resignation last year when former Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) missed over one hundred votes while campaigning for governor or when former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) missed a crucial vote on unemployment extension.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz Invokes Tucson Hero's Plea To Defend Health Care Reform

Republicans in Congress have passed a bill to Kill Healthcare Reform. While they are aiming to deny Healthcare to the American people, Republicans are refusing to give up their own Government Healthcare. Most Americans see this as duplicitous.

What are the Republicans trying to eliminate:
Affordable Care Act:
. No more denial of service for pre-existing conditions
. No more denial of adult children/dependents
. Medicare: Reduction of the "donut hole" with compensation for Seniors.

Only 18% of the American People want to "Repeal the Bill."

HP reports: Debbie Wasserman Schultz Invokes Tucson Hero's Plea To Defend Health Care Reform
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), a close friend of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and one of the most supportive legislators regarding helping those in the tragedy in Arizona, said Wednesday that one of the heroes of the shooting in Tucson was opposed to the House GOP's effort to repeal health care reform, and that others should stand with her in resistance to the measure. "Normally I would step to a microphone like this and tell a story about the impact that decision might have on a constituent in my district," Wasserman Schultz said at a press briefing. "Instead what I'm going to do is share with you what Pat Maisch -- who was the hero who dropped the second magazine out of the gunman's hand during the tragedy in Tucson -- what she planned to say to Gabby Giffords when she was waiting on line to talk to her."

Wasserman Schultz explained that Maisch had told her she wanted to see the health care overhaul signed into law last year maintained, and asked the Democratic congresswoman to do everything she could to ensure that it was given a chance to be fully implemented. She also lamented what she saw as the aggressive tone that Republicans had adopted in combatting the legislation. "Heed the words of Pat Maisch, heed the words of millions needing health care," Wasserman Schultz said in defense of health care reform on the floor of the House later Wednesday morning, according to The New York Times.

Guest Voz - Micheal Steele: GOP is Relieved I'm Gone!

Guest Voz - Micheal Steele (The 1st -- and last -- Black Leader of the Republican National Committee): The GOP (Republicans) are Relieved I'm Gone!
Michael Steele, the newly ousted chairman of the Republican National Committee, said he's "disappointed" he lost the recent election but that many in his party are relieved. "I think the people in the party, particularly the (white) establishment, are breathing a sigh of relief," Steele said Wednesday on CNN's "The Situation Room." "They have control of the RNC now; let's see what they do with it."

Steele said he thinks members of his party wanted someone with a different tone to run the fundraising arm of the national party. The former Maryland lieutenant governor often made controversial comments that landed him in the national hot seat. "My style is very different, much more engaged on the streets of America as you saw on the bus tour," Steele told CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer. "I like to be out there with people. So it's just a different approach and a different style."

When asked about Karl Rove's recent swipe at Steele in the Wall Street Journal, Steele said Rove has "no idea what he's talking about." The former operative in the George W. Bush administration said Steele's successor, Reince Priebus will run a regime with "no more bloated entourages, sweetheart deals and lack of financial oversight."

"Karl's been attacking me for years," Steele said. "I think the reality of it is Karl doesn't know what he's talking about. The fact of it is, there were no entourages, there were no bloated budgets, we ran a very lean machine. We took every dollar that came into the building and put it back on the streets."

Domestic Terrorism on MLK Day! Bomb Found On MLK Day Parade Route, Says FBI

HP Reports: SPOKANE, Wash. — The FBI offered a reward Tuesday for information about a potentially lethal bomb found in a backpack along the downtown route of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade. The discovery before Monday's parade for the slain civil rights leader raised the possibility of a racial motive in a region that has been home to the white supremacist Aryan Nations.

"The confluence of the holiday, the march and the device is inescapable," said Frank Harrill, special agent in charge of the Spokane FBI office. "But we are not at the point where we can draw any particular motive." He called the planting of the bomb an act of domestic terrorism that was clearly designed to advance a political or social agenda.

The suspicious backpack was spotted by three city employees about an hour before the parade was to start, Harrill said. They looked inside, saw wires and immediately alerted law enforcement. The parade route was changed to avoid the device. A bomb disposal unit disabled it without incident, he said.

Harrill declined to release details of the device, other than to call it a functional bomb that could have caused multiple casualties. "The potential for injury and death were clearly present," Harrill said. The FBI received no warnings in advance and did not have a suspect, Harrill said. No one has claimed credit for planting the bomb

Gabby is getting Better!! Hurray!!! WE LOVE YOU GABBY!! WELCOME BACK!!! Tea Party Zealots -- Please Continue to STOP Marching Against Her Office!!!

Thank You Lord! Congresswoman Giffords will be BACK in her Congressional Seat Soon!!
Despite all of the rhetoric from the extremist right/teapartiers Trent Humphries FAR RIGHT Extremists.. Gabby WILL SURVIVE AND FILL HER OWN SEAT!!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

Extreme Right Wing Marchers -- Continue to Stay HOME and STAY AWAY from Congresswoman Giffords Office!!!

Doctors have successfully performed a surgery on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' eye socket to remove bone fragments as the wounded congresswoman showed more signs of improvement.

There were no complications from the surgery, and Giffords is improving so much that she was able to give her husband a back rub.

Dr. Randall Friese said Mark Kelly also told doctors he saw Giffords smile. He said sometimes people see what they want to see, but that "if he says she's smiling, I buy it."

Giffords still cannot speak because of a tracheotomy done so the breathing tube could be removed from her mouth.

God Bless Gabby Giffords! No Domestic Terrorist Can Stop You!

God Bless America!
God Bless OUR President Obama!
God Bless Gabby Giffords and her Family!

Popular Across the Internet/Facebook: "Estoy Enamorado!" Includes "We Are All Humans" Video

"Estoy Enamorado" (English: I'm in Love) is the first single released by a very popular Reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel from their live album La Revolución: Live. The song was released digitally on July 27, 2010. The Spanish lyrics that have to do with the expression of love toward his partner are combined in the video with shocking images of a couple being racially profiled, then arrested by The Border Patrol while the husband's young granddaughter looks on stunned as her grandparents are thrown in jail. It also shows the remorse of a Latino Border Patrol agent as he sees the child crying.

While they reiterate the phrase "Estoy Enamorado", there are scenes of a nighttime chase in the desert located on the border between Mexico and the United States. As a corollary, some Latino people living in the U.S. literally fade from their daily lives. It concludes with a crowd protesting the persecution of immigrants and the racial profiling of Latinos while lifting banners and shouting: "¡Si se Puede!" (Yes we can!)

In the end, the screen goes dark and in white lyrics it reads as follows:
"Creemos en la protección de los derechos de todo ser humano. La Ley SB1070 representa una violacion de esos derechos y una injusticia contra la integridad de nuestras comunidades. En nuestra unión esta la fuerza. Unámosnos. Recuerda en este mundo todos somos iguales!"
("We believe in protecting the rights of every human being. SB 1070 Law represents a violation of those rights and an injustice to the integrity of our communities. In our union there is strength. Unite. Remember: in this world, we are all equal!")

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King -- In Your Words!

Guest Voz - Martin Luther King: "The American Dream" (July 4, 1965)
The American Dream....It wouldn’t take us long to discover the substance of that dream. It is found in those majestic words of the Declaration of Independence, words lifted to cosmic proportions: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by God, Creator, with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." This is a dream. It’s a great dream.

The first saying we notice in this dream is an amazing universalism. It doesn’t say "some men," it says "all men." It doesn’t say "all white men," it says "all men," which includes black men (brown, yellow, red men and women). It does not say "all Gentiles," it says "all men," which includes Jews. It doesn’t say "all Protestants," it says "all men," which includes Catholics. It doesn’t even say "all theists and believers," it says "all men," which includes humanists and agnostics.

Then that dream goes on to say another thing that ultimately distinguishes our nation and our form of government from any totalitarian system in the world. It says that each of us has certain basic rights that are neither derived from or conferred by the state. In order to discover where they came from, it is necessary to move back behind the dim mist of eternity. They are God-given, gifts from His hands. Never before in the history of the world has a sociopolitical document expressed in such profound, eloquent, and unequivocal language the dignity and the worth of human personality. The American dream reminds us, and we should think about it anew on this Independence Day, that every man is an heir of the legacy of dignity and worth.

Now ever since the founding fathers of our nation dreamed this dream in all of its magnificence—to use a big word that the psychiatrists use—America has been something of a schizophrenic personality, tragically divided against herself. On the one hand we have proudly professed the great principles of democracy, but on the other hand we have sadly practiced the very opposite of those principles.

But now more than ever before, America is challenged to realize its dream, for the shape of the world today does not permit our nation the luxury of an anemic democracy. And the price that America must pay for the continued oppression of the Negro and other minority groups is the price of its own destruction. (Yes it is) For the hour is late. And the clock of destiny is ticking out. We must act now before it is too late.

And so it is marvelous and great that we do have a dream, that we have a nation with a dream; and to forever challenge us; to forever give us a sense of urgency; to forever stand in the midst of the "isness" of our terrible injustices; to remind us of the "oughtness" of our noble capacity for justice and love and brotherhood.

This morning I would like to deal with some of the challenges that we face today in our nation as a result of the American dream. First, I want to reiterate the fact that we are challenged more than ever before to respect the dignity and the worth of all human personality. We are challenged to really believe that all men are created equal. And don’t misunderstand that. It does not mean that all men are created equal in terms of native endowment, in terms of intellectual capacity—it doesn’t mean that. There are certain bright stars in the human firmament in every field. It doesn’t mean that every musician is equal to a Beethoven or Handel, a Verdi or a Mozart. It doesn’t mean that every physicist is equal to an Einstein. It does not mean that every literary figure in history is equal to Aeschylus and Euripides, Shakespeare and Chaucer. It does not mean that every philosopher is equal to Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and Friedrich Hegel. It doesn’t mean that. There are individuals who do excel and rise to the heights of genius in their areas and in their fields. What it does mean is that all men are equal in intrinsic worth.

You see, the founding fathers were really influenced by the Bible. The whole concept of the imago dei, as it is expressed in Latin, the "image of God," is the idea that all men have something within them that God injected. Not that they have substantial unity with God, but that every man has a capacity to have fellowship with God. And this gives him a uniqueness, it gives him worth, it gives him dignity. And we must never forget this as a nation: there are no gradations in the image of God. Every man from a treble white to a bass black is significant on God’s keyboard, precisely because every man is made in the image of God. One day we will learn that. We will know one day that God made us to live together as brothers (and sisters) and to respect the dignity and worth of every man.

... We hold these truths to be self-evident, if we are to be a great nation, that all men (and women) are created equal. God’s black/brown/red/yellow children are as significant as his white children. "We hold these truths to be self-evident." One day we will learn this.

And I tell you this morning, my friends, the reason we got to solve this problem here in America: Because God somehow called America to do a special job for mankind and the world. Never before in the history of the world have so many racial groups and so many national backgrounds assembled together in one nation. And somehow if we can’t solve the problem in America the world can’t solve the problem, because America is the world in miniature and the world is America writ large. And God set us out with all of the opportunities. He set us between two great oceans; made it possible for us to live with some of the great natural resources of the world. And there he gave us through the minds of our forefathers a great creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Now there’s another thing that we must never forget. If we are going to make the American dream a reality, we are challenged to work in an action program to get rid of the last vestiges of segregation and discrimination (Hate and Violence). This problem isn’t going to solve itself, however much people tell us this. However much the Uncle Toms and Nervous Nellies in the Negro communities tell us this, this problem isn’t just going to work itself out. History is the long story of the fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges without strong resistance, and they seldom do it voluntarily. And so if the American dream is to be a reality, we must work to make it a reality and realize the urgency of the moment. And we must say now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to get rid of segregation and discrimination (Hate and Violence). Now is the time to make the United States a better nation. We must live with that, and we must believe that.

..Oh yes, love is the way. Love is the only absolute. More and more I see this. I’ve seen too much hate to want to hate myself; hate is too great a burden to bear.. I’ve seen it on the faces of too many sheriffs of the South—I’ve seen hate. In the faces and even the walk of too many Klansmen of the South, I’ve seen hate. Hate distorts the personality. Hate does something to the soul that causes one to lose his objectivity. The man who hates can’t think straight; (Amen) the man who hates can’t reason right; the man who hates can’t see right; the man who hates can’t walk right. And I know now that Jesus is right, that love is the way. And this is why John said, "God is love," so that he who hates does not know God, but he who loves at that moment has the key that opens the door (Yeah) to the meaning of ultimate reality. So this morning there is so much that we have to offer to the world.

We have a great dream. It started way back in 1776, and God grant that America will be true to her dream..I still have a dream that one day all of God’s children will have food and clothing and material well-being for their bodies, culture and education for their minds, and freedom for their spirits.

I still have a dream this morning: one day all of God’s black/brown/red/yellow children will be respected like his white children.

I still have a dream this morning that one day the lion and the lamb will lie down together, and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid.

I still have a dream this morning that one day all men/women everywhere will recognize that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth.

I still have a dream this morning that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

I still have a dream this morning that truth will reign supreme and all of God’s children will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. And when this day comes the morning stars will sing together and the sons of God will shout for joy.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men/women are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Why Didn't We Listen to Gabby Giffords

After the Healthcare Vote in March, 2010, sometime between midnight and 2am, Gabby Giffords' office's front door was kicked out/shot out/destroyed. Asked if she was fearful, Gabby responded: "We've had hundreds and hundreds of protesters congregate in front of our office corner. Rhetoric is incredibly heated. Calls. The emails. The slurs. Things have gotten spun up. Outbursts of violence. The yelling. It is really important that we focus that we have a democratic process. Gabby Giffords said Palin had put the “crosshairs of a gun sight over our district,” adding that “when people do that, they’ve got to realize there’s consequences to that action.” Chuck Todd then asked Giffords if “in fairness, campaign rhetoric and war rhetoric have been interchangeable for years.” She responded that colleagues who had been in the House “20, 30 years” had never seen vitriol this bad. But Todd moved on, and so did the Beltway. What’s the big deal about a little broken glass? Few wanted to see what Giffords saw — that the vandalism and death threats were the latest consequences of a tide of ugly insurrectionism that had been rising since the final weeks of the 2008 campaign and that had threatened to turn violent from the start.

What many people don't remember is Humphries role in this. Giffords’s first brush with that reality had occurred some seven months before her office was vandalized — in the red-hot health care fever of August 2009. She had held another “Congress on Your Corner” meeting, at a Safeway in the town of Douglas. There the crowd’s rage and the dropping of a gun by one attendee prompted aides worried about her safety to summon the police. The Tucson Tea Party co-founder, Trent Humphries, told The Arizona Daily Star afterward that this was a lie, that “nobody was threatening Gabby.” After Loughner’s massacre, Humphries was still faulting her — this time for holding “an event in full view of the public with no security whatsoever.”

Tucson Tea Party Leader - Trent Humphries

Tucson Tea Party Leader - Trent Humphries:
Tucson Tea Party Leader Trent Humphries, ran against Gabby Giffords for Congress and LOST. Humphries led teams of Tea Party marchers in marching in front of Gabby's office with Hate Filled messages, every day for over a year.

Earlier this year, after Gabby's office windows were broken out of her campaign headquarters,

Humphries said, "Giffords is toast. She's going to have a lot of problems, especially since she has some really good candidates running against her."

Humphries also disgustingly blamed US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords for her own shooting. “The real case is that she [Giffords] had no security whatsoever at this event. So if she lived under a constant fear of being targeted, if she lived under this constant fear of this rhetoric and hatred that was seething, why would she attend an event in full view of the public with no security whatsoever?”

Today, this zealot attended a "Healing Meeting" hosted by CNN's Christine Amanpour and incited the crowd, by voicing support for open carry of weapons like the Killer's 9MM Glock. Understandably, one of the victims who was shot by the Killer became upset.

Apparently Tucson's Tea Party leader Humphries has so empathy or sympathy for the victims of this heinous rampage!

BREAKING NEWS: Phoenix Kops Arrest Tucson Safeway Victim for Opposing the Outburst of Tea Pary Zealots!

A man shot during the Tucson Safeway shootings has been arrested by Phoenix Kops for defending himself against Tea Party zealots! The victim in the mass shooting north of Tucson attending a special town hall today was arrested after he responded to an outrageous Tea Party zealot who spoke out supporting the shooter in support of gun ownership.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department said they arrested Loughner's VICTIM, Eric Fuller, 63, who was wounded in the knee a week ago by Loughner in the shooting rampage that killed six and wounded 13. The victim, Fuller, is being held tonight for alleged threats of intimidation and disorderly conduct. The Kops said Fuller will undergo a mental-health evaluation. The incident took place near the end of a taping of ABC's weekly "Town Hall" with news anchor Christiane Amanpour.

The program, which airs Sunday and is called "Tragedy in Tucson: An American Conversation Continued," reunited many victims, initial responders to the shooting scene and witnesses. Open to the public, the forum at a Catholic church was designed to promote conversation and healing a week after the grocery-store shooting.

Most of the taping was calm and at times emotional as witnesses recounted the events in which a gunman opened fire at a local Safeway, killing six and wounding 13, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Toward the end of the taping, Amanpour brought up the issues of GUN safety and mental health. As a Tea Party Zealot, Trent Humphries, stood up and brazenly expressed his support for gun ownership -- even though he was surrounded by those assaulted by the insane shooter sporting a 9MM glock which murdered 9 year old Christina Green and others, Eric Fuller, still hurt and outraged by the insane shooting, seated near the front in an area reserved for victims and special guests, understandably appeared increasingly frustrated and agitated.

Victim Eric Fuller then swiveled in his chair, raised his camera and took a photo of the pro-gun speaker, appalled, metaphorically said, "You're dead," according to Tea Party zealot Joel Tranter, who was sitting behind him.

The Teaparty Zealot screamed, "I told him, 'You need to be respectful. You need to calm down,'" and Fuller responded "What'd you do, vote for this guy?'" (Teapartier Humphries ran against Gabby in the last election and lost; Humphries also led many of the Hate filled rallies in front of Gabby's office!)

As police officers approached to escort Fuller outside, Fuller, understandably upset by the Tea Party zealots who were supporting the heinous shooter turned and said to those in the audience supporting the zealots: "You whores!"

The rest of the taping continued without incident and wrapped up about five minutes later.

Outside, Victim Fuller was arrested by the Tea Party supporting Kops for making threats, said Capt. Byron Gwaltney of the Pima County Sheriff's Department. The heinous Kops said: "He (victim Fuller) is currently in our custody and we're in the process of dealing with that investigation to see what charges will be made," Gwaltney said.

Understandably, Eric Fuller's actions could be a response to the outrageous comments by the zealot Tea Partiers could be the result of the trauma he suffered a week ago, said Dr. Laura Nelson, deputy director for the behavioral health sciences division at the Arizona Department of Health.

"Grief after what happened here in Tucson last week is a completely normal reaction, and ... anger is a very common symptom of grief (especially after being shot by a crazed gunman)," said Dr. Nelson, who had been invited to speak at the forum. "I hope that he'll get the help that he needs to get through this very difficult time."

Eric Fuller, who works as a signature collector for political initiatives, was about 10 to 15 feet away from Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, talking to her volunteers, when the insane shooter's shots erupted on Jan. 8. Eric Fuller was shot by the insane gunman carrying a 9MM Glock. About 100 people attended the taping, which took place at St. Odilia Church less than a mile from the Safeway where the shooting occurred.

Among the guests were Patricia Maisch, Bill Badger and Daniel Hernandez, who were attending Giffords' event when the shooting occurred; Bill Hileman, husband of Susan Hileman, who was wounded in the rampage; U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Floirda, a friend of Giffords', and Rick Kastigar of the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

Note: Hate Monger Trent Humphries is the head of the Tucson Tea Party movement. It is well known that this week, Humprhies outrageously said of Victim Gabby Gifford, "It’s political gamesmanship. The real case is that she [Giffords] had no security whatsoever at this event. So if she lived under a constant fear of being targeted, if she lived under this constant fear of this rhetoric and hatred that was seething, why would she attend an event in full view of the public with no security whatsoever?"
Humphries is an AGITATOR! And Tonight, he blatantly supported Loughner's right to openly carry a 9MM Glock! It is NO SURPRISE that one of the shooting vitim's should become upset by this extremist's blatant statement!

Guest Voz -Geraldo Rivera: After the Tucson Safeway Murders -- What Happens Now?

Guest Voz - Geraldo Rivera: What Happens Now? (A Republican Perspective)
Despite calls for civility, and reduced decibel politics, the debate rages loudly over whether accused mass murderer Jared Loughner was inspired, motivated, instigated and/or encouraged by the acrimonious political climate in Tucson and the rest of the country. Or, was he simply an aberrant, insane, psychotic, sociopathic nut job who would have acted out violently even if he lived in Cape Cod or San Francisco? My guess, and it is only a guess, is that the ultimate answer will be both. He’s clearly crazy, but as the records show, he was also obsessed with targeting Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords (‘my assassination’ he called the pending attack) and had been obsessed with her since 2007.

Why her? Did she in some way ‘insult’ him by replying to his nutty inquiries with a form letter? Maybe? But remember, I went to college in Tucson. It is essentially a small town where the race for Congress dominates the newspaper, talk radio and local TV scene in a way the mayoral race does New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. Anyone who thinks this one particular loon was somehow insulated or isolated from the impassioned and sometimes ugly 24/7 shouting that accompanied her hotly contested congressional campaigns in 2008 and 2010, not to mention her vote in favor of health care, is in denial.

Could that be considered political? Does it have anything to do with the Tea Party or Sarah Palin? Probably not. Given the disturbing revelations of his twisted mind, he might have otherwise been obsessed with fluoride in toothpaste or 9/11 as an ‘Inside Job’ or, illegal Mexican immigration into Southern Arizona where that searing hot button issue is debated emotionally everyday/all day. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter why he did it because every fruit cake mass killer has a reason justifying his hideous criminality. Timmy McVeigh in Oklahoma City murdered 168 of his fellow Americans because of his twisted political vision of government over-reaching. Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas murdered JFK, the young and gracious 35th president because of Oswald’s professed distress over our policy toward Cuba and the Communist world. And Major Nidal Hassan massacred 13 GI’s in Fort Hood, presumably because of our wars against his fellow radical Islamists.

But Jared Loughner is more like Seung-Hui Cho, the murderer of 32 fellow students at Virginia Tech. Cho was also pissed off at life and, like Loughner, choose to vent his apocryphal frustration on any innocent in his disgusting path.
Some predictions:
1- The mass murder in Tucson will cause us to re-consider the treatment of the mentally ill. We won’t return to the bad old days when husbands could get their wives institutionalized because of a domestic squabble, or grandma because she has a boyfriend and is threatening to squander the inheritance. But when evidence is amassed that someone is a danger to themselves or others, as the unequivocal record shows in the case of Jared Loughner, there will be more of a legal and moral burden on schools, and more importantly, families and friends to report aberrant behavior to mental health authorities or law enforcement. Processes are already in place, and sufficient statutory authority already exists to intervene.

2- However unfairly, this event will have at least a short-term negative effect on the presidential aspirations of Sarah Palin. Her discordant and horribly mistimed ‘blood libel’ video response to those seeking to link her to the Tucson shooter will be played and re-played as an example of intemperance under fire.

3- Again, however inequitably, the Tea Party movement will be diminished because the anger it musters at government will be viewed as unseemly, again, at least in the short-term. With that roaring tiger marginalized; pragmatic, innovative professionals like Mitt Romney, Governor Mitch Daniels, Senator Scott Brown and Jeb Bush will quietly re-take the soul of the Republican Party. I mention former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who is now my favorite politician for reasons other than his Mexican wife, fluency in Spanish, or rational stance on immigration reform. The work done during his tenure in office and more recently by his educational foundation has wrought a miracle in terms of educational attainment by Hispanic youngsters. I’ll have more on that next week. But here’s what he told me Thursday regarding the events in Arizona during my exclusive interview on the eve of his Hispanic Leadership Network conference in Miami. Regarding the aftermath of the Tucson shooting: “It has given people a chance to maybe pause and think is it appropriate to be jabbering at each other; yelling and screaming at each other as we are prone to do in politics when these things happen? Or going forward, is there a lesson to be learned that maybe we can be more civil?” he said, adding, “I think we have really gone beyond the pale as it relates to personalizing political discourse, not focused on the substance of the conversation. So if this, even though it is not necessarily related, gives people a chance to pause on the left and the right and say we can have a conversation and then defend our views without raising the decibel level…I hope that happens.”

I do too, and so do most Americans, left, right and center.