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June 06 Who's botching the executions?COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- At Christopher Newton's execution by lethal injection last month, it took 90 minutes and at least 10 stabs of the needle for the execution team to find a vein. The procedure was so drawn out the staff paused to allow Newton a bathroom break. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio responded with a wide-ranging request for state records, seeking, among other things, the names of the volunteer medics and guards who oversaw it. The request has drawn Ohio into a wider debate over whether executioners' identities should be kept secret. Death penalty opponents say Newton's May 24 lethal injection was the latest in a series of botched executions nationwide, and that executioners' identities and professional credentials should be open to public scrutiny. They point to the case of Dr. Alan Doerhoff, a participant in Missouri executions who was revealed in news reports to have been sued for malpractice more than 20 times. The state is no longer using his services. They also point to the December execution of Florida inmate Angel Diaz, who took 34 minutes -- twice as long as usual -- to die. Executioners administered a rare second dose of lethal chemicals to Diaz, and an autopsy found the needles had been pushed through Diaz's veins into the flesh of his arms. A commission created afterward to study the incident called for more training and better protocols for executioners. Richard Dieter, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes the death penalty, said the public can't properly scrutinize the effectiveness of capital punishment without adequate information on those carrying it out. "Public executions should be as public as possible," he said. "They supposedly have nothing to hide, and as with anything government does, it benefits from more scrutiny. For medical personnel, yes, there may be a cost. But that's sort of like the cost that the state, or all of us, bear." But death penalty advocates such as Michael Rushford, president of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in Sacramento, California, accuse capital punishment opponents of wanting to expose members of execution teams to intimidate them. "The ACLU, which has staked out its turf as severely against the death penalty, will use this opportunity to out someone involved in an execution, and use it to put these people at risk," he said. "Unfortunately, that's how important their cause is to them." Revealing the identities of doctors who take part in executions would expose them to sanctions by the American Medical Association, because it has said such doctors would be violating their oath to "first, do no harm," Rushford said. Exposing them would shrink the pool of willing volunteers and diminish the state's ability to execute criminals, he said. "They (the ACLU) were against the gas chamber 30 years ago -- they said there was only one humane alternative and that would be lethal injection," he said. "Now they're setting up this Catch-22, saying only a doctor can do that, and knowing the doctor's association won't let them do it." Executions in North Carolina have been temporarily halted because of just such a hitch. State law had required that a doctor be present during an execution, but a federal judge said the doctor needed to actively monitor the inmate for pain. Doctors faced disciplinary action by the state medical board for doing so, however, which led to the halt. Disputes are under way in Missouri and California over doctors' roles in executions, and while doctors don't currently participate in Ohio's execution process, that could change pending a court decision. Most of the 37 death penalty states shield execution team members' identities. Last month, Missouri lawmakers approved a bill that would allow members of execution teams to sue anyone -- including news organizations -- who disclose their identities. It hasn't been signed into law. Dieter said he believes protecting the identity of executioners helps anesthetize the public to what takes place in the death chamber. "There is this distance that we want with the process," he said. "That's why lethal injection came about, sort of to give a more medicinal, antiseptic feel to it. Now it's backfired in that it's not working well." But Rushford said executioners have a job that will naturally subject them to attacks and they deserve to be protected by government. "The state should certainly monitor their background and training, but these people should be no more subject to ridicule than an abortion doctor who's simply doing his job," Rushford said. "The law should come down hard on anyone who uses someone's legal profession to raise harm against them. It should be a hate crime." Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
What is your opinion ?
June 05 Leave the Gun, Take the CannoliOn Sunday's episode of The Sopranos, the Italians shoot a man they have mistaken for New York boss Phil Leotardo. Later, Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri is killed at the model-train store. Both times, the killers drop their guns at the scene of the crime. As Clemenza says in The Godfather, "Leave the gun, take the cannoli." How come mafia hit men always drop the guns?
They don't want to be caught with the weapon while fleeing the scene. If they've taken precautions to keep the gun from being traced back to them, it won't be much help to the police. In that case, it's better to leave it for the cops. The decision is a calculation of probability rather than a question of style. Mobsters aren't the only ones who prefer the cannoli to the Smith & Wesson; it's a move that many professional killers employ when they can, along with ditching the gloves and shirt they wore (which may contain gunshot residue). Only a criminal who is completely confident that his gun can't be traced would abandon the weapon. In this case, his chances of being connected with the weapon are so low that he's more worried about running into law enforcement during the getaway. (Why not toss the gun in the harbor, like they do on The Wire? It's not foolproof disposal. Divers can retrieve weapons, like in this Brooklyn case that led to a conviction of second-degree murder.) A killer who drops his gun better be sure it's free of incriminating clues like fingerprints and DNA. As countless crime dramas have taught us, forensics experts can dust a weapon for prints and match them against those from a criminal database or a particular suspect. The police can also sometimes collect DNA from sweat or skin cells left on the gun. The serial number poses another problem; it can trace the gun's life story, from when and where it was manufactured to who bought the weapon from which dealer. A killer might try to destroy the etched code by drilling or sanding it away. (In some cases, the police can recover the number by applying chemical reagents to the metal surface.) If the gun is stolen, the serial number could lead cops down the wrong path, but a disciplined criminal would probably remove it just to be safe.
December 07 What's missing from the White House Christmas card?
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September 05 High-tech firms offer Katrina reliefCompanies offer money, equipment, expertise
Updated: 6:12 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2005
SAN JOSE, California - High-tech companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere are offering money, equipment and expertise to help with the recovery effort and reconnect survivors in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., SBC Communications Inc., Dell Inc. and others are working with the Red Cross to build voice and data communications at hundreds of evacuation shelters, and link them together. The equipment — including laptop computers and wireless access points — will help the relief agency track evacuees as well as help them find emergency funds and track lost relatives, said Intel spokeswoman Jennifer Greeson. "It has to be a very robust communications tool that all the shelters can use to communicate with each other and with headquarters," she said. Intel and other companies already have employees working with the Red Cross in Washington. About 150 wireless access points as well as 1,500 Dell Inc. and Lenovo notebooks are expected to be deployed early this week. Hundreds of tech workers are expected to be sent into the disaster area and evacuation centers to help. Santa Clara-based Intel said more than 200 of its employees have been mobilized. Besides destroying a wide swath of Gulf Coast homes and businesses, Katrina devastated the area's communications infrastructure. Wireless data networks are expected to be widely used because they are relatively inexpensive and easy to set up once electricity is available. Such networks not only transport data but also Internet-based telephone service. The companies are focusing first on building up the Red Cross' network, providing Internet access, computers and telephones. "The Red Cross has a good infrastructure, but they're relying on the tech industry to step up," Greeson said. "Basically, `This is what we need, go make it happen.'" Besides equipment and expertise, the companies also are donating cash. Microsoft and Intel have pledged $1 million each to relief organizations and are matching their employees' contributions. "As a U.S.-based corporation, we must go above and beyond in order to help the thousands who have been affected by this tragedy," said Intel CEO Paul Otellini.
August 15 For the Greece Plane Crash Victims
To the Greece Plane crash victims and their families
This candle I burn for everyone who was touched by the Greece Plane Crash. For all the souls that is now gone from this plain. For all the families left behind dealing with the loss of their loved ones. For the Pilot and his crew, for the little children, for the old people, for the men and for the women. I burn this candle knowing this will not ease your pain. This is just my little way of letting you know that my heart cries with you.
I know in this time there is nothing words can heal. And there are no words for when you loose someone dear to you. Yet from my heart to your heart I just want to let you know, I am praying for you.
If anyone wants to you are welcome to copy and paste this candle to show your support for the families who loved and lost in this tragedy.
 August 08 In memoriam...
I always believed in love, compassion, and a sense of universal respect. Every human being has that potential.
- Dalai Lama
 July 08 Another day in paradise...Well what can I tell you today was an incredibly boring day!!! I spent all morning and early afternoon at the house, I was so bored that I even clean the bathroom!!! Damn, but oh well then again that’s part of life I guess. So between chore and chore I try to did something more meaningful so far I manage to read a couple of chapters of the new novel from Paulo Coelho, Zahir it’s pretty good not the best of his books but it’s ok. The ironic thing is that I bought it without knowing what it was about, well guess what it is about? Yeap you guess it, it’s about a writer that finds himself alone one morning, after his wife left him without even saying good-bye. I told you it was ironic… it reminds me of someone??? Ja ja ja
Besides that I manage to saw the news and updates about the attacks on London yesterday, it’s really sad and at the same time makes you mad to know how sick or stupid some people are. How can somebody kill some many innocent people and sleep at night? There’s no explanation for a cowardly act like that one!!! Once more our prayers and good wishes to those who died and those who survive this hateful and cowardly act. May the Lord give you strength and cover you with blessings.
Also saw the news about a capture Navy SEAL this one do worries me a little more cause I had a cousin who happens to be a SEAL and is somewhere in that area fighting terrorism. The Taliban vowed to kill this SEAL and claim to have killed other 2. The U.S. military has said it has no information to suggest the Navy SEAL commando, part of a four-man team that went missing during a clash with militants in mountainous Kunar province on June 28.
If you wish to read the whole article:
Taliban vows to kill 'captured' American in days Also on the news today Hurricane Dennis muscles up, now ‘extremely dangerous’ Dennis claimed at least three lives in Cuba, adding to five deaths in Haiti yesterday, Florida awaits under a state of emergency for the Category 4 storm packing 150 mph winds. Forecasters said it could reach the U.S. Gulf Coast by Sunday. So to all of my friends in the state of Florida please be careful!!! We had our fare share of hurricanes down here in Puerto Rico and they can be pretty nasty so take cover and God bless you my friends.
And on the lighter side of news and in case you missed it. Lance Armstrong kept his overall lead in the Tour de France cruising safely to the finish of a rainy seventh stage won in a sprint by Australia's Robbie McEwen.
The eighth stage will be Saturday and starts in the German town of Pforzheim before crossing back into France to finish in Gerardmer. Well that’s all the news for now tune in for our next broadcast at 10:00., Opps well that was kind of my day today until now today it’s Friday so I think I deserve taking myself out to a Pub in Old San Juan and having a couple of cold ones with my pals, Until next time.
July 05 Be part of history . . .Over 26 Million Text Messages Sent Backing Live 8 By Reuters
More than 26.4 million people from around the world sent text messages on Saturday in support of the Live 8 campaign to cancel the debts of the poorest countries, setting a world record.
AOL.com, which streamed video of the concerts, also claimed a world record, saying that more than 5 million logged on globally to watch, making it the biggest streaming event ever.
This is a call to arms let’s take this message to our leaders, to the politicians and leaders of the super countries, to the Group of Eight. It’s time to spend money where it matters the most, let’s demand them to eradicate poverty once and for all.
Let’s make history, we can do it together sign the petition!!!
July 04 Happy Birthday, America!On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from Britain and Democracy was born. Every day thousands leave their homeland to come to the "land of the free and the home of the brave" so they can begin their American Dream. The United States is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic people. Each year on July 4, Americans celebrate that freedom, our democracy. It's that freedom, the democracy and equal rigtht's the one we want the world to share. On this special day on our 229 birthday lets not forget our brother's, sister's, father's, mother's, cousin's, son's and daughter's fighting against the forces of evil, fighting against terrorism. Let's remember all our fallen heroes in this special day, let's support our troop's On this day let's take 5 minutes to make a prayer for all of them, may the Lord protect them and return them safe and sound to their home's, to their loved one's.
God bless America & Happy Birthday!
http://www.supportourtroops.us/
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
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