Things That Make Me SMH

Do defense lawyers who screw up in capital murder trial ever get punished? If so, how, and has anyone heard of it happening?

Cory Maples was convicted of killing two friends after a night of heavy drinking and playing pool in 1997.  He's now sentenced to death row in Alabama. At his trial his lawyers basically informed the jury that they were inexperience and may look like they were "stumbling in the dark."  Maples decided to appeal. The state of Alabama does not "grant taxpayer-funded legal assistance” to people on death row who want to challenge what happened at trial. Somewhere in the process, Maples loses his lawyers and is denied appeal because his paperwork was sent to his lawyers, who had moved on to another firm. He missed the filing deadline.  Yet, the state of Alabama wants to proceed with the execution.  Read the article, Dead Letter Office.  It’s another indictment of our justice system.

Farewell to Another Fallen Hero

Fred L. Shuttlesworth, one of the civil rights pioneers, died yesterday, another fallen hero of the civil rights movement.

When I think of all that these people went through, some to the point of giving their lives to the movement, to gain equality, the right to vote, and the right to better education, it makes me shudder at how we take their efforts for granted today. We all benefit from their struggle. I'm not saying that everything is as it should be, but can you imagine where we'd be now, if it weren't for Dr. King, Rev. Shuttlesworth, Dr. Ralph Abernathey, the Freedom Riders, the Selma-Montgomery marchers, the Birmingham marchers, and everyone else who risked their lives for those rights?

We need to wake up and act like we appreciate what they've done for us!

Beginnings

This is my first post.  I admit I have no idea about what I'm doing.  Not sure I even like this, but i had to do it for a class.

It's 5:40 am, and I'm still up trying to finish an assignment for class.  I really have to stop procastinating and waiting until the last minute to get things done.  It's killing me.

I have no specific agenda with this blog.  I guess I should have a purpose for it, but I don't as of yet.  Maybe as I become familiar with this, ideas will come to me.

One thing I would like to comment about is George Junius Stinney, Jr. I came across this case while searching for something else on the Internet.  In 1944, Stinney became the youngest person to be executed in the United States; he was only 14.  He was convicted of killing two white girls in Alcolu, South Carolina. The day he was arrested, his father was fired from his job and the family was forced to leave the state, thereby leaving the boy alone. He was interviewed by the local sherriff, with  no parent, and no lawyer.  His confession to the sherriff was oral, nothing written down. The trial lasted three hours and the jury came back with a verdict in 10 minutes.  Can we say, rush to judgement?  Click here to see more ono the story, Little Know Black History Fact. Some folks in South Carolina are trying to get Stinney's name cleared, but the case may be difficult with no evidence and no written confession.

Well, this about all I'm good for today. Maybe more next time.