[US Patriot]

Commentary on 'A Murder Before Homecoming', which aired on American Justice this week.

A&E aired the story A Murder Before Homecoming on American Justice this week. The good 'ole boys in Texas have got to be the meanest, most ignorant men alive. I'm certain District Attorney Tim Cole was congratulated all-around for his convictions in this case. Did any of these men's mothers have children who lived?

I could never be accused of being a liberal or someone who's soft on crime but one certainly has to seriously question the logic of putting children in prison for life. Children, yes, I'm calling them exactly what they are. I mean come on people.

American Justice made a big deal out of victim's age -- she was only 16-years-old -- was a phrase repeated often. It took over half-an-hour to locate the ages of the boys involved in the murder. Well it's tragic that a girl so young could be viciously gunned down. It made me sick when I was finally able to verify my suspicions. Two of the boys, the ones who did not pull the trigger, they were both only 17-years-old. One-year older than the girl, who was out drinking and partying, in the middle of the night, without her parent's permission!

Did she deserve to die for being irresponsible? No. Do the boys deserve life in prison for watching someone else shoot an innocent girl in cold blood, then dumping the body and keeping silent? Well let's see...

• By law, the boys must attend school, until they are 18-years-old.
• By law, these boys can't be treated medically, without their parent's permission.
• By law, the boys can't buy or consume alcohol.
• By law, they can't smoke cigarettes.
• By law, the boys can't drive without a license and their parent's permission.
• By law, they can't work without a work permit from their school.

It is a well-known fact that girls mature at a younger age than boys do. All their lives they have been treated like children. The law prevents children from making important decisions for themselves, some - like drinking - until they are 21-years-old.

Anyone who has ever had children can tell you how long it can take for some children to grow up. Most children – especially boys, don't really begin to mature until they are around 30 years-old.

Back in the 1800s & early 1900s, children were getting married at the tender of age of 12 or 13. There is a reason the laws have been changed. These two boys should be housed in a youth facility and given intense counseling, to help them cope with what they have been through. I can't begin to image just how much a life of prison will change these children and how impossible it will be for them to adjust to society, when they are released to return to their communities at the age of 50, having never lived on the outside.

The lawmakers have decided to pick and choose when they believe a child becomes an adult. It is unfair to them to be held accountable for a terrible mistake, when they weren't old enough to cope with the situation they were in. For most accounts the older boy probably belongs in prison, he still wasn't old enough to drink but presumably he could vote and make most other decisions for himself. Randy and Josh should be given the help they need, not thrown away like yesterday's garbage.

If you agree – especially if you live in Texas, call your legislator, write a letter, and express your outrage. I don't know any of the parties involved, but I do know what it's like to be young, to do something stupid and to be forced to live with the consequences of those actions.

Prison Statistics

• Minor Convictions
• Disturbing prison statistics
• Prison Statistics
• So, Our children are doomed to prison?
• Correctional Education Facts

Related Articles

• A stunning reversal changes the case
• Friends face one another in courtroom climax
• Families, defendant face the tragedies of murder
• Families face the tragedies of murder
• Estate of Heather Rose Rich vs. Carolyn Beaver
• Murdered before homecoming discussion

Labels: Heather Rich, murder, prison, Texas

US Department of Agriculture Plans to Irradiate (they call it Pasteurize) ALL Raw Greens.

Our "beloved" government intends to require that all greens be pasteurized prior to sale, and their open comment period from the public runs only until this Monday, Dec. 3! We need to make our opinions heard and registered immediately if we hope to be able to still buy raw greens in the supermarkets.

Take Action:

All details are to be found at Raw Food News Magazine.

The proposal is for federal regulations to mandate the 'pasteurization' of all greens. And as bad as that sounds, it gets worse: the FDA has started using the word 'pasteurize' as a euphemism or cover for what they really are up to, which is irradiation.

We've seen this coming (they've already mandated 'pasteurizing' almonds-- burning them with carcinogenic, banned rocket fuel... yes, really!)-- but they've sprung it on us, revealing their plan only recently, and allowing only till Monday, Dec. 3 for public comment. (In the past, the FDA had comment periods of several weeks or even months. This is obscene!

Post a Comment

Post a Public Comment to the USDA

Docket ID: AMS-FV-07-0090
Docket Title: Food Safety Regulations for Leafy Greens Under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 (AMAA)
Document ID: AMS-FV-07-0090-0001
Document Title: Handling Regulations for Leafy Greens Under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937

Labels: irradiate, pasteurize, raw greens, urgent action

The future of Raw Milk in California in jeopardy

The governor of California and his henchmen have just legislated away our right to drink raw milk. Of course they didn't ban it outright: that would have been noticed by the citizens of the state of California and protested against. No, they chose to pull a sneaking maneuver and inserted eight little words that will have the same effect.

These eight words will prevent California dairies from selling raw milk:

"or more than ten coliform bacteria per milliliter"

Those eight words were added to dairy legislation in California on October 8, 2007.

Assembly Bill #1735 (AB 1735) was signed by the Governor and becomes law on January 1st, 2008. Contained in this law are new standards for raw milk. These new standards require 10 coliform bacteria per ml or less. This standard does not increase the safety of raw milk and it will make the production of organic raw milk in California nearly impossible. Under the tried and true old standards that have been in existence for forty years or more, coliforms could be 50 or 500. It did not matter.

A press conference was held at the Fresno Farmer's Market in Fresno on Saturday, October 27 at 11 a.m. in protest of the new law. This post will be updated as more details become available.

You might be thinking, "I don't drink raw milk. Why should I care?" While many of us who grew up drinking raw milk and extol the benefits of drinking a healthy natural beverage. This isn't merely about the availability of milk. This issue extends far beyond the obvious in that our government is supposed to be transparent. Ours is supposed to function as a government for and by the people. When our public officials use underhanded, sneaky and unethical tactics to achieve their goals, we all pay the price.

The EPA reports that even testing for fecal coliforms (a subset of coliform bacteria) is a "a poor indicator of the risk of digestive system illness." The EPA goes on to advise that the only way to determine whether food is actually sanitary is to test for those specific coliforms that can be a sign of something harmful such as E. coli and enterococci. Neglecting to test for those specific harmful coliforms, but banning all coliforms outright is equivalent to forcing Ford to recall every vehicle they ever made when only a single model year of one product is found to have a flaw. Even then, the previous law set the limit of coliforms at 750 coliforms per mL. A legal reduction of over 98% over the course of less than 3 months cannot be interpreted as anything other than a direct attack on raw milk providers, particularly when far more than 90% of coliform bacteria are not harmful.

This is not the first-time I've personally witnessed the blatant disregard for public opinion and openness required for our government to function properly by those in Sacramento. For instance, it's not an uncommon practice for a legislator to reuse a bill number that is no longer active - after the date legally prescribed under California law. There is a reason legislation isn't allowed to be introduced after a certain date, but that doesn't stop our legislative branch from manipulating the rules to their advantage.

How long will Californians stand by and allow our elected officials to skirt the laws that guarantee the rest of us a spot at the table? If you are sick and tired of being railroaded and regulated to death, now is your opportunity to let your voice be heard in Sacramento. Contact your legislators and let them know what you think about the way they are conducting our business.

More Information:

• Government Sneak Attack on California Raw Milk
• Contact lawmakers today about Ag. Bill 1735
• Eight words are threatening to change your life:
• State's tough new raw milk standards upset consumers, farmers
• Will Raw Milk Still Be Available in CA Come Jan. 1?
• Arizona Raw Dairy Alert
• What is Organic?

Labels: AB 1735, California, legislation, Organic Pastures, raw milk