I just have to say this in reference to a few things that a few of my friends are trying to spout and compare what is happening. Anytime someone is killed we should be outraged regardless of the skin color of the victim or the killer(s). The reason most people are outraged now is due to the fact that it looks like the police did not do their jobs and were attempting to cover up/sweep under the rug what happened, THAT IS THE OUTRAGE!!! To try and compare a case of a group of black people that committed a horrendous brutal murder of a white couple and were tried, convicted and sentenced to what is happening in Sanford is outrageous, preposterous and highly offensive. Should we be outraged because a group of black people killed a white couple absolutely and if they were singled out because they were white should that group of black people had been tried as a hate crime of course. But to cry that some injustice has been done is ridiculous. The reason that the Martin case has stirred up so much emotion is it harkens back to the Jim Crow day when the value and justice of a black man was for naught. And in this part of history where major headway for black men has advanced when dealing with the justice system and it is supposed to be better, this case make it look like we are back in the early 1900 where you could do anything to a black person and get away with it. The truth whether you like it or not crimes against minorities will and are always going to get the lead the headline in the news due to the fact that in the past no one cared if you kill or beat up a (fill in the blank).

As I stated in the beginning, murder is a horrendous act and we as a society should be outraged any time it happens, period. And while we must be on the lookout for cases of injustice and calling to maintain an equal justice system for all, we the African American community cannot lose focus on the bigger picture; striving to fix the leading causes of death of young black males, other young black males, striving for a better education for our community and teaching our younger generation that you can better yourself through it and continuing to make strides in the business and political world; more CEO’s and political positions.

For a historical insight of Vigilante Justice in America, please read my blog entry: Vigilante Justice http://corporationsarepeople.blogspot.com/

The Republican Party has manufactured the optics of 1996 all over again. They are stuck with a moderate presidential nominee who inspires no confidence or excitement, and actually turns off the base. Romney is anathema to the Tea Party crowd. So keeping the House and snatching the Senate away from the Dems is even more important given the real likelihood that President Obama will be handed another term. The problem for the Republicans in Congress is that they are even more unpopular and despised by voters than Mitt Romney. http://www.sunstateactivist.org

For good reasons we are following the happenings at the Supreme Court. But shouldn't we also be looking at decisions they have actually made?

Mar 27 – Bradley Johnson, Petitioner v. Poway Unified School District, et al. The US Supreme Court declined to hear (thus upheld) a Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision re a San Diego County school district's orders to a high school math teacher to remove large banners declaring "In God We Trust" and "God Shed His Grace on Thee." On September 13, 2011 in a 3-0 ruling the appeals court said that those inscriptions and others that teacher Bradley Johnson displayed on his classroom wall amounted to a statement of religious views that the Poway Unified School District was entitled to disavow,

Mar 27 – Nampa Classical Academy vs. Gosling, 11-786. The US Supreme Court declined to hear (thus upheld) a Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals decision that ruled that Idaho's Public Charter School Commission acted legally when it prohibited a charter school from using religious materials as textbooks. The Nampa Classical Academy said it was using the Bible and other spiritual texts for cultural education, not religious indoctrination. But the appeals court said the state was entitled to ban the books as texts in order to avoid "governmental promotion of religion."

If Trayvon M had been white walking in that neighborhood in a hoodie he still might have been targeted. The real problem here is that an armed vigilante type with a history of playing "cops and robbers" shot and killed an unarmed teenager. Even if he was attacked by the kid it seems improbable that a fairly large adult could be overpowered by a teenager to the point where he thought his life was in danger. At the very least he should have been arrested and the incident investigated.

I am appalled that Hutaree Militia has been acquitted of conspiracy charges! Why is heading off a tragedy - documented by taped evidence - insufficient to convict these people?

A bit odd that Romney and Paul are whining about voter suppression when their party is trying to do that all over the country.

I just wonder which political party the judge favors in the Hutaree trial because we all know that they are appointed or elected through party preference. I do not believe there are any independent judges left in our system and that is wrong.

My nephew's facebook page sums up the Republican take on health care, their attitude is "DON"T CARE" as in we don't care if you have no insurance.

It took until this morning, but I just wanted to comment on the resolve of Rachel Maddow. I hope she pre-taped some of the items that came out on Tuesday, but whether she did or not, it was quite impressive to see her appear on the Today show, an NPR interview for "Fresh Air," the official release of Drift, and finally her regular stint on the program that evening... and even if she pre-taped, that's a lot to add to what must be a busy schedule as it is.

Yikes-- I hope you all have provided whatever sources of stimulation she requires to sustain that schedule!

Rachel: I hope you're going to cover the ongoing TSA body scanner story. Evidently, a group called EPIC sued TSA for disclosure on the machines and found they're 1. not effective; 2. take pictures; and 3. are dangerous; but as to the third point the TSA has absolutely refused time and time again to allow any independent organization to test just how dangerous they are.

The courts have ruled that the machines are constitutional and can stay in place but that the TSA violated law by not allowing the public to log comments before they were deployed and they therefore now have to do so.

I hope everyone goes to the TSA site whenever they start allowing comments and demand that independent doctors be allowed to evaluate the medical risks involved as well as the privacy violations and complete waste of money due to lack of effectiveness.

Also there should be an investigation into the contracts involved since this is another example of taxpayers being ripped off.

Global warming due to carbon dioxide was known over 50 years ago with the first reports being produced in 1957.

Is the military changing? Perhaps this will give a clue:

http://kitup.military.com/2012/03/tdb-dads-tactical-diaper-bag.html

Probably a good idea to keep track of the end of the world...

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/State_of_the_planet_999.html

You probably remember the Deepwater Horizon. The burning platform. The deaths of workers. The horrific ongoing oil spill.

Turns out, that spill was even more horrific, but we couldn't see the effects because they were so deep underwater:

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Study_by_Haverford_College_professor_reveals_unprecedented_impact_of_Deepwater_Horizon_on_deep_ocean_999.html

Regarding the Obamacare debate, something that seems to be getting overlooked is this: who's CURRENTLY picking up the tab for treating the uninsured and under-insured who come to ERs and get treated because the healthcare system basically doesn't have the "freedom" to turn them away? If ERs could say, "Sorry, we can't help you if you can't pay", then I could see the relevance of the "freedom" argument.

But when ERs are effectively MANDATED / COMPELLED to accept ALL comers, for whatever reason you want to call it, then taxpayers are already being compelled to pay the tab for those who don't have the financial means to do it themselves.

Obamacare gives us a mirage of an option: choose whether to spread the financial risk over everybody, lowering individual costs, or just leave it to the (local) taxpayers who are already picking up the tab.

It's THESE taxpayers who do NOT have a choice -- with or without Obamacare!

Because ERs do NOT have a choice to turn away business.

If SCOTUS is smart, they'll see this mirage for what it is and rule that unless hospitals have the freedom to turn away business, then the Government has the right to reapportion expenses already being paid by taxpayers any way they see fit.

Thanks for that Alex. The more foul is cried and justice
sought, the more Fox news turns the table and twists the facts. Last night
during a typical round of excellent MSNBC coverage of the situation, over on
Fox "news" they continue to turn up the heat -defending the shooter
and claiming WE are the race-baiters, with an African American guest of
Hannity's actually proclaiming that racism is a thing of the past and MSNBC is
a racist institution. Seriously! In the face of such blatant lies and puppet
mastery, it's no wonder our country is still so racially divided.

Keep up the good fight!

I am so glad that Rachel said what I've been saying for some time. Citizens United didn't allow corporations to have "free speech" in the political process. It legalized outright bribery. That's the key word here that everyone should use to get money out of politics. It is NOT a free speech issue. It is a bribery issue.

This was just posted at UNM by the provost, Chaouki Abdallah. It's Dr. Susan Fiske, the Eugene Higgins Professor in the Department of Psychology at Princeton University, responding to the 2011 Edge question.

“The most important scientific concept is that an assertion is often an empirical question, settled by collecting evidence. The plural of anecdote is not data, and the plural of opinion is not facts. Quality, peer-reviewed scientific evidence accumulates into knowledge. People's stories are stories, and fiction keeps us going. But science should settle policy.”

The funniest part of the case is that the guy who was telling the Hutaree to make bombs was the FBI agent. When the Hutaree refused to make any bombs, the judge, in all her glorious stupidity, allowed the FBI to show videos of of bomb blasts from bombs made by the FBI to demonstrate to the jury what the explosions would have looked like if the Hutaree had built the bombs the FBI agent had taught them to make and tried to get them to make. This was needed because the only person who was making a bomb was the FBI agent. This is how the FBI tries to create crimes. These guys are clowns who deserve no credibility. They destroy evidence, commit perjury, plant false evidence, torture, murder and behave like the Soviet NKVD. Americans need to stop this criminal organization.
They went after Tom Piatek who never once uttered a word against the government, nor ever mentioned engaging in war or violence in any way. He merely listened to Stone rant about FBI and government crimes and his desire to kill those who attack Americans. They kept Piatek in jail for two years and seized 30 of his firearms he collected as a means of storing wealth. After having been acquitted and never once mentioning any desire to attack anyone, the FBI now refuses to return his firearms. This will turn into a ten-year battle for which the FBI has unlimited funds and will simply refuse to abide by court orders or the law. The FBI tortured and murdered Kenneth Trentadue in a case of mistaken identity and then destroyed all records and files regarding this crime. Americans need to Google "Operation Patriot Conspiracy Trentadue" and see how the FBI is a criminal organization that serves as our national political police while conducting torture and murder. GIVE TOM PIATEK HIS GUNS AND QUIT BEHAVING LIKE THE NKVD, STASI AND SAVAK. THE FBI IS DESTROYING THIS NATION AND THE ENEMY OF LIBERTY, JUSTICE AND THE CONSTITUTION. THE FBI HAS NO CREDIBILITY AND MADE A COMPLETE FOOL OF ITSELF. IT IS A SHAMEFUL AND PATHETIC ORGANIZATION AND HAS MADE ITSELF A LAUGHINGSTOCK BY SEEKING TO MANUFACTURE CRIMES TO JUSTIFY THE $70 BILLION SPENT ON 40 INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES THAT HANDED OUT 850,000 TOP SECRET SECURITY CLEARANCES WHILE PLACING 1,000,000 AMERICANS ON THE TERRORIST WATCH LIST. THIS $70 BILLION IS IN ADDITION TO THE MONEY SPENT ON HOMELAND SECURITY. VOTE RON PAUL AND END THE FBI REIGN OF TERROR AND TYRANNY. ALSO, ASK THE FBI WHY IT DESTROYED 16 VIDEOS BY PRIVATE BUSINESSES OF THE TRUCK DELIVERING THE OKC BOMB AND WHY IT DESTROYED THE THREE VIDEOS FROM THE MURRAH FEDERAL BUILDING OF THE BOMB BEING DELIVERED BY MCVEIGH. STOP FBI TYRANNY, CRIMINALITY AND OPPRESSION. FBI=Frigging Bumbling Idiots Again, please Google "Operation Patriot Conspiracy Trentadue".