Death Row Tuesday

The State of Texas is all set to flush another human turd tonight with the execution of Mexican national Jose Medellin.

In 1993 at age 18, Medellin took part in the hour-long gang rape of two teenage girls, Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena, during which they raped the two orally, vaginally and anally for an entire hour. After that, the gang decided to choke the girls with belts in order to kill them, and did so with such force one of the belts broke around the neck of Jennifer Ertman. Elizabeth Pena was beaten, her front teeth knocked out, and was strangled with her own shoelaces.

It doesn't end there. The gang decided to make sure the two girls were really dead by stomping on their necks until their throats were crushed. They kicked Jennifer Ertman so hard that two of her ribs were broken post-mortem.

This guy deserves the death sentence, and it shouldn't have taken so many years to get the job done.

This is the part that will really, really piss you off. 

All emphasis mine, from this source: 

The International Court of Justice had ruled that Medellin was entitled to a new hearing as he was not told of his right to contact a consular official.

Texas says its courts are not bound by the rulings of the ICJ.

Damn right.

Medellin's case dates back to 1993 when two girls, Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, were raped and murdered by six gang members in Houston.

Medellin, who was born in Mexico but moved to the US as a young child, was convicted of Miss Pena's murder.

Um, you mean to say he was an illegal alien. 

At the time of his arrest, police did not tell him that he could request assistance from the Mexican consulate - in violation of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

In 2003, Mexico, which does not have the death penalty, filed a lawsuit at the ICJ on behalf of Medellin and 50 other Mexican nationals on death row in the US who 

had also not received consular support.

The court ruled in Mexico's favour, and ordered that their cases be reviewed.

Here's an idea, Mexico. If you don't like us executing YOUR rapists and 

murderers, maybe you should keep them in YOUR country, along with all the other millions of illegals here. Maybe then we might listen to you on the subject.

Texas acknowledged that Medellin had not been told he could ask for help from Mexican diplomats, but argued that he had forfeited the right because he never raised the issue at trial or sentencing.

State officials also argued that it would not have made any difference to the outcome of the case.

That's right. This piece of filth committed capitol crimes against our citizens 

on our soil. Mexican consulates do not dictate Texas law any more than our consulates abroad can dictate to those countries what their legal system can do. 

Earlier this year, President George W Bush ordered Texas to comply with the ICJ ruling, but the Supreme Court justices subsequently decided 6-3 that he had overstepped his authority.

Thank God the SCOTUS ruled the way they did. When did the President forget that our Federalist system prohibits foreign countries from dictating to the States what they can and cannot do.

Where the hell does Bush get off?!? 

Last month, in response to an urgent request from Mexico, the ICJ ordered the US t

o "take all measures necessary" to halt Medellin's execution.

Um, you can just go to hell, ICJ.

But Texas judicial authorities said in response that the law in Medellin's case was "clear".

"Texas is not bound by the World Court but by the US Supreme Court, which reviewed this matter and determined that the convicted murderer's execution shall proceed," a statement from the attorney general's office said.

That's right. We were done with petty tyrants dictating to us what we must do from across the Atlantic in 1776, as I recall. 

On Monday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected a request by Medellin and his legal team for a reprieve.

Medellin's legal team are still hoping the Supreme Court will grant a stay of execution that would give Congress time to enact new legislation compelling US states to abide by ICJ decisions.

Excuse me?!? That is just utterly insane! 

As I mentioned in the post title, this is a death row roundup. On to story number two, which will make you think you've fallen into an alternate universe.

From this source, all emphasis mine: 

(UPI) – Attorneys for an Ohio death row prison inmate say Richard Wade Cooey is too fat to be executed constitutionally.

They have filed a lawsuit saying that because Cooey is grossly overweight, his execution by lethal injection, scheduled for Oct. 14, would be difficult and that he would suffer unnecessary pain while the death sentence was carried out, making it unconstitutional, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Tuesday.

I don't even understand this. How does being fat make you have more pain than normal while being executed? Does this mean that he's too fat for any other medical procedures? 

And really, I don't care if this chunk of human offal is uncomfortable while he's dying. I'll bet his victims 'suffered unnecessary pain' while they died, too. 

And how the hell is a prisoner in our jail being fed SO MUCH that he can become grossly overweight? That's INFURIATING! 

The newspaper said Cooey, 41, is 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighed 275 pounds on May 19, which was the last time he had been on the scales at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown. A spokesman for Ohio Attorney General Nancy Rogers said state officials were considering legal options.

Cooey and an accomplice were convicted of the rapes and bludgeoning slaying of two Akron, Ohio-area women college students in 1986.

You give me this asshole until Oct. 14th, and I guarantee that he'll loose some weight. Nothing but bread and water, and forced marching around a little yard for about 10 hours a day ought to do it... And that's not 'cruel or unusual', either. Hell, you could make the argument that allowing this guy to become obese is what's mean. Let's make sure he gets to meet his Maker in tip-top shape. 

Oh, and one thing this story doesn't mention: He and another inmate attempted to escape in 2005. Niiiice.

 

Leaving a Bad Taste in Your Mouth:

In their arrogance...

(Click to enlarge.)

The One

Now that I'm back up and running after a day of being designated as a spam blog by Blogger, I wanted a good laugh. 

It's about time McCain started doing decent vids! 

"High Art" and Politics

I swear, there is no worse assault to the senses than rap. It is nothing more than discordant noise with some barely literate mouth-breather swearing over top of it, usually while several mostly naked woman are degraded in the back ground.

 It's all I can do not to puke when I hear these performing thugs referred to as 'artists.'

Now we have rapper Christopher Bridges, who calls himself "Ludacris,"penning an ode to Obama. Rest assured it is up to the rapper standard of using pejorative terms for women and insulting whitey. It is also up to the leftist standard of Bush-bashing. 

If you feel like actually listening to this auditory abomination, here's the link. 

Here are the lyrics and my commentary in emphasis; keep in mind all the "yeahs" and "uhs" are edited out for brevity:

I'm back on it like I just signed my record deal
Yeah the best is here, the Bentley Coup paint is dripping wet, it got sex appeal

Never should have hated

You never should've doubted him

With a slot in the president's iPod Obama shattered 'em

OK, I don't even know what that means. Is Bridges trying to say that Obama is ALREADY president, or that Bush listens to him on his iPod? 

Said I handled his biz and I'm one of his favorite rappers
Well give Luda a special pardon if I'm ever in the slammer
Better yet put him in office, make me your vice president
Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant

There's so much here I'll just start from the first line: What 'biz' is Bridges speaking of? Did Obama really tell Bridges that he's one of his favorite rappers, because that's just hilarious. No wonder Obama is such a mush-mouth when he gets away from the teleprompter; THIS is the kind of horrible, unintelligible stuff he entertains himself with.

I'd love to know if Obama REALLY told Bridges he'd get a 'special pardon.' Sure, the President can pardon whomever he wishes, but this is very unethical.

Yeah, like I want a VP 'Luda.'

Oh, so anyone who disagrees with the messiah is a 'bitch' and irrelevant. Way to have political dialogue and show respect. Hey, Bridges, if I disagree with your political views can I call you a 'nigger'? Uh-huh. I thought not. As a woman, I find deeply offensive your use of the term 'bitch'.

Jesse talking slick and apologizing for what?
If you said it then you meant it how you want it have a gut!
And all you other politicians trying to hate on my man,
watch us win a majority vote in every state on my man

Yeah, right! LOL! Obama couldn't even unite the Democratic party under him; he still doesn't have enough delegates to be the official nominee. He's still presumptive, but you'd never know that from listening to the fanboys in the press.

You can't stop what's bout to happen, we bout to make history
The first black president is destined and it's meant to be
The threats ain't fazing us, the nooses or the jokes
So get off your ass, black people, it's time to get out and vote!

Did I miss someone threatening Obama with a noose? I'd think that would be pretty big news, considering that the MSM reports every time Obama so much as takes a leak.

And 'get off your ass, black people'? This IS RACISM!!! Voting for Obama because he is black is like Toby Keith telling white people to vote for McCain because it's 'destined and meant to be' for a white person to have the White House.

Paint the White House black and I'm sure that's got 'em terrified
McCain don't belong in any chair unless he's paralyzed
Yeah I said it cause Bush is mentally handicapped
Ball up all of his speeches and I throw 'em like candy wrap
'cause what you talking I hear nothing even relevant
and you the worst of all 43 presidents

'Paint the White House black?'!? 'That's got 'em terrified'?!? Who exactly is "em'? Would that be the "typical white person" Obama spoke of when he threw his very own grandmother under the bus? Bridges is an assclown outright racist. So is Obama, for that matter.

Did Bridges just wish for McCain to be paralyzed? Isn't that a threat? And how is McCain supposed to remain standing for the rest of his life, anyway? Really, if

 you're going to insult someone, at least try to make sense when you do it.

And are we at all surprised that Bridges finds nothing relevant from the President. I wonder if he realized the irony of calling Bush 'mentally handicapped' when he wrote this monument to illiteracy he calls a song.

Did anyone tell Bridges that Bush isn't running again? 

Get out and vote or the end will be near
The world is ready for change because Obama is here!
'cause Obama is here
The world is ready for change because Obama is here!

What? I thought the GOP did the politics of fear. What's this end of the world stuff?

And yes, we'll all have change because Obama is here... Roughly 37 cents when he's through with us.

Of course, Obama's camp has denounced the song, knowing full well that he can say he finds it distasteful, but the automatons that listen to Bridges will swallow this up hook, line, and sinker.

From this source:

His campaign said Ludacris should be "ashamed" of the rap.

"As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today too often perpetuate misogyny, materialism, and degrading images that he doesn't

want his daughters or any children exposed to," campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in an e-mail statement.

"This song is not only outrageously offensive to Mrs Clinton, Rev. Jackson, Mr McCain and President Bush, it is offensive to all of us who are trying to raise our

 children with the values we hold dear. While Ludacris is a talented individual he should be ashamed of these lyrics."

You know, I actually agreed with the Obama camp right until the point that they

 called 'Ludacris' talented. Bridges wouldn't know talent if it bit him squarely in the ass.

Infantilizing Minorities

Los Angeles City Council has decided that poor people are stupid, especially if they are Hispanic or African-American, and have swooped in to rescue them from themselves.

I mean, gawd forbid government leave us alone to exercise any sort of personal responsibility, or to get as fat as we damn well please. 

From this source, all emphasis mine: 

The yearlong moratorium is intended to give the city time to attract restaurants that serve healthier food. The action, which the mayor must still sign into law, is believed to be the first of its kind by a major city to protect public health.

"Our communities have an extreme shortage of quality foods," City Councilman Bernard Parks said.

Maybe because people in South LA can't afford white table cloth restaurants like YOU CAN? 

Representatives of fast-food chains said they support the goal of better diets but believe they are being unfairly targeted. They say they already offer healthier food items on their menus.

Yes, most offer apples instead of fries, salads, yogurt, ect., especially in children's meals. Dunkin' Donuts is planning to offer healthier breakfasts because of demand.

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A report by the Community Health Councils found 73 percent of South Los Angeles restaurants were fast food, compared to 42 percent in West Los Angeles.

An unfair comparison, to be sure. South LA is a low-income area; West LA is an affluent area. Of course there are less fast food restaurants in West LA; the people who live and work there can afford more expensive dining. 

But to hell with that whole pesky comparing apples to apples thing.

South Los Angeles resident Curtis English acknowledged that fast food is loaded with calories and cholesterol. But since he's unemployed and does not have a car, it serves as a cheap, convenient staple for him.

On Monday, he ate breakfast and lunch — a sausage burrito and double cheeseburger, respectively — at a McDonald's a few blocks from home for just $2.39.

It seems to me that the city council should be PRAISING McDonald's for their humanitarian work of providing affordable, energy-packed food at very low prices to the poorest among us! 

"I don't think there's too many fast food places," he said. "People like it."

Others welcomed an opportunity to get different kinds of food into their neighborhood.

"They should open more healthy places," Dorothy Meighan said outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet. "There's too much fried stuff."

First of all, who is "they?" 

Secondly, let capitalism work. If a more expensive restaurant opens go there and patronize it. Eat the healthier food. If the diner gets enough business, it will stay open and attract more of it's kind.

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The moratorium, which can be extended up to a year, only affects standalone restaurants, not eateries located in malls or strip shopping centers. It defines fast-food restaurants as those that do not offer table service and provide a limited menu of pre-prepared or quickly heated food in disposable wrapping.

The definition exempts "fast-food casual" restaurants such as El Pollo Loco, Subway and Pastagina, which do not have drive-through windows or heat lamps and prepare fresh food to order.

Oh, so a foot-long meatball sub from Subway is waaaaay healthier than a cheeseburger from McDonald's. Gotcha, city council. 

The ordinance also makes it harder for existing fast-food restaurants to expand or remodel.

Really, when a government wants to institute universal health care, then it feels more at liberty to make personal decisions for the People's health. Hey, they (and by they I mean WE) are footing the bill for those cholesterol meds, so why not FORCE a diet on a poor Hispanic or black person? 

How long until they start handing out Soylent to the unwashed masses, for pity's sake? 

Drool...

OK, I'm impressed, and perhaps a bit envious.

The following collection belonged to Bruce E. Stern, who passed away one year ago this month. Part of his collection was auctioned, fetching an enormous sum.

Killer Tortoise

Worst. Cats. EVER.

Recommendation:

If you've got four dollars to spare and want a very funny short diversion, I recommend going here and downloading Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. 

Dr. Horrible, the brain-child of Joss and Zack Whedon was released as a live webcast this month, and is now exclusively available through iTunes.

It stars Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible, who longs to be accepted into The Evil League of Evil, Nathan Fillion as Cpt. Hammer, Dr. Horrible's doltish nemesis, and Felicia Day as the socially soft-hearted love interest between the two.

Hey, my husband rates this as "the funniest thing I've seen all year," so you know you can't go wrong! 

Mona Lisa Gone Green

And I thought just mowing and edging was a hassle!

From this source: 

Tania Ledger from Croydon in south London employed a 3D art expert who reconstructed the famous painting for the The Da Vinci Code film to do the same in her garden.

Chris Naylor took two days to replicate Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece in grass, using a small lawnmower and a handful of garden tools.

The design will grow out within a few weeks but Mrs Ledger, 48, says that is what made the project so exciting.

“It’s like a hair cut - if you don't like it you can grow it out and you can try out as many new looks as you like,” she said.

Cool! This post deserves some musical accompaniment.

The Dark Knight...Not Too Shabby.

Holy spare tire, Batman! You just never know what you'll run into at Comic-Con!

Dave and I saw The Dark Knight last week on opening day, and I have to say I was impressed. It is quite palatable as far as action flicks go. If you aren't in the mood for something too artsy or sophisticated, but still want to see a decently made movie, this is a good diversion.

I expected the movie to be all hype due to his death, but I was happy with Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker. He is hands-down the most sadistic version I have seen; not at all the cheesy gangtsa' version we are often assaulted with.

The pirated scene below was a bit shocking sitting right under the big screen, and it gives you a taste of the character. (Warning: It is a bit on the violent side, but not gory.) 

And of course, we mustn't take ourselves TOO seriously:

Heil to the Cheif

Remember the arrogance Obama showed with the redesigned Presidential Seal?

Apparently Obama has promoted himself again. That pesky little voting thing is just a formality for the messiah, after all, and both he and his staff knows it. 

Of course, once Obama has inevitably taken the office of the presidency, he'll be there from eight to ten years.

Either Obama is a complete moron, or he doesn't care one whit for what the People have to say, how we'll vote, or the 22nd Amendment. 

The messiah will do whatever he damn well pleases.

From this source, all emphasis mine:

AMMAN, Jordan – Democrat Barack Obama’s entire traveling campaign apparatus is in place. He will speak Thursday at an historic site in Berlin that could draw tens of thousands of spectators. And chief campaign strategist David Axelrod might even assemble film crews to gather footage of it, possibly for a TV commercial...

At a morning background briefing, reporters parried with senior advisers on the characterization of Obama’s speech Thursday in Berlin as a campaign rally. The outdoor speech at the Victory Column could draw thousands of people, similar to the size of Obama events in the United States.

“It is not going to be a political speech,” said a senior foreign policy adviser, who spoke to reporters on background. “When the president of the United States goes and gives a speech, it is not a political speech or a political rally.

“But he is not president of the United States,” a reporter reminded the adviser.

“He is going to talk about the issues as an individual … not as a candidate, but as an individual, as a senator,” the adviser added...Aides suggested the speech would not target Republican John McCain, but might draw contrasts with President Bush’s policies...

The arrogance is astounding!!! 

Happy People Dancing

From yesterday's Astronomy Pic of the Day website comes a video of happy people dancing.

Here's the explanation from the website that comes with the video:

Explanation: What are these humans doing? Dancing. Many humans on Earth exhibit periods of happiness, and one method of displaying happiness is dancing. Happiness and dancing transcend political boundaries and occur in practically every human society. Above, Matt Harding traveled through many nations on Earth, started dancing, and filmed the result. The video is perhaps a dramatic example that humans from all over planet Earth feel a common bond as part of a single species. Happiness is frequently contagious -- few people are able to watch the above video without smiling.

Got that? Happiness is contagious, dancing transcends political and cultural boundaries, and we share a common bond with one another.

Now, watch the video and let me know if you notice anything... missing. 

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Let Them Eat Cake!

While the People shoulder a heavy gas tax, the DNC hosting committee has given itself a gas tax holiday.

I suppose the taxes are only meant for the unwashed masses.

Insanity Roundup

In order not to give the appearance of being afflicted with a terminal case of ADD, I usually try to keep my posts to just one subject at a time.

Today I couldn't help myself.

First, we have the High Priest of Climatology Al Gore (as usual) not exactly practicing what he preaches:

Next, we have Obama fresh off his tour of the 57 States planning on being President for the next eight to ten years. (Maybe no one's told him that whole voting thing hasn't happened yet.)

I wonder if that was just another little oopsie, or if he's planning on a little Constitutional editing?

And, if you're hungry and you'll bring the syrup, Obama is serving a rather generous helping of waffles:

Last but not least, we have the Islamists up to bat with another example of what it means to be sunnah.

From this source:

HAIL: In the latest twist to a high-profile marriage in this central Saudi city, a 64-year-old man has announced that he would wait five years to consummate his marriage with his 10-year-old bride.

According to local newspapers yesterday, the man — who has already paid a SR100,000 dowry to the father of the girl and signed the marriage contract — now says he would wait until the girl is 15 to complete the marriage.

Well, that's mighty white of him! Of course, if we take him at his word that he really will wait (which I doubt) that means he'll still be having sex with a fifteen-year-old girl once he's 69 years old whom he bought and forced marriage upon.

I would call that rape, by the way. 

But hey, I guess that women's rights are relative, huh? 

Islam is Not a Victim

Pat Condell does it again: