TresSugar

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones Dies of Brain Aneurysm

CitizenSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:30:01 -0700

Update: Sadly, it seems earlier reports are now true. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones has died after suffering a brain aneurysm. It was previously and widely reported that she had passed away and reports proved conflicting.

Tubbs Jones, 58, was the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in Congress. She has served five terms in Congress and was thought able to easily win a sixth in November.

She garnered attention earlier this year, firmly supporting Hillary Clinton's bid for the Democratic nomination for president. Tubbs Jones drew some criticism for her support of Clinton instead of Barack Obama, though she has a legacy of staunch support for many African-American candidates.

We will update as more information becomes available.

Source

Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow Dies at Age 53

CitizenSugar — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:36:27 -0700

Tony Snow, former White House press secretary and conservative political commentator, died in Washington, DC, this morning of colon cancer at the age of 53.

President Bush gave a statement from Camp David where he's spending the weekend saying, "America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character. It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day. He brought wit, grace, and a great love of country to his work."

Snow's served as press secretary for 17 months, until his last briefing on September 12, 2007, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Bush said his family's thoughts and prayers are with Snow's wife and their three children.

Source

Do Tell: Which Celebrity Death Affected You Most?

TresSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:08:10 -0700

On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr. took the fateful flight that ended in his death. I remember watching the news with my family as authorities looked for the missing Kennedy. As we sat around the TV, my parents recounted their memories of little John-John, and we were all so shocked when they announced that he had died. With no real connection to JFK, Jr. I still felt a whole lot of real sadness.

The 10th anniversary of JFK, Jr.'s death and the attention given to the recent death of Michael Jackson remind us that the death of a celebrity can really hit home. From John Lennon, to Princess Diana, Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, or John F. Kennedy, Jr., there have been so many famous deaths that have left the public collectively grieving. Which celebrity death affected you most in your lifetime?

Front Page: The Debate About "Death Panels" Continues

TresSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:00:15 -0700

A new ad produced by healthcare reform advocates points out that insurance companies are the ones with death panels. The ad is set to run on national TV beginning next week. - Salon
An arrest warrant has been issued for reality-TV contestant Ryan Jenkins, as more gruesome details emerge surrounding his ex-wife Jasmine Fiore's murder. - CNN
Following yesterday's election, Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he has enough votes for a majority, but his main rival has also claimed victory. - BBC News
After years and years of the rich getting richer, the super-rich are actually getting poorer. - New York Times

Radical Raul? Cuba Commutes Death Sentences

LibertySugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:00:48 -0700

Raul Castro has commuted all but three death sentences handed down in Cuba. Every death-row inmate, besides three convicted terrorists, will now face 30 years in prison, instead of death by firing squad.

Raul, who officially took over for his brother Fidel Castro this past February, said that humanitarian concerns, not international pressure, motivated his decision. He quickly maintained that the death penalty still remains on the books.

Raul, who also announced the first Communist Congress in over a decade, has been showing signs of pragmatism and reform since taking power. He lifted a ban on electronics sales, and Cubans can now stay in hotels designated for tourists. Many other freedoms, such as the right to own property, are still forbidden.

The US has found itself in a curious position with its North American neighbors when it comes to the death penalty. To see how, read more.

Suspected murders sometimes flee to Mexico or Canada, because those countries will not extradite suspects unless the death penalty is taken off the table. A recent example? Marine Cesar Laurean, accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend and fellow Marine, fled to Mexico and therefore saved himself from a death sentence.

Now Cuba, a country the US criticizes for its human-rights record, has decided to join the majority of countries that reject execution. Does this latest development shine Cuba's human-rights image, while bruising America's? Do you think humanitarian concerns or international pressure, could ever motivate America to reconsider death sentences?

Source

Front Page: India Launches Moon Orbiter, Palin Gives Speech Advocating Women, EU Protests US Death Sentence

CitizenSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:00:27 -0700

India Launches Moon Orbiter:
India has launched its first unmanned spacecraft on a mission to the moon, in an effort to assert its power in space. The mission is set to last two years and will prepare a three-dimensional atlas of the moon as well as survey the lunar surface for usable natural resources like uranium, a coveted fuel for nuclear power plants.

Palin Gives Speech Advocating Women:
At a rally in Nevada yesterday, Sarah Palin gave a speech advocating for women's rights the world over. She said, "there are still places where women are subjugated and persecuted as they were in Afghanistan, places we’re they’re bullied and brutalized and murdered in honor killings. . . if I am elected, these women, too, will have an advocate and a defender in the 47th vice president of the United States. She also gave her first interview to CNN.
EU Protests US Death Sentence:
The European parliament is protesting the execution of a prisoner in the US after seven of the nine key witnesses recanted their testimony against him. The head of the EU parliament says that all executions are a violation of human rights and that the prisoner symbolizes all death row inmates. He says he "will fight against the death penalty under any circumstances everywhere in the world."

Source

Front Page: New Mexico Repeals the Death Penalty

CitizenSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:38:23 -0700

New Mexico has become the 15th US state to ban the death penalty. Gov. Richardson said signing the bill was the toughest decision he's made in public life. - New Mexico Independent
Natasha Richardson's peers in the entertainment world offer words of tribute for the actress, who has died at the age of 45 after a skiing accident. - BBC News
President Obama is in California discussing the stimulus plan. He will appear on Jay Leno's show tonight. - LA Times
AIG's top executives are asking employees to return half of their bonuses. - New York Times
Josef Fritzl has been sentenced to life by an Austrian court. - Guardian

Source

Iran Considers Death Penalty for Bloggers, Russia Jails One

CitizenSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:00:42 -0700

The beauty of the Internet is getting to say exactly what you want in a public forum, right?(Well that and stalking ex-boyfriends and shopping at work, but I digress.) The ability to speak one's mind in bytes and blips has landed one blogger with a jail sentence for extremism. A Russian man who called the local police “scum” and calling for the clean-up of the force he blogged that the police should be burned in the town square twice a day. For this posting, was convicted of “inciting hatred or enmity” and given a one-year suspended sentence.

Free speech activists said the ruling is creating a dangerous precedent: “This was an absolutely unjustified verdict ... This verdict means it will be impossible to make rude comments about anybody.” News of the sentence permeated Russian blogs yesterday leading some to say, "I don't know now if I should be writing here or not." For his part, new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said he prizes free speech and that Russia should use a light touch when policing the Internet. That's not the case in Iran. To see what's happening there, read more.

In Iran, they have a somewhat different interpretation to "light touch" - the death penalty. Their parliament is debating a bill that would call for death for anyone “...establishing weblogs and sites promoting corruption. . .” Though the government itself will decide what would constitute “promoting corruption." Among other death sentence crimes in Iran are apostasy (leaving a religion, in this case Islam), prostitution, rape and armed robbery.

No word on the world's reaction to the ultimate crime against blogging - starting one and then never posting again.

Is cyberspace the next battleground for free speech? Can speech on the Internet be protected as a vital outlet for those in countries with state-controlled media or oppressive governments?

Source

What Year Is It? Iranian Woman Spared Death by Stoning

LibertySugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:00:27 -0700

International pressure may have saved the life of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning. After 11 years behind bars for committing adultery, Mokarrameh Ebrahimi has been freed. Her partner, Jafar Kiani, was stoned to death in July 2007, causing an international uproar. Though the official reason for her release is unclear, human and women rights campaigns surely had an impact.

Article 102 of the Iranian penal code details the stoning sentence. Men should be buried up to their waists and women up to their breasts while being stoned. Ms. Ebrahimi would have been the first official stoning since 2002.

International pressure doesn't just save the lives of criminals in Iran. Often, countries refuse to extradite suspects to the US, unless authorities agree not to seek the death penalty. Recently, Brazil agreed to extradite a Colombian drug lord to the US, only after receiving a guarantee that the US would not to impose execution.

I wonder if the American reaction to Iranian stoning, mirrors the way other Western countries react to the US executions. Do you think these actions, which raise international human rights concerns, are comparable?

Source

Headline: US to Seek Death Penalty in 9-11 Case

CitizenSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:25:14 -0800

US military prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for six Guantanamo detainees held for their roles in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The six who face this sentence include Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the former al-Qaeda operations chief who has called himself the mastermind of the attacks, and the so-called “20th hijacker,” the man who was denied entry to the US the month before the attack.

Though no one was officially allowed to comment on the case, an anonymous Defense Department official said, “if any case warrants it, it would be for individuals who were parties to a crime of that scale.” However, even if the military court rules for the death penalty on the capital charges, an execution could take months or even years to conclude, as a death sentence would also have to be scrutinized by civilian appeals courts.

Source