Politics Corner April 26th

 

photo mine

There is a man on death row in Oklahoma set to be killed. He was never charged with actually killing anyone but was sent to death row for first degree murder. Someone else confessed to the murder and got life in prison and later claimed that Richard Glossip ordered the crime. Glossip was convicted with no evidence except the testimony of a junkie murderer. This is so outrageous that the Republican Attorney General testified before the pardon and parole board for clemency for Glossip. A host of Oklahoma legislators are pushing to stop this and most of them are pro-death penalty Republicans. The pardon and parole board voted 2-2 which is a denial. All that stands between him and lethal injection is the governor who I don't believe has ever stopped an execution.

I don't think the Republican motive here is pure. I don't think that they are all that concerned about executing an innocent man or they would have problems with the death penalty itself. I think that this situation is so beyond the pale that it could be used to dismantle corporal punishment. Glossip has maintained his innocence from the beginning. He at least deserves a fair hearing before we kill him. [Guardian]

via Guardian

Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr has been barred from speaking for the remainder of the legislative session. She retains her seat and will be allowed to vote remotely but has been literally silenced along with her constituents who voted her into office in the first place. [CNN]

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via Associated Press

While Montana is busy silencing women, women got a voice for the first time a very unlikely place, the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis will seat 70 extra people including one half women and an overall focus on younger people. [Reuters]

via Reuters

I could talk about how ridiculous it was that McCarthy had to work so hard to get the Republicans in line for a pointless vote on something that is more or less their agenda (if in the wrong place) but nobody really cares because it was dead in the water before it was introduced.

No. We managed to get this far without talking about Trump Trump Trump but it's too late. I woke up with this story and now you'll get to go to sleep with it. Before the jury was even brought into the room he got slammed for his texting about the case. But the highlight was when E. Jean Carroll stated that "I'm here because Trump raped me." Rape is now forever attached to the Trump name. [NBC]

via NBC 

Political discussion welcome