National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
20 September 2011

Just a few minutes ago, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles issued its denial of clemency for Troy Davis. As disappointing as this is, the famous Joe Hill quote from before he was executed comes to mind: “Don’t waste any time in mourning. Organize…!” NCADP’s statement is here and below.

But first, Troy Davis is not dead yet!

Right now, please immediately act and urge the parole board to reconsider their decision. Please politely e-mail the board members at or fax their office at (404) 651-8502.

Then, click here to join us in calling on the Board to reconsider its decision, and on the Chatham County (Savannah) District Attorney Larry Chisolm to do the right thing. They have until the final moments before Troy’s scheduled execution to put the brakes on this runaway justice system.

Then, join a local demonstration, or initiate one yourself. Today is a Day of Protest to express our outrage at the recent decision to deny Troy Davis clemency. And on Wednesday (Sept. 21), we’re calling for a Day of Vigil on Troy’s impending execution date.

If you are able to organize locally for either of these events, please click to tell our partners at Amnesty International USA about your plans.

Continue reading →

By Chris Hedges

Barack Obama’s politically expedient decision to betray and abandon his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, exposed his cowardice and moral bankruptcy. In that moment, playing the part of Judas, he surrendered the last shreds of his integrity. He became nothing more than a pawn of power, or as Cornel West says, “a black mascot for Wall Street.” Obama, once the glitter of power fades, will have to grapple with the fact that he was a traitor not only to his pastor, the man who married him and Michelle, who baptized his children and who kept him spiritually and morally grounded, but to himself. Wright retains what is most precious in life and what Obama has squandered—his soul.

Click here to read “The Rev. Jeremiah Wright Recalls Obama’s Fall From Grace” by Chris Hedges.

Whether the UN grants the PA status as a state or refuses to do so, either outcome will be in Israel’s interest.

Joseph Massad
15 Sep 2011

What is at stake in Barack Obama’s vehement refusal to recognise Palestine as a mini-state with a disfigured geography and no sovereignty, and his urging the world community not to recognise it while threatening the Palestinians with retribution? What is the relationship between Obama’s refusal to recognise Palestine and his insistence on recognising Israel’s right to be a “Jewish state” and his demand that the Palestinians and Arab countries follow suit?

It is important to stress at the outset that whether the UN grants the Palestinian Authority (PA) the government of a state under occupation and observer status as a state or refuses to do so, either outcome will be in the interest of Israel. For the only game in town has always been Israel’s interests, and it is clear that whatever strategy garners international support, with or without US and Israeli approval, must guarantee Israeli interests a priori. The UN vote is a case in point.

Click here to continue reading “State of recognition” by Joseph Massad.

A UC Irvine professor overstepped his boundaries when he told students no disruptions were allowed during the Israeli ambassador’s visit to campus last year, another professor testifies.

By Mona Shadia, Los Angeles Times

September 15, 2011

A UC Irvine professor overstepped his boundaries when he told students that no disruptions were allowed during the Israeli ambassador’s visit on campus last year, according to testimony given Wednesday in the so-called Irvine 11 trial in Santa Ana.

UC Irvine professor Rei Terada, an expert on the history and guidelines of free speech, told the Superior Court jury that fellow professor Mark Petracca, the event’s emcee, had no authority to set stringent ground rules.

Click here to continue reading “Ground rules went too far, free speech expert says at Irvine 11 trial” by Mona Shadia.