99 Report for March 23rd : Justice For Trayvon Martin and also a Discussion with Mike Farrell on The Death Penalty

BLOGTALKRADIO Link for 99 Report 2PM
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Listen to internet radio with 99 Report on Blog Talk Radio

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( First 3 Minutes of this will be played for the show , it's poignant lessons from the past from JFK and MLK on Secrets and also Justice and the importance of not being Silent in Times of Trouble.)
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"And I know that Justice is indivisible. Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere" MLK

The Killing of Trayvon Martin and how this case has unraveled this month can not be underestimated, it is an important moment in our History. It is a Moment about Breaking the Silence, it is a Moment about Accountability to ourselves and each other. As a mom I can not imagine the depth of the loss and pain of of his parents. I have many questions, I think we need to be asking those Questions Loudly. We need Transparency, there can be no secrets until there is Justice for Trayvon.

(1) Why was this man allowed to pretend to be a Security Guard for this Gated Community, he had made over 46 calls to the Police Dept over the past year , calling in concerns ranging from Trash to children playing to yes, Black people walking in his community. Why did no one raise concerns over this man ?

(2) And why is the Media calling him a "Watchman" or a " Unpaid Security Guard" , he was none of these, he was a Vigilante, he had appointed himself to "secure" the neighborhood and in some ways he was stalking the neighborhood. After 46 calls the Police did not think to research or investigate him ? Did they come out and talk to him ? Did they know he was armed ?

(3) What happened that fateful day that Zimmerman followed and pursued Trayvon ? What happened when they met ? How did Trayvon just end up in the Morgue ? And what was the delay in contacting his family ? Where are the EMS reports ? EMS should have responded to the GunShot 911 calls. Why didn't anyone try to contact his family when he was criticallly wounded at the scene. I mention this because 911 / EMS would have tried to identify a way to contact next of kin, they would have used the cellphone to call his family ? Where is the cellphone ? His Head set ? His girlfriend clearly said he must have been thrown to the ground and that is why the head set did not respond.

(4) How can anyone say the Self Defense Line by Zimmerman holds any water ? Trayvon was a kid, carrying a Iced Tea and a bag of skittles, he was walking home in the rain with a Hoodie talking to his girlfriend on the phone. What part of that was threatening to Zimmerman ? And clearly if Zimmerman called him an "F---ing C--ns " , he has a Race Problem and a Hate problem. No one can listen to those tapes and not be repulsed , and even more concerned listening to the 911 Witness tapes where clearly there is a young boy crying for help in the background. ( The 911 tapes and Records are at Daily Kos, The Nation and Mother Jones and Think Progress).

People say that we don't have a Racism Problem in America. We clearly do. People say that Hate Talk and Bigotry spewed by Talk Radio and The Tea Party and Rush Limbaugh ,Ann Coulter etc are not a Problem, It clearly is a problem. Hate and Ignorance can fuel some very Violent Deadly Actions, and we as a Country need to own up to that. We owe that much to Trayvon's Family and to Trayvon and to our own Sons and Daughters. No one should be afraid to walk to te corner market on a Rainey afternoon to get a little brother skittles and a can of Iced Tea.
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Our Guest today on the 99 Report at 2:30PM EST ( 11:30 Pacific ) is Mike Farrell, a fine Actor,Humanitarian,Activist to discuss The Death Penalty and his fine work on this issue for so many years. We will talk about his organization and it's evolving leadership and members, as well as ongoing projects. As it is an election year we will discuss which states are looking to make it a Ballot issue and what we can do to help with this effort, as well as how we can make this happen in more States. ( The SAFE Campaign in California is one that is currently getting notice.) Please do read more of his fine Organization Death Penalty Focus, it is continuing to raise awareness about the Death Penalty around the Country, not just California.

We also will be discussing the Alabama case of Thomas Arthur who is set to be executed within 6 days. We will be discussion the DNA aspect of his case, and why his case and other older cases are not allowed to have the DNA of older evidence tested.( See Below) We also will be asking other landmark cases we should be watching and what we can do to help DeathPenalty.Org with their work.

Alabama DNA Case. Thomas Arthur is the man whose Life hangs in the balance, and the Attorneys have the funds needed for the DNA to be run, but the authorities are getting in the way. Please do also share the articles attached as well. This is not just a Death Penalty Case, this is also a case with some questionable maneuvering regarding DNA. Except the Inmate is scheduled for Execution at the end of this month on the 29th, so any attention we can bring this case is very important.

Mike Farrell updated us that this case has been STAYED at this point, the execution on hold while evidence /DNA examined. I will try to update this and find more sources, but this is good news.....stay tuned for more info on the DNA part.

More From the Discussion Today :
Do read about the Safe Campaign in California and how it is helping the State of California bring Abolition of the Death Penalty to the Ballot. It will end the Death Penalty and actually save the state Millons of Dollars. It will also set aside funds to solve unsolved crimes and even test stored Rape Lab Tests and other stores lab tests.It would lead to Life with Parole, Life Imprisonment for the existing 600 on Death Row that have had their executions put on hold for now.

Mike also weighed in on our Discussion yesterday regarding PTSD, and shared info about Practioners that are examining a new way to help Vets with PTSD, it involved Neuro Feedback.This website HomeComing For Veterans.Org has more information about this therapy .
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Oct 16th 2011 we welcomed Mike Farrell to Awopradio. to have a Discussion focused on the Death Penalty in America. At that time Execution issue was regaining attention due to the Execution of Troy Davis and the GOP debates ( and Perry's Record). Mike Farrell is known by many as a fine actor and for his work on M*A*S*H as B.J.Hunnicutt , but he also has worked as an activist for 30 years, educating and advocating on many Human Rights Issues, including the Abolition of the Death Penalty. You can read more of his fine Human Rights Work on his own website.
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Brave New Films video introduced by Cenk Yuger for "Meet the Bloggers"
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Some of the Myths that are mentioned in the videos ::

Myth: Death by lethal injection is painless and humane.
Myth: The death penalty provides "closure" to families of victims.
Myth: The death penalty is enforced only after all efforts for appeal have been exhausted.
Myth: The death penalty is faithful to the Constitution.


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On GritTV ( Ann Flanders) (Sept2011) ( 2 Min. PSA on Death Penalty)

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On GRIT TV with Laura Flanders speaking on many issues, (17minutes) Sept 2011, including speaking on Healthcare ( please see the 2 min PSA on Single Payer, Medicare4All in this video).


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MORE:::
On Mike Farrell's Biography and his organization, WWW.Death Penalty.Org , you can read more here.

Huffpo post on Issue has an article by Mike Farrell from 2010 that is a must read.
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Blogtalkradio October 16th, 2012

Listen to internet radio with AWOP Radio on Blog Talk Radio

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Also joining the Show at 3:10PM is Bill Moyer of the Backbone Campaign, and his new actions that are planned for DC next week. The DooOccupy Campaign is focusing on targeting some key issues : the Foreclosure Crisis and the mounting Student Debt and Other Debt Issues. Do see the Link as Next Week and Weekend in DC there will be many new Actions. I will be tweeting more about these DC actions this week.

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In Closing this week there is no Power of Five. I do however want to do some Shout Outs:: To Kim of Awopradio for coming on the 99 Report and helping with my 99 Report Special on PTSD and Multiple Deployments and Concerns for our Vets. Shout Out to Tim Corrimal for having me on his show last week. To Jill Bond and Jonathon Capeheart for their work on the Trayvon Martin Situation this week. To James P.Morrison for graciously allowing me to use his song the Way Back Inn on the show yesterday., To Lee Camp for his Moments of Clarity and please do check his website and do see him On Tour in the UK. And to Ineke Kamps thank you for graciously allowing me to share her beautiful art and photos. And for great listening on Friday Nights I encourage you to listen to Kenny Pick on Friday Nights. And a huge shout out to We Act Radio, thank you for all the great radio every week.
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Music for the Show::
Music at the Start of the Show is by MamaShine 99%" For What it is Worth" ( remake/remix for the 99% of the Classic Buffalo Springfield song.)

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Video and Song by One Eskimo....Occupy Amazing from the UK -Used to Close the Show
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Stand Up and Mean What We Say....Dave Dalton

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"Hope in Hard Times" by John Clark of @OccupyTampa

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