Facing harsh criticism in the Melissa Lucio case, Texas prosecutor may temporarily spare the woman many believe is innocent

Federal judges, five jurors who convicted her and a roster of family, politicians and celebrities believe there are substantive doubts about whether the death of Lucio’s 2-year-old daughter was even a murder. A prosecutor Tuesday appeared to open the door to canceling her scheduled April 27 execution.

by Jolie McCullough | April 12, 2022 | 6 PM Central

At a combative legislative hearing, the Cameron County district attorney indicated Tuesday he may step in and stop Melissa Lucio's April 27 execution, creating a new level of uncertainty in what many believe is the case of an innocent woman facing lethal injection.

Although he was not district attorney when Lucio was convicted, Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz did request the execution date and has the power to withdraw the request. During a heated exchange with a bipartisan group of lawmakers pushing to halt Lucio’s execution, Saenz initially stated he would not intervene.

As outrage has built to a crescendo over Lucio’s case, Saenz has previously stated — and reaffirmed in the hearing — that he stood by the process that led to Lucio’s conviction and the many court rulings since that have upheld her death sentence.

But after about an hour of urging from the lawmakers, Saenz’s stance shifted. He said he believes his intervention will be unnecessary because the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will likely stop Lucio’s execution. If it doesn’t, he said he would, though he didn’t provide details.

...

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/04/12/melissa-lucio-texas-execution/

Cameron Todd Willingham: Wrongfully Convicted and Executed in Texas

By Innocence Staff

Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas in 2004 for allegedly setting a fire that killed his three young daughters 13 years earlier. He always claimed his innocence, and the arson investigation used to convict him was questioned by leading experts before Willingham was executed. Since 2004, further evidence in the case has led to the inescapable conclusion that Willingham did not set the fire for which he was executed.The Texas Forensic Science Commission issued its report on the convictions of Cameron Todd Willingham and Ernest Willis on April 15, 2011 recommending more education and training for fire investigators and implementing procedures to review old cases (the commission issued an addendum to the report on October 28, 2011.

...

In 2008, the Texas Forensic Science Commission agreed to investigate the case. The panel’s review was interrupted several times over the last two years, however, and continues today. In 2009, an arson expert hired by the commission issued a report finding that experts who testified at Willingham’s trial should have known it was wrong at the time. Days before the expert was set to testify, however, Gov. Rick Perry replaced key members of the panel, delayed the investigation for months.

...

https://innocenceproject.org/cameron-todd-willingham-wrongfully-convicted-and-executed-in-texas/

Stop Melissa Lucio’s Execution, Call Gov. Abbott Now
Urge Gov. Abbott to stop this irreversible injustice — call 956-446-2866


Melissa Lucio was charged for murder after the accidental fall of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, and is scheduled to be executed in Texas on April 27, if officials do not step in.

Instead of looking into Mariah’s health history and investigating the potential causes of her injuries, authorities immediately jumped to the conclusion that she had been murdered and, through a coercive interrogation, pressured Ms. Lucio to make a false statement.

Thousands of pages of Child Protective Services records show that Ms. Lucio’s 12 children never said she was violent with them. No physical evidence showed otherwise.

“The State presented no physical evidence or witness testimony establishing that Lucio abused Mariah or any of her children, let alone killed Mariah,” Judge Catharina Haynes wrote on behalf of the seven dissenting judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Time is running out and Ms. Lucio deserves justice.

...

https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/grant-melissa-lucio-clemency/?p2asource=blue-bar_04182022

Portraits of Courage: Paintings of Military Heroes by President Bush

https://www.military.com/veterans-day/portraits-of-courage-paintings-by-president-bush.html

Iraq Coalition Casualty Count

US fatalities in Iraq: 4586

US wounded in Iraq: 32455

http://icasualties.org/

Documented deaths in Iraq

"Documented civilian deaths from violence
186,143 – 209,349

Total violent deaths including combatants
288,000"

https://www.iraqbodycount.org/

Satire but accurate:

https://www.theonion.com/george-w-bush-debuts-new-paintings-of-dogs-friends-g-1819595637

Proposed bill could allow people to kill without proving self-defense
Xcaret Nunez

JEFFERSON CITY — Legislation that would drastically alter Missouri’s self-defense laws was debated by a Senate committee Tuesday.

Sen. Eric Burlison’s Senate Bill 666 would alter the requirement for someone to prove they used physical or deadly force in self-defense. If passed, the bill would move the burden onto the prosecutor to prove the defendant’s actions were not in self-defense.

Burlison, R-Battlefield, said the purpose of the bill is to strengthen the already existing "castle doctrine," which allows individuals to use force in defense of themselves, their family and their property.

"And yet still, there are those who would seek to prosecute law abiding Missourians whose only "crime" is they were trying to defend themselves and or their family members," he said.

...

(https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/proposed-bill-could-allow-people-to-kill-without-proving-self-defense/article_4656e642-83a5-11ec-bb28-23aa50d9e2b5.html)

SB 666
Modifies provisions on self-defense

Sponsor: Burlison
LR Number: 3356S.01I
Committee: Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety
Last Action: 2/1/2022 - Hearing Conducted S Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee
Journal Page:
Title:
Calendar Position:
Effective Date: August 28, 2022



Current Bill Summary

SB 666 - PRESUMPTION OF REASONABLENESS (Section 563.031)

Under current law, the defendant has the burden to prove he or she reasonably believed physical or deadly force was necessary to protect him or herself or a third person.

This act provides that there shall be a presumption of reasonableness that the defendant believed such force was necessary to defend him or herself or a third person.

IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY (Section 563.085)

This act provides that a person who uses or threatens to use force in self-defense is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless such force was used against a law enforcement officer who was acting in the performance of his or her official duties and the person reasonably knew or should have known that the person was a law enforcement officer.

Additionally, a law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for investigating the use or threatened use of force, but the agency may not arrest the person for using or threatening to use force unless the agency determines that there is probable cause that the force that was used or threatened was unlawful.

This act provides that the defendant can raise a claim of self-defense during a pre-trial hearing in either a criminal or civil case which shall shift the burden on the party seeking to overcome the immunity by proof of clear and convincing evidence.

Finally, this act repeals provisions relating to civil remedies that are unaffected by criminal provisions of self-defense law.

MARY GRACE PRINGLE

Amendments
No Amendments Found.

(https://www.senate.mo.gov/22info/bts_web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=71259696)

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
[hr]For Immediate Release
January 26, 2017

[font size="4"]President Trump Releases National School Choice Week Proclamation[/font]

Yesterday, the President released a proclamation in honor of National School Choice Week. The text of the proclamation is below:

NATIONAL SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK, 2017

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

The foundation of a good life begins with a great education. Today, too many of our children are stuck in schools that do not provide this opportunity.

Because the education of our young people is so important, the parents of every student in America should have a right to a meaningful choice about where their child goes to school.

By expanding school choice and providing more educational opportunities for every American family, we can help make sure that every child has an equal shot at achieving the American Dream. More choices for our students will make our schools better for everybody.

Our country is home to many great schools and many extraordinary teachers -- whether they serve in traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, private or religious schools, or in homeschooling environments.

With a renewed commitment to expanding school choice for our children, we can truly make a great education possible for every child in America.

I commend our Nation's students, parents, teachers, and school leaders for their commitment to quality, effective education, and I call on States and communities to support effective education and school choice for every child in America.

As Damn near after our country celebrates National School Choice Week, I encourage parents to evaluate the educational opportunities available for their children. I also encourage State lawmakers and Federal lawmakers to expand school choice for millions of additional students.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 22 through January 28, 2017, as National School Choice Week.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand seventeen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-first.


DONALD J. TRUMP

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/26/president-trump-releases-national-school-choice-week-proclamation

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
[hr]For Immediate Release
January 25, 2017


[font color="black" size="7" face="Times New Roman"]Praise For President Trump's Bold Action[/font]


[font color="black" size="4" face="Calibri (Body)"]
The President Is “Coming Out As A Winner On Many Issues…” – The Atlantic

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl: “Incredible Pace Of Activity In The Trump White House On Week One…” Karl Tweet: “Incredible pace of activity in the Trump White House on week one - when have we seen a public WH sked packed as yesterday's & today's?” (Twitter.com, 1/24/17)

Fox News’ Sean Hannity: “I Don't Think I've Ever Seen So Much Happen In Such A Short Period Of Time.” (Fox News’ “Hannity,” 1/24/17)

Chicago Tribune Editorial Board: “Trump Could Have Chosen Any Topic To Get His Presidency Rolling. He Picked Jobs. Good.” (Editorial, “What Trump Got Right On Day 1: The Jobs Agenda,” Chicago Tribune, 1/23/17)

• Chicago Tribune Headline: “What Trump Got Right On Day 1: The Jobs Agenda” (Chicago Tribune, 1/23/17)

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board: “President Trump Is Making Short Work Of Campaign Promises…” “President Trump is making short work of campaign promises, and on Tuesday he signed executive orders reviving the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.” (Editorial, “No More Keystone Capers,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/24/17)

USA Today Editorial Board: Trump “Came Down On The Right Side Of The Debate… By Advancing Construction Of The Keystone XL And Dakota Access Pipelines.” “President Trump, following through on a campaign promise, came down on the right side of the debate Tuesday by advancing construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, both of which had been blocked by the Obama administration.” (Editorial, “Trump Revives Pipeline Projects,” USA Today, 1/24/17)

The Atlantic: Trump’s “Coming Out As A Winner On Many Issues.” “But what if the Trump presidency is actually off to a surprisingly effective start? … The result, paradoxically, is that he’s coming out as a winner on many issues.” (David A. Graham, “Is Trump's Presidency Off To A Successful Start?,” The Atlantic, 1/24/17)

Detroit News Headline: “Mich. Could Benefit In Trump Infrastructure Order” (Detroit News, 1/25/17)

Rasmussen Reports: “57% Of Likely U.S. Voters Approve Of President Trump’s Job Performance…” “The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance.” (“Daily Presidential Tracking Poll,” Rasmussen Reports, 1/24/17)

Reuters: “A Slew Of Donald Trump's Picks Won Approval By The Senate Committees Overseeing Their Official Nominations…” “A slew of Donald Trump's picks won approval by the Senate committees overseeing their official nominations, suggesting that they will face little resistance to approval by the full Senate.” (“US Senate Panels Approve Carson, Ross, Chao, Haley,” Reuters, 1/24/17)

Washington Examiner: “A Majority Of Americans Who Listened To President Trump's Inaugural Address Gave The 16-Minute Speech A Positive Review…” “A majority of Americans who listened to President Trump's inaugural address gave the 16-minute speech a positive review, according to a new poll by Gallup.” (Gabby Morrongiello, “Poll: Trump's Inaugural Speech Gets A Thumbs Up,” Washington Examiner, 1/23/17)

The Daily Signal On Pipeline Executive Orders: “A Win For The Economy And The Environment.” “In a win for the economy and the environment, President Donald Trump signed executive orders backing the construction of two unnecessarily controversial energy infrastructure projects: the Keystone XL pipeline and the Dakota Access pipeline.” (Nicolas Loris, “Trump’s Pipeline Approvals Are A Win For The Economy And Environment,” The Daily Signal, 1/25/17)

Sen. Ted Cruz: “I Could Not Be More Encouraged… The Cabinet Appointments Have Been Phenomenal.” HANNITY: “How do you feel about the agenda and the first few days so far?” CRUZ: “I could not be more encouraged. We are five days into it, but the cabinet appointments have been phenomenal.” (Fox News’ “Hannity,” 1/24/17)

“A New POLITICO/Morning Consult Poll Shows That The New President’s Message Is Resonating With Voters…” “A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows that the new president’s message is resonating with voters, refuting the idea that Trump bungled his first speech as commander in chief.” (Jake Sherman, “Poll: Majority Of American Approve Of Trump's 'America First' Address,” Politico, 1/25/17)

• “Fifty-One Percent Of Voters Described The Speech As 'Optimistic'…” “Fifty-one percent of voters described the speech as 'optimistic,' 46 percent of respondents say the speech was 'presidential,' and 44 percent say it was 'inspiring,' laying bare an alternative narrative that could have driven this week’s news cycle if the president had not started a multi-day debate about the crowd size on the National Mall.” (Jake Sherman, “Poll: Majority Of American Approve Of Trump's 'America First' Address,” Politico, 1/25/17)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/25/praise-president-trumps-bold-action[/font]

Dear Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, I Am Not Sidney Blumenthal
By Kurt Eichenwald On 10/10/16

Updated | I am Sidney Blumenthal. At least, that is what Vladimir Putin—and, somehow, Donald Trump—seem to believe. And that should raise concerns about not only Moscow’s attempts to manipulate this election but also how Trump came to push Russian disinformation to American voters.

An email from Blumenthal—a confidant of Hillary Clinton and a man, second only to George Soros, at the center of conservative conspiracy theories—turned up in the recent document dump by WikiLeaks. At a time when American intelligence believes Russian hackers are trying to interfere with the presidential election, records have been fed recently to WikiLeaks out of multiple organizations of the Democratic Party, raising concerns that the self-proclaimed whistleblower group has become a tool of Putin’s government. But now that I have been brought into the whole mess—and transformed into Blumenthal—there is even more proof that the Russians are not only orchestrating this act of cyberwar but also really, really dumb.

...

http://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-putin-sidney-blumenthal-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-benghazi-sputnik-508635

In Russian Hacks of Democrats, a Ghost of the Soviet Past
By Jeff Stein On 10/9/16

...

The best disinformation closely hews to widespread suspicions about its target. Wikileaks’s exposure of Hillary Clinton’s private speeches to Wall Street bankers, apparently in concert with Russian hackers, seems tailored to further alienate the party’s left wing, which is to say on-the-fence followers of Bernie Sanders.

But some of the purported excerpts from her speeches are obvious fabrications, says Nance.

One quote has her saying, “Muslim Immigration and Multicultural Madness have left a trail of misery and mayhem across Germany–with far worse to come because of demographics.” She supposedly goes on to say that “Muslims make up only 9% of Berlin’s population but account for 70% of young repeat criminals…”

...

http://www.newsweek.com/russian-hacks-democrats-ghost-soviet-past-508094

Multikultistan: A house of horrors for ordinary Germans
[hr]
From: orca100@upcmail.nl
To: podesta@law.georgetown.edu
Date: 2016-02-21 00:51
Subject: Multikultistan: A house of horrors for ordinary Germans


Britain is something of the odd man out in immigration-devastated Europe,
having also received large numbers of successful non-Western immigrants such
as Hindus/Sikhs and Chinese. By sharp contrast, the UK's Muslims, blacks,
Roma and other problem immigrant groups do no better than those on the
Continent, as I will show with statistics at a later date.

Muslim Immigration and Multicultural Madness have left a trail of misery and
mayhem across Germany - with far worse to come because of demographics

· Muslims make up only 9% of Berlin's population, yet account for 70% of young repeat criminals, revealed Berlin public prosecutor Roman Reusch http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-51448987.html. To be more precise, 46% of Berlin's juvenile serial criminals are of Arab descent, while 33% of them have Turkish ancestry http://www.bz-berlin.de/archiv/jugendkriminalitaet-article961342.html. In an un-German display of harsh-truth telling, Reusch said in Der Spiegel that "in parts [of Berlin], the population consist almost exclusively of problem cases." As he tells it, immigrant children as young as six or seven years old turn to crime and grow up to see honest hard-working people as targets - walking sources of easy money. German society is completely powerless in the face of growing ruthless violence and crime. To describe the German police and criminal-justice system as a big joke would be unfair to big jokes. You won't be surprised to hear that the outspoken public prosecutor has meanwhile been sacked from his job and banned from talking to the media.

...

https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/295

07.05.2007
SPIEGEL-STREITGESPRÄCH

„Das Problem explodiert“

Verständnisvoll zuhören oder knallhart durchgreifen? Der Berliner Oberstaatsanwalt Roman Reusch und der Hamburger Strafrechtsprofessor Bernd-Rüdeger Sonnen diskutieren über den richtigen Umgang mit gewalttätigen Jugendlichen.
Reusch, 53, ist Oberstaatsanwalt in Berlin und leitet dort die Abteilung für junge Intensivtäter. Der Hamburger Strafrechtsprofessor Sonnen, 66, ist Vorsitzender der Deutschen Vereinigung für Jugendgerichte und Jugendgerichtshilfen.

SPIEGEL: Herr Reusch, Herr Sonnen, wann sind Sie das letzte Mal von Jugendlichen verprügelt worden?
Reusch: Das letzte Mal habe ich als Kind Prügel kassiert, aber das war etwas anderes. Früher haben wir Cowboy und Indianer gespielt. Wir wären nie auf die Idee gekommen, uns Killerboys zu nennen und Handys oder Turnschuhe zu rauben. Wir waren harmlos, heute beobachte ich die totale Verrohung.

...

http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-51448987.html

Jugendkriminalität
28. August 2010 16:10

"In Berlin werden 20 Prozent aller Gewalttaten von nur 1000 türkischen und arabischen jugendlichen Tätern begangen, eine Bevölkerungsgruppe, die 0,3 Promille der gesamten Berliner Bevölkerung stellt."

Für diese Zahlen gab es gestern keinerlei offizielle Bestätigung.Allerdings schrieb Jugendrichterin Kirsten Heisig bereits 2008: „Bei Delikten der Gewaltkriminalität ist auf der Täterseite die Anzahl junger Männer nicht deutscher Herkunft – es muss hier vorrangig von türkischstämmigen, aber noch deutlicher von arabischen Tätern die Rede sein – dreimal höher als bei deutschen Jugendlichen und Heranwachsenden.“In seinem Papier „Migration ohne Integration“ verwies der damalige Berliner Oberstaatsanwalt Roman Reusch schon 2007 darauf, dass insgesamt „80 Prozent aller eingetragenen Intensivtäter einen Migrationshintergrund“ haben. Davon entfielen 46 Prozent auf Araber und 33 Prozent auf Türken.Und das Berliner Forum Gewaltprävention der Senatsverwaltung für Inneres verwies 2008 in einem Papier darauf, dass „Jugendliche mit Migrationshintergrund die Population der 14- bis 18-jährigen Inhaftierten zahlenmäßig dominieren“.

http://www.bz-berlin.de/artikel-archiv/jugendkriminalitaet

What is WikiLeaks
3 November 2015

WikiLeaks is a multi-national media organization and associated library. It was founded by its publisher Julian Assange in 2006.

WikiLeaks specializes in the analysis and publication of large datasets of censored or otherwise restricted official materials involving war, spying and corruption. It has so far published more than 10 million documents and associated analyses.

“WikiLeaks is a giant library of the world’s most persecuted documents. We give asylum to these documents, we analyze them, we promote them and we obtain more.” - Julian Assange, Der Spiegel Interview

WikiLeaks has contractual relationships and secure communications paths to more than 100 major media organizations from around the world. This gives WikiLeaks sources negotiating power, impact and technical protections that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve.

...

https://wikileaks.org/What-is-Wikileaks.html

In the Democratic Echo Chamber, Inconvenient Truths Are Recast as Putin Plots
Glenn Greenwald

Oct. 11 2016

Donald Trump, for reasons I’ve repeatedly pointed out, is an extremist, despicable, and dangerous candidate, and his almost-certain humiliating defeat is less than a month away. So I realize there is little appetite in certain circles for critiques of any of the tawdry and sometimes fraudulent journalistic claims and tactics being deployed to further that goal. In the face of an abusive, misogynistic, bigoted, scary, lawless authoritarian, what’s a little journalistic fraud or constant fearmongering about subversive Kremlin agents between friends if it helps to stop him?

But come January, Democrats will continue to be the dominant political faction in the U.S. — more so than ever — and the tactics they are now embracing will endure past the election, making them worthy of scrutiny. Those tactics now most prominently include dismissing away any facts or documents that reflect negatively on their leaders as fake, and strongly insinuating that anyone who questions or opposes those leaders is a stooge or agent of the Kremlin, tasked with a subversive and dangerously un-American mission on behalf of hostile actors in Moscow.

To see how extreme and damaging this behavior has become, let’s just quickly examine two utterly false claims that Democrats over the past four days — led by party-loyal journalists — have disseminated and induced thousands of people, if not more, to believe. On Friday, WikiLeaks published its first installment of emails obtained from the account of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta. Despite WikiLeaks’ perfect, long-standing record of only publishing authentic documents, MSNBC’s favorite ex-intelligence official, Malcolm Nance, within hours of the archive’s release, posted a tweet claiming — with zero evidence and without citation to a single document in the WikiLeaks archive — that it was compromised with fakes:

...

https://theintercept.com/2016/10/11/in-the-democratic-echo-chamber-inconvenient-truths-are-recast-as-putin-plots/