Tag Archives: aclu

United Police States of America: Idaho bars media from executions, violating Federal rules

“To determine whether lethal injection executions are fairly and humanely administered, or whether they ever can be, citizens must have reliable information about the ‘initial procedures’ which are invasive, possibly painful and may give rise to serious complications.”-9th U.S. Circuit Court,  2002 ruling

On November 18, Idaho will execute a man using lethal injection, for the first time.

Attorney’s have protested saying lethal injection has been proven to be inhumane.

Now, the Idaho Department of Correction is barring all the media, in full violation of the Federal court’s ruling, from witnessing the execution: “The procedures were developed so that we would preserve the dignity of the offender.”-Jeff Ray, Idaho Department of Correction

Can you say: Bull Crap on that?   “Preserve the dignity” of a guy convicted of killing three people in three separate incidents, my ass!  Prison officials don’t give a rat’s ass about prisoners’ dignity, there’s plenty of evidence of that!  More like keep the fact that lethal injection has turned out to be a highly painful way to die (it’s described as similar to people who are undergoing operations, and are fully conscious, and can feel everything yet can’t move or talk, even though the doctors think they’re under the effects of anesthesia).  Some witnesses to lethal injection executions say they could see the convict crying after the injections had taken effect.

Several other groups have been barred as well.  The American Civil Liberties Union is also protesting.  The Associated Press is joining almost all of Idaho’s major media organizations in official protest.  Idaho officials claim the Federal Court ruling applies only to California.

I still say a bullet to the head is the fastest most humane way to execute someone.

United Police States of America: Doing time in California prisons will now cost you $142 per day

“We believe that 25% of the people who go through our jail systems can afford to pay for their jail stay.  If we just grab 25% of those, that would save the county or the city $6.7 million.”-Jeff Stone, County Supervisor

Riverside County, in California, has decided to charge prisoners $142.42 per day. The county says it’s an effort to “save” money, but it looks more like a way for the county to make a profit. When they say they could save $6.7 million, that’s actually how much money they’d take in from prisoners.

The problem is that once they start making big money from charging prisoners, the county government will get addicted to that form of revenue and start making up reasons to put people in prison. Don’t laugh, it’s happened before, and is going on right now with Corporate America operated for profit prisons.

The ACLU is concerned: “Programs like this certainly do raise very serious Constitutional questions.  We’re seeing it increasingly in jurisdictions around the country.”-Will Matthews, American Civil Liberties Union

Attorney’s for the county said there is nothing illegal about charging prisoners for their stay.  But they warned officials that not all prisoners can afford to pay for their keep: “In order to be reimbursed, the court must determine that the defendant has the ability to pay all or a portion of these costs. Many defendants who are incarcerated lack the financial means, after the payments of fines and penalties, to reimburse these costs.”-Pamela Walls, county attorney