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Former U.S. presidential candidate and Senator George McGovern dies aged 90

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:01:19 GMT

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

George McGovern speaking at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum for his book tour August 26, 2009.
Image: Scott C. Clarkson.

Former 1972 U.S. election Democratic Presidential candidate and United States Senator from South Dakota George McGovern died Sunday at the age of 90 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He died at 5:15 am local time (1015 UTC).

McGovern's 1972 running mate was originally Thomas Eagleton, however, due to revelations about Eagleton's psychiatric past, he was replaced by Sargent Shriver. McGovern and his running mate Shriver lost to U.S. President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew. McGovern got only 17 electoral votes. In 1992, he spoke of possibly running for president one last time; however, he judged a younger candidate without his political history would be better.

McGovern was a senator for South Dakota from 1963 to 1981. He was the first Democrat elected in South Dakota to that position since 1930.

He was head of the Food for Peace program under President John F. Kennedy. Later, he was United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture from 1998 to 2001. McGovern and Bob Dole received the 2008 World Food Prize for creating a program for international child nutrition and education.

His family made a statement about his death: "Our wonderful father, George McGovern, passed away peacefully at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, SD, surrounded by our family and life-long friends".

Many politicians have made comments and tributes about McGovern's death:

U.S. President Barack Obama said, "George McGovern dedicated his life to serving the country he loved. ... And after his career in Congress, he became a leading voice in the fight against hunger. ... Michelle and I share our thoughts and prayers with his family."

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said, on behalf of himself and Second Lady Jill Biden, "Jill and I are profoundly saddened to hear about George McGovern's passing. I was honored to serve with him, to know him, and to call him a friend. ... Above all, George McGovern was a generous, kind, honorable man. He will be missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family today."

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said, "We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our friend George McGovern. The world has lost a tireless advocate for human rights and dignity. We first met George while campaigning for him in 1972. ... Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."

U.S. Senator John Kerry said, "George McGovern was a voice of clarity and conviction at a time [the Vietnam War] when America needed it most."

Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich said, on CNN, "George actually was a very complicated person. He had served as a bomber pilot in World War II, he was not a pacifist and his argument over Vietnam was about that particular war."

McGovern was born as George Stanley McGovern on July 19, 1922 in Avon, South Dakota. He was raised in Mitchell, South Dakota. He married Eleanor McGovern, and their marriage lasted 64 years until her death at the age of 85 in 2007. During World War II he served as a bomber pilot. They had five children — four daughters and one son.

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Sources [edit]

"George McGovern, an unabashed liberal voice, is dead" — CNN, October 22, 2012
"George McGovern Dead: Former Senator And Presidential Candidate Dies At 90" — The Huffington Post, October 22, 2012
"Politicians react to McGovern's death" — CNN, October 21, 2012
Mackenzie Weinger. "Former Sen. George McGovern dead at 90" — Politico, October 21, 2012
AP. "George McGovern, former Senator, dies" — The Washington Post, October 21, 2012

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Convicted murderer Leonard Peltier again denied parole

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:58:22 GMT

Friday, August 21, 2009

Crime and law

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Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Leonard Peltier

Blake Nicholson. "American Indian activist Leonard Peltier, convicted in FBI agent deaths, denied parole" — Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2009
Press Release: "FBI Responds to United States Parole Commission Decision to Deny Parole to Leonard Peltier" — Federal Bureau of Investigation, August 21, 2009
Don Haney. "Parole Denied for Peltier" — KFGO, August 21, 2009
Press Release: "USA: Appeal for the release of Leonard Peltier" — Amnesty International, July 14, 1999

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AIM activist, Leonard Peltier defender Robert Robideau dies

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:36:55 GMT

Friday, February 20, 2009

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12 January 2013: Report: hacker activist Aaron Swartz commits suicide
4 December 2012: Australian Paralympian Janet Shaw dies aged 46

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Robert E. "Bob" Robideau, an Ashinaabe activist who was acquitted of killing two FBI agents and who was involved in the Leonard Peltier case, died on Tuesday February 16 after suffering seizures at his home in Barcelona, Spain, Robideau's family and Spanish authorities say. He was 61-years-old. Robideau had shrapnel in his head, UPI reports, from a 1975 incident in which ammunition in his car exploded.

Robideau had been living and working in Barcelona as director of the American Indian Movement museum, after two stints as National-International Director for the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee. Robideau, Leonard Peltier, and Darelle "Dino" Butler were charged together for the shooting deaths of FBI Special Agents Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams in South Dakota; the jury trying Robideau and Butler ruled that the killings had been in self-defense, but Peltier, who had fled the country, was tried separately and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.

Robert Robideau was born on November 11, 1946, a member of the Turtle Mountain and White Earth Ojibwa tribes and descendant of the chiefs Obe-quod and Ke-che-ha-kuk-kung-ay-we-ne-nee.

The Colorado American Indian Movement released a statement on Robideau's passing, saying, "Bob was a great role model for AIM members everywhere. He epitomized what it was to be a member of AIM, not through posturing, not through rhetoric, but in action. He put his life on the line, and he was relentless in his defense of Indian people everywhere. He will be very deeply missed, and will always remembered".

After joining the American Indian Movement in 1973, Robideau, along with Ward Churchill and Russell Means, split from Vernon Bellecourt's movement in 1993 and established the Autonomous American Indian Moment. Following his 1976 acquittal and Peltier's 1977 conviction for the FBI agent murders, Robideau became involved in work to free Peltier, but split from Peltier's defense team in 2004 over differences of opinion in the Anna Mae Aquash case. Robideau also appeared in the documentary Incident at Oglala, discussing the shootings.

Robideau had degrees in anthropology from Portland State University and arts from the Institute of Native American Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is survived by his wife Pilar and his two sons, Michael and Bobby.

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Sources [edit]

"Robideau, Robert: Passes on in Barcelona art studio" — News from Indian Country, February 19, 2009

"Wounded Indian activist Robideau dies" — UPI, February 19, 2009

"American Indian activist Robideau dies at 61" — Associated Press, February 19, 2009

Robert Robideau. "Robert (Robert ROBIDEAU)" — MySpace, February 15, 2009

Brenda Norrell. "In Memory of Bob Robideau" — Censored News, February 18, 2009

Colorado AIM. "Robert Robideau - A True Defender of Indigenous Peoples Passes On" — American Indian Movement of Colorado, February 18, 2009

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Gay marriage banned in three states; other ballot measures decided

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 06:52:58 GMT

Sunday, November 9, 2008

United States

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Voters in California, Florida and Arizona voted on Tuesday to ban gay marriage, bringing about a victory for conservatives on a day which did not bring many conservative wins.

Meanwhile, voters in Colorado, South Dakota and California voted on measures which would have restricted abortion in those states. In Massachusetts and Michigan, voters passed measures that loosen marijuana laws. Finally, in the state of Washington a measure was passed that allows physician-assisted suicide.

The California ballot measure, Proposition 8, overturns the recent June ruling by the California State Supreme Court in the case In re Marriage Cases which reversed a 1977 statute passed by the California State Legislature and a 2000 ballot measure, Proposition 22, which also banned same-sex marriage by defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The wording of Proposition 8 is identical to Proposition 22. It was noted that many of the African-Americans and Latinos who cast their votes for Obama, also voted for the measure. The measure passed at 52% to 48%.

Lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres noted, "This morning, when it was clear that Proposition 8 had passed in California, I can’t explain the feeling I had. I was saddened beyond belief. Here we just had a giant step toward equality and then on the very next day, we took a giant step away."

	Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen.
—Melissa Etheridge

Singer Melissa Etheridge, who is also a lesbian, stated that she would no longer pay taxes due to the passing of Proposition 8, announcing in a blog post, "Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen."

Also in California, voters rejected a measure which would require parental notification for a minor to receive an abortion. The measure was rejected with the same percentage as Proposition 8, 52% to 48%. Meanwhile in Colorado, voters rejected a measure that would define life as beginning at conception. While the measure did not specifically mention abortion it would have required legislators and courts to confront legal rights for fetuses - effectively preventing abortion. The measure was defeated in a wide margin, 73% to 27%

In South Dakota, voters also defeated an anti-abortion measure which would have outlawed abortion in all cases except in the case of rape, incest or if the mother's health was in serious question. If passed, the law would most likely have been challenged as unconstitutional.

In Michigan, voters approved a measure which legalizes medical marijuana. Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, voters approved a ballot question that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana in which the possession of an ounce or less would be punishable by a $100 fine. The measure will also require minors under the age 18 to participate in and complete a drug awareness program and do community service. Failure to do so, would net the minor a $1,000 fine.

"Tonight's results represent a sea change. Voters have spectacularly rejected eight years of the most intense government war on marijuana since the days of 'Reefer Madness,'" said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. "The people were ahead of the politicians on this issue; they recognize and want a more sensible approach to our marijuana policy," said Whitney Taylor, the chair of Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which backed the Massachusetts proposition.

Also, in Massachusetts, voters overwhelmingly, in every single Massachusetts city and town, rejected a ballot measure which would have eliminated the state income tax by 2010, the ballot measure was sponsored by the Committee for Small Government, which is headed up by two libertarians, Michael Cloud, a Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2002 and Carla Howell, Libertarian Party candidate for governor in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.

The last time the income tax elimination measure was on the ballot was in 2002, where it was defeated, narrowly by 45.3%. This stunned supporters of the income tax, who mounted a fierce campaign against the measure this time warning Massachusetts residents that repealing the income tax would have drastic effects on the state's finances, leading to cuts in services, education and local aid.

Wonderland Greyhound Park is one of two Massachusetts dog racing tracks that will be shut down by the passing of Question 3.
Image: Patrick Mannion.

Finally, voters passed a question which bans dog racing in Massachusetts, which will lead to the closure of Massachusetts' two greyhound racing tracks, Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park and Wonderland Greyhound Park.

The campaign against dog racing was headed up by the Committee to Protect Dogs and endorsed by GREY2K USA and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals along with other animal protection organizations who claimed that dog racing was inhumane as the dogs were stuffed into cramped cages and endured injuries. The measure was opposed by the park owners including George Carney who owns the Rayham-Taunton park and Charles Sarkis, a restaurateur who owns Wonderland.

"We did it. We did it for the dogs," said Carey Thiel, executive director of GREY2K USA. "For 75 years, greyhounds in our state have endured terrible confinement and suffered serious injuries. We're better than that," Thiel added.

One campaign supporter, Sandy Bigelow noted, "It means everything. We've worked so hard for the dogs and they heard us. It feels so good. Oh, God, it feels so good."

George Carney said of the results, "It's not a very pleasant thing right now. Some of these people have been here 40 years. Here's a company that did nothing wrong, paid their federal taxes on time, paid the town on time. The town is going to be a severe loser, and a lot of people here dedicated their life to the company."

	We did it. We did it for the dogs.
—Carey Thiel, GREY2KUSA

Both sides used emotionally-charged advertisements, the anti-racing side showing “sad-eyed greyhounds,” while the pro-racing side highlighted the workers who would be out of work when the tracks close.

Both measures must now come before the Massachusetts Governor's Council for approval.

A ballot initiative approved by voters in the north-western state of Washington will make it the second state to permit physician-assisted suicide. Initiative 1000 follows the ten-year-old example of the Death With Dignity Act of neighboring Oregon, and will allow physicians to prescribe a lethal dose of medication for a terminally ill patient to administer themselves. It was approved by a margin of 16%, and the ‘Yes’ campaign outspent the ‘No’ campaign by more than three-to-one. The law comes into effect in 2009.

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Sources [edit]

Jill Serjeant. "UPDATE- Melissa rebels, Ellen saddened by Prop 8 gay marriage ban" — Reuters, November 6, 2008
Ellen DeGeneres. "My Thoughts on This Historic Election" — The Ellen DeGeneres Show, November 6, 2008
Rachel La Corte, AP. "State moves to implement assisted-suicide law" — The Seattle Times, November 6, 2008
John Iwasaki. "Physicians' education on end-of-life measure begins" — Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 5, 2008
Daniel Nasaw. "US elections: States vote on abortion, marijuana and gay marriage" — The Guardian, November 5, 2008
Jesse McKinley and Laurie Goodstein. "Bans in 3 States on Gay Marriage" — The New York Times, November 5, 2008
"National ballot questions" — The Boston Globe, November 5, 2008
Karl Vick and Ashley Surdin. "Most of California's Black Voters Backed Gay Marriage Ban" — The Washington Post, November 5, 2008
Eric Moskowitz. "Voters reject income tax repeal" — The Boston Globe, November 5, 2008
Stephanie Ebbert. "Bid to ban dog racing succeeds on 2d try" — The Boston Globe, November 5, 2008
John Iwasaki. "State second in nation to allow lethal prescriptions" — Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 5, 2008
David Abel. "Mass. voters OK decriminalization of marijuana" — The Boston Globe, November 4, 2008

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South Dakota killer wants to drop death sentence appeals

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 20:28:25 GMT

Monday, August 28, 2006

A 24-year-old Texas man is set to be the first person executed in South Dakota in 59 years after asking to fire his lawyer and drop further court appeals.

Elijah Page of Athens, Texas, may die by lethal injection tomorrow for the brutal murder of Chester Poage, 19, in Higgins Gulch, in the Black Hills region of South Dakota.

The court will weigh whether or not Page is competent to fire his lawyers and drop appeals, and a decision is expected today.

Page, along with Briley Piper, 25, of Anchorage, Alaska, pleaded guilty in 2001 for the March 13, 2000, killing. Both were sentenced to death. A third man, Darrell Hoadley, 26, of Lead, S.D., also pleaded guilty and testified against Page and Piper. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Hoadley told prosecutors the men planned to steal a stereo, TV, and other items from Poage's mother's house. Prosecutors said Piper and Page killed Poage because they wanted to eliminate a witness to the theft.

Hoadley described brutal details to authorities how Piper stabbed Poage three times in the head and neck and Page then kicked Poage 30 to 40 times and then tore Poage's ears off. Page then bashed Poage's head in with large rocks. Hoadley finished the job by striking Poage with two large rocks.

Piper and Page then threatened to kill Hoadley if he told police about the crime, Hoadley told authorities.

Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said it is rare for someone to receive a death sentence after they've pleaded guilty to the crime. But in this case, the judge, Warren Johnson of Deadwood, opted for the death penalty, saying he considered the crime to be "vile and depraved".

Sources [edit]

Jessica Hopkins. "Elijah Page Execution Set" — KELO-TV, August 27, 2006

AP. "Man seeks execution in South Dakota" — CNN, August 13, 2006

External links [edit]

Death Penalty Information Center

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South Dakota governor signs abortion ban into law

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 21:55:59 GMT

Sunday, March 5, 2006

Republican Governor Mike Rounds of South Dakota signed South Dakota House of Representatives Bill 1215 into law today, banning all abortions in the state except to save the life of the mother (with no exceptions for rape and incest) to take effect in July.

Sources [edit]

?. "South Dakota law bans nearly all abortions" — Associated Press, March 7, 2006
Marion Michael Rounds. "Statement of Gov. Mike Rounds on the Signing Of House Bill 1215" — ProLifeBlogs.com, March 6, 2006
Chet Brokaw. "S.D. Governor Signs Abortion Ban Into Law" — Associated Press, March 6, 2006

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Former U.S. presidential candidate and Senator George McGovern dies aged 90

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Convicted murderer Leonard Peltier again denied parole

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AIM activist, Leonard Peltier defender Robert Robideau dies

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Gay marriage banned in three states; other ballot measures decided

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South Dakota killer wants to drop death sentence appeals

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South Dakota governor signs abortion ban into law

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