Stacey Lannert: Released After 18 Years in Prison for Murdering her abusive father
By JOAN MARTELLI
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=7168291&page=1
WATCH: Murderer Released After 18 Years
Stacey Lannert shot and killed her father when she was 18 years old. Now, after spending almost two decades in prison, she is a free woman.
Stacey Lannert, left, spent 18 years in prison after being convicted of killing her father, Thomas Lannert, pictured at right with 2-year-old Stacey.
(Handout/Courtesy of Deb Underwood)
Her clemency petition sat on the desk of three different Missouri governors, until Gov. Matt Blunt commuted Lannert’s life sentence in January after an "exhaustive review of the evidence" in which he determined that Lannert had suffered extensive abuse at the hands of her father, Thomas Lannert. She was released from prison shortly after that.
"I still can’t believe it," Lannert, 36, said of her release. "I’m very humbled and grateful, just so thankful to God. I know that I made mistakes, but the rest of my life was a huge — a harsh sentence. And just hoping that eventually that I’d receive another chance."
St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch, however, thinks Lannert is a manipulative liar who deserves to live out the rest of her life in prison.
"I have not changed my mind at all about Stacey Lannert. She murdered her father for his inheritance, and solely for his inheritance," he said, referring to the estate worth nearly $500,000 that she stood to inherit. McCulloch also argued that Lannert "spent wildly," forging her father’s name on checks and using his credit cards before she took his life.
"She was never sexually abused by her father or anyone else, and she ought to be back in the penitentiary, and shame on Gov. Blunt for letting her out," McCulloch said.
But Lannert denies having "spent wildly" and said her father knew about the checks and the credit cards. She claims she killed her father to stop him from abusing her and her younger sister, Christy. Money, she said, had nothing to do with it.
"I wanted him to leave me alone. I wanted him to leave her alone. I didn’t really necessarily want him to die, but I didn’t want him to be able to … hurt us again, to be able to get us," Lannert told ABC News correspondent Cynthia McFadden in 2002. ABC News has covered Lannert’s story for the past seven years.
A Long-Running Horror Story
Lannert shot her father point blank while he was passed out drunk on the couch, eventually confessing to police that she "hated him" and that "he needed to die."
Her sister told McFadden they both felt that way at the time.
Christy Lannert said she was in first grade when her father started beating her, and that she was 12 when her father began pushing her to drink alcohol with him. The more he drank, she said, the more violent he became. To this day, she can’t bear to see the home she and her sister grew up in.
"I don’t care to see the stairs that he used to kick me down. I don’t, I don’t want to see the windows that I would have to climb out at night," she said. "So I didn’t have to wake up being choked."
Technorati Tags: Stacey,Lannert,Prison,father,Detective,Imprison,JOAN,MARTELLI,March,woman,Thomas,Handout,Courtesy,Underwood,clemency,desk,Missouri,governors,Matt,Blunt,life,January,Louis,McCulloch,liar,inheritance,estate,worth,Crime,Didn,Commit,WATCH,Murderer,Snitches,Plot,penitentiary,Money,News,correspondent,Cynthia,McFadden,Long,Horror,Story,cards,sister
Judges Accused of Jailing Kids for Cash
Judges Accused of Jailing Kids for Cash
With Corrupt Judges, Kids’ Lives Hang in the Balance
By FRANK MASTROPOLO
March 27, 2009
12-Year-Old Spent Two Years in Jail watch video here: http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=7178686&page=1
Luzerne County sits in the heart of northeastern Pennsylvania; Wilkes-Barre is the county seat, a hardscrabble, blue-collar city struggling in this latest recession.
Young kids sent away for minor offenses by corrupt Pa. judge.
People there were shocked in January when federal prosecutors announced that respected county judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan had pleaded guilty to tax evasion and honest services fraud, the result of a lengthy investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI. Yesterday the Pa. State Supreme Court overturned hundreds of convictions of low-level offenders, ruling that all juveniles who had appeared in Ciavarella’s courtroom without lawyers between 2003 and 2008 had not been adequately informed when they waived their right to counsel.
It’s not over, however, for all of the other kids Ciavarella sent to jail. Chief Justice Ronald Castille said in a statement that Thursday’s decision wasn’t intended to be "a quick fix."
"It’s going to take some time, but the Supreme Court is committed to righting whatever wrong was perpetrated on Luzerne’s juveniles and their families," he said
Related
Caught on Tape: Bribes, Public Corruption
"They sold their oath of offices to the highest bidders and engaged in ongoing schemes to defraud the public of honest services that were expected from them," Deron Roberts, chief of the FBI’s Scranton office, said at a late January news conference announcing the charges.
The arrests shed light on a mystery in Luzerne County: Why were so many kids getting sent directly to juvenile detention after seeing Judge Ciavarella in his Wilkes-Barre juvenile court? And why were those kids sent away in such a rush?
‘I Had No Clue What to Say’
Eric Stefanski had never been in trouble before he found himself in front of Ciavarella, who took office in 1996.
"I was 12 years old when I got locked up. I had no clue what to say when he asked me how do I plead," Eric told "20/20" correspondent Jim Avila.
"I was 12 years old. I didn’t know too much about the court system."
His offense? He went joyriding with his mom’s car and ran over a barrier, smashing the undercarriage. No one was hurt, not even Eric, but in order get her insurance to pay for the damage, his mom, Linda Donovan, had to file a police report. Donovan even thought an appearance before a judge would be good for her son, give him a little scare. She wasn’t prepared for what happened when Eric came before Ciavarella.
"He read me my charges and said, ‘How do you plead?’ And I didn’t know what to say, so I looked at my mom, and I guess she didn’t know I was looking, and I said, ‘Guilty,’" Eric said.
"That’s when I turned around, I looked at my mom and she started crying."
Technorati Tags: Judges,Kids,Cash,Corrupt,Hang,Balance,FRANK,MASTROPOLO,March,Spent,Jail,Luzerne,heart,Pennsylvania,Wilkes,Barre,recession,Young,People,January,Mark,Ciavarella,Michael,Conahan,evasion,services,fraud,result,investigation,Internal,Revenue,Service,State,Supreme,Court,Chief,Justice,Ronald,Castille,statement,decision,WATCH,Caught,Tape,Public,Corruption,oath,Deron,Roberts,Scranton,office,news,conference,detention,Judge,Clue,Eric,Stefanski,correspondent,Avila,system,barrier,insurance,Linda,Donovan,appearance,scare,convictions,offenders,lawyers,offices,wasn,didn
“Special Report: Riggs Explains Why She Took Her Kids.” Kansas City
The Case of Shirley Riggs
“They jailed mom for protecting her children from abuse. “
The children, all four of them, are currently in Foster homes- “
Vodpod videos no longer available.“We Love you Mom”
Special Report: http://www.kctv5.com/news/18288843/detail.html
MORE COVERAGE
Mother Agrees To No Contact With Kids In Guilty Plea Shirley Riggs Speaks From Jail By Carrie K. Hutchens on February 2nd, 2009
Shirley Riggs
Shirley Riggs is accused of unlawfully taking her children and leaving the state triggering an Amber Alert, which is detailed in KCTV5’s “Special Report: Riggs Explains Why She Took Her Kids.”
The report says in part, “On Sept. 20, during an unsupervised visit with her children at her mother’s house, Riggs piled her four children into a van and took off in the middle of the night. They drove to Washington state and spent two weeks in hiding.”
According to the report, Riggs alleges she originally left her husband in 2004 due to abusive behavior and does believe her husband acted inappropriately in the presence of the children. It appears she also believes there was inappropriate behavior between husband and child(ren). Whether this is true or not — the allegations have neither been confirmed nor have they been dismissed as unsubstantiated — why is the father accused and the mother in jail?
KCTV5 reports, “On April 24, 2007, Jackson County Judge Stephen Nixon ordered Shirley Riggs to appear in court in person to discuss her husband’s divorce filing.
“But I was in Oregon. I had no way to get to Missouri,” Riggs said.
Not only didn’t Riggs show up, but her attorney quit that same day, so she had no representation. At that meeting, Nixon ordered the children be placed in the temporary custody of their paternal grandparents.”
It appears that Nixon also continued to allow the husband unsupervised visitation.
What is wrong with this picture?
It is easy for a court to order a person to appear, but it isn’t always reasonable to expect the person to be able to do so, especially when that person is in an entirely different state. Is that what happened here?
Did the judge put Riggs in a no-win situation? Did he tell her, or make it clear, that the hearing was in regard to custody? Did he take into consideration that her attorney quit and she had no representation, before he turned custody of her children over to others and permitted unsupervised visits with someone accused of acting inappropriately with, and around, the children?
KCTV5 further reports, “Despite the sexual misconduct allegations against Raymond Riggs, Nixon continued to allow him unsupervised overnight visits with his kids, which is why Shirley said she took them this summer.
“‘It seemed like all the abuse was being covered up and ignored,’ Riggs said.”
Was it? Is it? Is this still another case of the system not working? Another case where there are little or no “fail-safes” in place to prevent injustice in the name of justice?
“I didn’t really have an exact plan. I just thought someone would listen to me outside the state of Missouri,” Riggs said to KCTV5.
Any action being taken by law enforcement authorities with regards to the allegations against Raymond are unclear. The Independence Police Department did release this statement to KCTV5.
Perhaps Riggs wasn’t right to take the law into her own hands, but she does deserve to be listened to and her concerns earnestly investigated and addressed. The system must perform to the highest degree of standards and be held to even higher standards of accountability. This is, after all, a family at risk of injustice.
This is the case of Shirley Riggs, but more importantly — this is the case of the children she took flight with. May justice be theirs.
Carrie Hutchens is a former law enforcement officer and a freelance writer who is active in fighting against the death culture movement and the injustices within the judicial and law enforcement systems.
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Shirley Riggs Shares Family Pictures – Photos – KCTV Kansas City
http://www.kctv5.com/news/18288843/detail.html
JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. — A mother accused of kidnapping her children and sparking an Amber Alert spoke with KCTV5’s Matt Stewart from jail.
Shirley Riggs said she had a good reason for kidnapping her four children. She said she wanted to protect them from her husband, their father, amid allegations of abuse.
Riggs said she feels the justice system was wrong to take her children away from her. "I feel like I did what any other mother would have done," she said.
Clad in an orange jumpsuit, Riggs sat in the Jackson County Jail with a stack of court documents that detail her story. She claims she is misunderstood, that the legal system is against her and that the proof is in those documents.
"I was kind of at the end of my rope, not knowing what to do, where to go, where to find help for my kids," Riggs said.
On Sept. 20, during an unsupervised visit with her children at her mother’s house, Riggs piled her four children into a van and took off in the middle of the night. They drove to Washington state and spent two weeks in hiding.
"I didn’t really have an exact plan. I just thought someone would listen to me outside the state of Missouri," Riggs said.
Independence police issued an Amber Alert and the media splashed their faces on television sets across the nation.
When an employee at a motel in Olympia recognized Riggs’ face, she called police, who arrested Riggs and sent the kids back to Missouri.
"After I was in jail for a couple days, I kind of thought, ‘It’s time to start fighting again,’" Riggs said.
Riggs said she has been fighting for her children for the past four years, beginning in the summer of 2004, when she left her husband, Raymond, claiming he was abusive toward her.
She moved with the kids from Missouri to New Mexico and then to Oregon.
Riggs also alleged that Ray Riggs acted sexually inappropriately around their children. She said three separate therapists who interviewed the children believe it to be true. The children, she said, told the therapists their father watched porn in front of them and walked around naked. Riggs said that’s why she kept taking the kids, to protect them.
"It was quite obvious, not just me to me but also to the therapist, that my children wanted no contact with their father," Riggs said.
Raymond Riggs filed for divorce in November 2006 and shortly after that, a custody battle began. Raymond Riggs declined an interview request, but his attorney spoke on his behalf.
Attorney Philip Zuspan said, "A lot of what Shirley Riggs has alleged is not true."
Zuspan said Raymond has always complied with investigators and has never been charged with any sex crimes against his children. He said Raymond Riggs loves his kids and wants to be a part of their lives.
"It is consuming to him. Every waking moment for the last couple of years, the thing on Raymond Riggs’ mind is getting his children back," Zuspan said.
On April 24, 2007, Jackson County Judge Stephen Nixon ordered Shirley Riggs to appear in court in person to discuss her husband’s divorce filing.
"But I was in Oregon. I had no way to get to Missouri," Riggs said.
Not only didn’t Riggs show up, but her attorney quit that same day, so she had no representation. At that meeting, Nixon ordered the children be placed in the temporary custody of their paternal grandparents.
"There was no notice that custody was going to be discussed that day," Riggs said.
KCTV5 News reporter Matt Stewart had retired Johnson County Judge Larry McClain look over the paperwork in the case. Judge McClain presided over domestic law cases for 19 years.
"It seemed like kind of a drastic measure to me," McClain said.
While McClain did not say Nixon made the wrong decision, he did admit he would have handled it differently.
"Perhaps if I were in his shoes, I would have sent her a notice that I’m rescheduling that case management order, and she had 30 days to contact the court and if she did not do so, custody would be changed," McClain said.
When Stewart asked Nixon why he gave away custody that day, an aide from his office wrote, "Judge Nixon cannot comply with your request because to do so would clearly violate his obligation not to discuss any pending case."
Despite the sexual misconduct allegations against Raymond Riggs, Nixon continued to allow him unsupervised overnight visits with his kids, which is why Shirley said she took them this summer.
"It seemed like all the abuse was being covered up and ignored," Riggs said.
As Riggs awaits her February trial, she said she knows she may never see her children again, but she remains hopeful she will one day regain custody of them.
"I know they need me. They need me now, they’ll need me when this is over," Riggs said.
Riggs’ children are currently in foster care.
Riggs and her kids are part Cherokee Indian. The Cherokee Nation is in the process of trying to get involved in the case to see if they can reunite Riggs and her kids through federal law.
Independence police told KCTV5 News they are no longer investigating Raymond Riggs. They released a statement Monday saying they have closed the case.
Copyright 2008 by KCTV5.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Want to find a crooked Judge? Just call the Courthouse~!~
How do you find a crooked Judge in Canada or the US?
You just call the courthouse
The stupidity that runs amok within the circles of FR groups never cease to amaze me (or my blog stats!)
batteredmomslosecustody
An upcoming symposium is planned in March of 2009 to train 2000 more psychologists and lawyers to commit this fraud in court. To check out the website google Canadian Symposium on Parental Alienation – don’t want to give free publicity by linking. You can check out the video below to see how seriously this fraudulent theory is being propagandized. It has been appalling how the “Cottage Industry” of family law has culminated in this horrible scam which is really a profiteering fraud that is being pushed as some legitimate legal tactic. Sorry, but Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is not a valid, medically accepted disease. It is the sick philosophy of one man, the Pro-Pedophilia Dr. Richard Gardner. Every person using this hypothetical theory is supporting the fraudulent perverse theories of a pedophile supporter. Everyone who has morals and actually cares about the well-being of children needs to be aware that PAS is a shield for child abusers.
It is very lucrative for lawyers and therapists because the money to be made is in defense of criminals. Victims only cost the state money trying to defend them and protect the public, but defending child abusers – hey – there is real money to be made in that. What is totally disregarded in these cases is that there is a spouse and child/ren who apparently don’t like the way they were treated by the person they don’t want to associate with. Since batterers who abuse their spouse are more than twice as likely to abuse their children, when these so-called professionals claim the child has not been abused, they have NO RIGHT to discount what the child is saying whatsoever. So the whole theory of PAS is based on the person named as the abuser by a child and/or by a protective parent claiming that the people who say they are victims are lying. This is total crap. Why? Because if they weren’t abusive it would just be easier to stay together? This is just one of many reasons this theory is faulty. The reactions of an abused child are claimed to be the result of the protective parent’s actions rather than a reaction to the person they name as the abuser. It is Orwell’s 1984 coming true.
The symposium claims to have the leading authorities on PAS. One of these so-called leading authorities is J. Michael Bone – the UNLICENSED mental health professional from Florida. What happened to his license? He had multiple ethics complaints against him for using this fraudulent and biased theory to perpetrate custody change fraud. These horrible evaluations that children are subjected to are with the sole intent of discrediting whatever the child and custodial parent say. It is similar to what a rape victim has to go through when testifying against there abuser, only these poor children cannot get away from these unethical people. They have infiltrated the courts and have cross referral relationships all over calling it collaborative law. It really should be called corruption, collusion, and cronyism.
Another couple of speakers at the symposium are Pamela Stuart-Mills Hoch, and M.A., Bob Hoch, M.A. of the Rachel Foundation, which is currently the subject of a lawsuit for the following:
The Children were mentally and emotionally abused by Pamela Stuart-Mills Hoch, Robert Hoch and Dr. Jack Ferrell.
The Children were also threatened on more than one occasion. Specifically, the Children were told that they would not be able to leave Texas nor would they be able to see their mother unless they cooperated with the Rachel Foundation’s “reunification” program.The Rachel Foundation, Pamela Stuart-Mills Hoch, Robert Hoch and Dr. Jack Ferrell applied numerous circumspect methodologies in their evaluation and “treatment” of the Children and have used their influence to purposefully harm Plaintiff, acting outside the scope of any implicit or explicit permission granted Defendants by Plaintiff or any court or other agency.
As a result of Defendants’ misconduct, Plaintiff has suffered considerable emotional distress.
Additionally, The Rachel Foundation employed people of dubious character, with Jack Ferrell who has two arrests, and Dr. Barry Bricklin who was charged by the FTC for fraudulent claims. There are also Ethics complaints against therapists at the Rachel Foundation with the psychology board.
Anyone having information on any of the other speakers, please post a comment…
Technorati Tags: Want,Judge,Just,Courthouse,Canada,symposium,March,fraud,Canadian,Parental,Alienation,theory,Cottage,Industry,scam,tactic,Sorry,Syndrome,disease,philosophy,Pedophilia,Richard,Gardner,person,supporter,children,needs,money,defense,Victims,cost,cases,spouse,abuser,parent,result,actions,reaction,Orwell,authorities,Michael,health,Florida,ethics,custody,victim,courts,referral,relationships,corruption,collusion,Another,Pamela,Stuart,Hoch,Rachel,Foundation,subject,lawsuit,Robert,Jack,Ferrell,Texas,evaluation,treatment,Plaintiff,scope,permission,Defendants,agency,misconduct,Barry,Bricklin,lawyers,theories,therapists,reactions,complaints,evaluations,speakers,abusers
MO. Stacey Lannert –freed after 20 years for-killing her sexually abusive father
Woman’s Life Sentence Commuted
Stacey Lannert shot her father, then spent 18 years in prison.
12:15 AM CST on Friday, January 16, 2009
Supporters of the release of Stacey Lannert will welcome the news, after a meeting of the Missouri Parole and Probation Board earlier this week, Stacey is due to walk free from the W.E.R.R.D.C. in Vandalia at approx. 9:00am this morning.
On Monday Stacey will be a guest of Good Morning America.
Stacey will be promoting a new doll designed by herself and close friend Christine Peanick.
In Stacey’s words "I am very excited about getting this doll out there. The doll is very unique in that allows young children the opportunity to express themselves without judgment. Children are often intimidated or afraid to talk to adults about their problems and/or fears. Talking about something is the first step in the healing process. That is how I overcame my fears. I wasn’t offered an outlet for my feelings, but I want to ensure that other children are given that opportunity, even if it is through a doll. At least they will voice it, which in turn, may give them the courage needed to talk to someone else about it."
Any persons interested in purchasing a doll may do so by either visiting their website, soon to be available online, or expressing their interest by emailing Christine Peanick.
Any persons wishing to assist Stacey with financial suppport upon her release are welcome to forward donations to :
Stacey Lannert Fund
P.O. Box 142767
St Louis, MO. 63114
10:05 PM CST on Saturday, January 10, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Matt Blunt has commuted the prison sentences of two women who killed the men who had abused them.
"After an exhaustive review of the facts in both cases, I am commuting the sentences of Stacey Lannert and Charity Carey, who suffered extensive abuse before they took action against the men who raped them and subjected them to other horrible physical and emotional abuse," Blunt said in a statement.
Lannert has been in custody for 18 years after killing her father in 1990 when she was 18. Blunt says Lannert was sexually abused by her father for about nine years, from the time she was 8 until his death.
While the abuse issue was raised during her trial, the jury was told not to consider that as a mitigating factor. She was convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action and sentenced to life without parole.
Four jurors signed affidavits saying they thought the sentence was too harsh, and Lt. Tom Schulte, the first officer to question Lannert after the slaying, told the governor’s office that he strongly supported the commutation.
"The night this happened, she was 18, alone, and I told her I’d be three for her," Schulte said. "It is 18 years later and I’m still there for her."
The commutation reduces her sentence to 20 years, making her eligible for immediate conditional release. Blunt says he supports that release being granted.
Lannert initially was offered a 15-year sentence as part of a plea bargain, but she refused to sign it because she would have had to say that she killed her dad for his money.
Her case was brought to the attention of former Gov. Bob Holden at the end of his tenure in 2005 when people carried posters and pictures at the Capitol asking him to show her mercy, but Holden took no action.
Outgoing Governor Matt Blunt is to be congratulated for his courage and integrity in making the decision. His decision not only paves the way for Stacey to enjoy a productful life after years of abuse and incarceration, but also reflects his genuine belief in the plight of all victims of abuse.
Woman’s Life Sentence Commuted
Stacey Lannert shot her father, then spent 18 years in prison.
Technorati Tags: Stacey,Lambert,father,Woman,Life,Sentence,Lannert,prison,January,Supporters,news,Missouri,Parole,Probation,Board,Vandalia,guest,America,doll,friend,Christine,Peanick,words,children,judgment,problems,fears,outlet,feelings,courage,persons,donations,Fund,Louis,JEFFERSON,Matt,Blunt,cases,Carey,action,statement,custody,death,jury,factor,degree,Four,Schulte,officer,governor,office,supports,plea,money,attention,Holden,tenure,pictures,Capitol,mercy,decision,incarceration,belief,victims,affidavits,posters,commutation
Louisiana: Lawyer Brutally Murdered by her Husband
http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/features/26105.html
Lawyer Brutally Murdered
28-Mar-2009
Written by: Laura AndersonAttorney Chiquita Tate was stabbed 38 times, allegedly by her husband.
The attorney was brutally slain, allegedly at the hands of her husband, according to CNN. The couple lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and had been married for 14½ months when the murder occurred.Tate was considered dedicated to justice and an impassioned defense attorney who failed to defend herself. A college friend of Tale, T. J. Crawford, reflected on her memory in an interview with CNN reporter Craig Johnson.
“She just had an attachment to justice and doing what’s right by people. She was always very serious about that,” said Crawford.
Greg Harris, 37, is being charged with second-degree murder and illegal use of a dangerous weapon. His bond was set at $500,000. According to Harris’s attorney, Lewis Unglesby, Harris is innocent.“Greg Harris by all accounts . . . is innocent. I don’t know anybody that thinks he did it, except the police. There’s nothing in his background. He has cooperated completely with the police; he’s signed everything they’ve asked him to sign. He’s let them search his house, his car,” said Unglesby.
The murder took place on Feb. 20. The police soon after discovered that there was a warrant out for Harris’s arrest due to a battery-domestic violence case that was brought against him more than a year earlier.
The couple’s history of violence is what led the police to suspect Harris.
Technorati Tags: Louisiana,Lawyer,Husband,features,Written,Laura,Anderson,Attorney,Chiquita,Tate,times,Baton,Rouge,justice,defense,college,friend,Tale,Crawford,memory,reporter,Craig,Johnson,attachment,
Greg,Harris,degree,weapon,Lewis,Unglesby,background,battery,violence,history
The Low Road
The Low Road
What can they do to you?
Whatever they want.
They can set you up,
they can bust you,
they can break your fingers,
they can burn your brain with electricity,
blur you with drugs till you can’t walk, can’t remember,
they can take your child,
wall up your lover.
They can do anything
you can’t stop them from doing.
How can you stop them?
Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse,
you can take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.
But two people fighting back to back can cut through a mob,
a snake-dancing file can break a cordon,
an army can meet an army.
Two people can keep each other sane,
can give support, conviction, love, massage, hope, sex.
Three people are a delegation, a committee, a wedge.
With four you can play bridge and start an organization.
With six you can rent a whole house,
eat pie for dinner with no seconds,
and hold a fund raising party.
A dozen make a demonstration.
A hundred fill a hall.
A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter;
ten thousand, power and your own paper;
a hundred thousand, your own media;
ten million, your own country.
It goes on one at a time.
It starts when you care to act.
It starts when you do it again,
after they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know who you mean, and each day,
you mean one more.
-Marge Piercy
Technorati Tags: Road,brain,lover,revenge,cordon,army,conviction,Three,delegation,committee,bridge,organization,dinner,demonstration,hall,newsletter,paper,Marge,thousand
Misfire in Maryland: Guns accounted for more than half the deaths resulting from domestic violence
Misfire in Maryland
Arming abuse victims is the wrong way to curb domestic violence.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009; Page A12
THE PROBLEM: Guns accounted for more than half of the deaths resulting from domestic violence in Maryland from June 2007 to July 2008. The solution, according to some lawmakers: more guns. The Maryland Senate may vote as early as today on an amendment that would make it easier for victims of domestic violence to obtain guns. In theory, empowering victims could discourage potential abusers. In practice, adding guns to an already combustible situation is likely to lead to more violence. The Senate should reject the amendment.
The provision undermines two potentially life-saving bills that would make it more difficult for suspected abusers to carry firearms. One bill would allow judges to strip abuse suspects who were subject to temporary restraining orders of the right to carry firearms. The other bill would bar abuse suspects who were subject to final restraining orders from possessing guns. In past years, similar legislation passed the Senate but died in the House Judiciary Committee. When the House passed the bills last week, free of amendments that would mar their effectiveness, it seemed that there were few obstacles left.
Enter Sens. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George’s) and Alex X. Mooney (R-Frederick). The two lawmakers, members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, proposed an amendment that would expedite the process by which domestic abuse victims could obtain firearms. The committee approved the provision, which was tacked on to the bill that deals with final protective orders, by a 6 to 5 vote.
Victims’ advocates and law enforcement officers have serious concerns about the amendment. They worry that an abuser could discover a firearm hidden by a victim or wrestle away a gun during a dispute. It takes considerable training, police officials note, to be able to effectively wield a gun in self-defense. There’s another wrinkle: An abuser could misleadingly claim to be a victim of domestic violence and file for a protective order. This would rush a gun into the hands of someone capable of violence. And police officers called to domestic disputes could find themselves in greater danger.
Maybe backers of the amendment have seen one Jodie Foster film too many, but, in the real world, victims don’t usually resolve dangerous situations with gunfire. Strong legislation to keep guns away from abusers, not easy-to-obtain guns, is the best protection for victims.
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Outrageous Acts-Our Power to Create Change.
What is Outrageous Acts?
Outrageous Acts is a Ms. Foundation social networking, social change campaign that invites each of us to engage in, celebrate, and support acts in the cause of simple justice on behalf of women, families and communities.
Outrageous Acts reminds each of us of our power to create change. It also helps us imagine what’s possible when we link the power of our own outrageous acts with others’ nationwide. The more we inspire new outrageous acts and connect with other outrageous actors, the more power we‘ll have to bring about the kind of change we want to see in our communities, our country and our world.
Outrageous Acts takes its inspiration from Gloria Steinem, a founder of the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the many Ms. Foundation grantees who are organizing for justice and equity in communities throughout the U.S.
Years ago, to further the power of grassroots organizing, Steinem began encouraging people across the country to turn their outrage into action, and to have fun doing it:
“If each person in the room promises that…the very next day she or he will do at least one outrageous thing in the cause of simple justice, then I promise I will, too. It doesn’t matter whether the act is as small as saying, “Pick it up yourself” …or as large as calling a strike….” [view video]
Technorati Tags: Outrageous,Power,Create,Change,Foundation,justice,world,inspiration,Gloria,Steinem,Women,grassroots,action,person,room,
Kansas Town Hall meeting-Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook to discuss Senate resolution S1609
March 26th, 2009
A matter of Federal over reaching: –“cease and desist”
Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook to discuss Senate resolution S1609, which would re-assert Kansas’ and its’ citizens’ sovereignty from the federal government, with a town hall discussion with other legislators on governmental over reaching
Sponsored by
The Coalition of Citizen Advocacy Groups (CCAG), the November Patriots and Hope for America Coalition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RDFry
816 853 8718
A matter of Federal over reaching: –“cease and desist”
Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook to discuss Senate resolution S1609, which would re-assert Kansas’ and its’ citizens’ sovereignty from the federal government, with a town hall discussion with other legislators on governmental over reaching
Sponsored by
The Coalition of Citizen Advocacy Groups (CCAG), the November Patriots and Hope for America Coalition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Richard D. Fry
March 16, 2009
(816) 853-8718
CCAG, The November Patriots and Hope for America Coalition are sponsoring a public presentation by Senator Mary Pilcher – Cook on Senate resolution (S1609), which she introduced this session. The Resolution re-asserts the State’s and the citizen’s supremacy over and sovereignty from the federal government. Senator Pilcher–Cook will discuss the circumstances leading up to her introduction of the resolution, its status in the legislature, its impact if passed and the possible follow up to its passage.
A town hall discussion will follow the presentation, with other legislators as the panelist. The general theme will be governmental over reaching. It is expected that the topics discussed will include the current proposed state wide smoking ban and the use of eminent domain to take property away from citizens to give it to commercial interests. The November Patriots will moderate the event.
The event is free and open to the public.
Title: Kansas may declare its Sovereignty from the Federal Government: A Presentation by Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook and town hall meeting on Governmental over Reaching
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009
Time: Doors open 6:30; Presentation begins at 7:00 P.M
.
Location: Olathe City Hall, Chambers Room100 E. Santa Fe Street, Olathe, Kansas
Technorati Tags: Kansas,Town,Hall,Senator,Mary,Pilcher,Cook,Senate,March,Federal,government,discussion,Coalition,Citizen,Advocacy,CCAG,
November,Hope,America,IMMEDIATE,RELEASE,RDFry,Contact,Richard,presentation,session,Resolution,State,supremacy,i
ntroduction,status,legislature,impact,theme,domain,interests,event,Title,Governmental,Date,Time,Location,Olathe,Room,Santa,
Crisis In The Family Courts 
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