Georgia killed Troy Davis

After a torturous delay of more than 4 hours, the State of Georgia killed Troy Anthony Davis on the 21st September 2011. Davis was pronounced dead at 23:08 (03:08 GMT Thursday), 15 minutes after the lethal injection began.

"I am innocent," Davis said moments before he was executed. "I did not have a gun. For those about to take my life, may God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls. All I can ask... is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight."



Like many across the world my heart is heavy. I am sad and angry. The state of Georgia has proven what we already know. Governments cannot be trusted with the awful power over life and death. Today, Georgia didn't just kill Troy Davis; they killed the faith and confidence that many Georgians, Americans and Troy Davis supporters worldwide used to have in the criminal justice system.

The state of Georgia has proven that the death penalty is too great a power to give to the government. Human institutions are prone to bias and error and cannot be entrusted with this God-like power. The death penalty is a human rights violation whether given to the guilty or the innocent, and it must be abolished. While many courts examined this case, the march to the death chamber only slowed, but never stopped. Justice may be blind; but in this case, the justice system was blind to the facts.



The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial. Since then, all but two of the state's non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony. Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis. One of the two witnesses who has not recanted his testimony is Sylvester "Red" Coles — the principle alternative suspect, according to the defence, against whom there is new evidence implicating him as the gunman. Nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating Sylvester Coles.

Troy said the day before he was executed;

"The struggle for justice doesn't end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I'm in good spirits and I'm prayerful and at peace."

It is only perhaps in America with its addiction to violence, to guns and to retribution that killing a person who did not commit a crime makes sense and gives false closure to the family of the victim. It is only in American with its obsession with retribution and vengeance that the huge diversion of resources to maintaining a fallible and brutal death penalty and imprisoning 1 in 10 young black men that this makes sense. It is only in America does it make sense to station troops in 143 countries of the world, not ask what the motive was for the vicious attack on 9/11 and launch a murderous war on Iraq which had nothing to do with the events of 9/11 to keep America “safe.”



The vicious death penalty does nothing to keep Americans safe nor does the sad addiction to guns. Only in the Deep South does it make sense to keep a black man in prison for 22 years and then take him out and execute him when the case against him has fallen apart. This "Freedom Loving Democracy" which refuses to sign up to the International Criminal Court and kills innocents with "precision" drones well away from media coverage is in no position to lecture other brutal execution luvin' regimes in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Saudi Arabia (the place the 9/11 guys came from) on Human Rights.

Let's take a moment to honour the life of Troy Davis and Mark MacPhail. Then, let's take all of our difficult feelings and re-double our commitment to abolition of the death penalty.

I am Troy Davis. You are Troy Davis. We will not stop fighting for justice.




See also;

Don’t execute Troy Davis

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-execute-troy-davis.html

The Troy Davis Campaign Website

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org

State of Georgia set to execute an innocent man

Southern trees still bear bitter fruit, nowhere it seems more so than in the State of Georgia, USA. It is with a very heavy heart and a deep sense of outrage that I let you know that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles voted to deny clemency to Troy Davis. This means that very little is now standing in the way of the state of Georgia executing a potentially innocent man this Wednesday, September 21 st at 7pm.

The actions of the Board are astounding in the face of so much doubt in the case against Troy Davis. However, we should not be prepared to accept the decision and let anyone with the power to stop the execution off the hook. Join Amnesty in calling on the Board to reconsider its decision, and on the Chatham County (Savannah) District Attorney Larry Chisolm to do the right thing. They have until the final moments before Troy's scheduled execution to put the brakes on this runaway justice system.



“I am writing to urge you to seek a withdrawal of the death warrant against Troy Davis. He has been denied clemency by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles despite the fact that significant doubts continue to plague his conviction. Executions when there are still substantial doubts about guilt should never be permitted to proceed, and the responsibility rests with you to ensure that does not happen in this case.

It would significantly undermine the credibility of the Georgia system of justice if an execution were carried out under such a persistent cloud of doubts about guilt. It would show a callous disregard for the very real possibility of putting an innocent person to death, and public faith in Georgia’s commitment to a fair justice system would be shattered.



You have it in your power to prevent this affront to justice from happening. I urge you to call for a withdrawal of Troy Davis’ death warrant without delay.”

Send on this link;

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=516533&msource=W1109EADP04D&tr=y&auid=9522344

Troy Davis was convicted on the basis of witness testimony – seven of the nine original witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony. He has survived three previous execution dates, because people like you kept the justice system in check! Let Georgia authorities know you oppose the death penalty for Troy Davis!

NOTE: Due to high volume of supporters, please keep trying to sign this petition if your initial attempt does not succeed.

Or try contacting the Chatham County's District Attorney's office by phone/fax: Telephone: 912-652-7308 Fax: 912-652-7328.



Davis was given the death sentence for the August 1989 murder of Mark MacPhail, a police officer from Savannah who was shot and killed while trying to help a homeless man who was being beaten up in a restaurant car park. Davis was present at the scene, but has always insisted that another man, Sylvester Coles, attacked the homeless man and shot MacPhail when he intervened.

Davis was convicted at a 1991 trial almost exclusively on the basis of nine witnesses – including Coles himself – who all said they had seen him carry out the shooting. The murder weapon was never found, and there was no DNA or other forensic evidence. In the years since the trial, seven of the nine witnesses have come forward and recanted their evidence, saying they were put under pressure to implicate Davis by the investigating police. Other witnesses have come forward to say that they had heard Coles confess to killing the police officer.



The parole board heard from one of the jurors who originally recommended the death penalty for Davis. Brenda Forrest told the panel that she no longer trusted the verdict or sentence: "I feel, emphatically, that Mr Davis cannot be executed under these circumstances," she said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The execution of Troy Davis, a Georgia death row inmate scheduled to die in less than a week, should be halted because of "pervasive, persistent doubts" about his guilt, said William S. Sessions, a former federal district judge in Texas and FBI director under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, in a sharply-worded editorial on Thursday.

"Serious questions about Mr. Davis' guilt, highlighted by witness recantations, allegations of police coercion, and a lack of relevant physical evidence, continue to plague his conviction," Sessions wrote. He urged a state pardons board to commute the sentence to life in prison.

Bob Barr, a former federal prosecutor and four-term Republican congressman from Georgia, urged the board to grant clemency for Davis in an editorial published in the Savannah Morning News on Wednesday. In 2007, the five-member board pledged that "it will not allow an execution to proceed in this state unless and until its members are convinced there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused," Barr noted in the editorial.



"I am a longtime supporter of the death penalty. I make no judgment as to whether Davis is guilty or innocent. And surely the citizens of Savannah and the state of Georgia want justice served on behalf of Officer MacPhail," Barr wrote. "But imposing an irreversible sentence of death on the skimpiest of evidence will not serve the interest of justice."

Troy Davis has three major strikes against him. First, he is an African American man. Second, he was charged with killing a white police officer. And third, he is in Georgia.

More than a century ago, the legendary muckraking journalist Ida B Wells risked her life when she began reporting on the epidemic of lynching in the Deep South. She published Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All its Phases in 1892 and followed up with The Red Record in 1895, detailing hundreds of lynchings. She wrote:

"In Brooks County, Georgia, 23 December, while this Christian country was preparing for Christmas celebration, seven Negroes were lynched in 24 hours because they refused, or were unable to tell the whereabouts of a coloured man named Pike, who killed a white man … Georgia heads the list of lynching states."



The planned execution of Davis will not be at the hands of an unruly mob, but in the sterile, fluorescently lit confines of Georgia diagnostic and classification prison in Butts County, near the town of Jackson. The state doesn't intend to hang Troy Davis from a tree with a rope or a chain – to hang, as Billie Holiday sang, like a strange fruit:

>"Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees."

See also;

Don’t execute Troy Davis

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-execute-troy-davis.html

The Troy Davis Campaign Website

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org

Save Troy Davis

I stand with Amnesty and their Death Penalty Abolition Campaign to fight for the life of Troy Davis, who within weeks could be executed for a crime he may not have committed. There remain serious doubts of his guilt. His death sentence defies all logic and morality.

The day is now here - the state of Georgia has set Troy Davis' execution date for September 21st, just 10 days from today. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his final appeal earlier this year. But the story remains the same - Troy Davis could very well be innocent.

Troy Davis and his mother

However, in the state of Georgia, the Board of Pardons & Paroles holds the keys to Troy's fate. In the days before Davis' execution, this Board will hold a final clemency hearing - a final chance to prevent Troy Davis from being executed. Davis was convicted on the basis of witness testimony - seven of the nine original witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony.


Martina Correia, sister of Troy Anthony Davis, in front of the O'Connell Monument in Dublin, Ireland with supporters. She received The Sean McBride Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights 2010.

One witness said in a CNN news interview "If I knew then, what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row." I know it's difficult to believe that a system of justice could be so terribly flawed, but keep in mind that Troy has survived three previous execution dates, because people like you kept the justice system in check!
We've been bracing for this moment and the time for action is now! Here's what you can do to join the fight:

Sign Amnesty’s petition to the Board of Pardons & Paroles urging them to grant clemency! They'll deliver your signatures next week.
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=12970&msource=W1109EADP01&tr=y&auid=9445274

Organise locally for Troy: Take to the streets with us. Soon we'll be announcing the date for the official Troy Davis Day of Action. Sign up now to rally in the coming days to stop the execution of Troy Davis.

Tell everyone you know! Spread the word about this injustice on Twitter by using the hashtag #TooMuchDoubt. Be sure to tell your Facebook friends Troy's story too!
https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2Fo93bAE



The death penalty is costly, arbitrary, and ineffective. Yet one of the great disappointments for those of us who supported Barack Obama is that the US Justice system is still heavily focused towards revenge not rehabilitation, criminalises a huge proportion of young black men and in a number of states despite the evidence of legal shabbiness, miscarriages and innocents being killed by the state a huge amount of penal resources are devoted to putting people to death. In this the United States is right up with those other Great Democracies, China, Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Who says you can’t judge a country by the friends it keeps?

Whilst the situation is complicated by the separation of powers in the United States between the Federal and State Governments for many the bell weather case of whether Obama’s American is any different is the case of Troy Davis. Troy Anthony Davis, who is African American, was convicted in 1991 of murdering Mark McPhail, a white police officer. Davis' conviction was not based on any physical evidence, and the murder weapon was never found.

The prosecution based its case on the testimony of purported "witnesses," many of whom allege police coercion. Seven of the nine non-police witnesses for the prosecution have recanted their testimony in sworn affidavits. One witness signed a police statement declaring that Davis was the assailant, and then later said, "I did not read it because I cannot read." In another case a witness stated that the police "were telling me that I was an accessory to murder and that I would ... go to jail for a long time and I would be lucky if I ever got out, especially because a police officer got killed ... I was only 16 and was so scared of going to jail."



There are also several witnesses who have implicated another man in the murder. According to one woman, "People on the streets were talking about Sylvester Coles being involved with killing the police officer, so one day I asked him ... Sylvester told me that he did shoot the officer."

Troy's case is so powerful because it has inspired:

A majority of witnesses to admit that they lied 19 years ago

Four witnesses to finally testify against the person whom they suspect to be the real killer of police officer Mark MacPhail

Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to all call for clemency

A movement of human rights supporters to unite and pass Troy's story along from one person to the next to the next...

Nearly two decades later, Davis remains on death row with an execution date in 10 days time– even though the case against him has completely fallen apart. Don’t let the state of Georgia put finality before Justice.

See also;

Don’t execute Troy Davis

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-execute-troy-davis.html

The Troy Davis Campaign Website

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/



Audio recording from Troy Davis, who faces execution despite the fact that there was no physical evidence and 7 out of 9 non-police witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony.

...Americans

I was not going to say anything about this but then I changed my mind. Today is 9/11, the day America was attacked by terrorist. I will not talk about the attacks, I already did that last year, instead I will talk about Americans. After the attacks we were united and we put aside petty differences to mourn together and try to understand the magnitude of what had just occurred. The President at that time, George W. Bush, told us to continue with our lives and not to let the terrorist win by abandoning our way of life. Eventually things returned to normal or as normal as they can be in this post 9/11 world. We played sports, we debated, we challenged each other and we argued and fought against each other. Many wondered what happened to this unity, this solidarity that w had right after 9/11. Well it faded. It is not as if we forgot about it, but we decided to do exactly what the President said and carry on with our lives. Were we faking our love for each other? No, but we felt okay enough to revert back to our previous selves. I am sure some of us changed forever in a good or bad way and that is something that many still struggle with daily. We are a strong and resilient group of people and we showed this. I myself understand what 9/11 means and will mean but I also choose not to dwell on it. It is easier for me than some because I did not lose anyone close to me or quasi close to me in the events that occurred on that day. Though we vow to never forget eventually we will. There will be new towers there and life will continue, business will continue and 9/11 will become as important as December 7, 1941, which was the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. It may take 2 or 3 generations before this happens but it will happen. For now I am going to decide not to write anything else about 9/11. After 10 years I have not forgotten, but I have decided to carry on with my life, as have millions of Americans. I am giving us Americans a Digit Up.

...Americans

It seems as if the world may not hate us so much. Americans were voted the coolest people in the world. Social networking site Badoo.com asked 30,000 people across 15 countries to name the coolest nationality and also found that the Spanish were considered the coolest Europeans, Brazilians the coolest Latin Americans and Belgians the globe's least cool nationality. Lloyd Price, Badoo's Director of Marketing, said, "America boasts the world's coolest leader, Obama; the coolest rappers, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg; and the coolest man in technology, Steve Jobs of Apple, the man who even made geeks cool." This may be true and I must agree that America is cool, but should we be #1? Most of our cool is due to European influence and other culture's influences. Also "America" is more than just New York City and Los Angeles and the romanticized Mid West or "The West". Also this mainly focuses on famous Americans, but who is really paying attention anyway right? I, along with others, will take this win. We beat Brazil, and they are very cool and mellow people who live to party and have fun. Yay Americans, Digit Up for us.

...Rebels

So as the rebels inch closer towards Tripoli, the capital of Libya and Gadhafi's home, what does that mean? I am hearing that within days Gadhafi could make a deal and leave the country and that will be that. I also heard that America will be a major part in setting up the new government over there, no duh. I am not a fan of this. Though I may not agree with everything Gadhafi has doe, it is his country, his land, his people to govern over. From the start I have never approved of America's involvement of this faux war. What was the purpose? What was the meaning? Now we have these rebels about to take control of this country and I must tell you that I am not a fan of it at all. At least with Gadhafi we knew what to expect from him. He was a lot of talk with a tiny bang, he liked attention and that was that. Now we have these people who claim they want their country and to be free but can we trust them? We have seen this before with Iraq and Afghanistan and Iran, they all were for us but now look at them, we are at oddest against all of them. I am going to sit back and wait for America to realize its huge mistake. These newly freed countries are our future enemies, and that is something that I am willing to bet the farm on. I am giving theses rebels a Digit Down.

...Paris Hilton

Do you trust Paris Hilton? Of course you do not, and neither do 60% of Americans, so says a recent poll. Paris took the top spot. I guess I can see that. There has not been a favorable light on her since she was released from prison and her reality shows have not helped at all. Hilton was found to be the absolute least trustworthy celeb, beating out other morally questionable folks like Charlie Sheen (52% unfavorable), Britney Spears (45% unfavorable), and Kanye West (45% unfavorable). Others on the bottom of the list of unpopular personalities: Arnold Schwarzenegger (44%), Tiger Woods (42%), Kim Kardashian (38%), Mel Gibson (33%), Donald Trump (31%), and LeBron James (29%). Tiger Woods, Charlie Sheen, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears are more widely disliked by women than they are by men. Betty White was the most trusted receiving an 86% favorable score. She topped Denzel Washington (85%), Sandra Bullock (84%), Clint Eastwood (83%), and Tom Hanks (81%). Rounding out the top ten were Harrison Ford (80%), Morgan Freeman (79%), Kate Middleton (79%), Will Smith (77%), and Johnny Depp (76%). Paris needs some new PR and a new plan ASAP. It is true that while she was the 1st of the famous for nothing celebritant, she needs to evolve and take things to a new level. I am going to have to give a Digit own because it seems as if she is not getting the message that people, in America, are over her and her ways.

...America

Rocks. Unless you have been living under one for the past 28 hours then you already know that America's credit rating has been dropped by Standard & Poor's from AAA to AA+ for the 1st time in U.S. history. Though no one knows what this means for sure for America's short term future, because the markets have yet to dictate that, so far I have heard nothing too good. I find it horrible that we must wait for the markets around the world and here in NYC to dictate the nation's future. I understand how it works, 75% anyway, and I do not like it. Most say that eventually this will impact all of us who need to take out a loan for a home, car, business, etc. In normal times, in another country, a downgrade in a country's sovereign debt rating probably would force its government to pay higher interest rates to convince investors to keep buying its debt. Standard & Poor's reasoning for doing this is because they feel that the bill that was passed by congress to cut $2 trillion worth of spending over 10 years is not enough. They were looking for a minimum of $4 trillion, and they warned the government about that. Also they feel as if the political climate in D.C. is too unstable to be a safe enough bet right now. Still U.S. debt is special. Treasury debt is considered the safest investment in the world. Even after the downgrade. Investors don't doubt the U.S. government's ability to repay the $9.8 trillion it owes. So what does China think? Well they said, "The U.S. government has to come to terms with the painful fact that the good old days when it could just borrow its way out of messes of its own making are finally gone." Other nations are also concerned about what this will mean for their economic situations as well. There will most likely be a special meeting among the G8 nations to talk about how to fix this issue. Honestly there is nothing that can be done int he near future. There needs to be massive cuts across the board and people will just have to be pissed off about it. New leaders will need to be selected to run certain departments in our nation before it is too late, though the S&P has already warned that we can be further downgraded in6-24 months. The "bright side" of this is that they are the only agency to downgrade us and they also gave AAA ratings to a lot of home loan agencies, and we all saw what that did to the economy. Still things need to change. Politics need to be put aside and major moves nee to be made. I doubt this will happen so I plan on converting all of my assets into cash, because eventually even gold will fall. And if you are wondering, it takes about 9-18 years for most countries to regain a AAA rating after dropping to an AA+ rating, and it has only happened 4 times. I am giving America 2 Digits Down for letting things get this bad.

...C.J. Senter

C.J. Senter is a 10 year old...with workout video... C.J. started working out five years ago when his football coach told him and his teammates to go home over a weekend and get some exercise. He did some push-ups and sit-ups and loved it. Not too long after, he saw a P90X infomercial and loved that too. He's been working out ever since. C.J. does his own routines three times a week, after school and homework. With so many overweight and obese adults and children in America this seems like a good thing. I for some reason am not jumping on board. In an interview C.J. had this to say to a reporter who was in disbelief.

"It feels great," C.J. says by phone from his Georgia home. "I love staying fit and healthy."

But wait a minute. Research shows kids shouldn't be touching weights until at least age 15.

"I don't use weights," C.J. says.

Not even bench press?

"I don't bench press," he says. "It's not good for kids."


Surely he's on some insane diet, right? His dad feeds him wheat grass and cow brain, perhaps?

"I'm not on a diet," C.J. says. "I eat everything."





He teaches kids at a local gym his routines and that is all good. I for some reason am still not on board. I do not like when parents exploit their children and I feel like this is just that. His main goal in life is to become a football player int he FL. It may or may not happen, the odds are against him but you never know. While I love the idea of getting fat kids into shape I just hate the fact that this looks like a hungry parent trying to make money off of their child. For that reason alone I am going to give C.J. Senter a Digit Down.

...USA Women

So I happened to catch the soccer match between Team USA and Brazil. I was not really paying much attention to it, Formula 1 racing came on at 12 and I have a vested interest in that sport. But I kept turning back to the soccer game as I found myself intrigued by those women. America's female soccer team is much better than the men's, they have a World Cup to prove it. This game started with an own goal by Brazil and then somehow they came back to go up 2-1 over Team USA in overtime. Brazil started doing some major acting and the referee realized she made a mistake and she added 3 extra minutes to the overtime time. Within those 3 minutes Team USA scored and tied the game 2-2. Now comes everyone's favorite part of the game, penalty kicks! his begin an elimination game, these kicks were major, as always. Well USA won and Brazil got some poetic justice. Watch and rejoice and give them a Digit Up with me.

...Generation Y

It seems as if American auto makers may have another major problem in the near future. We all know how they have been doing lately, mostly okay to good, though not nearly as strong as they were in the 90's and the decades before. Detroit is trying though, making more and more cars that get over 30 miles per gallon and are more environmentally friendly, but is it too late? Generation Y seems to be in favor of foreign cars. These are the top ten brands and models Gen Y prefer:

Top Brands for Gen Y Buyers
(Ranked by percentage of buyers in Gen Y)
1. Scion — 21.2%
2. Mitsubishi — 20.3%
3. Mazda — 10.7%
4. Nissan — 9.8%
5. Volkswagen — 9.6%
6. Kia — 9.1%
7. Hyundai — 8.6%
8. Honda — 8.0%
9. Toyota — 7.6%
10. Subaru — 7.3%

Top Models for Generation Y Buyers
(Shown with MSRP)
1. Scion tC — $18,995
2. Mitsubishi Lancer — $20,670
3. Honda Civic Si – $22,975
4. Toyota Yaris Sedan — $13,915
5. Ford Focus Coupe — $17,365
6. Scion xD — $15,830
7. Volkswagen GLI — $25,365
8. Subaru Impreza – $19,220
9. Kia Forte — $15,690
10. Toyota Corolla — $16,660

As you can see they tend to prefer cars under $20,000. Before I saw the prices I was wondering how true this is. With such American models as Mustang, Camaro and Fusion I found it hard to believe that no American brand or model made the top ten. Then I thought about how many Baby Boomers prefer those cars. The styling for the Mustang and Camaro are reminiscent of Mustangs and Camaros from the 60's and 70's, something that a lot of Baby Boomers love. Generation Y in concerned about money. Less trips to the gas station mean more trips to the mall. There are a slew of American models out now though that could attract younger buyers such as the Chevrolet Cruze and the Ford Fiesta and Focus. Will those models rank as high in reliability as some of their foreign competitors? Maybe. Will they attract buyers? That is the question that has yet to be answered. I am giving Generation Y a Digit Up because they will help open the eyes of American auto makers. Though they have learned their lessons from previous failures, I have a feeling they are still clueless on when it comes to what consumers actually want in a car.

...Americans

Hey America! Why are you so fat!!!!!!!!? Less than 20 years ago no state had an obesity rate over 20%, not anymore! Now all but one state, Colorado, has a rate lower than 20%, and even they are at 19.8% I do not understand how a nation with million of jobless people can still find money to eat, and eat poorly enough to get and stay obese. Look at these numbers:
Percentage of obese adults in all 50 states

•Mississippi: 34.4
•Alabama: 32.3
•West Virginia: 32.2
•Tennessee: 31.9
•Louisiana: 31.6
•Kentucky: 31.5
•Oklahoma: 31.4
•South Carolina: 30.9
•Arkansas: 30.6
•Michigan: 30.5
•Missouri: 30.3
•Texas: 30.1
•Ohio: 29.6
•North Carolina: 29.4
•Indiana: 29.1
•Kansas: 29.0
•Georgia: 28.7
•South Dakota: 28.7
•Pennsylvania: 28.5
•Iowa: 28.1
•Delaware: 28.0
•North Dakota: 28.0
•Illinois: 27.7
•Nebraska: 27.6
•Wisconsin: 27.4
•Maryland: 27.1
•Maine: 26.5
•Washington: 26.4
•Florida: 26.1
•Alaska: 25.9
•Virginia: 25.9
•Idaho: 25.7
•New Hampshire: 25.6
•New Mexico: 25.6
•Arizona: 25.4
•Oregon: 25.4
•Wyoming: 25.4
•Minnesota: 25.3
•Nevada: 25.0
•California: 24.8
•New York: 24.7
•Rhode Island: 24.3
•New Jersey: 24.1
•Montana: 23.8
•Vermont: 23.5
•Utah: 23.4
•Hawaii: 23.1
•Massachusetts: 22.3
•Connecticut: 21.8
•District of Columbia: 21.7
•Colorado: 19.8

The Southern states dominate the list thanks to their love of fried foods. Something has to be done about this. You may not believe it but this is a national security risk. The army has already lowered its standards to let people who are not in the best shape in, but in another decade we will have to do that again and again and again until we have tons of out of shaped people serving in our armed forces and the others will be able to outlast us on the battle field, our weapons can only do so much in certain areas of the world. What will it take for us to become healthier? I partly blame the food, but as we know it is also the people. The Internet and other creature comforts have created a nation of lazy lazy people. We are dumber and lazier than ever before and yet we do not seem to recognize or care. I am giving American 2 Digits Down. Get your shit together people!

...The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge

Earlier this week I wrote about China pretty much building a bridge in California at a cost of $7.2 billion. Yesterday I saw a new bridge opening in China, The Jiaozhou Bay bridge. It is 26 miles long and is designed to withstand an earthquake or typhoon. The part that made me re-read it was the cost. China says it only cost $1.5 billion to build this bridge. Are you serious!?! France said it cost $2.7 billion, still cheaper than our bridge. Great Britain said it cost more like $8.8 billion, which though more than our bridge, is still a hell of a deal. Why is the San Francisco/Oakland bridge $7.2 billion, and that is considered a "deal", and theirs is much longer and cost less per mile? I hope that I find out later that this bridge cost $30 billion and is unsafe. Until then I am going to give China a Digit Up for their ingenuity, the same ingenuity that will overtake the world.

...States

In California they are building a bridge from San Francisco to Oakland. Normally this would never make news in my eyes, but this time it is. Why? The bridge is being made by the Chinese. The assembly work in California, and the pouring of the concrete road surface, will be done by Americans. But construction of the bridge decks and the materials that went into them are a Made in China affair. California officials say the state saved hundreds of millions of dollars by turning to China. The state is already in debt so saving money is important, but giving money back to American companies is more important. But this is not just a California issue. In New York City alone, Chinese companies have won contracts to help renovate the subway system, refurbish the Alexander Hamilton Bridge over the Harlem River and build a new Metro-North train platform near Yankee Stadium. As with the Bay Bridge, American union labor would carry out most of the work done on United States soil. At $7.2 billion, it will be one of the most expensive structures ever built. But California officials estimate that they will save at least $400 million by having so much of the work done in China.California issued bonds to finance the project, and will look to recoup the cost through tolls. I guess $400 million is a lot..but when you are spending $7.2 billion already, what is an extra $400 million? Not much in my eyes. It cost a lot less to make things in China for sure, especially when you look at a typical worker. Pan Zhongwang, a 55-year-old steel polisher, is a typical Zhenhua worker. He arrives at 7 a.m. and leaves at 11 p.m., often working seven days a week. He lives in a company dorm and earns about $12 a day. It sucks but we cannot compete with such low standards of living. Still I must give these States a Digit Down. Where there is a will there is a way and if they really wanted to get a deal in America, they could have done it, but they are not going to "waste" their time searching for them.

...DREAM Act

Have you heard of the DREAM Act? It has been around since 2001, but now it is back in the hands of Congress. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act is meant to would give certain undocumented students a pathway to citizenship through college attendance or military service. The President made a speech yesterday in El Paso, Texas on his immigration reform and whatnot. Today this bills is back in the House of Representatives going through the motions again. While this all sounds nice on the surface, what does it really mean? There are an estimated 12 million illegal/undocumented immigrants in America. If this bill wee to pass about 1.2 million would automatically be granted the path towards citizenship. Obviously the President made his speech in part to blame the Republicans when the bills does not pass...again. But this should not be an issue. Along with pretty much all of the Republicans even some Democrats agree that this bill seems like it would grant amnesty to illegals. Some even think it would encourage more illegal immigrants to enter the U.S. That may be so, but hopefully we will not have to see if that is true. People think that if you do not agree with a bill like this then you are probably a racist. While I o not agree with this bill I am not a racist. You do not know my race, so do not assume I am an overweight middle aged Texas mom of 3 with a few handguns, a loud sports loving husband and a street full of women just like me. I am an American who understand that illegal immigrants should be deported. Why? Mainly because it is, and this is the kicker, THE LAW! Sadly we are way too sensitive and political. If you really want something, fight for it, do not let someone hand you something for "free". If you want to become a citizen, take the test! It really is not that hard. Marry an American, most likely you will anyway. Yes I understand that Hispanics/Latinos will become a major majority that politicians are large corporations are trying to tap into, but the law is the law. Senator Harry Reid said he would support mandatory E-Verify, a program that requires employers check the legality of potential workers, to garner Republican support for the DREAM Act. I think that should be 2 different issues, but since we are attaching things onto the bill why not add this, why not make English the official language of America? Other countries have done it, but we have not. If we did you would have merit when you asked someone to speak English or say it in English. At this moment they are just words, words that legally illegal immigrants do not have to abide by. I am giving the DREAM Act a Digit Down. It is just not the time to try to make political gains with poor bills like this.

...Gas

Gas is expected to drop by 50 cents this Summer, so says the experts. I do not know what they are basing this on, but I like it. I do not love it though. I have not known gas to down in the Summer time. If there were ever a chance of gas reaching $5 a gallon this Summer would be the time to do it. Oil did fall over $12 Thursday and Friday. I m not sure what it will do Monday though. If another Middle Eastern country decides to have an uprising or if China or India demands more oil and the dollar gets weaker, though it did get a tad stronger Friday, then we can see gas prices go up. A year ago gas was under $3, now we are okay with that. In America many are driving less so of course our demand is down, though it is only temporary. I still do not understand why we are not drilling on our own land and waters, that would help us a lot! Anyway I am pleased to know that gas could be 50 cents lowers, maybe more, but most likely less. I am giving this news a Digit Up.

...Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly knwon as fracking, seems to be making a lot of headlines lately. I know that there are a lot of people against it because of the unsightly drills and toweres and the possiblity of tainted drinking water and unkown health risk. I do understand those fears and I understand why many people protest against the process, but I am all for it. It makes soem land owners instant millionaires and creats a few joibs as well. More importantly it would help the U.S. economy. We as a country are on the edge and we are basiccally going over. We know we are going to go over, we are just trying to do whatever it takes to prolong it. If we are able to drill within our own country we take some of the power away form the other oil producing countries inthe Middle East. This saves us a lot of stress and increase the value of our ever weakening dollar. Poeple may not want to give up their land to do this, but if they wanted to to government could buy your land form you at market price and sell it to thse gas and oil companies for whatever they want and it would be legal, eminent domain says so. So you can bite the bullet and see it as helping your country or you can fight it and lose big time. I am not happy that we have come to this, but it is what it is. I am giving Hydaulic fracturing a Digit Up.

...Thoughts

I will warn you that this may go from point A to F to B to G to Z. It may sound inconsistent at times but if you read though it all you may find some hits and misses. I am watching the news daily and I hear the faux optimism int he voices of the anchors and analyst when it comes to the American economy. I do not listen to most of them anymore because they are as lost as we are. I even ignore the advice of Warren Buffett. He is a billionaire who plans on donating the bulk of his net worth to a charity after he dies. When he takes a financial hit, it is like finding an ant bite on an elephant. The economy is unstable, it may never stabilize. I am not negative, I am just honest. They tell us to spend more to help the economy, but ti is hard to spend money that you do not have. That is where credit cards come in. Once you spend the credit you are given you find yourself in debt. Is this how America got into debt? In a way. It almost seems as if they are placing the blame on us, the people. While some of the people brought the blame on to themselves, it is almost like the chicken and the egg, which came 1st? Did you get into debt willingly and knowingly or did they allow you to go into debt without you really knowing you were going into debt? In the end the blame will be placed on you because if you do not have $10,000 readily available, why spend it? Well that theory only goes s far. You need a home, and unless you can afford to pay for a home with cash all at once, you will need to finance. Understandable. What is not understandable is getting a home outside of your budget, even if it is just a tad outside of it, and then struggling to make payments. If you cannot afford to live and save then you should not buy it. Apparently the current generation, my generation is "bad" for the economy. Why? Because we are saving our money. This is bad because if we save then we will not spend and if we do not spend then the economy will not grow. Stores will close, people will lose their jobs, etc. If I remember correctly 5 years ago we were doing exactly what economist told us to do, everything except putting money away for a rainy day, and it got us in a recession, a long recession. Though it is technically over, we are still in a recession. No matter what the government does, it can not buy its way out of this trouble. We tried, it failed, though we are told it did not, it created jobs and we got money back from the companies we gave it to plus interest. Only on paper did those ideas and government fixes work, if at all. Just think about it, fourteen trillion dollars of debt. It did not happen overnight and you cannot point your finger at just 1 President, but you can look at them with shame. Our current President has yet to give us a good idea when it comes to creating job growth. Foreign issues and some minute domestic issues no problem, but not the core issue. We need to teach the millions of jobless Americans out there how to fish rather than serving them fresh fish week after week after week. Government officials already ignore the Constitution, so why not go further. Why not make business stay in America and make them hire American workers? When you buy your government, you can tell them what to do, and they people who vote for them are not the ones who bought them. Why do we constantly help out so many countries around the world? Friend or foe we help them all. Even your neighbor helps them out. I may sound harsh but I saw the devastation in Japan as it happened and while thought it looked horrible I have yet to donate money to help out Japan. Harsh? Maybe, but what is harsher to me is the fact that we would go above and beyond to help otter countries and yet we make those in our country who need help go through endless paperwork and interviews for help. Sometimes they get it and sometimes the do not. We set aside money to help other nations, lots of money, billion of dollars, billions of dollars that could help educe our debt by trillions over a decade. If you have to pay a country to like you, is it really worth it? When our money runs out who will be there to help us? Who is there to help us now? Buying our debt is not help, it is just an investment. How dare we tell another country what to do. We do not agree with Libya, we do not like Libya understandable. Are we going to go to war over it? Our economy is too weak for that. We cannot even handle gas going up 50 cents, it literally is about to cause a double dip recession. We should not be telling Gadhafi what to do with his country, we cannot even figure out what to do with ours! We should sit back and let it go down however it does down. We have already come out for the people of Libya, but what happens if Gadhafi regains total control? He may not have a lot of power with what power he does have he could mess things up for us. If Iran has an uprising like Libya or Egypt we will also be for those people. It is not our business but we will make it ours. If the same thing were to happen in Saudi Arabia though... We would keep our mouths shut. They control 40% of the world's oil and we definitely cannot afford for them to turn their backs on us. We find it necessary to speak out against countries that hold down their people because we think that our democracy is the best. Our people are civilized. We elect our officials and if e do not like them we can elect someone else. f we really do not lie them we can have them impeached or recalled. If the people of America were to get as angry and upset as the people of the Middle East would our elected officials step down? Would we use our police and military forces against those people? Probably. Then I wonder, are we supposed to fall? For those of you who believe in the Bible it says that the strongest nation will fall, something to that effect. If so then we will never rise again. China will overtake us and we will just be waiting for the return of Jesus and everything else detailed in Revelation. This is starting to become the rambles of an old man so I will end it there for now. Digit Up.

...Oil

Well gas prices jumped 10 cents and oil is up about $10+. The turmoil in the Middle East is about to affect us. Libya has light sweet crude oil and for some reason American refineries like it a lot. While Libya only has 3% of the world's oil supply, oil prices have skyrocketed in just 2 days! If the trend continues oil prices should hit $100 a barrel today and if that holds then gas will be about $3.50 a gallon in 2 weeks. This is not what we need in America at all. Home prices are falling, labor talks and financial talks are falling. I see a double dip recession coming later this year and it may be worse than the 1st time because now we have oil producing countries caught up in their own drama. The thing is, we have to take it. We do not want to drill in America and electric and hybrid cars do not fulfill the needs of a lot of families at this moment in time. A grim darkness lies ahead of us. Take heed and prepare now. Save your extra dollars and learn how to budget and cut back on things. It may not be fun, be neither is panhandling. All of this because of OIL! Digit Down.

...America

I read this article on Yahoo about what things America is no longer the lead producer of. They only gave us 10 things to look at, but I am sure there are many many more, not including education and healthcare. Take a look:

1. Autos

Position: 2nd

Leader: Japan, with 17 million autos produced by Japanese automakers in 2009

U.S.: 12 million autos produced by American automakers in 2009

U.S. auto manufacturing has long been considered not only one of our most critical industries, but is representative of American industrial power. The U.S. is the second largest manufacturer of cars and light vehicles after Japan, which is the headquarters of Toyota (NYSE: TM - News), Honda (NYSE: HMC - News), Nissan and Mazda. The American auto industry nearly collapsed in 2008 after years of extremely high labor costs and falling market share in domestic sales. GM (NYSE: GM - News) and Chrysler went through bankruptcy with extensive federal government support. Ford (NYSE: F - News) was strong enough to avoid having to ask for government handouts. The U.S. is not only the second largest manufacturer of cars; it is also the second largest car market by sales. China passed America in this metric in 2009. Japanese automakers made 17 million cars in 2009 compared to 12 million made by U.S. companies.

2. Beer Production

Position: 2nd

Leader: China, with 423 million hectoliters in 2009

U.S.: 229 hectoliters in 2009

U.S. beer production in 2000 was the greatest in the world, generating 232 million hectoliters, versus second-place China's 220 million. In just nine years, the People's Republic has roughly doubled its production output to 423 million hectoliters. American output has actually decreased to 229 million. Per capita consumption in China is relatively low at less than half of the level in the U.S. However, China has a drinking population four times larger and has created an industrial capacity in the beer sector that has allowed the country to pull far ahead of the U.S.

3. High-Technology Exports

Position: 2nd

Leader: China, $381 billion in 2008

U.S.: $231 billion in 2008

The World Bank describes high-technology exports as "products with high R&D intensity, such as in aerospace, computers, pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments, and electrical machinery." These are all fields in which the United States prides itself, and the U.S. remains in first place in the pharmaceutical industry. Despite this, China has beaten America in the high-technology exports since the World Bank began collecting data on the category in 2005. In 2008, Chinese high-technology exports were worth $381 billion and American exports were $231 billion. America's second place status shows no signs of changing. Between 2005 and 2008, Chinese high-tech exports increased 78%, relative to a mere 21% by the U.S. over the same time period.

4. Commercial Aircraft Production

Position: 2nd

Leader: Airbus (Europe) based on 574 orders in 2010

U.S.: Boeing, with 530 orders in 2010

Through the 1970's, the United States had what was effectively a monopoly on large commercial aircraft production. The nature of the industry made it difficult for other companies to compete with the massive U.S.-based Boeing (NYSE: BA - News). The costs to create an aerospace manufacturing industry were prohibitive. In the 80's European air manufacturers began to compete through subsidies, particularly European-based Airbus, which was originally formed by France, Germany, Spain, and other investors. Rising demand for Airbus planes have propelled the European company past Boeing to become the largest commercial airplane manufacturer in the world. In 2010, Airbus was awarded more jetliner contracts than its American competitor. It appears the trend will continue this year, with Airbus securing a massive deal with IndiGo, the third-largest airline in India. It is the largest commercial aircraft sale in history.

5. Coal Production

Position: 2nd

Leader: China, with 3.3 billion short tons produced in 2009

U.S.: 1 billion short tons

America is no longer the world's largest manufacturing economy nor is it the largest consumer of energy for manufacturing purposes. Coal production in America is now a distant second to China. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. produced just over a billion short tons of coal in 2009. China produced more than three times that amount — 3.3 billion — because of the exponential growth of the Chinese energy infrastructure in the last decade. Since 2005, American coal production has decreased slightly, while Chinese production has increased 34%. The two countries account for more than half of the world's total coal production.

6. Lettuce Production

Position: 2nd

Leader: China, with 12.9 million metric tons

U.S.: 4.1 million metric tons

The population of China at 1.3 billion is more than four times that of the United States. Food consumption is obviously significantly higher as well. Partially because of large federal subsidies, the United States remains #1 in corn and soybean production. Chinese demand has caused domestic production of many crops to move well ahead of that of the U.S. For example, Chinese lettuce production was nearly 13 million metric tons in 2009, while U.S. production was closer to 4 million, according to the United Nations.

7. Oil Production

Position: 3rd

Leader: Russia, with 9.7 million barrels produced each day.

U.S.: 9 million barrels produced each day

The United States produces the third most oil per day, at just over nine million barrels. The two leaders are Russia, at 10 million barrels per day, and Saudi Arabia, at 9.7 million barrels per day. Despite its current position in production, the U.S. is only 14th in proved reserves, with 19 billion barrels available relative to Saudi Arabia's 264 billion barrels. The U.S. is now the second-largest importer of crude and continued to deplete its reserves to try to be less dependent on foreign crude.

8. Rice Production

Position: 11th

Leader: China, with 166 million metric tons produced between 2009 and 2010

U.S.: 6.9 million metric tons

U.S. rice production is not even in the top 10 compared to the rest of the world, and accounts for just over 1% of the world's total. Because of reduced demand, this country is actually the third leading rice exporter with 18% of the world market. About 20% of U.S. rice production is exported. China produces 20 times more rice than the U.S.

9. Wind Energy Generated

Position: 2nd

Leader: China, with 42 gigawatts generated in 2010

U.S.: 40 gigawatts in 2010

While some chastise the United States for failure to implement alternative energy sources and complain about our dependence on fossil fuels, the country is nevertheless, for the moment, leading the globe in alternative energy capacity. According to a recent Pew study, the U.S. beat out China's total alternative energy capacity in 2009, 53.4 gigawatts to 52.5 gigawatts. China's renewable energy infrastructure has increased, however, and might have surpassed the U.S. in 2010. What is certain is that China beat out the U.S. in wind generation. In 2010, American wind energy capacity was at 40 gigawatts, while Chinese generation was nearly 42 gigawatts.

10. Pork Production

Position: 2nd

Leader: China, with 51.5 million metric tons produced in 2010

U.S.: 10.2 million metric tons produced in 2010

The United States leads the world in production for most of the agricultural commodities and has the strongest demand for them as well. For example, the U.S. continues to produce the most beef and veal, beating out Brazil and China in consumption as well. However, pork demand in the United States, while the second-greatest in the world, is less than a fifth of that in China. Chinese farms produced 51.5 million metric tons of pork last year, compared to 10.2 million in the U.S.

Of course we all know America has been hurting for a few years but this is nothing new for us. I think the thing we really have to look at is who might be our next big competitor; Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela? Jut remember 20 years ago China was not even on our minds, Russia yes, China no. So we may laugh at a 3rd world country today, but tomorrow we may be kissing their ass because they bought a significant portion of our debt. Digit Down in disappointment.