Ronnie Lee Gardner, sentenced to death row in 1985 is just hours away from execution by way of a 5 man firing squad. Yes, you heard right, firing squad. The execution is scheduled for 2:00AM Friday if he does not win his stay of execution. He will be one of only 3 to die by firing squad, all in Utah.
Here's a little background on the case... As a child, Gardner was the victim of poverty, abuse and neglect. In 1984 he was convicted of killing Melvyn Otterstorm at a bar in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1985, while at a pretrial hearing in the murder of Otterstorm, he was slipped a gun and fatally shot attorney, Michael Burdell. In 1976, Utah restored the death penalty. In 2004, Utah changed their way of execution to lethal injection however, Gardner was one that was grandfathered in to die by firing squad.
So, what's your opinion? Is this way of execution inhumane or is it justified? Are you for or against capital punishment and if you're for it does it matter how you're put to death?
Part of Gardner's defense is that the jurors did not get to hear his recollections of his childhood and therefore they may have made a different decision. Should it matter what his childhood was? Isn't there a right and a wrong and shouldn't we as sane people know the difference?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
THE GIRL CAN SING!!
Alice Tan Ridley, mother of Oscar Nominee, Gabourey Sidibe sings her butt off on America's Got Talent. How did she go this long without being discovered?
Alice performs "At Last" on AGT
Alice performs "Midnight Train To Georgia"
Alice performs "What's Love Got To Do With It"
Alice performs "At Last" on AGT
Alice performs "Midnight Train To Georgia"
Alice performs "What's Love Got To Do With It"
Decked for Jaywalking...
Does a teenage girl, who's caught jaywalking in the streets of Seattle deserve to be punched in the face? That is the question!
I look at the this video and don't know how I feel about it. I'm not going to say it's justified in any way as a police officer should have more restraint than to let a jaywalking incident escalate to this. However, once it did escalate, I'm at a loss for where I stand. I wish the video would have been shot a few minutes prior to see how the girls ended up at the police car in the first place. Did the police officer start using his authority to push the girls to a breaking point, or did the girls push the officer to his breaking point. We all know that you aren't supposed to resist arrest, or you will be faced with stronger force on the officers part. On top of that, this officer has 2 girls screaming, wailing and grabbing at him along with several bystanders screaming and hollering at him too.
What should have happened? How should this have been handled? If this were a male, would the reaction have been the same as what we feel for this young girl? Does it make a difference that both teenagers have criminal records already? Does that play any part in what could have happened prior to when we see the two girls at the police officers car? So may questions... it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Surprisingly, for once I can actually say I wont be judging either side until I hear all the details leading up to the video. What are your thoughts?
I look at the this video and don't know how I feel about it. I'm not going to say it's justified in any way as a police officer should have more restraint than to let a jaywalking incident escalate to this. However, once it did escalate, I'm at a loss for where I stand. I wish the video would have been shot a few minutes prior to see how the girls ended up at the police car in the first place. Did the police officer start using his authority to push the girls to a breaking point, or did the girls push the officer to his breaking point. We all know that you aren't supposed to resist arrest, or you will be faced with stronger force on the officers part. On top of that, this officer has 2 girls screaming, wailing and grabbing at him along with several bystanders screaming and hollering at him too.
What should have happened? How should this have been handled? If this were a male, would the reaction have been the same as what we feel for this young girl? Does it make a difference that both teenagers have criminal records already? Does that play any part in what could have happened prior to when we see the two girls at the police officers car? So may questions... it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Surprisingly, for once I can actually say I wont be judging either side until I hear all the details leading up to the video. What are your thoughts?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
9 Year Old's PINK Mobile Dance Studio
LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!! This is the best idea and it came from a 9 year old. So entrepreneurial at such a young age. Can't wait to see what she becomes! Way to go Amiya Alexander!
Friday, June 4, 2010
"You Will Never Stand Taller Than When You Stoop To Help A Child" - Dr. Phil
I was in Target the other day with Laura and as we were in line to check out, there was a mother with 4 of her children at the end of the aisle. This mother was being so loud and so disrespectful to one of her youngest sons. You could tell he was so beaten up inside about whatever it was he did, but she continued to badger and intimidate him in front of everyone. I felt so sorry for him and now I'm kicking myself for not saying something to the mother. You could tell she was just doing this to get a reaction out of the people shopping in the store more so than she was trying to teach her son a lesson. She liked being seen as the person standing tall over her child yelling and pointing her finger in his poor little face.
After leaving the store, Dr. Phil's quote ("You'll Never Stand Taller Than When You Stoop To Help A Child") popped into my head. I'm all for lessons and correcting a child when they have done something wrong. However, do we always have to do it by standing tall over them and watching them cringe with fear as we yell at them? I looked at this poor kid and thought to myself, this mother will never earn the respect of her child unless she learns to respect them first. I'm not saying kids shouldn't be disciplined or corrected, but shouldn't their be a mutual level of respect between one another? Isn't that how they learn respect in the first place?
After leaving the store, Dr. Phil's quote ("You'll Never Stand Taller Than When You Stoop To Help A Child") popped into my head. I'm all for lessons and correcting a child when they have done something wrong. However, do we always have to do it by standing tall over them and watching them cringe with fear as we yell at them? I looked at this poor kid and thought to myself, this mother will never earn the respect of her child unless she learns to respect them first. I'm not saying kids shouldn't be disciplined or corrected, but shouldn't their be a mutual level of respect between one another? Isn't that how they learn respect in the first place?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)