One last chance

Back in April I posted about Troy Davis. See the post here.

Well it’s great news, the US Supreme Court has now ordered an evidentiary hearing for Davis.

Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail was murdered in 1991 and Davis was convicted of the crime though the authorities failed to produce any physical evidence or a murder weapon. Seven of the nine witnesses have now changed their initial testimonies and one of the remaining witnesses might even be the actual murderer.

See the full story here on the Amnesty International website. Thanks to everyone who voiced their concern that justice may not have been done and that Davis is owed at least the chance to be heard.

  Photo: Amnesty International solidarity for Troy Davis

Selfish

Britains oldest mother-to-be dismisses concerns about her age. "It's not my physical age that's important - it's how I feel inside," she said. 

Yeah, right!

The London Telegraph reported yesterday that 66 year old  divorcee Elizabeth Adeney of Suffolk is 8 months pregnant with her first child conceived via IVF treatment administered in the Ukraine.

Mrs Adeney, a wealthy businesswoman, is said to have been "desperate" for a baby, and was "over the moon" when she discovered that she had fallen pregnant.She’ll be 67 by the time the baby comes along and if she’s still alive, she’ll be 80 when the child turns 13.

Selfish cow.

She has considered only her own wants, not that of the young child she’s likely to leave an orphan at around the age of 10. Emotional scarring practically guaranteed.

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Global Day of Action

Join Amnesty International and death penalty opponents all over the world in supporting the Global Day of Action for Troy Davis today (May 19th). Go to the US Amnesty International website for information and to find out what you can do to help.

Check out my post of April 30 for more information.

Solicitation

I don’t know about where you live dear reader, but here In New Zealand it’s perfectly legal to ‘cold’ call private residential land lines and tout for work or solicit charitable donations.

Then, to add insult to injury, if you’re silly enough to agree to donate to a particular charity in this way, you run the very real risk of having your details on sold to other charities.

It has reached the point now where 6 to 8 calls to my fixed line every single week are from various charities looking for support. I would be bankrupt if I made even a small donation at every request but, to my immense frustration, I am a salesperson’s dream – I just can’t say no. I just can’t. The sales pitch works on me because I can’t stand to see anyone go without whether it be new toys for the local kids hospital or accommodation for families of kids with kidney problems through to funding for our local rescue helicopter. I just can’t say no.

My solution is to stop answering the phone.

I haven’t answered my home phone for months without screening first. Rory is well trained – he can pick a cold caller from a thousand yards and says I’m out.  They have to get tired of ringing at some stage. It’s a form of freakin’ terrorism when I can’t answer my own phone for risk of it costing me money.

Now don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe in supporting the charities of your choice. I do and I am more than happy to continue to do so each year.  I am a long term supporter and member of WSPA, Red Cross, Amnesty International, Greenpeace and a couple of other organisations that I believe maximise the use of every dollar I  donate.

I just don’t want to be stalked and hassled at every turn.

Now before you suggest I do the hang up thing or get brutal with them, I don’t blame the actual caller – they’re just trying to make a living. All I want is some sort of ‘no call’ register where I can get my name and phone number recorded and which says that I do not to be called on my home phone number. I understand that the UK has such a thing and I have written (repeatedly) to NZ’s privacy ombudsman about having this option available here. I will not be giving up any time soon as there does not seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel so far.

Is this a problem where you live?

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A big Quiet Life welcome to ‘simple life’: my 40th follower! Thanks for stopping by and joining the crew. Join in and let me know what you think.

Global Day of Action

Join Amnesty International and death penalty opponents all over the world in supporting the Global Day of Action for Troy Davis on May 19th.

Troy Davis has been on death row for 18 years in the state of Georgia. He may be guilty but he might not be.  Troy Davis faces execution for the murder of Police Officer Mark MacPhail in Georgia in 1989, despite a strong claim of innocence. In the last few years 7 out of the 9 witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony. One of the remaining 2 witnesses is the alternative suspect. There is a strong stench of police coercion in a number of the testimonies. No murder weapon was ever found and no physical evidence links Davis to the crime. None.

Go to the US Amnesty International website for information and to find out what you can do to help. We need to make sure that Troy Davis is given a fair hearing in line with the bare minimum of international standards around capital punishment. The death penalty is not remedial if we get it wrong.

If you are interested in knowing more about this case I attach a link to the article about the case of Troy Davis, called Where is the justice for me? Please read. It’s important.