Grim Milestone Alert

From the Beeb:

Texas has carried out its 400th execution since the US Supreme Court reintroduced the death penalty in 1976.

Johnny Ray Conner, 32, was put to death by lethal injection for the 1998 fatal shooting of a grocery store clerk.

Conner was pronounced dead at 1820 (2320 GMT), eight minutes after the lethal mix of drugs was injected.

Earlier this week, the EU urged Texas to end the “cruel and inhumane” practice. Texas’s governor said it was a “just and appropriate” punishment.

For years, Conner maintained his innocence. But, last evening, he received justice. He used his last words to ask for forgiveness, and express his love for his victim’s family.

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Mid-week Open

This image provided by NASA Tuesday Aug. 21, 2007 shows the International Space Station backdropped by a colorful Earth as it moves away from Space Shuttle Endeavour. Earlier the STS-118 and Expedition 15 crews concluded nearly nine days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 6:56 a.m. (CDT) on Aug. 19, 2007.
AP Photo and story

This is the Mid-week open thread: A Free Speech Zone
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Journey to America

John E. Carey sends this wonderful essay from guest writer Kamala Sarup

America is a great country. This country has given million of people the right to live on its land. People from all over the world are coming to the U.S for hope, and this country has given them the opportunity to work hard and make their own destiny.

I have no words for just how impressed I am with America’s greatness. America has given me the chance to write many many articles and made me a very strong woman.

Now I believe, my work and writings and what I do for mankind is important.

Today I can proudly say that even in this crisis situation in the world, I promoted a positive image of the world. Born in a small village to a middle class family in Nepal, I went from village to village to get my schooling. I worked and studied very hard to make myself a success.

So, it is my duty to protect American values and freedom in writing those articles. This is the only way I can give something back to America, something that will be charged with respect and humanism.My Journey to AmericaThis is my feelings for American values. Everyday I feel like happy and going somewhere far away with my dreams and emotional memories.

READ IT ALL

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Shake-down Jessie does Britain

The shake-down artist is at it again. This time in Britain….

US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has called on Britain to apologise and make reparations for its role in the slave trade.

During a visit to Bristol, the Rev Jackson, 65, said he was disappointed that British cities had not apologised.

Speaking at the Empire and Commonwealth Museum, the Rev Jackson said: “There must be some place to apologise for the wrong in a moral sense.”

Bristol has never formally apologised for its links to slavery. source

His request for an inter-generational apology that transcends the centuries is about as meaningful as teats on a boar. This is about a money shake-down, pure and simple.

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