The Loveshade Family Blog

"The federal appeals court in Atlanta on Friday halted Troy Anthony Davis’ execution, the third time his life has been spared shortly before he was to be put to death."

To see the article on Troy Davis, go to http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/stories/2008/10/24/troy_davis_stay.html

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We just learned some people have been problems posting comments during the last few days.  We're working on the problem and hope to have it fixed soon.  If you have a problem, please let us know.

You might want to visit http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/

To see all of our blog entries dealing with Troy Davis, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=troy+anthony+davis

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

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This is hard for us to believe and hard to write.  The U. S. Supreme Court has refused to review the Troy Anthony Davis case.  Davis was convicted of killing a police officer who was shot 17 years ago, and sentenced for execution.

This is in spite of there being no physical evidence; witnesses recanting their testimony, some saying they were coerced by the police; Troy Davis continuing to assert his innocence; one of the two remaining witnesses being a suspect in the killing; a national and international effort to get the case reviewed; and the fact the Supreme Court put a stay on Davis' execution--it's rare for the court to do that and then not review a case.

Many people, including some prominent law enforcement officials, beliewe that what little evidence remains would not be enough to convict Davis.  In fact some law enforcement experts have said they believe he's innocent.

He's scheduled to be executed on Oct. 27, 2008.

See articles at  http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/102917/supreme_court_rejects_troy_davis_case%2C_gives_green_light_for_his_execution/ and http://www.alternet.org/rights/102930/amnesty_int'l:_supreme_court_refusal_to_hear_troy_davis_case_%22truly_shocking%22/

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You might want to visit http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/

To see all of our blog entries dealing with Troy Davis, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=troy+anthony+davis

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

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The U. S. Supreme Court plans to meet in private to discuss the case of Troy Anthony Davis.  Davis was convicted of murdering a police officer largely on the basis of the testimony of nine witnesses, seven of which recanted with one of the remaining two named as the possible murderer.

Davis was convicted of fatally shooting Mark Allen MacPhail, a 27-year-old officer killed on August 19, 1989.  The court said it would meet on Friday to discuss the case, but hasn't said when it will make a decision on whether or not to reconsider it.

For more details, see http://www.ajc.com/traffic/content/metro/stories/2008/10/06/troy_davis_appeal.html.

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You might want to visit http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/

To see all of our blog entries dealing with Troy Davis, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=troy+anthony+davis

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

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We won't repeat what we've already posted (see the link at the very bottom to see our earlier blogs on this topic).  But the U. S. Supreme Court is scheduled to announce a decision on the Troy Antony Davis case on October 6.

We're hoping for a new trial for the man who was convicted of murder on evidence that later proved to be very questionable.

You might want to visit http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/ and see more about the current situation at http://www.ajc.com/mero/content/metro/stories/2008/09/29/troy_davis_case.html

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To see all of our blog entries dealing with Troy Davis, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=troy+anthony+davis

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

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In a bizarre twist, the U. S. Supreme Court was scheduled to look at the case of Troy Anthony Davis on September 29, 2008.  But the state of Georgia insisted on killing Troy Davis on September 23, 2008.  After 17 years, they didn't want to wait six days even if it meant an innocent man might be saved from death.

Fortunately, the emails, protests, etc. that we and many, many others were behind helped.  The Supreme Court gave Troy Davis a stay of execution just two hours before his scheduled demise.

For those who think you can't make a difference, you can.  Without the support, Davis likely would have been killed by the state a year ago.

Whatever finally results in this case, it's another example of a fundamental problem with execution: if you kill an innocent man, you can't take it back.

Learn more about the stay at http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/death-penalty/22892/supreme-court-stay-granted-for-troy-anthony-davis-2-hours-before-georgia-execution/

Or visit http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/

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To see all of our blog entries dealing with Troy Anthony Davis, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=troy+anthony+davis

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 01:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

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Troy Anthony Davis, a quite possibly innocent man convicted of killing a cop, is sentenced to die in Georgia on Tuesday, September 23, 2008.  After his conviction, seven of the nine main witnesses against him changed their testimony, some saying they were pressured into testifying against him by the police.  One of the two remaining witnesses has been identified by several people as the actual killer.  There is no physical evidence linking Davis to the killing, the murder weapon hasn't been found, and Davis still asserts his innocence.

But because of changes made in the law, it's extremely difficult for a man wrongly convicted to get new evidence heard in the court.  And with the death penalty, a mistake, a horrible mistake, is irreversible.

There's one last chance for Troy Davis--the ACLU and other organizations have an effort to get the execution commuted or stayed.  You can help by emailing the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles at https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=906&page=UserAction&s_src=acluonline_919908&JServSessionIdr001=fmuaepz1j2.app23a  

You can read more at http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2008/09/12/davis_denied_clemency.html

You may also want to do a search for the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, which makes it much more difficult for a wrongly convicted person to receive justice.

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To see all of our blog entries dealing with Troy Anthony Davis, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=troy+anthony+davis

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

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Posted by The Loveshade Family at 01:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

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Troy Anthony Davis is scheduled to be executed in Georgia on Tuesday, Sept. 23.  He was convicted of killing a cop on the testimony of nine witnesses with no physical evidence.  Davis says he's innocent, and seven of the nine witnesses have since recanted their testimony.  Some said they were pushed to testify by the police; some said they believe one of the two remaining witnesses who still blames Davis actually did the killing.

So why hasn't Troy Davis simply gotten a new trial?  It's because of a misguided 1996 Newt Gingrich era law that makes it much more difficult for a person convicted of a capital crime to appeal.  Because of that law, evidence in Davis' support can't even be seen by the court.

But it will be seen on Friday, Sept. 12, by the Georgia Department of Pardons and Paroles.  The department will decide if Troy Anthony Davis should be executed.

We aren't asking anyone to write the Georgia Department of Pardons and Paroles to declare Davis innocent.  We're simply asking that you ask them to truly consider the evidence.  It's quite easy.  Simply click on the link to the ACLU, which has provided an easy-to-use online form.  If at all possible, please do this by Friday, Sept. 12.  But even if it's after that date, please still do it.

Act now to demand justice and stop the execution of Troy Anthony Davis.

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To see all blog entries dealing with Troy Anthony Davis, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=troy+anthony+davis

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

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"GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - The Yemeni man convicted at the first Guantanamo war crimes trial will be eligible for release in less than five months after receiving a light sentence from a jury made up of U.S. military officers.

The victory for Salim Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden, was a rebuke to military prosecutors who portrayed him as a hardened al-Qaida warrior and sought a sentence of 30 years to life in prison."

Rightly or wrongly, "Guantanamo Bay" has become synonymous with prisoner abuse and humiliation.  The Bush Administration backs ill treatment and even torture (see http://loveshade.org/blog/2008/03/waterboarding_president_bush_f.html) of people who are legally innocent.  This decision, that Hamdan got a 5 1/2 sentence after already serving over five years, must be a blow to the administration.

We can hope, as the American Political climate is headed for major changes, that the illusive and sometimes illusionary concept called "justice" can move beyond revenge and torturing the legally innocent.  We hope.

See the article by Mike Melia, Associated Press writer, at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/guantanamo_bin_laden_s_driver

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

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(Alden Loveshade is a freelance writer who became involved in a political protest while vacationing in Boulder, Colorado, some time before JonBenét Ramsey (sometimes spelled JonBenet Ramsey) was reported missing.  Alden has been following the Ramsey case ever since.)

Yes, the story about the parents of JonBenét Ramsey being cleared--again--came out a few days ago.  This time, it was "touch" evidence, DNA that was left on the girl's panties that didn't fit anyone in the family.  Sadly, mother Patsy Ramsey didn't live to see this, but her husband John and much of the rest of the family did--after living under the horror of suspicion for almost 12 years.

So why am I writing about it now and not a few days ago?

 I hesitated doing an entry at all, as I largely said what I wanted to say in a previous post (http://loveshade.org/blog/2006/08/jon_benet_ramsey_murder_case_h.html)

The reason I posted is this:

Continue reading "JonBenét Ramsey Parents Cleared--Again. Who's Next?" »

Posted by Alden Loveshade at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (31) | TrackBacks (0)

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Hey, everyone,

As an artist myself, I fully understand the need to protect copyrights. They're really the only way that a small free-lancer like myself could survive.

But the Viacom suit against Google/YouTube sounds pretty scary. I'm not sure Viacom really has the privacy of users in mind considering that a while back a bunch of Napster users got slapped with hefty bills or face lawsuits.

And we've already seen that privacy in this country for the past seven years has been badly eroded in favor of the bottom line.

And that privacy has been getting stripped away for much longer than that.

As for copyrights, Viacom, owner of MTV and VH1, has even gone so far as to grab the rights to videos that were made years and even decades before MTV was even a germ of an idea.

So be careful if you go to YouTube, okay?

Unless you're one of those folks who knows how to remain anonymous on the Web (which I'm not.)

See more at http://news.yahoo.com/s/cnet/20080703/tc_cnet/830110784399835117 and http://www.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUSWEN535120070313

Posted by Danacasso at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (28) | TrackBacks (0)

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I heard from Lorien that same-sex couples can now get legally married in California.  I knew the California Supreme Court had ruled that restricting marriage to the opposite sex was unconstitutional on the state level on May 15, but it took until 5:01 p.m. today (June 16) for that decision to stand.  (for a discussion of the May 15 decision, see http://loveshade.org/blog/2008/05/california_may_accept_marriage.html)

California is the second state to do this, and several couples have gotten married there already.

Of course there's protests, calls for changing the law, etc.  There's a California measure coming up for vote in a few months that would specifically ban same-sex marriage.  And because U. S. states recognize marriage as defined by other U. S. states, it puts anti-gay-marriage states in something of a bind.  This will probably beef up the idea of amending the U. S. Constitution to a "one-man, one-woman" marriage amendment.  My friend Alden claims that marriage in the U. S. has never been controlled by the federal government, and this would put even more power in the hands of big wigs in Washington.

So what think?  Should same-sex marriage be legal?  Should the federal government be able to control marriage?  For that matter, should the state government be able to control marriage?  And what about governments of other countries?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080617/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage

(members of The Loveshade Family contributed to this report)

Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 06:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBacks (0)

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Thankfully, the Texas Supreme Court has crawled out of its Dark Ages hole for a moment to decide that ripping children away from their loving parents may not be a great idea. For a brief moment, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is seeing a brief ray of hope that America may actually, occasionally, value freedom of religion.

Now even Child Protective Services (motto: "We can take children away from anybody") has agreed to actually follow the law for once, and are giving the children back. There's nothing in the agreement that says fathers have to stay away, although the parents are required to take parenting classes (which we think every high schooler should take). But, perhaps worst of all, they have to stay in Texas.

This whole case raises several issues. First, why is polygamy illegal? It's supported in Christian, Jewish and Islamic tradition (try actually reading the Bible and Torah and the Qur’an). And why do the headlines continually speak of the "polygamist group?" That's one part of their belief system, not the defining part. Why don't we called Baptists the "monogamist group?"

Second, why do we insist people aren't adults until they turn 18? Is there some adulthood fairy who magically transforms them at midnight? Consider that Muhammad, father of Islam, had a 12-year-old wife, and Joseph, who early Christian writers said was about 60, married Mary when she was somewhere between 12 and 16. Nowhere does Christian or Jewish scripture specify an age for adulthood or a minimum age for marriage.

People are also upset by arranged marriages. This was the standard in Christian, Jewish, Islamic and many Eastern traditions for millennia. The marriage success rate was generally very high, with families getting together who had similar religious and economic backgrounds.

Am I saying I personally agree with everything this church teaches and practices?  Am I ready to join?  No.  Even though, had all the restrictions that CPS and the American Government want to apply been followed several years ago, I would never have been born.  Of course, that would have made some of you very happy.

What I am asking is this: Where does America get off persecuting people for practicing their religion and loving each other?

See story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080530/ap_on_re_us/polygamist_retreat

Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (22) | TrackBacks (0)

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"A group of up to 300 young men have burned to death 11 people suspected of being witches and wizards in western Kenya — in some cases slitting their victims' throats or clubbing them to death before burning their bodies, officials said."

We like to think that burning, hanging, killing people suspected of being witches is over.  Obviously, it isn't.

Police have little hope of solving the crimes, as villagers have refused to identify who did it.

To read the article from the Associated Press, visit http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/21/africa/AF-GEN-Kenya-Burning.php

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 05:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

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Marriage has always been the state-recognized union of one man and one woman.  Or such is the assumption some would have us make, even though a look through Christian, Jewish and Muslim scripture would show otherwise.

Now the California Supreme Court has challenged that assumption.  A case was fought on behalf of 14 same-sex couples and by Equality California and our Family Coalition.  They had legal help from several individuals and groups including the ACLU and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

The result? The court overturned California's ban on same-sex marriage.  Because this case applied to state and not federal law, it can't be appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court.

Where will it go from here?  As Bob Dylan sang, "the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind."  And as Dylan also sang, "the times they are a changin'."

To learn more, go to http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/relationships/12141res20050314.html

(Lorien Loveshade contributed to this).

Posted by Alden Loveshade at 05:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

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Mandi Hamlin was handed a pair of pliers and told to remove her nipple rings before boarding a plane, according to attorney Gloria Allred.  In a news conference on 27 March 2008, Allred said Hamlin was forced by the Transportation Security Administration on 24 February 2008 in Texas.  (For those who don't know, Texas is a part of the United States, although some Texans insist it's the other way round.)

We didn't realize nipple rings posed such a threat.  We can't imagine any way you could hurt someone with nipple rings, unless you made them swallow.

But if nipple rings are such a threat, surely false teeth are.  You could bite someone with false teeth!  Maybe we should make every passenger remove anything that could be potentially dangerous before boarding a plane.

If nipple rings are dangerous, surely wedding rings are.  What about a watch?  A terrorist could use a watch band to strangle a child, or a little person.  And what about a false leg?  You know terrorists would willingly cut off their own leg so they could replace it with a false one, and then hit people over the head with it.

Come to think of it, if false teeth are dangerous, what about real ones?  Maybe everyone should be given a pair of pliers to pull out their real teeth, not to mention fingernails and toenails.  And it false legs are dangerous, what about real legs and arms?  And speaking of dangerous body parts, if we want to be certain a man can't rape a woman....

Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

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The title of this entry may be harsh, but waterboarding is torture according to counterterrorism specialist Malcolm Wrightson Nance.  Nance taught at the Navy's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school in California, so is an expert on interrogation and resisting it.  The technique was performed on Nance, who said, "It is an overwhelming experience that induces horror and triggers frantic survival instincts."  It is like drowning, meaning a subject "will say or do anything to make it stop, rendering the information they give nearly useless."

The White House announced that President George W. Bush plans to veto a bill outlawing its use by the CIA (American Central Intelligence Agency).  Strangely, while the CIA can use it the U. S. Military cannot.

According to a report by ABC News, "CIA officers who subjected themselves to the water boarding technique lasted an average of 14 seconds before caving in."  Nance and the officers are professionals who know they're just doing their job, not people who are in terror that they may actually be killed.  But pouring water into the nose and mouth to be inhaled into the lungs can be quite dangerous, and can do lasting psychological and even physical harm.  The two front-running Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have called it torture, as has Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Even ignoring the fact that America is supposedly a nation that believes you're innocent until proven guilty, there's a great deal of evidence that torture is not an effective interrogation method.  As Nance pointed out, someone being tortured may say anything to get it stopped.  As Americans, do we really believe in torturing legally innocent people in order to get information that's very likely bogus?

The Washington Post interview with Nance is at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/08/AR2007110802150.html, the ABC News article is at http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1322866 and the Associated Press article on Bush's threatened veto is at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080308/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_torture.

(Look for immediate updates by clicking below; later followups will likely be added as separate entries)

Continue reading "Waterboarding: President Bush Favors Torturing the Legally Innocent" »

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 03:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

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Shackling teens for 12 hours a day; physically and sexually abusing teen girls and teen boys; stripping teenage girls naked and forcing them to eat their own vomit: These are correction methods that have been investigated by various agencies, including the U. S. Department of Justice.  Now the Columbia Training School of Columbia, Mississippi, which has been the site of much of this controversy, is being shut down.

While many of the 13,000 claims of abuse for juvenile correction centers made in America from 2004 to 2007 are likely bogus, it's still a staggering number.  This is especially considering there were about 46,000 detainees in 2007.  Assuming the number of detainees and reports was more-or-less constant for those three years, that's about one report per ten teens per year.

But is the problem just with juveniles, or with the whole system?  The flawed mission of the adult correction system was perhaps intentionally pointed out by Ana Margarita Compain-Romero of the praised Missouri Department of Social Services.  "It's just a different approach that we take. It's a treatment approach.  In other states, they take a more punitive approach, more like corrections."

In other words, so-called adult correction isn't treatment, it's punishment.  But don't you treat something in order to correct it?

See the article "13,000 abuse claims in juvie centers" by Associated Press writer Holbrook Mohr at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080302/ap_on_re_us/juvenile_detention.

(Alden Loveshade contributed to this report)

Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 04:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

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"For the first time in U.S. history, more than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report documenting America's rank as the world's No. 1 incarcerator," wrote David Crary, AP National Writer.  Keep in mind that's the percentage currently incarcerated--it doesn't count all those who are on probation or parole, or those who used to be.

America is number one both by number and, perhaps more critically, percentage.  The 50 states spent a total of more than $49 billion on corrections last year.  With more and more money being spent on corrections, and more and more people being "corrected," we have to ask--is this working?

See the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080229/ap_on_re_us/prison_population

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

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Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

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Troy Anthony Davis, who was convicted of killing a police officer, is still waiting to learn whether he will live or die.

He was sentenced to death with a law in effect that makes it very difficult to get an appeal.  Most of the witnesses in his case have recanted their testimonies; there's no DNA evidence; there's no murder weapon.

The Georgia Supreme Court at least heard oral arguments requesting a new trial on November 13, 2007, but Davis is still waiting.  He has gotten support to get his case reconsidered from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, US Senator Carol Moseley, Jesse L. Jackson Jr., Pope Benedict and several others.

Will he be a victim of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996?  All too often in America, laws designed to get "bad guys" get innocent people as well. Is Davis innocent? We don't know. But we do believe he has the right to a fair trial. Some witnesses later said they were intimidated by police; one even said he was paid by the police to lie.

Learn more at http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/ or see our earlier blog entry at http://loveshade.org/blog/2007/07/will_georgia_kill_an_innocent.html

To see all blog entries dealing with Troy Anthony Davis, including the most current, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=troy+anthony+davis

Posted by Alden Loveshade at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

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Tragically, authorities have verified that the body found was that of Emily Sander.

 And yes, we know Emily posed nude with other women and in solo shots under the name Zoey Zane. She just turned 18 years old this year and apparently saw it as a way to gain publicity in order to futher her career.

We, or at least her friend Perlie the Pony Girl, knew about her posing before we posted our first entry about Emily here.  But at that point, it wasn't publicly known, which is why we didn't mention it.

We know that some people don't approve of nude or sexually-oriented modeling.  But whether you approve or not, please don't let that get in the way of your seeing the tragedy of the death of someone described by a friend, Perlie, as a friendly, sweet and very lovable young woman.

Look for more updates on this blog, or see previous entries for more details.

Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

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Tragically, authorities believe they've found the body of Emily Sander.  The body was found about 50 miles from El Dorado, Kansas, where Emily attended school and was last seen.

Police are still looking for Israel Mireles, 24.  Emily was apparently last seen leaving a bar with Israel, who is described as being 5 foot 6 inches and weighing 130 lbs.  He may be traveling with his apparently pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend Victoria Martens.  A car rented by Mireles was found in Vernon, Texas, and Mireles and Martens are believed to be heading to Mexico, if they haven't already arrived there.

In the photos, Emily Sander, 18, is to the left; Israel Mireles, 24, is at top right; and Victoria Martens, 16, is at bottom right.

Emily is--or, tragically, was--a friend of our own friend Perlie the Pony Girl.

If you have any information about Emily Sander, Israel Mireles or Victoria Martens that could apply to this case, please contact Detective Captain Justin Phillips at the El Dorado Police Department by calling (316) 321-9120 or faxing (316) 321-1456.  If you are uncomfortable contacting him by phone, you can email at jphillip @ eldoks.com (ignore the spaces in the email address--it's posted that way to reduce spam).

See another and possibly more current photo of Mireles at http://loveshade.org/blog/2007/11/please_help_us_find_missing_em.html

Look for updates in more current postings to this blog.

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

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Emily Sander, an 18-year-old student at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, is missing.  She was last seen  leaving a bar there with a man who may have been Israel Mireles, 24.  El Dorado is about 30 miles from Wichita.

Sander's car was found at the bar. Mireles was driving a grey or green Ford Taurus rental car with the license plate XUJ 487. He and his 16-year-old pregnant girlfriend Victoria Martens may be traveling to Texas or Mexico as Mireles has family and friends in those areas.

Emily is a friend of our own Perlie the Pony Girl, and we are very concerned about her.  She is 5 foot 3 inches tall, weights 105 lbs., has blue eyes, long brown hair, tattoos and body piercings.  She was last seen wearing low-rider jeans, a "Don't Mess with Texas" T-shirt, and skateboard-style tennis shoes.  Mireles is described as being about 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighing 130 lbs.

Police are looking for a white bedspread with a floral design that may be a clue. Unfortunately, foul play is suspected.

If you have any information about Emily Sander or Israel Mireles that could apply to this investigation, please contact Detective Captain Justin Phillips at the El Dorado Police Department by calling (316) 321-9120 or faxing (316) 321-1456.  If you are uncomfortable contacting him by phone, you can email at jphillip @ eldoks.com (ignore the spaces in the email address--it's posted that way to reduce spam).

A recent photo of Israel Mireles is to the right.

Look for updated postings on this blog as this case continues.

Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 05:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

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The Holy Bible says nothing against polygamy--in fact, many of the greatest spiritual leaders and men of God were polygamists.  Even King David, the man after God's own heart in Christian and Jewish faith, practiced it.

Warren Jeffs, head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, promoted it.  And was sentenced to two consecutive five-year to life sentences as a result.  This in the United States of America, which prides itself on following biblical principles.

The Holy Bible also doesn't give a minimum age for consenting to have sex.  And many United States laws insist that the older partner in a sexual encounter is automatically the perpetrator--if the "victim" is under the legal age of consent.

But now, an 8-year-old and two 9-year-old boys are charged with the rape of an 11-year-old girl.  Was this preteen rape by preteen rapists?  If all the participants were 7 years older, a 15-year-old boy and two 16-year-old boys with an 18-year-old female, she might be the suspect.   Certainly she would be, if "she" were the "he."

So why do so many American laws claim that it's impossible for a 13-year-old to consent to sex, when they claim some preteens, or even pre-tens, can not only consent, but force it on another?

In both these cases, America might want to question its current version of reality.

See the polygamy story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071120/ap_on_re_us/polygamist_leader and the preteen sex story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071120/ap_on_re_us/boys_rape;_ylt=Aj3SaSuhfmz37xFV8fkOfI5H2ocA

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"A judge who ordered a woman to drop her pants and decided a custody dispute by flipping a coin was removed from the bench by the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday."  This is from an Associated Press article by Larry O'Dell about Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge James Michael Shull of Gate City.

I have to ask, why?  Not why did the judge do this, but why did that get him removed?  Flipping a coin gives the judge at least a 50 percent chance of making a good decision.  And from what we've seen of the U. S. Court, that's unusually good odds.

And as for having the woman drop her pants in court...why stop there?  In court, aren't you supposed to reveal the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?  What are clothes but a deception--outfits covering scars and tattoos, bras remolding breasts, waistbands hiding bellies, etc.  Why don't they make everybody in court drop their pants, and everything else?  If nothing else, it would make being in court more fun.

Read the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071102/ap_on_re_us/judge_removed  (Hopefully the AP won't sue us for encouraging people to read their work).  Article pointed out to us by Danacasso.

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Many teenagers may be shocked to learn that the intimacy that they and many of their classmates share could land them in prison.  In fact, the senior who's dating a junior could be in danger of becoming a lifetime registered sex offender, and considered a sexual predator of children.

One of our family personally knows of a 16-year-old male who had a 14-year-old girlfriend.  That was legal in the state of Texas, and he was known for being gentle and caring.  But as soon as he turned 17, he was arrested and was considered a sexual predator and a child molester for being intimate with her.  The actual difference in their ages hadn't changed, but his birthday made all the difference.

Genarlow Wilson was convicted and sentenced to serve 10 years in prison by the state of Georgia.  His crime?  As a 17-year-old, he engaged in consensual oral sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend.  He served for almost three years before the state supreme court released him--barely.

Learn more about these laws, which 19-year-old teenager Lorien Loveshade calls "laws against love," at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071030/ap_on_re_us/teen_sex_laws

Learn more about Wilson at http://loveshade.org/blog/2007/10/man_released_after_imprisonmen.html

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 06:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

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Should a 17-year-old teenager get 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend? The state of Georgia said yes; but now, after two years, the court said no. But just barely.

The court ruled 4-3 that Genarlow Wilson was subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. His conviction was ordered to be reversed, and he has been released. But this is after he paid two years of his young life for "aggravated child molestation."

This is another example of the absurdity of so many U. S. laws. How many people reading this engaged in consensual sexual activity with another teenager where the age difference was two years or greater?

They've finally released a man who, in my opinion, should never have been imprisoned for something that, in my opinion, should not be a crime. The act has been reduced in Georgia to a misdemeanor, but still leaves the question: should this be illegal?

In a religious state that believes in maintaining strict control over its citizens in support of that society's official religion, perhaps yes, for them. In a totalitarian state that forces strict controls over its citizens, it might be bad for the people, but is at least consistent with the government of the country. But in a nation like the United States that supposedly is in favor of personal freedom?

See the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071026/ap_on_re_us/teen_sex_case

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