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Michael Angelo Morales Watch: New San Quentin Death Chamber Under Construction
The Death Chamber at San Quentin Prison
Sacramento Bee: New death chamber under construction
Legislative officials were surprised to learn this week that the state is building a new death chamber at San Quentin State Prison as part of a response to a federal judge’s ruling that California’s lethal injection methods are unconstitutional, The Bee has learned.
Staff members with the California Legislative Analyst’s Office were made aware of the project during a visit to the prison on Tuesday, according to Dan Carson, director of the office’s criminal justice section.
The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not tell legislators the project had begun. LAO staffers were “surprised” to learn the construction had started, Carson said, adding the project is “very far along.”
Carson said paperwork indicates the price tag on the project is $399,000. Projects costing less than $400,000 can be paid for out of discretionary funds; legislators do not need to be notified of such projects.
“We are not making an assertion at this point that there was any violation of state rules,” Carson said.
In December, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel ruled San Quentin’s 69-year-old chamber was cramped and had inadequate lighting. Construction on a new chamber began last month and is expected to be completed in May, according to Lt. Eric Messick, a spokesman for the prison.
Fogel’s ruling came after a lawsuit brought on behalf of convicted killer Michael Angelo Morales, who sued the state in response to questions of whether inmates were awake during previous executions. Fogel eventually found seven cases in which inmates may not have been unconscious when they were injected with the drug that was to kill them.
Remember his victim, Terri Lynn Winchell?
Remember the MURDER? LOVE TRIANGLE GONE VICIOUS
Remember the NO JUSTICE INDEFINITE POSTPONEMENT OF EXECUTION?
In addition to the space concerns, Fogel determined four other problems with the state’s execution process: inconsistent and unreliable screening of execution team members; a lack of meaningful training and oversight of the execution team; inconsistent and unreliable record keeping; and improper mixing, preparation and administration of sodium thiopental, a barbiturate sedative.
A spokeswoman for the corrections department would not comment on the new chamber. Under a judge’s ruling, the state does not have to discuss its progress until May 15.
Kudos to the Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to address the court’s concerns and provide a better, humane death chamber for Michael Angelo Morales.
The $400 K dollars is money well spent for justice.
Stay tuned……
Previous:Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Execution Postponed INDEFINITELY
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Execution Tonight?
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Execution Delayed by Doctor Walk Out
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: United States Supreme Court Refuses to Halt Morales Execution
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Denies Clemency Petition
Michael Angelo Moreno Watch: State Agrees to Place Anesthesia Expert in Death Chamber
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Federal Judge May Delay Execution
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Ventura County Judge Asks California Governor Schwarzenegger for Clemency
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Kenneth Starr to Assist Death Row Clemency Bid
Technorati Tags: MichaelAngeloMorales,, ArnoldSchwarzenegger,, California,, KennethStarr,, TerriLynnWinchell,, LethalInjection
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Cox & Forkum: Bureau of Disinformation
Cox & Forkum: Bureau of Disinformation
AFP: Iran nuclear plant still in early stages: UN atomic chief
Iran is still in the early stages of creating a plant to enrich uranium, the chief of the UN atomic watchdog said on Thursday, adding that fears over its nuclear programme arose over what the uranium would be used for.
“Iran is still at an early stage of building a plant to enrich unranium… There is no fear caused by Iran’s uranium enrichment (in itself), but fears arise from the purpose of this enrichment,” the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters.
“Iran is pressing ahead with building the Natanz reactor to have 54,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium. Now it is still at the hundreds stage,” he said in what appeared to be a downplaying of Iran’s progress.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced this week that the Islamic republic’s controversial uranium enrichment work had reached an “industrial scale.”
But Russia, which is building Iran’s first nuclear power plant, as well as other nations have cast doubts on the accuracy of his statement. …
Uranium enrichment is the key sticking point in the standoff between Iran and the West, because as well as producing nuclear fuel the process in highly extended form can also make the fissile core for an atomic bomb.
Iran says its nuclear drive is solely aimed at generating energy and that it does not aspire to nuclear weapons.
Right.
The “NUCLEAR POINT OF NO RETURN” has been reached.
It will be up to Israel or the United States to either prevent Iran going forward to develop a nuclear bomb or surrender.
Related links as to Iran’s mal-intent in Iraq:
CNN: Iraqi insurgents being trained in Iran, U.S. says
US troops attacked by Iranian military last year (The Jerusalem Post, March 25, 2007)
Iran’s influence grows in Iraq, region (Chicago Tribune, March 7, 2007)
Iraqi extremists trained in Iran: US intelligence (AFP, February 28, 2007)Military: more evidence of Iran-made explosives (Seattle Times, February 27, 2007)
U.S.: Large Cache of Weapons Discovered in Iraq Traceable to Iran (AP via FOX News, February 26, 2007)
Iraqi insurgents using Austrian rifles from Iran (The Telegraph, February 13, 2007)
Iran involvement suspected in Karbala compound attack (CNN, January 31, 2007)
Donkeys harboring weapons stopped at Iran-Iraq border (Army Times, November 2, 2006)
Barbero: Iran training Shiite insurgents (AP via Army Times, August 24, 2006)
Casey cites Iran hand in attacks by Iraqi Shiites (The Washington Times, June 23, 2006)
Rumsfeld accuses Iran of troublemaking in Iraq (AP via Army Times, March 7, 2006)
EXCLUSIVE: Iraq Weapons — Made in Iran? (ABC News, March 6, 2006)
Rumsfeld: Iraq bombs ‘clearly from Iran’ (CNN, August 10, 2005)
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Technorati Tags: Cox&ForkumIran
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Giuliani Notes: FEC Quarterly Fundraising Report Conference Call
Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani smiles before walking to a news conference, Tuesday, April 10, 2007, at the Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala.
Flap was invited to a conference call to discuss the Giuliani campaign’s FEC First Quarter Fundraising results. Attending the call were Maria Comella, Deputy Communications Director; Mike Duhaime, Campaign Manger; Pat Oxford, National Chairman; Roy Bailey, National Finance Chairman.
Giuliani Campaign Announces First Quarter Financials
The NUTS:* Primary Election Cash on Hand: $10,814,834 (91%)
* General Election Cash on Hand $1,134,900 (9%)
* Total Cash on Hand: $11,949,734
* Total Receipts: $16,623,410 (includes $1,850,000 transferred from Friends of Giuliani)
* Total Raised in March: $11,482,486
* 28,000 Individual Contributors
* $1 Million raised through the internet
Analysis:
The number of individual contributors is low compared to the Democrats who number in the 100, 000’s and even Mitt Romney who earlier reported 33,000 . Is this necessarily bad or a portent for poor future fundraising?
Probably not.
Why?
Obviously, the campaign needed to raise cash and raise it quick to fund campaign infrastructure and hire staff. The low hanging fruit or folks that can write the $2,300 check (the maximun primary contribution) is any campaign’s first target.
Also, GOP Presidential campaigns have always relied on large institutional and business donors rather than the folks who send in their $10 and $20 checks.
Third, this campaign seems to be behind on internet solicitations where a good number of grass-roots small contributions are easy to harvest.
Prospects for the future are good for the Giuliani campaign. They have the cash on hand to now bolster the number of individual contributors and shore up their internet operations.
And they need to do this NOW.
Flap is impressed on their fiscal control and spending discipline. The burn-rate is good – which means their overhead is low. The campaign will need to save all of their resources for the expensive media campaign of Super-Duper Tuesday.
One intereting question durng the call came from the Des Moines Register: Would Giuliani committ reosurces to the Ames Iowa Straw Poll?
Mike Duhaime hedged on the answer and said they would be building their campaign organization in the state. So, Flap guesses the answer is: wait until second quarter fundraising occurs and see if the campaign can spend the money.
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Technorati Tags: RudyGiulian
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Day By Day by Chris Muir April 13, 2007