Dream One World shines a light on our path

"The best things Americans are doing around the world these days is not in dropping bombs from unmanned drones, but in helping school children in places like Uganda, Kenya, and the southern Sudan. Dream One World's current Uganda School Project is one of those. It deserves wide support."
- Pete McCloskey, Jr., 2011: Co-Founder of Earth Day, Former U.S. Congressman, Global Advisor for Dream One World

Readers, you need to see the absolutely gorgeous and cheery DREAM ONE WORLD newsletter just out for November thru December:

I'm only posting a few excerpts and photos here:

The Journey of Hope October 2011 trip to our school in Uganda and beyond was a HUGE success! (The Fantastic Four) Bill Pelke, Bill Babbitt, Charity Lee, and Randy Gardner traveled to visit our school as part of "Journey of Hope... From Violence to Healing," a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 of murder victim family members, death row family members, death row survivors, and other activists for peace and healing.

Each of the four has at least one family member that was murdered, yet they are committed to love, forgiveness, restorative justice, and ending the death penalty in America and throughout the world.

See an adorable video of that day, Facebook connection to 44 photos and JOURNEY OF HOPE VIDEO AT OUR SCHOOL! (Wait till you see the smiles of "our" kids!)

Most of the 150 children had never seen themselves on camera before - ADORABLE! We thank Bill Pelke, Bill Babbitt, Randy Gardner, Charity Lee, and our Assistant Manager of the project, Katongole Ronald, for sending us films and photographs so we could compile this short video.

(end of excerpt)

So, GO READ much more on this UPBEAT newsletter - what a labor of love! HERE

I (Connie on the blog) want to put in a little plug for Edward and his family as well...what commitment, what diligence! My husband and I have two adopted sons from Uganda - so since I met Edward on a Journey in Texas - got to see his resilience and faith close up over lots of miles - I still care deeply about his radiant life and vision, of course...and pray to find a way to do something to reach out during the coming year...

Many prayers for ongoing healing of the effects of the stroke and may you, your family and supporters all feel and receive lots of support in other ways during the coming year...if not sooner.

And as always, support THE JOURNEY -- all the folk mentioned in this post and others behind the scene. May each one know a sense of fulfillment like never before. What a beautiful committed family of love.

May each reader here also experience joy-filled, whole and holy days ahead.

Rais Bhuiyan - who tried to stop attacker's execution - is honored

Texas was the state where Bhuiyan was attacked.

He led hundreds of supporters throughout Texas.

His movement World Without Hate took off September 21, 2011 --
on World Peace Day -- the anniversary of the day when Buiyan
was shot after the effort to stop the execution of Mark Stroman
had been taken to England, Germany and Denmark. While the effort
failed, the World Without Hate movement is alive indeed.

After a number of other speaking engagements and events--
including a number in Texas, Washington, D.C., California,
North Carolina and Italy--California again honored him on December 11...

...The theme of the most recent event was “Awakening the American Spirit: Turning the Tide of Hate into Love.” It was the American Muslim Voices 2011 Peace Convention.

The convention was divided into two sessions. The first session comprised of two parallel events: Conversation with Muslim Scholars and Civil Rights Panel Discussion.

Khalid Saeed, the AMV National President, presented an overview about the AMV achievements since its establishment eight years.2011 AMV Convention KS-9C

He said: “We take pride and comfort in being recognized regionally and nationally as a Muslim peace building and community building organization. We have been active in support of human and immigrant rights; we are unique as a grassroots facilitator of interfaith/intercultural dialogue. The secret of our success is practicing Islam with our actions- not just words- in the main stream among our fellow Americans- responding first to each community’s needs, serving the whole community and nation from the part of us that is rooted in the universal values of love, peace, and justice given to us through Islam.”

He went on to say: AMV campaigns like, “Share the joy of Ramadan and Eid with your fellow Americans,” “Light the night for peace and friendship,”

Rais Bhuiyan, a featured speaker perhaps symbolized the theme of the convention. A victim of post-9/11 shooting spree, Bhuiyan forgave and tried to spare the life of the man who shot him and left him for dead. Rais Bhuiyan shared his courageous story of compassion, love and forgiveness. A white supremacist shot Rais and two other South Asians. The other two innocent victims of hate died while Rais survived. He was blinded in one eye and still carries 35 shotgun pellets embedded in his face.

Just 10 days after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Rais Bhuiyan was working at a gas station in Dallas when he was shot in the face by a man named Mark Stroman, an avowed white supremacist, who was on a shooting spree, targeting people who appeared to be Muslim or of Middle Eastern descent.

Stroman also shot and killed Waqar Hasan, a Pakistani immigrant in Dallas. Vasudev Patel, an Indian immigrant and gas station owner in Mesquite, TX, was Stroman’s third and final victim. Stroman admitted to the shootings.

The press labeled the murders Texas's first post 9/11 hate crime. Stroman himself claimed that “blinded by rage,” he killed to avenge the United States. The prosecution convinced the jury that robbery was his true motive, (even though he hadn’t taken money from his victims) and he was sentenced to death.

Bhuiyan had mounted an aggressive campaign to convince Texas authorities to commute Stroman's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He has asked the state board of pardons and paroles to make a positive recommendation for clemency to Gov. Rick Perry, and has asked Texas prison administrators for permission to meet face-to-face with Stroman for a victim-offender reconciliation process. After those efforts were met with no response from Texas officials, Bhuiyan filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing that his rights as a crime victim to meet with his attacker had been unjustly denied.

Bhuiyan’s efforts on behalf of Stroman were motivated by his Muslim faith. He says: The Koran teaches that those who forsake retribution and forgive those who have wronged them become closer to God...

READ more on American Muslim Voices home page by clicking on See AMV Peace Convention 2011 draws large crowd here and on the website World Without Hate here

Plz Keep These Links HANDY - Bookmark perhaps?

GO here

Also for December and perhaps into January?
NC Moratorium Against the Death Penalty (On the Racial Justice Act)
GO here The News on the NC RJA from the NC News & Observer

GO here

For Democracy In Action GO here

And for the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty HOME SITE GO to ncadp.org -- Where you will ALSO see End of Year Report from The Death Penalty Information Center and POLITICO's (sorta) hint at a prediction: Will 2012 be the end of the Death Penalty in USA?

NC Racial Justice Act Saved for Now (Be aware of January 8th)

Also GO here Keep those letters to the editor and other items OUT there in NC~

By Sam Favate (Law Blog on WSJ December 14-16 2011)

We’ve been following the story of whether North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act would stay alive – see here and here for recent Law Blog posts – and the story may have just come to an end.

Governor Bev Perdue vetoed a bill that would have essentially repealed 2009’s Racial Justice Act, which allows death row inmates to argue that racial bias played a role in their cases. The law was passed under a Democratic majority in the state legislature, but when Republicans took control after the 2010 elections, they set about to change the law.

The N.C. House voted to nullify it back in June, and the Senate followed at the end of last month. Perdue’s veto means the law will likely stay intact, as Republicans don’t have a veto-proof majority to override it, and the bill that would have changed the law only passed the House in June along party lines.

In a statement emailed to Law Blog, the ACLU said the veto “ensures that North Carolina will not tolerate discrimination in its capital punishment system,” according to Cassandra Stubbs, staff attorney with the ACLU Capital Punishment Project. The ACLU points out that North Carolina is one of 34 states with the death penalty and has the nation’s sixth largest death row. More than half of the state’s death row prisoners are black.


In a statement yesterday, Gov. Perdue said, “It is simply unacceptable for racial prejudice to play a role in the imposition of the death penalty in North Carolina.” Republicans complained the governor put “politics ahead of policy,” the News & Observer noted.

The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys said the veto “creates yet another de factor moratorium on the death penalty,” AP reports. As Law Blog pointed out, North Carolina hasn’t executed anyone since 2006, when execution methods were challenged as cruel and unusual. The 2009 Racial Justice Act has also been employed by many death row inmates. Anti-death penalty critics point out that state statistics show a per capita decrease of 25% in the murder rate from 2005 to 2010.

Lawmakers will have to return to Raleigh to consider an override by Jan. 8.

NC Gov. Bev Perdue Vetoes Bill to Repeal Racial Justice Act

8 minutes ago at time of posting:

North Carolina Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bev Purdue, center, gives a thumbs up sign as she arrives for a campaign stop at the cafeteria at the United House of Prayer in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

By GARY D. ROBERTSON 12/14/11 12:59 PM ET Associated Pres

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina's governor on Wednesday halted a Republican effort to dismantle a law that gives death row inmates a new way to use racial bias as an argument for appealing their sentences.

Gov. Beverly Perdue vetoed a bill that would have essentially repealed 2009's Racial Justice Act (RJA of NC), which was designed to address concerns that race has played a role in sentencing prisoners to death.

The law says a judge must reduce a death sentence to life in prison without parole if he determines race was a significant factor to impose the penalty. It creates a new kind of court hearing where prisoners can use statistics to make their case to a judge. North Carolina and Kentucky are the only states with laws like it.

The Democratic governor had signed the 2009 bill into law. In a statement Wednesday, she said that "it is simply unacceptable for racial prejudice to play a role in the imposition of the death penalty in North Carolina."

Prosecutors who pushed the repeal said the act is clogging the courts with new appeals and, in effect, halting capital punishment. Nearly all of the 158 prisoners currently on death row – both black and white inmates – have filed papers seeking relief under the Racial Justice Act.

Perdue's veto means she must call lawmakers back to Raleigh to consider an override by Jan. 8. Lawmakers it difficult to override the veto, especially in the House, where it passed in June along party lines. Republicans are a few votes shy of a veto-proof majority in the chamber.

"I am disappointed in yet another decision by Gov. Perdue to put politics ahead of principle," House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, said in a prepared statement. He said she's let down families of victims and prosecutors "who need every available resource to crack down on violent criminals."

Perdue rejected arguments from prosecutors that the 2009 law would allow some death-row inmates to be paroled after 20 years in prison if their crimes were committed before October 1994. She also said she supports capital punishment and is committed to keeping it "a viable punishment option in North Carolina in appropriate cases."

The governor's veto came two days after she met with relatives of murder victims. Some of those relatives asked her to keep the 2009 act on the books.

"We applaud her for understanding that racially-biased justice is not justice at all and for reaffirming that she values the lives and the safety of all citizens regardless of race," said a statement from Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation, a Washington-based group that opposes the death penalty.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina's governor on Wednesday halted a Republican effort to dismantle a law that gives death row inmates a new way to use racial bias as an argument for appealing their sentence...

Find more on this issue/original links/and related news On Huffington Post:
[N.C. Racial Justice Act ] GO here

N.C. Racial Justice Act Revised After State Senate Vote
North Carolina Governor Bev Purdue is a signature away from permanently changing the state's Racial Justice Act. On Nov. 28, the state Senate voted to...

N.C. Racial Justice Act Revised After State Senate Vote
[N.C. Racial Justice Act ]

N.C. Racial Justice Act Revised After State Senate Vote
North Carolina Governor Bev Purdue is a signature away from permanently changing the state's Racial Justice Act. On Nov. 28, the state Senate voted to...
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Around the Web:

Round Two for the Racial Justice Act? :: WRAL.com

The case for the Racial Justice Act - Other Views - NewsObserver.com

North Carolina Senate Rewrites Racial Justice Act; Gov Urged To ...

Perdue vetoes Racial Justice Act Repeal

NC Racial Justice Act Revised After State Senate Vote
Filed by Luke Johnson |


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Who knows, one of the most important influences may have been the unity and effort of the Families of Murder Victims who spoke to Gov. Perdue. See Below:

Families of murder victims urge NC governor to veto repeal of Racial Justice Act

Groups push Gov. Perdue on death sentence bill

Families of murder victims urge governor to veto repeal of Racial Justice Act
RALEIGH — An Asheville woman whose father was murdered will be in a group meeting with Gov. Bev Perdue today to urge her to veto a bill that guts a law allowing evidence of racism to be used in overturning death sentences.

The 2009 Racial Justice Act permits death row inmates and defendants facing the death penalty to use statistics and other evidence to show that racial bias played a significant role in either their sentence or in a prosecutor’s decision to pursue the death penalty.

The Republican-controlled General Assembly voted this year to repeal the law. Perdue, who has fewer than three weeks to decide whether to veto the measure, has invited critics and proponents to present their cases as she weighs her decision.
A group of family members of murder victims says it is meeting with the governor in response to lobbying by the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys in favor of repeal.
The group also plans to hold a news conference in Raleigh following its meeting with Perdue.

Asheville resident Megan Smith’s father and stepmother were killed in Pennsylvania in 2001 by her adopted stepbrother and one of his friends, who is now on death row. She planned to attend the meeting.

“The death penalty doesn’t feel like it’s really there for all victims’ families when the system is so economically and racially skewed,” she said. “As a white person, I can’t imagine what it might feel like to be handed a death sentence by an all or mostly black jury.

“Yet, North Carolina has allowed that to happen in reverse, and repealing the Racial Justice Act is sending the message that we don’t care about racial inconsistencies.”
The law says an inmate’s sentence is reduced to life in prison without the possibility of parole if the claim is successful, but prosecutors say some death row inmates could be released because they were sentenced before 1994 when the state allowed life sentences with the possibility of parole after 20 years.

“We’re fearful that, based on case law, 119 death row inmates would be eligible for parole,” Susan Doyle, president of the Conference of District Attorneys, told lawmakers before the Senate voted to send the measure to Perdue.

A study by two law professors at Michigan State University found a defendant in North Carolina is 2.6 times more likely to be sentenced to death if at least one of the victims was white. The study also showed that of the 159 people on death row in the state at the time of the study, 31 had all-white juries and 38 had only one person of color on the jury.

Of the 163 inmates on the North Carolina’s death row, more than half are black. Only 20 percent of the state’s population is African-American.

Find original at Asheville Citizen Times here

Rais Bhuiyan: new story just out (with older items)

Rais Bhuiyan, American

Suddenly the tow truck reappears. The driver guns the engine. He trains a bright halogen light down into Bhuiyan's face and unleashes a fusillade of curses.

GO here

I wanted to add for this site a couple of moving pieces:

June 23, 2011 By Steve Thomgate (Excerpted from personal piece in The Christian Century, online):
The most Christlike behavior I've seen in the news in some time comes from a Muslim victim of a hate crime: Just 10 days afte the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Rais Bhuiyan was working at a gas station in Dallas when he was shot in the face by a man named Mark Stroman. Stroman was on a shooting spree, targeting people who appeared to be Muslim or of Middle Eastern descent...Bhuiyan, the only survivor of the attacks, is fighting to save (Stroman's) life...

Written June 26, 2011 By Mark Stroman (In a typewritten letter evidently composed and styled authentically like this by Stroman. This was sent to the journalist Timothy Williams who published the same in a larger article on July 18, 2011 -- found in The NYTimes -- shortly before the...execution):
Not only do I have all my friends and supporters trying to Save my Life, but now I have The Islamic Community Joining in...Spearheaded by one Very Remarkable man
Named Rais Bhuiyan, Who is a Survivor of My Hate. His deep Islamic Beliefs Have gave him the strength to Forgive the Unforgiveable...that is truly Inspiring to me, and should be an Example for us all. The Hate, has to stop, we are all in this world together. My jesus Faith & Texas Roots have Deepened My Understanding as well. Its
almost been 10 years since the world stopped Turning, and we as a nation will never be able to forget what we felt that day. I surely wont, but I can tell you what im
feeling Today, and that's very grateful for Rais Bhuiyan's Efforts to save my life
after I tried to end His...

July 19, 2011 (Again excerpted from personal piece by Steve Thomgate in The Christian Century, online):
It's worth noting...Bhuiyan didn't set out to teach Stroman that his beliefs about Muslims were ignorant and hateful. He set out to save Stroman from death at the hands of a justice system that argues...people like him are beyond redemption. It looks like he'll fail at that goal but the fact that he tried helped to effect a remarkable change of heart in Stroman -- who, of course, exists within the reach of grace just like everyone else...

Mark Stroman was killed by the State of Texas Wednesday, July 20, 2011.

Rais Bhuiyan's work of compassion goes on. You can find out more on his website:
World Without Hate here

Bloodsworth: An Innocent Man (The Project)

Sister Helen Prejean, possibly back from a whirlwind of speaking engagements all over the country wants to get out the word about this man and the film project.
To read more and to find out about this amazing piece of portrait art -- GO here

Update Added: Desmond Tutu Urges Abu-Jamal's Freedom

Also see this BBC article found at Rick Halperin's News and Updates Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 here


See the video at Democacy Now!
Go here

In a video statement released to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s incarceration, the former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu urges Abu-Jamal’s immediate freedom. Mumia "has faced years of prosecutorial and police misconduct and judicial bias," Tutu says. "Now that it is clear that Mumia should never have been on death row, justice will not be served by relegating him to prison for the rest of his life—yet another form of death sentence. Based on even a minimal following of international human rights standards, Mumia should be released." [includes rush transcript]

Former WARDEN is Executive Director of Death Pen Focus!

Here's an interesting email newsletter from Mike Farrell with information you may not know (as I did not.) How amazing that a former warden of San Quentin State Prison who went through the pain of overseeing four executions is the executive director of Death Penalty Focus! Maybe this move will lead the way to more such experienced leaders within our movement?

From Mike (to his Friends in the Abolition Movement):

"Our Secret Weapon"

2011 has been a year of tremendous achievements, heartbreaking losses and, at last, real hope for change in California.

In March, Illinois followed New York, New Jersey and New Mexico and abolished the death penalty. Two months later, we at Death Penalty Focus were thrilled to honor Illinois Governor Pat Quinn at our Annual Awards Dinner. Governor Quinn, who had long supported the death penalty, spent two months deliberating on his decision. At our event he spoke eloquently about his change of heart. "If the system can't be guaranteed 100% error-free, then we shouldn't have the system," Quinn said. "It cannot stand."

April brought the incredible Jeanne Woodford to Death Penalty Focus as our new Executive Director. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Jeanne, please hear me when I say that she is our secret weapon for ending the death penalty in California - and beyond. As the warden of San Quentin State Prison, Jeanne experienced the pain of overseeing four executions. After leaving San Quentin, she was appointed to head the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Today, the more people Jeanne has the opportunity to meet and talk with, the more support we gain for ending the death penalty. It’s almost that simple. Put Jeanne in front of a group of death penalty supporters and before long their support begins to evaporate. We are thrilled to have her on board.

I am also thrilled that, last week, Governor John Kitzhaber of Oregon halted executions in his state. In a simple but uncompromising statement, he echoed the growing distaste for capital punishment being heard in many of our courts, our legislatures, churches, and homes. "I am convinced,” he wrote, “we can find a better solution that keeps society safe, supports the victims of crime and their families and reflects Oregon values. I refuse to be a part of this compromised and inequitable system any longer; and I will not allow further executions while I am Governor." Bravo Governor Kitzhaber!

September brought the heartbreaking execution of Troy Davis. Yet, even on that most awful day, Mr. Davis himself understood that his death would galvanize support for ending this barbaric practice. On his last day he said, "There are so many more Troy Davis’. This fight to end the death penalty is not won or lost through me but through our strength to move forward and save every innocent person in captivity around the globe. We need to dismantle this unjust system city by city, state by state and country by country…Never stop fighting for justice and we will win!"

I wholeheartedly agree with Troy Davis. We will win. In fact, next November California voters have the chance to replace the death penalty with life without parole.
End

For more plz click OFTEN on Death Penalty Focus - see RIGHT column

The Video about Mpagi Edward Edmary and Dream One World

GO here

Here is the comment under this YouTube video about Edward who is beloved by Journey folk:

Mpagi Edward Edmary was held on Death Row under Idi Amin for nearly two decades - for a crime he did not commit. When released, he forgave his captors and concentrated on helping the children in his area orphaned by death row, AIDS, etc.

He connected with Kathy Ozzard Chism at the all-volunteer nonprofit Dream One World, and together they are building a school compound for 150 of these orphans in Uganda, with the help of volunteer workers and donors from around the world. In this video, nonprofit "Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing" members Bill Pelke, (President and Co-Founder), Bill Babbitt, Randy Gardner, and Charity Lee visit Edward, our orphan children, and our school during their trip through Africa to help end the death penalty worldwide. Turn your volume UP, and enjoy - then... JOIN US! :) "The answer is love and compassion for all of humanity." - Bill Pelke

Here's the nice comment sent to me/thejourney blog:
@newlease7 Thank YOU for watching it! Yes, Edward is SO special... you may find more info about him and this project on our website and Facebook page, too. With Love and Gratitude, ALL of US

MARTINA DAVIS-CORREIA, sister of Troy Davis, dies

You will find the photo above and more of Martina at Scott Langley's site and with his own In Memoriam here



In this Dec. 2008 file photo - Martina Davis-Correia and her son Antone Davis-Correia sit in front of a CT scan machine at St. Joseph's Chandler Hospital. Martina has battled breast cancer since 2002 and gets CT scans every 3 months. She supports and is supported by her son, Antone Davis-Correia who was motivated to study engineering robotics and medical research because of his mother's diagnosis. Hunter McRae/Savannah Morning News - All rights reserved.

December 1, 2011 - 09:05pm

Martina Davis-Correia, sister of executed death row inmate Troy Davis, died Thursday evening at Candler Hospital after battling cancer for more than a decade. She was 44.

“I’ve thought for a long time that Martina’s fight for Troy is what kept her alive, and she must have been very tired,” Ledra Sullivan-Russell, a close family friend, said Thursday night. “She was the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever known.”

For 22 years, Davis-Correia led a crusade to stop her brother’s execution that gained thousands of supporters across the globe, including Pope Benedict XVI, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former President Jimmy Carter and former FBI Director William Sessions. Despite failing health, she continued to fight against the death penalty after her brother’s Sept. 21 execution.

Troy Davis, 42, died by lethal injection for the 1989 murder of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail. MacPhail, 27, was rushing to the aid of a homeless man who was being beaten when he was shot to death in the parking lot of a Greyhound Bus station/Burger King at the corner of Oglethorpe Avenue and Fahm Street.

Davis’ execution was stayed three times as his lawyers filed appeals. Several witnesses changed their testimony and his supporters insisted that there was too much doubt in the case for Davis to be executed. Davis' death has fueled the debate over the reliability of eyewitness testimony.

Davis-Correia served as chairwoman of the steering committee for Amnesty International USA’s work to abolish the death penalty and received the Georgia Civil Liberties Award from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Frederick Douglas Award from the Southern Center for Human Rights.

“Our hearts are breaking over the loss of this extraordinary woman,” Curt Goering, chief operating officer of Amnesty International USA, said in an emailed statement. “She fought to save her brother’s life with courage, strength and determination, every step of the way... She was a tenacious fighter, a graceful inspiration to activists everywhere, and a true hero of the movement for human rights.”

Davis-Correia died at 6:30 p.m. She leaves behind a 17-year-old son, Antone De’Juan Davis-Correia, brother Lester Davis, and sisters Kimberly and Ebony Davis. Virginia Davis, Troy Davis’ mother who also fought against his execution, died in April at the age of 65.

Davis-Correia spent more than 10 years rearing her son as a single mother while fighting to stop her brother’s execution and fighting cancer.

A former Army flight nurse who served in the Gulf War, Davis-Correia was diagnosed with liver and metastatic breast cancer in March 2001.

For more on the Troy Davis case, visit savannahnow.com/troydavis

Above article found http://savannahnow.com/latest-news/2011-12-01/martina-correia-dies (leaving as is for easy sending)

By the way, Antone De’Juan recently spoke (along with Rais Bhuiyan) at the Southern Regional Amnesty conference in Charlotte, NC. What an awesome speaker with so much to share and with dignified humility. Respect he has for all he's learned from his mother, Martina! I was so glad to hear both he and Rais speak - they were the highlights for both me and my husband, Dale.

Martina will be missed by so so many - including a number of us activists, family and friends of death row prisoners (and former prisoners) who knew her from trips to conferences from the south and other occastions. She will inspire us forever.

(Thanx to Debbie Kearns for the heads-up on this sad/brave news.)

Find more related items

NCADP.org (older, wonderfully descriptive blogpost) here

Amnesty International issued a statement Thursday night hailing Martina-Correia as a "Hero of the Human Rights Movement.":

"Our hearts are breaking over the loss of this extraordinary woman," Amnesty International CEO Curt Goering wrote. "She fought to save her brother's life with courage, strength and determination, every step of the way. She was a powerful example of how one person can make a difference as she led the fight for justice for Troy Davis, even as she endured her own decade-long battle with cancer. And despite the terrible blow of his execution, she remained brave and defiant to the core of her being, stating her conviction that one day his death would be the catalyst for ending the death penalty."

NC: Simple Action: Help Save the Racial Justice Act

UPDATE Friday Dec 2, 2011: Sister Helen says: "The people know the thing doesn't work" GO here and this one: "Gov. Perdue thinking hard about capital punishment and the racial justice act" - the more or less editorial comments here, along with the stats, would seem to indicate in a round-about-way that the RJA is still needed due to Racial Bias...GO here

Sr. Helen Prejean, chair of PFADP’s Kairos Campaign, confers with Rabbi David Saperstein, director and counsel of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, at PFADP’s Kairos Conference 2010 in Atlanta. (Photo by Scott Langley © PFADP)

Resident of North Carolina? If so, plz GO here

If in North Carolina, you may also want to go to the last post see November archives (Nov 30) to become aware of the NEW campaign led by People of Faith Against the Death Penalty and helped by Sister Helen Prejean who plans to speak in Raleigh this Friday, Dec. 2nd.

NORTH CAROLINA: New Campaign - Sister Helen Prejean to Speak

"Dead Man Walking" Author Helen Prejean, NC Clergy to Speak at Launch of
New Grassroots Campaign for Repeal of NC's Death Penalty (sent Nov 30 from Steve Dear, PFADP)

RALEIGH – On Friday People of Faith Against the Death Penalty will formally launch a new grassroots campaign calling on North Carolina to repeal the death penalty. We invite all of our members to attend this press conference. Look for more information on how you can help build this campaign soon.

The press conference will take place at 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 2 at Martin Street Baptist Church, 1001 E. Martin St., Raleigh. Coffee, Krispy Kreme donuts, and other refreshments will be served.

Speakers expected at the press conference include:

Fr. Minlib Dallh, Dominican Friars of Raleigh
Rev. Frank Dew, New Creation Community Presbyterian Church, Greensboro
Pastor Alan Felton, Salem United Methodist Church, Oxford
Rev. Lisa Fischbeck, The Episcopal Church of the Advocate, Chapel Hill
Rev. Dr. William Haley, Harris Chapel Baptist Church, Youngsville
Rev. Dr. Earl C. Johnson, Martin Street Baptist Church
Rev. Lacy Joyner, First Baptist Church, Oxford
Rev. Nathan Parrish, Peace Haven Baptist Church, Winston-Salem
Rev. Nancy Petty, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh
Sr. Helen Prejean, PFADP Kairos Campaign Chair and author, Dead Man Walking and The Death of Innocents

Already more than 300 congregations and local businesses in 36 North Carolina counties have passed PFADP's resolutions calling on North Carolina to replace the death penalty with life without parole and to use the funds that would be saved to help murder victims' family members.

Examples of faith communities and businesses that have passed resolutions include:

The Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina (Kinston)
Hot Rod Installations (Warrenton)
JJ Ashley Bakery (Goldsboro)
Kuttin' Up Barber Shop (Selma)
Main Street Café (Tarboro)
Yavneh: A Jewish Renewal Community (Raleigh)
Zen Center of Chapel Hill

PFADP is calling this new campaign the Kairos Campaign to Mobilize Religious Action to Repeal North Carolina's Death Penalty. Kairos is a Greek word meaning a special time. The initial goals of the campaign include more than 1,000 resolutions from faith communities, businesses, community groups and even local governments in every county in North Carolina. The campaign will also include a petition, a statewide letter for repeal from faith leaders, and the formation of denominational task forces to promote the campaign within religious traditions.

In 1999 PFADP launched the NC Moratorium Now campaign calling for a two-year moratorium on executions, a study or the state's death penalty system, and needed reforms. The campaign yielded more than 1,000 resolutions for a moratorium from faith communities, businesses, community groups, and 39 local governments in North Carolina, and 50,000 petition signatures. There has not been an execution in North Carolina since 2006 largely because of court battles involving execution protocols. The NC Racial Justice Act is one of the reforms supported by PFADP's moratorium campaign. The RJA was passed into law in 2009 but on Monday the NC Senate passed Senate Bill 9, which repeals it. Gov. Bev Perdue has not announced whether she will veto the repeal of the RJA.

"The NC Racial Justice Act is not about repealing the death penalty," said PFADP Executive Director Stephen Dear. "The Racial Justice Act is a reform aimed at addressing the historic and insidious influence of racial bias in capital cases. As long as North Carolina has a death penalty it needs checks on the system like the Racial Justice Act to make the death penalty less unfair and less error-prone.

But Racial Justice Act or not, the only way we can ever ensure people are not sentenced to death unfairly is to not have a death penalty. Even if the death penalty could somehow be administered fairly and accurately we would oppose it on moral and religious grounds."

PFADP will not stop this campaign until enough people, faith communities and institutions have taken action until the death penalty is repealed no matter how long that takes, Dear said.

"We are in this for the long haul."

Photos and Reports from "Dream One World" Uganda

Plz keep these reports and photos coming both to FB and to us (write Connie Nash at newlease7@yahoo.com) and tell our readers EXACTLY how to support your greatest needs. Dream One World: we also need an updated report on Edward. GO here

Racial Justice Act: NORTH CAROLINA: Urgent Action Needed!

To all of you who live in NC or have people living there. Please call the
office of Governor Bev Perdue(800-662-7952, 919-733-2391) and urge her to
veto today's attempt to overturn the Racial Justice Act - which is in grave danger if indeed it will survive.

If you can, please call your local legislators also. The RJA may seem
cumbersome or unnecessary to some,but it is essential that we do everything
to ensure that justice is handed out with no racial bias.

Rais Bhuiyan: among Esquire's 2011 People of the Year

Rais Bhuiyan, American

Suddenly the tow truck reappears. The driver guns the engine. He trains a bright halogen light down into Bhuiyan's face and unleashes a fusillade of curses.

GO here

Great Suggestion from Sister Helen

Although we missed this piece earlier, this is still CURRENT and URGENT:

President Obama met with the press before his visit with Pope Benedict on July 10. He talked about how he admired Cardinal Bernardine's "seamless garment" approach to pro-life, that the cardinal included in its scope a wide range of issues- "he was concerned about poverty, he was concerned with how children were treated, HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY..." Now there's interesting fodder for a conversation with Pres. Obama. For starters: Aren't you too very, very concerned about the fact that already 135 innocent people have released from death row? How many will it take before we recognize the failed system? Not to mention the shocking, appalling racist application of the death penalty presently carried out in the Deep South states? Any ideas out there about how we might get a conversation going with Pres. Obama and his wife, Michelle about this issue? Anybody out there want to help us mount a YOUNG PEOPLE'S LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN to the White House to end the death penalty in the U.S.? Think boldly. Organize strategically. Act quickly.

"Keep the Windown Open"

Regarding Proposed Amendments to California's proposed amendments to the lethal injection protocol, Sister Helen writes to Mr. Timothy Lockwood, Chief of CDCR Regulation and Policy Management on June 26, 2009. Sr. Prejean urges:

All of my remarks about the proposed amendments to the lethal injection protocol center around this theme: KEEP THE WINDOW OPEN
MAKE THE TORTURE AND KILLING TRANSPARENT.

Sadly, it is the personal experience I have had of accompanying six human beings to their deaths at the hand of the state that urges me to give this testimony.

By Sister Helen Prejean

OREGON and the Death Penalty

Bill Pelke:
Please go to this link and vote, we are losing. Thanks, Peace, Bill
here

Here's a real short AND positive piece I found on Rick Halperin's DP News and Updates:

NOVEMBER 24, 2011:

USA:

There is much to be thankful for in today's America. Despite its numerous economic, social, cultural, and political problems (and they are numerous), this is still a great country to live in and to work for social justice through peaceful means.

I give thanks for many things, including the fact that occasionally we see an elected official stand on principle and the moral high ground to do what is right. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber recently announced that he would no longer acquiesce in that state's ongoing system of capital punishment. He ordered a halt to the Dec. 6 execution there as well as announcing that no further executions would occur under his watch--[see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtK6m2H-ds0]

Kitzhaber allowed 2 executions there to proceed earlier in his tenure, but no more. His moral beliefs and his political courage are in stark contrast to Texas Gov. Perry and his pride at having presided over 238 executions in his decade long tenure in office.

Gov. Kitzhaber and those who specifically work for a death penalty-free America are a major reason I give thanks today; it's an honor and a privilege to work peacefully for a better society that will one day recognize that truly there is no such thing as a lesser person.

(source: Rick Halperin, Amnesty International; Letter to the Editor, Dallas Morning News)

One with plenty of STATS and history here

On Death Penalty Info. Center here

A sardonic approach on CounterPunch here

Oregon Live here I LIKE this title -- Gov. John Kitzhaber: Oregon death penalty fails 'basic standards of justice'

RECENT JOURNEY LINKS & More (Plz keep handy)

FB Wall: where Debbie Kearns keeps current connections going & stays on top of many concerns. Also folk sometimes stop by for a comment or extra note - go here (OK to read as a non-member without fearing pressure to sign-on.)

Where Bill Pelke has been offering an occasional heartfelt diary entry and plans to add more soon here

A good page for more links with great photo of "the other Bill" and the kids. GO
here

RANDY's page with video and his mission site here

CHARITY's The Ella Foundation see this amazing story of healing and mission in progress. Go here

Find ANGELA's links in post just below Aba Gayle's & in Comments.

Be sure to also peruse the links offered to the lower right of our blog posts - especially Dr. Rich Halperin's "Death Penalty News and Updates" which (if he's not traveling) are often daily - much more available and noted most of the time than on most the other links.

Again remember the JOURNEY's FaceBook page (don't have to be a member of FB nor even to sign in to READ) Simply GO here

Find an older page of links and GREAT photo of "the other Bill" here

====================
Also FIND items on a new friend's campaign "
World Without Hate" who worked extensively with Dr. Rick Halperin, another Journey friend, and with Reprieve. Rais "calling" is all about our Journey theme of FORGIVENESS...

Along with a few other posts, I'm UPDATING right now on this October post - older to new-ish items I've missed on RAIS BHUIYAN...GO here