Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte: Harry Belafonte, the singer and activist who once marched with Martin Luther King Jr., called black GOP candidate Herman Cain a “bad apple” who  did not represent the African-American community.

In a clip to air Friday on HLN, Belafonte told Joy Behar that Cain, a wealthy businessman who grew up in poverty, was not an “authority on the plight of people of color.”

“[Cain] doesn’t believe that racism holds anyone back, in any way now,” Behar told Belafonte. “What do you think about that statement?”

“It’s very hard to comment on somebody who is so denied intelligence – and certainly who is denied a view of history, such as he reveals. He knows very little. Because he happened to have good fortune, because he happened to have had a moment when he broke through – the moment someone blinked – does not make him the authority on the plight of people of color,” the singer said.

Belafonte, who in 2002 compared then Secretary of State Colin Powell to a house slave, again attacked Powell as well former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other black Republicans.

“The Republican Party, the Tea Party, all those forces to the extreme right, have consistently tried to come up with representation for what they call black, for what they call the real Negroes  and try to push these images as the kinds of voices that Americans should be listening to,” Belafonte said.

“So we have Condoleezza Rice, we’ve got Colin Powell – they’re heroes for some people. But for a lot us, they’re not,” he said. ‘And Herman Cain is the latest incarnation of what is totally false to the needs of our community, and the needs of our nation. I think he’s a bad apple, and people should look at his whole card. He’s not what he says he is.

In a written response to the The Hill newspaper, Cain said calling him names would not work to quell his message.

“As far as Harry Belafonte’s comment, look, I left the Democratic plantation a long time ago. And all that they try to do when someone like me — and I’m not the only black person out there that shares these conservative views –  the only tactic that they have to try and intimidate me and shut me up is to call me names, and this sort of thing. It just simply won’t work,” Cain said.

Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, is currently running second in national GOP polls.

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Matthew Shepard

Matthew Shepard: Thirteen years ago tonight Matthew Shepard was lured to a rural road, tied up, pistol whipped then left for dead, simply because he was gay. He wasn't found for nearly a day, still barely alive in the 30 degree weather, the only part of his face not covered by blood was where the tears had streamed down.

The attack on Matthew, and his subsequent death a few days later, was a galvanizing moment for the gay community. It was one of only a handful of moments I can think of, in the twenty years that I've been out, that something changed in all of us, nationwide, at a much larger, meta level.

Within a day of hearing of the story I set up a Web site (now that I think about it, it was a blog, long before we called them that) to help coordinate news about his attack. 

It was called Matthew Shepard Online Resources.  The site, and its accompanying bulletin board, quickly became the main organizing point for our community and our allies, and for a good year it advocated for amending the US' already existing hate crimes law to include gender, disability and sexual orientation. 

The Republicans blocked legislation, and it wouldn't become law for another eleven years.

Noah Baron from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism has a very nice post up about Matthew's attack and his legacy:

It is necessary to speak out - as Jews, as Americans, as human beings - against the ugliness that reared its head that October day 13 years ago. No person deserves to die the way Matthew Shepard did. No person should have to live in fear simply because of who they are.

To speak out - to decry this violence, to oppose bigotry, to take a step closer to a better world - is not merely an option; it is a fundamental obligation. As it is written, "Do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds" (Leviticus 19:16).

It is not enough, then, to simply refrain from homophobia or refrain from violence. Rather, we must speak out, to stop the violence, to stanch the blood of our neighbors.
 
Matthew Shepard was not simply a victim at the hands of his attackers; he was the victim at the hands a society that sent the message that who he was as a person was wrong.

As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, "Few are guilty, but all are responsible." We are all responsible; every additional week that we do not work for justice, every day that passes in which we do not imbue in our children an ethic of acceptance and uprightness, every moment of our silence is an act of violence against our LGBT brothers and sisters.

As the Mishna tells us, "It is not our responsibility to finish the task, but we may not refrain from starting it." It may be that we will never eradicate homophobia - or Islamophobia, or transphobia, or anti-Semitism - in our lifetimes; the task itself often feels overwhelming. But that is no excuse, for silence is not an option.

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Caroline Manzo

Caroline Manzo: It has been the most explosive season ever on the “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” with on-air drama including a brawl at a baby’s christening, a hot-body competition among sisters-in-law and a smack-down in Punta Cana, Mexico.

As Season 3 of the hit Bravo reality-TV show comes to an end this Sunday, for a show that has seen previous seasons end in shoving matches, banquet tables overturned and cast members leaving the show, the questions remain.

Will the show survive?  Will the state survive?

“You’re going to have a lot of surprises, a lot of curves,” cast member Caroline Manzo said today on “Good Morning America.”

“Expect the unexpected,” fellow Housewife Melissa Gorga added.

While they promised drama on Sunday’s show, neither star addressed recent rumors, first reported by Huffington Post, that Manzo and fellow housewife Jacqueline Laurita had been fired by Bravo from the show’s fifth season.

The network issued a statement denying the reports, but the rumors persist, fueled largely by a Twitter war that has erupted among the cast as the show balances simultaneously filming Season 4 while Season 3 comes to a close on TV.

Smack in the middle of the 140-character catfight is Gargo’s sister-in-law, Teresa Giudice, who has been accused by once-close friend Laurita of spreading rumors that Gorga once worked as a stripper.

“Teresa is scum,” Laurita wrote in a series of tweets last week.

Gorga did not address the stripping rumors on “GMA,” but has previously denied Giudice’s claims via her own website, writing, “This is 100% NOT TRUE.”

The long-simmering feud between the two women escalated this season, with Giudice accusing Gorga of destroying her relationship with her brother Joe.

“It’s always a rollercoaster between Teresa and I,” Gorga said today on “GMA.”  “We did fix it, and it goes back-and-forth, back-and-forth.”

“I think in the reunion you’re going to see a lot of what’s going on right now,” she said.

The reunion Gorga refers to has become a “Real Housewives” franchise trademark, the grand finale episode when Bravo brings the show’s housewives back together for a no-holds-barred showdown hosted by Bravo executive Andy Cohen.

Laurita has pledged, via Twitter, that she won’t be a part of this season’s reunion.

“I can’t be part of the Charade anymore,” she wrote.  “It’s unsettling. It’s disturbing & against what I stand for. I’m a REAL housewife…No reunion for me. Sorry guys. XOXO!”

If Laurita and Manzo are, in fact, off the show, Manzo, for one, has something to fall back on.

The mother of three, as was seen on camera in Season 3, has begun hosting a radio advice show, something she told “GMA” she can’t believe people find her qualified to do.

“It’s amazing the questions that people ask me because I don’t understand it,” she said.  “You name it, I’ve been asked. It goes from being a mom to how to get your strength up.   I appreciate it.”

Manzo, the peacemaker among the show’s five Housewives, said fans should look to the reunion for explanations of where things stand among the cast, and how they got that way.

“Things are going to start becoming clear to you,” she said on “GMA” today, after previously telling fans, in an appearance on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” last week that fans should just “relax” and “watch the finale.”

Gorga’s feud with Giudice and flair for the dramatics appear to have kept her safe on the show, so far, but she too now has a back-up career, as a pop star, to turn to, thanks largely to her “Real Housewives” fame.

“It’s doing really well,” Gorga said of her quest for a music career, a central plot line of this, her debut season on the show.  ”I’m grateful for the point that it’s at right now.   I’m pleasantly surprised.”

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Weezer

Weezer: Several hundred protesters took to downtown Burlington on Sunday to rail on everything from bank bailouts, fat severance packages for Vermont leaders, failing farms, the cost of education and the death penalty.

It was the second straight Sunday that Vermont organizers conducted a Burlington rally in support of the protesters occupying Wall Street in New York City. The Occupy Wall Street protest began Sept. 17 in New York City with people, charging that 99 percent of the country will not tolerate the greed and corruption by the remaining one percent.

The Burlington protests are expected to continue each Sunday for the foreseeable future, according to Jonathan Leavitt, one of the organizers.

A special protest also is planned Saturday afternoon in downtown Burlington.

The group also was encouraged to attend a talk Friday when University of Vermont graduate Jeff Ares, who works for a division of Goldman Sachs on Wall Street, returns to campus to speak about employment opportunities.

Matt Cropp of Burlington, one of the protest organizers, said it was important for people to attend and provide an alternative perspective.

Speakers from the UVM and Champlain College said there was strong support for the protest on the campus of their respective schools. The Vermont Workers Center said it also was working on getting people to canvass the area with messages.

The protesters met at Burlington City Hall Park about 12:30 p.m. complete with signs including “We are the 99 percent,” “Include Everyone in a Healthy Democracy” and “American Nurses Support Occupy Wall Street.”

About 15 minutes later a head count showed about 250 chanting protesters filing through a small ally and onto the Church Street Marketplace. They chants included, “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out;” “Occupy Wall Street, all day, all week;” “This is what democracy looks like;” and “What do you do when under attack? Stand up, fight back.”

A group of musicians led the march. Curious outdoor diners and shoppers looked on. Some clapped, some snapped pictures, while others seemed to keep strolling without stopping.

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Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers: Texas -- When Adrian Beltre slugged the Rangers into the American League Championship Series and himself into baseball lore Tuesday, he validated the franchise's $80 million winter commitment to him.

But it also was his way of saying thank you -- not only for the money, but the opportunity, made largely by a unique friendship.

At first glance, few would associate the muscular 32-year-old Dominican Republic native Beltre and 69-year-old Rangers scout Don Welke. But their relationship dates to 1999 and is a big reason Beltre became a Ranger.

"He's a really great baseball guy," Beltre said Friday. "He asked me if I had any interest in coming to Texas and I said, 'Yes.' So the process started."

Unless you are a hard-core Rangers fan, you're probably thinking, "Welke who?" His name and title, senior special assistant to the GM and scouting, is difficult to find in the Rangers media guide, on Page 300.

Team president Nolan Ryan, general manager Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington are the names most fans associate with fielding the reigning American League champion Rangers, but the franchise's scouting and player development staff numbers more than 50.

Welke is in his fifth Rangers season and his 47th as a major league scout. It was during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-2004) that Welke forged a relationship with budding-star third baseman Beltre, whom LA had called up in 1998 at age 19.

Last December, shortly after free agent pitcher Cliff Lee signed with Philadelphia rather than return to Texas, Rangers officials decided that the next-best way to fortify the team was to improve its defense. Free-agent Beltre had been in consideration even before Lee bolted, but now Welke was adamant that the franchise land him.

"Don knew the makeup really well, knew the person really well," Daniels said. "I remember the one thing Don kept saying was, 'He (Beltre) went to the playoffs once, in '04, but he's never truly won.' He felt like that would be a really big driving force for him, an internal motivator."

In early January, a meeting was arranged in Las Vegas with Beltre and his agent, Scott Boras. Flying from Texas to make perhaps the most pivotal recruiting pitch of the offseason were Daniels, Washington and Welke.

At the time, the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland A's also were strongly courting Beltre, who in 2010, his only season in Boston, had batted .321, hit 28 homers and driven in 102 runs.

"I was very encouraged to have the meeting because I had pressed so hard to get him," Welke said. "Then I was really encouraged when Adrian and Ron Washington hit it off right away."

Now, Beltre is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his 14-year career, despite a hamstring injury that sidelined him for nearly six weeks. He batted .296, hit 32 homers, drove in 105 runs and might have been in the Most Valuable Player discussion had he not been limited to 124 games.

And four days ago, he celebrated his first playoff series victory in St. Petersburg, Fla., on a day in which he also made baseball history by hitting three home runs in Texas' 4-3 Game 4 victory.

Only five other players have hit three homers in a playoff game. Among them are Hall of Famers Babe Ruth (1926 and '28), Reggie Jackson (1977) and George Brett (1978).

"Of course, I'm really humbled to be mentioned among those guys, to accomplish something like that," Beltre said. "But that's in the past."

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Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis: America needs to hit bottom “like an addict” to rebound from its economic woes, according to Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball, The Big Short and other books that have been optioned for movies.

“At every level of the society we have been willing to basically sacrifice our long term interests for short term interests,” Lewis told Bloomberg TV’s Tom Keene in an interview Wednesday. “It’s not sustainable and I think what happens is we have to hit bottom first, like an addict.”

And where is the bottom, according to Lewis, the darling of Wall Street traders, politicians and writers alike?

“It’s some level of unemployment, slow growth, what we’re going through now and people say ‘enough already I want the truth and I want our lives to be organized differently,’” Lewis said in the interview.

Lewis explored Americans’ relationship with debt through the prism of California cities that built themselves up during the housing bubble and are now on the verge of -- or have already entered bankruptcy -- for a recent article in Vantiy Fair.

“What California shows the country is that the problem is individual behavior and attitudes,” Lewis said in the interview. “People want public services and they don’t want to pay for them.”

Other cities point to a crisis in state and local governments as they aim to come out from under debt they acquired but can no longer pay back. Central Falls, Rhode Island filed for bankruptcy last month and Jefferson County, Alabama agreed to settle its sewer bond debt last month, narrowly avoiding the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.

Though Lewis was critical of Americans’ relationship with credit, he said circumstances beyond their control may be to blame, citing both banks willingness to provide easy money under sometimes fraudulent or misleading terms and the jobs crisis. Employers added no jobs in August, as the unemployment rate held at 9.1 percent.

“Their economic lives aren't meeting their expectations and the reason that’s happening is the real economy is not providing the jobs,” Lewis said in the interview.

Lewis, who just released a collection of essays about the European debt crisis, got to the California story by starting in Europe, he said in the interview. The region remains locked in the midst of a sovereign debt crisis.

“If you look at what’s gone on in Europe, it really is a crisis of faith as much as anything else,” Lewis said in the interview. “The word spreads that Greece is going to have problems repaying its debts, its interest rates go through the roof and all the sudden its a self-fulfilling prophecy. The question to me was, what’s the equivalent in the states?”

On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the country would help banks recapitalize, according to Reuters. Germany agreed last week to expand the powers of the Euro bailout fund in order to help Greece, Italy and others solve debt crises.

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Herman Cain

Herman Cain: Against all odds, a 65-year-old black pizza mogul is the Republican Party’s latest darling. Herman Cain, former CEO of the Godfather’s Pizza company, is surging in the polls, surpassing Rick Perry to sit neck-and-neck with Mitt Romney atop the GOP presidential field.

Odds are that eventually the buzz around Cain will die down, and Romney will emerge victorious to take on Obama in the 2012 general election. But regardless of whether he wins or loses and he’ll probably lose as a black person I’m happy with what Cain has accomplished thus far. I’m happy he’s in the race and speaking his mind, and I think, despite inevitable problems, he’s good for black America.

Tell some liberals, especially liberals of color, that you like Herman Cain and you’re likely to get groans, chortles, or, from the far leftists, angry stares, and not without reason. Cain is, of course, a man who last week practically called black people political zombies, telling CNN that blacks “have been brainwashed into not being open-minded, not even considering a conservative point of view.”

Beyond that statement, Cain’s politics themselves—low taxes for business, suspicion of Muslims—are not the kinds of things black people generally find endearing in their leaders.

Cain has his share of outspoken black detractors. Actor and former CNN host D.L. Hughley tweeted in September that Cain belongs on a pancake box, like Aunt Jemima. Another CNN contributor, Roland Martin, tweeted that Cain needs to eat some barbecue and listen to James Brown to get more black.

He added, “Dude is in bad need of a brotherly hug!” Michael Colyar, a comedian, didn’t mince words a la Hughley and Martin: “Uncle Tom Cain is the newest Republican lapdog,” he wrote on Twitter. “[He] will do anything to be seen.”

It’s ironic that people irritated by Cain’s increasing popularity have responded just as Cain predicted: with closed-mindedness. Cain has theorized since the start of his campaign that there are blacks who will dismiss and disparage him out of hand simply because he’s a conservative. It turns out he’s right.

Of course, blacks have every reason in the world to be wary of the Republican Party. For decades, the GOP has leveraged anti-black fears to win elections.

And the social welfare spending cuts advocated by conservatives are often thinly veiled whines about the black welfare state, the same kind of nonsense that perpetuated the myth of “the welfare queen” throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. Neither major American political party seems to have the best interests of black people in mind, but if one is more racist than the other, it’s the Republican camp. Which is why I’m so happy Cain is a Republican.

When Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, he did so with the support of 96 percent of black voters. In the four decades leading up to that, at least 80 percent of black voters supported the Democratic candidate in every presidential election. Not only do blacks like Democrats, they also feel alienated by Republicans.

“According to David Bositis, a political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies,” wrote the Washington Post in 1998, “the GOP is still considered by most blacks as ‘the white people's party.’”

To every outsider looking in—Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike—the black community is a monolithic bloc when it comes to politics: all Democrats all the time. While there’s some truth to that stereotype, it’s been a disastrous one for the black community overall.

Republicans know they’re not going to get black votes, so they don’t even try; in fact, they herald policies and perspectives that actively shun minorities. The Democratic Party, on the other hand, does what everyone does when given total dominion over an oppressed group: They take that group's loyalty for granted. In the end, neither party puts forth policy that will meaningfully affect blacks, and the black community suffers because of it.

Hermain Cain is not the savior of the black community by any means. His stated policy stances are mostly doctrinaire conservativism, and he cowers when faced with racial discussions. Nevertheless, I can’t help but be ecstatic that he’s in the running for president.

He’s a reminder to Americans of every color that there is vast depth and breadth to the black community. Not every black person voted for Obama. Not every black person likes the welfare state. Not every black person wants higher taxes for wealthy white Americans. Cain is black, and he doesn’t fit any of those molds. If anyone is predictable, it’s Cain’s hecklers, booing and calling him an Uncle Tom from behind their Twitter avatars.

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Waxahachie

Waxahachie: Corsicana  Let’s just call it the next big game of the season. Tigers vs. Waxahachie. The last two undefeated teams standing in District 15-4A.

The Tigers have already been here twice this season and three times technically.

They played West Mesquite in the district opener on Sept. 9 and in the first of three games against district unbeatens, the Tigers survived 43-35 in what has turned out to be the closest of Corsicana’s first four 15-4A games.

The next week the Tigers played Lancaster, which in this column in early September was predicted as the 15-4A runnerups behind the Tigers. Corsicana walloped a Lancaster team that scored 74 points two games prior against Dallas Carter. Lancaster was 1-0 in district after surviving a scare from Forney. Corsicana won the first “big game” of the season, 55-38.

Then came a win over Ennis and Friday’s “Biggest game in the history of Tiger Stadium” against Mesquite Poteet, which came to town with a 3-0 district record. The Tigers beat the best team on their schedule to date, 29-13, shutting down a Pirates offense that came into Friday’s showdown averaging 47 points per game.

The Tigers are 6-0 for the first time since 2003.

Which brings us to Friday night at Waxahachie, also owners of a 3-0 district record with three blowout 15-4A wins. The Indians have beaten Terrell, Red Oak and Forney by an average score of 50-11.

Impressive victories. None of those teams will make the playoffs okay, Red Oak might be a dark, dark horse. Against the one quality foe Waxahachie faced, the Indians got blown out by Class 5A Flower Mound Marcus, 51-21, in the season opener.

That game was a long time ago. I’ll give Waxahachie that. But we’re about find out just how good Waxahachie is as the Indians begin what Poteet coach Randy Jackson calls the “Amen Corner” portion of the 15-4A schedule. Hachie has Corsicana, West Mesquite, Lancaster, Ennis and Mesquite Poteet to close out the district schedule.

Trust me, from seeing the other four teams, the Tigers will finish off one of the most difficult portions of a schedule I’ve ever seen in Waxahachie this week. Don’t believe for a second what one commenter on The Dallas Morning News high school message board posted this weekend. 

“In the coming weeks Waxahachie will rise to the top and next week as Waxahachie takes on the Highly Over Ranked Corsicana Tigers, Corsicana will face their first real football team of the season and a defense that will completely shut down their offense and dominate their one and only offensive playmaker. Its ok Corsicana I'm sure you will still make the playoffs so do not be too upset. All you have to do Corsicana is think back to last season and the Waxahachie team you beat so soundly is long gone. We are HACHIE!”

This of course is unedited hardly anything on the Internet is edited. But it’s important to note because message boards are an important part of high school football these days. The Tigers used something they saw on the world-wide web to fire them up for Poteet. All the Tigers did was hold Poteet 34 points below its season average.

The Tigers beat Poteet by 16 points without adding to their 28 sacks on the season. They dominated the Pirates despite being overanxious on defense the Tigers had 13 missed tackles.

It’s unlikely Waxahachie is better than Poteet. In fact, I’m prepared to say there’s no way. Maybe the Indians are as good as the Pirates. Waxahachie is a rival, and that’s to be respected.

One thing is certain the Tigers are prepared mentally for another big game. Another district unbeaten.

It’s been the theme of the season. One of the best starts in Tiger history.

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Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum:  Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has decided to do something about his Google problem, reportedly calling on the company to eliminate dirty search results connected to his name.

Just type his name into the search browser and you'll see why. Instead of campaign websites and Wikipedia pages, the top two results for "Santorum" link to foul, sex-related definitions of the former Pennsylvania senator's name that were circulated by gay rights activist and prankster columnist Dan Savage.

In response to comments the former Senator made in 2003 equating homosexuality with polygamy and incest, Savage launched an online competition to redefine the word "Santorum."

The winning result is not child-approved, to say the least, and Santorum, 53, is fed up with the "filth," as he calls it. The White House hopeful has reportedly called on Google to filter the unflattering search results, which have topped the list for more than six years.

"I suspect if something was up there like that about Joe Biden, they'd get rid of it," he told Politico. "If you're a responsible business, you don't let things like that happen in your business that have an impact on the country."

The White House hopeful added that "to have a business allow that type of filth to be purveyed through their website or through their system is something that they say they can't handle but I suspect that's not true."

The campaign has yet to return a request for comment.

Google's response: Don't blame the messenger, blame the webmaster.

"Google's search results are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the Web," company spokesman Gabriel Stricker said in a statement. "Users who want content removed from the Internet should contact the webmaster of the page directly.

"Once the webmaster takes the page down from the Web, it will be removed from Google's search results through our usual crawling process."

Stricker added that Google does "not remove content from our search results, except in very limited cases such as illegal content and violations of our webmaster guidelines."

While Santorum has criticized both Savage and Google multiple times for the search results, he also used the issue to raise campaign donations.

"Savage and his perverted sense of humor is the reason why my children cannot Google their father's name," Santorum wrote in a July letter to campaign supporters, according to Politico. "That is why I need your support today, and your contribution of $25, $50, $100 or $250 to my campaign. You can help right now by making a small or large contribution to my campaign. Don't let Dan Savage and the extreme left win."

In the 2003 interview with the Associated Press, Santorum said homosexual acts "undermine the basic tenets of our society and the family."

"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home," Santorum said in the interview, "then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society? I would argue yes, it does."

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X Factor Judges

X Factor Judges: Simon Cowell was back at the judges' desk, along with his pal Paula Abdul and music producer L.A. Reid. We also got to see British judge Cheryl Cole in the first hour before she was replaced by former Sing-Off judge and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger.

Although there had been buzz that Cole's accent was too much for American audiences, Simon told Piers Morgan this week that he axed Cole because she looked "bewildered" on the panel.

As for Scherzinger? She's not faring well with critics. USA TODAY's Brian Mansfield writes in today's Idol Chatter blog, "When she goes into her little-girl act, judge/mentor Nicole Scherzinger makes Paula Abdul look smart."

The New York Times said Nicole is "a downgrade" from Cheryl.

The Chicago Tribune notes "Scherzinger doesn't come off as an obvious improvement in the early going. She's more earnest like Kara DioGuardi than lovable like Jennifer Lopez."

And TV Guide wondered why the change was necessary, saying, "Cheryl was awesome, made total sense and was adorable to boot."

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Clemency

Clemency: The State Board of Pardons and Paroles in the US state of Georgia must reconsider their decision to deny clemency for a US man facing the death penalty, Amnesty International said today after the ruling cleared the way for his execution on Wednesday.

Troy Davis was sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder of police officer Mark Allen Macphail in Savannah, Georgia.

“This is a huge setback for human rights in the USA, where a man who has been condemned under dubious evidence is to be executed by the state. Even at this late stage, the Board must reconsider its decision,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“The decision by Georgia’s Board of Pardons and Paroles to reject Troy Davis’ appeal for clemency is obviously at odds with their 2007 decision when they counselled against execution if there was “doubt as to the guilt of the accused””, said Salil Shetty.

The case against Troy Davis primarily rested on witness testimony. Since his 1991 trial, seven of key nine witnesses have recanted or changed their testimony, some alleging police coercion.

“Even if members of the Board were convinced that there was no doubt, many other people have not been so persuaded.

“Clearly, the US capital justice system is capable of making mistakes. The persistent doubts that have plagued the Troy Davis case point to a fundamental flaw of the death penalty. It is irrevocable – and in the USA, the death penalty is also marked by arbitrariness, discrimination and error,” Salil Shetty added.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases and under all circumstances.

The organization’s activists have campaigned extensively on Troy Davis’ behalf, delivering nearly one million signatures to authorities in Georgia to urge them to commute his death sentence: vigils and events have been held in approximately 300 locations around the world.

Since Troy Davis has been on death row, more than 90 prisoners have been released from death rows around the USA on grounds of innocence. In each case, at trial the defendant had been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

In the past four years, three states in the USA – New Jersey, New Mexico and Illinois – have legislated to abolish the death penalty. The inability to exclude errors, and the potential for executing the innocent, were major arguments in these processes,  convincing even some previous supporters of the death penalty..

In contrast to the 139 countries worldwide that have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, the USA currently has more than 3,200 people on its death rows, and has executed more than 1,200 prisoners since resuming judicial killing in 1977.  Currently Georgia has over 100 people on its death row and three people have been executed in this state in 2011 already.

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