Salem-News.com Civil Rights articles

Arizona Death Row Inmate Takes Two Hours to Die after Lethal Injection

Wood had been one of six death row prisoners who sued Arizona last month arguing that secrecy surrounding the drugs used in other botched executions in Ohio and Oklahoma violated their rights.

(PHOENIX, Ariz.) - An Arizona inmate took almost two hours to die by lethal injection on Wednesday and his lawyers said he "gasped and snorted" before succumbing in the latest botched execution to raise questions about the death penalty in the United States.

The execution of convicted double murderer Joseph Wood began at 1:52 p.m. local time at a state prison complex, and the 55-year-old was pronounced dead just shy of two hours later at 3:49 p.m.

Fifty Years After the Civil-Rights Act, Let`s Take ``Yes`` for an Answer

Why not move forward in developing a genuinely color-blind society?

(WASHINGTON DC) - During the second week in April, the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas hosted a summit on civil rights, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

THE ECONOMIST noted that, "The fact that the Civil Rights Act can now be the subject of a major conference is, in itself, a sign of how much this country has changed since its passage..."

The REAL Truth Behind the Bundy Ranch Land-Grab in Nevada

For the last 2 decades, the Bundy family in Clark County, Nevada has been involved in judicial battles with the BLM over their grazing rights on public land.

(LAS VEGAS) - Connections behind the tense situation in Clark County, Nevada regarding the aggressive seizure of cattle from Cliven Bundy, a private rancher who used public land for grazing purposes appears to have a direct pathway beyond Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid; involving the Obama administration and international projects directed under Agenda 21 initiatives.

Media reports state that in March, Reid applied “pressure [to] Nevada’s largest power company, NV Energy, to sign up as [ENN Energy Group’s] first customer.”

PRESS TV: Americans See Worst Fears Come True

Americans are increasingly feeling the heat from their own government, and they are starting to see the manifestation of their own worst fears; those predicted by visionaries such as George Orwell.

(LAS VEGAS) - Federal agents with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) attacked a group of protestors this week in rural Nevada, using tasers, dogs, and even moving vehicles to strike people who oppose the BLM's policies toward historic cattle ranch practices.

The increasing tension is bringing all sorts of people out to the Bundy Ranch to show support and take part in the protest.

Nuclear Resister Cites Nuremberg Principles in Court

In court, Siptroth cited and explained the Nuremberg Principles, stating that they have had an important impact on him both because he is Jewish and was, as a youngster, profoundly affected by the film "Judgment at Nuremberg."

(SEATTLE) - An anti-nuclear weapons activist appeared in a Kitsap County Courtroom to apply the Nuremberg Principles in defense of his recent protest at a US Navy "Trident" ballistic missile submarine base.

Michael Siptroth appeared in Kitsap County District Court March 7, 2014 before Judge Marilyn Paja at a mitigation hearing...

Police Brutality, Worse Today in America Than Ever

My biggest question... what programs and organizations exist that teach cops a better way?

(SALEM) - Cowards, bullies... cops who abuse American citizens are out of control and when they are jailed for brutalizing people, man what bad day they are going to have.

I've seen cops on the verge of being locked up and they look like scared, guilty little children.

Dr. David Allen Becomes Medical Board Target (Part 2)

In his own closing arguments, Dr. Allen claimed that if the medical board could spell out clearly what the standard of care was, he would obviously comply with that law.

(SACRAMENTO) - The medical board hearing for Dr. David Allen continued these past two weeks. The State Medical Board of California put on its case. Representing the State was Deputy Attorney General Jannsen Tan.

Dr. David Allen represented himself, only after Attorney Lance Stenhouse was denied a motion by Judge Dian Vorters for a continuance.

Marijuana: The Aphrodisiac

Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker" - Ogden Nash, 1971
Viva marijuana as an aphrodisiac!

(PORTLAND, OR) - This has been the motto of young men ever since, but now the situation has changed with the estimated 40 million or so users of marijuana. Just forget about Spanish Fly.

The garbage that marijuana users "just want to get high" is just that --- garbage. From my experience with about 5,000 medical marijuana patients, getting "high" is an adverse effect of marijuana use. I know this to be a fact because on two occasions, I accidentally and unwittingly ate two marijuana infused cookies.

Latest Polls Reveal Little Faith In National Leaders, Perhaps A Sign of Public Wisdom

Public skepticism about our permanent political class, both Democratic and Republican, may be the beginning of wisdom.

(WASHINGTON, DC) - When he delivered his State of the Union address, President Obama had approval ratings lower than for any of his previous addresses and with Americans broadly pessimistic that he and lawmakers of either party will make good decisions for the future of the country.

The president's current approval rating stands at 46 per cent, up from a low of 42 per cent in November.

Shameful: US Vets Have to Sue to Get Benefits... Going to Court in SoCal

VA determinations are not made by mental health professionals or adjudicated in a Court of law, but rather by a benefit administrator- a policy that is quite different than the rest of the population whose cases must be adjudicated in a Court of law.

(LOS ANGELES CityWatch) - RUSS REPORT - The United States Justice Foundation (USJF) has filed the first lawsuit of what promises to be a string of lawsuits in the US District Court for the Southern District of California against the US Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).

USJF sought records via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regarding "Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) rules, regulations, and criteria for making determinations of incompetency..."