Kidnapping Trial Finally Begins: Seven years after his arrest, the trial of the man charged with the kidnap and sexual abuse of 14 year-old Elizabeth Smart began today. AP reporter Jennifer Dobner has this story on the first day of proceedings, which were devoted to jury selection. The defendant, Brian Mitchell was removed from the courtroom after he sat singing hymns for the first half hour. Mitchell was led to a another room and allowed to watch the jury selection via video. While Mitchell's legal team said it will seek an insanity defense, the District Judge who will preside over his trial found him competent to stand trial earlier this year. Mitchell is accused of abducting Smart from her bedroom in June of 2002 and forcing the girl to become his polygamous wife.
Support for Pot Measure Dwindling: In the final day of the campaign, the California Field Poll reports that public support for Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana for personal use, is fading. SF Chronicle staff writer Erin Aliday reports that the recent poll found that 49% of respondents oppose the measure while 42% support it. Over the Summer, polls have reported that public opinion on the measure has shifted continuously. Last September 49% of respondents indicated that they supported it. Prop. 19 proponents suggest that polling voters about marijuana is difficult because respondents my be reluctant to tell the questioner about their support. They might also have been too stoned to remember the question.
Administration Cuts Deal on Terrorist Sentence: Although a military jury at Guantanimo Bay has sentenced Canadian born terrorist Omar Khadr to 40 years in prison for the murder of an American commando in Afghanistan, in reality the terrorist will soon be transferred to his home country to serve less than a fifth of that sentence. Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer, 28, was killed by a grenade hurled by Khadr during a firefight in 2002. Khadr was 15 at the time. He was found nearly dead, after a later battle and treated by U.S. forces prior to his transfer to Guantanamo Bay. A story by Miami Herald writer Carol Rosenberg reports that Khadr plead guilty to the murder and other war crimes in exchange for the sentencing arrangement. The seven officer sentencing jury was unaware last Sunday that the Obama Administration had already cut a deal for Khadr to serve no more than eight years for the murder, most of it in Canada. Former Army Sgt., Layne Morris, who lost an eye in the firefight that resulted in Khadr's capture was dissatisfied with the sentence which he said put the terrorist "on frankly the fast-track to freedom."
Support for Pot Measure Dwindling: In the final day of the campaign, the California Field Poll reports that public support for Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana for personal use, is fading. SF Chronicle staff writer Erin Aliday reports that the recent poll found that 49% of respondents oppose the measure while 42% support it. Over the Summer, polls have reported that public opinion on the measure has shifted continuously. Last September 49% of respondents indicated that they supported it. Prop. 19 proponents suggest that polling voters about marijuana is difficult because respondents my be reluctant to tell the questioner about their support. They might also have been too stoned to remember the question.
Administration Cuts Deal on Terrorist Sentence: Although a military jury at Guantanimo Bay has sentenced Canadian born terrorist Omar Khadr to 40 years in prison for the murder of an American commando in Afghanistan, in reality the terrorist will soon be transferred to his home country to serve less than a fifth of that sentence. Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer, 28, was killed by a grenade hurled by Khadr during a firefight in 2002. Khadr was 15 at the time. He was found nearly dead, after a later battle and treated by U.S. forces prior to his transfer to Guantanamo Bay. A story by Miami Herald writer Carol Rosenberg reports that Khadr plead guilty to the murder and other war crimes in exchange for the sentencing arrangement. The seven officer sentencing jury was unaware last Sunday that the Obama Administration had already cut a deal for Khadr to serve no more than eight years for the murder, most of it in Canada. Former Army Sgt., Layne Morris, who lost an eye in the firefight that resulted in Khadr's capture was dissatisfied with the sentence which he said put the terrorist "on frankly the fast-track to freedom."
Leave a comment