Who's Your White Daddy?

UPDATE:  Michael Reese Coffman, 57, was no sweet, young, innocent choir boy.

From Escambia County, LA (OK, legally it's FL, but practically it's Lower Alabama, believe me, I know).

2001 CF 004158 A

2001 CF 004159 A

2004 MM 020380 A

2004 CF 001442 A

If the links don't work, check the clerk's website here, and if you find no records, somebody important, with something to hide, read this post before you.

I'll check Santa Rosa County, LA (you know what I mean) later. 

"Michael Reese Coffman, 57, of Milton was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005 after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine."

Obama recently granted him 'early release.'

Read the Pensacola News Journal, Obama grants 2 local men early release.

Guess who Coffman's daddy is/was?

Hint: see Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, SRSO History.

Some in the local community think the early release was granted for a reason other than merit.

What do you think?

Less Booze, More Meth

"'Dry counties' that prohibit alcohol sales seem to have . . . higher rates of DUI-related car crashes . . . [more] binge drinking"and more meth labs and incidents.

Read the Washington Post, These places banned booze. Now they’re dealing with something far worse, which included this graph:

So does that make our local Imam Truthiness (formerly known as Pastor Truthiness and Pastor Poppins), who opposes alcohol sales, a drug pusher?

Rick Perry, R-Murderer and Believer of Junk Science

UPDATE VI:  "What happens in Texas when you get a man executed on the basis of bad testimony?"

Read Slate, Justice Deferred.


Perry, the former prosecutor John H. Jackson, and others should be prosecuted for conspiracy to commit murder.

UPDATE V:  "In a major turn in one of the country’s most-noted death penalty cases, the State Bar of Texas has filed a formal accusation of misconduct against the county prosecutor who convicted Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man executed in 2004 for the arson murder of his three young daughters.

Following a preliminary inquiry that began last summer, the bar this month filed a disciplinary petition in Navarro County District Court accusing the former prosecutor, John H. Jackson, of obstruction of justice, making false statements and concealing evidence favorable to Willingham’s defense.

'Before, during, and after the 1992 trial, [Jackson] knew of the existence of evidence that tended to negate the guilt of Willingham and failed to disclose that evidence to defense counsel,' the bar investigators charged."

Read the Washington Post, Prosecutor accused of misconduct in disputed Texas execution case.

UPDATE IV:  "More than a decade after Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the arson murder of his three young daughters, new evidence has emerged that indicates that a key prosecution witness testified in return for a secret promise to have his own criminal sentence reduced. . .

In two days of interviews recently with the Marshall Project, [the witness, Johnny E] Webb gave the most detailed account to date of how he came to testify against Willingham. He said that [the prosecutor, John H.] Jackson threatened him with a life sentence in the robbery case — a possibility under Texas law because Webb had several prior convictions — unless he testified. . .

During Willingham’s three-day trial in August 1992, Jackson pointedly asked Webb on the witness stand whether he had been promised a lighter sentence or some other benefit for his cooperation. Webb told the judge and jury that he had not."

Read the Washington Post, Letter from witness casts further doubt on 2004 Texas execution. 

UPDATE III: For those Republi-cons who are reading challenged, a reminder that you can watch the PBS Frontline documentary on the Willingham case.


UPDATE II: Read the report of the Arson Review Committee, A Peer Review Panel Commissioned by the Innocence Project regarding Willingham’s case, and another case of alleged arson. One executed, but one not, based on junk science.


UPDATE: "There is little dispute that the arson evidence in Willingham’s case, based on myths that had permeated fire investigations for years, was invalid. Every independent expert, including the top experts in the country, has concluded that there was no evidence of arson." Read SSRN, The Execution of Cameron Todd Willingham: Junk Science, an Innocent Man, and the Politics of Death.

"Faith and reason are not mutually exclusive, but Perry makes you think they are." Read the Washington Post, Rick Perry, the Republicans’ Messiah?

And Perry's no messiah, he rushed to have the man executed for political reasons, his reelection.

Read a previous post, Executing an Innocent Man and Trying to Hide It.

Pensacola's Poor Little Mullet-Wrapper

Remember the Sheriff bragging about the local ATF operation "Anything for a Buck", which was ended with the Sheriff saying things like 'it had reached a saturation point', 'before it caused crime', and 'they didn't want to aid and abet'? 

Read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ATF uses rogue tactics in storefront stings across nation. The read the rest of the newspaper's investigative series, Backfire.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a 'Watchdog' section' to hold "politicians and the powerful accountable".  It puts our little mullet-wrapper to shame. 

Hoodwicked by the Hoodie??

UPDATE V:  It's been more than a year since the killing, and the trial starts in two weeks.  As part of his defense, Zimmerman wants to smear Martin's name.  He better watch out, character assassination cuts both ways.

Read the Washington Post, George Zimmerman’s relevant past, which notes that "over the course of eight years, Zimmerman made at least 46 calls to the Sanford (Fla.) Police Department reporting suspicious activity involving black males." His cousin is also quoted as saying "'I know George. And I know that he does not like black people.'"

UPDATE IV: It appears that "[w]hat is likely is that both men scared each other for different reasons, and one tragically overreacted." Read the Washington Post, Fear and bloodshed in Florida.


UPDATE III: What happened that night?

Watch as "Tracy Martin, Trayvon's father, details what the detectives told him about George Zimmerman's account of his son's fatal shooting" at the Washington Post, Trayvon Martin's father: What the police told me:

Also see an interactive article that summarizes the evidence known at The New York Times, The Events Leading to the Shooting of Trayvon Martin.

UPDATE II: Although I think there is much to discuss about the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the way that it was discussed yesterday on WEBY's Your Turn program by the owner of the radio station was inexcusable, with attacks on Obama as a 'race pimp' for his comments on the matter.

From Politico, Obama: 'If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon', watch what Obama said in response to a question about the shooting:



As the article notes "Obama [had] come under fire from some black leaders for failing to comment on a case that has become a major national story — and brought thousands of Americans into the streets for demonstrations calling for the arrest of Martin's shooter. . .

The president was careful not to comment too extensively on an active investigation on both the federal and state levels, noting that as head of the executive branch, the Department of Justice reports to him."

This wasn't Mike's first inexcusable attack on Obama.

Mike's comments yesterday were a poor attempt to use fear, anger and hatred to pander to worst element of the Republican Party.

I challenge Mike to play Obama's comments and explain why those comments justify the label 'race pimp.' If he is unable to do so, Mike owes the WEBY family an apology for his show yesterday.


UPDATE: It should be noted that the account of the incident in the Orlando Sentinel is "entirely at odds with the account of Martin’s girlfriend, who says Martin was talking to her on his cell phone just before his death. The girlfriend says she heard Martin ask a man, 'What are you following me for,' and that the man answered, 'What are you doing here?' Then she heard Martin pushed to the ground." Read Slate, Can We Trust the Cops’ New Account of Trayvon Martin’s Killing?

Hoodwink means: "1. To take in by deceptive means; deceive. See Synonyms at deceive. 2. Archaic To blindfold. 3. Obsolete To conceal."

Has the media hoodwinked the public regarding the Trayvon Martin case?

Read the Orlando Sentinel, Police: Zimmerman says Trayvon decked him with one blow then began hammering his head, which is only now reporting that Zimmerman "had turned around and was walking back to his SUV when Trayvon approached him from behind, the two exchanged words then Trayvon punched him in the nose, sending him to the ground, and began beating him." The article also states that was "the account Zimmerman gave police, and much of it has been corroborated by witnesses, authorities say."

The State of Abortabama

If you use drugs while pregnant in Alabama, you best get an abortion quick.  Read The New York Times,

The Criminalization of Bad Mothers.

Mass Incarceration in America

"For a great many poor people in America, particularly poor black men, prison is a destination that braids through an ordinary life, much as high school and college do for rich white ones. More than half of all black men without a high-school diploma go to prison at some time in their lives. Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today—perhaps the fundamental fact, as slavery was the fundamental fact of 1850. In truth, there are more black men in the grip of the criminal-justice system—in prison, on probation, or on parole—than were in slavery then. Over all, there are now more people under 'correctional supervision' in America—more than six million—than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height. That city of the confined and the controlled, Lockuptown, is now the second largest in the United States." Read The New Yorker, The Caging of America.

Gingrich is Soft on Crime

UPDATE: Maybe the title of the post should be Gingrich the hypocrite. Read Sentencing Law and Policy, "Newt Gingrich A Hypocrite For Supporting Death Penalty For Marijuana Smugglers, Gary Johnson Says".

But he is a Republi-CON so you should already know that he is a hypocrite.

The Tea Party has failed the test of 'limited government, free markets, and fiscal responsibility,' but they may finally have a soft on crime candidate. Read Sentencing Law and Policy, When might media (or GOP opponents) discuss Newt Gingrich's "Right on Crime" positions?

Will the Tea Party Debate Pass the Test of 'Limited Government, Free Markets, and Fiscal Responsibility'

UPDATE IV: It's been almost three months since the questions was first posed, but Ron Paul finally said it: "the federal war on drugs is a total failure . . . it undermines our civil liberties, it magnifies our problems on the borders -- we spent like over the last 40 years a trillion dollars on this war and, believe me, the kids can still get the drugs. It just hasn't worked." Read Sentencing Law and Policy, GOP candidate Ron Paul assails Obama pot policy and garners applause calling federal drug war "a total failure".


UPDATE III: You might also ask about the federalization of law enforcement.

"For centuries, a bedrock principle of criminal law has held that people must know they are doing something wrong before they can be found guilty. The concept is known as mens rea, Latin for a 'guilty mind.'

This legal protection is now being eroded as the U.S. federal criminal code dramatically swells. In recent decades, Congress has repeatedly crafted laws that weaken or disregard the notion of criminal intent. Today not only are there thousands more criminal laws than before, but it is easier to fall afoul of them.

As a result, what once might have been considered simply a mistake is now sometimes punishable by jail time."

Read the Wall Street Journal, As Federal Crime List Grows, Threshold of Guilt Declines.


UPDATE II: Another GOP debate, another chance to ask questions "about incarceration policies and the drug war:

Instead of putting our tax dollars into prisons, why not put them into rehabilitation centers for those who get caught with drug possessions?

America has the largest prison population per capita of any country in the world. Do you believe that we are arresting too many people?

Would you back a law to make prison time mandatory for anyone that employs illegal aliens, no exceptions?

The Federal Government spends $500 per second on the war on drugs, adding to the 90% of federal prisoners incarcerated for non-violent crimes. This is overshadowed by the cost of The War on Terror. As President, would you let these costly wars go on?

What will it take to end, in a timely decisive manner, the Global Drug War; a scheme of American Prohibition and world-wide U.S. Imperialism, that funds not only domestic violence and international terrorism, but also the Prison-Industrial Complex?

I am not especially confident that any of these questions will get posed tonight or at any of the forthcoming GOP debates, but I will continue hoping these issues might eventually get some attention at some point in this political/election cycle."

Read Sentencing Law and Policy, Hoping (perhaps foolishly, yet again) latest GOP debate addresses crime and punishment.


UPDATE: Something to remember as you watch the debates:

"The tea party was described as the new kid on the block of American politics, when in fact it was the extension of forces long at work in the political system.

It was described by some of its grass-roots organizers as a movement driven by principle whose members swore no allegiance to either party. That, too, has been shown to be wrong as its roots in the Republican Party have become more evident."

Read the Washington Post, What the tea party is — and isn’t.

Interesting questions and commentary from Sentencing Law and Policy:

"[A]nyone with a truly serious and sustained commitment to 'limited government, free markets, and fiscal responsibility' must start asking a number of tough questions about huge federal and state government spending on the drug war and mass incarceration. Here, as just a couple of examples, is how these tough questions might find expression in the tonight's Tea Party Debate:

Do you support the bill introduced by Ron Paul and Barney Frank to get the federal government out of the marijuana regulation business (basics here)? Would you sign or veto such a bill as president if it came to your desk?

Do you consider the modern 'War on Drugs' — a federal government program started by Richard Nixon and increasingly funded at the federal level by every President since — to be a classic example of a failed big government program or a notable example of big government success?

According to a Pew Center report in 2009, state criminal correction spending has quadrupled in the past two decades, outpacing budget growth in education and transportation (basics here). Meanwhile, the Justice Department recently wrote to the US Sentencing Commission about federal prison spending and overcrowing (basics here). Does this data concern you and what do you think this nation's president can or should do about the pure economic costs to taxpayers of modern mass incarceration?

Though I would love to hear the GOP candidates' response to all of these questions, I will be pleasantly surprised if even a single question about the drug war or big-government criminal justice spending comes up tonight. If there are not any such questions during the Tea Party Debate, I will continue to [wonder] if the 'core principles and values of the tea party movement' really are 'limited government, free markets, and fiscal responsibility.'"

The Lord or Lockup, Your Choice

UPDATE: "A Bay Minette, Ala., alternative to incarceration program that asks first-time, nonviolent offenders to choose between church or jail, was slated to start today but is being delayed for legal review by city officials, said Bay Minette Mayor Jamie Tillery." Read ABC News, Church or Jail? An Alabama Alternative to Incarceration Program on Hold.

"Non-violent offenders in Bay Minette now have a choice some would call simple: do time behind bars or work off the sentence in church." Read or watch WKRG, Serve Time In Jail...Or In Church?

But not everyone likes the idea. Read or watch WKRG, ACLU: Bay Minette Cannot Impose Church Sentences.

Believe It or Not: DUI/DWI at the Demolition Derby

"After David L. Warner Jr. won the Jessamine County Fair demolition derby on Wednesday night, police arrested him on a charge of driving under the influence and took him to jail.

According to a release from Nicholasville police, witnesses at the fair told police that 'Warner had consumed several Bud Light beers while he was preparing to drive in the derby.'"

Read the Kentucky.com, Nicholasville police arrest victorious demolition derby driver on DUI charge.

One commernter asked: "Did they pile on charges of not using his turn signal, no tail lights and illegal lane changes?"

Is It Déjà OJ All Over Again?

UPDATE V: "A creepy lawyer, a greedy juror, a crazed observer. What a show." Read The New York Times, A Sordid Cast Around Casey Anthony.


UPDATE IV: For a follow-up on last weeks show, read The Daily Beast:

Why Casey Anthony Was Acquitted, and

What Casey's Defense Got Right, which compares the Anthony case to the murder trial in Italy of Amanda Knox.

UPDATE III: Why did the jury find Casey Anthony not guilty to the exclusion of and beyond a reasonable doubt? Would you?

See page 76 of the Florida Criminal Jury Instructions. We'll discuss the case today.


UPDATE II: Do you support "'Caylee's Law' [which] would make it a felony for parents or caregivers to not report the death of a child to authorities -- accidental or otherwise -- within one hour. It also would make it a felony for guardians to not notify law enforcement of the disappearance of a child within 24 hours"? Read USA Today, 'Caylee's Law' online petition builds interest after verdict.


UPDATE: Did Nancy Grace's obsession with the Caylee Anthony case to pull "down huge ratings," contribute to Casey Anthony's acquittal? For an interesting perspective, read the Detroit Free Press, Did Nancy Grace assure Tot Mom Casey Anthony's acquittal?

Do you think that "the jury in the Casey Anthony trial was made up of the only 12 people in the entire United States who didn’t feel as though they already had enough evidence to pass judgment on Casey Anthony." Read the Washington Post, Does it matter if Casey Anthony was innocent?, which notes that:

"Casey Anthony will be joining the dark second circle of malign celebrity, whipped about by strong winds from Mary Kay LeTourneau’s Hot For Teacher Club Nights to O.J. Simpson “If I Did It” book parties. It’s almost inevitable at this point. For every three indignant screams on Twitter expressing the desire to club her and bring “street justice” against her, there are several expressing the desire to go clubbing with her.

Justice? Injustice? It’s a show, and we didn’t like the ending."

Police Misconduct, False Confessions and Unethical Prosecutions

UPDATE II: Another fabricated confessions. Read CNN, Mentally challenged man freed 14 years after false confession.


UPDATE: Another case where "the prosecution had essentially framed [two men] for murder by knowingly procuring false testimony." Read Sports Illustrated, Terry Harrington spent 25 years in jail for crime he didn't commit.

Another great expose' of the criminal justice system, by PBS Frontline. Watch The Confessions, about the Norfolk Four.

America the Police State?

"During the past few decades, America has engaged in a massive experiment in routine imprisonment. From 1975 to 1999, by one estimate, the criminal justice system grew five times more punitive. A nation with 5 percent of the world's population now has about a quarter of the world's prison population - well over 2 million people." But is America a nation of the second chance? Read the Washington Post, Michael Vick: Symbol of the second chance.

Executing an Innocent Man and Trying to Hide It

UPDATE: Texas tried to execute another innocent man. The prosecutor withheld the statement of the real killer that he acted alone, and allowed his perjured testimony at trial. Read Texas Monthly, Innocence Lost.

Watch PBS Frontline, Death by Fire.

The worst part is that the Texas Governor, Rick Perry, rushed to have the man executed for political reasons, his reelection.

But "questions about Willingham's innocence would not go away. By 2008, the controversy had ended up in a small state agency. The Texas Forensic Science Commission was designed to go in and figure out what happened and figure out how to keep it from happening again."

Just before a critical report was to be released, which would have raised serious concerns that an innocent man was executed, Perry fired three members of the commission and installed a political ally as the new chairman.

The report has never been released.