“I heard this jury say, ‘guilty’ 288 times–24 questions, 12 jurors. That’s the multiplication. I haven’t heard you apologize once,” Berman said before sentencing Dahrun Ravi to 30 days in jail. The sentence also includes three years probation, 300 hours of community service and over $11,000 in fines, 10K of which will be donated to an anti-bias organization.

The defense, led by the bumbling Steven Altman, who said he knew he was “climbing a mountain” seeking a leniency, asked for a stay of the sweetheart sentence. Come on, guy! I know you were hoping for no time behind bars for your client, but with 15 felony convictions, that had to seem unlikely. For their part prosecutors, led by Julia McClure also asked for a stay on behalf of the state. The state, blind-sided by the short jail sentence, is seeking a prison term, the maximum of which could be ten years. The judge denied the stays. Barring action from an appellate court, Ravi will report to jail on May 31.

The sentence tossed a shocking lid on an emotional morning, filled with victim impact statements from Tyler Clementi’s father, mother and brother as well as a letter from “M.B.,” Clementi’s fellow victim of the notorious spy-camming. Both Ravi’s parents also spoke passionately on behalf of leniency for their son. But Ravi, who was expected to address the court,remained mum.

Had Ravi, who was only 18 and, like his roommate Tyler Clementi, in the first few weeks of his freshman year at Rutgers, when the notorious web cam spying incidents (described by his defense team repeatedly as juvenile pranks) occurred, publicly apologized such a sentence might sit better with the Clementi family as well as gay rights advocates, and the community at large.

Quick trigger Twitter fingers display a mixed bag of reactions. Some suggest Ravi got away with murder. Others call the sentencing “compassionate.”

My reaction is somewhere down the middle. It’s strange because before viewing the sentencing I was hoping for compassion, playing it out in my dramatist’s mind as coming from the Clementis. But that’s not how it unfolded. The Clementis, while not vengeful, certainly asked for accountability and justice. Without offering a term, I’m sure they didn’t have a meager 30 day jail stint in mind, when the spoke of “consequences.”

Listening to all the pre-sentencing arguments and letters, as well as the judge’s early harsh words, I believed a prison sentence was, in fact, warranted; hoped it would be on the short end, say 1-3 years. I don’t believe incarceration is the answer to every offense or offender, and I believe, despite the prosecution’s protestations to the contrary, had Tyler Clementi not committed suicide ( Ravi was not implicated or charged with his death) this case would never have come before the court. It would have been handled internally at Rutgers. Still, Ravi refused a plea deal that would have avoided any incarceration. He turned it down and put the Clementi family ( as well as his own) through an excruciating ordeal. In his self-serving newspaper and “20/20″ interviews, Ravi said he couldn’t take the deal because he couldn’t admit to any bias. Such an admission, he maintained, would be lying.

I’m not so sure Ravi understands the insidious ways cultural prejudices can seep in and take up residence in one’s heart and mind.

If Ravi truly learns any hard lessons those insights will most likely be uncovered as he completes the mandated anti-bias counseling program that his probation sentence includes. He is a young man, and surely does not need to be locked away–or deported ( both “M.B.” in his letter and later Judge Berman, indicated influence, on his behalf, with immigration.) And he doesn’t deserve to be the poster boy for anti-gay bullying.

I wish some measure of closure for the Clementis, though as Judge Berman said, that will be hard to ever achieve. I know they’ve started the Tyler Clementi Foundation and hope the work they do there will grant them some solace as it helps countless people fight bias, find refuge and lead healthy and joyous lives. And I hope Dahrun Ravi cultivates the empathy that eluded him as a teenager and grows into a generous and productive adult. Thanks to Judge Berman’s generosity, he’ll have an early jump-start on his second chance.

Please follow Amy Beth Arkawy on Twitter.

However, the Paul campaign rejected the possibility of waging a battle at the national convention to unbind the Nevada delegates from having to vote for Romney. Carl Bunce, the Nevada chairman of Paul’s campaign, adopted a conciliatory tone on Sunday, and said that Ron Paul’s goal was to defeat President Obama in November, not to be a divisive factor within the GOP. “I do not want this party to fall apart. We are building a stronger party, we need to stay united. Just because you have the power doesn’t mean you always have to wield it. Just because you have the sword doesn’t mean you have to strike,” said Bunce. Regardless of Bunce’s statement, some Paul supporters are hoping that there might be a brokered convention where the nomination fight goes beyond the first ballot, opening the way for Paul to win.

Paul is very much behind Romney in the delegates count, with a bit less than 100 against 856 for Romney- according to a count by AP.  Romney is still 288 delegates short of the 1,144 that he needs to get the nomination. With Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich out of the race, Ron Paul is the last man standing in the way of  Mitt Romney’s nomination. Romney could get around 100 delegates in Tuesday’s primaries in North Carolina, West Virginia and Indiana. But even if Romney remains the “inevitable” GOP nominee in the eyes of most, Ron Paul has made some gains in recent days. Adding to his sweep in Nevada, Paul took 11 delegates away from Romney in Maine when the Texas congressman supporters won control of the Maine GOP convention on Sunday and elected Paul delegates to the Republican party national convention.

Ron Paul’s decision to stay in the race until the national convention will give him the opportunity to address important issues ignored by most US politicians and mainstream media. For example, Paul is a vehement opponent of CISPA ( Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act), which he views as another instrument to attack free speech protected by the First amendment of the US constitution. Last Friday, in San Diego, Ron Paul got a standing ovation after attacking the ongoing effort by the Federal government to censor the Internet. “Without the first amendment, it is very difficult for us to get our message out, and I want to make sure the first amendment is protected on the Internet as well. The first amendment wasn’t written so that you can talk about the weather, it was written so that you can talk about controversial things and even challenge our own government,” said Paul.

Editor’s Note: All photographs by Gage Skidmore.

The latest act of our most recent high profile American tragedy played out in real time courtroom theatrics on Friday. George Zimmerman, the reviled Trayvon Martin shooter, now charged with second-degree murder, was granted $150, 000 bond. But the real drama, igniting audible gasps in the packed courtroom, came when Zimmerman took the stand and briefly testified.

“I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son,” Zimmerman, 28, said in a soft voice as he took the stand with shackles at his feet and waist. “I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. I did not know if he was armed or not.” His lawyer, Mark O’Mara, later explained in a presser that his client was directly answering the Martin family’s public questions regarding Trayvon’s age and whether he had been carrying a gun.

Trayvon’s parents sat silently through the comments; his father Tracy Martin visibly shaken and weeping. They scurried out of the crowded courtroom after Judge Lester set bail. Their attorney, Benjamin Crump, labeled Zimmerman’s apology “self-serving” and described the family’s reaction to bond as “devastated.” It’s unclear if they were expecting a higher bail ( the prosecution had asked for a minimum of $ 1 million) or for a denial of bond altogether. In either event, it seems the prosecutor’s office hadn’t prepared them for the inevitable, Bail is a part of our system; granted frequently even in first degree murder cases.

Buckle up, folks. We’re in for another high-profile controversial case, and the full tilt media circus that surrounds it. In the bond hearing, alone, we gained insights into Zimmerman, O’Mara’s courtroom prowess and the strengths and weaknesses in the prosecution’s case. Zimmerman’s past criminal record came under some scrutiny, including a violent altercation with police, described by O’Mara as his client “coming to defense of a friend.”

At the press conference, O’Mara, who is the anti-Jose Baez, exuding, in equal measure, both the savvy and humility of a truly seasoned defense attorney, made one possible slip-up. While discussing the incident with cops, he said Zimmerman acted because “in his head” they were doing something to his friend. If this comes before a jury, it may be evidence of Zimmerman’s propensity toward a paranoid mindset.

On the other hand, Zimmerman’s appearance and demeanor–both far more fragile than earlier photos–belie his media portrait as a quick-trigger racist vigilante. He may well be his own best witness.

Photographs just released showing bloody gashes on his head and what appears, at this point, anyway, to be a rather flimsy prosecution case may also serve to set him free.

Of course, we don’t know what will come; how all the evidence will play out in court (or exactly what that evidence is). “The special prosecutors don’t want to show their full hand,” Crump told reporters, indicating there is enough to warrant the second degree murder charge.

Let’s hope that’s true. Otherwise, if this prosecutor has over-charged what seems like a manslaughter case, the country, and most importantly the Martin family, may face another round of reckless Florida injustice deja vu. Such an outcome will surely bring them another brutal brush with devastation.

For now, at least the legal process, however imperfect it may prove to be, has finally started in earnest. That’s all the Martins had asked for. Now that they’ve gotten it, hopefully they’ll find some measure of justice in that.

Please follow Amy Beth Arkawy on Twitter.

The Republican presidential nomination has seemed more like Big-Time wrestling than a boxing match, and, even then, more like an undercard scrap filled with amateurish drama where the gaffes and foibles substitute for skill and execution.  It started out as an eight combatant cage match.  The contenders entered the arena with all the pomp and circumstance of a title bout. It didn’t take long for the commentators to have to start shouldering the burden of trying to convince the crowd that, despite all evidence to the contrary, there was indeed a fight worth the price of admission.

One by one they fell.   Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Huntsman, all victims of either their own inability to fight or their penchant for punching themselves in the face.  The field narrowed, but not because of any overwhelming skill.  Survival of the fittest was replaced by survival of the least unfit.  It’s never really mattered though, they all knew it was just a show and that they were only fighting for a chance to lose to the champ.

Any serious contenders are either non-existent or smart enough to wait until the champ’s career has run its course.  Jim DeMint is quietly building his evangelical base for 2016.  As a social conservative that makes Santorum look like a bohemian hipster, he’s also a strategist that knows better than to walk into haymaker with his hands down.  Marco Rubio, the upstart from Florida, is protecting a strong early career.  While sharing a ticket as VP allows him to let the loss go to another’s stats, leading the fight, he knows, is still out of his league.

Gingrich and Paul have found safety against the ropes.  Perhaps too proud (or too deluded) to throw in the towel, they add a mixture of comic relief and distraction from a two-man bout that might otherwise find both combatants drawing boos from their own supporters.  Boredom and frustration rule the day.  There is no real fight, just a contest to see who gets to be the loser in the fall.  Like a Vegas clash of paper tigers, it’s all media hype.

Romney needs to end this soon so that he can get about retraining for his title fight and become the new fighter that he needs to be just to step in that ring against the champ.  Santorum has been holding on tighter than an Irish Setter on top of a station wagon, pulling the debate to the right.  Romney needs to leave this fight behind, shake his etch-a-sketch, and refashion himself as a moderate conservative southpaw, swinging from the left.

With Tuesday primaries in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and the very important Wisconsin, Romney needs to find a way to connect with Santorum’s jaw and put him down for the count.  Anything less than a clear win may prolong Romney’s flat-footed pugilism with sweater-vested ambassador of religious intolerance and leave less time to completely change his tact and avoid utter embarrassment for himself and his Party in November.  The expected loss is one thing.  Being on the wrong side of a landslide could have the entire Republican Party facing a future as bleak as Rush Limbaugh’s career.

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Gilbert Mercier Medical Recovery Fund Raiser

On February 21, 2012, Gilbert Mercier, News Junkie Post Editor in Chief, suffered an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.. a myocardial infarction… a massive heart attack.  Gilbert was given only a 10% chance of surviving the surgery that required he be put in a comatose state in order to both repair the damage and perform a bypass.  Fortunately, due to his physical strength, as well as the indefatigable spirit and tenacious character that he brings to every challenge he faces, Gilbert has survived both that initial surgery and a subsequent surgery in early March.

Gilbert’s recovery and rehabilitation will be a long process.  He is surrounded by loving family and friends but his intense medical needs and the astronomical costs for them will continue for quite some time.  The all-too-familiar story of how the American health care system can eviscerate a person’s personal financial security, regardless of insurance, is playing itself out with a cherished member of our family.

We will be regularly featuring some of Gilbert’s thought provoking and challenging pieces over the next few months.  A donation account for Gilbert has been set up at WePay.  Donations can be made HERE. It is our hope that all of you who have been affected, educated, and challenged by Gilbert’s work will assist him in his time of need and help provide the necessary support so that he can return to his former level of activity and resume his mission of informing, agitating and engaging.

Sincere gratitude from the News Junie Post family for your donation.

Despite media coverage to the contrary, the promise of thousands to descend on the American capital to show their support for either side of the supposedly passionate  debate over the Affordable Care Act, currently being heard by the Supreme Court, was a far from realized hype.  The anticipated clash between the armies of concerned citizens, left versus right, was not to be.  Perhaps this, the first of three days, was just not worthy of expending too much passion too soon.  After all, it is a Monday.

I had a good long sleep in preparation.  I awakened early to take care other tasks and clear my schedule for the expected battle to come.  I checked the charge on my batteries.  I cleaned my camera lens. I made sure I was prepped for audio, video, and stills.  This was it, the challenge of the constitutionality of Obamacare was going before the Supreme Court!

As I approached the Supreme Court building, shortly before 09:00, I saw a couple hundred people barely filling the sidewalk area in front of the massive steps leading up to the home of the countries most august litigators. I stopped at the corner.  Where were all the people?  I looked across the street.  Perhaps they were organizing nearby, ready to make an entrance.  Perhaps they were unloading buses and getting in formation, ready to march onto the scene and make their voices heard.

Alas,  it was not to be.  What I saw was all there was to see.  I walked through the group trying to get a sense of who was there.  The sound of syncopated rhythms and musical chants made it immediately clear that the majority of demonstrators were liberals, left-wingers, progressives… pro-Obamacare.  Deny it if you will, but the right wing is as stuck on the down beat as they are in there romanticized version of 1950′s America.

As the morning wore on, more representatives from the anti-Obamacare, save our country from the socialists, right-wing showed up.  Their past three years of activism seem to have taught them some lessons.  All of their signs, or at least those that I saw, were spelled correctly.  No fun there.  At it’s peak there was still a two to one ratio of protesters in favor of the Affordable Care Act versus those feeling that the only sure right we have is death since  necessary taxes should be avoided and the universal health care those taxes could pay for should be reserved for the wealthy.

My general impression, because of the number of T-shirts, pins, and union made signs, was that labor activists and professionals working for non-profit organizations to promote the Democratic Party’s purported achievements in passing this insurance company friendly bill that leaves even more Americans without health insurance than before comprised the majority of those that showed up.  I think I was correct in this assessment.  But, then there was the media.

If a scrum had broken out between media and the protesters it would have been a fairly even match.  All the big names, with all their big gear, were there.  I immediately started having camera envy.  I tucked my substandard fifteen year old Kodak under my jacket and weaved my way through the press.  Were they as disappointed as I?  Perhaps in the protesters, but not in the camera fodder that was to come.

Supreme Court justices had promised to come out and address the group about the progress of their deliberations.  What?  On day one?!  Certainly an unusual move, but it served to support the hype that had been betrayed by organizers lack of ability to mobilize any meaningful numbers for the actual protest.  If the Supreme court has become politicized, it may best be seen through their love of the spotlight during high profile cases.  Lights, cameras, litigate.

As noon hour approached the numbers began to wane, rapidly.  It was almost as if people were there working a shift and their scheduled lunch break was approaching.  Go figure.

As I watched coverage on television I was struck by the disconnect between the reality of the event and the portrayal on ‘the tube.’  The movie ‘Wag the Dog’ came to mind.  Like the fictitious war of the movie that happened only on TV, produced in a studio with special effects, I felt as though I had just been at the protest equivalent.

With two days left, perhaps we will see if the hype will create the protest.  I often wonder if that’s the goal.  Fake it, and they will come.  Tell them the truth, and rely on people to show up to provide the necessary fight, and you end up being a small group of lonely activists at disappointing actions like I witnessed today.  1-2-3-4, what are we for?  5-6-7-8, is this protest done yet, it’s getting late?  Fundamental change is going to take some hard work and commitment.  So far, it seems as though we’ve seen none of the above.

Feature Image By Kerry Soper

Because censorship is wrong…

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(This cartoon published without permission, particularly of the Republican Party)

… and women’s reproductive rights are most definitely right!

Doonesbury cartoons by the brilliant Garry Trudeau

Atheists are coming out of the closet – and coming together. At a press conference held yesterday, March 22, at the National Press Club, Reason Rally organizers and speakers  hailed the upcoming event as an unprecedented display of numbers and unity.

The Reason Rally, a national gathering of nonreligious Americans to celebrate secular  values, will take place from 10AM-6PM on March 24th and is estimated to draw thousands. It is being sponsored by all the major organizations in the Secular movement.

“The Reason Rally proves to all of us that we can unite, cooperate and succeed to achieve our common goals of advancing secularism in America,” said David Silverman, chair of the Reason Rally and President of American Atheists. “This unity is a major victory in and of itself, and will prove to be the first step toward a long-term, movement-wide effort to raise the profile of the atheist.”

Journalist Jamila Bey, one of the Reason Rally speakers, said the event would be a “wake up call” to the nation. “The country is evolving. We are women, we are men, we are children  and we are parents. We live here, we vote, we buy things. We matter.”

Politicians in particular will need to take notice of the growing unity of the secular movement, said speaker Sean Faircloth, representative from the Richard Dawkins Foundtion.  “There needs to be a place in politics for voices like famous conservative Barry Goldwater, who had no respect for the Religious Right,” said Faircloth, who served 10 years in the Maine state government. “But the reality is that right now, the Religious Right has veto power over one of the two major political parties.”

The Reason Rally will help change that, said comedian Paul Provenza, who will emcee the event. “Part of what this rally is about is to show that there is an audience, and a base, for those willing to stand up against the Religious Right forcing their beliefs on everyone.”

The Rally, a free event on the National Mall, features prominent nonreligious speakers and entertainers including scientist and author Richard Dawkins, comedian Eddie Izzard, “Mythbusters” co-star Adam Savage, comedian and musician Tim Minchin and the band Bad Religion.

The Reason Rally is sponsored by American Atheists, American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance of America, The Brights, Camp Quest, Center for Inquiry, Freethought Society, The James Randi Educational Foundation, Military Atheists and Freethinkers, The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, Secular Student Alliance, Secular Coalition for America, Society for Humanistic Judaism, Stiefel Freethought Foundation, United Coalition of Reason and Washington Area Secular Humanists.

More information about the Reason Raly can be found at the Reason Rally Website.

It’s not the first time our national albatross, racism, has collided with the mighty lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association, but the Trayvon Martin tragedy has sparked an outrage, so loud and so visceral, it has re-opened wounds and re-ignited debates that simply cannot be quashed.

In a brief presser Friday (to announce the changing of the guard at the World bank), President Obama fielded one question about the Martin case. His response was measured and thoughtful. He called on all of us to do some “soul searching.” But it was his pointed and rather poignant acknowledgement, “if I had a son he would look like Trayvon,” that brings it home for so many. Black parents, especially those of teenage boys and young men, are angered and, frankly, petrified for their sons’ safety.

Just imagine what that feels like. For both the parents and the children.

Trayvon’s mother talked openly and bravely about her anguish on “Politics Nation” with Al Sharpton on MSNBC earlier this week. And Jonathan Capehart, a columnist for The Washington Post, talked first hand about the anxieties young African American males grapple with on a daily basis. Watch the excerpts from Thursday’s “Morning Joe.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The soul searching needs to start in Sanford, Florida. Police Chief Bill Lee’s “temporary” leave of absence needs to become a resignation or termination. George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch commando needs to, at the very least, surrender his gun before the Grand Jury convenes in April. Remember: when police officers are involved in a shooting, even one deemed a “righteous shoot,” they must surrender their weapons and go on desk duty.

Florida Governor Mike Scott has, after extensive pressure, finally, announced a task force to examine the case, and as we reported earlier in the week, the Department of Justice has already launched its own independent investigation.A local Grand Jury won’t meet until April 10. In the meantime, Zimmerman remains free. And, as far as we know, that means he’s still free to carry that same gun he used to kill Trayvon.

Meanwhile, Florida’s Senate President Mike Haridopolos rejected calls to re-examine the controversial Stand Your Ground law that emboldened Zimmerman to gun down Martin, and has, so far, kept him out of jail.

In an e-mail to Think Progress a spokesperson wrote:

“The Senate President feels that Governor Scott is currently taking all of the appropriate steps to address the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin. Additionally, the Senate President is confident that the circumstances surrounding this shooting will be closely examined by lawmakers, and if the Senate concludes that laws need to be revised they will be addressed in the future.”

The future is now, Senator. Since Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law took effect in 2005 the cases of justifiable homicide have jumped from an average of 13 a year to 36. Senator Chris Brown, a Democrat from Broward County, is penning a law that would prevent a shooter from invoking the controversial statute if he/she was at anytime during the altercation, the “aggressor or provocateur.”

Let our soul searching begin.

Please follow Amy Beth Arkawy on Twitter.

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(This cartoon published without permission from anyone, particularly the government)

… and women’s reproductive rights are definitely right!

Doonesbury cartoon by  Garry Trudeau

As the furor over the “vigilante” murder of 17 year old Trayvon Martin in Florida continues, the Justice Department has finally announced its investigation into a possible hate crime. The DOJ promises, “A thorough and independent review of all of the evidence and take appropriate action at the conclusion of the investigation,” spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement. The probe will include the Civil Rights Division of DOJ, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the FBI. And, finally, the local grand jury will examine the case in April. The Million Hoodie March–protests seeking justice for Trayvon Martin–are planned all over the country Wednesday.

Listen to Neighborhood Watch vigilante George Zimmerman’s entire 911 call and you’ll hear the inherent racism. His family’s continuous claims to the contrary are debunked through Zimmerman’s own words. At the 2:20 mark you’ll hear him mutter an abhorrent racial slur under his breath.

Why this trigger happy thug–who has his own rap sheet, including charges of assault and domestic battery -is allowed to own and carry a concealed weapon–will likely re-open our national conversation on gun control. But why he didn’t follow the 911 dispatcher’s instructions to NOT follow Martin will likely land him behind bars. There was absolutely no reason for a person who felt so threatened ( and by the way, Zimmerman doesn’t sound particularly frightened or even anxious in the call) by this baby-faced kid armed with nothing but a cellphone and a bag of Skittles to pursue the “suspect.” None.

The National Neighborhood Watch guidelines expressly state:

“It should be emphasized to members that they do not possess police powers, and they shall not carry weapons or pursue vehicles. They should also be cautioned to alert police or deputies when encountering strange activity. Members should never confront suspicious persons who could be armed and dangerous.”

Zimmerman alerted police, but violated the other two crucial rules. He carried a weapon and he followed Martin.

What exactly transpired between the two remains murky. Obviously there were only two witnesses. One is tragically dead, the other hiding behind Florida’s Stand Your Ground statute. But what has become painfully clear: Martin posed no threat to anyone, especially George Zimmerman. He was a young kid minding his own business, walking to his dad’s girlfriend’s house, chatting on the phone with his friends. His only “crime” was wandering through an unknown neighborhood while being black. One friend, who released her call to ABC News, was apparently on the phone with Martin at the time of the altercation. Martin told his friend he was scared; there is no indication that he was looking for trouble. She heard gasps and the phone drop. Other witnesses heard the gunshots; two have come forward to say they saw Zimmerman on top of Martin.

Zimmerman claims he acted in self defense. But Trayvon Martin didn’t have a gun. George Zimmerman did. Trayvon Martin is dead. And Zimmerman is still roaming around. With his gun. And the local police claim they have no probable cause to arrest Zimmerman? The Martin family–and the nation–are waiting on justice.

Please follow Amy Beth Arkawy on Twitter.