Michael J. Gardiner


In tarot the death card it is said, symbolizes purification, change and a new beginning. But in a criminal prosecution, it is a motivational tool. The United State Department of Justice, U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder,has filed with the court and for defense counsel a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in the Boston Marathon Bombing case.

The prospect of the death penalty may motivate Dzokhar Tsarnaev to enter into a plea bargain that saves his life and keeps him in prison for the rest of it. By showing the death card, the Justice Department is not invoking some retributive avenging fury. Instead, it is doing its job of bringing the accused to justice. There is no moral dilemma created by confronting the accused with the prospect of the death penalty. It is simply a matter of law.

If Tsarnaev stands trial, and prosecutors argue for the death penalty, a conviction of the offenses charged will not empower the government to take a life. Rather by a Federal jury of 12 selected with the defendant’s participation will decide his fate in a sober process of deliberation. The Defendant while having the right to remain silent throughout all proceedings will nevertheless also have the right to get on the stand and to defend himself and to “win”his acquittal, and/or to try to convince the jury not to impose the death penalty.

Will Grapentine

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." These words were spoken by former Obama hatchet man and Democrat political wizard Ram Emanuel. Very early on this quote was said in an interview, and vit's ethos has been well-documented within the Obama administration from the get go. Presidential politics aside, I think that very quote can also be used to sum up the topic of school shootings, gun violence as a whole, and how certain isolated cases - although horrific - are INDEED NOT the product of some grand root cause or conspiratorial issue to assign blame to. Certainly in the aftermath of the Aurora, Colorado shooting (AKA the "Batman Shooting", as it took place on the premiere day of 'The Dark Knight Rises' in July of 2012), and the more recent Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut, their have only been one winner following these tragedies: those who politicized the horrific tragedy as a means to a greater end.

US prosecutors said Thursday they will look for capital punishment against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston Marathon bombing.

"Today, United States Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. authorized the government to seek the death penalty in the case of United States v. Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev. We support this decision and the trial team is prepared to move forward with the prosecution," U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said in a statement.

Prosecutors allege that Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, ethnic Chechens from Russia who had lived in the Boston area for about a decade, planted two pressure cooker bombs near the finish line.

Freddy Choyle

Just hours after President Obama'a State of the Union, the nation has let out their opinions. Although the country's  emotions vary  from frustration to support. Often making it difficult to determine were the nation really stands. One thing that is clear, is that Americans are not short on their opinions. 

If you watched the speech on  whitehouse.gov you were privileged to see Obama's government flash cards, help paint his picture. Some of the charts, graphs and photos, were a little insulting to the average intelligence. Then again what is our nation's overall IQ these days? Based on some of the tweets out there, it might be surprisingly higher then one would think.

Compiled are some of the best and perhaps thoughts, form both sides of the argument on the 2014 State of the Union.

Mike Liberty

Prelude
There's no two ways about it, the stakes going into this, his sixth State of the Union Address (SOTU), were dazzlingly high for President Obama. 2013 was absolutely ruinous for the President, his administration, the Democratic Party and America as a whole. And it shows in his approval rating. As of this evening, the once and future heir to Camelot sat somewhere in the 40's, pretty much where he's been since last summer.

With NSA spying, Obamacare lying and IRS intimidation to name a few, a series of train wrecks derailed Obama's agenda last year and gravely threatened his political viability going forward. With nobody but himself to blame (though Lord knows he's tried) we were greeted tonight by a president on the verge of becoming a lame duck with three years to go in his second term.