Michael Vujovich, 61, of Windsor was taken to Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital for an angioplasty procedure after he went to a Windsor hospital in April. Vujovich said the U.S. backup doesn't show a gap in Canada's system, but shows how it works.
"I go to the hospital in Windsor and two hours later, I'm done having angioplasty in Detroit," he said. His $38,000 bill was covered by the Ontario health ministry.
"Despite reports by some bloggers and others in the media that have invoked a variety of sinister conspiracy theories, more people signed up for updates last week than during the entire month of July."Hey! The White House collected a ton of email addresses last week? Wow!!
White House e-mails and transcripts of closed-door interviews with former Bush aides Karl Rove and Harriet Miers reveal involvement as early as May 2005 by Rove's office in the 2006 firings of nine U.S. attorneys.Voter fraud (which is of the certifiable and Democratic Party variety) may not be important to certain DOJ attorneys, but it is to me and to most Republicans.
When politicians interfere with free markets, unintended consequences harm everyone, except the companies that lobby hard enough to protect themselves.That term "rulers" has bite, doesn't it?
Is it too much to expect our rulers to understand this?
"However, it is now evident that an ugly campaign is underway not merely to misrepresent the health insurance reform legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue,'' the two leaders write. "These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views -- but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American.''I guess a fawning press coupled with an enormous bullhorn allows you to say just about anything.
With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to IDOL. I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon.The self-congratulatory phrase was intriguing, too.
Some lawmakers are holding town hall meetings or other public forums on health care reform over the next few weeks, where voters will get a chance to speak out about the various proposals for change. The poll indicates that seven in 10 Americans say they're very or somewhat likely to attend such events.(emphasis added)
In an e-mail to the Boston Globe late Friday, [Gates] said: "It is time for all of us to move on, and to assess what we can learn from this experience."Based on reading these statements, Gates appears eager to move on as well as intent on maintaining his victim status. I suspect Gates is not eager for the facts behind this incident to come out, but this will not truly advance the debate about "racial profiling" if it incorrectly continues as race-merchant fodder.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Gates promised to do all he could so others could learn from his arrest.
"This could and should be a profound teaching moment in the history of race relations in America," Gates said. "I sincerely hope that the Cambridge police department will choose to work with me toward that goal."
I love Dems and Libs telling me/Evangelicals that I/we need to get all judgmental and moralistic and unforgiving.
I and others have said that Stanley is unqualified–by our standards, to serve in the state senate. Any ambivalence on the issue reflects the very real tension between idealism and pragmatism in the political realm. A candidate/official’s character is difficult to assess, and the ultimate objective in choosing elected officials is the implementation of wise public policy, not selecting role models.
For me, these events engender feelings of betrayal and disdain toward Stanley and his ilk within my Party, and though this post by ACK is attractive like an auto accident, and though this information seems to affirm all my worst sentiments/conclusions about Stanley, I’m not sure that the article/post is altogether relevant. Unless our purpose is to provide more opportunities for Liberal tongue-clucking and discordant moralizing about hypocrisy.
Now, Obama has come nowhere near meeting the burden of proof that the still inchoate and murky proposals in a still half-baked health-care bill will do anything of the sort. Indeed, so far the more persuasive argument — backed up by the Congressional Budget Office and others — is that Obamacare will cost a lot of money. And the only way it can actually “save” money is by rationing care. But Obama understands that he cannot sell his health-care reform in the language of the Left.In ascribing the I think what motivates most Libs is an Elitism which leads them to believe they or gov't "experts" know what's best for average people; thus, it is proper for the gov't to impose that "best" policy, whether or not the average folks agree. And, charmingly, in order to get citizens of our republic to go along with what Liberals know to be in their best interest, it is not wrong to mislead citizens a little bit . . . sometimes.
So, it’s a bait and switch. If anything, the overriding idea behind Obama’s approach seems to be to rush his “public plan” into law and expand its generosity over time. This is the tribute a center-left president must pay to a center-right country.
He’s in such a hurry because he senses Americans understand a bait and switch when they see one. On Monday he even proclaimed, “The time for talking is through.”
Well, that was an amazing performance by Sonia Sotomayor before the Senate committee. The Sonia Sotomayor of the past was completely gone. Gone was the woman who talked about the role of “physiology” in judging, who insisted that impartiality, objectivity, neutrality — all of that — was a fantasy, and a bad one. In her place was a champion of impartiality, disinterestedness, and the rule of law: the rule of law, and nothing but. Doesn’t make a difference whether you’re a Latina or a whitey or whatever. “Empathy”? Never heard of it. Certainly has no role in the courtroom.So which vote should they cast? The one that will be characterized as partisan (and perhaps bigoted) or the one that will not avert her confirmation and is fairly rooted in a concern for Rule of Law and sound judicial philosophy?
A funny thought occurred to me: Maybe President Obama should withdraw Sotomayor’s nomination? I mean, she seemed to repudiate everything he stands for in judging.
I must say I was especially grateful to those liberals who said, publicly, they were disappointed in Sotomayor’s choices: who said that her testimony before the committee was dishonest and disingenuous. They scored her for perpetuating the childish belief that judging can be impartial. They wanted the old, candid, racialist Sonia back. I would like to add that I think the old, candid, racialist Sonia would have been just fine. What I mean is, the Senate would have confirmed her anyway — there is that mountain of Democratic votes. She could have let it all hang out. She did not have to dissemble to stymie people like me.
The Sonia Sotomayor who testified before the committee, people like me could endorse and vote for. Somebody’s lying: either the Sonia Sotomayor of the past or the Sonia Sotomayor of the present. Or she has undergone a conversion. I doubt that such conversion has taken place. You?
In the most emotional moment [of her testimony before a House impeachment body], Wilkerson described trying to tell her teenage daughter to never endure any sexual misconduct, even if it meant harsh consequences such as losing her job.
"How could I look her in the face and tell her these things when I couldn't do it myself," she said, her voice cracking. "So I had to come forward. I had to do the right thing."
When Barack Obama pilfered Martin Luther King Jr.'s line about the 'fierce urgency of now,' he wasn't kidding. The line has come to define his presidency. His legislative strategy moves in two gears - heedlessly fast and recklessly faster.
As with the stimulus package, Obama's health-care plan depends on speed. More important than any given provision, more important than any principle, more important than sound legislating is the urgent imperative to Do It Now.
Do it now, before anyone can grasp what exactly it is that Congress is passing. Do it now, before the overpromising and the dishonest justifications can be exposed. Do it now, before Obama's poll numbers return to Earth and make it impossible to slam through ramshackle government programs concocted on the run. Do it now, because simply growing government is more important than the practicalities of any new program.
Sheila Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television and the former chairwoman of Democratic Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's inaugural committee, crossed party lines Monday to endorse Republican Bob McDonnell as Kaine's successor, arguing McDonnell would do a better job of spurring economic development in Virginia.
But those who picked the wrong battles during her confirmation, reminding Americans that they are blind to their own biases and attitudes, may find themselves increasingly lonely in that great big tent.By questioning Sotomayor about her race- and sex-based ideology and judicial philosophy, the Senators (who are jurisprudentially Conservative, but only happen to be male and white) are appropriately establishing a standard for Rule of Law and the proper role of a judge in our Constitutional republic.
Biden told the group that the Obama health plan will not eliminate people’s ability to choose their health care insurance and that people who cannot afford insurance will be covered by the plan.Isn't he reassuring?
“They’ll be a deal in there so there’s competition, so what you’ll have in there is you’ll have the ability to go in there and say, ‘Now look, this is the policy I want. This is the one,” Biden said.
“And those people who can’t afford to get in there, up to a certain income, we’re going to subsidize them, you get in there and we’ll help you pay for it,” Biden said.
A half-dozen senators friendly to labor have decided to drop a central provision of a bill that would have made it easier to organize workers.
The so-called card-check provision — which senators decided to scrap to help secure a filibuster-proof 60 votes — would have required employers to recognize a union as soon as a majority of workers signed cards saying they wanted a union. Currently, employers can insist on a secret-ballot election, a higher hurdle for unions.
That is, while Democrats politicize “torture,” “domestic spying,” the Patriot Act, and now the CIA’s efforts to defeat al-Qaeda, Republicans are generally supporting Obama’s Pakistan policy for the greater good of protecting our national security.
Eventually, people do figure out who the grown-ups are.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the program which Democrats were so angry about turns out to be an effort “to carry out a 2001 presidential authorization to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives.” Excuse me, but this is the Democrats’ idea of a scandal? Most Americans would not only expect, but demand, that the CIA do everything in its power to kill al-Qaeda operatives before they strike our country. Indeed, the Obama administration itself has reportedly escalated targeted killings of al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan using Predator and Reaper drones. These targeted killings are not assassinations — they are legitimate strikes against an enemy that has declared war on us and attacked us where we live.
Noting that only 101 people get a direct say in who sits on the Supreme Court, Mr. Leahy highlighted Judge Sotomayor's credentials.
"President Obama has done his part and made a historic pick, now the Senate has to do its part," he said.
The flap over Mr. Panetta's recent disclosures reignites a broader debate between Congress and the executive branch over the limits of executive power. The release of the letters came the day before the House is scheduled to debate an intelligence bill that will test those limits once again.
The White House issued a veto threat on Wednesday over provisions in the bill that would require more expansive briefings of intelligence committee members on covert actions, taking a position against Democratic lawmakers and in line with what the Bush administration had advocated.
The provision would raise "significant executive privilege concerns," according to a White House policy statement. The broader bill contains several measures to bolster Congressional oversight of intelligence activities.
[Democrat House Member] Holt said he was surprised Mr. Obama continued to support the practice of more limited briefings.
According to the The Tennessean newspaper, McNair had a permit to carry a handgun. The weapon found next to the bodies was a semiautomatic.
There were so many wonderful statistics attached to McNair's career, the most important being the one Super Bowl, the four Pro Bowls to which he was selected, all the games he won. But the last was the only one that mattered. He is the 36th homicide victim in Nashville this year. That is down from 41 at the same time last year.
Only in a country of gun lovers is that considered progress.
"As someone who will have been in the committee a grand total of six days and isn't an attorney I kind of see myself fulfilling a certain role for Americans watching the hearings," Franken said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press.For the record, I always enjoyed the pre-political Al Franken's work . . . I can hardly believe that anyone wouldn't, so that's no big story, I guess. I think he would be a fun guy to know, as long as he didn't fly off the handle about Bushitler or something when we were hanging out. He's a real intellectual and creative talent and one common trait of a comedian is that they are able to laugh at themselves.
"So I kind of see myself as people's proxy, not that the other senators aren't, but certainly that's the kind of role I want to play," he said.
Ms. Palin said that she had decided not to seek re-election when her term expires at the end of next year and that, given that, she did not think it was fair to her constituents to continue in office.What? I think that's a load of moose dung. This smells like quitting to me, and I can't see that it will help her in a run for president. Our country would benefit from more, not fewer, elected officials who are serving without devoting half of their attention and resources to being re-elected.
“As I thought about this announcement that I would not seek re-election,” she said, “I thought about how much fun other governors have as lame ducks. They maybe travel around their state, travel to other states, maybe take their overseas international trade missions.”
“I’m not going to put Alaskans through that,” she said. “I promised efficiencies and effectiveness. That’s not how I’m wired. I’m not wired to operate under the same old politics as usual.”
On Monday, . . . Det. Timothy Palchak of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, chatted online with a person using the name “F.L.” Palchak said “F.L.” described specific sex acts he had performed on a 5-year-old child and said that he lived in Durham.
. . .
[The perpetrator--Frank Lombard] is asked how he got access to a child so young. "Adopted," he replied, and said that the process was "not so hard ... esp (sic) for a black boy."
In the chat, "F.L.” told Palchak that abusing the child was "easier when he was too young to know what was happening and when he couldn't talk ...He had a little too much Benadryl. Was knocked out."
Neighbors of Lombard had nothing to say about him Saturday to a reporter who visited Eno Commons, a co-housing community in north Durham.Sounds like a corny, Liberal place, frankly. But the website highlights that people of all "affectional preferences" are welcome. And you gotta love the gay-friendliest make of car helping the neighborhood to circle the wagons of one of their own. Nice.
Residents ordered the reporter to leave the neighborhood, which emphasizes communal life.
A roadblock with a "no trespassing" sign and a Subaru greeted visitors Saturday to Indigo Creek Trail, a private street in the 22-home neighborhood.
Co-housing communities allow residents have a say in the area's design, and they manage and maintain the community together. Decisions are made through consensus, and residents share common space.
The white firefighters who studied for the exam "understandably attract the court's empathy," Justice Ginsburg said in summarizing the dissent from the bench. But, she added, "they had no vested right to promotion."It is a fair (not to mention complex) question whether there is a right to be promoted if you qualify for a promotion in every respect except for the color of your skin. And I commend the "living Constitution"/jurisprudentially Liberal dissenters on our Supreme Court for their effort to rationalize their political view of racial preferences. But Sotomayor, and the other two judges on the panel who dismissively refused to consider this case at the Circuit Court level, didn't even go to that trouble. Apparently her motivation to go the extra mile is limited to certain types of petitioners.
That Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law, there is no doubt. While Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite, the power to open that door does not lie with the president. A constituent assembly can only be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress.
But Mr. Zelaya declared the vote on his own and had Mr. Chávez ship him the necessary ballots from Venezuela. The Supreme Court ruled his referendum unconstitutional, and it instructed the military not to carry out the logistics of the vote as it normally would do.
The top military commander, Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, told the president that he would have to comply. Mr. Zelaya promptly fired him. The Supreme Court ordered him reinstated. Mr. Zelaya refused.
Calculating that some critical mass of Hondurans would take his side, the president decided he would run the referendum himself. So on Thursday he led a mob that broke into the military installation where the ballots from Venezuela were being stored and then had his supporters distribute them in defiance of the Supreme Court's order.
The attorney general had already made clear that the referendum was illegal, and he further announced that he would prosecute anyone involved in carrying it out. Yesterday, Mr. Zelaya was arrested by the military and is now in exile in Costa Rica.
At the press conference, the governor rationalized his unfaithfulness to Mrs. Sanford by saying that he needed to get out of “the bubble.” Tina Brown, proprietrix of The Daily Beast, hooted in derision: “The bubble’s where you’re s’posed to be, Mark. That’s what all the rubber-chicken fundraisers you put her through were for.” But a more basic question is: Why does the minimally empowered executive of a mid-sized state with no particular national prominence need to be in “the bubble” in the first place?
"Republicans in the U.S. have, in recent years, turned ever more to the cost arguments against climate legislation. That's made sense in light of the economic crisis. If Speaker Nancy Pelosi fails to push through her bill, it will be because rural and Blue Dog Democrats fret about the economic ramifications. Yet if the rest of the world is any indication, now might be the time for U.S. politicians to re-engage on the science. One thing for sure: They won't be alone."
The program, "Public Schools in Bad Shape," was broadcast on November 12, 1999. In it, New York City Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew warned that it would be wrong to create the idea that failure is "sewn within the fabric of public schools." Stossel agreed, noting that some public schools do good work.Maybe.
"But the big truth is that in city after city, the Catholic schools do better, spending less than half as much" as government-run schools, said Stossel. And while Catholic schools offer fewer union job protections, the bottom line is that "it sure seems good for the kids," with Catholic school graduation rates far outstripping those in the public schools.
Why Catholic Schools Succeed
How do U.S. Catholic schools do well on about $3,000 per student, when Crew says the New York City schools need even more than the $8,000 per student that is currently spent? Classes in Catholic schools are much larger than in the government schools, teachers are not paid as much, and many are teaching without a four-year degree and without a masters degree.
"Maybe it's not the money," suggested Stossel, "but about accountability and competition."
[Perez] Hilton's comments [referring to Miss California Carrie Prejean as a b***ch and c***t] have drawn sharp reaction, even from those who might also disagree with Prejean's answer.Christ surely taught that we should love others, but either there is such a thing as right and wrong, or you should stop judging Prejean for judging, Miley.
"I am an openly gay man and a supporter of same sex marriage and I wish Perez Hilton would shut up," writes syndicated talk show host Charles Karel Bouley in a column on Huffington Post. "This is a person who is famous for smearing snarky and crude things over celebrity photos and following Brittney's every move. He lives for controversy and is only famous for it."
However, celebrity Miley Cyrus sided with Hilton in a Twitter conversation.
"Ya that's lame!" the "Hannah Montana" star wrote. "God's greatest commandment is to love. And judging is not loving. That's why Christians have such a bad rep."
Gov. Phil Bredesen (D), who kept his cards close to the vest, signed the homeschool diploma bill this afternoon. HB0431/SB0433 was filibustered by the Democrats for nearly 2 hours two weeks ago as they fought tooth and nail to keep students with Category IV diplomas from getting jobs as police officers (despite getting their college degrees), or day care workers, auctioneers, hair dressers or pedorthists (among other jobs). I'm thankful to the Governor for not vetoing this and letting the community and the state to move on to more pressing issues.(emphasis mine)
"Give people plenty and security, and they will fall into spiritual torpor," wrote Charles Murray in In Our Hands. "When life becomes an extended picnic, with nothing of importance to do, ideas of greatness become an irritant. Such is the nature of the Europe syndrome."I thought of the subject again over lunch with a friend as we discussed the stress of employment and paying bills and most-things-work-related . . . a comfortable, secure, high-quality-of-life job is very appealing at times. Steyn's article, beyond any perceived (or real) relationship to contemporary partisan politics, provides insight into a founding principle of our great republic: Live free or die.
The key word here is "give." When the state "gives" you plenty—when it takes care of your health, takes cares of your kids, takes care of your elderly parents, takes care of every primary responsibility of adulthood—it's not surprising that the citizenry cease to function as adults: Life becomes a kind of extended adolescence—literally so for those Germans who've mastered the knack of staying in education till they're 34 and taking early retirement at 42. Hilaire Belloc, incidentally, foresaw this very clearly in his book The Servile State in 1912. He understood that the long-term cost of a welfare society is the infantilization of the population.
Campaigning has officially got under way in Iran's presidential elections, with just four people cleared to run out of the 475 who registered.The Guardian Council likely thinks they're "guarding" the people from themselves.
Iran's Guardian Council cleared four candidates, including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current president, to run for election, Iran's Jumhuri-ye Eslami newspaper reported on Thursday.
Torture is illegal under both United States and international law. The Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment, and it states that treaties signed by the U.S. are the “supreme Law of the Land” under Article Six. The Geneva Convention and The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment both prohibit torture and have been signed by the United States. These laws provide no exception for torture under any circumstances. Moreover, the United States Criminal Code prohibits both torture and war crimes, the latter which includes torture. The Army Field Manual prohibits the use of degrading treatment of detainees.(emphasis mine). Well, it wasn't exactly kept a secret.
Despite this well-established law, under the Bush administration, torture was authorized by George Bush and kept secret using classified designations. The White House requested legal memoranda to support its use of torture and it received those authored by a host of attorneys, including John Yoo, Jay Bybee, and Stephen Bradbury. Attorneys who advised, counseled, consulted and supported those memoranda included Alberto Gonzales, John Ashcroft, Michael Chertoff, Alice Fisher, William Haynes II, Douglas Feith, Michael Mukasey, Timothy Flanigan, and David Addington.
Fifty-one percent of Americans consider themselves "pro-life" and just 42 percent say they are "pro-choice," the first time a majority of the country has stated a personal objection to abortion since Gallup polls began tracking the data 15 years ago.
County election administrators who are fired because of their political affiliation could successfully file lawsuits against county election commissions, according to state Attorney General Bob Cooper.Given the challenges that seem inherent to administering elections (and have seemed largely intractable for Democrat-chosen election administrators) the newly-Republican controlled election commissions should have no problem removing many election administrators "for cause."
A Sunday school teacher was booked early today on suspicion of murder and kidnapping in the slaying of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, whose body was found in a suitcase in an irrigation pond.This reminded me of several other recent reports of murders, for example, the man in Binghamton, NY who went on a shooting spree in an immigrant community service center or the man in Pittsburgh who seems to have ambushed and murdered several police officers for no apparent "reason." The information on the California arrest is sketchy, but it appears that they have likely found at least one person involved in the murder.
"Black was the great progressive textualist, and once he lost the battle, the court decided that avenue is closed," says Kendall. Other justices of the 1950s and '60s, including William Brennan and William O. Douglas, "were less concerned with having the correct test as getting the right answers," he says.(emphasis added). Yep. "The end justifies the means."
Madison and his evangelical allies had a completely different concept. They wanted to promote religion. They just believed that the best way to promote religion was for government to leave it alone.Indeed.
This basic approach has made America one of the most religiously free and religiously vibrant nations in the world.
"As a former legislator, I know that it is sometimes hard to know what the best policy is and how to balance competing policy values. But it is always a good policy for the legislature to follow the plain, common sense language of the state’s constitution, and it is always bad policy to disregard it. When our fundamental, supreme governing law ceases to be just that, then we are in trouble."
In summary the evidence showed that Fred and Edna Stafford lived on Pine Lick Creek Road in Jackson County, just a short distance from the farm, owned by Henley's family, where his grandmother lived. On the day of the Staffords' death Henley had visited his grandmother and obtained some mechanical parts for some work he was doing. Flatt was with him. Earlier in the day they had been driving about, tending to business affairs of Henley's. During that time they had consumed some beer and also had taken some drugs, referred to in the record as Dilaudids. According to Flatt, as they passed the Staffords' residence Henley commented, “there was some people that lived on that road that owed his grandmother or grandfather some money, and they done him wrong, his grandparents wrong years before, and he was going to stop and see about collecting some money off them.” Henley let Flatt out of the truck just before he reached his grandmother's house. When he returned five or ten minutes later he had a .22 rifle with him. They stopped fifty or seventy-five yards up the road where Henley loaded some more shells into the rifle. He also filled a plastic jug with gasoline from a five-gallon can he had in the back of the truck. They proceeded on toward the Stafford residence. When they reached there Mr. and Mrs. Stafford were standing on the left-hand side of the road looking at a small bridge where some construction work had recently been done. Henley stopped the truck, jumped out and told them, “I want your money, if you don't give it to me this man in the truck here, he's going to kill me.” He then directed them to go to the house. Mr. Stafford said, “Steve, if you want money or something, I got $80, maybe $100, you can have it.” He forced them on to the house at gunpoint and told Flatt to bring the .22 rifle as he followed behind them. When they got within 20 or 30 feet of the house he told Flatt to give him the rifle and go back to the truck and get the plastic jug of gasoline. Flatt did as directed. As he reached the porch he saw Henley begin to shoot. He first shot Mr. Stafford then turned and shot Mrs. Stafford a time or two. While she was laying on the floor moaning and groaning he threw the rifle to Flatt, took out his pistol and shot her again with the pistol. He told Flatt to pour out some of the gas. Flatt endeavored to do as he was told and poured out a small amount. When he could not finish Henley took the container of gas from him and finished pouring it out. He then directed Flatt to light it. When Flatt said he could not he struck the match and as the flames went up they ran to the truck.
The house burned to the ground. The bodies of the Staffords were found in the ashes. All that remained of Mr. Stafford's body was part of the right leg and the trunk area. The body of Mrs. Stafford was similarly burned. It was determined that Mr. Stafford died from a gunshot wound to the chest with the bullet passing through his heart. Mrs. Stafford's death was caused by burns and inhalation of noxious gases from the fire. It was the opinion of the medical examiner that Mrs. Stafford lived a minute or longer after the fire began.
. . . .
Defendant questions the sufficiency of the evidence on his conviction for first degree murder and for aggravated arson. He says there is no evidence independent of the testimony of Terry Flatt, who was an accomplice as a matter of law, to corroborate Flatt's testimony. He also says that in the absence of any proof of a criminal agency which caused the burning of the Stafford home, he cannot be convicted of arson.
. . . .
The State clearly showed that a crime had taken place. Fred Stafford died as a result of a bullet passing through his heart. Edna Stafford died as a result of burns from the fire and inhalation of gases from the fire. A spent .22 rifle shell was found in the ashes near where Fred Stafford's body was lying. This cartridge was fired from a Marlin .22 rifle, located by law enforcement officers where Flatt testified defendant had hidden it and another weapon after the homicide. This rifle was never positively identified as the murder weapon because of its condition when it was found. David Henley, defendant's brother, testified it was similar to one he had acquired some four or five months before and had left in his grandmother's house for her protection. This rifle had a loose part on the end, as did the State's exhibit and the bluing was scratched off the sight in the same way. The rifle was no longer at his grandmother's house. Ronald Leonard identified the State's exhibit as an automatic .22, Glenfield rifle, made by Marlin, which looked just like a rifle he had traded to David Henley. At the time of the trade the Allen screw securing a ring holding the magazine in place was loose. The ring would slide off and on occasion the rifle would jam when fired. Defendant himself noted the similarity between the State's exhibit and his brother's rifle. He endeavored to place the weapon in the possession of Flatt whom he had left by the roadside while he went to visit his grandmother. This of course was a question for the jury. There was evidence of bad feelings between defendant and the Staffords over a car wreck which he believed was due to the Staffords' fault. The gas can in defendant's truck from which Flatt testified he filled the plastic jug had to be refilled on the weekend following the burning of the Stafford's house. A near neighbor of the Staffords saw defendant drive past, apparently on the way to his grandmother's. Sometime later she heard a loud noise, “maybe an explosion or something real *914 loud. Louder than a gunshot.” A minute or two after that she saw defendant's truck come back down the road. Shortly after that her husband saw smoke coming from the direction of the Stafford house. They went together to see about it. When they arrived there was fire all over, it looked like it was boiling inside. Defendant denied knowing anything about the fire until the next day although a police officer corroborated Flatt's testimony that, on the night of the fire, he told defendant about the fire when he encountered them on the road and stopped to ask directions to the Stafford house. An arson investigator with the State Fire Marshall's Office investigated the fire. He suspected arson although there was no physical evidence of that fact. He did not make any test for accelerants because there was a total burn-out and it was his opinion any accelerant would have been burned away.
"For those at the vigil, the presence of Michael McCormick – a Tennessee man who spent 17 years on death row before being acquitted and released in 2007 – served as testimony to a legal system that sometimes makes mistakes.Well, I haven't researched Henley's claims of innocence yet, but I encourage you to read the facts--FACTS, from Michael McCormick's case. Yes, he may have been acquitted after being on death row for nearly 20 years, but you can judge for yourself whether he was "innocent."
“I’m here to support Steve. I’m here to support all of [those on death row]. I knew them for 20 years,” McCormick said. “The system can fail. People can be executed for crimes they didn’t commit. People need to keep that in mind.”"
