Enbridge Pipeline is Still Leaking
In spite of Enbridge’s claims that their pipeline stopped leaking on Friday, reports have surfaced that the pipeline has been continually leaking an estimated 200 to 600 barrels of crude per hour since Friday.
Chevron off the hook for murders
A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a San Francisco jury’s verdict clearing Chevron Corp. of wrongdoing for the shootings of Nigerian villagers who occupied an offshore barge in 1998 to protest the company’s hiring and environmental policies.
Government security forces summoned by Chevron killed two men and wounded two on a barge tethered to a company platform 9 miles off the coast of the oil-rich Niger Delta after three days of negotiations with leaders of about 150 tribesmen.
In a suit by 19 plaintiffs, who included the two wounded men and relatives of one of the dead, the jury rejected their claims that Chevron was responsible for assault, inhumane treatment and wrongful death. (from )
Eric McDavid: Victimized by Green Scare State Terrorism
On August 9, the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard McDavid’s oral arguments, focused mainly on “the incorrect written response to a question the jurors asked during deliberations….the oral answer (given) was the complete opposite from the written” one, after which jurors quickly reached a guilty verdict.
Afterwards, however, the deception outraged juror Diane Bennett, saying:
“During deliberations, we asked the court to please clarify for the jury the issue of whether Anna was a government agent, and if so, when did she become one. The written answer….stated ‘no’ that she was not a government agent, yet we were told orally that she was.”
“With the written response of ‘no,’ and after reading the other written responses to the court, we ended our consideration of the issue of entrapment, the vote (being) 7 – 5 to consider the entrapment issue as a defense. Once the written response advised Anna was not a government agent, we then changed to a guilty verdict soon thereafter.”
To prove criminal conspiracy, prosecutors must show McDavid conspired with one or more others. His codefendants, however, absolved him, testifying that no illegal actions were planned. As a result, it was his word against Anna’s, an FBI provocateur, paid to entrap innocent victims prosecutors want to convict.
The presiding appeals judge expressed interest, having previously been involved in reversing a sentence because of erroneous jury instructions. Defense counsel was hopeful, noting other important arguments also raised and likely wait before a decision – on average six months to a year, a long time to perpetuate injustice never easy to reverse in a climate of fear, police state terror, pervasive spying, entrapment, and complicit courts.
It’s “a new world after September 11, 2001,” not a fair or just one. (from San Francisco Chronicle)
Nuclear Protest in Redondo Beach
“Because the plant is outdated, AES has expressed an interest in building a new plant with a large desalination plant next to it on the land it currently occupies,” said the South Bay Parkland Conservancy in a press release. Despite neighborhood opposition and a 2005 advisory vote to turn the land into open space, the Parkland Conservancy says Redondo Beach City Councilmembers are in discussions with AES about their new plans, prompting last night’s protest. Opponents say the plant rarely operates — about 10% of its capacity — and is not a significant source of power. (from the LAist)