Kevin Marshall's America
After 18 months, nearly 750 posts, and over 9,000 comments, this will be the final post for Kevin Marshall’s America in the Times Union blogosphere.
It’s been an interesting and fun ride, mostly due to the readers I’ve encountered both in the digital realm and those that have done me the small courtesy of making themselves known to me in public and giving me the great compliment of saying they’ve spent a little time reading all the musings and missives in this space.
In addition the readers, thanks goes to the Times Union and its interactive audience manager/Blog Czar, Mike Huber.
It’s not the end of the blog. Kevin Marshall’s America will continue over atKevinMarshallOnline.com, along with some other things in the pipeline coming through that I’m very excited about and am eager to share with you.
So don’t think of it as you waving goodbye to me tearfully from a dock as I board a ship departing for the other side of the world, never to be seen again. Rather, think of it as you waving goodbye to the aforementioned ship while I scream “HEY DOOFUS, I’M RIGHT OVER HERE” from ten feet away.
As far as the Times Union and I go, though, this is a final goodbye. So long, and thanks for all the fish.
Georgia may have put an innocent man to death.
Troy Davis was convicted in 1991 in the shooting death of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. MacPhail was working as a security guard at a Burger King when he saw a man in another parking lot being assaulted. His instincts as an officer kicked in, and he stepped in to prevent the man from being injured any further or worse. One of the assailants produced a weapon and shot MacPhail, ending his life.
In 1991, prosecutors were able to convince a jury that the murderer was Troy Davis.
But there was and has been a considerable degree of doubt. Witnesses recanted testimony and some even implicated another man in the crime, two of whom claimed he confessed to them that he, and not Davis, killed Mark MacPhail. No solid physical evidence linked Davis to the crime, except for ballistics tests that matched the shell casings to those found at another shooting in which Davis was implicated. Those casings were kept in the same evidence bag, a confusion that prosecutors claim they cleared up despite skepticism from legal scholars and Davis supporters. There are other factors and circumstances as well that create something far greater than reasonable doubt, but in the end the desire to save face and exact vengeance overwhelmed logic, reason, and all those things we hold as cornerstones of American justice.
Executing a man in the 21st Century should require extenuating circumstances, particularly since advancements in forensics have provided us with astounding methods of ascertaining guilt, some of which were unheard of in previous decades. More importantly, as the self-imposed defenders of democracy and social justice and as leaders of the free world, we have an obligation to ensure that the possibility of killing one innocent man overrules the desire to seek out vengeance and retribution. Putting a person to death provides little closure, and if it does, it provides much more for those who bank their reputation and bang their gavel on a public fetish for true crime drama and bloodlust.
I will not sit here and tell you that I know for certain in my head or my heart that Troy Davis did not kill Mark MacPhail. I will tell you, though, that there wasn’t enough in 1991 to warrant an execution and there’s more evidence now to suggest the possibility that he was innocent. I’d rather we not live in a country with a death penalty, but if we’re going to have it, then we have to be damn sure. We weren’t, and too many of the right people looked the other way.
If you are proud to be an American tonight, then it must be for something other than what happened at 11:08pm in Savannah, Georgia.
Doo dee doo dee doooooooo, loggin’ in to Facebook in the mornin’ to see pictures of kitties and babies anWHAT THE HELL?!
HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH FACEBOOK CHANGED THE WAY IT DOES THINGS!
GUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
BLUE TABS?
WHAT ARE THOSE BLUE TABS?!
HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNH
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
*punches mirror*
(Above pic with Xzibit was posted by Tom Anderson, the guy who created MySpace who recently said the reason he’s on Facebook is the same reason why everybody else is now – because MySpace sucks. Tom left MySpace in 2009.)
WHAT: Nitty Gritty Slam
…WAIT, WHAT?: It’s a Slam Poetry event that started two weeks ago.
OH COOL. WHEN IS IT?: Sign up begins at 7:00pm. There’s a brief Open Mic at 7:30pm and the event proper starts at 8:00pm.
WHERE IS IT?: Valentine’s in Albany on New Scotland Ave.
IS THERE A COVER?: 5 smackers, only 3 with a Student ID. It’s more than worth it.
IS THIS A REGULAR THING?: Yep, first and third Tuesdays of every month.
WHAT’S THE TURNOUT LIKE?: For the last event it was fantastic. I didn’t think we’d get that sort of reaction and enthusiasm for a slam poetry event in Albany, and was especially surprised at the quality of the participants. I guarantee you it’s going to be a great time.
WAIT, WAS THAT YOU THAT WAS A JUDGE AT THE FIRST ONE TWO WEEKS AGO?: Yep.
OH MAN. NOT COOL. YOU WERE WAY HARSH.: Look, think of me like a quality teacher. If I give you a poor grade, it’s because you phoned it in and it shows and I know you can do better. Besides, there’s too much positive reinforcement and glad-handing in various communities around here. If you don’t want to be graded, go slam your Momma.
IF I GO THERE AND COMPETE, CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT MY SCORE AFTERWARDS?: Sure. But it’ll be like asking how you performed after you had sex with someone and failed to bring them to orgasm. It’s super off-putting and kinda sad.
WHATEVER, JERK. IS THERE A WEBSITE?: Yes! NittyGrittySlam.com.
All Over Albany has a good little piece on the first round. For a taste, here’s video of the last Slam’s winner, Tammy Poe, who was just fantastic.
The Nitty Gritty Slam is brought to you by Albany Poets, Urban Guerrila Theater, and the Frequency North Reading Series.
Go get some culture in you.
As 12:01am, no barrier remained in front of those who wish to give the ultimate gift to their country.
Thank you to our troops from all walks of life, some of you I know are reading this. Many of you will welcome the change while some of you, sadly, will not. But history will look kindly on you regardless. Your doubts, which you will carry with you through the burdens of environmental bigotry and ignorance, will be assuaged when history includes you in a new generation of soldier; one that is fully inclusive and truly representative of all that is great in our nation. It will herald a greater age and better time for us all.
Those that continue to carry the banner of ignorance will be exposed, with time, for what they truly are: ugly constructs of misguided intentions and outright bigotry that were knocked down so that this country can carry through with its mission to provide and protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Should be interesting, to say the least.
This was an awful idea and it sounds like garbage.
On the plus side, this is so bad that we can, for the most part, avoid that lengthy and tired discussion about whether or not this band is “back” or still “has it.”
Guys, please, just tour. Thanks.
On a semi-related note, I listened to Anthrax’s new album “Worship Music” on Spotify and boy do I love it. And the critics seem to be as pleasantly surprised as I am.
"Stop or I'll communicate wirelessly with my contemporaries!" After nine years of complaints and controversy, the walkie talkies are being taken out and government agents re-armed in the classic film "ET"
While George Lucas was busy fiddling with the Blu-Ray “Star Wars” compilation and inserting more garbage that ruins childhood memories, director Steven Spielberg was undoing a similarly infamous edit of “E.T.” for its Blu-Ray release.
For the 2002 re-release of E.T., Steven Spielberg digitally replaced all the FBI agents’ guns with walkie-talkies. He never really explained why, but many assumed he was bowing to political correctness and concerned parents’ groups. Fortunately, as Yahoo! reports, he announced he will reverse the change for the upcoming Blu-Ray release of E.T.
What was a silly change done for even sillier reasons has finally been righted.
Now if we can only get Darth Vader to stop whining post-mortem…
While interviewing Floyd Mayweather during his controversial KO of Victor Ortiz last evening, Larry Merchant was confronted by the man known as “Money” for what he feels is an unfair bias. Merchant responded with…well, a bit less than what would be considered appropriate decorum.
The full interview (warning: there’s some cussin’):
Firstly, what Mayweather did to win the fight was crappy but not illegal. Nevada State Athletic Commissioner Keith Kizer confirmed it after the fight. Time was restarted and the fight was on, and they do say at the beginning of the fight “protect yourself at all times.” The fault for the incident has to lie, unfortunately, with the referee Joe Cortez for not separating the fighters and creating confusion.
That said, this was what I call a classic s***-show. You have dirty fighting, bad officiating, and a media member going in the ring and threatening to kick the ass of one of the fighters. Then after, at the press conference, Yahoo! Sports’s Steve Cofield reported on further shenanigans such as “media” members getting into verbal altercations with each other during the press conference, people in the back shouting and hollering throughout, and Tito Ortiz of all people getting up and asking a question.
I want everyone to remember this the next time someone claims MMA is a barbaric and undisciplined sport.
Well, folks, this is it. After over 700 posts and a year and a half here, I’m packing up and leaving the Times Union.
My final post here will be on Friday, September 23rd.
What I’m most proud of is all the good this blog was able to accomplish through the generosity of readers and passerbys, most recently our raising over $2,000 for the Special Olympics of New York. So for that, I thank you all for making this a truly rewarding experience.
So join me here in my last week. It’ll be business as usual. None of that “retrospective” stuff, because blogs don’t really deserve that.
See you on Friday and then from there on after over on the new blog, which will launch Monday, September 26th at KevinMarshallOnline.com!
Thanks to Rob Madeo of Keyboard Krumbs for providing the camera and setup for this.
Here it is: the descent!
Thanks again to everyone who donated and everyone that will donate (CLICK HERE) to the Special Olympics of NY to provide differently abled athletes and their families with services, equipment, and events at no charge. Our team alone raised over $2100, which will make a ton of difference.
Again, on behalf of myself and especially the Special Olympics of New York, THANK YOU!
And here’s me on the wall looking evil:
I'm laughing at Meghan Mae, who is cursing me as this was being taken.
STALK ME
