In his first in-depth print media interview since being incarcerated, Robert Blake Says 'I Didn't Do It'

"He said he decided to speak out in spite of advice that he remain silent. "I'm sick of keeping my mouth shut," he said."

He makes some good points in the interview about why he had no reason to kill his wife. Time will tell if his decision to speak to the media was a wise one or not.

According to Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, 87,000 students have lost college financial aid due to drug convictions.

According to their press release received today,

"According to new Department of Education data, over 30,000 college students have been denied federal loans and grants for the 2002-2003 school year due to the 1998 Higher Education Act drug provision."

"Since the HEA drug provision was first enforced in 2000, a total of 86,898 students have been denied aid. A drug conviction is the only crime that can result in the loss of federal financial aid."

“The latest Department of Education statistics confirm that the punitive HEA drug provision remains the number one obstacle for people seeking a higher education,” says Shawn Heller, National Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. "

“Since African Americans make up half of all people convicted of drug crimes, yet only represent 13% of all drug users, it’s evident that this regulation disproportionately punishes minorities. Tens of thousands more have likely not bothered to apply for college because they know they won’t receive loans or grants."

SSDP is working on 500 campuses to end this education disaster,” says Heller.

They need your help. Here is a sample letter you can write to ask your elected officials to support the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform.

It also explains a lot more about the present law and its flaws.

At last, a policy that never made anyone safer or stopped a terrorist act is falling by the wayside.

Beginning immediately, the airlines will stop asking baggage questions.

"Ticket agents have been required for the past 16 years to ask passengers two questions: "Has anyone unknown to you asked you to carry an item on this flight?" and "Have any of the items you are traveling with been out of your immediate control since the time you packed them?"

"The questions are being phased out because they create a hassle and have never prevented a bombing or hijacking, said James Loy, head of the Transportation Security Administration."

Loy has other positive changes in store for us:

Passengers "will be allowed to carry drinks in paper or foam cups through metal detectors.

Next on the agenda may be random screening of passengers at airport gates, he said."

Mr. Loy is to be commended for getting these changes through after only one month at the helm. We need more like him.

And we hate those "random" screens.

Three Supreme Court Justices urged a broader death penalty ban for juvenile offenders.

They recommended that the full court consider abolishing the death penalty for killers who committed their crimes as minors.

"Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer were outvoted in the case of a Texas inmate who was scheduled to die yesterday for a killing committed when he was 17. Toronto Patterson had asked the high court to delay his execution and consider whether such executions are unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment. He was executed late yesterday."

"Given the apparent consensus that exists among the states and in the international community against the execution of a capital sentence imposed on a juvenile offender, I think it would be appropriate for the court to revisit the issue at the earliest opportunity," Stevens wrote in a dissent."

Here's more on Toronto Patterson and the execution of juveniles in the U.S. and other countries.

We began our posting this morning with a question as to whether the Government was intending to make James Ujaama, being held as a material witness in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks, a defendant as well.

The mystery is over. The Government has indicted Ujaama in Seattle. He is charged with "attempting to set up an al Qaeda training camp at a farm in Bly, Ore., where he and others hoped to prepare future terrorists for 'global violent jihad.'"

A second count charges Ujaama with designing Web sites for U.S. Terrorist-designee al-Masri "advocating violent jihad against America."

Ujaama issued a statement Tuesday night saying he is "innocent of any wrongdoing and . . . fully prepared to face my accusers and defend myself in a court of law."

Alaska voters rejected run-off voting today. Here's our earlier discussion on this issue.

And in Oklahoma, democrats overwhelmingly chose the candidate who supports trying Terry Nichols in state court there in hopes of getting the death penalty this time around. The losing candidate in that race opposed the trial.

The case went into indefinite suspension today as the state is refusing to pony up any more funds for the court-appointed lawyers.

"Nichols' attorney Brian Hermanson said that he hadn't been paid in nearly a year and that other members of the defense team had taken on other cases in order to make a living.

Nichols, who is serving a life sentence on federal convictions of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter, faces 160 state counts of first-degree murder for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building. The bomber, Timothy McVeigh, was executed last year."

Can't someone make Oklahoma understand they can't have it both ways?

We would have liked to have been a fly on the wall of the green room at Fox News tonight. Barry Scheck, along with Eddie Lloyd, the 110th wrongfully convicted inmate freed by DNA testing, appeared on Hannity and Colmes from the Fox News studio in New York. The guest immediately after Barry was none other than former OJ Simpson cop Mark Fuhrman--the one who lied on the witness stand in the OJ case and said he had never used the "N" word when tapes of his conversations showed him to be a liar, resulting in his prosecution for perjury--and conviction.

It was Barry's contention during OJ that Mark Furhman could have planted some dna evidence which was introduced against OJ.

Furhman was on to talk about his one-sided view of the Skakel hearings today (we muted him)--but we just had to imagine the scene in the green room where guests go before segments and what those two might have said to each other in passing. Or not said, but still...

By the way, Barry Scheck was fabulous on Hannity and Colmes and Sean Hannity went out of his way to be deferential and complimentary to him and his work. Sean, the conservative on the show for those who don't watch cable news at night, usually is antagonistic to criminal defendants. If you are on the west coast, try to catch the re-run later.

[Ed. Note: this entry has been edited because we couldn't get the formatting right and it took up too much space. We've left the important parts, notice of the protest events.]

We received this notice today of upcoming protests against the RAVE Act pending in Congress. It comes from ROAR (Ravers Organized Against the Rave Act):

TalkLeft strongly opposes the Rave Act for reasons we've set forth here and hope the protests are successful.

From the Notice:

"Opposition to the RAVE Act is mounting. On Friday September 6th there will be
protests/raves in Washington, DC and Los Angles in opposition to the bill. The DC protest will be on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol - complete with DJs, electronic
music, glow sticks, etc."

"Congress wants to take on raves, so we'll be bringing a rave to them!! There may be a similar event in NYC on the same day, and organizers are hoping to have events later in the month in other cities, possibly Austin, Chicago, Charlotte, Boston, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. "

"Also, please send the event info to any DC and LA-area lists you have. We need as many people as possible to attend."

"Additionally, Sept. 6th will be a national call-in day for voters to call their Senators in opposition to the RAVE Act. We highly encourage people to send alerts to their lists next week asking their supporters to call their Senators on Friday and tell them to oppose the RAVE Act."

"Details: THE DC EVENT: ROAR! RAVERS ORGANIZED AGAINST THE RAVE ACT

PROTEST AND RAVE AT THE US CAPITOL!!! FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2002.
3-8PM!! WEST LAWN OF THE US CAPITOL

FREE music from DJs: Ty-T DJ Sun Switchstance Lexus King Deinfamous w/MC Son of Nun; Speakers include: Sam the Man Burns,Amanda Huie, Buzzlife Productions,Shawn Heller, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy,Juliette Siegfried (aka DJ Zelda), Metatrack Studios, AmtrackDJs"

"THE LOS ANGELES EVENT: From FREEDOM TO DANCE:

STOP THE R.A.V.E. ACT SEPTEMBER 6th 3PM-8PM,WESTWOOD FEDERAL BUILDING, 11000 WILSHIRE BLVD.

Don't Let The Government Stop The Music, Our Civil Liberties are at Stake! We Must Send A Loud Message! There is Power in Numbers! Show Up! Speak Out! Represent!

With DJs: Doc Martin, Richard Humpty Vission, Garth Trinidad, Colette, Curious, Daniel, Kid Dragon, Freddy B and surprise guests."

"The RAVE Act (Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act) S.2633--The RAVE Act would expand the federal "crack house" statute. Water Bottles, glowsticks and chill out rooms could be classified as "drug promotion." Business people, promoters, venue owners and even homeowners will be liable for any drugs used on their premises."

"The bill already passed through committee without a public hearing or recorded vote - It is expected to be voted on in September by the full senate (there are currently no opposing votes) - If passed promoters could be fined up to $250,000 and sentenced up to 20 years in federal prison."

"For more information check out the Event Line Website or call Event Info line 310-854-2016"

"Fight For Your Constitutional Rights to Freedom of Expression and Assembly, Friday September 6th, 3pm - 8pm Westood Federal Building, Northwest Lawn."

The Hamster today has a recap of death penalty statistices from the National Coalition Against the Death Penalty.

"*Twenty three (23) innocent people have been mistakenly executed this century. Each year, approximately 4.5 people are convicted of capital crimes who are actually innocent. Over 100 people have been released since 1972 as a result of being wrongly convicted. "

According to the latest numbers from the Innocence Project which tracks the exonerations, there are now 110 people who have been freed from prison as a result of being found factually innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted.

The system is broken and needs to be fixed. Thanks, Hamster, for bringing it to our attention today.

For more, see our post on the 110th exoneration of Eddie Joe Lloydthis past week.

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Update from our earlier post this morning on today's hearing on Michael Skakel's motion for new trial and sentencing:

The Judge has denied Skakel's motion for a new trial based upon grounds that included: the proseuction's withholding of a sketch of the suspect near the scene of the murder who allegedly resembled the tutor who was formerly a suspect, and the admission at trial of the dead drug addict's testimony at pre-trial hearings--even though, among other things, he acknowledged he was high on heroin during his grand jury appearance.

The defense obviously did not have the opportunity to cross-examine the dead witness --and although they did have the opportunity to cross him at pre-trial hearings, it's not the same. Some things you want to save for trial, the issues at preliminary and suppression hearings are far more limited than at trial, etc.

The Judge also rejected the defense argument that the prosecution was wrong in closing to flash "subliminal messages to the jury"--by using computer enhancement techniques to morph Martha Moxley's dead body into a photo of her as the vibrant, attractive 15 year old girl that she clearly was.

Sentencing will continue this afternoon, but the Judge has said not to expect a decision until Thursday.

ABC's Nightline tonight will feature the Joseph Salvati case which we recently described in detail. From their e-mailed press release:

"In recent years, there have been a spate of stories about people who were wrongfully convicted for a crime they didn't commit. Tonight we'll have one of those stories. The difference? The FBI knew he was innocent, but let him go to prison for 30 years in order to protect their informants...the real murderers.

We'll be watching.

Professor Jeff Cooper of Cooped-Up responds to Lean Left's inquiry on how Law Professors Glenn Reynolds, Jeff Cooper and TalkLeft would respond to the White House Lawyers' conclusion that the President can invade Iraq without prior approval of Congress.

We're flattered to be included in this intellectual group and will try to respond soon. In the meantime, please read Professor Cooper's detailed response, it's excellent. It concludes:

"A straightforward consideration of the Constitution and prior resolutions of Congress, then, suggests that the administration needs to obtain congressional approval before initiating a war against Iraq. A clever lawyer, no doubt, could formulate counterarguments in support of presidential action without congressional approval. But on a matter as serious as war, it would be inappropriate to rely on clever lawyering rather than an act of Congress.