MyndJack Radio Blog

Once again, I am trying to avoid wearing my tinfoil hat; however, it’s getting more and more difficult these days.

Our nation faces a lot of issues and a lot of promises are being and will be made during this election year.   Two presidential candidates, the incumbent Barak Obama, and the as-of-yet-unnamed-but-apparently-Romney Republican challenger, will flood the media with their campaigns to tell us how the path to utopia rests with their leadership, while the path to destruction is the sole outcome of voting for their opponent.

Those of us who are a bit more skeptical of what is spoon fed to us may find a pattern in many of the sudden crisis issues in the news today.  Health care is an issue and does need reform, but it doesn’t mean that the latest reform act itself is in our best interest.   That’s like saying water is good for you, so here have a cup of some deliciousness I scooped out of the Dismal Swamp.

There is one vital piece of information that seems to either be ignored or misunderstood about our government.  When the presidential candidates make their promises of cutting taxes, enacting reform, and bringing change, there is one fact that we should all remember:  The President does not make laws.

Remember in school when they taught us the three branches of government?  I wonder how many of us were truly paying attention because it seems like a lot of us forgot this.  Below is the definition of the actual powers of the Executive Branch of government, according to congressforkids.net:

Executive Branch: Headed by the president. The president carries out federal laws and recommends new ones, directs national defense and foreign policy, and performs ceremonial duties. Powers include directing government, commanding the Armed Forces, dealing with international powers, acting as chief law enforcement officer, and vetoing laws.

(http://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_threebranches.htm)

The Executive Branch is the President.  Congress is the Legislative Branch, the one that makes laws.   The President can make recommendations and use his veto power to stop laws he does not agree with, but it is Congress that we should be more concerned about if we want change.  Perhaps it is easier for us to hold one person responsible for the fate of our nation rather than a larger group.

Still, presidential candidates make a lot of promises that they can’t possibly keep just to get elected.  I would rather hear from a candidate that they are going to hold Congress accountable for their screwing around, but since all they can do is suggest bills rather than make laws, how empty are these promises to begin with?   Shouldn’t we be more concerned with who we elect to Congress this year rather than President?

The laws that affect us all are not handled by the President but by our Congress.  Each state has two senators and a number of representatives depending on our state population.   Shouldn’t we be more concerned with the body of government that actually makes the laws and the decisions that directly affect our lives?

I am not saying that the Presidential election is unimportant; in fact, who we elect as our president represents us to the world.   Let’s just remember that if we really want change, let’s focus on the appropriate branch of our government.

It’s hard to write MJR blogs when I also have papers to write, production to…um…produce for the show, and Citiville buildings to construct. Still, I knew that I would be blogging about this whole Treyvon Martin case that has gotten a lot of the MJR Nation heated. It started with a discussion on last Thursdays show where I was asking about the hoodie movement and where all of this outrage was coming from.

One thing I’ve always maintained is that we should never make up our minds about an issue until we hear all of the facts. Our on-air discussion about Treyvon Martin and George Zimmerman may have left us all with more questions than answers, but it also spawned a heated follow-up discussion on Facebook. You can read all about it here.

 

There has been a lot of discussion about whether Zimmerman acted in self-defense or whether he wrongly attacked Martin because he was black, or wearing a hoodie. Is it wrong to cast judgement on someone for how they dress? Should the police have arrested Zimmerman? Are they covering it up? Was the killing justified? What IS justice for Treyvon Martin? A lot of questions with a lot of different opinions on what the answers are.

This is not what this blog entry is going to be about though.  My concern is more with you, MyndJack Nation, and what you expect from us, meaning the MyndJack Radio Hosts, and the Nation as a whole.

Back when we were “prepping” for the show on Thursday, we tossed around what the hot topics of the day were and the Treyvon Martin shooting came up. I hadn’t heard all of the facts, but it was hard for me to even get an accurate account of exactly what happened because multiple media sources were contradicting each other. These were not editorials but supposed fact-based news sources. By airtime, I still had no idea what was going on, but I wasn’t about to get outraged over something before I heard enough of the facts to form an opinion.

The on-air discussion led to more discussion in the chatroom and then the subsequent responses in the MJR Nation Group. Freedom of expression is at the core of the MyndJack Nation’s purpose, and being respectful of each other’s opinions is expected. We have a strict “NO DOUCHE-CANOES” policy at club Myndjack and we all seem to enforce it pretty effectively.

What I began to notice in the Facebook discussions about this case caused me some concern.  Several folks had already made up their minds before they admittedly heard all of the facts of the case and some rather skewed assumptions were being made about what a lot of us were saying.  Sure, a lot can be lost in text; however, the debate started to take a hostile undertone with some folks. It was assumed that anyone who wasn’t outraged (hoodie or not) believed Zimmerman to be innocent. It was also assumed that what I said on the radio show Thursday night contradicted my comments on the Facebook thread. Thirdly, it was implied that I was scolding those who decided to change their profile pictures to that of them wearing hoodies. None of these assumptions were true at all.

What began to bother me was that I was now being looked at negatively for not agreeing with several well respected members of the MyndJack Radio Nation. I stated my personal opinion of why I was not ready to wear a hoodie myself and cited a few issues that I felt were more worthy of my outrage than the Martin shooting. I also admitted that I may be a bit more cynical about anything in the media during an election year. The reaction confused and surprised me. People I like and respect were now upset with me for speaking my mind. I didn’t call them sluts for wanting birth control, or nappy headed hos on a basketball team, I simply disagreed with the outrage.

Part of me was offended that these friends of mine were letting themselves get far too emotionally invested in this while the other side of me, the MJR Host, didn’t want to offend listeners and valued members of our show community. I was thinking that maybe I should just drop it or submit to the opinion of everyone else in order to not risk losing them. What if my statements cause some of these friends to stop listening to our show and leave the MyndJack Radio Nation?

 

Then my confusion led to an epiphany. This is why media is so strongly biased in the first place. This is why Geraldo Rivera is wagging his horrible mustache on Fox News about how the hoodie is to blame for Treyvon’s death. This is the same man who got socked in the snooker by a chair-wielding KKK member on his wanna-be Jerry Springer show in the late 80’s. MSNBC posts several articles on how this is a case of a White man shooting a Black kid because he was racist. Multiple media sources were all posting about this tragedy, but with their own slant catering to their audience.

Should we do the same on MyndJack Radio? Should we compromise what we believe so that we don’t risk losing listeners? Should we give a rat’s ass about that?

I wanna hear from all of you. Please email me your thoughts at myndrunner@alldigitalradio.com and be sure to express if you wanna keep it private or if you are ok with me reading your thoughts on the air. I will decline to name you on the air if you wish, but I think this is an important issue. We want the MyndJack Radio Nation to be a place of free ideas and expression, a fortress of togetherness away from all the crap we have to deal with in our crazy lives. If this is compromised, let me know.

Before I end this, I wanna leave you with a quote from Chris Rock, the same one I posted on the Facebook thread.

“Anyone who makes up their mind before they hear the issue is a fucking fool. Be a fucking person. Listen. Let it swirl around your head. Then form your opinion.” – Chris Rock

Did we jump the bandwagon before getting all of the facts? Are we emotionally invested in our opinion or did we calmly collect enough facts to form an opinion that we can support with evidence? Is it our opinion or one somebody else gave us? If someone disagrees with us, does it make them wrong? Are they attacking our opinion when they disagree?  Does being respectful of opinions go only one way?  Should we be mad at those who disagree with us? Were they even disagreeing with us in the first place, or did we read into something that may not have been there?

And most importantly……..if we disagree, will there still be LURD?!

Listen to the controversial Thursday Night podcast where we discuss Treyvon Martin’s shooting here!

(Our discussion on this topic begins around the 23 minute mark on this past Thursday’s show.) 

Well, MyndJack Radio Nation, it has been quite an interesting two weeks since we returned to the airwaves, especially in light of last weeks avalanche of incompetence.   Despite two guest no shows (one due to an AYBABTU miscommunication on time zones and the other due to…..well….the moon?), we were able to turn the chaos into laughs thanks to Sean from Out Loud Radio, Deb and Manny, and of course, the Nation.

Tonight, we have Siobhan for realz.  We’ll see what she thinks of my Hanson butchering, perhaps she’ll dig it.   We are still working out the details for the Wagner interview, but it appears that we will have to pre-record it.   Continue to email your questions for Siobhan and Wagner to mjradio@myndjack.com and we will be sure to get them in if we can.

Professor Kast is set to return this week, ideally with  a new Chatlib for the masses to revel in.  Also, I hear he has been doing some research on some real facepalms in our human species.   Something about Darwin’s Theory letting us down, I can only imagine something similar to the lady who wrecked her car because she was driving while trying to shave her pubic hair.

There has been a lot of blab about Madonna’s Half Time show and, as Goodnight Irene has cited, the MJR Nation seems divided on either she was a dinosaur trainwreck of lipsyncing arthritis or a fun, popcorn fluff spectacle.  Regardless, she will never match the Purple Muppet but we all can agree she was much better than the Who.   And who cares if MIA flipped the bird on camera? If that’s the most creative thing she can do on stage, then so be it.

I have seen the cover art for Jay Danger’s MJRI3 winning album.  We will be having a CD release party, including a contest to be the first to get your copy for free, but we will reveal the cover art at that time.  Ann T Maim has really outdone herself on this and I’m sure the Nation will love it.  In the words of Jay himself when he saw it “OMG ITS THE BEST THING EVER!”

We’ll see ya Tonight!  Stay frosty, MyndJack Nation!

 

-Myndrunner

Ready or not, here we come, MyndJack Nation!

The Fearsome Foursome is back with a vengeance with your weekly eargasms and bladder busting laughs. This time, we’re cranking it up to 11 with a new season of special guests, segments, and the usual 8th grade jokes about today’s culture.

As we start an awesome new season, we want to say thank you for listening and all your support. Nation, it is because of you that we continue to do this thing. While you can expect the usual recycled jokes, segments, and karaoke, expect some new stuff as well with some exciting guests and contests that pay out in less than 6 months! (We haven’t forgotten about you, Reenie!)

So, strap yourselves in, or strap it on for that matter, and prepare for a year of living in ASS MODE!

MyndJack Radio returns Tuesday, January 24th at 9pm EST / 6pm PST on the All Digital Radio Network!

Two days later and I’m still absolutely gobsmacked, over the reception that Dawg River Radio’s Aussie Rock and Swampy Blues Show received last Friday night! There were people on The Far Side Of The World listening and they were hootin’ an’ hollerin’ and  dancing in the STREET! Well … on the patio and the storefront sidewalk … but Hell! That’s as good as the street in My Book. To use an archaic 19th century English expression, “it was the completest thing this age!”

A week or so ago, I usually have to work on these things some few days, I decided I would play DRR listeners some Aussie Rock they probably hadn’t heard before. Oh, some few may well have heard at least one of the songs, but this was going to be stuff that had never got much airtime in the ol’ U.S.ofA. Not by a long shot. This was NOT gonna’ to be ACDC and INXS or even Men At Work, this was gonna’ be Jo Jo Zep, The Divinyls and Cold Chisel. Bands that were little known here (even with “I Touch Myself” by The Divinyls) but were well known and beloved in Australia. Yes Virginia; They were bloody HUGE Down Undah’!

So there I was, all ready for the show, with an hour or so of obscure (to most Americans) Aussie Rock and another hour of almost as obscure “Swamp Blues”. Now I knew I had one lovely lady in Australia who was going to be listening. Little did I know, that I was about to receive an instant message informing me that I had … SCORES.

It turns out that the lovely “Lady Wah Wah” (Ms. Sharon O’Brien) is a restauranteur who co-owns (with Mr. Bill Sloane) a swingin’ little Pop Stand, the Nosh Deli in Yarrawonga, a picturesque little village on the Murray River, in the hinterlands of Victoria, Australia. As luck would have it, and time zones, DRRadio airs right in the middle of the Nosh Deli’s lunch hour on Saturday at High Noon. So the joint was packed ta’ the gills with “noshers”, wait staff, Geoff “the chef” n’his surly crew (pirates all I’d wager, I used to work hospitality) and little did they know, they were fixin’ ta’ be aurally ravaged by this auld Parrothead in his Beach House on the Bayou.

Whilst listenin’ ta’ the show, in her office, Lady Wah Wah has a flash o’inspiration! “CRIKEY!“, she thinks, “Why don’t I pipe this ovah’ the bleedin’ Deli’s in-house little beauty of a supah’ poly-phonic, bodacious, 21st century Sound of his Masters Voice Victrola!” (OK, Ms. Sharon doesn’t REALLY talk like the late Steve Irwin, bless his heart … but I’m on a roll here!)

So she does, and … It Was On! Yer’ Skipper here was playin’ Science Fiction by The Divinyls an’ the ears around “The Nosh” pricked up like a mob o’starvin’ Dingo’s that smell lunch muckin’ about nearby. They started gettin’ restless, chewin’ in rhythm, fingers twitchin’ on the beat, toes tappin, pupils dilatin’. The wait staff start sashayin’ to the tables, like somethin’ from a Thousand n’One Nights, and Geoff The Chef’s head starts inta’ bobbin’ like a hungry heron surrounded by herd o’minnows.

The good Lady Wah Wah, meanwhile, informs (by Internet Semaphore) yer’ Skipper and others listening in a chatroom (we keep DRR listeners isolated from polite company) of what she was doin’, and the simultaneous anticpatin’ disaster, intake of breath was palpable. The “OMG’s!” and “AWESOMES!” were bouncin’ off the chatroom walls like atomic particles in a supercollider. Yer’ Skipper, knowin’ what was comin’ next, thinks to hisself, “Jesus, Joseph & Mary on a BIKE, what the H.E.Double Hockey Sticks have I done? I’m about to play Cold Chisel; They’re in bleedin’ Australia!; Women, Ankle Biters and slow movin’ Old Farts could be left twitchin’ in the aftermath! Oh well … hope some bloke takes a photo!”

And … some bloke did!

As you can plainly see .. Once Cold Chisel, one of the most beloved and possibly Best Aussie Rock Band ever, started blasting over “The Nosh’s” wonder of modern technology sound system, Bedlam ensued; and just like “Ye’ Olde Mad House” the denizens there were goin’ N.U.T.Z .. flippin’ Nutz’! Dancin’ in the streets! Flailin’ about like dervishes, throwin’ caution ta’ th’wind like a herd o’heathens with loaded dice, for all love!

And I, yer’ surly Cap’n Auld Man “Manny” Riva, could not have been more pleased nor proud of the havoc that the good “Lady Wah Wah” an’ m’self had caused….

OK .. back to reality. Thank You Sharon .. for sharin’ (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). And please, please, let your staff and patrons know how much I was truly overcome with emotion as I heard about this “happening Down Undah” … No Really! There was a sniffle, a catch in the throat so there was. I’m old … It’s allowed .. Har har harrrrrrrrr

Alright alright alright .. Myndrunner has done his guilt trip thing and got me to do another blog post. Hey! Ya’ know … I just don’t have that bloody much to say, an’ most o’what I do have to say normally borders on incoherence and is rarely relevant to anything in this world. That is to say the world other than the one I inhabit on a daily basis. Which, unbeknownst to you … or, possibly knownst’ to you (hell who knows!) is a world that under no circumstances should be bandied about in polite company. But, seein’ as how I have some notion of just who will read this hot mess, and on further reflection, I’m not gonna’ fret over it none too much.

So what I’m gonna’ do is start out slow and blather about stuff I normally blather about on a weekly basis at the All Digital Radio Network. In other words … I’m gonna pimp my damn Internet Radio Show! There may be somethin’ else that gets me off on a tangent, hell, I’m just gettin’ warmed up.

As you might detect (if you are of a detectin’ persuasion) from the image I included, I’m goin’ to do a show this Friday night that comprises (see I am semi-literate Ms Ann T. and Ms Sharon) Rock Music from Australia, (thus the image of Ayers Rock which resides Down Under scrubs!) and what I call “Swamp Blues”. Blues music that has a kind of Deep South funk to it. But I’ll get back to that here in a bit.

The Aussie Rock you’re gonna’ hear is likely to be unfamiliar to most of you, with one or two songs that some of you may have heard. It’s late 70′s and early 80′s stuff that unless you’re from Australia you’ve probably not heard before. Does the name Jo Jo Zep ring a bell? Cold Chisel? Yeah … I didn’t think so. Cold Chisel had one song that made it to American Radio and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, none. The Divinyls, which is the other Aussie band I’m tossin’ in, had a couple hit the U.S. Charts and I’ll play a couple of those for all the band waggoners.. plus I just love the hell outta’ the songs!

Swamp or Swampy Blues. which is totally my own term, is a bit more difficult to explain … probably because I don’t have it nailed down in my own noggin’ just yet. It’s probably more a feel than anything, meaning it just feels Swampy. A swamp (other than being hip deep or better in water) is humid even steamy, mostly dark unless it’s light, varying shades of a monochromatic palette with pockets of incredibly bright color and enough pure-T funk to make you think there’s still some on ya’ days after you’ve left. It’s a Gumbo, a mixture of disparate but symbiotic parts that make up a whole.

And that is exactly what Swamp Blues is! A Gumbo … ‘sophisticatedly’ unsophisticated and rural and gritty except where it’s urban and smooth. The contradictions spice up the mixture that has gospel, country, folk and funk all thrown in the pot with the Blues. It’s not Chicago, Kansas City or West Coast Blues. It’s from Swamp Country and that’s Deep, Deep South … and it speaks to me like no other … and I’ve talked with all the rest.

Bon Soir Ya’ll

Resolutions are for quitters, but making life changes requires working smarter not harder.

I’ve made countless new year’s resolutions in my lifetime only to have them broken in most cases before they’ve even started. I’m going to lose weight, save money, keep a tidy room, and to stop watching so much porn. The thing is, we can’t fight who we are and forcing radical changes on ourselves will only force our bodies to resist accordingly. If you want to truly make resolutions that stick, they need to be ones that matter and you need to use coercion rather than intimidation to get yourself on track.

One such resolution for me is writing more on this blog. Originally, the MyndJack Radio blog was to be used for the hosts to post our extended thoughts about things brought up on the show. It’s also home to updates on the various things we have going on, a supplemental to some of the skits and gags we have in progress, and typically updates on your favorite (and not so favorite) guests that we’ve had on the show. All four of the hosts are supposed to be posting on there, but it seems only one has the true commitment, resolve, and determination to follow through with it.

Which explains why this is the first blog I’ve written since what, like December 5th?! Yeah, I suck.

Anyways, I’m going to try to stick to writing something daily, simply because I have too many thoughts buzzing around in my noggin that I gotta get them out and ya’ll know I can’t get a word in edgewise on the show, so here they come. In 2012, expect a lot more of Mynd Ramblings here, but you might start seeing some from my other compatriots. Also, we might bust open the mailbag once we figure out what the password is to the account, and post your letters here. Hell, if you have something that you would like us to post, shoot it to us at mjradio@myndjack.com and we just might put it up.

We’ll be back on the air in a couple weeks, probably Jan 24th, but we will keep you updated. If you haven’t already, join the MyndJack Nation Group on Facebook, an exclusive community that everyone is allowed to be a part of, just petition to join and you’re in. We’d love to have you with us.

So, I resolve to write more crap on this blog and to keep it updated. I will try to make it both funny and interesting, but if I am too much of either or too little of both, lemme know. I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a good year, even if I resolve to do nothing.

Oh and be sure to check out the New Years Eve podcast! It was such a blast as we ring in the new year!

There is a new political view that seems to be taking the country by storm. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Progressive, Conservative, left-wing, right-wing, or bat wing, Americans are joining together under a new political belief called Regurgetarianism. This is the political view that anything slightly political that you skim over online, you must then cut and paste on your Facebook wall and comment about it as if it’s the biggest, most controversial bit of news you’ve ever heard.

Regurgetarianism began at a coffee shop north of Emeryville, California when undeclared college undergrads occupied couches and rambled on about how oppressed they feel about having to get an actual job someday. These chai-tea intellectuals would take random quotes out of context from the undecipherable scribbling of obscure Socialist writers and “re-imagine” them, much like Steven Spielberg reimagined Indiana Jones with an earring and those damn aliens. This would soon form the philosophy that Socialism is pretty cool when other people have more stuff than you.

Meanwhile, in some cosmic serendipity, a group of young intellectuals, who happen to be the sons and daughters of wealthy CEOs or Congresspersons, gathered in the fourth story recreational room of one of the smaller mansions in Fairfax County, Virginia. There, they waxed and waned about what color BMW they should get next and how culturally diverse they feel since their landscaper is named Raul. One of them, likely Sebastian, Madison, Aiden, or Anistasia Beaverhousen, would stumble onto the very blog mentioned earlier and bring it up to the coven of trust fund babies. Naturally, they want no part of this tree-hugger, shared-wealth ideals because a) those damn hippies need to get a job and b) there isn’t enough money for everyone to have their cheerios served on a silver platter crafted by the hardworking children of NotAmericaLand.

Then, you have the guys and gals busting their asses 60 plus hours a week so that they pay an astronomical amount of money to fill their compact car just to get them to their devastatingly over-mortgaged home in time for them to log onto Facebook and read about how one side says they aren’t working hard enough while the other side wants their cut of what they already earned. While the pseudo-intellectuals cut and paste what they read from the clinically insane and twist it around into some form of political stance to prove the other guys wrong, the exhausted worker doesn’t post shit on his facebook because a) they are too tired and b) whats the fucking point?

So, the next time you are about to post something on Facebook that you kinda-sorta-read in the same way we all read the Illiad in school as far as our English teacher knows, take a moment and truly digest its importance. Why are you posting it? What purpose does it serve? Did you already make up your mind about how you feel about it before you read it?

The world isn’t black or white, Republican or Democrat, Christian or Muslim, Red Sox or Yankee. Please, do the world a favor. Consider your sources and their own agendas. Think before you cut and paste, or you will be among the new Regurgetarians!

Feel free to cut and paste this on your Facebook wall!

I cannot believe that 2011 is almost over. It seems like just yesterday we were polishing off a case of Arrogant Bastard on the air during our last New Years Eve special. Well, maybe that’s because we drink every night, but still, the Holidays are something special for the MyndJack Nation. Whether you celebrate Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanza, or the radical Muslim holiday Kaboom, the Holiday Season is a time to share with friends and family, hopefully those you actually like.

In the MyndJack Nation, the Holiday Season is no different. Each year, we have a special Holiday Episode that airs just before December 25th. Our Holiday Special is filled with cheer and special performances by the friends and family of the Nation you know and love, allowing free expression of holiday cheer in our own special way.

Also, it’s a great filler replay so we don’t have to do a LIVE show!

This season, we decided to do something extra special. MyndJack Radio and Song Parodies are quite the familiar bed-buddies and the mass of talent in the Nation makes Saturday Night Live look like…..well, Saturday Night Live. So, what if members of the MyndJack Nation wrote speshul Holiday parodies for each other as their own Holiday gifts? This lead to our idea for Secret Singing Santas!

Sign up by emailing me at myndrunner@alldigitalradio.com and you will be given the name of a random member of the myndjack nation to write, record, and produce a speshul song parody dedicated to them. Of course, myself and Santa Manny will be available to assist in any way possible, in fact, we expect it. This even includes helping you write lyrics, but there are a ton of members in the Nation whose creativity surpasses even ours.

We will air each of these song parody “gifts” en masse for our Holiday Speshul, which will air on Tuesday December 20th. We will need all sign ups by November 20th where we will be sending out the names of your muse. We will need all performances by December 18th to make them epic for the Dec 20th Holiday Spechul!

So, sign up today and leave a happy Holiday turd in someone’s stocking this Holiday Season!

HO HO HO, BITCHES!

-Myndrunner

Today could be the last day of Troy Davis life. Should it be?

He is set to die tonight in Georgia at 7pm EST, but everyone from The Pope of Rome to Chris Brown are urging for a stay of execution. Likely by the time you read this, he’s either dead or they’ve stayed his execution at the last minute, but as of right now, it seems they are on schedule to terminate this man’s life. Protesters are using slogans such as “Stop the Legal Lynching of Troy Davis” or “Don’t Kill an Innocent Man” in signs and rallies.

But what if he did it?

Troy Davis was convicted of the murder of police officer Mark McPhail on August 8th, 1991. Essentially, the story is that Davis, who had shot a man in the face earlier that night, pistol whipped a homeless man outside a Burger King. Apparently, an associate of Davis, a man named Redd Coles, was arguing with the homeless man over a beer when Davis arrived and beat the homeless man with a gun. McPhail, an off-duty police officer, attempted to intervene but was shot twice, once in the chest and once in the face, before he could draw his weapon, allegedly by Davis.

Davis was sentenced to death. After numerous appeals, new evidence evaluated, and three stays of execution, Davis is set to die tonight in Georgia. Still, Davis maintains his innocence and currently is demanding a polygraph test. Protesters are….well, protesting all over the globe today, not just in Georgia but as far as the American Embassy in Paris, France, demanding that Davis be given amnesty for a crime they believe he did not commit. Even Former President Jimmy Carter and the Pope have expressed their disapproval at the decision to put Davis to death and are urging for amnesty.

So, here’s what’s got me scratching my head instead of my ass today. I’m no lawyer and I don’t pretend that watching a three day marathon of Law & Order makes me any more qualified to pass the bar than Sam Watterson; however, there are several things that bother me about this whole deal.

First, the case itself sounds like the same kind of shoddy police work that got OJ Simpson off. A man could be as guilty as homemade sin but even a werewolf has the right to a fair trial and thorough police proceedings.

Essentially, police took the word of a guy who admitted to arguing with a bum over his beer, allegedly threatened to burst down the door of the Davis home, and illegally retrieved a pair of shorts belonging to Davis which allegedly links him to the crime; however they were later denied as evidence due to the manner in which they were obtained.

Secondly, several death threats were made to the Davis family because the police investigation was interfering with the business of several local drug dealers. WHAT?! The drug dealers were pissed at Davis for bringing the police in and made several death threats to Davis, who had fled the area with his disabled sister. Does this sound like a positive family environment to you?

Thirdly, so many people are jumping on the FREE TROY DAVIS bandwagon, yet how many are even looking at the evidence? None of them are on the POOR MARK MCPHAIL bandwagon, yet he was the true hero in this whole story. At best, Troy Davis neglected to stop the real killer from beating up a homeless man with a gun and then shooting an off-duty police officer. That’s in spite of 10 witnesses that say he did it, although apparently several of those same witnesses have recanted their testimony claiming that the police bullied them. I’m sure the global attention that this case has gathered has nothing to do with their recantation.

Now, if the Pope of Rome and Jimmy Carter say we should let this guy off, that’s one thing, but now that Chris Brown is involved, well call the Governor right now! I mean seriously, how close are we to instilling the court of public opinion into an actual branch of the Judicial system? Soon, you can vote guilty or not guilty from your iPad or Droid phone. Facebook will have polls where the accused can be defended by Stucky McUnderpants who uses Wikipedia and his collection of CSI DVDs to build a strong defense. Forget about the fact that Mark McPhail is dead and Davis at least knows who did it if he didn’t do it himself.

Finally, should he be put to death? I’m not one for the death penalty myself and I don’t think the man should be executed; however, let’s not glorify a thug like Davis by making him the spokesperson for Amnesty International. The nation was outraged when Casey Anthony got off despite the overwhelming opinion that she did it, including the jury who believed she was guilty but declared her not guilty. Is this guy any less of a monster? Maybe he shouldn’t die tonight, but let’s not go so far as to call the man innocent just because we want him to be.

So, I will join the protests, but with a slightly different slogan.

“Don’t Kill Troy Davis, Don’t Kill a Likely Guilty Man”