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- Pearls of wisdom,
- a weekly word of encouragement and hope:
Unemployment can be extremely stressful whether
you knew about the lay-off or termination or it was a
surprise to you. So it's best to take time to regroup
and recover. Take care of yourself by getting plenty
of rest, exercising and eating healthy. You will need
your energy once you regroup and concentrate on your
next step.
Syndicated Columnist Cathy Harris
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This website is managed by the
High Grass Council
High Grass Council
| mobilizing the grassroots community on a national basis to support judicial reform, the protection of individual rights, and related issues of concern to "We the People". |
2006-2007 |
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| A word from this week's featured, campaign sponsors: |
| Copyright 2006 - The High Grass Council |
| Sherry Swiney, Executive Director - The P.A.T.R.I.C.K. Crusade As it is written: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly - defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9. Essentially, this is our mission. The PATRICK Crusade is committed to reform America's criminal justice and prison systems. We educate those who are unaware of the injustices and human rights abuses that occur in these systems everyday, all across the country. Unfortunately, I know the extent of their viciousness first hand. My husband, Patrick Swiney, a former Alabama police officer, has endured 17 years of torture and suffering in the Alabama prison system. He was convicted in 1989 on circumstantial evidence for the shooting death of his wife at the time and her ex-husband. The 11th Circuit recently refused to hear evidence of his actual innocence that was either hidden from view by the prosecutor and found decades later, or not discovered through forensic science until 2003. An amended petition was just filed with the federal |
| Matthew F. Fogg: Let me begin by giving thanks to my dear Lord and God who is truly my strength and redeemer. I am extremely pleased to be part of this national "Speak-Up" campaign that merges the voices of so many who may otherwise seem to have little in common. It reflects a national realization that injustice is our shared problem as Americans and not just the plague of remote countries or minorities. We’ve been told that injustice anywhere is a threat to liberty everywhere and that reality has become overwhelming. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explained that "(t)he ultimate measure of a man [or woman] is not where he [or she] stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he [or she] stands at times of challenge and controversy." Those choosing to Speak Up with the many grassroots activists who launched this campaign are truly measuring up to the greatness of Dr. King and those civil rights leaders proceeding and succeeding him. I certainly try to be in that number, having recognized that you either choose to get involved in life’s social justice issues or they will involve you. |
| In 1998, a federal jury awarded me a landmark, four million dollars in compensatory damages for discrimination and reprisals I suffered in the United States Marshals Service (USMS). I became nationally known as the ‘‘Four Million Dollar US Marshal’’ for blowing-the-whistle on racism and police misconduct; thereby dismantling, the infamous ‘‘blue wall of silence’’ inside the Marshals Service and U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ). "The jury obviously inferred from the evidence of the endemic atmosphere of racial disharmony and mistrust within the United States Marshals Service that all explanations were suspect, and that occult racism was more likely the reason than any other for Fogg's misadventures in the Marshals Service hierarchy." ~ July 1, 1999 ~ Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson - US District Court for the District of Columbia . You can learn more about my fights for justice and equality by visiting MY HOME PAGE as well as my Bigots With Badges website, featured above. I am co-chairman of the No FEAR Coalition which monitors implementation of the No FEAR Act of 2002 in the federal sector; EEO Director for Federally Employed Women’s Legal & Education Fund; a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives; and a member of the Board of Directors for Amnesty International USA. I continue to work as National 1st Vice President with Blacks In Government (BIG) to honor its legacy of challenging systemic racial adversity in public sector employment. Today, BIG seeks to represent 3.4 million black federal, state, and municipal workers all across America and abroad with over 300 chapters established. |
| district court, contending that Patrick's habeas petition is not actually "successive" as evidence of his innocence could not have been found at the time of his first habeas petition. The second Habeas Corpus petition and its exhibits can be found on our website above. We want the world to see how solid the proof is of Patrick's actual innocence. America wouldn't need a PATRICK Crusade if its criminal court system was sane and healthy. Since utilizing that system may be utterly useless in Patrick's case, our best chance for relief is through PUBLIC OUTCRY. Media and politicians listen and act when there is public outcry. What was once an attempt to hide a case of innocence under the rug, must come out in the open -- into the light -- where everyone can see it for what it is. I encourage you to visit Alabama Forum which collects commentary on events in my husband's case. The press is often directed to that site for an indication of whether it is a matter of public concern. It should be for many reasons. One is that the real killers have been free to commit more crimes all these years while Patrick has suffered needlessly, with serious health problems. Also, the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 requires a litigant to ask for permission to file a second habeas corpus petition in federal court to prevent abusive litigation. However, there is no statute of limitations on murder and there should be none on proving innocence! The PATRICK Crusade is a human rights organization dedicated to the protection of human rights for all people. We believe human rights should be real for everyone simply because they are human beings. Your consideration and support is greatly appreciated. |