#appeal for clemency

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Pour grossière indécence," Le Soleil. October 21, 1942. Page 4. --- Un fonctionnaire, convaincu de grossière indécence et d'actes socratiques, a été condamné à une amende de $50 hier après-midi, en Cour du recorder. Il avait été arrêté il y a une quinzaine de jours par le détective Charles Fiset, de l'escouade des moeurs. Le recorder a usé de clémence envers lui en ne l'envoyant pas en prison parce que ce séjour aurait sans doute fait perdre son emploi à l'individu. Ce dernier promit solennellement de s'amender.

[AL: He was arrested for attempting to procure sex with another, younger man.]

[pilgrim1975]

Alphonse Brengard. Justice delayed, but not denied.

When New York cop-killer Alphonse Brengard walked his last mile at Sing Sing on September 6, 1934 it may have been with a firm sense of time and his crimes having finally caught up with him. Brengard died for a murder effectively committed years before, but he was not to wait in Sing Sing’s infamous ‘Death House’ for very long. After evading the law for several years after the shooting, Brengard…

[femmchantress]

Some fascinating Louisiana news for y'all. So recently, the office of the Pope reached out to our (Catholic, Democrat) governor, John Bel Edwards, and implored him to grant some sort of clemency to our glut of death row inmates. Either converting their sentences to life in prison or pardoning them. John Bel, as a southern democrat, has been very silent on his view of the death penalty for most of his career - but now that he's term-limited out of running for governor again, he's become a very public supporter of abolishing it.

Our (Catholic, Republican) state attorney general, Jeff Landry, who is also the frontrunner in the upcoming gubernatorial election, is attempting to subvert the clemency appeal of death row inmates and prevent a single appeal from being heard. Both because he is an ardent supporter of the death penalty, and so that he can drum up political clout among the pro-death penalty conservative voters throughout Louisiana and minimize the chance of him not making the run-offs.

[blackpearlblast]

Kevin Keith's 27 day hunger strike and the censorship around it

(most post body text copy-pasted from Death Penalty Action news email)

From prison, Kevin planned to manage a publicity campaign to call attention to his hunger strike and his demand for a just resolution to his case, however... the day he started his hunger strike, he was moved to solitary confinement. A prison executive came to see him... 

First she demanded that he hand over all of his documents, his paper, stamps, envelopes and his pen. Then she informed him of a policy change: Prisoners on a hunger strike are not allowed to communicate with the outside world.

Kevin had told his lawyers and some members of the media of his plans, but that was it. I certainly had no details, and Kevin's brother Charles also had no details. Worse, there was no way to contact or even visit Kevin, because he was in the hole (solitary confinement).

Kevin held out for 27 days.

His lawyers came to check on him once a week to make sure he was OK, but that's it.  No media responded to his plea. No celebrity supporters tweeted about his plight. We at Death Penalty Action had no information, and could therefore do nothing.

Even as Kevin drank copious amounts of water, he still was dehydrated. Kevin received intravenous hydration ten times, on the following dates:

February 7

February 12

February 14

Twice on February 16

Twice on February 18

Twice on February 22

And we had no idea.

Kevin says he found a spiritual benefit to the experience, but he stopped when the prison doctor warned him that he risked damaging his kidneys. They threatened him with being transferred to the hospital, restrained, and force-fed. At that point, he decided to end his hunger strike.

Kevin Keith is still waiting for Governor DeWine to act on his request for executive clemency. As you may recall, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against him back in November. It is unclear what additional legal avenues he has available to him.

to support kevin keith, you can sign his petition, send him money so that he can buy food to help as he recovers from his hunger strike, and watch his brother charles keith's 6 minute video on his experiences fighting the death penalty.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

George Chidi at The Guardian:

The Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, has pledged to drive forward in her prosecution of Donald Trump, even as he once again ascends to the presidency. But the Georgia court of appeals may have other plans. The appeals court on Monday abruptly canceled oral arguments scheduled for 5 December in Georgia v Trump et al, the racketeering case alleging that Trump and more than a dozen of his allies conspired to steal the 2020 election. The court offered no explanation, and has not replied to a request for comment. Trump’s appeal of Fulton county superior court judge Scott McAfee’s order, which declined to disqualify Willis after bombshell revelations about a romantic relationship with her chosen special prosecutor, was to be argued before a three-judge panel. As part of their effort to dismiss the case, Trump and his co-defendants alleged Willis’s relationship meant she should be recused from the case.

Most cases before the appellate court are decided on pleadings, without oral argument. Nonetheless, the panel’s cancellation unleashed a wave of speculation about their intentions. “There’s a decent chance that the appeal gets dismissed as improvidently granted because the court wants Judge McAfee to address how the case will proceed now that Trump is president-elect,” said Anthony Michael Kreis, a constitutional law professor in Georgia and a close observer of the case. It is also possible that the appellate judges may have concluded that “defendants didn’t satisfy their evidentiary burden and so there’s no need for [the appeals court] to intervene”. Trump’s election has meant an end to federal prosecutions. Jack Smith announced that he would wind down the case involving Trump’s mishandling of classified documents and election interference shortly after the election. Federal prosecutors are now concerned that a vengeful White House will target them in retribution.

Trump’s lawyers on Wednesday asked the judge overseeing the hush-money criminal case for permission to make yet another play for dismissal, arguing that throwing out the case was necessary “in order to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power”. The sentencing date of 26 November for his conviction is on hold. If the court sets the Manhattan conviction aside, Georgia is the last line of prosecution remaining against Trump. It is a state-level case, in a state that has no meaningful avenue for executive clemency. Willis reaffirmed her intent to pursue prosecutions on the case in comments last week, potentially waiting for Trump to come out on the other side of his four-year term. “If someone has an indictment in this office, no matter who they are, we continue to pursue those charges,” Willis, who was just re-elected to a second term, said at a media availability. “I’m here for eight more years, is my plan, so if that’s what it takes for us to get justice in some cases, we come to work every day, we’ll come in and look for justice.”

Fani Willis’s Georgia v. Trump prosecution could be on very shaky ground post-Trump victory.

[savvylittlecoxswain]

How to Throw Your Coxswain in the Water

Rob Colburn via row2k

“For most coxswains, being thrown in is the perfect end to a perfect day, and they enthusiastically join in. There are always a few dissidents who allow trivial fears of hypothermia, toxic runoff, or impalement on a submerged log, to cause them to resist. Coxswain escapes are serious and time-consuming; once loose, they can wedge themselves like hermit crabs into impossibly small crevices in the luggage compartment of the bus or under the sink in the training room, and -- depending on how much weight your cox has had to cut for the race -- it will cost you at least half of a box of fig newtons to lure them out again.

One of the rowers -- someone big and who is impervious to appeals for clemency (such as your five seat) must keep firm hold of the coxswain from the moment the shell returns to the dock. It is not enough simply to run a trailer strap through the gussets of his or her jacket -- coxswains can gnaw right through those. If things are busy on the dock, and no one can be spared for sentry duty while the shell is washed down and put away, temporarily empty the equipment box. (Most coxswains can be made to fit as long as you fold them properly, and if enough rowers stand on the top to press it down. Remember to punch some holes in the lid)

One very cold day early in the season, the winning coxswain of a crew which shall remain nameless (it's not the one you're thinking), succeeded in getting the drop on his rowers, forcing his exhausted crew to chase him on race-tired legs. He got as far as the soccer fields before they tackled him, dragged him down to the boathouse, stripped him to the essentials, and threw him in. They then lined up on the edge of the dock and pushed h im in again every time he tried to climb out. He had turned a very satisfactory shade of blue before they relented.

They made their point.

[dertaglichedan]

‘Black Widow,’ Who Murdered 3 Ex-Lovers, Freed in Biden’s Historic Clemency Spree

Biden said all his clemency recipients were 'convicted of non-violent crimes'

A Maryland woman dubbed the "Black Widow" for murdering two husbands and a boyfriend for insurance money is now free after President Joe Biden commuted her 40-year prison sentence, undercutting the White House's claim that Biden released only "non-violent" offenders in a clemency bonanza last week.

Among the 1,500 federal convicts granted clemency was Josephine Virginia Gray, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2002 for insurance fraud schemes connected to the murders of three men between 1974 and 1996. Gray was resentenced to the same amount of time again in 2006 following a series of appeals.

Gray, who collected $165,000 from the three insurance settlements, was charged with murder by Maryland state authorities but ultimately convicted in federal court in 2002 for insurance fraud for violating what’s known as the "slayers rule," which prohibits killers from receiving inheritance and insurance proceeds from their victims' death. Witnesses at Gray’s various trials accused her of using intimidation tactics—including threats of voodoo—to coerce them into remaining silent. "It was the witchcraft, mostly," Lenron Goode, the brother of Gray's third victim, told the Washington Post in 2002.

Gray did not face a murder trial in state court after Maryland's state attorney said her hefty federal sentence "ensures she will die in prison."

The COVID-19 pandemic allowed Gray—and the rest of Biden's clemency recipients—to serve out their sentences in home confinement. Now, Biden has freed Gray altogether in what the White House called the "largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history." Biden, in order to correct historical "injustices," granted clemency to those "convicted of non-violent crimes who were sentenced under outdated laws, policies, and practices that left them with longer sentences than if the individuals were sentenced today," the White House said.

But Gray’s body count "puts the lie to [Biden’s claim that] these are non-violent offenders," according to a former federal prosecutor who handled her case.

[lunas-nargle]

↳ fifteen

chapter fifteen of "meddle about" series brian o'connor x reader

xv. sentenced

At the end of the day, Dom still ended up in handcuffs. 

Y/n sat between Brian and Mia as they waited for the judge to sentence Dom. Monty sat beside Mia, holding her hand soothingly, Y/n holding the other tightly, as they tensely stood up as instructed, watching the judge walk to his seat. 

"Please be seated." someone said, letting everyone sit back down. Brian put his arm around the back of Y/n, trying to provide some comfort to her. 

"Please rise, Mr. Toretto," the judge said. Dom silently stood. "I've listened to the testimony...and taken into special consideration...Agent O'Conner's appeal of clemency on behalf of Mr. Toretto, that his actions directly resulted in the apprehension of known drug trafficker, Arturo Braga." Y/n felt her stomach and lungs squeeze as the judge continued. "However, this judiciary finds that one right does not make up for a lifetime of wrongs," 

Y/n let out a shaky breath. Hearing this, Brian moved his arm that was wrapped around Y/n. 

"And as such I find that I am forced to level the maximum sentence under California law." 

Brian couldn't hear anymore. He stood up, and walked off upset. 

"Dominic Toretto," the judge said, as a tear slid down Y/n's cheek. "You are hearby sentenced to serve 25 years to life at the Lompoc maximum security prison system without the possibility of early parole. This court is adjourned."

[foreverlogical]

It long had seemed that the “stall” would be the worst thing the Supreme Court could do when it came to Donald Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution. How naive.

Delay there will be. The six justices in the Republican-appointed supermajority held, “A former president is entitled to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his ‘conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority.’” They added, “There is no immunity for unofficial acts.” Rather than make clear that trying to overthrow the Constitution’s peaceful transfer of power is not an official act, the justices send the whole matter back to trial judge Tanya Chutkan. Expect more consideration, more parsing, more rulings, more appeals. It will all likely end up at the Supreme Court again in a year, if the whole prosecution isn’t shut down entirely.

But damage to our system goes well beyond delay. Trump v. U.S. astounds in its implications. It grants the president the power of a monarch. Richard Nixon defended his conduct in Watergate, telling interviewer David Frost, “When the president does it, that means it’s not illegal.” Effectively, the Supreme Court’s supermajority has now enshrined that brazen claim.

To be clear, there are reasons to be nervous about prosecuting former chief executives, so some standards make sense. In this case, though, the Court has issued an instruction manual for future lawbreaking presidents: Make sure you conspire only with other government employees. You’ll never be held to account. 

What makes something an official act? “In dividing official from unofficial conduct, courts may not inquire into the President’s motives,” the justices ruled. And a jury cannot learn about the other parts of a criminal conspiracy that may involve official acts.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not agree with this last critical point. She said that of course juries can consider the context of a criminal act. Neither Justice Samuel Alito (who flew insurrectionist flags outside his two homes) nor Justice Clarence Thomas (whose wife was on the Ellipse on January 6) recused themselves. They cast the deciding votes to keep from jurors the full story of the attempted overthrow of the Constitution. 

The founders said repeatedly that presidents have no special immunity, as a brief filed by the Brennan Center on behalf of top historians made plain. After all, that was one of the very things about the British monarchy that they hated and against which they rebelled.

Even more directly, this ruling undoes the restrictions on presidential abuse of power put in place by officials and jurists of both parties since the 1970s.

The imperial presidency described an age of growing executive authority and abuse of power. It came crashing to an end during Watergate and after revelations about the misuse of intelligence and law enforcement by Nixon’s predecessors.

The presidential immunity concocted today would have blessed most of Nixon’s crimes. Nixon ordered his White House counsel to pay hush money to burglars in an Oval Office meeting on March 21, 1973. Presumptively an official act? He dangled clemency before E. Howard Hunt, one of the conspirators. Use of the pardon power — entirely immune? He resigned when a tape revealed he had ordered the CIA to go to the FBI to end the investigation of the burglars sent by his campaign committee. “Play it tough,” he told his White House chief of staff. On its face, official.

What about other criminal cases involving high officials? In the Iran-Contra scandal of the late 1980s, numerous officials were charged (including the national security advisor and the defense secretary). Ronald Reagan faced no charges, but not because he was presumed immune. What if he did break the law — would he have escaped accountability? In 2001, federal prosecutors probed whether Bill Clinton sold pardons. They cleared him — but issuing a pardon is surely an official act.

In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said it plainly: “Under [the majority’s] rule, any use of official power for any purpose, even the most corrupt purpose indicated by objective evidence of the most corrupt motives and intent, remains official and immune. Under the majority’s test, if it can be called a test, the category of Presidential action that can be deemed ‘unofficial’ is destined to be vanishingly small.” 

So, yes, all this will delay Trump’s trial. In that sense, he gets what he craved. But the implications are far worse for the structure of American self-government.

It is a massive failure for Chief Justice John Roberts. The other major rulings on presidential accountability for legal wrongdoing have been unanimous. U.S. v. Nixon (limiting executive privilege) was written by the Republican chief justice Nixon appointed, and it was unanimous. Clinton v. Jones (opening the president to civil suit even while in office) was unanimous. Let’s grant that Roberts is an institutionalist. He is presiding over the collapse of public trust in the very institution he purports to revere.

And Trump v. U.S. has enormous implications for the future of the presidency. Remember that utterly bonkers hypothetical from the appeals court argument — that a president could order SEAL Team Six to assassinate an opponent? Sotomayor again: “A hypothetical President who admits to having ordered the assassinations of his political rivals or critics . . . has a fair shot at getting immunity under the majority’s new Presidential accountability model.” 

We read sonorous language in the majority opinion that “the president is not above the law.” But just in time for Independence Day, the Supreme Court brings us closer to having a king again.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"WEINER AND BEER SUPPERS TO FRIENDS HELD 'EXCUSE'," Toronto Star. October 7, 1942. Page 8. ---- Newmarket Man, 84, Convicted of Selling and Jailed for Two Months ---- PAROLE SUGGESTED ---- Newmarket, Oct. 7 - John O'Connor, 84, was convicted of selling liquor and sentenced to two months in jail by Magistrate W. N. Robinson in police court here. The magistrate recommended that if application be made for parole, the parole be granted. A charge of illegal possession was withdrawn.

In defence, O'Connor said. "I didn't sell beer to anyone. They got all they wanted for nothing."

"If you had been giving beer to friends, I don't think you would have had it under lock and key," declared the magistrate.

Crown Attorney N. L. Mathews said accused had purchased $200 worth of beer in three months.according to the liquor control slips. O'Connor admitted he had had at large quantity of beer delivered to his house but denied selling it. He said he drank "quite a lot" of liquor himself and that he often had as many as seven or eight friends in for a weiner supper at which time he served beer. "There were 11 cases of beer delivered in one week." commented the crown. There must have been several weiner suppers that week." Questioned by the crown as to where he got the money to pay for the beer, accused stated a Mr. McNertney, who sometimes stayed with him, had paid for some of the beer. which he, the accused, signed for. He said that he often received gifts of money from friends.

Cross-examined further, the accused denied that the woman who was in his home when it was searched had been drinking beer.

Counsel for the defence, Charles Evans, pointed out that the defendant had been in the hospital from May 15 to May 30, during which time six purchases of beer, amounting to $47.60 had been made in Mr. O'Connor's name by some other person.

Constable James Sloss, chief of Newmarket police and relief inspector for the town testified that Mr. Connor had an approximate income of $28 a month. He stated that on July 31, at about 3 p.m., when searching accused's residence he found two other persons, one at woman with three children. Among the dinner dishes on the table a number of beer bottle caps and! three partly consumed glasses of beer. In the back room he found 33 quart bottles of beer and a part- ly consumed bottle of liquor.

"Under Lock and Key" "After considering this case carefully and taking into account the age of accused, I must come to the conclusion he kept liquor for sale." stated Magistrate Robinson. "I must in view of the age of accused give every consideration to every doubt that there might be. Between May 15 and May 30, $47.60 was purchased. I am not considering that. During the months of June and July I find that the accused did receive beer to the amount of $152.40. If the accused had been giving beer to friends who called. I do not think that he would have had it under lock and key."

Continuing Magistrate Robinson said. "This man has not been in trouble before. I think it is unfortunate that he should run a place like that and allow a woman whose husband is in the army to go there and bring three small children. She went there as often as three times a week to get beer. I am going to give the minimum penalty of two months. I am willing to pass along a recommendation for a parole."

[yetisidelblog]

Leonard Peltier is almost 80 years old. He’s a Native activist in the American Indian Movement (AIM), a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and is now serving his 49th year of incarceration, making him the longest-serving political prisoner in U.S. history.

Leonard, now elderly and battling chronic health conditions that were made even worse after he contracted COVID while in prison, is serving two life sentences for his alleged role in the deaths of two FBI agents during a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Principally charged with the murders, Peltier’s co-defendants were found not guilty on grounds of self-defense. In Leonard’s case, exculpatory ballistics evidence was withheld, testimony coerced by the FBI was recanted, and a recognition of the violation of his Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury has fueled the global support for his release.

Over the years, the level of clear misconduct has prompted the very officials who put him behind bars to step forward and join the cry for justice for Leonard Peltier. Former FBI Special Agent and former Minneapolis Division Counsel Coleen Rowley wrote to President Biden asking to release Leonard Peltier and James Reynolds, the former federal prosecutor who oversaw Leonard Peltier’s post-trial sentencing and appeals, also wrote to Biden asking for clemency, saying:

“I have realized that the prosecution and continued incarceration of Mr. Peltier was and is unjust. We were not able to prove that Mr. Peltier personally committed any offense on the Pine Ridge Reservation.”

We have a lot of support in this urgent fight for justice. UN experts, U.S. Congressmembers, Amnesty International, the Democratic National Committee's Native American Caucus, the National Caucus of Native American State Legislators, the National Congress of American Indians, human rights leaders (such as Nelson Mandela, Coretta Scott King, and the Dalai Lama), and many others have called for Peltier to be released.

In addition to celebrities, human rights leaders, and United Nations legal experts calling on President Biden to grant Leonard Pelter his freedom, hundreds of Indigenous artists wrote in a letter to President Biden: “Nothing is more emblematic of the mistreatment of American Indians and the uneven hand of the criminal justice system than the handling of his case by the federal government.”

The time has long past for Leonard to be freed. Compassionate release was denied. We petitioned the Parole Commission to finally grant Leonard his freedom, and it was denied.

Now, President Joe Biden may be Leonard Peltier’s last and best hope for freedom. But let’s be clear, the only way Leonard Peltier can get his freedom restored is through public pressure on President Biden.

Peltier should be able to live out the rest of his life in dignity, with his family on his ancestral homelands.

Now, together with a broad coalition of organizations representing millions of people across the country, we’re asking you to join the fight.

Click ‘START WRITING’ to sign and send your message urging President Biden to grant executive clemency and free Native activist Leonard Peltier from federal prison now.

Time Sensitive! Please send your message now!

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@bogleech

[lboogie1906]

Stanley Tookie Williams (December 29, 1953 - December 13, 2005) lived a life of crime and violence. He was born in New Orleans to a mother who was seventeen years old at the time of his birth. His father, Stanley Williams, Jr., abandoned the family following his birth.

He and his mother moved to Los Angeles in 1959. He wandered the streets and through fighting, made a name for himself. He did not attend school and instead engaged in petty theft and occasional robbery. Meeting Raymond Washington who had a similar lifestyle, the teenagers started a group that would act as a neighborhood watch and protect their families and homes. By 1969 that group evolved into the Crips with him and Washington leading it.

The Crips membership grew over the years. By 1978 45 Crip gangs were numbering 20,000 members in Los Angeles County. No longer simply fighting for “turf,” they controlled the production and distribution of PCP, marijuana, and amphetamines. By 1999 the Crips had expanded far beyond California to the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, and the East Coast, with an estimated 50,000 members.

When Washington was killed, his life of crime spun out of control. While on drugs, he and other Crips orchestrated a robbery at a Los Angeles convenience store that turned deadly, he executed the store clerk. He broke into a motel and killed the owner, his wife, and their daughter. He was arrested and in 1981 tried, convicted, and sentenced to die by lethal injection.

He was given solitary confinement for six years. He found religion and said he repented for his sins in the eyes of God. He submitted multiple appeals to avoid the death sentence. He penned an apology letter, spoke out against gang violence, and wrote children’s books on the subject to influence young readers to avoid gangs. He wrote an autobiography on life in prison. When asked what he most regretted in his life, he stated “Creating the Crips.”

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger denied clemency for him. Schwarzenegger denied his petition and he was executed by lethal injection at the San Quentin State Prison.

He married Bonnie (1981). They had three children. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[thegodshavehorns]

Guide to the Zodiac: The Seer of Mind

Compassion is no substitute for justice. -Rush Limbaugh

Names & Epithets

The Calibrator of Gallows; The Blind Goddess; Lady Justice; She Who Measures The Rope (or simply She Who Measures); Lady of the Hanged; She With Garnet Eyes; She Who is Without Father or Mother, She Who Gazes Into Fire; Her Honor; Lady Dead-Eyes (derogatory).

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Seer of Mind, written instead of her name, is ♎️, the sign of Libra.

The Sigil of Mind is a filled disc, with three evenly-spaced, curved hooks emerging from its rim, pointing in a direction that suggests rotation.

The colors associated with the Seer of Mind are green and turquoise, and her sacred color is teal.

Red is also closely associated with the Seer.

Other symbols associated with the Seer of Mind are glasses (particularly opaque ones), balancing scales, walking sticks and canes, nests, mouths and noses, dragons or dinosaurs, the hangman's noose and rope in general, the guillotine, and coins.

Appearance/Portrayal

The Seer appears as a slender, middle-aged woman with short hair and relatively short, spikelike horns. Her fangs do not protrude, but she is often reported as sporting a wide smile that seems to show off every tooth. She wears sunglasses with opaque red glass in the lenses, and her own sightless eyes are reported as being entirely clouded-over red, though she only rarely reveals them.

The Seer is well-known for sniffing and licking objects, and for flipping and catching coins almost continuously. In art, individuals meant to represent the presence or will of the Seer are often portrayed with emphasized, prominent noses or tongues, or holding coins.

When not in her godhood, the Seer has been seen wearing well-tailored business suits, though usually in clashing bright colors. She may be portrayed holding a long, slender cane, sometimes referred to as a 'switch,' a set of scales, or a noose. The image of the Seer, wearing a blindfold and holding the scales and a switch, is common enough to be iconographic.

Domain/Associations

The Seer of Mind is a goddess associated with justice. She is a patron of every office of the law, from the police, colloquially the "Hounds of the Seer" (or just 'Hounds'), to the attorneys and judges of the highest courts in the land. Her laws are not considered overly merciful, and only on rare occasions will she show clemency to those who have done wrong (see Major Holidays). She is invariably correct in her judgements, and her punishments are absolute.

Further, the Seer is a goddess of wisdom, especially wisdom of strategy in war. She is appealed to when one needs to outsmart or outmaneuver one's foes, or use an enemy's own forces against them. She is a rational goddess, ruthlessly efficient (some say even cold), and a patron of those who share these qualities.

The 'dragons' with whom the Seer is often associated were long thought of as beings of pure myth, until the scientific acknowledgement that large fossil bones belonged to giant prehistoric reptiles. Though today called dinosaurs, these 'dragons' of eons past are often considered sacred to the Seer. (see Lore).

Major Holiday(s)

There are no annual holidays associated with the Seer of Mind, but there is an extended event that takes place every 413 weeks, the Jubilee Week, wherein debts are forgiven, borrowed property is returned, and indentured servants are freed. This is in recognition of the fact that, though the law is absolute, mercy and forgiveness are also possible, even from the Seer.

Churches and Cults

The Church of the Zodiac does not place the Seer in a place of primacy amongst the gods, but most sects agree that she holds a position of great power and respect in the pantheon. Her wisdom, as written down in the Book of the Zodiac, is considered absolute. As such, she is given a degree of respect and honor that surpasses even household gods such as the Knight.

In some societies, the highest courts of law have been called Red Courts, and doubled as temples to the Seer. This same concept persists in many countries today, where supreme justices, called Cardinal Justices, wear red robes to curry favor with the Seer. Regardless, nearly every office of law in the world, use the scales of Libra or the dragon as a symbol or seal. Some incorporate both.

One way Seer worship finds expression is through the establishment of Attorney-Monasteries, centers of learning that focus on the analysis of law in its purest forms. Disciples are dispassionate, logical, and devoted to the pursuit of order in the world. They often fund private educational establishments.

In east Asia, many churches appoint a high priest of the Seer known as the Lord High Executioner, a role that may be entirely symbolic or very much hands-on. This member of the clergy is in charge, whether nominally or literally, of carrying out and enforcing the sentences decreed by the courts. These Executions of the Law may or may not be capital, but are always dedicated to the Seer.

Prayer and Worship

Much of the worship of the Seer involves meditation, especially walking or moving meditations. These meditative states usually involve the quieting of conscious thoughts, and they are viewed as a kind of gift to the Seer, a single moment of quiet in the continual rain of thought that deluges her mental landscape. Perhaps she hardly notices, the faithful will admit, but it shows her that you care, and are grateful for her gift of law.

The Seer is most commonly invoked to dispense the law with complete righteousness and objectivity. Opening prayers in courts of law can be surprisingly peaceful, as the assembled calm their thoughts and center themselves. When the defendant is found innocent in criminal court, closing prayers are structured similarly, but when the defendant is found guilty, the closing prayers are usually kept very short, so that the sentence can be meted out summarily.

Although the Seer is not a goddess of chance, she is often invoked in the professional poker circuit, by those who wish to see through the bluffs of their opponents.

Blood sacrifice to the Seer is rare in the modern day, mostly replaced by the symbolic offering of other red things. However, in the past, it was common to offer to her the scent of blood and death, which she is said to find pleasing.

Lore

There is a good reason for the faith that many institutions hold in the Seer: she knows everything about everyone. Although it is widely understood that she cannot predict the outcome of pure chance, nor can she see the future precisely, she is capable of predicting the future through her instant and thorough knowledge of the actions and internal decisions made by every conscious being. The Seer knows of every thought, every memory, every choice, every expression of will from every sentient creature in the universe, and her mind is capable of containing all of them. Those who have spoken with her report that she seemed to know them better than they knew themselves.

Despite being blind, the Seer is said to possess an insight that can 'see' past all attempts at deception. Indeed, she does not seem to be inconvenienced by her blindness whatsoever, and it is well-accepted that she can perceive text and color through means no other mortal or divine being can match. Despite her divine colors residing in the green and blue parts of the spectrum, the Seer seems to especially favor the color red.

There is a rumor that the Seer favors those who can surprise her, but there are exceptionally few credible accounts of this actually happening.

Today, many congregations (though not the Zodiac Church) hold the Seer to have been the creator of the dinosaurs, and thus to have been the first god to settle on Earth. But the dinosaurs performed some terrible deed, too sinful to even conceive of today, in response to which the Seer executed them with a great flood, burying their bones. Though this act was just, destroying her own creations caused the Seer sorrow, and she took them as a symbol in order to always remember the Earth's first children.

Public Relations

The Seer spends much of her time away from Earth. However, when the need is great and the cause is just, she appears to give her wisdom. It is rare that she becomes involved in conflicts directly, preferring to advise global leaders and give aid from afar. However, the few historical records that mention the Seer taking up the sword herself speak of her might in battle with awe and fear, and describe the reek of the battlefield lingering for weeks. Such lands are generally abandoned as blighted.

The Seer rarely interferes with day-to-day matters of law in the nations of the world, though her writings are often used as their base. She does sometimes write a response to high court rulings, normally to point out logical inconsistencies or sloppy reasoning, and such divine court opinions have been the ruin of many justices' careers. Interestingly, although the Seer takes umbrage with poor reasoning, she does not seem to stick to a particular ideological stance.

[o-uncle-newt]

Enter Sir John (and Lord Peter)

This is basically a Sayers blog alongside a Finnemore blog at this point- and this is going to be mostly a Sayers post but also a bit of a window into my other detective fiction reading, which I don't really post about here but kind of want to. A bit of an experiment. (Also, some spoilers to a very old and AFAIK out of print book that I don't particularly recommend below, as well as a Sayers novel.)

So I have been reading a LOT of random old timey detective fiction recently, and at one point made a reading list based on having read the fabulous The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards, which I highly recommend to basically anyone with even the faintest interest in the subject (and even more so to Christie and Sayers fans). ANYWAY, I made the list, then completely forgot where I got it from, ordered a bunch of books through the NYPL's interlibrary loan system, and somehow got all of them at once. So now I have a stack of books from five states on my dresser, many of which are first editions. One of those is my copy of Enter Sir John by Clemence Dane and Helen Simpson, which isn't only a first edition but literally has the pencil inscription by the original owner from Christmas 1928, when he bought/received the book. Gah I love reading other people's old books.

Reading other people's old books in general is fun- reading this particular one was more of a mixed bag. The pacing was kind of weird, the mystery was kind of thin (and the motive was... PECULIAR for a 21st century reader, a mix of oddly progressive and deeply, deeply problematic depending on how you look at it), and the characterization of most of the characters was pretty thin. The atmosphere of the small-time theatrical setting was fun, and the detective, Sir John Saumarez, is reasonably entertaining. To go through, and mildly spoil (you'll see why shortly), the plot- someone is found dead who had been known to have previously quarrelled with a woman in the past, under circumstances which make it clear that this woman had both motive, means, and opportunity. The woman is arrested and her trial is attended by a man with a title who is struck by her and feels compelled to work on her behalf. He works hard to find the actual killer when the trial goes poorly for her, and realizes that he is in love with her and confesses his feelings to her.

Sound familiar?

For context, Enter Sir John was published two years before Dorothy L Sayers's Strong Poison, and to be transparent I fiddled a bit with the timing and phrasing to make the synopsis as CLEARLY correlated as it is (he doesn't confess his feelings to her until after he's gotten her off the murder charges, she's actually in the room when the murder victim is found, she actually is convicted and her conviction is overturned on appeal, among other changes). If the above plot sounds interesting and you HAVEN'T read Strong Poison, just skip and read Strong Poison because it does the whole thing SO much better. For one thing, the mystery is better- this was Dane and Simpson's first mystery, and while I largely enjoyed Dane's earlier novel Regiment of Women (which I may post my thoughts about sometime), this book just didn't really work for me. It's technically fair play, I guess, but there aren't a whole lot of actual suspects or clues (there aren't many suspects in Strong Poison either, but there are many more clues and there's a much more robust structure).

The other major difference, and this is pretty important because it's at exactly the point where the two books are so similar, is that the characterization of the romance in Enter Sir John is REALLY NOT GOOD. Sure, as Sayers noted in her 1929 introduction to her Omnibus of Crime anthology, love interests in detective novels are often shitty and this isn't necessarily significantly worse than certain others I have read. But while there do seem to be attempts to describe the suspect's personality in a way that makes her sound more honest, frank, straightforward, etc (the kinds of ways that Harriet Vane comes across later in Strong Poison), she also comes across really naive and dumb, and really doesn't have a whole lot to do in the book at all to counteract that impression. On the plus side... she isn't AS racist as some other people, I guess? (This plays into the motive, which I can describe in the comments for people- it's too annoying to get bogged down in.) But anyway, Sir John largely (apparently? it's not characterized super well) is compelled by her and falls in love with her because of her striking appearance and her good breeding and gentility or whatever, and it's all just super awkward. (Also, there's the same "oh no I didn't realize you were proposing" awkwardness in this book as in Regiment of Women, which does it MUCH better and for MUCH better characterization-related reasons. In this book it's just kind of skin-crawling to read.)

Anyway, why have I made you all read about why I didn't particularly like a not-super-easy-to-find book that you were unlikely to ever read anyway? Well, partly because it's an interesting curiosity- and because as I was reading I was like "what the hell, how did Sayers get away with this?" So I cracked open my copy of The Golden Age of Murder again and in its description of the book realized that it mentions that Sayers and Simpson were friends and that Enter Sir John is of interest as an inspiration to Strong Poison, which in retrospect is probably why I put it on my list in the first place.

But I'm still left with some lingering questions. While the actual murder plot and motive are entirely different, this particular throughline on the part of the detective is really STARTLINGLY similar, not least because Sir John Saumarez has some distinctive surface resemblances to Wimsey. For one thing, the method used to trap the killer (casually having them be part of a reenactment/discussion of the way the murder took place) is used by Sayers in Strong Poison as a ruse that Wimsey uses to try to catch Harriet Vane out, if there's anything to catch (when he "casually" brings up the murder-for-book-profits mystery plot idea he had). For another, like Wimsey later would in Strong Poison, Saumarez has a whole inner monologue about how he has only a month to solve the case (though in his case it's before the suspect is executed, and in Wimsey's case it's the IMO more plausible situation of being before the retrial occurs).

All that being considered, one major difference is, of course, that at the end of Strong Poison Wimsey and Harriet don't get engaged, and Saumarez and the suspect (whose name I don't even remember, if I'm being honest, she REALLY wasn't that memorable) do. But Sayers famously wrote that she wanted to use this book to marry Wimsey off! If she had followed through, and still used this same book as a way to do it, would she have literally lifted, if substantially improved, this plotline from her friend's book in order to do it? She was such an original writer- would she have borrowed so significantly from another writer to finish off a series that she had worked so hard on, even if it was one she was wearying of?!

It's interesting, because I wrote in a previous post about how it feels like after writing the Omnibus of Crime intro, including how bad mystery romance plots are, she dared herself to do it better. Reading this book makes me wonder if she read THIS PARTICULAR BOOK and decided she wanted to do it better. Which would be fascinating whether that was a decision that she made before she'd decided to continue the series after this book or afterward- before, in which case she'd be wholesale lifting the plot but at the same time elevating it lol I feel like I'm writing crossword clues) just by virtue of better writing and characterization in both that plot and the mystery that surrounded it, or after, in which case one of her ways of elevating it would de facto BE changing the ending to make it less corny and awkward, and writing a detective romance which is actually psychologically plausible and satisfying rather than just pairing pants and a skirt, so to speak.

Anyway- decidedly mediocre book that I don't particularly recommend, but one that made me ask some questions that I had a lot of fun pondering! I also had fun writing this, and am considering doing another one on Leo Bruce's The Case for Three Detectives, which was tremendously fun as a pastiche of Wimsey as well as Poirot and Father Brown.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jennifer Bendery at HuffPost:

WASHINGTON ― After nearly 50 years in prison, Native American rights activist Leonard Peltier is about to get what may be his last chance at freedom. Peltier, 79, is up for a parole hearing on Monday. His last parole hearing was in 2009. Given his poor health and the many years he’d likely have to wait for his next hearing, it is unlikely he would survive to make another one.

The U.S. government put Peltier in prison in 1977 after he was convicted for killing two FBI agents in a 1975 shoot-out on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. But his trial was riddled with misconduct, and his prolonged imprisonment has drawn sharp condemnation from prominent human rights leaders, including Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. Dozens of U.S. senators and members of Congress have urged his release. So have dozens of Indigenous legislators. Amnesty International, an organization typically focused on human rights violations abroad, has an entire campaign centered on Peltier’s case. “Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned for nearly 50 years, and now suffers from severe health issues,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, told HuffPost in a statement. “It’s time for him to go home and live out his remaining days with his family and his community.”

There was never evidence that Peltier committed this crime. The FBI and U.S. attorney’s office never did figure out who killed those agents. But Peltier, who was one of dozens of people present at the shoot-out, was the only person left for them to go after. He had been separated from his co-defendants, all of whom had already been acquitted on grounds of self-defense. Prosecutors in his trial hid key evidence. The FBI threatened and coerced witnesses into lying. On the second day of the trial, a juror admitted she was biased against Native Americans but was kept on. Peltier has maintained his innocence the entire time he’s been in prison. He had a chance to be released in 2009 when he was up for parole, but it would have required him to say that he murdered the two FBI agents. He wouldn’t do it. His parole was denied.

[...] If Peltier’s parole is denied again on Monday, there’s really only one other way he’s got a chance at living out his final years at home in North Dakota with his family and tribe: if President Joe Biden grants him clemency. The president could do this unilaterally at any point. So far, he has chosen not to. As a political matter, the issue of Peltier’s release isn’t going away. Democrats in Congress have publicly appealed to Biden at least four times to grant clemency to Peltier. The National Congress of American Indians, the largest and most powerful Indigenous rights group in the country, has said Peltier’s freedom is a priority for the organization and its membership heading into the November elections. In 2022, the Democratic National Committee unanimously passed a resolution calling on Biden to grant clemency to Peltier.

It’s well past time to #FreeLeonardPeltier.

[cloudcountry]

IKEMEN FRANCHISE MASTERLIST !!

unconventional otome game love interest traits each guy would have

ikemen vampire . . .

guessing their love languages (headcanons of the mansion residents. ~450 words.) — guessing their love language based on the very little information i have about them oops

yearning (isaac newton x reader. ~1k words.) — you fall asleep on isaac's shoulder while he's working.

lipstick marks (mozart, arthur, vincent, & isaac x reader. ~400 words) — you leave a lipstick mark on him, how scandalous!!!

an artist's dilemma (vincent x reader. ~500 words) — vincent sees a masterpiece in you.

painting with vincent (vincent x reader. ~300 words) — after a long day, you find solace in vincent.

lover of flowers (arthur & isaac x reader. ~1k words) — arthur is enamored with the reserved florist & isaac stumbles about her.

hair clips are my love language (ikevamp characters headcanons. ~800 words) — giving the suitors some of my hair accessories.

comte and a vampire hunter (comte de saint germain x reader. ~500 words) — you run into comte (or rather, he runs into you) after you kill a vampire.

mozart & the wire brooch (mozart x reader. ~250 words) — you give mozart a gift.

vlad and the florist (vlad x reader. ~250 words) — it seems you and the florist you met a long time ago have the same idea.

cooking with will (shakespeare x reader. ~300 words) — you teach will how to find his way around the one room in his villa he never uses: the kitchen.

bakery date with theo (theodorus x reader. ~300 words) — theo "takes you out for a walk." (read: takes you out on a date to a bakery.)

baking an apple pie (isaac newton x reader. ~450 words) — Isaac's been working hard lately, so you take Arthur's advice and make him a tasty treat!!

little things they love about you (suitors x reader. ~1,000 words) — the little things they love about you.

shakespearean serenades (shakespeare x reader. ~600 words) — theo yells at you to wrangle your lover. said lover is trying his best to serenade you.

ikemen prince . . .

self care (yves kloss x reader. ~1k words.) — you're supposed to be doing your skin care routine right now, but teasing yves sounds much more appealing.

small moments with rio (rio ortiz x reader. ~500 words.) — sweet moments with rio C:

guessing their love languages (headcanons of the ikepri characters. ~600 words.) — guessing their love language based on the very little information i have about them oops

dance with me (clavis lelouch x reader. ~400 words.) — you dance with clavis in the rain.

breakfast for you (clavis & yves x reader. ~300 words.) — yves is trying to make you breakfast, but clavis has other plans.

unusual protection (clavis lelouch x reader. ~350 words.) — clavis takes the fall for you, and you're left wondering why.

snowed in with clavis (clavis lelouch x reader. ~1,000 words.) — you get snowed in with clavis. shenanigans ensue.

christmas cookies to save kingdom! (gilbert von obsidian x reader. ~800 words.) — you and gilbert make christmas cookies together!!

sledding with cyran (cyran rose x reader. ~400 words.) — you go sledding with cyran.

ikemen revolution . . .

pet names (zero, edgar, kyle, & harr x reader. ~400 words.) — you call some of the ikerev suitors a pet name for the first time.

the winter itch (kyle ash x reader. ~300 words.) — you call on your favorite doctor to help you out with some chilly problems.

happy birthday (blanc & kyle x reader. ~400 words.) — blanc and kyle attend your after party. (a birthday gift for vivi!!)

soft kyle ash (kyle ash x reader. ~350 words.) — soft kyle ash, your favorite doctor.

the black army pines (black army x reader. ~350 words.) — some mildly embarrassing things that have happened to you while a certain black army member was pining for you.

baking with luka (luka clemence x reader. ~400 words.) — you decorate a gingerbread house with luka.

decorating with zero (zero x reader. ~500 words.) — you and zero put up holiday decorations in red army headquarters together.

love like a heart is no love at all (edgar bright x reader. ~2,000 words.) — edgar contemplates you.

over and over again (blanc lapin x reader. ~2,000 words.) — to blanc, you are the change he needed, and your pressing secret won't change that.

ikemen villains . . .

shopping with ellis (ellis twilight x reader. ~300 words.) — you ask ellis to come shopping with you, and he agrees.

ikemen sengoku . . .

hot springs (yoshimoto x reader. ~350 words.) — you visit the hot springs with yoshimoto.

you are the world (mitsunari x reader. ~1000 words.) — domestic bliss with your husband, mitsunari!!

mystic messenger . . .

snowball fight for love! (saeyoung choi x reader. ~500 words.) — you take saeyoung completely off guard with a snowball to the back of the head!

jaehee on your birthday (jaehee kang x reader. 360 words.) — jaehee celebrates your birthday!!