Courtesy of Karl Keys:

Several of the concerns of the ABA’s report leaped out of me as having been a consistent problem in Pennsylvania since the Weekly was launched ten years ago:

“Inadequate Procedures to Protect the Innocent. … Since the death penalty’s reinstatement, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has exonerated at least death-row inmates, including Nicholas Yarris, Neil Ferber, William Nieves, Thomas Kimbell, Jr., and Harold Wilson. Despite these exonerations, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has not implemented any policies or procedures that would render the conviction of an innocent. This report is not intended to cover all aspects of Pennsylvania’s capital punishment system and, as a result, it does not address a number of important issues, including for example, cost and deterrence. Although some counties may be in compliance with some or even many of the recommendations contained in this report, the report focused on assessing laws and practices on a statewide basis. Consequently, while the report may highlight county rules and practices, and while individual counties may comply with various recommendations, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as a state, may be in partial compliance or fail to comply with those recommendations. Furthermore, some of the “Areas for Reform” and “Recommendations” found in the Executive Summary may not be pertinent to certain counties.”

Amnesty International Group 342 - Meeting Minutes
Thursday, July 19, 2006
7:30-8:45pm at West Chester Friends Meeting

Attendance: Miriam B., Brendan, Barbara, Anita, Leslie, Tilo, April

If you're not currently a member of Amnesty International USA, now is a great time to join. As part of their Annual Membership Drive, AIUSA is seeking 3000 new members to join before April 30. To join, just go to their home page at amnestyusa.org.

Membership is just $25 a year, and benefits include a subscription to Amnesty International Magazine, members-only specials at the Amnesty online store and exclusive access to the Members Area at amnestyusa.org.

Thank you for supporting Amnesty International!

Pieces of East
Concert to Benefit Amnesty International
Saturday, April 22, 7:30 pm
Unitarian Fellowship of West Chester
501 S. High St., West Chester
$10 at the door, $8 for students
Google Map
Fellowship website

About Pieces of East:

Drawing from American Folk and Indian classical cultures, Pieces of East’s unique Folk/Pop songs have earned them fans from around the world, won them several prestigious Austin Music Awards, and ignited radio stations all over the country. Pieces of East’s groundbreaking debut album, "Shadow Box", was produced by legendary producer Mark Hallman (Carole King, Ani DiFranco) and received both popular support and critical acclaim.

David Lynch of Austin’s most popular weekly, the Austin Chronicle, hails Pieces of East as "a veritable supergroup" while Madalyn Sklar, president of grassroots music community, Go Girls Music says, "Pieces of East delivers the best groove/pop I’ve ever heard."

For more information about the group, visit www.piecesofeast.com

Please help us spread the word about our upcoming benefit concert by downloading and posting this flyer. Thank you!

Thank you to all those who attended last night's meeting. The movie, "The Day I Became a Woman," was very moving. Special thanks to Barbara for selecting the movie and bringing yummy baked goods, to Tilo for providing our projector screen, and to Tom for bringing the beverages. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

We will have complete minutes as soon as they're available. If you were unable to attend, here are the four actions from this month's meeting, which you can download, print and mail from home. You'll need to register or log in to view the actions.