The United Nations has announced that the Syrian government has signed a decree to join the international communities ban on chemical weapons. Secretary of State John Kerry seems intent to hold the Assad government to a quicker timetable than international norms, which is 30 days, but earlier this month when Kerry demanded that Assad turn over his chemical weapons in a week’s time but then admits, “It can’t be done”.
In what some consider a crack down on political expression and the right to assemble, thousands of people who participated in the Occupy Movement were arrested in 2011. In New York City alone, there were 2,812 arrests recorded by the National Lawyers Guild and only 49 were convicted on minor so-called crimes. That is a conviction rate of less than 2%.
Thousands have been evacuated in Colorado to escape Mountain towns being cut off by heavy flooding. President Obama approved federal disaster aid late Thursday night for areas along Colorado’s Front Range Mountains. There have been at least three reported deaths.
In local news, a 15 yr-old boy, Trayvon K. Dodd was found shot to death in a backyard in Greenville County on Wednesday night. The story is still developing and one person has been brought in for questioning.
*Breaking News: Russia says the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) has confirmed that the videos and photos purporting to show the victims of a chemical attack near the Syrian capital, Damascus, were fabricated.
Secretary of State John Kerry seemed to offer an opening to Syrian President Assad when he said that the US would not attack his nation if he put any chemical weapons they have under international control. After apparently being pressured by Russian President Putin, the Syrian government seems ready to do just that. That doesn't mean the end of the story. Who used these weapons? Will there be a price to pay for those who used them?
Brandon Hilton, Spartanburg's own pop star in the making, joins us on air today. He'll talk about this weekend's Upstate Pride Parade and Festival and whatever else comes to mind.
A reference to AIPAC, renown as a major Israeli pressure group, was deleted from a New York Times report recently. The article, about the march to attacking Syria, reported that the political action committee was pressuring the Obama administration to attack Syria.
Finally, both Washington and Colorado are cashing in on the financial boom they are experiencing as they legalized pot use. When more freedom also means a stronger economy, what's holding us back?
That and more today on Occupy The Microphone.
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