Judge Lets Him Off Because He's Rich!!

This is such a sad story. Not just sad because of the people who died, not just sad because the person who killed them got off; it's sad because what does it tell the children (and teens) coming up now? If they are anything but rich and white, it tells them that they don't mean anything. That rich white people run the world and that nothing has changed in all the years since slavery was supposedly abolished. Back then, if

a young black teenager was accused of whistling at a white woman, he was beaten beyond recognition and lynched, whether he did it or not!

Now, a white teenager can kill four people and tell the police "I'm outta here", but he doesn't even get a 'beat down'!!



What is wrong with people that they think this is okay?

At first I wondered what judge would go along with such a backwards defense; then I read on and discovered that this is the same judge that gave a 14 year old black child 10 years for punching a man who died 2 days later! He got 10 years, but read this story of what this teenager, Ethan Crouch actually did. And the judge let him go???

Texas. The state that executes retarded people like Marvin Wilson, convicted of murder ( (even though the Supreme Court said they couldn't!)

 Andrea Yates (drowned her 5 children),

Genene Jones (nurse thought to have killed up to 46 children)

 Richard Ramirez (the Night Stalker),






With all the criminals including Clyde Barrow to come out of Texas, you would think they'd be experts at the whole procedure by now.

Related Links:

Aftermath of the Accident

Teen Kills 4 Judge LITERALLY Lets Him Off Because He is Rich

Commentary: Don't be my Valentine

By Roland Martin
CNN Contributor

Editor's note: A nationally syndicated columnist, Roland S. Martin is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith" and "Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America." Visit his Web site for more information.

Roland S. Martin says he doesn't buy all the hype associated with Valentine's Day, and I pretty much agree with him. Although it is actually based on a religious figure, (St. Valentine) what this day has become is totally outrageous. The difference between the price of roses during the rest of the year, and during this season is unbelievable; in some cases we're talking triple! Then to warrant that increase, they include a vase, which is usually one of those things that you can get a the dollar store for a buck. The hype made about Valentine's Day is, IMO, ridiculous. Not only should that love be expressed all year round, "Just because", but in this day of people losing jobs and homes, there are much better things that money could be spent on that would mean a lot more. You love me so much? Pay my utility bill and give me a receipt with "Happy Valentine's Day written on it. That gift will last a lot longer than roses would; and would mean a heck of a lot more to me.

(CNN) -- With retailers hurting and the U.S. president trying to encourage Americans to spend money to restore consumer confidence, what I'm about to say may seem like treason. But here goes: Please boycott Valentine's Day and all that is associated with this horrendous "holiday."

For several years I have ripped into Valentine's Day. Not because I'm against love and relationships, but mainly because the holiday is such a farce.

First of all, Valentine's Day is not built around a religious event like Christmas or Easter; nor does it have any special meaning to the nation such as Memorial Day or Veterans Day.

It is nothing more than a commercial holiday created by rabid retailers who needed a major shopping day between Christmas and Easter in order to give people a reason to spend money.

Now folks, I love my wife. She is truly an awesome woman who is smart, talented, fine, and, did I say fine? But do I really need a special day to show my affection for her?

I've long maintained that if I sent my flowers at other times during the year, why do I have to fall victim to peer pressure and send her some roses that have quadrupled in price leading up to February 14?

Why should I be inundated with mailings, e-mails and commercials to show her that I love her by buying jewelry or clothing? If we went shopping in June or September or last month, can I get some kind of waiver or "Get out of Valentine's Day" card?

As for this silly flower thing, it's even got to the point that any flowers can't do. Some years ago I planned on sending a woman some flowers that weren't roses, and the (female) co-workers were aghast. They felt that nothing mattered except roses.

First of all, I didn't have a lot of dough and felt a nice bouquet was sufficient, but they were appalled. So I told them to go to hell and I'll do what I want. I guess for them, the thought really doesn't matter.

Then there are the women on the job who measure the love of their men based on those flowers. You know how some folks are. If there are flowers on the desk of 10 other women, and one woman doesn't have anything, folks get to talking and whispering as if something is wrong in her relationship.

I've learned that even if you get the biggest-ever rose bouquet -- the relationship might be crumbling and you just refuse to admit it.

And Valentine's Day really isn't even a two-way street. Men are utterly irrelevant except to serve as pawns in this commercial game, emptying their wallets in order to satisfy their lovers or those around them. Oh yea, retailers know the con game.

Most of these guys are hapless saps who have ignored their wives or girlfriends all year, so they buy the flowers and candy, and set a reservation at one of the city's most expensive restaurants, all to say, "Honey, I love you."

Ladies, and men, stop it! It's time to say enough is enough with Valentine's Day.

What do I want? How about men and women loving, caring and sharing the other 364 days a year? February 14 isn't the only time to send flowers to your woman (ladies, we wouldn't mind getting a surprise delivery as well!). How about dropping her a flower arrangement on May 14? And on that card you need to write, "Just because..."

Instead of men and women spicing up their sex life on February 14, make the effort to satisfy your mate the rest of the year.

If last Valentine's Day was the last time you took your significant other out to a really nice restaurant, you deserve to be in trouble.

Are you planning to treat your man or woman to a wonderful day at the spa this Saturday? Well, I'm sure he or she would thoroughly enjoy the same in June or July.

It's time that we all take stock of our relationships and learn that we are to be loving and fulfilled 365 days a year, and not reduce our affection to flowers, candy, jewelry, clothes and a meal on one day a year.

The people who plan their lives around Valentine's are like those who spend more time planning their wedding day rather than planning their marriage. The day is nice and wonderful, but what makes it last is what you do on the "non-special" days.

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of Roland Martin.

How To Keep Your Debit Card Safe

Normally I would not do this, just use an article in it’s entirety, but I found this so interesting and valuable that I had to. I’m one of those people who uses PIN numbers that a skilled hacker/cracker could get with a little time and patience, so I’m always very interested in learning ways to protect myself. See, because I’m so forgetful, it has to be something that I can remember very easily, and if I can remember it easily, someone skilled with ulterior motives can guess it almost as easily. All those mnemonic devices don’t work for me for some reason; I forget the device just as quickly as I forget the PIN!

Anyway, here’s the article, hope someone finds it useful:

How to Keep Your Debit Card Number (PIN) Safe

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The bank tells you to be careful about tearing up the PIN that they send you with a new card. But did you know that there are more things that you can do to protect your number and that you should be doing these things to ensure that nobody tries to use your account? Debit cards are very attractive to would-be thieves because immediate cash is always more desirable than goods on a credit card. Here are some additional, simple steps for you to take to protect your PIN (personal identification number).

Steps

1. Never share the PIN with anyone. It might be tempting to trust a friend or a family member with your PIN but it is not a good idea. Circumstances can change and sometimes, people perceive a need more greatly than maintaining your trust or worst still, a person you do trust might be placed in a compromising position with a third party and be obliged to reveal your PIN under harassment or threat. It is better not to put this to the test, ever.
2. Never give out your PIN in response to e-mail or telephone requests. Phishing scams are unsolicited e-mails asking for bank account details, passwords and PINs. Delete them without a second thought and never respond to them.[1] Also, never provide your PIN over the telephone; there is never a need to do this and it will always be a fraudulent request. [2]
3. Shield your PIN when using it. Use your hand, a checkbook, a piece of paper etc. to shield the PIN as you enter it into a bank machine or a store machine. Be especially vigilant in store queues, where somebody may be paying more attention than you. Also, be wary of "card skimmers" at ATMs; they use scanners run over the card slot to lift debit card details and they find your PIN details via camera or looking. If you shield your PIN input well, they are hampered in their attempt.[3]
4. Choose a PIN password that is not obvious. Your birth date, wedding anniversary, phone number and home address are obvious picks, so just do not use them. Instead, think of numbers unrelated to major events and addresses in your life to create your PIN.[4]
5. Do not write your PIN down on the card, ever. Do not even write it in a diary. If you must write it down, disguise it in some way or put it somewhere totally unrelated to the card, such as in the middle of Shakespeare’s Complete Works.
6. Vary your PIN on different cards. Don’t keep the same PIN for all your cards. Have a different PIN for each one, so that if you do happen to lose your wallet, it will be much harder for the PINs to be cracked.
7. Contact your bank immediately if your card is stolen or lost. Tell them immediately if you think that there is anything that may compromise your PIN, such as an easy PIN, other ID in your wallet making it easy to work out or, horror of all horrors, the PIN being written down somewhere in the wallet or on the card. Get the bank to cancel the card immediately.
8. Be proactive. If you suspect any fraudulent activity using a card still in your possession, apart from notifying the bank and the police, have your PIN changed immediately.

Tips

• If you are a very forgetful person, try to memorize the PIN using memory techniques.
• One technique that works for PINs is to divide them into two groups of two digits and treat each as a year - so that, say, 8367 becomes 1983 and 1967 - and then find some event that corresponds to each year. Each event should be something personal, known only to you, or something historical but relatively obscure. From these, divise an amusing and odd phrase linking the two events, from which the events themselves, and thus the dates, cannot be easily deduced. Note this phrase down rather than the PIN itself.
• Respect the privacy of others using ATMs and card swipe machines; give them space and don’t stare at the keypad.
• Be diligent about regularly checking your bank statements to make sure no unauthorised transactions have been made using your card.
• Another way to disguise your PIN if you have to write it down is to write it as a telephone number with a fake name in your address book.

Warnings

• Contact your bank immediately if an ATM eats your card. It might be used in skimming fraud.
• Do not worry about keeping your debit or credit cards near magnets; the pull of the magnet will not demagnetize the cards or wipe any information from them.[5]

However, directly wiping them with a very strong magnet along the magnetic stripe will erase them or damage the data.

• Never write your PIN on a postcard or outside of an envelope.[6]

Things You’ll Need

• Debit card

Related wikiHows

• How to Choose a Secure Password
• How to Secure a Wallet
• How to Bank
• How to Prevent Identity Theft

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ USA Today, Thieves Love Debit Cards, So Keep Them Safe - Here’s How
2. ↑ Devon & Cornwall Constabulary, Keep Your PIN Numbers Safe
3. ↑ USA Today, Thieves Love Debit Cards, So Keep Them Safe - Here’s How
4. ↑ Scotiabank, Protect Your PIN
5. ↑ Mythbusters Discussion Forum
6. ↑ Citi, Keep Your Credit Safe

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Keep Your Debit Card Number (PIN) Safe. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.