The Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius Sentenced to 5 Years for the Death of Reeva Steenkamp

THAT’S IT?

Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, the Blade runner was sentenced to 5 years in prison for the death, culpable homicide, of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. But he could be out a lot sooner than that. One has to wonder whether some one not of the blade runner’s popularity. Judge Thokozile Masipa said that her sentence to Pistorious was both fair and just to both to society and the accused. I am not too sure about that. Oscar Pistorius was originally charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day 2013. Pistorius may have got a slap on the wrist, however, I am pretty sure his name and brand have been permanently tainted.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said a long-sentence would show a lack of mercy toward Pistorius, known as the “Blade Runner” for racing on prosthetic legs. She suspended a separate three-year sentence for an unrelated firearms charge.

Barry Roux, Pistorius’ lawyer, said his client could be released after 10 months to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

Reuters:

Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius started his five-year jail sentence on Tuesday for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, marking the end of a trial that has gripped South Africa and millions around the world.

His uncle, Arnold Pistorius, indicated he would not appeal.

As judge Thokozile Masipa gave her decision on the 27-year-old’s culpable homicide conviction, Pistorius, whose downfall has been likened to that of American football star O.J. Simpson, stood resolutely in the dock.

His only reaction was to wipe his eyes before two police officers led him to the holding cells beneath the High Court in the heart of the South African capital.

Reeva Steenkamp’s mother says, “we’re satisfied with Pistorius sentence.” Sorry, but I don’t believe it. She seems more relieved its over.

Attorney General Eric Holder to Resign from Office … One of the Most Politically Bias and Racially Divisive AG’s Ever!

One divider leaves, another still needs to go … The news broke yesterday that Attorney General Eric Holder was resigning. All I could think of, could Barack Obama be next. Dare to dream!

As the NY Times praises Eric Holder’s legacy, all any common sense, thinking person can do is shake their head. All we need to know about Holder’s legacy is his comment he made that we are, a “Nation of Cowards”. Holder was supposed to equally apply the rule of law and he did just about an opposite application of that theory as humanly possible.  The Gateway Pundit reminds us of more of Holder’s legacy in that Holder reportedly lied to Congress on the Fast and Furious investigation and in June 2012, Eric Holder the House voted to hold Eric Holder in criminal contempt. What about Holder putting an end to the prosecution of the Black Panthers and the voter intimidation case? Holder’s refusal to investigate the IRS and Lois Lerner. In the end, Holder’s legacy will be that he was Obama’s greatest shield from scandals. Did we forget about AP-gate and Rosengate as well?

Heaven help us, Al Sharpton says he’s helping the White House pick the next Attorney General. Doesn’t that say it all for the state of affairs in the United States with the current presidency. What the hell happened to this country, the inmates are running the asylum.

Who was Obama praising, certainly it was not scandal plagued Eric Holder?

As Barack Obama praises his political ally, I am more inclined to second the motion of The National Interest … GOOD RIDDANCE!!!

Holder, the first African-American attorney general, was far quicker than his boss, the first African-American president, to racialize national controversies. He was far less measured in his comments about the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. He famously called America a “nation of cowards” with regard to race.

“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial, we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,” Holder told Justice Department employees.

Nation of Cowards speech

Atheist Unhappy that Arkansas State Football Team Wore Cross Decal Remembering Deceased Player Markel Owens & Equipment Mgr. Barry Weyer, Jr … University Just Handed Atheists a Major Victory

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE COUNTRY I GREW UP IN?

Let me just say the following, we are not a better country, nor a better people by continually allowing political correctness and Atheist thugs to dictate how we live our lives. The below story will show you just how far as a country we have fallen because every time a secular Atheist troublemaker makes waves, we cower. This has nothing to do with the “establishment clause” of the US Constitution, but instead everything to do with secularism looking to impose their ways on others and the others. If you think things have not changed in this country, and for the worse … think of the following. Think back to Nov. 14, 1970 and the plane crash that took the lives of nearly the entire Marshall football team and devastated a community. Remember the scene in the movie ‘We are Marshall’  where the coaches go to West Virginia and visit then Mountaineer head coach Bobby Bowden? That was a true story, discussed HERE by Bowden, and how so many years later he was brought to emotion. Do you remember the helmets that the University of West Virginia players were wearing, they had what on them? Who thinks back then any Atheist dare tell Bobby Bowden to remove the crosses from those helmets?

That was then, This is Now ... The Arkansas State University football team in Jonesboro Arkansas wore a small cross on the back of their helmets with the initials MO and BW in honor of their fallen team member and equipment manager, Markel Owens and Barry Weyer. Sadly, Weyed died in a car accident in June and Owens was shot to death in January 2014. The players thought it would be a special way to remember and honor both of them by placing a decal featuring their initials on the arms of a cross.  According to Barry Weyer Sr., the father of one of the deceased being honored, “the players knew they were both Christians so they decided to use the cross along with their initials. They wanted to carry the spirits of Markel and Barry Don onto the field for one more season.” This is what sports and team work inspires.

But that was not acceptable to some trouble-making atheists who had no connection with the team, the players or those being remembered. An attorney contacted Arkansas State and told them they he was “uncomfortable” with the players wearing a cross decal and wanted it removed.  Louis Nisenbaum, an attorney in Jonesboro, Arkansas, saw the team playing on television recently. He is the trouble maker who reached out to the university’s legal counsel to complain about the cross. Sadly, the gutless wonders and the legal department crumbled and allowed themselves to be bullied by atheist terrorists. When the hell are schools actually going to stand up for what is right, instead of acting like a bunch of ball-less wonders in the fact of secularism and Atheists?

Arkansas State University attorney Lucinda McDaniel agreed that the symbol was problematic, recommending that athletic director Terry Mohajir order it removed or alter it. Mohajir says after speaking with the university’s legal counsel they will modify the sticker removing any religious symbols, but keeping the initials. Gutless, just simply gutless.

In a statement released by the university, Mohajir stated:

“I am 100 percent in support of our coaches’ and players’ expression of faith, as well as their choice to honor the two individuals associated with our team who passed away by voluntarily wearing a cross decal on the back of their helmets. Unfortunately, we have received a complaint that use of the cross violates the Constitutional prohibition against separation of church and state.”

“After consulting with University counsel, we have been advised to either modify the decal or remove it completely. Thus, in order to ensure that we are in full compliance with Constitutional law, we will be modifying the decal to still honor the two individuals who are no longer with us.”

HOW IS THIS CROSS WITH INITIALS OF FALLEN TEAMMATES “ESTABLISHING A RELIGION?” It is not. It is honoring individuals who had died, nothing more, nothing less.  The players VOLUNTARILY wore the decal on their helmets, THEY WERE NOT FORCED TO!!!  The only thing that the player have been forced to do, is not wear the cross decal because of a belligerent, trouble-making and narrow minded atheist.

From USA Today:

Athletics director Terry Mohajir said he wanted to fight the decision because the decal was intended to honor former player Markel Owens and equipment manager Barry Weyer, who both passed away this year. However, Mohajir said he had little choice but to follow advice from the university’s legal counsel to remove or modify the symbol.

“My job is to support our players and our coaches in their expression of any type of grief, and that’s what I was doing,” Mohajir told USA TODAY Sports. “Yes, it is unfortunate, and I am disappointed. However, we’re also going to uphold whatever legal advice we got, and that’s what we did based on the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. That’s what we were told we needed to do. So that’s what we did.”

Arkansas State, you might want to fire your legal council and get a backbone. At some point someone, some institution is going to have to stand up to these bullies. This cannot continue to happen.

Thanks Arkansas State, all you did by caving to Atheist thugs was to promote secularism and Atheism as seen by Freedom From Religion Foundation attorney Rebecca Markert comments when she told the outlet that the decision to remove the symbol is “great news” and that “putting religious imagery on public school property is unconstitutional.”

Judge Thokozile Masipa Rules Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius Not Guilty of Premeditated Murder in the Death of Girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp … Still Faces “Culpable Homicide”(Update: Pistorius Found Guilty of Culpable Homicide)

Oscar Pistorius Found Not Guilty of Murder in Death of  Reeva Steenkamp … Say hello to South Africa’s O.J. Simpson.

This morning Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled the Blade Runner, Oscar Pistorius, was not guilty of premeditated murder in the shooting death of his girl friend Reeva Steenkamp. The shooting took place on Valentine’s Day 2013.  The judge ruled that the prosecution’s evidence to support a charge of premeditated murder was “purely circumstantial.” and “the state clearly has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of premeditated murder.”  The judge went on to say that “there are not enough facts.” However, Pistorius is hardly out of trouble as he only has been found “not guilty” of the most serious murder charge. He still faces the lesser charges of “culpable homicide” in the shooting death of his girlfriend.

The judge presiding over the trial of Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic athlete, cleared him of the two most serious murder charges against him on Thursday, almost certainly sparing him a long prison sentence. But then, after appearing to be on the verge of declaring Mr. Pistorius guilty of a lesser crime, culpable homicide, in the shooting death of his girlfriend, the judge abruptly suspended court proceedings for the rest of the day.

“We’ll have to stop here and resume tomorrow morning,” the judge, Thokozile Matilda Masipa, said less than half an hour after the session had resumed after a lunch break. She did not explain the adjournment.

Judge Masipa then turned to the lesser charge of culpable homicide, which is comparable to involuntary manslaughter, and said Mr. Pistorius had failed three tests to be exonerated of the charge. One considers what a “reasonable” person would have done under the same circumstances.

Reuters – Africa: Pistorius cleared of murder, culpable homicide verdict to come.

“I am of the view that the accused acted too hastily and used excessive force. It is clear that his conduct was negligent,” she told the packed courtroom before adjourning until Friday. She also said he had not acted “reasonably”.

Earlier, Masipa ruled that prosecutors, led by the combative Gerrie Nel, had failed to prove the 27-year-old intended to kill Steenkamp after an argument.

The defence said Pistorius shot Steenkamp as a result of a tragic accident after mistaking her for an intruder hiding behind a locked toilet door.

As Masipa delivered her not-guilty decision on the primary charge of premeditated murder, Pistorius, who would have faced at least 25 years behind bars if convicted, sat sobbing in the dock, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Culpable homicide – the South African equivalent of Britain’s manslaughter – carries up to 15 years in prison but has no minimum sentence.

Although Masipa described Pistorius as a “very poor” and “evasive” witness, she said it did not mean he was necessarily guilty in a case heavily reliant on circumstantial evidence

ABC News:  Judge Masipa called Pistorius a “very poor witness” during the murder trial and found he was at times vague and avoided answering some of the prosecution’s questions. Despite that, she says this does not necessarily indicate his guilt. From the wording of the judge’s decision in the not guilty verdict of murder and premeditated murder,m it seems almost a certainty that she will find him guilty of culpable homicide.

 A verdict on the charge of culpable homicide, similar to manslaughter in the United States, still remains. Pistorius also faces two counts of discharging a gun in a public area, as well as illegal possession of ammunition.

If he is found guilty of murder without premeditation, or culpable homicide, he could receive a 15-year sentence as a first time offender. Mitigating factors, such as his emotional state, anxiety levels and disability could result in a lesser sentence.

The Guardian: LIVE updated coverage of the trial of Oscar Pistorius.

UPDATE I: Oscar Pistorius found guilty of culpable homicide

Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide on Friday, escaping the more serious charge of murder for the killing of his girlfriend, and will now battle to avoid going to prison.

The 27-year-old double amputee, who became one of the biggest names in world athletics, stood impassively in the dock, his hands folded in front of him, as Judge Thokozila Masipa delivered her verdict.

Pistorius was also convicted of firing a pistol under the table of a packed Johannesburg restaurant but cleared of two other firearms charges – illegal possession of ammunition and firing a pistol out of the sun-roof of a car.

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) Indicted for Abuse of Power by Travis County Grand Jury (Update: Perry Fires Back Calls it Partisan Politics)(Update: Even Obama Political Adviser David Axelrod Thinks Indictment is ‘Sketchy’)

Travis County, Texas grand jury proves once again Judge Saul Wachler’s famous saying that a prosecutor can get a grand jury to ‘indict a ham sandwich.’”

Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been indicted by a Travis County grand jury for abusing the powers of his office by carrying out a threat to veto funding for prosecutors investigating public corruption. However, the indictment reeks of political payback and political disagreements being handled via the courts.  The indictment stems from when Perry promised publicly to veto $7.5 million over two years for the Public Integrity Unit run by the office of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. DA Lehmberg, a Democrat, was convicted of drunken driving with a blood-alcohol nearly three times the legal limit. Perry had asked for her to resign; however, she refused.

Fort Worth Star Telegram: Gov. Perry indicted, accused of coercion, abusing power.

A Travis County grand jury indicted Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday, accusing him of abusing the powers of his office by carrying out a threat to veto funding for prosecutors investigating public corruption — making the possible 2016 presidential hopeful his state’s first indicted governor in nearly a century.

A special prosecutor spent months calling witnesses and presenting evidence that Perry broke the law when he promised publicly to veto $7.5 million over two years for the Public Integrity Unit run by the office of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg.

Lehmberg, a Democrat, was convicted of drunken driving, but refused Perry’s calls to resign.

Although the Republican governor now has been indicted on two felony counts, politics dominates the case. Lehmberg is based in Austin, which is heavily Democratic, in contrast to most of the rest of conservative Texas. The grand jury consisted of Austin-area residents.

The unit Lehmberg oversees investigates statewide allegations of corruption and political wrongdoing. It led the investigation against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican who in 2010 was convicted of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering for taking part in a scheme to influence elections in his home state — convictions later vacated by an appeals court.

Mary Anne Wiley, Perry’s general counsel, predicted Perry ultimately will be cleared of the charges against him — abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant.

“The veto in question was made in accordance with the veto authority afforded to every governor under the Texas Constitution,” she said.

UPDATE I: Gov. Rick Perry Fires back at the bogus indictment that he abused his power.

Gov. Rick Perry fired back at the indictments and called it nothing more than outrageous and partisan politics.

“We don’t settle political differences with indictments in this country. It is outrageous that some would use partisan, political theatrics to rip away at the very fabric of our state’s Constitution. This indictment amounts to nothing more than abuse of power. And I cannot and I will not allow that to happen … I am confident that we will ultimately prevail.  That this farce of a prosecution will be revealed for what it really is and those responsible will be held accountable.”

VIDEO Hat Tip – The Gateway Pundit

UPDATE II: KXAN Video – Jailers had to restrain DA Rosemary Lehmberg when she was nearly 3x’s the legal limit for DUI.

DA Rosemary Lehmberg initially denied that she was drunk to police as seen by dash cam.

DA Rosemary Lehmberg blames the police for pulling her over for DUI and ruining her career. In fact, the police did not pull her over, she had pulled over on her own in a Church parking lot. The police deputies could not believe they had the chief law enforcement officer in the country on DUI. Since then, not only did Gov. Rick Perry ask her to step down, the Austin police association asked for her to resign as well.

Honestly, how in the hell did this woman not have the common decency and respect for those who enforce and uphold the law, not resign?

UPDATE III: Even Democrat Obama political adviser David Axelrod thinks the indictment is sketchy.

“David Axelrod said that this was a very sketchy indictment,” Perry said. “Professor [Alan] Dershowitz, who’s not exactly my cheerleader, said that it was outrageous. So across the board you’re seeing people weigh in, reflecting that this is way outside of the norm…When you’ve got David Axelrod and Harvard law professor Dershowitz saying the things as they’ve said, I think it’s pretty reflective of what we’re working with here.”