The Kill Team

The Kill Team: How U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Murdered Innocent Civilians

Early last year, after six hard months soldiering in Afghanistan, a group of American infantrymen reached a momentous decision: It was finally time to kill a haji.

Among the men of Bravo Company, the notion of killing an Afghan civilian had been the subject of countless conversations, during lunchtime chats and late-night bull sessions. For weeks, they had weighed the ethics of bagging "savages" and debated the probability of getting caught. Some of them agonized over the idea; others were gung-ho from the start. But not long after the New Year, as winter descended on the arid plains of Kandahar Province, they agreed to stop talking and actually pull the trigger...

Best "New" Artist Indeed

Rex, in case you plan to launch a campaign against the Grammy judges for awarding Best New Artist to Esperanza Spalding instead of Justin Bieber, here's some hard evidence of the injustice for you: "New" Artist?

Credits: Esperanza Spalding

Year		Album	Artist		Credit
		New Jazz Divas [Shout! Factory]	Various Artists		Composer
2001		Blanket Music/Noise for Pretend [Split EP]	Noise for Pretend		Vocals (Background), Vocals, Bass
2002		Move	Blanket Music		Vocals
2002		Happy You Near	Noise for Pretend		Double Bass, Vocals, Wurlitzer
2003		Transfiguration of Vincent	M. Ward		Bass
2004		Theresa Perez	Theresa Perez		Voices, Beatbox, Bass (Acoustic)
2005		Dorm Sessions, Vol. 3	Various Artists		Bass
2005		Mile: A Hush Compilation	Various Artists		Bass, Vocals
2006		Junjo	Esperanza Spalding		Bass (Acoustic), Producer, Composer, Vocals
2006		New Leaf	Ramona Borthwick		Vocals
2007		Culmination	Lucas Madrazo		Bass, Vocals (Background)
2007		One Summer in Winters	Jeff Alkire		Bass (Acoustic)
2007		Anthem	Christian Scott		Bass
2007		Anthem [Bonus Track]	Christian Scott		Bass
2007		Toys of Men	Stanley Clarke		Composer, Vocals
2008		Esperanza	Esperanza Spalding		Guitar (Bass), Bass (Acoustic), Composer, Vocals
2008		Esperanza	Esperanza Spalding		Bass (Acoustic), Composer, Guitar (Bass), Vocals
2009		7 Lives	Mauricio Zottarelli		Bass (Acoustic)
2009		Jazz and World Music Sampler	Various Artists		Vocals
2009		Folk Art	Joe Lovano		Bass
2009		Big Neighborhood	Mike Stern		Vocals, Guitar (Bass), Guest Appearance, Bass
2009		Big Neighborhood	Mike Stern		Guest Appearance, Bass, Guitar (Bass), Vocals
2010		Mwaliko	Lionel Loueke		Vocals, Bass
2010		Chamber Music Society	Esperanza Spalding		String Arrangements, Bass (Acoustic), Arranger, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Composer, Vocals
2011		Bird Songs	Joe Lovano		Bass
2011		Disney Jazz, Vol. 1: Everybody Wants To Be a Cat	Various Artists		Vocals, Bass (Acoustic), Arranger

To Hell and Back

Maybe you felt a twinge of wounded pride at the Chrysler Super Bowl ad.

Well, now your city needs your help. Because Detroit has been to "hell and back" -- in real life and the movies.

Remember when we were menaced by a European corporation with evil dreams of domination and untested technology?

No, I don't mean Fiat's takeover of Chrysler; I mean Omni Consumer Products' fictional takeover of our police in 1987's "RoboCop."

And what have we ever done to celebrate our cyborg defender, Murphy/RoboCop?

Tell Mayor Bing that his curt dismissal of a RoboCop statue for Detroit -- the very dismissal that made thousands realize how much they secretly wanted to see such a statue -- this cannot and will not stand.

Maybe it started as a joke -- a rogue tweet -- but it's something much more than that now. It's a movement.

Open your hearts. Open your pocket books.

This is the Motor City. This is what we do.

Thank you. And God Bless Detroit.

And Justice For All...

"When Oscar Vazquez was 12, his mother smuggled him across the border from Mexico into the US. Vazquez quickly displayed a talent for building things, and in high school he led a group of teenage engineers to a national underwater robotics championship, beating MIT along the way ('La Vida Robot,' Wired 13.04).

"Last year, after Vazquez graduated from Arizona State University with 'special and unique' honors in mechanical engineering, he asked the federal government to pardon his illegal entry. His request was rejected, and he was barred from entering the US for 10 years.

"It didn’t matter that Vazquez had married an American woman, had an American daughter, and wanted to put his top-notch skills to work in his adopted country. Instead, Vazquez moved back to Sonora, Mexico, where he now lives alone and works as a night manager at a car parts factory." – Joshua Davis (Wired 18.09)

Not an SCTV Skit

Damn! It's about time someone took a stand on goldfinch flags!

The Defendant Will Please Leave His Giga Pet At Home

PROHIBITED ITEMS IN THIRD CIRCUIT COURT BUILDINGS
The following items are prohibited in all Third Circuit Court buildings, which include courtrooms and office in: Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit; Friend of the Court office, Penobscot Building, 645 Griswold, Detroit: Family Division – Juvenile Complex, 1025 East Forest, Detroit, and Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, 1441 St. Antoine, Detroit
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Alcoholic Beverages

Ammunition

Aerosols or any spray device

Batteries

Bingo Markers
Box cutters
Brass Knuckles
Bug Spray
Bullets (anything resembling or similar)
Cameras / Recording Devices
Can Openers of any kind,
including P38’s

Cans—aluminum and metal

Camera phones
**Camera phones for attorneys are allowed

Cell phones (effective 09-01-05)
Cell phones are allowed for attorneys with a current Bar Card, and the media withvalid credentials, however, no camera phones are allowed

Chains

Cigarette Lighters/Matches

Combs—metal or rattail

Cord-like Objects, including ropes, chains, straps, heavy belts, and wires

Curling Irons

Darts

Dental Floss

Drug Paraphernalia

Explosive Materials or Objects

Flatware (which includes knives, forks or spoons)

Glass or Mirrors of any kind, including glass bottles of any kind

Guns or replicas of guns

Grease Pencil

Hair Clippers

Hair Spray

Handcuffs

Headphones (with cords)

Heavy Metal Objects

Highlighters or Markers (except attorneys with a current Bar Card)

Illegal Drugs

Knives (any kind)

Laptop Computers

Large Bags of any kind, including: duffle bags, backpacks, oversize purses

Large Perfume Bottles

Mace, Pepper Spray

Master Locks

Nail Clippers / Metal nail files

Needles of any kind, except with medical documentation

Noisemakers of any kind

Paints of any kind

Pagers

Palm Pilots (except attorneys with a current Bar Card, and the media with valid credentials)

Pencil Sharpener

Radios (or headsets)

Razors or Razor Blades

Safety Pins

Scissors

Screwdrivers

Spikes

Staplers or Staple removers

Tools of any sort (which includes hammers, saw, measuring tape, etc.)

Tweezers

Video Games, giga pets, gameboys, etc.

Weapon-like objects, including bats, clubs, batons, irons

Weapons, including toys or replicas (except law enforcement with ID)

Whistles
PLEASE NOTE: Other items deemed dangerous by Third Circuit Court security personnel will also be prohibited. All surrendered items will be confiscated and not returned. This notice is made pursuant to MCR 8.110 and the inherent authority of the Chief Judge to insure the safety and security of the Court and those in attendance.


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