3/18/09: Indigent Defense Slashed in Georgia! + Death Penalty in New Mexico

Hey Everyone!

Hope Spring Break was restful, or at the very least fun. We're gearing up for our big film festival less than two months away now! But first...

Tomorrow we will be doing two actions.

First, Senate Bill 42 in the Georgia Legislature is currently undergoing debate before seeing the Senate floor. This bill would drastically reduce already chronically underfunded indigent defense resources for public defenders. This is totally unacceptable, especially in light of the Troy Davis case. Help us take a stand to ensure that our justice system is not undermined!

Second, the House of the State of New Mexico recently legislatively abolished the death penalty. Gov. Richardson, a staunch supporter of the death penalty himself, has publicly voiced concern about the high costs of imposing the death penalty and the potential to execute an innocent person. Help us help New Mexico become the latest state to abolish the death penalty!

*Dinner afterward for those interested, too!

More announcements:
- The Center for International Trade and Security is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with a series of lectures this week (starting tomorrow). Participants will include the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency and General Eugene Habiger, former U.S. Commander in Chief of STRATCOM (Commander of all American strategic nuclear weapons). Visit http://www.uga.edu/cits/ for more information.

- On Thursday, March 19 at 12:30pm on the 4th Floor, Dean Rusk Hall, North Campus "The Conduct of Foreign Policy under the Obama Administration: A lecture (with a Q&A on careers in foreign affairs) by former U.S. career diplomats Earle and Barbara Scarlett. Refreshments provided ;).

- On Wednesday, March 25 at 6 p.m. in the Miller Learning Center Room 101, representatives from Invisible Children will be coming to UGA to show a short documentary entitled "The Rescue".

- On Monday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Miller Learning Center Room 101, representatives from LiNK will be at UGA to show the award winning film "The Crossing". LiNK, or Liberty in North Korea, is a non-profit organization that educates, protects, advocates, provides, and empowers the North Korean people so that one day they will have the opportunity to live in true freedom.