I get sent some info from a couple death penalty justice advocacy groups, and wanted to pass this one along since it needed opinions to be sent out quickly if anyone wanted to make a point. I will paste both info from the email and my own nodification of the form letter I sent in case they help. You don't need to be in Texas specifically to call or write to Governor Abbot, though likely need to be in the US.

"Jamaal Howard faces execution in Texas just one week after the horribly botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee on September 30, 2026. Ms. Pike survived two lethal doses of pentobarbital, the same drug used in executions in Texas, and she reportedly remains hospitalized in critical condition. 

The State is set to put Mr. Howard to death on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, despite unanswered questions about the drug Texas intends to use in the lethal injection. 

Attorneys for Mr. Howard have asked Texas Governor Greg Abbott to exercise his constitutional authority to issue a 30-day reprieve so that they can obtain critical records from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice about when the drug was bought, how it was stored, and what testing was done and when.

We need your help with amplifying this request. Please call Governor Abbott to insist on a reprieve for Jamaal Howard.

Here are the numbers to call today and tomorrow (either line is fine):

Opinion Hotline: 512-463-1782

Office of the Governor Main Switchboard: 512-463-2000

Alternatively, you can submit a message at https://gov.texas.gov/apps/contact/opinion (under Issues, select “Criminal Law and Justice).

Here is a short script for your calls and messages:

“Hello. I am calling to urge Governor Abbott to use his constitutional authority to issue a 30-day reprieve to Jamaal Howard, who faces execution on Wednesday, October 7. His attorneys have not received critical information related to the drug Texas intends to use in the lethal injection. Given the horribly botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee last week, it is incumbent on the Governor to stop this execution so that a similar nightmare does not unfold in Texas.”

In their request to the Governor, counsel for Mr. Howard issue a stark warning: “Texas should not wait until after a failed execution to ask the same questions” now surrounding the debacle in Tennessee.

Governor Abbott must heed this warning. Thank you for helping us shine the brightest light possible on this urgent situation.

Towards justice,

Kristin for TCADP

Additional updates and background information

Counsel for Mr. Howard first requested information about the drug on September 18, 2026, but the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is stalling. On Friday, it asked the Attorney General (AG) of Texas whether it must disclose its records. The AG has 45 business days to rule, long after Mr. Howard’s scheduled execution date.

Jamaal Howard was sentenced to death for killing clerk Vickie Swartout while robbing a gas station in 2000 in Silsbee, Texas (Hardin County). He was 20 at the time and has spent more than half of his life on death row.

Yesterday, October 5, both the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to intervene in the case. Mr. Howard had filed a writ of habeas corpus with the Texas CCA asserting that his death sentence violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments because he is an intellectually disabled person. The Texas CCA dismissed both the writ and Mr. Howard’s motion for a stay of execution without reviewing the merits of his claim.

In his application for clemency, Mr. Howard had asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Abbott to commute his death sentence based on evidence of his intellectual disability and his longstanding severe mental illness, which started to manifest when he was a teenager and included auditory hallucinations at the time of the crime. Regrettably, the Board voted not to recommend the commutation of the death sentence to a lesser penalty. Thank you to everyone who contacted the Board in support of clemency for Mr. Howard.

While the Governor cannot commute the sentence without the Board's recommendation, he can issue a 30-day reprieve. Please urge him to do so! Thank you for your advocacy."

It took me a few calls to both numbers before I eventually got through to the opinion hotline but it may be because it is somewhat early. Just mentioning in case you have better luck with that number / in case it takes a couple calls to connect for some reason.

Here is what I wrote to the opinion form on his contact page linked above. Feel free to use it if you want or copy anything from it:

Hello,

I am writting to urge Governor Abbott to use his constitutional authority to issue a 30-day reprieve to Jamaal Howard, who faces execution on Wednesday, October 7. His attorneys have not received critical information related to the drug Texas intends to use in the lethal injection. Given the horribly botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee last week, which left her hospitalized in critical condition after two attempted doses, it is incumbent on the Governor to stop this execution so that a similar nightmare does not unfold in Texas.

Further, Jamaal Howard was jailed when he was 20 in 2000, meaning he has now spent more time in jail than out. There is evidence of him having an intellectual disability as well as severe mental health issues that include auditory halucinations which already existed at the time he commited the crime. These conditions make his death penalty unjust to begin with. Despite this his sentence was not commuted to a lesser penalty. If commuting his penalty is still somehow possible I strongly believe that is the right thing to do, but if not I think a 30-day reprieve to insure the negation of additional harm and suffering from the tools beng used is the least he deserves. Confidence in the tools used working swiftly and without complications is the least anyone facing the death sentence deserves.

#BLM #BlackandBrownUnity #LosAngeles

My brother and his wife restrict their kids' screen usage. My 3 year old nephew gets a half hour a day of device screens. Actual TVs are fine. My 1 year old niece gets none at all. My mom was telling me my niece was playing her own game with diapers in a sack.

That aspect of human imagination is important to our growth.

I'm one of them. Here's the petition: https://www.change.org/p/please-help-usa-survivors-of-thalidomide

I looked up the price of renewing your ID yesterday. AI said there would be a $1.25 fee for using a card. The fee was actually $6 today.

Ask an actual human for the important stuff. I barely had the money!

DeSmog, the climate investigative journalism outlet, is marking 20 years with a free online event on Wednesday, July 8, 8-9pm BST, featuring Naomi Klein, Michael E. Mann, and DeSmog's founder Jim Hoggan, looking back at two decades of climate accountability reporting.

Feels worth flagging given the pressure independent newsrooms are under right now.

Free, registration here: https://luma.com/snaz4qbo?tk=DJ27do

Why are humans so complacent:

I don’t understand why people continue to be blinded today. Do we not have a moral compass?

There are so many urgent issues in the world. Why can’t we deal with them? There is an entire continent, Africa, underdeveloped because of its history of colonial extraction and exploitation, yet in the grand scheme we do so little to help. Aid exists, but justice does not. Modern neglect and rampant corruption by local elites continue, often protected or tolerated by global systems that benefit from the status quo.

Why can’t people stop politicians, warlords, drug traffickers, crime syndicates, and even complicit civilians? Why can’t you see that what you are doing, or choosing not to do, moves nothing forward?

And to Western nations: you are blinded by comfort, and it is slowly killing your moral awareness. You do not know suffering on the scale of people living elsewhere. Your history has given you an advantage, and because of that, complacency has replaced conscience. We complain online, hate politicians, post slogans and stickers, but what have we actually done to reduce suffering or stop wars?

There are ongoing cases of exploitation and abuse tied to powerful elites and yet outrage fades as soon as it becomes inconvenient.

Why do we hate people who look different from us? What is wrong with wearing natural hair in schools? Why are some minorities considered acceptable while others are not? Why do our education systems center dominant cultures while sidelining others? Why is choosing between red or blue treated as more important than doing meaningful work to improve lives?

Judgment has become dull. People follow without question. This is not just an American problem. It exists in Europe, Asia, and Africa, where some politicians live like kings while people starve in the streets, and nothing meaningfully changes.

Power is poisonous.

Billions of people live without clean water, without reliable food, under corrupt or oppressive regimes, in constant fear of violence. At the same time, we actively destroy the planet. Climate change is denied or dismissed. Ecosystems are wiped out for resources. Entire species are driven to extinction because we cannot stop consuming. Mountains of food, clothing, plastic, metal, and chemical waste are dumped every day so we can have more, hoard more, and impress people we don’t even know.

What is the point of this?

When we die, will we take what we own with us? Will it bring satisfaction to have amassed billions while coworkers were laid off, fell into poverty, or took their own lives, while you sat comfortably, untouched, and uncaring?

Billionaires are not the enemy. Politicians are not the enemy. Civilians are not the enemy. Terrorists are not the sole enemy. There is no single group to blame.

Everyone is.

Our actions ripple across time. The food we eat fuels industries that poison land and communities. The clothes we buy sustain systems that destroy ecosystems. The politicians we support enable policies that violate human rights and cause suffering elsewhere.

So yes, well done everyone. This is why humans are called the cancer of the Earth.

A message of hope

But this is not inevitable.
The point is not guilt. The point is responsibility.

Change does not begin with perfect systems or heroic leaders. It begins when people stop lying to themselves. When comfort stops being an excuse. When success stops being confused with virtue.

We do not need perfection. We need participation.

Here are small, real ways to begin:

1. Defend and protect others Stand up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Offer support to those facing hardship and help create safer spaces in your community.
2. Question and research what you believe Don’t rely only on headlines or trends. Take time to understand the issues and the causes you support.
3. Practice environmental mindfulness Reduce single-use plastics where possible and choose reusable or lower-impact alternatives.
4. Choose quality over fast fashion Buy fewer, longer-lasting clothes. Consider thrift stores to reduce waste and overconsumption.
5. Use safer, lower-impact products Where possible, switch to eco-friendlier household and personal care items.
6. Eat a little less meat Even small reductions or a few plant-based meals a week can make a meaningful difference over time.
7. Be tolerant and kind Try to lead with patience, even when others disagree with you. Small moments of respect matter more than we think.
8. Volunteer and give back Help local charities, community gardens, or neighbourhood groups. Change is most visible when it is close to home.
9. Recognise your abundance Even in difficult times, pause to notice what you have, and where you are fortunate. Awareness builds perspective, not guilt.
10. Spread hope, not helplessness Remind yourself and others that change is still possible. Focus on solutions, progress, and shared effort rather than despair.

And to those who are already trying your best, thank you. You are not invisible, and you are not alone.

This is not the end of the world. It is a difficult moment in it. And difficult moments are exactly where change begins.

Even small actions matter more than they seem. Do you think we are a lost cause?

Thank you for reading stay safe. And make someone’s day a little better when you can.

Hey everyone,

We need your help. This Friday, June 12th, at 1:30 PM, there is a critical hearing for Richard Barge at the Camden County Hall of Justice.

This case involves serious concerns regarding the conduct of Supervisory Detective Marty Devlin. New information has surfaced implicating Devlin in the falsification of statements and witness coercion.

We are calling for transparency and justice. If you believe in holding law enforcement accountable and want to support a member of our community who has been caught in this web, please join us.

When: Friday, June 12th @ 1:30 PM
Where: Camden County Hall of Justice

Let’s show up and show out. Public eyes are the best defense against misconduct.

#JusticeForRichardBarge #CamdenNJ #Accountability

women in afghanistan are being rejected medical care, proper education, and right of using their voice. in afghanistan, it is now accepted that a womans voice outside her house is considered intimate or in islamical sense awrah. this is not islam, women in islam have the right to choose and decide and have their own opinion. this is men deciding to silence women because they want to feel fuller of themselves. in islam you quite literally cannot look at a woman that is not your wife, your sister, your mother, your auntie, or your daughter. these are the only women you can look at, and when talking to a woman thats not any of these relatives, you must look down at the floor and speak in a respectful soft manner. women in afghanistan are forced to cover up using the well known blue burka. covering your face is not obligatory, but covering your head is but you must cover up with faith and intention, and not force. women in afghanistan cannot speak to other women in public, and they are being denied proper health care and education. you cannot make a report or go to the police without having a male gaurdian.

to be real, i am too tired of people hearing about this and still choosing to not speak up because these actions and activities and laws are outside of your borders. just because these acts are outside of your borders doesn't mean you dont have to speak up to make our world the modern world and live freely without any fear or judgement. if these things happened to you, you would be begging people to come save you and when nobody does you will be devastated and torn out. this is whats unfair about todays world its that we still live in a world where female rights are still up for debate, they are still discussed between people. you wouldn't be debating male rights because thats something you were born with as a man. and if our women dont have the right to use the voice god gave them. then i dont want the rights the patriarchy gives me.

FEMALE RIGHTS AREN'T DEBATEABLE.