Nov. 17, 2014
By Nicole Tschetter
Winter Weather Survival Week:How cities and counties prepare (click here)
By Nicole Tschetter
Winter Weather Survival Week:How cities and counties prepare (click here)
Monday, December 01, 2014
Donate to your favorite charity if you can.
Concussions are brain injuries. Brain injuries come with emotional instability.
December 1, 2014
By Terrence McCoy
...What’s better understood: (click here) the link between depression and concussions – especially among the young. One study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in January of this year found repeatedly concussed teens are three times more likely to develop depression. A separate paper, published in PLoS One last spring, suggested teens with a history of head injury are at “significantly greater odds” of attempting suicide and “engaging in numerous violent behaviors.”...
This is a tough one to solve, because, once a brain is injured it is permanent. Brains are also complex. What occurs with one person is not necessarily repeated by another. Basically, no one injury happens in the same way or with the same results. Where science has found success is understanding concussions and depression. Science also knows in the elderly, if depression is not treated it can result in dementia at higher percentages.
Let's be on the safe side and work toward supporting anyone suffering from concussion and depression. As soon as a young person, college or younger experiences a concussion, there needs to be intervention to prevent depression. How that exactly translates to football players is up to physicians and medical research, but, obviously let to their own to cope with any depression or brain injury the outcome is not good. We need to turn the corner on the outcome of those that fall into this category and preserve quality of life.
November 30, 2014
By Doug Lesmerises
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- One by one (click here) they strode out of the dark to stand at the feet of William Oxley Thompson. A few fought tears. More couldn't hide smiles. They came to talk about Kosta Karageorge.
And it quickly became clear. This is a guy that you tell stories about....
Everyone loves a hero and we want to keep them here among us to continue to elevate our interpretation of life and purpose.
With the Iran talks in the public eye, I will remind Iran was an important partner to Iraq's new government.
Iran pledges $1 bln loan, security help to Iraq
23 Nov 2005 13:49:54 GMT
Source: Reuters
TEHRAN, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Iran has pledged to give Iraq a $1 billion loan and help with tackling insecurity, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said at the end of a ground-breaking visit to the Islamic state.
Talabani's three-day visit, the first by an Iraqi leader to Iran for nearly four decades, followed heightened accusations by Western and some Iraqi officials that Shi'ite Muslim Iran was linked to insurgent attacks in Iraq. Iran denies the charges....
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23550883.htm
When I discuss foreign policy of the USA, I base it in the best knowledge available to me, not populous political hate rants by the political right wing to drive scared to death American to the polls.
What would happen if Former Secretary Clinton ever said, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran?" I guarantee you no one would be applauding.
23 Nov 2005 13:49:54 GMT
Source: Reuters
TEHRAN, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Iran has pledged to give Iraq a $1 billion loan and help with tackling insecurity, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said at the end of a ground-breaking visit to the Islamic state.
Talabani's three-day visit, the first by an Iraqi leader to Iran for nearly four decades, followed heightened accusations by Western and some Iraqi officials that Shi'ite Muslim Iran was linked to insurgent attacks in Iraq. Iran denies the charges....
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23550883.htm
When I discuss foreign policy of the USA, I base it in the best knowledge available to me, not populous political hate rants by the political right wing to drive scared to death American to the polls.
What would happen if Former Secretary Clinton ever said, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran?" I guarantee you no one would be applauding.
I remind!
Ferguson, Missouri is not crime central. This is a community of 21,000 people of which a majority are single women families.
The crime statistics in Ferguson do not reflect a city riddled with crime. There was one murder this year and it didn't include the death of Michel Brown, Jr.
There is absolutely no reason for a police department manager to be that insulting to an entire community. He needs to apologize or resign or both.
I might mention, "Thug," has become the latest word out of the political right wing for the "N" word.
Enough.
The crime statistics in Ferguson do not reflect a city riddled with crime. There was one murder this year and it didn't include the death of Michel Brown, Jr.
There is absolutely no reason for a police department manager to be that insulting to an entire community. He needs to apologize or resign or both.
I might mention, "Thug," has become the latest word out of the political right wing for the "N" word.
Enough.
Speaking of the NFL. Is there any reason to believe they condone the deaths of innocent young Black men as themselves?
By Sean Fizgerald
On Sunday afternoon, (click here) inside a domed stadium about 20 kilometres from Ferguson, Mo., a group of five St. Louis Rams players walked onto the field before a game with their arms in the air, a symbolic gesture meant to “let the community know that we support them,” according to receiver Kenny Britt.
A video shows Britt and fellow receiver Tavon Austin on the field first, their hands in the air, followed shortly by receivers Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens and tight end Jared Cook amid the lights and the smoke of the pre-game festivities.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher told reporters. “I was still in the tunnel.”...
I think this is rather telling about Ferguson's police department.
December 1, 2014
By Charlotte Alter
'Violent thugs' (click here) don't buy NFL products, warns St. Louis Police business manager
The St. Louis Police Department condemned St. Louis Rams football players who ran onto the field Sunday night with their arms raised in the “hands-up, don’t shoot” pose. The gesture has been seen in demonstrations across the nation this week in the wake of the Ferguson grand jury’s decision not to indict a white cop for shooting and killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August....
I think the Rams were more than correct to connect with the public and display their disapproval of the events in Ferguson. There should be more of this, too. There is absolutely no doubt young, black men are being killed by police officers, there is no excuse. What happened to Michael Brown, Jr. is outrageous and is heinously violent when one considers the power police have in preserving life and not taking it.
I'll put it this way, if the police freely use gun violence in law enforcement, what happens next? The young, black men that are the victim of such violent law enforcement will decide to carry guns. There are clear definitions of when a police officer can use exceptional force and PROVOKING an altercation as Wilson did is not one of them.
Drunkenness is no excuse for domestic violence.
One moment in their lives (click here for video) brought Ray and Janay Rice into the public eye for all the wrong reasons. While Ray Rice has now been reinstated, and is looking for a team, his life off the field, and that of his wife Janay, are forever changed by what happened in that elevator....
This interview was the first time I learned they were drinking heavily. I realize drinking alcohol is something that is legal and occurs socially, but, when a couple or person realizes when they drink heavily there is a potential for violence, they should not go there.
I don't dispute the appeal, I am not one to understand the underpinnings of the NFL, it's rules or decisions; but, when violence results when drunkenness occurs, where does it stop?
I have a great deal of respect for Mr. and Mrs. Rice in their earnest pleadings with the public to prove they had a bad night and it should not disturb Ray Rice's career. I think they are well married. She is a beautiful woman, graced with the understanding of a public life and they obviously are involved with each other. I hope their marriage celebrates 100 years. But, they need to be able to look at each other over the breakfast table and say, "We really should not have gone there at the casino, honey." I want them to say that to each other and mean it. Because their drunkenness sparked outrage and rightfully so. The outrage was not about the spectacle, it was about the safety of Mrs. Rice.
They can obviously forgive each other, but, when it comes without a lesson learned there is no reason to believe it won't happen again only with greater consequences.
I wish them both the best and considering Mrs. Rice has made this effort to reach the public and put everything into context proves she deserves the trust of the NFL. She and Ray still need to work through some personal issues, but, what couple doesn't. If Ray Rice has the talent the NFL needs, no owner should be so worried about his public image that he doesn't get a job. Keeping Ray Rice out of employment is further compromising the happiness of this marriage and no one wants that.
This interview was the first time I learned they were drinking heavily. I realize drinking alcohol is something that is legal and occurs socially, but, when a couple or person realizes when they drink heavily there is a potential for violence, they should not go there.
I don't dispute the appeal, I am not one to understand the underpinnings of the NFL, it's rules or decisions; but, when violence results when drunkenness occurs, where does it stop?
I have a great deal of respect for Mr. and Mrs. Rice in their earnest pleadings with the public to prove they had a bad night and it should not disturb Ray Rice's career. I think they are well married. She is a beautiful woman, graced with the understanding of a public life and they obviously are involved with each other. I hope their marriage celebrates 100 years. But, they need to be able to look at each other over the breakfast table and say, "We really should not have gone there at the casino, honey." I want them to say that to each other and mean it. Because their drunkenness sparked outrage and rightfully so. The outrage was not about the spectacle, it was about the safety of Mrs. Rice.
They can obviously forgive each other, but, when it comes without a lesson learned there is no reason to believe it won't happen again only with greater consequences.
I wish them both the best and considering Mrs. Rice has made this effort to reach the public and put everything into context proves she deserves the trust of the NFL. She and Ray still need to work through some personal issues, but, what couple doesn't. If Ray Rice has the talent the NFL needs, no owner should be so worried about his public image that he doesn't get a job. Keeping Ray Rice out of employment is further compromising the happiness of this marriage and no one wants that.
This is ridiculous. This is police harassment.
...It may be freezing in Pontiac, Michigan, (click here) but if you’re a black man out for a walk it’s probably best to keep your hands out of your pockets. Or else risk getting stopped by the police because your actions make people nervous. Brandon McKean posted a difficult-to-believe video on his Facebook page and YouTube that shows his interaction with a white police officer who briefly detained him on Thanksgiving while he was out for a walk....
I think people are getting their jollies in complaining about black men and calling the police to watch what happens next. The police should have asked to help the man by calling a taxi or something. This is completely out of line.
There was absolutely no reason to even dispatch police to a black man walking down the street with his hands in his pockets. He was not a threat to anyone and the neighborhood watch was a danger to him.
Why wasn't a black officer dispatched? Because Pontiac may be another Ferguson. The population of Pontiac, Michigan is about two and a half times that of Ferguson and the population demographics shows 52.1 percent African Americans. Here we go again.
These statistics came from Wikipedia (click here).
As of the census of 2010, there were 59,515 people, 22,220 households, and 13,365 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,980.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,150.7/km2). There were 27,084 housing units at an average density of 1,356.2 per square mile (523.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 34.4% White, 52.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 6.2% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.5% of the population.
Having officers use video to record their actions doesn't seem to be a burden. This white police officer pulled out his personal white mobile phone to record the interaction.
There were 22,220 households of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.4% were married couples living together, 27.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.9% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.28.
Ferguson 2.0 - "White people behaving badly."
This is not a game, kindly think outside the box.
What happens when the frigid air returns and the waters aren't completely receded?
November 30, 2014
By Nick Wiltgen
...A very strong bubble (click here) of high pressure, associated with very cold arctic air, will slide southeastward from eastern Montana into the Dakotas Sunday night into Monday. The pressure difference between that high pressure center and a powerful low-pressure system over Hudson Bay in eastern Canada means blustery winds will buffet the same areas seeing temperatures well below zero Sunday night.
As a result, actual temperatures that are already mercilessly cold -- in some cases approaching 20 below zero -- will feel like 35 to 45 below zero even with modest wind speeds of 10 mph....
This is very serious and the scenarios can be devastating. Low lying areas of town and cities have to be evacuated with such extremes happening this close together. Safety cannot be guaranteed after a severe storm dropped so much snow, followed by the melting and runoff. When, not if, the frigid air mass returns most areas will still be saturated with water. That means water is now in the ground and will freeze as well as any flood inundated areas.
Areas of high ground won't have this same problem. The runoff will allow minimal amount of saturation. It all depends on where the water went and where it is now saturated. Ice will expand and cause damage. The rapid changing temperature will result in profound icing problems if the water is not receded from the streets.
Remember what occurred in Georgia and the highways were swamped with cars and trucks unable to move. Circumstances became dire very quickly. Preparation for these events need to be in place to avoid putting people in danger.
The railways are some concern if the tracks are/were under water and there was any undermining of ground.
This is the new climate we are facing. This is micromanagement of severe weather. It is up to communities to know their ability to cope.
December 1, 2014
0745 gmt
The Weather Channel Current Temperature Map
Sunday, November 30, 2014
I am grateful for freedom. The other WWII Front.
This is a remarkable article in the LA Times this holiday season. It was after Veteran's Day, but, as timely as any.
The West sometimes forgets there was a time when allies were Russians. There was a second front to WWII. Yes, there was D-Day. But, there was also the front that was first to collapse the advancement of Hilter. The Russian Front and this Thanksgiving I am grateful for their service and am proud Russian speaking veterans live comfortably in the USA.
This is a thought for time unending.
I come from a large family. We cling to each other dearly and there is a lot of talent within our group when we get together to celebrate the holidays. We decided to put together a family diary of our experience within the family.
I invite you to take this opportunity in time to reflect on your families. In the USA "Family" has a great deal of diversity. But, consider writing an essay that brings out the meaning of family and the impacts it has had on your life. Hopefully a great deal of love will be found. It is a heritage activity, at least that is what our family considers it. It will be put together and be a permanent record of the words, ideas, journeys and feelings that bound us so lightly through our entire lives.
The West sometimes forgets there was a time when allies were Russians. There was a second front to WWII. Yes, there was D-Day. But, there was also the front that was first to collapse the advancement of Hilter. The Russian Front and this Thanksgiving I am grateful for their service and am proud Russian speaking veterans live comfortably in the USA.
This is a thought for time unending.
I come from a large family. We cling to each other dearly and there is a lot of talent within our group when we get together to celebrate the holidays. We decided to put together a family diary of our experience within the family.
I invite you to take this opportunity in time to reflect on your families. In the USA "Family" has a great deal of diversity. But, consider writing an essay that brings out the meaning of family and the impacts it has had on your life. Hopefully a great deal of love will be found. It is a heritage activity, at least that is what our family considers it. It will be put together and be a permanent record of the words, ideas, journeys and feelings that bound us so lightly through our entire lives.
Good night and I am grateful for all of you that come here for a perspective that is more Middle Class than I would like to admit.
Happy Thanksgiving.
November 24, 2014
By Ann M. Simmons
...At its peak the group’s membership grew to more than 2,200 veterans. Today, that number has dropped to 400, 160 of whom served during World War II. Others are the children and widows of former servicemen.
Most of the Russian-speaking veterans fled the former Soviet Union for the United States, seeking to escape persecution because of their Jewish faith. All were hoping to find a better life for their families.
Now, as they move into their twilight years — the average age of the veterans is 92 — they worry that their association might die as their own lives expire.
“Before, we worried about getting citizenship for our members … teaching them English, housing,” said Yefim Stolyarsky, 91, the association’s president. “Now the concern is preserving contact among veterans, preserving the membership of the organization.”
Yevsey Epstein, 91, a medical forensics expert and native of Ukraine who served as commander of an anti-tank battalion in the Red Army, said he doubted it would be possible to preserve the legacy of the group.
“Our children and our grandchildren, they relate more to the United States and they don’t know what this group means,” he said.
The veterans meet twice a week to discuss issues in the community and to mingle. Because most of them speak limited English, they feel at home speaking Russian among their peers.
“I come and meet and socialize with people who understand me,” said Yulia Shikhleman, 81, the widow of a former Red Army officer and World War II veteran. “I can share with these people … tell them what’s going on with me. They listen to me. They comfort me.”...
Only "Streets of Gold" for the few.
The Ferguson police department never knew who 21,000 people were in serving and protecting them.
In general they didn't understand them, never knew them and treated them as an enemy.
This is a picture of a TRUTHFUL moment in Portland, Oregon.
In this Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014 photo provided by Johnny Nguyen, Portland police Sgt. Bret Barnum, left, and Devonte Hart, 12, hug at a rally in Portland, Ore., where people had gathered in support of the protests in Ferguson, Mo. (AP Photo/Johnny Huu Nguyen)
November 29, 2014
By Gosia Wozniacka
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An African-American (click here) boy holding a "Free Hugs" sign stood crying in front of a police barricade at a Ferguson rally in Portland. A white police officer motioned for him to come closer. The officer then asked the boy for a hug — and they embraced, the boy's anguished face streaming with tears...
This is not politics. This is racism as WE know it. This is profound fear by young black men/boys of being killed by the police officers that are suppose to protect them. They are caught in a void of unknown peril and there seems to be little to nothing society has been able to do to stop it.
Coast to coast, it doesn't matter there are young UNARMED black men being cut down in their early years of living free in a democracy; only in their case they are not given a trial so much as a sentence.
The gun culture in the USA has amassed respect. It has turned a relatively peaceful nation whereby 'domestic tranquility' is guaranteed by the USA Constitution and turned it into streets of blood. Literally. Michael Brown, Jr. bled out on the street probably every drop of 8 pints of blood while police applied their yellow tape and instilled fear in the hearts of the neighborhood.
The culture of fear is alive and well in middle class and poor neighborhoods. This is exactly the outcome so many expected when the focus in the USA changed from respecting human life to that of gun supremacy. The middle class and poor can't afford weapons. The argument the right wing gun enthusiasts tout as 'the reason for concealed carry and open ended gun laws,' is that criminals get their hands on guns and the 'so called good people' are left dead because of it. That 'idea' has created overwhelming force in applications by police to protect their own lives.
Is Darren Wilson a prime example of how fearful police are of their duties? No. Darren Wilson worried about his own life and didn't bother to take into account the lives of two young black men walking down a street. Wilson had just been given a citation for arresting two black men involved in selling drugs. If one reads the reports in the newspapers regarding this arrest it was the same technique of wrestling he exercised with Brown.
Michael Brown, Jr. never touched the gun, a piece of his thumb was shot off and he was bleeding. The assault on Brown was never in question. Wilson was going to kill Brown if he had to. It wasn't a matter of Wilson being in fear for his life. He was conducting police activities as he knew it and this was just another day at work.
The unwillingness of government to exercise legislation to keep the streets safe has provided the USA with nothing less than a return of Al Capone. The people with guns as opposed to the peril of those without guns, with gun rights guaranteed by open ended laws that create a superior citizen armed with their favorite weapon(s) is now the law of the land.
What bothers me is the LACK of anyone to actually open carry weapons. When police encounter guns it is usually in vehicles, but, not in neighborhoods in the USA. It is very unusual to have any citizen exercising concealed carry in an exchange of gun fire with police. The chances of Michael Brown, Jr. actually being someone with a concealed carry permit was zero to none. But, the chances of Michael Brown, Jr. being a criminal with a concealed weapon was Wilson's pre-decided defense with any killing he would commit.
It was 'the clever criminal on the street' that Wilson decided he needed to stop. It was that one person that was better armed than he that was going to remove him in his fiancee's deepest fear.
If Wilson understood the neighborhood he patrolled or better said he responded to, he would know the chances of a young, black man from a lower middle class family being armed in broad daylight is highly unlikely.
Wilson never responded to mischief, he always responded to felonies. The police of 21,000 people with a majority lower middle class black families should have known where the weapons were in regard to any incidence of crime. Wilson was responding to the theft of $12 of cigarillos not the murder of the show owner and/or customers.
Ferguson has some wealthy folks. It is they that most probably own weapons for the reason they do. But, to assign that level of concern for concealed weapons by these people is nonsense. The families of Ferguson were focused on upward mobility. They wanted their children to attend college and find a better life than they had. That is America, that is not a drug cartel.
There was a drug problem in Ferguson as Wilson found out, but, as one person put it, "It is how I pay my bills."
Wilson applied deadly force inappropriately in killing Michael Brown, Jr. The confrontation of Brown and his friend was completely off the scale by Wilson. Those two young black men have rights and if they were involved in crime those rights are litigated in a court of law and NOT the streets of their neighborhood.
Is this another Trayvon Martin, darn right it is. Vigilantism ruled in the death of Trayvon. What was the focus in the media? The fact an innocent young black man was living with his father to straighten out his behavior when his mother could not? Was it the fact an innocent young black man was the victim of vigilantism? No, it was the fact Trayvon had blood results that proved he smoked marijuana sometime in the past month. That is called experimentation, every parent's nightmare.
Trayvon was a teenager on the way home from the local convenience store when a vigilante decided to be a police officer in all his personal hubris, engaged in confronting Trayvon and fell victim to a teenager frightened for his life. It was Trayvon that died, not the vigilante Zimmerman. As soon as Zimmerman confronted Trayvon his right to use of a gun was removed, in the real world where a teen's blood is spilled for the sake of gun culture hubris.
The police were already responding and if the vigilante were sincerely interested in assisting, all that was necessary was a finger to point in the direction or to the house Trayvon went to. The 'right wing nut case propaganda machine' is winning the day and our citizens are dying because of it. Both Wilson and Zimmerman belong behind bars along with innumerable others that have killed because THEY THOUGHT it was appropriate.
In general they didn't understand them, never knew them and treated them as an enemy.
This is a picture of a TRUTHFUL moment in Portland, Oregon.
In this Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014 photo provided by Johnny Nguyen, Portland police Sgt. Bret Barnum, left, and Devonte Hart, 12, hug at a rally in Portland, Ore., where people had gathered in support of the protests in Ferguson, Mo. (AP Photo/Johnny Huu Nguyen)November 29, 2014
By Gosia Wozniacka
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An African-American (click here) boy holding a "Free Hugs" sign stood crying in front of a police barricade at a Ferguson rally in Portland. A white police officer motioned for him to come closer. The officer then asked the boy for a hug — and they embraced, the boy's anguished face streaming with tears...
This is not politics. This is racism as WE know it. This is profound fear by young black men/boys of being killed by the police officers that are suppose to protect them. They are caught in a void of unknown peril and there seems to be little to nothing society has been able to do to stop it.
Coast to coast, it doesn't matter there are young UNARMED black men being cut down in their early years of living free in a democracy; only in their case they are not given a trial so much as a sentence.
The gun culture in the USA has amassed respect. It has turned a relatively peaceful nation whereby 'domestic tranquility' is guaranteed by the USA Constitution and turned it into streets of blood. Literally. Michael Brown, Jr. bled out on the street probably every drop of 8 pints of blood while police applied their yellow tape and instilled fear in the hearts of the neighborhood.
The culture of fear is alive and well in middle class and poor neighborhoods. This is exactly the outcome so many expected when the focus in the USA changed from respecting human life to that of gun supremacy. The middle class and poor can't afford weapons. The argument the right wing gun enthusiasts tout as 'the reason for concealed carry and open ended gun laws,' is that criminals get their hands on guns and the 'so called good people' are left dead because of it. That 'idea' has created overwhelming force in applications by police to protect their own lives.
Is Darren Wilson a prime example of how fearful police are of their duties? No. Darren Wilson worried about his own life and didn't bother to take into account the lives of two young black men walking down a street. Wilson had just been given a citation for arresting two black men involved in selling drugs. If one reads the reports in the newspapers regarding this arrest it was the same technique of wrestling he exercised with Brown.
Michael Brown, Jr. never touched the gun, a piece of his thumb was shot off and he was bleeding. The assault on Brown was never in question. Wilson was going to kill Brown if he had to. It wasn't a matter of Wilson being in fear for his life. He was conducting police activities as he knew it and this was just another day at work.
The unwillingness of government to exercise legislation to keep the streets safe has provided the USA with nothing less than a return of Al Capone. The people with guns as opposed to the peril of those without guns, with gun rights guaranteed by open ended laws that create a superior citizen armed with their favorite weapon(s) is now the law of the land.
What bothers me is the LACK of anyone to actually open carry weapons. When police encounter guns it is usually in vehicles, but, not in neighborhoods in the USA. It is very unusual to have any citizen exercising concealed carry in an exchange of gun fire with police. The chances of Michael Brown, Jr. actually being someone with a concealed carry permit was zero to none. But, the chances of Michael Brown, Jr. being a criminal with a concealed weapon was Wilson's pre-decided defense with any killing he would commit.
It was 'the clever criminal on the street' that Wilson decided he needed to stop. It was that one person that was better armed than he that was going to remove him in his fiancee's deepest fear.
If Wilson understood the neighborhood he patrolled or better said he responded to, he would know the chances of a young, black man from a lower middle class family being armed in broad daylight is highly unlikely.
Wilson never responded to mischief, he always responded to felonies. The police of 21,000 people with a majority lower middle class black families should have known where the weapons were in regard to any incidence of crime. Wilson was responding to the theft of $12 of cigarillos not the murder of the show owner and/or customers.
Ferguson has some wealthy folks. It is they that most probably own weapons for the reason they do. But, to assign that level of concern for concealed weapons by these people is nonsense. The families of Ferguson were focused on upward mobility. They wanted their children to attend college and find a better life than they had. That is America, that is not a drug cartel.
There was a drug problem in Ferguson as Wilson found out, but, as one person put it, "It is how I pay my bills."
Wilson applied deadly force inappropriately in killing Michael Brown, Jr. The confrontation of Brown and his friend was completely off the scale by Wilson. Those two young black men have rights and if they were involved in crime those rights are litigated in a court of law and NOT the streets of their neighborhood.
Is this another Trayvon Martin, darn right it is. Vigilantism ruled in the death of Trayvon. What was the focus in the media? The fact an innocent young black man was living with his father to straighten out his behavior when his mother could not? Was it the fact an innocent young black man was the victim of vigilantism? No, it was the fact Trayvon had blood results that proved he smoked marijuana sometime in the past month. That is called experimentation, every parent's nightmare.
Trayvon was a teenager on the way home from the local convenience store when a vigilante decided to be a police officer in all his personal hubris, engaged in confronting Trayvon and fell victim to a teenager frightened for his life. It was Trayvon that died, not the vigilante Zimmerman. As soon as Zimmerman confronted Trayvon his right to use of a gun was removed, in the real world where a teen's blood is spilled for the sake of gun culture hubris.
The police were already responding and if the vigilante were sincerely interested in assisting, all that was necessary was a finger to point in the direction or to the house Trayvon went to. The 'right wing nut case propaganda machine' is winning the day and our citizens are dying because of it. Both Wilson and Zimmerman belong behind bars along with innumerable others that have killed because THEY THOUGHT it was appropriate.
Wilson destroyed evidence. Call it what you want, negligence or stupidity or clever. He destroyed evidence.
November 27, 2014
By Daniel Politi
...Darren Wilson failed to follow (click here) what is considered to be standard protocol after a shooting. And he was hardly the only one. The transcripts from grand jury testimony make evident that police carried out numerous actions that experts say are highly unusual. First of all, Wilson drove himself back to the police station, put his own gun into evidence and quickly washed blood off his hands without anyone photographing them first, reports the Washington Post. Apparently “there was no photographer available” and Wilson seemed to be more concerned with getting someone else’s blood off his body than preserving evidence. “His concern was not of evidence, but as a biohazard or what possible blood hazards it might attract,” said an FBI agent....
By Daniel Politi
...Darren Wilson failed to follow (click here) what is considered to be standard protocol after a shooting. And he was hardly the only one. The transcripts from grand jury testimony make evident that police carried out numerous actions that experts say are highly unusual. First of all, Wilson drove himself back to the police station, put his own gun into evidence and quickly washed blood off his hands without anyone photographing them first, reports the Washington Post. Apparently “there was no photographer available” and Wilson seemed to be more concerned with getting someone else’s blood off his body than preserving evidence. “His concern was not of evidence, but as a biohazard or what possible blood hazards it might attract,” said an FBI agent....
Wilson just needs to move on. He doesn't need to provide interviews or seek notoriety.
The truth is he is a lousy cop that is scared of his own stature as a police officer and practices self-defense with a gun more than he was ever a police officer. "I felt threatened." He'll be the next poster boy for right wing gun extremists. Wilson will find a home among FOX News militias. They'll welcome him with open arms.
November 30. 2014
By Nicole Hensley, Rich Schapiro, Deborah Hastings and Thomas Tracy
November 30. 2014
By Nicole Hensley, Rich Schapiro, Deborah Hastings and Thomas Tracy
Darren Wilson, 28, turned in his badge five days after a grand jury decided not to indict him in the Aug. 9 slaying of 18-year-old Brown.
“I’m resigning of my own free will,” Wilson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I’m not willing to let someone else get hurt because of me.”
He said leaving the force was “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
But area residents said Wilson got off easy....
Saturday, November 29, 2014
There is no such thing as severely conservative. Hello, Democrats. Are you listening?
By Allegra Kirkland
...In order to determine (click here) which cities are most conservative, researchers analyzed large-scale surveys that questioned residents of over 1,600 towns and cities about a range of policy areas, from education to healthcare. Study authors Chris Tausanovitch of UCLA and Christopher Warshaw of MIT created an ideological score for each city based on these responses. The final study looks at the 51 U.S. cities that have at least 250,000 residents....
The survey doesn't really surprise me. Being politically conservative is very different than living conservatively. The political tone of the USA has grown more and more right wing because the GOP has manufactured their own "moral high ground." No one lives there, but, their politics are there because it serves the purpose of that feel good feeling. This survey proves it.
Americans are mostly left of center, not right of center. I wish the Democrats would rally to that reality. The more right wing ideologies claim to be the higher ground of politics the more it will attract interest. The reality is very clear, right wing politics is anti-American. It demands no gay community, seeks to control every woman's uterus, believes education is unimportant, wants all government services privatized and wants to burden the USA with a general sales tax rather than income tax. They are crazy, no one other than political extremists carry those views.
The Democrats have always moved the country forward. Why is that not appreciated? The Democrats have never shouted NO YOU DIDN'T DO THAT REPUBLICANS!
President Kennedy saw the beginnings of the space program and now it is considered a Wall Street investment venue. The list of Democratic contributions to our country is very long, but, never are they credited with any of it once it is mainstream.
Social Security is always denigrated by the GOP, but, it also serves as the baseline economy for the USA. That is never appreciated by Republicans until the economy crashes, which always occurs under Republicans,
SSI, along with Medicare has given new meaning to retirement. Retirement is a very viable part of the service industry sector. Today, with so many Baby Boomers entering retirement they are demanding healthy lives that allow them a great deal of freedom. In that is an economic boom for many areas of the country. Our very health is impacted by the most senior in our country when they step out of stereotypes to recognize that life is good even in the age of 80 something.
Medicaid brought health care to the impoverished.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has changed healthcare for the better. People have enormous right to their records, in a new Patient Bill of Rights, to the point where hospitals are now allowing patients to access their personnel records online.
The ACA has saved tens of thousands of American lives with over 30 million finding health care insurance through the new exchanges.
An entire state, namely Kentucky, have made healthcare a priority. It is improving the lives of Kentuckians. How many were entrenched in poor health and unable to qualify for work?
The demand for healthcare jobs has not decreased due to the ACA. Hospitals have been receiving payment for services to finally balance their budgets. People can now be treated by a physician rather than seek care through emergency rooms across the country.
One might note the crying of Republicans in 2014 elections was about jobs and the ACA to the point where McConnell had to divide the idea Kentucky's health care insurance access, Kynect was far different from Obamacare. Americans are living a diluted reality.
The Democrats have always prioritized the needs of the Middle Class and Poor. Where would these people be if they were allowed to be disenfranchised, not only from voting, but from the priorities of their own government.
The list to the right is from a study conducted by Northwestern University and published in March 2013. It states the priorities of the wealthy as compared to the lack of importance of Middle Class and Poor to the same exact issues. The title of the study article "Democracy and the Policy Preferences of Wealthy Americans," by Benjamin I. Paige, Larry M. Bartels and Jason Seawright. (click here) If the Democrats weren't at the forefront to carry the message of the Middle Class and Poor who then would? Certainly not Republicans, they disdain these people and while their strategy has turned towards the methods of local canvasing for political gain, the policies they carry are not at all beneficial to changing the peril of Americans born out of privilege. The Republican success lies within wealth and the allegiance of power to cronys. That is their standard bearer.
The study above was included in an article at "Demos, An Equal Say and An Equal Chance for All." The article is titled "Stacked Deck." (click here)
There is every indication and I won't get into it at the moment, the brave new world the Democrats so fervently embraced as their own waits around a corner. President Obama is overseeing some of the most incredible change both domestically and abroad, with allies and without; a change by Democrats in priorities in reaction to recent elections would be imprudent.
The problem with the 2014 elections is the vats of money spent by the RNC. The Democrats were out spent by $100 million dollars. The values the Democrats hold is correct. Those values are wise and necessary. What would be said about the Democrats if they were elected under faux ideals and then pivoted to the much needed change in the USA? The Democrats find the truth and decency too burdensome to have it as it's core?
The problem is having their electorate realize the truth of the message and the deception of advertising. The truth about the country is something no one can deny, personal attacks of opposition candidates has pitfalls. The issues are still the best way forward.
The next two years will prove interesting as to the priorities of the two parties and how committed each party is dedicated to the best outcomes of the entire country and not special interests. There is a truth and President Obama knows what it is. The Democrats need to trust the man they elected in 2008 and 2012 and stop second guessing the changes in dialogue the Republicans demand. They are the wrong message and they are wrong for the country.
The Democrats have two brilliant men within their ranks, namely Former President Bill Clinton and current President Barak Obama. What seems to be the problem? The truth? The message? The overwhelming qualifications of candidates? Or is it something far more destructive? Something like, deception of the electorate to win elections that never deliver for them. The message is still clear. Truth and justice still matter.
The former President of Egypt needs to be given asylum upon his release.
By Jack Khoury
An Egyptian court on Saturday (click here) dismissed murder charges against former President Hosni Mubarak in connection with the killing of hundreds of protesters in the 2011 uprising that ended his nearly three-decade rule, citing the "inadmissibility" of the case due to a technicality.
The court further cleared Mubarak and a former oil minister of graft charges related to gas exports to Israel.
In a separate corruption case, charges were dropped against Mubarak and his sons Alaa and Gamal, with Judge Mahmoud Kamel al-Rashidi saying too much time had elapsed since the alleged crime took place for the court to rule on the matter....
He is no different than the Shah of Iran when he was provided asylum in his later years. He will be a target and if here were ever to return to leadership, which Sisi might have in mind, it would create more tensions and not less in Egypt.
This is a study conducted by the Pew Research Organization. I don't really value their opinions that much because there is a 'chance for profits' in their content when they write their surveys, but, there are few conducted like it.
...Moreover, (click here) Muslims are not equally comfortable with all aspects of sharia: While most favor using religious law in family and property disputes, fewer support the application of severe punishments – such as whippings or cutting off hands – in criminal cases. The survey also shows that Muslims differ widely in how they interpret certain aspects of sharia, including whether divorce and family planning are morally acceptable....
What PEW is stating is there is strong existence of Sharia in the Muslim faith in many countries, however, the idea the old punishments are a popular method of enforcing Sharia is not favored.
I suggest one look to Saudi Arabia for the modern TONE of Sharia incorporated into it's laws. Saudi Arabia is a long standing leadership that favors the practice of incorporating faith with governing. Saudi Arabia is the most progressive leadership, along with Jordan and Lebanon, in the Middle East Arab countries. They value new world modernism and seeks to mitigate law breakers rather than rendering physical punishment and death as is described in Sharia.
The countries that have peaceful relationships with The West also do not favor funding for extremists. It is that funding that continues to cause the Middle East such turmoil between 'new world' applications of Arab governance in a tug of war over 'old world' methods of governance that can be employed by any madman among them.
Make no mistake the Islamic State has taken the power of faith and again exploited it to form a war governance in Syria and part of Iraq. I know this will go over like a fart in church, but, the truth is Assad is a leader that had been accepted by other Arab leaders, a Shi'ite and one that was attracted to the modern paradigm of Muslim governance. I am not saying he was always fair or civilized (ie: chemical weapons), but, he was a power structure that found success in governance. When compared to the Islamic State, Assad seems the best alternative.
Saudi Arabia does not fund extremists. It seeks intelligence in it's governance of extremists within the sovereign borders of the country and jails them for their willingness to entertain and sometimes actually killing the citizens of Saudi Arabia or of those people outside the country of Saudi Arabia. Has that form of governance been the best outcome for Saudi Arabia? Yes, absolutely.
Saudi Arabia's stability is unquestioned in it's ability to MINIMIZE the influence of extremists within the country. It now has an average of 30 or so arrests annually of known extremists. At least half are found and jailed and sent to rehabilitation providing they have not killed others. Saudi Arabia honors 'the family system' in valuing human life and it's strength found within families to enforce rehabilitation. Family is also elevated as the ultimate authority within Sharia and the Quran. It is not surprising Saudi Arabia is success in governance considering that families are to be honored within the governance by the King and Princes.
Women are respected with Saudi Arabian's governance. Albeit the women wear the Hijab but that dies not mean the women are not respected. Women have opportunity with the educational system in Saudi Arabia. The Hijab is a matter of the practice of the faith and a strong cultural icon. There is gender differences within the country as to privileges such as driving a car, etc., but none of that leads to torture of women such as stoning, etc.
Women in Saudi Arabia are respected, provided opportunity and can inherit a family's wealth. They can seek work and use their paychecks to their own priorities. I do believe the Saudis are always open to discussion about the rights of women and recently they were provided the privilege of seeking a driver's license. How the Hijab might effect safe operation of a car might also come under discussion fairly quickly and there may have to be modification in the 'Driving Hijab.'
As to Mubarak, was there any question he would eventually be returned to freedom. The real question is where is he best to spend his later years in life at home or in another country where he will be safe, along with his family.
He is no different than the Shah of Iran when he was provided asylum in his later years. He will be a target and if here were ever to return to leadership, which Sisi might have in mind, it would create more tensions and not less in Egypt.
This is a study conducted by the Pew Research Organization. I don't really value their opinions that much because there is a 'chance for profits' in their content when they write their surveys, but, there are few conducted like it.
...Moreover, (click here) Muslims are not equally comfortable with all aspects of sharia: While most favor using religious law in family and property disputes, fewer support the application of severe punishments – such as whippings or cutting off hands – in criminal cases. The survey also shows that Muslims differ widely in how they interpret certain aspects of sharia, including whether divorce and family planning are morally acceptable....What PEW is stating is there is strong existence of Sharia in the Muslim faith in many countries, however, the idea the old punishments are a popular method of enforcing Sharia is not favored.
I suggest one look to Saudi Arabia for the modern TONE of Sharia incorporated into it's laws. Saudi Arabia is a long standing leadership that favors the practice of incorporating faith with governing. Saudi Arabia is the most progressive leadership, along with Jordan and Lebanon, in the Middle East Arab countries. They value new world modernism and seeks to mitigate law breakers rather than rendering physical punishment and death as is described in Sharia.
The countries that have peaceful relationships with The West also do not favor funding for extremists. It is that funding that continues to cause the Middle East such turmoil between 'new world' applications of Arab governance in a tug of war over 'old world' methods of governance that can be employed by any madman among them.
Make no mistake the Islamic State has taken the power of faith and again exploited it to form a war governance in Syria and part of Iraq. I know this will go over like a fart in church, but, the truth is Assad is a leader that had been accepted by other Arab leaders, a Shi'ite and one that was attracted to the modern paradigm of Muslim governance. I am not saying he was always fair or civilized (ie: chemical weapons), but, he was a power structure that found success in governance. When compared to the Islamic State, Assad seems the best alternative.
Saudi Arabia does not fund extremists. It seeks intelligence in it's governance of extremists within the sovereign borders of the country and jails them for their willingness to entertain and sometimes actually killing the citizens of Saudi Arabia or of those people outside the country of Saudi Arabia. Has that form of governance been the best outcome for Saudi Arabia? Yes, absolutely.
Saudi Arabia's stability is unquestioned in it's ability to MINIMIZE the influence of extremists within the country. It now has an average of 30 or so arrests annually of known extremists. At least half are found and jailed and sent to rehabilitation providing they have not killed others. Saudi Arabia honors 'the family system' in valuing human life and it's strength found within families to enforce rehabilitation. Family is also elevated as the ultimate authority within Sharia and the Quran. It is not surprising Saudi Arabia is success in governance considering that families are to be honored within the governance by the King and Princes.
Women are respected with Saudi Arabian's governance. Albeit the women wear the Hijab but that dies not mean the women are not respected. Women have opportunity with the educational system in Saudi Arabia. The Hijab is a matter of the practice of the faith and a strong cultural icon. There is gender differences within the country as to privileges such as driving a car, etc., but none of that leads to torture of women such as stoning, etc.
Women in Saudi Arabia are respected, provided opportunity and can inherit a family's wealth. They can seek work and use their paychecks to their own priorities. I do believe the Saudis are always open to discussion about the rights of women and recently they were provided the privilege of seeking a driver's license. How the Hijab might effect safe operation of a car might also come under discussion fairly quickly and there may have to be modification in the 'Driving Hijab.'
As to Mubarak, was there any question he would eventually be returned to freedom. The real question is where is he best to spend his later years in life at home or in another country where he will be safe, along with his family.
I have a suggestion.
Saying that "time is of the essence," (click here) Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called on state legislators Friday night, asking for a special state legislative session to address "critical funding" needs, CNN reports.
Nixon has deployed National Guard troops, along with state police, to the city of Ferguson following the August fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. This week's decision by a grand jury not to indict police officer Darren Wilson has spurred more violent protests in Ferguson and beyond.
Missouri's budget allots $4 million for its National Guard emergency response, along with another $3.4 million for the state's emergency response (which includes state troopers). Nixon did not detail how much more money is needed, but he asked state legislators to meet quickly so that Guard members can be paid on Dec. 15.
- -
Here we go, the majority Republican have caused a yellow streak down Democrats backs.
Was health care reform right to do AFTER the Recover Act? Absolutely.
Why? Because the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has it's own revenue stream and creates jobs. The law has not caused DEFICIT spending, in reality, it's revenue stream has assisted in rebolstering the USA Treasury.
In California alone the ACA is estimated to have started 100,000 new jobs.
A new study by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute (click here) suggests that if the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act, it may have a negative impact on the California economy.
Why? Because the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has it's own revenue stream and creates jobs. The law has not caused DEFICIT spending, in reality, it's revenue stream has assisted in rebolstering the USA Treasury.
In California alone the ACA is estimated to have started 100,000 new jobs.
A new study by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute (click here) suggests that if the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act, it may have a negative impact on the California economy.
The study, The Economic Impact of the Affordable Care Act on California. concludes that the federal health care law would create almost 100,000 new jobs across California and boost economic output by $4.4 billion. The biggest expected job gains occur in Southern California, with almost 58,000 new jobs, followed by the Sacramento Valley with almost 13,500 new jobs, the Bay Area with 7,600 jobs, San Diego County with almost 6,500 jobs and the remaining 10,000 jobs spread throughout other counties.
“In the debate over the federal health care law, this study shows there has been more heat than light when it comes to understanding economic and jobs impacts,” said Jon Haveman, study co-author and chief economist for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the research arm of the Bay Area Council. “By focusing on expanding health insurance coverage, making our health care system more efficient and making our workforce healthier, we can realize important employment and economic gains.”...
There was a 'wise guy' comment made on one of the blogs stating, "The ACA hasn't created anymore professions except the people working with the public to assist in the choice of health care plans." All of that is DOUBLE talk.
Immediately upon implementation of course there weren't any new PROFESSIONS and there isn't going to be new PROFESSIONS. What occurred after the ACE was implemented was a job creation of people teaching the public about the choices in health care under the ACA.
But, the PROFESSIONS in health care won't increase, the numbers within EVERY health care profession will increase. Adding new members to health care plans will drive a demand for health care and it is that demand that will increase jobs of every health care profession.
This is not rocket science. The ACA is self-sustaining. The new law really isn't that new. Massachusetts had a start up health care for all program long before the federal program was begun. Not only that, but, the law when first voted on AFTER the Recovery Act, was already written. It had been researched and written long before THE DEBATE ever ensued.
The reason this dialogue exists is because of morons that no nothing about the process this law endured before it was introduced to the US House in 2009 and those that are scared of having a President in chronic VETO mode when the US House and Senate vote 55, 56, 57 and 58 times to repeal the ACA over the next two years. The next two years with the Republican majorities will be a joke. The entire country knows that. The next session of Congress will be nothing but rhetorical leading up to the 2016 elections.
I thought McConnell might have enough respect for the country to seek a good relationship with President Obama, but, with the Democrats suffering from PTSD and squealing like little pigs on their way to castration the Republicans will take advantage of their numbers in government for the 2016 federal elections. The Republicans like squealing piglets, don't the Democrats know that?
In Iowa, it is their favorite pastime.
There was a 'wise guy' comment made on one of the blogs stating, "The ACA hasn't created anymore professions except the people working with the public to assist in the choice of health care plans." All of that is DOUBLE talk.
Immediately upon implementation of course there weren't any new PROFESSIONS and there isn't going to be new PROFESSIONS. What occurred after the ACE was implemented was a job creation of people teaching the public about the choices in health care under the ACA.
But, the PROFESSIONS in health care won't increase, the numbers within EVERY health care profession will increase. Adding new members to health care plans will drive a demand for health care and it is that demand that will increase jobs of every health care profession.
This is not rocket science. The ACA is self-sustaining. The new law really isn't that new. Massachusetts had a start up health care for all program long before the federal program was begun. Not only that, but, the law when first voted on AFTER the Recovery Act, was already written. It had been researched and written long before THE DEBATE ever ensued.
The reason this dialogue exists is because of morons that no nothing about the process this law endured before it was introduced to the US House in 2009 and those that are scared of having a President in chronic VETO mode when the US House and Senate vote 55, 56, 57 and 58 times to repeal the ACA over the next two years. The next two years with the Republican majorities will be a joke. The entire country knows that. The next session of Congress will be nothing but rhetorical leading up to the 2016 elections.
I thought McConnell might have enough respect for the country to seek a good relationship with President Obama, but, with the Democrats suffering from PTSD and squealing like little pigs on their way to castration the Republicans will take advantage of their numbers in government for the 2016 federal elections. The Republicans like squealing piglets, don't the Democrats know that?
In Iowa, it is their favorite pastime.
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