This is like Charlottesville, Virginia only worse. What is it with men attempting to subdue protesters with motor vehicles? There was an NYPD that also drove a police vehicle into a crowd. Somehow a police vehicle is supposed to protect life and not attack it.
The death of George Floyd was more of the tragedy coming out of cities that experience racism in their police force. This has gone on too long and there is no justice for the minority people when it comes to being assaulted by police.
The country is scared of the police. I don't believe it is exclusive to African Americans. There isn't anything I could present tonight that is going to make it better. It is not up to me to make it better. Or even try to introduce ideas that might make it better. The cities minorities need to heal. Some are doing so by cleaning up the streets after protests. Some are even being joined by their local police in those protest marches.
Police officers (click here) in one of New Jersey's largest and most violent cities were praised on social media for marching alongside protesters in rallies held this weekend over George Floyd's death. (May 31).
Governor Cuomo stated today that local authorities involved in assessing incidents of deaths whereby a police officer(s) is/are involved has proven to be ineffective and an independent investigator has to be mandated by law. It should be done because the truth is there is no justice for these deaths. There is such a thing as a bad cop.
Racism in the USA exists. I want my country to heal.
Good night.
May 31, 2020
By David Orrick
A tanker truck drove through (click here) — or nearly through — a crowd of demonstrators marching on Interstate 35W in Minneapolis Sunday, but apparently hit none of them, according to authorities.
“It doesn’t appear any protesters were hit by the truck,” the Department of Public Safety said. The driver was arrested and taken to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries....
Sunday, May 31, 2020
I find it necessary to warn journalists to be careful about providing directions of where protesters and/or police are gathered. I understand why someone might mention the intersection where George Floyd was murdered as a place of a memorial, however, I caution everyone about providing landmarks when reporting on actual live protests.
Three journalists are in prison after trials at the Hague because they did the same thing. Their discussions of locations resulted in human rights violations. Simply mentioning streets, intersections and/or landmarks where protests are taking place or where police are deployed can be a method whereby people like the KKK can find victims.
I think reporting can occur better without bringing the location(s) of people to the broadcast. I would rather hear from the protesters, why they are there and any difficulties they are encountering in their attempts to get their message out. I don't need to hear from the police. They might implicate themselves if they aren't necessarily focused on their job so much as their own feelings affecting their own behaviors on the job.
Three journalists are in prison after trials at the Hague because they did the same thing. Their discussions of locations resulted in human rights violations. Simply mentioning streets, intersections and/or landmarks where protests are taking place or where police are deployed can be a method whereby people like the KKK can find victims.
I think reporting can occur better without bringing the location(s) of people to the broadcast. I would rather hear from the protesters, why they are there and any difficulties they are encountering in their attempts to get their message out. I don't need to hear from the police. They might implicate themselves if they aren't necessarily focused on their job so much as their own feelings affecting their own behaviors on the job.
This is what has worried me about COVID-19 since I heard there was heart involvement noted by the EMTs in New York.
The heart while very vascular, it also has a lot of nerve tissue among it's unique muscle. When the EMTs began reporting an increase in heartaches immediately I thought, "Damn, this virus has potential for incredible INJURY and not just death."
This is why viruses need to be stopped before they spread in the USA. Viruses have incredible abilities to damage the human body. They are RNA. Some do cause damage, some don't. The common cold doesn't cause disability, but, when new viruses manifest with deadly components, the virus CANNOT be allowed into the borders of all 50 states of the USA.
There can be no attempts to save tax dollars in regard to these viruses. There have to be American scientists in China and within the virus production areas of Africa. I think Zeka was out of South America. At the very least it came to the USA from South America. There is a strong reason to belong to the WHO and bring about a better world that actually prevents poverty and opportunity for such viruses to manifest.
I might add American scientists were already pulled out of China when the WHO trusted China too far. If the USA was there the intelligence would already be in the USA and easily have had actions to prevent entry to the USA no matter what the rest of the world did.
May 30, 2020
By Brian Vastag
In the fall of 2009, (click here) one of us, Beth, was hit by an illness she suspects was H1N1 flu, which was circulating then. In 2012, the other, Brian, developed a sudden fever, which his doctors said was also likely of viral origin.
Neither of us recovered, and we’re both disabled to this day.
The long-term illnesses that can follow viral infections can be devastating — and are devastatingly common. In 2015, the nation’s top medical advisory body, the Institute of Medicine, estimated that between 800,000 and 2.5 million U.S. residents live with the illness or illnesses awkwardly named myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). An estimated three-quarters of these cases were triggered by viral or bacterial infections.
Now, as a new pandemic virus is burning through the world and causing many deaths, researchers are raising alarms that the novel coronavirus and the covid-19 disease it causes will also leave in its wake a potentially large population with post-viral problems that could be lifelong and, in some cases, disabling....
The survivors and those that test positive but are asymptomatic have the potential for long term damage to their bodies and ultimately handicaps.
PLEASE WEAR THE MASKS ANYTIME WHEN OUTSIDE THE HOME. PLEASE. A STRATEGY FOR SCHOOLS NEEDS TO BE FORMULATED AND HELD TO THROUGH THE FOLLOWING YEARS.
ULTIMATELY, N95 MASKS MUST BE FOR SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. I don't care if they are fashionable so much as them being N95 masks. That means there is an opportunity for domestic manufacturing to produce quantities of masks for the public.
We must stop the virus otherwise the USA is going to have increased and increasing handicapped people. This is something that is ongoing and Congress must have universities carry a continuing study by staff anthropologists working with grad students to MONITOR the fallout from this virus. The people who study this must be careful when in among the communities they study. This study is paramount to understanding the degree in which SARS-CoV-2 has invaded this country causing long term handicap outcomes.
THE VACCINATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER to end this virus. It must be ended.
This is why viruses need to be stopped before they spread in the USA. Viruses have incredible abilities to damage the human body. They are RNA. Some do cause damage, some don't. The common cold doesn't cause disability, but, when new viruses manifest with deadly components, the virus CANNOT be allowed into the borders of all 50 states of the USA.
There can be no attempts to save tax dollars in regard to these viruses. There have to be American scientists in China and within the virus production areas of Africa. I think Zeka was out of South America. At the very least it came to the USA from South America. There is a strong reason to belong to the WHO and bring about a better world that actually prevents poverty and opportunity for such viruses to manifest.
I might add American scientists were already pulled out of China when the WHO trusted China too far. If the USA was there the intelligence would already be in the USA and easily have had actions to prevent entry to the USA no matter what the rest of the world did.
May 30, 2020
By Brian Vastag
In the fall of 2009, (click here) one of us, Beth, was hit by an illness she suspects was H1N1 flu, which was circulating then. In 2012, the other, Brian, developed a sudden fever, which his doctors said was also likely of viral origin.
Neither of us recovered, and we’re both disabled to this day.
The long-term illnesses that can follow viral infections can be devastating — and are devastatingly common. In 2015, the nation’s top medical advisory body, the Institute of Medicine, estimated that between 800,000 and 2.5 million U.S. residents live with the illness or illnesses awkwardly named myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). An estimated three-quarters of these cases were triggered by viral or bacterial infections.
Now, as a new pandemic virus is burning through the world and causing many deaths, researchers are raising alarms that the novel coronavirus and the covid-19 disease it causes will also leave in its wake a potentially large population with post-viral problems that could be lifelong and, in some cases, disabling....
The survivors and those that test positive but are asymptomatic have the potential for long term damage to their bodies and ultimately handicaps.
PLEASE WEAR THE MASKS ANYTIME WHEN OUTSIDE THE HOME. PLEASE. A STRATEGY FOR SCHOOLS NEEDS TO BE FORMULATED AND HELD TO THROUGH THE FOLLOWING YEARS.
ULTIMATELY, N95 MASKS MUST BE FOR SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. I don't care if they are fashionable so much as them being N95 masks. That means there is an opportunity for domestic manufacturing to produce quantities of masks for the public.
We must stop the virus otherwise the USA is going to have increased and increasing handicapped people. This is something that is ongoing and Congress must have universities carry a continuing study by staff anthropologists working with grad students to MONITOR the fallout from this virus. The people who study this must be careful when in among the communities they study. This study is paramount to understanding the degree in which SARS-CoV-2 has invaded this country causing long term handicap outcomes.
THE VACCINATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER to end this virus. It must be ended.
Saturday, May 30, 2020
AI didn't take this picture. The human experience will be lost along with journalists.
A demonstrator (click here) in Minneapolis injured by rubber bullets during protests Thursday over the death of George Floyd.
Microsoft (click here) is to replace dozens of contract journalists on its MSN website and use automated systems to select news stories, US and UK media report.
The curating of stories from news organisations and selection of headlines and pictures for the MSN site is currently done by journalists.
Artificial intelligence will perform these news production tasks, sources told the Seattle Times.
Microsoft said it was part of an evaluation of its business.
The US tech giant said in a statement: "Like all companies, we evaluate our business on a regular basis. This can result in increased investment in some places and, from time to time, redeployment in others. These decisions are not the result of the current pandemic."
Microsoft, like some other tech companies, pays news organisations to use their content on its website.
But it employs journalists to decide which stories to display and how they are presented.
Around 50 contract news producers will lose their jobs at the end of June, the Seattle Times reports, but a team of full-time journalists will remain.....
The driver is unarmed.
This is outrageous. The driver drove home to avoid being killed. Police are out of control. The driver allegedly ran a stop sign in Midland, Texas. The police reaction is insane. The officer involved is suspicious of everyone, including neighbors, in the area. This is a traffic violation. The driver is so fearful of police he solicited a witness in his grandmother in order that he wasn't killed. The five minutes the driver sat in the car were probably calling his grandmother and waiting for her to come to the front door. Police are ineffective if the trust by the people is so low that every interaction with an African American turns into a confrontation.
This entire interaction is wrong. A ticket for a traffic violation could have been mailed to the driver with the license plate number on the car. This is not the way to resolve a traffic violation. Something is very wrong in this country between African Americans and the police.
May 30, 2020
Bodycam footage (click here) shows a woman, dressed in a nightgown, seem to fall onto her grandson during the incident.
The entirety of a protest is civil disobedience not criminality.
For those unaware of modern day protesting, it has gone high tech with lasers and low tech with umbrellas. The lasers confuse any vision that could identify the protesters. It is unfortunate protesters are not proud of their arrests, which should be resisted (Never make it easy for a protester to be arrested. Fight and live for another day.), as a badge of honor to their allegiance to equality, justice and life. It used to be judges would treat protesting as a traffic violation and issue $50.00 fines of which the person would be released. Lasers can be dangerous resulting in harm and a far different arrest with prison as a result, not just a $50 fine. Back in the day protesters could have patrons that would pay their $50.00 fine if they could not pay it themselves.
The umbrella became a useful tool, but, not to break windows. In Asia the favorite anti-protest methods are fire hoses and water cannons. No guns. Hence, the umbrella. Protesters would act together and open their umbrellas in unison to thwart the sprayed water. It was resistance and diminished the water pressure enough to allow them to stand their ground.
The looting is unfortunate and if caught on camera in or out of the store could result in legal problems. I don’t remember ever hearing an interview with a person that looted a store. I imagine there are many reasons like poverty, having food while protesting and as simple as just being a part of the protest to make shop owners, police and politicians feel the pain.
There is one time I remember someone talking about looting a liquor store. I think it was LA. Minority communities entrenched in poverty are food desserts and lack cohesive social contact except for church so men drank to become drunk. Pain kills to make it through the day. Wives, children or roommates hated the drinking, but, had no real tools to stop it. So with the opportunity to destroy the local liquor store where outside single cigarettes were sold regularly the destruction was carried out. At least the store wouldn’t open soon and community members had a chance to dry out.
Life goes on in poverty. It just doesn’t go on the way it does in other Middle Class and wealthy neighborhoods. The pain of poverty manifests behaviors and values alien to our country’s values. The word segregation comes to mind. I believe the ideal American neighborhood is diverse of race, color, creed and economic income with children that grow up in school caring about each other. The poor are always segregated with no hope for themselves or their children.
We can do better than this.
The umbrella became a useful tool, but, not to break windows. In Asia the favorite anti-protest methods are fire hoses and water cannons. No guns. Hence, the umbrella. Protesters would act together and open their umbrellas in unison to thwart the sprayed water. It was resistance and diminished the water pressure enough to allow them to stand their ground.
The looting is unfortunate and if caught on camera in or out of the store could result in legal problems. I don’t remember ever hearing an interview with a person that looted a store. I imagine there are many reasons like poverty, having food while protesting and as simple as just being a part of the protest to make shop owners, police and politicians feel the pain.
There is one time I remember someone talking about looting a liquor store. I think it was LA. Minority communities entrenched in poverty are food desserts and lack cohesive social contact except for church so men drank to become drunk. Pain kills to make it through the day. Wives, children or roommates hated the drinking, but, had no real tools to stop it. So with the opportunity to destroy the local liquor store where outside single cigarettes were sold regularly the destruction was carried out. At least the store wouldn’t open soon and community members had a chance to dry out.
Life goes on in poverty. It just doesn’t go on the way it does in other Middle Class and wealthy neighborhoods. The pain of poverty manifests behaviors and values alien to our country’s values. The word segregation comes to mind. I believe the ideal American neighborhood is diverse of race, color, creed and economic income with children that grow up in school caring about each other. The poor are always segregated with no hope for themselves or their children.
We can do better than this.
History is being made today and EVERY American should be proud of it.
Yes, I mean it. Every American participated in bringing the Space Program to this point. Every American has the right to be proud of their country today.
May 30, 2020
SpaceX (click here for live video) will take another crack at its first crewed mission today (May 30), weather permitting, and you can watch the historic liftoff live.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch the Crew Dragon capsule today at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT) from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, kicking off the crucial Demo-2 test flight to the International Space Station (ISS). You can watch the launch and lots of pregame festivities live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV; coverage begins at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT)....
May 30, 2020
SpaceX (click here for live video) will take another crack at its first crewed mission today (May 30), weather permitting, and you can watch the historic liftoff live.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch the Crew Dragon capsule today at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT) from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, kicking off the crucial Demo-2 test flight to the International Space Station (ISS). You can watch the launch and lots of pregame festivities live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV; coverage begins at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT)....
Minnesota Governor has the absolutely wrong approach. If there is violence by the "establishment" it will propagate a war that will cause more destruction than demonstrators that can do. I don't care who the demonstrators are and whether or not they were migrated into the area. The enemies of this country CANNOT find a foothold to begin a civil war!
Trump is president and he wants such unrest for his own purpose.
Americans killing Americans is not the path forward!
The statement that the demonstrators are wearing masks as camouflage is a hideous statement and nothing but propaganda. The Minnesota Governor is using words that will promote anger and will be used among those opposing the Minneapolis police as reason for more protests.
The Pentagon is wrong in sending police into the mix. The USA military is never to be used within the borders of the USA and yet here it is. Stop!
Intelligence agencies need to be involved and not soldiers.
Curfews are about safety and not identification.
May 30, 2020
By Andrew Ba Tran, Leslie Shapiro and Emma Brown
The number of people (click here) reported to have died of the novel coronavirus in the United States surpassed 100,000 this week, a grim marker of lives lost directly to the disease, but an analysis of overall deaths during the pandemic shows that the nation probably reached a similar terrible milestone three weeks ago.
Between March 1 and May 9, the nation recorded an estimated 101,600 excess deaths, or deaths beyond the number that would normally be expected for that time of year, according to an analysis conducted for The Washington Post by a research team led by the Yale School of Public Health. That figure reflects about 26,000 more fatalities than were attributed to covid-19 on death certificates during that period, according to federal data....
Mayhem is spreading the virus. People who were safe before are now exposed to sincere danger in their lives. Those at the gatherings when exposed will carry the virus back to their homes and other social activity, such as work or church.
There is an additional danger to anyone on the streets by unpredictable behavior by those that gather in Minnesota and St. Paul.
People need to obey the curfews, but, do it for the right reasons. This is not an oppressive initiative. It is a legitimate reason to take shelter and protect one's own life and the lives of the family and friends.
Trump is president and he wants such unrest for his own purpose.
Americans killing Americans is not the path forward!
The statement that the demonstrators are wearing masks as camouflage is a hideous statement and nothing but propaganda. The Minnesota Governor is using words that will promote anger and will be used among those opposing the Minneapolis police as reason for more protests.
The Pentagon is wrong in sending police into the mix. The USA military is never to be used within the borders of the USA and yet here it is. Stop!
Intelligence agencies need to be involved and not soldiers.
Curfews are about safety and not identification.
May 30, 2020
By Andrew Ba Tran, Leslie Shapiro and Emma Brown
The number of people (click here) reported to have died of the novel coronavirus in the United States surpassed 100,000 this week, a grim marker of lives lost directly to the disease, but an analysis of overall deaths during the pandemic shows that the nation probably reached a similar terrible milestone three weeks ago.
Between March 1 and May 9, the nation recorded an estimated 101,600 excess deaths, or deaths beyond the number that would normally be expected for that time of year, according to an analysis conducted for The Washington Post by a research team led by the Yale School of Public Health. That figure reflects about 26,000 more fatalities than were attributed to covid-19 on death certificates during that period, according to federal data....
Mayhem is spreading the virus. People who were safe before are now exposed to sincere danger in their lives. Those at the gatherings when exposed will carry the virus back to their homes and other social activity, such as work or church.
There is an additional danger to anyone on the streets by unpredictable behavior by those that gather in Minnesota and St. Paul.
People need to obey the curfews, but, do it for the right reasons. This is not an oppressive initiative. It is a legitimate reason to take shelter and protect one's own life and the lives of the family and friends.
The minority communities and the police community MUST come together in a common understanding of peace and benevolence.
There is a report that the Pentagon is issuing orders to their police to report to Minnesota. I caution all parties involved to prevent violence.
The demonstrations that have continued is in the process of making these demonstrations permanent until there is more benevolence in minority communities. The best example of that is France and a long sustained protest. The USA is not France.
I thank any and all police that openly speaks out against the death of George Floyd. The unwarranted deaths of African Americans at the hand of law enforcement is painful, teaches the wrong lesson to our young people and provides a platform for hate to grow on both sides.
George Floyd's death serves as a time for these two communities in the USA to come together to end these wrongful acts. Police need to speak out to their communities regularly. Grievances being heard are necessary to bring about a country that is benevolent to the people. Poverty must be addressed in a real way to bring minorities out of danger both in heavy-handed policing and disease.
May 29, 2020
By Stefanie Dazio
Los Angeles – Murder. Brutality. (click here) Reprehensible. Indefensible. Police nationwide, in unequivocal and unprecedented language, have condemned the actions of Minneapolis police in the custody death of a handcuffed black man who cried for help as an officer knelt on his neck, pinning him to the pavement for at least eight minutes.
But some civil rights advocates say their denunciations are empty words without meaningful reform behind them.
Authorities say George Floyd was detained Monday because he matched the description of someone who tried to pay with a counterfeit bill at a convenience store, and the 46-year-old resisted arrest. A bystander’s disturbing video shows Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on Floyd’s neck, even as Floyd begs for air and slowly stops talking and moving....
The demonstrations that have continued is in the process of making these demonstrations permanent until there is more benevolence in minority communities. The best example of that is France and a long sustained protest. The USA is not France.
I thank any and all police that openly speaks out against the death of George Floyd. The unwarranted deaths of African Americans at the hand of law enforcement is painful, teaches the wrong lesson to our young people and provides a platform for hate to grow on both sides.
George Floyd's death serves as a time for these two communities in the USA to come together to end these wrongful acts. Police need to speak out to their communities regularly. Grievances being heard are necessary to bring about a country that is benevolent to the people. Poverty must be addressed in a real way to bring minorities out of danger both in heavy-handed policing and disease.
May 29, 2020
By Stefanie Dazio
Los Angeles – Murder. Brutality. (click here) Reprehensible. Indefensible. Police nationwide, in unequivocal and unprecedented language, have condemned the actions of Minneapolis police in the custody death of a handcuffed black man who cried for help as an officer knelt on his neck, pinning him to the pavement for at least eight minutes.
But some civil rights advocates say their denunciations are empty words without meaningful reform behind them.
Authorities say George Floyd was detained Monday because he matched the description of someone who tried to pay with a counterfeit bill at a convenience store, and the 46-year-old resisted arrest. A bystander’s disturbing video shows Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on Floyd’s neck, even as Floyd begs for air and slowly stops talking and moving....
Friday, May 29, 2020
It is not over.
The latest installation of the Flint Water Poisoning is encouraging. To begin with, there is still an ongoing investigation by the State of Michigan. That should be a relief to all involved.
This is a bit of a confusing issue because it involves understanding why the state's solicitor general is being secretive about important records required by the civil suits filed and moving forward. The current Solicitor General Fadwa Hammond is not responsible for any records that have been received by other litigants under the former Attorney General Bill Schuette. The current Solicitor General has ethical standards that protect the integrity of the state investigation. Finding the truth for criminal charges is going to take precedent over civil matters as far as she is concerned.
I would like to see the presiding judges in all these cases find a way to allow a thorough investigation by the state, protecting the integrity of the evidence while protecting the rights of those with civil suits. Unfortunately, the previous AG office did not pursue the correct path for criminal investigations and not the current office has to retrace and reassess the evidence and carry out a thorough investigation to obtain ALL THE FACTS.
The real problem is the civil suits have been ongoing for some time now and are ready to complete their fact-finding and bring the cases to court. When realizing how far the civil suits have come is to realize the stunted movement of the criminal charges because the criminal investigations had to literally start all over again. The biggest problem for both the criminal investigation and civil lawsuits is TIME. Time has passed and people may have moved on and evidence could be compromised by missing witnesses and incomplete facts.
The civil suits are in need of the information in the investigation to complete their discovery and subpoenas to witnesses. It is unfair to put the civil suits on hold, but, it is also wrong to compromise the State's case of the crimes committed. So, here we are cleaning up the corruption of evidence and incomplete facts by the Snyder Administration while the civil suits want to move forward. I am not sure that demanding information from the state AG and/or Solicitor Generals office is a good idea. Don't the civil suits want complete facts and evidence to proceed? I would think to allow the criminal investigations to complete in a TIMELY fashion will also benefit the civil suits.
It is a complicated issue and I hope the judge(s) making these decisions will do so well within in any constitutional law, either state or federal, to provide the best footing for all parties involved in pursuing justice.
May 29, 2020
By Ron Fonger
Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud speaks to Molly Kettler, a special assistant attorney general, during a hearing on Friday, May 3, 2019 at Genesee County Circuit Court in downtown Flint, over a request for Genesee Circuit Court Judge Joseph J. Farah to delay issuing his opinion in the criminal case against Nick Lyon, the former director of Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services.
Flint water prosecutors (click here) are asking a federal judge to keep documents and transcripts in their possession secret despite a request from attorneys representing Flint residents in civil lawsuits in U.S. District Court.
Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammound filed the brief, opposing a motion to compel her to release documents and testimony that have been compiled over the years by criminal investigators representing the Department of Attorney General.
“Enforcing the plaintiffs’ sweeping demands would comprise an unprecedented breach of the barrier traditionally erected between an active law-enforcement investigation and a civil action for money damages ...,” Hammoud wrote in a May 13 court filing. “At the heart of (our) opposition to the plaintiffs’ subpoena is the public’s interest in a thorough investigation into the criminality that led to the Flint water crisis, as well as the criminality that occurred in its aftermath. It goes without saying that secrecy during the pendency of the investigation furthers that public interest.”
Hammoud has been tight-lipped about the status of her criminal investigation into the water crisis since she was appointed by Attorney General Dana Nessel to lead it in January 2019....
...Stern’s legal team says some of the documents they are seeking have “trickled into the hands of other litigants -- and created an uneven playing field in the process—in a number of ways.”
Among them -- the defendants who worked for the former Michigan Department of Environmental Quality “have received production of such materials (or at least a subset of them) in criminal discovery that corresponded with the filing of (now dismissed or resolved) criminal charges against them.”...
...Hammoud announced in June 2019 that all charges against eight remaining Flint water defendants who had not accepted plea deals would be dismissed. She has criticized prosecutors who worked for Schuette for having failed to properly review millions of documents that she has said could have led to additional or reduced charges....
...“Ordering disclosure at this point will undermine the prosecution’s credibility with those to whom it has already made such assurances, chilling them from future participation in the prosecution,” the filing says. “It also will signal to those who have not yet been interviewed that their testimony is subject to dissemination.”
This is a bit of a confusing issue because it involves understanding why the state's solicitor general is being secretive about important records required by the civil suits filed and moving forward. The current Solicitor General Fadwa Hammond is not responsible for any records that have been received by other litigants under the former Attorney General Bill Schuette. The current Solicitor General has ethical standards that protect the integrity of the state investigation. Finding the truth for criminal charges is going to take precedent over civil matters as far as she is concerned.
I would like to see the presiding judges in all these cases find a way to allow a thorough investigation by the state, protecting the integrity of the evidence while protecting the rights of those with civil suits. Unfortunately, the previous AG office did not pursue the correct path for criminal investigations and not the current office has to retrace and reassess the evidence and carry out a thorough investigation to obtain ALL THE FACTS.
The real problem is the civil suits have been ongoing for some time now and are ready to complete their fact-finding and bring the cases to court. When realizing how far the civil suits have come is to realize the stunted movement of the criminal charges because the criminal investigations had to literally start all over again. The biggest problem for both the criminal investigation and civil lawsuits is TIME. Time has passed and people may have moved on and evidence could be compromised by missing witnesses and incomplete facts.
The civil suits are in need of the information in the investigation to complete their discovery and subpoenas to witnesses. It is unfair to put the civil suits on hold, but, it is also wrong to compromise the State's case of the crimes committed. So, here we are cleaning up the corruption of evidence and incomplete facts by the Snyder Administration while the civil suits want to move forward. I am not sure that demanding information from the state AG and/or Solicitor Generals office is a good idea. Don't the civil suits want complete facts and evidence to proceed? I would think to allow the criminal investigations to complete in a TIMELY fashion will also benefit the civil suits.
It is a complicated issue and I hope the judge(s) making these decisions will do so well within in any constitutional law, either state or federal, to provide the best footing for all parties involved in pursuing justice.
May 29, 2020By Ron Fonger
Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud speaks to Molly Kettler, a special assistant attorney general, during a hearing on Friday, May 3, 2019 at Genesee County Circuit Court in downtown Flint, over a request for Genesee Circuit Court Judge Joseph J. Farah to delay issuing his opinion in the criminal case against Nick Lyon, the former director of Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services.
Flint water prosecutors (click here) are asking a federal judge to keep documents and transcripts in their possession secret despite a request from attorneys representing Flint residents in civil lawsuits in U.S. District Court.
Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammound filed the brief, opposing a motion to compel her to release documents and testimony that have been compiled over the years by criminal investigators representing the Department of Attorney General.
“Enforcing the plaintiffs’ sweeping demands would comprise an unprecedented breach of the barrier traditionally erected between an active law-enforcement investigation and a civil action for money damages ...,” Hammoud wrote in a May 13 court filing. “At the heart of (our) opposition to the plaintiffs’ subpoena is the public’s interest in a thorough investigation into the criminality that led to the Flint water crisis, as well as the criminality that occurred in its aftermath. It goes without saying that secrecy during the pendency of the investigation furthers that public interest.”
Hammoud has been tight-lipped about the status of her criminal investigation into the water crisis since she was appointed by Attorney General Dana Nessel to lead it in January 2019....
...Stern’s legal team says some of the documents they are seeking have “trickled into the hands of other litigants -- and created an uneven playing field in the process—in a number of ways.”
Among them -- the defendants who worked for the former Michigan Department of Environmental Quality “have received production of such materials (or at least a subset of them) in criminal discovery that corresponded with the filing of (now dismissed or resolved) criminal charges against them.”...
...Hammoud announced in June 2019 that all charges against eight remaining Flint water defendants who had not accepted plea deals would be dismissed. She has criticized prosecutors who worked for Schuette for having failed to properly review millions of documents that she has said could have led to additional or reduced charges....
...“Ordering disclosure at this point will undermine the prosecution’s credibility with those to whom it has already made such assurances, chilling them from future participation in the prosecution,” the filing says. “It also will signal to those who have not yet been interviewed that their testimony is subject to dissemination.”
As painful as it is that George Floyd is dead, it was not first-degree murder. This murder is a very painful murder. People who do not know Mr. Floyd feels pain over this murder.
It is sometimes difficult to realize justice is far different than the pain the living feels.
In most states, (click here) first-degree murder is defined as an unlawful killing that is both willful and premeditated, meaning that it was committed after planning or "lying in wait" for the victim. For example, Dan comes home to find his wife in bed with Victor. Three days later, Dan waits behind a tree near Victor's front door. When Victor comes out of his house, Dan shoots and kills him....
It is sometimes difficult to realize justice is far different than the pain the living feels.
In most states, (click here) first-degree murder is defined as an unlawful killing that is both willful and premeditated, meaning that it was committed after planning or "lying in wait" for the victim. For example, Dan comes home to find his wife in bed with Victor. Three days later, Dan waits behind a tree near Victor's front door. When Victor comes out of his house, Dan shoots and kills him....
I am so sorry George Floyd is dead. He seems to have been a really nice and gentle soul.
My sincerest sympathies to the Floyd family and the community that enjoyed his presence from day to day. So sorry he is gone. It isn't fair.
Third Degree Murder sounds correct in the murder of George Floyd. There is something that bothers me, though. Derek Chauvin and George Floyd knew each other and worked together as bouncers in the same nightclub.
I don't know how two men that worked with each other could have a depraved heart and/or an indifference toward the death of one or the other. That doesn't make sense to me. What gives me pause about this murder is the fact there was a personal dynamic at work between George Floyd and Derek Chauvin.
Looking at the murder at a distance, as a stranger, without knowing Chavin knew George Floyd it is rightfully Third Degree murder with a police officer on the job. However, was Chavin so disconnected from his actions as a police officer that realizing the extent George Floyd was in trouble and struggling with staying alive that it allowed Mr. Floyd to succumb to strangulation? Basically, that is what it is, strangulation. Choking.
It bothers me that these men knew each other and such violence toward George Floyd was administered to hold him to the ground. George Floyd never really gave them an argument. He was walking to the police car when he fell. Did he fall or was he forced off balance? There appeared to be a time during George Floyd's pleading for his life when Chauvin seems to adjust his knee to bring greater pressure as if to finish the job of killing George Floyd. That is a matter of perception, but, the prosecutors and investigators are going to have to sort all this out.
Third degree murder (click here) can be defined as homicide committed with the intention of causing bodily harm, but not necessarily death. It can be a killing that results from indifference or negligence or recklessness. Statutes defining third degree murder vary considerably from state to state....
Minn. Stat. § 609.195 MURDER IN THE THIRD DEGREE
(a) Whoever, without intent to effect the death of any person, causes the death of another by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years.
(b) Whoever, without intent to cause death, proximately causes the death of a human being by, directly or indirectly, unlawfully selling, giving away, bartering, delivering, exchanging, distributing, or administering a controlled substance classified in schedule I or II, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $40,000, or both.
It is definitely manslaughter, however, the charge of Third Degree Murder is probably more correct in this case. Manslaughter would be difficult to dismiss by any jury. It also carries a lesser sentence than Third Degree Murder.
Manslaughter is an unlawful killing that doesn’t involve malice aforethought—intent to seriously harm or kill, or extreme, reckless disregard for life. The absence of malice aforethought means that manslaughter involves less moral blame than either first or second degree murder. (But plenty argue that some instances of felony murder, a form of first degree murder, involve less blameworthiness than some instances of manslaughter.) Thus, while manslaughter is a serious crime, the punishment for it is generally less than that for murder.
In the state of Minnesota, there are 2 classifications of manslaughter: First-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter.
Third Degree Murder sounds correct in the murder of George Floyd. There is something that bothers me, though. Derek Chauvin and George Floyd knew each other and worked together as bouncers in the same nightclub.
I don't know how two men that worked with each other could have a depraved heart and/or an indifference toward the death of one or the other. That doesn't make sense to me. What gives me pause about this murder is the fact there was a personal dynamic at work between George Floyd and Derek Chauvin.
Looking at the murder at a distance, as a stranger, without knowing Chavin knew George Floyd it is rightfully Third Degree murder with a police officer on the job. However, was Chavin so disconnected from his actions as a police officer that realizing the extent George Floyd was in trouble and struggling with staying alive that it allowed Mr. Floyd to succumb to strangulation? Basically, that is what it is, strangulation. Choking.
It bothers me that these men knew each other and such violence toward George Floyd was administered to hold him to the ground. George Floyd never really gave them an argument. He was walking to the police car when he fell. Did he fall or was he forced off balance? There appeared to be a time during George Floyd's pleading for his life when Chauvin seems to adjust his knee to bring greater pressure as if to finish the job of killing George Floyd. That is a matter of perception, but, the prosecutors and investigators are going to have to sort all this out.
Third degree murder (click here) can be defined as homicide committed with the intention of causing bodily harm, but not necessarily death. It can be a killing that results from indifference or negligence or recklessness. Statutes defining third degree murder vary considerably from state to state....
Minn. Stat. § 609.195 MURDER IN THE THIRD DEGREE
(a) Whoever, without intent to effect the death of any person, causes the death of another by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years.
(b) Whoever, without intent to cause death, proximately causes the death of a human being by, directly or indirectly, unlawfully selling, giving away, bartering, delivering, exchanging, distributing, or administering a controlled substance classified in schedule I or II, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $40,000, or both.
It is definitely manslaughter, however, the charge of Third Degree Murder is probably more correct in this case. Manslaughter would be difficult to dismiss by any jury. It also carries a lesser sentence than Third Degree Murder.
Manslaughter is an unlawful killing that doesn’t involve malice aforethought—intent to seriously harm or kill, or extreme, reckless disregard for life. The absence of malice aforethought means that manslaughter involves less moral blame than either first or second degree murder. (But plenty argue that some instances of felony murder, a form of first degree murder, involve less blameworthiness than some instances of manslaughter.) Thus, while manslaughter is a serious crime, the punishment for it is generally less than that for murder.
In the state of Minnesota, there are 2 classifications of manslaughter: First-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter.
Mayor Jacob Frey did not over react and protected lives in Minneapolis.
The issue of last night was due to the murder of Mr. George Floyd. Everyone knows that. Mayor Frey did not call for police and/or national guard intervention that would have caused more injuries and deaths. He did exactly the right thing and he also understood the pain of the people.
The people weren't alone last night. Trump said a lot of very ugly things. They were based in hate and q wish for the promulgation of violence.
...Twitter placed a click-through block (click here) on a tweet from President Donald Trump that it said was "glorifying violence."...
There is no reason for control. Nearly every African American death by police is protested. This is the right action for American citizens to take. In Minnesota last night, there were no police injured, there was no citizen injured and there is plenty of room for reflection for the anger in the streets of Minnesota.
There must be a redrawing of the line of police abuse and power. Death of an unarmed, non-violent citizen is definitely a reason for arrests of officers and an investigation to the cause of the death. When a suspicion of guilt is realized by prosecutors, there are normally arrests even without charges. The government has 48 hours to decide about charges before a suspect is released.
These demonstrations are the price that is paid for the injustice of an African American death. The demonstrations are going to occur. Cities having problems with citizens and interactions with police is due to a police culture problem. There is something very wrong when these citizens' murders occur.
What occurred in Minneapolis over the past three days is not due to recklessness on the part of citizens. These were demonstrations of fear and oppression. A man died that should not have died. He died within the methods of the police department. He died at the hands of four officers acting together. They murdered George Floyd. Everyone knows that and any manipulation of the truth will not return trust to the government.
29 May 2020
By Lauren Aratani
The mayor of Minneapolis (click here) has accused Donald Trump of shirking responsibility and chided the president for insulting him on social media at a time of crisis in his city and the country.
Protests have erupted across the country over the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis, that was captured on cellphone video. The city has seen large-scale demonstrations and unrest, as protesters call for the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck and the three officers who were there during the incident to be criminally prosecuted. Protests, some marred by violence, have also broken out elsewhere in the US.
But, tweeting about an hour after midnight in Washington, Trump launched a Twitter attack on Minneapolis’s mayor, Jacob Frey....
The people weren't alone last night. Trump said a lot of very ugly things. They were based in hate and q wish for the promulgation of violence.
...Twitter placed a click-through block (click here) on a tweet from President Donald Trump that it said was "glorifying violence."...
There is no reason for control. Nearly every African American death by police is protested. This is the right action for American citizens to take. In Minnesota last night, there were no police injured, there was no citizen injured and there is plenty of room for reflection for the anger in the streets of Minnesota.
There must be a redrawing of the line of police abuse and power. Death of an unarmed, non-violent citizen is definitely a reason for arrests of officers and an investigation to the cause of the death. When a suspicion of guilt is realized by prosecutors, there are normally arrests even without charges. The government has 48 hours to decide about charges before a suspect is released.
These demonstrations are the price that is paid for the injustice of an African American death. The demonstrations are going to occur. Cities having problems with citizens and interactions with police is due to a police culture problem. There is something very wrong when these citizens' murders occur.
What occurred in Minneapolis over the past three days is not due to recklessness on the part of citizens. These were demonstrations of fear and oppression. A man died that should not have died. He died within the methods of the police department. He died at the hands of four officers acting together. They murdered George Floyd. Everyone knows that and any manipulation of the truth will not return trust to the government.
29 May 2020By Lauren Aratani
The mayor of Minneapolis (click here) has accused Donald Trump of shirking responsibility and chided the president for insulting him on social media at a time of crisis in his city and the country.
Protests have erupted across the country over the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis, that was captured on cellphone video. The city has seen large-scale demonstrations and unrest, as protesters call for the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck and the three officers who were there during the incident to be criminally prosecuted. Protests, some marred by violence, have also broken out elsewhere in the US.
But, tweeting about an hour after midnight in Washington, Trump launched a Twitter attack on Minneapolis’s mayor, Jacob Frey....
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Ali Velshi and any other journalist in Minnesota and St. Paul needs to put the masks on and keep them on. Guaranteed SARS-CoV-2 is in the air with those crowds.
The CDC will have information on the ability of “gas masks” to prevent inhalation of SARS-CoV-2. Gas is not the same as a virus. It is about particle size and high end filtration of air.
Everyone in the area of the demonstrators tonight should be tested for exposure of the virus. They might want to consider self-quarantine for at least 5 to 6 days. Any demonstrator returning to a home with elderly family should consider going to different housing for a week and longer if ill.
The CDC will have information on the ability of “gas masks” to prevent inhalation of SARS-CoV-2. Gas is not the same as a virus. It is about particle size and high end filtration of air.
Everyone in the area of the demonstrators tonight should be tested for exposure of the virus. They might want to consider self-quarantine for at least 5 to 6 days. Any demonstrator returning to a home with elderly family should consider going to different housing for a week and longer if ill.
I am somewhat troubled by the lack of minority members of the DOJ involved in the federal investigation. I am sure the investigators are first rate to find the facts surrounding the death of Mr. George Floyd, however, it shows a lack of sensitivity to the community. I would sincerely like one or more African American federal agent(s) involved in the investigation as well as those already assigned to this case.
End police abuse of power.
The four-man police take down METHOD must end. The reason it is difficult to prosecute the murders is that there are four police officers to double-check each other. While one officer had his knee on the neck of an African American man there were three others consenting to it. In that lies the reason why it is difficult to prosecute.
This is a METHODOLOGY deemed to be benevolent to all parties involved including the person arrested.
The police simply states, "We were following procedure." If the arrested person dies, well that's just too bad. "The arrested had a medical issue." Of course, everyone that dies in police custody dies of a medical issue.
The four officer response has to end in these cases where the person is unarmed. If the person "gets away" that means the officer and his/her partner has to chase the suspect. No guns shooting the subject in the back. If the suspect gets away then it is a matter of county prosecutor issuing an arrest warrant that can be served in a visit to his home.
There is NOT TO BE ANYMORE four officer attack on an unarmed human being regardless of race, color or creed. I am sure this problem occurs with the Hispanic as well. I probably should say, especially with the Hispanics in the years of President Tweety.
Trump has no right to harass and threaten social media platforms management. He agreed to the same terms as everyone else using social media. President Tweety is subject to the same scrutiny as everyone else. He is lying in advance of the 2020 election to achieve a corrupt agenda harmful to the USA democracy and is deceiving the voting public. President Tweety is VIOLATING the PUBLIC TRUST. Social media companies are required to respect the public trust and is why they have developed rules that President Tweety doesn’t like. President Tweety needs to stop his harassment of social media platform management. Anyone else carrying out this level of deceit would have there accounts closed.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
This is institutionalized racism. The police took the law in their own hands because they didn't want to deal with it again.
One reporting stated:
Minneapolis police said Floyd resisted arrest after officers responded to a forgery call Monday involving a suspect who "appeared to be under the influence."
Another reporting stated:
Floyd was arrested around 8 p.m. Monday for forgery, a non-violent crime that implies he tried to used forged documents at a nearby deli. Officers say he resisted arrest before Frazier started filming.
George Floyd had a job. He had an apartment he rented from his employer. He obviously had a low income. He may or may not have had a problem with alcoholism. He is a prime example of the racism we have to face in this country. African Americans die disproportionately from disease and during police arrests.
This reoccurrence resembles the death of Eric Garner and brings to mind questions such as, "Are these police taking the law into their own hands because they don't want to continue to respond to repeated offenses of minor crimes?"
In this case, Mr. Floyd fell to the ground while handcuffed. Mr. Floyd is a very big man. Eric Garner was a very big man. Four officers showed up. This was a method noticed in the death of Eric Garner. There were four officers involved in the Mr. Garner's death. Both Mr. Floyd and Mr. Garner are victims of racist economic oppression. That is a fact. I don't want to hear anything otherwise because COVID-19 has opened that well-kept secret. Both these men and their families live in poverty. They have no wealth to speak of and live from paycheck to paycheck. Those paychecks often don't make ends meet and the men have taken to minor crimes that never really put them in jail except at arrest.
In the case of Mr. Floyd, a Caucasian police officer not only put a knee on his neck to suffocate him but, another Caucasian police officer continually stated over and over, "Get in the car." The response by Mr. Floyd was, "I cannot move." The officer repeatedly said to get in the car while standing over Mr. Floyd while his fellow officers was postured to kill him through suffocation. Mr. Floyd was unarmed and never at any time was a threat to the officers. The officers in the case of Mr. Garner and Mr. Floyd were afraid of a big black man.
These cops are the same as the cops that took down Rodney King. They are afraid of big black men and they seek to end their lives through manipulated understandings of the law. With Mr. Floyd, he wouldn't get in the car no matter how many times he was told to do so. It didn't matter that he was dying, the cops make up a scenario to justify their murder. The cops get the idea they are above the law and justice is at their mercy.
There needs to be a moratorium on such actions by GROUPS of police officers answering to NON-VIOLENT minor ECONOMIC crimes. These men are not going to stop committing minor crimes. They don't have a choice to stop committing minor crimes. They don't have enough money to live their lives. Mr. Eric Garner is a prime example of a man trying not to make himself wealthy, but, sold single cigarettes to raise money to educate his children.
Kindly take into consider the hideous nature of the crimes Mr. Garner and Mr. Floyd committed. These are stupid laws. Elected officials need to assess the economic dynamics that are CAUSING THESE CRIMES and why these men are committing them over and over regardless of the reality they have a job and a place to live and possibly a family to support in that home. City mayors are not getting it right. Too many African American citizens are being needlessly killed by the cops. From busting down doors in civilian clothing to kneeling on a man's neck to kill him. There is no doubt in my mind George Floyd was murdered. I don't care if he was a repeat offender. An arrest of an unarmed man should NEVER end in the murder of the person being arrested. These instances are racism. It is all too obvious.
The way elected officials value their constituents has to reflect the economic suppression that is real. The elected officials need to have a plan to raise the communities up out of economic suppression. The elected officials have to demand the cops respect human life and carry no grudge of the citizens they are supposed to work to protect. The police MUST STEP BACK FROM THAT LINE THEY HAVE DRAWN ON THE STREET that provides them the right to take justice in their own hands. This is a police culture that MUST be purged from policing practice. There can be no more ambivalence to the proper behavior of the police.
This is racism and a self-righteous culture of murder.
Minneapolis police said Floyd resisted arrest after officers responded to a forgery call Monday involving a suspect who "appeared to be under the influence."
Another reporting stated:
Floyd was arrested around 8 p.m. Monday for forgery, a non-violent crime that implies he tried to used forged documents at a nearby deli. Officers say he resisted arrest before Frazier started filming.
George Floyd had a job. He had an apartment he rented from his employer. He obviously had a low income. He may or may not have had a problem with alcoholism. He is a prime example of the racism we have to face in this country. African Americans die disproportionately from disease and during police arrests.
This reoccurrence resembles the death of Eric Garner and brings to mind questions such as, "Are these police taking the law into their own hands because they don't want to continue to respond to repeated offenses of minor crimes?"
In this case, Mr. Floyd fell to the ground while handcuffed. Mr. Floyd is a very big man. Eric Garner was a very big man. Four officers showed up. This was a method noticed in the death of Eric Garner. There were four officers involved in the Mr. Garner's death. Both Mr. Floyd and Mr. Garner are victims of racist economic oppression. That is a fact. I don't want to hear anything otherwise because COVID-19 has opened that well-kept secret. Both these men and their families live in poverty. They have no wealth to speak of and live from paycheck to paycheck. Those paychecks often don't make ends meet and the men have taken to minor crimes that never really put them in jail except at arrest.
In the case of Mr. Floyd, a Caucasian police officer not only put a knee on his neck to suffocate him but, another Caucasian police officer continually stated over and over, "Get in the car." The response by Mr. Floyd was, "I cannot move." The officer repeatedly said to get in the car while standing over Mr. Floyd while his fellow officers was postured to kill him through suffocation. Mr. Floyd was unarmed and never at any time was a threat to the officers. The officers in the case of Mr. Garner and Mr. Floyd were afraid of a big black man.
These cops are the same as the cops that took down Rodney King. They are afraid of big black men and they seek to end their lives through manipulated understandings of the law. With Mr. Floyd, he wouldn't get in the car no matter how many times he was told to do so. It didn't matter that he was dying, the cops make up a scenario to justify their murder. The cops get the idea they are above the law and justice is at their mercy.
There needs to be a moratorium on such actions by GROUPS of police officers answering to NON-VIOLENT minor ECONOMIC crimes. These men are not going to stop committing minor crimes. They don't have a choice to stop committing minor crimes. They don't have enough money to live their lives. Mr. Eric Garner is a prime example of a man trying not to make himself wealthy, but, sold single cigarettes to raise money to educate his children.
Kindly take into consider the hideous nature of the crimes Mr. Garner and Mr. Floyd committed. These are stupid laws. Elected officials need to assess the economic dynamics that are CAUSING THESE CRIMES and why these men are committing them over and over regardless of the reality they have a job and a place to live and possibly a family to support in that home. City mayors are not getting it right. Too many African American citizens are being needlessly killed by the cops. From busting down doors in civilian clothing to kneeling on a man's neck to kill him. There is no doubt in my mind George Floyd was murdered. I don't care if he was a repeat offender. An arrest of an unarmed man should NEVER end in the murder of the person being arrested. These instances are racism. It is all too obvious.
The way elected officials value their constituents has to reflect the economic suppression that is real. The elected officials need to have a plan to raise the communities up out of economic suppression. The elected officials have to demand the cops respect human life and carry no grudge of the citizens they are supposed to work to protect. The police MUST STEP BACK FROM THAT LINE THEY HAVE DRAWN ON THE STREET that provides them the right to take justice in their own hands. This is a police culture that MUST be purged from policing practice. There can be no more ambivalence to the proper behavior of the police.
This is racism and a self-righteous culture of murder.
I don't care what kind of document manifested the Trump investigation with it's contacts with Russia, it was correct.
May 27, 2020
By Kevin R. Brock
...Second, (click here) the Crossfire Hurricane case was opened as a Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) investigation. A FARA investigation involves a criminal violation of law — in this case, a negligent or intentional failure to register with the U.S. government after being engaged by a foreign country to perform services on its behalf — that is punishable by fines and imprisonment. It is rarely investigated....
...This, however, was no normal EC. Try as we might to spot them, those reasons are not found anywhere in the document. Despite redactions, it has been fairly well established that an Australian diplomat, Andrew Downer, met a low-level Trump campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, in a London bar for drinks; Downer then reported the conversation, which eventually made its way to U.S. officials in London.
The Strzok EC quotes verbatim an email authored by Downer. In it, Downer claims Papadopoulos “suggested” to him that the Trump team had received “some kind of suggestion” of assistance from Russia regarding information damaging to Hillary Clinton and President Obama. In other words, a suggestion of a suggestion....
There is no hearsay in Downer's contact with Peter Strzok.
...This, despite Downer also offering two exculpatory statements in the same email: 1) It was “unclear” how the Trump campaign might have reacted to the Russian claims and 2) the Russians likely were going to do what they were going to do with the information whether anyone in the Trump campaign cooperated with them or not....
Strzok is correct, there was much that was unknown about the relationship between the Trump campaign and Russia. Just because the Trump campaign was disappointed in the focus of the Russians they met with at the Trump Tower Meeting doesn't mean there wasn't a sincere interest on the Trump Campaign to "get dirt on Clinton" from the Russians.
This is more nonsense from the Trump White House. It is an opinion paper and if this is all the evidence Durham has, then he doesn't have anything except technicalities.
I am not interested in technicalities. I am interested in protecting the USA democracy and a current administration unwilling to protect our democracy.
The meeting in the Oval Office to celebrate the firing of Former Director Comey was not reported by the Special Counsel, it was first reported by a gate camera at the White House by CNN. The arrest of Butina was a separate investigation that provided a highly corrupt universe enforced by Russian money. The threat by Trump to the USA was completely obvious when finally unearthed.
Butina and the Comey firing is only a small part of the evidence against him. As a matter in fact there was so much evidence he is impeached! He was impeached by independent investigations by the US House.
Bertha is now downgraded to a Tropical Storm.
27 May 2020
1826 UTC
May 27, 2020
Charlestown - Tropical Storm Bertha, (click here) which formed Wednesday morning off the South Carolina coast, becoming the second named storm before the official start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, made landfall near Charleston about two hours later.
Bertha surprised the South Carolina coast, forming and making landfall within two hours, bringing a poor beach day of rain and gusty winds, but no major problems....
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Open letter to Michael Moore, everyone still loves you Mike.
Dear Michael Moore,
This has been a rough year for everyone, but, given the movie houses, theater, and film festivals are canceled this year, it must be a really difficult year for you. Add to that your first attempt, that I know of, as an Executive Producer and YouTube took down a free film. Ouch.
Why is it when you do something controversial you need your own theaters to distribute them? I am surprised at YouTube, but, the film was questionably ethical if there is copyright infringement. Shame on Jeff Gibbs and the lawyers, if he employed any, did the film an injustice.
I sat down the other day and dedicated about three hours to watching it though, taking notes the 2nd time I watched it through and then compose a dialogue for this blog in what I felt would be an even-handed critique. I watched the first ten minutes of Mr. Gibbs film and my intelligence was so insulted I turned it off. Now, I promised myself I would try one more time on another day, but, it is no longer available to watch. Perhaps it will be in the future.
The entire issue of the Climate Crisis is real. There is no one that can deny the very drastic change in climate and weather all over the world. The reason the Climate Crisis is important is that it is not changing in a benevolent way that will forever sustain life. The Barrier Reefs in Australia is a profound statement of the degree this crisis is taking Earth's climate and troposphere, not to mention other layers of atmosphere above the troposphere. That is an entirely different subject, but, the layers of atmosphere around Earth have received impacts from the Climate Crisis experienced and begun in the troposphere where humans live.
Now that is probably boring to someone like Jeff Gibbs. Mr. Gibbs wanted to dig deep into the environmental movement and be controversial to have a dialogue about the future of energy. Hopefully, Mr. Gibb would be willing to admit there is a Climate Crisis of which something needs to be done and I hope he admits it has been caused by human activity. If those two premise are rejected by him, there is no sense in even watching his film because it only estranges the very people that need to change their bad energy habits and allows them to be zealots.
The Climate Crisis and the path forward is not up for discussion. Radical changes in energy have to be made and now. This change is long overdue. All the Greenhouse Gases (GHG) have to be brought under control. It is just that simple. The major offender of this is the petroleum industry. As you well know the original Henry Ford believed the electric car was vital and he also stated the burning of fossil fuels would cause a climate crisis. Those are not his exact words, only his understanding of the very machine he designed to burn gasoline.
There is a profound reality I am quite confident Jeff Gibbs didn't even attempt to examine called Ohm's Law. Ohm's Law is a scientific LAW that electric current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance. If you want a modern-day explanation of the difficulty in designing electric anything efficiently ask Elon Musk to explain it to you. Elon Musk has applied the science to his battery technology and won. He won, Michael. He found a way to overcome the RESISTANCE of Ohm's Law and actually produce batteries that propel a semi-truck otherwise known as a tractor-trailer. That is the pinnacle of any environmental success. Elon Musk is a hero in every sense of the word.
Ever since the 1960s it became obvious the GHGs needed to be controlled to end their saturation of Earth's atmospheres, engineers have been trying to overcome RESISTANCE so that it would not eat up the entire EFFICIENCY of alternative energies. I heard your complaint about wind turbine efficiency. Engineers were able to find 12 to 16 percent efficiency to produce GHG-FREE electricity. That doesn't even address THE GRID. President Obama knew the importance of modernizing and making AN EFFICIENT ELECTRIC GRID IN THE USA. No one is going to state it isn't important to have the greatest efficiency possible for alternative energies. Everyone wants that. There is no planned obsolescence in alternative energies. Quite the opposite. The longer manufacturing can be held at bay to prevent any heat pollution the happier the environmental community is, however, the real question is, "IS IT PRACTICAL TO EXPECT IT?"
Earth's physics is a difficult partner in this pursuit. Physics have LAWS and they are real and designing efficient ANYTHING in this world takes the best of the best. NASA is one of the best of the best. They work with Earth's physics all the time and even NASA has issues they have difficulty solving.
The problem as I see it Michael is not the willingness to have alternative energies that work to return a healthy troposphere to Earth's many, many generations; but; commitment and financing. It is completely hypocritical to have financial institutions handing out pittance of funding for alternative energies while at the same time using petroleum to increase their cash flow. It is ludicrous. I have no patience for it.
Perhaps I will someday see Mr. Gibbs film and bit the bullet to get into the material without being insulted. But, if his premise for his film is wrong, then it is wrong and there is no reason to air it anymore.
Michael, the youngest generation today is currently inheriting an Earth that is completely alien to the planet you and I grew up on. That is more than unfair, it is a lack of respect for life. If Mr. Gibb returns the desire for anyone watching his film to respect life and accept a new reality that is will benefit the children of today; then it was worth all the effort to understand it. But, if it is simply complaining for the sake of complaining without valid sound science behind his complaint then your venture into being an Executive Producer is a failure. I think some self-reflection by all involved with this film is due and if that self-reflection reveals a wrongful agenda, then let the film die. It isn't worth the venture and I am sorry this happened in your otherwise very successful career.
Best regards, Michael.
25 May 2020
By Jonathan Watts
YouTube (click here) has taken down the controversial Michael Moore-produced documentary Planet of the Humans in response to a copyright infringement claim by a British environmental photographer.
The movie, which has been condemned as inaccurate and misleading by climate scientists and activists, allegedly includes a clip used without the permission of the owner Toby Smith, who does not approve of the context in which his material is being used.
In response, the filmmakers denied violating fair usage rules and accused their critics of politically motivated censorship....
This has been a rough year for everyone, but, given the movie houses, theater, and film festivals are canceled this year, it must be a really difficult year for you. Add to that your first attempt, that I know of, as an Executive Producer and YouTube took down a free film. Ouch.
Why is it when you do something controversial you need your own theaters to distribute them? I am surprised at YouTube, but, the film was questionably ethical if there is copyright infringement. Shame on Jeff Gibbs and the lawyers, if he employed any, did the film an injustice.
I sat down the other day and dedicated about three hours to watching it though, taking notes the 2nd time I watched it through and then compose a dialogue for this blog in what I felt would be an even-handed critique. I watched the first ten minutes of Mr. Gibbs film and my intelligence was so insulted I turned it off. Now, I promised myself I would try one more time on another day, but, it is no longer available to watch. Perhaps it will be in the future.
The entire issue of the Climate Crisis is real. There is no one that can deny the very drastic change in climate and weather all over the world. The reason the Climate Crisis is important is that it is not changing in a benevolent way that will forever sustain life. The Barrier Reefs in Australia is a profound statement of the degree this crisis is taking Earth's climate and troposphere, not to mention other layers of atmosphere above the troposphere. That is an entirely different subject, but, the layers of atmosphere around Earth have received impacts from the Climate Crisis experienced and begun in the troposphere where humans live.
Now that is probably boring to someone like Jeff Gibbs. Mr. Gibbs wanted to dig deep into the environmental movement and be controversial to have a dialogue about the future of energy. Hopefully, Mr. Gibb would be willing to admit there is a Climate Crisis of which something needs to be done and I hope he admits it has been caused by human activity. If those two premise are rejected by him, there is no sense in even watching his film because it only estranges the very people that need to change their bad energy habits and allows them to be zealots.
The Climate Crisis and the path forward is not up for discussion. Radical changes in energy have to be made and now. This change is long overdue. All the Greenhouse Gases (GHG) have to be brought under control. It is just that simple. The major offender of this is the petroleum industry. As you well know the original Henry Ford believed the electric car was vital and he also stated the burning of fossil fuels would cause a climate crisis. Those are not his exact words, only his understanding of the very machine he designed to burn gasoline.
There is a profound reality I am quite confident Jeff Gibbs didn't even attempt to examine called Ohm's Law. Ohm's Law is a scientific LAW that electric current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance. If you want a modern-day explanation of the difficulty in designing electric anything efficiently ask Elon Musk to explain it to you. Elon Musk has applied the science to his battery technology and won. He won, Michael. He found a way to overcome the RESISTANCE of Ohm's Law and actually produce batteries that propel a semi-truck otherwise known as a tractor-trailer. That is the pinnacle of any environmental success. Elon Musk is a hero in every sense of the word.
Ever since the 1960s it became obvious the GHGs needed to be controlled to end their saturation of Earth's atmospheres, engineers have been trying to overcome RESISTANCE so that it would not eat up the entire EFFICIENCY of alternative energies. I heard your complaint about wind turbine efficiency. Engineers were able to find 12 to 16 percent efficiency to produce GHG-FREE electricity. That doesn't even address THE GRID. President Obama knew the importance of modernizing and making AN EFFICIENT ELECTRIC GRID IN THE USA. No one is going to state it isn't important to have the greatest efficiency possible for alternative energies. Everyone wants that. There is no planned obsolescence in alternative energies. Quite the opposite. The longer manufacturing can be held at bay to prevent any heat pollution the happier the environmental community is, however, the real question is, "IS IT PRACTICAL TO EXPECT IT?"
Earth's physics is a difficult partner in this pursuit. Physics have LAWS and they are real and designing efficient ANYTHING in this world takes the best of the best. NASA is one of the best of the best. They work with Earth's physics all the time and even NASA has issues they have difficulty solving.
The problem as I see it Michael is not the willingness to have alternative energies that work to return a healthy troposphere to Earth's many, many generations; but; commitment and financing. It is completely hypocritical to have financial institutions handing out pittance of funding for alternative energies while at the same time using petroleum to increase their cash flow. It is ludicrous. I have no patience for it.
Perhaps I will someday see Mr. Gibbs film and bit the bullet to get into the material without being insulted. But, if his premise for his film is wrong, then it is wrong and there is no reason to air it anymore.
Michael, the youngest generation today is currently inheriting an Earth that is completely alien to the planet you and I grew up on. That is more than unfair, it is a lack of respect for life. If Mr. Gibb returns the desire for anyone watching his film to respect life and accept a new reality that is will benefit the children of today; then it was worth all the effort to understand it. But, if it is simply complaining for the sake of complaining without valid sound science behind his complaint then your venture into being an Executive Producer is a failure. I think some self-reflection by all involved with this film is due and if that self-reflection reveals a wrongful agenda, then let the film die. It isn't worth the venture and I am sorry this happened in your otherwise very successful career.
Best regards, Michael.
25 May 2020
By Jonathan Watts
YouTube (click here) has taken down the controversial Michael Moore-produced documentary Planet of the Humans in response to a copyright infringement claim by a British environmental photographer.
The movie, which has been condemned as inaccurate and misleading by climate scientists and activists, allegedly includes a clip used without the permission of the owner Toby Smith, who does not approve of the context in which his material is being used.
In response, the filmmakers denied violating fair usage rules and accused their critics of politically motivated censorship....
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