After investigation, McAllen fires one police officer for using excessive force against a prisoner who spit on him; another cop resigns
By CBS 4 News | July 27, 2016
The McAllen Police Department fired an officer last week after an internal investigation determined he attacked a handcuffed man during an arrest.
McAllen fired Officer Ulysses Bautista on July 20, according to a news release from the city. The incident also resulted in the resignation of Officer Luis Zuniga.
According to police department records:
On or about May 13, 2016, at approximately 1:00 a.m., while on-duty, Officer Bautista responded to assist Officer Luis Zuniga who had detained a citizen, herein referred to as Mr.Soto, for suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated/Refusal/Harassment/Resisting Arrest, hereinafter referred to as the instant suspected offense and/or charges. After his detention, Mr. Soto was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of Officer Zuniga's patrol unit While being strapped in the back seat, Mr. Soto struck Officer Zuniga in the face with spit. Thereafter, Mr. Soto was pulled from the back seat of the patrol unit by Officer Zuniga and thrown to the ground. Officer Bautista proceeded to kick Mr. Soto while Mr. Soto was face down and handcuffed on the ground.
Police later took Aaron Soto to a clinic for medical treatment.
According to an affidavit Soto filed with the police department, doctors determined he suffered intracranial bleeding and possibly a major fracture of his left cheek bone.
Soto was taken to a San Antonio hospital for treatment.
"The City of McAllen remains steadfastly committed to continue serving the needs of the community in a manner consistent with all applicable laws, rules and regulations to avoid and prevent similar incidents from arising in the future," according to the news release.
The city released the order of indefinite suspension and police department records on Wednesday morning.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A couple of good whacks upside his head would have been well deserved, but a beating leaving the asshole hospitalized was clearly out of order.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
GUEST OF THE STATE ARRESTED FOR QUADRUPLE HOMICIDE
By Bob Walsh
The People’s Republic of San Francisco had, for many years, the crappiest clearance rate for homicides of any large city in the country. It has in recent years improved to merely mediocre, and has just scored a major win in the arrest of a man in a notorious quadruple murder.
The four dead guys were shot down while they were sitting in a Honda Civic in the Hayes Valley district of the People’s Republic back in January 2015. The car they were sitting in was stolen, though local “neighborhood leaders” assert that the dead guys had not in fact stolen the car. The shooting is believed to have been linked to a local gang territory beef.
Lee Farley, 27, who has an extensive criminal history, was a guest of the state at the federal hospitality center (correctional facility) at Atwater, CA. when he was arrested. He is believed to not be the only shooter.
EDITOR’S NOTE: : Considering that it’s been a year-and-a-half since the shootings, somebody must have ratted on Farley.
The People’s Republic of San Francisco had, for many years, the crappiest clearance rate for homicides of any large city in the country. It has in recent years improved to merely mediocre, and has just scored a major win in the arrest of a man in a notorious quadruple murder.
The four dead guys were shot down while they were sitting in a Honda Civic in the Hayes Valley district of the People’s Republic back in January 2015. The car they were sitting in was stolen, though local “neighborhood leaders” assert that the dead guys had not in fact stolen the car. The shooting is believed to have been linked to a local gang territory beef.
Lee Farley, 27, who has an extensive criminal history, was a guest of the state at the federal hospitality center (correctional facility) at Atwater, CA. when he was arrested. He is believed to not be the only shooter.
EDITOR’S NOTE: : Considering that it’s been a year-and-a-half since the shootings, somebody must have ratted on Farley.
MAYOR’S GUN USED IN HOMICIDE
Oprah likes the mayor of a town where about half of the male population is either on parole, on felony probation, in prison or illegal
By Bob Walsh
Anthony Silva is the alcalde (mayor) of the crime-ridden and gang-infested cesspool that is Stockton. It seems that his gun was used in the murder of Rayshawn Harris, 13, about a year and a half back.
The pistol involved was one of two stolen in two separate burglaries of homes associated with the mayor. Silva didn’t bother to report the gun stolen until almost one month after it was taken. He has been unable, or unwilling, to explain this time delay.
The gun, a Beretta .40 caliber, was legally purchased by and registered to Silva. The gun was also used to shoot up a house a month before the Harris homicide. There are no suspects in either case. The gun was recovered at the site of a domestic disturbance a month ago.
The gun, several other items and a gun safe were stolen from the unoccupied home owned by Silva in an unincorporated area north of town. The second theft occurred in a rental house occupied by the mayor while he was out of town. Silva has said he has a fair idea who committed the theft, a person described as a friend of someone who was living in his home while he was temporarily away.
Silva is a major force in local politics because Oprah likes him. In a town where about half of the male population is either on parole, on felony probation, in prison or illegal having Oprah like you is a big advantage. He is being opposed in the November election by a city councilman.
By Bob Walsh
Anthony Silva is the alcalde (mayor) of the crime-ridden and gang-infested cesspool that is Stockton. It seems that his gun was used in the murder of Rayshawn Harris, 13, about a year and a half back.
The pistol involved was one of two stolen in two separate burglaries of homes associated with the mayor. Silva didn’t bother to report the gun stolen until almost one month after it was taken. He has been unable, or unwilling, to explain this time delay.
The gun, a Beretta .40 caliber, was legally purchased by and registered to Silva. The gun was also used to shoot up a house a month before the Harris homicide. There are no suspects in either case. The gun was recovered at the site of a domestic disturbance a month ago.
The gun, several other items and a gun safe were stolen from the unoccupied home owned by Silva in an unincorporated area north of town. The second theft occurred in a rental house occupied by the mayor while he was out of town. Silva has said he has a fair idea who committed the theft, a person described as a friend of someone who was living in his home while he was temporarily away.
Silva is a major force in local politics because Oprah likes him. In a town where about half of the male population is either on parole, on felony probation, in prison or illegal having Oprah like you is a big advantage. He is being opposed in the November election by a city councilman.
FAKE BURPING IN GYM CLASS, THEN HANDCUFFS AND A LAWSUIT
By Noah Feldman | Bloomberg View | July 27, 2016
Is fake burping in gym class enough to get a seventh-grader arrested? Yes, according to a federal appeals court, which granted immunity to school officials sued by the kid's family after the 13-year-old was hauled off to juvenile detention in handcuffs.
The officer's action was based on a New Mexico misdemeanor law that makes disrupting school activities a crime. In a 94-page opinion, the court backed the arrest, saying the law didn't forbid arresting someone for burping.
One judge on the panel wrote a pungent, four-page dissent explaining why that reasoning is wrong. But determining the correct outcome here is a little tricky. The arrest was clearly absurd. Yet it isn't clear that the remedy for every stupid arrest is a federal lawsuit.
The incident behind the case took place in May 2011. It began when a student at the Cleveland Middle School in Albuquerque -- known in court documents as F.M. -- interrupted physical education class by fake burping repeatedly. (You can't make this stuff up.) The teacher sent F.M. into the hall, but he continued to interrupt by poking his head back into the classroom and burping some more.
In more innocent times, this might have merited a trip to the principal's office. Instead, the teacher called the "school resource officer," Arthur Acosta, an officer in the Albuquerque police department assigned to the school. F.M. denied the burping -- some things never change -- but Acosta brought him to the school's office and made him sit in a chair while he went to get his computer from his car.
When Acosta returned, he told F.M. that he was placing him under arrest for committing the misdemeanor of violating New Mexico's school disruption law, which says:
"No person shall willfully interfere with the educational process of any public or private school by committing or threatening to commit or inciting others to commit any act which would disrupt, impair, interfere with or obstruct the lawful mission, processes, procedures or functions of a public or private school."
The officer told the school principal, who suspended F.M. for the day and called F.M.'s mother, though without reaching her. The officer then brought F.M. to his police cruiser, patted him down, handcuffed him, and took him to the juvenile detention facility. F.M. was released later that afternoon into his mother's custody.
If you're steaming at this point in the story, you're not alone. F.M.'s mother sued the principal, an assistant principal and the police officer. The basis for her claim was false arrest in violation of F.M.'s constitutional rights pursuant to the civil rights statute, 42 U.S.C. section 1983.
A section 1983 suit in vindication of constitutional rights is a special legal beast. To proceed against a public official, a plaintiff needs to show that the official acted in violation of clearly established law. Almost all officials sued under section 1983 assert what is called "qualified immunity." That means if their actions were in line with what any reasonable official would have believed lawful, the suit ends.
The defense raised by the police officer and principals was simple. The New Mexico law under which F.M. was arrested makes it a crime to disrupt school procedures. F.M.'s burping disrupted class to the point where teaching and learning could no longer occur. It was therefore reasonable to arrest him pursuant to the law. The handcuffs and juvenile detention were simply standard procedures that followed arrest.
A federal district court found in favor of the school officials and police officer. The mother's appeal focused on the police officer alone.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit again held for the officer. It said that the arrest of the student counted as "arguable probable cause." In particular, the three-judge panel held 2-1 that it wasn't clearly established under the state law that you couldn't arrest a child for burping in class.
Here things got a little technical. The panel said there was no case on file explicitly interpreting the law to exclude such petty interruptions.
In his stinging dissent, Judge Neil Gorsuch pointed out that there was a precedent dating back to 1974, State v. Silva, holding that trivial interference doesn't count as a crime, and that there must be "a more substantial, more physical invasion" of school operations as well as proof that the student more "substantially interfered" with the "actual functioning" of the school.
The panel replied formalistically that the Silva case was interpreting a different statute, one that governs colleges rather than schools. Gorsuch rejoined that the language in the two laws was identical, and it should make no difference that the case was about the college statute rather than the school statute.
On the whole, I think Gorsuch got the better of the legal argument. But the panel's narrow judgment had some logic behind it, too: the desire not to make a school dispute into a federal case.
The deeper question is how to resolve incidents of official overreach like this one. The appeals panel was trying to keep the issue out of the courts altogether. Gorsuch wanted the court to resolve it. Perhaps the best outcome is for the case to get enough publicity that such episodes don't recur.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The little shit was obviously an obnoxious asshole who intended to interrupt the class and thus he deserved to be locked up!
Is fake burping in gym class enough to get a seventh-grader arrested? Yes, according to a federal appeals court, which granted immunity to school officials sued by the kid's family after the 13-year-old was hauled off to juvenile detention in handcuffs.
The officer's action was based on a New Mexico misdemeanor law that makes disrupting school activities a crime. In a 94-page opinion, the court backed the arrest, saying the law didn't forbid arresting someone for burping.
One judge on the panel wrote a pungent, four-page dissent explaining why that reasoning is wrong. But determining the correct outcome here is a little tricky. The arrest was clearly absurd. Yet it isn't clear that the remedy for every stupid arrest is a federal lawsuit.
The incident behind the case took place in May 2011. It began when a student at the Cleveland Middle School in Albuquerque -- known in court documents as F.M. -- interrupted physical education class by fake burping repeatedly. (You can't make this stuff up.) The teacher sent F.M. into the hall, but he continued to interrupt by poking his head back into the classroom and burping some more.
In more innocent times, this might have merited a trip to the principal's office. Instead, the teacher called the "school resource officer," Arthur Acosta, an officer in the Albuquerque police department assigned to the school. F.M. denied the burping -- some things never change -- but Acosta brought him to the school's office and made him sit in a chair while he went to get his computer from his car.
When Acosta returned, he told F.M. that he was placing him under arrest for committing the misdemeanor of violating New Mexico's school disruption law, which says:
"No person shall willfully interfere with the educational process of any public or private school by committing or threatening to commit or inciting others to commit any act which would disrupt, impair, interfere with or obstruct the lawful mission, processes, procedures or functions of a public or private school."
The officer told the school principal, who suspended F.M. for the day and called F.M.'s mother, though without reaching her. The officer then brought F.M. to his police cruiser, patted him down, handcuffed him, and took him to the juvenile detention facility. F.M. was released later that afternoon into his mother's custody.
If you're steaming at this point in the story, you're not alone. F.M.'s mother sued the principal, an assistant principal and the police officer. The basis for her claim was false arrest in violation of F.M.'s constitutional rights pursuant to the civil rights statute, 42 U.S.C. section 1983.
A section 1983 suit in vindication of constitutional rights is a special legal beast. To proceed against a public official, a plaintiff needs to show that the official acted in violation of clearly established law. Almost all officials sued under section 1983 assert what is called "qualified immunity." That means if their actions were in line with what any reasonable official would have believed lawful, the suit ends.
The defense raised by the police officer and principals was simple. The New Mexico law under which F.M. was arrested makes it a crime to disrupt school procedures. F.M.'s burping disrupted class to the point where teaching and learning could no longer occur. It was therefore reasonable to arrest him pursuant to the law. The handcuffs and juvenile detention were simply standard procedures that followed arrest.
A federal district court found in favor of the school officials and police officer. The mother's appeal focused on the police officer alone.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit again held for the officer. It said that the arrest of the student counted as "arguable probable cause." In particular, the three-judge panel held 2-1 that it wasn't clearly established under the state law that you couldn't arrest a child for burping in class.
Here things got a little technical. The panel said there was no case on file explicitly interpreting the law to exclude such petty interruptions.
In his stinging dissent, Judge Neil Gorsuch pointed out that there was a precedent dating back to 1974, State v. Silva, holding that trivial interference doesn't count as a crime, and that there must be "a more substantial, more physical invasion" of school operations as well as proof that the student more "substantially interfered" with the "actual functioning" of the school.
The panel replied formalistically that the Silva case was interpreting a different statute, one that governs colleges rather than schools. Gorsuch rejoined that the language in the two laws was identical, and it should make no difference that the case was about the college statute rather than the school statute.
On the whole, I think Gorsuch got the better of the legal argument. But the panel's narrow judgment had some logic behind it, too: the desire not to make a school dispute into a federal case.
The deeper question is how to resolve incidents of official overreach like this one. The appeals panel was trying to keep the issue out of the courts altogether. Gorsuch wanted the court to resolve it. Perhaps the best outcome is for the case to get enough publicity that such episodes don't recur.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The little shit was obviously an obnoxious asshole who intended to interrupt the class and thus he deserved to be locked up!
Saturday, July 30, 2016
UNEDUCATED WHIES FOR TRUMP, WHITE EDUCATED IDIOTS AND MINORITIES FOR HILLARY
The women’s vote will likely decide the winner in the presidential race and Hillary has painted Trump as the anti-women candidate
BarkGrowlBite | July 30, 2016
Now that the Republican and Democratic circuses – oops, I meant conventions – are over, who gets which block of voters in November? There is absolutely no doubt that Hillary will get the black vote.
There is little doubt that Hillary will get the Hispanic vote. Trump took care of that when he broad brushed Mexican illegals as murderers, rapists and dope dealers. Trump’s only saving grace is that Hispanics have never turned out in large numbers to vote. He’d better hope he hasn’t energized them to turn out and vote.
White seniors favor Trump and the Republicans, while young voters favor Hillary and the Democrats. That’s because the older one gets, the wiser he/she gets.
Analysts have noted that Trump has the support of the uneducated white working class block, while Hillary has the support of college educated whites. So, here we have the dumb asses against the educated idiots.
The dead who rise from their graves to vote at election time tend to favor the Democrats, but the dead also vote for Republicans. Dead voters in the Rio Grande Valley boosted Lyndon Baines Johnson to victory over former Texas Governor Coke Stevenson in the 1948 Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate. If it were not for those dead voters, LBJ would never have become President.
I predict that the women’s vote will decide the winner in the presidential race. Trump has let his big mouth overload his ass on several occasions with unflattering remarks about women and women’s issues. Hillary and the Democrats have done a good job of painting Trump as the anti-women candidate.
Unless Trump can somehow change the minds of women so that he can get a sizable chunk of the women’s block, he’ll be toast in November.
BarkGrowlBite | July 30, 2016
Now that the Republican and Democratic circuses – oops, I meant conventions – are over, who gets which block of voters in November? There is absolutely no doubt that Hillary will get the black vote.
There is little doubt that Hillary will get the Hispanic vote. Trump took care of that when he broad brushed Mexican illegals as murderers, rapists and dope dealers. Trump’s only saving grace is that Hispanics have never turned out in large numbers to vote. He’d better hope he hasn’t energized them to turn out and vote.
White seniors favor Trump and the Republicans, while young voters favor Hillary and the Democrats. That’s because the older one gets, the wiser he/she gets.
Analysts have noted that Trump has the support of the uneducated white working class block, while Hillary has the support of college educated whites. So, here we have the dumb asses against the educated idiots.
The dead who rise from their graves to vote at election time tend to favor the Democrats, but the dead also vote for Republicans. Dead voters in the Rio Grande Valley boosted Lyndon Baines Johnson to victory over former Texas Governor Coke Stevenson in the 1948 Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate. If it were not for those dead voters, LBJ would never have become President.
I predict that the women’s vote will decide the winner in the presidential race. Trump has let his big mouth overload his ass on several occasions with unflattering remarks about women and women’s issues. Hillary and the Democrats have done a good job of painting Trump as the anti-women candidate.
Unless Trump can somehow change the minds of women so that he can get a sizable chunk of the women’s block, he’ll be toast in November.
FORMER BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: MOSBY INCOMPETENT, VINDICTIVE
Former Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts said State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby is "in over her head" and has added more flaws to a broken justice system by prosecuting innocent officers
By Justin George | The Baltimore Sun | July 28, 2016
BALTIMORE -- The former police commissioner in charge when Freddie Gray died from injuries sustained in a Baltimore police van said State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby is "in over her head" and has added more flaws to a broken justice system by prosecuting innocent officers.
"She's immature, she's incompetent, she's vindictive and that's not how the justice system is supposed to work," former Baltimore police commissioner Anthony W. Batts said on Wednesday. "The justice system is supposed to be without bias for police officers, for African Americans, for everyone."
Batts led Baltimore police from the fall of 2012 until Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake fired him in July 2015 amid a surge in city homicides that followed weeks of criticism from the police union over his handling of the city's riots two months before.
Batts said Mosby never should have filed charges against the six officers involved in Gray's arrest, and that her decision Wednesday to drop charges against the remaining three officers facing trials was long overdue.
Her actions, Batts said, have further harmed a criminal justice system in need of repairs.
"Don't create more flaws in that broken system," he said. "And you don't do it on the back of innocent people just to prove that point."
A spokeswoman from the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office did not respond to Batts' specific claims, but lumped them with the comments made by the GOP's presidential candidate.
"Today Donald Trump and former commissioner Anthony Batts have attacked the State's Attorney in numerous ways, but as our First Lady Michelle Obama said, when they go low we go high," said Rochelle Ritchie, a spokeswoman for Mosby's office.
Weeks of an internal police investigation found no evidence that officers committed any crimes or meant to hurt Gray, Batts said. The former police commissioner said he has always acknowledged that mistakes were made, and that Gray should have been given medical care during his fatal van ride.
"There was no question that Freddie Gray should have gone home after that interaction," Batts said. "But sometimes when people are doing the job of police work, bad things happen sometimes."
Days after Gray's death, Batts said he personally urged the Baltimore city solicitor to issue a civil settlement in the case. In September 2015, the city approved a $6.4 million payout to the Gray family, accepting all civil liability.
"I was proud of the city stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility," he said.
Forty officers on a task force Batts convened to investigate Gray's death looked at every angle of Gray's arrest and could not find evidence of a crime, Batts said. That became clear in court and to the public after prosecutors failed to secure any convictions through four trials.
"My heart bled for these officers as they went through these steps," Batts said. "I think Marilyn Mosby is in over her head."
He said the six officers who faced trials have "a good heart."
"I didn't see any malice in the heart of those police officers," Batts said. "I don't think those officers involved are those you would put in the class of bad or malicious or evil police officers."
Batts, who also oversaw police departments in Long Beach and Oakland, Calif., is currently working as a consultant with the AWW Group training police commanders, including a group in Fort Worth, Texas, last week.
He said there were problems within the Baltimore Police Department, and said one of his top priorities was to root out corrupt or abusive officers during his tenure -- even to the point that his calls for reform and transparency made enemies on the force, who called for his firing.
While he said he had a responsibility to protect his officers, "my bigger responsibility is to the public trust to make sure they had all the information and the correct information."
He took umbrage at Mosby saying police "bias" obstructed her case, and said his tenure showed patterns of creating transparency, such as when he gave the family of Anthony Anderson a copy of his autopsy and appointed an independent commission to look into his 2012 death.
Anderson died from internal injuries after he was tackled by police officers during a drug investigation. The State's Attorney's Office, which was run then by Mosby's predecessor, did not file charges against officers in that case.
Batts said Mosby cannot make police her scapegoat by saying officers obstructed her investigation to protect their colleagues.
"There was no obstruction," Batts said. "I would have taken off anyone's head if I knew they were obstructionist. ... The judge said it: (The case) didn't have merit and you can't put that on anyone else."
EDITOR’S NOTE: To his credit, Batts is strongly defending the officers, despite the police union’s call for his ouster before he got fired.
By Justin George | The Baltimore Sun | July 28, 2016
BALTIMORE -- The former police commissioner in charge when Freddie Gray died from injuries sustained in a Baltimore police van said State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby is "in over her head" and has added more flaws to a broken justice system by prosecuting innocent officers.
"She's immature, she's incompetent, she's vindictive and that's not how the justice system is supposed to work," former Baltimore police commissioner Anthony W. Batts said on Wednesday. "The justice system is supposed to be without bias for police officers, for African Americans, for everyone."
Batts led Baltimore police from the fall of 2012 until Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake fired him in July 2015 amid a surge in city homicides that followed weeks of criticism from the police union over his handling of the city's riots two months before.
Batts said Mosby never should have filed charges against the six officers involved in Gray's arrest, and that her decision Wednesday to drop charges against the remaining three officers facing trials was long overdue.
Her actions, Batts said, have further harmed a criminal justice system in need of repairs.
"Don't create more flaws in that broken system," he said. "And you don't do it on the back of innocent people just to prove that point."
A spokeswoman from the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office did not respond to Batts' specific claims, but lumped them with the comments made by the GOP's presidential candidate.
"Today Donald Trump and former commissioner Anthony Batts have attacked the State's Attorney in numerous ways, but as our First Lady Michelle Obama said, when they go low we go high," said Rochelle Ritchie, a spokeswoman for Mosby's office.
Weeks of an internal police investigation found no evidence that officers committed any crimes or meant to hurt Gray, Batts said. The former police commissioner said he has always acknowledged that mistakes were made, and that Gray should have been given medical care during his fatal van ride.
"There was no question that Freddie Gray should have gone home after that interaction," Batts said. "But sometimes when people are doing the job of police work, bad things happen sometimes."
Days after Gray's death, Batts said he personally urged the Baltimore city solicitor to issue a civil settlement in the case. In September 2015, the city approved a $6.4 million payout to the Gray family, accepting all civil liability.
"I was proud of the city stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility," he said.
Forty officers on a task force Batts convened to investigate Gray's death looked at every angle of Gray's arrest and could not find evidence of a crime, Batts said. That became clear in court and to the public after prosecutors failed to secure any convictions through four trials.
"My heart bled for these officers as they went through these steps," Batts said. "I think Marilyn Mosby is in over her head."
He said the six officers who faced trials have "a good heart."
"I didn't see any malice in the heart of those police officers," Batts said. "I don't think those officers involved are those you would put in the class of bad or malicious or evil police officers."
Batts, who also oversaw police departments in Long Beach and Oakland, Calif., is currently working as a consultant with the AWW Group training police commanders, including a group in Fort Worth, Texas, last week.
He said there were problems within the Baltimore Police Department, and said one of his top priorities was to root out corrupt or abusive officers during his tenure -- even to the point that his calls for reform and transparency made enemies on the force, who called for his firing.
While he said he had a responsibility to protect his officers, "my bigger responsibility is to the public trust to make sure they had all the information and the correct information."
He took umbrage at Mosby saying police "bias" obstructed her case, and said his tenure showed patterns of creating transparency, such as when he gave the family of Anthony Anderson a copy of his autopsy and appointed an independent commission to look into his 2012 death.
Anderson died from internal injuries after he was tackled by police officers during a drug investigation. The State's Attorney's Office, which was run then by Mosby's predecessor, did not file charges against officers in that case.
Batts said Mosby cannot make police her scapegoat by saying officers obstructed her investigation to protect their colleagues.
"There was no obstruction," Batts said. "I would have taken off anyone's head if I knew they were obstructionist. ... The judge said it: (The case) didn't have merit and you can't put that on anyone else."
EDITOR’S NOTE: To his credit, Batts is strongly defending the officers, despite the police union’s call for his ouster before he got fired.
A JOB TO DIE FOR
A young man with his pants hanging half off his rear, two gold front teeth, and a half inch thick gold chain around his neck, walked into the local welfare office to pick up his check.
He marched up to the counter and said, "Hi. You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job. I don't like taking advantage of the system, getting something for nothing."
The social worker behind the counter said "Your timing is excellent. We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and bodyguard for his beautiful daughter. You'll have to drive around in his 2016 Mercedes-Benz CL, and he will supply all of your clothes."
"Because of the long hours, meals will be provided. You'll also be expected to escort the daughter on her overseas holiday trips. This is rather awkward to say, but you will also have, as part of your job, the assignment to satisfy her sexual urges as the daughter is in her mid-20's and has a rather strong sex drive."
The guy, just plain wide-eyed, said, "You're bullshitting me!"
The social worker said, "Yeah, well . . . You started the bullshit.“
He marched up to the counter and said, "Hi. You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job. I don't like taking advantage of the system, getting something for nothing."
The social worker behind the counter said "Your timing is excellent. We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and bodyguard for his beautiful daughter. You'll have to drive around in his 2016 Mercedes-Benz CL, and he will supply all of your clothes."
"Because of the long hours, meals will be provided. You'll also be expected to escort the daughter on her overseas holiday trips. This is rather awkward to say, but you will also have, as part of your job, the assignment to satisfy her sexual urges as the daughter is in her mid-20's and has a rather strong sex drive."
The guy, just plain wide-eyed, said, "You're bullshitting me!"
The social worker said, "Yeah, well . . . You started the bullshit.“
Friday, July 29, 2016
CAN'T YOU SEE I'M ON THE PHONE
At the Chicago Bulls Basketball team home games they have a Kiss Cam. The idea is that couples images are displayed on the big screen over the basketball court and if your image is shown d should kiss your partner…. Be sure to watch this to the very end!
PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT ORDERS POLICE TO PUT DRUG PUSHERS ‘BEHIND BARS OR BELOW GROUND’
President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs has already killed almost 300 people across the archipelago nation since the start of July and he says it’s just the start
By Lindsay Murdoch | The Sunday Morning Herald | July 26, 2016
BANGKOK -- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to escalate his war on illegal drugs that has already killed almost 300 people across the archipelago nation since the start of July.
Mr Duterte shrugged off alarm over the rising body count in his first state of the nation address to parliament, declaring that drugs were drowning his country and human rights were no excuse to shield criminals.
"Double your efforts. Triple them if need be," the tough-talking former provincial mayor said in a message to police.
"We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish," he said.
Human rights groups say police data showing that Mr Duterte's crackdown has claimed the lives of 293 suspected users and pushers in police operations between July 1 and July 24 does not include those slain in extrajudicial killings by vigilantes.
There have been many reports of accused drug users and pushers being executed and left on streets with cardboard signs allegedly "admitting" their guilt.
Mr Duterte, 71, was swept into power at elections in May after pledging to wipe out crime with the same "shoot-to-kill" methods critics say he used as the long-time mayor of the southern city of Davao.
Since taking office Mr Duterte has vowed to pardon police who might be charged with human rights violations for perpetrating his relentless crackdown, and compared himself to the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
"I will retire with the reputation of Idi Amin," he said in a recent speech, referring to the late African ruler whose 1970s regime was responsible for large-scale rights abuses.
"I will not let my country go to the dogs," he said.
In his state of the nation address, Mr Duterte told MPs that 120,000 people had surrendered to police in the past month and 70,000 were drug pushers.
Police have also arrested 3749 suspects with links to drugs.
"The sheer number and problem will drown us," he said, adding he was considering the use of military bases as drug rehabilitation centres.
Police plan to erect a large billboard outside the force's Manila headquarters to show a daily tally of drug suspects who have been arrested or killed during operations.
Under the crackdown, police knocked on the doors of 129,753 houses from July 1 to July 24 to ask suspects to voluntarily surrender.
But rights groups, many MPs and Mr Duterte's own Vice-President Leni Robredo, a social activist, have expressed alarm over the rise in vigilante killings and attacks across the country.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Zeid al-Hussein on Monday called on Mr Duterte to end the killings.
"The number of killings of suspected drug traffickers by police and others reported almost daily since the May 9 election is shocking," Prince Zeid wrote.
Catholic bishops in the predominantly Catholic nation of 100 million have also denounced the crackdown.
"Can we correct evil by doing evil?" Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo asked in a Mass that coincided with Mr Duterte's speech.
Bishop Pabillo said there is no proof the victims were engaged in drug trafficking.
"No one told us that, aside from the cardboards placed on top of them," he said.
"Even if it's true that they are drug pushers and they did something wrong to other people, what about their families? They themselves have been done wrong."
Phelim Kine, deputy director in Asia for the US-based Human Rights Watch, said "as long as President Duterte turns a blind eye to – or implicitly or explicitly encourages – summary killings, the fundamental right to life of all Filipinos is at risk from potentially random extrajudicial violence".
An opinion poll taken late in June showed that 63 per cent of Filipinos believe that Mr Duterte will make good on most, if not all, of his promises to stamp out criminality, corruption and illegal drugs.
EDITOR’S NOTE: All the human rights groups and the Catholic Church may be screaming bloody murder, but 'Duterte Harry' does not intend to let the Philippines go the way of the U.S.
By Lindsay Murdoch | The Sunday Morning Herald | July 26, 2016
BANGKOK -- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to escalate his war on illegal drugs that has already killed almost 300 people across the archipelago nation since the start of July.
Mr Duterte shrugged off alarm over the rising body count in his first state of the nation address to parliament, declaring that drugs were drowning his country and human rights were no excuse to shield criminals.
"Double your efforts. Triple them if need be," the tough-talking former provincial mayor said in a message to police.
"We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish," he said.
Human rights groups say police data showing that Mr Duterte's crackdown has claimed the lives of 293 suspected users and pushers in police operations between July 1 and July 24 does not include those slain in extrajudicial killings by vigilantes.
There have been many reports of accused drug users and pushers being executed and left on streets with cardboard signs allegedly "admitting" their guilt.
Mr Duterte, 71, was swept into power at elections in May after pledging to wipe out crime with the same "shoot-to-kill" methods critics say he used as the long-time mayor of the southern city of Davao.
Since taking office Mr Duterte has vowed to pardon police who might be charged with human rights violations for perpetrating his relentless crackdown, and compared himself to the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
"I will retire with the reputation of Idi Amin," he said in a recent speech, referring to the late African ruler whose 1970s regime was responsible for large-scale rights abuses.
"I will not let my country go to the dogs," he said.
In his state of the nation address, Mr Duterte told MPs that 120,000 people had surrendered to police in the past month and 70,000 were drug pushers.
Police have also arrested 3749 suspects with links to drugs.
"The sheer number and problem will drown us," he said, adding he was considering the use of military bases as drug rehabilitation centres.
Police plan to erect a large billboard outside the force's Manila headquarters to show a daily tally of drug suspects who have been arrested or killed during operations.
Under the crackdown, police knocked on the doors of 129,753 houses from July 1 to July 24 to ask suspects to voluntarily surrender.
But rights groups, many MPs and Mr Duterte's own Vice-President Leni Robredo, a social activist, have expressed alarm over the rise in vigilante killings and attacks across the country.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Zeid al-Hussein on Monday called on Mr Duterte to end the killings.
"The number of killings of suspected drug traffickers by police and others reported almost daily since the May 9 election is shocking," Prince Zeid wrote.
Catholic bishops in the predominantly Catholic nation of 100 million have also denounced the crackdown.
"Can we correct evil by doing evil?" Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo asked in a Mass that coincided with Mr Duterte's speech.
Bishop Pabillo said there is no proof the victims were engaged in drug trafficking.
"No one told us that, aside from the cardboards placed on top of them," he said.
"Even if it's true that they are drug pushers and they did something wrong to other people, what about their families? They themselves have been done wrong."
Phelim Kine, deputy director in Asia for the US-based Human Rights Watch, said "as long as President Duterte turns a blind eye to – or implicitly or explicitly encourages – summary killings, the fundamental right to life of all Filipinos is at risk from potentially random extrajudicial violence".
An opinion poll taken late in June showed that 63 per cent of Filipinos believe that Mr Duterte will make good on most, if not all, of his promises to stamp out criminality, corruption and illegal drugs.
EDITOR’S NOTE: All the human rights groups and the Catholic Church may be screaming bloody murder, but 'Duterte Harry' does not intend to let the Philippines go the way of the U.S.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
500 FEET FROM A PARTY WHERE 14 WERE SHOT BUT SURVIVED, ONE MAN DIES FROM STRAY BULLET
It appears a stray bullet from the return fire went through the slain man’s apartment door and struck him
By Joseph Serna | Los Angeles Times | July 26, 2016
The gunmen stood in front of a group of people partying outside of the Bakersfield home and sprayed bullets.
Fourteen people were shot. Not one died.
But in defiance of what seem to be astronomical odds, 500 feet to the south, a man was killed by a stray bullet. Kern County sheriff’s spokesman Ray Pruitt said investigators believe that bullet was fired by someone at the party who was shooting back at the attackers.
The victim of the errant bullet, who has yet to be identified, was found dead three days after the July 16 shooting in the 600 block of Stephens Drive, Pruitt said.
The shooting occurred about 1 a.m. when a group of people were told to leave a house party and then returned with guns, he said. Authorities said the suspects were three males ages 16 to 19. At least two of them were armed with semiautomatic handguns.
Investigators determined the three would have been facing north when they opened fire on a huge crowd outside the home, Pruitt said. At least one person in that crowd pulled out a gun and shot back — aiming south, he said.
It appears a stray bullet from the return fire went through the slain man’s apartment door and struck him, Pruitt said.
Cars and homes in the neighborhood were riddled with bullets and two people were critically injured — but the man appears to be the only person who died, officials said.
Pruitt said the party was initiated by a girl who lives at the home and was given permission to throw a party by her parents. She promoted the event on social media.
“At some point, people who were not invited showed up,” he said. The party swelled to at least 150 revelers and “got out of control,” Pruitt added.
Authorities believe a verbal confrontation took place between two groups in the backyard of the house, and several people were told to leave the party.
“They did leave, and we believe it was those individuals who left the party that came back and opened fire on the crowd,” Pruitt said, adding that investigators believe the shooting was gang-related.
The Sheriff’s Department said the incident was initially believed to be a drive-by shooting, but Pruitt said investigators now believe the three males got out of a vehicle, walked up to the crowd outside the home and opened fire before fleeing in the vehicle.
Witnesses told the Bakersfield Californian that the injured included a 13-year-old and that 30 rounds were fired.
“We just heard screaming,” Julie Burton told the paper, adding that the incident felt like the “OK Corral.”
No arrests have been made and there was no detailed description of the gunmen, Pruitt said.
By Joseph Serna | Los Angeles Times | July 26, 2016
The gunmen stood in front of a group of people partying outside of the Bakersfield home and sprayed bullets.
Fourteen people were shot. Not one died.
But in defiance of what seem to be astronomical odds, 500 feet to the south, a man was killed by a stray bullet. Kern County sheriff’s spokesman Ray Pruitt said investigators believe that bullet was fired by someone at the party who was shooting back at the attackers.
The victim of the errant bullet, who has yet to be identified, was found dead three days after the July 16 shooting in the 600 block of Stephens Drive, Pruitt said.
The shooting occurred about 1 a.m. when a group of people were told to leave a house party and then returned with guns, he said. Authorities said the suspects were three males ages 16 to 19. At least two of them were armed with semiautomatic handguns.
Investigators determined the three would have been facing north when they opened fire on a huge crowd outside the home, Pruitt said. At least one person in that crowd pulled out a gun and shot back — aiming south, he said.
It appears a stray bullet from the return fire went through the slain man’s apartment door and struck him, Pruitt said.
Cars and homes in the neighborhood were riddled with bullets and two people were critically injured — but the man appears to be the only person who died, officials said.
Pruitt said the party was initiated by a girl who lives at the home and was given permission to throw a party by her parents. She promoted the event on social media.
“At some point, people who were not invited showed up,” he said. The party swelled to at least 150 revelers and “got out of control,” Pruitt added.
Authorities believe a verbal confrontation took place between two groups in the backyard of the house, and several people were told to leave the party.
“They did leave, and we believe it was those individuals who left the party that came back and opened fire on the crowd,” Pruitt said, adding that investigators believe the shooting was gang-related.
The Sheriff’s Department said the incident was initially believed to be a drive-by shooting, but Pruitt said investigators now believe the three males got out of a vehicle, walked up to the crowd outside the home and opened fire before fleeing in the vehicle.
Witnesses told the Bakersfield Californian that the injured included a 13-year-old and that 30 rounds were fired.
“We just heard screaming,” Julie Burton told the paper, adding that the incident felt like the “OK Corral.”
No arrests have been made and there was no detailed description of the gunmen, Pruitt said.
BLM PROTEST LEADER ORDERS WHITE PEOPLE TO THE REAR OF THE ‘BUS’
She ordered white people to take their place at the back of the march and started a number of highly offensive chants aimed at the Philadelphia Police Department
By Darren Boyle | Daily Mail | July 27, 2016
Black Lives Matter activists ordered white journalists and supporters to the back of their march outside the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Several videos of the protest have been posted on social media which show the female leader of the protest standing on the back of a truck while ordering racial segregation.
The un-named protester used a microphone and an amplifier to start a number of highly offensive chants aimed at the Philadelphia Police Department.
One protester objecting to the racial segregation raised the Rosa Parks incident, but the angry woman did not respond.
Before the march set off, the woman told white people: 'Take your rightful position, behind us.'
Standing in front of a black and red anarchist flag, she said: 'I want to see all of the white folks at the back of the crowd.'
'White people, get to the back. Black people, come to the front.'
The woman then began pointing at individual people and ordering them to the back of the crowd during her expletive-riddled tirade.
By Darren Boyle | Daily Mail | July 27, 2016
Black Lives Matter activists ordered white journalists and supporters to the back of their march outside the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Several videos of the protest have been posted on social media which show the female leader of the protest standing on the back of a truck while ordering racial segregation.
The un-named protester used a microphone and an amplifier to start a number of highly offensive chants aimed at the Philadelphia Police Department.
One protester objecting to the racial segregation raised the Rosa Parks incident, but the angry woman did not respond.
Before the march set off, the woman told white people: 'Take your rightful position, behind us.'
Standing in front of a black and red anarchist flag, she said: 'I want to see all of the white folks at the back of the crowd.'
'White people, get to the back. Black people, come to the front.'
The woman then began pointing at individual people and ordering them to the back of the crowd during her expletive-riddled tirade.
LAW FIRM SUES 20-YEAR-OLD WAITRESS OVER UNFLATTERING YELP FACEBOOK REVIEWS
By Meagan Flynn | Houston Press | July 27, 2016
Twenty-year-old Lan Cai was half-asleep under the covers, in her underwear, the first time she met the lawyers from the Tuan A. Khuu law firm. And already, they were off to a bad start.
She had just been a serious car accident while driving home from her job as a server at 1:30 in the morning. A drunk driver hit her, Cai said, and then she was immediately struck by another vehicle that could not avoid a collision. Cai broke two bones in her lower back.
Cai had never been in a major accident before, and she needed help from the attorneys while navigating insurance and proving her entitlement to damages. But when the attorneys came to her home, entered her bedroom (the attorneys maintain Cai's mother told them to go in) and then ignored her phone calls and emails in the days immediately after Cai signed the contract, she felt like hiring them was a mistake.
And she couldn't be more certain after the Tuan A. Khuu law firm of Houston sued her for between $100,000 and $200,000 after she wrote an unfavorable Yelp review and described her bad experience in a Facebook group, as KPRC first reported.
“I feel like they're trying to pull every single penny out of me,” Cai said, “just because I didn't want to be their client.”
The law firm claims what Cai wrote is libelous, meaning the published statements are false and will severely hurt the firm's reputation. Cai says she was simply sharing her opinion after she decided to switch to a new law firm—that way no one else has to make the same mistake she did.
Here's what she wrote on Facebook, in a group called Vietnamese Americans in Houston, that the law firm thinks is defamatory: “After 3 days, they didn't tell me anything about the doctor I needed to go to. I was in a lot of pain. Not only that, they didn't know where the hell my car was! And they came to my house and into my room to talk to me when I was sleeping in my underwear. Seriously, it's super unprofessional! ...I came in to the office to meet with my previous attorney, but he literally ran off.”
Tuan A. Khuu attorney Keith Nguyen saw the post and immediately sent Cai an email, saying, 'It has come to my attention that you have posted some dispariging [sic] words on your Facebook account. ...If you do not remove the post from Facebook and any other social media sites, my office will have no choice but to file suit.”
That's right, no choice but to sue a 20-year-old waitress working six days a week to pay her way through nursing school at Houston Community College, for more than 100 times what she has in her bank account. Asked whether he feels at all bad about this, Nguyen said, “No, I don't feel bad at all. I feel sorry for her, because again, I gave her plenty of opportunities to retract and delete her post and she refused. She was proud: 'I've got it on Facebook. I've got it on Yelp,' with no remorse.”
To be clear, Cai is not the only person who has written a bad review of Tuan A. Khuu. In fact, good reviews are hard to find, no matter which of the law firm's three locations you search. A guy named Han in Richardson, Texas, wrote, “Duped and filthy legal services. They trap you in their plan and dupe you out for their own goods. Stay away to protect yourself and your family.” A guy named Kevin from Austin: “They like to delay responses and make excuses for not returning calls. Incompetent and unreliable are the words I would use to describe their staff.” Charlie from Houston: “I went in for a 'free consultation' and it became a decision I would soon regret.”
So why did Nguyen and company go after Cai? Nguyen said, “We don't mind if someone writes a bad review, as long as it's true.”
He claims Cai's is full of “half-truths.” For example, when Cai says that her lawyer “literally ran off” when she showed up unannounced, Nguyen concedes he was on his way out the door, but took a moment to explain to her why there were liens on her insurance. The lawyers who went into her room had no idea she was in her underwear and say they were invited her in, Nguyen explained. “It puts us in a bad light,” Nguyen said. “I said [to her], You can say that, but you need to add that we were invited. And she never did. She went ahead and wrote more bad things.”
Cai took to Yelp and Facebook to warn others that, apparently, if you say something mean about Tuan A. Khuu, they will sue you. "I wouldn't even give this law firm a star," she said, in reference to Yelp's five-star rating system.
For now, Cai is planning to take a semester off of school. The car accident, the broken bones, the insurance hounds, the elusive attorneys — and now this defamation lawsuit — are all too much for her to handle alongside a five-day-a-week nursing program and six days of waiting tables. She's still looking for an attorney to represent her, but Cai is concerned about what a loss in court will mean for her future.
Asked whether he might irreparably damage Cai's future, Nguyen said no: “It's not ruining someone's career chances. They need to think before they post. ...She needs to learn — people need to learn that there are consequences for their actions.”
If she loses, Cai said she'll probably have to drop out altogether.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The shyster is right when he says: “They need to think before they post. ...She needs to learn — people need to learn that there are consequences for their actions,” especially when posting on social media!
Twenty-year-old Lan Cai was half-asleep under the covers, in her underwear, the first time she met the lawyers from the Tuan A. Khuu law firm. And already, they were off to a bad start.
She had just been a serious car accident while driving home from her job as a server at 1:30 in the morning. A drunk driver hit her, Cai said, and then she was immediately struck by another vehicle that could not avoid a collision. Cai broke two bones in her lower back.
Cai had never been in a major accident before, and she needed help from the attorneys while navigating insurance and proving her entitlement to damages. But when the attorneys came to her home, entered her bedroom (the attorneys maintain Cai's mother told them to go in) and then ignored her phone calls and emails in the days immediately after Cai signed the contract, she felt like hiring them was a mistake.
And she couldn't be more certain after the Tuan A. Khuu law firm of Houston sued her for between $100,000 and $200,000 after she wrote an unfavorable Yelp review and described her bad experience in a Facebook group, as KPRC first reported.
“I feel like they're trying to pull every single penny out of me,” Cai said, “just because I didn't want to be their client.”
The law firm claims what Cai wrote is libelous, meaning the published statements are false and will severely hurt the firm's reputation. Cai says she was simply sharing her opinion after she decided to switch to a new law firm—that way no one else has to make the same mistake she did.
Here's what she wrote on Facebook, in a group called Vietnamese Americans in Houston, that the law firm thinks is defamatory: “After 3 days, they didn't tell me anything about the doctor I needed to go to. I was in a lot of pain. Not only that, they didn't know where the hell my car was! And they came to my house and into my room to talk to me when I was sleeping in my underwear. Seriously, it's super unprofessional! ...I came in to the office to meet with my previous attorney, but he literally ran off.”
Tuan A. Khuu attorney Keith Nguyen saw the post and immediately sent Cai an email, saying, 'It has come to my attention that you have posted some dispariging [sic] words on your Facebook account. ...If you do not remove the post from Facebook and any other social media sites, my office will have no choice but to file suit.”
That's right, no choice but to sue a 20-year-old waitress working six days a week to pay her way through nursing school at Houston Community College, for more than 100 times what she has in her bank account. Asked whether he feels at all bad about this, Nguyen said, “No, I don't feel bad at all. I feel sorry for her, because again, I gave her plenty of opportunities to retract and delete her post and she refused. She was proud: 'I've got it on Facebook. I've got it on Yelp,' with no remorse.”
To be clear, Cai is not the only person who has written a bad review of Tuan A. Khuu. In fact, good reviews are hard to find, no matter which of the law firm's three locations you search. A guy named Han in Richardson, Texas, wrote, “Duped and filthy legal services. They trap you in their plan and dupe you out for their own goods. Stay away to protect yourself and your family.” A guy named Kevin from Austin: “They like to delay responses and make excuses for not returning calls. Incompetent and unreliable are the words I would use to describe their staff.” Charlie from Houston: “I went in for a 'free consultation' and it became a decision I would soon regret.”
So why did Nguyen and company go after Cai? Nguyen said, “We don't mind if someone writes a bad review, as long as it's true.”
He claims Cai's is full of “half-truths.” For example, when Cai says that her lawyer “literally ran off” when she showed up unannounced, Nguyen concedes he was on his way out the door, but took a moment to explain to her why there were liens on her insurance. The lawyers who went into her room had no idea she was in her underwear and say they were invited her in, Nguyen explained. “It puts us in a bad light,” Nguyen said. “I said [to her], You can say that, but you need to add that we were invited. And she never did. She went ahead and wrote more bad things.”
Cai took to Yelp and Facebook to warn others that, apparently, if you say something mean about Tuan A. Khuu, they will sue you. "I wouldn't even give this law firm a star," she said, in reference to Yelp's five-star rating system.
For now, Cai is planning to take a semester off of school. The car accident, the broken bones, the insurance hounds, the elusive attorneys — and now this defamation lawsuit — are all too much for her to handle alongside a five-day-a-week nursing program and six days of waiting tables. She's still looking for an attorney to represent her, but Cai is concerned about what a loss in court will mean for her future.
Asked whether he might irreparably damage Cai's future, Nguyen said no: “It's not ruining someone's career chances. They need to think before they post. ...She needs to learn — people need to learn that there are consequences for their actions.”
If she loses, Cai said she'll probably have to drop out altogether.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The shyster is right when he says: “They need to think before they post. ...She needs to learn — people need to learn that there are consequences for their actions,” especially when posting on social media!
CINCINNATI COPS PROTECT AND SERVE
Momma goose asks officer for help untangling baby from balloon string
Inside Edition | May 11, 1016
Police officers are ordered to protect and serve — and that doesn't leave out animals.
A mother goose in Ohio personally sought out the help of the Cincinnati Police Department Monday when one of her goslings was tangled in a balloon string.
Cincinnati Police Sergeant James Givens told InsideEdition.com: “I was sitting in a patrol car in a parking lot, I heard something pecking on the side of the door and I looked down and I thought the goose was hungry. I was eating a bagel and I tossed it a piece but it didn’t have any. It walked in front of me so I followed it and it took me to its baby that was tangled in rope.”
Sergeant Givens called the SPCA Wildlife, which had no one to assist. He then made a call over the radio and Officer Cecilia Charron arrived to lend a hand.
Officer Charron approached the mother goose to see what the issue was.
“It’s weird because it kept the distance and it kept the baby calm. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Givens said. “I said it must be a motherly instinct, the mother didn’t attack her or nothing, seeing the thing run off that was the best part.”
Givens filmed the encounter and posted the video on Facebook.
The string came from a Mother’s Day balloon that must have floated away from its recipient.
“I don’t know why I didn’t just drive off and keep going. It kept looking up, it kept quacking, the only thing I can think of, is that I go down there and drink a cup of coffee sometimes,” he said. “They never came that close to me in the police car before, I was just amazed how she didn’t attack us. I was a little nervous.”
Givens, who has served on the force for more than 25 years, is nearing retirement. Charron has been on the force for 24 years and said that was the most memorable moment of her career.
Inside Edition | May 11, 1016
Police officers are ordered to protect and serve — and that doesn't leave out animals.
A mother goose in Ohio personally sought out the help of the Cincinnati Police Department Monday when one of her goslings was tangled in a balloon string.
Cincinnati Police Sergeant James Givens told InsideEdition.com: “I was sitting in a patrol car in a parking lot, I heard something pecking on the side of the door and I looked down and I thought the goose was hungry. I was eating a bagel and I tossed it a piece but it didn’t have any. It walked in front of me so I followed it and it took me to its baby that was tangled in rope.”
Sergeant Givens called the SPCA Wildlife, which had no one to assist. He then made a call over the radio and Officer Cecilia Charron arrived to lend a hand.
Officer Charron approached the mother goose to see what the issue was.
“It’s weird because it kept the distance and it kept the baby calm. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Givens said. “I said it must be a motherly instinct, the mother didn’t attack her or nothing, seeing the thing run off that was the best part.”
Givens filmed the encounter and posted the video on Facebook.
The string came from a Mother’s Day balloon that must have floated away from its recipient.
“I don’t know why I didn’t just drive off and keep going. It kept looking up, it kept quacking, the only thing I can think of, is that I go down there and drink a cup of coffee sometimes,” he said. “They never came that close to me in the police car before, I was just amazed how she didn’t attack us. I was a little nervous.”
Givens, who has served on the force for more than 25 years, is nearing retirement. Charron has been on the force for 24 years and said that was the most memorable moment of her career.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
TRUMP’S BIG MOUTH A MOST GENEROUS GIFT TO HILLARY
Hillary and the Democrats couldn’t be happier then when Trump asks the Russians to spy on us
BarkGrowlBite | July 27, 2016
“Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. They probably have them. I'd like to have them released. Now, if Russia or China or any other country has those e-mails, I mean, to be honest with you, I'd love to see them. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails. I hope they do. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails that she lost and deleted because you'd see some beauties there. So let's see.” – Donald Trump
“Thank you Donald, thank you, thank you!” – Hillary Clinton
Up until Wednesday Trump has managed to piss off women, Latinos, the disabled, Muslims and even POWs with his big fucking mouth. And he keeps right on letting his mouth overload his ass.
In Florida on Wednesday, responding to the charge that the Russians hacked the DNC emails, Trump invited them to find Hillary’s 30,000 emails. That’s asking the Russians to commit an act of espionage against the United States.
Asking the Russians to spy on us – what a most generous gift to Hillary. The Democrats will make hay with that.
It’s almost as if Trump wants to lose the election. His is the mouth that keeps giving.
Trump needed a big chunk of the women’s vote to win the election, but his uncontrollable big mouth has all but stripped him of that voting block. And his Russian flap gives Hillary and the Democrats just more cannon fodder to bring The Donald down.
Oy vey, oy vey!
BarkGrowlBite | July 27, 2016
“Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. They probably have them. I'd like to have them released. Now, if Russia or China or any other country has those e-mails, I mean, to be honest with you, I'd love to see them. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails. I hope they do. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails that she lost and deleted because you'd see some beauties there. So let's see.” – Donald Trump
“Thank you Donald, thank you, thank you!” – Hillary Clinton
Up until Wednesday Trump has managed to piss off women, Latinos, the disabled, Muslims and even POWs with his big fucking mouth. And he keeps right on letting his mouth overload his ass.
In Florida on Wednesday, responding to the charge that the Russians hacked the DNC emails, Trump invited them to find Hillary’s 30,000 emails. That’s asking the Russians to commit an act of espionage against the United States.
Asking the Russians to spy on us – what a most generous gift to Hillary. The Democrats will make hay with that.
It’s almost as if Trump wants to lose the election. His is the mouth that keeps giving.
Trump needed a big chunk of the women’s vote to win the election, but his uncontrollable big mouth has all but stripped him of that voting block. And his Russian flap gives Hillary and the Democrats just more cannon fodder to bring The Donald down.
Oy vey, oy vey!
ALL CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST PERSECUTED BALTIMORE COPS IN FREDDIE GRAY DEATH
State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby capitulates in the persecution of the Baltimore cops charged in Freddie Gray’s death
BarkGrowlBite | July 27, 2016
“After much thought and prayer it has become clear that without being able to work with an independent investigatory agency from the very start, without having a say in the election of whether cases proceed in front of a judge or jury, without communal oversight of police in this community, without substantive reforms to the current criminal justice system, we could try this case 100 times and cases just like it and we would still end up with the same result.”
“Unlike with other cases where prosecutors work closely with the police to investigate what actually occurred, what we realized very early on in this case was police investigating police, whether they’re friends or merely their colleagues, was problematic. There was a reluctance and an obvious bias that was consistently exemplified not by the entire Baltimore police department, but by individuals within the police department in every state of the investigation which became blatantly apparent in the subsequent trials.”
That was the ‘sour grapes’ announcement State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby made to reporters Wednesday while standing across the street from the location where Gray was arrested in April 2015. Mosby also said that her goal from the beginning of the case was to “always seek justice over convictions.”
Mosby’s rush to judgement may have appeased and kept the bellowing pack of rioting BLM mob at bay, but it ruined the lives of six Baltimore cops who, while they failed to secure Gray with a seat belt when placing him in a paddy wagon, did not intend to harm him. Instead of a prosecution, this was a persecution!
After Mosby capitulated, Donald Trump said: “I think she ought to prosecute herself, okay, that's my reaction. I think it was disgraceful, what she did, and the way she did it.”
The Donald has let his mouth overload his ass all through his campaign, but this time he’s spot on!
BarkGrowlBite | July 27, 2016
“After much thought and prayer it has become clear that without being able to work with an independent investigatory agency from the very start, without having a say in the election of whether cases proceed in front of a judge or jury, without communal oversight of police in this community, without substantive reforms to the current criminal justice system, we could try this case 100 times and cases just like it and we would still end up with the same result.”
“Unlike with other cases where prosecutors work closely with the police to investigate what actually occurred, what we realized very early on in this case was police investigating police, whether they’re friends or merely their colleagues, was problematic. There was a reluctance and an obvious bias that was consistently exemplified not by the entire Baltimore police department, but by individuals within the police department in every state of the investigation which became blatantly apparent in the subsequent trials.”
That was the ‘sour grapes’ announcement State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby made to reporters Wednesday while standing across the street from the location where Gray was arrested in April 2015. Mosby also said that her goal from the beginning of the case was to “always seek justice over convictions.”
Mosby’s rush to judgement may have appeased and kept the bellowing pack of rioting BLM mob at bay, but it ruined the lives of six Baltimore cops who, while they failed to secure Gray with a seat belt when placing him in a paddy wagon, did not intend to harm him. Instead of a prosecution, this was a persecution!
After Mosby capitulated, Donald Trump said: “I think she ought to prosecute herself, okay, that's my reaction. I think it was disgraceful, what she did, and the way she did it.”
The Donald has let his mouth overload his ass all through his campaign, but this time he’s spot on!
RUSSIA VS. U.S. SAME AS U.S. VS. ISRAEL
Democrats accuse Russia of trying to influence our presidential election
BarkGrowlBite July 27, 2016
Hillary Clinton and the Democrats finally found someone other than Bush to blame for their problems. Robby Mook, Hillary’s campaign manager, claims Russian hackers stole tens of thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee so that Putin could help Donald Trump in the election.
Mook was incensed that a foreign power would try to influence our election.
Oh, isn’t that exactly what the U.S. did to Israel when the State Department granted $233,500 to One Voice, a group formed to defeat Netanyahu’s 2015 reelection bid. And Jeremy Bird, who was one of Obama’s top campaign managers in 2012 in his role as national field director, was in Israel to direct One Voice’s campaign against Netanyahu.
It’s no secret that Obama hates Netanyahu. So, if providing Netanyahu’s opposition with $233,500 is not a foreign power - the U.S. - trying to influence the Israeli election, I’ll eat my beloved John Deere cap.
I say what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. And if Putin is trying to help Trump, I’ll yell, go Putin go, go Putin go!
BarkGrowlBite July 27, 2016
Hillary Clinton and the Democrats finally found someone other than Bush to blame for their problems. Robby Mook, Hillary’s campaign manager, claims Russian hackers stole tens of thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee so that Putin could help Donald Trump in the election.
Mook was incensed that a foreign power would try to influence our election.
Oh, isn’t that exactly what the U.S. did to Israel when the State Department granted $233,500 to One Voice, a group formed to defeat Netanyahu’s 2015 reelection bid. And Jeremy Bird, who was one of Obama’s top campaign managers in 2012 in his role as national field director, was in Israel to direct One Voice’s campaign against Netanyahu.
It’s no secret that Obama hates Netanyahu. So, if providing Netanyahu’s opposition with $233,500 is not a foreign power - the U.S. - trying to influence the Israeli election, I’ll eat my beloved John Deere cap.
I say what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. And if Putin is trying to help Trump, I’ll yell, go Putin go, go Putin go!
THE LESSONS OF EUROPE
BY Greg ‘The Gadfly’ Doyle
For all their political bluster and name-calling, even the most ardent leftist in the Democratic party cannot ignore the events unfolding in Western Europe.
What are the lessons we can take away from Western Europe? Without identifying our enemies and taking action to neutralize and minimize the threat of terrorism, everyone is vulnerable. Unchecked immigration can be fatal.
And after the news of the Jihadist-inspired attack on a small Roman Catholic mass in Normandy, France today, we must realize that nothing is respected as sacred by our enemies. They will kill every infidel they can get their hands on, anywhere they can gain access.
How do they generally gain access into non-Muslim countries? They most often are given visas or asylum.
If they are of the homegrown variety, jihadists have to be indoctrinated, trained and radicalized to become a killer by someone else. Where do they get this training? In Mosques here and abroad, and through interaction with Islamic jihadists on the Internet.
In spite of his claims that ISIS is in retreat due to selective drone strikes and strategic bombing by our allied coalition, the TRUTH is our efforts are focused on the symptoms of and not the real source of Islamic radicalized terror.
Islam is the source of jihadism. Until we face the facts and develop a strategy to address the source of terror, the symptoms will only worsen.
I do not know what the solution is that will not result in violence and the use of overwhelming force. I do recognize that our enemies see our compassion as weakness. They will continue to exploit our weakness to our ultimate demise.
We are NOT committed to defeating this enemy on their terms. They want our complete destruction---they will kill us with knives, axes, air planes, bombs, vehicles, and guns. Meanwhile we want to talk them to death with love using meaningless platitudes and politically correct jargon.
Have I mention Islamic terrorists are rooted in the belief-system of Islam?
What held Islamic terrorists in check before this sudden rise to power?
Tyrannical rulers like the Saudi royal family, Sadam Hussain, and General Gaddafi. Once we arrived in the theater of operation, our military presence and CIA operatives in the field kept terrorists in check on their own soil. Unfortunately, our forces were summarily pulled out of Iraq, which greatly reduced our effectiveness. It left a void and vacuum, which gave rise to ISIS and a reign of terror.
That is the record. That is the history. That is the reality that happened under President Obama and on Hillary Clinton's watch.
Wake up, America!
We are not safe! We are absolutely vulnerable! And our government, under this administration made it all possible.
If you cannot stomach voting for Donald Trump in November, then at least have enough courage to train and arm yourselves for the probability of an attack at your local church or synagogue, gas station, grocery store, or restaurant, your kid's pre-school or school campus, the next concert you attend, or while at your next family gathering.
My point is that your government is NOT going to be there when the attack comes. They will show up after shooting starts, just like in the police have always responded in recent attacks in France, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Israel, and the United States.
Are you prepared to die? Or are you prepared to defend your children, spouse, neighbors, and friends?
Am I fear-mongering? At what point does speaking to the reality, based on real and increasingly frequent events, become speaking the truth?
The world is a more dangerous and violent place than it has been for at least a decade. The carnage in the Middle East courtesy of ISIS and Al-Qaeda and other Islamic affiliated groups is unprecedented.
And now The West is under assault. The lessons of Europe are the political mistakes that have and are getting their citizens killed. And your current government is on the same path.
What can you do about it? Better yet, what will you insist your government do? Even better, prepare and arm yourselves.
For all their political bluster and name-calling, even the most ardent leftist in the Democratic party cannot ignore the events unfolding in Western Europe.
What are the lessons we can take away from Western Europe? Without identifying our enemies and taking action to neutralize and minimize the threat of terrorism, everyone is vulnerable. Unchecked immigration can be fatal.
And after the news of the Jihadist-inspired attack on a small Roman Catholic mass in Normandy, France today, we must realize that nothing is respected as sacred by our enemies. They will kill every infidel they can get their hands on, anywhere they can gain access.
How do they generally gain access into non-Muslim countries? They most often are given visas or asylum.
If they are of the homegrown variety, jihadists have to be indoctrinated, trained and radicalized to become a killer by someone else. Where do they get this training? In Mosques here and abroad, and through interaction with Islamic jihadists on the Internet.
In spite of his claims that ISIS is in retreat due to selective drone strikes and strategic bombing by our allied coalition, the TRUTH is our efforts are focused on the symptoms of and not the real source of Islamic radicalized terror.
Islam is the source of jihadism. Until we face the facts and develop a strategy to address the source of terror, the symptoms will only worsen.
I do not know what the solution is that will not result in violence and the use of overwhelming force. I do recognize that our enemies see our compassion as weakness. They will continue to exploit our weakness to our ultimate demise.
We are NOT committed to defeating this enemy on their terms. They want our complete destruction---they will kill us with knives, axes, air planes, bombs, vehicles, and guns. Meanwhile we want to talk them to death with love using meaningless platitudes and politically correct jargon.
Have I mention Islamic terrorists are rooted in the belief-system of Islam?
What held Islamic terrorists in check before this sudden rise to power?
Tyrannical rulers like the Saudi royal family, Sadam Hussain, and General Gaddafi. Once we arrived in the theater of operation, our military presence and CIA operatives in the field kept terrorists in check on their own soil. Unfortunately, our forces were summarily pulled out of Iraq, which greatly reduced our effectiveness. It left a void and vacuum, which gave rise to ISIS and a reign of terror.
That is the record. That is the history. That is the reality that happened under President Obama and on Hillary Clinton's watch.
Wake up, America!
We are not safe! We are absolutely vulnerable! And our government, under this administration made it all possible.
If you cannot stomach voting for Donald Trump in November, then at least have enough courage to train and arm yourselves for the probability of an attack at your local church or synagogue, gas station, grocery store, or restaurant, your kid's pre-school or school campus, the next concert you attend, or while at your next family gathering.
My point is that your government is NOT going to be there when the attack comes. They will show up after shooting starts, just like in the police have always responded in recent attacks in France, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Israel, and the United States.
Are you prepared to die? Or are you prepared to defend your children, spouse, neighbors, and friends?
Am I fear-mongering? At what point does speaking to the reality, based on real and increasingly frequent events, become speaking the truth?
The world is a more dangerous and violent place than it has been for at least a decade. The carnage in the Middle East courtesy of ISIS and Al-Qaeda and other Islamic affiliated groups is unprecedented.
And now The West is under assault. The lessons of Europe are the political mistakes that have and are getting their citizens killed. And your current government is on the same path.
What can you do about it? Better yet, what will you insist your government do? Even better, prepare and arm yourselves.
PRIEST BEHEADED AT CHURCH IN NORMANDY
By Bob Walsh
An 86-year old priest was beheaded in a church in Normandy, France Tuesday morning
by two Islamic terrorists armed with fake guns, fake bombs and very real edged weapons.
A nun managed to sneak out of the church during the attack and summon the police. The two terrorists gave an Islamic sermon from the pulpit and then forced the priest to his knees in front of the altar where they slit his throat and beheaded him.
The cops showed up at some point and shot both terrorists to death.
As you know John Kerry (who by the way served in Vietnam), the current Secretary of State, has recently said that Global Warming, caused in large part by air conditioning, is a bigger threat to humans than is Islamic terrorism, which doesn’t really exist anyway because, as we all know, Islam is a warm-and-fuzzy religion of peace. The news reports I have read did not note whether the church was air conditioned.
I expect that this will all turn out to be an anti-Islam hoax and the two killers will turn out to actually be Militant Methodists who were screaming “Aloha Snackbar” as the slit the priest’s throat.
An 86-year old priest was beheaded in a church in Normandy, France Tuesday morning
by two Islamic terrorists armed with fake guns, fake bombs and very real edged weapons.
A nun managed to sneak out of the church during the attack and summon the police. The two terrorists gave an Islamic sermon from the pulpit and then forced the priest to his knees in front of the altar where they slit his throat and beheaded him.
The cops showed up at some point and shot both terrorists to death.
As you know John Kerry (who by the way served in Vietnam), the current Secretary of State, has recently said that Global Warming, caused in large part by air conditioning, is a bigger threat to humans than is Islamic terrorism, which doesn’t really exist anyway because, as we all know, Islam is a warm-and-fuzzy religion of peace. The news reports I have read did not note whether the church was air conditioned.
I expect that this will all turn out to be an anti-Islam hoax and the two killers will turn out to actually be Militant Methodists who were screaming “Aloha Snackbar” as the slit the priest’s throat.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
THIS IS WHAT REPUBLICANS AT THE RNC THINK ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE AND COPS
Gale Sayers: “As a black person, I think that the more you talk about race, the worse it gets.”
By Wilbert L. Cooper | VICE News | July 20, 2016
There's never been a time in my life where the subject of race seemed to be more discussed and dissected than it is today. It's fascinating how differently we can view something like death, which on the surface seems to be so cut and dry. Our ideas about race color everything we see, whether it is the extrajudicial killing of a young black men like Philando Castile or the shooting of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. So when I found out I was going to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week, I knew I wanted to explore this gulf of viewpoints on race by talking to some people on the ground.
I've written about race extensively for VICE, and that has really helped me process what being young and black in America today means to me. I believe this country is institutionally racist, and that the violence we see between the police and the black community is one symptom of this painful fact. I believe that Black Lives Matter is a nebulous conglomeration of well-meaning activists who are fighting against this country's entrenched racism, not a hierarchal cabal plotting to kill cops. And I believe that until we can properly address institutional racism, we are likely to see a lot more of the violence that we all fear.
I know what I think, and if you've been following VICE, you probably know it, too. But I'm also curious as to how people who might vote for Donald Trump, a man who I think has used racism as currency in this election cycle, feel when they see the same images and read the same headlines that I do.
The responses I got on the convention floor were eye-opening in many regards. I was surprised at how Christianity could make some people more compassionate for the lost lives of people who don't look like them. I was fascinated by some of the more conspiracy-oriented ideas people had that related black-millennial activists with mass shooters. And I was also intrigued by the ideas of blacks who've found their political truth within the Republican Party.
Here's what a handful of Republicans hanging out at the convention had to say about our country's ongoing issues with race and law enforcement.
Name: Burgundi Cain, Alternate Delegate
Age: 31
Hometown: Houston, Texas
The situation of race in America is worse than I've ever seen it. Obviously, I'm a millennial, so race has never been a huge issue for me. Some of my best friends are from places like the Virgin Islands, and we're really close. There is no racial tension between us. I've also had ex-boyfriend who was Asian. So for me, personally, I've never seen this division. But now I'm seeing it on the streets. I work in downtown Houston, and I just see people being aggressive toward one another. There is no connection, and they are avoiding eye contact because they are afraid of what the other person is thinking.
The Dallas shootings put some of these issues on the map for people in Texas. These shootings on both sides makes me very sad. I've always believed you should never kill someone, no matter what and that all life at every stage matters, no matter who they are or what they stand for. The police officers need to change the way they engage the public. And groups like Black Lives Matter have the right to speak on those issues as long as they do it peacefully.
For the GOP to help our nation heal, they will have to start with the idea that all lives matter and say, "Hey, what's going on is not OK on both sides." They need to pull in different cultures, because when you talk to people, you realize that they often have the same values as you.
Name: Kira Inis, Alternate Delegate
Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
One thing I have come to respect is our men and women in blue. When I see the police, I know I am safe. I know Johnny Law is there to come and take care of things. I understand how difficult their jobs can be. Will they do everything perfect? No. But it is not out of a malice or racially motivated.
When any human life is taken, such as these police shootings, it is sad. But you can't let that stop you from recognizing the decisions these people made that led to them getting shot by the police. Look at Eric Garner, a man who was selling loosies and had a rap sheet a mile-long. When he was approached by the police, all the man had to do was comply. A lawful headlock was used on him; it only went wrong because Garner kept flailing around.
If black lives really mattered, don't you think people would do something about the epidemic of death in Chicago? There is a lawlessness in urban America. If you're not going to respect the life of yourself or others who look like you, why should I think you would respect those with a badge? So obviously, I expect when I hear of these incidences that the person who was shot did something ill-advised to get themselves killed.
And Black Lives Matter doesn't help at all. They are a bunch of racist, anarchist monsters who are responsible for the deaths of at least eight cops. All this blue blood is on their hands, because they were the ones who were chanting, "What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want them? Now!" What do you think is going to happen when you spew that kind of inflammatory rhetoric? Dallas and Baton Rouge, that's what.
I think that there was racism back in the day. But today, I think that racism is made up. It's in people's heads. It's manufactured by the white leftist elites whose mastermind agenda is to pit races, classes, and sexes against one another to keep the narratives of victimization of brown people going.
Name: Jim Miller, Delegate
Age: 41
Hometown: Hayward, Wisconsin
When I saw Baton Rouge, the the first thing I thought was just, Not another one. Not again. How long is this going to keep happening? My wife showed me the Minnesota shooting on my phone, and I thought that wasn't right, too. I'm a concealed-carry permit holder, just like that guy. Philando seemed like he was doing the right thing. But we will have to wait for all the facts to come out.
I think we look at things by color and gender too much, which causes division. I look at people by what is in their head. I've got friends of all different races, religions, and orientations. I'm sure some of this Black Lives Matter movement is organic. But there might be some who are professional agitators, paid by Big Labor, who want to divide us. When you talk about race relations with the police, there is some justification for the anger BLM has. But there are good and bad people in every industry. So I'm not going to say every cop is an angel, but these people are trying to protect us.
I think the racism in this country really stems form the media. When I was in Milwaukee recently, walking with my 12-year-old daughter, I noticed that when she would see a group of black men, she'd grab onto me like she was concerned. But when we would see a black woman and their daughter, she'd be fine. So something made her do this, and I think it is TV that is giving her a bad perception of young black men, and it is really unfortunate. I had to sit her down and have a talk about it.
Name: Gale Sayers, Delegate
Age: 56
Hometown: Texas
Over the last eight years, I've seen a heightened division between black and white. I think this comes from the top—the president. When something like the shooting of officers happens, instead of taking the time to honor the policemen and their families, he spent a lot of time talking about gun control and racial stuff. As a black person, I don't hardly ever think or see color when I interact with people. I think that the more you talk about race, the worse it gets.
I never worry about my kids' interactions with police. They know if a policeman approaches them, they need to be respectful because they know that if anything goes wrong, that is who they have to call. So I can't even fathom what is happening now with people shooting the police. The cops are the people we call when we have problems. To call them and ambush them is just unthinkable. I've been watching the Cleveland police officers at the convention, and it's just sad that they are putting their lives on the line for us and they have to watch their back.
There are many videos out there of officers interacting with white people and Hispanic people, and things go wrong, too. It's not just blacks. People need to learn to stop fighting with the police. Has there ever been a rogue cop? I'm sure of it. But as a whole, they are here to protect us.
My grandkids are black. My father was the blackest shade of black. My brother is very dark skinned. I love blacks. I'm black. But we need to teach people to have more confidence in themselves and stop seeing themselves as victims. A lot of times we get so caught up in how "oppressed" we are and how "everyone hates us," instead of focusing on finding someone to help or mentor. This mentality of, "poor me, I've been oppressed so I am going to kill somebody..." How does it help?
Name: Todd Jennings, Alternate Delegate
Hometown: Tampa Bay, Florida
Age: 35
We've spent a long time politicizing how everyone is different. We need someone who can come in and show us again that we are Americans because we share things that are outside of race, religion, culture, history. We share a love of liberty and freedom and a belief in the dignity of our fellow man, and I think we've lost that over the last couple of decades. I think Donald Trump can be that guy. He definitely made the right step in picking Mike Pence as his running mate.
It's tough to say if we're getting better or worse in regards to race relations. It feels like we are worse than we were eight years ago. But sometimes the worst of time precedes healing.
I think it is a shame how these shootings have been responded to. The media over sensationalizes it, which prevents us from having a conversation about it. As a white man, I can't say that I completely understand. But I acknowledge that young black men are targeted differently than whites. But we're going to have a hard time addressing that when the reaction to that is off the charts. We need to cool off to have a conversation about it.
I think Black Lives Matter is one of the clouds over the conversation that we should be having. I think that the initial idea probably had some merit. But when you are out chanting "death to cops," you're kind of defeating the purpose. If the goal is to raise awareness, you need to let people know you can have a conversation that can make things better. But I don't think they are contributing to that at this point.
Name: Richard and Leslie Kalama, Delegates
Home State: Hawaii
Age: 52
Richard: I blame the Democratic Party for our country's issues with race. The Democrats have not allowed blacks the opportunity to progress. They keep them in an economically depressed position to make them dependent on their party. I don't know how a black person in this country could even be a Democrat. The Democratic Party has offered nothing to the black community. Just look at how poorly the black communities are doing in cities run by Democrats. The Republican Party is about progress, business, and money. The Democrats are about making its supporters into victims.
As far as these recent shootings go, anytime anyone is killed, it is a tragedy. Our police have been known to use excessive force. I'm not saying that's the case with the Philando shooting, but it's very unfortunate either way. At the end of the day, I don't think that violence will ever work—whether the police are guilty or Black Lives Matter is guilty. It'd be nice if we had someone like a Martin Luther King Jr. to come in and bring unity.
I bring up Black Lives Matter because they are the most visible group out there that has advocated for violence. We only know what we see on TV. But we've heard they've talked about killing white babies. You can see that on YouTube.
I do feel like black gun owners are treated differently than whites. I have a lot of friends in law enforcement who will hate me for saying this, but when you see a black person with a gun, you tend to get more afraid, which is racist and wrong. I know black gun owners who are law-abiding citizens and shouldn't be treated any different than me.
I believe the Heavenly Father is color-blind. God created us the way we are. Our diversity is what makes this world beautiful. I would not want to live in a world where there were only white people—it wouldn't be good. Having the variety makes this world a better place.
Leslie: I'm for the law enforcement. They have a very hard job to do, and everybody just cries racism so fast before they even know the whole story. You have to put yourself in the situation of the officers. With some black people, I don't even think they really know the history of racism or slavery in the US. Republicans never owned any slaves. It was all the Democrats. But for some reason, a lot of blacks hate us.
These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
By Wilbert L. Cooper | VICE News | July 20, 2016
There's never been a time in my life where the subject of race seemed to be more discussed and dissected than it is today. It's fascinating how differently we can view something like death, which on the surface seems to be so cut and dry. Our ideas about race color everything we see, whether it is the extrajudicial killing of a young black men like Philando Castile or the shooting of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. So when I found out I was going to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week, I knew I wanted to explore this gulf of viewpoints on race by talking to some people on the ground.
I've written about race extensively for VICE, and that has really helped me process what being young and black in America today means to me. I believe this country is institutionally racist, and that the violence we see between the police and the black community is one symptom of this painful fact. I believe that Black Lives Matter is a nebulous conglomeration of well-meaning activists who are fighting against this country's entrenched racism, not a hierarchal cabal plotting to kill cops. And I believe that until we can properly address institutional racism, we are likely to see a lot more of the violence that we all fear.
I know what I think, and if you've been following VICE, you probably know it, too. But I'm also curious as to how people who might vote for Donald Trump, a man who I think has used racism as currency in this election cycle, feel when they see the same images and read the same headlines that I do.
The responses I got on the convention floor were eye-opening in many regards. I was surprised at how Christianity could make some people more compassionate for the lost lives of people who don't look like them. I was fascinated by some of the more conspiracy-oriented ideas people had that related black-millennial activists with mass shooters. And I was also intrigued by the ideas of blacks who've found their political truth within the Republican Party.
Here's what a handful of Republicans hanging out at the convention had to say about our country's ongoing issues with race and law enforcement.
Name: Burgundi Cain, Alternate Delegate
Age: 31
Hometown: Houston, Texas
The situation of race in America is worse than I've ever seen it. Obviously, I'm a millennial, so race has never been a huge issue for me. Some of my best friends are from places like the Virgin Islands, and we're really close. There is no racial tension between us. I've also had ex-boyfriend who was Asian. So for me, personally, I've never seen this division. But now I'm seeing it on the streets. I work in downtown Houston, and I just see people being aggressive toward one another. There is no connection, and they are avoiding eye contact because they are afraid of what the other person is thinking.
The Dallas shootings put some of these issues on the map for people in Texas. These shootings on both sides makes me very sad. I've always believed you should never kill someone, no matter what and that all life at every stage matters, no matter who they are or what they stand for. The police officers need to change the way they engage the public. And groups like Black Lives Matter have the right to speak on those issues as long as they do it peacefully.
For the GOP to help our nation heal, they will have to start with the idea that all lives matter and say, "Hey, what's going on is not OK on both sides." They need to pull in different cultures, because when you talk to people, you realize that they often have the same values as you.
Name: Kira Inis, Alternate Delegate
Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
One thing I have come to respect is our men and women in blue. When I see the police, I know I am safe. I know Johnny Law is there to come and take care of things. I understand how difficult their jobs can be. Will they do everything perfect? No. But it is not out of a malice or racially motivated.
When any human life is taken, such as these police shootings, it is sad. But you can't let that stop you from recognizing the decisions these people made that led to them getting shot by the police. Look at Eric Garner, a man who was selling loosies and had a rap sheet a mile-long. When he was approached by the police, all the man had to do was comply. A lawful headlock was used on him; it only went wrong because Garner kept flailing around.
If black lives really mattered, don't you think people would do something about the epidemic of death in Chicago? There is a lawlessness in urban America. If you're not going to respect the life of yourself or others who look like you, why should I think you would respect those with a badge? So obviously, I expect when I hear of these incidences that the person who was shot did something ill-advised to get themselves killed.
And Black Lives Matter doesn't help at all. They are a bunch of racist, anarchist monsters who are responsible for the deaths of at least eight cops. All this blue blood is on their hands, because they were the ones who were chanting, "What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want them? Now!" What do you think is going to happen when you spew that kind of inflammatory rhetoric? Dallas and Baton Rouge, that's what.
I think that there was racism back in the day. But today, I think that racism is made up. It's in people's heads. It's manufactured by the white leftist elites whose mastermind agenda is to pit races, classes, and sexes against one another to keep the narratives of victimization of brown people going.
Name: Jim Miller, Delegate
Age: 41
Hometown: Hayward, Wisconsin
When I saw Baton Rouge, the the first thing I thought was just, Not another one. Not again. How long is this going to keep happening? My wife showed me the Minnesota shooting on my phone, and I thought that wasn't right, too. I'm a concealed-carry permit holder, just like that guy. Philando seemed like he was doing the right thing. But we will have to wait for all the facts to come out.
I think we look at things by color and gender too much, which causes division. I look at people by what is in their head. I've got friends of all different races, religions, and orientations. I'm sure some of this Black Lives Matter movement is organic. But there might be some who are professional agitators, paid by Big Labor, who want to divide us. When you talk about race relations with the police, there is some justification for the anger BLM has. But there are good and bad people in every industry. So I'm not going to say every cop is an angel, but these people are trying to protect us.
I think the racism in this country really stems form the media. When I was in Milwaukee recently, walking with my 12-year-old daughter, I noticed that when she would see a group of black men, she'd grab onto me like she was concerned. But when we would see a black woman and their daughter, she'd be fine. So something made her do this, and I think it is TV that is giving her a bad perception of young black men, and it is really unfortunate. I had to sit her down and have a talk about it.
Name: Gale Sayers, Delegate
Age: 56
Hometown: Texas
Over the last eight years, I've seen a heightened division between black and white. I think this comes from the top—the president. When something like the shooting of officers happens, instead of taking the time to honor the policemen and their families, he spent a lot of time talking about gun control and racial stuff. As a black person, I don't hardly ever think or see color when I interact with people. I think that the more you talk about race, the worse it gets.
I never worry about my kids' interactions with police. They know if a policeman approaches them, they need to be respectful because they know that if anything goes wrong, that is who they have to call. So I can't even fathom what is happening now with people shooting the police. The cops are the people we call when we have problems. To call them and ambush them is just unthinkable. I've been watching the Cleveland police officers at the convention, and it's just sad that they are putting their lives on the line for us and they have to watch their back.
There are many videos out there of officers interacting with white people and Hispanic people, and things go wrong, too. It's not just blacks. People need to learn to stop fighting with the police. Has there ever been a rogue cop? I'm sure of it. But as a whole, they are here to protect us.
My grandkids are black. My father was the blackest shade of black. My brother is very dark skinned. I love blacks. I'm black. But we need to teach people to have more confidence in themselves and stop seeing themselves as victims. A lot of times we get so caught up in how "oppressed" we are and how "everyone hates us," instead of focusing on finding someone to help or mentor. This mentality of, "poor me, I've been oppressed so I am going to kill somebody..." How does it help?
Name: Todd Jennings, Alternate Delegate
Hometown: Tampa Bay, Florida
Age: 35
We've spent a long time politicizing how everyone is different. We need someone who can come in and show us again that we are Americans because we share things that are outside of race, religion, culture, history. We share a love of liberty and freedom and a belief in the dignity of our fellow man, and I think we've lost that over the last couple of decades. I think Donald Trump can be that guy. He definitely made the right step in picking Mike Pence as his running mate.
It's tough to say if we're getting better or worse in regards to race relations. It feels like we are worse than we were eight years ago. But sometimes the worst of time precedes healing.
I think it is a shame how these shootings have been responded to. The media over sensationalizes it, which prevents us from having a conversation about it. As a white man, I can't say that I completely understand. But I acknowledge that young black men are targeted differently than whites. But we're going to have a hard time addressing that when the reaction to that is off the charts. We need to cool off to have a conversation about it.
I think Black Lives Matter is one of the clouds over the conversation that we should be having. I think that the initial idea probably had some merit. But when you are out chanting "death to cops," you're kind of defeating the purpose. If the goal is to raise awareness, you need to let people know you can have a conversation that can make things better. But I don't think they are contributing to that at this point.
Name: Richard and Leslie Kalama, Delegates
Home State: Hawaii
Age: 52
Richard: I blame the Democratic Party for our country's issues with race. The Democrats have not allowed blacks the opportunity to progress. They keep them in an economically depressed position to make them dependent on their party. I don't know how a black person in this country could even be a Democrat. The Democratic Party has offered nothing to the black community. Just look at how poorly the black communities are doing in cities run by Democrats. The Republican Party is about progress, business, and money. The Democrats are about making its supporters into victims.
As far as these recent shootings go, anytime anyone is killed, it is a tragedy. Our police have been known to use excessive force. I'm not saying that's the case with the Philando shooting, but it's very unfortunate either way. At the end of the day, I don't think that violence will ever work—whether the police are guilty or Black Lives Matter is guilty. It'd be nice if we had someone like a Martin Luther King Jr. to come in and bring unity.
I bring up Black Lives Matter because they are the most visible group out there that has advocated for violence. We only know what we see on TV. But we've heard they've talked about killing white babies. You can see that on YouTube.
I do feel like black gun owners are treated differently than whites. I have a lot of friends in law enforcement who will hate me for saying this, but when you see a black person with a gun, you tend to get more afraid, which is racist and wrong. I know black gun owners who are law-abiding citizens and shouldn't be treated any different than me.
I believe the Heavenly Father is color-blind. God created us the way we are. Our diversity is what makes this world beautiful. I would not want to live in a world where there were only white people—it wouldn't be good. Having the variety makes this world a better place.
Leslie: I'm for the law enforcement. They have a very hard job to do, and everybody just cries racism so fast before they even know the whole story. You have to put yourself in the situation of the officers. With some black people, I don't even think they really know the history of racism or slavery in the US. Republicans never owned any slaves. It was all the Democrats. But for some reason, a lot of blacks hate us.
These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
WORLD LEADERS POUR INTO WASHINGTON TO PAY LAST RESPECTS TO DYING NATION
The Onion | July 22, 2016
WASHINGTON—Bowing their heads as they solemnly shuffled single-file past Capitol Hill, leaders from around the world reportedly poured into Washington, D.C. this week to pay their last respects to the dying nation.
“Given all this great country has achieved, I felt it was important to take the time to come here today in order to show my appreciation and say my final goodbyes,” said German chancellor Angela Merkel, one of over 200 presidents and prime ministers who flew to the U.S. capital to share their favorite memories of the 240-year-old nation and tell the country just how much it always meant to them before it was too late. “When it became clear that time was running out, I felt I had to come here and see this wonderful country one last time, as it has been a dear friend of ours. Sure, we didn’t see eye to eye on everything, but we knew it always meant well. While this is certainly a sad occasion, at least we can take comfort knowing that it had a full, rich life and that this was just its time to go.”
Sources confirmed that Pakistan’s president, Mamnoon Hussain, delivered his deepest sympathies on behalf of the Chinese delegation, which was unable to make the trip.
WASHINGTON—Bowing their heads as they solemnly shuffled single-file past Capitol Hill, leaders from around the world reportedly poured into Washington, D.C. this week to pay their last respects to the dying nation.
“Given all this great country has achieved, I felt it was important to take the time to come here today in order to show my appreciation and say my final goodbyes,” said German chancellor Angela Merkel, one of over 200 presidents and prime ministers who flew to the U.S. capital to share their favorite memories of the 240-year-old nation and tell the country just how much it always meant to them before it was too late. “When it became clear that time was running out, I felt I had to come here and see this wonderful country one last time, as it has been a dear friend of ours. Sure, we didn’t see eye to eye on everything, but we knew it always meant well. While this is certainly a sad occasion, at least we can take comfort knowing that it had a full, rich life and that this was just its time to go.”
Sources confirmed that Pakistan’s president, Mamnoon Hussain, delivered his deepest sympathies on behalf of the Chinese delegation, which was unable to make the trip.
Monday, July 25, 2016
IS BERNIE SANDERS A JEW OR AN ATHEIST?
Embarrassing leaked Democratic National Committee email suggests using Bernie’s religious beliefs against him would be a good way to assure Hillary’s nomination
BarkGrowlBite | July 25, 2016
Wikileaks released a number of embarrassing emails from the DNC that it obtained from a hacker. Some of these emails show that the DNC was dead set against Bernie Sanders securing the Democratic Party nomination, something that Sanders claimed during his campaign.
Here is one of those emails. It was sent to DNC Communications Director Luis Miranda and Deputy Communications Director Mark Paustenbach by DNC CFO Brad Marshall.
From:MARSHALL@dnc.org
To: MirandaL@dnc.org, PaustenbachM@dnc.org, DaceyA@dnc.org
Date: 2016-05-05 03:31
Subject: No shit
It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.
No shit ... what an appropriate subject title.
My opinion is that Bernie is an Israel-hating ersatz Jew, not far removed from being an atheist.
The Quran says that Jews who break the Sabbath are turned into apes and swine. And during WW2 when I was in the Army, I learned from the Southern good old boys that “a Jew is nothing but a nigger turned inside out.”
So, oy vey, what in the fuck am I … an ape, swine, or a nigger turned inside out? Will someone please tell me before I become schizophrenic!
BarkGrowlBite | July 25, 2016
Wikileaks released a number of embarrassing emails from the DNC that it obtained from a hacker. Some of these emails show that the DNC was dead set against Bernie Sanders securing the Democratic Party nomination, something that Sanders claimed during his campaign.
Here is one of those emails. It was sent to DNC Communications Director Luis Miranda and Deputy Communications Director Mark Paustenbach by DNC CFO Brad Marshall.
From:MARSHALL@dnc.org
To: MirandaL@dnc.org, PaustenbachM@dnc.org, DaceyA@dnc.org
Date: 2016-05-05 03:31
Subject: No shit
It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.
No shit ... what an appropriate subject title.
My opinion is that Bernie is an Israel-hating ersatz Jew, not far removed from being an atheist.
The Quran says that Jews who break the Sabbath are turned into apes and swine. And during WW2 when I was in the Army, I learned from the Southern good old boys that “a Jew is nothing but a nigger turned inside out.”
So, oy vey, what in the fuck am I … an ape, swine, or a nigger turned inside out? Will someone please tell me before I become schizophrenic!
WOMEN WHO WILL AND WILL NOT BE GUEST SPEAKERS AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
BarkGrowlBite July 25, 2016
Frank Borelli, editor of Officer.com, has provided a list of these women who have been invited as guest speakers at the DNC:
Mrs. Astrid Silva Gavel is an “undocumented immigrant” who has done well for herself. Although she is in our country ILLEGALLY (which makes her a criminal since she’s committing a crime in an on-going manner), she has earned a good education (working on her third college degree) and not broken the law (except for that whole illegal immigration thing).
Ms. Gwen Carr – the mother of Eric Garner. Eric Garner was made famous when he died OF A HEART ATTACK after being arrested. He resisted arrest and was placed into a submission hold by police officers. He was obese and had a number of documented physical ailments, all of which contributed to his death from cardiac arrest after he fought the police.
Ms. Sybrian Fulton – Trayvon Martin’s mother. It’s interesting that Trayvon Martin wasn’t shot by the police but was held up by the mainstream media as a victim of racism. He was portrayed as an innocent victim killed by a racist white man. In truth, evidence showed that he was shot by a Hispanic man who was defending himself from a potentially lethal assault committed by Martin. Trayvon’s death was a shame but the shooting was 100% justifiable and demonstrated as such by a trial.
Ms. Maria Hamilton – mother of Dontre Hamilton. I admit to being confused by this inclusion. Dontre Hamilton’s name isn’t so well known. Why? Because the mainstream media couldn’t spin the events enough. Dontre Hamilton attacked a police officer, taking his baton and hitting the police officer in the neck before being shot by the officer he’d attacked. Hamilton was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and the officer was somehow expected to know this and take it into consideration as he defended himself from a potentially lethal attack. The officer lost his job over the incident even though his shooting of Hamilton was justified under any reasonable examination.
Ms. Lucia McBath – mother of Jordan Davis. Jordan Davis was murdered by a man named Michael Dunn, who had no connection or relation to law enforcement, and who was convicted of first degree murder. I am at a loss as to why Ms. McBath might be speaking except that her son was one more young African American male killed by a gun and they might be able to leverage her presence to support gun control.
Ms. Lezley McSpadden – Michael Brown’s mother. In case any of us have forgotten, Michael Brown was the man who committed a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store and then attacked Officer Darren Wilson, trying to take Wilson’s gun. Even the Department of Justice couldn’t find any wrong doing on Officer Wilson’s part and the autopsy clearly showed that the mainstream media’s narrative of Brown being shot in the back OR being shot while his hands were up was all false. Brown, a convicted criminal who was actively trying to kill a police officer was, and is, held up as an example of racially motivated excessive force used by the police.
Mrs. Geneva Reed-Veal – mother of Sandra Bland. Her daughter committed suicide while in a holding cell. There is absolutely zero evidence that there was anything suspicious about her suicide, but that hasn’t stopped all of the rumors and innuendo from flying about police involvement in her death.
Fraternal Order of Police vice president Roosevelt Poplar said the speaker list was “a slap in the face to our men and women and their families,” whose loved ones were gunned down, “especially in the past weeks when we've had eight officers assassinated.”
Now here is my list of women who were not invited as guest speakers at the DNC:
Kathleen Willey, Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Jones – these three women could speak about how they were sexually assaulted by Bill Clinton
Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers – these two women could speak about their sexual relations with Bill Clinton.
Also countless other women Bill fucked while married to the Hildebeast.
The mothers and widows of the Americans who lost their lives in the Benghazi attacks.
And the mothers and widows of police officers assassinated by black killers in recent weeks.
Frank Borelli, editor of Officer.com, has provided a list of these women who have been invited as guest speakers at the DNC:
Mrs. Astrid Silva Gavel is an “undocumented immigrant” who has done well for herself. Although she is in our country ILLEGALLY (which makes her a criminal since she’s committing a crime in an on-going manner), she has earned a good education (working on her third college degree) and not broken the law (except for that whole illegal immigration thing).
Ms. Gwen Carr – the mother of Eric Garner. Eric Garner was made famous when he died OF A HEART ATTACK after being arrested. He resisted arrest and was placed into a submission hold by police officers. He was obese and had a number of documented physical ailments, all of which contributed to his death from cardiac arrest after he fought the police.
Ms. Sybrian Fulton – Trayvon Martin’s mother. It’s interesting that Trayvon Martin wasn’t shot by the police but was held up by the mainstream media as a victim of racism. He was portrayed as an innocent victim killed by a racist white man. In truth, evidence showed that he was shot by a Hispanic man who was defending himself from a potentially lethal assault committed by Martin. Trayvon’s death was a shame but the shooting was 100% justifiable and demonstrated as such by a trial.
Ms. Maria Hamilton – mother of Dontre Hamilton. I admit to being confused by this inclusion. Dontre Hamilton’s name isn’t so well known. Why? Because the mainstream media couldn’t spin the events enough. Dontre Hamilton attacked a police officer, taking his baton and hitting the police officer in the neck before being shot by the officer he’d attacked. Hamilton was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and the officer was somehow expected to know this and take it into consideration as he defended himself from a potentially lethal attack. The officer lost his job over the incident even though his shooting of Hamilton was justified under any reasonable examination.
Ms. Lucia McBath – mother of Jordan Davis. Jordan Davis was murdered by a man named Michael Dunn, who had no connection or relation to law enforcement, and who was convicted of first degree murder. I am at a loss as to why Ms. McBath might be speaking except that her son was one more young African American male killed by a gun and they might be able to leverage her presence to support gun control.
Ms. Lezley McSpadden – Michael Brown’s mother. In case any of us have forgotten, Michael Brown was the man who committed a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store and then attacked Officer Darren Wilson, trying to take Wilson’s gun. Even the Department of Justice couldn’t find any wrong doing on Officer Wilson’s part and the autopsy clearly showed that the mainstream media’s narrative of Brown being shot in the back OR being shot while his hands were up was all false. Brown, a convicted criminal who was actively trying to kill a police officer was, and is, held up as an example of racially motivated excessive force used by the police.
Mrs. Geneva Reed-Veal – mother of Sandra Bland. Her daughter committed suicide while in a holding cell. There is absolutely zero evidence that there was anything suspicious about her suicide, but that hasn’t stopped all of the rumors and innuendo from flying about police involvement in her death.
Fraternal Order of Police vice president Roosevelt Poplar said the speaker list was “a slap in the face to our men and women and their families,” whose loved ones were gunned down, “especially in the past weeks when we've had eight officers assassinated.”
Now here is my list of women who were not invited as guest speakers at the DNC:
Kathleen Willey, Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Jones – these three women could speak about how they were sexually assaulted by Bill Clinton
Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers – these two women could speak about their sexual relations with Bill Clinton.
Also countless other women Bill fucked while married to the Hildebeast.
The mothers and widows of the Americans who lost their lives in the Benghazi attacks.
And the mothers and widows of police officers assassinated by black killers in recent weeks.
YOU ARE BNG TRACKED
By Harry Dunne
I don't think living completely off the grid can be accomplished in the USA.
Everything you do is tracked. Vehicle registration, driver’s license, hunting license, professional licenses, utilities, shopping habits, banking, professional organizations and other people you know who are listed as known associates along with relatives all combine to paint an intelligence picture of you.
All the info is sold to companies such as Nexus-Lexus who provide it to private companies and individuals for a fee. Law Enforcement (LE) also retrieves most of its LE classified intel from these companies for a fee. Most LE agencies at least midsized or greater employ trained analysts who gather intel for LE needs.
TCIC/NCIC [Texas Crime Information Center/National Crime Information Center] can only collect certain information such as stolen vehicles and property and wanted requests. Tracking someone is different.
Most criminals know this information is out there. It is almost impossible to stay off the grid. That's why they get caught.
The next time you fill out the CVS discount card to save 10 cents on a gallon of milk, remember that the info is being shared.
There are several ways to thwart tracking intel, but it can only buy time because people are creatures of habit.
I don't think living completely off the grid can be accomplished in the USA.
Everything you do is tracked. Vehicle registration, driver’s license, hunting license, professional licenses, utilities, shopping habits, banking, professional organizations and other people you know who are listed as known associates along with relatives all combine to paint an intelligence picture of you.
All the info is sold to companies such as Nexus-Lexus who provide it to private companies and individuals for a fee. Law Enforcement (LE) also retrieves most of its LE classified intel from these companies for a fee. Most LE agencies at least midsized or greater employ trained analysts who gather intel for LE needs.
TCIC/NCIC [Texas Crime Information Center/National Crime Information Center] can only collect certain information such as stolen vehicles and property and wanted requests. Tracking someone is different.
Most criminals know this information is out there. It is almost impossible to stay off the grid. That's why they get caught.
The next time you fill out the CVS discount card to save 10 cents on a gallon of milk, remember that the info is being shared.
There are several ways to thwart tracking intel, but it can only buy time because people are creatures of habit.
JOHN KERRY DECLARES AIR CONDITIONERS AND REFRIGERATORS JUST AS BIG A THREAT AS ISIS
The Secretary of State says hydrofluorocarbons, the refrigerants used in air conditioners and refrigerators, pose as big a threat to "life on the planet" as the threat of terrorism
By John Siciliano | Washington Examiner | July 22, 2016
Air conditioners and refrigerators pose as big a threat to "life on the planet" as the threat of terrorism, Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday.
Kerry was in Vienna negotiating a global climate deal to phase out chemicals used as refrigerants in basic household and commercial appliances such as air conditioning and refrigerators, called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. The chemicals are a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions that many scientists blame for contributing to global warming.
Kerry made the remarks as part of a pep talk for negotiators working through the weekend to amend a 1987 treaty called the Montreal Protocol to deal with the chemicals.
"Yesterday, I met in Washington with 45 nations — defense ministers and foreign ministers — as we were working together on the challenge of [the Islamic State], and terrorism," he said. "It's hard for some people to grasp it, but what we — you — are doing here right now is of equal importance because it has the ability to literally save life on the planet itself."
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy is one of the U.S.'s lead negotiators in the discussions in Vienna. She said Thursday that one of her goals is to move the HFC agreement into force by the end of the year.
The global deal would match new EPA regulations to ban HFCs in the United States and promote alternative chemicals for use in appliances.
The EPA's rules, together with the negotiations in Vienna, are part of the president's climate agenda for his final year in office.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The world is no doubt in a cycle of global warming to which hydro carbon emissions contribute very little. If you do away with air conditioners, more people are liable to die from heat-related problems than from the hydrofluorocarbons Kerry is so alarmed about.
Furthermore, I hardly think we are going to be gunned down, run over, or blown to bits by our air conditioners and refrigerators.
By John Siciliano | Washington Examiner | July 22, 2016
Air conditioners and refrigerators pose as big a threat to "life on the planet" as the threat of terrorism, Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday.
Kerry was in Vienna negotiating a global climate deal to phase out chemicals used as refrigerants in basic household and commercial appliances such as air conditioning and refrigerators, called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. The chemicals are a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions that many scientists blame for contributing to global warming.
Kerry made the remarks as part of a pep talk for negotiators working through the weekend to amend a 1987 treaty called the Montreal Protocol to deal with the chemicals.
"Yesterday, I met in Washington with 45 nations — defense ministers and foreign ministers — as we were working together on the challenge of [the Islamic State], and terrorism," he said. "It's hard for some people to grasp it, but what we — you — are doing here right now is of equal importance because it has the ability to literally save life on the planet itself."
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy is one of the U.S.'s lead negotiators in the discussions in Vienna. She said Thursday that one of her goals is to move the HFC agreement into force by the end of the year.
The global deal would match new EPA regulations to ban HFCs in the United States and promote alternative chemicals for use in appliances.
The EPA's rules, together with the negotiations in Vienna, are part of the president's climate agenda for his final year in office.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The world is no doubt in a cycle of global warming to which hydro carbon emissions contribute very little. If you do away with air conditioners, more people are liable to die from heat-related problems than from the hydrofluorocarbons Kerry is so alarmed about.
Furthermore, I hardly think we are going to be gunned down, run over, or blown to bits by our air conditioners and refrigerators.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
A lady goes to her priest one day and tells him, “Father, I have a problem. I have two female parrots, but they only know how to say one thing.”
“What do they say?” the priest inquired.
“They say, ‘Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?’”
“That's obscene!,” the priest exclaimed,
Then he thought for a moment.
“You know,” he said, “I may have a solution to your problem. I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read the Bible. Bring your two parrots over to my house, and we'll put them in the cage with Francis and Peter. My parrots can teach your parrots to praise the Lord and worship, and your parrots are sure to stop saying that phrase in no time.”
“Thank you,” the woman responded, “this may very well be the solution.”
The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest's house. As he ushered her in, she saw that his two male parrots were inside their cage holding rosary beads and praying. Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them.
After a few minutes, the female parrots cried out in unison: “Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?”
There was stunned silence. Shocked, one male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed: “Put the beads away, Frank. Our prayers have been answered!”
“What do they say?” the priest inquired.
“They say, ‘Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?’”
“That's obscene!,” the priest exclaimed,
Then he thought for a moment.
“You know,” he said, “I may have a solution to your problem. I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read the Bible. Bring your two parrots over to my house, and we'll put them in the cage with Francis and Peter. My parrots can teach your parrots to praise the Lord and worship, and your parrots are sure to stop saying that phrase in no time.”
“Thank you,” the woman responded, “this may very well be the solution.”
The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest's house. As he ushered her in, she saw that his two male parrots were inside their cage holding rosary beads and praying. Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them.
After a few minutes, the female parrots cried out in unison: “Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?”
There was stunned silence. Shocked, one male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed: “Put the beads away, Frank. Our prayers have been answered!”
Sunday, July 24, 2016
MAN RIPS OFF CEILING PANEL ON CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350
A passenger caused a three-hour delay of a flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok when he thought he was opening an overhead luggage bin
BarkGrowlBite | July 24, 2016
280 passengers were all set to take off from Hong Kong to Bangkok on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 Wednesday when a slight snag occurred.
A man ripped off a ceiling panel on the airliner in the mistaken belief that he was opening an overhead luggage bin.
The airliner was a brand new Airbus A360. Mechanics were able to repair the damage without taking the aircraft out of service. The flight took off after a three-hour delay.
The unidentified passenger who ripped off the ceiling was allowed to stay on the flight.
I strongly suspect his 279 fellow passengers were either laughing at him or royally pissed off at him.
BarkGrowlBite | July 24, 2016
280 passengers were all set to take off from Hong Kong to Bangkok on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 Wednesday when a slight snag occurred.
A man ripped off a ceiling panel on the airliner in the mistaken belief that he was opening an overhead luggage bin.
The airliner was a brand new Airbus A360. Mechanics were able to repair the damage without taking the aircraft out of service. The flight took off after a three-hour delay.
The unidentified passenger who ripped off the ceiling was allowed to stay on the flight.
I strongly suspect his 279 fellow passengers were either laughing at him or royally pissed off at him.
IS KRAPMART ABOUT TO CLOSE DOWN?
By Bob Walsh
It seems that a lot of the store-level employees of K-Mart, a division of Sears Holding, seem to believe that K-Mart is about to go belly-up.
Many of their stores are totally cleaning out their stockrooms. Everything is going out on the floor. Management positions which are vacant are not being filled. About 1/3 of their stores have closed down recently.
Management says that the clearing out of back room stock is merely an inventory control mechanism and is not indicative of a prepared liquidation. Who knows, it might even be true.
It seems that a lot of the store-level employees of K-Mart, a division of Sears Holding, seem to believe that K-Mart is about to go belly-up.
Many of their stores are totally cleaning out their stockrooms. Everything is going out on the floor. Management positions which are vacant are not being filled. About 1/3 of their stores have closed down recently.
Management says that the clearing out of back room stock is merely an inventory control mechanism and is not indicative of a prepared liquidation. Who knows, it might even be true.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI DECLARES ISIS WILL SURRENDER THE DAY TRUMP IS SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT
After listening to Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention in which he promised to destroy Islamic terrorism, the leader of ISIL (ISIS) is convinced he means what he says, and unlike Obama, he will do it
Breaking News | BarkGrowlBite | July 23, 2016
Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), met with a small group of select journalists at his secret hideout in Syria. The journalists, including Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, were met by al-Baghdadi’s emissaries in Mosul, Iraq, blindfolded and driven to the hideout.
Al-Baghdadi singled out Friedman, saying “Mr. Friedman, I am welcoming you even though you are a Jew because you and your newspaper have consistently favored the oppressed Palestinians over the Zionist swine. May the blessings of Allah be upon you.”
The ISIS leader then said he had listened with great interest to the speech given by Trump on Thursday at the Republican National Convention. He is convinced that Trump means what he said when he promised to destroy Islamic terrorism, and unlike Obama, He will do it.
Whereas al-Baghdadi sees Obama as a sniveling weakling, he sees Trump as a strong resolute man.
“Bit by bit, we have been losing ground, but if and when Trump becomes President, all will be lost in a cloud of dust,” said al-Baghdadi. “I have it from sources withinin the Trump camp that he will use nuclear weapons against us.”
“I see no sense in carrying on our struggle against the infidels with Trump as President,” he continued, “so I hereby declare by Allah that on the day Mr. Trump is sworn in as President, my caliphate [ISIL] will surrender.”
When asked what he would do if Clinton were to win the election, the cleric first laughed, then said, “You cannot believe anything that ‘mamhoon sharmuta’ [homosexual bitch] says. If and when she becomes President, I will order my soldiers in America to step up their attacks on the infidels. Allahu Akbar!.”
When asked what made him call Clinton a homosexual, al-Baghdadi replied that his sources have told him that “Hillary Clinton and that Huma [Abedin] woman are engaged in a sinful relationship. Here those two women would be stoned to death, Allah be praised!”
Throughout the interview Al-Baghdadi appeared to be in some pain. When asked about this, he replied that he was still recovering from injuries he suffered in an air strike against him. He added that the attack killed several women and children.
Al-Baghdadi refused to answer any more questions or make any additional comments.
The journalists were blindfolded again and driven back to Mosul. They believe they met with al-Baghdadi in the Syrian city of Ar-Raqqah.
Breaking News | BarkGrowlBite | July 23, 2016
Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), met with a small group of select journalists at his secret hideout in Syria. The journalists, including Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, were met by al-Baghdadi’s emissaries in Mosul, Iraq, blindfolded and driven to the hideout.
Al-Baghdadi singled out Friedman, saying “Mr. Friedman, I am welcoming you even though you are a Jew because you and your newspaper have consistently favored the oppressed Palestinians over the Zionist swine. May the blessings of Allah be upon you.”
The ISIS leader then said he had listened with great interest to the speech given by Trump on Thursday at the Republican National Convention. He is convinced that Trump means what he said when he promised to destroy Islamic terrorism, and unlike Obama, He will do it.
Whereas al-Baghdadi sees Obama as a sniveling weakling, he sees Trump as a strong resolute man.
“Bit by bit, we have been losing ground, but if and when Trump becomes President, all will be lost in a cloud of dust,” said al-Baghdadi. “I have it from sources withinin the Trump camp that he will use nuclear weapons against us.”
“I see no sense in carrying on our struggle against the infidels with Trump as President,” he continued, “so I hereby declare by Allah that on the day Mr. Trump is sworn in as President, my caliphate [ISIL] will surrender.”
When asked what he would do if Clinton were to win the election, the cleric first laughed, then said, “You cannot believe anything that ‘mamhoon sharmuta’ [homosexual bitch] says. If and when she becomes President, I will order my soldiers in America to step up their attacks on the infidels. Allahu Akbar!.”
When asked what made him call Clinton a homosexual, al-Baghdadi replied that his sources have told him that “Hillary Clinton and that Huma [Abedin] woman are engaged in a sinful relationship. Here those two women would be stoned to death, Allah be praised!”
Throughout the interview Al-Baghdadi appeared to be in some pain. When asked about this, he replied that he was still recovering from injuries he suffered in an air strike against him. He added that the attack killed several women and children.
Al-Baghdadi refused to answer any more questions or make any additional comments.
The journalists were blindfolded again and driven back to Mosul. They believe they met with al-Baghdadi in the Syrian city of Ar-Raqqah.
GLOBAL WARMING IS A BITCH….OR NOT
By Bob Walsh
The alpaca herds of the mountains of Peru are dying off in considerable number, causing a great deal of distress and hardship for those who raise and tend the herds. The cause, it is too damn cold. The government says 50,000 of the animals have died from the cold. They estimate this cold snap could kill off 300,000 of the critters.
A lot of sheep are also dying from the cold, but since they are not nearly as cute as the alpacas people don’t care so much, unless of course they are your sheep and you need them to keep your family alive.
The alpaca herds of the mountains of Peru are dying off in considerable number, causing a great deal of distress and hardship for those who raise and tend the herds. The cause, it is too damn cold. The government says 50,000 of the animals have died from the cold. They estimate this cold snap could kill off 300,000 of the critters.
A lot of sheep are also dying from the cold, but since they are not nearly as cute as the alpacas people don’t care so much, unless of course they are your sheep and you need them to keep your family alive.
AND SO AN ERA COMES TO AN END
By Bob Walsh
As I was driving home from the range today I heard an interesting news blurb on the car radio. The last VHS VCR is going to roll off the assembly line in Japan at the end of the month.
There are still any number of people who make VHS-DVD combo units, which come in handy for dubbing your VHS tapes onto DVD. They will also record onto VHS if you feel the need, and I do use mine fairly regularly to catch TV shows without the bother of hunting them down on the On Demand menu.
Nevertheless it is noteworthy IMHO. These things killed off the porno movie house industry. If you want one, you better grab one now. (Or at least check EBAY every now and then.)
As I was driving home from the range today I heard an interesting news blurb on the car radio. The last VHS VCR is going to roll off the assembly line in Japan at the end of the month.
There are still any number of people who make VHS-DVD combo units, which come in handy for dubbing your VHS tapes onto DVD. They will also record onto VHS if you feel the need, and I do use mine fairly regularly to catch TV shows without the bother of hunting them down on the On Demand menu.
Nevertheless it is noteworthy IMHO. These things killed off the porno movie house industry. If you want one, you better grab one now. (Or at least check EBAY every now and then.)
Friday, July 22, 2016
IS ‘THE SIEGE’ A PREVIEW OF HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL DEAL WITH ISLAMIC TERRORISM IN THE HOMELAND?
Would a President Donald Trump turn loose the Army to put down a Muslim terrorist threat to the homeland as depicted in the 1998 movie, The Siege
BarkGrowlBite | July 22, 2016
The other night I watched The Siege, a 1998 movie starring Denzel Washington as an FBI Agent.
The movie is about a number of Muslim terrorist bombings in New York City. When the FBI and local authorities are unable to capture the terrorists, the President declares martial law and turns loose the Army under the command of a hotshot general (Bruce Willis). The army rounds up all young Muslim men in New York and detains them in a sports stadium. And the general resorts to torturing a suspect for information before summarily executing him.
Trump has often said he will deal harshly with terrorists and resort to torture if necessary. In his speech to the Republican National Convention last night he promised to stop Islamic terrorism.
So is The Siege a preview of how President Trump will deal with Islamic terrorism in the homeland? Farfetched? Hmmm, I wonder ….. maybe not.
BarkGrowlBite | July 22, 2016
The other night I watched The Siege, a 1998 movie starring Denzel Washington as an FBI Agent.
The movie is about a number of Muslim terrorist bombings in New York City. When the FBI and local authorities are unable to capture the terrorists, the President declares martial law and turns loose the Army under the command of a hotshot general (Bruce Willis). The army rounds up all young Muslim men in New York and detains them in a sports stadium. And the general resorts to torturing a suspect for information before summarily executing him.
Trump has often said he will deal harshly with terrorists and resort to torture if necessary. In his speech to the Republican National Convention last night he promised to stop Islamic terrorism.
So is The Siege a preview of how President Trump will deal with Islamic terrorism in the homeland? Farfetched? Hmmm, I wonder ….. maybe not.
UNBELIEVABLE CLARIFICATION
By Bob Walsh
Some more information has come out from the unfortunate shooting in North Miami that we reported on yesterday.
The P. D. is asserting that the shot in question was fired deliberately. The alleged target was the white guy. The black guy was hit accidentally.
I find this unhelpful because the black guy, a therapist at the group home the autistic white guy wandered away from, was shouting at the cops that there was no weapon there. The white guy was playing with a toy truck in the middle of the street. This was clearly audible on the cell phone video taken at the scene.
The cops are alleging the shot was fired because the cop that fired thought the therapist was in danger from the autistic patient. Of course if the cops hadn’t ordered the guy to lie down on the ground with his hands up he could have easily fled had he been in danger.
I am having a hard time figuring out how a guy sitting on his butt on the ground, facing away, playing with a toy truck on the pavement could be any sort of serious and immediate danger to a strong, healthy man.
Something just does not add up here. It might all be true, but it still doesn’t add up. The black guy, still in the hospital with a bullet wound to his leg, is still unhappy. Can’t say as I blame him.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I don’t have a problem with the explanation. The terrorist trick massacre in Nice was still fresh on the minds of those North Miami cops and they were afraid the black guy was going to be run over by the autistic man’s toy truck. They just need to go back to “How To Hit The Side Of A Barn” police firearms training.
Some more information has come out from the unfortunate shooting in North Miami that we reported on yesterday.
The P. D. is asserting that the shot in question was fired deliberately. The alleged target was the white guy. The black guy was hit accidentally.
I find this unhelpful because the black guy, a therapist at the group home the autistic white guy wandered away from, was shouting at the cops that there was no weapon there. The white guy was playing with a toy truck in the middle of the street. This was clearly audible on the cell phone video taken at the scene.
The cops are alleging the shot was fired because the cop that fired thought the therapist was in danger from the autistic patient. Of course if the cops hadn’t ordered the guy to lie down on the ground with his hands up he could have easily fled had he been in danger.
I am having a hard time figuring out how a guy sitting on his butt on the ground, facing away, playing with a toy truck on the pavement could be any sort of serious and immediate danger to a strong, healthy man.
Something just does not add up here. It might all be true, but it still doesn’t add up. The black guy, still in the hospital with a bullet wound to his leg, is still unhappy. Can’t say as I blame him.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I don’t have a problem with the explanation. The terrorist trick massacre in Nice was still fresh on the minds of those North Miami cops and they were afraid the black guy was going to be run over by the autistic man’s toy truck. They just need to go back to “How To Hit The Side Of A Barn” police firearms training.
SO, DID TED CRUZ JUST PEE IN THE SOUP?
By Bob Walsh
Pretty much, yes. I can’t say that I really blame him. Trump made some rather petty and nasty personal attacks against him and his wife, with damn little cause. However, Trump did win.
This morning there are reliable news reports that say the Trump people did in fact have an advance copy of Cruz’s remarks and knew exactly what he was going to say. Trump walked into the arena exactly when it became clear that Cruz was not going to endorse Trump, and Cruz was essentially booed off the stage.
So, was this a really smooth play by Trump or a screw-up by Trump and the RNC? Hard to say right now. The only poll that matters will not take place for another 14 weeks.
Do you think the Dems and Hillary will let Bernie speak without knowing exactly what he will say and without demanding that he speak supportively of Hillary? I doubt it very much.
I still really think this election will be mostly decided by people voting AGAINST someone or something rather than the other way around. And we all have a lot riding on it. I personally have $5 riding on the election. And the future of the Republic of course.
Politics can be fun to watch at times. Scary sometimes, but amusing.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I really can’t blame Cruz for not endorsing Trump, his pledge notwithstanding. After all Trump shot his big mouth off, making the outrageous claim that Cruz’s father was involved in the assassination of President Kennedy. Trump also attacked Cruz’s wife and denigrated her looks.
Instead of his “vote your conscience” crap, Cruz would have better served himself by calling on the Republicans to make sure Hillary is not elected president. That would have been sort of a Trump endorsement. Barring that, he should have stayed home like Gov. Kasich and Jeb Bush.
If Trump gets clobbered by the Hildebeast, Cruz might become a phoenix rising out of the GOP ashes in the next couple of years, but I doubt it.
Pretty much, yes. I can’t say that I really blame him. Trump made some rather petty and nasty personal attacks against him and his wife, with damn little cause. However, Trump did win.
This morning there are reliable news reports that say the Trump people did in fact have an advance copy of Cruz’s remarks and knew exactly what he was going to say. Trump walked into the arena exactly when it became clear that Cruz was not going to endorse Trump, and Cruz was essentially booed off the stage.
So, was this a really smooth play by Trump or a screw-up by Trump and the RNC? Hard to say right now. The only poll that matters will not take place for another 14 weeks.
Do you think the Dems and Hillary will let Bernie speak without knowing exactly what he will say and without demanding that he speak supportively of Hillary? I doubt it very much.
I still really think this election will be mostly decided by people voting AGAINST someone or something rather than the other way around. And we all have a lot riding on it. I personally have $5 riding on the election. And the future of the Republic of course.
Politics can be fun to watch at times. Scary sometimes, but amusing.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I really can’t blame Cruz for not endorsing Trump, his pledge notwithstanding. After all Trump shot his big mouth off, making the outrageous claim that Cruz’s father was involved in the assassination of President Kennedy. Trump also attacked Cruz’s wife and denigrated her looks.
Instead of his “vote your conscience” crap, Cruz would have better served himself by calling on the Republicans to make sure Hillary is not elected president. That would have been sort of a Trump endorsement. Barring that, he should have stayed home like Gov. Kasich and Jeb Bush.
If Trump gets clobbered by the Hildebeast, Cruz might become a phoenix rising out of the GOP ashes in the next couple of years, but I doubt it.
BLM PROTESTER REJECTS INVITATION BY OAKLAND PD TO BBQ TOGETHER
“Barbecue’s aren’t going to stop the brutality that black folks are facing. A barbecue is definitely not going to stop this blockade. And as a radical-black farmer from East Oakland— I eat pigs, I don’t eat with them.”
KTVU | July 21, 2016
OAKLAND, Calif. -- It worked in Wichita, Kansas, but in Oakland it’s a different story. A story has gone viral about Black Lives Matter protesters who joined law enforcement for a community cookout. The barbecue was seen as a way to start dialogue between activists and to help ease the racial tension that has gripped the nation amid high-profile police shootings and the targeted shootings of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
Oakland Police Department invited local Black Lives Matter protesters to partake in a similar-minded barbecue like the one in Wichita.
At Wednesday’s divest from the police demonstration held at Oakland’s Police Union headquarters, where activists U-locked and chained themselves to the building’s doors, KTVU’s Henry Lee spoke with Karissa Lewis, a self-described “black-liberal farmer” and protester with Black Lives Matter. She was asked if she would accept the OPD’s offer.
Her answer: “Barbecue’s aren’t going to stop the brutality that black folks are facing. A barbecue is definitely not going to stop this blockade. And as a radical-black farmer from East Oakland— I eat pigs, I don’t eat with them."
Oakland police said despite that response, their offer still stands.
Lewis used the mic-check call and response technique, popularized at the Occupy protests and many of the activists, at least at this one protest, seemed to be in agreement with her about the offer.
KTVU | July 21, 2016
OAKLAND, Calif. -- It worked in Wichita, Kansas, but in Oakland it’s a different story. A story has gone viral about Black Lives Matter protesters who joined law enforcement for a community cookout. The barbecue was seen as a way to start dialogue between activists and to help ease the racial tension that has gripped the nation amid high-profile police shootings and the targeted shootings of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
Oakland Police Department invited local Black Lives Matter protesters to partake in a similar-minded barbecue like the one in Wichita.
At Wednesday’s divest from the police demonstration held at Oakland’s Police Union headquarters, where activists U-locked and chained themselves to the building’s doors, KTVU’s Henry Lee spoke with Karissa Lewis, a self-described “black-liberal farmer” and protester with Black Lives Matter. She was asked if she would accept the OPD’s offer.
Her answer: “Barbecue’s aren’t going to stop the brutality that black folks are facing. A barbecue is definitely not going to stop this blockade. And as a radical-black farmer from East Oakland— I eat pigs, I don’t eat with them."
Oakland police said despite that response, their offer still stands.
Lewis used the mic-check call and response technique, popularized at the Occupy protests and many of the activists, at least at this one protest, seemed to be in agreement with her about the offer.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
PONDERING THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE
By Greg ‘The Gadfly’ Doyle
Having been witness to the media circus and our president lecturing law enforcement regarding the use of deadly force, I would like to address the accepted standard established decades ago by our court system and implemented country-wide. What are my qualifications to do so?
Unlike our president, I served in both the military and as a peace officer. I spent four years in the US Army and over 28 years as a cop.
I was trained at age 12 in the use of firearms by my father through an approved NRA course. In 47 years of my familiarity, ownership, handling, and safe storage of firearms no one in my family, neighborhood, or community has ever been assaulted or injured by any of my weapons.
However, as a private citizen armed with a pistol, I have personally taken three suspects into custody by aiming my firearm at them and overwhelmingly convincing them of my willingness to kill them if they did not comply with my instructions. To their credit, all three suspects were not willing to die for their crimes at the point of a gun.
As a peace officer, I had aimed my sidearm countless times at persons I believed were an immediate threat to my life or the lives of other officers or citizens, or engaged in criminal conduct. By the grace of God, the only one I ever had to shoot and kill was a Rottweiler dog whose owner(a parolee)had sicked on me before being unwillingly taken into custody.
Shooting that dog was traumatic. But nothing compares to killing another human being. My best friend and one time neighbor, a fellow cop shot and killed a drug dealer during a narcotics transaction in the early 1990's. I will never forget sitting with my friend and consoling him afterwards.
The suspect was seated next to my friend in a car in Montclair, California. A narcotics team was nearby listening in to the drug buy transaction between my friend (an undercover officer)and the suspect.
Within seconds of the transaction, the suspect decided he wanted to rob my friend of the dope he had just sold to him. The suspect pulled a gun and my friend drew his weapon, fired, and shot the man to death.
It was hours before I could speak to my friend because of the internal affairs and Sheriff's shooting investigation that immediately ensued after the incident.
I am glad to report that my friend was cleared of any wrongdoing. He has since retired from police work a few years ago. But that shooting haunted him his entire career, even though it was completely justified.
And for the grace of God and good police training, I could have spoken at my friend's funeral instead of sitting with him at a Denny's restaurant later that evening.
Identifying a threat is not as easy as one might surmise. There are many factors such as the number of suspects, the ratio of suspects to officers, level of compliance by the suspect(s), presence of weapons, visibility, surroundings, movements of suspects preceding contact, escalation of threat by words, sudden unexpected movements, and non-compliance with commands by officers to name but a few.
All of these aspects have been tried and tested by court trials. Officers train in police academies, at their departments, and in state-mandated college courses throughout their careers on the best tactics in hostile circumstances.
And I would not concur with the president's assessment that police officers need more training. Officers are trained to take control. That is their duty when they are called into action. That is why they run toward gun fire. That is why they chase criminals. And that is why they engage suspects with force.
Police officers are not in the business of loving bad people into better choices. It is their business to neutralize threats. Perhaps our president might be more effective in his role as Commander-in-chief if he took some lessons from cops back to the Oval Office:
1. Deadly force is a last resort unless it is the only resort.
2. The vast majority (millions upon millions) of people who are involved in encounters with police (armed or unarmed) have not been killed, regardless of ethnicity.
3. Cops are not trained to wound suspects. A wounded suspect can still kill you.
4. Cops utilize many non-lethal forms of violence to subdue suspects and gain control (to overpower) over them.
5. The rule of law regarding police conduct and the use of force has been established for years. As a constitutional lawyer, our president knows or should know this.
6. The media's general narrative against White cops claiming prejudice against unarmed Black males is not factually based. The media's biased attempts at race-baiting has had a deleterious effect on the morale of current law enforcement personnel and encouraged agitated militants to assassinate police officers.
7. All citizens who abide by the law need not fear contact with American law enforcement. Unlike Washington bureaucrats and elected officials, bad cops do get fired, arrested, tried, and sent to prison for misusing their authority, violating agency rules, and breaking the law. Policing agencies do effectively police themselves to weed out bad cops.
8. Cops have moments in which all of their knowledge, training, and abilities are tested by people they most often are meeting for the very first time.
Most often, these people are agitated, hostile, fearful, and capable of great violence.
Most often they have already committed one or more crimes before being contacted by a cop.
And occasionally they are armed.
And whatever they face in those moments of great threat, POLICE OFFICERS ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR DECISIONS AND ACTIONS--- by the public, by the media, by the government, and the courts.
ALWAYS!!!
If only we had a president, government, and media held to the same standard.
Having been witness to the media circus and our president lecturing law enforcement regarding the use of deadly force, I would like to address the accepted standard established decades ago by our court system and implemented country-wide. What are my qualifications to do so?
Unlike our president, I served in both the military and as a peace officer. I spent four years in the US Army and over 28 years as a cop.
I was trained at age 12 in the use of firearms by my father through an approved NRA course. In 47 years of my familiarity, ownership, handling, and safe storage of firearms no one in my family, neighborhood, or community has ever been assaulted or injured by any of my weapons.
However, as a private citizen armed with a pistol, I have personally taken three suspects into custody by aiming my firearm at them and overwhelmingly convincing them of my willingness to kill them if they did not comply with my instructions. To their credit, all three suspects were not willing to die for their crimes at the point of a gun.
As a peace officer, I had aimed my sidearm countless times at persons I believed were an immediate threat to my life or the lives of other officers or citizens, or engaged in criminal conduct. By the grace of God, the only one I ever had to shoot and kill was a Rottweiler dog whose owner(a parolee)had sicked on me before being unwillingly taken into custody.
Shooting that dog was traumatic. But nothing compares to killing another human being. My best friend and one time neighbor, a fellow cop shot and killed a drug dealer during a narcotics transaction in the early 1990's. I will never forget sitting with my friend and consoling him afterwards.
The suspect was seated next to my friend in a car in Montclair, California. A narcotics team was nearby listening in to the drug buy transaction between my friend (an undercover officer)and the suspect.
Within seconds of the transaction, the suspect decided he wanted to rob my friend of the dope he had just sold to him. The suspect pulled a gun and my friend drew his weapon, fired, and shot the man to death.
It was hours before I could speak to my friend because of the internal affairs and Sheriff's shooting investigation that immediately ensued after the incident.
I am glad to report that my friend was cleared of any wrongdoing. He has since retired from police work a few years ago. But that shooting haunted him his entire career, even though it was completely justified.
And for the grace of God and good police training, I could have spoken at my friend's funeral instead of sitting with him at a Denny's restaurant later that evening.
Identifying a threat is not as easy as one might surmise. There are many factors such as the number of suspects, the ratio of suspects to officers, level of compliance by the suspect(s), presence of weapons, visibility, surroundings, movements of suspects preceding contact, escalation of threat by words, sudden unexpected movements, and non-compliance with commands by officers to name but a few.
All of these aspects have been tried and tested by court trials. Officers train in police academies, at their departments, and in state-mandated college courses throughout their careers on the best tactics in hostile circumstances.
And I would not concur with the president's assessment that police officers need more training. Officers are trained to take control. That is their duty when they are called into action. That is why they run toward gun fire. That is why they chase criminals. And that is why they engage suspects with force.
Police officers are not in the business of loving bad people into better choices. It is their business to neutralize threats. Perhaps our president might be more effective in his role as Commander-in-chief if he took some lessons from cops back to the Oval Office:
1. Deadly force is a last resort unless it is the only resort.
2. The vast majority (millions upon millions) of people who are involved in encounters with police (armed or unarmed) have not been killed, regardless of ethnicity.
3. Cops are not trained to wound suspects. A wounded suspect can still kill you.
4. Cops utilize many non-lethal forms of violence to subdue suspects and gain control (to overpower) over them.
5. The rule of law regarding police conduct and the use of force has been established for years. As a constitutional lawyer, our president knows or should know this.
6. The media's general narrative against White cops claiming prejudice against unarmed Black males is not factually based. The media's biased attempts at race-baiting has had a deleterious effect on the morale of current law enforcement personnel and encouraged agitated militants to assassinate police officers.
7. All citizens who abide by the law need not fear contact with American law enforcement. Unlike Washington bureaucrats and elected officials, bad cops do get fired, arrested, tried, and sent to prison for misusing their authority, violating agency rules, and breaking the law. Policing agencies do effectively police themselves to weed out bad cops.
8. Cops have moments in which all of their knowledge, training, and abilities are tested by people they most often are meeting for the very first time.
Most often, these people are agitated, hostile, fearful, and capable of great violence.
Most often they have already committed one or more crimes before being contacted by a cop.
And occasionally they are armed.
And whatever they face in those moments of great threat, POLICE OFFICERS ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR DECISIONS AND ACTIONS--- by the public, by the media, by the government, and the courts.
ALWAYS!!!
If only we had a president, government, and media held to the same standard.
THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE REAL HARD TO CLEAN UP
By Bob Walsh
This is the scenario. The North Miami (FLA) P. D. cops get a call of a possibly suicidal man with a gun. They show up and find two people in the middle of the street. One is a dumpy overweight white man who is autistic. He is playing with a toy truck. The other is a young black man, wearing a t-shirt and shorts.
The autistic white man has just wandered away from a nearby group home. The black guy is a behavior therapist from the group home. There is in fact no weapon, and nothing that even really looks like a weapon on the scene unless that was a really strange toy truck.
The cops start yelling. The black man hits the deck, on his back, with his hands straight up in the air. He is clearly not holding ANYTHING. He is interacting with the cops, telling them what is going on, and also trying to calm down the autistic guy.
So, a cop shoots the black guy. Once in the leg. He is now in the hospital. It is so far not real clear why the cop shot. Only one of the several cops present fired.
The local black community is highly pissed. Based on the very limited information available they might have a reason to be. There were numerous witnesses as this was a residential area. There is even some cell phone video, though the actual shooting was (allegedly) not recorded.
Clearly news reports and spotty cell phone video is not real great evidence. It sounds however like we maybe-probably have either an accidental-negligent discharge of a weapon or a grossly inappropriate discharge of a weapon by the officer.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This shooting looks bad, really bad! The defenders of the Thin Blue Line are going to have a hard time defending this cop,
This is the scenario. The North Miami (FLA) P. D. cops get a call of a possibly suicidal man with a gun. They show up and find two people in the middle of the street. One is a dumpy overweight white man who is autistic. He is playing with a toy truck. The other is a young black man, wearing a t-shirt and shorts.
The autistic white man has just wandered away from a nearby group home. The black guy is a behavior therapist from the group home. There is in fact no weapon, and nothing that even really looks like a weapon on the scene unless that was a really strange toy truck.
The cops start yelling. The black man hits the deck, on his back, with his hands straight up in the air. He is clearly not holding ANYTHING. He is interacting with the cops, telling them what is going on, and also trying to calm down the autistic guy.
So, a cop shoots the black guy. Once in the leg. He is now in the hospital. It is so far not real clear why the cop shot. Only one of the several cops present fired.
The local black community is highly pissed. Based on the very limited information available they might have a reason to be. There were numerous witnesses as this was a residential area. There is even some cell phone video, though the actual shooting was (allegedly) not recorded.
Clearly news reports and spotty cell phone video is not real great evidence. It sounds however like we maybe-probably have either an accidental-negligent discharge of a weapon or a grossly inappropriate discharge of a weapon by the officer.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This shooting looks bad, really bad! The defenders of the Thin Blue Line are going to have a hard time defending this cop,
MOTHER OF THE YEAR IN OHIO ….. NO, NOT REALLY
By Bob Walsh
April Corcoran, 32, of Cincinnati, is an ambulatory turd. She was just sentenced to 51-to-life for pimping her 11-year old daughter out to her drug dealer in exchange for drugs. The drug dealer is also looking at some serious time. She did have the good graces to plead guilty.
The young girl was videotaped while being raped, sodomized and forced to orally copulate the dealer, Shandell Willingham, 42. These incidents occurred four times in early 2014. The mother also gave the girl heroin by force on occasion.
The girl is now living with her father, step-mother and their two children.
Personally I think they should take these two turds and bury them up to their necks on a beach at low tide just above the water line and let them slowly drown, but I admit to not liking subhuman lumps of pond scum, so I could be over-reacting.
April Corcoran, 32, of Cincinnati, is an ambulatory turd. She was just sentenced to 51-to-life for pimping her 11-year old daughter out to her drug dealer in exchange for drugs. The drug dealer is also looking at some serious time. She did have the good graces to plead guilty.
The young girl was videotaped while being raped, sodomized and forced to orally copulate the dealer, Shandell Willingham, 42. These incidents occurred four times in early 2014. The mother also gave the girl heroin by force on occasion.
The girl is now living with her father, step-mother and their two children.
Personally I think they should take these two turds and bury them up to their necks on a beach at low tide just above the water line and let them slowly drown, but I admit to not liking subhuman lumps of pond scum, so I could be over-reacting.
THE FORMER SANDERS FANS WHO NOW SAY ‘FUCK YOU, BERNIE’
Sanders endorsement of Hillary: “He fucked us. We were used and discarded like rag dolls.”
By Christopher Ketcham | VICE News | July 17, 2016
Last week, I made a bet with three different Sandernistas, each for $25, that Bernie Sanders would take the usual Washington route of cowardice, hypocrisy, and co-option by handing an endorsement to Hillary Clinton. Never bet against politics as usual: After Sanders's capitulation on Tuesday, I am $75 richer and the staunchest of his supporters are stunned, disbelieving, irate.
It would have been an extraordinary move for him not to endorse, given the primary results and the delegate count. But the Sandernistas, bravely idealistic or perhaps merely deluded, thought they had an extraordinary candidate.
Polls generally show most Sanders supporters are willing to back Clinton over Donald Trump—if only to keep the Trump monster out of office—even if they consider Clinton a dishonest agent of elites.
Funny thing is, I can't find these willing Clintonites, certainly not here in Idaho where I've been traveling and living in recent months and where Sanders won the Democratic caucus with nearly 80 percent of the vote.
Instead I find delegates for Sanders like Naomi Johnson, a 35-year-old social worker who at the news of the endorsement climbed to a rooftop in downtown Boise with five other delegates to howl "fuck" like a pack of baying animals. "We flew off the hinges, we cursed, we cried," said Johnson.
Before Tuesday's announcement, the hope among the Sandernistas was that the convention in Philadelphia would be contested, that a rule change could unbind the Clinton-supporting superdelegates, that a revolt could be fomented and spread, that Sanders's rebels in the scrum on the convention floor could secure, with audacious and impassioned argument, the nomination for their man.
"We don't need Clinton, we don't need the establishment," said Johnson. "Fewer people will come to the convention to support the values we fought for because we are now being asked to vote for the establishment. This is 100-percent due to Bernie's endorsement. I wanted the amazing amount of support for Bernie to be seen and recorded and to potentially sway the contested convention. I pictured this convention being crazy. I envisioned us all arguing about the important shit, people's voices being heard, people arguing back and forth. I envisioned it getting crazy in the streets. I wanted that. I wanted my voice to be part of that." What she wanted was the unruliness of democracy in action.
But the convention, she said, "just had the rug pulled out from under it. His endorsement tells me: 'You know how hard you have worked five to seven nights a week for the past so many months you've lost track? Well, you are now being asked to take all that work and direct it toward something we never agreed on.' I do not and will not follow any leader blindly. I refuse to vote for Hillary Clinton, and fuck the establishment. Some people think that going into it and becoming part of the Democratic Party is the thing to do now, but that is not attractive to me." (Johnson, like many other Sandernistas I spoke with, only signed on as a Democrat because Sanders was running on that ticket.)
Another Idaho delegate, Yara Slaton, 33, an ex-Army soldier of Middle Eastern descent, said: "You tell me to vote for her? It's deeply personally insulting. My people's blood is on her hands.
"It's a huge letdown. Earth-shattering and heartbreaking. I'm full of rage. I'm disillusioned. Demoralized. Just... yeah. Lots of feeling," Slaton went on. "I'm not naïve. But we thought he had integrity. He made a promise to millions of Americans and we poured our heart and soul and time and money and effort into his campaign, we sacrificed, because we believed in his vision, we believed he was unwavering in it, and this country, now at the boiling point, needs an honorable leader. We need change, and now. Not in four years, not in eight years. Drastic change, not incremental change."
Other Sandernistas were less measured in their response. "He fucked us. We were used and discarded like rag dolls," said Brian Ertz, a 32-year-old environmental activist in Boise and a Sanders delegate who, a believer to the end, took my bet. "We were used to bring disaffected voters back into the corrupt Democratic Party. Bernie was the sheepdog. Thank you Bernie for bringing so many people into the process to carry Hillary's corporate water. Thank you for reinvigorating a moribund husk of corruption, corruption that had turned so many people off."
When I called him up on Tuesday, a few minutes after the speech in New Hampshire that featured Sanders and Clinton hugging, Ertz was sputtering with rage. "Fuck you too, Bernie," he said. "His whole campaign was, 'Here's the root of the evil, Hillary, the exemplar of a corrupt system.' And now it's, 'Oh by the way, I want you to vote for that root, the one I've been spending the past year condemning.'"
Ertz called Clinton a "pathological liar" and didn't trust her or the party platform, which Sanders has praised. He called the platform a "frivolous proclamation, an exercise to pacify progressives with the illusion of hard-won progress."
Obama had similarly stabbed progressives in the back during his administration, Ertz went on, and lots of lefties had given up hope in the Democrats. "And here comes Bernie, breathing oxygen onto the streets once again, galvanizing the grassroots with condemnation of politics as usual and promises of something different. Then he turns his back and plays the very same game. That kind of move subdues and fractures the grassroots.
"He didn't have to endorse her, dude. By endorsing, he made it about him, because his reputation will be glorified by the powers that be. If he abstained from endorsing, he could have continued to fan the flames of a citizen-led outrage. He opted for reputation, for reprieve from the criticisms and pressures of the establishment. In doing so, he has deflated the movement, which—unless something changes—will be mired in infighting about whether to follow Bernie or build toward a third party. Ultimately what he's saying is, I don't believe in you, Bernie Sanders followers. I don't believe in you one bit. God, Christ, I don't know what to say except fuck you, Bernie. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you."
Ertz is serving on the Democratic Convention's Rules Committee, a powerful post, and has promised during his upcoming week in Philadelphia to "advance measures aimed at structurally democratizing the Democratic Party, the establishment's greatest fear. Let them shut such efforts down, and do so explicitly." Some Sanders delegates I spoke with said they plan to disrupt the proceedings using all legal means available, under the cover of propriety and process.
But first they have to get there. Delegates often have to pay their own way to the conventions, and many are trying to crowdfund the money for their trips—a task that Sandernistas say is harder now that their candidate isn't going to fight for the nomination.
"We have a delegate with a brain condition," said Johnson. "She can't function without her husband attending to her, and she is struggling. She pulled her kid out of day care to save money to go to the convention. She has a GoFundMe account. She's using $500 in savings in emergency funds."
Slaton, a single mom with a 13-year-old daughter, has borrowed money from friends and family. One wheelchair-bound delegate is trying to auction off handmade wooden bowls to get to Philly.
Johnson herself sold hummus—"120 containers, eight ounces each," a total of 60 pounds. "I made a thousand bucks. And I had my flight donated to me. I'm the lucky one. I don't have kids. I have a good job. Many folks are going into debt."
On the night following the endorsement, Johnson got together for a travel fund-raiser with other delegates in Boise. "But it was just sad," she said. "We were drained. It wasn't the same. Everything has changed."
By Christopher Ketcham | VICE News | July 17, 2016
Last week, I made a bet with three different Sandernistas, each for $25, that Bernie Sanders would take the usual Washington route of cowardice, hypocrisy, and co-option by handing an endorsement to Hillary Clinton. Never bet against politics as usual: After Sanders's capitulation on Tuesday, I am $75 richer and the staunchest of his supporters are stunned, disbelieving, irate.
It would have been an extraordinary move for him not to endorse, given the primary results and the delegate count. But the Sandernistas, bravely idealistic or perhaps merely deluded, thought they had an extraordinary candidate.
Polls generally show most Sanders supporters are willing to back Clinton over Donald Trump—if only to keep the Trump monster out of office—even if they consider Clinton a dishonest agent of elites.
Funny thing is, I can't find these willing Clintonites, certainly not here in Idaho where I've been traveling and living in recent months and where Sanders won the Democratic caucus with nearly 80 percent of the vote.
Instead I find delegates for Sanders like Naomi Johnson, a 35-year-old social worker who at the news of the endorsement climbed to a rooftop in downtown Boise with five other delegates to howl "fuck" like a pack of baying animals. "We flew off the hinges, we cursed, we cried," said Johnson.
Before Tuesday's announcement, the hope among the Sandernistas was that the convention in Philadelphia would be contested, that a rule change could unbind the Clinton-supporting superdelegates, that a revolt could be fomented and spread, that Sanders's rebels in the scrum on the convention floor could secure, with audacious and impassioned argument, the nomination for their man.
"We don't need Clinton, we don't need the establishment," said Johnson. "Fewer people will come to the convention to support the values we fought for because we are now being asked to vote for the establishment. This is 100-percent due to Bernie's endorsement. I wanted the amazing amount of support for Bernie to be seen and recorded and to potentially sway the contested convention. I pictured this convention being crazy. I envisioned us all arguing about the important shit, people's voices being heard, people arguing back and forth. I envisioned it getting crazy in the streets. I wanted that. I wanted my voice to be part of that." What she wanted was the unruliness of democracy in action.
But the convention, she said, "just had the rug pulled out from under it. His endorsement tells me: 'You know how hard you have worked five to seven nights a week for the past so many months you've lost track? Well, you are now being asked to take all that work and direct it toward something we never agreed on.' I do not and will not follow any leader blindly. I refuse to vote for Hillary Clinton, and fuck the establishment. Some people think that going into it and becoming part of the Democratic Party is the thing to do now, but that is not attractive to me." (Johnson, like many other Sandernistas I spoke with, only signed on as a Democrat because Sanders was running on that ticket.)
Another Idaho delegate, Yara Slaton, 33, an ex-Army soldier of Middle Eastern descent, said: "You tell me to vote for her? It's deeply personally insulting. My people's blood is on her hands.
"It's a huge letdown. Earth-shattering and heartbreaking. I'm full of rage. I'm disillusioned. Demoralized. Just... yeah. Lots of feeling," Slaton went on. "I'm not naïve. But we thought he had integrity. He made a promise to millions of Americans and we poured our heart and soul and time and money and effort into his campaign, we sacrificed, because we believed in his vision, we believed he was unwavering in it, and this country, now at the boiling point, needs an honorable leader. We need change, and now. Not in four years, not in eight years. Drastic change, not incremental change."
Other Sandernistas were less measured in their response. "He fucked us. We were used and discarded like rag dolls," said Brian Ertz, a 32-year-old environmental activist in Boise and a Sanders delegate who, a believer to the end, took my bet. "We were used to bring disaffected voters back into the corrupt Democratic Party. Bernie was the sheepdog. Thank you Bernie for bringing so many people into the process to carry Hillary's corporate water. Thank you for reinvigorating a moribund husk of corruption, corruption that had turned so many people off."
When I called him up on Tuesday, a few minutes after the speech in New Hampshire that featured Sanders and Clinton hugging, Ertz was sputtering with rage. "Fuck you too, Bernie," he said. "His whole campaign was, 'Here's the root of the evil, Hillary, the exemplar of a corrupt system.' And now it's, 'Oh by the way, I want you to vote for that root, the one I've been spending the past year condemning.'"
Ertz called Clinton a "pathological liar" and didn't trust her or the party platform, which Sanders has praised. He called the platform a "frivolous proclamation, an exercise to pacify progressives with the illusion of hard-won progress."
Obama had similarly stabbed progressives in the back during his administration, Ertz went on, and lots of lefties had given up hope in the Democrats. "And here comes Bernie, breathing oxygen onto the streets once again, galvanizing the grassroots with condemnation of politics as usual and promises of something different. Then he turns his back and plays the very same game. That kind of move subdues and fractures the grassroots.
"He didn't have to endorse her, dude. By endorsing, he made it about him, because his reputation will be glorified by the powers that be. If he abstained from endorsing, he could have continued to fan the flames of a citizen-led outrage. He opted for reputation, for reprieve from the criticisms and pressures of the establishment. In doing so, he has deflated the movement, which—unless something changes—will be mired in infighting about whether to follow Bernie or build toward a third party. Ultimately what he's saying is, I don't believe in you, Bernie Sanders followers. I don't believe in you one bit. God, Christ, I don't know what to say except fuck you, Bernie. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you."
Ertz is serving on the Democratic Convention's Rules Committee, a powerful post, and has promised during his upcoming week in Philadelphia to "advance measures aimed at structurally democratizing the Democratic Party, the establishment's greatest fear. Let them shut such efforts down, and do so explicitly." Some Sanders delegates I spoke with said they plan to disrupt the proceedings using all legal means available, under the cover of propriety and process.
But first they have to get there. Delegates often have to pay their own way to the conventions, and many are trying to crowdfund the money for their trips—a task that Sandernistas say is harder now that their candidate isn't going to fight for the nomination.
"We have a delegate with a brain condition," said Johnson. "She can't function without her husband attending to her, and she is struggling. She pulled her kid out of day care to save money to go to the convention. She has a GoFundMe account. She's using $500 in savings in emergency funds."
Slaton, a single mom with a 13-year-old daughter, has borrowed money from friends and family. One wheelchair-bound delegate is trying to auction off handmade wooden bowls to get to Philly.
Johnson herself sold hummus—"120 containers, eight ounces each," a total of 60 pounds. "I made a thousand bucks. And I had my flight donated to me. I'm the lucky one. I don't have kids. I have a good job. Many folks are going into debt."
On the night following the endorsement, Johnson got together for a travel fund-raiser with other delegates in Boise. "But it was just sad," she said. "We were drained. It wasn't the same. Everything has changed."
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