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    Republicans are starting to agree (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 10, 2018 at 06:30:50 PM EST
    With me.

    Beto is going to win.

    Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who's planning an October fundraiser for Cruz at Washington's Capital Grille restaurant, said he had a simple directive to GOP givers.

    "We're not bluffing, this is real, and it is a serious threat," Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said in an interview. "If Ted does his job and we do ours, I think we'll be fine. But if we have donors sitting on the sidelines thinking that, `Well, this isn't all that serious,' or `I don't need to be concerned,' then that's a problem."

    POLITICO

    Texas monthly (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 01:01:18 AM EST
    new survey found Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz continues to lead Democrat Beto O'Rourke in this year's election among likely voters, but there are troubling signs for Cruz. The poll by Crosswind Media and Public Relations found 15 percent of the self-identified Republicans surveyed are willing to vote for O'Rourke, and so too, are an equal percentage of respondents who described themselves as conservative.

    Overall, Cruz is leading O'Rourke 47 percent to 44 percent among likely voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points--making the race a statistical tie.



    Parent
    Nothing like a little knife fight (none / 0) (#11)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 12:20:56 PM EST
    In an alley

    Who are these guys? Have I really shared my country with them my whole life? Jesus

    Parent

    I don't think Beto (none / 0) (#12)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 02:44:13 PM EST
    Will be a good doormat

    Parent
    Ted released this (none / 0) (#13)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 02:47:29 PM EST
    pathetically dishonest ad

    The Dallas Morning News, which basically is Cruz's hometown newspaper, reports the story this way: "Heavily spliced Ted Cruz video falsely depicts Beto O'Rourke saying he's `grateful' for flag burning."

    "O'Rourke did not say he's `grateful' for flag burning. Nor did he say that flag burning is `inherently American,'" the paper makes clear.

    When you choose to lie, and to lie to this degree, you're running scared.



    Parent
    I agree (1.50 / 2) (#20)
    by linea on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 09:36:10 PM EST
    That the advert is dishonest and heavily edited.

    U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke actually says, `No, I don't think it's disrespectful' ...for footballers to not stand during the playing of the US National Anthem. Actually, his answer is dismissive and disengenous.

    There is no shortage of American football enthusiasts who don't think REDSKINS for a team name is disrespectful even when indigenous peoples tell them repeatedly that it is disrespectful.

    The dismissive `I don't think it's disrespectful' is a stupid response for both issues. Millions of Americans including some police and military organizations are explicitly stating that they are offended by the footballers refusing to stand for the US National Anthem. I have read that ESPN (the premier sports network on cable) has stopped broadcasting the US National Anthen at sporting events because of the outrage of sports fans.

    O'Rourke`s response is essentially, `Fvck you for being offended.' That's pathetic. I hate to unfairly pick on O'Rourke, that's apparently the official Democratic Party response which disappoints me.

    EVERYONE agrees that people have a right to diss the National Anthem or burn the US flag. That's never been the issue.

    Every child is taught that it is polite and respectful to stand for the National Anthem of their country and for the anthem of other countries. Even multi-millionaire American footballers know that. When they are playing a game overseas, after dissing the American anthem, they stand respectively for the Mexican or UK anthem. They're not stupid. Really, they're not so stupid that they don't understand it's objectively disrespectful.

    Everyone has a right to protest and to be shocking and disrespectful as a way to force other people to pay attention to your protest. People yell at protests, people burn the US flag at protests, and people (unfortunately) smash windows and throw bricks at protests.

    What you can't do, and claim to have any sort of integrity, is to burn the flag or diss the National Anthem and then when someone says it's disrespectful, petulantly argue `No, it's not!'  

    It's pathetic and childish.

    Really, I don't care what footballers do. What offends me is the disengenous lie that it isn't objectively disrespectful and the pathetic childishness of the denial.

    My opinion.

    Parent

    I'd argue this comment but won't waste my time. (5.00 / 7) (#21)
    by CoralGables on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 09:42:02 PM EST
    To those feigning offense. Suck it up buttercup. (5.00 / 8) (#23)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 10:04:43 PM EST
    Grow up. Read the Constitution. Protest is protected and viable speech. Any veteran who takes offense doesn't understand what he/she fought for or why they served.

    Parent
    Chuck0 hits the nail on the head (5.00 / 6) (#26)
    by Peter G on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 10:22:34 PM EST
    The outcry is feigned offense from those who actually disagree with -- or rather, seek to denigrate and distract attention from -- the players' message (that there is a police violence problem in our country, disproportionately affecting people of color). The U.S. national anthem may be uncomfortably militaristic, but it is not a tribute to the military or veterans (or police, for that matter); it is a celebration of patriotism. For those who don't feel patriotic, or don't want to participate in public, mass displays of fake patriotism (as at sporting events), nonparticipation is a right and no valid ground for anyone else to take offense.

    Parent
    Actually Peter (none / 0) (#33)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 12:16:32 AM EST
    Coralgables had it right.

    It makes a stupid assertion and we line up to give it what it wants.  

    Attention.

    The reply to my comment was a pathetic cry for attention on a justice forum.

    And like it nearly always does, sadly, it worked.

    Parent

    Standing or Kneeling: What's the Difference? (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by RickyJim on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 10:48:07 PM EST
    In church, there are times when the congregants are asked to stand and at other times to kneel.  The logic behind the choice is often not clear.  I think it could have easily been the custom to kneel for the national anthem.  I think that both standers and kneelers are showing respect.  In the current controversy, the kneelers want you think about why they have chosen a position different than the usual.  I am not offended.  I can think of plenty of things they could do while the anthem is played that really show disrespect.  

    And by the way, I find the horrendous performances of the Star Spangled Banner by certain pop singers at football games, highly offensive.

    Parent

    Oh dear God ... Enough already (5.00 / 7) (#56)
    by Yman on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 11:14:59 AM EST
    Here's the thing.  YOU are not the arbiter of acceptable protest or patriotism.  The fact that others are correctly pointing out that this is a protest against police brutality and racial discrimination and NOT about the flag or anthem had been explained multiple times.  The fact that you and others don't get it is YOUR problem, not Kaepernick's or O'Rourke's.  It DOESN'T make them "childish", "pathetic", "weasels" or his answer a "stupid response".  The idea to protest by respectfully kneeling during the anthem was actually the idea of Kaepernick's teammate, who was a soldier/veteran.  The fact that you and others CHOOSE to misinterpret their intent and to be offended is YOUR problem.  Moreover, not only is their "cowardice" NOT "infuriating", but their COURAGE to publicly protest in support of a just cause is orders of magnitude greater than the craven cowardice of those who choose to malign them from afar and anonymously on a blog.

    {hugs}

    Parent

    You (5.00 / 7) (#58)
    by FlJoe on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 11:28:06 AM EST
    do you realize that forced patriotism is the go to tool of tyrants and demagogues every where? Stoking the hatred of people who do not toe the government's is disgusting.

    I would wager there is a large overlap between the people who are "offended" by the protests and those who insist on protecting confederate statues, you know actual traitors who gladly killed any on carrying the American flag. Spare me the crocodile tears.

    Parent

    Different accounts of Guyer/Jean shooting (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by McBain on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 02:53:25 PM EST
    according to this article...
    According to an arrest warrant, Guyger told investigators that she went to what she thought was her third floor apartment. Instead, she went to Jean's fourth floor apartment directly above hers. Guyger says her door was "ajar" and saw a "large silhouette" inside. After giving "verbal commands that were ignored," she fired her handgun twice, striking Jean once in the torso. It wasn't until Guyger "turned on the...lights" and "called 911" that she realized she was "at the wrong apartment."

    According to Jean's family lawyer, witnesses disagree...

    "They heard knocking down the hallway followed by a woman's voice that they believe to be officer Guyger saying, 'Let me in. Let me in,'" attorney Lee Merritt said.

    The family's attorneys say one of the witnesses then heard gunshots followed by a man's voice.

    "What we believe to be the last words of Botham Jean which was 'Oh my god, why did you do that?'" Merritt said.

    I'm still trying to figure out what the law says about self defense/police rules of engagement when the shooter walks into someone else's home uninvited (assuming that part is true).    

    In Texas, you can use deadly force to protect (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 09:59:09 PM EST
    property. Jean essentially had every right to shoot Guyger. Guyger had no right, cop or no cop to shoot anyone. She was an armed uninvited intruder in someone's else home. Texas Rangers issued arrest warrant for manslaughter. A grand jury can indict with more serious charges. And believe more is warranted. Her badge is meaningless in this case.

    Parent
    "Her badge is meaningless"... (none / 0) (#72)
    by kdog on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 03:13:31 PM EST
    I wish I could believe that, but Joe Strummer taught me to know my rights, all 3 of them...

    Know your rights
    All three of them
    Number one
    You have the right not to be killed
    Murder is a crime
    Unless it was done
    By a policeman
    Or an aristocrat
    Oh, know your rights


    Parent
    The Obvious Questions (none / 0) (#110)
    by RickyJim on Sat Sep 15, 2018 at 04:00:41 PM EST
    As of 5PM Sept 15, the answers to these questions are not yet publicly known.

    How did Guyger mistake Jean's apartment for her own, even though it had a unique doormat?

    Why was the door open with Jean inside and awake with no lights on?

    What verbal commands did Guyger give Jean?

    Parent

    Here's an article that shows pictures of (none / 0) (#111)
    by McBain on Sun Sep 16, 2018 at 03:27:44 PM EST
    the doormat and videos of the door closing system that allegedly contradict Guyger's account...
    photos obtained by DailyMail.com do show that the corridors on both floors appear similar but Jean's apartment had a red semi-circular door mat outside, while Guyger's did not.

    Apartment door numbers are also clearly visible and lit up in neon, placed in a panel to one side of the door.

    more

    But video obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com with the aid of a neighbor living on the same floor shows that the doors in the Dallas apartment building are uniformly heavy metal fire doors that automatically slam shut if let go.

    A door could only be left ajar if it had been deliberately positioned that way with a door stopper.


    I don't know if that's completely true.  I've been able to leave similar style doors ajar without a stopper by slowly moving the door just before it closes shut.  But I would only do that if was going to be outside for a brief moment, not if I was inside.

    The article also includes the arrest warrant that states Guyger was still wearing her police uniform when the shooting occurred.

    Parent

    More Confusion (none / 0) (#116)
    by RickyJim on Sun Sep 16, 2018 at 07:24:24 PM EST
    A search warrant obtained by Dallas police says "an unknown male, inside the apartment confronted the officer at the door." Another affidavit, obtained by the Texas Rangers to arrest Guyger three days after the shooting, says Jean was "across the room" when the officer walked through the door.
    Link  The police report should have had the location of the body including a picture.  Of course ballistic test will tell at what distance he was shot.

    Parent
    You're wrong re: not one footballer (5.00 / 4) (#31)
    by vicndabx on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 11:39:28 PM EST
    Kaepernick said that he is aware of what he is doing and that he knows it will not sit well with a lot of people, including the 49ers. He said that he did not inform the club or anyone affiliated with the team of his intentions to protest the national anthem.
    "This is not something that I am going to run by anybody," he said. "I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. ... If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right."

    The national anthem is a special moment to me. It's a point of pride. That is a really important moment. But we also have to understand the other side, that people do have rights and we have to respect those. -- Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner

    It's their individual right. We don't have a rulebook on what's right to protest and not protest. You don't know those things until the course of time. Whether it's sitting for the anthem, whether it's raising your fist, whether it's speaking out, whether it's a walk to Washington, who's to say whose protest is good or bad, you know? -- Todd Bowles, New York Jets head coach

    [The NFL Players Association] will never back down when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of our players as citizens as well as their safety as men who compete in a game that exposes them to great risks. -- DeMaurice Smith, NFLPA executive director

    and finally, let's hear from Beto himself. His response was to a question, do you agree with me who is offended?

    "My short answer is no, I don't think it's disrespectful," the El Paso Democrat replied. "Reasonable people can disagree on this issue -- let's begin there. And it makes them no less American for them to come down on a different conclusion."

    He then invoked the nonviolent civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., noting that players started the protests to call attention to police brutality involving unarmed black men, women and children.

    "So, nonviolently, peacefully, while the eyes of this country are watching these games, they take a knee to bring our attention and our focus to this problem to ensure that we fix it," O'Rourke said. "That is why they are doing it. And I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, anytime, anywhere, in any place."

    The highlighted quotes all show footballers and a politician who seem quite aware the protests are "offensive" to some.

    Not one footballer or politician has the integrity to assert that protest can be offensive and they stand by the shocking nature of their protest because they feel the issue is important.

    The issue for those that protest and their defenders is not about their free speech rights and whether they can use "offensive" actions to protest. Yours is but another form of distraction from what the players are actually protesting - use of unnecessary violence by law enforcement when interacting with black people.

    Alternatively, why don't you make the argument that their actions are justified if that's what you want to go on about?


    the comment you are replying to (none / 0) (#146)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Sep 20, 2018 at 06:58:23 PM EST
    has been deleted

    Parent
    By "People in Middle America" (5.00 / 3) (#50)
    by Steve13209 on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 08:13:36 AM EST
    you mean people who blindly cheer when the flag comes out, military jets fly over and hate to be reminded of America's problem when they want to watch a football game? Irritated by a tiny reminder that all is not perfect in America? Tough luck.

    I found myself irritated by all the 9/11 remembrances yesterday because it reminds me of all that America (and that sacred flag) has done in response to that attack...and most of it has been horrible. In less than 2 decades we have destroy much of what it took 200 years to create.

    Irritated was not the right word...saddened is more like it.

    Start a fight (5.00 / 3) (#62)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 12:34:18 PM EST
    Involve Jeralyn, and find a way to hack/infiltrate the website. That's my suspicion.

    Pick a side (none / 0) (#63)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 12:41:29 PM EST
    linea needs something very dramatic (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 01:22:35 PM EST
    To coax Jeralyn into private conversation is my suspicion.

    I am of course on the side of this blog community remaining secure. Everyone

    I'm just watching linea, alongside the knowledge we have on past political hackery and emptywheel's past experience.

    Parent

    Thinking more on the subject (5.00 / 1) (#83)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Sep 13, 2018 at 12:38:12 PM EST
    This is a well used liberal legal blog. Many lawyers here have established credibility and share important knowledge with lay people. Don't think for one minute it wouldn't make some disruption hacking hit list.

    Parent
    what are you referring to? (none / 0) (#144)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Sep 20, 2018 at 06:49:53 PM EST
    I don't read the open threads unless I get a complaint. I just got one re: Linea and am deleting her comments that do not comply with our rules. I haven't yet made a decision as to banning, but if she continues to make her comments outrageous so as to provoke negative responses and turn the thread into a thread about her, she will be banned.

    Parent
    The economy (5.00 / 2) (#67)
    by KeysDan on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 01:53:10 PM EST
    is hot.  But, are we heating it up by chopping up the furniture to use as fire wood?  

    The US deficit grew by $222 billion from this time last year, reaching a total of $895 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.  The increase, in largest measure, is due to the Republican tax cuts, primarily benefiting corporations/wealthy/elimination of inheritance taxes, and increased spending at the rate of 7 percent as compared to revenue growth of l percent.

     The deficit will approach $1 trillion by the end of fiscal year 2019.  At the end of FY 2018 it is estimated that the gross US government debt will be $24.48 trillion.

    Trump is considering tax cut 2.0, by bypassing Congress to provide to the wealthy a $100 billion cut in capital gains taxation. The deployment of regulatory power to cut capital gains by changing  the definition of cost is legally questionable, but the Secretary of the Treasury says he is looking into it.

    While the tax0 cuts, effected and contemplated, appear to be ominous, they are likely according to plan.  We will now have to endure some painful decisions, such as cutting social security and Medicare.  Medicaid, of course, must be rolled back no matter.   We have no other choice. right?

    Capital gains cut (5.00 / 3) (#68)
    by jmacWA on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 02:36:37 PM EST
    If this goes through, I think I would have to consider getting totally out of stocks.  My reasoning is along the line of if this goes through they know the jig is up and want to allow their constituency to get out more cheaply.  I would be VERY happy to be wrong here, just what my gut tells me.

    Parent
    My 250 gallon propane tank (5.00 / 1) (#96)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 11:49:02 AM EST
    Doesn't seem like such a bad idea this morning

    Yeah, well (none / 0) (#98)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 12:31:26 PM EST
    The gas leak smell that all neighborhood walkers smell a block away isn't looking good.

    Parent
    North Korea might not be good for much... (none / 0) (#1)
    by desertswine on Mon Sep 10, 2018 at 04:58:31 PM EST
    but they really know how to march.  It looks bizarre at first, but then its kind of mesmerizing.

    I wonder what happens (none / 0) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 10, 2018 at 06:09:31 PM EST
    If you miss a step.

    Parent
    It's called the death step.... (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by fishcamp on Mon Sep 10, 2018 at 08:11:40 PM EST
    N Koreans notwithstanding... (5.00 / 2) (#6)
    by desertswine on Mon Sep 10, 2018 at 10:46:43 PM EST
    nobody marched with greater effect than these guys.

    Parent
    I believe that Kim Jong-un ... (none / 0) (#7)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 01:33:41 AM EST
    ... has hired this guy as his military parade choreographer.

    Parent
    I walk just like that (none / 0) (#70)
    by leap on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 02:51:28 PM EST
    on my four-mile walk every morning. Great cardio! Except I don't carry a rifle. Just a trekking pole to move snakes off the trail.

    Parent
    KIDDING (none / 0) (#4)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 10, 2018 at 06:53:27 PM EST
    Really good.  

    Kidding Is Jim Carrey's Best Performance in More Than a Decade

    Yiu can feel anything at all," Jim Carrey's Jeff Pickles sings in the opening scene of Kidding. He's transported an entire adult Conan audience (and a delightfully giddy Danny Trejo) instantly back to their childhoods with a puppet guitar and a song. His eyes are gentle, his smile soft and comforting and contagious. Even the camera man is grinning.

    And over the next 30 minutes, Carrey's performance makes that sing-along statement immediately true--you can feel anything at all while watching Kidding. For me, that feeling was often distress. Not because the show is tragic (it is) or because it juxtaposes childhood innocence with the horrors of adulthood (it does) or because it makes you feel guilty for laughing (absolutely). It's because Carrey so wholly channels the man who inspired his character, Fred Rogers. His voice is soothing, his mannerisms slow and non-threatening. He's pure, in every sense of the word, like the Mr. Rogers who raised generations of PBS viewers. But, in the world of Kidding, Carrey's Jeff Pickles--host of Mr. Pickles' Puppet Time--is a good man in a broken world. He's also a broken man who's an icon of goodness.

    This might have been called Mr Rogers has a psychotic break.
    You know it coming.


    I'm in New Orleans. (none / 0) (#8)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 09:14:43 AM EST
    S'posed to fly home Friday. Unfortunately some woman named Florence is going to be between here and where I need to get to (BWI). Had a connecting flight in Charlotte. That's not going to happen. Hoping to reroute through DFW. If we are going to get stuck somewhere, DFW is preferable, I have friends in the area.

    Travel safe (none / 0) (#9)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 10:26:45 AM EST
    I hope you can enjoy time with friends if you get temporarily stranded.

    Parent
    I'd prefer The Big Easy to Big D (none / 0) (#10)
    by CoralGables on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 11:00:22 AM EST
    Unless of course a storm was headed towards New Orleans.

    Parent
    I'm with you. (none / 0) (#24)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 10:08:58 PM EST
    But there is mobility and cost issues to consider. Staying another three days in NOLA can get pricey. DFW, not so much.

    Parent
    Walking into someone's home (none / 0) (#15)
    by jondee on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 03:29:23 PM EST
    uninvited is generally considered a crime in itself, is it not?

    How would self-defense and rules of engagement considerations be pertinent in the context of the commission of a crime?

    Involuntary Manslaughter (none / 0) (#17)
    by RickyJim on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 06:10:51 PM EST
    Involuntary manslaughter usually refers to an unintentional killing that results from recklessness or criminal negligence, or from an unlawful act that is a misdemeanor or low-level felony (such as a DUI). The usual distinction from voluntary manslaughter is that involuntary manslaughter (sometimes called "criminally negligent homicide") is a crime in which the victim's death is unintended.
    Sounds like this fits what can be proven fairly closely.

    Parent
    She meant to fire into his torso (none / 0) (#18)
    by jondee on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 06:49:13 PM EST
    but she didn't mean to kill him?

    Parent
    She Just Fired in his Direction (none / 0) (#59)
    by RickyJim on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 11:51:56 AM EST
    David Armstrong of the Texas Rangers wrote that officer Amber Guyger said she inserted her key into the door, and it opened because it had been slightly ajar. Guyger said the apartment was completely dark and she thought a burglar was inside her home when she noticed a large silhouette across the room, he wrote.

    Guyger drew her handgun, gave verbal commands that were ignored and fired her weapon twice, striking 26-year-old Botham Jean once in the torso.

    She entered the apartment and called 911, requesting an ambulance and police. When 911 asked for her location, she checked outside the apartment and realized she was at the wrong apartment, Armstrong wrote in the affidavit.

    Just based on that, I don't see how to decide, beyond a reasonable doubt, between voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.  I think a (Texas) jury would go for the lesser charge.

    Parent
    This makes no sense. (5.00 / 3) (#60)
    by vml68 on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 12:16:01 PM EST
    When 911 asked for her location, she checked outside the apartment and realized she was at the wrong apartment

    She just shot someone for being in "her apartment". When 911 asked for her location, why didn't she just give them her apartment address? Why would she need to check outside?

    Parent

    Perhaps we might agree (none / 0) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 12:23:58 PM EST
    Whatever else

    She should NOT be a cop??


    Parent

    Other Things Don't Make Sense (none / 0) (#80)
    by RickyJim on Thu Sep 13, 2018 at 10:53:25 AM EST
    After she entered the apartment, wouldn't the furniture indicate that it wasn't hers?  When did she turn on the light?

    Parent
    "Due to the interior darkness of the apartment, Guyger turned on the interior lights while on the phone with 911. Upon being asked where she was located by emergency dispatchers, Guyger returned to the front door to observe the address and discovered she was at the wrong apartment," according to the arrest warrant.


    Parent
    "Just" fired in his direction (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by jondee on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 12:51:43 PM EST
    people who kill people with guns always fire in the person's direction.

    Parent
    Acting in the unreasonable belief (none / 0) (#19)
    by Peter G on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 07:44:30 PM EST
    that your action is "justifiable" (in law) -- e.g., an act of self-defense, or of law enforcement use of force -- will ordinarily turn murder into voluntary (not involuntary) manslaughter. A fairly serious crime, albeit less serious than murder.

    Parent
    I'm curious if this case will be at all similar (none / 0) (#81)
    by McBain on Thu Sep 13, 2018 at 11:16:59 AM EST
    to cases where police raid the wrong house and end up killing someone?  The obvious difference is it doesn't appear Guyger was on official police business at the time of the shooting.

    Here's an article about a wrongful raid/death where the officers weren't indicted.

    Parent

    Please don't start looking for reasons ... (5.00 / 4) (#84)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Sep 13, 2018 at 06:22:30 PM EST
    ... to exonerate Amber Guyger. An totally innocent man is dead who otherwise didn't need to be, but for her.

    Parent
    I don't know what she should be charged with (1.00 / 4) (#85)
    by McBain on Thu Sep 13, 2018 at 08:51:59 PM EST
    if anything yet.  I don't know if Jean was a totally innocent man.  I do know the initial reporting looks very bad for Guyger.

    In general, I find this case very interesting. I don't think anyone really knows how to break it down yet.  

    Parent

    "Totally innocent man"? (5.00 / 7) (#86)
    by jondee on Thu Sep 13, 2018 at 09:03:02 PM EST
    in what? The theological sense?

    If there was some serious dirt to dredge up about Mr Jean, I'm sure the Dallas police would've done it by now.

    The cop pr damage-control apparatus is usually quick as lightning about those sorts of things.

    Parent

    Well, he was black....so he definitely could (3.00 / 2) (#87)
    by vml68 on Thu Sep 13, 2018 at 09:55:37 PM EST
    not be totally innocent. Probably, had a Black Lives Matter poster or a picture of Kaepernick taking a knee./s

    Parent
    Nailed it (none / 0) (#103)
    by Yman on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 02:18:21 PM EST
    They found some pot in his apartment.

    Let's just hope he doesn't drink Arizona Iced Tea. /s

    Parent

    ... has to the Dallas Police Dept.'s homicide investigation, but here in Hilo, county police detectives would've likely noted for the record that the late Mr. Jean was almost out of weed.

    Parent
    So he wasn't totally innocent (none / 0) (#105)
    by jondee on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 03:26:37 PM EST
    unlike John the Baptist and Anne of Green Gables.

    Seriously are these cops That tone-deaf about community relations, or do they just not give a sh*t?

    Parent

    Found some police stuff too, apparently. (none / 0) (#106)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 03:52:45 PM EST
    The search warrant listed items found including -- fired cartridge casings, a laptop, a black backpack with police equipment and paperwork, more than 10 grams of marijuana, a metal marijuana grinder, two radio frequency ID keys and two used packages of medical aid. While the affidavit detailed the items found inside Jean's apartment, it did not indicate who owned which items.

    The two casings must be from Guyer's gun. I would guess the backpack/police equipment is also Guyer's, and she dropped it and left it during/after the incident. Also that Guyer used the medical aid on Jean...

    Parent

    Pretty lousy reporting there (none / 0) (#107)
    by jondee on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 04:33:40 PM EST
    at almost as if someone wanted to leave a bit of lingering doubt as to who was originally in posession of what stuff.

    Parent
    The law enforcement officials said the marijuana was on the kitchen counter.

    I guess that explains why the cops listed "narcotics" on the search warrant; they saw the pot on the counter at some point, and wanted to search for other drugs.

    Parent

    I'm still unclear as to why (5.00 / 2) (#109)
    by jondee on Sat Sep 15, 2018 at 01:48:15 PM EST
    the person who did the killing, who was supposedly drug-tested etc, apparently didn't have Her apartment searched for "narcotics".

    Parent
    Me too. Baffling. (none / 0) (#121)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Sep 17, 2018 at 11:02:27 AM EST
    According to Jean's attorney:
    "The only connection we have been able to make is that she was his immediate downstairs neighbor," Meritt said. "And there were noise complaints from the immediate downstairs neighbors about whoever was upstairs, and that would have been Botham. In fact, there were noise complaints that very day about upstairs activity in Botham's apartment. Botham received a phone call about noise coming from his apartment from the downstairs neighbor."



    Parent
    And, there it is. (5.00 / 1) (#88)
    by vml68 on Thu Sep 13, 2018 at 10:03:12 PM EST
    I don't know if Jean was a totally innocent man.

    ChuckO, you just got an answer to your question.

    Good guy(gal) with a gun kills good guy without a gun. Off duty Dallas enters wrong apt. Kills legal resident of apt. Story at DMN. OK McBain, go, let's hear the justications for this one.


    Parent
    I'm laying odds (none / 0) (#89)
    by jondee on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 02:05:38 AM EST
    that in the next couple of days McBain blows this case wide open by telling Jean was caught stealing a tee-shirt and a pair of socks at Target when he was fifteen.

    Parent
    A (5.00 / 2) (#90)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 07:48:18 AM EST
    Black lives matter T shirt

    Parent
    Guyger has been fired. (none / 0) (#156)
    by Chuck0 on Mon Sep 24, 2018 at 11:48:40 AM EST
    Beto O'Rourke was calling for her to be fired. Ted Cruz sounded like McBain. "No rush to judgement". Beto wasn't calling for her to be crucified. Simply fired from the PD. Not an unrealistic demand. She shot an unarmed man in his own apartment in which she had not been invited. Those are facts that cannot be disputed. Not a "rush to judgement."

    Parent
    Discovery of dog saves man from false (none / 0) (#16)
    by McBain on Tue Sep 11, 2018 at 03:52:51 PM EST
    conviction.
    The discovery of a black Labrador named Lucy led to the unraveling of a criminal case Monday against an Oregon man who had begun serving a 50-year prison sentence.

    Joshua Horner, a plumber from the central Oregon town of Redmond, was convicted on April 12, 2017, of sexual abuse of a minor.

    In addition to the sex abuse allegation, Horner was also accused of killing the minor's dog.  Finding the dog alive and well undermined the minor's credibility which led to the judge dismissing the case.

    The Oregon Innocence Project helped find the dog.

    Seriously (none / 0) (#34)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 12:16:54 AM EST


    I think (5.00 / 1) (#71)
    by leap on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 02:54:32 PM EST
    people here should just ignore it. What's the point of engaging?

    My opinion.

    Parent

    exactly (none / 0) (#143)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Sep 20, 2018 at 06:44:26 PM EST
    and I'm cleaning the thread of additional Linea comments on this topic. See the comment rules.

    Parent
    Big day tomorrow (none / 0) (#48)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 01:39:11 AM EST
    Season finale of Castle Rock and season premier of American Horror Story: Apocalypse

    CNET (none / 0) (#49)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 02:10:40 AM EST
    Wowee (none / 0) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 11:06:46 AM EST
    CASTKE ROCK

    so good.  So freakin good.

    And the setup for season two was amazing.  It involves a young woman named Torrence.  A name you might have "overlooked".

    In the story she killed a guy with an ax rather like her father Jack.

    The tease suggests season 2 will be returning to the Overlook.

    Now a writer herself her closing line was

    "The best place to finish a book is where it started".

    I am very excited.

    Parent

    Tonight Show cancels Norm McDonald (none / 0) (#69)
    by McBain on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 02:41:15 PM EST
    appearance.
    Norm Macdonald's appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" was hastily canceled Tuesday after the comedian stirred controversy with remarks about the #MeToo movement and the treatment of Louis C.K., Chris Hardwick and Roseanne in recent scandals...

    ...In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Macdonald said he was "happy the #MeToo movement has slowed down a little bit." He further opined: "It used to be, `One hundred women can't be lying.' And then it became, `One woman can't lie.' And that became, `I believe all women.' And then you're like, `What?' Like, that Chris Hardwick guy I really thought got the blunt end of the stick there."

    In other news, Harvey Weinstein's accuser's accuser has been accused.

    MacDonald was (none / 0) (#73)
    by KeysDan on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 04:19:15 PM EST
    given the opportunity to appear on the Tonight Show to push his new Netflix show, starting Sept 19. His protective comments related to his friends outdistanced  accountability for their deeds---which proved too controversial for the least politically cutting and most critically bland of the late night shows, in the custom of the show's predecessor, Jay Leno. (in recent Trumpian times, this has changed, but it took a while and a review of the ratings).

    His friend, Louis CK, for example, admitted masturbating in front of women and if they resisted, he'd attempt to sabotage their careers.

      When MacDonald spoke of his friends, he said: " There are very few people that have gone through what they have, losing everything in a day. Of course, people will go, "What about the victims? But you know what? the victims didn't have to go through that."

    In MacDonald's apparently hastily crafted apology, he said, "If my words sounded like I was minimizing the pain that the victims feel to this day, I am deeply sorry."

    Yes, Norm. your words sounded just like that.  The cancellation of his invitation to the Tonight Show is not a tragedy in the scheme of our world today, and it allows him to claim victim status to anyone who cares to listen to him.

    Parent

    Let comedians be politically incorrect (none / 0) (#74)
    by McBain on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 05:55:51 PM EST
    It's part of what makes them funny.  

    Parent
    Norm is a strange, quirky, comic (none / 0) (#75)
    by jondee on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 07:27:56 PM EST
    who definately gets way out on the edge at times. There's a lot more to him than meets the eye, which really came out in his appearence on Marc Maron's podcast, which I recommend listening to.

    His sense of loyalty to his old comedic friends and colleagues may have gotten the better of him in this instance though.


    Parent

    Does not (none / 0) (#76)
    by KeysDan on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 08:41:21 PM EST
    seem that Norm got disinvited to appear on the Tonight Show due to what might be considered politically incorrect comedy. Hard to construe his defence of the pathetic behavior of his friends as being funny.

    Parent
    ... Norm McDonald's statement about #MeToo was incredibly obtuse.

    Parent
    One of the best things Norm (none / 0) (#101)
    by jondee on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 01:04:38 PM EST
    ever did was when he trolled one of those no-holds-barred Comedy Central Roasts by coming out and telling a long series of incredibly corny testimonial dinner jokes from the 1950s joke book.

    It was a very Andy Kaufman-ish moment.

    He said he looked up in the middle of it and all he could see was the angry eyes of producer Alan Thicke.


    Parent

    Finished up Rest In Power tonight (none / 0) (#77)
    by McBain on Wed Sep 12, 2018 at 10:15:42 PM EST
    None of the episodes were all that good but the last one was the worst.  For one thing, it didn't have Jeralyn in it.  I hope she talks about this documentary series at some point.  What the interviews were like and what she thought of the finished product.  More than anyone else in the series, she was the one who gave it to the audience straight.

    All of the episodes were biased against George Zimmerman but only the last one was completely anti GZ.  It talked about some of the police related incidents, auctions and other things he's been involved with after the trial but failed to mention the one where someone shot at him.  But then again, this wasn't a GZ documentary, it was one about Trayvon Martin and the people inspired by him.

    Perhaps someday, there will be a real, honest documentary about this case or about some of the legal cases and incidents that sparked protests over the past 10 years or so.  There's a good conversation to be had there.  Hopefully we're ready for it.
     

    The final episode (none / 0) (#145)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Sep 20, 2018 at 06:54:46 PM EST
    was not about the legal case, so I'm glad I wasn't in it.

    This was the story of the Martin family's view of the case, it is based on their book. I didn't want to comment while it was airing, and I'd have to give some thought to any response. For now I'll just say that the coverage on TalkLeft was more accurate from a legal standpoint, and I stand by it.

    The only thing I approve of in the six episodes is the shade of red in the opening credits, it's really pretty.

    Parent

    Anyone have the time, knowledge, or inclination (none / 0) (#91)
    by CoralGables on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 08:43:38 AM EST
    to decipher this filing this morning in the Manafort case?

    Got it (none / 0) (#95)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 11:30:37 AM EST
    It says Cheeto is fu@ked

    Parent
    Washington Post is reporting (none / 0) (#92)
    by CoralGables on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 10:53:04 AM EST
    that Manafort is now cooperating with Mueller.

    Last night (none / 0) (#93)
    by CST on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 11:21:13 AM EST
    There were 60 to 80 structure fires in northeast MA.  They shut off power and evacuated the towns of North Andover, Andover, and South Lawrence.  The cause is: "between 8,100 and 8,500 gas meters were fed by "distribution lines that were overpressurized.""

    One teenager died and at least two dozen people were injured.  They don't know what the cause was yet, but MA has a lot of old infrastructure.  This could be a user error or it could be a matter of small things going unaddressed for years, it's not yet known, although they had just started working on upgrading the lines yesterday shortly before this happened.

    Link to article

    There is an ongoing labor dispute (including a strike) happening with the local National Grid union right now - which was not the company that was in charge of these lines.  I wonder if this will have an impact on that strike.

    Sorry I said Strike (none / 0) (#94)
    by CST on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 11:22:41 AM EST
    It is actually a lockout, which is relevant because the union has been making the case that it's unsafe.

    Parent
    I am sorry this incident (5.00 / 1) (#97)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 12:30:04 PM EST
    Isn't receiving coverage or scrutiny. So much of our nation's infrastructure is unsafe now.

    Maybe next week can be infrastructure week :(

    Parent

    What the HELL (none / 0) (#99)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 12:41:18 PM EST
    Seriously.

    Some one seriously f'ed up.

    The company will start cooperating if they are smart.

    Parent

    And by cooperating (none / 0) (#100)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 12:48:56 PM EST
    Of course I mean give use some SCAPEGOATS

    Parent
    Someone probably did eff up (none / 0) (#102)
    by CST on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 01:19:13 PM EST
    But I would also argue that something like this shouldn't be possible for a person to eff up where you are forced to evacuate three towns and you blow up 70 houses.

    No doubt a scapegoat will be found, probably a low/mid-level person.

    Parent

    Somehow it managed to get worse (none / 0) (#104)
    by CST on Fri Sep 14, 2018 at 03:03:36 PM EST
    For Columbia Gas today:

    Link

    ""Today, on a number of very significant issues, we heard one thing and something else happened," Baker said of Columbia Gas' response."

    "Mayor Rivera harshly criticized Columbia Gas for establishing their command center in a different location from the rest of the massive state and federal emergency response.

    "They're hiding from the problem," Rivera said. "If they were here they'd have to see the major who's here from State Police, they'd have to see the governor's staff, my staff, the chief's. They'd have to see their faces every five seconds. They're not here."

    "There were a series of commitments that were made with respect to what was going to happen between 7:00 in the morning and 3:00 this afternoon," Baker added. "The performance relative to those representations has been so far below what was talked about this morning that it raised major issues in our mind about the leadership team's ability there to actually deliver for the people of Massachusetts."

    Parent

    MANDY (none / 0) (#112)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Sep 16, 2018 at 05:21:05 PM EST
    I think this is one that opened on PPV the same day as theater.  It is a trip.

    Mandy makes it clear in its opening minutes of neon-drenched colors and unnerving score that it's not a movie for everyone. But if you can get on the wavelength that co-writer and director Panos Cosmatos is throwing out, then you'll want to hold on tight and enjoy the ride. The film is an unabashed phantasmagorical ride through an eye-popping hellscape that always embraces its heavy metal and dark fantasy influences. Movies like Mandy are rare, and yet for all of its surreal imagery and tonality, Cosmatos always plays fair with the audience and doesn't break the narrative spell despite the twisted realities where the story takes place. At its core, Mandy is a straightforward tale about love, loss, and revenge, but dressed up in the most trippy and mind-bending visuals it can find.

    With Mandy, Cosmatos has taken a fairly simple story about love and loss and transformed it into something unforgettable. Mandy is a movie that will sear itself into your brain with its astounding visuals, twisted hellscape, gruesome violence, and yet there's a beating heart beneath all of it. Yes, there are wild Nicolas Cage hijinks, but there's much more happening with Mandy, and while you'll enjoy Cage's performance, you'll get lost in the marvelous movie that surrounds him.

    Rating: A-

    Not really a Cage fan but he is excellent here.  He has almost no dialog.

    Collider

    Favorite blurb (none / 0) (#113)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Sep 16, 2018 at 05:29:35 PM EST
    Mandy has echoes of Hollywood stuff that's out now like The Predator and Peppermint, but its compelling strangeness gives it a power that those others can't hope to match. Plus, y'know, chainsaws.

    trailer

    Parent

    To me, an unnerving film score would be ... (none / 0) (#118)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 17, 2018 at 06:18:13 AM EST
    ... endless musical variations of Barry Manilow's 1970s hit single of the same name, which would run serious risk of inducing mass diabetic shock in the audience.
    ;-D

    Parent
    Ha (none / 0) (#119)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 17, 2018 at 07:53:50 AM EST
    I read a review that said it should have been included.  I disagree and guarantee that, after the initial almost unavoidable mental connection, you will not think about Barry Manilla once for the rest of this movie.

    Parent
    Barry is appearing next weekend in Miami... (none / 0) (#120)
    by fishcamp on Mon Sep 17, 2018 at 08:17:54 AM EST
    Juan David Ortiz (none / 0) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Sep 16, 2018 at 05:55:04 PM EST

    Juan David Ortiz, US Border Patrol agent in Texas, charged in 2-week killing spree

    Amazing story

    OUSTON, Texas -- Texas authorities charged a U.S. Border Patrol supervisor with murder following what they called a two-week serial killing spree that left four female sex workers dead and ended when a fifth woman escaped at a gas station and found help.

    Juan David Ortiz, 35, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, was charged with four counts of murder as well as aggravated assault and unlawful restraint, Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said in a tweet.

    Ortiz was arrested after the fifth woman managed to flee. State troopers found Ortiz hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo at around 2 a.m. Saturday. The border city about 145 miles (235 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio



    If you have three names (none / 0) (#115)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Sep 16, 2018 at 06:11:38 PM EST
    You might be a serial killer

    Parent
    Another red flag (5.00 / 1) (#131)
    by jondee on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 02:47:59 PM EST
    is if the person's middle name is "The".

    Parent
    This (none / 0) (#122)
    by FlJoe on Mon Sep 17, 2018 at 04:56:02 PM EST
    seems big
    President Donald Trump's administration released a statement demanding the Department of Justice release all documents pertaining to the Russia Investigation.

    "In addition, President Donald J. Trump has directed the Department of Justice (including the FBI) to publicly release all text messages relating to the Russia investigation, without redaction, of James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr," the statement reads.n Monday, President Donald Trump's administration released a statement demanding the Department of Justice release all documents pertaining to the Russia Investigation.

    "In addition, President Donald J. Trump has directed the Department of Justice (including the FBI) to publicly release all text messages relating to the Russia investigation, without redaction, of James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr," the statement reads.

     

    Poor persecuted Carter (none / 0) (#123)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 17, 2018 at 06:28:01 PM EST
    Mueller will probably respond by indicting and flipping him.

    Parent
    I totally forgot the ENMYs (none / 0) (#124)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 07:43:24 AM EST
    Last night.  Mostly happy with the winners.

    I have the whole first season of BARRY on the DVR.  I guess I will have to watch since both Hader and Henry Winkler won in their categories.

    I enjoyed it (none / 0) (#125)
    by McBain on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 09:25:11 AM EST
    I'll probably watch the second season when it comes out

    Parent
    I don't get Barry (none / 0) (#127)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 10:26:51 AM EST
    It annoys me, but my husband likes it.

    Parent
    That was my impression (none / 0) (#129)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 12:55:16 PM EST
    Ill give it a try

    Parent
    The Amazing Mrs. Maisel (none / 0) (#132)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 03:35:34 PM EST
    was a big winner. It's on Amazon. I recommend it if you haven't seen it.

    Parent
    Rest in peace, Peter Donat (1928-2018). (none / 0) (#126)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 09:53:53 AM EST
    Donat was the quintessential "Oh, yeah, him!" character actor. You likely didn't know his name offhand, and you probably wouldn't have recognized him had you passed him on the street. But nevertheless, you saw him on the big screen as Jane Fonda's callous news director boss in "The China Syndrome," on the small screen in "The X-Files" as Agent Mulder's father, and perhaps even onstage starring in various productions at the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse or the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.

    While Peter Donat certainly wasn't a marquee player or household name, it's also safe to say that most film and television productions simply wouldn't work without competent journeyman actors like him to fill critical supporting roles. Always in demand, posing no real threat to oft-inflated Hollywood egos, and perfectly content with his otherwise relative anonymity to movie and TV audiences, Donat did his job and did it very well.

    And as a result, he'll still be seen by audiences for a long time to come.

    Wasn't he Jerry the dentist (none / 0) (#133)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 03:36:32 PM EST
    on the Bob Newhart Show?

    Parent
    Peter Donat was the son of the late actor Robert Donat, whose title role in the original 1939 film "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" snared him the Academy Award for Best Actor that year, much to the surprise of practically everyone -- especially Clark Gable, who had heretofore been the odds-on favorite thanks to his star turn as Rhett Butler in "Gone With the Wind."

    Rumor has it that Gable was so disgusted by the Academy's choice that he henceforth used his Best Actor Oscar for 1934's "It Happened One Night" as a doorstop.

    But as it stands, the elder Donat's shocking upset win over Gable on Oscar night ultimately proved to be far more memorable than Donat's actual performance as Mr. Chips. Suffice to say that Gable's ow-legendary performance as Rhett Butler has long since transcended that hiccup in Oscar history to become the more enduring cinematic legacy.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    So if the carpet matches the drapes (none / 0) (#128)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 12:40:59 PM EST
    We know without makeup Trump really looks like Bumble

    There is a mushroom (5.00 / 1) (#140)
    by KeysDan on Thu Sep 20, 2018 at 02:44:05 PM EST
    cloud over the White House.

    Parent
    For some reason (5.00 / 2) (#141)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Sep 20, 2018 at 03:19:39 PM EST
    I found "yeti pvbes" an even more disturbing image.

    Parent
    Toad from Mario Kart (none / 0) (#134)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 03:54:33 PM EST
    A very (none / 0) (#135)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 04:05:51 PM EST
    I'll never look at (none / 0) (#136)
    by jondee on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 04:10:33 PM EST
    Wind In The Willows the same way again. SAD!

    Parent
    Toad of Toad Hall (none / 0) (#137)
    by jondee on Tue Sep 18, 2018 at 09:49:46 PM EST
    I actually like that better than Bone Spurs.

    Parent
    Heartbreaking story from ProPublica: (none / 0) (#139)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Sep 20, 2018 at 02:34:39 PM EST
    "Miguel was the first of 11 high schoolers to go missing in a single Long Island county in 2016 and 2017, as the street gang MS-13 preyed with increasing brutality on the Latino community. As student after student disappeared, often lured out with the promise of smoking blunts in the woods, their immigrant families were stymied by the inaction and inadequate procedures of the Suffolk County police, according to more than 100 interviews and thousands of pages of police reports, court records and documents obtained through freedom-of-information requests.

    "Many of the families came from countries where officials have historically looked the other way as gangs and death squads disappear young people. Now they felt the same pattern was playing out again, in the woods of Long Island. The officers they asked for help dismissed their children as runaways instead of crime victims, and they repeatedly failed to provide interpreters for witnesses and parents who only spoke Spanish. Their experience points to a larger breakdown between the Police Department and Latino immigrants. Too often, Suffolk detectives acknowledge, police have stereotyped young immigrants as gang members and minimized violence against them as 'misdemeanor murder.'"

    "The Disappeared." For all the GOP right's huffery and puffery about MS-13, it's readily apparent that this criminal gang likely poses a much greater threat to the public safety and well being of our country's Latino immigrant communities, than it does to white people.

    We need to stop our collective navel-gazing and start understanding the world as it really is, and not as Trump's White-Wing World sees it.

    Is Mattis Anonymous? (none / 0) (#142)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Sep 20, 2018 at 04:21:51 PM EST
    THE PLOT TO SUBVERT AN ELECTION (none / 0) (#147)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Sep 20, 2018 at 07:55:27 PM EST
    NYTimes

    Exhausting. Good. Long.

    Very readable. Stunning graphic. (none / 0) (#148)
    by oculus on Fri Sep 21, 2018 at 10:33:54 AM EST
    Yes (none / 0) (#149)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Sep 21, 2018 at 11:49:40 AM EST
    And even tho we know most of it to see it all laid out like that is kind of stunning as well.

    Parent
    Beto vs Ted is now a toss up (none / 0) (#150)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Sep 21, 2018 at 07:33:55 PM EST
    This marks the second time the Cook Political Report has moved the advantage in the Senate Texas race leftward in less than two months and is the latest indication that U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke has a legitimate chance of taking down GOP Sen. Ted Cruz this fall.


    Go Ducks. (none / 0) (#151)
    by fishcamp on Sat Sep 22, 2018 at 06:59:10 PM EST


    Ouch, Ducks. (5.00 / 1) (#152)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Sep 23, 2018 at 05:27:56 AM EST
    They swooped. And then they drooped badly, picking two very inopportune times to drop the football on the carpet in the second half, both of which changed the game's trajectory and complexion on them. That loss had to hurt. But still, the Ducks had some wonderful moments against a very good Stanford team, upon which they can build for the rest of the year.

    Keep the faith. It's still early in the season.

    Parent

    Rosenstein summoned to the WH (none / 0) (#153)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 24, 2018 at 09:53:26 AM EST
    Probably doesn't mean he is fired.  Trump would have done that by tweet.

    Probably being summoned to grovel

    It not this really could be an interesting week.

    In the Chinese sense

    Oh boy (none / 0) (#154)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 24, 2018 at 10:00:49 AM EST
    White House says he is coming to resign.

    DOJ says he will not resign.

    Well, this will definitely take the spotlight off Brett for a bit.  

    I expect it will have other effects as well.

    Parent

    Going to the liquor store (none / 0) (#155)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 24, 2018 at 10:05:41 AM EST
    And calling my green friend

    This is going to be something

    Parent

    Bill Cosby's now in prison. (none / 0) (#157)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Sep 25, 2018 at 05:13:36 PM EST
    Declaring him to be a "sexually violent predator," Montgomery County (PA) Judge Steven O'Neill sentenced the once-widely-admired comedian today (Tues. Sept. 25, 2018) to serve 3-10 years in state prison for his 2004 sexual assault on Andrea Constand. He was immediately remanded into state custody and removed from Judge O'Neill's courtroom in handcuffs. Ms. Constand issued a victim impact statement prior to Cosby's sentencing.