America

[kk67]

It didn't accidentally go off. He's a moron.
It's like when horsey people say 'the horse hurt itself' ,..... no, you hurt the horse.

[Digby]

It's a weird old place is America as we see again in the updates or lack thereof to the State Senate in Wisconsin. Essentially there are some empty seats in the senate, and rather than hold special elections to fill them (essentially bye elections) the senate in Wisconsin being Republican is seeking not to hold the elections for fear they'd lose the seats to Democrats. Now you might think it's for the voters to decide but there are many games afoot.

The claim they didn't need to hold special elections for the seats open since last December stems from a bizarre interpretation of the requirements to hold a special election to fill a vacant seat. Essentially, as I understand it based on a cursory read of a poorly written piece, the seats became open last year and because the requirement states an election must be held if the seats become vacant before May in an election year then this being an election year the Republicans have decided no special elections are needed. Which is to say the seats became vacant last year, and whilst that's before May of this year the seats became vacant the year before an election year when there'd be a requirement to hold an election - simples no?

The courts told the GOP this was a stupid position, and that when the requirement is to hold special elections for seats vacated before May in an election year it doesn't mean only in an election year. The GOP have responded to this and their concerns about Democrat getting election by seeking to change the law so they don't need to hold elections (and simply wait for the general election later this year), whether the GOP can pass such a change to the law will depend on whether they can whip their party senators into line, right now some are saying they have concerns based around what might loosely be termed a flagrant disregard for the basic values of a democracy.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/pol ... 460036002/

[Digby]

For reasons that don't need to be looked into too closely I've found myself on the Fox News site and simply to amuse myself I've clicked on the World news section. And I note they've broken down some stories by region as follows

The Americas:

US urges Kosovo, Serbia to normalize ties through dialogue (clearly if the US urges talks it's a story about America)

The Latest: North's TV reports on Kim meeting without images (clearly also talks about North Korea is about America)

Islamic State haunts northern Iraq months after its defeat (yes, well...)


Things will no doubt improve once we're out of the the Americas


Africa:

Ball tampering plot: Smith, Warner banned for 12 months


Middle East:

Greek authorities search for migrants after emergency call


Australia:

The Latest: Russia vows to retaliate for expelled envoys



Some of those aren't too bad I suppose, and the stories can easily be about more than the headline

[kk67]

For reasons that don't need to be looked into too closely I've found myself on the Fox News site and simply to amuse myself I've clicked on the World news section. And I note they've broken down some stories by region as follows.

Wow.
You fool.

[kk67]

Fox news...Grow up.

[morepork]

Minute by Minute has easily qualified that. Wake up.

[rowan]

Shocking

With alarming regularity, unarmed men, women, children and even pets are being gunned down by twitchy, hyper-sensitive, easily-spooked police officers who shoot first and ask questions later, and all the government does is shrug and promise to do better.

Killed for standing in a “shooting stance.” In California, police opened fire on and killed a mentally challenged—unarmed—black man within minutes of arriving on the scene, allegedly because he removed a vape smoking device from his pocket and took a “shooting stance.”

Killed for holding a cell phone. Police in Arizona shot a man who was running away from U.S. Marshals after he refused to drop an object that turned out to be a cellphone. Similarly, police in Sacramento fired 20 shots at an unarmed, 22-year-old black man who was standing in his grandparents’ backyard after mistaking his cellphone for a gun.

Killed for carrying a baseball bat. Responding to a domestic disturbance call, Chicago police shot and killed 19-year-old college student Quintonio LeGrier who had reportedly been experiencing mental health problems and was carrying a baseball bat around the apartment where he and his father lived.

Killed for opening the front door. Bettie Jones, who lived on the floor below LeGrier, was also fatally shot—this time, accidentally—when she attempted to open the front door for police.

Killed for running towards police with a metal spoon. In Alabama, police shot and killed a 50-year-old man who reportedly charged a police officer while holding “a large metal spoon in a threatening manner.”

Killed for running while holding a tree branch. Georgia police shot and killed a 47-year-old man wearing only shorts and tennis shoes who, when first encountered, was sitting in the woods against a tree, only to start running towards police holding a stick in an “aggressive manner.”

Killed for crawling around naked. Atlanta police shot and killed an unarmed man who was reported to have been “acting deranged, knocking on doors, crawling around on the ground naked.” Police fired two shots at the man after he reportedly started running towards them.

Killed for wearing dark pants and a basketball jersey. Donnell Thompson, a mentally disabled 27-year-old described as gentle and shy, was shot and killed after police—searching for a carjacking suspect reportedly wearing similar clothing—encountered him lying motionless in a neighborhood yard. Police “only” opened fire with an M4 rifle after Thompson first failed to respond to their flash bang grenades and then started running after being hit by foam bullets.

Killed for driving while deaf. In North Carolina, a state trooper shot and killed 29-year-old Daniel K. Harris—who was deaf—after Harris initially failed to pull over during a traffic stop.

Killed for being homeless. Los Angeles police shot an unarmed homeless man after he failed to stop riding his bicycleand then proceeded to run from police.

Killed for brandishing a shoehorn. John Wrana, a 95-year-old World War II veteran, lived in an assisted living center, used a walker to get around, and was shot and killed by police who mistook the shoehorn in his hand for a 2-foot-long machete and fired multiple beanbag rounds from a shotgun at close range.

Killed for having your car break down on the road. Terence Crutcher, unarmed and black, was shot and killed by Oklahoma police after his car broke down on the side of the road. Crutcher was shot in the back while walking towards his car with his hands up.

Killed for holding a garden hose. California police were ordered to pay $6.5 million after they opened fire on a man holding a garden hose, believing it to be a gun. Douglas Zerby was shot 12 times and pronounced dead on the scene.

Killed for calling 911. Justine Damond, a 40-year-old yoga instructor, was shot and killed by Minneapolis police, allegedly because they were startled by a loud noise in the vicinity just as she approached their patrol car. Damond, clad in pajamas, had called 911 to report a possible assault in her neighborhood.

Killed for looking for a parking spot. Richard Ferretti, a 52-year-old chef, was shot and killed by Philadelphia policewho had been alerted to investigate a purple Dodge Caravan that was driving “suspiciously” through the neighborhood.

Shot seven times for peeing outdoors. Eighteen-year- old Keivon Young was shot seven times by police from behind while urinating outdoors. Young was just zipping up his pants when he heard a commotion behind him and then found himself struck by a hail of bullets from two undercover cops. Allegedly officers mistook Young—5’4,” 135 lbs., and guilty of nothing more than taking a leak outdoors—for a 6’ tall, 200 lb. murder suspect whom they later apprehended. Young was charged with felony resisting arrest and two counts of assaulting a peace officer.

This is what passes for policing in America today, folks, and it’s only getting worse.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/03/29 ... s-america/

[kk67]

It does seem odd that cheating is becoming an industry standard.

[WaspInWales]

I thought giving the good guys guns was supposed to fix the problems?

[Digby]

Paul Ryan to announce he's sticking the tax cut in his back pocket and running away so if the Dems do well in the coming elections he's not tainted when it comes to any future Presidential run. He mayn't announce it quite like that.

[morepork]

Expect a bit more of this.

[Digby]

Heard it's a record year for GOP officials resigning at various officer levels, perhaps there's a common theme to their struggles (other than with basic human decency)

[kk67]

In the last few months I've been enjoying the addition of PBS America to my telly. Not least because I now understand when Lisa Simpson makes reference to a documentary she has been watching on PBS.....anyway, I was watching this documentary on PBS the other night...
It was a very worthy and well sourced hour dealing with the US's first broken arrow over Alaska/Canada in 1945.
At the end there was a throwaway line that said since that first time, the US has suffered over 60 broken arrows.
....over 60. That's either 2 entire subs or one sub and 15 B-52's..?. I dunno the math. But FFS.
How many did they recover..?.

I see one of the S.American countries has recently lost a sub without trace so fair play, it does happen.

[Coco]

PBS has some great stuff on occasion. I usually enjoy Rick Steves traveling the globe.

[rowan]

Another high school shooting: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/18/us/t ... index.html

[WaspInWales]

If only the teachers had guns...perhaps more of the students too!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[rowan]

But he's really a nice kid at heart who just has some psychological issues because he was unpopular and bullied at school.

[Stones of granite]

But he's really a nice kid at heart who just has some psychological issues because he was unpopular and bullied at school.

and probably better adjusted than you

[rowan]

But he's really a nice kid at heart who just has some psychological issues because he was unpopular and bullied at school.

and probably better adjusted than you

Apartheid, Zionists, psychopathic killers. Anyone else you'd like to cheer for while you're at it?

[Stones of granite]

But he's really a nice kid at heart who just has some psychological issues because he was unpopular and bullied at school.

and probably better adjusted than you

Apartheid, Zionists, psychopathic killers. Anyone else you'd like to cheer for while you're at it?

I don’t cheer for any of those, that’s your psychosis talking.

You fit the profile of these killers quite well, though. A maladjusted, lonely person who lives his life vicariously on the internet.

[rowan]

and probably better adjusted than you

Apartheid, Zionists, psychopathic killers. Anyone else you'd like to cheer for while you're at it?

I don’t cheer for any of those, that’s your psychosis talking.

You fit the profile of these killers quite well, though. A maladjusted, lonely person who lives his life vicariously on the internet.

No, I just annoy you by condemning Apartheid, Zionism, American war crimes - and psychopathic killers. That's perfectly evident.

[Stones of granite]

Apartheid, Zionists, psychopathic killers. Anyone else you'd like to cheer for while you're at it?

I don’t cheer for any of those, that’s your psychosis talking.

You fit the profile of these killers quite well, though. A maladjusted, lonely person who lives his life vicariously on the internet.

No, I just annoy you by condemning Apartheid, Zionism, American war crimes - and psychopathic killers. That's perfectly evident.

Wrong again.

I suggest a long and deep period of self-reflection, though I suspect you are in incapable of it.

[Mikey Brown]

Everyone following this Amber Guyger / Botham Jean thing? Is this just normal now?

[Digby]

I wouldn't say following, but it's an appalling set of events, and one can only hope it's competently investigated

[Mikey Brown]

Seems a bit late for that from what I can tell. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places.