Displaying 721 To 750 Of 13,190 Comments Dear Trolls: Yes, I do think Barack Obama is a Very Good President and Here is Why Murph, at a time when the MSM seems to be operating in overdrive to criticize him, it’s a relief to see a solid defense of the President. Accomplishments like a total shutdown of Gitmo and Medicare for everyone would have been lovely, but we have to recall that both of these goals were forcefully opposed by the GOP. As we all know, the President can’t rule by fiat like a king. Or wave a wand like a magician and accomplish anything. He can only do the possible. And the GOPTP has vowed to make sure that next to nothing falls into that possible category. When people say that both parties are identical, they’re ignoring the fact that there’s a difference between doing things that are actively wrong (invading the wrong countries, failing to regulate Wall Street) and being unable to totally undo the wrongs someone else has committed because there’s overt sabotage of every effort to do that. Dubya clearly falls in the former category and the President in the latter. They’re very different people. » Posted By kesmarn On September 22, 2014 @ 7:14 pm NFL To Address Anti-Women Image With Superbowl Twerking Contest Good one, Homie! 😆 » Posted By kesmarn On September 14, 2014 @ 7:40 am I seem to recall O J Simpson saying that Michelle was known to throw a punch now and then too, PPO. He seemed to be toying with the notion of a plea that he’d acted in self-defense when “she was killed.” (Almost wrote “when he killed her,” but he was acquitted.) I never realized how terrifying 100 pound women could be to great big NFL football players until recently! Maybe professional teams should start fielding their cheerleading teams. 😉 » Posted By kesmarn On September 12, 2014 @ 12:39 pm Delivered by a waiter who looks a lot like a reptile, Homie! 😉 » Posted By kesmarn On September 12, 2014 @ 10:55 am What Goodell hasn’t figured out yet, AdLib, is that he hasn’t taken it far enough. He should double down. Get the word out that it really isn’t the fault of the guys in the first place. Wasn’t it Eve who took the first bite out of the apple and then disguised the rest in pastry, sugar and cinnamon and served it up to Adam as the quintessentially ‘Murkan dish? What did Adam know? Just that it tasted great with ice cream, that’s all. Sneaky woman. She’s the one who got them both banned from the Eden league indefinitely. Goodell should make it clear that if all the wimmen folk would just learn to cover up decent-like and keep their pie-holes shut, these disciplinary punches wouldn’t be necessary. He hasn’t figured out how to get out of defensive mode and go on offense! Once he does, he can go from offense to offensive in no time. 😉 » Posted By kesmarn On September 11, 2014 @ 5:41 pm The Shot Heard Round the World – Redux Awesome, SLM! Huzzah! I’ve been following the whole Market Basket saga from a distance. I’m hundreds of miles away from MA, but the story has made its way across the country. (Probably around the globe.) This has been a classic tale of decent, ethical business management (that was really working — providing products people wanted and wages that allowed employees to have a little dignity) versus Mitt Romney style grab-the-cash-fire-the-workers-and-run tactics. All in the same family. It had all the makings of a Greek tragedy. Except, it didn’t turn out tragically! Chalk this up in the “win” column for consumer power, workers’ rights and for decency in general. Long live Artie T! 😆 Thanks so much for sharing this with us, SLM! » Posted By kesmarn On August 28, 2014 @ 11:12 am The Bubbling Cauldrons in Ferguson and NYC Right, monica. What you describe is really more on the order of a strike and boycott process with informational picketing. Capitalists’ only emotional currency is money. That’s the only language they speak. And that’s where we have to hit them. » Posted By kesmarn On September 30, 2014 @ 7:40 am One statement in your comment really stood out for me, KT. And that was that marches and public protests don’t work any more. I agree. That doesn’t mean that I think people shouldn’t get out into the street when they have something to say. But the people in power have found so many effective ways to relegate demonstrators to the realm of almost total invisibility that demonstrations now are almost completely futile. For starters, “they” control the media. So — no matter how big the demonstration in real life — if it’s never seen on the MSM, it just as well might not have happened. The recent NY demonstrations on climate change are an example. Almost half a million people. Virtually no MSM coverage. Then the powers-that-be figured out that if the protesters could be kept at a considerable distance from the situation/event that they were protesting, they could rant all they wanted and the participants (whether it be the GOP conventioneers or participants in an economic summit) would never hear them or be bothered by them. Sort of the equivalent of a crying, hungry little kid being removed to a third floor bedroom while the adults partied loudly below. And finally, as we saw in Ferguson and in the Occupy movement, there are very cooperative police departments who are supplied with military equipment that puts them in a position to massively out-gun any demonstration. If it ever came to a violent show-down, it’s pretty obvious who would come out on top, no? So as you say — this leaves us with the power of education and the power of the vote. And those are pretty formidable powers (unless we allow the right to hijack either or both of them). I wonder if we could also add in the tactic of the boycott. And also of unionization. Capitalists seem to understand this economic language even when the language of human rights goes right over their heads. When so much power rests in the hands of corporations and corrupt politicians, we can’t afford to overlook any of the few tools we do have. » Posted By kesmarn On September 29, 2014 @ 5:34 pm This is exactly what I thought might be going on, Monica. Granted, there are veterans who really would make excellent police officers. No doubt about it. There are also people who’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan and come back with severe PTSD, paranoia, depression and flashbacks included. They deserve treatment. But the police force may not be the place for them to be rehabilitated. It would take a very adept psychiatrist to determine when/if someone with mental health issues is ready to carry a weapon and have a lot of authority over people. » Posted By kesmarn On August 28, 2014 @ 1:35 pm Why am I not surprised that ACADEMI is involved in this whole mess, Monica? Sigh… Talk about one of the most pernicious organizations of the 21st century. Thanks so much for doing the research that confirms what I had intuitively suspected — that some people who had been on the dark side of conflicts in the Middle East were bringing home with them the attitudes and tactics that were commonplace among them when they were over there. And passing them on to our police forces. It seems that over-sized tanks and weaponry aren’t the only “surplus” we’re having to deal with from that ill-advised, ill-fated war of Dubya’s. Time to clean house. 🙁 » Posted By kesmarn On August 28, 2014 @ 11:24 am Yes, monica. And I think we also have to ask who and what are the forces behind the police forces? In a way, the cops are just the brutal tools used to accomplish a goal. What are the goals? In the case of the thuggish repression of the Occupy movement of 2010, it was likely the desire to keep unregulated capitalism in the driver’s seat permanently. In Ferguson (and elsewhere, especially in the South) it must have been to maintain white power even in areas where blacks were the majority. These “officers” are the hired mercenaries of people who are a minority as far as numbers go (the very rich and/or whites) but who want to dominate the majority. Unfortunately the character of mercenaries is often that they have no principles at all. They just like violence. Police forces made up of those people are going to be a big problem. » Posted By kesmarn On August 28, 2014 @ 7:21 am Nirek, I have to echo what sillylittleme said: that is a very interesting question. Some of them might think: “I look like an over-armored bully.” Some might think: “I look soo cool! I’ve been wanting to dress up like this since I was eleven!” Some might be thinking: “The minute I get the order, you’re going to be picking little pieces of that mirror out of your scalp.” But holding the mirror up to all of that is a good thing, I think. » Posted By kesmarn On August 28, 2014 @ 7:09 am Thank you for the kind words, RSG! » Posted By kesmarn On August 27, 2014 @ 7:15 pm It really is, Michael. And having police departments that are held to ethical standards will benefit all of us in the long run. » Posted By kesmarn On August 27, 2014 @ 4:21 pm Thanks so much for a very thoughtful, balanced article, Michael. This Ferguson situation really seems to have struck some nerves, but maybe they’re nerves that needed to be struck. I have to say that you’re more generous to Darren Wilson than I’m inclined to be. Yes, he did have a difficult childhood, but I think it’s yet to be decided as to whether he grew out of it. Or did he end up being a thug in a uniform? I’m not really in a position to judge. But if he had thuggish tendencies as a police officer, I get the impression that he was not in a department that was going to modify those tendencies. If anything — based on descriptions of other incidents that this department has been involved in — it would exacerbate them. This department seemed to harass, intimidate and assault black citizens with virtual impunity. How much different is that kind of behavior from gang behavior? But having a badge seemed to protect them all from investigation and prosecution. I knew a kid who was a lot like Michael Brown — maybe even a little bit more of a handful. He’d actually had some arrests — for breaking into parked cars and stealing things from them and for drug possession. But he was lucky enough to meet people like you. People who took the time to listen and talk to him. And then there was the effect of time itself. As he got into his mid to later 20s, the futility of the way he’d been living struck him. He started at a fairly low level factory job, but after a couple of years of showing up every day, he ended up getting some training in welding and machining and a promotion. He got married and is in the process of buying a house now. As your title suggests, Michael Brown never got the chance to see whether he’d be able to get his life on track. He had problems. He had promise. But now he’ll never have the opportunity to see how far he could have gone. It’s good to see that people are keeping this issue front and center in the news. I really appreciated this Oakland demonstration technique and I hope it catches on. They simply stand there and hold up mirrors to the officers’ faces: [img]https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10615539_10152629590998189_1898849054883406584_n.jpg?oh=0ab78e3e57cab03fc24eb78d5fc34ec7&oe=54668EF0[/img] » Posted By kesmarn On August 27, 2014 @ 2:39 pm Living With What You Have Done . In just six short sentences, you said volumes, Nirek, Jr. I can see why your Dad is so proud of you. And why you’re so proud of him. » Posted By kesmarn On September 1, 2014 @ 6:38 pm I’m so with you on cops and nurses, Homie. As you know I’ve been on “both sides of the bed rails” over the last year or so. So I know how helpless you can feel when you’re in the hospital and — basically — dependent on someone else’s mood for some pretty important stuff! That’s why it is — as you said — so important for professionals who are dealing with people at their “rawest,” most exposed moments to check their emotions and personal problems at the door when they come to work. And if they really can’t (which does happen), it’s time to request a medical leave. Mental health is still health! » Posted By kesmarn On August 29, 2014 @ 4:44 pm Homie, forgive me for taking days to comment on your terrific article. A family member had a bit of a health issue, (but is on the mend now) so my computer time was limited for a while there. I think there should probably be a law requiring cops to wear these cameras. As others have said — it’s just as much for their own protection as for the public’s. I understand that there would be short periods — lunch breaks and other “necessary” breaks — when it could be turned off. But overall, a policeman’s entire shift should be viewable at the end of the day. The Salon article you cited gives us all the reason we could possibly ask for — a 90% reduction in citizen complaints against the police. This alone would bode well for the future. The less citizens are antagonized and alienated by law enforcement, the more likely it is for a good working relationship to develop between the two of them. Something along these lines happened in the nursing profession when Obamacare was initiated. For obvious patient privacy reasons, nurses couldn’t be required to wear cameras. But — reimbursements to hospitals became dependent in part on how high patient satisfaction levels were. Suddenly this became a really high priority for hospital administrations (fancy that!). Nurses who were the object of patient complaints for bad attitudes or laziness were fired. Often on no notice whatsoever. You’d be amazed at how attitudes improved after that. And the thing is — I think this is working out better for everyone. Patients have more pleasant nurses. And — oddly — it seems that “acting” more pleasant actually makes the few nurses who had formerly been less than courteous feel better about themselves over the longer run. This is a principle in Asian philosophies, as you probably know. When the “external man” is virtuous, the “internal man” tends to follow along eventually. I think it might work that way here too, don’t you? » Posted By kesmarn On August 26, 2014 @ 7:16 pm Ferguson Police Force Deployed to Iraq I feel I did a disservice to old Barney in a way, Homie. He was a much nicer guy than most of them seem to be. And probably a bit more competent. » Posted By kesmarn On August 23, 2014 @ 7:02 am This is really shaping up nicely, AdLib. I just remembered another group that qualifies for overseas duty (why did it take me so long?) — that oldie-but-goodie, the Klan! Their outfits are already a sort of male-cover-up — a Bro-qua, if you will. So they’re gonna fit in pretty seamlessly. Super power: the ability to masquerade as paunchy good ole boys by day. And transform into paunchy psychos by night. Also, they come pre-armed. No need to supply them with military issue weaponry. And as KT has suggested, our embedded reporters will be the entire FOX staff — with Limbaugh thrown in as auxiliary pharmacist. » Posted By kesmarn On August 22, 2014 @ 4:56 pm How could I have forgotten them, Homie? You’re so right! They need to be “embedded” (face down, presumably) in this operation. Do you think that if we threw in Palin it would be too much? Would that amount to a war crime and merit a visit to the Hague? Maybe I need to dial this back a bit…. » Posted By kesmarn On August 22, 2014 @ 4:44 pm It’s good to read that military analysts are also appalled at the way this was handled, Murph. I think that’s partly because these local police “officers” are a bunch of poorly trained yokels who don’t know the difference between sitting on top of an armored personnel carrier and going on a hayride. If there’s one thing that’s been more than amply demonstrated, it’s that law enforcement in the whole area around Ferguson (and who knows where else in this country) is in serious need of examination, upgrade and retraining. And they need to take those ridiculous toys away from them — at least until they comprehend the use of them. Until things are straightened out, it’s time for Barney Fife to take the bullet out of his shirt pocket and hand it over to Sheriff Andy. » Posted By kesmarn On August 22, 2014 @ 2:40 pm Haha! Jinx, Murph. I was typing and talking on the phone and when I hit “submit” — lo and behold there was your comment about the Bundy Bunch! I made the same suggestion. » Posted By kesmarn On August 22, 2014 @ 2:32 pm Please, oh please, can we also send the Bundy ranch militia under the leadership of Ted “My-underwear-is-camo-colored-already” Nugent? They fight the best in exactly these same conditions. Only they have more experience with unarmed and dehydrated 6 year-old girls from Central America. But — hey — we all have our specialties, don’t we? I know! How about Westboro Baptist too? Let’s send them! Their real strength is dealing with deceased people who can’t fight back, I hear. This will definitely be a military cost-cutting exercise too, since they’ll all only require one-way tickets. Totally brilliant on the part of the President. When they get there, they should be sure to let ISIS know that this police action is being undertaken — not only because they are the Real ‘Murrikins in this country (using the code word “infidel” might help make that point) — but because their particular brand of intolerance is representative of all of Christendom as well. It won’t be long at all before we hear those familiar words once more: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Thanks for another great post, AdLib! » Posted By kesmarn On August 22, 2014 @ 2:30 pm The Revolution Will Be Criminalized…Unless You’re White I read earlier today that the KKK was planning to go to Ferguson, so it appears we now know where a few of their members might live… 🙁 I feel for you, Murph. With neighbors like that, who needs enemies?… Not good. » Posted By kesmarn On August 19, 2014 @ 7:12 pm Livable Wage As A Minimum wage. A Cure All, No, But It Would Help A Hell Of A Lot. Nirek, I know someone who used to work for Office Max (moved on quite a while ago) and he said that they are now paying new hires substantially less than they did more than ten years ago! As we all know, prices have gone up in these past ten years. Yet — in their case — the employer is paying less! In short, workers are not even treading water. They’re sinking. Thanks so much for raising this issue. Bernie is totally right on this one. » Posted By kesmarn On August 18, 2014 @ 8:59 am Ferguson: Why Does a Mostly Black City Have Mostly White Government & Police? Is it the “escalating charges” comment that you’re questioning, Murph? It would probably be more accurate to say that situations develop in which committing felonies is all but unavoidable. E.g., Someone is incarcerated for failure to pay court ordered fines, missed work, loses his job, falls behind in child support to a felony level (anything over $1000 in Ohio). Bingo. » Posted By kesmarn On August 19, 2014 @ 3:12 pm It’s hard to tell, Nirek. I do think there are fewer towns in the north where there’s a large percentage of black citizens in the town and yet almost all the police department, school boards, city council, etc. are white. In fact I can’t think of any. Toledo is very integrated, but we also have a large number of minority officials in the city –on the city council, on the school board, head of the fire department, the police department, etc. » Posted By kesmarn On August 19, 2014 @ 3:00 pm Overall, we found that by disproportionately stopping, charging I have a feeling it wouldn’t take long for traffic tickets, combined with charges of “failure to appear” along with additional fines and charges for failure to pay fines to reach whatever level might constitute a felony-level of disenfranchisement there. (Many states require all court-ordered debts to be paid before a person is allowed to resume voting.) Even just having been incarcerated makes it difficult to run a campaign for — say — the school board. No matter how fraudulent the charges may be, your opponent only has to point out that you “served time.” A town that is much, much overdue for a thorough clean up. When some of the people responsible for the civil rights violations listed above are “doing time” themselves, things might begin to heal in Ferguson. » Posted By kesmarn On August 19, 2014 @ 12:25 pm When the police are serving an average of 3 warrants per household, it gets to be harder and harder to avoid being labeled a felon. And no matter if you’re 90% of the population at that point, it’s going to be hard to take advantage of “population dominance” then. One thing the Southern white male power structure has always been diabolically clever at is the control of the many by a few — largely by owning the legal system and using the tactics of terror. This game seems so totally and obviously rigged. Even while the white minority pats itself on the back for how “involved” they are in civic issues and on boards, their fundamental stance has always (apparently) been hostile. If only sub-consciously. When the say they “weren’t going to give up their town without a fight,” as their demographic numbers shifted, that says a lot. Who the hell was asking them to “give it up”? Have they never heard of the concept of power-sharing? Why do these situations have to be defined in terms of who “controls” whom? It’s as though their innate belief is still that a person is either a master or a slave — there’s no in-between. What about the concept of peers? What about equality? This town has a pocket of purulence in it that has burst wide open for the whole world to see, and we can only hope that better health will eventually result from getting some of the people currently in power onto the retirement and/or unemployment roles. The sooner the better. » Posted By kesmarn On August 19, 2014 @ 11:22 amComments Posted By kesmarn
and fining the poor and minorities, by closing the Courts to the public,
and by incarcerating people for the failure to pay fines, these policies
unintentionally push the poor further into poverty, prevent the
homeless from accessing the housing, treatment, and jobs they so
desperately need to regain stability in their lives, and violate the
Constitution. These ongoing violations of the most fundamental
guarantees of the Constitution are the product of a disordered,
fragmented, and inefficient approach to criminal justice in St. Louis
County. It represents a failure of the Municipalities to comply with the
guarantees of counsel, reasonable bond assessments, and other
constitutional and legal rights of those accused. And, perhaps most
importantly, these practices create animosity in the community.
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