Tag: Crime & Punishment

Military Vs Police

These days things are not quiet balanced…..for instance conservs say when cop shoots an unarmed civilian that it is not murder……mostly white pundits hold this belief…I have asked several what would the call be if it were their child and of course they go off on tangents like conservs always do so they do not have to answer the question that they are uncomfortable with.

I started thinking about this subject when I read that the ex-Blackwater operative was sentenced to life in prtison for the murder of civilians in Iraq in 2007…

A former Blackwater security contractor was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq that left 14 people dead, the AP reports. Federal judge Royce Lamberth issued the sentence after a succession of friends and relatives requested leniency for Nicholas Slatten, who was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in December. Prosecutors charged that Slatten, 35, was the first to fire shots in the September 2007 massacre of Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad. In all, 10 men, two women and two boys, ages 9 and 11, were killed. The defense had argued that Slatten and other Blackwater contractors opened fire only after they saw what they mistakenly thought was a potential suicide car bomber moving quickly toward their convoy.

Like I said…this got me to thinking….do the police face less discipline than soldiers?

Well thanx to Truthdig I have an answer…….

The problem is that the US military missions, themselves, are inherently aggressive. America’s professional imperial soldiers occupy the streets and villages of several Greater Mideast locales and fan the flames of unrest, intolerance, and Islamist extremism. That military – usually through airstrikes – also kills many many civilians. And here’s the rub: that martial chauvinism abroad has come home to roost in the form of militarized police – a disproportionate number of whom are veterans – and their militarized tactics swiped from US wars and counterinsurgencies overseas.

What’s more, ironically, America’s highly lauded police face far less scrutiny – or consequences – for their behavior in impoverished, usually minority, communities than do their military counterparts. It’s a veritable perfect storm: Utilizing US military tactics – and increasingly outfitted with surplus military gear – today’s cops often treat the neighborhoods they police like occupied territory, “Indian Country,” as some have cheekily admitted. Black and brown people are shot and often killed in shocking numbers by law enforcement personnel across this country. Of course that’s always gone on, but in today’s YouTube generation the incidents are disturbingly visual, caught, as they are, on camera. Almost no cops go to jail or face much, if any, consequences for this extreme behavior, and even less for their everyday banality of abuse and harassment. Sure, it’s not all cops who act thus; but it’s far too many.

Do Police Face Less Discipline Than U.S. Soldiers?

I think the police punishments are less harsh…..I suggest that a new Code of Uniform Officers be installed in every PD across the country.  This would set the code of conduct that ALL officers should be held to in the duties for the communities they supposedly service….especially training on how to handle situations without having to draw the weapon.

Too many dead civilians, mostly minorities, it is time for society to get a grip on the spiral of violence committed by those that are paid to protect and serve.

The new police department is similar to a city army with military gear, vehicles and tactics…..but with these “improvements” things have gotten worse….

Evidence suggests the militarization of police forces leads to more civilian deaths.

And….

https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/police-man-cometh/

And…..now try this one……

https://lobotero.com/2017/02/17/coming-of-a-police-state/

Is there a good reason why the police seem to get “away with it”…….

There are major legal, institutional and social impediments to prosecuting police. Thousands of officers are involved in shootings every year, resulting in about 400 deaths annually. However, successful criminal prosecution of a police officer for killing someone in the line of duty, if no corruption is alleged, is extremely rare. Even when officers are convicted, the charges are often minimal. For example, Coleman Brackney, a Bella Vista, Oklahoma, police officer who was convicted of misdemeanor negligent homicide in 2010 after shooting an unarmed teen to death while in custody in his cruiser, went on to rejoin the police and was recently appointed chief of police in Sulphur Springs, Oklahoma.

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/11/ferguson-police-misconductdarrenwilsongrandjury.html

The police have an easier time “beating the rap” than a soldier does…and the reason is the UCMJ…..so logically it is time for a “Code” for conduct of police…a unified code…..not the mish-mash that we have today.

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

 

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Ding Dong The Rapist Is Dead

Epstein the bastard that used underaged girls for pleasure has been in jail until his trial….and Saturday last he was found dead…….

Jeffrey Epstein is dead of an apparent suicide, but that doesn’t mean the investigation into his alleged sex-trafficking ring with underage girls is over. The Wall Street Journal reports that others who participated in the alleged scheme could still face charges. “The many victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplices should not lose hope,” says attorney Roberta Kaplan, who is representing one alleged victim. Kaplan pledges to “ensure that all the facts of his monstrous crimes become known to the world.” More coverage:

  • Skeptics: Not everyone is on board with the initial Federal Bureau of Prisons explanation of an apparent suicide. A tweet from MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough: “A guy who had information that would have destroyed rich and powerful men’s lives ends up dead in his jail cell. How predictably…Russian.” Another Scarborough tweet: “He reportedly tried to kill himself two weeks ago. And is allowed to finish the job now? Bulls—.”
  • Video? TMZ reports that it’s unclear if Epstein was under suicide watch, but if he was, video should be available from his jail cell to clear things up. It poses this question: “If he was on suicide watch, how did this happen, and if he wasn’t on suicide watch, why wasn’t he?” The FBI is investigating Epstein’s death. Multiple outlets say he hanged himself in his jail cell.
  • Suicide watch: Even if Epstein were on suicide watch, it’s possible he still could have killed himself. The Miami Herald explains how prison suicide watch works and how inmates (including former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez) still manage to foil it.
  • To hospital: The New York Post has an image of Epstein being taken to the hospital on a stretcher.
  • New details: Epstein’s death comes a day after a huge cache of court documents were released providing disturbing new details about how the alleged sex operation worked. The Washington Post has the nitty gritty, including how Epstein’s assistants coordinated the movement of girls to Epstein multiple times a day. “She is wondering if 2:30 is o.k.,” reads one 2005 message. “She needs to stay in school.”
  • Big names: One of the girls alleges that she had sex, at Epstein’s direction, with men including former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former Senate Minority Leader George Mitchell, attorney Alan Dershowitz, Prince Andrew, and hotel magnate Tom Pritzker. The men deny it. The Miami Herald notes that in 2008, when Epstein famously got a lenient plea deal, Mitchell had been named one of Time magazine’s most influential people.
  • New focus? A post at The Cut wonders if the focus will now turn to Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite frequently referred to as Epstein’s “madam” who allegedly recruited girls for Epstein. She’s been keeping a low profile since selling her New York townhouse in 2016. Maxwell figures prominently in the new court documents released Friday, because they revolve around a since-settled defamation suit brought against her by one of Epstein’s alleged victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
  • More conspiracy theories: Because Epstein knew the Clintons, conspiracy theorists were quick to pounce on that angle. The most prominent among them was HUD official Lynne Patton, who posted, “Hillary’d!! P.S. Let me know when I’m supposed to feel badly about this… #VinceFosterPartTwo,” per Mediaite. The Foster tag is a reference to the suicide of the White House deputy counsel back in 1993.

Our president has Tweeted about the Epstein death……

The internet is humming with conspiracy theories about the death of Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday, and the president of the United States appears to be giving credence to one of them that pinpoints one of his predecessors: Former President Clinton. As the Washington Post reports, President Trump retweeted a tweet from conservative commentator Terrence Williams on Saturday that goes like this: “Died of SUICIDE on 24/7 SUICIDE WATCH ? Yeah right! How does that happen/ #JefferyEpstein had information on Bill Clinton & now he’s dead. I see #TrumpBodyCount trending but we know who did this! RT if you’re not Surprised. #EpsteinSuicide #ClintonBodyCount #ClintonCrimeFamily”.

The Post notes that the theory is “completely unsubstantiated” and that the president appeared to be conflicting with his own Justice Department’s ruling that Epstein’s death was a suicide; Epstein was in federal custody at the time of his death on Saturday.

I do not think that any sane person thought the Trump would let this go without trying to use the death to his advantage….but keep in mind the Trump and Epstein partied together with 28 young girls back in the day…….

Donald Trump once hosted a party with a guest list made up of just himself, Jeffrey Epstein, and “28 girls,” according to The New York Times, and ignored an organizer’s warning about Epstein’s conduct. The “calendar girl” event is reported to have taken place at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in 1992. George Houraney, who ran American Dream Enterprise, claimed in an interview that he organized the event after a request from Trump. “I arranged to have some contestants fly in,” said Houraney. “At the very first party, I said, ‘Who’s coming tonight? I have 28 girls coming.’ It was him and Epstein.” Houraney added that he warned Trump about his friend’s conduct,

Read it at The New York Times

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/09/epstein-mar-a-lago-trump-1456221

Let’s not forget the extent this situation goes……

Just so there is no doubt of this man’s perversions…….he also helped others with the same sickness…..an ex-governor and a ex-senator were among his “clients”……

A woman testified that Jeffrey Epstein sent her to have sex while she was underage with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) and former Sen. George Mitchell (D-Maine), allegations the two men deny. 

According to court documents made public Friday, Virginia Giuffre testified in 2016 she was also sent to have sex with asset manager Glenn Dubin, modeling executive Jean Luc Brunel and the late MIT scientist Marvin Minsky, expanding on past claims that she was used as a “sex slave” for Epstein from 2000 to 2002.

Epstein, a former financier and convicted sex offender, faces new federal charges of sex trafficking minors, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

https://thehill.com/homenews/news/456923-epstein-accuser-named-former-governor-senator-in-testimony-prosecutors

This person you elected as president knows NO bounds for his depravity or his falsehoods…..in the vain of Epstein.

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Better Angels?

Seriously?

The group ICE just had its largest raid to date and it is in my home state…..

US immigration officials raided numerous Mississippi food processing plants Wednesday, arresting 680 mostly Latino workers in what marked the largest workplace sting in at least a decade, the AP reports. The raids, planned months ago, happened just hours before President Trump was scheduled to visit El Paso, Texas, the majority-Latino city where a man linked to an online screed about a “Hispanic invasion” was charged in a shooting that left 22 people dead in the border city. Workers filled three buses—two for men and one for women—at a Koch Foods Inc. plant in tiny Morton, 40 miles east of Jackson. They were taken to a military hangar to be processed for immigration violations. About 70 family, friends and residents waved goodbye and shouted, “Let them go! Let them go!” Later, two more buses arrived.

A tearful 13-year-old boy whose parents are from Guatemala waved goodbye to his mother, a Koch worker, as he stood beside his father. About 600 agents fanned out across the plants involving several companies, surrounding the perimeters to prevent workers from fleeing. The raids occurred in small towns near Jackson with a workforce made up largely of Latino immigrants, including Bay Springs, Carthage, Canton, Morton, Pelahatchie and Sebastapol. Some employees tried to flee on foot but were caught in the parking lot. Workers who were confirmed to have legal status were allowed to leave the plant after having their trunks searched. “It was a sad situation inside,” said Domingo Candelaria, a legal resident and Koch worker who said authorities checked employees’ identification documents.

Really?

Who is in charge?

Trump just let a horrific news report step all over his day with the two affected cities.

It would be laughable if it were not so damn pathetic.

All I can think is stupid in, stupid out!

On the first day of school….this is not who we are as a country…this is so goddamn pathetic that it makes me ill.

I will admit that we need better immigration laws….but not when it makes victims of children.

Better Angels…..MY ASS!

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

These Tactics Not Acceptable

Closing Thought–08Aug19

So much ink, so many words, and so much emotions have been spilled over the so-called “illegal aliens” in this country.

We all have heard the horror stories about children in cages….or the myth of the freebie seekers…..or the criminals …….so much and in it all is ICE who are starting to act like a Gestapo-esque group under this president.

The newest “round-up” was in Mississippi……

US immigration officials raided numerous Mississippi food processing plants Wednesday, arresting 680 mostly Latino workers in what marked the largest workplace sting in at least a decade, the AP reports. The raids, planned months ago, happened just hours before President Trump was scheduled to visit El Paso, Texas, the majority-Latino city where a man linked to an online screed about a “Hispanic invasion” was charged in a shooting that left 22 people dead in the border city. Workers filled three buses—two for men and one for women—at a Koch Foods Inc. plant in tiny Morton, 40 miles east of Jackson. They were taken to a military hangar to be processed for immigration violations. About 70 family, friends and residents waved goodbye and shouted, “Let them go! Let them go!” Later, two more buses arrived.

A tearful 13-year-old boy whose parents are from Guatemala waved goodbye to his mother, a Koch worker, as he stood beside his father. About 600 agents fanned out across the plants involving several companies, surrounding the perimeters to prevent workers from fleeing. The raids occurred in small towns near Jackson with a workforce made up largely of Latino immigrants, including Bay Springs, Carthage, Canton, Morton, Pelahatchie and Sebastapol. Some employees tried to flee on foot but were caught in the parking lot. Workers who were confirmed to have legal status were allowed to leave the plant after having their trunks searched. “It was a sad situation inside,” said Domingo Candelaria, a legal resident and Koch worker who said authorities checked employees’ identification documents.

The companies involved are the same companies that were getting slave labor from local state prisons…..so now what penalties do these companies face or are they considered guiltless?

This situation with ICE should be unacceptable to all Americans….to turn a blind eye is a vote of approval ofm thism heavy handed BS of the Trump policies.

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Closing Thought–07Aug19

I have been writing about the problems that the elite special ops group, the SEALs, has been fighting….

https://lobotero.com/2019/07/29/what-the-hell-has-happened/

The commander of the unit has taken the bull by the horns…..so to speak…..

The commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command put the words “We have a problem” in bold font. “I don’t know yet if we have a culture problem, I do know that we have a good order and discipline problem that must be addressed immediately,” reads the July 25 letter from Rear Adm. Collin Green, the man in charge of Navy SEALs. The letter obtained by CNN and the New York Times orders commanders to bring forth problems and recommendations for how to ensure ethical and professional behavior following a series of embarrassing incidents, reports CNN. “This is our main effort and my top priority,” Green writes, noting the culture of the force “is being questioned … for good reason” as “some of our subordinate formations have failed to maintain good order and discipline.”

Retired Navy SEAL Eric Deming brought his concerns to Green on Monday. “I got two boys that are old enough, I wouldn’t even let them be part of [the force],” he tells CBS News. An entire SEAL platoon was sent home from Iraq after allegations of sexual assault and unauthorized drinking. Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, accused of war crimes, was convicted of unlawfully posing with an enemy corpse. And two SEALs were implicated in the 2017 hazing death of a Green Beret just months after members of SEAL Team 10 were found to have used cocaine in April 2018. Green says addressing such issues is necessary to “recalibrate our culture and regain our credibility.” The head of all special operations forces, Gen. Richard Clarke, is expected to address ethics in his own letter to the force, per CNN.

To state that the unit has a problem is an extreme understatement…..when the troopers act more like Frat boyz than soldiers then “problem” is more deeply ingrained than a mere problem.

Seeing the “problem” is not repairing the damage all these antics are doing to the Team…….lip service is NOT a solution.

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

A Bit Of A Downer

How will the “Haters” handle this betrayal?

If you were expecting to see our ICE agents kicking down doors and wrestling people into “paddy wagons” then you are bummed.

The postponed raids to arrest thousands of migrant families in at least 10 cities across the country now are scheduled to begin Sunday. The ICE raids are to take place over more than one day and are aimed at families already ordered to leave. But they also could involve the deportations of immigrants agents happen across, the New York Times reports. The cities where raids were planned before include Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco, per CNN.

Your president told the country of the new sweep through our communities looking for and arresting illegal immigrants……all was slated to begin on Sunday, 14 July……

A federal plan to detain at least 2,000 immigrants in a nationwide sweep Sunday has devolved into a handful of low-key raids with few if any arrests, the New York Times reports. The plan for ICE agents to dramatically round up immigrants who have removal orders—which was highly publicized and hotly debated—changed after media reports alerted immigrants about what was coming, Homeland Security officials say. So the sweep was replaced by isolated raids in Chicago, New York, Florida, and perhaps elsewhere. A Chicago mother and her daughters were arrested and let go under supervision, a source says, while three ICE raids in New York resulted in little or nothing and South Florida remained quiet, the Miami Heraldreports.

“We don’t know if they’re doing it on purpose—saying these cities are the targets so then smaller places are targeted,” a Miami-based advocate tells the LA Times. So-called “ICE chasers” in the Atlanta suburbs, who help immigrants once they’re arrested, eventually gave up Sunday and went back to the office of an advocacy group for doughnuts and coffee. The leader of a similar response team in Los Angeles saw no arrests but said time was well-spent informing undocumented workers about what to expect from ICE raids. Meanwhile, many immigrants are likely hiding indoors (ICE agents aren’t allowed to break in) or at far-off locations until the heat dies down. Yet immigration authorities say they still plan to conduct raids in 10 or more cities throughout the week.

All that tough talk and threats were typical of this admin….a bit of a limp wanker.

Lust In Space

Not a remake of the 60s adventure series for that has already been done by Netflix….no this is about sex in space….not joking…..and not some pitch for a porn movie…..if it is something strange then It is the weekend and I try to give my readers news that they would probably miss during the week……in other words stuff no one gives a crap about but me.

It’s a Saturday so let’s have fun.

Does anyone remember Lisa Nowak?

Let me help…..

Quick recap: Nowak was seeing fellow astronaut William Oefelein until he dumped her to date another colleague, Air Force engineer Colleen Shipman. Plotting revenge, Nowak drove 900 miles from Houston to Orlando in a car packed with an odd, incriminating assortment of items: latex gloves, wig, BB pistol, pepper spray, hammer, gloves, rubber tubing, garbage bags, knife and diapers. (Nowak disputes the claim that she was wearing a diaper while driving.) Nowak eventually found Shipman, discharged pepper spray through her car window, and was arrested on charges of attempted kidnapping and battery.

Just a short reminder…….

We may never know exactly what was in Lisa Marie Nowak’s heart—what she thought, felt, believed, or dreamed. How desperately she loved or how compulsively she hated. Or why she would do something, entirely of her own free will, that was guaranteed to ruin the extraordinary life she had spent 43 years meticulously crafting. Maybe someday she’ll write a memoir or, sunk in shame and isolation, sell her story to Hollywood and offer up her social and professional suicide for money and another kind of fame. As time passes, there may be little else for her to do.

Until then, we are left to construct our own dossier, composed solely of the hard, objective facts of the narrative. We begin with the most basic of these: Lisa was an astronaut. For more than a decade she was part of that cold-blooded, nerveless band of overachievers that the rest of the world looks upon as the embodiment of human perfection. She flew a single mission on the space shuttle, in the summer of 2006. She is a mom. She is quite thin—five feet four inches tall and 110 pounds—with light-brown shoulder-length hair and bangs; with makeup on and her hair done, she can look pretty in a homespun, American sort of way. Although she is quiet and, as you will soon see, compartmentalized, the personality she showed to the world was one that everyone liked and admired: cheerful, diligent, smart, caring, nice, brave.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/lust-in-space/

A little forgotten history to make your Saturday.