So, Ferguson, Missouri. What's Up With That?

Is this the new normal in small town USA? Creepy.
Image from source, New York Times.

If you're a regular visitor to this blog, you may have noticed that it's been rather thin around here, of late. Though I do tend to post less in the summer, there's more to it than that. I just can't wrap my hands around some of the horrible news going on in the world. You know? I mean, when it comes to the problems in Ukraine, Israel and Iraq, what can be said? These are long-running, war-prone regions, and I'm not going to pretend I have the answer. And shoot, most of the people who are paid to be experts don't seem to know what they're talking about either, most of the time.

Now, the news out of Ferguson, Missouri is a little closer to home. And my instinct in this case would be to reserve judgment until all the facts are in. I'm not one to immediately jump to the defense of the police or the accused. But I have to say, the cops are coming off badly here. Very, very badly. And I agree with the meme that is ricocheting around the internet: what does a small town police force need with all of this military gear? They look like an army invading a country. Is this what we want American towns to look like, occupied territory?

So, here's a little more on that. I'm going to try to get my brain in the game, but summer's not over yet. I still have that excuse.

[Excerpt]

Amid Protests in Missouri, Officer’s Name Is Still Withheld
 
In the five days since an unarmed young black man was fatally shot by a police officer here, the selective release of information about the shooting, and especially the anonymity granted to the officer, has stoked frustrations in this largely African-American community north of St. Louis, where residents describe increasingly tense relations with the police. . .

Read more at: New York Times

What Happens in Vegas No More Police at Traffic Accidents?

In a move that is sure to cause confusion, anger and maybe a "stand your ground" case or two, Las Vegas Metro police will no longer respond to car accidents without a significant injury involved. The move is in response to the failure of a proposal to raise the sales tax in order to pay for more police expenses. And I'm guessing it's a way to get that tax passed.

Because this is bound to be a disaster. For one thing, it's always been my understanding that you had to call the cops if you have a wreck, in order to properly fill out the insurance paperwork. No police report? The news release says we'll have to go to the DMV, and that sounds like such a treat.

Image from source, Las Vegas Sun

But what if the other guy is seriously at fault, and there's no cop there to prove it? What if the other guy refuses to show you his ID and skips out? What if he's drunk? I imagine there'll be a few months of insanity on the roads of Las Vegas, and then a civic outcry for more police.

[Excerpt]

Metro to quit responding to minor traffic accidents beginning March 3
 
The days of Metro Police responding to fender-benders come to an end next week. Capt. Mark Tavarez of Metro’s Traffic Bureau said at an early afternoon news conference that beginning March 3, patrol officers would stop responding to property-only accidents within Metro’s jurisdiction. . .

Read more at: Las Vegas Sun

Women Paper Deliverers Shot by Cops

Image from source, Huffington Post

If only those paper girls had been armed, maybe this never would have. . .wait. . .

[Excerpt]

Women shot by cops were just delivering papers

Two women who were delivering newspapers in Torrance, Calif., early Thursday were shot by jittery Los Angeles police officers who mistakenly thought cop-hunting fugitive Christopher Dorner might be in their vehicle, NBCLosAngeles.com reported. One was shot once and the other twice; both were were expected to survive. Police did not release their names. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Mitt Romney: Teachers, Firefighters, Police not Americans?

Image of Mr. Interesting from
Think Progress.

When President Obama said, "The private sector is doing fine. Where we’re seeing weaknesses in our economy have to do with state and local government," the other day, it didn't even raise my eyebrows, because I knew what he meant. Every sentient human who heard it knew what he meant too, but it became a major "gaffe" anyhow. Because the news is starved for scandal, I guess. But when Mitt Romney countered with, “. . .He says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.”

Why wasn't this considered a gaffe? First, you have his sort of anachronistically sexist "firemen" instead of "firefighters." But forget that, exactly when did cops, firefighters and teachers become the enemy? I know that teachers are often punching bags for Rush Limbaugh and his imitators, but I thought our "first responders" were sacrosanct, particularly on the right. And then there's that last part. . ."and help the American people," as though none of these people are Americans? I find his whole response very odd, and certainly worse than the President's badly constructed sentence.


[Excerpt]


Romney Says America Doesn’t Need ‘More Firemen, More Policemen, More Teachers’

The last three years are the worst on record for public sector job loss, and the 700,000 government jobs that no longer exist remain a large drag on the American economy. . . 


Read more at: Think Progress

Santa Cruz Cops Experimenting with "Pre-Crime?"

"Sir, were you thinking about committing a crime?"
Image from source, TPM

Minority Report was one of the better Tom Cruise movies, probably because it was written by sci-fi great Phillip K. Dick. The movie had a lot of nifty futuristic computers and vehicles that probably don't look as nifty a few years later. I'll have to watch again to be sure. But the main thrust of the plot was "pre-crime," and the practice of arresting people for crimes before they commit them.  Ethically dicey to say the least.  In the case of the Santa Cruz police, they're not using "precog" mutant people to do it, they've got a computer doing the job. And they're not arresting people before they commit a crime. Yet. 


[Excerpt]


Santa Cruz Cops Experiment With 'Predictive Policing'

The police department in Santa Cruz, California, has begun an experiment that uses a mathematical algorithm to predict when and where certain crimes will be committed, and puts police on the scene before they happen. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Is Our Country Crumbling?

I've been seeing and hearing from various sources a somewhat scary, connected bunch of stories. In several states, municipalities are grinding up their roads and reverting them to gravel. Towns are turning off their streetlights. Schools are cutting days of the week like some jobs already have. Teachers, Policemen and Firefighters are being laid off.

These are the basic, most important parts of our society that conservatives gloss over when ranting and raving about "socialism."  Everyone pays for them, and everyone uses them. But let's see, what pays for all that? Taxes! And what are we being told you must not raise? Taxes! And what are conservatives pressing to cut? Taxes!  Somebody please tell me how extending the Bush tax cuts for the richest 2% of Americans is going to keep paved roads paved?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Dogs Vs. Police Car. Guess Who Wins?

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link.

Greg Palast's Take on Tasered Student Story

Photo from source, GregPalast.com

Since his book is what sparked (sorry) this fracas, it's only appropriate to hear what Greg Palast has to say on the matter. And any interest I can generate (sorry again) in Greg Palast's electrifying (OK, I'm not sorry, I'm just immature) is absolutely justified. It's a fantastic and enlightening (heh) book.

[Excerpt]

Student Tasered for Armed Madhouse Question to Kerry

Read the excerpt from Armed Madhouse that got Andrew Meyer’s in trouble.We warned you: ‘Armed Madhouse’ is a dangerous book. Yesterday, Andrew Meyer, a University of Florida student was attacked by five cops, zapped with tasers and arrested after demanding that Senator John Kerry answer the question. [snip]

The Washington Post reported only that Meyers was holding a “mysterious yellow book.” VERY mysterious. [snip]

I must admit I feel some appreciation for Meyers, especially because, even while he was being shot with untold amps of electricity, until he was handcuffed, he would not let go of his mysterious yellow book, ‘Armed Madhouse.’

Read the rest at: GregPalast.com

Police Powers: A Threat to Free Speech?

Remember all the talk of "free speech zones" and arrests for political t-shirts during the 2004 Republican campaign for President? As far as I know, this didn't happen on the Democratic side (I could be wrong--let me know if I was). It always seemed a little more than un-American to me, and it's heartening to see that others are starting to agree.

[Excerpt]

Secrets of the Police

Published: August 8, 2007
The city of New York is waging a losing and ill-conceived battle for overzealous secrecy surrounding nearly 2,000 arrests during the 2004 Republican National Convention. Yesterday, for the second time in three months, a federal judge ordered the release of hundreds of pages of documents that detail the Police Department’s covert surveillance leading to the convention. People who were detained, some for days and without explanation, may finally begin to get some answers.

If the decision by Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV stands, the documents may figure in scores of lawsuits challenging police tactics that included the heavy-handed: rounding up suspects on the streets, fingerprinting them and putting them in holding pens until the convention was all but over. That such a police action happened in New York, and during the large, democratic show of a political nominating convention, was troubling.

Read more at: NewYorkTimes.com