Ferguson Decision Fallout

At war with the citizenry? Image from source, MSN

I don't have a lot to say about the Ferguson story. I don't know what happened. I understand why people are frustrated and angry, even if the facts of this particular case are murky. Cops are increasingly militarized, and there have been a number of high profile shootings, often of unarmed (or not lethally armed) men. Very often the decedent is black, but not always. "Always" is reserved for "cop walks." Or FBI agent walks. These cases have a higher rate of  "not culpable" decisions than Congress has a retention rate. Police and law agency agents just tend to get the benefit of the doubt, to the point of (sometimes) absurdity.

Now, in this case, as I said, things are a bit murky. Michael Brown seems like he wasn't necessarily a good guy, but then again it's arguable whether or not he deserved to die. The number of times he was shot seems to have been notably excessive, whether or not the first shot was justified. But this long ago became yet another left/right issue, and I don't have this particular fight in me. I hope violence and strife generated from it quickly gives way to substantive discussion and constructive work to fix any real problems in the system. And I think every once in a while, it would be nice if one of these cases could acknowledge that cops are capable of making a mistake, or even being culpable in going further than that.

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Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting

A grand jury declined Monday to indict white police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed, black 18-year-old whose fatal shooting sparked weeks of sometimes-violent protests and inflamed deep racial tensions between many African-Americans and police. . .

Read more at: MSN

So, It's Come to This: Riots Over $180 Shoes?

If it were $180 iPads, $180 HDTVs, $180 diamond tennis bracelets. . .well, it would still be sad, but it would be understandable. But $180 tennis shoes? Really? I don't care if they're Air Jordans, they're sneakers. And not even particularly attractive ones. Do you know how many presents you can get somebody for $180? SHOES???

And as a side note, I think the police are getting awfully pepper-spray happy, don't you? Pepper-spray was introduced to reduce the incidence of lethal force. They're using it now as routine crowd control.

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Ugly shoe sparks riots. Image from source, Huffington Post

Seattle Police Pepper Spray Air Jordan Shoppers

Scuffles broke out and police were brought in to quell unrest that nearly turned into riots across the nation Friday following the release of Nike's new Air Jordan basketball shoes – a retro model of one of the most popular Air Jordans ever made. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Crowds Protesting in Wisconsin Only Getting Bigger

Image from Guardian UK

So, Governor Wanker Walker,  what's your next move?

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Largest Crowd Yet Descends on Wisconsin Capitol

A state Capitol thrown into political chaos swelled for a fifth day with nearly 70,000 protesters, as supporters of Republican efforts to scrap the union rights of state workers challenged pro-labor protesters face-to-face for the first time and GOP leaders insisted again Saturday there was no room for compromise. . .

Read more at: AOL News

Anderson Cooper and Other Journalists Attacked in Egypt

Image from Huffington Post

Wednesday in Egypt, many journalists and news crews covering the potentially revolutionary riots, were sought out and attacked. Included in these attacks were NBC's Richard Engel (though he was not injured) and CNN's Anderson Cooper (who was repeatedly punched in the head). These attacks apparently came from pro-Egyptian government counterprotesters, believed to be paid by the government itself.

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Anderson Cooper Attacked, Punched In The Head By Pro-Mubarak Mob In Egypt



Anderson Cooper and his crew were attacked by supporters of Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Wednesday. CNN's Steve Brusk tweeted that Cooper was punched in the head ten times. . .
 
Read more at: Huffington Post

Egyptian Conflict Takes a Turn

Since the conflict in Egypt started a few days ago, I've struggled to pay attention. I still have trouble, and wonder why this is capturing virtually all of the news' attention. I get that it's important, but I'm not sure why it's getting the entire focus of the media. But on Wednesday night, The Rachel Maddow Show began with an encapsulation of exactly what is going on. Rachel explained--in the context of other similar uprisings--the desperate desire of the Egyptian government to steer the revolt to their own advantage. The government injected paid protesters of their own, to stir up trouble, and make the whole movement look like lawless, violent rogues. They even began attacking journalists. Hey, you mess with Anderson Cooper, and you've gone too far!

If you've had difficulty getting a handle on this story, like me, watch the clip below. I think you'll find a new appreciation for what's going on.

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

Hog Roast at Rush Limbaugh's House!

Image from source, Liberal Talk Radio

I got a chuckle out of this post, which is a response to Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos." As part of his master plan to destroy the Democrats' chances at winning the Presidency, Limbaugh is trying to get his "ditto-heads" to do his dirty work.

He went so far as to "dream" of riots at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The writer of this piece has an idea for turning the tables on Rush.

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Rambling about Rush, Roseanne, radio, and riots

. . .Limbaugh doesn't give a shit what happens to the world just so long as his money's safe and nobody walks across his lawn.

And that was the basis of the idea I initially had. Since Limbaugh was calling for a massive assault on Denver, I thought it would be cool to bring the party to his house. I call it "Operation Hog Roast." We'd descend on Palm Beach, FL, set up tents in his front yard, leave beer cans all over, piss in his bushes, fornicate in the flower beds, score pills behind the local Denny's and go four-wheeling on his favorite golf course. The kicker would be very appropriate - we'd cap it off a massive pig roast! . . .

Read more at: Liberal Talk Radio