Officer Becky Sotherland of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Police is a dedicated civil servant. A less dedicated cop would not have the persistence to taser an unresponsive man 15 times. At the beginning of the video a woman can be heard saying
“This is the thirteenth time tasing him.” Another bystander states, “We’ve been watching him for about a half hour.” Obviously distressed, the woman says, “Oh my god… poor guy.” The other chimes in, “He probably can’t get in because she tased him so much.”
Eventually the bystanders intervene and help kindly officer Sotherland get the man into her car. The victim was charged with “suspicion of disorderly conduct,” trespassing, and resisting an officer. Suspicion of disorderly conduct? WTF! Sotherland's chief excused her actions by saying she was trying to get the man “to wake up and stand up.” The man, he said, was “lying on the ground, probably passed out, clearly intoxicated.”
If someone is not resisting what is the justification for the use of force? The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs are both investigating the incident.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
Cameron vs. Obama
The efficacy of Obama's contrived stagecraft will always be puzzling to me. The teleprompter. The robotic cadence. The biting of the lip. The elevation of the nose. The biting of the lip. One gets the impression that if he turns too quickly, the president will expose a wind-up key sticking out of his back.
As I am writing this, David Cameron is addressing his country. I cannot assess his competence but I can tell you that he does not need a teleprompter and he can answer questions spontaneously. I don't know if the questions are of the pre-arranged Chuck Todd variety but I can tell you that Cameron instills confidence. He looks the part of the leader. He speaks with authority. not authoritarianism. Maybe it is all blah blah blah but it is a convincing blah blah blah.
This is deja vu of sorts. I feel something similar when I hear Bebe Netanyahu speak. You get the distinct impression that if he had to, Bebe could point out ISIS's presence on the map. Same with Cameron. I cannot assess the merits of Cameron's strategy but I can tell you that he has a strategy. That is profoundly different from our leader.
2016 cannot come fast enough.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
The Difference Between Democrats And Republicans
I am not a Republican but I vote that way more with each passing year. This is not exactly an impartial analysis but it is accurate.
The Democratic Party has grown more self-serving with each passing year. I am not sure when they completed metamorphosis but morph they did. Whereas the leadership of both political parties might have the same objective, the rank and file see things differently.
The Republican rank and file see their party as a vehicle for aiding their country. The Democratic rank and file see their country as a vehicle for aiding their party.
If you want to get a Republican voter's attention, tell him his country is in danger. If you want to get a Democratic voter's attention, tell him his party is in trouble.
I am not trying to be snide or judgmental but the two voting blocs see things differently. Had a Democratic president performed identically to George Bush, the Dems would have proclaimed him to be the greatest leader in the history of the union. He spent recklessly on social welfare programs, expanding Medicare and ushering in No Child Left Behind. Where he came up short was in providing patronage for the Democrats. For that oversight, he was vilified.
Because the two parties see things so differently, they work at cross purposes. I for one, get discouraged at blogging. No matter how strong a case we make against this administration--the financial recklessness, the widespread and recurrent abuses of power, the loss of standing in the world, the lawlessness, the stagnant economy, job loss, ongoing corruption--it doesn't matter if the people who need to hear it don't hear it. For the Dems, it is party first, country later (if at all.)
You can see this party first mentality in the worst places in America. Detroit has been a hellhole for decades. Which party has had an iron grip on that fair city's political offices for half a century? Same with Newark and Chicago. Party first. City later.
You can see a big contrast in the way the two parties celebrate victories. For the Democrats it is the Super Bowl. "We won the ultimate victory." The Republican voters celebrate with a collective sigh. They brace themselves for betrayal and say prayers for the republic. They know that an election is just a battle in a longer war. It is principle first, party later. For the Dems, there are no higher principles or bigger wars. Party first. Party last. Party always!
Here is a classic in vino veritas moment. At :57 Joe Namath informs us that he couldn't care less about his former team struggling. He has other priorities. If you could get every loyal Democrat to answer honestly, they would say the same thing about their country. The Democratic Party is Joe Namath writ large. Party On!
The Democratic Party has grown more self-serving with each passing year. I am not sure when they completed metamorphosis but morph they did. Whereas the leadership of both political parties might have the same objective, the rank and file see things differently.
The Republican rank and file see their party as a vehicle for aiding their country. The Democratic rank and file see their country as a vehicle for aiding their party.
If you want to get a Republican voter's attention, tell him his country is in danger. If you want to get a Democratic voter's attention, tell him his party is in trouble.
I am not trying to be snide or judgmental but the two voting blocs see things differently. Had a Democratic president performed identically to George Bush, the Dems would have proclaimed him to be the greatest leader in the history of the union. He spent recklessly on social welfare programs, expanding Medicare and ushering in No Child Left Behind. Where he came up short was in providing patronage for the Democrats. For that oversight, he was vilified.
Because the two parties see things so differently, they work at cross purposes. I for one, get discouraged at blogging. No matter how strong a case we make against this administration--the financial recklessness, the widespread and recurrent abuses of power, the loss of standing in the world, the lawlessness, the stagnant economy, job loss, ongoing corruption--it doesn't matter if the people who need to hear it don't hear it. For the Dems, it is party first, country later (if at all.)
You can see this party first mentality in the worst places in America. Detroit has been a hellhole for decades. Which party has had an iron grip on that fair city's political offices for half a century? Same with Newark and Chicago. Party first. City later.
You can see a big contrast in the way the two parties celebrate victories. For the Democrats it is the Super Bowl. "We won the ultimate victory." The Republican voters celebrate with a collective sigh. They brace themselves for betrayal and say prayers for the republic. They know that an election is just a battle in a longer war. It is principle first, party later. For the Dems, there are no higher principles or bigger wars. Party first. Party last. Party always!
Here is a classic in vino veritas moment. At :57 Joe Namath informs us that he couldn't care less about his former team struggling. He has other priorities. If you could get every loyal Democrat to answer honestly, they would say the same thing about their country. The Democratic Party is Joe Namath writ large. Party On!
Monday, August 25, 2014
Police track down lethal umbrella
A SWAT team on the campus of California State University San Marcos surrounded a staff member equipped with protective rain gear this week.
The incident, which occurred early Wednesday morning, was prompted by a call to the San Diego County Sheriff’s office of a bald white male, wearing a black shirt and jeans and walking across campus carrying a rifle. This resulted in a shelter-in place order for some 400 staff and students going through orientation before the start of the fall session. Rapidly, facility and classmates banded together to barricade doors with tables and chairs, expecting the worst.
The situation resolved itself after 30 minutes when an umbrella-bearing teacher figured out he matched the description of the alleged gunman and surrendered to law enforcement.
Even after the owner of the lethal umbrella informed police of their error he was still treated as a potential threat. Police leveled the rifles at him and placed him in cuffs. Is it any wonder that everyday somewhere in this nation police kill someone?
This calls to mind the incident at Oberlin College where classes were cancelled in response to a sighting of a man in a Klan robe which turned out to be a girl in a blanket.
The incident, which occurred early Wednesday morning, was prompted by a call to the San Diego County Sheriff’s office of a bald white male, wearing a black shirt and jeans and walking across campus carrying a rifle. This resulted in a shelter-in place order for some 400 staff and students going through orientation before the start of the fall session. Rapidly, facility and classmates banded together to barricade doors with tables and chairs, expecting the worst.
The situation resolved itself after 30 minutes when an umbrella-bearing teacher figured out he matched the description of the alleged gunman and surrendered to law enforcement.
Even after the owner of the lethal umbrella informed police of their error he was still treated as a potential threat. Police leveled the rifles at him and placed him in cuffs. Is it any wonder that everyday somewhere in this nation police kill someone?
This calls to mind the incident at Oberlin College where classes were cancelled in response to a sighting of a man in a Klan robe which turned out to be a girl in a blanket.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Police overkill?
I don't think many Americans would be happy to live in a country without a second amendment. Comparing any kind of U. S. gun death statistics to to the rest of the world is an apples to oranges comparison. Nevertheless this graphic from the Economist may help us see how the rest of the world views the Ferguson shooting.
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