Who Is Anonymous?

I cannot say for certain if the real Anonymous posted this video. One question that has never been answered satisfactory, is "who is the hacker group called Anonymous?" Rumor has it that Anonymous consists of rogue elements of the military/industrial complex. That might explain why they are so damn good at what they do and might explain why they focus their attention where they do. Then again, would someone of that skill and talent quote and publicize Jesse Ventura? Maybe not.

The Staten Island grand jury got it right

I have written several posts on this blog featuring police misconduct, over reaction, cruelty, and downright stupidity. I reviewed the video of the arrest and subsequent death of Eric Garner shortly after it occurred and declined to criticize the police action. If there is a lesson to be learned from the grand jury's refusal to indict anyone in the matter it may well be that members of the media are unfit for jury duty. The prosecution did not face an uphill battle in the matter. It needed only 12 votes of the 23 jurors to vote for a true bill and it failed to get even that. Imagine the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt when 12 of 12 jurors must vote to convict.
First let's address the issue of racial prejudice. It has not been widely reported but the ranking officer, who is seen briefly in the video, was a black female sergeant. Second, the decision to arrest Garner was not made on the spot. It originated at the precinct house after several merchants in the area complained that Garner was disrupting business with his illegal cigarette sales. The decision was not made by Daniel Pantaleo nor his teammates but by a NYC officer, probably a captain. Moreover the NYPD announced with much fanfare a crack down on the sale of untaxed cigarettes. From the Washington Times;

In January 2014, tough new penalties for selling untaxed cigarettes took effect in New York City. In July, emboldened by the new law, the city’s highest-ranking uniformed cop, Philip Banks, issued an order to crack down on loosie sales days before Garner died.

 
As to the alleged brutality of the arrest. Bullshit! Thirty years ago more rough housing went on in every school recess everyday. Was Garner beaten with a night stick? Was he sprayed with pepper spray? Was he electrocuted with a taser? No. He was simply restrained. It appears Office Pantaleo took him down by wrapping his arm around his neck but not even a high school wrestling referee would have called it a choke hold. Then Garner complains he can't breath. Try speaking the next time you're being choked.
Garner died but the cause of death is vague. It is known he did not die of asphyxiation nor was there any injury to his neck bones or windpipe. The best the medical examiner could come up with was “Compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police.” The examiner also added that the victim’s asthma, obesity and high blood pressure were also contributing factors in his death.
So a grand jury should indict Pantaleo because Garner died of vague causes? Yes, just after it indicts Mayor de Blasio for the death of the groundhog he dropped.

Funny or Sad? Chris Rock Assesses Obama's Cool

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Maybe there is more to be said about a leader, a president, a politician, a human being than whether or not he is cool and the degree to which he satisfies that standard.

OK, Frank Rich interviewing Chris Rock might be more political correctness, cheese and a giant, implicit "aren't we so amazingly wonderful" ball of goo than most readers can endure. So let me summarize the highlight of the chatter. Chris Rock assesses Barack Obama's "coolness." Obama is cool but not cool like Eddie Murphy.

Let’s talk about Obama a bit. You have been a fan. Have you ever met him?

Yeah, a couple times.

And what did you make of him?

Kind of cool. I always say, cooler than most politicians, not as cool as actual cool people. He’s not cool like Jay Z’s cool. He’s not Eddie Murphy. But in a world of politicians …

It gets worse.

What do you think of how he’s done? Here we are in the last two years of his presidency, and there’s a sense among his supporters of disappointment, that he’s disengaged.

I’m trying to figure out the right analogy. Everybody wanted Michael Jordan, right? We got Shaq. That’s not a disappointment. You know what I mean? We got Charles Barkley. It’s still a Hall of Fame career...

Continuing the analogy, I think we got Latrell Sprewell, a player whose on-court record will always be eclipsed by his efforts to choke his coach to death, his confusion as to how said action generated controversy and of course, the playing of the race card in his defense. 

By the way, 'cool' is one of my favorite words for several reasons. It is possibly the most nuanced word in the English language. It does not just mean stylish. 'Cool' can mean stylish but the context and yes, nuance, give it a richer, deeper meaning. Having defended the word, I should also state that it is the height of irrelevance to assess serious people on the basis of their "coolness." Grow up!!!

Recalling The Tight 2010 Elections

Bear with me.  I can live with YouTube vids losing a slice on the right side of the screen but an embed from anywhere else and that slice becomes a chunk.

Here is Gallup predicting tight Congressional races in 2010 a month before the election.

http://launch.newsinc.com/share.html?trackingGroup=90052&siteSection=townhall_nws_non_sty_dynamic&videoId=59322