I’m writing for tomorrow and am feeling a bit tired, because yesterday, I walked to my volunteer organization’s bank to update our account to reflect changes in address and leadership. Don’t expect too much in the next couple days, because I will be preparing for a Board Meeting of that group here in the Cat Box on Monday, so tomorrow, I’ll be pre-cooking and cleaning, preparing a Treasurer’s Report, and setting up other documentation.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:10 (average 5:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Upworthy: When we ignore the people around us who are struggling to get by, isn’t it a lot like putting on the first sign this guy wears?
Where I live, I can see people sleeping in doorways from my window on all but the coldest nights, and sometimes even then. Sadly, I have to be very selective about helping, because I have little. Also, more often than not, "spare change" converts immediately to alcohol and drugs. Enabling is not helping. When I can, I give them food.
From Daily Kos: Avoiding reality must be a full time Republican occupation. After over 40,000 people delivered Ted Cruz an epic smack down on Facebook, you would think that any Republican would be aware enough to not tempt a similar fate. You would be wrong.
Apparently nothing penetrates the arrogant ignorance and hubris of today’s Republicans. Example number 666 – Senator Mitch McConnell – who has asked Facebook followers who they’d want as Senate Majority Leader starting in 2015. [Bought Bitch delinked]
Over two thousand comments have been posted thus far. The majority of them are not what Senator McConnell thought he’d be reading – everything from "you need to retire," "Harry. Thanks for asking," to longer comments like this -
At least Reid supports a liveable wage, equal pay for woman, veteran bills, jobs bills, healthcare for everyone, free and fair elections, tax reform, ending corporate tax evasion, clean drinking water, disaster relief, not borrowing money to start unnecessary wars, not stealing and destroying farm land so oil companies and foreign countries can profit(i.e. Keystone pipeline) he’s against voter suppression, he supports teachers, police and fire fighters, fixing our infrastructure, feeding the poor and poor children… Should I continue? Because Mitch has blocked or cut all of the above.
Click through for more comments and videos. LOL!! Bought Bitch Mitch TEAbuggered himself!!
From NY Times: Federal investigators have opened an inquiry into the tragic case of a high school student in Bastrop County, Tex., who suffered severe brain damage and nearly died last fall after a deputy sheriff shocked him with a Taser, a high voltage electronic weapon.
In North Carolina, civil rights lawyers have filed a complaint with the Justice Department, charging the Wake County school system with violating the constitutional rights of minority children by subjecting them to discriminatory arrest practices and brutality by police officers assigned to schools. In one nightmarish case described in the complaint, a disabled 15-year-old was shocked with a Taser three times during an interrogation at school, resulting in punctured lungs. And in New York, civil rights lawyers have sued the city of Syracuse on behalf of two students. One was shocked three times, not for threatening behavior but for lying on the floor and crying, they say, and another was shocked while trying to break up a fight.
Complaints about dangerous disciplinary practices involving shock weapons are cropping up all over the country. The problem has its roots in the 1990s, when school districts began ceding even routine disciplinary duties to police and security officers, who were utterly unprepared to deal with children. Many districts need to overhaul practices that criminalize far too many young people and that are applied in ways that discriminate against minority children. In the meantime, elected officials need to ban shock weapons in schools.
I am in complete agreement with this author. Such behavior by police and security officers must not be permitted to continue.
Cartoon:
11 Responses to “Open Thread–4/13/2014”
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4:58 I got all jammed-up.
3:38 3+ minutes under the average. Now we're jammin'!
3:33 But marmalade is not my favourite . . . well at least the last time I tried it. A little too bitter for my taste (or is it too tarte?)
7:02 and the average is up to 6:48. Perhaps I am an average raiser.
Upworthy – the video makes a great point. It's the same point made by James 2:16 (not that any Republican self-styled Christian ever pays any attention to the Bible). Although if you have nothing to give but are lobbying, that is at least doing something. TC, you make a point too that those who do have self respect and true need are probably not asking you in person anyway. One has to look for them.
Daily Kos – Yes, I laughed my head off. Thank God for Kos so we can find out what's really happening, and it's icing on the cake when the truth is delivered with so much wit. Now – did Mitch actually leave all those posts up? If so he must have brass balls the size of church bells.
NY Times – OK, I realize police are a government agency (though the same cannot be said of security guards), but this is still an example of the ills of privatization. Give the job to someone who is not properly paid to do it, not properly trained to do it, and will make a mess of it which will require expensive cleanup – all in the name of saving money – but really to disempower government from performing its legitimate functions. And that's all I can say about that without raising my blood pressure.
(But as angry as I get at cops, there still are some good ones out there http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/nyregion/30-years-after-the-palm-sunday-massacre-christina-rivera-and-joanne-jaffe-tell-their-story.html?emc=edit_na_20140413&nlid=64123560)
Cartoon – And ain't THAT the truth!
Good luck and plentiful energy for all you have to do, TomCat – we'll miss you but we'd rather you rest a bit than get worn out.
Interesting that those who have little always want to help those who have nothing and those who have everything really don't care about anyone.
Dear Mitch should really know "if you don't want to hear the answers, don't ask the questions." Almost makes me want to join Facebook just so I can talk to him….Cruz, of course, has the hide of a rhino so nothing will get thru that arrogance.
NC used to be a lovely state – whatever happened? School used to be a haven and the safest place a child could be – whatever happened? Police used to be trustworthy and kind – whatever happened? Ah, yes, George, Dick and all the gang happened…. I hope there is some alternative world where Al Gore won the election and nobody ever heard of George W. or Dick Cheney ever again….
Puzzle — 3:33 But marmalade is not my favourite . . . well at least the last time I tried it. A little too bitter for my taste (or is it too tarte?)
Upworthy — "When we ignore the people around us who are struggling to get by, isn’t it a lot like putting on the first sign this guy wears?" It isn't a lot like wearing the 1st sign. It is EXACTLY like wearing the first sign. People were more concerned I think about the language of the 1st sign, rather than the premise of the 2nd sign. It is time to reconnect with the saying: Comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.` It is also time to remember Mother Teresa`s words: Live simply so others can simply live.
Daily Kos — Stupid is as stupid does, especially when it comes to Republicanus/Teabaggers. I love this line from one respondent "Leaders don't blame others and find ways to make things happen." I would only add one caveat "Leaders don't blame others and find ways to make things happen that benefit all Americans."
It is time that the American people scare the crap out of the Republicanus/Teabaggers such that they all say "Check my shorts!" and all are put in the permanent unemployment line without benefits.
NY Times — Ban tasers in schools as used by police "professionals", but let or require a teacher to carry a gun in the same schools? What pure bullshit!
"In North Carolina, civil rights lawyers have filed a complaint with the Justice Department, charging the Wake County school system with violating the constitutional rights of minority children …."
Isn`t this the same school district where the Kochs were directing school "traffic" trying to force segregation back in 2011 or 2012?
No weapons carried by anyone within the school system! And stop the blatant racism and discrimination!
Cartoon — I second JD`s comment "And ain't THAT the truth!"
Since I live just miles away from the Hate Crime murders of three people (possibly 4) at the Jewish Community Center today, just wanted to update you that the Souther Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is reporting that the killer is the former Grand Dragon of the Carolina Knights of the KKK. (No surprise there)
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2014/04/13/frazier-glenn-miller-longtime-anti-semite-arrested-in-kansas-jewish-community-center-murders/
Wish I could get this. Apparently there is a server proxy issue with the SPLC site . . . has received an invalid response from the upstream server.
I`ll try another time, but I can`t say that I am surprised by the identity of the killer. It is almost unbelievable that such hate exists . . . it is hate for the sake of hate. A black soul to be sure.
OK, I finally got into the article. This is one very sick rabid old dog! The only place for this fellow is a 6 x 6 foot cell in a maximum security prison.
Best wishes for you dinner at the Catbox. You are a busy man.
UPworthy: You are right, TC, you have to be careful, even if it seems wrong. My son saw a man at an intersection with a sign that said "will work for food"(my boy was 18 at the time) he went to McDonald's and bought the man a lunch and took it to him. The food was thrown in his face and he was cursed mightily and told to get away, he wanted cash, not food. Help Food Pantrys and Homeless shelters, they are equipped to aid the people who need it.
Daily Kos: Thanks so much for that article, I had not received it and I definitely added my comments on his FB page. My sister had commented, too, and had not told me. hahahha, she just said "Ditch Mitch".
NY Times: I wish they would ban tasers, there have been too many incidents of people being killed with them. They certainly have no place at a school and should be kept away, The schools have given up on discipline because they are not allowed to do much of anything and when they do, parents are all over them saying their kids are to do as they please. The zero tolerance for almost everything has gone through the roof. Recently I read that a five year old had been expelled for sexual harassment because he kissed one of the girls, don't remember what state that was in, but how ridiculous. Common sense has been replaced with tasers.
Thanks all. Major Rush here.