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November 19, 2013
Florida: Accused flasher says he was just 'airing out' his penis
Let's hope those orange jumpsuits have a lot of breathing room.
William Gibson, 50, allegedly exposed himself outside a Goodwill store in Jensen Beach, Fla., earlier this month, then claimed he was "airing out" his penis, T.C. Palm reported Friday.
Gibson allegedly first stuck his hand down his pants and smelled his fingers before dropping his drawers. Then, according to a witness statement obtained by T.C. Palm, "All of a sudden [Gibson] just pulled down the front of his underware [sic], to expose his genitals, fluffing them."
A witness called sheriff's deputies, who say Gibson stated he was arrested merely for "airing out" his penis. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/william-gibson-genital-fluffer-airing-penis-out_n_4296936.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news
November 19, 2013
from HuffPost:
Just 2 percent of counties in America are responsible for more than half the nation's executions, and those same counties have been responsible for a disproportionate share of high-profile prosecutorial misconduct and exonerations following wrongful convictions.
In a report released last month, the Death Penalty Information Center found that 2 percent of counties, as well as being responsible for a majority of executions, can also claim credit for 56 percent of the current death row population. What's more, just 15 percent of U.S. counties account for all of the executions since 1976, according to the DPIC.
There are lots of different ways to think about these figures. And my Huffington Post colleagues Katy Hall and Jan Diehm have broken them down with some informative graphics. Since only 32 states have the death penalty, perhaps it shouldn't be terribly surprising that such a small percentage of counties account for such a large portion of executions, particularly if most of them are counties with large populations. (And that seems to be the case, although these counties aren't all necessarily the largest in their respective states.) At the very least, it is more evidence that the death penalty is applied inconsistently.
.......(snip).......
The Death Penalty Information Center report touches on this a bit. For example, the report notes that in Orleans Parish, La., which leads the state in executions, there's a long, sordid history of prosecutorial misconduct. Orleans Parish has even been rebuked by the Supreme Court, though the Court refuses to hold the county liable. (I wrote about prosecutor misconduct in Orleans Parish earlier this year.) Four men from New Orleans who once awaited execution have since been freed. Philadelphia County, Pa., leads the state of Pennsylvania in executions, yet also ranks last in the state when it comes to paying the attorneys appointed to represent defendants in capital cases. Florida leads the country in number of people sent to death row over the last two years. The state also leads the country in number of people exonerated from death row. Incredibly, despite these figures, Florida lawmakers are still trying to limit appeals, so that executions can be carried out more quickly. That's one way to prevent exonerations before executions. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/death-penalty_n_4275323.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037
U.S. Counties Killing The Most People Are Good At Getting Death Penalty, Not So Good At Justice
from HuffPost:
Just 2 percent of counties in America are responsible for more than half the nation's executions, and those same counties have been responsible for a disproportionate share of high-profile prosecutorial misconduct and exonerations following wrongful convictions.
In a report released last month, the Death Penalty Information Center found that 2 percent of counties, as well as being responsible for a majority of executions, can also claim credit for 56 percent of the current death row population. What's more, just 15 percent of U.S. counties account for all of the executions since 1976, according to the DPIC.
There are lots of different ways to think about these figures. And my Huffington Post colleagues Katy Hall and Jan Diehm have broken them down with some informative graphics. Since only 32 states have the death penalty, perhaps it shouldn't be terribly surprising that such a small percentage of counties account for such a large portion of executions, particularly if most of them are counties with large populations. (And that seems to be the case, although these counties aren't all necessarily the largest in their respective states.) At the very least, it is more evidence that the death penalty is applied inconsistently.
.......(snip).......
The Death Penalty Information Center report touches on this a bit. For example, the report notes that in Orleans Parish, La., which leads the state in executions, there's a long, sordid history of prosecutorial misconduct. Orleans Parish has even been rebuked by the Supreme Court, though the Court refuses to hold the county liable. (I wrote about prosecutor misconduct in Orleans Parish earlier this year.) Four men from New Orleans who once awaited execution have since been freed. Philadelphia County, Pa., leads the state of Pennsylvania in executions, yet also ranks last in the state when it comes to paying the attorneys appointed to represent defendants in capital cases. Florida leads the country in number of people sent to death row over the last two years. The state also leads the country in number of people exonerated from death row. Incredibly, despite these figures, Florida lawmakers are still trying to limit appeals, so that executions can be carried out more quickly. That's one way to prevent exonerations before executions. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/death-penalty_n_4275323.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037
November 19, 2013
(Truthout) Champagne. Cumbia music. Street parties. The Chilean student leaders who upended their nation’s political agenda in 2011 with dozens of street protests on Sunday transformed their activist power into a mini bloc of student activists. Four of the young students - Giorgio Jackson, Camila Vallejo, Karol Cariola and Gabriel Boric - won congressional offices and will take seats in the Chilean Congress in March.
"We have battled for some time for our ideals for what we think Chile deserves and the transformations that Chile needs," said Vallejo, the 25-year-old former student body president as she celebrated on Sunday evening in Santiago. "It has been a long fight to open up the (political) spaces to win this via the elections process and the street fight. In those two environments we have advanced and won."
"It is time for big changes in the economic model and the political system," said Vallejo, who first came to fame as the charismatic leader of massive street protests calling for free university education for all Chilean students. "The right wing is in the Intensive Care Unit. You can see it in the polls and in the streets," said Vallejo. "They are unleashing pure propaganda in an attempt to salvage the low turnout they maintain. It’s sad . . . they could have taken the high road and formed a serious debate and a discussion about political platforms."
With four student leaders now holding power in Congress and tens of thousands of students ready to march and protest for free and quality public education, Chile is now recovering the spirit of community organizing long smashed by the Pinochet dictatorship. ......................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/news/item/20114-4-chilean-student-leaders-make-the-jump-to-parliament
Four Chilean Student Leaders Make the Jump to Parliament
(Truthout) Champagne. Cumbia music. Street parties. The Chilean student leaders who upended their nation’s political agenda in 2011 with dozens of street protests on Sunday transformed their activist power into a mini bloc of student activists. Four of the young students - Giorgio Jackson, Camila Vallejo, Karol Cariola and Gabriel Boric - won congressional offices and will take seats in the Chilean Congress in March.
"We have battled for some time for our ideals for what we think Chile deserves and the transformations that Chile needs," said Vallejo, the 25-year-old former student body president as she celebrated on Sunday evening in Santiago. "It has been a long fight to open up the (political) spaces to win this via the elections process and the street fight. In those two environments we have advanced and won."
"It is time for big changes in the economic model and the political system," said Vallejo, who first came to fame as the charismatic leader of massive street protests calling for free university education for all Chilean students. "The right wing is in the Intensive Care Unit. You can see it in the polls and in the streets," said Vallejo. "They are unleashing pure propaganda in an attempt to salvage the low turnout they maintain. It’s sad . . . they could have taken the high road and formed a serious debate and a discussion about political platforms."
With four student leaders now holding power in Congress and tens of thousands of students ready to march and protest for free and quality public education, Chile is now recovering the spirit of community organizing long smashed by the Pinochet dictatorship. ......................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/news/item/20114-4-chilean-student-leaders-make-the-jump-to-parliament
November 19, 2013
(Truthout) The US Senate Intelligence Committee recently took an important step by passing an intelligence authorization that would require for the first time - if it becomes law - that the administration publicly report on civilian casualties from US drone strikes.
Sarah Knuckey, director of the Project on Extrajudicial Executions at New York University School of Law and a special adviser to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, calls this provision "an important step toward improving transparency," and notes that, "Various UN officials, foreign governments, a broad range of civil society, and many others, including former US Department of State legal adviser Harold Koh . . . have called for the publication of such basic information.
"This provision could be offered as an amendment in the Senate to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It could be offered in the House as an amendment on the intelligence authorization, or as a freestanding bill. But it's not likely to become law unless there's some public agitation for it. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/20106-wikileaks-and-the-drone-strike-transparency-bill
WikiLeaks and the Drone Strike Transparency Bill
(Truthout) The US Senate Intelligence Committee recently took an important step by passing an intelligence authorization that would require for the first time - if it becomes law - that the administration publicly report on civilian casualties from US drone strikes.
Sarah Knuckey, director of the Project on Extrajudicial Executions at New York University School of Law and a special adviser to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, calls this provision "an important step toward improving transparency," and notes that, "Various UN officials, foreign governments, a broad range of civil society, and many others, including former US Department of State legal adviser Harold Koh . . . have called for the publication of such basic information.
"This provision could be offered as an amendment in the Senate to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It could be offered in the House as an amendment on the intelligence authorization, or as a freestanding bill. But it's not likely to become law unless there's some public agitation for it. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/20106-wikileaks-and-the-drone-strike-transparency-bill
November 19, 2013
Tuesday, 19 November 2013 09:13
By Noam Chomsky, Zuccotti Park Press | Book Excerpt
Catherine Komp: It’s been twenty- five years since the publication of your and Edward Herman’s acclaimed book Manufacturing Consent. How much do you think has changed with the propaganda model, and where do you see it playing out most prominently today?
Noam Chomsky: Well, ten years ago we had a re-edition and we talked about some of the changes. One change is that we were too narrow. There are a number of filters that determine the framework of reporting, and one of the filters was too narrow. Instead of “anti-communism,” which was too narrow, it should have been “fear of the concocted enemy.” So yes, it could be anti-communism—most of that is concocted. So take Cuba again. It’s hard to believe, but for the Pentagon, Cuba was listed as one of the military threats to the United States until a couple of years ago. This is so ludicrous; you don’t even know whether to laugh or cry. It’s as if the Soviet Union had listed Luxembourg as a threat to its security. But here it kind of passes.
The United States is a very frightened country. And there are all kinds of things concocted for you to be frightened about. So that should have been the filter, and [there were] a few other things, but I think it’s basically the same.
.........(snip).........
So, some progress.
Yes. On the other hand, the indoctrination system has gotten incredibly powerful. The examples that I mentioned, like the right-to-work laws—it is pretty shocking that that can succeed. So, I’d say it’s about the same inequality entered the national dialogue with the Occupy movement, but the wealth gap for black and Latino families rarely generates debate or headlines. What role should the media—particularly independent media—play in ensuring critical public interest issues like these are at the forefront?
Independent media ought to be telling the truth about things that matter. That’s quite different from the task of the commercial media. They have a task. They’re supposed to be objective, and objectivity has a meaning in the world of journalism. In fact, it’s taught in journalism schools. Objectivity means reporting honestly and accurately what’s going on within the Beltway, inside the government. So that sets the bounds. There are Democrats and there are Republicans. Report honestly what they’re saying—balance and so on—and then you’re objective. If you go beyond that and you ask a question about the bounds, then you’re biased, subjective, emotional, maybe anti-American, whatever the usual curse words are. So that’s a task and, you know, you can understand it from the point of view of established power. It’s a distorting prism with enormous impact. Even just the framework of what’s looked at. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/progressivepicks/item/19815-media-control-and-indoctrination-in-the-united-states
Noam Chomsky: Media Control and Indoctrination in the United States
Media Control and Indoctrination in the United StatesTuesday, 19 November 2013 09:13
By Noam Chomsky, Zuccotti Park Press | Book Excerpt
This is an excerpt from the just released 2nd edition of Noam Chomsky’s OCCUPY: Class War, Rebellion and Solidarity published by Zuccotti Park Press.
Free Speech Radio News producer Catherine Komp interviews Noam Chomsky.
Noam Chomsky is amongst the world’s most cited living scholars. Voted the “world’s top public intellectual” in 2005, he is perhaps best known as a critic of all forms of social control and a relentless advocate for community-centered approaches to democracy and freedom. Over the last several decades, Chomsky has championed a wide range of dissident actions, organizations and social movements. In this excerpt from the just-released expanded edition of the Zuccotti Park Press book, Occupy: Class War, Rebellion and Solidarity, Chomsky speaks with Free Speech Radio News about media control, fear, indoctrination and the importance of solidarity.
Catherine Komp: It’s been twenty- five years since the publication of your and Edward Herman’s acclaimed book Manufacturing Consent. How much do you think has changed with the propaganda model, and where do you see it playing out most prominently today?
Noam Chomsky: Well, ten years ago we had a re-edition and we talked about some of the changes. One change is that we were too narrow. There are a number of filters that determine the framework of reporting, and one of the filters was too narrow. Instead of “anti-communism,” which was too narrow, it should have been “fear of the concocted enemy.” So yes, it could be anti-communism—most of that is concocted. So take Cuba again. It’s hard to believe, but for the Pentagon, Cuba was listed as one of the military threats to the United States until a couple of years ago. This is so ludicrous; you don’t even know whether to laugh or cry. It’s as if the Soviet Union had listed Luxembourg as a threat to its security. But here it kind of passes.
The United States is a very frightened country. And there are all kinds of things concocted for you to be frightened about. So that should have been the filter, and [there were] a few other things, but I think it’s basically the same.
.........(snip).........
So, some progress.
Yes. On the other hand, the indoctrination system has gotten incredibly powerful. The examples that I mentioned, like the right-to-work laws—it is pretty shocking that that can succeed. So, I’d say it’s about the same inequality entered the national dialogue with the Occupy movement, but the wealth gap for black and Latino families rarely generates debate or headlines. What role should the media—particularly independent media—play in ensuring critical public interest issues like these are at the forefront?
Independent media ought to be telling the truth about things that matter. That’s quite different from the task of the commercial media. They have a task. They’re supposed to be objective, and objectivity has a meaning in the world of journalism. In fact, it’s taught in journalism schools. Objectivity means reporting honestly and accurately what’s going on within the Beltway, inside the government. So that sets the bounds. There are Democrats and there are Republicans. Report honestly what they’re saying—balance and so on—and then you’re objective. If you go beyond that and you ask a question about the bounds, then you’re biased, subjective, emotional, maybe anti-American, whatever the usual curse words are. So that’s a task and, you know, you can understand it from the point of view of established power. It’s a distorting prism with enormous impact. Even just the framework of what’s looked at. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/progressivepicks/item/19815-media-control-and-indoctrination-in-the-united-states
November 19, 2013
from truthdig:
Be Thankful For the People Struggling to Limit NSA Spying
Posted on Nov 19, 2013
By Robert Scheer
On Monday the Supreme Court, ruling on an emergency petition, declined to do the right thing and hear a case challenging the massive government surveillance of Americans, revealed by the leaks from Edward Snowden. For the time being, the court acceded to the Obama administration’s argument that it has the legal right to continue its unprecedented bulk collection of American phone records without any restraint. That throws the ball back to Congress, where a historic battle, crossing party lines, is already underway.
On one starkly polarizing side is the dark figure of Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat and reigning chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. One of the first to denounce Snowden for treason for letting the public know the ugly truths about government spying she had long concealed, Feinstein already has pushed a bill though her committee that provides the NSA’s spying with additional legal cover.
It validates the “backdoor search provision” that the government, including domestic organizations such as the FBI, has misused to justify sifting through material ostensibly collected for foreign intelligence investigations to conduct warrantless surveillance on Americans in clear violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“For the first time, the statue would explicitly allow the government to proactively search through the NSA data troves of information without a warrant,” the ACLU’s Michelle Richardson told The Guardian on Friday. She added, “This Fourth Amendment back door needs to be closed, not written into stone.” .......................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/be_thankful_for_the_people_struggling_to_limit_nsa_spying_20131119
Robert Scheer: Be Thankful For the People Struggling to Limit NSA Spying
from truthdig:
Be Thankful For the People Struggling to Limit NSA Spying
Posted on Nov 19, 2013
By Robert Scheer
On Monday the Supreme Court, ruling on an emergency petition, declined to do the right thing and hear a case challenging the massive government surveillance of Americans, revealed by the leaks from Edward Snowden. For the time being, the court acceded to the Obama administration’s argument that it has the legal right to continue its unprecedented bulk collection of American phone records without any restraint. That throws the ball back to Congress, where a historic battle, crossing party lines, is already underway.
On one starkly polarizing side is the dark figure of Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat and reigning chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. One of the first to denounce Snowden for treason for letting the public know the ugly truths about government spying she had long concealed, Feinstein already has pushed a bill though her committee that provides the NSA’s spying with additional legal cover.
It validates the “backdoor search provision” that the government, including domestic organizations such as the FBI, has misused to justify sifting through material ostensibly collected for foreign intelligence investigations to conduct warrantless surveillance on Americans in clear violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“For the first time, the statue would explicitly allow the government to proactively search through the NSA data troves of information without a warrant,” the ACLU’s Michelle Richardson told The Guardian on Friday. She added, “This Fourth Amendment back door needs to be closed, not written into stone.” .......................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/be_thankful_for_the_people_struggling_to_limit_nsa_spying_20131119
November 19, 2013
(AlterNet) The disabled owner of a dog shot to death by Colorado police officers is now suing law enforcement officials. Courthouse News Service reports that Gary Branson is suing the Commerce City police for tasering the therapy dog and then shooting it to death.
The whole entire incident was caught on video.
On November 24, 2012, a neighbor of Branson’s in Commerce City called the police about the dog Chloe, who was allegedly on the loose. While the police said it was a pitbull, the owner says the dog is not that breed. According to the ABC affiliate in Denver, the police said they spent 20 minutes trying to gain control of the dog. They claimed Chloe acted aggressively towards them when the cops approached the dog.
But the owner, Branson, disputes that story. His lawsuit claims that the four-year-old dog was “a captured, wounded, defenseless dog that had not ever attacked anyone, had not bitten anyone, and never moved aggressively toward the officer.” The dog was hit by a taser, but then got back up. After that, the police tasered her again. But after an animal control officer named Arica Bores was capturing Chloe, Officer Robert Price shot the dog and killed Chloe. The whole incident was caught on tape by a 12-year-old neighbor. The video sparked outrage in the neighborhood. .........................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/colorado-man-sues-police-over-killing-his-therapy-dog
Disabled Man Sues Police for Tasering and Shooting His Therapy Dog to Death
(AlterNet) The disabled owner of a dog shot to death by Colorado police officers is now suing law enforcement officials. Courthouse News Service reports that Gary Branson is suing the Commerce City police for tasering the therapy dog and then shooting it to death.
The whole entire incident was caught on video.
On November 24, 2012, a neighbor of Branson’s in Commerce City called the police about the dog Chloe, who was allegedly on the loose. While the police said it was a pitbull, the owner says the dog is not that breed. According to the ABC affiliate in Denver, the police said they spent 20 minutes trying to gain control of the dog. They claimed Chloe acted aggressively towards them when the cops approached the dog.
But the owner, Branson, disputes that story. His lawsuit claims that the four-year-old dog was “a captured, wounded, defenseless dog that had not ever attacked anyone, had not bitten anyone, and never moved aggressively toward the officer.” The dog was hit by a taser, but then got back up. After that, the police tasered her again. But after an animal control officer named Arica Bores was capturing Chloe, Officer Robert Price shot the dog and killed Chloe. The whole incident was caught on tape by a 12-year-old neighbor. The video sparked outrage in the neighborhood. .........................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/colorado-man-sues-police-over-killing-his-therapy-dog
November 19, 2013
Shooting your mouth off about the rights of gun owners is one thing.
Shooting the actual gun is something else entirely.
Police in Wilkesboro, N.C., are currently looking for a man who accidentally fired his handgun during a Tuesday night discussion about 2nd Amendment rights in a GNC vitamin store, UPI.com reported.
The unknown suspect took out his gun to show it to an employee. At some point, he accidentally fired a round into the store printer, according to Dumb As A Blog. ..........................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/15/gun-in-gnc-store_n_4282940.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news
Man Accidentally Fires Gun In GNC Store While Discussing 2nd Amendment Rights
Shooting your mouth off about the rights of gun owners is one thing.
Shooting the actual gun is something else entirely.
Police in Wilkesboro, N.C., are currently looking for a man who accidentally fired his handgun during a Tuesday night discussion about 2nd Amendment rights in a GNC vitamin store, UPI.com reported.
The unknown suspect took out his gun to show it to an employee. At some point, he accidentally fired a round into the store printer, according to Dumb As A Blog. ..........................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/15/gun-in-gnc-store_n_4282940.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news
November 18, 2013
(Truthout) Germany's major political parties have agreed on the need to impose a financial transactions tax (FTT) as part of a broad package of economic reforms to be undertaken by a coalition government.
The German federal elections in September 2013 gave the conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel 311 seats in the German Parliament, just short of a majority. As a result, Merkel is negotiating with other parties to form a governing coalition.
.....(snip).....
For good or for bad, Germany is the economic and political heart of the European Union. Europe's largest country and largest economy has an even larger influence on European politics. In many ways, as goes Germany so goes Europe.
.....(snip).....
Now, Germany is leading the way toward a European FTT. Until the German coalition negotiations, the FTT had faded from the European agenda in the face of determined opposition from big banks and other business interests. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/20028-european-progress-toward-a-financial-transactions-tax
European Progress Toward a Financial Transactions Tax
(Truthout) Germany's major political parties have agreed on the need to impose a financial transactions tax (FTT) as part of a broad package of economic reforms to be undertaken by a coalition government.
The German federal elections in September 2013 gave the conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel 311 seats in the German Parliament, just short of a majority. As a result, Merkel is negotiating with other parties to form a governing coalition.
.....(snip).....
For good or for bad, Germany is the economic and political heart of the European Union. Europe's largest country and largest economy has an even larger influence on European politics. In many ways, as goes Germany so goes Europe.
.....(snip).....
Now, Germany is leading the way toward a European FTT. Until the German coalition negotiations, the FTT had faded from the European agenda in the face of determined opposition from big banks and other business interests. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/20028-european-progress-toward-a-financial-transactions-tax
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