March 27, 2015

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March 27, 2015

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March 27, 2015

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March 26, 2015

The Atlantic: Methods That Police Use on the Mentally Ill Are Madness

Why do so many American cops believe that shooting a schizophrenic man dead for failing to drop a screwdriver is an acceptable outcome?

Conor Friedersdorf Mar 25 2015, 7:32 AM ET


When This American Life dedicated two episodes to law enforcement in the United States, they titled them, "Cops See It Differently." Citing examples like the NYPD killing of Eric Garner, which gave rise to the "I can't breath" protests, the show illustrated how police and non-uniformed citizens assessing the same incidents would draw wildly different conclusions even after watching video footage. Last year, I observed the same phenomenon when St. Louis, Missouri, police officers shot and killed Kajieme Powell in another videotaped encounter. Many cops saw a guy with a knife who didn't drop it and a justified use of lethal force. Critics pointed out that there was never an attempt to deescalate the situation. A similar disconnect followed the Cleveland police killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

And this week, newly released video footage is giving Americans yet another glimpse at how police are trained, their mindset, and how the results can be lethal. The killing happened last year in Dallas, Texas. The mother of Jason Harrison, a black man with schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder, called police to say that he was off his meds. She wanted help getting him to the hospital—something she'd received before without incident—and requested cops trained to handle the mentally ill.

What happened next is graphic and upsetting to watch.



Within seconds of the door being opened, the two police officers saw that Harrison was fumbling with a screwdriver. They began shouting at him to drop it and quickly shot him five times. The moment just prior to the shooting is captured incompletely in the body cam footage. In conflicting reports each officer said that Harrison lunged at the other, according to CNN. An attorney hired to represent Harrison's family says Jason posed no threat and argues that had he really lunged, his body would've filled the lens of the officer's body cam before he was shot.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/methods-that-cops-use-with-the-mentally-ill-are-madness/388610/

Gosh, I guess I'm so lucky because I'm a white man! But wait: I do have OCD. That's a mental illness! Oh my God oh my God!

Let's face facts, here: If the psychopatholigizing of our cops continues apace, not one of us, regardless of race, creed or color, can subtract ourselves from the list of potential targets.

March 26, 2015

Ted Cruz Has 'Zero Intention of Taking Any Obama Subsidy'

Published on 25 Mar 2015

In an interview, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said that the mainstream media is playing “gotcha games” when it comes to how he likely will have to become an Obamacare customer despite despising the law.

Funny, but I seem to recall that another Republican presidential candidate---wait, wait, please excuse my stupidity, it was a Republican vice-presidential candidate---who was obsessed with "gotcha" tactics by the lamestream media. Youbetcha I'm sorry for the confusion!

March 25, 2015

32 indicted in massive Colorado marijuana trafficking investigation

Source: Denver Post

By John Ingold
The Denver Post
Posted: 03/25/2015 12:38:35 PM MDT

Colorado officials have won indictments against 32 people accused of being part of a multimillion-dollar scheme to grow marijuana illegally in Colorado and ship it out of state.

The organization allegedly exported as much as 400 pounds monthly of marijuana grown in Denver warehouses, most commonly to Minnesota. Couriers transported hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time back to Denver, according to the indictment. In sum, the organization is estimated to have made $12 million during its four-year run, the indictment alleges.

The Colorado State Grand Jury handed down the indictment last week, and law enforcement this week began rounding up those who were charged. At least five members of the alleged organization have so far been arrested, according to Denver jail records. But state officials refused to comment on the indictment or the arrests, saying instead that an announcement is planned for Thursday.

"This is still an active investigation at this point," said Carolyn Tyler, a spokeswoman for the Colorado attorney general's office.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27783732/32-indicted-massive-colorado-marijuana-trafficking-investigation

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Talk about having better things to do!!!!!

March 25, 2015

“I don’t blame the politicians...I blame the electorate.” deGrasse Tyson on Climate Denial

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson had choice words for the state of Florida Monday, saying he was “astonished” by Gov. Rick Scott’s administration’s alleged ban on using the words “climate change.”

Speaking as part of a lecture series in Sarasota, Florida and at a press conference before it, the renowned scientist and science communicator said that he thought that the U.S., as a country, was above using science as a political debate. Tyson also said voters held responsibility for electing lawmakers like Scott, which points to the need to better educate voters about issues like climate change.

“I don’t blame the politicians for a damn thing because we vote for the politicians,” he said. “I blame the electorate.”

Tyson has a point: a poll last year found that Americans are, in general, less concerned about climate change than people in many other parts of the world. And though most Americans believe climate change is happening, many don’t fully understand why.

Tyson also said that Florida officials should be worrying about what to do to prepare the state for the imminent threat of sea level rise, rather than restricting state workers from talking about climate change. “Now we have a time where people are cherry picking science,” he said. “The science is not political. That’s like repealing gravity because you gained 10 pounds last week.”

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/03/24/3638084/neil-degrasse-tyson-florida-climate-ban/

Right on all counts, as usual.

March 25, 2015

House Expected To Pass Major Boehner-Pelosi Deal To Reshape Medicare

Source: TPM

BySahil KapurPublishedMarch 25, 2015, 6:00 AM EDT


WASHINGTON — An ambitious agreement by Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to fix a major funding gap in Medicare and make some separate long-term cuts appears in good shape to pass the House.

A floor vote is planned for Thursday, House leadership aides said, after the top Democrat and Republican successfully resolved concerns about abortion language.

"It is all shaping up very well on both sides," said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for Boehner.

The legislation would eliminate the "doc fix" problem that has become one of Washington's most despised rituals. The existing Medicare formula for paying doctors imposes steep annual cuts that Congress has overridden for more than a decade. Doctors face a 21 percent cut if no "fix" is enacted by April 1.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/house-deal-medicare-doc-fix