Source: AP

A man who survived the shooting that killed his wife at an Atlanta-area massage business last week said police detained him in handcuffs for four hours after the attack.

Mario Gonzalez said he was held in a patrol car outside the spa. The revelation, in an interview with Mundo Hispanico, a Spanish-language news website, follows other criticism of Cherokee County officials investigating the March 16 attack, which killed four people. Four others were killed about an hour later at two spas in Atlanta.

Gonzalez’s accusation would also mean that he remained detained after police released security video images of the suspected gunman and after authorities captured him 150 miles south of Atlanta. He questioned whether his treatment by authorities was because he’s Mexican.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/mario-gonzalez-shooting-victim-husband-police-detain-hours-4d05ea994c092f400a7aa0332ef93c84

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Just when you think the police cannot possibly get worse, they prove you wrong.

Trump is facing an array of possible criminal charges from simple fraud, to election tampering, to racketeering and insurrection, and at some point may be indicted, then arrested.

Personally, I believe this is unlikely, as the "system" is VERY reluctant to punish the powerful, but we live in strange times

I have a hard time believing that Trump is going to take an arrest quietly. The issuance of an indictment against Trump will galvanize him to use every lever at his disposal to discredit the process, and avoid the spectacle of actually taken into custody. Aside from the battalion of lawyers he will deploy, and the members of the GOP leadership and the Right-wing media who will immediately jump to his defense, Trump will stir up his flying monkeys who will do everything from physically intervene to prevent an arrest, to threaten, or even openly attack law enforcement, DAs, judges, and AGs, in order to prevent the incarceration of their God Emperor.

Seriously, if hundreds will attack the Capitol to prevent a vote on Trump's loss, what will they do to prevent him being subject to puny mortal authority?

The media in general will LOVE this, since it means ratings galore. The nastier Trump gets, the more violence provoked, the more the media will love it. Every fascist crazy in the country will ooze out of sewer in order to make a name for themselves. The GOP will line up behind Trump and support him regardless of the evidence.The Dems will be under constant attack, and always on the defensive, with no assist from the media (who have much to gain by stoking the fire).

It seems to me that whoever goes after Trump would much prefer his much abused sclerotic arteries save them the grief of never ending death threats and doxxing. Not that such a entirely predictable fate would solve anything. Trump's heart could explode after he ate three buckets of KFC, and a million conspiracy theories would bloom.

Valentine well-wishers.

Everyone should refer to the events of January 6th as "The Trump Insurrection".

Hang this on EVERY apologist, defender and enabler.

Repeat it like the GOP says "Democrat Party" and "Death Tax" and "Death Panels".

When it annoys them, repeat it. When it angers them, say it again.

And in honor of returning to a time when we REJOICED immigrants!

Weekend at Bernie’s

First off, I am an atheist by way of Catholicism (Irish, so it left a mark). I say this not to provoke anything, but simply to be honest about own lack of expertise. My friend, who I have known since 1979, died suddenly last month, and I wish to honor her memory.

She was a Wiccan, but came from a fundamentalist family who are insisting on Christian rites for her memorial service (delayed until October due to circumstances). I know she would have wanted Wiccan rights, so I wish to honor her desire and have made a place for her in a memorial garden I made for lost friends. She will be the first person whose picture will be placed in the garden (printed on aluminum), but others will follow, of different faiths.

I have a small statue of the the three aspects of The Goddess for her section, and I am trying get a brazier she used in her annual Bridging ceremony to place with her picture. Is there something else I need to do?

https://twitter.com/DoctorMLoveless/status/1303169189604196354

Assume all goes well, and Trump, despite all his efforts is sent packing, and in January is dragged, kick & screaming, out of the Oval Office. The country now has a sane leader, who (hopefully) sets about undoing all Trump has done, and implements a rigorous program of de-Trumpification of the government.

The question that then must be answered is:

How do we prevent the next Trump?

Mechanisms, laws and even a Constitutional amendment(s) MUST be enacted to prevent any president from abusing the office as Trump has done. Failure to do so just means the Republic limps along until the next Trump gains power due to our slave era electoral system (and yes, the EC MUST go).

We have just seen that our prior system of "traditions" and even "checks & balances" failed utterly to remove a president who was a crook, a racist, materially incompetent, mentally incompetent, and a Russian spy. Thus, we need to fundamentally change our laws to take into account the last four years of destruction. We need protection from a government where the legislature, the executive, and to some degree, the judiciary became instruments of oppression and criminality. Even when elements within these branches tried to do the right thing, they were crushed and replaced with ruthless, soulless loyalists.

So, your thoughts please.

After two decades of listening to the Religiously Insane blame us for everything that has gone wrong:

This is God punishing Conservatives for voting in Trump.

This is God punishing Conservatives for their racism and bigotry.

This is God punishing Conservatives for turning their backs on the poor and the sick.

This is God punishing Conservatives for gunning down our children.

This is God punishing Conservatives for ignoring the homeless.

This is God punishing Conservatives for worshiping celebrities and sports figures.

This is God punishing Conservatives for loving money more than their neighbors.

This is God punishing Conservatives for following false prophets (Jim Baker, Pat Robertson, Paula White, Jerry Falwell, et al)

This is God punishing Conservatives for poisoning the planet.

This is God punishing Conservatives for our unjust judicial system.

This is God punishing Conservatives for our inhumane prisons.

This is God punishing Conservatives for lying to ourselves about reality.

This is God punishing Conservatives for twisting Her word to justify their own hatred.

A Hell hotter than the core of a supernova awaits those who have sinned in this manner against God, and their souls shall burn in everlasting torment.

Feel free to express this view to any Conservative you know, especially fundagelicals, extremist Catholics, or Mormons.

(By the way, I am an atheist and don't believe any of this supernatural nonsense. But you know, I am sick of hearing people who are hypocrites to their own superstitious dogma).

Trump is fighting subpoenas all over DC, a lot of them germane to the impeachment process. Now there is talk of referring articles of impeachment as soon as next week. It seems to me that nothing should be filed until at least some of these challenges are resolved. If they proceed without testimony from key people, and without mounds of incriminating documents, then McConnell simply hold pro-forma "trial", votes to dismiss, and its over (He has the votes, the GOP has made it clear they will not oppose Trump no matter what he does). At that point they will argue that all the subpoena questions are moot, and should be dismissed, meaning Trump successfully obstructs justice and walks.

Can someone enlighten me on what happens to these cases of the Dems go ahead and refer the case to the senate where it is summarily disposed of?