Category: Domestic Affairs,

Trump’s threat to democracy isn’t free speech, it’s this 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

…Even so, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that our soon-to-be president could weaken the American system of free expression in far more troubling and insidious ways. They don’t involve throwing dissenters in jail; many of them don’t even require significant changes in the law. Rather, they are techniques that involve weakening and undermining the institutions and practices that enable public opinion to check state power and legitimate our system of democracy.

Trump’s threat to democracy isn’t free speech, it’s this – CNN.com

hmmmm

Michael Slager trial: Jury announces deadlock case of ex-South Carolina cop who shot Walter Scott; judge orders full deliberations 

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,Leave a comment

The jury in the trial of Michael Slager, the ex-South Carolina cop who shot Walter Scott, told a judge they were deadlocked, but they’ve been ordered to continue deliberations

Michael Slager trial: Jury announces deadlock case of ex-South Carolina cop who shot Walter Scott; judge orders full deliberations – CBS News

Jeezus….

Virginia school system pulls classic novels ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,, Schools,Leave a comment

Two classic American novels have been temporarily pulled from book shelves in a Virginia public school system.

Virginia school system pulls classic novels ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’

WTF?! If the books made someone uncomfortable then they did their job. They are about uncomfortable topics. They are supposed to make the reader think.

Sigh….

Voter anger over Trump’s election goes deeper than Clinton’s loss 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

“Please understand that I am not mad at you because Clinton lost. I am totally unconcerned that you and I have different ‘politics.’ And I don’t think less of you because you voted one way and I another.

“No, I think less of you because you watched an adult mock a disabled person while addressing a crowd and still supported him. I think less of you because you saw a candidate spout clear racism day after day and still backed him. I think less of you because you heard him advocate for war crimes and still thought he should be given the reins of government. I think less of you because you watched him equate a woman’s worth to where she landed on a scale of 1 to 10 and still got on board. I think less of you because you stood by silently while he labeled Mexicans as criminals and Muslims as terrorists.

“It wasn’t your politics I found repulsive. No, it was your willingness to support someone who spouts racism, sexism, and cruelty almost every time he opens his mouth.

Voter anger over Trump’s election goes deeper than Clinton’s loss – Sun Sentinel

hmmm

Voter turnout in N.H. Democratic strongholds offset GOP surge

On By peanutgallerynhIn Granite State,Leave a comment

In contrast with other key swing states, heavy turnout by Democratic voters in New Hampshire’s bluest towns offset a surge of voters casting ballots for Donald Trump and kept the state in the Clinton column.

…“In the simplest terms, Republican turnout seems to have surged this year, while Democratic turnout stagnated,”

…“By comparison, in counties where Clinton won at least 70 percent, the vote count was 1.7 percent lower this year.”

Contrast that with voter turnout in the Granite State. We compiled election results from the Secretary of State’s office and used Rivers’ methodology to compare this year’s record turnout with that from 2012.

Overall, turnout in districts won by Trump increased by 6.0 percent over 2012 compared to a 4.2 percent increase in towns and wards carried by Clinton, but the greatest increase in voter turnout, 7.9 percent, came from the 29 voting districts Clinton carried with over 65 percent of the two-party vote. 

Election recap: Voter turnout in N.H. Democratic…

hmmmm

Trump Can’t Hold Lease On His Hotel Near White House, Law Professor Says 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Donald Trump has a 60-year lease on his new hotel, just a few blocks from the White House. But its terms say no elected U.S. official shall benefit from the lease.

…”Some civil servant at GSA is going to sit down with the president of the United States’ children to negotiate adjustments to a multimillion-dollar lease on an annual basis. That’s incomprehensible,” he says.

Trump Can’t Hold Lease On His Hotel Near White House, Law Professor Says : The Two-Way : NPR

hmmm

Charlotte police officer who fatally shot Keith Scott ‘acted lawfully,’ won’t be charged 

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,Leave a comment

The district attorney says the shooting was deemed “justified” and lawful.

Charlotte police officer who fatally shot Keith Scott ‘acted lawfully,’ won’t be charged – The Washington Post

Bullshit.

Or to put it another way, if this was justified then why do we even pretend to have rules cops have to follow? Clearly they have a license to kill at whim and are 100% unresponsible for any damage their violent crimes cause.

‘Worst possible conditions’: Residents flee Gatlinburg, Tenn., as flames engulf popular resort town 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Local Interest,Leave a comment

“Conditions remain extremely dangerous,” Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials said Tuesday, as evacuations were ordered in Pigeon Forge and throughout Sevier County.

‘Worst possible conditions’: Residents flee Gatlinburg, Tenn., as flames engulf popular resort town – The Washington Post

Sigh…

Meteorologist Paul Douglas hopes to bridge Christian climate change debate 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Religion,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

Paul Douglas is one of Minnesota’s best-known meteorologists, delivering weather reports with a droll sense of humor. But he’s dead serious in a lesser-known side of his life, namely as an evangelical Christian sounding the reality of climate change.

Douglas has been a guest speaker at Twin Cities “creation care” events over the years, arguing that climate change is irrefutable and it is a Christian obligation to care for God’s creation. He now has co-authored a book he hopes will be a bridge to skeptical evangelicals who view global warming as a hoax to grow big government.

“Being open to data, facts and science doesn’t make you a liberal,” he writes in the book. “It makes you literate. Scientifically literate. It means you favor data, facts and evidence over conspiracy theories, manufactured misinformation, and cherry-picked industry spins.”

Meteorologist Paul Douglas hopes to bridge Christian climate change debate – StarTribune.com

hmmm

New Orleans cop had secret life for years as serial sexual predator, police say 

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Gulf Coast Region,Leave a comment

White’s star in the department dimmed somewhat after he was one of several officers involved in the controversial 2009 shooting of Adolph Grimes III in the 6th Ward. The Police Department later cleared him and seven other officers in the case.

Typical. The police always clear and cover up for the violent crimes of their own.

According to jail records, White was rebooked Monday on first-degree rape, four counts of second-degree rape, one count of simple kidnapping, one count of false imprisonment, two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, two counts of molestation of a juvenile, four counts of sexual battery and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

The gun count adds another element to the allegations against White. Police alleged in a warrant that they found a .38-caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number inside a bag in his locker at the 2nd District Station.

When queried, police said, “White stated he received the gun from a citizen in 2007, and he placed the gun in his bag and he forgot about it.”

‘Model’ New Orleans cop had secret life for years as serial sexual predator, police say | Crime/Police | theadvocate.com

This is what a large metropolitan police department refers to as a model officer. Typical.

Most police departments in this country are nothing more than organized, uniformed, gangs of unrepentant, violent, habitual, criminals.

The U.N. Sent 3 Foreign Women To The U.S. To Assess Gender Equality. They Were Horrified. 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

The human rights experts concluded that the country falls far behind most others.

…The women’s other recommendations for the U.S. include passing campaign finance reform that would allow more women to be elected into office, because the networks that raise money for political candidates are mostly dominated by men. They also suggested raising the minimum wage, which disproportionately affects women, and passing a federal law to stop the slew of new abortion restrictions in the states that are shutting down women’s health clinics across the South. 

“Religious freedom does not justify discrimination against women, nor does it justify depriving women of their rights to the highest standard of health care,” Raday said.

The U.N. Sent 3 Foreign Women To The U.S. To Assess Gender Equality. They Were Horrified. | The Huffington Post

hmmmm

Competing groups are trying to define the Dakota Access pipeline debate. So where does the truth lie? 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, The Americas,Leave a comment

Opposing sides in the increasingly tense standoff over the Dakota Access oil pipeline have found little to agree on. But on this fact there is no dispute: Sometime between 3 and 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 21, a young woman demonstrating against the pipeine nearly had her arm blown off. 

Competing groups are trying to define the Dakota Access pipeline debate. So where does the truth lie? – LA Times

hmmm

1 Dead And 9 Injured After Shooting In New Orleans’ French Quarter 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Gulf Coast Region,Leave a comment

1 Dead And 9 Injured After Shooting In New Orleans’ French Quarter | The Huffington Post

I am seeing this story on facebook and to be honest, it’s kind of pissing me off. Posts with headlines like, “Ohhhh no!”

Oh, no… what? Why? Because gun violence in New Orleans is a daily tragedy.

What makes this different than the run of the mill, every day shooting in the Crescent City? What makes this deserve more attention than any other on-average-more-than-once-a-day shooting in Orleans parish?

There have been 160+ murders in New Orleans since 2016 began, did you post “Ohhhhh nooooo,” for all of them too???