Category: Media and Culture,

Judge James Troiano Ruling: Why We Protect Accused Teen Rapists

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Chick Stuff,, Race,1 Comment

Last month, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, about an hour south of Glen Ridge, Judge James Troiano denied prosecutors’ motion to charge a 16-year-old boy accused of sexual assault as an adult. The boy had filmed himself having sex with an intoxicated 16-year-old girl, who could not stand up straight and had slurred speech; shortly after the video was taken, she vomited, and woke up the next morning with bruises all over her body. The boy later sent the video to friends with the text, “When your first time having sex was rape.”

…The accused are usually young. They are usually white, a fact that was particularly relevant in the wake of Ehlke’s verdict, as one black lawmaker pointed out that the judge had sentenced a 16-year-old black offender to 20 years in prison before sentencing Cook. And they are usually middle-class and fairly well-educated, to enough of a degree that it’s not impossible to imagine the (usually white, usually male, usually well-educated) judges perhaps seeing a younger version of themselves taking the stand. But in justifying these light sentences, judges rarely cite these factors. Instead, they point to the defendant’s lack of criminal record, or their sterling grades, or their history of volunteer work within the community. They express their concern over the impact a lengthy prison sentence would have on these young men’s delicate characters, and they place the burden solely on the accusers to recuperate from the trauma of their assault, urging them to stay kind, stay strong, stay positive. Above all else, they express a desire to protect the defendant’s potential.

…One wonders what sort of potential is so great, so fragile, so worthy of protection, that it would be prioritized over that of the young woman who has survived a violent sexual assault. One wonders what that young woman could have accomplished, had she not been told at an early age that her welfare and her future prospects were secondary to those of her assailant. One wonders just how much a good boy’s potential is really worth, when it so clearly comes at the expense of that of the young woman he has harmed.

…These boys …and those like them, probably never had all that much potential to begin with.

Judge James Troiano Ruling: Why We Protect Accused Teen Rapists – Rolling Stone

hmmm

Police say man cut Arizona teen’s throat because rap music made him feel threatened

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

Witnesses told police that the man, who’s been identified as Michael Paul Adams, 27, walked up behind the teen, grabbed him and stabbed him in the neck.

…The witnesses told police that Al-Amin hadn’t done or said anything to provoke the attack. One said Adams didn’t say anything to the teen before stabbing him.

Police say man cut Arizona teen’s throat because rap music made him feel threatened – CNN

hmmm

New Jersey judge who told alleged rape victim to ‘close your legs’ is ‘remorseful,’ lawyer says

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Chick Stuff,Leave a comment

Russo was presiding over a 2016 case in which a woman was seeking a restraining order against a man who allegedly raped her when he made the comments.

“Do you know how to stop somebody from having intercourse with you,” Russo asked the woman, according to the state’s judicial conduct complaint.

She supplied some answers like “tell them to stop,” and Russo continued to urge: “What else?”

“Block your body parts,” Russo supplied. “Close your legs? Call the police? Did you do any of those things?”

…Russo denied the woman’s request for a restraining order, and in an off-the-record conversation outside the courtroom that was caught on a recording Russo was heard telling a clerk, “As an exotic dancer, one would think you would know how to fend off unwanted sexual …”

New Jersey judge who told alleged rape victim to ‘close your legs’ is ‘remorseful,’ lawyer says

Remorseful? Who gives a fuck?

He shouldn’t be on the bench. Period.

Arizona Police Officers Reportedly Asked to Leave Starbucks over Customer Concerns

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Local Interest,, Media and Culture,, Race,Leave a comment

#DumpStarbucks Trends after Arizona Police Officers Reportedly Asked to Leave Starbucks over Customer Concerns

So whoever is pitching this story on behalf of the thugs in blue is working overtime.

Little piggies whining about their right to make their fellow citizens feel threatened and uncomfortable….

Weh, weh, weh…. Instead whining little piggies, why don’t you behave in a way that the sight you in uniform isn’t threatening to your neighbors?

Dump Starbucks? How about dump acting liking like lawless members of an ultra-facist, ultra-racist gang????

Weh, weh, weh cried the little piggies, all the way home.

‘Battle of the Baggage Claim’: Trump’s 1775 airport claim inspires parodies

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

“Our army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rockets’ red glare, it had nothing but victory.”

…Trump’s unusual claim during his Fourth of July speech that the US revolutionary army of 1775 “took over airports” from the British a full 128 years ahead of the Wright brothers’ first flight has spurred a slew of memes.

https://twitter.com/shawna1776/status/1146987728560631808

‘Battle of the Baggage Claim’: Trump’s 1775 airport claim inspires parodies | US news | The Guardian

[snicker]

AMA Wades Into Abortion Debate With Lawsuit : Shots – Health News : NPR

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

AMA President Patrice Harris [said] in an interview, the organization felt it had to take a stand because new laws forced the small number of doctors who perform abortions to lie to patients, putting “physicians in a place where we are required by law to commit an ethical violation.”

…In March, the group filed a lawsuit in Oregon in response to the Trump administration’s new rules for the federal family planning program. Those rules would, among other things, ban doctors and other health professionals from referring pregnant patients for abortions.

“The Administration is putting physicians in an untenable situation, prohibiting us from having open, frank conversations with our patients about all their health care options — a violation of patients’ rights under the [AMA] Code of Medical Ethics,” wrote then-AMA President Barbara McAneny.

AMA Wades Into Abortion Debate With Lawsuit : Shots – Health News : NPR

hmmmm

Methodist Hospitals In Memphis Pursues Debt Collection Suits Against Own Low-Wage Workers

On By peanutgallerynhIn Local Interest,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Religion,Leave a comment

One story by the news organizations chronicled the struggle of Carrie Barrett, who makes $9.05 an hour at Kroger, to pay her 2007 hospital bill for $12,019. The bill has ballooned to more than $33,000 due to interest and attorney’s fees.

Another story detailed how Methodist sues its own employees, some of whom make less than $13 an hour, for unpaid bills related to care delivered at its hospitals. Its health plan doesn’t allow workers to seek care at hospitals with more generous financial assistance policies.

Defendants talked about how the lawsuits upended their lives and left them in a position where they would never be able to pay off their debts, which grew from year to year as interest mounted.

…If they are unable to afford their bills, patients then face what experts say is rare: A licensed collection agency owned by the hospital.

…New data obtained from Shelby County General Sessions Court shows that Methodist has filed more than 600 new lawsuits this year. Its most recent suits were filed on June 21, days before the MLK50-ProPublica stories were published. Its most recent garnishment order was filed on Tuesday.

Also, after the hospital sues and wins a judgment, it repeatedly tries to garnish patients’ wages, which it does in a far higher share of cases than other nonprofit hospitals

…The Rev. Anthony Anderson, a United Methodist elder at Faith United Methodist in Memphis, was more reserved.

“I am still heartbroken, and I say that spiritually,” Anderson said. “It breaks my heart to know that a Methodist-related entity, a hospital, would have these types of practices.”

Methodist Hospitals In Memphis Suspend Debt Collection Suits Against Own Workers : Shots – Health News : NPR

Yikes

An Astonishing Government Report on Conditions at the Border

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Domestic Affairs,, Modern Parenting,, Race,, The Americas,Leave a comment

…“Border Patrol was holding about 8,000 detainees in custody at the time of our visit, with 3,400 held longer than the 72 hours generally permitted,” the report said.

…Many people—1,500 of the detainees—had been held for more than 10 days. Nearly a third of the 2,669 children—both those who were unaccompanied and those who had crossed with families—at the facilities the investigators studied had been held longer than 72 hours. At one facility in McAllen, Texas, 50 unaccompanied children under the age of 7 had been in custody for more than two weeks while awaiting transfer. After 72 hours, once a child has been turned over to HHS, the government is supposed to find the closest relative in the United States for children in its custody. But it has not worked that way.

…Children weren’t being given hot meals, even though it is required by law; instead, they were fed sandwiches and snacks for meals. And at three of the facilities investigators visited, children had no access to showers.

…There were hungry children who did not have enough to eat, she told me. Children had urinated on their pants, and weren’t offered a change of clothes. Some children had vomited on their clothing. It was a health risk, she said. Children reported seeing guards pulling other children from cages by force.

An Astonishing Government Report on Conditions at the Border – The Atlantic

Jeezus….

State Laws on Fetal Homicide and Penalty-enhancement for Crimes Against Pregnant Women

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Chick Stuff,, Granite State,, Local Interest,, Religion,Leave a comment

State Laws on Fetal Homicide and Penalty-enhancement for Crimes Against Pregnant Women

Let’s parse this out, shall we?

The typical argument for a life beginning before its birth is that (the Christian version of) God made it so. Since the Bible is accepted authority on the word of (the Christian version of) God, let’s peruse the tome and see what God has to say on the subject.

Genesis 2:7 –  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Man becomes a living soul when the breathe of life flows through his nostrils? OR more simply put, breathing through one’s nose is the point man becomes a living soul? That doesn’t sound like anything that happens in the womb….

Ezekiel 37: 5-6 –  Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live;

The moment that bones, sinew, and flesh become living is when breathe is put into it? So there is no life until a body breathes?  A body isn’t alive unless it is has drawn breathe. Seems pretty clear that life starts after a body is born and has drawn its first breathe because without breathe it is not living.

Job 33:4 –  The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Even though God made man (in this case, Elihu,) he was not alive until he received breathe. So even though a body has been created it is not alive until it is breathing? Seems pretty clear cut.

Conclusion? God says there is no life without breathe, ergo no body is alive until it breathes. Fetal homicide laws are enacted in direct opposition to the Word of (the Christian version of ) God.

When people who purport to be Christian advocate for fetal homicide laws they are going against the Bible. No ifs, ands, or buts. Calling it based in anything that resembles Biblical teachings is an egregious, blatant, and wholly unchristian lie.

It is a way to degrade women and make them less than a full person in the eyes of the law though. If injury to, or the death of, a woman in itself is a lesser crime than the injury to, or death of, a pregnant woman than the law is saying that a woman who is not pregnant is worth less than one who is.

If women who are pregnant can expect the full support of the law to reconcile aggression against them and women who are not get less support and a lower level of justice from the law then women who are not pregnant are valued as less in the eyes of the law than others. Simply put, unless women are pregnant, their personhood, in the eyes of the law, is devalued.

And that’s not only unchristian, it’s just wrong.

Customs And Border Patrol Investigating Secret Facebook Border Patrol Group

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Domestic Affairs,, Race,, The Americas,Leave a comment

Customs And Border Patrol Investigating Secret Facebook Border Patrol Group : NPR

Oh, goody. The people who allowed this toxic culture to exist, spread, and perpetuate within its own ranks are “investigating.” So basically, nothing will happen, there will be no consequences, and these illicit armed thugs will continue to exist at our border, perpetrating crimes against humanity with impunity.

No investigation done in house is legitimate.

…And not for nothing, all leadership needs to be replaced because they either allowed this to happen or they are incapable of doing their jobs.

What is metering and how does it contribute to perpetuating injustice, inhumane treatment, and chaos at the Southern US Border?

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Domestic Affairs,, Modern Parenting,, Race,, The Americas,Leave a comment

U.S. Customs and Border Protection uses “metering” as a way to manage the flow of people seeking entry at official ports of entry — capping the daily number of asylum applications received at official border crossings.

We can’t know for certain whether Martínez Ramírez heard about metering or any other policies, so we aren’t rating Castro’s statement on the Truth-O-Meter. But it doesn’t seem far-fetched: Metering may lead migrants to cross the border illegally, according to experts and government investigators. 

…With the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy in effect, government officials have still publicly encouraged asylum seekers to enter the United States legally through a port of entry to avoid prosecution and family separations. However, at the same time, Customs and Border Protection is regulating the flow of asylum seekers at ports of entry through “metering.” A version of the practice has been used at least as far back as 2016, during the Obama administration, according to a September 2018 report from the Office of Inspector General within the Department of Homeland Security.

When metering, Customs and Border Protection officers stand at the international line in the middle of the foot bridges, the report said, and officers only allow asylum seekers to cross the line if space is available. 

“While the stated intentions behind metering may be reasonable, the practice [also has very negative] consequences,” the report stated. “For instance, (Office of Inspector General) saw evidence that limiting the volume of asylum-seekers entering at ports of entry leads some aliens who would otherwise seek legal entry into the United States to cross the border illegally.”

…A May 2019 study from immigration experts suggests there are more than 18,700 asylum seekers waiting in Mexico border cities. One of the report’s researchers, Stephanie Leutert of the University of Texas, told PolitiFact more specifically that there are around 1,000 people waiting to cross the bridge where Martínez Ramírez was waiting. 

A few weeks ago the National Migration Institute, which manages the list in Mexico, made the list private. That has prompted stress for migrants, because they can no longer see their place in line.

“That caused a lot of desperation among migrants,” Leutert said.

Fact-checking Julián Castro’s claim that asylum ‘metering’ caused drowning of father, daughter | PolitiFact

mmhmmm

Also, the Obama administration was in no way and in way near as bad as the Trumps. That is in arguable. It is also true that the BHO WH was hardly the paradigm of progressive policy that the Left likes to think of it as. Yes, they were using metering. No, there was no more of a moral, ethical, or practical justification when they were using it than there is now.