The NRA doesn’t care about black heroes: Jemel Roberson was “the good guy with a gun”

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Race,Leave a comment

Roberson, 26, was not the assailant — he was the armed security guard who had secured the alleged shooter and saved lives.

,,,That night, Roberson, who was employed by Manny’s Blue Room, had escorted a group of drunk men out of the bar. …Witnesses say one came back with a gun­­ and opened fire. Roberson apprehended a person involved in the shooting in an effort to protect the other patrons as they exited the club. Midlothian police officers arrived on the scene with little to no details, and it appears that they saw a black man with a gun, ignored his uniform and hat labeled SECURITY, and shot him. He died in the hospital.

…”Everybody was screaming out, ‘Security!’ He was a security guard!”

…I’m waiting for the National Rifle Association to honor Roberson as a hero on their website’s front page. Isn’t he the perfect example of why they advocate for more armed citizens and guns in public places? A guy opens fire at a bar, putting many in danger, and another armed man swoops in and saves the day?

…Like Philando Castile before him, a licensed gun owner who was killed by a racist cop in Minnesota, Roberson was black. And to the NRA, it’s clear that black gun owners don’t matter. 

The NRA doesn’t care about black heroes: Jemel Roberson was “the good guy with a gun” | Salon.com

Made me think of this classic:

White Kansas official tells black woman he belongs to ‘master race’

On By peanutgallerynhIn Local Interest,, Race,Leave a comment

A white county commissioner in northeast Kansas who told a black city planner that he belongs to “the master race” as he rejected her proposed development plan is coming under pressure from fellow commissioners to resign.

…”I don’t want you to think I’m picking on you because we’re part of the master race,” Klemp told Penelton — claiming that the fact that both he and she had “gaps” in their teeth meant they were part of a master race. He then said he didn’t like any of the land use options that she had presented to the commission.

…Last December, while the commission was discussing holiday schedules, Klemp suggested Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate Army in the Civil War, should be honored.

White Kansas official tells black woman he belongs to ‘master race’

Mmmmmm, no.

Point of fact? Fucked up teeth are pretty far from being from a quality possessed by members of anything resembling a  master race.

Migrants won’t see armed US soldiers on border

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Military,, Race,Leave a comment

As thousands of migrants in a caravan of Central American asylum-seekers converge on the doorstep of the United States, what they won’t find are armed American soldiers standing guard.

…That’s because U.S. military troops are prohibited from carrying out law enforcement duties. [emphasis: mine]

…That means there will be no visible show of armed troops, said Army Maj. Scott McCullough, adding that the mission is to provide support to Customs and Border Protection. 

Migrants won’t see armed US soldiers on border – ABC News

Not a huge  compliment to the Customs and border Patrol folks that the Cheeto doesn’t think they are capable of defending themselves from exhausted and perhaps starving and dehydrated migrants.

 

Archaeology: Treasure, animal skulls in 3,300-year-old Transylvania tomb

On By peanutgallerynhIn Europe,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

Transylvania perches on a plateau surrounded by the great arc of the Carpathian Mountains in central Romania. Richly endowed with medieval castles, cities, and ruins, Transylvania is the home of the real Count Dracula, portrayed in fiction as a vampire. In the Bronze Age, however, the province was famous for entirely different reasons. The area is rich in metal, and became a focal point in trade between the major cities in the eastern Mediterranean and northern Europe.

…Merchants and travelers alike followed the vast rivers – the Mures, the Danube and the Tisza – through flat floodplains and meadows nestled in the Carpathian Mountains.

Some of the smaller rivers were rich in gold, and in the mountains one could extract copper. Because of this the area became an important meeting point between peoples from North and South some 3,300 years ago.

…Not only did Cioclovina Cave have beads and glass originating from Mesopotamia and Egypt: the archaeologists also found 1,770 amber beads that came from Scandinavia. 

…Radiocarbon analysis carried out on animal bones found in the cave supports the timeline of between 1,428 to 1,263 B.C.E.

Treasure, skulls in 3,300-year-old Transylvania tomb were from nymph cult, archaeologists suggest – Archaeology – Haaretz.com

hmmmm

Meek Mill Announces Album Release & Wants to Free 1 Million People With Criminal Justice Reform

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

Meek Mill’s case picked up mainstream attention when he was sent back to jail in November 2017 by Judge Genece E. Brinkley, who has presided over his fate since first sentencing him in 2008. 

…It was big news when Brinkley sentenced Meek Mill to a shocking two to four years for parole violations, both of which stemmed from incidents in which charges were eventually dropped or dismissed—in one, the rapper had popped a wheelie on a motorcycle while filming a music video in New York City.

…And it’s why Meek Mill might be suited more than any other public figure to accomplish what he has planned next: a criminal justice reform organization tasked with liberating “1 million people unjustly caught in the criminal justice system.” Meek Mill and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin are cochairmen; Jay-Z and Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, make up the executive board.

Meek Mill Announces Album Release Date, Talks Partnering With Jay-Z, and Wants to Free 1 Million People From Our Criminal Justice System – Vogue

hmmmm

Trump Supporters Freak Out After Judge Orders Trump To Immediately Reissue Jim Acosta’s Press Pass

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

Trump Supporters Freak Out After Judge Orders Trump To Immediately Reissue Jim Acosta’s Press Pass

heh

To Sign or Not to Sign: The Veruca Salt Syndrome

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,Leave a comment

Imagine throngs of victims screaming whatever they needed to get their way — both male and female — have come to social media to harass, bully and overpower folks. This is the epitome of Veruca Salt. Social media platforms are forced to accept this behavior under the guise of ‘free speech.’ They don’t want to get involved.

This is nothing about free speech; this is: “I want it now and you shut up!” speech.

…The Verucas who were angry that a character was killed off acted upon the information. They found his home phone and called. They left threatening messages to him and his family to show their outrage and their “power” (small p) in the fandom. This is not acceptable behavior in real life why is it tolerated in social media?

On another show I follow, the Verucas of that fandom insist that the two leads are dating when they are not. They have them (in their fantasies) secretly married, with a love child. None of it is true but any person seen in public with them is deemed an assistant (male) or whore (female.)  … I also heard that they have even gone to the actors Wikipedia pages and have been in a wikiwar with the admins trying to erase the fact that one of the leads is publicly engaged to another person. Veruca will always try to her way no matter what.

…The Verucas will argue that their “rights” to an autograph usurp my right to personal time.

Fans will argue that they “paid my salary” so therefore; I “owe” them. 🙄

No. Unfortunately that’s not correct and I don’t owe you anything.

…The network pays my salary and bets that their investment in the show will pay off in big commercial and sponsorship profits. By the time you watch something I’ve been in; I’ve already been paid by the network or studio.

BTW, just so we are crystal clear on this: I don’t make a dime from you currently watching Star Trek: The Original Series. The show was made before syndication rules so none of us get anything for the show being shown on TV around the world.

To Sign or Not to Sign: The Veruca Salt Syndrome – William Shatner – Medium

hmmmm

New Jersey Couple’s GoFundMe Campaign To Help Homeless Man ‘Was Predicated On a Lie’

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

As McClure told it on the GoFundMe website, Bobbitt used his last $20 to buy her gasoline after she became stranded near an off-ramp in Philadelphia. McClure said she later returned with her boyfriend, D’Amico, in tow and he took a picture of the unlikely pair. That story combined with the photo became a wallet-opening viral juggernaut, garnering national headlines and news segments. Within days the couple had vastly exceeded their goal of $10,000, eventually raising nearly $403,000 from more than 14,000 people.

New Jersey Couple’s GoFundMe Campaign To Help Homeless Man ‘Was Predicated On a Lie’ : NPR

Wild.

Common plastics emit global warming pollution

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,Leave a comment

When plastic is exposed to sunlight, it releases methane and ethylene. Both gases contribute to global warming. The biggest culprit is a type of plastic called LDPE.

….“It is the type of plastic that is the most produced, consumed, and discarded in the environment. For example, the rings around the beer cans, some forks and knives that are being used in restaurants, some kinds of plastic bags as well.”

…The emissions increase over time as the plastic breaks down in the environment. As it forms smaller and smaller particles with more surface area, more gases are released.

Common plastics emit global warming pollution » Yale Climate Connections

sigh…

Police Fatally Shoot Black Security Guard Who Detained Shooting Suspect

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Race,Leave a comment

When police arrived after reports of a shooting over the weekend at a bar outside Chicago, witnesses say Jemel Roberson, a 26-year-old security guard who worked there, had already subdued the alleged assailant in the parking lot, pinning him to the ground.

…Midlothian Police Chief Daniel Delaney said that’s when one of his officers …shot him, according to a statement given to the media.

…Roberson was holding a firearm he was licensed to carry. Other witnesses, and a lawsuit filed by Roberson’s family, reportedly said he was wearing a hat emblazoned with the word “security.”

“Everybody was screaming out ‘Security!’ ” Harris told WGN. “They …saw a black man with a gun, and basically killed him.”

…Woods said that the Midlothian officer came out of the club’s back door — weapon drawn — and ordered Roberson to “get on the ground.”

“Before he says ‘ground’ he fires the first shot,” she said, adding that she has not been interviewed by investigators.

Police Fatally Shoot Black Security Guard Who Detained Shooting Suspect : NPR

If these officers are not dismissed and formally charged it is clear their su[erior do not care about law enforcement.

If an officer cannot properly assess information before they act, they should not have been given a badge in the first place. Perhaps the person who hired them should be fired and charged with public endangerment…

NH sued over involuntary psychiatric boarding

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Granite State,Leave a comment

American Civil Liberties Union has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of psychiatric patients being involuntarily held in hospital emergency departments.

State law requires involuntary psychiatric patients to get probable cause hearings within three days of admission. Under the state’s interpretation, the clock starts when someone is admitted to an inpatient facility, but the lawsuit points to a Merrimack County court ruling that said the clock starts with emergency room admission.

The lead plaintiff is a 26-year-old man who was held involuntarily at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center for nearly a week without a hearing.

NH sued over involuntary psychiatric boarding

hmmmmmm

Fox News: We Support CNN’s Lawsuit Against Trump

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

“FOX News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter’s press credential. We intend to file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court,” the right-wing cable channel’s president Jay Wallace said in a statement.

“Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized,” the network added. “While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people.”

Fox News: We Support CNN’s Lawsuit Against Trump – The Daily Beast

huh

Trump, stung by midterms and nervous about Mueller, retreats from traditional presidential duties

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

With the certainty that the incoming Democratic House majority will go after his tax returns and investigate his actions, and the likelihood of additional indictments by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, Trump has retreated into a cocoon of bitterness and resentment, according to multiple administration sources.

…He has canceled travel plans and dispatched Cabinet officials and aides to events in his place.

…Unusually early on Monday, the White House called a “lid” at 10:03 a.m. EST, informing reporters that the president would not have any scheduled activities or public appearances for the rest of the day. Although it was Veterans Day, Trump bucked tradition and opted not to make the two-mile trip to Arlington National Cemetery in northern Virginia to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as presidents since at least John F. Kennedy have done to mark the solemn holiday.

…He had just returned Sunday night from a two-day trip to France to attend ceremonies marking the centennial of the armistice that ended World War I. That trip was overshadowed, in part, by Trump’s decision not to attend a wreath-laying at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, the burial place for 2,289 soldiers 60 miles northeast of Paris, due to rain.

Kelly, a former Marine Corps general, and Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did attend to honor the American service members interred there. Trump stayed in the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Paris, making no public appearances.

…About 80 heads of state walked in unison — under umbrellas in the pouring rain — down Paris’ grand Champs-Elysees boulevard. Trump arrived later by motorcade.

…” It’s such a striking difference between the enthusiasm he showed during the campaign and then going to Paris and sulking in his hotel room.”

…Pence was heading to Asia in [Trump’s] place, and at his first stop greeted Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Trump’s absence, experts said, is notable, and a glaring affront to many Asian leaders.

…What makes Trump’s perceived snub to the Asian powers more significant is that it comes on the heels of his brief European trip, which showcased his growing isolation from transatlantic allies. French President Emmanuel Macron rebuked Trump in a speech, stating that “nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.”

…Trump’s relations with Latin America, already strained, are little better after the White House last week announced that he was reneging for a second time on a commitment to visit Colombia.

Trump, stung by midterms and nervous about Mueller, retreats from traditional presidential duties – Los Angeles Times

Weh, weh, weh, all the way home.