Mass Graves in Russia Tell the Grim Story of Mongol Invasion | WIRED
hmmmm
The White House would like you to abandon all common sense on ‘locked and loaded’
After all, the words “locked and loaded” directly imply that weapons are, uh, locked and loaded to be delivered at the push of a button.
Except it doesn’t!
…So, when Trump said that we are “locked and loaded depending on verification,” what he was talking about was the “realities that we’re all far safer and more secure domestically from energy independence?”
Come on, man. It’s not even close.
…This is an administration that has repeatedly tried to tell the public that what they are hearing and seeing isn’t what they are hearing and seeing. Literally.
“Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not what’s happening,” Trump said in July 2018. “Just stick with us, don’t believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news.”
The White House would like you to abandon all common sense on ‘locked and loaded’ – CNNPolitics
hmmmm
Casey Viner: Teenage US gamer jailed over deadly 911 hoax
Casey Viner: Teenage US gamer jailed over deadly 911 hoax – BBC News
OK, good.
But what of the cops who shot and killed the wrong person?
Philly Police Investigating Alleged Racial Profiling Incident in Viral Video
Philly Police Investigating Alleged Racial Profiling Incident in Viral Video
Another officer who should lose his badge
Beto O’Rourke On Banning Assault Weapons: “I Refuse To Acknowledge The Polls Or The Politics Or The Fear Of The NRA”
Get down off your high horse. What you are refusing to acknowledge is that being the nominee is more than you running for President, it’s about you being at the top of the ticket. A ticket with a lot of other Democrats. All of whom -thanks to you- now have less credibility if they were to tell a constituent that gun reform is about safety and not taking away guns.
Virginia removes requirement to declare race on marriage forms – BBC News
Marriage licence applicants can now choose to opt out of the question stating their race.
…A lawyer for the couples welcomed the move but said they wanted to fight on to remove the law altogether.
…Some options on forms included Aryan, Moor, Octoroon and Mulatto.
…Virginia is one of eight states in the US with the legal requirement to identify race prior to marriage.
Virginia removes requirement to declare race on marriage forms – BBC News
hmmm
Illinois is going to expunge marijuana convictions from 800,000 criminal records
The state’s new Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, which takes effect in 2020, allows people to automatically receive clemency for convictions up to 30 grams of cannabis. Those convicted with larger amounts, from 30-500 grams can petition a court to have the charge lifted.
The bill defines expunge to mean to “physically destroy the records or return them to the petitioner and to obliterate the petitioner’s name from any official index or public record, or both.” But it doesn’t require the physical destruction of circuit court files.
The bill also includes a “social equity program,” which makes it easier for those with marijuana convictions to get business licenses. The program also allocates $12 million for startup businesses related to cannabis, as well as funding for job training programs in the state’s cannabis industry, the Marijuana Policy Project says.
The state’s Department of Agriculture and its community college board are creating pilot programs to get people ready to work in the newly legal industry, and the state will require them to focus on enrolling the low income students into those programs.
Illinois is going to expunge marijuana convictions from 800,000 criminal records – CNN
hmmmmm
Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke spar over gun buyback comment
When asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday whether O’Rourke’s blunt comment is “playing into the hands of Republicans,” Buttigieg said “yes.”
Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke spar over gun buyback comment
Well, sh*t Beto, care to answer the part about you playing the GOP’s hands?
Guess not.
Until you do, you’re just as bad as those you criticize. Just speaking for show and poll numbers.
‘Get real’: Senior Democrats shut down Kavanaugh impeachment push – POLITICO
“We’ve got to get beyond this ‘impeachment is the answer to every problem.’ It’s not realistic,” Durbin said. “If that’s how we are identified in Congress, as the impeachment Congress, we run the risk that people will feel we’re ignoring the issues that mean a lot to them as families.”
…“Mitch McConnell would block any impeachment. So that’s a moot point,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a former Judiciary chairman. He said the lesson to be learned is not to rush lifetime confirmations.
…Many Democrats are not eager to wade into a battle that energizes conservatives, who quickly dismissed Democrats’ impeachment calls. Though the effort to oust Kavanaugh is popular on the left and quickly became a litmus test in the presidential primary, Republicans indicated they relish the return of an issue they believe helped them keep the Senate in 2018.
‘Get real’: Senior Democrats shut down Kavanaugh impeachment push – POLITICO
hmmmm
Patrick Firman out as Denver sheriff
The resignation follows weeks of intense media scrutiny after a woman sued the sheriff’s office because she was left to give birth alone in a jail cell and the city reached a $1.5 million settlement with multiple female jail deputies who alleged the sheriff’s office did not protect them from sexual harassment from inmates.
Patrick Firman out as Denver sheriff
hmmm
Brett Kavanaugh: New claims detonate in heat of 2020 election – CNNPolitics
Two Times reporters who wrote the book said they corroborated a prior claim of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. They also concluded the FBI interviewed none of the potential witnesses, throwing new scrutiny on White House officials and Republicans who strong armed his confirmation last year.
The book also contains a former male classmate’s new allegation that the authors say was corroborated by two sources. The authors reported the former classmate came forward to the FBI and senators concerning an incident he witnessed and said the FBI did not investigate the claim.
…In practice, there is a minuscule chance that Kavanaugh would be convicted of any impeachment charges brought by the Democratic House, given the need for a two-thirds majority in the Republican-held Senate.
Brett Kavanaugh: New claims detonate in heat of 2020 election – CNNPolitics
hmmmmm
The Popeyes chicken sandwich is hurting military readiness
All the while, troops stationed overseas watched patiently, awaiting the Christmas morning-like euphoria that would come with the sandwich’s arrival at any number of the 34 Popeyes locations on overseas installations.
But it never came. And with the infamous Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Famine starving out our brave servicemen and women back home, no signs indicate it ever will.
Overseas troops and their families are not pleased — hopes are dashed, forced to live a chicken sandwich-less existence devoid of all joy.
Families accepting an overseas billet often uproot the only lives they’ve ever known. It is in those dire moments when a family must rely on a foundation that can withstand the harshest storm. It is in those moments when families must have the Popeyes chicken sandwich.
A Popeyes spokeswoman offered overseas personnel little in the way of solace.
The Popeyes chicken sandwich is hurting military readiness
[snicker]
“Toto’s ‘Africa’” by Ernest Hemingway
The young man looked at the wristwatch again. His head spun from whiskey and soda. She was a damned nice woman. It would take a lot to drag him away from her. It was unlikely that a hundred men or more could ever do such a thing. The air, now thick and moist, seemed to carry rain again. He blessed the rains of Africa. They were the only thing left to bless in this forsaken place, he thought—at least until she set foot on the continent. They were going to take some time to do the things they never had.
…He knew the feeling. The crying of the dogs reminded him that he would need to do what he knew was right now that she was here. Of this he was as certain as Kilimanjaro rising like Olympus above the Serengeti.
“Toto’s ‘Africa’” by Ernest Hemingway – McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
Bless you, McSweeney’s
Teen Egyptian girl’s case puts legal system under spotlight
The prosecution of a 15-year-old girl who killed a bus driver after he allegedly tried to rape her has reignited debate over the treatment of women in Egypt’s legal system, including the practice of virginity tests and blaming victims of sexual violence.
…During her interrogation, the girl said she was on a date with her boyfriend before riding the bus — a statement that could easily undermine her reputation and probably her credibility in conservative Egyptian society, where dating is frowned upon. Her boyfriend, along with a friend of his, are in custody pending investigations into any potential links to the crime.
…After her detention, the girl was required to undergo a vaginal test which determined she was a virgin — which in the Egyptian context could be viewed as helpful to her case.
…In conservative areas, relatives celebrate a new bride’s loss of virginity by brandishing a bloody sheet in public, a practice they believe affirms the family’s honor.
…Sexual harassment, mostly ranging from catcalls to occasional pinching or grabbing, is rampant in Egypt. Polls have found that most men and women in the conservative Muslim country believe it is justified if women dress “provocatively” in public.
…Unlawful virginity examinations garnered attention in 2011 when several women said they were detained by military personnel and forced to undergo virginity tests while protesting the interim military government that took over the country after the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak.
Teen Egyptian girl’s case puts legal system under spotlight
hmmm
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