Bankocracy

Genocide: Worse Than War [2010]

"Watch Daniel Goldhagen's ground-breaking documentary focused on the worldwide phenomenon of genocide, which premiered on PBS on April 14, 2010. 'By the most fundamental measure -- the number of people killed -- the perpetrators of mass murder since the beginning of the twentieth century have taken the lives of more people than have died in military conflict. So genocide is worse than war,' reiterates Goldhagen. 'This is a little-known fact that should be a central focus of international politics, because once you know it, the world, international politics, and what we need to do all begin to look substantially different from how they are typically conceived.'" Continue reading →

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Police Crackdown at Burning Man Alarms the Community

"Workers and volunteers who arrived early to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for the annual art, self-reliance, and free-expression event called Burning Man are reporting an unprecedented police presence on the playa, and whispers of a police crackdown on the event are spreading. Burning Man has historically been a peaceful event with little to no incidents that would merit increased law enforcement. For example, at last year’s event, which had more than 52,000 attendees, a total of four drug-related arrests were made and 13 nonviolent misdemeanor citations were given (in lieu of arrests) according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. No violent crimes were recorded." Continue reading →

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What would the Rev Martin Luther King think of Obama’s presidency?

"John Lewis, now a Georgia congressman, is the only survivor of the March’s original organizers. [..] Lewis has also lived long enough to see that even a black president can be tone deaf to the spirit of King’s life. If King, an apostle of non-violence and advocate for the poorest of the poor, were alive today, what would he make of President Obama’s careless-with-life drone assassinations, his bullying of journalists and whistleblowers, his assent to slashing Social Security via his Scrooge-like 'deficit commission'? Without irony, the current 50th birthday organizers have invited Obama to speak from the very same podium where King made history." Continue reading →

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How Soon We Forget: Bush’s Ratings Rise

"Americans’ views of former president George W. Bush have improved, with 49% now viewing him favorably and 46% unfavorably. That is the first time since 2005 that opinions of him have been more positive than negative. The recovery in Bush’s image is not unexpected, given that Americans generally view former presidents positively. Gallup’s favorable ratings for Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton all exceeded 60% when last measured." Continue reading →

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How Responsible Is Obama for the Oklahoma Killing?

"If Obama's son would have looked like Trayvon, he would have also looked like James Edwards and Chancey Luna, both charged with first-degree murder in Lane's death. Although south central Oklahoma would seem to be a long way from south central LA, the national media have created a dysfunctional culture accessible to all disaffected youths everywhere, even the occasional white kid like getaway driver Michael Jones. These young thugs apparently pulled their language, their vices, their aspirations, and their prejudices-- '90% of white ppl are nasty. #HATE THEM'-from what was broadcast their way." Continue reading →

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Dead Souls of a Cultural Revolution

"What can be said for an NAACP that was lately demanding a Justice Department investigation of a rodeo clown running around a bull ring in rural Missouri in an Obama mask, but cannot find its voice to address a black-on-white atrocity in Middle America? When Trayvon Martin was shot to death in a murky incident in Sanford, Fla., Jesse Jackson rushed there to declare: 'Blacks are under attack. … Killing us is big business.' Trayvon was 'shot down in cold blood by a vigilante … murdered and martyred.' After Chris Lane’s cold-blooded murder, Jesse tweeted: This sort of thing is to be 'frowned upon.' Can the president not find his voice to speak to the parents of Chris Lane?" Continue reading →

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“Public Service” Is Among the Safest “Work,” Alas

"CNN Money presents 'America’s Most Dangerous Jobs' – and surprise, surprise: cops are nowhere to be found on the list. Indeed, notable for their absence are all 'public servants' other than 'sanitation workers.' And many of the latters’ injuries occur because their employer (and no doubt their unions) order them to gather garbage when streets are clogged with 'impatient drivers try[ing] to squeeze past their stopped trucks.' Contrast innovations in the most dangerous private job, log-cutting, and their dramatic reductions in casualties, with municipalities’ stodgy insistence on collecting trash during times that often coincide with rush-hours." Continue reading →

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World’s Nicest Traffic Cop Has Issued 25,000 Tickets With Zero Complaints

"53-year-old Elton Simmons has been a Sheriff's Deputy for Los Angeles County for just over 20 years. In that time Simmons has made more than 25,000 traffic stops and surprisingly, has not received a single complaint. Simmons says his motto is 'Do good, be good, treat people good', and receiving a ticket from him might actually make your day." Continue reading →

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100+ complaints and only a demotion: What does it take to fire a bad cop?

"Sergeant Patrick 'K.C.' Saulet is a sergeant with the King County Sheriff’s Department in Washington. Throughout his years of service he has managed to rack up an outstanding 120 complaints against him for use of force, conduct unbecoming an officer and not treating people with courtesy. In comparison, the sergeant with the second most complaints has 23. Even though 20 allegations have proven true, it was finally an incident from December 2012 that got him demoted. A family mistakenly drove into an off limits area of a Seattle bus terminal while following their GPS. Saulet threatened the 2 adults with arrest and that he 'could take away your daughter' as well." Continue reading →

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Gun Crime ‘Out of Control’ Despite Strict Australia Laws

"As former Australian politician Tim Fischer turns the shooting of Christopher Lane into an opportunity to push a travel boycott until the U.S. changes its gun laws, police in Sydney launched 'a new plan to tackle out-of-control gun violence' there. Australia implemented a massive purge of guns in 1996, which included bans on 'assault weapons' and other semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. Yet 17 years after the implementation of gun control schemes that are very similar in many ways to those being pushed by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the NSW police department is launching a new operation to rein in gun violence." Continue reading →

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