Segami

Segami's Journal

August 16, 2014

Here Is What Happened When Police STARTED WEARING CAMERAS In Rialto, California

When police arrest people, they are read their miranda rights. But in the city of Rialto, California, they hear something else added to their interactions with police officers.

You are being videotaped

The police chief of Rialto, California, William Farrar, helped oversee the outfitting of all 66 police officers with cameras for use while they are on duty.

When you put a camera on a police officer, they tend to behave a little better, follow the rules a little better. And if a citizen knows the officer is wearing a camera, chances are the citizen will behave a little better.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/us/in-california-a-champion-for-police-cameras.html?_r=2&

This may sound strange, but in reality, it is scientific. The act of observation changes the observed, as first demonstrated on the quantum level by Werner Heisenberg. As reported in Scientific American, even the illusion of observation causes people, on a subconcious level, to behave better. Called the Observer Effect, it has dramatically changed life in Rialto.With an 88% reduction in complaints filed against the police department, and a 60% reduction in police use of force, the city of Rialto has seen a savings in court costs, legal paperwork, and lawsuits. In addition, the video recorded evidence has improved conviction rates. As William Bratton, a former leader within both the New York and Los Angeles police departments, as said,

So much of what goes on in the field is ‘he-said-she-said,’ and the camera offers an objective perspective. Officers not familiar with the technology may see it as something harmful. But the irony is, officers actually tend to benefit. Very often, the officer’s version of events is the accurate version.

While police chief of Los Angeles, Mr. Bratton fought hard to add video cameras to patrol cars. The success of these cameras demonstrates how much benefit they can be. Body cameras take this to the next level, and in departments which have followed the same path as Rialto, the benefits have far outweighed the concerns so far. Even the ACLU, long an advocate for privacy is in agreement with this position. As told by Peter Bibring, a senior lawyer with the A.C.L.U. of Southern California,

Cameras hold real promise for making it easier to resolve complaints against police. They do raise privacy concerns, but ones that can be addressed by strong privacy policies.

cont'

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/08/16/cameras-cops/

August 16, 2014

Rick Perry Could Be Facing 109 YEARS IN PRISON After Being INDICTED For Abuse Of Power

Aaaah,.....Did the little Texan-pin-head faw down?......................

Texas Gov. Rick Perry could be facing 109 years in prison after being indicted by a grand jury for abuse of power.

According to KXAN:

A grand jury has handed up an indictment against Gov. Rick Perry in connection with the investigation into an effort to force Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg to resign.

At the center of the issue is a complaint about intimidation stemming from Perry’s threat to veto of $3.7 million in state funding to the Public Integrity Unit run by Lehmberg’s office. The threat came after she pleaded guilty to drunk driving and served a 45-day sentence; Perry called on her to step down but she refused to resign her position. Perry then vetoed the funding for the PIU.

A grand jury was called to determine whether or not Perry broke the law when he threatened to veto the funding. As a result they issued indictments on two felony charges: abuse of official capacity and coercion of public servant. If found guilty on the charges, Perry could be sentenced to a maximum 109 years in prison.

http://kxan.com/2014/08/15/texas-governor-rick-perry-indicted-by-grand-jury/

Instead of worrying about a potential 2016 presidential campaign, Perry better start thinking about avoiding prison. Unlike Chris Christie, Rick Perry was engaging in an obvious and overt abuse of power. In April, PoliticusUSA reported that Perry was the focus of a criminal investigation. Gov. Perry abused his power by trying to pressure another elected official to resign. He crossed the line when he withheld funding for the state’s Public Integrity Unit. The potential 2016 Republican candidates are dropping like flies. Scott Walker is saddled with the John Doe investigation. Chris Christie has Bridgegate, but Rick Perry is the only one of the three to go the full Bob McDonnell route and face criminal charges. (Criminal charges against Walker and Christie have not been filed yet.) Rick Perry’s Twitter account responded to the indictment by asking for money to help elect Republican candidates:

Rick Perry ✔ @GovernorPerry

Help RickPAC elect candidates who support a strong border, new jobs, smaller gov’t, and fiscal responsibility. https://cards.twitter.com/cards/b98e9/32wk …

Republican gets indicted, and he responded with a plea for money to help elect more Republican leaders who are just like him. Rick Perry is officially toast. He may still try to run for president as long as he isn’t in prison, or a convicted felon by 2016, but Perry career is officially over.

cont'

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/08/15/rick-perry-facing-109-years-prison-indicted-abuse-power.html

August 15, 2014

Police: Officer Who Shot Teen DID NOT Stop Him BECAUSE OF ROBBERY

The Ferguson, Mo., police officer who shot Michael Brown Saturday did not initially stop Brown because he was a suspect in a convenience store robbery that took place minutes before, the city police chief said Friday.

"The robbery does not relate to the initial contact between the officer (Darren Wilson) and Michael Brown," Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson said at a Friday afternoon press conference. "The initial contact between the officer and Mr. Brown was not related to the robbery."

The police released information earlier Friday that Brown, 18, had been the "primary suspect" for shoplifting cigars from a convenience store minutes prior to his fatal confrontation with Wilson. Jackson had said earlier in the day that a description of the suspect had been circulated prior to Brown's shooting. But the police chief sought to clarify later Friday that Wilson did not stop Brown because of the robbery. Jackson emphasized repeatedly that the robbery had "nothing to do with the stop." Wilson stopped Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson "because they were walking down the middle of the street, blocking traffic," Jackson said.

Reporters repeatedly asked Jackson why the police had released the report about the robbery if it was unrelated to the shooting. Brown's family has accused the city police of "trying to assassinate the character of their son," and the police have declined to release various information related to the shooting itself, citing the ongoing investigation by St. Louis County police. Jackson said that he released the robbery report and the accompanying surveillance footage of the alleged robbery "because the press asked for it." He also said that stolen merchandise had been found on Brown after the shooting.

cont'

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ferguson-police-officer-not-aware-of-michael-brown-robbery-suspect

August 14, 2014

GOP Rep Says ITS OK TO VIOLATE RIGHTS So Long As Protestors Are ‘Of A SINGLE ORIGIN’

Hey Steve,...I'm absolutely amazed to see 'sh*t defy gravity' and stack up so high sporting shoes!...........

Representative Steve King (R-IA) has stepped in it again. This time, in a phone interview with NewsmaxTV, he proclaimed that any concerns over racial profiling in Ferguson, Missouri were unfounded.

This idea of no racial profiling. I’ve seen the video. It looks to me like you don’t need to bother with that particular factor because they all appear to be of a single, you know, of a single origin, I should say, a continental origin might be the way to phrase that.

What a lovely way for Congressmen King to point to an ethnic group without saying the words out loud – a dog whistle to the racists he appears to court for re-election and fundraising. It is nn old trick, one pioneered by Lee Atwater to use code words which imply, but do not say directly, the racially charged language the politician wishes to use. To quote Mr. Atwater from his 1981 interview with Alexander Lamis,

You start out in 1954 by saying, “N##ger, n##ger, n##ger.” By 1968 you can’t say “n##ger” — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I’m not saying that. But I’m saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “N##ger, n##ger.”

Now, Congressman King has come up with ‘continental origin’ as a nice code-word, a very inaccurate code word at that. For his fans, this is a racial issue, of white police being harassed by black rioters. Of course, the protestors are not all of any racial group, and reflect instead the diverse background of the town of Ferguson itself, as on display by this picture posted by The Nation.

cont'

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/08/14/continental-origin/

August 14, 2014

David Gregory Is OFFICIALLY FIRED As Chuck Todd Takes Over NBC’s MEET THE PRESS

BUH-BYE SHILL!!..............IN COMES THE TOAD!......................

The axe finally fell today as David Gregory confirmed that he is out at Meet The Press, and is leaving NBC. Chuck Todd will be the new host of the Sunday morning staple. David Gregory got the boot fast. This was a literal don’t let the door hit you on the butt on the way out. According to CNN, “The sources confirmed widespread speculation that David Gregory, the moderator of the iconic Sunday morning public affairs program for the past six years, will be replaced by Todd. One of the sources said the transition will be swift — so swift that Gregory will not even host “Meet the Press” this weekend.” Gregory confirmed his departure on Twitter:

David Gregory ✔ @davidgregory

I leave NBC as I came - humbled and grateful. I love journalism and serving as moderator of MTP was the highest honor there is . (1 of 2)

David Gregory ✔ @davidgregory

(2 of 2) I have great respect for my colleagues at NBC News and wish them all well. To the viewers, I say thank you.

Gregory won’t get a farewell show. He won’t get to say goodbye on the air. This is all proof that the bosses at NBC have convinced that the show’s problems are all about Gregory. They are going to be in for a rude wake up call if the Chuck Todd era doesn’t bring back the viewers that the show lost after the death of Tim Russert. In reality, David Gregory is getting what he deserved. He isn’t a political journalist, and his lack of interest in the subject matter showed. Gregory repeated partisan talking points as facts and would let anyone get away with saying any untrue statement. Instead of challenging false statements, Gregory would respond with trademark mmmmhmmm. Replacing one conventional D.C. talking point machine (Gregory) with another (Todd) likely isn’t the answer.

cont'

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/08/14/david-gregory-announces-departure-nbcs-meet-press.html

August 14, 2014

President Obama MAY ACCEPT The Boehner Challenge To TACKLE IMMIGRATION ON HIS OWN

House Republicans: “We’re going to sue you, Obama, for being a tyrannical, imperial president, for all this unprecedented executive overreach.”

President Obama: “Sure, whatever, let me just get my pen here and sign another executive order helping immigrants while you guys are sitting on your asses on vacation.”

Said Bill Rosenberg, professor of political science at Drexel University:

“Barack Obama is never running for political office again. He’s in a position to do what he thinks is right or politically expedient, or both.”
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/chance-relief-millions-undocumented-immigrants

True that. President Obama doesn’t have to face another election. He can, perhaps for the first time since he’s been in office, spend his energy on pet projects and policies that have been senselessly and needlessly blocked by Republicans out of nothing more than petty vengeance and spite. As reported by msnbc.com, President Obama is looking for ways to double down on his 2012 executive order allowing the “DREAMers” - immigrants brought to the U.S. as children – to stay in this country without fear of deportation. This time, he’s hoping to help “as many as 5 to 8 million undocumented immigrants” currently living in the U.S. And he appears to be keen to accept House Speaker John Boehner’s challenge for the President to act unilaterally on immigration.

Of course, despite the fact that President Obama has deported more than a million undocumented immigrants (which has even earned him the not-so-fond nickname “Deporter-in-Chief” from the left), right-wing conspiracy theories abound on why President Obama is contemplating these steps on behalf of undocumented immigrants: He’s personally sneaking into the U.S. tens of thousands of refugee children to create a new generation of voting Democrats; he’s hoping to create tot-size armies to take over the country and drum Republicans out; he’s trying to bait Republicans into impeachment proceedings – because something.

Here’s a one-word theory that explains everything: Compassion.

It’s not like President Obama’s efforts on behalf of undocumented immigrants are unprecedented – and, in fact, the lawsuit Republicans intend to bring against the President is not for executive overreach on immigration. Reagan, by executive order, eased immigration standards for a couple hundred thousand fleeing Nicaraguan refugees; President Bush Sr. halted deportation of Chinese students for four years; Clinton aided Salvadoran immigrants by delaying their deportation; George W. took all kinds of actions, including signing the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (which Republicans now seek to roll back), signing an executive order granting 150,000 Salvadorans the right to remain in the country after an earthquake, and a year later signing another one which sped up naturalization proceedings for green card holders who’d enlisted in the military and eliminated the three-year waiting period. The difference, some say, is the “emergency” nature of past presidents’ executive orders on immigration, unlike President Obama’s “blanket” relief for the Dream’ers and what he’s contemplating at present – but that’s hogwash. To many of us, 57,000 Central American children fleeing gang warfare and even death is what is commonly known as an “emergency.” And, in this country, undocumented immigrants are under constant scrutiny and even danger from weekend warriors who patrol the border and racially profile at the behest and with the approval of Republican lawmakers. Some action needs to be taken to protect both those who flee their dangerous home countries to come here for sanctuary, and those who are already here, contributing to the nation in a myriad of ways.

cont'

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/08/13/president-obama-may-accept-the-boehner-challenge-to-tackle-immigration-on-his-own/

August 14, 2014

Potent Hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown Points To Media Manipulating Black Images (IMAGES)

A potent Twitter hashtag goes directly to the heart of the way media shows “black victims of crime” by the images chosen. And this has produced a flood of tweets.

This all started after Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, was shot over and over by a police officer in a St. Louis suburb. Some of the media picked a photo of Brown using a hand sign that might have looked like a “gang sign.” Other chose an image depicting a “high school graduate in cap and gown.”

That was the beginning of the #IfIWereGunnedDown hashtage. Kids started posted dual images of themselves – one doing something great. The other photo is less than flattering. The comparison makes a remarkable statement about the power of the media.

#IfIWereGunnedDown and any versions of that hashtag have made people question the media. Does the media intentionally seek out our worst picture (and we all have them)? Or are they willing to give everyone a fair shakes, as in “innocent until proven guilty.”

cont'

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/08/13/potent-hashtag-iftheygunnedmedown-points-to-media-manipulating-black-image-images-images/

August 14, 2014

Snowden Reveals NSA Program Described as 'LAST STRAW' Before Leak

"..Snowden tells investigative journalist James Bamford that NSA was behind 2012 internet blackout in Syria.."

In an in-depth interview published by Wired Magazine on Wednesday, Edward Snowden discloses what government activities proved to be the "last straw," prompting the whistleblower to expose the depths of the National Security Agency's secret surveillance operation. Speaking with investigative journalist James Bamford—who blew the whistle on a government eavesdropping program when stationed in Hawaii during the Vietnam War and later wrote a number of best-selling books about government secrecy and the NSA—Snowden reveals how a botched U.S. government hacking operation caused Syria's 2012 internet blackout.

Bamford writes:

One day an intelligence officer told him that TAO—a division of NSA hackers—had attempted in 2012 to remotely install an exploit in one of the core routers at a major Internet service provider in Syria, which was in the midst of a prolonged civil war. This would have given the NSA access to email and other Internet traffic from much of the country. But something went wrong, and the router was bricked instead—rendered totally inoperable. The failure of this router caused Syria to suddenly lose all connection to the Internet—although the public didn't know that the US government was responsible.

Snowden also revealed that, after the operatives realized what they had done, one jokingly said: “If we get caught, we can always point the finger at Israel.” During his clandestine meeting with Bamford, Snowden disclosed for the first time the existence of another "Strangelovian cyberwarfare program," codenamed MonsterMind, which he described as the ultimate threat to privacy. Like other programs before it, MonsterMind automated the process of searching for the beginnings of a foreign cyberattack. Unique to the program, however, was that once a suspected attack was detected, MonsterMind would fire back with no human involvement. Snowden explained to Bamford that this is problematic because attacks are often routed through a third-party country. “You could have someone sitting in China, for example, making it appear that one of these attacks is originating in Russia. And then we end up shooting back at a Russian hospital. What happens next?”

“And if we're analyzing all traffic flows, that means we have to be intercepting all traffic flows," said Snowden. "That means violating the Fourth Amendment, seizing private communications without a warrant, without probable cause or even a suspicion of wrongdoing. For everyone, all the time.” Snowden spoke at length with Bamford about his motivations for blowing the whistle on the NSA, but said it was learning about these two particular government operations—along with the existence of the NSA's massive data repository center located in Utah—that finally pushed him over the edge.

cont'

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/13/snowden-reveals-nsa-program-described-last-straw-leak

August 13, 2014

ADVICE For "Meet the Press"

"..NBC host David Gregory was forced to issue a correction at the end of his weekly "Meet the Press" program last month after a United Nations official confronted him for using an unconfirmed Israeli video that allegedly showed Hamas shooting rockets from a UN school..."

It's time to bring back a Washington institution. Yesterday, Politico's Mike Allen broke the news that Chuck Todd, NBC's political director and chief White House correspondent, is the favorite to replace David Gregory and take over the helm at "Meet The Press." An official announcement on the switch is expected to be made in the next few weeks according to Allen. Of course, this news doesn't really come as a surprise to anyone who's been watching "Meet The Press" of late. Ever since the death of Tim Russert in 2008, "Meet the Press" has floundered, often finding itself at the bottom of the Sunday news show ratings. In fact, the show has seen some of its worst ratings ever under David Gregory.

As a change looms at "Meet the Press," it's worth taking a look at how this once great pillar of political news television has ended up at the bottom of the ratings barrel, and how it can be made great again. And to be fair, it's not all David Gregory's fault. Simply swapping him out for Chuck Todd won't right the ship. One of the major problems with "Meet The Press" of late is that the show assumes that its audience is not following the news, and has no clue about the week's events. But, as Jason Linkins points out over at The Huffington Post, the majority of the people that tune into "Meet the Press" are "well-versed in the stories of the week," and have, "already absorbed the talking points of the major players, availed themselves of a wealth of insight and expertise, and have even participated in their own discussions on current events." Basically, the show's producers appear to think its viewers are a lot dumber and a lot more uninformed than they actually are.

So, when people tune in on Sundays and hear the same old talking points from the same old pundits and politicos, they get bored and change the channel. As Linkins puts it, "One doesn't get the sense that the producers of 'Meet The Press' have in any way accounted for the sophistication of the show's potential audience." And, since the show underestimates its audience, it brings on guests who really can't contribute much to serious debates. Similarly, the show rarely brings on experts on individual issues. Instead, it relies on political pundits, strategists, and analysts who are just reciting either bumper stickers or conventional wisdom. That leads to a lot more "spin" on the issues, and fewer insightful discussions and debates. The result is that big-name guests are thrown softball questions, instead of the hard-hitting grillings that the show was known for back in its early days. Believe it or not, there was a time on "Meet The Press" when lawmakers who went on the show weren't given the red-carpet treatment. Instead, regardless of their political affiliations, they were barraged with questions, and often made to feel uncomfortable, all in the name of enlightening the American people. So, those are some of the major problems that have dragged "Meet the Press" down in recent years.

cont'

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/25536-advice-for-meet-the-press

August 13, 2014

The WIFE Of A Texas Anti-Gay Group’s President LEAVES HIM For Another Woman

This coach-roach got squished by his own hatred.

A major player in the conservative movement in Texas may have a distinctly personal reason for hating homosexuality: his wife recently left him to begin a relationship with a woman. Ouch. The Lone Star Q obtained court documents regarding conservative political activist and recently named president of the anti-gay group Texas Values, Jonathan Saenz’s split with his wife in 2011. During the divorce filings, it was revealed that Saenz’s wife had been engaged in a romantic relationship with a woman while the two were still married. Needless to say the deeply conservative, deeply religious Saenz didn’t handle it well. His personal history with homosexuality may explain why the man went from merely “anti-gay” to full homophobe in the last few years. As Lone Star Q explains:

Saenz, a devout Catholic, has been a right-wing operative in Texas for many years — working on abortion and religious liberty cases as a staff attorney for the Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute as far back as 2005.

However, it wasn’t until recently that Saenz emerged as one of the state’s best-known — and most extreme — anti-LGBT voices.

Only a year later, Saenz pivoted from conservative jack-of-all-trades to anti-gay movement icon when he was named president of Texas Values, a spinoff of the preposterously offensive right-wing group, Liberty Legal Institute. According to the divorce papers, Saenz had initially tried to bar his kids from even seeing his ex-wife’s girlfriend. He also wanted his ex-wife to undergo a psychological evaluation with a psychologist of his choosing before he would agree to let his kids live with her. Both requests were denied. A regular on Fox, some of Saenz’s handiwork includes: vehemently opposing any workplace anti-discrimination protections for LGBT employees, pushing long-debunked myths which paints gay people as sexual deviants and potential pedophiles, and in at least one case claiming that “gay rights supporters” wanted to put opponents of LGBT equality in concentration camps.

“I’ve seen it. I’ve seen them try to do it with legislation here in Texas at the state level. It is a goal of theirs to put people in jail that disagree with homosexual marriage, without question – or the homosexual lifestyle.”

- He’s also a big advocate of Texas Republicans’ equally troubling position that homosexuality can be changed through conversion therapy.

“My heart breaks for you if you are currently choosing to live a sinful sexual lifestyle while also trying to convince others that it is also okay to live a sinful lifestyle without making any efforts to change or resist sin and temptation. You can make a decision today to ‘go and sin no more.’ It’s not too late. It’s never too late.”

cont'

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/08/13/the-wife-of-a-texas-anti-gay-groups-president-leaves-him-for-another-woman/

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