Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Lancero

Lancero's Journal
Lancero's Journal
August 31, 2015

Ladies and gents, we've got our first announced candidate for 2020 - Kanye West!

Kanye West said that he is running for president in 2020 during his acceptance speech for the MTV Music Video Award’s lifetime achievement honor.

West made the announcement at the end of a 10-minute speech where he discussed visiting the grocery store with his daughter and admitted that he does not understand awards shows.

“And yes, as you probably could’ve guessed in this moment, I’ve decided in 2020 to run for president,” West said, before walking off stage.


http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/31/vmas-2015-kanye-west-announces-2020-run-for-us-president-seriously

Well, at least he wouldn't be as bad as Trump? Maybe? Possibly?
August 30, 2015

Cop says he pulled over african american "For making direct eye contact"

Earlier this month, a police officer in Dayton, Ohio, tailed a man by the name of John Felton for two miles, then pulled him over for failing to use a turn signal 100 feet prior to making his turn. To be clear: Felton used a turn signal, but he apparently didn't put it on early enough.

Only after handing over a written warning did the officer acknowledge the real reason he'd pulled over Felton, a black man who was driving a car with out-of-state plates: He had "made direct eye contact" with the officer.

The Dayton Police Department confirmed the incident in a statement emailed to The Huffington Post on Friday, and acknowledged that "making direct eye contact with an officer" is not a legitimate reason to be stopped.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cop-pulls-over-black-man-making-eye-contact_55e0ad60e4b0b7a96338e614

Ever get the feeling that some police aren't going to be happy until African Americans are all keeping their heads down to the ground and saying 'Yes masta'?
August 30, 2015

An alliance of fear - NY Bill would ban GMOs in vaccines

Older article I came across, didn't see is posted here.

In a bizarre juxtaposition of irrational fears, a New York State legislator has introduced a bill to ban GMOs in vaccines. The bill, NY AB 1706, is apparently not a hoax but was introduced by assembly member Thomas J. Abinanti, who has passed other bills designed to place restrictions on so-called genetically modified organisms.
...
In the unlikely event this bill passed, it would set back vaccine technology a half century and would do away completely with some important vaccines. Abinanti has proposed several other bills that would require disclosure of information about GMOs in vaccines.
...
The technologies that would be banned are exactly the ones that allows scientists to make vaccines safe, said Offit. In the early 20th century, vaccine scientists made genetic modifications with cruder techniques – altering viruses by infecting eggs, embryos or animal organs, allowing viruses to proliferate and using trial and error to find versions that protected people with relative safety. Now we have precision techniques for eliminating dangerous parts of viruses and including those that prompt protective immunity.

Combining genes from different organisms was what allowed Offit and his colleague to develop a vaccine against rotavirus – a disease that kills thousands of children in the developing world. Genetic technology of the type that apparently concerns Mr. Abinanti has also been critical in the rush to create vaccines against Ebola.

The bill, said Offit, takes GMO and vaccine fear “To its illogical end.”


http://www.forbes.com/sites/fayeflam/2015/02/26/defying-science-and-common-sense-new-york-bill-would-ban-gmos-in-vaccines/

I remember when people said that we were crazy for ever daring to say that anti-vaxxers and anti-gmoers would find common ground...
August 29, 2015

Victory for workers - DNC puts $15 minimum wage into national platform

The Democratic Party platform now calls for a $15 per hour national minimum wage for all hourly workers after delegates voted in an amendment proposed by progressive activists during the Democratic National Committee Meeting here on Friday.

The move aligns Democrats with the most vocal of the activist left and labor movement — and puts the party to left of its presidential frontrunner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Most Democrats, including Clinton, favor an increase in the federal minimum wage of some kind. The Obama administration has set $12 as its suggested federal minimum, while urging states that want to go above it, to do so. Clinton has also urged states and localities to raise their minimum wage to $15/hour, but has declined to publicly support a $15 federal minimum wage, citing differing economic landscapes from state to state.


http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/democrats-make-a-15-national-minimum-wage-an-establishment-p#.oxqK1Opl6W

Horray! Now Hillary can finally support a $15 minimum wage (Like everyone knows she really really REALLY wants to support, despite her past refusals to do so) because it's now popular! Yay!

August 4, 2015

Police move to suppress surveillance video of them insulting a disabled woman

hree police officers in Santa Ana, California, have taken legal action in an attempt to block the use of surveillance video reportedly showing them snacking on marijuana-laced edibles and making derogatory comments about a disabled woman during a raid on a marijuana dispensary, the Orange County Register reported. The unidentified officers, along with their union, the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, filed a lawsuit last week to prevent the department's internal affairs investigators from using the video in their investigation of the May 26 raid of the Sky High Collective dispensary.

The footage reportedly shows the officers trying to disable all of the cameras in the Sky High Collective facility, after which some played darts and ate what was believed to be edible products containing marijuana. Another officer was captured in the video insulting a customer. "I was going to punch her in the f---ing nub," she said, the Huffington Post reported.


http://www.rawstory.com/2015/08/california-cops-say-video-of-them-insulting-disabled-woman-during-raid-violated-their-privacy/

I don't think they'll have much luck keeping this video under wraps.



Profile Information

Member since: Mon Jul 15, 2013, 04:58 PM
Number of posts: 3,003
Latest Discussions»Lancero's Journal