WASHINGTON -- I can't breathe. Those were Eric Garner's last words, and today they apply to me. The decision by a Staten Island grand jury to not indict the police officer who killed him takes my breath away. In the depressing reality series that should be called "No Country for Black Men," this sick plot twist was shocking beyond belief. There should have been … [Read more...] about The Eric Garner case’s sickening outcome
Officer Darren Wilson Isn’t the Point
Officer Darren Wilson Isn't the Point By Tina Dupuy The officer shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri last August has rallied Americans to their camps: The pro-Officer Darren Wilson vs. pro-unarmed black teenager. In the wake of the grand jury's decision not to indict the officer, each side is now digging in their heels. It's personal, it's … [Read more...] about Officer Darren Wilson Isn’t the Point
St. Louis bar switches allegiance to Chiefs after Rams players’ ‘hands up’ protest
The "hands up" gesture by five Rams players on Sunday has caused one St. Louis bar to switch allegiances to the Chiefs. The Time Out Sports Bar & Grill on Monday posted on Facebook that it would no longer support the Rams by having happy hour during games or using Rams pictures and signs for decorations.… … [Read more...] about St. Louis bar switches allegiance to Chiefs after Rams players’ ‘hands up’ protest
GOP Panic Over Ebola, ISIS, and Putin?
Andrew Sullivan notes how panic over Ebola, ISIS and Putin has receded after the mid-terms on The Daily Dish. Cast your mind back, if you can bear it, to the frenetic last days of the campaign in the mid-terms. The world, the GOP kept insisting, was coming undone – and everything was Obama’s fault. Somehow, Obama had fumbled the response to Ebola, letting infected people into … [Read more...] about GOP Panic Over Ebola, ISIS, and Putin?
Justice Department to Launch Investigation into Eric Garner Chokehold Case
Attorney General Eric Holder said the Department of Justice will launch an civil rights investigation into the Eric Garner chokehold death after a Staten Island grand jury cleared NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo. Holder said the probe into Eric Garner's death will be "independent, thorough, fair and expeditious." President Barack Obama hinted earlier Wednesday at the … [Read more...] about Justice Department to Launch Investigation into Eric Garner Chokehold Case
Cartoon: National Conversation about Race
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: National Conversation about Race
Thousands of New Yorkers Protest Eric Garner Grand Jury Choking Death Decision: Policeman Not Charged
Dozens of protesters staged a "die-in," lying on the floor of Grand Central Station, and thousands of other marchers took to the streets. The protesters came out against a decision not to charge Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner in July. Pantaleo is alleged to have placed Garner in a chokehold whilst trying to arrest… … [Read more...] about Thousands of New Yorkers Protest Eric Garner Grand Jury Choking Death Decision: Policeman Not Charged
Froomkin on Senate Torture Report
Dan Froomkin says what to look for in the Senate Intelligence Committee's torture report in First Look. 1) You’re not actually reading the torture report. You’re just reading an executive summary. 2) The CIA got to cut out parts. The summary has been redacted – ostensibly by the White House, but in practice by officials of the CIA, which, lest we forget, is the agency that … [Read more...] about Froomkin on Senate Torture Report
Ignore Chuck Schumer–The Democrats Were Right To Pass Obamacare
Charlie Cook is usually an astute political observer but he is making a mistake in paying too much attention to what Chuck Schumer said about Obamacare hurting the Democrats. The argument, which many have brought up, is that the Democrats made a political mistake by concentrating on health care as opposed to the economy. There are many problems with this theory to explain the … [Read more...] about Ignore Chuck Schumer–The Democrats Were Right To Pass Obamacare
Mitch McConnell’s Perpetual Perplexity
[icopyright one button toolbar] Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) not only looks perplexed, he is perplexed -- perpetually perplexed. He admits so himself. Most recently, at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council annual meeting, McConnell admitted that he was “perplexed” because the President of the United States, elected by the people to serve a full, productive, four-year … [Read more...] about Mitch McConnell’s Perpetual Perplexity
Lame Duck Government
Since the election, pundits have been talking about our lame duck president and our lame duck Congress. In truth, we have had a lame duck government in place for at least the last four years. It is hard for a lame duck to get anything done and this description certainly fits our last two sessions of Congress which have been among the least productive in American history. … [Read more...] about Lame Duck Government
The Implosion of Bill Cosby
[icopyright one button toolbar] The world is watching the career and reputation of comedian Bill Cosby disintegrate virtually overnight in a humiliating, seemingly-daily, public miniseries involving a flood of allegations, many decades old -- but increasingly believable. Because there's now a pattern. A reported 17 women have (so far) come forward to allege he … [Read more...] about The Implosion of Bill Cosby
(Updated) NORAD Goes Hi-Tech to Track Santa
[icopyright one button toolbar] (Scroll down for "update") It probably is my imagination, but it seems to me that the North American Aerospace Defense Command's NORAD begins preparations to track the "Santa Threat" earlier and earlier each year. Not only that, but each year our air and space defenders develop and use increasingly sophisticated sensors, tracking … [Read more...] about (Updated) NORAD Goes Hi-Tech to Track Santa
Can you help 3 year old Killy Sardelis (and his loving mother) have a very special Christmas?
[icopyright one button toolbar] On the newspapers on which I worked as a reporter, they called these "plight stories." A story about someone in trouble, someone in need, and yes, there are many out there, and, yes, you can't cover them all (that would be a full-time job). But once in a while there is one so compelling that you must get to it ASASP. And so it is with the … [Read more...] about Can you help 3 year old Killy Sardelis (and his loving mother) have a very special Christmas?
Sullivan on the Schumer Consensus
Andrew Sullivan comments on the (Senator Chuck) Schumer (D-NY) take that Obama and the Democrats should have put the economy before health care on The Daily Dish. I’ve heard this a million times now and I simply don’t understand it. In terms of chronology, Obama did put the economy first. With TARP and the stimulus and the auto-bailout, the key measures to shore up a … [Read more...] about Sullivan on the Schumer Consensus
More than 100 jars of human brains are missing from the University of Texas
[icopyright one button toolbar] I don't understand, how is this really news? One hundred jars of human brains taken from the late patients of a mental hospital in Austin, have disappeared from the University of Texas. The Atlantic reports that the brains, submerged in formalin, were kept in the campus' Animal Resources Center. The specimens date to the 1950s, when … [Read more...] about More than 100 jars of human brains are missing from the University of Texas
Once Our Human Ancestors Stopped Living In Trees, They Got Drunk
We didn’t start living on the forest floor because of the alcohol, but it didn’t hurt. A new study suggests the previous estimates that stated human ancestors began consuming alcohol 9,000 years ago is a few orders of magnitude off. The real timeline, researchers claim, traces back as far as 10 million years. The science relies… … [Read more...] about Once Our Human Ancestors Stopped Living In Trees, They Got Drunk
Gallup Poll: More Americans now identify themselves as Republicans
Gallup reports another political shift: more Americans now identify themselves as Republicans than Democrats: Since the Republican Party's strong showing on Election Day last month, Americans' political allegiances have shifted toward the GOP. Prior to the elections, 43% of Americans identified as Democrats or leaned toward the Democratic Party, while 39% identified as … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: More Americans now identify themselves as Republicans
St. Louis Police Oppose Non Violent Protest By Football Players
The controversy over the decision not to indict Darren Wilson extended to football this weekend when five of the St. Louis Rams plays entered the stadium with their hands raised. This was in reference to the eye witnesses who testified before the grand jury that Michael Brown had his hands raised, attempting to surrender, when he was shot to death. These players were engaging … [Read more...] about St. Louis Police Oppose Non Violent Protest By Football Players
Notes on Ferguson
Two notes on Ferguson, one statistical and one comedic. Andrew Sullivan offers statistics on numbers of civilians killed by police officers in a year in other western industrialized nations on The Daily Dish (USA--409, Japan--0, Great Britain--0, Germany--8). Various reports suggest that this number in the US may actually be low. Jon Stewart brilliantly skewers Fox News for … [Read more...] about Notes on Ferguson