From the Science section of the LATimes.com -- this is not a perception or liberal media issue, this is the truth: Mass shootings are more common. The study shows, for one thing, that between 2011 and 2013 (you know studies are always behind about ten years while they gather data and analyze it), there were mass shootings an average of every 64 days. For all the deniers (yes FOX NEWS devotees, I am talking to you), the article is a must read... it provides a ton of STATISTICAL (as opposed to mound of shit *information*) data on gun violence and the perpetrators.
Sometimes you just stumble upon a crazy, interesting article, this was one of them. I don't think we learn anything from it; we are only marginally satiated with the amount of information given; yet, I endured to the end, and am sharing it...thus, crazy, yet interesting. And it is the NY Times, so at least 1/3 too long.
So, I think that quitting might be the right move for this guy -- he was gonna get in trouble for not "following training" -- though, I have to say, in such cases as this, where no one was killed, that there was potential for retraining. Circumstances beyond his control were certainly involved ... and, if we had not botched the cases of those killer cops, people would not be out for blood all the time with rogue cops. If anything, the dispatchers and supervisors are at fault for not recognizing that maybe this guy needed a little mental health break after dealing with two suicide calls. It speaks to the need for more comprehensive training in deescalation practices and in better mental health support for peace officers in general. There are obviously two problems here -- or more -- one: that we need that better training and attention to mental health, and two: better policies for dealing with grievances, on all sides. Protesting for the sake of "justice," in a world where the definition of justice is so murky, is not specific enough in terms of remedy. There is clearly a need for raising consciousness about police violence and the way that racism plays into that violence. But when we protest, we also need to think about what is an achievable outcome. Oh ... IAF why are you not jumping into this foray and training some folks?
I don't even know what to say about this... if it wasn't in the LA Times, I would have believed it was the ONION or FOX NEWS with the mounds of shit... honestly, I have no words. Though, I guess I should since I have been deeply engrossed in reading about racial fault lines, the constructed-ness of the notions of race and the consequences of those assumptions. What I can say is that changing perspectives to serve one's needs is not new, in any sense, particularly when it comes to race. And, once again, the only remedy to media scrutiny is to resign.
In the midst of collecting these rant-able pieces of the news, a terrorist killed nine people in their place of worship while they were studying the Bible. It brought up for me, once again, the power of words and the stage upon which those words are uttered. Not everyone has the access to view his/her opinions as those who appear on television. Given the opportunity to use that platform, many have used it to spew hate or fear for power or laughs or money. Jon Stewart, perhaps as he states below, is not beholden to anyone in that way at present, so he is speaking his truth and his heart to the millions who watch him ... and maybe some of those who spurn him as well, as they do their opposition research. Here is what he had to say, in case you missed it:
Meds and Greens
1 day ago
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