Fly Through the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field in Your Spaceship

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Fly Through the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field in Your Spaceship

Stop for a little and watch this video… LOOK UP!

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Stop for a little and watch this video… LOOK UP!

Why the U.S. Gave Up on the Moon

Excerpt from spacenews.com

Recently, several space advocacy groups joined forces to form the Alliance for Space Development. Their published objectives include a mention of obvious near-term goals such as supporting the commercial crew program, transitioning from use of the International Space Station to future private space stations and finding ways to reduce the cost of access to space.  What is notably missing from these objectives and those of many other space agencies, companies and advocacy groups is any mention of building a permanent settlement on the moon. It’s as if the lunar surface has become our crazy uncle that we all acknowledge exists but we’d prefer not to mention (or visit).  What made the next logical step in mankind’s progression beyond the bounds of Earth such a taboo subject?  If, as the Alliance for Space Development suggests, our nation wishes to move toward a path of permanent space settlements, the most logical step is our own planet’s satellite.

A 2006 NASA conception of a lunar base. Credit: NASA

A base on the lunar surface is a better place to study space settlement than a space station or Mars for many reasons. Unlike a space station, the base does not have to contend with aerodynamic drag, attitude control issues or contamination and impingement from its own thrusters. Unlike a space station, which exists in a total vacuum and resource void, a lunar base has access to at least some surface resources in the forms of minerals, albeit fewer than might be available on Mars.  Many people naturally want to go directly to Mars as our next step. Even SpaceX has publicly stated this as its ultimate goal, with SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell noting that “we’re not moon people.” However, Mars makes sense only if we think the technology is ready to safely support humans on another surface for long periods of time. Furthermore, budget restrictions make an ambitious goal like going immediately to Mars an unlikely prospect. Why are we afraid to take the seemingly necessary baby steps of developing the technology for a long-term base on a surface that can be reached in mere days instead of months?  The tendency to want to skip a lunar settlement is not a new phenomenon. Even before the first landing on the moon, U.S. and NASA political leadership was contemplating the future of manned space, and few of the visions involved a lunar base. The early space program was driven by Cold War competition with Moscow, and the kinds of ideas that circulated at the time involved milestones that seemed novel such as reusable spaceplanes, nuclear-powered rockets, space stations and missions to Mars. 

When the United States was on the verge of a series of landings on the moon, building a permanent base just didn’t seem like much of a new giant leap. NASA’s ConstellationNASA’s Constellation program, featuring the Orion manned capsule set atop the Ares 1 launch vehicle, was meant to send astronauts back to the moon. Credit: NASA  The idea of a lunar landing mission was not reintroduced seriously until the George W. Bush administration and the introduction of the Constellation program. This program came at a complex time for NASA: The space shuttle was recovering from the Columbia disaster, the space station was in the midst of construction and the United States found itself with large budget deficits. However, despite its budgetary and schedule problems, which are common in any serious aerospace development project from space programs to jumbo-jet development, it provided NASA with a vision and a goal that were reasonable and sensible as next steps toward a long-term future of exploration beyond Earth. 

Constellation was nevertheless canceled, and we have since returned to a most uncommon sense.  The decision to avoid any sort of lunar activity in current space policy may have been biased by the Obama administration’s desire to move as far away as possible from the policies of the previous administration. 

Regardless of the cause, discussion of returning to the moon is no longer on the table.  Without the moon, the only feasible mission that NASA could come up with that is within reach given the current technology and budget is the Asteroid Redirect Mission.  
Even planetary scientists have spoken out against the mission, finding that it will provide little scientific value. It will also provide limited engineering and technology value, if we assume that our long-term goal is to permanently settle space. The experience gained from this sort of flight has little applicability to planetary resource utilization, long-term life support or other technologies needed for settlement.  

If we are to have a program of manned space exploration, we must decide what the long-term goals of such a program should be, and we should align our actions with those goals. When resources such as funding are limited, space agencies and political leaders should not squander these limited resources on missions that make no sense. Instead, the limited funding should be used to continue toward our long-term goals, accepting a slower pace or slight scale-back in mission scope.  Establishing a permanent human settlement in space is a noble goal, one that will eventually redefine humanity. Like explorers before us, it is also not a goal that will be achieved in a short period of time. We would be wise to keep our eyes on that goal and the road needed to get us there. And the next likely stop on that road is a permanent home just above our heads, on the surface of the brightest light in the night sky.  
   
Paul Brower is an aerospace systems engineer on the operations team for the O3b Networks satellite fleet. He previously worked in mission control at NASA for 10 years.

Recently,

several space advocacy groups joined forces to form the Alliance for

Space Development. Their published objectives include a mention of

obvious near-term goals such as supporting the commercial crew program,

transitioning from use of the International Space Station to future

private space stations and finding ways to reduce the cost of access to

space.

What is notably missing from these objectives and those of many other

space agencies, companies and advocacy groups is any mention of

building a permanent settlement on the moon. It’s as if the lunar

surface has become our crazy uncle that we all acknowledge exists but

we’d prefer not to mention (or visit).

What made the next logical step in mankind’s progression beyond the bounds of Earth such a taboo subject?

If, as the Alliance for Space Development suggests, our nation wishes

to move toward a path of permanent space settlements, the most logical

step is our own planet’s satellite.

A 2006 NASA conception of a lunar base. Credit: NASA

A base on the lunar surface is a better place to study space

settlement than a space station or Mars for many reasons. Unlike a space

station, the base does not have to contend with aerodynamic drag,

attitude control issues or contamination and impingement from its own

thrusters. Unlike a space station, which exists in a total vacuum and

resource void, a lunar base has access to at least some surface

resources in the forms of minerals, albeit fewer than might be available

on Mars.

Many people naturally want to go directly to Mars as our next step.

Even SpaceX has publicly stated this as its ultimate goal, with SpaceX

President Gwynne Shotwell noting that “we’re not moon people.” However,

Mars makes sense only if we think the technology is ready to safely

support humans on another surface for long periods of time. Furthermore,

budget restrictions make an ambitious goal like going immediately to

Mars an unlikely prospect. Why are we afraid to take the seemingly

necessary baby steps of developing the technology for a long-term base

on a surface that can be reached in mere days instead of months?

The tendency to want to skip a lunar settlement is not a new

phenomenon. Even before the first landing on the moon, U.S. and NASA

political leadership was contemplating the future of manned space, and

few of the visions involved a lunar base. The early space program was

driven by Cold War competition with Moscow, and the kinds of ideas that

circulated at the time involved milestones that seemed novel such as

reusable spaceplanes, nuclear-powered rockets, space stations and

missions to Mars. When the United States was on the verge of a series of

landings on the moon, building a permanent base just didn’t seem like

much of a new giant leap.

NASA’s

Constellation program, featuring the Orion manned capsule set atop the

Ares 1 launch vehicle, was meant to send astronauts back to the moon.

Credit: NASA

The idea of a lunar landing mission was not reintroduced seriously

until the George W. Bush administration and the introduction of the

Constellation program. This program came at a complex time for NASA: The

space shuttle was recovering from the Columbia disaster, the space

station was in the midst of construction and the United States found

itself with large budget deficits. However, despite its budgetary and

schedule problems, which are common in any serious aerospace development

project from space programs to jumbo-jet development, it provided NASA

with a vision and a goal that were reasonable and sensible as next steps

toward a long-term future of exploration beyond Earth.

Constellation was nevertheless canceled, and we have since returned to a most uncommon sense.

The decision to avoid any sort of lunar activity in current space

policy may have been biased by the Obama administration’s desire to move

as far away as possible from the policies of the previous

administration. Regardless of the cause, discussion of returning to the

moon is no longer on the table.

Without the moon, the only feasible mission that NASA could come up

with that is within reach given the current technology and budget is the

Asteroid Redirect Mission.

Even planetary scientists have spoken out against the mission,

finding that it will provide little scientific value. It will also

provide limited engineering and technology value, if we assume that our

long-term goal is to permanently settle space. The experience gained

from this sort of flight has little applicability to planetary resource

utilization, long-term life support or other technologies needed for

settlement.

If we are to have a program of manned space exploration, we must

decide what the long-term goals of such a program should be, and we

should align our actions with those goals. When resources such as

funding are limited, space agencies and political leaders should not

squander these limited resources on missions that make no sense.

Instead, the limited funding should be used to continue toward our

long-term goals, accepting a slower pace or slight scale-back in mission

scope.

Establishing a permanent human settlement in space is a noble goal,

one that will eventually redefine humanity. Like explorers before us, it

is also not a goal that will be achieved in a short period of time. We

would be wise to keep our eyes on that goal and the road needed to get

us there. And the next likely stop on that road is a permanent home just

above our heads, on the surface of the brightest light in the night

sky.

Paul Brower is an aerospace systems engineer on the operations

team for the O3b Networks satellite fleet. He previously worked in

mission control at NASA for 10 years.

– See more at: http://spacenews.com/op-ed-why-the-u-s-gave-up-on-the-moon/#sthash.czfTscvg.dpuf

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Why the U.S. Gave Up on the Moon

How To Fall Asleep By Not Trying

Excerpt from huffingtonpost.com
By Melissa Dahl
 

Late at

night, when you’ve been trying and failing for hours to fall asleep,

perhaps the thing to do is to try not trying. According to a 2003 study recently highlighted

by University of Hertfortshire psychologist Richard Wiseman in his “59

Seconds” video series, when insomniacs tried to force themselves to stay

awake, they were able to fall asleep. 

University

of Glasgow researchers recruited 34 people with a history of insomnia

for their research project and instructed one group to sleep, or try to,

as they normally did. The other group was instructed to try to stay

awake as long as they could; they were to lie in bed, eyes open (though

they were allowed to blink). The catch: All they could do was lie there

— they were told not to move around or get up or watch TV or use a

computer. (Smartphones didn’t exist then the way they do now, but surely

smartphones would’ve been banned, too.) 

After

a 14-day trial, the insomniacs who tried not trying — an approach

called paradoxical intention — fell asleep more quickly than the group

that kept to their usual sleep habits. Few things are more exhausting

than forcing yourself to stay awake.

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How To Fall Asleep By Not Trying

MRSA superbug killed by 1,100-year-old home remedy, researchers say

Even in the age of AIDS, avian flu and Ebola, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA, is terrifying.

The

superbug, which is resistant to conventional antibiotics because of

their overuse, shrugs at even the deadliest weapons modern medicine

offers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated MRSA

contributed to the deaths of more than 5,000 people in the United States

in 2013. It even attacked the NFL, and some say it could eventually kill more people than cancer. And presidential commissions have advised that technological progress is the only way to fight MRSA.


But

researchers in the United Kingdom now report that the superbug proved

vulnerable to an ancient remedy. The ingredients? Just a bit of garlic, some onion or leek, copper, wine and oxgall — a florid name for cow’s bile.

This medicine sounds yucky, but it’s definitely better than the bug it may be able to kill.

“We

were absolutely blown away by just how effective the combination of

ingredients was,” Freya Harrison of the University of Nottingham, who

worked on the research, told the BBC.

The

oxgall remedy, billed as an eye salve, was found in a manuscript

written in Old English from the 10th century called “Bald’s Leechbook” —

a sort of pre-Magna Carta physician’s desk reference. Garlic and copper

are commonly thought to have antibiotic or antimicrobial properties,

but seeing such ingredients in a home remedy at Whole Foods is a far cry

from researchers killing a superbug with it.


According

to Christina Lee, an associate professor in Viking studies

at Nottingham, the MRSA research was the product of conversations among

academics of many stripes interested in infectious disease and how

people fought it before antibiotics.

“We were talking about the

specter of antibiotic resistance,” she told The Washington Post in a

phone interview. The medical researchers involved in the discussions

said to the medievalists: “In your period, you guys must have had

something.”

Not every recipe in Bald’s Leechbook is a gem. Other advice, via a translation from the Eastern Algo-Saxonist:

“Against a woman’s chatter; taste at night fasting a root of radish,

that day the chatter cannot harm thee.” And: “In case a man be a

lunatic; take skin of a mereswine or porpoise, work it into a whip, swinge the man therewith, soon he will be well. Amen.”


Though the Leechbook may include misses, it may help doctors find a solution to a problem that only seems to be getting worse.

If

the oxgall remedy proves effective against MRSA outside of the lab —

which researchers caution it may not — it would be a godsend. Case

studies of MRSA’s impact from the CDC’s charmingly named Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report seem medieval.

“In

July 1997, a 7-year-old black girl from urban Minnesota was admitted to

a tertiary-care hospital with a temperature of 103 F.” Result: Death

from pulmonary hemorrhage after five weeks of hospitalization.

“In

January 1998, a 16-month-old American Indian girl from rural North

Dakota was taken to a local hospital in shock and with a temperature of

105.2 F.” Result: After respiratory failure and cardiac arrest, death

within two hours of hospital admission.

“In

January 1999, a 13-year-old white girl from rural Minnesota was brought

to a local hospital with fever, hemoptysis” — that’s coughing up blood —

“and respiratory distress.” The result: Death from multiple organ

failure after seven days in the hospital.

“We believe

modern research into disease can benefit from past responses and

knowledge, which is largely contained in non-scientific writings,” Lee

told the Telegraph.

“But the potential of these texts to contribute to addressing the

challenges cannot be understood without the combined expertise of both

the arts and science.”

Lee stressed that it was the combination

of ingredients that proved effective against MRSA — which shows that

people living in medieval times were not as barbaric as popularly

thought. Even 1,000 years ago, when people got sick, other people tried

to figure out how to help.

“We associate ‘medieval’ with dark, barbaric,” Lee said. “… It’s not. I’ve always believed in the pragmatic medieval ages.”
The research will be presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for General Microbiology in Birmingham. In an abstract for the conference, the team cautioned oxgall was no cure-all.


“Antibacterial

activity of a substance in laboratory trials does not necessarily mean

the historical remedy it was taken from actually worked in toto,” they wrote.

Lee

said researchers hope to turn to other remedies in Bald’s Leechbook —

including purported cures for headaches and ulcers — to see what other

wisdom the ancients have to offer.

“At a time when you don’t have

microscope, medicine would have included things we find rather odd,”

she said. “In 200 years, people will judge us.”

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MRSA superbug killed by 1,100-year-old home remedy, researchers say

On People’s Blind Eye and Deaf Ear For Injustice Committed By Police

Police do not suffer the legal consequences of their actions in the manner ordinary people do. For police to suffer legal repercussions for various acts of violence, assault, or homicide undertaken in the course of employment is newsworthy. This is partially explained by the concept of qualified immunity, a legal doctrine essentially providing that ignorance of the law is an excuse when it comes to law enforcement. This is absurd, as ordinary people hear “ignorance of the law is no excuse” when facing fines, jail, and other legal ramifications for numerous petty criminal violations.  Yet, when the people tasked with upholding that very law (police) violate peoples’ rights, they are shielded from personal responsibility unless the right was a “clearly established federal right.”

This doctrine has the effect of allowing police to violate rights in any egregious manner, as long as the the right violated was not “clearly established” in law. I.e. The default is people have no rights and police may act as they please, unless those rights are vindicated by a court through a lengthy legal process. Accordingly, the idea police are above the law is not merely a suspicion felt by bleeding hearts or biased political activists; it is one that is codified in American law.

Thus, when police and/or their loved ones suffer at the hands of the often unjust system they perpetuate, there is a feeling of poignant irony.

Kelly Thomas

Kelly Thomas was a schizophrenic homeless man who was ruthlessly beaten to death by 6 Fullerton police officers based on nothing more than an ultimately unsubstantiated report of suspicious behavior (more here). Before beating Mr. Thomas to a bloody pulp, Officer Manny Ramos said to him, “You see these fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up.” Unsurprisingly, the two officers who were charged and brought to trial were acquitted of all charges, including use of excessive force (see more here).

The irony in all of this is that Mr. Thomas’s father, Ron Thomas, was a retired Sheriff’s Deputy. After having dedicated most or all of his professional life to the very system that visited such injustice on all Americans, Ron Thomas came to personally suffer such ill-effects of a deeply troubled system. Likely, it was then and only then, that he became critical of the heavy-handed, and indeed, murderous, police tactics that caused the death of his son (more on Ron Thomas here).

Similarly, former Utah Sheriff William Lawrence had a change of heart when his son-in-law was killed by the very SWAT team he had founded decades earlier while acting as Sheriff. His son-in-law, Brian Wood, locked himself in his car and threatened suicide after an argument with his wife. This resulted in a SWAT standoff, the presence of some 100 police officers, and use of flashbang grenades and teargas, all of which seem patently unreasonable in response to a suicide threat. Mr. Wood was ultimately shot and killed by a sniper (more here). Lawrence reported feeling “betrayed by his profession” and believed that in his son-in-law’s case, the police behaved “just like someone tormenting an animal in a cage.” Thomas and Lawrence rightly criticize these excessively violent tactics; yet, one has to wonder how they remained blinded through their decades of service in this very profession.

As another example, on the occasion where a police officer decides to act against the interest of his brothers in blue in pursuit of the truth, it is not uncommon that he or she personally experiences unforgiving police culture in the form of the Thin Blue Line. Late last year, Albany police officer Laura Schook alleged her department had engaged in padded overtime, racism, and corruption. After an investigation, no criminal charges resulted for those involved, but Schook was terminated from her position (see here). Another police officer was fired after disclosing to the press that two colleagues had made comments about killing the president.

An older, but more notable event involved a victim named Barron Bowling, who was brutally beaten by DEA agent Timothy McCue after McCue attempted an illegal traffic maneuver and caused a car accident. Officers responding to the incident charged Mr. Bowling with assault and leaving the scene of an incident. Witness statements incriminating McCue for the accident and the unprovoked beating were conveniently misplaced or destroyed. Kansas City Police Detective Max Seifert served as an instrumental  witness in the beating of Barron Bowling, by DEA agent, and for that he was ostracized and forced into retirement (more here).

For those familiar with the double-standards deeply ingrained in the justice system, it is almost a marvel that anyone, especially a police officer, could be surprised by any of these seemingly unfair results. Yet, such is the human condition. People rarely have sympathy or patience for the victims of police abuse or corruption; it is assumed as a matter of course that for any brutality or grave injustice to have occurred, the victim must have been a deserving reprobate, degenerate, or otherwise a law-breaker.

Unfortunately, it is not until something horrendous happens to a close family member, friend, or oneself, that most people stop to consider that these terribly violent and unjust events occur to innocent people frequently, and without recourse. Not until such a thing becomes personal, do most people question whether all dogs shot by police were indeed charging at the officer, or if all children tasered were actually behaving in a manner that called for such a response, or if all drunk people beaten to a bloody pulp by the cops actually posed a threat requiring violent measures. Often, only when tragedy strikes do people finally wonder whether the media has been biased in regurgitating the police officer’s version of events without inquiry, or whether the victim provoked such treatment.

In many ways, this blind eye and deaf ear to police tragedies is more excusable on the part of police; in their profession, they are reasonably accustomed to being above the law, above the rules, and above reproach in many ways. After all, the law has made it so. Thus, it may indeed be somewhat of a surprise when they find themselves victim to their own tactics. On the other hand, why ordinary people would remain so willfully ignorant is less capable of ready explanation.

Sometimes people need heroes and a feeling of security. Apparently, even if the justice system repeatedly fails to deliver, they will cling to the fantastical narrative of the justice system they’ve learned through government propaganda.

 

AccountabilityassaultBarron BowlingBrian WoodBrutalityCivil rightsCorruptionDEA AgentDestruction of EvidenceDouble Standarddouble-standardsfreedomHomicideKansas CIty PoliceKelly ThomasLamestream mediaLaura Schookmainstream mediamediaPolice StatePropagandaQualified ImmunityRon ThomasSheriffsniperSWATswat raidTimothy McCueUtahviolenceWilliam Lawrence

Source Article from http://www.copblock.org/118024/on-peoples-blind-eye-and-deaf-ear-for-injustice-committed-by-police/

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On People’s Blind Eye and Deaf Ear For Injustice Committed By Police

On People’s Blind Eye and Deaf Ear For Injustice Committed By Police

Police do not suffer the legal consequences of their actions in the manner ordinary people do. For police to suffer legal repercussions for various acts of violence, assault, or homicide undertaken in the course of employment is newsworthy. This is partially explained by the concept of qualified immunity, a legal doctrine essentially providing that ignorance of the law is an excuse when it comes to law enforcement. This is absurd, as ordinary people hear “ignorance of the law is no excuse” when facing fines, jail, and other legal ramifications for numerous petty criminal violations.  Yet, when the people tasked with upholding that very law (police) violate peoples’ rights, they are shielded from personal responsibility unless the right was a “clearly established federal right.”

This doctrine has the effect of allowing police to violate rights in any egregious manner, as long as the the right violated was not “clearly established” in law. I.e. The default is people have no rights and police may act as they please, unless those rights are vindicated by a court through a lengthy legal process. Accordingly, the idea police are above the law is not merely a suspicion felt by bleeding hearts or biased political activists; it is one that is codified in American law.

Thus, when police and/or their loved ones suffer at the hands of the often unjust system they perpetuate, there is a feeling of poignant irony.

Kelly Thomas

Kelly Thomas was a schizophrenic homeless man who was ruthlessly beaten to death by 6 Fullerton police officers based on nothing more than an ultimately unsubstantiated report of suspicious behavior (more here). Before beating Mr. Thomas to a bloody pulp, Officer Manny Ramos said to him, “You see these fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up.” Unsurprisingly, the two officers who were charged and brought to trial were acquitted of all charges, including use of excessive force (see more here).

The irony in all of this is that Mr. Thomas’s father, Ron Thomas, was a retired Sheriff’s Deputy. After having dedicated most or all of his professional life to the very system that visited such injustice on all Americans, Ron Thomas came to personally suffer such ill-effects of a deeply troubled system. Likely, it was then and only then, that he became critical of the heavy-handed, and indeed, murderous, police tactics that caused the death of his son (more on Ron Thomas here).

Similarly, former Utah Sheriff William Lawrence had a change of heart when his son-in-law was killed by the very SWAT team he had founded decades earlier while acting as Sheriff. His son-in-law, Brian Wood, locked himself in his car and threatened suicide after an argument with his wife. This resulted in a SWAT standoff, the presence of some 100 police officers, and use of flashbang grenades and teargas, all of which seem patently unreasonable in response to a suicide threat. Mr. Wood was ultimately shot and killed by a sniper (more here). Lawrence reported feeling “betrayed by his profession” and believed that in his son-in-law’s case, the police behaved “just like someone tormenting an animal in a cage.” Thomas and Lawrence rightly criticize these excessively violent tactics; yet, one has to wonder how they remained blinded through their decades of service in this very profession.

As another example, on the occasion where a police officer decides to act against the interest of his brothers in blue in pursuit of the truth, it is not uncommon that he or she personally experiences unforgiving police culture in the form of the Thin Blue Line. Late last year, Albany police officer Laura Schook alleged her department had engaged in padded overtime, racism, and corruption. After an investigation, no criminal charges resulted for those involved, but Schook was terminated from her position (see here). Another police officer was fired after disclosing to the press that two colleagues had made comments about killing the president.

An older, but more notable event involved a victim named Barron Bowling, who was brutally beaten by DEA agent Timothy McCue after McCue attempted an illegal traffic maneuver and caused a car accident. Officers responding to the incident charged Mr. Bowling with assault and leaving the scene of an incident. Witness statements incriminating McCue for the accident and the unprovoked beating were conveniently misplaced or destroyed. Kansas City Police Detective Max Seifert served as an instrumental  witness in the beating of Barron Bowling, by DEA agent, and for that he was ostracized and forced into retirement (more here).

For those familiar with the double-standards deeply ingrained in the justice system, it is almost a marvel that anyone, especially a police officer, could be surprised by any of these seemingly unfair results. Yet, such is the human condition. People rarely have sympathy or patience for the victims of police abuse or corruption; it is assumed as a matter of course that for any brutality or grave injustice to have occurred, the victim must have been a deserving reprobate, degenerate, or otherwise a law-breaker.

Unfortunately, it is not until something horrendous happens to a close family member, friend, or oneself, that most people stop to consider that these terribly violent and unjust events occur to innocent people frequently, and without recourse. Not until such a thing becomes personal, do most people question whether all dogs shot by police were indeed charging at the officer, or if all children tasered were actually behaving in a manner that called for such a response, or if all drunk people beaten to a bloody pulp by the cops actually posed a threat requiring violent measures. Often, only when tragedy strikes do people finally wonder whether the media has been biased in regurgitating the police officer’s version of events without inquiry, or whether the victim provoked such treatment.

In many ways, this blind eye and deaf ear to police tragedies is more excusable on the part of police; in their profession, they are reasonably accustomed to being above the law, above the rules, and above reproach in many ways. After all, the law has made it so. Thus, it may indeed be somewhat of a surprise when they find themselves victim to their own tactics. On the other hand, why ordinary people would remain so willfully ignorant is less capable of ready explanation.

Sometimes people need heroes and a feeling of security. Apparently, even if the justice system repeatedly fails to deliver, they will cling to the fantastical narrative of the justice system they’ve learned through government propaganda.

 

AccountabilityassaultBarron BowlingBrian WoodBrutalityCivil rightsCorruptionDEA AgentDestruction of EvidenceDouble Standarddouble-standardsfreedomHomicideKansas CIty PoliceKelly ThomasLamestream mediaLaura Schookmainstream mediamediaPolice StatePropagandaQualified ImmunityRon ThomasSheriffsniperSWATswat raidTimothy McCueUtahviolenceWilliam Lawrence

Source Article from http://www.copblock.org/118024/on-peoples-blind-eye-and-deaf-ear-for-injustice-committed-by-police/

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On People’s Blind Eye and Deaf Ear For Injustice Committed By Police

On People’s Blind Eye and Deaf Ear For Injustice Committed By Police

Police do not suffer the legal consequences of their actions in the manner ordinary people do. For police to suffer legal repercussions for various acts of violence, assault, or homicide undertaken in the course of employment is newsworthy. This is partially explained by the concept of qualified immunity, a legal doctrine essentially providing that ignorance of the law is an excuse when it comes to law enforcement. This is absurd, as ordinary people hear “ignorance of the law is no excuse” when facing fines, jail, and other legal ramifications for numerous petty criminal violations.  Yet, when the people tasked with upholding that very law (police) violate peoples’ rights, they are shielded from personal responsibility unless the right was a “clearly established federal right.”

This doctrine has the effect of allowing police to violate rights in any egregious manner, as long as the the right violated was not “clearly established” in law. I.e. The default is people have no rights and police may act as they please, unless those rights are vindicated by a court through a lengthy legal process. Accordingly, the idea police are above the law is not merely a suspicion felt by bleeding hearts or biased political activists; it is one that is codified in American law.

Thus, when police and/or their loved ones suffer at the hands of the often unjust system they perpetuate, there is a feeling of poignant irony.

Kelly Thomas

Kelly Thomas was a schizophrenic homeless man who was ruthlessly beaten to death by 6 Fullerton police officers based on nothing more than an ultimately unsubstantiated report of suspicious behavior (more here). Before beating Mr. Thomas to a bloody pulp, Officer Manny Ramos said to him, “You see these fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up.” Unsurprisingly, the two officers who were charged and brought to trial were acquitted of all charges, including use of excessive force (see more here).

The irony in all of this is that Mr. Thomas’s father, Ron Thomas, was a retired Sheriff’s Deputy. After having dedicated most or all of his professional life to the very system that visited such injustice on all Americans, Ron Thomas came to personally suffer such ill-effects of a deeply troubled system. Likely, it was then and only then, that he became critical of the heavy-handed, and indeed, murderous, police tactics that caused the death of his son (more on Ron Thomas here).

Similarly, former Utah Sheriff William Lawrence had a change of heart when his son-in-law was killed by the very SWAT team he had founded decades earlier while acting as Sheriff. His son-in-law, Brian Wood, locked himself in his car and threatened suicide after an argument with his wife. This resulted in a SWAT standoff, the presence of some 100 police officers, and use of flashbang grenades and teargas, all of which seem patently unreasonable in response to a suicide threat. Mr. Wood was ultimately shot and killed by a sniper (more here). Lawrence reported feeling “betrayed by his profession” and believed that in his son-in-law’s case, the police behaved “just like someone tormenting an animal in a cage.” Thomas and Lawrence rightly criticize these excessively violent tactics; yet, one has to wonder how they remained blinded through their decades of service in this very profession.

As another example, on the occasion where a police officer decides to act against the interest of his brothers in blue in pursuit of the truth, it is not uncommon that he or she personally experiences unforgiving police culture in the form of the Thin Blue Line. Late last year, Albany police officer Laura Schook alleged her department had engaged in padded overtime, racism, and corruption. After an investigation, no criminal charges resulted for those involved, but Schook was terminated from her position (see here). Another police officer was fired after disclosing to the press that two colleagues had made comments about killing the president.

An older, but more notable event involved a victim named Barron Bowling, who was brutally beaten by DEA agent Timothy McCue after McCue attempted an illegal traffic maneuver and caused a car accident. Officers responding to the incident charged Mr. Bowling with assault and leaving the scene of an incident. Witness statements incriminating McCue for the accident and the unprovoked beating were conveniently misplaced or destroyed. Kansas City Police Detective Max Seifert served as an instrumental  witness in the beating of Barron Bowling, by DEA agent, and for that he was ostracized and forced into retirement (more here).

For those familiar with the double-standards deeply ingrained in the justice system, it is almost a marvel that anyone, especially a police officer, could be surprised by any of these seemingly unfair results. Yet, such is the human condition. People rarely have sympathy or patience for the victims of police abuse or corruption; it is assumed as a matter of course that for any brutality or grave injustice to have occurred, the victim must have been a deserving reprobate, degenerate, or otherwise a law-breaker.

Unfortunately, it is not until something horrendous happens to a close family member, friend, or oneself, that most people stop to consider that these terribly violent and unjust events occur to innocent people frequently, and without recourse. Not until such a thing becomes personal, do most people question whether all dogs shot by police were indeed charging at the officer, or if all children tasered were actually behaving in a manner that called for such a response, or if all drunk people beaten to a bloody pulp by the cops actually posed a threat requiring violent measures. Often, only when tragedy strikes do people finally wonder whether the media has been biased in regurgitating the police officer’s version of events without inquiry, or whether the victim provoked such treatment.

In many ways, this blind eye and deaf ear to police tragedies is more excusable on the part of police; in their profession, they are reasonably accustomed to being above the law, above the rules, and above reproach in many ways. After all, the law has made it so. Thus, it may indeed be somewhat of a surprise when they find themselves victim to their own tactics. On the other hand, why ordinary people would remain so willfully ignorant is less capable of ready explanation.

Sometimes people need heroes and a feeling of security. Apparently, even if the justice system repeatedly fails to deliver, they will cling to the fantastical narrative of the justice system they’ve learned through government propaganda.

 

AccountabilityassaultBarron BowlingBrian WoodBrutalityCivil rightsCorruptionDEA AgentDestruction of EvidenceDouble Standarddouble-standardsfreedomHomicideKansas CIty PoliceKelly ThomasLamestream mediaLaura Schookmainstream mediamediaPolice StatePropagandaQualified ImmunityRon ThomasSheriffsniperSWATswat raidTimothy McCueUtahviolenceWilliam Lawrence

Source Article from http://www.copblock.org/118024/on-peoples-blind-eye-and-deaf-ear-for-injustice-committed-by-police/

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On People’s Blind Eye and Deaf Ear For Injustice Committed By Police

On People’s Blind Eye and Deaf Ear For Injustice Committed By Police

Police do not suffer the legal consequences of their actions in the manner ordinary people do. For police to suffer legal repercussions for various acts of violence, assault, or homicide undertaken in the course of employment is newsworthy. This is partially explained by the concept of qualified immunity, a legal doctrine essentially providing that ignorance of the law is an excuse when it comes to law enforcement. This is absurd, as ordinary people hear “ignorance of the law is no excuse” when facing fines, jail, and other legal ramifications for numerous petty criminal violations.  Yet, when the people tasked with upholding that very law (police) violate peoples’ rights, they are shielded from personal responsibility unless the right was a “clearly established federal right.”

This doctrine has the effect of allowing police to violate rights in any egregious manner, as long as the the right violated was not “clearly established” in law. I.e. The default is people have no rights and police may act as they please, unless those rights are vindicated by a court through a lengthy legal process. Accordingly, the idea police are above the law is not merely a suspicion felt by bleeding hearts or biased political activists; it is one that is codified in American law.

Thus, when police and/or their loved ones suffer at the hands of the often unjust system they perpetuate, there is a feeling of poignant irony.

Kelly Thomas

Kelly Thomas was a schizophrenic homeless man who was ruthlessly beaten to death by 6 Fullerton police officers based on nothing more than an ultimately unsubstantiated report of suspicious behavior (more here). Before beating Mr. Thomas to a bloody pulp, Officer Manny Ramos said to him, “You see these fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up.” Unsurprisingly, the two officers who were charged and brought to trial were acquitted of all charges, including use of excessive force (see more here).

The irony in all of this is that Mr. Thomas’s father, Ron Thomas, was a retired Sheriff’s Deputy. After having dedicated most or all of his professional life to the very system that visited such injustice on all Americans, Ron Thomas came to personally suffer such ill-effects of a deeply troubled system. Likely, it was then and only then, that he became critical of the heavy-handed, and indeed, murderous, police tactics that caused the death of his son (more on Ron Thomas here).

Similarly, former Utah Sheriff William Lawrence had a change of heart when his son-in-law was killed by the very SWAT team he had founded decades earlier while acting as Sheriff. His son-in-law, Brian Wood, locked himself in his car and threatened suicide after an argument with his wife. This resulted in a SWAT standoff, the presence of some 100 police officers, and use of flashbang grenades and teargas, all of which seem patently unreasonable in response to a suicide threat. Mr. Wood was ultimately shot and killed by a sniper (more here). Lawrence reported feeling “betrayed by his profession” and believed that in his son-in-law’s case, the police behaved “just like someone tormenting an animal in a cage.” Thomas and Lawrence rightly criticize these excessively violent tactics; yet, one has to wonder how they remained blinded through their decades of service in this very profession.

As another example, on the occasion where a police officer decides to act against the interest of his brothers in blue in pursuit of the truth, it is not uncommon that he or she personally experiences unforgiving police culture in the form of the Thin Blue Line. Late last year, Albany police officer Laura Schook alleged her department had engaged in padded overtime, racism, and corruption. After an investigation, no criminal charges resulted for those involved, but Schook was terminated from her position (see here). Another police officer was fired after disclosing to the press that two colleagues had made comments about killing the president.

An older, but more notable event involved a victim named Barron Bowling, who was brutally beaten by DEA agent Timothy McCue after McCue attempted an illegal traffic maneuver and caused a car accident. Officers responding to the incident charged Mr. Bowling with assault and leaving the scene of an incident. Witness statements incriminating McCue for the accident and the unprovoked beating were conveniently misplaced or destroyed. Kansas City Police Detective Max Seifert served as an instrumental  witness in the beating of Barron Bowling, by DEA agent, and for that he was ostracized and forced into retirement (more here).

For those familiar with the double-standards deeply ingrained in the justice system, it is almost a marvel that anyone, especially a police officer, could be surprised by any of these seemingly unfair results. Yet, such is the human condition. People rarely have sympathy or patience for the victims of police abuse or corruption; it is assumed as a matter of course that for any brutality or grave injustice to have occurred, the victim must have been a deserving reprobate, degenerate, or otherwise a law-breaker.

Unfortunately, it is not until something horrendous happens to a close family member, friend, or oneself, that most people stop to consider that these terribly violent and unjust events occur to innocent people frequently, and without recourse. Not until such a thing becomes personal, do most people question whether all dogs shot by police were indeed charging at the officer, or if all children tasered were actually behaving in a manner that called for such a response, or if all drunk people beaten to a bloody pulp by the cops actually posed a threat requiring violent measures. Often, only when tragedy strikes do people finally wonder whether the media has been biased in regurgitating the police officer’s version of events without inquiry, or whether the victim provoked such treatment.

In many ways, this blind eye and deaf ear to police tragedies is more excusable on the part of police; in their profession, they are reasonably accustomed to being above the law, above the rules, and above reproach in many ways. After all, the law has made it so. Thus, it may indeed be somewhat of a surprise when they find themselves victim to their own tactics. On the other hand, why ordinary people would remain so willfully ignorant is less capable of ready explanation.

Sometimes people need heroes and a feeling of security. Apparently, even if the justice system repeatedly fails to deliver, they will cling to the fantastical narrative of the justice system they’ve learned through government propaganda.

 

AccountabilityassaultBarron BowlingBrian WoodBrutalityCivil rightsCorruptionDEA AgentDestruction of EvidenceDouble Standarddouble-standardsfreedomHomicideKansas CIty PoliceKelly ThomasLamestream mediaLaura Schookmainstream mediamediaPolice StatePropagandaQualified ImmunityRon ThomasSheriffsniperSWATswat raidTimothy McCueUtahviolenceWilliam Lawrence

Source Article from http://www.copblock.org/118024/on-peoples-blind-eye-and-deaf-ear-for-injustice-committed-by-police/

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On People’s Blind Eye and Deaf Ear For Injustice Committed By Police

Officer Admits To Perjury, Destroying Evidence – No Charges, No Disciplinary Action

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez

A Chicago civil rights attorney has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department for continually refusing  to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests geared towards gathering evidence about the alleged perjury of two officers accused of lying under oath.

According to the suit, which was filed last week, Officer Allyson Bogdalek confessed to Cook County State’s Attorneys that she committed perjury, destroyed evidence, and conspired with her partner, Officer Dominick Catinella, in the criminal case of State of Illinois v. Ranceallen Hankerson.

Despite the confession of perjury, a felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison, the Cook County State’s Attorneys’ office refused to prosecute Bogdalek.

Catinella, who admitted to intentionally destroyed evidence, a felony punishable by up to eight years in prison, was also not prosecuted.

The lawsuit says prosecutors from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office sought to prosecute in connection with this incident, but Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez personally intervened and prevented any charges from moving forward.

“The public has a right to know when prosecutors try to convict citizens with the testimony of dishonest police officers and whether Anita Alvarez refused to prosecute a police officer who confessed to a crime for political gain,” said Jared Kosoglad, the plaintiff in the suit.

Alvarez has been publicly lambasted for continuously refusing to prosecute corrupt officials and politically connected friends like Richard Daley’s nephew Richard Vanecko – while pursuing politically motivated prosecutions in cases like the one involving “The NATO 3″ youths who were charged with “terrorism” after undercover police encouraged them to commit arson during anti-globalization protests in 2012.

Widely derided as entrapment, the youths were eventually acquitted of all terrorism charges but were convicted of some lesser crimes.

“That Alvarez’s office may be using the testimony of officers known to perjure themselves and destroy evidence without telling criminal defendants would be a widespread Due Process violation, Kosoglad said.

The CPD continues to stonewall Kosoglad’s FOIA requests.

“There is an ongoing and widespread pattern of FOIA violations by the CPD, an agency that is itself charged with enforcing laws,” said Kosoglad’s attorney, Matt Topic of Loevy & Loevy, a large civil rights firm that regularly represents the public in FOIA related litigation. “It shouldn’t have to take lawsuits like this to get the city to respond to FOIA requests and turn over public records.”

To date, the CPD has taken no disciplinary action against the officers.

AccountabilityAnita AlvarezBrutalitycatinellachicago police departmenCivil rightscop blockcopblockcopblock.orgfelonyFilming policeFreedom of Information ActHarassmentPrison

Source Article from http://www.copblock.org/118247/officer-admits-to-perjury-destroying-evidence-no-charges-no-disciplinary-action/

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Officer Admits To Perjury, Destroying Evidence – No Charges, No Disciplinary Action

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Would you Feel that Employ a Mobile phone Such as a Credit Card

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SEMI-NEWS/SEMI-SATIRE: March 29, 2015 Edition

Bergdahl Didn’t Desert, Lawyer Says

While the Army has decided to charge Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with desertion and “misbehaving before the enemy,” his lawyer, Eugene Fidell, contends that Bergdahl never intended to desert.

“Sgt Bergdahl had serious concerns about the lack of discipline in his unit,” Fidell contended. “Rather than engaging in idle griping, he took the initiative to try to resolve the problem by conducting an independent inspection of the standards and practices of the Taliban. It was his hope that what he learned could help reform the way US troops behaved while in the field.”

“His plan was thwarted when the Taliban refused to let him return to his unit,” Fidell said. “Instead, they held him captive, forced him to convert to Islam, and enlisted his aid in their operations against US troops. This turn of events was a complete surprise to my client. He now regrets his naivete. It would be cruel for him to be punished after he already has suffered enough at the hands of his captors.”

State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki declared that “these new revelations vindicate the President’s decision to make the exchange that brought Sgt Bergdahl back home. We should wish that more of our soldiers were as earnest as he was. It would be tragic if this nation were to repay his service by sending him to prison.”

UN Human Rights Official Says Islamic State More Open to Diversity than West

UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein told the Security Council that “the Islamic State is more accepting of ethnic diversity than the western governments that are making war on them.”

“Islam is open to persons of every race, color, or ethnicity,” Zeid pointed out. “It doesn’t matter if a person is black or white. As long as he accepts Allah as his master he can be a full member of the umma. This stands in contrast to a long history in which western governments have oppressed and even enslaved persons because of the color of their skin.”

In support of his contentions, Zeid cited a recent UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) condemnation of Israel for violating the rights of Palestinian women. “Israel—a state with western values—is the only one of 193 nations receiving such a rebuke from the UN,” Zeid said. “This is very revealing.”

Unlike some other countries in the region, Israel does not bar Palestinian women from driving a car or being out in public unaccompanied by a male relative. Neither does Israel mutilate their genitals or stone them to death for marital infidelity after they have been raped.

“Women of any race or ethnicity can enjoy the full benefits allotted to them under the Quran,” Zeid boasted. “Their modesty is protected by rigorous enforcement of appropriate clothing. They are insulated from foolishness by strict adherence to the guidance provided for them by their husbands, fathers, and brothers.”

Mayor Suggests that Chicago Airports Be Renamed

In an unexpectedly difficult reelection campaign, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sought to rally support by promising to rename the City’s two airports in honor of President and Michelle Obama. The two airports are currently named in honor of World War II Navy pilot Edward “Butch” O’Hare and the 1942 Battle of Midway—an upset US victory over Japan that many historians view as the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

“I don’t mean to denigrate these earlier historic events, but they pale in significance to the impact that President Obama has had on this country,” Emanuel explained. “O’Hare was just one of thousands of pilots who served in the war and Midway was just one battle among dozens. President Obama is America’s first minority president. His innovative approach to governing by executive action has transformed the way we do business without having to go through the cumbersome process of amending our Constitution.”

“And let’s not forget what we all owe to the First Lady,” Emanuel added. “From her soapbox she has broadcast a message of healthier eating that reverberates across the nation. People’s lives are being saved on a daily basis. Surely, this merits greater accolades than whatever Butch O’Hare did—if in fact, he did anything worthy of note. I, for one, am unaware of what that might have been.”

In related news, Emanuel pulled out of a previously scheduled joint appearance with challenger Jesus “Chuy” Garcia saying “I’m the one with name recognition. I’m the one with the huge funding advantage. Why should I help boost my opposition by appearing on the same stage with him?”

President Says Critics Overreacting to Iran’s “Death to America” Rhetoric

President Obama insists that Iran’s “death to America” rhetoric is nothing to get worked up about.

“First of all, it’s just a slogan—like Burger King’s ‘have it your way,'” Obama argued. “It doesn’t really mean anything.”

“Second, it’s not all that negative,” the President continued. “In Islam’s theology, death is the gateway to paradise. For the devout Muslim, hastening the entry into paradise is much to be desired. Granted, unbelievers face eternal torment, but that could easily be remedied by submitting to Allah’s will. So, it is only Americans’ refusal to heed Mohammed’s message that casts an unpleasant pall over the fate of death.”

Clinton Wipes Server, Cites Right Against Self-Incrimination

In what her backers are calling the “perfect checkmate” move, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sought to blunt all further inquiries into her activities while at the Department of State by completely reformatting the server used for her email correspondence while she was in office.

“Those who are trying to prove that I’m guilty of violating the law will have to do it without access to documents formerly on my own private server,” Clinton announced. “They may grouse that since I used this server for all my official correspondence as Secretary of State that I had no right to destroy these documents. That is mere assertion. I contend that the Constitutional guarantee against self-incrimination gives me every right to withhold evidence that could be used against me.”

It’s not only State Department correspondence that has gone missing. Records relating to the Clinton Foundation’s dubious solicitation of donations from questionable sources was also believed to be on the computer server that Hillary wiped clean.

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), Chairman of the House’s Select Committee on Benghazi, saw Clinton’s actions as “obstruction of justice.” Nevertheless, Clinton dared the Republican to make something of it. “I doubt the GOP has the stomach for it,” Hillary taunted. “Even if they could prove obstruction, it’s still a minor irritation compared to what I could’ve faced if I had surrendered the server.”

Congressman Faces Backlash

After calling newly announced GOP presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz a “big mouth” and a “failure,” Rep Peter King (R-NY) was shocked to receive feedback in-kind from Cruz supporters.

“People have been phoning my office belittling my accomplishments and asserting that I am all talk,” King complained. “This is disrespectful. No member of Government should have to put up with such abuse.”

King rebutted assertions that his inelegant way of expressing his disagreement with Sen. Cruz may have invited equally inelegant retorts. “I am a member of Congress, the Constitution explicitly protects my right to speak on any matter without fear of being accosted by the rabble,” King maintained. “Ordinary people shouldn’t be misusing the privilege of freedom of speech for intemperate attacks on those who govern them.”

Administration Reveals Secret Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program

The Obama Administration has declassified a top secret file disclosing the details of Israel’s nuclear weapons program.

Press Secretary Josh Earnest characterized the move as “payback for Netanyahu’s deviation from the path laid out for Israel by President Obama. People have got to learn that their actions have consequences. When you defy the world’s most powerful man you can’t expect to get away unscathed.”

Earnest also argued that “it may help level the playing field in the Middle East. Even without nuclear weapons Israel has consistently defeated efforts to annihilate it. By publicly releasing this previously secret information the President hopes it will stimulate Israel’s Muslim adversaries to similarly arm themselves.”

“Geographically, Israel is a very small country,” Earnest observed. “A few dozen well-place nuclear bombs could effectively wipe it off the map. If its neighbors acquire enough such bombs Israel will have no alternative to seeking the protection of the United States’ nuclear umbrella. Of course, that will come at the price of complying with the policies the President has determined they must follow.”

In related news, a recent poll of Palestinians found that 68% support Hamas’ rocket attacks on Israeli civilians. “We can’t defeat their army, but if we make life miserable enough with the threat of being blown up an everyday occurrence, maybe they’ll see that the only peace to be had is the peace of death or evacuation,” said one respondent.

Source Article from https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Opinion/173266-2015-03-28-semi-news-semi-satire-march-29-2015-edition.htm?EdNo=001&From=RSS

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SEMI-NEWS/SEMI-SATIRE: March 29, 2015 Edition