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Aprilla Since: Aug, 2010
#103576: Oct 16th 2015 at 3:22:39 PM

Joking aside, Green Berets or CIA SAD paramilitary forces have likely been reconnoitering Boko Haram at the ground level and/or providing "assistance".

edited 16th Oct '15 3:22:56 PM by Aprilla

Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#103577: Oct 16th 2015 at 3:23:57 PM

Given the small number of troops those 90 dudes probably are special forces and they are headed in to observe and advise.

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
Mopman43 Since: Nov, 2013
#103578: Oct 16th 2015 at 3:35:11 PM

At least these asshats are finally getting some attention.

TotemicHero No longer a forum herald from the next level Since: Dec, 2009
No longer a forum herald
#103579: Oct 16th 2015 at 6:26:35 PM

Meanwhile, about that Afghanistan hospital that was bombed...it looks like some people knew what it was all along.

Geneva Conventions violation ahoy! (And this being released right after Obama's announcement that he's not fully pulling troops out of there is going to go over real well internationally, I'll bet.)

Expergiscēre cras, medior quam hodie. (Awaken tomorrow, better than today.)
insignificant_human Since: Oct, 2014
#103580: Oct 17th 2015 at 12:00:03 AM

I don't know where to put this. First time posting on this forum. But I really need to get this out here.

http://www.ibtimes.com/election-2016-mike-huckabee-says-poor-convicts-should-be-sold-slavery-2142738

Is this satire? I really can't tell.

AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#103581: Oct 17th 2015 at 12:08:11 AM

Well, it's not the Onion, so it's probably not satire. That said, I don't know how reputable this particular source is.

rikalous World's Cutest Direwolf from Upscale Mordor (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
World's Cutest Direwolf
#103582: Oct 17th 2015 at 12:39:03 AM

They link to Thinkprogress, which is legit as far as I know and includes a sound clip.

Mickelson went on to argue why jails, which he claimed are a “pagan invention,” are inferior to slavery
I might be full of shit here because I can't remember where I heard it, but I understand that we started having prisons instead of floggings or stocks or whatever because some Christian group wanted criminals to have some time in their cells to reflect on and repent of their actions.

ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#103583: Oct 17th 2015 at 6:08:08 AM

@Totemic

The issue there is right in the first paragraph - people knew, but not the right people knew. The people involved with the actual airstrike were, according to the two CNN sources, out of the loop on that particular information

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#103584: Oct 17th 2015 at 7:07:41 AM

What Is Bernie Sanders’ China Policy? It’s not actually all that different to Hillary Clinton’s. If anything it's tougher, one of the reasons cited for him opposing the TTP is the possibility of China joining. He also wants to impose tariffs on Chinese goods, sanction countries that sell arms to China,though this might be a backdoor way to impose sanctions on Israel. However he is not in favor of building trade ties with Vietnam, pointing out that it is "rewarding them" for their human rights abuses. This is a wee bit hypocritical coming from a man who supports opening relations with Cuba. I'm not sure how much good these policies could do, especially the embargoes on countries that sell weapons to China, which are likely to drive them further into Beijing's arm. Likewise driving Vietnam closer to China will make them more authoritarian, not to mention ruin our chances of using them to balance against China, though I don't think Sanders cares about such things. Still, at least I think I know he won't just bend over and kowtow to Beijing. I may not be feeling the Bern, but I am starting to get a little singed.

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#103585: Oct 17th 2015 at 7:41:11 AM

[up]

Pretty sure one of the points about TPP is to make sure that everything is done on the US terms, making sure China plays by the rules, even if it doesn't join. China would be in a world of hurt due to its IP violations and would get hammered down, as they should be.

Vietnam hates China venomously, so I wouldn't be too worried about it.

The Cuban trade embargo quite frankly made no sense after the Cold War. Just a waste of time.

edited 17th Oct '15 7:41:57 AM by TerminusEst

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#103586: Oct 17th 2015 at 10:17:21 AM

NPR has been doing an interesting series of articles about police and how misconduct by police, (including false statements and brutality) are often hidden from the public, including from defense attorneys going to trial. Being this is the major New York NPR station it's mostly focused on the NYPD, but the implications are wider, since this is hardly a confined problem, and the fourth part focuses more on this as a nationwide problem.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Part 4

A few excerpts:

Nationwide, the spread of amateur video footage recording police arrests and sometimes the deaths of civilians has cast a harsh light not just on use of force but on officer credibility. Repeatedly, footage has shown the police narrative of incidents to be at best inaccurate.

Last year, New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board flagged as many officers for making false statements as it had in the previous four years combined. And the CCRB reports that it’s on pace to have more such cases this year.

With the ongoing national and local discussion about criminal justice reform, WNYC spent five months looking at the issue of police officer credibility to see how often the NYPD’s 35,000 officers are found to distort the truth and what happens to them after.

A review of more than a thousand criminal and civil court cases, and interviews with dozens of attorneys, turned up more than 120 officers with at least one documented credibility issue over the past 10 years. These are mostly officers whose testimony a state or federal judge called unbelievable. Some have apparent fabrications exposed in lawsuits or other records. It’s an incomplete list because state law makes police disciplinary records confidential, and state criminal cases are sealed if the case is dismissed even when it's due to police misconduct.

Most of these officers stayed on the force. Records show at least 54 went on to make more than 2,700 arrests after the date their word was challenged.

Two men were loitering in the lobby of a Bronx apartment building on a Monday afternoon in July 2012 when they caught the attention of an aggressive NYPD narcotics unit monitoring drug dealing in the area. A sergeant in the unit ordered them to step outside.

Detective Greg Larsen later testified that one of the men, Cleveland White, threw an orange prescription bottle full of oxycodone on the ground. Larsen arrested him for drug possession. It seemed like a routine bust for Larsen and the unit, which racked up arrests in buy-and-bust operations throughout the borough.

White denied the charges but it was his word against Larsen’s. Or so the police thought.

A security camera on the building captured the incident and showed White wasn’t holding drugs in his hand and never threw a pill bottle on the ground.

The charges were dismissed and White filed a lawsuit alleging cops planted the drugs. He’s back in prison on an unrelated drug case and wasn’t available for an interview.

...

Records show Larsen has been sued at least 16 times, most including allegations of false arrest and brutality. Half of those lawsuits were filed before the arrest that led to the perjury charges. He’s also been the subject of civilian complaints for excessive force and abuse of authority, and was disciplined twice by the department.

Also in 2014, the NYPD conducted an internal disciplinary trial related to the White arrest and found Larsen guilty of making false statements.

In November 2014 — six months after his indictment — the department tribunal recommended the commissioner not fire Larsen immediately and instead place him on probation. In the recommendation, Deputy Commissioner for Trials Rosemarie Maldonado cited three other cases where officers made false statements in court and were allowed the keep their jobs.

In December 2014, Commissioner William Bratton – who just months earlier had vowed to root out bad cops – overruled the recommendation and fired Larsen.

The NYPD declined to talk about the Larsen case, or any case involving specific officers.

Close to 300,000 people a year go through the criminal courts in New York City. From the very first step at arraignment, prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges will pick apart the defendant's life — discussing the alleged crimes, past arrests, family ties, their jobs and living situations.

But rarely is there much discussion about the professional history of the police officer on whose word the charges are often based.

There may be no reason to doubt the testimony of most of the 35,000 officers in the NYPD, but there are some with disciplinary records or other credibility issues that call into question their truthfulness. Criminal defendants will often never learn about such histories, despite a constitutional right to information that could prove their innocence.

That’s because state law makes the disciplinary records of law enforcement officers confidential. It means defense attorneys can’t get the record directly from the police.

Prosecutors, who are supposed to reveal such information if they know about it, have access but aren’t required to use it. And if they have information, they are not required to turn it over right away.

They can wait until an officer is about to testify at a hearing or trial. And that’s too late for most defendants, who often take a plea and the promise of a shorter sentence as opposed to risking significantly more time by rolling the dice and going to trial.

Some prosecutor offices around the country keep lists of officers with possible credibility issues. Such databases are often called “Brady lists.”

“You have to disclose exculpatory evidence. There’s no gray area there,” said Jerry Cobb, spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix, AZ, which keeps an officer integrity database. “I think agencies that are not taking the extra step to ensure that they are meeting that obligation are imperiling their cases by having something like that come up down the road.”

WNYC asked all five New York City District Attorney’s Offices if they keep such lists. All either said no or refused to respond.

Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace University, says prosecutors aren’t required to go digging for dirt on their witnesses. So the average assistant district attorney, Gershman says, acts like an ostrich.

“He’s burying his head in the sand. He’s not looking for something that might be right in front of him, might be very easy to locate,” Gershman said. “This may very well be willful blindness on the part of the prosecution because they want to be able to prosecute their cases effectively.”

In February 2013, a top aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo went on an Albany radio show to explain the ouster of an engineer from the Department of Transportation whose forced retirement had led to criticism of the governor.

“His disciplinary action was for among the following: internet misuse, email misuse, department vehicle misuse, blackberry misuse, conflict of interest,” former aide Howard Glaser said, listing more infractions as he went on.

He was able to call out the worker because disciplinary records for most government employees are open to the public in New York. But if Glaser wanted to tell the public if an NYPD officer caught on tape choking a man to death had a history of excessive force complaints, he couldn’t do it.

Section 50-a of the state’s Civil Rights Law makes personnel records for law enforcement confidential. That includes internal affairs files, civilian complaints and disciplinary findings.

It’s one of the most restrictive policies in the country, with implications not just for the general public but also for criminal defendants who could use such records as evidence.

...

We found 23 states plus the District of Columbia where police disciplinary records are pretty much always confidential. New York is one of three we found with a confidentiality provision only for law enforcement. New York is also one of the few states with no provision to balance the public interest against an officer’s right to privacy.

The state has also broadly interpreted the law to include virtually any record pertaining to an officer’s performance.

Emphasis mine.

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
Aprilla Since: Aug, 2010
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#103588: Oct 17th 2015 at 5:19:04 PM

Trump drew fire after he said he was more competent than Bush because 9/11 happened on Bush's watch.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#103590: Oct 17th 2015 at 6:15:21 PM

Exxon didn't find anything worth all the money they spend doing all that research and development. I'm pretty sure this development means no offshore arctic drilling until after Obama is out of office.

[up][up]Because Bush himself is totally to blame for something the intelligence community should have caught? Look, I agree that Bush bungled pretty much everything that came after it, but holding him personally responsible for the towers themselves is just fucking ridiculous.

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#103591: Oct 17th 2015 at 8:08:57 PM

A common fallacy in politics is "it happened while you were in office"

Leviticus 19:34
Artificius from about a foot and a half away from a monitor. Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Norwegian Wood
#103592: Oct 17th 2015 at 9:14:37 PM

[up]That fallacy scares me a little. Have you ever heard Americans say with perfect candor that they "wouldn't mind a king?" Granted, it wouldn't be the end of the world by any means, but they apparently don't understand just how much government has to be deferred and bureaucratic (and therefore beyond the awareness of the executive) by necessity, and simply want someone quick and easy to blame.

"I have no fear, for fear is the little death that kills me over and over. Without fear, I die but once."
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#103593: Oct 17th 2015 at 11:02:01 PM

[up]Oh yeah, the government has become the perfect scapegoat for a lot of people avoiding personal responsibility.

Leviticus 19:34
BlueNinja0 The Mod with the Migraine from Taking a left at Albuquerque Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Mod with the Migraine
#103595: Oct 17th 2015 at 11:59:13 PM

Have you ever heard Americans say with perfect candor that they "wouldn't mind a king?"
No, but I did see something about just over a quarter of Americans would welcome a military coupnote . I honestly find that far more scary.

[up] Are those actually effective? And do you get any kind of certification or professional qualifications that act like a degree would as far as proving your knowledge base and experience?

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw
BlueNinja0 The Mod with the Migraine from Taking a left at Albuquerque Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Mod with the Migraine
#103596: Oct 18th 2015 at 12:53:38 AM

Double-posting for some news articles! Copy-pasted in their entireties for your reading convenience.

So homelessness is getting even worse, now with Hawaii declaring an emergency with the highest per capita rate in the country.

Hawaii is a place many go to kick back, relax and enjoy the good life. But for others, it's a land of struggle. That's why its governor on Friday signed an emergency proclamation to tackle homelessness in the state, saying the measure will help turn around the lives of young and old.

"Homelessness remains a serious issue in every county throughout the state," Gov. David Ige said in a press release. Hawaii has an estimated 7,620 homeless people, said the governor's spokeswoman Cindy Mc Millan, citing a 2015 statewide count. This may not seem like much compared with other places — to this point California has about 114,000 homeless, New York has more than 80,000 and Texas about 28,500, according to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness — but it's all relative to the state's total population.

At 465 people per 100,000 citizens, the Aloha State has the highest rate of homelessness per capita of any of the 50 states, according to Scott Morishige, the governor's point person on this issue. Hawaii's population is about 1.36 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. "The alarming increase in unsheltered individuals and families over the past two years is particularly significant on Oahu," Morishige said of the state's most populous island. "This proclamation will expedite the state's plans to help these individuals and families to more quickly transition to permanent housing."

Specifically, the emergency proclamation allows the spending of over $1.3 million to fund homeless services and help set up permanent homes for families and the chronically homeless. The latter effort will include building a transitional housing facility for homeless families. "The biggest deficit in the system is shelter space for families," Ige told reporters.

While governments' emergency proclamations are often linked to natural disasters or other such calamities, they have been used before to address more systemic issues like homelessness. Last month, for instance, the Los Angeles City Council declared a state of emergency on homelessness and called for $100 million to address the crisis. Figures from the L.A. Homeless Services Authority found that homelessness had increased 12% in two years in the Southern California city.

And back in the mainland, bad news for many travelers as residents of four states will be banned from flying unless they have a passport in addition to their state driver's license. Emphasis mine.
It sounds crazy, but next year, millions of Americans might have to start using passports to fly — on domestic flights. A decade ago, the U.S. government issued stricter standards for state-issued I Ds, including drivers licenses. But four states have refused to comply: Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York.

The deadline for upgrading is coming up in 2016. If those four states don't upgrade their ID systems by the deadline, the TSA will demand that residents of those four states use passports rather than drivers licenses to board flights next year. About 9.5 million drivers licenses have been issued in those states, according to government licensing records. It's possible that fewer people will be impacted if states take action soon. States have desperately begged for extensions. Minnesota didn't get one.

"As soon as January 2016, Minnesotans may not be allowed to board federally-regulated commercial aircraft using a Minnesota driver license or ID card," the state's public safety department told CNN Money. Two states were granted temporary waivers just this Tuesday, and now they're scrambling to pass new laws, make new cards and issue them to the public.

The stricter ID standards are already being enforced elsewhere. Recently, people with New Hampshire drivers licenses have been turned away from federal buildings in Washington, according to New Hampshire licensing officials. The TSA will accept $55 passport cards and $135 passport books as valid ID.

Following recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, President Bush signed into law the REAL ID Act in 2005. The law made fake I Ds harder for criminals to obtain. The REAL ID Act forces all U.S. states and territories to demand more proof of identity when issuing I Ds, such as a verified original copy of a person's birth certificate. Plus, it also increases the technology present in the government-issued cards.

At the time of the act's passing, some states feared the federal government would use the new I Ds to make a national database of citizens, potentially using that information to spy on them. Others feared a power-hungry federal government was trying to assert ownership of the ID-issuing process. Some even worried that cards would have to include special computer chips that transmit wireless data — possibly exposing personal information to hackers.

Those fears turned out to be unfounded. But lawmakers in New Hampshire and Minnesota passed laws forbidding those states from complying with the new ID law. Louisiana and New York just dragged their feet and never bothered to adopt the new standards. New York has actually offered an "Enhanced Driver's License" for an extra $30 since 2008, but Department of Motor Vehicles offices never warned drivers that this more expensive option would soon be necessary to board domestic flights and enter certain government buildings.

Minnesotans should get passports if they want to fly domestic starting in January. New York was granted a waiver, so fliers from that state with any form of state drivers license can continue using them for the time being. The Department of Homeland Security granted Louisiana a waiver that lasts until October 10, 2016. So residents can continue using their drivers licenses at least until then.

The state legislature tried to pass a law to comply with the federal mandate, but Governor Bobby Jindal vetoed it. Louisiana will get a new governor next year, and Superintendent of State Police Colonel Michael Edmonson is hopeful the legislature will pass a law complying with the REAL ID Act in early 2016. "The legislature will meet with a new governor in the spring, we will have time to review this. My belief is that we'll take care this," Edmonson told CNN Money.

New Hampshire received a waiver that lasts until June 1, 2016, but the prospects for the legislature passing a law remain unclear. Governor Margaret Hassan pleaded with her legislature to pass a new law in March, but the state senate killed the bill. "Two-thirds of Americans do not have passports," she said in a statement at the time. "Lack of access to federally accepted identification could also hurt our businesses."

She is now proposing a system that would have New Hampshire issue two types of I Ds — one that's accepted by the federal government and another that's OK everywhere else. Citizens would have a choice. New Hampshire DMV Director Richard C. Bailey told CNN Money that he's still worried. "The outlook for a REAL ID license in New Hampshire is much brighter today than six months ago, but it's still not a guarantee," he said. "It's a real concern for me. I don't want to be talking to people like you that Sally couldn't go to Disney World because mommy couldn't get on an airplane."

Hope there's not too many tropers who live in those states. sad

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw
Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#103597: Oct 18th 2015 at 12:53:46 AM

[up][up]

No, but I did see something about just over a quarter of Americans would welcome a military coup. I honestly find that far more scary.

I wouldn't be surprised if a few of those supporters are on the American Left, using force to remove the Republicans from Congress (and from existence).

[up] Not surprising. Passports here are used for quite a few things were ID is required.

@ Monarchists: Incidentally, it appears someone has written to the Queen.

edited 18th Oct '15 1:12:53 AM by Greenmantle

Keep Rolling On
AngelicBraeburn from Eccentric California Since: Jan, 2015
#103598: Oct 18th 2015 at 1:14:27 AM

Have you ever heard Americans say with perfect candor that they "wouldn't mind a king?"

Only once. I saw someone on Free Republic advocate for return of Monarchism, because only a King would have the power to stop abortions from happening in America.

The Secret Service is extending protection to GOP presidential contenders Donald Trump and Ben Carson, while beefing up Dem front-runner Hillary Clinton's security.

edited 18th Oct '15 1:16:46 AM by AngelicBraeburn

The artist formally known as Deviant Braeburn
rikalous World's Cutest Direwolf from Upscale Mordor (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
World's Cutest Direwolf
#103599: Oct 18th 2015 at 4:46:43 AM

At the time of the act's passing, some states feared the federal government would use the new I Ds to make a national database of citizens, potentially using that information to spy on them. Others feared a power-hungry federal government was trying to assert ownership of the ID-issuing process. Some even worried that cards would have to include special computer chips that transmit wireless data — possibly exposing personal information to hackers.
Also it's the Mark of the Beast.

JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#103600: Oct 18th 2015 at 6:22:55 AM

Not monarchy, but I've heard many Americans say, and I myself sometimes think this, that it would be better if we had a benevolent and competent dictator like Putin or Xi than a democracy. I will never understand why people think Americans can't take a joke about their own country? At least where I'm from everybody thinks it is an irredeemable shithole.

edited 18th Oct '15 6:28:45 AM by JackOLantern1337

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.

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