News and Current Events - 2012

[fritzkep]

NPR states that the FBI unit sent to investigate was from domestic terrorism, but that wouldn't preclude them from changing the investigation to a hate crime, if warranted.

[Tony_]

 No sooner than I had posted about the Romney ads distorting the waivers on welfare reform, then they have been flooding the channels here, in metropolitan Norfolk.  No ads, yet, calling them out on the falseness, but it is so easily done.
 BTW, those of you not in battleground states, count your blessings.  We are inundated with ads here, to the point I have to wonder where all the Stanley Steamer ads are supposed to go.  Also, metro Norfolk is being hit harder than the rest of Virginia, because we are the real toss-up area of Virginia, already a toss-up state. And 3 more months to go  .

[killersmom]

Tony, I bet the political ads are paying a whole potload more money to run during the golden hours than Stanley Steemer is paying. And the latest Stanley Steemer ad I have seen out here is SS cleaning the Oval Office "This November no matter who you choose".

[Tony_]

 Yeah, I saw that one, too, Linda.  But it may not be money; it could be they can't turn down political ads except with just cause.
Meanwhile, you guys have no idea of what wall-to-wall political ads are, and may never suffer that.  California, for example, is considered safe for Obama, and neither side would do much there except for the last few weeks, and then, not all that much. It's really a tidal wave here.

[killersmom]

I can imagine that it is, Tony.
It will get bad the closer to the election, probably more for local races though, and those get pretty bad.

[doodler]

Interesting that the police were informed by the Colorado killer's shrink that he was a danger AND the police (and Feds) had the Wisconsin killer on their radar. Just proves my point that keeping these guys alive to study helps no one.

[killersmom]

The killer's shrink reported it to the CAMPUS police and at this point no one is sure what was done about the information. Where it went from the original notification. The University of course is covering their own asses, using the gag order by the judge as a reason for not commenting. I can see LOTS of lawsuits out of this one.

Someone dropped the ball BIG TIME on this one. The farther away we get from this one, the more screw ups will be uncovered.

[doodler]

There were NO screw ups in the CO or the WI cases. No matter what the police suspect or even know, they can do nothing because anything they do is a violation of the "subject's" civil rights. By all means, the INDIVIDUAL must be protected. Until he kills someone or a lot of someones. And then the police/doctor/family/etc inaction is a screw up.

[AZ.bbm]

Keeping convicted killers alive is not necessarily about "studying" them but more about the fallibility of the state and about the morality of state-sanctioned killing.

(...) No matter what the police suspect or even know, they can do nothing because anything they do is a violation of the "subject's" [citizens] civil rights. By all means, the INDIVIDUAL must be protected. Until he kills someone...

-Pretty much correct.
You seem to have a better grasp of 'due process' than the President does.......!


So, if the police were empowered to lock up Holmes preemptively -- and they are not, at least until we're under a Police State, here -- what would they have charged him with, 'mental illness'..?  "conspiracy"..?

 

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Keeping convicted killers alive is not necessarily about "studying" them but more
about the fallibility of the state and about the morality of state-sanctioned killing.

A proposition on our upcoming election ballot.

Prop 34: End Capital Punishment; The SAFE California Act

Repeals capital punishment as maximum punishment for persons found guilty of murder and replaces it
with life imprisonment without possibility of parole. Applies retroactively to persons already sentenced.

***

If passed by voters, SAFE California (Savings, Accountability, and Full Enforcement for California Act, or SAFE California) will replace capital punishment with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, require people sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole to work in order to pay restitution to victims’ families, and allocate approximately $30 million per year for three years to police departments for the purpose of solving open murder and rape cases.

Proponents of SAFE California cite the cost of implementing capital punishment as a major motivating factor behind the initiative. A 2011 study by former prosecutor and federal judge Arthur Alarcón indicates that California has spent approximately $4 billion to execute 13 people since capital punishment was reinstated. The Alarcón report also indicates that implementing capital punishment in California costs $184 million dollars per year more than implementing sentences of life without the possibility of parole.  Those in favor of capital punishment have their own studies to support their point of view.

[fritzkep]

That might work for California. But in places like Texas and Virginia, the states with the highest rate of capital punishment, the proponents are so in love with the procedure that they would be willing to spend extra (though not wealthy people's tax money, presumably  ) to ensure it being carried out.

[doodler]

To beat a dead horse, it only costs more because the states refuse to carry out the death penalty in a timely fashion. Our so called "justice" system is in place to drag things out and make lawyers rich, NOT to see justice done. Obiously, justice does not apply to victims.

[huntinbuddy]

To beat a dead horse, it only costs more because the states refuse to carry out the death penalty in a timely fashion. Our so called "justice" system is in place to drag things out and make lawyers rich, NOT to see justice done. Obiously, justice does not apply to victims.

AMEN!

[kathy]

To beat a dead horse, it only costs more because the states refuse to carry out the death penalty in a timely fashion. Our so called "justice" system is in place to drag things out and make lawyers rich, NOT to see justice done. Obviously, justice does not apply to victims.

Yes; it's awful.  Do you remember the horrible case of Samantha Runnion, the beautiful little 5-yr.-old girl who was brutally kidnapped from in front of her home, taken some distance, raped, suffered for one and a half days, and finally smothered in CA 10 yrs. ago by a sociopathic monster named Avila?  The monster left her somewhere in the mountains overnight, in an indecent position. 
I corresponded with her mother for years; she subsequently founded the Joyful Child Foundation in memory of her lovely little girl.  I used to have nightmares thinking of what that child went through.  How can a mother endure this?

Now, the monster (who had a lengthy record of course) who did this to an innocent child never - never - showed an inkling of remorse during the trial which took quite some time; in  fact he was very blase about it.  It was a deliberate act committed by a sadistic murderer to a young child.  The State of CA sentenced him to death, which in that wonderful state means you can still be alive up to at least 20 yrs. before any action is taken - if ever.
Yup - the monster is still 'living' in jail, while a beautiful little 5-yr.-old girl's life was in the most horrible way taken from the world and her mom and family.  It has been 10 yrs. now - it'll be another 10 yrs. he'll be there.  It's quite normal for CA.
I was hoping one of the cons would have gotten him; I can't think why one didn't. 

I think one of the things that bothered me so much is that DNA of her tears was found in the monster's junk car.  Where is justice for the victims of horrible despicable crimes?

kathy           
p.s.  I'm afraid this will happen to orange top.  Here's a multi-killer monster sitting in a courtroom showing a blank stare on his stupid sociopathic face.  If all of those poor victims (the 6-yr. old little girl makes me cry) do not find justice (as has happened unfortunately too many times). there is no hope of justice in this country at all.  None.

[Marge_Innavera]

• ter·ror·ism,  n -  the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims...


• domestic terrorism,  n - terrorism practiced in your own country against your own people.

Not quite complete definitions.

ter·ror·ism,  n -  the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims carried out by a non-US citizen, probably a Muslim;

domestic terrorism,  n - non-existent.  All use of violence and intimidation committed by US citizens, in the pursuit of political aims or otherwise, is carried out by "lone madmen."