KINGSTON, Jamaica – President of the People’s National Party Portia Simpson Miller apparently left no stones unturned during her address at the 77thPNP annual conference as she reeled off the accomplishments of her administration since taking office.
The party leader and prime minister detailed what she called progress in education, economy, health, labour and several other sectors while speaking to the faithful at the National Arena in Kingston, today.
She used the platform to send a clear message to the Opposition, Jamaica Labour Party, and in no uncertain terms told them to “shut up” because the PNP’s record shows performance, management and leadership.
“I hear some people say nothing is happening, we are not generating employment. What were you doing when you held the position that I am now in?” Simpson Miller charged.
Among the achievements listed, was the creation of 60,000 jobs under the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP).
“I will be the first to tell you that the employment levels are not yet where we want them to be, there are still too many persons unemployed, including our youth,” said Simpson Miller. “One thing is clear, we are moving in the right direction.”
The party president said the PNP is securing a better future for Jamaica.
She insisted that business confidence has improved, while also praising Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips for his handling of the economy. Simpson Miller said the country is attracting foreign direct investment.
“…Those who say we are doing nothing, come talk to me, because when you were here, you left nothing for us to show that you did,” she continued.
Simpson-Miller charged: “Don’t talk to us about progress. Don’t talk to us about work. We are workers, we are performers; we get the job done.”
The party president said in her more than 90-minute presentation that the party stands on its record of performance and renews its mission to move Jamaica “forward, onward and upward”.
“If it is a mountain, we have climbed it,” a jubilant Simpson Miller said. “If it is a river, we have crossed it.
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman argued Friday that all the GOP debate on Wednesday proved is that the current field of Republican candidates is dangerously out of touch with reality, and is more than willing to lie about it in order to win an election. By way of proof, he noted that the only candidate who didn’t spout “economic fantasies” was Donald Trump, and the only one seemed “remotely sensible” on foreign policy was Rand Paul — both of whom aren’t electable for a host of other reasons. Indeed, he said, the entire field should be “scary” not just to Democrats, but to moderate Republicans, because it’s impossible to tell what they actually believe.
The real revelation,” Krugman wrote,
was the way some of the candidates went beyond expounding bad analysis and peddling bad history to making outright false assertions, and probably doing so knowingly, which turns those false assertions into what are technically known as “lies.”
For example, Chris Christie asserted, as he did in the first G.O.P. debate, that he was named U.S. attorney the day before 9⁄11. It’s still not true: His selection for the position wasn’t even announced until December.
Mr. Christie’s mendacity pales, however, in comparison to that of Carly Fiorina, who was widely hailed as the “winner” of the debate… Read more here :Fantasies and Fictions at G.O.P. Debate
Left wing Media is up in arms today because an inbred ignoramus asked Donald Trump at an event in new Hampshire. “We have a problem in this country, it’s called Muslims. We know our current president is one, “You know he’s not even American, birth certificate man , “But anyway, we have training camps growing where they want to kill us. That’s my question. When can we get rid of them?” Despite the incessant drumbeat about Trump not following John McCain’s lead in denouncing racist ignorance there is something which is lost in all of the noise. Of course Trump did not denounce it , he started it but despite the praise for John McCain he missed a great opportunity to be a great American himself. When confronted by a racist ignorant woman at a Minnesota event who said “I can’t trust Obama. I have read about him and he’s not, he’s not uh — he’s an Arab. McCain responded “No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man [and] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that’s what this campaign’s all about. He’s not [an Arab].” Even though many saw that moment as a magnanimous McCain moment, John McCain missed an opportunity to be big. If McCain believed as we are told that America was built by people who fled religious persecution how could he not tell her that there is nothing in the American Constitution which precludes Muslims or any other Religious practitioner from running for President. In fact the only two requirements is that the candidate reaches the age of 35 years of age and was born in the United States. Even on born in the United States stipulation there are nuances, McCain himself the son of a Navy Admiral was born in the Panama Canal zone. Ted Cruz another left wing loon was born in Canada. Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, was actually born in Canada. But because his mother was a U.S. citizen, he is considered a natural-born citizen as well, and is therefore eligible to run for president. Cruz was born in 1970 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His family later moved to Texas, when he was 4. Even if Obama was born outside the United States which he wasn’t why would his American citizen mother not qualify for the same rights as a Ted Cruz? The ignorant Right never misses an opportunity to tie itself into knots as they try to add legitimacy to the illegitimate.
Ever since Barack Obama took to the national political stage the cellar-dwellers of the Republican Right have attacked his Blackness and his very right to compete for the Presidency of the United States. Unfortunately even some Democrats harbor some of the same resentments when he seriously challenged Hillary Clinton and it appeared she would be beaten for the democratic Nomination in 2008. Hillary Clinton is now criticizing Donald trump for not repudiating the cave dweller who asked the question as John McCain did in 08 ‚ironically when under pressure during the primaries in 08 the very same Hillary said “he is a christian,.….….…. as far as I know”!!! Again in March of 2008 in answer to a 60 minutes questioner Steve Kroft, “You don’t believe that Senator Obama’s a Muslim?” Kroft asked. Clinton answered “Of course not. I mean, that’s, you know, there is no basis for that. You know, I take him on the basis of what he says. And, you know, there isn’t any reason to doubt that,” . Hillary Clinton had a chance there and then to stamp out that hatred directed at another Democrat she didn’t, she allowed political expediency to dictate her response and as such she has no authority to denounce Donald Trump. Donald Trump will never be the President of these United States let’s get that straight. The majority of Americans are decent evolved people who have long gotten over racist tendencies. Of course that majority is bolstered by the coalition Barack Obama pieced together in 2008 . That coalition included African-Americans-Hispanics, young people, Union workers, women. Jews, Asians and others.
Donald Trump
Barack Obama is a successful two-term president whether they like it or not. The nasty xenophobic racism which was unearthed and unleashed on the American electoral process was introduced By Sarah Palin , Donald trump and others in the birther movement. Let’s thank Senator John McCain for that as well. Since then President Obama has made public his long form birth certificate which silenced all of the critics and doubters with the exception of the intellectual turds like Palin Trump and the imbecile who posed the question to Trump. Barack Obama was forced to show his papers. It was the same as during slavery when free black men were forced to show their freedom papers to slave-catchers who would sometimes destroy those papers and violently arrest them and return them to bondage. Donald trump Sarah Palin and the ignorant Right are modern day slave catchers whose relevance is tied to pandering to the moronic and un-educated without whom they are nothing. As it was back in slavery , slave catchers were unimportant whites with no power their only sense of authority came from abusing blacks.
Of course Trump has a lot of money but his narcissistic campaign of “me” reveals a rather insecure shell of a man who needs to be told that he is loved, that he matter. Putting down the achievements of others, he believes enhances his own statute. His incoherent disjointed sentences usually end with the question “right”? An indication that he constantly needs to be validated. As such I believe it is a waste of time to talk about Donald Trump at length. We have seen his kind before just ask president Rudolph Giuliani .……
Leader of the Political opposition Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) Andrew Holness spoke at a sparsely attended event recently at the Medgar Evers College in new York city. The Jamaica Gleaner gleefully previously reported thatthe event was a JLP show which was sparsely attended then was forced to retract the lie after the facts of who put on the event emerged. Notwithstanding, Holness obviously was not amused when he turned up to speak and saw the small audience waiting to hear him speak. Holness reportedly said quote“I’m obviously looking to see more people,”.
The event held in partnership with the Medgar Evers College and the Proud Jamaica Foundation kick-started what , conference director, Marcia Meikle-Naughton said is a leadership summit series. A video of the event which surfaced on social media which this publication will not feature because of the poor quality did show a sparsely populated room at the time the video was recorded.
This ought to be a learning experience for Andrew Holness. Comrades would not have allowed Portia Simpson Miller or any of their top officers to walk into a situation like this which could cast that Official in a less than positive light. The Labor Party still has not learned the value of populism and inclusion of the common man in what they are doing. Clearly they still do not understand the importance of perceptions.
Even though the event was booked as a Leadership Summit[sic] (whatever that means), Holness and his advanced people (assuming there are any), ought to have used the opportunity to demand that as part of his showing to speak, conference organizers fill the hall with people friendly to the labor party and it’s principles. In this business of politics optics are critical in shaping perceptions. The Grammys, Oscars, Tony’s and other events use seat fillers to ensure that their events send the correct message. Holness advance people will have to understand that each event he is asked to attend and address is an opportunity to showcase his leadership skills as well as to impress those he addresses that he is a leader worthy of their time and attention.
SMITH… if crime problem is not corrected, the economy will be going nowhere
THE Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has called on Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to speak to the nation about the escalating crime situation when she addresses the public session of the People’s National Party’s (PNP) 77th Annual Conference in Kingston on Sunday.
“We haven’t heard from the prime minister [who] is the chairman of the security council and she, in her own right, ought to be speaking to the nation and giving the citizen some level of comfort. I heard the chairman of the PNP at a press conference recently, saying that at the PNP’s conference this coming Sunday [we will have] the prime minister speaking to a great extent on the economy. Well I’m demanding of her to speak to the crime situation in Jamaica, because if that is not corrected the economy will be going nowhere,” Opposition spokesperson on national security, Derrick Smith stated at a press conference at the JLP’s Belmont Road, Kingston headquarters yesterday.
Smith said the national security ministry must also give the country a status report on the effectiveness of the crime-fighting strategies that have been announced over the past few months. This, he said, should include information on the get-the-guns campaign and the use of CCTV in some town centres.
“We have not been hearing from the minister. Last year at this time he was gloating about the 16 per cent decrease over the previous years and speaking to smart policing. Well, I would like to hear what he has to say about the type of policing that we are experiencing now,” which he described as “horrendous”.
The Opposition spokesman also demanded an update on the results being reaped under the various pieces of legislation, such as the anti-gang laws, which were pushed through Parliament as a part of the conditionalities of the Government’s deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Read more here :Opposition wants PM to address crime at PNP conference
Police Commissioner Dr. Carl Williams issued a statement to residents of West Kingston that crime is under control. Speaking at a press conference at his Old Hope Road offices Commissioner Williams said. “I am asking all law abiding citizens for their patience as we continue with the curfews and cordon and search operations to get the criminals from their midst,”. The top cop pointed to increased coöperation between residents and his officers citing what he characterized as a non existence of any such coöperation initially. The Commissioner encouraged officers on patrol to interact with residents within the communities. Pointing to heavy police/military deployment in the communities Williams said this has had a calming effect on the west Kingston communities.
The Commissioner must know however that merely flooding the streets of these inner cities communities with officers is not sustainable for the long run . Residents of these war torn communities are no strangers to these heavy deployments which tend to suppress the blood-letting for a few day after which the security forces leave and it’s back to the status quo.
This cannot be laid at the feet of Commissioner Williams and his officers alone. As important as it is to take these communities and hold them, it is important that the Government and NGO’s get involved in these communities to offer hope and direction for young people who cannot find jobs. Unfortunately the Administration is deafeningly silent as we alluded to in another article just today despite the rash of killings plaguing the country. Despite the lack of political leadership on crime it is important that the police adopt measures on their own to minimize the number of crimes and the traumatizing effects it is having on the Island’s residents.
In order to flood a community with cops and members of the military they have to be pulled from somewhere, this means that though the JCF is not fully staffed the additional help from the Military in special situations greatly alleviates the manpower shortage. So it seem that some of these problems can be solved with more careful planning and a little ingenuity. Many years ago we were able to keep crime in check in Saint Andrew North using simple yet ingenious techniques . Yes we had a great team of officers at the Constant Spring ‚Maverly, Red Hills, Stony Hill,and Lawrence Tavern police stations . I speak about these officer yet I have never actually named them . It is only appropriate that I try to document some of these officers with whom I was privileged to serve. Many of these officers have left the department as I did , some stayed and are in senior management positions , some have retired and tragically we have lost some of our friends.
A section of Cassava piece a community right next to the constant Spring Police station..
That team included Deputy Superintendent Anthony Hewitt. Detective Inspector Noël Asphall. Detective Sergeant Gerald Wallace. Detective Sergeant Donald Mc’Innis. Detective Sergeant Barrington Campbell. Detective sergeant Harding. Detective Corporal Tracey. Detective corporal Colin Pinnock. Detective corporal Morgan. Detective Corporals Leroy Hanson. Brimroy Garwood .Wilford Gayle. Green. Devon Watkis. Dean Taylor. Ellison. Dadrick Henry. Altamoth(Parra) Campbell. George Henry. Lynval Henry . Spy Henry . Élan Powell. Allan Campbell. George Henry. Yasmin Ankle. Michael Beckles. Constables Dathan Henry. Foster. Foster. Allen Gauntlet .Francis. Webber . Skully. Francis. Errol McLeish.
A Norbrook home (upper St Andrew)..
To the officers who served with us whom I omitted it does not mean you were any less important the years have taken their toll it has been 24 years since we worked together. The list of officers named here were scattered over the stations named in the St, Andrew north Police Division who worked assiduously and tenaciously to contain crime with next to no resources. One of the challenges for us at the Constant Spring station was the fact that we we had two extremes in our police responsibilities. Cassava Piece, Red Hills Road, White Hall avenue, Ackee-Walk , Grants Pen, Grants Pen Gully and Barbican were some of the depressed communities which ringed the Constant Spring Station to the south East and west while the upscale communities of Barbican Heights, Cherry Gardens, Norbrook, and similar neighborhoods fell within our sphere of responsibility to the north and north east.
(illustration)Understanding where resources are needed is crucial in deterring criminal activity..
We were tasked with protecting the poorest of the poor as well as the richest and most important people at the same time, at best we had three cars. We learned to find ways to use simple techniques to solve problems. I take credit for a simple board with a map of our area of responsibility, we used colored pins to represent different categories of crime . This allowed us to concentrate our resources in the areas where they were needed most with resounding success. This of course was done because we had a terrific group of dedicated officers
I urge the Commissioner to apply critical thinking to solving some of the problems facing the Jamaican people. Nothing will endear the police to the Jamaica people again as solving the crime problem . The police Commissioner will have to find ways to do so with no help from the Administration in Jamaica House. The present Administration simply does not understand the effects of crime on society or is too heavily immersed in it . Either way Jamaica loses . I say it’s the latter.
Amidst speculation and fervor surrounding the possibility of General Elections in Jamaica possibly by the end of this year is the ominous and constant stream of daily murders. The next Jamaican general election is constitutionally due between 29 December 2016 (the day of the previous election in 2011) and 16 April 2017 (within three months of the date of the first sitting of the new Parliament on 17 January 2012). Despite the length of time still to go experts and Election watchers are excitedly watching for signs that the next National polls may be closer than we think. One indicator of this imminence is the sighting of Portia Simpson Miller on public platforms . Addressing the annual conference of her South West St Andrew constituency the Jamaican Prime Minister said “I hear them say that I am missing in action, all who say that I am missing in action, why them never say the same thing when the JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) having their problems? I don’t have any problems in my party, I am the leader and I lead from in front, not behind”.
I am the leader and I lead from in front, not behind”.
To the average observer this statement means little but to those steeped in Jamaican political traditions this may mean elections are near or worse case, the season has started and it will be a long campaign. The Jamaican Prime Minister is a product of Garrison Politics which has metastasized and is now an integral part of the Jamaican Political landscape. Garrison Politics is the practice of the political parties to use scarce public funds to create zones of political exclusions . Zones of party loyalists who vote for the party which doles out the freebies. In many cases party loyalists receive free housing in select communities, they pay no property taxes, and are afforded paychecks for work they never do. This practise has had devastating consequences for the Jamaican economy it has balkanized, tribalized and polarized the nation’s politics over the ensuing decades since Independence and cost thousands of lives.
The Jamaican Prime Minister’s party is not the only villain, her party has simply been better at it. However the Prime Minister brings to the stage a sense of parochiality and crassness that many Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora would like to see exit the stage. Many Jamaicans believe the Prime Minister is not only unqualified but grossly unfit to serve as the highest elected official based on those characteristics. All across the country the rash of murders continue unabated. The Police are powerless to do anything about it and the Prime Minister now back in the spotlight from hibernation pretends that all is well. Maybe it’s time the Prime Minister remove those ridiculous sunglasses so she can see what everyone else sees happening to the once proud and thriving Island.
CRIME
The Police report that the majority of killings and other serious crimes are now being committed outside the Kingston and St. Andrew Metropolitan area and Spanish Town the traditional murder hotspots. There are several factors at play which makes this possible. The creation of Highways linking the Kingston Metropolitan Region to the rest of the country makes access and egress to and from the rest of the country a breeze. Many of these crimes are being committed by men on high powered motorcycles. The nation’s criminals are not stupid they are aware that the greatest concentration of law enforcement assets are bundled in Kingston and Saint Andrew. They also know that softer targets exist outside Kingston and so the chance of them getting apprehended are next to zero. It appears that as far as murders are concerned nowadays the Police simply show up and carry out the motion. It does not appear that there is any significant headway being made in Investigating and bringing criminals to justice. It is a frightening prospect when one considers the amount of murderers walking the streets of Jamaica with absolutely no fear they will ever be brought to justice. In instance after instance we see the Police operating in the public and they seem unsure and unprepared to deal with the problems they are faced with. This is not lost on the criminal underworld. For a decade during the 1990’s, by the (JCF’s) own admission the Percival Patterson Administration did not make a single dollar available to train detectives. Many sober watchers of the country’s crime situation will tell you that was the period during which the Police department lost control of crime.”
COMMUNITYPOLICING
A policeman engages students of Central High School in May Pen as part of community policing efforts.
There are no substitutes for good community policing and impeccable detective work these two components are key to the success of any department. Corruption .Perceived Corruption. Politics. Nepotism. Low compensation. Lack of Leadership from the high command and the Political directorate and incompetence are only some of the issues plaguing and hindering the JCF’s ability to adequately arrest the runaway crime rate. As I have said before It is critical that Police Officers use their discretion in going about their duties however there is a clear line of demarcation which officers in uniform should not cross. No Police Department allows it’s officers in uniform to behave in ways which are antithetical to the department’s rules. Police officers subsequently must understand that even as they strive for ways to connect with the communities they serve they must remain vigilant that they do not bring the department to a place where the very people they chose to impress have to look down in order to see them . The notion that a police department in crisis will endear itself to a public which celebrates an overturned patrol car, by engaging in “coonery and buffoonery “is symptomatic of an intellectual deficiency and a rot which have permeated some segments of the society including ex-members. It is belaboring the point to say Police departments do well when they embrace community Policing.
As a small business owner I was really unhappy when my city discontinued the practice of having patrol officers stop in to businesses and say “hi” to store owners. I thought the previous outreach and camaraderie we shared with our officers were special and worthy of our department and the over 30,000 residents who live in my city. Not once however did I see a single officer having to Become a disc jockey or a dancing gyrating clown to earn our respect.
Young people of Steer Town in St. Ann receive support from the police as they march against drug abuse, gang violence and other social ills ..
Ending a dance or event which refuses to abide by the Town and Community Act should not have to be done because a cop gets on stage and join in the event. If and when we find ourselves at that point it means that the Police department has lost it’s effectiveness. Police doing their jobs effectively cannot be through clowning, it is done with coördinated backup, officers coming to the assistance of fellow officers and coming fast . That is the best way to ensure that citizens obey the laws and the officers tasked with enforcing them. let me be clear there is absolutely no merit to the arguments that no matter what officers do as long as you slap the title police community relations on it it’s okay. That philosophical single mindedness is exactly why the department finds itself ineffective and ineffectual. The police is understandably unsure and tentative. This places their lives at serious risk. Almost daily there are incidents of officers forced to back down from crowds of people who quickly gather around and hinders the arrest of offenders. In some cases this involves a female officer who offer little or no help to her male counterpart. In other cases attempts to effect an arrest becomes a nightmare because officers are tentative and uncertain how to effectively arrest an offender.
The Church and Corporal Marlando Gordon (right) engages residents of Prospect Crossing in song and dance. Occasion was a stop in the area during a peace march throughout …
This again is a crisis of leadership. Criminals and their supporters are like Predators. Sharks can detect a single drop of blood in the ocean from long distances away. Criminals can sense fear and uncertainty in police officers. We need to bring back the decisiveness and assertiveness in our officers. Jamaican criminals are not getting kinder they are getting more callous more brutal. The police department must have officers who are not afraid to enforce the laws decisively. That is at the heart of the problem. This whole idea of dancing police officers , police officer as disc jockeys, and police officers daggering in uniform is testament not to the changing times but the idiocy of proponents. Of course officers can engage the public and have loads of fun in uniform, there is however a line which they should not cross. There is a clear line between being popular and the class clown.
HANOVER, Jamaica – Three men were reportedly shot dead last night in Lucea, Hanover.
Reports reaching OBSERVERONLINE are that the three were at a shop in First Hill shortly before 11:00pm when masked men walked up and fired shots. The identities of the men have not yet been ascertained. The police’s Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) confirmed the incident but said they were unable to provide details at this time. See Jamaica Observer for more on this story :Masked men murder 3 in Hanover
As the élite media casts about for ways to understand and explain the rise of Donald Trump, they may find outsize historical precedents (as Politico did when it asked 13 historians to name “the closest antecedent to Trump”), or cite Richard Hofstadter’s “Paranoid Style” (as the New Yorker, CNN and Salon did — even while TNR’s Jeet Heerwarned against Hofstadter’s influential misreading of populism to explain him), or simply scratch their heads in wonder. But if the media — especially the dominant élite media — really wants to know who’s responsible for Trump’s rise, one place they should start looking is right in their bathroom mirrors. I know, I know. Trump is a clownish figure far removed from the sort of seriousness they strive to cultivate. Surely they can’t be blamed for him, right?
Wrong. Here’s why: As Congress returns, there’s a looming threat of yet another government shutdown. Once unthinkable, then disastrous when Gingrich introduced them, shutdown threats have become a part of normal politics in the Obama era, thanks in large part to “balanced” journalism, which has helped to reframe them as normal, if perhaps a little bit risky — and therefore, a bit titillating. With a large part of the GOP buying into this fantasy view of how politics works, they were at first content to vent their hatred primarily on President Obama and congressional Democrats, but now their anger has widened to the entire political class — which is actually well deserved, in a way. But it’s not just the GOP politicians who egged them on who are to blame — the “balanced” media played a starring role as well.
Shutdowns are not the only aspect of this story — there’s the dramatic increase in the use of the filibuster, for example — but they are arguably the most extreme form that destructive obstructionism can take. They are also one of the most dramatic — and virtually unprecedented prior to the 1990s. They also involve a kind of psychological regression, back to a more immature state. After all, the essential nature of the shutdown is a refusal to engage in normal give-and-take, the sort of thing most of us learn in kindergarten, if not before. As one indication of this, pollsters even took to asking the public who was acting more adult or more like a “spoiled child.” When the whole political system gets pulled for years in the direction of government-by-temper-tantrum — and the media treats it as perfectly normal — it really should not be so surprising when an intemperate blowhard like Trump suddenly shows up to steal the show.
The “balanced” media has promoted this dysfunction around government shutdowns in at least three distinct ways: First, the media presents the shutdown shorn of historical context, with no indication of how radical, novel or one-sided it is, or of how it relates to a broader range of related radical and novel right-wing strategies, or to the dramatic underlying rightward shift of the GOP in Congress (House/Senate) since 1980. This has the effect of dramatically reducing the cost of introducing new, destabilizing and downright destructive political strategies.
Second, the media adopts a “balanced” approach to reporting on the prospects of a shutdown, and the shutdown itself. It seeks to place blame on both sides (see, for example the Media Matters research report, “What The Media’s False Equivalence Misses About the Government Shutdown Threat“), regardless of how inaccurate this is. This falsely balanced reporting works in favor of the absolute worst actors — always giving them the “benefit of the doubt,” and against those who are most public-minded, adopting a stance of jaded cynicism, regardless of whether they’ve done anything to deserve it. Third, the media “balances” any residual negativity that the shutdown perpetrators might be left with stories intended to cast the other party — the Democrats – in an equally bad light. The media’s months-long obsession over problems with the Obamacare website filled this function perfectly.
Although it began even earlier, shutdown talk began to flower immediately after the 2010 midterms, and ramped up through a series of threats, and near-shutdowns over the next two-plus years (see detailed timeline here), until Republicans finally did shut the government down for two weeks in October 2013, over a doomed attempt to defund Obamacare before it could go into effect. The public reaction was extremely negative, even though the media’s “balanced” coverage strove to give Obama and the Democrats an equal amount of blame (some relevant headlineshere). At the time, I wrote a story identifying “nine distinct bodies of evidence”contradicting the “both sides did it” narrative:
(1) The longstanding GOP fixation on shutting down the government.
(2) The GOP’s creation of the shutdown crisis by blocking the budget reconciliation process.
(3) The emergence and evolution of the incoherent Ted Cruz/Tea Party plan to force a shutdown over ‘Obamacare’.
(4) The record of prominent Republican politicians and others who repeatedly warned against forcing a government shutdown.
(5) The contrary historical record of some Republicans downplaying the severity of the shutdown.
(6) The record of drastic Democratic budget concessions embodied in the “clean continuing resolution” which House Republicans rejected.
(7) The polling evidence that only GOP base voters are opposed to political compromise — and are indifferent to crisis.
(8) Evidence that GOP base intransigence drives policy.
(9) The framework of American legislative history.
There were stories here and there in the press touching on all of the above, but because of the ideologically driven commitment to “balance,” they were kept isolated and atomized, never consolidated into a coherent picture of what was actually going on at the time. And for good reason: the GOP wanted a shutdown, and the public overwhelmingly did not.
Going into the shutdown, a Quinnipiac poll released on Oct. 1 found American voters rejecting it by more than a 3 – 1 landslide: 72 – 22 percent. While Gallup had recorded a very modest peak of congressional approval for the year at 19 percent in early September, before the shutdown drama began, it dropped to 11 percent in early October in the middle of the shutdown, and 9 percent in early November—the lowest level ever recorded by Gallup in 39 years of polling the measure.
Even with the intense gerrymandering that the GOP has implemented after the 2010 midterms, there was some serious talk that they could lose control of the House in the 2014 midterms as a result. But immediately after the shutdown ended, attention shifted to severe problems with the Obamacare website, and within a few weeks, the media managed to “balance” things out so thoroughly that few can even recall how badly damaged the GOP was as a result of the shutdown.
Numerous polls have shown that a majority of Americans assign a larger share of blame for the shutdown to congressional Republicans, who tried to tie government funding provisions to defunding the Affordable Care Act….
Fifty-four percent of Americans now oppose Republican control of the House, according to a CNN-ORC poll released on Monday. And a series of pollscommissioned by progressive advocacy group Moveon.org and conducted by Public Policy Polling released in batches over the last several days indicate Democrats may have enough momentum to take back the House.
Democrats only need to lock up 17 additional seats in the November 2014 midterm elections to secure a House majority. The new polls show the recent government shutdown may cause as many as 37 Republicans to lose their House seats next year.
PPP pollsters surveyed 61 Republican-held congressional districts around the country from Oct. 1 through Oct. 18. They concluded that “Democrats not only have an opportunity to take back the House of Representatives next year, but that they could win a sizable majority if voter anger over the shutdown carries into 2014.”
Republicans will likely find this third round of surveys to be the most alarming yet, given that the new results show substantial Republican vulnerability in many districts that were not even supposed to be close. Incumbent Republicans trail generic Democrats in 15 of the 25 districts we most recently surveyed. This means generic Democrats lead in 37 of 61 districts polled since the beginning of the government shutdown.
In short, the GOP had severely damaged itself, and stood a very real chance of losing control of the House in the 2014 midterms. The shutdown strategy had proved itself to be a disaster. It should have thoroughly discredited all who had argued for it, and all the thinking that led to it. That’s the clear lesson that should have been drawn. But then the “balanced” media got to work, and all the the above was swiftly negated — not just forgotten — by media’s “balanced” shift of attention to the problems with the Obamacare website.
To be clear, those problems were absolutely real — but they were also clearly technical problems, rather than problems of policy or political philosophy. The political media, however, treated the GOP’s government shutdown and the Obama administration’s website problems as virtual mirror images of one another — an act of narrative creation that became a self-fulfilling prophecy. The short-term result of that was that it protected the GOP from suffering any consequences for the shutdown. In the 2014 midterms, this meant not only holding the House, but taking over the Senate as well.
Karma, however, is a bitch. The long-term results are now showing up in the form of the Trump campaign’s dominance, and the crumbling of more “mainstream” “responsible” conservatives — not just Jeb Bush, but the entire suite of governors and ex-governors, who’ve averaged a total of just 27 percent in the last five polls tracked at Huffington Post, compared to 50 percent for Trump, Carson and Fiorina, the three candidates who’ve never held office before. If the GOP electorate has largely rejected experienced politicians in favor of these three — and Trump most of all — then a very good part of the reason is that they’ve repeatedly been promised success through confrontation, force of will and purity of intention, and they’ve been repeatedly frustrated instead.
The party itself and its various allies are partly to blame for this, of course. In the timeline linked to above, Think Progress noted:
In November of 2010, GOP leaders informally polled the incoming freshman and were surprised to discover that “all but four of them said they would vote against raising the ceiling, under any circumstances.” This response was the result of what the Washington Post described as a “natural outgrowth of a years-long effort” by GOP recruiters to build a new majority with uncompromising anti-tax, anti-spending candidates and it effectively hamstrung Republican leaders from accepting any kind of budgetary compromise from the Obama administration.
But the media is responsible as well, with its insistence on a false and misleading form of “balance,” which gave Republicans an enormous edge in the short run, but never enough to actually achieve the impossible goals they had promised their base. The “balanced” media never pointed out the disconnect —in the short run, that would have helped the Democrats, so of course we couldn’t have that. So, instead, this “balanced” coverage removed all cost for the GOP’s extremism: They didn’t have to be for anything, they could just be against, and not suffer any consequence for the pain they caused. But, at the same time, they didn’t accomplish any of the impossible things they had promised.
Which is why Donald Trump is so popular now. He benefits both from the base’s unrealistically raised expectations, and from the leadership’s failure to meet them. The “balanced” media deserves a good deal of credit for both.
Sen. Bernie Sanders blasted MSNBC and Comcast for canceling Ed Schultz and removing one of the few voices for working Americans from television. In a statement Sen. Sanders (I‑VT) said:
By: Jason Easley. Sen. Bernie Sanders blasted MSNBC and Comcast for canceling Ed Schultz and removing one of the few voices for working Americans from television. In a statement Sen. Sanders (I‑VT) said:
We live in a time when much of the corporate media regards politics as a baseball game or a soap opera. Ed Schultz has treated the American people with respect by focusing on the most important issues impacting their lives. He has talked about income and wealth inequality, high unemployment, low wages, our disastrous trade policies and racism in America.
I am very disappointed that Comcast chose to remove Ed Schultz from its lineup. We need more people who talk about the real issues facing our country, not fewer.
At a time when a handful of large, multi-national corporations own our major media outlets, I hope they will allow voices to be heard from those who dissent from the corporate agenda.
It is rare to see a sitting U.S. Senator blast a network for a programming decision, but it is also rare that a network makes such a blatantly pro-corporate decision as the one that MSNBC has made. The cancelation of Ed Schultz means that one of the only populist voices for blue collar liberalism will be taken off the air. The decision to replace Schultz’s voice with that of NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd made MSNBC’s new direction obvious.
They don’t get much more corporate than Chuck Todd. MSNBC could have replaced Schultz with a wide variety of journalists, but the network intentionally chose to replace an anti-corporate voice with a man who owes his career to not rocking the boat and doing the bidding of his corporate bosses.
Who is going to stand up to the corporations and speak out for workers on television after Schultz is gone? Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes are off doing their intellectual wonk thing that doesn’t pay much attention to the concerns of ordinary working people. The rest of the MSNBC lineup that isn’t named Joe Scarborough is rumored to up for cancelation. The voice of Ed Schultz is going by Chuck Todd and his band of Republican guests who spout Beltway talking points.
We have been talking about this Pope Francis . Not just about his American visit but his teachings and comments since his ascendancy to the Papacy. We make our observations in the context of Biblical teachings and more importantly Biblical Prophesy. We believe it is important that we observe the Books of Daniel and Revelation as the very words of these the penultimate and ultimate books of the Bible are unfolding in front our very eyes today We also look at this Pope in the context of the debate raging on the issue so called “marriage equality” . We believe and as such we have articulated that in the context the next assault on the Church of Jesus Christ will be that the Powers of the Beast will go after houses of worship demanding that they pay taxes. We have argued we believe that that will be the next front in this war being waged against the Church of God. Do not be confused when we say the Church of God . We do not believe the Catholic Church is of the Lord. We do not believe the Catholic Church is representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Conversely we believe the Beast of the Books of Daniel and Revelation are not what many Christians believe it to be. Many Christians may very well be surprised to find that the very place to which they are running is not a place of refuge against the calamity to come but may very well be the head of that calamity. The Lord Commands us not to be deceived by the Beast. But to come out of Babylon which is the fallen Church. Could it be that the fallen Church , the very place to which many will run will be the very place from which we should run? We have argued that after Gays and Lesbians are allowed to legally get married the next front would be the stripping away of the tax-exempt status from Churches which refuses to marry Gays and Lesbians in their Sanctuaries , It will however come under the guise that they refuse to take care of the poor.
Obama and Francis
After all many will agree with that concept right ? Who doesn’t believe the poor should be the benefactor of our largess? But see the devil will never come and say I am the devil he comes in disguise as a do-gooder looking out for the poor. How else to deceive but gain your confidence? As the argument goes Kim Davis the Kentucky clerk should follow the law and issue those marriage licences to homosexual couples against her christian beliefs because of course it is the law right? We said they will take the Churches tax-exempt next> And then they will begin locking up the few Pastors who dare to refuse to marry gays in their churches.
SOWHATDOESTHEPONTIFFFEELSHOULDHAPPENNOW ?
Francis
On the eve of his visit to the United States, Pope Francis blasted religious institutions who are exploiting tax loopholes to make money instead of helping the needy. In an interview with a Portuguese Catholic broadcaster, the Pope discussed the need for Christians to fight the temptation of the ‘God of money’, into which many religious institutions often fall. He then called out those institutions that have opted to enter into the hospitality industry while exploiting a legal loophole to keep from paying taxes on their business enterprise operating under the guise of doing “God’s work.”
“Some religious orders say ‘No, now that the convent is empty we are going to make a hotel and we can have guests, and support ourselves that way, or make money.’ Well, if that is what you want to do, then pay taxes! A religious school is tax-exempt because it is religious, but if it is functioning as a hotel, then it should pay taxes just like its neighbor. Otherwise it is not fair business.”
Thisstatementfrom the leader of the Catholic Church is part of his continuing call for the Church to set an example and create change in what he has continuously referred to as a “bad and unjust economic system,” that continues to maximize profits at the expense of the masses.
The Vatican
In Italy, which the Pope is using as a litmus test for the rest of the world, the Church owns more than 100,000 buildings with an estimated worth exceeding $10 billion. In 2013 the Italian Church started paying taxes on those facilities which are solely commercial, but still avoid taxation on any building that contains a chapel. In America, it isestimatedthat churches would generate $83.5 billion in annual tax revenue if the exemption was lifted on the ir $600 billion in un-taxed properties.
We hate to say we told you so but even I am surprised at how quickly this suggestion came behind my predictions. The truth is the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is closer than we think . The Children of the Lord must understand and not be deceived . It is important that Christians see these events happening daily and understand what they mean going forward. If you do not know the Lord find a Bible preaching Church which teaches end time Gospel . Find a Church which is in the business of preparing Souls for God’s kingdom.
The greatness of a very creative and loving God is all around us …
One of contemporary man’s greatest idiocy once he has been exposed to a little education is the belief that the new knowledge he is exposed to reveals the non-existence of God. Hence he begins a crusade against his Creator while he struggles mightily yet unsuccessfully to come up with a plausible alternative explanation for his miserable existence. Some Education can do that to a fool. Noted Apologist Dr. Ravi Zachariah in commenting on this idiocy , pointed out that Liberalism in the Halls of academia have turned knowledge into an Anti-God phenomenon in recent times. Dr. Zachariah pointed to the fact that historically the ‚most educated people were the most Religious until recently when Liberalism invaded Academic spaces advancing a view that science disproves God. Unfortunately for these heathens Science and God are not mutually exclusive. Science explains God’s greatness not disprove his existence.
Lloyd B Smith out in St. James central, Raymond Pryce out in St Elizabeth, Dr Lynvale Bloomfield in Portland Eastern, Lisa Hanna in peril up there in St. Ann, and Damion Crawford in St Andrew for the PNP . Gregory Mair out in NE St. Catherine for the JLP. Additionally there are countless other squabbles brewing in both Political parties. In a Democracy this could be construed to mean the democratic electoral process is at play and the voice of the people are being heard. Not so in Jamaica for either Party.
Raymond Pryce
The only constant in all of this is that it is reasonable to construe that national elections are not too far away. Some election watchers have predicted the Country may see national elections before the end of this year. When attempting a serious critique of Jamaica’s political reality one has to do so from the most base perspective. This is true because everything done politically in Jamaica is done for the most base self-serving reasons. People are not forced out because the parties want to purge non-performing dead-wood from their ranks. People are purged because other people in positions of power want them out for their own reasons. The ultimate sin in Jamaican politics is members with minds of their own. Having an independent mind is a no no. You never criticize the party no matter how wrong it’s policies are. Speaking out is political suicide.
Damion Crawford
Lloyd B Smith a former JLP member who went over to the PNP spoke out recently against corruption within the party. Smith ought to have know that criticizing the PNP was political suicide particularly as a member who does not have “deep roots” in the party, a kind of nice term die-hards use pejoratively to style non-original-cult members of the PNP like Smith.
Lisa Hanna
Patrick Atkinson the Attorney General also transitioned to the PNP after contesting national elections on the JLP ticket twice. Atkinson bolted then bolted to the PNP in 2007 where life has been peach since .Politics is all about grasping the moment, seizing the opportunity and nothing to do with service. Recently Joan Gordon Webley jumped the Labor ship and sought membership in the Governing PNP. Comrades feeling invaded by the hordes[sic] of laborites jumping ship as Donald Trump feels about Mexicans invading the US southern border, howled in condemnation at the influx of laborites to their cult. As a result Webley is now in limbo her application to join the party was decided against by the National Executive Council of the PNP which sent her application back to the executive for reconsideration. Does that migration of laborites mean they have given up on the JLP ever assuming office again? Or does it mean they have finally surrendered to the narrative that “Jamaica a PNP country”? Or maybe both ?
Gregory Mair
People’s National Party delegates have also shown Raymond Pryce the door and the Nation’s first elected Rastafarian Damion Crawford is in peril up there East Rural St. Andrew. Crawford may be in danger for doing the unthinkable having words of support for the Jamaican Police. However his strident critique of (indecom) may be the reason the Party is being nudged to remove him. At least for Crawford this may be bigger than the parochialism of PNP tribal politics , but may even come from more powerful forces outside the country who are major supporters of (indecom). One thing is noticeable though were the Labor Party experiencing this level of disunity, there would be major glee that narrative being that the Labor party has come apart at the seams. Not so when the PNP goes through it’s pains , it’s just internal business. Maybe Jamaica really is “PNP country” !!
The cop who was captured on video clashing with a civilian deejay, at a dance he was assigned to lock off, is now facing a probe by the Police High Command. The cop, who was seen in his uniform belting out dancehall lyrics much to the delight of thepatrons, has been hauled up by his superiors who have expressed concern about his behaviour. His superiors were alerted to his deejaying exploits via a video which was posted on social media last week. The video has been viewed more than 50,000 times. His impromptu performance was rewarded as patrons including children were seen throwing money at him as he showed off his lyrical prowess. He is facing internal charges of misconduct and soliciting money and could be slapped with at least five other charges.
Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis returned to work today after spending 5 days in jail. A Federal Judge ruled Davis was in contempt of his order to grant marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Miss Davis a devout Christian refuses to acquiesce to the demands, arguing doing so would violate her conscience. Kim Davis the Rowan County Clerk is opposed to gay and lesbian marriage based on her Christian faith. This morning Davis tearfully stood in front of her offices and issued a statement saying she would not interfere if her deputies issued licenses to same-sex couples, but she would not authorize those licenses. “To affix my name or authoritative title on a certificate that authorizes marriage that conflicts with God’s definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman violates my deeply held religious convictions and conscience,” Davis said during a brief statement after arriving at her office. “For me, this would be an act of disobedience to my God.”.. It is important to note in light of the growing support for homosexual lifestyle that at the time Kim Davis ran for public office the law of the land was that marriage was between one man and one woman as it has been ordained by God for thousands of years. Of course this was before the Supreme Court took it upon itself to usurp God’s authority with it’s earthly authority.. As we have repeatedly said in this publication, this demonic issue was and is never about marriage or equality. Neither is it about marriage equality. It is about the persecution of Christians for their belief in God. This is bigger than a mere contemporary issue. It is inherently the fulfilment of Scriptures in front our very eyes. Unfortunately many including those who are supposed to be protecting the flock are woefully unprepared , ill-equipped and in some cases blind to what’s happening.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. This morning Media houses were gleefully reporting that a Lesbian couple had announced their intention to show up for a marriage licence. How convenient ? Why on the very day Kim Davis decided to return to work? Why announce their intentions? Why not show up and do what other couples do when seeking a marriage licence? Because the idea is to show Kim Davis broken and subdued and humiliated. They broadcast their intentions to show up because that is exactly what the Gay Agenda is about. It is about getting Christians and other dissenters to bow down or be humiliated as neanderthal relics of a less than intelligent time. lesbian couple — Shannon Wampler and Carmen Collins were not there just for the piece of paper which ultimately will condemn them they were there to show Kim Davis and Christians across the Globe where the arrow is trending and County Clerk Brian Mason was more than happy to sell his soul for a moment in the spotlight.
Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. God says in Revelation 18:4 ‘come out of her My people.’ (Babylon) . Some Christians believes Babylon in the book of Revelation is a city, and God says in Revelation 18:4 ‘come out of her My people.’ But these Christians sincere though they are,misunderstand what Babylon is in Revelation. Babylon in the book of Revelation is not a city it’s the fallen church.God warns his people to come out of this fallen church, so they don’t share in her sins. As this Gay agenda unfolds in front our eyes and is being rammed down our throats the head of the Catholic Church[sic] says “who am I to judge” ? If the Catholic Pontiff bothered to read the Bible he would understand that calling sin, sin is not judging. He would know it is exactly what Jesus said we should do even as we show love to our fellow sinners.
If the Pontiff was clear on Biblical teachings and not the worship of the Virgin Mary he would know that it is exactly the duty of the Church to point to a path of moral clarity rather than muddy the water which leads to life eternal. It is exactly what the Lord God commandeth when he tell us to come out of Babylon . This is the Pontiff who tells his Bishops to absolve people of their sins. Who is the Pope or his Bishops to absolve anyone of sin. God alone has the power to remove sin not some elevated tool of Satan. Pope Benedict silently went into obscurity because he did not support the agenda of Homosexuals. We wrote in this very publication that the reason he was forced out was exactly because he would not allow himself to be a tool for this satanic practice. In 600 years no other Pontiff had resigned until Joseph Ratzinger (Benidict XVI) stepped aside which made way for Francis.
Catholics and non-Catholics alike are gleeful at the liberalism of Francis , whose policies are more in tune with contemporary culture. Rather than standing on the principles of christian teachings Francis has signalled a revolutionary path many see as antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ. As such catholics and non-catholics are salivating gleefully that this indeed is their Pope.
FRANCIS ♦He has contradicted the teachings of past popes. ♦ He has praised a children’s book promoting homosexual coupling. ♦ He has defended homosexuality. ♦ He has seemingly advocated for cultural relativism. ♦ He has encouraged more liberal academic traditions supported by many Jesuits. ♦ He has softened church rules regarding divorce and remarriage Read more here :22 Pope Francis Statements Proving He’s a Leftist.
The Protestant faith has been duplicitously silent , not wanting to attract attention even as Christians are being persecuted for their faith. The church is silent because it does not want to be be irrelevant, outdated, or to lose it’s tax-exempt status. I warn the silent Pastors that the next Kim Davis will be you. This is not a movement about Homosexuals being together. Gays have engaged in their homosexual lifestyle for thousands of years. This is about your faith. This is about your ability to stand up to the powers of Satan (earthly government) and say I will not denounce my faith in order to fit in. Silence will not change that , Satan will not cease his attacks simply because the Church cowers and hide in fear. Satan wants the total destruction of your faith . Hence the word of God (Psa. 119:11). The duty of God’s children is to hide His Word in their hearts. The next line of attack will be against the Pastors who shy away from Kim Davis . Some have even argued that because she was married several times she does not fit the bill of a perfect standard bearer for this stance. Says who? Throughout Biblical history God used people others scoffed at to carry out his plan. Who are you to decide that her marriages make her unfit to be a standard bearer. God used tax collectors, former prostitutes, and other lay people to fulfill his purpose , his will be done.
Shannon Wampler and Carmen Collins walked into Kim Davis’ office not just to get a marriage license, they walked in to show Kim Davis they have the power of the American Federal Government behind them, they gleefully chatted away with those who share their beliefs while the acquient clerk took care of the Devil’s business. The next chapter in this episode will be that the Churches will be asked to marry Gays. Some of the Pastors will validate the Devil’s work in the house of the Lord. Those of you who remain silent hoping that not getting involved will save you are in for a rude awakening. If you refuse you will first lose tax-exempt status , you will be blacklisted and eventually forced to either marry them or go to Jail , oh yes it’s the law right? They will make the very same arguments that the Church has no right to discriminate. They will say you Pastors are neanderthal bigots who refuse to follow the laws. They will say you are standing on antiquated principles which are stymieing the evolution of their Utopian Gay society.
The Church is so much a part of the world that there is no differentiation between the world and the Church . The lord challenges us to come out of Babylon . The Christian Church is no stranger to persecution , hold on there is much more coming . This is the beginning of the great falling away as foretold by Scripture. Choose ye this day whom he shall serve. Daniel 7:25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. Daniel 8:25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. Daniel 11:36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place.
Nowadays it’s almost impossible to hear good old Christian Hymns/songs, songs which just caused unsaved to get up out of their seats and walk up to the Altar so that their lives may be altered. In many cases tears streaming down their faces. Whatever happened to the good old songs we loved ? I know , I know these are contemporary times but has God changed ? Do we simply throw out everything old and good for everything. new? We can enjoy the new songs at the same time we remember the old can’t we? I believe so.
On Wednesday September 9th Harvard educated retired tennis star James Blake 35 was leaning against a mirrored beam outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, his hands clasped as he waited to be taken to a corporate appearance at the United States Open when he was bum-rushed and thrown to the ground by white plain-clothes NYPD officer 38-year-old James Frascatore. Mister Blake sustained bumps and bruises from his rough encounter with Frascatore he has been doing the media circuit at their invitation, to shed light on what really happened to him . Since then the NYPD has released video footage of the encounter which showed Frascatore rough-housing a startled and compliant Blake. Even more damaging for Frascatore and the NYPD is the Department’s own acknowledgement (1) That the encounter was a Sting operation gone bad. The NYPD alleges the sting was aimed at an alleged credit card scammer who resembles James Blake. More importantly (2) That James Frascatore has a history of abusive behavior to the public in the four years since he joined the NYPD from Florida. There is no mention whether he had a history of abusive behavior while being a police officer in the State of Florid. What we do know is that there are presently two civil actions in the Courts against Frascatore since he joined the NYPD.
James Frascatore
The New York Times reports that In 2012, a Queens man said, Officer James Frascatore pulled him over for a broken taillight, opened his car door and punched him three times in the mouth, unprovoked. The following year, another Queens resident claimed, Officer Frascatore punched him in the stomach several times outside a bodega and called him a racial epithet. Both incidents involved black men. The Times report indicated that Jamaes Frascatore’s history of excessive force complaints, including at least three filed against him with the Civilian Complaint Review Board in 2013, revealed a pattern of residents claiming they were detained without explanation and mistreated despite complying. It also led some lawyers and residents to criticize the Police Department for not punishing him before he was involved in another rough arrest. The report detailed instance after instance in which Frascatore and his cronies assaulted and abused citizens and lied about it in police reports. In one case he reported that he was bitten on the hand by one man he arrested, yet expert testimony revealed the cut on his hand was consistent with him punching the suspect in the mouth as the suspected maintained. Despite all of these allegations of abuse and instances of lying Officer James Frascatore was still working the streets and allowed to continue the pattern of rough abusive behavior.
Since this report came to light NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton has said race played no part in the treatment of James Blake. In the meantime Frascatore reportedly have finally been stripped of his gun and badge. Not surprisingly the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association said Mister Blake’s arrest “was made under fluid circumstances where the subject might have fled.”in an attempt to justify the use of force. No reasonable person bother to take the NYPDPBA seriously anymore.
Working the streets of any big city for police officers is no easy task . People are rude, abrasive, disrespectful, and they are violent, yet police officers must find ways to do their job without unduly abusing or causing harm to the very people they are sworn to protect. Police officers must always be reminded that their core function is (1) “to protect and serve”. And (2) That even in the worse situations a person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Even then, with the addition of scientific and technological advances to law enforcement and criminal investigations we see that in many instances even some the system adamantly claimed were guilty of heinous crimes have been released from prisons, sometimes after decades in prison for crimes they did not commit. With that in mind officers should have some degree of pause even when they are convinced they are right about the guilt of an individual. A good cop knows things are not always what they seem.
Cop who tackled James Blake sued 4 TIMES for excessive force, roughing up suspects during arrests
If one was to attach some degree of credibility to the statement of the PBA that the situation was fluid and that the suspect they were actually profiling could have escaped, one would have to be prepared to dispense with reality. No suspect being the subject of a sting operation in New York City is going to escape, so lets dispense with that bull. Which brings us to this reality. The Police claim the suspect of their investigations was involved in a credit card fraud essentially a white collar crime. What’s wrong with walking up to a suspect and simply identifying one’s self as police officers and if warranted telling the suspect he/she is under arrest? Why does every arrest have to be about throwing people to the ground with groups of cops straddling and kneeling into an on the suspect? What’s that about? James Blake was taken down by a single officer . If the Police are to be believed when they say the suspect they were investigating might have fled, they would certainly not have had a single officer doing the take-down and eventual arrest. It is time that the NYPD owns when it is wrong and stop disrespecting the citizens they are sworn to protect and serve. People are prepared to give police the benefit of the doubt because officers are human like the rest of us. Lying and obfuscating creates more enmity and anger , it’s okay to be wrong, something the PBA seem incapable of understanding.
CCTV footage: NYPD officer slams tennis star James Blake
If I am leaning on a building and the police comes up and arrest me by mistake then releases me once they figure I was not the person they were looking for, as long as they did not abuse me or was disrespectful to me I’m good. If I get thrown to the ground, sustain bumps and bruises and is verbally abused in the process, of course I want penance from the offender/s. Commissioner Bratton’s insistence that their initial suspect bore striking resemblance to James Blake and as such race played no role in the incident may resonate with police apologists and racism-deniers, it however misses another opportunity to recognize and apply fixes to a simmering problem. It is not outside the realm of possibilities to imagine that if James Blake was a white 35-year-old male just standing around he would not be bum-rushed, tackled and thrown to the ground. Commissioner Bratton and millions of racism deniers do themselves and the nation a disservice when they fail to recognize or admit that there is a built in disrespect when some in law enforcement come in contact with black and brown citizens. The longer he and others continue this charade the longer it continues, the more likely it is that innocent people continue to be hurt by police.
I’m no fan of Republican politics the Republican party apart from being a den and refuge for racists is also an enclave for hypocrites. Let me hasten to say this critique is in no way an endorsement of Democratic values. So I just watched Ben Carson famed Nuero-Surgeon give a press conference on television. Carson is the very first Doctor to successfully separate Siamese twins. He’s a Brilliant man who professes his Christian faith and strong affinity for traditional values. I must say I was impressed with Carson. I had not bothered listening to him or any other Republican so far this silly season. On the face of it Carson seemed like a reasonable man . He espouses Family, God and Country (not necessarily in that order).In fact Carson speaks eloquently on some of the very issues we talk about regularly in this forum regarding the black community. Personal Responsibility. Respect. Education. Religion. I was particularly thrilled that he spoke decidedly on the issue of children being born to unwed mothers, linking that phenomenon directly to some of the very stubborn challenges facing the African-American community today. Asked by reporters whether he would meet with “Black-Lives Matter-Activists” ? Carson said he would ! Carson Elaborated, “Black-Lives Matter should include more words including those being aborted.…… Now do you see why no matter how rational and sane they sound initially once you let them speak you realize that Republicans are all full of crap? Carson came from poor and very humble beginnings , through hard work and decided application he rose to become a famed Nuero Surgeon. I am with Carson when he speaks on the issues of personal responsibility, education, and respect . However when Carson uses language which insulates him from white critique , suggesting that he does not know that what black activists are saying is that black lives matter (too) Then Carson show himself to be just another pandering house negro to the Plantation owners.
Carson >“All lives matter” !!!
Ben Carson speaking in May of this year said “Black Lives Matter’ movement amounts to “political correctness going amuck,” arguing that the conversation around police violence against African-Americans should be “a little more mature.” “If you hire a plumber and he does a bad job, do you say all plumbers are bad? Let’s go out and kill them? I don’t think we do that,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, reiterating an argument that he made in the wake of the Baltimore riots earlier this year. “We need to be a little more mature, but certainly in cases where police are doing things that are inappropriate, I think we ought to investigate those promptly and justice should be swift.
Ben-Carson Republican candidate for president of the United States..
Okay on this analogy I am tempted to take back all the nice things I previously said about Carson. Plumbers do not kill people. If plumbers were killing people when they are supposed to save lives I believe it would be fair to expect people to have drastic negative reactions to them doing the opposite of what they are supposed to do. This may be a good time to remind the goodly Doctor Carson that police are just plumbers of a different name. Secondly Carson misses the point by a mile when he plays into the narrative of those who do not mind the wanton and wholesale killing of black people. Ben Carson must know that when he says all lives matter he is destroying the very basis of the claim made by black lives matter activists who have readily conceded that white lives matter and they want their lives to matter as well. Saying “All lives matter” is a fundamental denial of the fact that for many in law enforcement the lives of black youth are expendable, and yes simply does not matter that much. Carson like other Republicans hypocritically talks about Abortion and the sanctity of life yet they care precious little about life outside the womb. They espouse budget cuts which decimate the most vulnerable. They close schools and build jails which ensures the survival and growth of the prison industrial complex. They support the unmitigated lack of restraint or accountability when it comes to police crimes against the black community.
A typical Lilly-white crowd as this one which greeted Mitt Romney’s wife in 2012..
So the question becomes , why are Republicans supporting a black man for President of the United States? Presently Carson is polling second only to Donald Trump the white segregationist carnival barker, whose idiotic rants are starting to wear on even some Republicans . Is it that Republicans cannot garner any credible amount of black support but they are inclined to have their own version of blackness? A blackness which parrots their narrative despite the distasteful racists things they say and do to blacks? Why not ? They already have one on the Supreme Court who does their every bidding blindly. Why not support another Oreo-Cookie for show? In the end the Republicans will not nominate Ben Carson for President . Like their staged blacks at Republican conventions Ben Carson is just a showpiece which will eventually be tucked away after they have made their point . It’s always the same with his kind.…
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