Blog closed for travel

See you next week, and Happy New Year!

Why does the FBI spy on and infiltrate American citizen groups?

... but only when they challenge the status quo?

Isn't that "unAmerican?" And why is it not the lead story in the American media?

"Totally integrated corporate-state repression of dissent" is what The Guardian calls it.

Here is part of the story:

The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, in a groundbreaking scoop that should once more shame major US media outlets (why are nonprofits now some of the only entities in America left breaking major civil liberties news?), filed this request. The document – reproduced here in an easily searchable format – shows a terrifying network of coordinated DHS, FBI, police, regional fusion center, and private-sector activity so completely merged into one another that the monstrous whole is, in fact, one entity: in some cases, bearing a single name, the Domestic Security Alliance Council. And it reveals this merged entity to have one centrally planned, locally executed mission. The documents, in short, show the cops and DHS working for and with banks to target, arrest, and politically disable peaceful American citizens.

Read more:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/29/fbi-coordinated-crackdown-occupy

See the documents here:

http://www.justiceonline.org/commentary/fbi-files-ows.html

We've seen this before, no?

OK, OK, now I am done defending officers

I saw this story in the Orlando Sentinel.

As an educator who teaches students who become mostly cops and lawyers, I am now hoping more will turn to law school than to the academy.

Because I am done defending police officers after this. This story shows just how corrupt the practice can be, and how widespread the abuse of power actually is.

So much for the "LAW ENFORCEMENT CODE OF CONDUCT." (google it)

Read this account and try to notice how many officers must be in on this in order for things like this to occur.

http://www.officer.com/news/10846436/fla-trooper-who-stopped-cop-fears-for-safety

Prisoners to be released in North Carolina

How, exactly, does this happen?

A U.S. Justice Department review has identified at least 175 federal prisoners who must be released or resentenced because they have been locked up improperly.

The review, which followed a USA TODAY investigation, found that some of those prisoners shouldn't have been imprisoned because they hadn't committed a federal crime. Others received sentences vastly longer than the law allows.

The problems stem from a misunderstanding about which North Carolina state convictions were serious enough to outlaw gun possession or require extended prison sentences under federal law. The number of prisoners ultimately freed or given shorter sentences is likely to be higher than 175 because the examination by federal prosecutors was confined to the smallest of North Carolina's three U.S. court districts. Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said "many more" cases could be upended when all are reviewed.

So it comes from bad lawyering? In my state.

Ah, North Carolina. Making the news once again for all the wrong reasons.

Here is the rest of the story.

Newtown saying BYE to media

Wish the rest of us could, too.

Of course the risk of not having school violence in the media is that the problem is, once again, just forgotten.

But when there is literally no "new" news to report, what is the point of continuing to talk about the same things, over and over and over as part of the 24 hour news cycle?

According to Yahoo News, "Newtown residents ready to step out of media glare."

But, before you go, care to consider the possible relationship between what happened at the elementary school and the location of this group in your town?

Can you even imagine?

Here it comes. Finally.

Obama to lay out steps in gun policy

With the horror from Newtown giving way to calls for action, President Barack Obama will announce his first concrete steps today in addressing the debate about gun policy. FULL STORY | VICTIMS | MORE FUNERALS

OBAMA GUN PANEL: Biden to Head Task Force To Create New Gun Policies

• NRA Vows Role in Gun Debate

Texas Officials: Stop Shootings by Letting Teachers Fire Back

A pretty good article in the news about ...

... what motivates school violence.

Turns out it is hard to predict. Like all criminal behavior.

In criminology, it's called the "prediction problem."

What creates a mass killer?

If you're wondering who else in the United States might fit a "profile" of becoming a mass killer, just look around: They are everywhere, and they're most likely harmless. FULL STORY | OPINION: PREDICTING MASS MURDER IS IMPOSSIBLE

BUT, if there is a criticism of this article, it is that it fails to note the clear profile that has emerged in such cases.

Almost universally, these guys are white males, with easy access to guns, in rural areas, that were bullied or tormented, that suffered serious stress or strain in their lives including mental illness, and that told not one but multiple people in advance.

The problem is, most people who fit this profile don't shoot up schools. So how do you stop the one who does?

The only solution is to take them all seriously.

Death and the media: MORE

Remember the post from last week, Why Does How You Die Matter to the Media?

http://mediacriminaljustice.blogspot.com/2012/12/why-does-how-you-die-matter-to-media.html

I wrote that the media focus on every victim "whenever there is a senseless tragedy involving violent death at the hands of a 'deranged gunman.'"

Well, unfortunately we're seeing it again this week in the wake of the mindless slaughter of 20 small children and 6 adults at an elementary school in Connecticut.

You can learn about every victim here:

REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS

'Taken far too soon'

Vicki Soto "was a hero." Jessica Rekos loved "everything about horses." Emilie Parker "could light up a room." Learn more about the victims. Tributes

• Teachers, principal praised

Or ...

PROFILES OF THE VICTIMS | PHOTOS: Conn. School Shooting Victims

And on every other network too.

This was a horrible tragedy. And I have kids in public schools around this age, so it is even harder for me than most.

But this case again illustrates what kinds of victims in which the media are most interested. Most get no coverage at all. And this distorts what is actually most dangerous to us and our kids.

Welcome to America

 

The United States has experienced a number of mass shooting rampages this year, most recently in Oregon, where a gunman opened fire at a shopping mall on Tuesday, killing two people and then himself.

The deadliest attack came in July at a midnight screening of a Batman film in Colorado that killed 12 people and wounded 58.

And then today we get this:



http://news.yahoo.com/connecticut-towns-schools-locked-down-following-shooting-report-153953370.html

Crystal clear proof how screwed up criminal justice is

Casa Grande invited a private prison firm to help make a high-school marijuana bust. Can you spot the conflict of interest? If not, there is something wrong with your brain!

On 31 October 2012, a group of local law enforcement agencies and approximately 20 trained sniffer dogs descended on the Vista Grande High School in Arizona to perform a drug sweep. The officers and dogs showed up in the early morning and the school was put on lockdown, meaning all of the doors were locked and none of the children was allowed to leave.

According to the school's principal, Tim Hamilton, the dogs did not go near the children, who were made to wait in the hallways for the hour or so that the officers and canines swept through their classrooms. Ultimately, the dogs sniffed out three personal stashes of marijuana, and the three kids who owned these stashes were taken away by the police. Two of the kids have been put on long-term suspension, one has been expelled and all three are facing criminal charges.

Drug sweeps of schools are not uncommon occurrences in the recent past in America, much to the chagrin of civil rights advocates, who see such sweeps as an efficient means of diverting certain kids to prison – in some cases, even before they make it to adolescence, via the much-criticized "school-to-prison pipeline". What was unusual about this particular raid, however, is that, among the team of law enforcement personnel and canines put together by the local Casa Grande police department, there were prison guards employed by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the country's largest for-profit prison company, which owns and operates several prisons in the area. CCA was also kind enough to provide their sniffer dogs for the raid.

What's even more unusual about this is that pretty much nobody in a position of authority in and around Casa Grande seems to think there's anything wrong with that.

"To invite for profit prison guards to conduct law enforcement actions in a high school is perhaps the most direct expression of the 'schools-to-prison pipeline' I have ever seen," says Caroline Isaacs of the American Friends Service Committee. Aside from the fact that CCA is a private corporation whose driving goal is to fill more prison beds because that is how it generates revenue for its shareholders, prison guards are neither qualified, nor legally entitled, to take part in law enforcement activities. According the Arizona's administrative code, any individual engaging in the duties of a "peace officer" must obtain certification from the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (Post). Prison guards are not Post-certified by default, because they are not obliged to undertake the necessary training (since it's not their job to go about making arrests).

To make matters worse, CCA's private prison guards are not even Post-certified as correctional officers because they are exempt from the Arizona state standards and training requirements. Despite this, Post's executive director, Lyle Mann, could see no problem with CCA sending its guards and sniffer dogs into the high school. As far as he could see, CCA was just behaving as the good corporate citizen he believes it to be (a view shared by many in Arizona) by helping out its neighbors. This is how Mann explained this view to me:

"CCA is one of the largest employers in the area. They employ more people than anyone I know in the state in that area. They try hard to be a good corporate citizen. They give money to charity, sponsor leukemia runs and other things good corporate citizens should do. So this government entity [the school] asked this good corporate citizen to loan them their tools [the dogs and the prisons guards], which they did, free of charge. The dogs are trained to take part in law enforcement activities; whoever handles the dogs is immaterial. So, although it is correct that those guards are not certified to carry out law enforcement actions, what they did at the school did not really require Post certification. They were just doing what a good corporate citizen should do."

Officer Thomas Anderson, spokesperson for the Casa Grande police department shared the view that it was the dogs' qualification and not the guards who handled them that counted, so there was no issue in his eyes with the prison guards being present at the raid. He also indicated that this was not the only time they have used CCA guards and dogs in local law enforcement operations, but he refused to elaborate.

CCA did not respond to queries regarding how frequently they donate the use of their dogs and guards to local law enforcement efforts, or whether they do, in fact, donate those services free of charge.

In response to CCA's efforts on 31 October 2012 to be a good corporate citizen by sending its sniffer dogs into the local high school, three school kids are now facing drug charges, two for possession of marijuana and one for possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Principal Hamilton believes that two of the kids will probably be sentenced to probation; the other may do jail time.

"In other states, they're legalizing marijuana," says Alex Friedmann, editor of Prison Legal News. "In Arizona, kids are being kicked out of school for possession." While it is, of course, important to keep drugs out of school, surely counseling and intervention would be more appropriate measures than funneling children into prisons and landing them with criminal records.

Sadly, in Casa Grande, the grownups charged with care of these kids care appear to be more concerned about the well-being of CCA, the for-profit prison company and "good corporate citizen", than they are for the children who may end filling CCA's lucrative prison beds.

Major props to the Guardian for sharing this news!

https://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/commentisfree/2012/dec/13/arizona-business-cca-school-to-prison-pipeline

Why does HOW YOU DIE matter to the media?

We see this phenomenon in the news media regularly.

They feature information about innocent people when they die.

Like 9/11, when the New York Times ran a feature on every single known victim.

And whenever there is a senseless tragedy involving violent death at the hands of a "deranged gunman."

Like this:

FEATURED

Profiles: Oregon mall shooting victims 

 

Why are these victims worthy of national attention  yet so many others are not?

Say the 20,000 that die from defective products.

Or the 50,000 that die from second-hand smoke.

Or the 55,000 that die from hazardous working conditions.

By focusing on some victims but not others, the media determines what we see as "victimization" and what we do not, what we worry about and fear, and what we do not. This helps explain why Americans are so unaware and unconcerned with corporate crime, which is actually far more dangerous than street crime.

And of course they are already trying to figure out his motive. Like there was one.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/13/friends-man-accused-in-ore-mall-shooting-express-shock-disbelief-over-rampage/?test=latestnews

Ready for THAT discussion again?

Another mass shooting, committed with an "assault rifle."

More dead innocent people.

So are you ready for more media coverage of this event, for days if not weeks to come?

And yet another discussion of gun control? Here it comes.

Shopper: We 'felt like sitting ducks'

A gunman wearing a hockey mask opened fire in a mall near Portland, Oregon, terrifying holiday shoppers. Three people, including the gunman, are dead. FULL STORY | PHOTOS

• Tweets from inside the mall
• Shoppers flee with their arms up
• Witness: He wore a hockey mask

Police 'tentatively' identify masked gunman in deadly Oregon mall rampage
- VIDEO: 3 dead including gunman in mall shooting

Sheriff: Ore. mall shooting likely was random

_______________________________________________

But, nothing will change. And here is why.

 

An excellent take on the corporate media

... and the impact they have on our lives, from TRUTHOUT. Just more evidence why you must visit non-profit news organizations.

Read it here: The Corporate "Heist" of the United States Government Began With a Memo in 1971

How come this is only a story on Fox News?

And also, why is it their lead story?

AP

EXCLUSIVE: FEMA Workers Told to
'Sightsee' as Sandy Victims Struggled

 

Finally, why this quote inside?

 

'I worked in Katrina and Katrina was run better than Sandy.'

- Anonymous FEMA first responder

 

Still trying to justify that nightmare?

Follow-up: CRIMINALBLACKMAN

Remember this crime alert story from yesterday? It came from the ASU Police Department:

At approximately 5:55 pm this evening, a male student reported to ASU Police that he was walking on Holmes Drive when two unknown black male suspects physically knocked him down and stole money from his wallet. The incident occurred at the Holmes Convocation Center near the Faculty Street intersection. The male student reported that there were no weapons involved and the black male suspects fled the area in a red older model Jeep Cherokee. The suspects are described as follows: Suspect 1 is a black male early 20’s approximately 6’0, thin build with short hair wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and jeans; Suspect 2 is a black male early 20’s approximately 6’0, thin build with short hair wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans. ASU Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

....

 

Read that again, then read this crime alert from the same university:

 Boone Police reported that at approximately 7pm on 11/14/2012, two white males wearing ski masks broke into an apartment located near campus on Coffey Street.  The residents of the apartment reported the intruders attacked them demanding money and drugs.  The residents and neighbors fought off the intruders and were able to subdue one of the attackers until police arrived.  The second suspect escaped and remains at large.

ASU student Travis Dean Edgerton, age 20, from Chapel Hill was arrested and charged with felony burglary, felony attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault with a deadly weapon.  He is in the Watauga County Detention Center under a $100,000 bond with a December 18, 2012 court date.

The second suspect is described as a white male approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 170lbs.  Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Boone Police at 828-268-6900.

....

Notice any difference???

In the first, the offenders are described as black males THREE times ...

1) At approximately 5:55 pm this evening, a male student reported to ASU Police that he was walking on Holmes Drive when two unknown black male suspects physically knocked him down and stole money from his wallet.
2) The male student reported that there were no weapons involved and the black male suspects fled the area in a red older model Jeep Cherokee.
3) The suspects are described as follows: Suspect 1 is a black male early 20’s approximately 6’0, thin build with short hair wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and jeans; Suspect 2 is a black male early 20’s approximately 6’0, thin build with short hair wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans. ASU Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

In the second, the offenders are described as white males only twice:

1) Boone Police reported that at approximately 7pm on 11/14/2012, two white males wearing ski masks broke into an apartment located near campus on Coffey Street.

 

2) The second suspect is described as a white male approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 170lbs.

 

Notice that the following sentences from the second crime alert did NOT indicate the race or gender of the offenders:

 

"The residents of the apartment reported the intruders attacked them demanding money and drugs."

 

"The residents and neighbors fought off the intruders and were able to subdue one of the attackers until police arrived.  The second suspect escaped and remains at large."

 

So, I ask again, why in the first story are the offenders again identified as black males when doing so adds literally no new information to the crime alert?

In other words, if you're going to say this: "The male student reported that there were no weapons involved and the black male suspects fled the area in a red older model Jeep Cherokee" ... then why not say this: "The residents of the apartment reported the white male intruders attacked them demanding money and drugs" and "The residents and neighbors fought off the white male intruders and were able to subdue one of the attackers until police arrived.  The second suspect escaped and remains at large" ?????

This is a stunning example of how media communications can drop subtle hints about how race is correlated with danger in American society.

Danger: CRIMINALBLACKMAN

Katheryn Russell-Brown coined the term, criminalblackman, to refer to the image of a dangerous person in contemporary America.

As shown in this book, there is ample evidence that the mainstream media disproportionately focus on crimes committed by people of color, especially African Americans.

So when I got this email alert from the university police, it really caught my attention:

Campus Crime Alert

Appalachian State University Police Department

December 2, 2012

At approximately 5:55 pm this evening, a male student reported to ASU Police that he was walking on Holmes Drive when two unknown black male suspects physically knocked him down and stole money from his wallet. The incident occurred at the Holmes Convocation Center near the Faculty Street intersection. The male student reported that there were no weapons involved and the black male suspects fled the area in a red older model Jeep Cherokee. The suspects are described as follows: Suspect 1 is a black male early 20’s approximately 6’0, thin build with short hair wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and jeans; Suspect 2 is a black male early 20’s approximately 6’0, thin build with short hair wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans. ASU Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

Anyone with information regarding this or any crime is encouraged to call the ASU Police
Department at (828) 262-2150, or you may also contact Crimestoppers at (828) 268-6959. If your information leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a reward up to $1000.00.

You may also report crimes anonymously at:

 http://police.appstate.edu/crime-tip-submission-form.

 

Notification of a serious crime to the campus community is required by federal law.  

It is not the first description of the suspects that caught my attention, not is it the last describing suspects 1 and 2. It is the middle one, saying: "The male student reported that there were no weapons involved and the black male suspects fled the area in a red older model Jeep Cherokee."

Why not just say "there were no weapons involved and the suspects fled the area ..."

Because, yeah, we already know they are black males. So what is the point of saying that again? It's like someone writing this asked himself or herself, "How many times can we say they are black men?"

This is a great example of how race is used in the media to scare people.

If you don't think this has consequences, ask the surviving family members of Trayvon Martin or Jordan Russell Davis.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

BP in the news ...

If you ask a criminologist about BP, he or she might describe the company as a mass murderer (someone who kills more than one person at one time). Or he or she might characterize BP as a serial killer (someone who kills more than one person over a long period of time).

I'd call them a serial mass murderer, since they've killed more than one person at one time, more than once over a long period of time.

Someone like that ought to be in the news. Here's the latest on BP:

1. ABC News

   White House stops new BP contracts The Daily Advertiser-3 hours ago WASHINGTON — The Obama administration put a temporary stop to new federal contracts with British oil company BP on Wednesday, citing ...

   EPA bans BP from new federal contracts
   

   Los Angeles Times-10 hours ago

   Three BP Managers Plead Not Guilty to Gulf Spill Charges
   

   Businessweek-11 hours ago

   ►► Aljazeera.com

   San Francisco Chronicle

   Kansas City Star

   Examiner.com

   CBS News

   Bloomberg

   Christian Science Monitor

   all 1235 news sources »

3. BP suspended from new government contracts USA TODAY-18 hours ago U.S. Coast Guard fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the BP operated off shore oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, in the Gulf of ...

4. Al-Arabiya

   Abu Dhabi's Taqa Buys BP North Sea Assets for $1.1 Billion Bloomberg-Nov 28, 2012 Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. (TAQA) bought stakes in North Sea fields for $1.1 billion from BP Plc (BP/), the energy producer that's disposing ... + Show more

5. 3 BP employees arraigned on Gulf oil spill charges Businessweek-14 hours ago NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Two BP rig supervisors and a former BP executive pleaded not guilty Wednesday to criminal charges stemming from ...

6. EPA suspends BP from new federal contracts in wake of oil spill Washington Post-13 hours ago The Environmental Protection Agency has suspended BP from bidding on any new federal contracts, including drilling leases, as a result of the ...

7. US bans BP from new government contracts after oil spill deal Reuters-13 hours ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government banned BP Plc on ... BP and its affiliates are barred from new federal contracts until they ...

8. BP shut out of US contracts: Feds cite deadly blast, poor response Los Angeles Times-by Michael Muskal-18 hours ago BP, which has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges in connection with the nation's worst offshore oil spill, was suspended from new ...

9. 3 from BP plead not guilty in connection with gulf oil disaster Los Angeles Times-by Michael Muskal-13 hours ago Two BP employees and a former executive pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a variety of charges, including manslaughter and concealing ... But there is also this piece of news! Energy stocks end higher, BP shares rise MarketWatch-50 minutes ago SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Energy stocks turned higher Wednesday, tracking the broader market and as U.S.-listed shares of BP PLC ...  So apparently it is not stopping the company from making money. Serial mass murder for profit?

Every once in a while, a person has courage

... and says what he feels to be the truth, RIGHT on the air and RIGHT in your face.

You know the story of the Benghazi attacks. Or at least part of it. You've heard about it in the news, right? If not, GOOGLE it.

And one network has been hyping it over and over and over again, even as the others have let the story go.

So when that network (Fox News) had an interview on Monday with an man who has covered the military for a long time, they probably had no idea he would basically dismiss them as a wing of hte Republican party (his words, not mine).

That interview ended rather abruptly on Monday after he took not one but two jabs at the network hosting him.

Co-anchor Jon Scott interviewed Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Thomas Ricks, who has covered the military for decades, about his new book The Generals. Scott asked Ricks weigh in on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and Sen. John McCain's criticisms of Amb. Susan Rice.

"I think Benghazi was generally hyped by this network especially," Ricks said. He added that he thought McCain seemed to be "backing off" from criticizing Rice since "the campaign [was] over."

"When you have four people dead for the first time in more than 30 years, how do you call that hype?" Scott said, pushing back against Ricks' characterization of the network's coverage.

Ricks compared the situation to security contractors who were killed in Iraq. He described the attack in Benghazi as a "small fire-fight" and added, "I think the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political, partly because Fox is operating as the wing of the Republican Party."

At that point, Scott thanked Ricks for his time and ended the interview after about 90 seconds.

UPDATE: According to the New York Times' Brian Stelter, a Fox News staffer told Ricks he was rude following the interview. Ricks said that he thinks the hit lasted "about half as long as planned."

Watch it here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/fox-news-interview-guest-network-wing-republican-party_n_2192506.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share

What does Bangladesh and a fire have to do with criminal justice?

Nothing, unless you are thinking critically.

So did you hear about the huge fire that killed more than 100 people in Bangladesh the other day?

Here is the story:

The 100-plus workers who died in a fire late Saturday at a high-rise garment factory in Bangladesh were working overtime making clothes for major American retailers, including Wal-Mart, according to workers' rights groups.

Officials in Bangladesh said the flames at the Tazreen Fashions factory outside Dhaka spread rapidly on the ground floor, trapping those on the higher floors of the nine-story building. There were no exterior fire escapes, according to officials, and many died after jumping from upper floors to escape the flames.

As firemen continued to remove bodies Sunday, officials said at least 112 people had died but that the number of fatalities could go higher.

The Tazreen fire is the latest in a series of deadly blazes at garment factories in Bangladesh, where more than 700 workers, many making clothes for U.S. consumers, have died in factory fires in the past five years. As previously reported by ABC News, Bangladesh has some of the cheapest labor in the world and some of the most deplorable working conditions.

Got that?

You go shopping for cheap crap and people DIE as a result.

That seems like news to me. Props to ABC and Yahoo News for covering this story ...

READ the original ABC News report.

"The industry and parent brands in the U.S. have been warned again and again about the extreme danger to workers in Bangladesh and they have not taken action," said Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, an American group working to improve conditions at factories abroad that make clothes for U.S. companies. Nova said the fire was the most deadly in the history of the Bangladesh apparel industry, and "one of the worst in any country."

That is called NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE!

WATCH the 'Nightline' report on deadly factories.

 Workers' activists went into the burned-out remains today to document which major retailers were using the Tazreen factory.

They say they found labels for Faded Glory, a Wal-Mart private label, along with labels they said traced back to Sears and a clothing company owned by music impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs.

"There's no question that Wal-Mart and the other customers at this factory bear some blame for what happened in this factory," Nova said.

Nova also said that Wal-Mart "knew exactly what's going on at these facilities. They have staff on site in Bangladesh."

Wal-Mart actually warned of dangerous conditions at the Tazreen factory last year, in a letter posted online by the factory owner.

Wal-Mart told ABC News that the company has not yet been able to confirm that it was still making clothes at the factory.

In a statement, Wal-Mart told ABC News, "Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of this tragedy. ... [F]ire safety is a critically important area of Wal-Mart's factory audit program and we have been working across the apparel industry to improve fire safety education and training in Bangladesh.

"As part of this effort, we partnered with several independent organizations to develop and roll out fire safety training tools for factory management and workers. Continued engagement is critical to ensure that reliable, proactive measures are in place to reduce the chance of factory fires. "

In a statement, Sears disputed reports by activists that it sources clothes from the Tazreen facility. 

"Our thoughts are with the victims of this tragedy," said the statement. "We can also confirm that Sears Holdings does not source from this factory."

"In addition, Sears recognizes that fire safety is a critical international issue that we intend to address through specialized training for management in those factories that produce merchandise for Sears Holdings."

Worker Rights Consortium said that numbers of the labels of garments found in the factory could be traced back to Sears.

A spokesperson for Combs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

What do you think? Still want to shop at Wal-Mart?

 

Happy holidays!

First, a national conference.

And now the holidays.

Eventually I'll be back!

It's not anything is happening. Well, except for the death of the US Constitution. ...

http://news.yahoo.com/senate-bill-rewrite-lets-feds-read-your-e-mail-without-warrants-191930756.html

Why some Americans are actually shocked about the election

I closely followed the news heading into the recent elections, like I always do. And so I knew there was actually a very good chance Barack Obama would be re-elected President. By election day, the odds were better than 90%, according to statistical wizard and New York Times blogger Nate Silver over at www.fivethirtyeight.com.

His predictions were based largely on polling data in the battleground states, those handful of states that could go either way (since most are very stable and reliably go one way or the other). Maybe this is why?

Slave holding states and Republican voting states today: Nearly identical

But anyway, back to the point ... those polls in the battleground states were almost universally pointing to Obama wins in all of them, with the only exception in North Carolina and perhaps Florida. Obama would end up winning all of those states, except North Carolina, and is leading by a tiny margin in Florida with 99% of the votes counted.

So, the only people who could have been surprised by this are those that were not paying attention.

Or, perhaps, those getting their news from organizations that were not paying attention.

Take Fox News and talk radio, for example. As you may know, I listen to Rush Limbaugh, so I know he was predicting a huge Romney win. So too was Sean Hannity on his radio show, as were all the guests he has on his show. And then these are talking heads like Dick Morris on Fox News who were also confidently predicting not only a Romney win but a huge win.

In fact, all these folks said there were three possibilities on election night: A huge Romney win, a small Romney win, or a small Obama win. No one in these organizations was saying Obama could win big. Which he did.

Why? The answer is simple. They dismissed the polling data, attacked it, and relied on internal polling data produced by Republican operatives. They insisted that their people were being under-polled and would actually show up in higher numbers than Democrats. But, they were wrong. Very very wrong.

Yesterday, the day after the election, Rush Limbaugh actually said that no one saw this coming and no one could have seen it coming because the only thing that showed that this could happen was the polls! But then he went on to dismiss the polls because, according to him, they showed the two candidates were tied (which they did not). Of course, many people saw this coming and boldly predicted it online (see Nate Silver).

So we've arrived at a point in time when some people are getting their information (the point of the news) from sources that are not only biased but also factually inaccurate. The minimum cost of this is a group of miserable people who end up gullible and easily distracted and even misled.

This has enormous consequences for our nation and the policies we create or don't create to try to solve our problems. And much of the problem can be blamed on for-profit news organizations.

http://www.salon.com/2012/11/07/fox_discovers_constant_lying_isnt_consistently_effective_electoral_strategy/?source=newsletter

It's election day and ...

... this is the lead story on Fox News right now:

FUNNY BUSINESS IN PHILLY
GOP officials booted, Black Panthers return — and Obama at polling site?

New Black Panthers Return to Scene of 2008 Polling Station Confrontation

First Election Day Votes Cast as Romney Battles on, Obama Goes Home

PREDICT THE ELECTION: Take Your Best Shot at Predicting the Final Electoral Map | VIDEO: Electoral Map Still in Play

North Carolina Poll Worker Allegedly Tells People to Vote Democrat | US Election Closely Watched Abroad

Election Day User's Manual | Unions Under Fire for Voter Roll Allegations | OPINION: Vote Comes With Responsibility

Oregon Elections Worker Fired After Allegations of Ballot Tampering | Biden to Run in 2016? | CANDIDATE TRACKER

THE COUNTRY DECIDES: Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly Bring You Complete Election Night Coverage Starting at 6PM ET

So let's get this straight, according to Fox, there are allegations of irregularities on election day, and ALL of them are against Democrats or people who vote Democratic.

But don't worry, because on the same website, Fox News has its bias alert ready to go:

BIAS ALERT:
Campaign 2012 Coverage Unequal — and Unfair?

• OPINION: Worst Spin Since 2008

OPINION: Media Makes Outrageous Romney Claims Days Before Election

FOX BUSINESS OPINION: America... Let's Not Wreck It

But the problem is, the only bias they see is that against their chosen candidate.

This is supposed to be a news organization!

You think they will ever turn their bias alert on themselves?

Should this be a crime???

Frum: U.S. voting system a disgrace

David Frum says the voting system gives too much power to local authorities and political parties, leading to a chaotic process. FULL STORY | ELECTION OVER? NOT SO FAST | CHALLENGES | ZELIZER: IF IT'S CLOSE, WATCH OUT

Have you seen what is going on in Florida? 7 hour long lines to vote.

By design it turns out. The plan of a Governor who wants to reduce the number of people who vote. See?

Think a "MONSTER storm" takes crime out of the news?

Wrong ...

CNN calls it a "Monster storm." And yet on its website here are some of the other lead stories:

• Official: Boys involved in Malala attack
• NYC crane snaps, dangles | LIVE:  
• Storm kills 30 in Philippines, Vietnam
• Freight train derails in Kentucky
• U.S. sailor found dead in Japan
• First arrest made in Jimmy Savile case
• Vet saves couple from burning car  
• Model stalked on Facebook killed  
• California teacher holds secret class
• New top-earning dead celeb is ... Time

See? Bad stuff. Random stuff. Accidents. Violence. Dead people. That's still the news.

Fox News calls it a monster storm too. But their lead stories are political, and of course, not biased at all.

Cartels, Lawmaker Warns

Lebanese terror group, whose leader is shown above, is gaining a larger presence in Mexico, lawmaker says

• US Officials Eyed Al Qaeda Days After Libya Attack
• GOP Demands to See Drone Info on Libya Strike

• 

  Obama Camp Resorting to Insults, Despite '08 Lament

  Obama said in 2008 that US didn't need 'name-calling' in campaigns, but there's quite a few insults flying now
  
  
  

• BIAS ALERT: Media Hasn't 'Done Their Job' on Libya

  VIDEO: Fox News' Brit Hume says mainstream media won't do 'heavy lifting' on Libya
   

And the rest of their lead stories look something like this:

• Dad allegedly gave alcohol to 2-month-old son
• California woman bitten by shark off Hawaii beach
• Man found hoarding more than 300 birds in home
• Two bodies found in missing North Carolina teens' car
• Case of rapist seeking visitation of child he fathered during assault reaches high court
• Men arrested in connection to 2001 Florida homicide
• Two Boy Scouts missing from Oregon hiking trip
• 100 people hurt at Halloween rave
• Syria warplanes bombard rebels in Damascus
• Arkansas men drove into group of joggers, police say
• Ship with 700 tons of gold ore disappears off Russia
• Pregnant Pennsylvania woman shot opening door
• NYU class requires students to plot a terrorist attack
• California boy, 12, arrested after killing dog
• Alleged NY killer nanny reportedly awake and talking

 See? Bad stuff. Random stuff. Accidents. Violence. Dead people. That's still the news.

Blog closed for international travel!

Hey, I am going to SOUTH KOREA to deliver a talk to the Korean National Police University.

So the blog will be closed until Monday, October 29th.

See you on the other side of this incredible trip!