Where's the Outrage?

Jack del Rio has been fired as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I guess it was his fault that Jacksonville never had a top-tier quarterback. I guess it was also his fault that, after he’d developed an outstanding defense, management allowed several of his best defensive players to get away.

Jim Caldwell, the head coach of the Colts, is in the hot seat. It’s clearly his fault that the Indianapolis Colts built their team around Peyton Manning and now Peyton Manning is recovering from his third neck operation in approximately 18 months. He should’ve known better.

Hits
New Orleans Saints: They really didn’t look good earlier this year. I don’t know what they did, but they fixed their offense. Now, if they want to go deep into the playoffs, they’re going to have to fix their defense.

Houston Texans: They lost their starting quarterback last week. They lost their backup quarterback during the second quarter of this week’s game. They trotted out somebody that I had never heard of before. Somehow, in spite of the inconsistency, they found a way to win. They look pretty set for the playoffs.

Oakland Raiders: Somehow, some way, they’re finding ways to win. Carson Palmer is making just enough plays to be effective. They seem to be poised for a serious playoff run.

Green Bay Packers: Clearly the best team in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers is playing head and shoulders above every other quarterback in the league, except for possibly Drew Brees. Yet, as the New England Patriots found out a couple years ago, it’s really hard to go undefeated for a complete season. I would rather the Packers lose now than lose in the playoffs (as if they have a choice). Their defense is somewhat suspect. Their defense has the luxury of knowing that Aaron Rodgers will put up approximately 30 points every game. As long as Aaron Rodgers stays healthy, I think we’re looking at a Green Bay dynasty.

Misses

Suh

Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford isn’t getting it done. Ndamukong Suh? What was that? Getting thrown out of an important game like this. Completely unacceptable.

Buffalo Bills: Just a couple weeks ago, I was singing the praises of the Buffalo Bills. They were getting turnovers. Ryan Fitzpatrick and that offense were putting the ball in the end zone. Since then, Fred Jackson got hurt. He was really running the ball well. Ryan Fitzpatrick has had some awful luck with many tipped balls getting intercepted. Finally, Stevie Johnson needs to be released. No wide receiver is worth losing a game. I’m sorry, but just doesn’t cut it. With his dropped balls and with his end zone antics, he lost the game for the Buffalo Bills. This was a critical game which would have given the Bills momentum going into last stage of the season. Fire him!

Philadelphia Eagles: There is no team that I can think of in the NFL more talented than the Philadelphia Eagles. There’s also no team in the NFL that is getting the least number of wins out of their talent. I just don’t think the offensive line of the Philadelphia Eagles is all that good. Vince Young played pretty well, but it was a tall order to go into New England and beat the Patriots. The tough, hard-nosed defense that the Philadelphia Eagles had several years ago is gone. I have no idea what’s wrong with their defense now. It could be that wide nine thing that they’re doing. They don’t seem to have the ability to effectively rush the passer. They aren’t defending the pass that well. Finally, a special shout out to DeSean Jackson. You want a new contract, yet twice you seemed to have alligator arms as you were going over the middle. You didn’t put out extra effort to make critical catches which would have, in at least one instance, given the Eagles a touchdown. There’s no need for me to comment on your sideline antics which cost your team over 50 yards of valuable field position and the momentum. Mr. Jackson needs to be fired!!

Tags: NFL by ecthompson md
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from WSJ

Yesterday, as I was driving home from work, I heard that American Airlines is filing for bankruptcy. American Airlines. Depending upon how you measure, American Airlines is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, airline in the country. American Airlines, along with Southwest Airlines, weathered the 9/11 downturn fairly well. So what happened? In their court filings, American Airlines has $24.7 billion in assets and $29.6 billion in debt. So how did this happen? What is the problem?

It’s the planes –

American’s mainline jet fleet of 619 planes includes 247 twin-engine MD-80s made by McDonnell Douglas Corp., according to the airline’s website. Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Those planes, which are no longer in production, are being replaced by Boeing 737-800s, which are about one-third more fuel efficient.

Placing an order for aircraft “creates a contract,” and in bankruptcy accepting or rejecting the contract will be up to AMR, said Scott Peltz, the national leader of RSM McGladrey’s Financial Advisory Service in Chicago. Boeing and other suppliers will probably have representatives at AMR’s bankruptcy hearings who “will be looking at what their options are,” he said.

Boeing said it has “no reason to doubt” that the jet order remains pivotal to AMR. Boeing and Airbus will provide $13 billion of financing on the first 230 jets, American said in July.

Maybe it’s more than just the planes. I read this in the Wall Street Journal:

The Fort Worth, Texas, company for years has resisted the type of court-protected restructuring that allowed other big carriers including United Continental Holdings Inc.’s United Airlines and Delta Air Lines Inc. to realign costs and find merger partners. AMR said its annual labor costs, including pensions, are about $800 million more than rivals, a figure unions dispute. Its financial woes have grown in recent months as contract talks with its pilots fizzled and fuel prices rose.

The bottom line, as I see it, is that this isn’t good for the country or for labor. There are going to be job losses. There are going to be fewer flights, especially to smaller cities. This isn’t good.

Tags: Economy by ecthompson md
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I know there’s been some happy talk about spending during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Whatever. I’m not buying it. Although Americans may have spent a considerable amount of money in the last several days, there’s no evidence that the trend will continue. As a matter of fact, the trend over the last several years is that Americans are cutting back on debt. There’s no reason to assume that Americans are changing their minds and deciding to start borrowing again.

The following is a fabulous graph from the Calculated Risk blog:

Tags: Economy by ecthompson md
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A new report has just come out from the FCC on AT&T’s proposed merger with T-Mobile. The FCC basically stated that AT&T and T-Mobile are active in almost every major market in the United States. Therefore, a merger would limit competition and increase consumer prices. There should be no surprise to anyone. Considering all the mergers that have occurred over the last decade or so, I haven’t seen one that has been helpful to us, the consumers. Finally, we have a government agency which is standing up for us. Let’s take our time, sit back and bask in the glow because it’s not happen again for another decade or so.

Tags: Business by ecthompson md
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I really try to avoid disparaging anybody. I just don’t think that adds to the political debate. There are plenty of people out there who are pointing fingers and making caricatures of the candidates. Yet, when you look at the Republican field it seems as if there is something missing. Like… a real candidate. Is it possible to have a conservative who is a real person and represents the average American?

Mitt Romney is stiff, wooden and doesn’t seem to have any core convictions besides making money. To say that he has flip-flopped on the issues does a disservice to people who flip-flop on the issues. Rick Perry is a phenomenon in and of himself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this. I’m not sure how he’s been governor of Texas for over a decade. I’ve met Gov. Perry. He’s the only Republican presidential candidate that I’ve personally chatted with. He’s a nice guy. Unfortunately, he doesn’t come across in superficial conversation as being all that mentally astute. Unfortunately for him and his campaign, he could not have performed worse in the debates. I really think the nomination was his to lose after he stepped in the presidential race with a groundswell of support. He had the Tea Party in his back pocket. All he had to do was perform adequately in the debates. Instead, he tried to place himself to the right of everybody, more conservative than any of the other conservatives. Herman Cain may be the most personable. He comes across as comfortable in front of the microphone. Yet, it’s hard to imagine a conservative winning the nomination of the Republican Party with a different woman coming out of the closet every week and claiming either a sexual relationship or sexual harassment from/with Herman Cain. Then throw in that he’s quoting Pokémon and draws a complete blank on the biggest foreign policy story in the last six months (Libya). Remember Michele Bachmann? It was almost a year ago when Michele Bachmann was raking in millions of dollars and developing this seemingly unstoppable campaign. For the last several months, her poll numbers can’t break 10%. For the life of me I can’t see what conservatives see in Newt Gingrich. It is clear that Newt Gingrich is an interesting man. He’s extremely engaging. He’s extremely knowledgeable. But, it should be clear to everyone by now that Newt Gingrich is out for Newt Gingrich. He is constantly promoting himself, his books and his multiple companies (which all funnel money to him). Rick Santorum is simply out in right field. Remember when he thought the military had found Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction? He was adamant that they had been found. I think when you go out of your way to make a fool out of yourself on national TV, you don’t get to be president. Ron Paul is consistent but is not a conservative. He’s a libertarian. The two are not synonymous. I simply don’t know enough about Jon Huntsman to comment.

We must remember that it is still early in the presidential race. The Iowa caucuses are still five weeks away. There’s plenty of time for candidates to rise and fall and rise again. Yet, when it’s all said and done, I don’t think a strategy of giving more to the rich will win the general election.

Tags: Elections by ecthompson md
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I know that there are some Americans who believe that the swine flu is nothing more than a hoax perpetrated on the American public. I saw some children who were extremely sick from this flu. It wasn’t a hoax.

From USA Today:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed three cases of a new flu virus, which originated in pigs but apparently spread from person to person, in three Iowa children.

However, there’s no reason to fear the beginning of a new pandemic, says Arnold Monto, a flu expert and professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

“I don’t think this is anything to worry about for the moment,” Monto says. “We have known that swine viruses get into humans occasionally, transmit for a generation or two and then stop. The issue is whether there will be sustained transmission (from person to person)- and that nearly never happens.”

The CDC has counted a total of 18 cases of this new virus, an influenza A strain known as S-OtrH3N2, in two years. That suggests that it’s not spreading quickly or easily, says William Schaffner, a professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Tags: Healthcare by ecthompson md
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A week ago, Emma Sullivan was simply another high school student in Topeka, Kansas. She had her circle of friends and family like all high school students. She was attending a Kansas Youth in Government program where Governor Sam Brownback addressed her and her fellow students. Sometime during this conference she tweeted: Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot. Okay, no big deal, just a high school student expressing herself. Then, somebody from the governor’s office called the principal of her school. Let’s just think about this just for second. A high school student says something to the governor. As far as I know, she hasn’t broken any laws and hasn’t violated any code of conduct that I know of. Why would somebody from the governor’s office run whining to the principal’s office? Why would the principal’s office pay any attention to it? According to Emma Sullivan, the high school student, she was ordered by the principal to write letters of apology to Governor Brownback, the school’s Youth in Government sponsor and several other recipients.

This morning Emma tweeted “I’ve decided not to write the letter but I hope this opens the door for average citizens to voice their opinion & to be heard! #goingstrong.” Would you or would you not agree that we should all have the right to criticize our political leaders? She does not have the right to be rude, but she does have the right to express herself in a way that does not disrupt the class or the learning activity. If she’s able to do this, there’s no reason for the governor’s office to be offended. There’s no reason for the principal’s office to get involved.

Update: Finally, some common sense (and I didn’t think that Governor Brownback had any!)

From DK:

Oh, but there’s more:

In the uproar over a Prairie Village teenager’s tweet about Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback during a school trip, it is the governor who is apologizing. “My staff over-reacted to this tweet, and for that, I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms,” said a statement from Brownback’s office.

Overreacted, indeed. Ya think?

So let’s see. A teenager tweeted that her governor sucks. He does in fact suck, as is evidenced by his staff obsessively compiling an enemies list of teenage girls who don’t like him on Twitter. His staff complains, the school principal freaks out, probably correctly figuring that Brownback’s office will use it as excuse to cut their pencil budget again, this time down to one pencil per thirty kids, and tells the teenage girl she has to apologize. The wider world finds out about it, floods all parties with messages of support for the teenager in question and suddenly everybody remembers the First Amendment again.

Tags: Civil Liberty, Civil Rights by ecthompson md
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I still don’t understand how it is okay to pepper spray protesters who are nonviolent and nonthreatening.

Tags: Domestic Issues by ecthompson md
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Cool Video.

Artist: Lady Gaga
Tune: Born This Way

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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DeShawn Jackson wins the bonehead play of the week award. The Philadelphia Eagles were penned deep in their own territory. Vince Young throws a Moon ball (high arcing pass) to DeShawn Jackson for 50 yard gain. As he runs out of bounds, he tosses the ball to one of the Giants assistant coaches. He gets flagged for taunting and costs his team 50 yards. This is the same guy who was benched because he completely missed the team meeting. Now, I don’t know how much this guy gets paid to play football. I guarantee it’s more than you and I get paid to do our jobs. He makes enough money that he can hire somebody to wake him up, help him get dressed and drive him to team meetings. At the same time, he is whining about not getting a new contract. I feel pretty confident that Andy Reid will let DeShawn Jackson go at the end of the year. No team needs this kind of headache.

On Thanksgiving, I went 3-0 2-1 (thanks for pointing that out, Scott). Not bad.

By the way, many football fans have labeled Tony Romo as someone who can’t deliver in the clutch. In the last two weeks, Tony Romo has performed brilliantly in the fourth quarter and on the final drive. The running game has been stymied the last two weeks. Yet, Tony Romo has managed to get the job done. So, now what do you have to say about Tony Romo? (I know, it’s not December.)

Cam Newton

Minnesota Vikings versus Atlanta Falcons – Adrian Peterson will not play. This game could get ugly fast. Atlanta should win easily.

Cleveland Browns versus Cincinnati Bengals – Cincinnati has something to prove. Cleveland needs a quarterback. Cincinnati should win this one.

Carolina Panthers versus Indianapolis Colts – This may be the Indianapolis Colts’ last chance to win a game this year. Sure, we hear people say that one person doesn’t matter and we point them to the Indianapolis Colts. This team is almost the exact same team as last year. The value of Peyton Manning is almost incalculable. Fortunately for Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, Peyton Manning is still on the sidelines. I look for the Carolina Panthers to figure out a way to win.

Houston Texans versus Jacksonville Jaguars – Matt Leinart will be starting for the Houston Texans. All I can do is shake my head and cry just a little bit for the Houston Texans. They’ve really been playing good football. Over the years, they seem to have been snakebitten more than any other team in the NFL. They lost Mario Williams, their All-Pro pass rusher, earlier this year. Matt Schaub was playing some really good football. Now, he’s probably out for the year with a foot fracture. This game is going to be very close. Matt Leinart is going to have to make some plays. They’re playing at Jacksonville. I just don’t think that Blaine Gabbert is ready for the big time. I’m leaning towards the Houston Texans.

Buffalo Bills versus New York Jets – Whatever magic the Buffalo Bills had at the beginning of the year has completely run out. I don’t know how they’ll get their magic wand recharged or reenergized. The New York Jets are playing better football. The Jets should win this game. (I want to know if Mark Sanchez is ready for prime time. It seems that whenever this team really needs him to step up and play a great game, he can’t do it.)

Arizona Cardinals versus St. Louis Rams – Toss-up.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Tennessee Titans – I mentioned some time ago that Josh Freeman hasn’t matured as much as I would’ve liked. I think that is obvious to everyone who follows football. Matt Hasselbeck is a game-time decision. He hurt his elbow last week. Hasselbeck can’t play, so the Titans can’t win. The Buccaneers need to get their running game going. I’m going to lean towards Tennessee since they’re playing at home (with the caveat that Matt Hasselbeck must play and play well).

Afternoon games
Chicago Bears versus Oakland Raiders – This should be a great game. Is Carson Palmer for real? This is the type of game where the Raiders really need their McFadden, who continues to be injured and is out for this game. The Chicago Bears somehow, someway have to tighten up their defense. Unfortunately, Jay Cutler broke the thumb on his throwing hand last week. He is out for at least five or six weeks. Caleb Hanie is starting at quarterback. Without some incredibly fluke plays, I just don’t see how the Chicago Bears can win with Caleb Hanie. Oakland Raiders. (The Raiders will NOT kick to Devin Hester.)

Washington Redskins versus Seattle Seahawks – Washington played inspired football against the Dallas Cowboys. I don’t think we’ll see that same effort this week. The Seattle Seahawks are playing better. Seattle.

New England Patriots versus Philadelphia Eagles – This quite possibly may be the best game of the day. The Philadelphia Eagles are fighting for their playoff lives. I really don’t think they have the luxury of losing another game. The good news is that they are playing at home. The bad news is that the New England Patriots seem to find a way to win every week. Michael Vick is still injured and on the sidelines for the Eagles. Vince Young will be starting. He will not be able to throw three interceptions and win. Vince Young will have to play perfectly. I just don’t think he can do that. I look for Tom Brady to carve up the Eagles defense. New England Patriots will pull away in the second half.

Denver Broncos versus San Diego Chargers – I think that San Diego will stop the run and force Tim Tebow to throw the ball. The problem with a San Diego Charger offense has been their receivers. The receivers have been unable to get separation. This is a game in which Antonio Gates really needs to step up. He has to win his one-on-one matchups. I think San Diego will win this one at home.

Sunday Night Football
Pittsburgh Steelers versus Kansas City Chiefs – I don’t think that this will be close. The Steelers – by a mile.

Monday Night Football
New York Giants versus New Orleans Saints – This may be the best Monday night matchup of the year, so far. The New Orleans Saints need to win this to stay ahead in their division. The New York Giants need to win this game in order to keep up with the resurgent Dallas Cowboys. Drew Brees is playing great football right now. He is either the best or the second best quarterback in the NFL, depending upon how you look at the statistics. Their defense brings a ton of pressure. Eli Manning is not as accurate when he’s under pressure, but, as we saw against the San Francisco 49ers, he can still make some great throws under enormous pressure. I think with New Orleans’ running game and or their variety of receivers that New Orleans has, I don’t think that the New York Giants matchup well enough. I think New Orleans will win at home.

Tags: NFL by ecthompson md
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I found this funny. If you don’t, then …sorry.

Tags: Fun by ecthompson md
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I don’t understand why people stand out in the cold and rush to buy Christmas gifts. It is almost like group hysteria or hypnosis. I can’t imagine that the aggravation that comes with elbowing your fellow neighbors is worth it.

From AP:

A woman shot pepper spray to keep shoppers from merchandise she wanted during a Black Friday sale, and 20 people suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

The incident occurred shortly after 10:20 p.m. Thursday in a crowded Los Angeles-area Walmart as shoppers hungry for deals were let inside the store.
Police said the suspect shot the pepper spray when the coverings over the items she wanted were removed.

“Somehow she was trying to use it to gain an upper hand,” police Lt. Abel Parga told The Associated Press early Friday.

Tags: General by ecthompson md
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Green Bay at Detroit – This is probably the last game that Green Bay has that’s going to be a significant challenge. Detroit simply hasn’t been playing great football. Matthew Stafford has been giving away the football at every opportunity. I look for the first quarter to be kind of close and then for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to pull away and win easily.

Miami Dolphins versus Dallas Cowboys – This is not going to be as easy as many people believe. Miami is playing inspired football. Dallas needs to come out and establish the line of scrimmage early. Dallas cannot let Matt Moore get comfortable in the pocket. I look for Dallas to have a balanced attack and run the ball well with DeMarco Murray. Dallas should win.

San Francisco 49ers versus Baltimore Ravens – San Francisco’s going to play this game very close to the vest. Their formula for winning so far this season has been to protect the football, run the football and play solid defense. I see no reason for them to change their winning formula. The Baltimore Ravens will go as far as Joe Flacco will take them. I look for Joe Flacco to make a few mistakes and I look for the San Francisco 49ers to capitalize on those mistakes. San Francisco in a close one.

Tags: NFL by ecthompson md
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I know, it’s kind of surprising that Michele Bachmann is still running for president, but she is. She made an appearance on Jimmy Fallon Live. For reasons that are completely inexplicable, as she was coming on the stage the band played, Lyin’ Ass Bitch by Fishbone. First of all, it’s a terrible song. Second of all, seriously? You have to go out of your way to be that rude and inconsiderate. There is no excuse.

I believe that Michele Bachmann has not been seriously confronted about her multiple inconsistencies and her quirky, goofy, outside of the mainstream stances on many issues. In interviews she should be forced to actually answer a question. As a matter fact, all candidates should be forced to answer questions. They should not be allowed to give pat answers or statements which don’t even address the question. Still, there is no excuse for this type of rudeness – ever. Whoever picked that song should be fired.

As long as I’m on the subject, the picture that they had of Michele Bachmann on the cover of Newsweek was also wrong.

Tags: Elections by ecthompson md
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Let us remember that today is about giving thanks. It is not about eating until we are so sick that we can’t move. It’s not about shopping until we drop. Today is about thanking our Creator for all the blessings that we have. Today is about spending quality time with friends and family. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Tags: General by ecthompson md
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Bruce Bartlett has a very nice post on how Newt Gingrich was a huge cheerleader for Medicare part D. According to the latest reports, Medicare part D only added $16 trillion to our national debt. For those who are not familiar with it, Medicare part D was George W. Bush’s transparent ploy to buy the senior vote. It was also a huge giveaway to the pharmaceutical companies. Medicare part D paid for a line of prescription drugs. It also promised the pharmaceutical industry that the United States government would not negotiate drug prices.

Back in 2003 when we were negotiating (arguing over) this giveaway, here’s what Newt Gingrich wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

If you are a fiscal conservative who cares about balancing the federal budget, there may be no more important vote in your career than one in support of this bill. Since health expenditures comprise almost 14 percent of the U.S. GDP, a shifting away from the failed bureaucratic third-party payer model and back to a market-mediated binary payer model, where the customer controls his own first health dollars, is the single most significant reform that can be made in saving the country from skyrocketing health costs and steadily increasing calls for taxpayers to finance more and more of the healthcare system through higher taxes.

Although some conservatives may complain about the cost of the drug benefit, this benefit was designed within the framework of the budget resolution. The Medicare drug benefit is a necessary improvement to a Medicare system that was designed before modern pharmaceuticals became a key to staying healthy. Does anyone believe it makes sense to pay billions for kidney dialysis and not pay for the preventive care drugs that lets people keep their kidneys healthy for only pennies per day? Let’s face it, a Medicare drug benefit is inevitable. Liberals, some of whom are running for president, would pass it without any of the changes contained in this bill, and have said as much. However, to meet the future demands of retiring baby boomers the same liberals would either raise taxes massively or shift to a bureaucratic rationing of care–both disastrous policies.

Tags: Economy, Elections, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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I posted this a couple months ago. I thought it was worth taking another look.

What else do we need to know? Wages lagged behind home prices. We Americans borrowed to keep up. We need jobs and we need better wages. (When I say “we,” I’m not including the CEOs and the fat cats on Wall Street.)

Tags: Domestic Issues, Economy by ecthompson md
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Watch this shocking video:

In the 1960s, during the civil rights movement, we saw peaceful marchers attacked by vicious dogs and high-pressure water hoses. We saw massive arrests. Today, the #Occupy movement is being confronted by massive arrests. So far, there are no high-pressure water hoses. So far, there are none of those of vicious attack dogs. Instead, protesters are being sprayed with pepper spray. Why? I just don’t understand how the police justify pepper spraying nonviolent students. I think it would be different if the students were attacking the police. I think it would be different if the students were destroying property. I think it would be different if the students were actively doing any of a number of things. They are simply sitting and protesting.

Update:

UC Davis President has issued a statement stating that she was appalled and two of the police officers have been suspended.

From James Fallows -

Let’s stipulate that there are legitimate questions of how to balance the rights of peaceful protest against other people’s rights to go about their normal lives, and the rights of institutions to have some control over their property and public spaces. Without knowing the whole background, I’ll even assume for purposes of argument that the UC Davis authorities had legitimate reason to clear protestors from an area of campus — and that if protestors wanted to stage a civil-disobedience resistance to that effort, they should have been prepared for the consequence of civil disobedience, which is arrest.

I can’t see any legitimate basis for police action like what is shown here. Watch that first minute and think how we’d react if we saw it coming from some riot-control unit in China, or in Syria. The calm of the officer who walks up and in a leisurely way pepper-sprays unarmed and passive people right in the face? We’d think: this is what happens when authority is unaccountable and has lost any sense of human connection to a subject population. That’s what I think here.

Less than two months ago, it seemed shocking when one NYPD officer cavalierly walked up to a group of female protestors and pepper-sprayed them in the eyes. The UC Davis pepper-sprayer doesn’t slink away, as his NYPD counterpart did, but in every other way this is more coldly brutal. And by the way, when did we accept the idea that local police forces would always dress up in riot gear that used to be associated with storm troopers and dystopian sci-fi movies?

If you watch the whole clip, you see other police officers beginning to act “human” in various ways — taking off their riot helmets, being restrained rather than unbridled in use of force, a few of them even looking abashed or frightened as they walk off.

This Occupy moment is not going to end any time soon. That is not just because of the underlying 99%-1% tensions but also because of police response of this sort — and because there have been so many similar videos coming from cities across the country.

Tags: Civil Rights, Occupy Wall Street by ecthompson md
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Sometimes you just have to wonder what’s going on in America. I know that Americans are hurting. This is clear. It is also clear that First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Jill Biden have been traveling around the country trying to honor our military servicemen and their families. Booing them is simply classless.

Tags: Domestic Issues, Military by ecthompson md
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When you think about the job that intelligence officials have to do in order to keep us safe, it is somewhat mind-boggling. You need to find people who are plotting to attack America, either here at home or abroad, and then you need to intervene in that attack. Hopefully, you’re able to intervene early enough to prevent any loss of life. You can’t intervene too early or you would be arresting people for thinking. Yesterday, Jose Pimentel was arrested and charged with plotting to detonate bombs in New York City. This alleged terrorist supposedly sympathized with Anwar al-Awlaki, a Muslim militant killed in a predator strike several months ago.

Tags: Al Qaeda, Terrorism by ecthompson md
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