September 29, 2016 by IdealisticRebel

Cops As Killers

Growing up, a cop was a man that you would help you if you needed help. We had a volunteer fire department and I knew most of them and several of them were family. In school they taught us policemen were our friends, and I had faith in that idea, faith in the police. Then the day came when protesters to the Vietnam War at Kent State, Ohio were murdered by the National Guard (cops). I cried. I screamed. I lost my faith in cops.

Now, we have cops killing a lot of people. A frightening number of people. Often they are minorities, some of them have even been entitled whites. Almost all have been innocent and trying to explain and/or being compliant with the cop.

Now cops are killing children. The first event took place in Cleveland, Ohio. I lived there 20 years. I know the city well. A black child, Tamir Rice was playing with a toy gun at a neighborhood park. A person called 911 and reported a suspicious person having a gun. They said it might be a toy gun. Meanwhile, Tamir is just minding his own business playing on a cold winter afternoon. A police cruiser comes racing down the street and quickly pulls up a few feet from this child. The cop in the passenger gets out and shoots Tamir dead. One second he is a child playing and the next he is lying on the snowy ground as his life force ebbs out of his body. His big sister then arrives and tries to go to Tamir and the cops refuse to let her near her brother. They made sure he died alone.

Tamir is not the only child or teen to be murdered by cops and most have been black. This has made me a staunch supporter of Black Lives Matter. Tamir was black. When he arrived in heaven, he looked like everyone else because we are all the same. The blood floods through our veins and arteries the same, our kidneys work the same, our hearts beat the same, our skin is the only difference.

I have attached stories about more of the same. I want to write about happier things, but the National Rifle Association and the cops won’t let the subject be out of the news for very long at all.

The way to positive change is for as many people as possible to know what is happening. Knowledge is power to make the changes that are required. Please feel free to give me your honest feedback in civilized language. I guess I should mention, if anyone hasn’t deduced by now, I don’t trust cops anymore. I am sure there are some good cops but recent event make is seem that there are not enough, not nearly enough. The bad and/or racist cops appear to be growing in numbers too fast to ignore.

Namaste,

Barbara

Video of police shooting that killed 6-year-old

autistic La. boy released

Last Updated Sep 28, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

MARKSVILLE, La. — The public is getting its first look at a police body camera video that shows two deputy city marshals opening fire on a car, killing a 6-year-old boy and critically wounding his father in Louisiana.

Prosecutors showed the tape in court Wednesday to support their claim that one of the deputies, Derrick Stafford, had a pattern of using excessive force — including last November’s fatal shooting of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis in Marksville.

Police say the officer’s chased the boy’s father Christopher Few after he drove off from an argument with his girlfriend. The video captures the moment the SUV was cornered, CBS News correspondent David Begnaud reported.

Defense attorneys argue the deputies acted in self-defense and claim Few rammed into a deputy’s vehicle before they fired.

Christopher Few (left) and his son Jeremy Mardis (right).

CBS AFFILIATE WAFB

christofer-few-left-with-jeremy-mardis-right-cbs-affiliate — Christopher Few (left) and his son Jeremy Mardis (right).

CBS AFFILIATE WAFB

However, state District Court Judge William Bennett said the video doesn’t show Few using his car as a “deadly weapon” at the time of the shooting.

The court released the video to reporters after the hearing.

The shooting happened Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 around 9:30 p.m., CBS affiliate WAFB reported. Jeremy Mardis, who had autism, died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. His father, Chris Few, survived.

Parish investigators initially said marshals were chasing Few because of an outstanding warrant, WAFB reported.. However, WAFB checked with the Clerk of Court, the District Attorney’s Office, Marksville Police Department and City Court and did not find any outstanding warrants.

Col. Mike Edmonson said so far, their investigation shows the same.

WAFB has posted the first minute and 35 seconds from the shooting. They are currently reviewing the rest of the body cam footage.

Part of the video can be found below. Video may be disturbing and graphic for viewers.

January 7, 2016 by IdealisticRebel

Obama Takes Gun Control Action when Congress Won’t

https://youtu.be/xlx3GEsM1pQ

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(CNN)President Barack Obama grew emotional Tuesday as he made a passionate call for a national “sense of urgency” to limit gun violence.

He was introduced by Mark Barden, whose son Daniel was killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Obama circled back to that shooting in the final moments of his speech.

“Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad,” Obama said, pausing to wipe away tears.

He added: “And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day,” referring to his hometown where he began his political career.

Guns must not be allowed on our streets. The streets have enough blood on them already.

https://vine.co/v/iblQEjv5eHr/embed/simple

The White House is seeking to expand background checks for buyers. The measure clarifies that individuals “in the business of selling firearms” register as licensed gun dealers, effectively narrowing the so-called “gun show loophole,” which exempts most small sellers from keeping formal sales records.

Former Congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabby Giffords, who was seriously injured in a 2011 mass shooting, was also in attendance at Tuesday’s event and was greeted with a standing ovation from the White House audience.

Obama hammered congressional Republicans for opposing measures like expanded background checks as he called on Americans to punish them at the polls. He defended his actions to strengthen background checks for purchasing guns, answering critics who say the measure would not make it harder for criminals to obtain firearms.

“Each time this comes up, we are fed the excuse that common-sense reforms like background checks might not have stopped the last massacre, or the one before that, or the one before that, so why bother trying,” Obama said. “I reject that thinking.”

“We know we can’t stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world. But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence,” he added.

The President blasted the gun lobby, particularly the National Rifle Association, and insisted that his actions are “not a plot to take away everybody’s guns.”

He compared his push for gun control to steps the United States and businesses have taken to limit traffic fatalities, require fingerprints to unlock iPads and keep children from opening bottles of aspirin.

“I believe in the Second Amendment, there written on paper, that guarantees the right to bear arms,” Obama said. “No matter how many times people try to twist my words around, I taught constitutional law. I know a little bit about this. But I also believe that we can find ways to reduce gun violence consistent with the Second Amendment.”

Obama said Congress, which blocked a tougher gun bill in 2013, still needs to impose new gun control measures. He noted that many of the actions he’s calling for can only be imposed through legislative action.

“Congress still needs to act,” Obama said. “The folks in this room will not rest until Congress does. Because once Congress gets on board with common-sense gun safety measures, we can reduce gun violence a whole lot.”

“But we also can’t wait,” Obama added. “Until we have the Congress that’s in line with the majority of Americans, there are actions within my legal authority that we can take to help reduce gun violence and save more lives.”

In addition to expanding and bolstering the background check system to cover sales that take place online and at gun shows, Obama said the administration will provide more funding for mental health treatment, FBI staff and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives agents.

On Capitol Hill, the reaction from Republicans was just as Obama had predicted.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, said Obama’s actions “will no doubt be challenged in the courts” and “can be overturned by a Republican President.”

“From day one, the President has never respected the right to safe and legal gun ownership that our nation has valued since its founding,” Ryan said in a statement. “He knows full well that the law already says that people who make their living selling firearms must be licensed, regardless of venue. Still, rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens. His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty.”

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, vowed in New Hampshire on Tuesday that she will “take on that fight” and continue Obama’s gun control push if she’s elected.

On Twitter, in a tweet signed “-H” to indicate it was written by Clinton, rather than her staff, the former secretary of state thanked Obama “for taking a crucial step forward on gun violence. Our next President has to build on that progress—not rip it away.”

And her campaign highlighted Republican candidates’ criticism of Obama’s comments on its website, warning that a GOP president would undo Obama’s actions.

Many polls have found broad support for expanded background checks — the most recent being a Quinnipiac University poll in December. In that survey, 89% overall support it, 84% in gun-owning households, 87% of Republicans, 86% of independent, 95% of Democrats.

In a December CNN/ORC poll, 48% of Americans said they were in favor of stricter gun control laws, 51% were opposed.

Support for stricter laws has been less than half since 2013. There’s a sharp partisan divide on the question, with 74% of Democrats in favor of stricter laws, while just 23% of Republicans feel the same way.

Among those who live in a gun-owning household, 29% favor stricter laws, that rises to 65% among those who live in households where no one owns a gun.

Just 35% approve of Obama’s handling of gun policy, including 56% of Democrats and 55% of liberals. That’s well below his approval rating among Democrats/liberals for other top issue.

We can not continue to let all of these mass murders happen here in The United States of America. We are a nation the world looks up to despite slavery, racism and misogyny. These are terrible demerits for a nation and now we are killing each other off…over and over again. The NRA has bought out Congress. They have more power than everyone except for the Executive branch.

We the people are allowing this to happen. If you want stricter gun laws,write, call, tweet, fax, facebook your Congress people and let them know how you feel. You elected them and you can unelected them. Our society is deteriorating at a terrible rate. It must be stopped or else the gun holders will commit more crimes than the mob ever has.

Think about your children’s children’s children. Do we want them to grow up in a bloody hate filled, thoughtless, mean spirited world? I sure don’t. I want the America which our Founding Fathers formed. The country where people were supposed to live in equality, compassion and kindness. Think about this before you vote and vote for the coming generations and not just for today.

Namaste.

Barbara

March 20, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

Can we Disarm Domestic Violence

Disarm Domestic Violence

The people in Domestic Violence have put forth the logical thinking that abusers need to be not allowed to own guns by law. And guess who disagrees. The NRA. The National Rifle Association feels it is right and proper for an abuser to own guns. Even to own assault guns. I feel this is absurd and will increase the deaths of victims of Domestic Violence.

Enough victims have died due to their abuse. Why would we want to arm the abusers? The NRA has beaten back legislation to stop abusers from owning guns. This legislation would mandate that an abuser turn in all guns and not be able to buy more. Yes, I realize it is easy. Under current laws, you can buy guns at gun shows and other places.

Do we want to make it easier for the abuser to have a gun to further his/her power and control? They believe it is the constitutional right even of abusers. The NRA feels guns should not be confiscated unless someone is found guilty of a felony. They feel it “would be a nuisance”. I believe it could save lives.

At this point in time, Domestic Violence is a misdemeanor and includes a maximum sentence of 18 months. Even if it is a felony in your state, abusers need to lose the guns.

In Washington, current law gives judges issuing civil protection orders the discretion to require the surrender of firearms.They need to find a “serious and imminent threat” to public health. Records show that they seldom confiscate guns from an abuser. I guess if the imminent threat is ‘only’ about the women and children, that doesn’t count as public safety.

According to the New York Times, at least five women have been murdered in New York City by guns used by their abuser.This form of gun violence happens all the time even when the courts step in because the laws requiring the surrender of firearm under orders protection are not strong enough, subject to judicial lacity or are non-existent.

There are many individual stories that can freeze your blood. A woman’s abuser held a gun in her mouth and threatened to shoot her. He did not lose his guns until the cops stopped him from shooting her a second time. A woman filed for divorce and a restraining order. The cops refused to remove his collection of firearms. She went into hiding, with the assistance of the “Underground Railroad” that has been created by Domestic Violence shelters. After a while she felt safe and she returned to her life. Her husband caught her in a parking lot and shot her and then killed himself.

The NRA needs to be stopped from encouraging the right to bear arms even if you are guilty of being an abuser. Male or female abuser, it is the same.If the NRA supports families as they like to brag about, then they should agree to the confiscation of all the guns of a person who assaults their spouse, significant other or children. It is time to revisit the intention of the Second Amendment. The Founding Fathers did not intend for people to hide their crimes behind the Amendment.

If you are interested, there are previous blogs of mine dealing with gun control and Domestic Violence.