Random Politics & Religion #00

They issued the retraction after it was published and commented on.

It doesn't matter how many people defend it, what matters is that it was published in the first place.

I'm sure if Wall Street Journal published a cartoon of Obama as a monkey, you would be screaming bloody murder.

Actually I wouldn't care at all. The editor missed it. Slore doesn't know the difference between an editor and an owner, and nausi can't back up his empty accusations. Safe to say no one other than the comic was ok with this cartoon.

OK ok everyone else gets what I am saying except the liberal defender....I see it now.

You are a person that thinks the owner of a newspaper is involved in the day to day operations of said paper. I don't think you see anything.

So let me get this straight. A Liberal owner has absolutely no idea what goes on in a liberal company. None whatsoever? I do not buy that one for a second. I am sure he doesn't manage the day to day operations but he knows what hes doing.

We are not monkeys. We are great apes.

Arguably the greatest apes.

This is the only sentence that matters. Its a concession. You just admitted that the owner doesn't manage the day to day operations of the newspaper. He is not involved in the day to day articles/comics/editorials that get published. He doesn't write them, he doesn't approve them, he doesn't even see them until their final form in the paper. Therefore, when talking about this specific situation, the owner is irrelevant, because he was not involved at all.

It does by extension, that's what you do not see. If I am a liberal owner, of a liberal paper, promoting liberal agenda, I am going to make sure the business is run and operated by like minded liberal people. How is that so hard to comprehend? I am sure they aren't going to hire Allen West there anytime soon.

The Texas health department is cutting off federal funding to a Houston Planned Parenthood affiliate for a nearly three-decade old HIV prevention program, officials said on Wednesday.

"We have the discretion to extend the contract and elected not to," said Texas Department of State Health Services spokesman Chris Van Deusen, without elaborating. "The services will be provided by local health departments in the area."

The contract is federally funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but managed by the state.

In a letter sent to Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast on Monday, state officials said the $600,000 annual grant set to expire on Dec. 31 will be cut off indefinitely.

The program launched in 1988 has administered more than 138,000 HIV tests and identified 1,182 people with the virus. It also tests for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C.

"It's cruel to play games with people's health care," the Houston-area Planned Parenthood affiliate said in a statement, noting that the move was politically motivated. "Another provider will be hard pressed to fill the gap."

Texas Republican leaders have intensified efforts to cut funding for Planned Parenthood after an anti-abortion group released videos it said showed officials of the reproductive health agency negotiating prices for fetal tissues from abortions it performs.

Planned Parenthood has said the videos were heavily edited and denied profiting from fetal tissue donation. It has filed lawsuits to halt attempts to cut its Medicaid funding.

A CDC spokeswoman said the agency does not provide money directly to Planned Parenthood and the state is within its rights to reallocate the money.

Texas declares war on venereal disease prevention.

Texas to cut HIV prevention funds to Planned Parenthood facility
Reuters

Failure to comply with an unlawful order?

You are required to comply with a lawful order under penalty of law. If a cop is detaining or arresting you lawfully, yeah, you have to comply or face further charges.

If a cop just tells you to do something, like stops you to ask for your ID when you aren't suspected of a crime, you can tell him to get bent, and should.

And there is NEVER a situation where it is justifiable to shoot a person for not complying with a lawful order unless they present a clear and eminent danger to the officer or other civilians. NEVER... EVER...

I'm not saying that's what a person should do,

You tell me where he messed up since you know more than I where he crossed the line. Three requests - 1) Put out cigarette, 2) Step out of the car, or 3) Forcefully removing her from the car.

posting a video of Chris Rock satire and parody about the cops being brutal doesn't do anything but highlight what a widespread phenomenon police brutality is.

Well of course with all the bad pr and complaints revolving around it if I was the owner I wouldn't own up to it either. I'd say it slipped through too. You do not go after peoples kids. Hillary used her daughter in campaign ads and she went untouched. Respect is 2 way.

Actually I wouldn't care at all. The editor missed it. Slore doesn't know the difference between an editor and an owner, and nausi can't back up his empty accusations. Safe to say no one other than the comic was ok with this cartoon.

Gotta be honest. Without context I have no idea what that cartoon is referencing. I feel like it might be at least vaguely racist, but even that's a bit of an assumption.

Dr. Melba Ketchum, a Texas veterinarian, led the study and claims her company, DNA Diagnostics, has broken the genetic code of more than 100 DNA samples collected from bigfoot encounters. Fresno resident Jeffrey Gonzalez is the founder of the Sanger Paranormal Society, who also does a weekly Internet radio show.

5-year-old long DNA study that claims Bigfoot is a human relative, which arose about 15,000 years ago.

Jeffrey Gonzalez says, “These things are for real"

You tell me where he messed up since you know more than I where he crossed the line. Three requests - 1) Put out cigarette, 2) Step out of the car, or 3) Forcefully removing her from the car.

After step 3) she assualts him. So you tell me what brought her to be arrested? Probly assualt possibly?

That's the smart thing to do?

This in context to what story exactly?

So shooting a Cop is not as dumb as trying to get into a heated situation with one?
- If you want tell the police to *** off cuz your cigarettes are way too AMAZING to be parted with for 2min then go for it.
- If you want to stay in your vehicle when they tell you to please step out. Have fun.
- If you want to create a big deal out of nothing then GL to you.
Personally idgaf what you do or do not do. Understood? Everyone has been in such a situation. It happens daily. Police asking you to put out your cigarette. Police asking you to step out of your vehicle. Police ask many things..... If you want to be a rebel w/e idc like I said repeatedly idgaf. Do as you please.

Waller County jailers and sheriff's office officials will not face criminal charges in the death of Sandra Bland, but the state trooper who stopped her, and whose dashcam recording of their encounter enraged the nation, is still facing criminal scrutiny.

Darrell Jordan, one of the five special prosecutors assigned to the case, said a grand jury that already met three times, clearing on Monday county employees in Bland's death in the county jail, will reconvene in January to review other issues. Jurors still have not issued any decision on Department of Public Safety Trooper Brian Encinia's treatment or arrest of Bland, who he stopped for an improper lane change near Prairie View A&M University on July 10. Dashcam video showed an increasingly confrontational encounter, with Encinia at one point brandishing a stun gun and yelling at Bland, "I will light you up!"

Protesters around the country have called for the grand jury to indict Encinia.

"If she wouldn't have been wrongfully arrested ... then she would probably still be alive today," said Kristina Jacobs, a 23-year-old activist with the National Black United Front, which had planned several protests Tuesday in response to the grand jury's announcement.

Tom Vinger, a DPS spokesman, said Encinia remains on administrative duty. DPS Director Steve McCraw has said that Encinia violated DPS' courtesy policy during the stop and when he detained Bland.

Calls for accountability

An administrative investigation remains pending, Vinger said.

Bland, a 28-year-old African-American, was jailed for assaulting a public officer - Encinia claimed she kicked him, though that incident was not captured on dashcam video. She wasn't able to raise the $500 necessary to post bail and was found hanging in her jail cell from a ligature made with a plastic bag three days after being arrested.

Medical examiners ruled the case a suicide, though Bland's family and friends have disputed that finding. Her arrest and death was one of many over the last year that have sparked greater scrutiny of law enforcement and their interactions with civilians. The case sparked calls for greater accountability on the part of law enforcement and a firestorm on social media, spawning hashtags like #SandySpeaks and #IfIDieinPoliceCustody, and led state lawmakers to call for hearings on jail procedures and safety and for state regulators to change how inmates are evaluated for mental health issues after they are arrested.

Cannon Lambert, who is representing Bland's family in a wrongful death lawsuit, expressed frustration and skepticism Encinia would be charged.

"They've had video of what Encinia did - there's 52 minutes that shows exactly what Encinia did. He had no probable cause to pull her out of car and make her get out. He was just upset she didn't want to put her cigarette out," he said.

Family skeptical

Lambert said the family is also skeptical of the grand jury process, adding that they would be asking again for the results of DPS' investigation into Encinia's actions. He said they have been barred from receiving that information because of the grand jury proceedings.

"It makes them really, really question the whole process and whether or not they're taking this seriously," he said.

Across the country, meanwhile, the news of the grand jury's decision continued to spark outrage and debate.

"This is not over, and people should not interpret it as such," said the Rev. Hannah Bonner, a pastor and activist who spent 80 days holding a vigil outside the Waller County Jail after Bland's death.

Bonner and other activists and supporters of Bland and her family scheduled a news conference and protest in Hempstead on Tuesday afternoon. They also planned a separate gathering later in the evening, in Hermann Park. Elsewhere, protests were planned in Boston, Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Mo., and New Orleans.

Politicians weigh in

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders released a statement following the ruling, criticizing Bland's arrest and detention.

"There's no doubt in my mind that she, like too many African-Americans who die in police custody, would be alive today if she were a white woman," he said, in a statement released on Twitter.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee again called upon federal officials to investigate.

"It is disappointing that the local officials have not produced answers that Ms. Bland's family and the rest of this country expect and deserve," the Houston Democrat said.

Reached Tuesday, Waller County Sheriff R. Glenn Smith said he was pleased the grand jury had declined to press criminal charges against anyone in his office or in the jail.

"We're happy with the decision and felt comfortable that decision was going to be made, because as we've said from the beginning, it was a tragic incident that she inflicted on herself," he said, before offering his condolences to Bland's family. "I don't wish this on any family, and I hate the tragic incident, all the way around. And I really do. And that's the truth."

He dragged her out of the car unlawfully and then arrested her without cause, I don't see her assaulting him at all, only resisting an unlawful arrest.

It's a pretty good indicator that you're part of the problem when you think it's smarter to let a cop harass, assault, and unlawfully detain you instead of voicing your rights.

I'm sure the police could be more friendly in some cases. Without a doubt.