How far CNN has fallen

Back in the early days of the 24-hour news cycle, CNN was actually trying to be balanced in their reporting. It was a news channel worth watching because it reported the news in a journalistically appropriate way. CNN followed the 4 Ws + H of reporting and regularly snagged at least two people for interviews -- who were actually connected to the event being reported -- for every story they aired. Breaking news was fairly well done as well.

Now?

This is just one of the people CNN had on air for a piece on the Sandra Bland arrest. Harry Houck is a retired NYPD detective who runs his own PI business now. He's also a "law enforcement analyst" for CNN. He said that if Bland hadn't acted "arrogant" to the officer, the whole incident would never have happened.

That's a really big assumption, Mr. Houck, and doesn't even take into account  a citizen's rights when stopped by a LEO. You know, like protection against unlawful search and seizure?

For shame, CNN, having this person appear as a "law enforcement analyst" on your channel. It appears that your news director has no qualms about paying any hothead who used to carry a badge to appear as a "law enforcement analyst." Does the ND even know what that phrase means? I bet not. Claiming someone is a "law enforcement analyst" means absolutely NOTHING in terms of accurate news reporting. All it means is that some person analyzes law enforcement. No background, no credentials, no other potential qualification is included in that phrase.

Ah, but such a euphemism it is. It's just like Silly Putty, you can mush it and shape it anywhichway to suit your needs.

Which is what CNN has done.

Being an LEO for 25 years says very little about the quality of that LEO's work. Running one's own PI agency says very little about the quality of that PI's work. I doubt Houck knows how to analyze the contents list of a box of noodles.

My late husband, who was a soldier and a police officer, would be angered by this whole situation: CNN swirling down the toilet bowl in a never-ending whirlpool of gabblery masquerading as news, police departments all over the US getting military-grade equipment (there's a damn good reason it has that name) instead of continuing education in psychology and medicine as it pertains to their field, and people -- and let's remember, folks, they're all people of color -- getting killed by police who seemingly think it's okay to shoot first and ask questions later. My husband never had to raise his voice while he was on duty as a cop, never felt using his gun was necessary in 12 years on the job, and spent nearly five years as a field training officer for rookies and new hires. He was admired by other officers for his quiet demeanor and ability to defuse situations that could have turned violent.

I'm glad he's not alive to witness the destruction of his last field of employment.

Two things I live by: consider the source (for any situation), and use more than three information sources before making any decision. These two things have saved me a whole lotta grief over the years.

Try 'em out, if you haven't already. You might be surprised at how different the world looks.

NYT, Time and Bloomberg can STFU

Honest journalists are once again hanging their heads in grief over the sour grapes of some MSM entities, this time for not being invited to a private party. At the White House. 

Holy crybabies, Batman.

President Obama deserves a private life. Being President of the United States is not an automatic I'll-show-you-everything card for the press. Yes, government should operate "in the sunshine" as often as is possible. There are times when doing so is against the public interest, i.e. classified information (though why something is designated classified is a debatable point). Outside of those items, actions and words meant for public/media consumption should be available for public/media consumption.

The President himself paid for this party. He's chary with information about his private life because he has the right, like every other American, to do so. Public figures should expect a certain amount of increased media notice, but there is no law that forces such folks to make available every last thing they do. Politicians are public figures; if they want to keep their non-public lives private, that's their choice.

President Obama and his family can and should do whatever they wish that has no bearing on the political arena or how he conducts himself as the US president. Might laws be broken in such circumstances? Anything is possible. But living in a surveillance state is not the answer to lowering the crimes rate. 

I applaud President Obama for his self-care. Doing the hardest job in the world is not a gig for a workaholic.  A person cannot care for others if they don't take care of themselves first, and that's what I believe the POTUS did with this private get-together: letting off steam, relaxing, having some fun. Damn, we all deserve that, right? Why should a president be whinged at for doing the same?

And here's another question: why are these MSMites concerned about a private party when there is so much else to cover? Hell, there's no shortage of war, famine, genocide, domestic terrorism, crooked pols and stupid laws -- all in our own country. 

Yeah, I said it. Deal with it.

Really, CNN?

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/02/us/freddie-gray-baltimore-death/

"Police Under Fire"? OMG, so MUCH fail in that title. Centering the cops who got arrested for Freddie Gray's homicide instead of Mr. Gray and the kill-all-black-males mindset so prevalent in so many US cities is just wrong.

Off to the pit with you.

AG Holder, FBI: Time to clean up Florida's corrections system

There are lots and lots of things deserving of the descriptive phrase "vile and pernicious," but -- for this week, at least -- this one takes the cake.

The DoJ and FBI need to go full bore on this shit:

1. Investigations on all reports of prisoner abuse by corrections personnel, arrests and indictments made where supported by evidence. If more money is needed to hire qualified personnel to complete this task, ALLOCATE IT.

2. Any laws  allowing Homeland Security to pass on military-grade weapons and-or equipment must be rescinded and all such items removed from any police agency which currently has them. Agencies may then request items be re-provided but NOT be automatically certain of getting them. Justification for such items must be supported by thorough documentation of need.

3. All job requirements for corrections personnel on ALL levels must be reviewed and revised to higher standards, to include higher pay for corrections officers and staff, EXCEPT for the administrators. Lack of equity between corrections and administrative staffs' incomes must be resolved. Better pay attracts better-qualified candidates. ABSOLUTELY NO POLICE ACADEMY WASHOUTS OR REJECTS.

4. For every person convicted and sentenced to serve time for crimes committed while working as corrections personnel, one person convicted for a non-violent crime must be released, starting with those who've been incarcerated the longest.

5. State laws concerning drug possession and use must be overhauled, to reduce the number of persons incarcerated for non-violent crimes.

That's just for starters, of course.

The Dept. of Homeland Security is a dangerous and unnecessary federal agency. It holds far too much power under one umbrella. Cooperation between agencies can be achieved by other means without centralizing so much legal and political power in one department. I've held this opinion ever since I first heard of this department's creation nearly 14 years ago.

The more we give away our freedoms for a little more "security," the less free we become.

The Thug Files

A new feature for this blog is The Thug Files. Our first entry:

Thug kills white prosecutor, wife in Texas

(h/t The Daily Kos)

But but but but ...

 Yeah. Take alla dem butts and make a frame, then slap on an appropriately sized piece of mirrored glass and LOOK AT YOURSELF.

I thank Laura J. Mixon-Gould for her research and resultant article on the fracas surrounding the erstwhile blogger and KTF* reviewer/opinionator of others once known as requires hate, winterfox and other monikers. That person is the subject of this post.

Disclaimer: I'm an old white lady phart who's been reading science fiction, fantasy and horror for more than 45 years, writing about it for about 14 years. I know no one involved in this chain of incidents personally (either in person or on the Intarwebz). I have corresponded once or twice with rh via her rh blog in comments. I learned about the incidents in question yesterday, and have been reading most of this afternoon about rh/etc from various blogs. I never claim to know everything. I'm pretty much an unknown in the SFF fan community, unless you talk to people who are really into fanzines; I pubbed a perszine from 2001-08. I cherish my privacy, so it would take a concerted effort for someone to learn my real name. Also, I'm not so attached to my blogs that it would be difficult to shut them down if I chose. Finally, I do have thick skin, but also a rather nasty temper and a substantial vocabulary in my arsenal. Do no harm to me or mine, and we'll be good. I prefer defense, and those who might test that are warned here: I fight back.

Maybe that's more than needed stating, but there it is.

The question which keeps popping up in my mind while reading about rh and her defenders is, "What are you, 12?" I did read rh for some months a few years back, but ultimately her abusive nature (my opinion) overpowered her sinister logodaedaly. One tires of reading KTF* reviews all the time. Eventually, it all seemed to turn into revenge porn and I'm just not into that.

"What are you, 12?" is often used by blog writers and readers as a retort to mansplainers, MRAs, and gamers of that ilk who never learned to engage their minds before putting their fingers in gear. I find it an amusing response. The logorrhea that spurts from such folk so much that others question their maturity has grown from a garden hose to a fire hose in volume. 2014 has been a banner year. If we could monetize this shit, we'd all be millionaires in 24 hours.

I thank Athena Andreadis for her recent well-reasoned blog post on the matter in question. Her cogent writing reminded me I was no spring chicken (nor did I want to be) and had a brain that worked pretty damn well. She confirmed a suspicion I'd had about rh, in a succinct and foo-foo-less manner, which is also why I admire her writings.

To those victimized by rh and her cohorts, I offer space here to tell your stories in your own words. I'll do my best to moderate this post's comments (if it ever gets any; that's how far off the radar I am) to create a safe(r) space for you all. Tade Thompson's Safe blog should, imo, be the central resource for those harmed by rh. Please consider me an adjunct. I'm not the only blogger who's done so, so I won't feel bad (much :-] ar ar) if folks choose to go elsewhere.

”I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.”
---His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso



*KTF=kill the fucker. An abbreviation from the olden days of SFF fanzines.

Note: I don't do linkies much. They're a convenience, not a requirement, imo. Google is yer friend, right?

Twitter gets a cookie for at least trying to reduce the hate

Shut up, Andrew Sullivan.  Pass that on to all your li'l buddies, too, k?