This blog will focus on political images I have found all around the Internet, though I will intersperse some commentary and quotes that I find interesting.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Texas Judge Warns Rick Perry Not To Threaten Grand Jury
SAHIL KAPUR
Published AUGUST 22, 2014
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A Democratic state judge in Texas is suggesting that Republican Gov. Rick Perry's strong denunciations of his indictment could be seen as a threat to the grand jurors, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
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Julie Kocurek, an elected judge, said "no one is above the law."
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It's far from clear that Perry was threatening the grand jury. The statement he made, to which Kocurek was reportedly referring, was this: "I am confident we will ultimately prevail, that this farce of a prosecution will be revealed for what it is, and that those responsible will be held to account."
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[I understand the ruling. Those responsible for the indictment are the grand jury members and Perry is threatening to hold them to account. One has to ask - how do small minded people like Rick Perry get elected to office? - Bozo]
Published AUGUST 22, 2014
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A Democratic state judge in Texas is suggesting that Republican Gov. Rick Perry's strong denunciations of his indictment could be seen as a threat to the grand jurors, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
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Julie Kocurek, an elected judge, said "no one is above the law."
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"I have a duty to make sure that our members of the grand jury are protected," she's quoted as saying. "I am defending the integrity of our grand jury system."
It's far from clear that Perry was threatening the grand jury. The statement he made, to which Kocurek was reportedly referring, was this: "I am confident we will ultimately prevail, that this farce of a prosecution will be revealed for what it is, and that those responsible will be held to account."
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<Source>
[I understand the ruling. Those responsible for the indictment are the grand jury members and Perry is threatening to hold them to account. One has to ask - how do small minded people like Rick Perry get elected to office? - Bozo]
Cubs Cut Workers' Hours To Avoid O-Care Mandate, Then Disaster Struck
Dylan Scott
Friday, August 22, 2014, 12:59 pm
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Earlier this week, the Chicago Cubs grounds crew experienced a disaster. As rain poured onto Wrigley Field, they were unable to cover the playing surface with a tarp in time. They were booed. The game was called. Because of the mismanagement, their opponents, the San Francisco Giants, protested the game after it had been called as a win for the Cubs. They succeeded. It was the first successful protest in Major League Baseball in 28 years, according to Deadspin.
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But the whole bizarre episode was cast in a new light Thursday when the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Cubs had slashed worker hours to keep them under 30 hours a week to avoid paying health benefits under Obamacare.
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<Source>
[It is such sweet satisfaction to watch conservative assholes get what they deserve. - Bozo]
Friday, August 22, 2014, 12:59 pm
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Earlier this week, the Chicago Cubs grounds crew experienced a disaster. As rain poured onto Wrigley Field, they were unable to cover the playing surface with a tarp in time. They were booed. The game was called. Because of the mismanagement, their opponents, the San Francisco Giants, protested the game after it had been called as a win for the Cubs. They succeeded. It was the first successful protest in Major League Baseball in 28 years, according to Deadspin.
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But the whole bizarre episode was cast in a new light Thursday when the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Cubs had slashed worker hours to keep them under 30 hours a week to avoid paying health benefits under Obamacare.
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<Source>
[It is such sweet satisfaction to watch conservative assholes get what they deserve. - Bozo]
Judge: SWAT team can't claim immunity after using excessive force
Rob Beschizza
11:07 am Wed, Aug 27, 2014
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Police might be able to bash your home's door down and summarily execute you, but that doesn't mean they can use their qualified immunity to escape even the possibility of legal redress.
On May 18, 2008, a heavily armed SWAT - or special weapons and tactics - team unit knocked down Terebesi's door, threw stun flash grenades into his Easton home and fatally shot 33-year-old Gonzalo Guizan of Norfolk as the two men watched television. ...
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In a 51-page ruling that upholds a lower court decision, the appeals court said the police responded with unnecessary and inappropriate force and under the circumstances, are not protected by "qualified immunity" from the lawsuits.
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[If only this reasonable ruling will hold up in higher courts, we might get more reasoned responses by the police - Bozo]
11:07 am Wed, Aug 27, 2014
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Police might be able to bash your home's door down and summarily execute you, but that doesn't mean they can use their qualified immunity to escape even the possibility of legal redress.
On May 18, 2008, a heavily armed SWAT - or special weapons and tactics - team unit knocked down Terebesi's door, threw stun flash grenades into his Easton home and fatally shot 33-year-old Gonzalo Guizan of Norfolk as the two men watched television. ...
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In a 51-page ruling that upholds a lower court decision, the appeals court said the police responded with unnecessary and inappropriate force and under the circumstances, are not protected by "qualified immunity" from the lawsuits.
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"The plaintiffs presented evidence indicating that all of the defendants understood that the warrant was for a small amount of drugs meant only for personal use. The basis for the officers' entry, in other words, was related to an offense that was neither grave nor violent," the appeals court wrote in a decision released late Monday..
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[If only this reasonable ruling will hold up in higher courts, we might get more reasoned responses by the police - Bozo]
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Prosecution of Michael Brown's killer may be 'basically impossible'?
Rss@dailykos.com (hunter)
Thursday, August 21, 2014, 5:24 pm
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New Republic reporter Yishai Schwartz points out the central problem with prosecuting Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the Michael Brown shooting: Under Missouri law, you're pretty much allowed to shoot anyone.
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[W]e expect situations of justified violence and legal killing to be the rare exception, and most people would probably imagine that policemen and citizens raising claims of justifiable homicide must meet a substantive burden of proof. But in Missouri, these justifications barely require any evidence at all. [...]
Instead, as long as there is a modicum of evidence and reasonable plausibility in support of a self-defense claim, a court must accept the claim and acquit the accused. The prosecution must not only prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime, but also disprove a defendant's claim of self-defense to the same high standard. Under Missouri law, all a citizen claiming self-defense or a police officer claiming to have fired while pursuing a dangerous criminal need do is "inject the issue of justification." In other words, he only needs to produce some evidence (his own testimony counts) supporting the claim. Once he does so, "any reasonable doubt on the issue requires a finding for the defendant."
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<Source>
Thursday, August 21, 2014, 5:24 pm
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The Missouri Loophole
.New Republic reporter Yishai Schwartz points out the central problem with prosecuting Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the Michael Brown shooting: Under Missouri law, you're pretty much allowed to shoot anyone.
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[W]e expect situations of justified violence and legal killing to be the rare exception, and most people would probably imagine that policemen and citizens raising claims of justifiable homicide must meet a substantive burden of proof. But in Missouri, these justifications barely require any evidence at all. [...]
Instead, as long as there is a modicum of evidence and reasonable plausibility in support of a self-defense claim, a court must accept the claim and acquit the accused. The prosecution must not only prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime, but also disprove a defendant's claim of self-defense to the same high standard. Under Missouri law, all a citizen claiming self-defense or a police officer claiming to have fired while pursuing a dangerous criminal need do is "inject the issue of justification." In other words, he only needs to produce some evidence (his own testimony counts) supporting the claim. Once he does so, "any reasonable doubt on the issue requires a finding for the defendant."
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Anatomy of a Fox News smear: Ann Coulter, Matt Drudge and the "dumbest person on the Internet"
John Avignone
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2014 02:08 PM EST
The killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed young black man shot at least six times by police officer Darren Wilson, and the resulting protests in Ferguson, Missouri, left the right-wing media machine in something of a conundrum. Days ticked by and still there was no viable right-wing narrative.
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Then, six days after the shooting, Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson bowed to pressure from the community and media and identified Wilson as the cop who shot Brown. At the same time, Jackson released two new bits of information. He said Wilson had been taken to a hospital after the shooting with swelling to his face. He also released a store surveillance video that showed Brown reaching over a counter and grabbing a handful of cigars, then pushing a store clerk on his way out.
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This was a turning point in the story: Ferguson police seemingly wanted to transform Michael Brown from an innocent victim to a criminal. Still, it was hard to justify killing a young man with no previous record - especially shooting him six times, for allegedly stealing a handful of cheap cigars.
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It wasn't long before Fox News was pushing a new narrative: Michael Brown wasn't just the latest in a depressingly long line of unarmed young black men to be gunned down by a white cop. He was a thug, they suggested, a criminal who deserved what he got, because he posed a deadly threat to Officer Wilson.
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This was proven, Fox News reported with an unnamed source, because "the officer had sustained a fractured eye socket in the incident." Ann Coulter even suggested, incorrectly, that we'd seen X-rays of the fracture. Fox went on to claim "solid proof" of a battle between Wilson and Brown for the officer's handgun.
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It was not long, of course, before CNN and others disproved such bogus claims. But how did such fiction make it all the way to an outlet as major, if intellectually challenged, as Fox News?
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<Source>
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2014 02:08 PM EST
How did Fox News run a totally bogus Ferguson story? Welcome to the truly slimy side of the right-wing hit machine.
.The killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed young black man shot at least six times by police officer Darren Wilson, and the resulting protests in Ferguson, Missouri, left the right-wing media machine in something of a conundrum. Days ticked by and still there was no viable right-wing narrative.
.
Then, six days after the shooting, Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson bowed to pressure from the community and media and identified Wilson as the cop who shot Brown. At the same time, Jackson released two new bits of information. He said Wilson had been taken to a hospital after the shooting with swelling to his face. He also released a store surveillance video that showed Brown reaching over a counter and grabbing a handful of cigars, then pushing a store clerk on his way out.
.
This was a turning point in the story: Ferguson police seemingly wanted to transform Michael Brown from an innocent victim to a criminal. Still, it was hard to justify killing a young man with no previous record - especially shooting him six times, for allegedly stealing a handful of cheap cigars.
.
It wasn't long before Fox News was pushing a new narrative: Michael Brown wasn't just the latest in a depressingly long line of unarmed young black men to be gunned down by a white cop. He was a thug, they suggested, a criminal who deserved what he got, because he posed a deadly threat to Officer Wilson.
.
This was proven, Fox News reported with an unnamed source, because "the officer had sustained a fractured eye socket in the incident." Ann Coulter even suggested, incorrectly, that we'd seen X-rays of the fracture. Fox went on to claim "solid proof" of a battle between Wilson and Brown for the officer's handgun.
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It was not long, of course, before CNN and others disproved such bogus claims. But how did such fiction make it all the way to an outlet as major, if intellectually challenged, as Fox News?
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<Source>
Louisiana school hits Rastafarian teen with 'unlimited suspension' over his dreadlocks
[There's a class of Americans who want to punish ANYBODY who doesn't fit their ideal - I just don't see this kind of discrimination anywhere near where I live. They're nuts in the south. - Bozo]
By Travis Gettys
Tuesday, August 26, 2014 10:10 EDT
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The ACLU of Louisiana has come to the defense of a Rastafarian boy who has been suspended from school and forbidden to return until he cuts his dreadlocks.
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The boy was sent home from South Plaquemines High School when classes resumed Aug. 8 because his dreadlocks extended beyond the collar of his shirt, in apparent violation of the school dress code.
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After he returned to school the following week with his hair pinned up, school officials told the student his dreadlocks remained in violation.
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Rastafarians believe Leviticus 21:5 forbids them to cut their hair, and dreadlocks are central to their religious beliefs.
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"The wearing of dreadlocks for (the student) is akin to the wearing of a religious icon by another student," the ACLU said in a letter sent Monday to the Plaquemines Parish School Board.
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The student's mother provided a letter to the school superintendent from the 1st Church of Rastafar I that indicated the boy's family were members and explained the importance of dreadlocks to their faith.
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<Source>
By Travis Gettys
Tuesday, August 26, 2014 10:10 EDT
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The ACLU of Louisiana has come to the defense of a Rastafarian boy who has been suspended from school and forbidden to return until he cuts his dreadlocks.
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The boy was sent home from South Plaquemines High School when classes resumed Aug. 8 because his dreadlocks extended beyond the collar of his shirt, in apparent violation of the school dress code.
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After he returned to school the following week with his hair pinned up, school officials told the student his dreadlocks remained in violation.
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Rastafarians believe Leviticus 21:5 forbids them to cut their hair, and dreadlocks are central to their religious beliefs.
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"The wearing of dreadlocks for (the student) is akin to the wearing of a religious icon by another student," the ACLU said in a letter sent Monday to the Plaquemines Parish School Board.
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The student's mother provided a letter to the school superintendent from the 1st Church of Rastafar I that indicated the boy's family were members and explained the importance of dreadlocks to their faith.
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<Source>
Friday, August 29, 2014
6 numbers that tell you everything you need to know about America's busted priorities
Paul Buchheit
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2014 07:57 AM EST
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Americans constantly hear about the threat of "entitlements," which in the case of Social Security and Medicare are more properly defined as "earned benefits." The real threat is the array of entitlements demanded by the very rich. The following annual numbers may help to put our country's expenses and benefits in perspective.
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$220 Billion: Teacher Salaries
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$246 Billion: State and Local Pensions
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$398 Billion: Safety Net
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$863 Billion: Social Security
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$2,200 Billion: Tax Avoidance
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$5,000 Billion: Investment Wealth
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Another View: Annual Per Capita Numbers
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The following are averages, which are skewed in the case of tax breaks and investment income, as a result of the excessive takings of the .1% and the .01%. Details of the calculations can be found here.
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The super-rich feel they deserve all the tax breaks and the accumulation of wealth from the productivity of others.
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This is the true threat of entitlement
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<Source>
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2014 07:57 AM EST
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If you're wondering why wages are stagnating and inequality is on the rise, look no further
.Americans constantly hear about the threat of "entitlements," which in the case of Social Security and Medicare are more properly defined as "earned benefits." The real threat is the array of entitlements demanded by the very rich. The following annual numbers may help to put our country's expenses and benefits in perspective.
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$220 Billion: Teacher Salaries
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there are just over four million preschool, primary, secondary, and special education school teachers in the U.S., earning an average of $54,740..
$246 Billion: State and Local Pensions
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Census data shows a total annual (2012) payout of about $246 billion. Only about $100 billion of this came from state and local governments, with the remainder funded by employee contributions and investment earnings. A recent Pew study showed a little over $100 billion in annual state contributions to pensions, health care, and non-pension benefits..
$398 Billion: Safety Net
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The 2013 safety net (non-medical) included the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), WIC (Women, Infants, Children), Child Nutrition, Earned Income Tax Credit, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Education & Training, and Housing..
$863 Billion: Social Security
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Social Security is the major source of income for most of the elderly, and it is an earned benefit. As of 2010, according to the Urban Institute, the average two-earner couple making average wages throughout their lifetimes receive less in Social Security benefits than they paid in..
$2,200 Billion: Tax Avoidance
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That's $2.2 trillion in tax expenditures, tax underpayments, tax havens, and corporate nonpayment. It is estimated that two-thirds of tax breaks accrue to the top quintile of taxpayers..
$5,000 Billion: Investment Wealth
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That's $5 trillion dollars a year, the annual amount gained in U.S. wealth from the end of 2008 to the middle of 2013. Even though the whole country continued to grow in productivity, most of the new wealth went to the very richest people. According to Oxfam, the wealthiest one percent captured 95 percent of post-financial crisis growth since 2009, while the bottom 90 percent became poorer..
Another View: Annual Per Capita Numbers
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The following are averages, which are skewed in the case of tax breaks and investment income, as a result of the excessive takings of the .1% and the .01%. Details of the calculations can be found here.
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$8,600 for each of the Safety Net recipients.
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$14,600 for each of the Social Security recipients
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$27,333 for each of the Pension recipients
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$54,740 for each of the Teachers
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$200,000 for each of the Tax Break recipients among the richest 1%
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$500,000 for each of the Investment Income recipients among the richest 1%
The super-rich feel they deserve all the tax breaks and the accumulation of wealth from the productivity of others.
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This is the true threat of entitlement
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Shooting report
Why is the NRA so opposed to required training for every new gun owner? They could make millions by offering experts to do the training all across the country?
Seven US children are shot dead every day on average ‘and we are as a country ignoring them’
By News21
Thursday, August 28, 2014 9:57 EDT
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For every U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan during 11 years of war, at least 13 children were shot and killed in America.
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More than 450 kids didn’t make it to kindergarten.
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Another 2,700 or more were killed by a firearm before they could sit behind the wheel of a car.
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Every day, on average, seven children were shot dead.
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A News21 investigation of child and youth deaths in America between 2002 and 2012 found that at least 28,000 children and teens 19-years-old and younger were killed with guns. Teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 made up over two-thirds of all youth gun deaths in America.
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The News21 findings are compiled in the most complete database to date from records obtained from 49 state health departments and FBI Supplementary Homicide Reports.
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“It’s an unacceptable number and it should be regardless of where you stand on gun-owning ideology,” said Colette Martin, a member of Parents Against Gun Violence. “The numbers are that high and we are as a country ignoring them.”
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Most of those killed by firearms, 62 percent, were murdered and the majority of victims were black children and teens. Suicides resulted in 25 percent of the firearm deaths of young people: The majority of them were white. More than 1,100 children and teens were killed by a gun that accidentally discharged.
[...]
<Source>
Thursday, August 28, 2014 9:57 EDT
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For every U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan during 11 years of war, at least 13 children were shot and killed in America.
.
More than 450 kids didn’t make it to kindergarten.
.
Another 2,700 or more were killed by a firearm before they could sit behind the wheel of a car.
.
Every day, on average, seven children were shot dead.
.
A News21 investigation of child and youth deaths in America between 2002 and 2012 found that at least 28,000 children and teens 19-years-old and younger were killed with guns. Teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 made up over two-thirds of all youth gun deaths in America.
.
The News21 findings are compiled in the most complete database to date from records obtained from 49 state health departments and FBI Supplementary Homicide Reports.
.
“It’s an unacceptable number and it should be regardless of where you stand on gun-owning ideology,” said Colette Martin, a member of Parents Against Gun Violence. “The numbers are that high and we are as a country ignoring them.”
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Most of those killed by firearms, 62 percent, were murdered and the majority of victims were black children and teens. Suicides resulted in 25 percent of the firearm deaths of young people: The majority of them were white. More than 1,100 children and teens were killed by a gun that accidentally discharged.
[...]
<Source>
It's not Burger King's fault - it is our crappy tax code. Change the laws!
Source - Quotable Liberals via Occupy Democrats
"If Burger King doesn't want to pay its fair share of taxes, after paying such miserable wages that taxpayers are forced to feed and provide healthcare to their employees, then it's time we send Burger King a message by refusing to buy any of their unhealthy food. Boycott Burger King!"
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