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Sunday, 17 May 2015

Over 6 Months Later And The Cop Who Shot 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice Has Yet to Be Questioned

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Cleveland, Ohio – This week, it was reported that the officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice last November has still not been questioned by investigators in regards to the murder.

The police department recently announced that they would soon be ready to conclude their investigation, but a report from Mother Jones revealed last week that the officers involved were not yet questioned by investigators, although they made a number of attempts to reach out to the officers.

According to Mother Jones:

Mother Jones has learned that the two officers involved in the shooting—Timothy Loehmann, who fired the shots, and Frank Garmback, who drove the police car—still have not been interviewed by investigators from the sheriff’s department. According to an official familiar with the case, investigators have made more than one attempt to interview Loehmann and Garmback since the Cleveland Police Department handed over the case in January.

During the course of the investigation, the Rice family was forced to pay $75 per day to keep Tamir’s body refrigerated in case additional medical examinations needed to be done. As we reported last week, the boy’s surviving mother has recently moved into a homeless shelter because she can’t continue to live right in front of the place where the police killed her child. However, in light of this new information, it would seem that the tens of thousands of dollars the family was forced to pay could be largely responsible for her current state of homelessness.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, thus far the police department has indicated that they believe that the 12-year-old boy was responsible for his own murder because he was playing with a toy gun in public.

The most disturbing details of the case include the fact that Timothy Loehmann fired the fatal shots just seconds after exiting the police vehicle, showing absolutely no hesitation when shooting. Also, the officers waited minutes before calling an ambulance and failed to provide the boy with any medical care, effectively striking down any second chance that he had at life.

Tamir’s mother, Samaria Rice spoke out at a press conference last year about the shooting. She said that not only was her 12-year-old son shot by officer Timothy Loehmann, but her 14-year-old daughter was immediately detained, handcuffed and thrown in the back of a police car for crying about her brother being shot.

A quick look into the history of officer Timothy Loehmann, shows that he has a short and troubled past with police work. In fact, Loemann was actually terminated from his last job as a police officer, because they did not think that he was mentally capable, or mature enough for the job. He was let go by the City of Independence Police Department in December of 2012, and then was quickly rehired with the Cleveland Police Department in March of last year.

Officers complain that anti-cop sentiment is killing their morale

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Amazing, really.

Police throughout the nation say they fear a growing anti-cop sentiment driven by a handful of racially-charged incidents is making their jobs more dangerous on the streets, where the number of officers killed in the line of duty is rising sharply.

High-profile cases involving police and black suspects from Missouri to Baltimore have prompted intense criticism of law enforcement, from not only activists but the media and even the White House, leaving law enforcement officers alienated and angry, say cop advocates. And the protests, rioting and federal investigations come even as the job of keeping Americans safe has become more dangerous.

So let me see if I get this right.

Cops have, for , embraced this "thin blue line" where they actively abuse certain suspects, harass, detain and arrest people without any sort of probable cause, (such as having "drop guns" to plant on someone who doesn't have one or "convenient" narcotics when they can't find any that the suspect actually has), about how they collected evidence (which got a drug case thrown out down here in Florida not long ago), beat non-resisting suspects for grins and giggles, shoot people without legal justification

got disgusted with this crap in NY City and in 1971 because he was rooting out corruption; the result was that he was shot in the face by one of the dealers he was trying to arrest. Worse, it was a bystander who called for an ambulance!

In other words, this isn't new. How about Abner Louima? by the cops who then lied about his injuries, claiming they were caused by gay sex. You do remember that case by the "awesome" and "trusted" NYPD, right?

Cruickshank and other law enforcement advocates worry that what they see as an anti-cop climate is killing morale in police departments of every size.

Why?

Because it's about damn time there is a price for this behavior by the police, and it's been a very long time coming. Worse, the public that is exposing these abuses along with demolishing the lies told by the police and exposing their cover-ups.

It would be one thing if there had been some sort of voluntary reform but that never seems to happen among those who have arrogated themselves power they don't actually have, especially when that power is backed up with guns. No, the wanton and outrageous abuses that have been repeatedly chronicled are neither new or particularly unique; they've been going on for

It is often claimed that like any large organization there will always be a "few" who break the rules. But the difference with the cops is that they invariably cover up for each other, their unions invariably back up those who have committed outrageous and illegal acts and when confronted with their behavior the invariable response is to whine and cry about how dangerous their job is, as if this somehow presents justification for wanton and egregious violations of everyone's rights up to and including imprisoning under false pretense or even murdering anyone they want.

"It's demoralizing to read about the misguided anti-cop gibberish spewing from those who take their freedoms for granted," he added.

Go **** yourself.

I do not take my freedom for granted and I'm willing to defend it myself; it is the cops who insist that I submit under threat of imprisonment to violations of my Second Amendment right to be appropriately prepared so I can attempt to do so. I fear being violated at least as much by rogue police officers as I do by some random thug, and if the cops do it I know damn well that other police officers will either intentionally "forget" what they saw or actively lie to protect the lawless behavior that their "brothers in blue" have committed against me.

That's the difference, you see - if some thug assaults me he won't have literally thousands of other thugs lying, planting evidence on me and fabricating claims that have no foundation in an attempt to justify his lawless behavior. No, he'll act and stand alone and that at least gives me a fighting chance to prevail.

With a thug I face just the thug, or at worst the thug and his couple of friends that he has with him. without cause and then shackle him and cause him to die in the back of their van, or when they falsely arrest a man and then sodomize him with a broom handle those victims of armed criminal activity by the police have to face the entire gang of magical blue costume-wearers nationwide at once. Every last one of them comes out in support not of the person who had his or her rights violated but rather they support those who did the violating, up to and including lying about what happened, in some cases planting, manufacturing or doctoring evidence in an attempt to excuse that lawless behavior.

"As criminals see the police restrained by new laws, policy and regulations that restrict tactics like "stop and frisk" or "broken windows," they no longer fear the police and certainty of arrest," Safir said.

Uh huh.

I am absolutely certain I can prevent virtually all armed criminal violence. It's easy really; you simply need to rip up so I can search anyone, anywhere, enter homes and business whenever I want, do so with overwhelming force as a band of armed goons with automatic weapons (that "ordinary people" find nearly impossible to acquire and own), dressed in body armor and be prepared to shoot anyone who resists. To make sure everyone gets the point I'll actually shoot a few people here and there too; that way nobody will get the idea that I might be bluffing (because I'm not.) Further, when I "know" someone is a bad guy but can't prove it I'll keep a couple of little rocks of meth or a spare gun laying around and stick it in their car or house ; after all they were "bad people" and if they didn't actually have anything illegal at that particular instant they certainly did at some other time and got away with it, so this is all ok — right?

perpetrated by myself and my minions!

If you want to live in such a nation then go right ahead — move to North Korea, get the hell out of THIS country and take who promotes or supports that sort of crap with you.

If the cops want to know where this "war" came from decades ago against the population and they've prosecuted that war with impunity replete with lies, assault, battery, forcible sodomy with objects and even murder, including throwing bombs into a baby's crib. It is only the presence of myriad cameras and other documentary devices that they cannot control or prevent from being used that has finally brought the scope and frequency of these acts, to the public eye and plastered it where nobody can ignore it.

The police have destroyed their own credibility and it is through no one else's fault but their own that it has occurred. Decades of rampant and outrageous abuses, selective enforcement of laws against certain people, planting and falsifying evidence, lying both in court and out and more are all acts that are "unforced" and a matter of choice.

That the public has finally began realizing that "Officer Friendly" no longer exists and hasn't for decades, but rather the cops have become an armed gang of thugs and is waking up to the fact that cooperation and respect is no longer a viable strategy is, in my view, fully and fairly earned — a record that stretches back at least fifty years.

'Naval Cooperation 2015' begins: Russian and Chinese warships arrive in the Mediterranean Sea

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© Sputnik / Yulia Kaminskaya

    
Russian and Chinese warships have arrived in the sea area allocated for the "Naval Cooperation 2015" military drills, they have replenished their stocks and currently hove to at their set locations.

Russia and China has kicked off the active phase of their naval drill in the Mediterranean Sea.

"Russian and Chinese warships have arrived in the sea area allocated for the "Naval Cooperation 2015" military drills," Deputy Commander in Chief of the Russian Navy Vice Admiral Alexandr Fedotenkov said on Sunday.

© P Massey
The RFS Moskva guided-missile cruiser

    
The vessels have replenished their stocks and are currently hove to at their set locations.

The staff of the joint Russian-Chinese grouping in the sea will be located at the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, the "Moskva" (the Russian name for Moscow) guided missile cruiser.

Russia has sent its "Moskva" cruiser along with the Bora-class hoverborne guided missile corvette "Samum", the Krivak-class missile frigate "Ladny", Project 775 Large Landing Ships (LLS) "Alexander Otrakovsky" and Alexander Shabalin, and Navy Tug MB-31.

As for China, it will be represented by a pair of 4,000-ton Type 54A Jiangkai II frigates - Linyi (574) and Weifang (547) and Wei Shanhu, a Chinese Naval replenishment ship.

Fedotenkov stressed that the exercise is not directed against a third party.

"Russia-China exercise 'Naval Cooperation 2015' in the Mediterranean Sea is not directed against a third party and is aimed at enhancing mutual understanding between the fleets of two major naval states," he said.

The active phase of the drill will last until May 21.

Scientists: Series of earthquakes could signal new eruptions at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano

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© AP/Cathy Bussewitz

    
A series of earthquakes and shifting ground on the slopes of Kilauea have scientists wondering what will happen next at one of the world's most active volcanos.

A lake of lava near the summit of Kilauea on Hawaii's Big Island had risen to a record-high level after a recent explosion. But in the past few days, the pool of molten rock began sinking, and the surface of the lava lake fell nearly 500 feet.

Meanwhile, a rash of earthquakes rattled the volcano with as many as 20 to 25 quakes per hour, and scientists' tilt meters detected that the ground was deforming.

"Clearly the lava, by dropping out of sight, it has to be going somewhere," said Steven Brantley, deputy scientist in charge of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory of the U.S. Geological Survey.

One possibility is that a new lava eruption could break through the surface of the mountain, Brantley said.

Right now, there are two active eruptions on Kilauea. One is the eruption spewing into the lava lake in the Halemaumau Crater, which is visible in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The other is Puu Oo vent, in Kilauea's east rift zone, which sent fingers of lava toward the town of Pahoa before stopping outside a shopping center last year.

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© AP/Cathy Bussewitz

    
The flurry of earthquakes that peaked in intensity Friday have been rattling Kilauea's southwest rift zone, so it's possible that a new eruption could occur southwest of the Halemaumau Crater, or even in the crater itself, Brentley said. Or, the tilting, shifting ground could lead to nothing.

"We don't know what the outcome of this activity might be," Brantley said. "That is the challenge, is trying to interpret what this activity really means in terms of the next step for Kilauea."

An eruption on the southwest side wouldn't pose a threat to the population, because the area is generally closed to the public and there aren't any structures.

The earthquake activity had slowed Saturday morning, and scientists were continuing to watch the volcano closely, Brantley said.

Washington's actions will force Russia to expand its nuclear arsenal - Russian official

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© Sputnik / Host photo agency

    
Mikhail Ulyanov, the Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control at the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned that US measures undermining global strategic stability may force Russia to grow its nuclear arsenal instead of carrying out further disarmament.

Speaking at the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in New York on Friday, Ulyanov stated that the US proposal to reduce the total number of deployed warheads by a third is based on their understanding that they will remain able to adequately defend themselves and their allies. Unfortunately, the official noted, "US actions have led to the appearance of completely contradictory factors which, in some circumstances, may even push Russia to begin increasing [its nuclear arsenal]."

Ulyanov clarified that "at the moment, we are not planning to do so, but what is being done by the Americans makes it very difficult, and maybe impossible, to see real prospects for further steps toward nuclear disarmament."

Speaking of the factors standing in the way of further disarmament, Ulyanov cited the US missile defense program, the US refusal to negotiate on the ban on weapons in outer space, the US military's Prompt Global Strike (PGS) system, Washington's de facto refusal to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and the serious imbalance in conventional weapons in Europe.


Ulyanov emphasized that Russia would continue to fulfill all its obligations under the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms. He noted that during the previous Review Conference, held in 2010, Russia had a total of 3,900 nuclear warheads. "Today, five years later, we have 1,582 warheads. This constitutes a reduction of two and a half times," the diplomat highlighted.

Ulyanov also noted that Russia remains "quite satisfied" with the START, adding that "at the moment, there are no factors which might make our continued participation in the treaty incompatible with the interests of the Russian Federation, although in theory, due to the actions of the United States, such a situation may arise, although we would not like it to."

Last month, Ulyanov stated that Russia is prepared for a dialogue on the question of nuclear disarmament, although it must be serious and devoid of what he called "double standards."

Tornados reported nine U.S. states; severe storms, flash flooding to continue

A severe weather outbreak will continue in the Midwest on Sunday.
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Current Radar

    
Since Saturday afternoon, there have been 28 reports of tornadoes across nine states, including Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Iowa and Louisiana.

Sunday's severe weather and flash flooding potential will extend from Minnesota, Wisconsin and western Upper Michigan to portions of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma and Texas.

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Current Radar

    
Below are the most notable storm reports so far from Saturday afternoon through early Sunday morning.

Sunday's Reports:

  • Johnson County, Texas, EMA reported multiple swift water rescues Sunday morning from homes and vehicles in the Alvarado and Lillian areas. This is just south of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
  • A tornado was reported near Ogden, Iowa at 4:01 a.m. CDT.
  • Several trailers were damaged near Independence, Louisiana at 3:46 a.m. CDT. This was due to a possible tornado.
Saturday's Reports:
  • A tornado struck Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, around 11:30 p.m. CDT Saturday. There are reports of structural damage and power outages in the area. The storm also damaged homes near Inola, Oklahoma, and that damage may also have been from a tornado.
  • The same circulation that affected Broken Arrow later produced a reported tornado near Fairland in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, damaging homes. There are early reports of damage from the same storm just to the east in Newton County, Missouri.
  • Earlier, a large tornado was reported in southwest Oklahoma around 6 p.m. CDT on Saturday. It tracked from south of Elmer to near Tipton to north of Manitou; it briefly crossed a bend in the Red River into extreme northern Texas along its path. Sporadic damage was reported along its path, though the twister did not hit any towns directly.
  • Police in Lyon County, Kansas, report storm damage across the county, including a stopped train that was blown over. Homes and barns were also damaged by the suspected tornado. The National Weather Service in Topeka plans to survey the damage Sunday.
  • Elsewhere in Oklahoma, tornadoes were reported 9 miles south of Anadarko; near Meers; and near Elk City along Interstate 80.
  • A multi-vortex tornado was reported 3 miles west-southwest of Murdock in west-central Minnesota at 5:51 p.m. CDT. Another brief tornado was reported northwest of Murdock Saturday afternoon.
  • A brief tornado touchdown was reported near Rosen, Minnesota, around 4:25 p.m. CDT. Ten minutes later, a tornado hit a farmstead north of Montevideo in Chippewa County, taking part of the roof off a building. Both locations are in west-central Minnesota.
  • A tornado was reported in the Texas Panhandle just after 2:30 p.m. CDT. Reports say it crossed U.S. Highway 287 near Lelia Lake, according to storm chasers in the area. Earlier, the day's first tornado report came in about 10 miles north of Silverton, Texas, at 1:12 p.m. CDT.
  • Law enforcement reported a tornado near Highway 14/16/20 in eastern Park County of northwest Wyoming around 1:30 p.m. MDT.
  • Baseball-size hail was reported just south of Goodlett, Texas, at 4:47 p.m. CDT. The same cell dropped baseball-size hail in Quanah, Texas, a few minutes later. Baseball-size hail also fell in Castle, Oklahoma, around 10 p.m. CDT.

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35,000 rally against US military base on Japan's Okinawa

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© AFP Photo
An estimated 35,000 protesters raise placards saying "Do not yield to authority" during a rally to protest against a controversial US airbase in Naha in Japan's southern island of Okinawa on May 17, 2015

    
Thousands of people rallied in Okinawa in southern Japan on Sunday in protest against a controversial US airbase on the island, as a two-decade-old bitter row over the relocation of the site drags on.

Okinawa is home to more than half of the 47,000 US service personnel stationed in Japan as part of a defence alliance, a proportion many islanders say is too high.

Futenma airbase has become emblematic of that ill-will since Washington announced plans to move it in 1996, hoping to ease tensions with the host community after the gang-rape of a schoolgirl by servicemen.

But locals have blocked the move to relocate the base, insisting the facility should go off-island instead, queering relations between Tokyo and Okinawa -- a once independent kingdom that was annexed by Japan in the 19th century.

"The government says we are to blame that the issue has stalled for 19 years and they tell us to find an alternative place (for the base relocation). That's outrageous," shouted the anti-US base mayor of Nago, Susumu Inamine.

"The government is thrusting their responsibility on us," Inamine told a packed 15,000-seat baseball stadium.

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© AFP Photo
Okinawa governor Takeshi Onaga delivers a speech at a rally in Naha to protest against a controversial US airbase on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on May 17, 2015

    
Organisers estimated that about 35,000 people also turned up for a rally in Naha, Okinawa's capital.

Deadlock has deepened recently after preparatory building work on the coast begun in the face of vehement opposition from the local government in Okinawa.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month insisted the current re-location plan was "the only solution," while anti-base Okinawa governor Takeshi Onaga hit back saying that three recent popular votes in Okinawa all showed overwhelming opposition to the move.

"The current government is pushing the plan. Is it really a democratic country?" said protester Kiku Nakayama, 86, who as a teenager worked as a nurse for soldiers towards the end of World War II.

"We have to remove the risks of exposing Okinawa to war again," she said.

a sizable proportion of Okinawans want a dramatic reduction in their numbers.