Interesting Links--Random Edition

First a statement that shouldn't surprise anyone... Conservatives ought to direct their rage toward angry white men actually killing our police officers--not Beyoncé.  It's time to look at the facts. There is no conspiracy to kill police officers. It's long past time to put that myth down and back away. It should never have been created in the first place. If you have any doubts in that regard please read this. The data is all there.[1] Of course, that doesn't include the final data for 2015. That would be 1,205 citizens killed by police in 2015 versus 42 gun-related line of duty deaths of cops in 2015. Again if there is a PoC war on the police, it's the most mis-managed war ever--particularly since most of those shootings involved armed white men.

​The situation in Flint, Michigan drags on. People in power cannot be exempt to consequences. They simply can't. 

Here's a disturbing story about Antonin Scalia's last days. That should give you the heebie-jeebies. It did me. Corruption in the Supreme Court is bad, bad news for American democracy.

And now a series of disturbing links about American journalism and the political process. As it turns out, often "Citizens" who speak at town meetings are hired, scripted actors. Yeah. That. It should be illegal, frankly. And I don't mean on the part of the actors being paid. I think that if a politician resorts to hiring actors (among other things) they should be removed from the race. Period. Our election process is far too vulnerable to manipulation via money. It's time to admit that capitalism is destroying our democracy. In addition, professional journalism is in such a sad state--thanks to cost cutting measures such as relying upon free reporters--that it can no longer be trusted to report on world news. Frankly, this is why I listen to NPR, but even that news source is affected by the money-grubbing attitude in big media circles. Yes, Huffington Post, I'm looking at you.

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[1] Have a few more links on police and violence: Why No One Really Knows a Better Way to Train Cops. Here's What Happens When You Complain To Cops About Cops. And FBI director calls lack of data on police shootings ‘ridiculous,’ ‘embarrassing.’ And In The Post-Ferguson World, Cops Are Now Victims And It's The Public That's Going To Pay The Price.