From the Sun RE: The Bus beating
“This incident was deplorable. I will not tolerate intimidation or violence anywhere in our city,”
Uh, Ms. Mayor…Have You BEEN to East Baltimore, Edmonson, Cherry Hill lately? That’s just naming a few.
DUUUUH.
I’m paraphrasing. But HELL—The Judge pretty much said JUST THAT.
The victim was assaulted in broad daylight, at an Exxon station while a cop witnessed it. From the Sun:
The officer testified in court that she was 25 feet from the car at the time of the incident.
“I witnessed him use his right hand, not in a fist, but in, I guess, an open hand, and push the female’s face. … As I saw him grabbing her hair … and trying to pull her out, that’s when I called it on the radio,” the officer said, according to a recording of the hearing.
The woman told the officer that Webb had attempted to pull her out of the vehicle, causing her hairpiece to fall off, and that he hit her in the face, though she characterized it as “more of a tap than a punch.” The woman had no visible injuries, police said.
Alrighty then. So, the Judge says in response to this:
But when the alleged victim didn’t show up in court, Circuit Court Judge Paul Harris said it didn’t matter what the officer saw.
“The state is stepping into the shoes of the victim when she obviously doesn’t care,” the judge said Oct. 3 before acquitting Michael Antonio Webb of second-degree assault. “It’s that big brother mentality of the state. I know it’s your policy (to bring domestic abuse cases without victims), and I appreciate that and I’m not faulting it, but I have to decide the case on what I have. I think a crucial element is missing.”
The judge said without the victim’s testimony, he couldn’t be sure she didn’t want to be beaten.
“You have very rare cases. Sadomasochists sometimes like to be beat up,” he said.
Sadomasochists.
Yes, My friends. Victims of Domestic Violence who are terrified of their attackers and refuse to testify in court against the abuse because they fear the repercussions can now be classified as sadomasichists.
What. The. Fuck?
I’ll be honest. I was TERRIFIED to bring charges against my ex husband. He threatened to kill my cats. He threatened to take my daughter away. He said that if I left him, he would sue me for all the money I made (he didn’t work) and tell the courts I was a bad mom. He held knives to my throat and said that he would push deeper if I called the cops. I escaped under the cover of darkness and only after I knew he wasn’t home. This was in 1996. I didn’t bring charges against him until 2003.(for abuse related to my daughter and threats made to myself) That’s…Hmm.. SEVEN YEARS LATER! I remember his attorney questioning my attorney on why I “wanted to do this now.” My attorney replied, “When you have someone standing behind you ensuring your safety, confrontation isn’t as scary.” She was referring to my current husband, who, at 6 ft and roughly 250lbs, could pound my 160 lb ex into pulp if he went near his girls. Believe me, he wanted to. However, my husband has self control and conducts himself like a real man. Meaning? Violence is never the answer. It’s the last resort of self defense.
I suspect the victim in this case is terrified as well. I bet her attacker made similar threats to her if she talked. I suspect that even though he is in jail, she believes he could make parole without her knowing and come after her for disobeying him. I know her fear all too well.
Judge Harris, the judge who put the victim on trial instead of the attacker, doesn’t give a flying fuck. Especially if he is seriously labling the girl a “sadomasochist.”
I’m alone today in the Office and just half listening to the Diane Rehm show. Today’s second hour guest is the wife of Dick “The puppeteer” Cheney, Lynne. She wrote a feel good book about her Family history, westward expansion and growing up in Casper, Wyoming. Sounds harmless? sure–if you’re into that sort of thing. Perfectly harmless and not in the least bit political– I hardly payed much attention.
What perked me out of my tuning her out was a caller from Wyoming who had said that she was a life long Republican, voted for Dubya and Lynne’s husband, but was compelled to become a Democrat simply because she had become a victim of the Economic situation. The caller said that she was not going to vote GOP again until the GOPPERS stopped the outsourcing and the war on the middle class of America. I believed this was a relevant comment considering that Lynne’s story of her family was that of the American dream the right get all wet about. Hard work and perseverance will bring you great reward. Unless, of course, you’re simply unable to find a decent paying job anymore because your FUCKING JOB WAS LOST TO OUTSOURCING.
Lynne’s reponse? 9/11! 9/11! 9/11! The Economy is great! We’ve done a GREAT job! 9/11! 9/11!
Are you thinking what I am thinking?
yeah–HUH? what the fuck does 9/11 have shit all to do with the economy?
I can’t help but think there is another person somewhere in the “Heartland of America” sitting at their kitchen table thinking to themselves,”I had that job for years and they just closed the plant” or “I took out that loan on that wonderful house because I was expected to make more $$ before the ARM reset. Now I can’t make my Mortgage and I am probably going to lose my home. “ or “Well, I can put these medical deductible payments on my Mastercard, transfer the balance to my Visa and get a lower APR. I just wish I could take out that cash out ReFi to pay these medical bills…” or “They gave me a new title, but I am still not receiving a raise. Management said it was just a department change. I need that money!”
If you know someone who has uttered a sentence similar to those I outlined above, you’re probably not alone. I distinctly remember a time when my husband and I were pretty tight financially, as he was in a dead end job with no way to make more $$. My friends and I sat on our stoop in our urban neighborhood lamenting about how negative we were in our bank accounts. It was eye opening for all of us and made us think about ways we could improve ourselves. Because of the area in which we live in, we had options. If we had been living a more rural area, our only options may have been the local Wal-Mart.
It’s amazing the amount of disconnect the uber rich have for the people who “used to” support conservative view points. Except, conservative view points on financial matters don’t seem to exist anymore. Every man for himself.
It seems the assholeosphere has been leading the attack on the young boy who delivered the Democratic radio address concerning SCHIP and it’s benefits to a family struggling to make ends meet. The wingnuts got all up in arms about a family taking a *gasp* government handout that they went as far as to post the Frosts address on the website. This led Michelle Malkin to take a drive over to check out the neighborhood of Butchers Hill and come back with a report for her hordes. Quoth MM:
Why did I take the time to go to Baltimore? Because bloggers raised questions about the Frosts’ financial situation and made specific reference to these pieces of real estate. I did not “harass” the Frosts. I simply reported what the tenant told me and described what I saw after driving by their home. My basic reporting rebutted some impressions left by other bloggers on the right who haven’t been to these sites and assumed they were high-end luxury properties. They’re not. Moreover, I corrected the mistake that some of these bloggers made in overvaluing the house at $400,000-plus. It’s closer to $300,000.
Well, Miss Malkin, you have ventured into *MY* neighborhood and now it’s personal. MM wanted to see Butchers Hill/Fells Point for herself. Well, she failed to talk to some MORE residents.
What the wingnutosphere forgets to mention is that the Frosts bought their home in 1990 for $55,000. According to the Baltimore Sun. What they ALSO forget is how the the Mess that Greenspan Made has given way to inflated prices, which gave way to inflated property tax assessments in 2006. Although the State of Maryland has agreed to revalue certain assessments that were appealed, most in my neighborhood were denied. I was, and I suspect the Frost’s were, too. Butchers Hill and Fells Point are the cash cow of Baltimore city. To reassess us would be denying themselves much needed funding in a city striggling to attract more homeowners among a growing crime problem.
The right has also failed to acknowledge the stagnant–even decline in median income for the City of Baltimore. I know this to be fairly true simply because I cannot work in Baltimore City and draw a salary that will pay my mortgage. I have no choice but to commute two hours a day to make a living wage and to keep my home. I suspect that being away from her children is not an option for Mrs. Frost. I have one child and must chose between a long commute or a job near home. To keep my home, I commute. My husband works in the neighborhood. To be fair, I only have one child–and she is a teenager.
The Right also failed to acknowledge the rising cost of energy. Of course, no one wants to mention that in order to heat your home, you should set aside 5-600$ a month just to be safe. I conserve as much as possible, installed timers on the Thermostat, installed energy saving lights and kept them off as much as I could. My electric bill *STILL* went up. I suspect the Frosts pay a bit more. Their house is slightly larger then my own.
And finally, healthcare. I know a little something about this. A short time ago, I was a contractor as explained here. because my services were contracted, I was elgible to purchase a policy as a small business owner. It was priced at $1200 for one plus a child—in 2003. I had a choice: Starve or pay for healthcare. I shouldn’t have had to make such a choice!
The truth is this: NO ONE WANTS TO REMAIN POOR! The fact that the Frosts took advantage of MCHIP shouldn’t be the big issue. What needs to be addressed is the rising cost of living that has stagnated an otherwise vibrant business owner to the point where his only choice to save his children was to enter into the program. $55,000 a year with six children is nearly impossible these days. I tried to make it on that with ONE child.
The Frosts should be a GOP wet dream. They’ve been married for many years, have six beautiful children, own their own home and abide by the laws of the land. They follow what many Goppers tout as the path to financial freedom: entrepreneurship. They have one fatal flaw, though. They haven’t earned the millions that most GOP supporters expect small business owners to achieve. Mr. frost has failed to grow his business at a rapid rate. The debate is about a program that helped the family in a time of dire need. Now we need to start asking some very serious questions: Middle class families are without affordable healthcare. WHY? It’s the economy STUPID!
Now, back to Ms. Malkin and the rest of her Ilk: I want you to come back to Baltimore and sit down to have a beer with me, a former MCHIP recipient, a former single mother and resident of Fells Point/Butchers Hill. I’ll show you homes that are over 400K and some that are still no more then 80K. I’ll show her what NCLB has done to Baltimore City schools and WHY the frosts chose the Park school. I’ll show her a Real Estate situation that has homes on the market for years. Hell, I’ll even chose a bar! Butts & Betty’s on the Corner of Gough and Collington. MM is pretty familiar with Collington. Why, she’s already been down that road already.
I had the GALL (according to Commenter Cham) to Spread my Legs and Procreate at the tender age of 20. ( the man who manipulated me into conceiving-and forcing me to have the baby–I suppose that doesn’t really matter. Whole ‘nother story)
Being proud, I refused to submit to public assistance. I worked. HARD. 70hrs a week sometimes. (Again, not going to mention the father of said child who, well…didn’t like that whole idea of working. Whole ‘Nother Story.) I did take one thing that was offered to me: MCHIP. It allowed me to afford well baby visits (I paid on a FEE SCALE—AGAIN–Not entirely free) and when my daughter contracted rotavirus from daycare, it partially paid for her NOT TO DIE FROM DEHYDRATION at the age of three.(my part of that Hospital bill? $3,000. That’s an asston of money when your effin poor. But I paid it off in installments) I had no intention of staying in the program. I was still working. I made, what…25K a year in 1997? I was going to school. I was trying to make my life better. Awesome, right? Right. Not everyone wants to take a handout. Sometimes, there aren’t any other alternatives.
Well, the middle class in America is fast becoming the poor class. We have Uber Rich, Investor Class and EVERYONE ELSE. With the cost of healthcare going up at an alarming rate and wages STAGNANT for nearly 10 years, I’d have to say that offering healthcare to a wider group isn’t a bad thing. What are your solutions to more and more businesses passing on the increasing cost of health insurance on to the employee—without making a tiny effort of raising their wages? Corporate profits are sky high, too. Maybe the CEO could take a paycut? Ohhh no. Probably not. His Ayn Randian “mememe” attitude is justified! The ilk that support that way of thinking forgive him for his vanity. It’s okay. Pursuit of self satisfaction is ultimately the best thing one can do–It will trickle down! Oh wait—that was piss.
What is the solution to the nasty inflation problem we have (no doubt brought on by the increasing cost of corn, oil and other commodities) What is the solution to jobs that once held the working class together being shipped overseas faster then you can say Ni hao, Wo-duh ming-d’zih (that’s HELLO! In Chinese) or—HOLA! And Finally, what is the solution on the fact that most people in the middle class are now living on credit–nearly $8,500 of CC debt per household? No doubt thats because of that whole stagnant wage thing. Give me solutions that will help people get better paying jobs within their skill set–not some bullshit about bailing out some stupid hedge fund manager because somewhere, and investor *MIGHT* have an idea and start up a company with the gains from his investment. That is a long term goal. I want short term solutions for people who need it NOW.
I agree, “sin taxes” DO effect the working poor disproportionately. I mean, if your life is spent being hired and fired for nothing but cost reduction, then I’d drink and smoke, too.
If people TRULY want this to be an “Ownership society”(libertarian & GOP Rhetoric) then proponents of this idealism really need to start educating them on staying away from such sins and saving their money. They probably won’t need the healthcare as often if they do, too.
I hear the bitching. Now give me some solution. Debate is good.
AT$T has decided to update it’s terms of service with some seriously ambiguous language. Quoth the corporation:
AT&T may immediately terminate or suspend all or a portion of your Service, any Member ID, electronic mail address, IP address, Universal Resource Locator or domain name used by you, without notice, for conduct that AT&T believes (a) violates the Acceptable Use Policy; (b) constitutes a violation of any law, regulation or tariff (including, without limitation, copyright and intellectual property laws) or a violation of these TOS, or any applicable policies or guidelines, or (c) tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries.
So, what does that mean, exactly? If I were a customer and I complained about their service on Consumerist.com, could they cancel my service? If I wrote something negative about the company on my blog while using their tubes, could they shut my off?
The good thing is, I am NOT an AT$T customer. I suspect, however, that if I write shit about Comcast, all bets are off, though.
Whatever happened to that whole free wifi idea? Killed by large corporations who make killings on ISP service?
Silly Silly GOP Candidates.
It seems that the front runners, Guiliani, Thompson, Romney, and McCain have declined the invitation to debate at Morgan State University. Why, do you ask? Well, some analysts are saying this:
“There’s no group that actually votes in the Republican primary that is going to hold it against these guys for either A, not courting the black vote, or B, not showing up at Morgan State,” said Donald F. Norris, chairman of the department of public policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
“And there’s everything to lose by showing up,” Norris said. Participating could give the impression that they are sacrificing conservative tenets, which might “very well hurt you with some elements of the Republican base.”
And what, pray tell are these tenants? Making sure those pesky colored people know their place? To me, a “Half breed” if you will, this smacks of a few things that boils down to subtle racism/classism. I understand that the reasons given for not attending the debate were “scheduling conflicts” but for all front runners to have the same conflicts? Things that make you go Hmmm…
So what is the real reason the four guys didn’t want to show up? Could it be that minorities might be disproportionately poor and might utilize social services more often? Do they believe that the tenants of Conservative views are simply lost to these people? I betcha it’s because they didn’t have that black friend yet.
It’s silly to cast aside an entire group of people simply because you believe that “They aren’t going to vote for you anyway.” This might not be what these guys are really saying, but it’s a strong message to the Minority community: We don’t care about issues surrounding your lives and your community. I mean, just look at the state of the City of New Orleans….
In light of the recent upsurge in racial tensions, I would think that these candidates would welcome an invitation to build a bridge and begin a process of cultivating a potential minority voter. For instance, if these guys really believe that the black/minority vote is not worth courting, then they should revisit the numbers of Black and Hispanic people who voted Republican simply because of issues such as Gay Marriage and Abortion. These issues are central to many deeply religious blacks & Hispanics, as they often oppose both in line with their religious views. If the conservative tenants could potentially help a poor minority, sell it to them like they sold the social issues. Tell them how their fiscally conservative ideals could help move a poor person into a working member of their “Ownership Society”.
*pauses for laughter*
Okay okay. I know. I know. That last line was a real zinger, wasn’t it?
Anyway, it’s clear that these white men are disconnected from the issues that plague minority communities. They aren’t even going to openly share their views, explain their stances and how these can help minority communities. Without starting to court these votes early, the line might as well be “They aren’t going to vote for us anyway!”
These guys don’t even want to bother trying. What are they afraid of?
Not too long ago, I was uninsured.
Mind you, I made decent (Not GREAT) money as a professional paralegal for a rather large but famously bankrupt telecom company back in 2003. The easiest way for them to retain employees but not have to actually pay benefits was to force them into contracted positions. The contracting company was not obliged to offer health care. Screw it, you were on your own.
No problem, right? I could simply buy n individual policy and have the coverage I needed to maintain well visits preventative care.
You would think that, wouldn’t you?
Not so much. It seems that with my spotty family history of cancer, I was a bit of a risk to the insurance companies. I could pay a monthly premium of something like $1500K for 2 people with a $5,000 deductible, or I could pay more with a lower deductible. So, I had to make a choice. I had to either buy my health insurance or pay my mortgage and eat. I simply couldn’t afford to do both. So I took a chance. I chanced it that I wouldn’t get sick nor would my daughter. It was a risky gamble, but hey…priorities, right?
So, I decided to send an application into the M-CHIP, Maryland’s Children’s healthcare program. It was another gamble I was forced to take. Of course, I was denied. I made too much money.
So, there I was. Too rich to get assistance. Too poor to pay for private healthcare.
What. The. Fuck?
So, last evening the largely bipartisan S-CHIP Bill passed the House. Lawmakers recognized that those who are denying basic healthcare to children aren’t going to win over voters, so they decided that working together is better then fighting all the time. Except our dear leader thinks that people like myself would opt to drop their coverage and hurry up and sign up for M-CHIP. Is he kidding? I mean…Seriously? Dropping even crappy coverage won’t be a viable option to many families. Why? Because many of them don’t even have coverage. They simply cannot afford it, just like I was a few years back.
Those who worship at the Alter of the Free Market mindset will state that all we need to do is lower those damn friviolous lawsuits and the prices will go down. The evil Lawyers are getting too RICH!!!!
I call bullshit. A Market is largely consumer choice driven. If ia company offers a decent product at an affordable price, then consumers will purchase it. However, healthcare isn’t bought and sold like Mp3 players. It’s much more complicated then that. Any industry that has to answer to shareholders has one major goal–increase profits. Insurance companies lose profits when they pay out claims so it is always within the best interest of the insurance company to deny claims and have that pesky terminally ill patient simply die. So, some chimp in a suit is sitting in a cubicle telling an experienced Dr. that a test or treatment isn’t really medically necessary. Since that denial will stand to save a few bucks in some fatcat’s pocket, it was all worth it, right?
Chimpy McFlysuit has never worked a hard day in his life. he never had to make tough choices like healthcare or housing, food or medicine. he never had to work 14 hours on his feet and go home to care for the children. He never stood in an unemployment line. He never knew the indignity of being denied something like healthcare can do for your morale. What does he know?
He knows that his rich friends will benefit from his veto. Their portfolios will thank him.
“…so then I read the sign, and it said You Must Be This Tall To Ride…and I said awww hells to the naw, I’m the President, bitch!”—-Danger Doll
*Photo courtesy of Reuters.
Great post about the visit of President Ahmadinejad. Specifically, this passage:
Ahmadinejad is also a threat because he is a religious lunatic. The man actually believes his role is to pave the way for the coming of the Twelfth Imam. That is some fucked up shit and totally different from Bush, a born again Christian who thinks Jesus is coming back any second and for that to happen, Israel needs to be surrounded by enemies. Which one of those guys has thousands of nuclear weapons at his disposal?
Sometimes the similarities between the two are eerie.
Via Shakesville, Jon Swift gives us a sarcastic take at the reactions of many to his visit. Particularly brilliant Zing on Guliani’s favorite thing to invoke for political points:
I am glad the New York Police Department listened to Giuliani and denied Ahmadinejad permission to go there. What kind of a message would it send the world if we let someone like that use Ground Zero for a publicity stunt?
Awesome.
