Why are the police always innocent when they shoot civilians? The short answer is that they are trained to shoot for the middle of the middle of their target or largest area thereof whenever lives are in danger. And anything looks dangerous if you are in essence a coward and a bully. It’s a self-selecting system that places a certain class of personality type in situations likely to trigger (No pun intended there, heh heh heh) a reaction based on a flawed assessment of reality. And Bang…there’ goes another one. Just like in the video games, there are no real consequences for the shooter; he/she is just following orders, protecting public safety. It would seem that anyone actively seeking the job should automatically be disqualified because all the personality traits that would drive an individual to apply ought to disqualified that individual. Or at the very least mandate counseling. Risk is part of the job and exposure to risk on a daily basis is stressful. And so comes the conclusion of the second civil trial this year against a Washington County sheriff's deputy: A federal jury decided that Deputy Glenn Howard did not use excessive force in the 2006 killing the distraught and deranged Jordan Case, an unarmed Tualatin man. Officer Howard’s attorney callously tossed this off: "Obviously we're pleased with the verdict. Our hearts go out to the Case family." Jordan was only 20 years old. His mother left the courtroom sobbing. Community-based policing only builds trust if the police are subject to the same laws as the citizens they police.
ESCOpades: catch with Paul Koberstein on the NW Examiner's website, the Willamette Week and - for "compare & contrast" time - the Oregonian.
Here’s a solid predictor of the outcome of the Midterms: It’s high noon – as of this writing - on Wall Street and stocks are climbing.in midday trading as investors await the results of midterm elections. Thanks in large part to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, Republicans are positioned to seize at least partial control of Congress. Recall what the market did on the eve of Barack Obama’s election? It dropped 90 points. Granted today’s steep drop in the dollar is helping push investors toward assets like stocks and commodities. Players are also waiting for the Federal Reserve to wrap up a meeting Wednesday where it is expected to announce plans to stimulate the economy. There is uncertainty about exactly how big a bond-buying program the Fed will announce.
- KBOO