I'm not so sure... (Crandon Police Shooting)

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=673036

No mental tests given to gunman
Screening not required for officer to be hiredBy GINA BARTON
gbarton@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 9, 2007
Tyler James Peterson, who killed six people at a Crandon party, was hired as a police officer at 19 without a psychological screening, a combination that, though legal in Wisconsin, falls short of national norms and might allow unfit candidates to enter law enforcement, experts said.

I'm reading this point over and over on a variety of news media sources. Of course media is always looking for the "Ah HA" moment of every story.

This raises 2 thoughts for me.

First, it seems like media consistently reports from the perspective that everything is predictable, everything preventable, and everything has a logical pattern of precipitating factors. I suppose its easy to take that luxury of thought when all you ever do is Monday-Morning-Quarterback (cliche #1)on what has already happened. News media has that luxury. Hindsight is 20/20 (cliche #2) and it seems that would lend itself to always being able to pose the self-righteous question "why didn't anyone see this coming". I think that line of thought leads to a lot of poor decisions and beliefs. While everything has a cause, not everything is predictable. Why do some kids get raised in healthy homes and turn out to be murderers. While other kids raised in the poorest of circumstances go on to become educated and acheive the highest levels of success. There are people who struggle with mental issues every day that never snap and "go postal". There are people who've never struggled with a mental issue that come across a circumstance that causes them to snap. I think its media's chase to always portray these incidents (whatever they may be) as the result of something that, if not for some oversight would have been prevented. I think that leads people to have unrealistic expectations and actually shifts accountability away from places where it belongs, and places where accountability would make a difference.

Which ties into my second point which is that I wouldn't be so sure that psychological testing would have made ANY difference here. Until psychological testing can replicate the exact situations that lead people to 'snap' I highly doubt that any of the 'non-invasive' tests that are done could predict what will happen in a particular situation. Those in the industry of providing these tests will surely disagree with me, as they NEED to believe they can predit the future. But I highly doubt the success of being able to do so. I'll bet this kid would have passed psychological tests with flying colors.

Getting back to my previous point about how media's drive to blame lack of psychological testing shifts accountabilty:

So who's to blame here? Maybe blame isn't the word, but what would REALLY prevent this? Psychological testing? I'm not so sure psychological testing would prevent this. I offer another suggestion. To quote Dale Carnegie “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, Based on other news reports of the shooters conversation with a friend after the shootings, he said that he was called "worthless pig" as he was asked to leave the party(and he was already in a jealous rage)? Imagining all the emotion that goes along with relationships, jealousy, hurt, fear, etc. Justified or not, that alone can drive a person to an emotional crisis. If this shooter was in that state of mind, and THEN had to hear people calling him a "worthless pig". Denigrating his job/career. Something people take a great deal of pride and draw self worth from... I think those are some pretty extraordinary circumstances that could cause someone to snap. This is not to excuse what he did by any means. But if people want to have an honest conversation about how to prevent a situatin like this... rather than blame lack of psychological testing which surely can't replicate situations like this, perhaps it out to be suggested that when people encounter a person who is in a fit of jealous rage, the LAST thing to do is to escalate an already explosively volatile situation by calling him a "worthless pig"


But oh well... Media always needs to find the smoking gun.

Someone finally got smart

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,298922,00.html

Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin suggests Americans should be compelled to pay for the war in Iraq through a 'surtax'

I love the concept. (although this particular use of the idea is just another way to tack additional tax on people)

But I've been wishing for YEARS that people actually recognized what they were paying in taxes, and what for.

I LOVE the concept of having direct taxation for specific government expenditures. Nothing will get people to pull their heads out of their asses quicker than actually seeing the money go.... And along those lines, the only way to make SURE people know how much of their hard earned money they are sending to uncle sam, we should END the practice of WITHHOLDING.

If people had to pull out their checkbook and WRITE A CHECK every April 15th, I am beyond confident that they'd finally get outraged over our excessive tax burden. No more of ghost taxes that come out of your paycheck and you never see. Its time people got a better perspective of just how much they are sending in by letting them ACTUALLY take possesion of ALL their income and have to write that FAT check at the end of the year to their parasite of a government.

Double Standard? Just what is John Edwards saying?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,298526,00.html

“We start with the president of the United States saying to America, ‘we cannot build enough prisons to solve this problem. And the idea that we can keep incarcerating and keep incarcerating — pretty soon we’re not going to have a young African-American male population in America. They’re all going to be in prison or dead. One of the two.”

I'm curious what would happen if a non-democrat said this? How would it be interpreted if, for example, Bill O'Reilly said "all African-American Males are going to be in prison or dead?"

I can't imagine the outrage.

From another angle. Clearly John Edwards is REALLY grasping for a vote. He seems to have the method of ass-kiss-pandering for votes down to a science.

What if the tables were turned

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAN_US?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

So the Iranian president is coming to the US and he's going to get a forum to speak at Columbia University.

I don't have a problem with it. I'm all for giving crazies a forum to continue to prove in person that they are crazy. But all the fuss over wether he should or shouldn't be allowed to speak... To me, the most start contrast between 'us and them' is consider if President Bush wanted to go speak in Iran? One, from a security standpoint there is NO WAY that would even be consionable, but even if they could guarentee his safety, a country like Iran would never ALLOW him to speak.

I wonder if any of the "U.S. Haters" over there, which surely there are plenty of, consider that despite what they think if us, their leader can come here and not just be safe to do so, but also a country that allows someone to speak his piece. Something our president couldn't even think of doing there.

Which I think is the biggest reason to let him speak here. Because it proves how much different we are from "them". Our citizens (as a whole) are more civilized and our government still respects at least some of our constitutional freedoms.

Has the Senate nothing better to do?

Than pass meaningless sybolism over substance measures..

Fock me...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297498,00.html

The Criminalization of Speeding

So on network TV here in Milwaukee they are running television commercials telling the public how the po-lice are cracking down on speeding...

Its bad enough that our tax dollars go to pay police to sit and eat donuts and run speed traps for hours while out of the other side of law-enforcements mouth they complain that there aren't enough police on the street, blah blah blah... Well then how about policing CRIME instead of petty revenue generation via speed traps. I digress...

Its bad enough our tax dollars go to fund police who sit and run speed traps... Now they are using our tax dollars to buy air-time during prime-time television to run ads TELLING us they are going to take more of our money writing tickets..

But what REALLY strikes me... Listen to the ads... They talk about speeding... And the LAST line of the ad "Over the Limit, Under Arrest"

REALLY? "Under Arrest" Gee Barney Fife, last time I checked speeding isn't a criminal act, its merely a violation.

So drop the drama... Hell, just drop the ads all together and let the taxpayer keep their money... But "Over the Limit Under Arrest"???? What are you slapping cuffs on speeders now?

Fucking bullshit...

Juneteenth Riots and The Absurdity of Hate Crime Legislation

So I'm reading this article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Not that their editorial staff is known for its common sense but what a stupid editorial.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=625123

Calls for the end of Milwaukee's Juneteenth festivities are premature. With the right community and police collaboration, this can be an event that helps bridge racial divides here.

Bridge racial divide? Yeah, cause nothing makes us whities want to go socialize with brotha's and sista's like worrying that you might LIKELY get caught in the middle of a riot.

As for calls for ending the festivities being premature. Its time for people to be honest. EVERY assemblage of 'citizens' on the north side has been excessively prone to violence. YEAR after year. Greek Fest... Sherman Fest... Both had to be ended or moved because of violence problems..

We agree. Make the neighborhood and this event safe, remembering, however, that the violence didn't start until the celebration was over.

Why does news media keep beating this to death? That the violence happened when the celebration was over??? SURE it did... But it was exclusively attendees of the celebration that precipitated and participated in the riot. If that isn't direct association with Juneteenth what is?

Lets be real here... In Milwaukee, we have a problem. Its a problem with YOUNG Black kids on the northside. Its a huge problem. I'm a pretty brave guy but there is NO way in hell I'd drive up Sherman Avenue on a Friday or Saturday night.

The beating was followed quickly by a call for the cessation of the festival, with some wanting to label it a hate crime.

Kasthurirangaian, who owns a store in the neighborhood, tells us that he heard no racial slurs as he was pulled from the car and as the first blows were delivered, though he adds that things quickly became a blur after that.

Oh, so somehow this isn't as bad because it wasn't a "hate" crime? And so long as no racial slurs were uttered its not a hate crime?

Because this was totally random makes it better than a hate crime? You've got to be kidding me. Get your head out of your ass Journal Sentinel.