In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Police militarization] Democratic Representative from Georgia Hank Johnson is "drafting legislation to limit a Pentagon program that provides surplus military equipment to local law enforcement. ...'As the tragedy in Missouri unfolds, one thing is clear. Our local police are becoming militarized,' Johnson's office said in a statement. Johnson said he will introduce the bill in September, when Congress returns from a five-week recess. He has been worked on the legislation for months, but his office said the current situation highlights the need for the bill." At Salon, Matthew Harwood details "How America's Police Became an Occupying Force." And at the New Yorker, Jay Caspian Kang notes, in another terrific piece on police militarization, that: "In many instances, the receipt of these military-grade weapons is contingent on their use within a calendar year." Which explains, in part, why we're seeing so many displays of this increased militarization.

[CN: Police brutality; racism; death] In California earlier this week: "A father of five died after he was involved in an altercation with deputies who suspected him of burglary. The Victorville Daily Press reports that Dante Parker, 36, was suspected of attempting to burglarize a Victorville home on Tuesday afternoon. The person who reported the burglary said the suspect fled on a bicycle and, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's office, Parker was seen riding his bike near the scene. ...NBC Los Angeles reports that, according to authorities, Parker resisted arrest and became 'uncooperative and combative,' according to police. It was at that point that the female officer trying to apprehend Parker shocked him with a Taser 'multiple times,' according to a release obtained by the station." How many times have we heard the same story now? A black man "fits the description" of someone who committed a crime, and is killed by police after becoming "combative"?

[CN: Police brutality; racism; death] Meanwhile, the parents of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis are at the United Nations in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, at an event hosted by the US Human Rights Network discussing racial discrimination in the United States ahead of "the UN review of US compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which was ratified by the United States in 1994."

France has passed "a sweeping gender-equality law this week that eases current restrictions on abortion, encourages paternity leave, and promotes gender parity at home and in the workplace. ...The new law also addresses...the sharing of domestic duties at home and provides measures to support women vulnerable to domestic abuse and poverty." I can't even imagine something like that getting passed in the United States.

The Clintons had a meal with former San Antonio mayor and incoming Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, and this is just perfect: "President Bill Clinton invited [Castro] to dine at the Clinton's private D.C. home last week, the Washington Post reported, making it impossible for the media to ignore the 2016 implications." IMPOSSIBLE! It is IMPOSSIBLE to ignore THE IMPLICATIONS!

"Engineers in the US have built a swarm of 1,000 little robots that can shuffle into specific formations on command." !!!

And finally! WHO'S A GOOD DOG? "When Meg, a three legged dog rescued in 2008 from Rochdale's RSPCA started whimpering at the rescue center's ceiling, her owner and facility manager, Jean Spencer, knew there was something wrong. Upon investigating, Spencer found five kittens trapped in the ceiling. Those cute little kittens are alive and safe today thanks to Meg. ...'Meg is really fond of the kittens,' Spencer told itv.com. 'She is really kind and gentle with them and is always licking them. It is very sweet to see.'" ♥