In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

United States Attorney General Eric Holder will announce his resignation today: "Holder, 63, intends to leave the Justice Department as soon as his successor is confirmed, a process that could run through 2014 and even into next year. A former U.S. government official says Holder has been increasingly 'adamant' about his desire to leave soon for fear that he otherwise could be locked in to stay for much of the rest of President Obama's second term. Holder already is one of the longest-serving members of the Obama Cabinet and ranks as the fourth-longest tenured AG in history."

[Content Note: Police brutality; death; racism] Louisiana State Police are investigating after a Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's deputy fatally shot a 14-year-old boy named Cameron Tillman. Police will not confirm the number of times he was shot, but his family says he was shot "four or five times in the back." Police also say a weapon was found "in close proximity" to Tillman's body, but his brother says he was not holding a weapon. Are you angry yet at the repetitiveness with which these stories follow the same goddamn pattern?

[CN: Police brutality; injury; racism; description of shooting] Meanwhile, in South Carolina: "South Carolina state trooper Sean Groubert was arrested on Wednesday and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature after a video emerged of him shooting a driver named Levar Jones that he pulled over for a seat belt violation. In the video, Groubert's vehicle is seen pulling up to a black man exiting a white SUV, and Groubert is heard telling Jones 'can I see your license please?' When Jones turns around to recover his license from the vehicle, however, Groubert immediately begins screaming 'get out of the car! get out of the car!' and firing his gun at the unarmed man. ...Mr. Jones, the man that Groubert shot, was struck in the hip at least once. He is now out of the hospital and is recuperating." Fucking hell.

[CN: Police brutality; death; racism] Meanwhile, in Missouri: "An Instagram photo posted by MediaBlackOutUSA appears to show a 'I Am Darren Wilson' bracelet worn by police at a demonstration for Michael Brown on Tuesday night in Ferguson, Missouri. Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson acknowledged the bracelets during a press conference on Wednesday. 'I think that was not a statement of law enforcement. I think wearing that was an individual statement,' Johnson said." For fuck's sake.

[CN: Terrorism] A woman named Isis Martinez has asked media to change the way they ID the terrorist organization the Islamic State, which has until now been known as ISIS. The group itself now identifies as simply the Islamic State, and I don't give two shits about them, but I can respect not wanting to further associate the name ISIS with these fuckos, so I will hereafter refer to them as IS. (And this will be the last time I use the ISIS tag, so this note is included in that archive.)

[CN: Terrorism; war; death] Speaking of IS: "US air strikes target Islamic State oil infrastructure: A third night of US air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets inside Syria focused on oil infrastructure controlled by the militant group, observer groups say, in an apparent attempt to cut off its funding supply. The attacks on a series of oil installations around the town of Mayadeen, in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, reportedly killed 19 people, including five civilians, believed to be women and children related to the 14 militants who died, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and local activist groups." Civilians are being killed in the "precision strikes" but the headline is about oil infrastructure. That about sums it up.

[CN: War; surveillance; war profiteering] Relatedly: "Who profits from our new war?" Spoiler alert! It's private contractors.

[CN: Misogyny; sexual abuse and harassment] Female firefighters employed by the US Forest Service have filed a lawsuit alleging "alleging they faced sexual abuse, harassment, and job discrimination from their male coworkers. The complaint, filed with the Department of Agriculture on behalf of hundreds of women in the Forest Service's Region 5 in California, claims officials did not do enough to stop harassment and abuse. Seven women are heading the complaint." One of the complainants describes the Forest Service as a "frat boy atmosphere" where the remote work often leaves women imperiled. Among her allegations is that her supervisor put her in a chokehold and tried to rape her, and that she once found fliers on the floor of the fire station calling her a whore. It is utterly appalling that in the year of our lord Jesus Jones two thousand and fourteen women are being treated like this on the job and that their only recourse to literally make a federal case out of it. Christ.

Good: "The Obama administration has agreed to pay the Navajo Nation a record $554m to settle longstanding claims by the largest native American tribe that its funds and natural resources were mishandled for decades by the US government. The accord, resolving claims that date back as far as 50 years and marking the biggest US legal settlement with a single tribe, will be formally signed at a ceremony on Friday in Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the sprawling Navajo reservation."

Actress Chloe Grace Moretz is a feminist. So there.

And finally! Here is just a really nice story about a senior living home where shelter pets get a second chance. Not only do I love that this company rescues shelter pets for the residents, but also that they allow residents to bring their pets with them to the facility. I wish more senior living homes would do that.