Man, did it ever rain today . . . enough that I got soaked going from my car to a building! Mind, I wasn't moving very fast. Seems I have done something to my good knee and put the cartilage out of place. At least when I dried out, my hair was "rain barrel" soft. And of course, all the windows in our complex were washed today . . . great timing! My three furbabes were so frantic at the sight of water and brushes on the windows that they went under the bed for much of the day! Ah life!
Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:46 (average 6:05). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.
Short Takes
Daily Kos — Drudge: Obama named ISIS that so it would 'be confused with Darrell Issa'. Dear conservatives: Your entire movement is an exercise in self-parody.[right wing conspiracy theorist delinked]
Read this very short piece at Daily Kos. If there weren't so many gullible people, this might actually be funny. But there is no place for such BS in a modern society.
Alternet — Three Harvard debate team members faced off against three men incarcerated for violent crimes. This was two weeks ago.
After an hour of fast-moving debate on Friday, the judges rendered their verdict.
The inmates won.
Read the rest of this story at Alternet. Rehabilitation through education to prevent recidivism. What a great programme!
The New Yorker — Citizens of the Roman town of Pompeii who were victims of Mt. Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 A.D. could have survived if they had “just outrun the lava,” the neurosurgeon Ben Carson told Fox News on Wednesday.
“Most of the plaster casts we have of Pompeii victims show them basically just lying down and whatnot,” he said. “If I had been in Pompeii and I heard Mt. Vesuvius erupting, you can bet I would have made a run for it.”
Read the remainder at The New Yorker. Old Ben proves that not only is he ignorant about science and volcanology, but he isn't any smarter in medicine either. Good shot Andy!
Alternet — In July, Barack Obama announced that he would issue presidential clemency to approximately 80 non-violent drug offenders. This news was great, but 80 prisoners doesn’t even come close to being a drop in the bucket that is the prison industrial complex.
However, all of that is about to change. On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced that they will release about 6,000 inmates between October 30 and November 2. This will be the largest ever one-time release of federal prisoners in the history of the United States.
The early release comes on the heels of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, an independent agency that sets sentencing policies for federal crimes, lowering the penalties for drug offenders.
Read the rest of the article at Alternet. There are too many non violent offenders incarcerated in the federal system. I dare say that there will be much nashing of teeth as the prisons see their revenues drop.
My Universe —
Now isn't THAT the truth!
15 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 08/10/2015”
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4:49 (6:05) Average so high because people don't want other people to think they are nuts?
Link broken, try
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/08/1428884/-Drudge-Obama-named-ISIS-that-so-it-would-be-confused-with-Darrell-Issa
Very funny and funny comments.
Alternet – I read this with a grin. (The story also pointed out that the inmates did not have access to the internet to prepare, they had to use hard copies, had to request them, and they don't always come that fast.)
New Yorker – Self, stop beating your head against the wall. Just stop it right now.
Alternet 2 -I would call 6,000 a good start. Even remembering this only applies to Federal prisons, it is only a good start. But there also all those people languishing in State prison systems. Fifty of them.
Universe – Well, of course. Makes perfect sense. When else would you do that? Unless human is also under the covers and you can wiggle down and hunt toes, of course.
Thanks JD for noting a problem with the Daily Kos link. Strange though, I took the info in the link to open Daily Kos and it was the correct info. I have redone the links for Daily Kos and tested them. They work.
I love the fact that the inmates came out ahead on the debates. They also won another debate, but I can't remember the name of the college. It is amazing that they can beat the kids from these universities! They don't have ANY access to internet and the library is NOT very easy to get books out of in there! Just AMAZING! Love that!
The release of inmates has to go to the states and now! They are SO overcrowded that they have up to three people in some places on the beds now. That's three people in place that was supposed to house ONE! Just imagine having to live with two other people in a cell, all the time! Oklahoma state prisons are that overcrowded! Failin' Fallin won't let anyone loose, unless they get the needle! And those are all on hold, for now. They had a mix-up with drugs that caused them to have put all executions till they get the right ones. The last time they used this cocktail the man suffered terribly! And that is just one reason to do away with the death penalty!
That inhumane living situation is why CA has the federal court overseeing their medical care and ordering reductions of population at each prison…
Is this partly what happens when the prison system is for profit? Seems to me that that is the case. Prisons are necessary, but how they are run is a choice. Treat people like animals and you will get animals.
I'd be happy to take some of that rain…but it wouldn't be enough to restore the damage from Issa (R-CA)
A classic prison education study known as Wyndam done in TX in the 1990's found that administrative movement of prisoners was the number one factor interfering with prison education. In that era people used to joke that up to one-third of CA's prisoners were on a bus being transferred to address overcrowding. Soonafter FL found the transfers to also be a problem and began requiring the same curriculum be used in programs at all prisons so a prisoner could continue where they left off when they arrived at the new prison–whether it was education (GED, college) or substance abuse treatment, etc.
One more example of the dr. trying to out-trump Trump?
Given the magnitude, it seems the number for the year Nov. to Nov. should be much higher and more in keeping with the current 6000.
Whose bed is it anyhow?
In my house, it is our bed . . . they get two-thirds, I get the rest. And yes, at least one tries to obstruct progress while making the bed.
I have NO idea what gene exactly controls it, but one of the highlights of my Nike's life is when I change the sheets.
He just loves, Loves, LOVES to help me out … as an undercover agent!
Sounds like it's a pretty universal trait.
Daily Kos: Oh, my, the stupidity never ends!
Alternet: I really enjoyed this article. It shows what can happen when people are rehabilitated while in prison instead of being treated like numbers, or worse. All prisons should have mandatory education for those who lack one. There would be fewer people returning to prison if they left with some sort of training to get a job.
The New Yorker: Love Andy, he nailed Carson with this one!
Alternet 2: I am happy to see this happen. Too many have been incarcerated for flimsy reasons, and often turn to drugs and violence while in prison. This is a long overdue move by the Justice Dept. The war on drugs has been an abysmal failure. For profit prisons, however, have done exceedingly well.
My Universe: I understand this all too well. My last rescue, who I named Granny, because she is OLD, helps me make the bed every day, and loves when I change sheets, the kitten comes out in her as she races from corner to corner while I am trying to put that darn fitted sheet on the bed. I wouldn't have it any other way.
No Edie, it never does. I just wish that fewer people would pay attention to it.
Sorry to hear about you getting soaked, Lynn and even more sorry to hear about your knee. I hope it isn't as bad and painful as it sounds.
There were two items with TomCat thread news and a notice of Nameless posting in my mailbox this morning and a busy day ahead, so I'll have to make some choices and be very brief.
Daily Kos: Obama named ISIS that so it would 'be confused with Darrell Issa'. ROTFLMAO OK, I stopped laughing now and wiping the tears from my eyes. How fracking self centered AND ignorant can you be? Unbelievable.
Alternet: TomCat will be so sad he's missed out on this wonderful program.
The New Yorker: It's about time Ben Carson had some satire coming his way, Andy. Everyone is saying how brilliant he was a s a neurosurgeon, but given the things he's been saying lately, has anyone really checked if this is not a fabrication of his own mind too? And why did he stop being a surgeon if he was so good at it?
Alternet: 6,000 released still isn't much, especially if they shouldn't have been incarcerated in the first place, but I'm sure the GOP/ Faux news is going to give this a whole new, very sordid spin.
My Universe: Love that picture of TomCat.
Daily Kos: Seriously?? LOL.
AlterNet: What a wonderful story of the inmates winning the debate. And they did the research the old fashioned way too. Kudos to the team/population for this. TC would be so proud of them!
AlterNet 2: It's about time, glad to see this happening.
New Yorker: I believe that this guy is driving the Clown Car…no doubt about it.
My Universe: TC looks like he's having fun! Mine likes to play in the sheets coming out of the dryer. Not so much in helping me make the bed though.
Hope that your knee starts feeling better. Glad that you got rain, uh…what's that? Enjoy your day, and Thanks, Lynn (and team).
Thanks Pat. I was told today to wear my knee brace to keep the cartilage from moving too much. I guess I just want to get my money's worth from the brace.
Issa…. what a hoot!
Dr. Carson sounds as if he needs an appointment with one. Which specialty may be left to the imagination.
My cat, 16, no longer lowers himself to play with the sheets; he's above all of that, considers it beneath his royal self.
Carson is a piece of work, isn't he?