{"id":13440,"date":"2014-08-13T00:45:16","date_gmt":"2014-08-13T07:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=13440"},"modified":"2014-08-13T00:45:16","modified_gmt":"2014-08-13T07:45:16","slug":"open-thread8132014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2014\/08\/13\/open-thread8132014\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–8\/13\/2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m writing for tomorrow, day 113.  It\u2019s a muggy sticky day, and when I step out of my apartment, the heat is like a slap in the face.  Tomorrow I have a grocery delivery coming.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 3:18 (average 4:34).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/font><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

From BBC<\/a>:<\/font> The appointment of Haider al-Abadi as prime minister-designate has been generally well-received in the mainstream Iraqi media.<\/p>\n

Private television channels broadly support the move, and some pro-Sunni stations have strongly criticised outgoing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s refusal to quit.<\/p>\n

State-run Al-Iraqiyah TV continued its pro-Maliki line on Monday evening, but by Tuesday morning it stopped interviewing guests critical of the move and has been running more neutral reports on Mr Abadi’s career and background. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the non-partisan press has shown impatience with Mr al-Maliki, and news websites generally support the appointment of Mr Abadi. <\/p>\n

Nouri Al Maliki (R-IQ) may try to stage a military coup, because his policies and practices have made him a man so hated that he sees a noose in his future. Although a recent report indicates he may step aside peaceably,m I don\u2019t see how he can do so, without putting his life in jeopardy. <\/font><\/p>\n

From TPM<\/a>: <\/font>One thing is certain: Michael Brown, 18, was fatally shot by Ferguson police officers on Saturday. His family has told the media that he was scheduled to start attending Vatterott College, a trade school with several Missouri campuses, this week. <\/p>\n

Little else is agreed upon, though. A friend of Brown’s who was with him at the time of the shooting told<\/a> MSNBC that a police officer told them to "get the fuck off the sidewalk" as they were walking down the street. An altercation ensued, Brown’s friend said, and the first shot was fired. Brown then attempted to flee the scene, according to the friend, but the police officer pursued and eventually fired multiple gunshots that killed Brown. The officer’s name has yet to be released, police say, because of "threats" made toward officers via social media. <\/p>\n

The New York Times reported<\/a> the police’s version of events. Brown had assaulted the police officer and then been shot in a struggle for the officer’s firearm, the police said. That account was met with skepticism from community leaders, especially as the police acknowledged that Brown had been unarmed.<\/p>\n

According to two independent eyewitness accounts I have seen, the officer was chasing Brown down the street, and Brown had his hands in the air to surrender when the officer fired the fatal shots. The police assertion that Brown was going fire the officer’s gun is a standard police lie, when they murder an unarmed victim. Brown certainly was not going for the officers gun when the officer killed him. Most police officers are dedicated professionals, but far too many Republican racists are hired as police officers, and bring their hatred and need to abuse power to their jobs.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Right Wing Watch<\/a>: \\<\/font>Fox News commentator Todd Starnes appeared on \u201cThe 700 Club\u201d today where he went through his usual talking points about how the Obama administration is waging \u201cwar\u201d on conservative Christians while giving special treatment to Muslims.<\/p>\n

Barf Bag Alert!!<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n