{"id":40039,"date":"2020-06-05T11:42:07","date_gmt":"2020-06-05T18:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=40039"},"modified":"2020-06-05T11:42:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T18:42:07","slug":"open-thread-6-5-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2020\/06\/05\/open-thread-6-5-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–6\/5\/2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s another hectic day here in the CatBox.  I had to lay down 90 minutes to alleviate back pain.  Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update, as it\u2019s a WWWendy day and we have lots of chores to do.  JD, will you cover Bill Maher?  TGIF!<\/font><\/p>\n

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

Today\u2019s took me 3:44 (average 5:52).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Cartoon<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

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Trump* Virus Update<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

\"0605TrumpVirusMap\"<\/font><\/p>\n

Cases: 1,925,267
Deaths: 110,218
Recovered: 712,436<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

From ProPublica<\/a>: Police culture can be insular and tough to penetrate. But I\u2019ve been surprised by how often it\u2019s possible, though time consuming, to expose important issues by requesting and examining records and data from police departments and other government agencies and engaging citizens and key leaders. So here are five techniques concerned citizens, journalists and policymakers can use to examine police conduct in their communities.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

1. Understand the policies and laws that govern police conduct.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re alarmed by what you saw in Minneapolis, or other recent incidents of apparent police misconduct, the first step is to find out if the agency in question has a written policy on the use of force. Does the policy dictate when officers should or shouldn\u2019t use force? What tactics are they allowed to use? Is there any rule against choking a suspect?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to know if the officers involved were following the policies and procedures that are supposed to guide their behavior. Police actions that strike an onlooker as inappropriate may actually be within a department\u2019s rules. It\u2019s possible the rules themselves are inconsistent with best practices elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Ask the department for its policies on the practices that concern you, like restraining suspects or the use of pepper spray or Tasers. You may also need to request rules set by a county or state authority. Ask for written copies. You may be required to file a formal public records request, which I will describe below. And if there is no existing written policy, that might be something worth questioning itself.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re having trouble understanding a policy, try running it by an attorney, academic, elected official or a journalist in your community.<\/p>\n

How I did it: I did a deep dive into policies about drug testing after a police captain was killed in a car crash in 2016, and I exposed that he was drunk and on drugs at the time<\/a>. I spoke to his chief<\/a> and learned their department didn\u2019t have a policy for random drug testing. I wondered why that was the case and looked to the state attorney general\u2019s office, which sets many police rules<\/a>. The rules allowed departments to choose whether they wanted to do random testing, and my reporting identified more than 100 that did not<\/a>. After our story, the state attorney general mandated random drug testing for cops across the state<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I included one of five ways YOU can help hold police accountable for criminal Republican behavior. Please click through for the other four.  It\u2019s worth the read, and you need to know it.  RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n

From Alternet<\/a>: <\/font>New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Friday warned<\/a><\/font> that it\u2019s wrong to compare President Donald Trump to President Richard Nixon, on the grounds that Trump is far worse and more dangerous.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Krugman acknowledges that there are some similarities between Trump and Nixon, such as their willingness to use racial grievance to gain power and their cavalier attitude toward obeying the law.<\/p>\n

But Krugman thinks that the biggest difference between Trump and Nixon is that the Republican Party of 2020 is not the same as the Republican Party that pushed Nixon out in 1974\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026\u201cThe point is that today\u2019s Republican Party wouldn\u2019t object to a Trumpian power grab, even if it amounted to a military coup,\u201d he writes. \u201cOn the contrary, the party would cheer it on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Republican Reich, aka the Fifth Reich, has elections with predetermined results.  They exist for show only. If a military coup is needed to bring it about, Republicans are fine with that.  RESIST!!<\/font><\/p>\n

From YouTube<\/a> (a blast from the past): The Beatles – Come Together<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n