Society's ChildS

Pistol

Teen went shooting with his mom and now he can't return to school

teen shooting gun
A Colorado teen has been told he cannot return to school until authorities hold a "threat assessment hearing" after he went target shooting with his mother. Nate Evans, a junior at Loveland High School in Loveland, Colorado actually got a visit from police after he posted video of his plinking with his mom Justine according to the Colorado 2nd Amendment group Rally For Our Rights.
A report had come in to the police department about the video and they were told Nate was a threat. After showing the videos to the police officers and explaining that they'd simply gone on a mother-son outing to train with their legally owned firearms, the police stated that they had done nothing illegal and were well within their rights. They also determined Nate was not a threat to himself or anyone else, and went on their way.

But it wasn't over.
Unfortunately, even after police determined that there was nothing nefarious about a mom taking her son out for some firearms training, the school district wasn't convinced.

Arrow Down

Uproar after Indian judge brands Tolstoy's War & Peace 'objectionable material'

War and Peace Tolstoy
© Getty Images / Robert Alexander
An Indian judge's lack of literary appreciation has been roundly mocked online after he reportedly demanded a defendant explain why he had a copy of a book about a "war in another country," in reference to 'War and Peace'.

Activist Vernon Gonsalves was on trial in Bombay High Court for allegedly inciting violence back in December 2017, the PTI agency reports. Police presented the court with what they considered "highly incriminating evidence" seized from Gonsalves' home, namely "books and CDs with objectionable titles."

While the court agreed with the defense that mere possession of literature does not make one a terrorist, it demanded an explanation from the defendant about some of the works in question - chiefly, 'War and Peace'.

Arrow Up

One-third of Americans actually believe Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide

epstein island
Only one-third of Americans believe Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide behind bars, according to a new poll by Emerson College.

Voters were asked to weigh in on the convicted pedophile's Aug. 10 death at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center โ€” and they were split in even thirds.

Thirty-four percent believe Epstein was murdered, 33 percent believe the city medical examiner's ruling that he hanged himself and 32 percent are unsure.

Comment: One-third of Americans believing this in-your-face nonsense seems a bit high!


Arrow Up

The moral decay of the US military goes way beyond subtlety

US troops/prisoners
© CRI
At this point, there's no hiding that a considerable number of MSM sources directly promotes the agenda of both US military contractors and the Pentagon, trying to advertise the US military as the ultimate combat force akin to those unvanquishable legions of Rome from two thousand years ago. Unsurprisingly, the military brass is more than willing to uphold this image, as it has recently been announced by the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph F. Dunford, that these days there's no force able to withstand a joint assault mounted by the US military. Well, somehow the Department of Defense (DoD) wants even more money, even though there's no logical explanation as to why the mightiest army on the planet would need to improve anything, when everyone else is obviously lagging far behind.

However, it's been rightfully pointed out by Global Research that:
With the biggest military budget in the world, five times larger than the next six countries, the largest number of military bases - over 180 - in the world and the most expensive military industrial complex, the US has failed to win a single war in the 21st century.
It would, indeed, be tempting to allocate all blame on those dubious weapons programs that draw mind-boggling amounts of resources without ever producing anything to show for them. But it's far past this stage by now, as it's obvious that the US military itself is undergoing a period of moral decay, where young men who enlisted to defend their country with honor and dignity are gradually turning into crooks.

Attention

# Resistance goes nuts blaming Trump for nixing citizenship for military kids born overseas...only he didn't

Boy and flags
© Pixabay/mintchipdesigns
Mainstream media, Democrats, and #Resistance Twitter have united to eviscerate a change to citizenship policy regarding children of overseas-deployed military members. The only problem is, they're all reading the policy wrong.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services released an update to its policies on how citizenship is assigned to children of American citizens born overseas on Wednesday. The admittedly confusing document centered on the definition of the term 'residence' and how it figures in the transmission of citizenship from parents to child - a potentially thorny subject, given the Trump administration's occasional threat to do away with birthright citizenship.

Commentators pounced on the document, interpreting it to mean that children born to members of the US military stationed overseas would no longer receive automatic citizenship at birth. An avalanche of accusations followed - this was "gross disrespect for our troops and government workers," who would surely abandon their posts en masse at being so ill-treated.

Document

Petition: Million-plus Britons demand of Johnson 'Do not prorogue parliament!'

Street message
© Reuters/Henry NichollsMessages written on the street are seen during an anti-Brexit protest, outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, August 28, 2019.
Over one million people have signed a petition against suspending or dissolving the British parliament unless Brexit is cancelled or delayed. It has gained traction after UK PM Boris Johnson pushed to prorogue the legislature.

The petition was launched on August 15, but has seen a boost of popularity after Queen Elizabeth II granted Johnson's request to prorogue the parliament until October 14, a mere two weeks until the Brexit deadline set for Halloween.

The now-belated petition calls for Johnson to not prorogue or dissolve the Parliament "until the Article 50 period has been sufficiently extended or the UK's intention to withdraw from the EU has been cancelled."

The document quickly crossed both 10,000 signature mark - the threshold required for the British government to formally respond to the petition - and the 100,000 signatures needed for the parliament to consider the issue for a debate.

While the petition paves way for a parliamentary debate, this is now practically wishful thinking as the parliament will remain shut down until the middle of October. That leaves the MPs with almost no time to react to whatever new plans to streamline Brexit Johnson might come up with, let alone hold a debate on the issue that cannot be changed.

Comment: See also:


Bullseye

Jeffrey Epstein's sex abuse victims express their outrage: 'He thought he was untouchable'

Epsteinvictims court new york allred lawyer
© Gregory P. MangoAttorney Gloria Allred leaves Manhattan Federal Court with two of her clients after a hearing in the Jeffrey Epstein case on Tuesday.
Nearly two dozen victims of Jeffrey Epstein voiced their outrage at a hearing in Manhattan on Aug. 27, 2019.

Amid tears of outrage and words of courage, more than two dozen women appeared in a New York federal courtroom Tuesday at a historic hearing that could serve as a catalyst for change in the way the U.S. criminal justice system treats victims of sexual assault.

The women, many speaking for the first time, talked about how, as teenagers or women barely out of their teens, they were preyed upon, recruited and sexually abused by sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who used his political, social and financial connections to lure them into a trap that would alter and, in some cases, ruin their lives.

Now grown women, some with their own children, the survivors spoke about years of self-loathing, suicidal thoughts, shame and anger โ€” and how they still suffer trauma and depression. Now, two weeks after Epstein was found dead in his jail cell, where he was awaiting trial on newly filed sex charges, they feel angry that they've again been denied justice.

Comment: The victim's lawyers are pleading for a deeper investigation of Epstein's alleged suicide:
Attorneys for both Jeffrey Epstein and his accusers implored a Manhattan judge on Tuesday to launch his own investigation into the late pedophile's suicide death.

The request came during a lengthy hearing in Manhattan federal court where Judge Richard Berman heard from more than 20 alleged victims who say the financier groomed and raped them of the course of years.

"For us, the elephant in the room is what happened to our client," Epstein lawyer Reid Weingarten told Berman. "The court should make an inquiry."

An autopsy by the city Medical Examiner's Office ruled that Epstein killed himself by hanging in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail on sex-trafficking charges. He died Aug. 10.

But his lawyers questioned that ruling, with Weingarten claiming that broken bones in Epstein's neck were "far more consistent with assault than suicide."

"Around the time of his death, we did not see a despairing, despondent suicidal person," Weingarten added.

He also said that video recordings from the unit Epstein was housed in were later found to be "corrupted."

Gloria Allred, who represents several Epstein accusers, made a similar plea to Berman, saying his potential probe "would increase the confidence of my clients."

"The court is a neutral party," she said. "Clearly the system has failed. Failed the victims, failed the court, failed everyone."

Prosecutor Maurene Comey, meanwhile, confirmed that there is an "ongoing and actual grand jury investigation into the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death."

Berman did not indicate whether he would investigate Epstein's death.



Take 2

Hollywood's contribution to world peace: Kick ass while chewing bubblegum

Angel Has Fallen
Screenshot from official trailer Angel Has Fallen
In his movies, Hollywood's Gerry Butler spends his time kicking ass and chewing bubblegum, as he sets about single-handedly killing America's enemies.

The Scottish movie star's latest offering to the God of US exceptionalism is Angel Has Fallen. It is the third instalment in his 'Has Fallen' action series. In it, he reprises the role of Mike Banning, a former US Army Ranger who now works as a protective detail agent for the Secret Service, charged with protecting the president - played in the movie by Morgan Freeman. An attempt on his boss' life is pinned on Butler and those dastardly Russians (is there any other kind?), on the back of which ensues two hours of crash bang wallop.

Just in passing, you may recall that Morgan Freeman featured in a horrendous video in 2017 in which he declared, "We are at war with Russia."

Fortunately for us, Mr. Freeman has not at the time of writing voiced any intention of swapping movie world politics for the real thing. However, if that changes, I'll be sure to let you know - just so you've got plenty of time in which to book yourself a place at your local nuclear shelter.

Robot

Elon Musk and Jack Ma debate AI at China summit

elon musk
From Jack Ma to Pony Ma, the leading lights of China's internet industry gather in Shanghai this week to showcase the country's latest advances in artificial intelligence. But the real headliner could be American entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The Tesla Inc. and SpaceX impresario features prominently on the opening-day card of the World AI Conference, which kicks off Thursday in Shanghai as a rallying cry of sorts for China's burgeoning AI industry -- one of the few arenas in which the race for supremacy remains wide open and Chinese achievements have both stunned and spooked Washington.

Musk's presence at the important Beijing-endorsed AI symposium lends credence to China's vision of becoming the world leader in the technology by 2030 and comes as Donald Trump wages a campaign to rein in the world's No. 2 economy. Musk is scheduled to kick things off by engaging Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma in what's expected to be a free-wheeling debate with one of China's most lionized corporate chieftains.

Sheriff

Push for transparency? Police in western German state to reveal suspects' nationality in all crimes

german police
© AFP/ DPA / Oliver BergNorth Rhine-Westphalia's police officers are seen in Cologne, Germany, on October 15, 2018.
Police in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia will name all suspects' nationality as a way to counter "clumsy deception." The move comes after allegations of police and media covering up criminals' origins.

All future police press releases in Germany's most populous state will contain information about the nationality of suspects as long as it can be determined beyond doubt, the regional Interior Ministry told the German media, adding that it is developing a new set of regulations for the police.

"I have been promoting transparency ever since I took office," regional Interior Minister Herbert Reul, who assumed office two years ago, told journalists, explaining that the new rules would cover both German and foreign suspects.

Current police transparency regulations state that the nationality of suspects, particularly those belonging to a "minority" group, can be revealed only if it is essential in understanding the motives or has a direct link to the crime.

Police officers' reluctance to reveal suspects' nationalities has often landed them in hot water amid rising tensions in Germany in the wake of a massive influx of migrants and refugees. Police have been accused of covering up the countries of origin of foreign suspects to downplay the negative effects of Chancellor Angela Merkel's 'open doors' policy at the height of the 2015 refugee crisis.