JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
One week ago, in an op-ed for the far right wing website World Net Daily, National Rifle Association (NRA) Board Member Ted Nugent commented on the violence that has made national headlines in Ferguson, Missouri, and stated, "The overwhelming majority of violent crime across America is conducted by young, black males who, sadly, are on the self-inflicted expressway to prison or an early grave-or more often than not, both."
Where to begin... For starters, Nugent has blatantly misstated the facts. In truth, more whites are arrested for violent crime in the United States than blacks (even though African Americans are arrested for such crimes at a higher rate than whites). There are multiple socioeconomic and structural causes that increase an individual's propensity for violent behavior. Pigmentation is simply not a factor.
But reading Nugent's column brought an equally important point home for me. The way we talk about incidents of gun violence in this country -- and the solutions we propose to stem future acts of violence -- seems to be dramatically different depending on the race of those involved.
Consider the tragic death of 25 year-old African-American Kajieme Powell in St. Louis this summer. Powell came to the attention of St. Louis County police on August 19 when he stole two energy drinks and packet of pastries from a local convenience store. He made no attempt to get away, however. Instead, he placed the cans on the ground outside the store and paced nervously back and forth, as if waiting for something. When two police officers arrived on the scene, Powell walked toward them with a kitchen knife in his hand, yelling, "Shoot me!" As he closed in on the officers, they obliged, shooting him dead.
It was a textbook example of suicide-by-cop. And yet very little of the subsequent national conversation mentioned the issue of mental health. Instead, we got the standard character assassination that is so common when African-Americans are involved as perpetrators. Comments like this one by NBC contributor Jeff Halevy: "Knife-wielding thug who just robbed a store. Get over it. It's not always race."
It's not always race? Then why is a perpetrator immediately dehumanized when he is African-American? He is a "thug" who was involved in a "drive-by." Or he's a "gang banger" who got caught up in "inner city violence" ... Convenient terms to let people know that it was a black person who pulled the trigger. Mental health is not part of the discussion, even in cases like Powell's where it's an obvious factor.
Conversely, when an episode of mass gun violence involves a white perpetrator (think Jared Loughner, James Holmes, Elliot Rodger, etc.), the conversation immediately turns to mental health. The shooter was "deranged" and probably on medication, we are told. And we'll hear asides like, "He seemed like such a good person" or "We never could have seen this coming."
This dichotomy of treatment is intentional. Consider the NRA's response to the Sandy Hook massacre committed by Adam Lanza, a young white man. NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre conducted a press conference a week after the tragedy and condemned our government for refusing "to create an active national database of the mentally ill" -- a curious position for an organization that purports to be a protector of individual rights and privacy. Meanwhile, LaPierre rants to conservative audiences about "knock-out gamers" and sits on the NRA board with Nugent, who declared, "Apartheid isn't that cut and dry. All men are not created equal."
The NRA fully understands the racial dynamic at play here. As long as we can blame something other than guns, America will not have to come to terms with the truth that violence is a complicated phenomenon that is made far more lethal by the easy availability and killing power of firearms. And for an organization with an overwhelmingly conservative, white base, that "something other" is minorities.
The gun lobby is able to pitch this myth because, on the surface, it may seem that gun violence is connected to race. Although African Americans make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population, nearly 40 percent of homicides are committed by African-Americans. However, as I noted above, more sophisticated analyses of the propensity for interpersonal violence show race is not a determinative factor in violent behavior. For example, gun death rates (including suicide) for blacks and whites are similar in some states (including Mississippi, New Mexico, and Arizona). States where this is not the case typically have substantial areas of segregated poverty (i.e., Missouri, Michigan, and Illinois). Let's not forget that, throughout history, racist government policies have contributed to poverty, unemployment and lack of mental health services in communities that are predominantly African-American. Take any racial or ethnic group and subject them to these types of conditions and the results will be similar.
Nonetheless, the NRA understands that fear is the best motivator when it comes to selling guns. Sadly, its not-so-subtle attempt to blame African-Americans for (all) violence seems to be a contributing factor to the unnecessary killing of unarmed black men in our society.
Let us also reject the gun lobby's unnecessary stigmatization of the mentally ill. The truth is the majority of individuals with a mental illness diagnosis will never be violent toward others. Only about 4 percent of interpersonal violence in America is caused by mental illness alone (there is, however, a strong correlation with mental illness and suicide). Yet, if you were to focus on media coverage surrounding mass shootings, you'd likely come away with the impression that all mentally ill Americans are violent, crazed maniacs who are moments away from going postal. This is patently untrue, and it diverts us from a productive discourse about true risk factors for violence -- including low socioeconomic status, substance abuse, and history of arrest.
Which brings us back to what the NRA is trying to hide from public understanding, because whatever one's circumstances, easy access to firearms is known to make violence more lethal. For example, studies show that areas with more guns have more gun-related homicides. It is a national tragedy that we have a gun policy that makes it easy even for individuals with long histories of violence to obtain firearms. Felons, domestic abusers and those who have recently been adjudicated a danger to self and/or others based on mental health history are indeed a public safety threat, yet we still live in a country where approximately 40% of firearms transfers happen without a background check.
So I have three suggestions for a more peaceful and free America. First, let's stop using ugly euphemisms like "thug" to describe human beings who might have become violent for a complex set of reasons that have nothing to do with the color of their skin. Second, since we do have a gun violence problem in the United States, let's look for evidence-based solutions to deal with the problem, like universal background checks and expanded firearm prohibitions for those at risk of violence (i.e., violent misdemeanants, domestic abusers, alcohol abusers, etc.). Third, let's acknowledge that blaming gun violence on race (or mental illness) is a lazy and dishonest way of looking at a complicated problem that allows the gun lobby to avoid responsibility for the growing body count in America.
As a country that prides itself on extending political equality to every citizen, nothing less will do.
Jean-Claude Duvalier, who presided over what was widely acknowledged as a corrupt and brutal regime as the self-proclaimed "president for life" of Haiti until a popular uprising sent him into a 25-year exile, has died. He was 63.
Duvalier died Saturday from a heart attack at the home of a friend in Port-au-Prince where he had been staying, said his lawyer, Reynold Georges, and several officials in the impoverished nation. The former leader, known as "Baby Doc," made a surprise return to Haiti in 2011, allowing victims of his regime to pursue legal claims against him in Haitian courts and prompting some old allies to rally around him. Neither side gained much traction, however, and a frail Duvalier spent his final years quietly in the leafy hills above the Haitian capital.
Haitian
President Michel Martelly expressed his condolences to the former dictator's family, making no mention of the widespread human rights abuses that occurred under Duvalier and his more notorious predecessor and father, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier.
"On behalf of the entire government and people of Haiti, I take this sad occasion to extend my sincere sympathies to his family, his relatives and his supporters across the country," Martelly said.
The elder Duvalier was a medical doctor-turned-dictator who promoted "Noirisme," a movement that sought to highlight Haiti's African roots over its European ones while uniting the black majority against the mulatto elite in a country divided by class and color.
FILE - In this April 25, 1975 file phot, Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier welcomes Zambian Pre …
"Papa Doc" tortured and killed political opponents, relying on a dreaded civilian militia known as the Tonton Macoutes.
In 1971, Francois Duvalier suddenly died of an illness after naming his son to succeed him. At 19, Jean-Claude Duvalier became the world's youngest president.
Jean-Claude Duvalier ruled for 15 years, retaining the Tonton Macoutes and the brutality of his father's regime, though to a lesser extent. The son's administration was seen as less violent and repressive than that of the father, though it perhaps was more corrupt. Wisps of press freedom and personal criticism, something never tolerated under the elder Duvalier, emerged sporadically during the reign of "Baby Doc" because of international pressure. Still, human rights groups documented abuses political persecution. A trio of prisons known as the "Triangle of Death," which included the much-feared Fort Dimanche for long-term inmates, symbolized the brutality of his regime.
Since his return from exile, victims of the regime have testified in a criminal investigation of human rights abuses during his 15-year reign but the case has moved fitfully and there had been few signs of progress. His death brings an end to that effort without giving Haiti a chance to reconcile with that past, said Amy Wilentz, author of "The Rainy Season: Haiti Since Duvalier," and other works about the country.
FILE - In this May 27, 1980 file photo, then Haitian president Jean-Claude Duvalier, left, is pictur …
"What this means is that there will never be a trial against him and there won't be a chance for the Haitian people to have justice and to purge from its soul the true horrors of the Duvalier era," Wilentz said. "It's an end but there is no closure that comes with it."
As president, Duvalier married the daughter of a wealthy coffee merchant, Michele Bennett, in 1980. The relationship caused a scandal among old Duvalierists because she was a mulatto. The lavish wedding, which
reportedly cost $5 million, also caused an uproar given Haiti's deep poverty.
Under Duvalier's rule, Haiti saw widespread demographic changes. Peasants moved to the capital in search of work as factories popped up to meet the growing demand for cheap labor. Thousands of professionals fled a climate of repression for cities such as New York, Miami and Montreal.
Tourists also flocked to the country, some in search of a form of tropical hedonism that included booze, prostitution and Voodoo ceremonies for which the country became legendary.
The National Palace became known for opulent parties as Duvalier's wife took overseas shopping sprees to decorate and collect fur coats. Duvalier relished taking his presidential yacht out for a spin and racing about in sports cars.
People walk into the private residence where Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as …
Under mounting pressure from the administration of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Duvalier made pretenses of improving the country's human rights record by releasing political prisoners. Still, journalists and activists were jailed or exiled. Haitians without visas or money left by boarding flimsy boats in a desperate effort to reach Florida shores.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch estimated that up to 30,000 Haitians were killed, many by execution, under the regime of the two Duvaliers.
As Haiti's living conditions deteriorated, Pope John-Paul II made a visit in 1983 and famously declared: "Things must change."
Three years later, they did. A popular uprising swept across Haiti, and Duvalier and his wife boarded a U.S.-government C-141 for France.
The couple divorced in 1993. Duvalier later became involved with Veronique Roy, who accompanied him on his 2011 return to Haiti.
While in exile in France, Duvalier occasionally made public statements about his eagerness to return to Haiti. Supporters periodically marched on his behalf in the Haitian capital.
On Jan. 16, 2011, Duvalier made his surprise return. He said he wanted to help in the reconstruction of Haiti, whose capital and outlying cities were heavily damaged by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake the year before. Many suspected he came back in an effort to reclaim money he had allegedly stashed. Others said he merely wanted to die in his homeland.
Despite the occasional stay in the hospital, Duvalier seemed to enjoy his new life back home and was free to roam the capital. He was spotted attending government ceremonies and dining with friends in several high-end restaurants. In 2013 he began renovating an old house that Roy said had been destroyed in the wake of his 1986 ouster.
Duvalier and his wife, Michele, had two children, son Francois Nicolas "Nico" and daughter Anya.
Together,
Charles and David Koch control one of the world's largest fortunes,
which they are using to buy up our political system. But what they don't
want you to know is how they made all that money
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
The enormity of the Koch fortune is no mystery. Brothers Charles and
David are each worth more than $40 billion. The electoral influence of
the Koch brothers is similarly well-chronicled. The Kochs are our
homegrown oligarchs; they've cornered the market on Republican politics
and are nakedly attempting to buy Congress and the White House. Their
political network helped finance the Tea Party and powers today's GOP.
Koch-affiliated organizations raised some $400 million during the 2012
election, and aim to spend another $290 million to elect Republicans in
this year's midterms. So far in this cycle, Koch-backed entities have
bought 44,000 political ads to boost Republican efforts to take back the
Senate.
What is less clear is where all that money comes from. Koch
Industries is headquartered in a squat, smoked-glass building that rises
above the prairie on the outskirts of Wichita, Kansas. The building,
like the brothers' fiercely private firm, is literally and figuratively a
black box. Koch touts only one top-line financial figure: $115 billion
in annual revenue, as estimated by Forbes. By that metric, it
is larger than IBM, Honda or Hewlett-Packard and is America's
second-largest private company after agribusiness colossus Cargill. The
company's stock response to inquiries from reporters: "We are privately
held and don't disclose this information."
But Koch Industries is not entirely opaque. The company's troubled
legal history – including a trail of congressional investigations,
Department of Justice consent decrees, civil lawsuits and felony
convictions – augmented by internal company documents, leaked State
Department cables, Freedom of Information disclosures and company
whistle-blowers, combine to cast an unwelcome spotlight on the toxic
empire whose profits finance the modern GOP.
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Beyoncé was hit with another round of pregnancy rumors after unconfirmed online reports recently claimed that Jay Z revealed the happy news during their "On the Run" tour stop in Paris. The rapper allegedly changed a "Beach Is Better" lyric over the weekend to say, "cause she's pregnant with another one."
The couple has yet to speak out about the reports; however, in true Bey fashion, the "Drunk in Love" singer decided to shut down the gossip mill the best way she knows how.
On Tuesday, Knowles posted a series of photos to her website from her birthday celebration earlier this month. In honor of the big 3-3, Beyoncé and Jay Z, 44, chartered a yacht around Europe along with their 2-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.
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.Beyonce and Jay Z take in the view on vacation (Beyonce.com)
In the envy worthy snapshots, Beyoncé shared a few bikini photos. As you can see, there doesn't appear to be any baby on board — just abs.
In another picture, there is a view of a table setting with a bread basket and two empty wine glasses, and in a different shot, a glass is filled up. Granted, we have no way of knowing whether Beyoncé was or was not drinking… but she always posts with a purpose. It also wouldn't be the first time she was photographed with alcohol amid the latest round of rumors.
View gallery
.Beyonce celebrates her birthday (Beyonce.com)
View gallery
.Beyonce posts birthday photos (Beyonce.com)
The Grammy winner was pictured holding champagne alongside her husband after they wrapped their tour this weekend. The photo was posted on Jay's website.
If you want to continue playing the Beyoncé picture assumption game, it's probably also safe to say that she and Jay are as solid as ever.
View gallery
.Beyonce cuddles up to Jay Z (Beyonce.com)
After a summer filled with breakup allegations, the duo appears to be quite happy and in love in the new set of pics.
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
The wives of four former NFL players, including a personal friend of Ray Rice and his wife, believe there is a misunderstanding about the lives of NFL families among the public, and say they understand why Janay Rice decided to stay with her husband after the assault that resulted in his indefinite suspension from the league.
"I don't think it's too hard for me to understand why Janay would stay with Ray after everything we've seen,'' Dawn Neufeld, wife of former NFL tight end Ryan Neufeld, told TODAY's Jenna Wolfe. "My mother stayed with someone who was abusive for over 10 years, and I think women stay with abusers for many, many reasons."
"Thank goodness I was not in a situation to make that choice, but I think I would probably end up being one to stay, because you assume that role,'' explained Michelle Rivera, wife of former NFL offensive lineman Marco Rivera. "You're there to support, and you uphold the image that you feel is necessary for your family."
Janay Rice defended her husband in an Instagram post on Tuesday, calling the situation "a horrible nightmare" and writing, "If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you've succeeded on so many levels."
TODAY
From left to right: Melani Ismail, Michelle Rivera, Mioshi Johnson and Dawn Neufled.
More from the four women:
Mioshi Johnson, wife of Rice's former Ravens teammate, Chris Johnson, on how the Rices are faring: "I do know Ray and Janay very well. They are good friends of mine and my husband, Chris. They're just feeling very ostracized. Like, you're not helping. Everybody is continually making us relive this when we're trying to heal and grow from this. So where's the help? Where's the support?"
Johnson, on the shock of the assault: "I would definitely say it was out of character for both of them. They are not violent people. They are very loving, doting over each other, over their daughter."
Melani Ismail, wife of former NFL wide receiver Raghib Ismail, on how NFL wives are often viewed: "I think the first word that comes to mind is that we're gold diggers, and that we don't have a true love for our husbands, and we're just in it for the money or in it for the fame or whatever. The money comes and goes, and there is no amount of money that could even touch the injuries and the heartache and all the things that go with the NFL. It's a very, very difficult business. It's not just the man. It's his wife, his children and everybody associated with him."
Ismail, on Ray Rice's future: "He doesn't have to remain a bad guy. He needs some help. You know, it was wrong what happened."
Neufeld, on the NFL: "I do believe the NFL mishandled this situation tremendously. The NFL can
figure out who draft picks or potential draft picks are dating, what their grades are in school, but they couldn't find this video. I think that's troubling."
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
A 16-year-old high school girl in Rock Hill, S.C. told police that another high school girl taunted her on a school bus and then beat her up after she got off the bus. The assailant allegedly was angry at the victim because she was behaving “too much like a white person.”
Both the alleged attacker and the victim are black, reports The State, a Columbia, S.C. newspaper.
The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon on a bus carrying students who attend Northwestern High School.
The unidentified assault victim, 16, told investigators she exited the bus on McDow Drive, a winding street dotted with small ranch-style houses. Shortly after she got off the bus, she said, her attacker violently punched her a bunch of times, then fled the scene.
A Rock Hill police report notes that witnesses told the same basic story.
The police report also indicates that the student who got beat up suffered numerous injuries including a serious cut above her right eye.
An ambulance transported the girl to a local hospital for treatment.
One witness, Shelly Hemphill, is the mother of one of the victim’s friends. The victim went to Hemphill’s house after she was allegedly assaulted. Hemphill was responsible for calling the ambulance.
Hemphill told police that the attacker tripped the victim and the punched her again and again while she was on the ground, according to The Island Packet, a Hilton Head newspaper.
In an interview with police, the victim claimed that there has been an ongoing feud between the two girls for over a year. The victim described herself as a “light-skinned black female,” according to The State. She said the other student, who has darker skin, had made fun of her and challenged her to a fight on prior occasions, but she had refused.
The victim said she had again refused to fight her alleged bully on Thursday but then got beat up, anyway. Hemphill noted that the school bus bully taunted the girl all last year as well.
“It was so bad last year they had to have a police car here when the bus let out,” she said, according to the Packet.
Police have described the altercation as assault, battery and disorderly conduct in a school setting. However, they have not yet been able to find the alleged attacker.
A spokeswoman for the Rock Hill school district told the Packet that district officials had reviewed videotape of the Thursday school bus ride and had seen no fight inside the bus.
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Simone Battle, a U.S. ‘X Factor’ finalist and member of pop group G.R.L., was found dead in her West
Hollywood home on Friday. The singer was 25.
TMZ reports Battle was found hanging on a rod in the closet of her bedroom around 8:30 a.m. on Friday.
A spokeswoman for the LAPD could not confirm the details of Battle's death when TheWrap reached out for comment. Battle's record company, however, confirmed her passing and released a statement to the media.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the loss of Simone Battle of G.R.L. Simone was an exceptional young talent and human being, and we are all devastated to learn of her passing,” a joint statement from Reign Deer Entertainment, Kemosabe Records and RCA reads. ”Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones at this time.”
The Los Angeles Coroner's Office has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment, either.
TMZ reports that while her death appears to be a suicide, the autopsy has not been completed yet, so a cause of death has not been officially determined.
Battle competed on the first season of the U.S. version of Simon Cowell‘s “X Factor,” which ran on Fox for three seasons. The Los Angeles native made it to the top 17 in the girls category before being eliminated after the first live performance.
She joined Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin's latest musical project, G.R.L., in August 2012.
The group released their latest single, “Ugly Heart,” (below) of their debut self-titled EP in June.
Previously, the girl group was featured in Pitbull's “Wild Wild Love,” and had their first single, “Vacation,” included on the soundtrack for “The Smurfs 2.”
