Monday Reads
Posted: October 20, 2014 Filed under: 2014 elections, Civil Rights, Crime, Criminal Justice System, misogyny, morning reads, Psychopaths in charge, racism, Rape Culture, Social Security, U.S. Politics, Violence against women | Tags: Al Sharpton, anonymous sources, Darren Wilson, Hannah Graham, Jesse Matthew, Michael Brown, Morgan Harrington, Nazi war criminals, serial killers 52 Comments
Morning Coffee, by Christina Madden
Welcome to Morbid Monday!!
I haven’t had a regular work schedule for years, so why do the days of the week still affect me as they did when I had a 9-5 job or when I was in school? Is it because I need some kind of structure in my life? I still look forward to weekends and I still dislike Monday mornings. Why is that? Is it because the world around me is structured that way? Or is it because I was conditioned from childhood to our society’s weekly scheduling?
Anyway, I’m still recovering from a combination cold and stomach virus, and it’s Monday; so I’m slow on the uptake today, and I just hope this post will make sense. Healthwise, I’m better off than Dakinikat and JJ. Actually, Dakinikat and her computer are both under the weather, so I’m filling in for her today. The photos of giant coffee cups show how I feel about Mondays!
Here are the stories that most interested me this morning.
Ferguson, Missouri
Did you read that awful New York Times story that reported on leaks from “officials briefed on the federal civil rights investigation” into the shooting of teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson? According to the Times, these “officials” were not members of the Ferguson police department or from “officials whose activities are being investigated as part of the civil rights inquiry.” So does that mean Justice Department “officials?” Or are these “officials” from St. Louis? Who the hell knows. But the slant of the story was toward exonerating Wilson and making it appear that Brown deserved to die.
Here’s a summary of Wilson’s version of events from Newsweek:
The official testimony that Officer Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed the unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, gave to authorities was revealed for the first time in a Friday New York Times report.
During the struggle, the officer claimed that Brown reached for his gun. Wilson told investigators that the two struggled over the weapon before the fatal shooting, that Brown assaulted him and he “feared for his life” that day. He also said that Brown had scratched and punched him multiple times, which resulted in cuts and swelling on his face and neck.
According to forensic tests, the gun went off twice in Wilson’s S.U.V., and shot Brown in the arm once. The test also confirmed that Brown’s blood was found in Wilson’s car, his uniform and his gun. The autopsy confirmed that Brown had been shot a total of six times upon his death.
In my opinion we’re being softened up for the blow that will come next month when the Grand Jury fails to indict Wilson. Whoever the “officials” who talked to the NYT are, they apparently don’t want the Justice Department to find that Wilson violated Michael Brown’s rights. Otherwise, why would they be leaking this information? The Washington Post story is also slanted toward Wilson’s version of events, and they cite anonymous “county officials.”
Forensic evidence shows Michael Brown’s blood on the gun, on the uniform and inside the car of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, law enforcement officials said, information they believe potentially corroborates the officer’s story that the unarmed 18-year-old tried to take his gun.
The evidence will make it harder for the Justice Department to prosecute Wilson on federal charges that he violated Brown’s civil rights, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
Such evidence would also make it difficult for a county grand jury to indict Wilson on state charges, such as murder or manslaughter, said county sources who also are prohibited from talking on the record about the pending case.
Multiple media sources are now parroting anonymous sources who claim the “evidence” supports Wilson’s story. I just don’t see it. Of course Brown’s blood would be inside Wilson’s car, since Wilson reportedly shot Brown in the arm at close range. Blood would have spattered all over. It makes sense that it would be on the gun, Wilson’s uniform, and elsewhere in the car. As for the alleged scratches, cuts, and swelling on Wilson’s face (where are the photos?), that could have happened because, as the closest witness–Dorian Johnson–said, Wilson pulled Brown into the car by the neck and tried to choke him. Brown could have been defending himself. Furthermore, none of this justifies Wilson chasing Brown and shooting him as Brown was trying to surrender with his hands in the air, which is what a number of witnesses reported.
Al Sharpton isn’t buying it. From Colin Campbell at Business Insider:
Speaking at his weekly National Action Network rally in Harlem, Sharpton panned Wilson’s claim to be in fear of his life as the “same excuse” as others who fatally shot African-American teens.
“We were involved in Trayvon Martin. We were supportive of Jordan Davis,” Sharpton said, ticking off the recent controversies. “The strange thing is that all of them used the same excuse … The only gun there was Darren Wilson’s! Strange parallels with all of these cases.”
“First of all, if you stopped him — Michael Brown and his friend — walking down the street, what led to the scuffle? … Secondly, how does he and you get in your car? You trying to do what by yourself?” Sharpton asked. “Now, if I go with you with your story all the way to that — that Michael Brown was shot, gets up off you in the car — why are you trying to tell me that a man … ran back at you when he knew you had the gun and you already shot him?”
The story makes no sense, but I’m guessing the Missouri Grand Jury will believe it. And then it’s going to get ugly. From The Daily Beast:
The Rev. Carlon Lee, pastor of Flood Christian Church in Ferguson, Mo., was sending out links to a New York Times story Friday night to friends, family and community members who have spent the last two months absorbed in the events surrounding the death of teenager Michael Brown. The story cited forensic evidence offered by federal officials that showed Brown’s blood on officer Darren Wilson’s uniform and gun, which was found to have been fired inside Wilson’s patrol car. Lee’s link came with a personal thought:
“If there has ever been a time to pray, this is it,” he told recipients of texts and emails.
There was really nothing new about the Times’ story—Wilson has maintained since day one that Brown was reaching for the officer’s gun, which led to a struggle ultimately ending in the teenager’s death. Now, though, evidence seen only by a St. Louis County grand jury has been made available for the world, including the residents of Ferguson.
“I believe that when people have received (the Times) article and see what’s going on it will infuriate people and set us back,” Lee said. “No matter what happened in (Wilson’s) car, Michael Brown’s hands were up. No matter if he beat the crap out of Officer Wilson, his hands were up—a universal sign of surrendering.”
Protesters in Ferguson are going to believe Wilson’s story, says St. Louis photojournalist Bradley Rayford.
“The protesters didn’t believe Officer Wilson’s story in the first place, so they’re not going to believe this story,” Rayford said of the Times’ reporting….
It’s impossible to tell whether the story being sent out by Lee on Friday night would result in increased action on the streets of Ferguson, but one thing, as it has all along, remains clear: If Wilson isn’t indicted chaos will once again reign.
“If there’s a non-indictment I think you’ll see an immediate uproar,” Lee said. “I don’t think people have seen the amount of unrest and anger that will come if there’s a non-indictment.”
Check out these photos of black protesters and white St. Louis Rams fans fighting over an American flag. How symbolic is that? Here’s one of the photos:
At the end of the confrontation, white police officers are shown targeting a black woman.
Serial Killers
On Saturday, a body that is most likely that of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham was found in Albemarle County a few miles from where suspect Jesse Matthew grew up. WTVR.com reports:
Just four short miles from the abandoned Albemarle County property, now lined with police tape and full of detectives investigating the discovery of human remains, sits the house Jesse Matthew Jr. and his mother once called home.
“She wanted to try to keep Jesse out of the city away from gang activity — if there was any in the city. She was just trying to make it safe for her son,” said neighbor Cliff Hunt.
Hunt said Matthew’s mother wanted the best for her son, who is now the prime suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, who was last seen Sept. 13 on Charlottesville’s downtown pedestrian mall.
Hannah Graham’s parents wanted the best for their daughter too, and so did Morgan Harrington’s parents. How many more women did Jesse Matthew rape and kill? The safest place for him to have been was prison after he was accused of raping college classmates at two Virginia colleges in 2002 and 2003.
More from NBC 12: Albemarle neighbors recall Jesse Matthew and his family.
Jesse Matthew and his family lived at a home on Ponderosa Trail, just a few years ago, according to the neighbors and people who live here now. And this spot is just four miles away from where the remains were found by investigators scouring for any trace of evidence left at the scene….
This area is known to suspect Jesse Matthew, who is charged with Graham’s abduction with intent to defile.
Matthew’s former neighbor Bernard Blue said Matthew, his sister and mother lived in this home just miles from where search crews made the gruesome discovery Saturday. Blue says he’s unsettled that the man he knew is now the main suspect in a high-profile case. “Never dreamed he’d do something like that if he is guilty,” he said. “Never dreamed about it, because he was a fine boy when he was up here.”
Blue said Matthew’s mother also worked at UVA hospital, and that she’s stayed in touch. “She was a sweet lady. She came up to see me about four or five months ago,” he said. But Bernard says Matthew left a somewhat different impression. “He was a little strange. But, fine guy, all I know.”
“Strange,” but “a fine guy”?
Also in this morning’s news, a serial killer has been arrested in Indiana. From the Chicago Tribune: 7 women found dead in Gary, Hammond over weekend.
Bodies of three more women were found in Gary Sunday evening after officials discovered bodies of four women earlier in the weekend at various locations in Gary and Hammond.
One of the recently found women was discovered around 7:50 p.m. Sunday in the 4300 block of Massachusetts Street in Gary, according to a press release from the Lake County coroner’s office. The cause of the woman’s death was strangulation, same as in the case of the first woman found dead Friday night.
Two additional bodies of women were recovered around 10 p.m. in the 400 block of East 43rd Avenue in Gary, according to another press release from the Lake County coroner’s office. The cause of both women’s deaths was unknown.
Deaths of all three women, who were not immediately identified, were ruled homicides, the releases said.
Police have detained a suspect whose name won’t be released until he is charged. The man confessed to the most recent murder and then led police to three more bodies. Fox News reports:
The women were found throughout Hammond and Gary, according to the Lake County coroner’s office. The Chicago Sun-Times cited police sources saying the man in custody is a 43-year-old resident of Gary. Hammond Chief John Doughty said police will have more information at a press conference Monday.
The flurry of grisly discoveries began when Hammond police responded to a call of an unresponsive person Friday evening at a Motel 6 and found the strangled body of a woman identified as Afrika Hardy, 19. As part of the investigation into her death, police executed a search warrant on a home in Gary, where they also took the person of interest into custody, Hammond Police Lt. Richard Hoyda told the Chicago Tribune in an email….
Police discovered the body of Anith Jones, 35, of Merrillville, around 11:20 p.m. Saturday in an abandoned home in Gary. Her family had reported her missing on Oct. 8.
Jones’ sister, Yolanda Nowell, previously described her as “very street savvy” and said she had moved 10 years ago from Chicago to Indiana, where she operated a stand at a nearby flea market.
Police found the next body around 1 a.m. Sunday and a third body less than an hour later, according to the Tribune.
Late Sunday, the coroner’s office confirmed the discovery of three additional Jane Does, all of which were found in Gary.
All seven deaths have been ruled homicides, according to the coroner’s office. Most of the bodies were found in or around abandoned or fire-damaged homes in blighted neighborhoods, according to reports. The house near where Jones was found was described as being located in a thriving neighborhood, although it is unkempt, with overgrown grass and weeds.
As I have often said, it’s a bloodbath out there. Violence against women is a daily reality in this country.
Nazi War Criminals Living on Social Security
From AP via Yahoo News: Expelled Nazis got millions in Social Security.
OSIJEK, Croatia (AP) — Former Auschwitz guard Jakob Denzinger lived the American dream.
His plastics company in the Rust Belt town of Akron, Ohio, thrived. By the late 1980s, he had acquired the trappings of success: a Cadillac DeVille and a Lincoln Town Car, a lakefront home, investments in oil and real estate.Then the Nazi hunters showed up.
In 1989, as the U.S. government prepared to strip him of his citizenship, Denzinger packed a pair of suitcases and fled to Germany. Denzinger later settled in this pleasant town on the Drava River, where he lives comfortably, courtesy of U.S. taxpayers. He collects a Social Security payment of about $1,500 each month, nearly twice the take-home pay of an average Croatian worker.
Denzinger, 90, is among dozens of suspected Nazi war criminals and SS guards who collected millions of dollars in Social Security payments after being forced out of the United States, an Associated Press investigation found.
The payments flowed through a legal loophole that has given the U.S. Justice Department leverage to persuade Nazi suspects to leave. If they agreed to go, or simply fled before deportation, they could keep their Social Security, according to interviews and internal government records.
Like Denzinger, many lied about their Nazi pasts to get into the U.S. following World War II, and eventually became American citizens.
Read more details about the AP investigation in the lengthy article.
Read “brief profiles” of some of these Nazi social security recipients in this AP story via The Elkhart Truth
What if Republicans Win Control of Congress?
Here’s Joan Walsh’s take on the silly argument that losing would be good for Democrats: America’s Looming Freak Show: How GOP Control Will Terrorize a Nation – With No Political Repercussion.
I’m an optimist who’s expert at finding silver linings – American progressives have to be — but the case rapidly picking up steam that another midterm loss will be good for Democrats is both silly and a little dangerous.
Bill Scher made the argument from the left as well as anyone could, while this piece by the Wall Street Journal’s Gerald Seib, coming from the center-right, was more predictable and vexing. (Paul Waldman took a shot at it back in August, here.) The Washington Post’s Phillip Bump followed and endorsed Seib’s argument. But those takes rely at least in part on the notion that if Republicans gain the Senate, they’ll either have an incentive to help “govern” – or they’ll shame themselves in the eyes of the American public if they don’t. Unfortunately, neither premise is true.
In fact, I’m concerned that worsening political dysfunction perpetuates itself by convincing more Americans that politics is futile. The Obama coalition in particular – younger, less white, less well off than even prior coalitions of Democrats – has gotten so little that’s tangible from its history-making turnout in 2012 (and yes I’ve read that Krugman piece and I mostly agree.) The prospect of its coalescing to become a permanent force in American politics has been at least postponed, if not thwarted entirely, by the deliberate GOP sabotage of the political process.
For me, the backdrop to this depressing midterm election is not merely ISIS and Ebola, but continued unrest in Ferguson, Mo., where it seems unlikely Officer Darren Wilson will face consequences for shooting Michael Brown. From New York to Los Angeles, the issue of police violence just gets worse. There’s increasing activism on the issue, which is great to see – the crowds that turned out for “Ferguson October” over the weekend, and into Monday, were inspiring.
Read the whole sordid thing at the link. Have I told you lately how much I hate the term “progressive?” I’m a liberal and proud of it. The “progressives” who have been undermining Obama for years and are now rooting for a Republican victory make me sick to my stomach. Maybe that’s why I came down with this virus I have.
I should write something about Ebola, but this post is already far too long. I’ll put those links in the comment thread.
So . . . what stories have caught your attention today?
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Officials: Dozens in Dallas still being monitored for signs of Ebola
Texas health officials say 120 people are still being monitored for possible infection with Ebola because they may have had contact with one of the three people who got the disease in Dallas.
Officials said Monday that 43 of 48 people on an original watch list had passed the 21-day incubation period for the viral disease and are now in the clear.
But others who cared for a Liberian man who died Oct. 8 at a Dallas hospital remain at risk, along with two nurses he infected there. Nov. 7 is when the wait period will end for all of those being monitored.
Spanish nurse’s aide found to be Ebola-free in third test
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/19/health/ebola-crisis/
That’s wonderful!
It’s just a terrible shame they killed her dog.
I think so too. Imagine surviving a deadly disease, and then you come home to an empty house with only memories of your warm furry comforting pet. I’m so glad that the American nurse’s dog is being taken care of well.
So am I.
NBC Editor’s Career Might Be Over because she broke Ebola quarantine.
Good.
I’m not big on schadenfreude, but someone like Snyderman with her ” The rules are for thee, but not for me” attitude gets my goat.
What crappy judgment.
What do you know about her? I don’t think I’ve heard of her.
I’ve seen her on television a lot.
She’s a doctor who was under quarantine who decided to go to a public restaurant.
That’s all I need to know.
Basically, Snyderman flunked Infectious Diseases 101.
I can’t stand her. She’s a tool for the pharmaceutical companies. She carries water for big pharma. I don’t trust a word she says.
Then, I read about the Gary serial killer and I remember who the real enemy is.
The confessed serial killer in Indiana is from Austin TX.
So they know for a FACT that he murdered at least 7 women and this man is not a serial killer? Go figure.
I don’t find these creeps to be interesting at all and am perplexed by all of those serial killer groupies. I only took 1 psychology class in college so I have absolutely no clue as to their overriding malfunction but I wish that every one of these defective bastards would just kill themselves before deciding to actually kill another human being. I suspect that some of it is that they don’t see women as actual people but I don’t know. Power and rage maybe? I see these guys as the epitome of cowardice as they usually murder only the most vulnerable people. Just some serious sick bastards.
It’s not about the killer being “interesting.” It’s about women dying because of misogyny. I believe it needs to be publicized and talked about. These people probably have genetic tendencies toward psychopathy, but they are ultimately formed by child abuse and trauma and by the messages from our culture the suggest women are not human beings to be valued.
As for whether the guy did it, he confessed and led the police to the bodies. Is that good enough to say he did it?
Good enough for me and I want them to identify the bastard.
They did. See below.
I am confused by your comment here. I think it is an absolute that he did do the crimes. I just don’t know why they refuse to say “serial killer” when it is obvious.
Sorry, Gregory. I misunderstood your comment. I’m not too with it these days, because I’m dealing with a cold and stomach problems.
It could be that there are some legal constraints on calling a suspect a serial killer before he’s charged.
Another sign that the “improving economy” isn’t benefiting very many of us:
Thx! My computer seems to be okay this afternoon. I’m still feeling rocky, however.
Well that is good news about the computer now you get better Dak!!! 😀
Thx! This flu bug is just not giving up on me. I can’t believe I could be so out of it !
If t is the same crap I have. It lingers
It’s a stomach thing. One day of throwing up. Two days of running to the bathroom continually. And now, endless aches in the joints, a headache, and no appetite, I’m just exhausted.
I’m glad your computer is OK. What a relief. Just get as much rest as you can.
That photo of the handcuffed black woman surrounded by white male police …. they look like they want to set their police dogs on her. Horrible.
The progression of the photos is amazing. They start out with her looking happy and enthusiastic, and very well groomed, and then she is set upon and ends up looking angry and bedraggled. I’m glad the photographer caught that progression.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/tennessee-amendment-1-abortion
Sadists. If this passes more women are going to suffer and die.
http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/teaching-people-hate-their-own-govt-core-project-destroy-middle-class-0
Jesse Matthew has been charged with the 2005 rape in Fairfax, VA.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/watch-live-suspect-graham-case-faces-new-charges-n229961
I just got home from the most awesome bike ride on the Cap2Cap trail here in VA and I got the email update. The story I read also said that they have halted the search for Hannah Graham and that police have cordoned off the area where the most recent remains have been found in order to search for more evidence. No word from the ME in Richmond about the remains yet. I am saddened but yet so relieved that they finally got that monster.
The Gary serial killer has been identified. He was already a convicted sex offender in TX before he hit the road.
He hasn’t been out of prison long. Looks like he came out looking to kill some women.
Austin American Statesman: Austin police reviewing cold cases after bodies found in Indiana
Thanks for the link!
https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedAndrew/status/524322332022562816
Hooray
“Have I told you lately how much I hate the term “progressive?” I’m a liberal and proud of it. The “progressives” who have been undermining Obama for years and are now rooting for a Republican victory make me sick to my stomach.”
Ditto to all of that, BB
Have I told you lately, how much I hate the term “Progressive”. Ditto, they aren’t dems, they are republicans, and I sick of it all too.
Lots of them are libertarians, IMO.
Okay, but isn’t Obama a progressive, too?
I’m a FDR, LBJ, Clinton liberal.
Me too!
I don’t think the word “progressive” has any meaning anymore. Some people who are really liberal use it to avoid calling themselves liberal. Some like Obama who are conservative Democrats use it, and so do people who are actually libertarians.
Obama is a a neoliberal, IMO. Remember, he was the DLC candidate until he suddenly decided to denounce them. He supports privatization of public schools and other government functions. Look what he did with health care. He would change Social Security if he could get away with it. He is exactly what he told us he was in 2008. The “progressives” created a fantasy Obama and then tore him down when he didn’t live up to their crazy fantasies. I actually think he has grown a bit over the years, but every time he tries to do something liberal, the Republicans freak out and the “progressives” attack him for not going far enough.
I thought it was the “progressives” that torpedoed Hillary in 2008 and threw their weight behind Obama. That’s when I no longer trusted the word progressive and just stuck with liberal Democrat – until that day when the Rules and Bylaws committee met on a Saturday and on the Monday after that, I reregistered as an Independent. A liberal one.
Indeed. In my state we don’t have to register as any particular party. But when I get calls from some Democratic fundraising people I tell them I’m no longer a Democrat, and as to why, it’s because of what their Rules Board Committee did in May 2008. I’ll donate to individual campaigns, but not to a blanket group of Democrats.
Yes, the “progressives” loved Obama and hated Hillary. Then when Obama turned out to be what he said he was instead of what the progressives imagined he was, they turned on him and tried to destroy him. They are idiots.
I also changed my registration to Independent.
Actually, Comparing Keene to Ferguson Is Precisely What You Should Do
the tweets on #pumpkinfestival were awesome.
Holy shit I can’t believe all these killings. Damn.