Tag Archives: George Orwell

Drinking Chemical Out Of a Tank


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5 Terrible Things That Happened In A Charleston Jail During The West Virginia Chemical Spill

It’s been over four months since West Virginia was thrown into a state of emergency after roughly 10,000 gallons of coal chemicals leaked in the water supply and left 300,000 people without potable water. The state took immediate action for many of its residents, shutting down schools and calling the National Guard to help distribute water. But in a detailed investigation released today, Think Progress reports on one group that didn’t receive the proper treatment: the 429 prisoners locked in Charleston’s overcrowded jail,entirely dependent on the state to provide them clean water.

The investigation, based on interviews with multiple current and former inmates, their family members and internal documents obtained by Think Progress, paints a dire picture. We’ve pulled out five of the most disconcerting pieces of information. Head over to the blog to read the entire story.

1. Jail officials initially said they provided inmates with a “plentiful supply of water,” then acknowledged later that was untrue. The only article prior to the Think Progress investigation included jail officials claiming they gave inmates eight 8-oz bottles of water per day. When confronted with jail documents instructing guards to give inmates four bottles per day, and inmate allegations that they sometimes received just two, officials openly said that “some of the information provided to the paper was in fact untrue.” The Institute of Medicine recommends men over 19 years old drink at least 12 8-oz bottles of water per day:

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2. Inmates spoke of choosing between chemical-laced tap water or severe dehydration. One inmate, Eric Ayers, initially opted for the latter option. “That lasted about a day,” he said. “I was just extremely exhausted. I got headaches, felt like I couldn’t do anything. My urine was dark yellow, almost orange.” Some started selling bottles of water for $1.60 a piece, while another “saw a guy make coffee out of toilet water.”

3. Jail officials also exaggerated the extent of the flushing process for cleaning out the taps. Prior to the Think Progress investigation, the public thought that the jail went through a “very extensive” flushing process that lasted two to three days–similar to other public facilities. Jail logs show, however, that flushing occurred in a single day, not three. Officials said they followed formal protocol and ran taps for 20 minutes, but here is how one inmate described it: “After two to three minutes they said good to go you can drink the water. It tasted real strong. Just like drinking that chemical out of a tank.”

4. Inmates may have been placed in solitary confinement for getting sick from drinking the polluted water. From the Think Progress report: “In February, inmates say they were notified of a new policy. Anyone that made more than three sick calls in a month would be moved to medical isolation until they saw a doctor. If there weren’t any bunks there, inmates say they could be put in solitary confinement.”

5. The jail where this all took place has been called “the worst in the state” when it comes to overcrowding. South Central Regional Jail houses 476 inmates, which is over 50 percent above the jail’s intended capacity (currently, sixteen inmates are sleeping on mats on the floor). Perhaps as a consequence of this, the jail has also struggled to keep corrections officers on staff; one former administrator acknowledged that “the good people we do get, we work them to death, they burn out, and then they’re gone.” That’s led to a jump in assaults.

BOTTOM LINE: Thanks to breakthrough investigative reporting, the ramifications of the West Virginia chemical spill are still being discovered. When society’s more basic resources — like running water — disappear, it hits the most vulnerable among us the hardest. And when those people are already in a situation that is under-resourced, the negative impacts are magnified.

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A Death in St. Augustine … PBS


 

By O’Connell Family
St Augustine, Florida

On September 2, 2010 our beautiful Michelle was taken from us all. Behind she left a precious young daughter, mother, sisters, brothers and many, many friends. Not a soul that knew Michelle believes for a moment that she was distraught in any way, we also know that there is no way under any circumstance she would have left her daughter behind without a mother to care for her.

We undoubtably believe that Michelle’s boyfriend, Jeremy Banks, an officer with the St. Johns County Sherriff’s Department, killed her and claimed she committed suicide. But after Jeremy told his fellow officers his story – that Michelle broke up with him and took her own life – the St. Johns County sheriff’s department effectively stopped their investigation. Jeremy was never treated like a suspect – police treated him like a brother.

No evidence was tested, no family or neighbors were interviewed and no data was downloaded from Michelle’s cellphone despite the fact that she had never shown signs of being suicidal before. Michelle would never have taken her own life. She loved her four-year-old daughter, Alexis too much. She had just received a promotion for a job she was supposed to start the next day. She sent a text to her sister stating she was leaving to get her daughter and less than 5 minutes later was shot and killed.

There are two neighbors who stated they heard a woman cry for help, then a shot, another cry for help, and another shot. They passed FBI issued polygraph tests.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement believes without a doubt that this was a homicide and still State Attorney Brad King refuses to take this case to a grand jury. In March of 2012 the FDLE wrote to King: “It is my office’s opinion based on the facts of this case and your memorandum that this case clearly warrants an Inquest into the death of Michelle O’Connell…”

We are calling on Governor Rick Scott to honor the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s request for a coroner’s inquest into the shooting death of Michelle O’Connell because the evidence is not consistent with a suicide. In ordering this inquest, the message will be sent that the protection of women involved in domestic conflicts will get the full benefit of the law.

Please watch the PBS Frontline documentary: “A Death in St. Augustine”

Read the New York Times investigation “Two Gunshots on a Summer Night”

Read the FDLE request for a coroner’s inquest.

Monday mashup … &some News


just another rant …

Fall back y’all and we did.

The President and Mrs. Obama are at the APEC summit in Hawaii. The rest of us have to hear the continuous drone from Teapublicans who still think Americans want repeal HCR, Wall Street reform, cut Education by 20%, replace and eliminate social service programs that women, vets, older folks and the new poor use. I have to say Teapublicans in Congress must have taken a Pledge to wear earplugs in order to get through all their just say not campaign. Suffice it to say if these Teapublicans continue to go after the Middle Class Social Security Medicare/caid instead of JOBS it would definitely seem to be a recipe for trouble and likely force the USA into a double dip or deeper recession and will be the reason they will become unemployed; hopefully. I happen to think we went right into a depression what with losing 750 thousand jobs a month even before President Obama took office. The current rhetoric has absolutely nothing to do with JOBS or the Economy …If people are listening they have no intention of helping Americans unless it is on the backs of the Middle and Lower classes people …get that in your head!!! The Party of NO will be in control for about a minute and what we as Democrats need to remember is that we have to call Teapublicans out on every move they make to ruin the current President instead of focusing on and or creating Jobs. I have to say anyone with any common sense knows that the top 2% will not spend their tax cuts to create an environment so that people will be hired or create jobs and if they do it will be to outsource them for lower wages in China, Mexico etc. If you do not believe it, just tune into CNBC occasionally, and hear the words coming from various Teapublicans Ludlow and associates trot out on any given day.

I hope everyone is asking their Teapublican member of Congress what exactly the top 2% did with the Bush giveaways because it could not have been on hiring and creating jobs or we would not be in worse shape since the 2010 Midterm elections or see the mess all around us. I feel that after three years of gridlock from the Teapublican Party of No things are about to get heated within their own Family Values Platform party. Reports are and maybe Teapublicans need reminding that over 70% of Americans want to tax millionaires and billionaires, most do not want cuts to Soc.Security or Medicare, over half  of us want the new Affordable Health Care Act to be law. Yet, conservative members of Congress have given themselves over to Mr. Norquist as well as the big money brothers Koch and if you start to think about it that ditch President Obama pulled us from is a whole lot closer now that we have an extreme part of Congress controlling the House of Representatives … The question is do Teapublicans care what happens to their own family friends and co-workers jobs  and status in life if they continue this lemming march toward disaster?

 Anyway –

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” –George Orwell

I personally do not want to go back to colonial days we must move forward stay in the present so discrimination fails …the past fails and equal rights for all prevails.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead

Jus sayin

Other News …

Congress Returns to Negotiate Another Short-term Funding Bill

House Considers Expanding Gun-Carry Laws

Blue Cross CEO Discusses Health Care Business

House Democrats Examine Voting Law Changes

President Obama Opens APEC Summit

Grover Norquist Discusses Taxes and the “Super Committee”

News and Documentary Emmys Awarded

Happy Halloween &some News


The weather, wicked as it is being reported for the mid-west and east coast has been life as per usual here in the NW- rain, with snow if it’s falling is in our mountains and will hopefully stay in the higher elevations for a while because some reports say Washington will get record amount of snow this year…ugh

The last few weeks of campaigning by Teapublicans have made me absolutely sick what with the loony tune behavior and racist comments by folks who are not qualified to be representing anyone let alone the people of America

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” –George Orwell

i personally do not want to go back to colonial days  …it controlled  my grandparents past &the future of my parents and now a group on the hard right are  determined to repeal the 14th amendment the civil rights … we must move  forward stay in the present so discrimination fails …the past fails

A year ago yesterday Restore Sanity and or Fear Rally was held and though we have OWS now the cliché …same BS different day still applies just change the names/dates and we still have a whole lot of BS that needs to get kicked to the curb … #VOTE4BarackObama2012

10-30-10 Restore Sanity and or Fear was fun to me and while some seemed confused over what the point the message the obvious silliness of it all i for one felt it was a moment to gather at the National Mall either physically or online like me and apparently there were 4 million of us online while 250thousand were at the Mall to say to America look the rhetoric is getting crazy, people are not just engaging in silly fear mongering the engagement has become physical people are getting hurt and this bullying has got to either take a more moderate tone or nothing will get accomplished at all and i don’t exactly remember what Jon Stewart said …something like we are in the hard times but it is not the end of times.  If you listen to in my opinion the right they have led people to believe that the boogey man is out to take theirs away from them and they have to take back their country in whatever form that takes even if they have to use 2nd amendment remedies and to me that is just insane and stirs fear which gives people cause to become what paranoid which then makes them act out and believe me i am fearful each time i hear Palin, Beck, Limbaugh or even Breitbart make comments that seemingly cause folks to commit crimes,  possible death or at least caused a lot of people to be fired, lose business and lately death threats.  This rally was diverse had great music by the Roots, Ozzy osborn, Mavis Staples,Tony Bennett, Yusef, the OJays,Kid Rock plus cutie pie John Legend and I was totally impressed by the not so R&B instrument, the Tuba. It looked like they had enough potties though rumors were they did not and yes, there were many miscues. There were many people different from themselves standing together without violence, some may have even agreed to disagree but i saw no one being taken down because of it or stomped on or put in handcuffs, not too many offensive signs and actually, some were quite clever. The crowd definitely leaned left of center there were 250thousand people so we know they couldn’t have all been lefties though some in the media might have you believe that. By the end of the day, reports and or stories started being blasted and one in particular grabbed my attention because i question the reasons lady had for being at the rally or even her sanity a bit but hey, she was there expressing or doing their own thing though strange in my opinion. The AP interviewed and gave this lady major attention and while we all have the 1st amendment to fall back on she stated she and the 400 she brought there voted for Obama but will not again. This woman stated she not just wanted to wipe the slate clean she admitted to having dreams of Jon Stewart as a candidate but as she describes her dream, it became violent and well, something awful happened. I have to say all i could think of was insane in the membrane when i read it and boy it was definitely symbolic of what is going on today. When people are angry and in that anger if poked prodded and protesting just is not enough comes reactions by folks who need to take it down a notch … who knew it would take a comedian to say this is how i feel do you feel this way too! ok so let’s take it to our National Mall and show our Politicians and their cronies whoever that may be and tell them we want debates we want discussions but the crap that is going on right now is not acceptable …in my case the Republican Tea Party is at fault …done and period. The provocateurs know who they are and i don’t know about you but having some or quite possibly a lot of them are folks running for Public Office possibly getting paid by our tax dollars,  that is just not right or acceptable to me let alone having to hear what they plan to do if elected.

Weekend rants …&some News


Sunday buzz Fall back y’all and we did. The President and Mrs. Obama are out of town so to speak. While here in the States we have to hear the continuous drone from the Republican Tea Party who think Americans want repeal HCR, Wall Street reform, cut Education by 20%, replace and eliminate social service programs that women, vets, older folks and the new poor use. If Republicans decide to go after these things instead of JOBS it would definitely be a recipe for trouble, likely force into a deeper recession and will be the reason they will become unemployed. The current rhetoric has absolutely nothing to do with JOBS or the Economy …If people are listening they have no intention of cutting spending unless it is on the backs of the Middle and Lower classes people …get that in your head!!! The RTP will be in control for about a minute and what we as Democrats need to remember is that we have to call Republicans out on every move they make to ruin the current President instead of focusing on Jobs. I have to say anyone with any common sense knows that the top 2% will not spend their tax cuts to create an environment so that people will be hired or create jobs and if they do it will be to outsource them for lower wages in China, Mexico etc. If you do not believe it, just tune into CNBC and hear the words coming from various CEO’s being trotted out on any given day by Kudlow and associates.

I hope everyone is asking their Republican member of Congress what exactly the top 2% did with the Bush giveaways because it could not have been on hiring and creating jobs or we would not be in or see the mess all around us. I feel that after twenty months of gridlock from the Republican Tea Party of No things are about to get heated within their own Family Values Platform party. Anyway –

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” –George Orwell

I personally do not want to go back to colonial days we must move forward stay in the present so discrimination fails …the past fails and equal rights for all prevails.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead

Jus sayin

Other News …

Tomas is still being a stubborn storm

Texas border is suffering from shoot outs

Obama pays tribute to Gandhi

In India, Obama pushes U.S. jobs

Man in Sweden has been arrested for the shooting of immigrants -his target

The Pope urges Spain to shun secularism

Trader Joes recalls products that have cilantro

Counting begins in Myanmar election

Israeli police raze mosque amid protests

Weekly Addresses Weekly Addresses
Saturday
Supreme Court Oral Argument:  Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Supreme Court Oral Argument: Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants
Friday
Fed Chair Bernanke Q&A with Jacksonville University Students on Monetary Policy Fed Chair Bernanke Q&A with Jacksonville University Students on Monetary Policy
Friday
Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Jobs Report Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Jobs Report
Friday
Georgetown University Review of 2010 Midterm Elections Georgetown University Review of 2010 Midterm Elections
Friday
Weekly Standard Review of 2010 Midterm Elections Weekly Standard Review of 2010 Midterm Elections
Friday
Pres. Obama Remarks on October Jobs Numbers Pres. Obama Remarks on October Jobs Numbers
Friday
World Affairs Council 2010 National Conference World Affairs Council 2010 National Conference
Friday
White House Briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs White House Briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
Thursday
Wilson Center Conversation with Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat Wilson Center Conversation with Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat
Thursday

Saturday ...It was great to see President and Mrs Obama get off the plane in India as well as hearing his great speech …it was early …great time to do laundry…coffee  -sad  Haiti just cannot get a break

The news  about the recent move by Griffin to suspend a valuable employee named Keith Oberlmann has not only grabbed the attention of at least 200 thousand people they all have  signed a bring back Keith petition that you can find on Facebook and or twitter. This man has among other things given the public a platform to truly help others with the free clinic spot he made available to his viewers. It was a rude awakening to see so many people needing healthcare while our Republican members of Congress probably with constituents in those lines object to HCR that they have for their own families. The free clinic and of course the news delivered only the way Keith did will be missed if he decides to leave. I will admit and say that if Keith’s contract states ALL employees must read and abide by the rules with those rules clearly listed in an obvious way applying to ALL employees then he broke the rules and should be reprimand but if msnbc is singling him out then something smells. I think Keith needs to decide what is important, his 950 thousand viewers all understand what pride is all about, so, if he chooses not to come back we will understand. I hope he knows that there are only a few News guys like him who  dems, libs and all those left of center feels is giving the adequate information we need, crave, maybe a pep talk as well as  great interviews with Politicians, entertainers etc that share our way of thinking. The fact that 950 thousand people choose to tune in to hear Keith O  he has made it possible for people donate to the free clinics Keith has brought great awareness to on his show because  we are in fact our brothers and sisters keepers. It is a fresh and great use of time instead doing a pledge show for politicians. I believe Keith and a few other News reporters have made it ok to help your fellow man even if they are American Muslims, Hispanic, Gay, Asian Straight, believe in freedom of religion and still be an American, want the right to choose, be Black or Latino because most democrats/libs have a different ideology than the RTP. This is not to say Keith O’s show is the end all be all but he is important to over 950thousand people. While most will continue to tune in for left of center News at least 175 thousand have signed a protest petition, a few have stopped their twitter msnbc follow or have decided to boycott msnbc because the reasons behind the  suspension seemed unfair . If the rumors surrounding the suspension turn out to be true it would seem a co-worker donated to Republican candidates and received no suspension at all. The first reports were that the other guy dealt with opinion News while Keith was a News reporter which seemed strange because he never asked for donations from anyone during the midterm campaigning. The notion that the other guy who is a Republican, an ex-member of Congress giving donations to fellow Republican Politicians as being acceptable while Keith who reports the News and as a private citizen donated to a Democrat is absurd and offensive. It is my hope that msnbc will see the error their ways and bring him back on given other employees have done so in the past without similar outcomes. The News can be subjective instead of objective to the point that we scream shout and sometimes throw stuff at it especially when the viewer knows the person sitting there reading off the prompter is being paid to lie, stir up trouble and in a lot of cases race bait. Again, I am willing to admit that Keith’s spot does not completely counter a whole freakin station like faux news but he has helped tamper the ugly nasty sometimes racist noise coming from the right on any channel. It is important to feed both sides of any issue, maybe deliver some real News with truth and facts splashed with some good ole fashioned humor as well.

Later in the day -I could not help but read the various comment boards about Keith O’s suspension and it appears as if those on the right responded with the most and usual hater remarks so i had to put my 2cents in as well… It seems like the group on here making comments are all viewers of Fox News… funny …putting the name Fox and News together is such a joke to me. I do not tune into fox very often but sometimes you just have to see what all the fuss is about, hear the ugly nasty words they say without flinching. I have to say I would never let my kids see that show because they teach fear and hate. The fact that fox is a far right of center activist cable station that allows their employees to seemingly spew hate, promote fear and if you are a person of color the comments seem just shy of outright racism and take the whole we are using our 1st amendment rights thing too far for me. The fact that Fox obviously donates thousands of dollars to candidate’s right of center is unseemly at best, no station should be too left or right of center in my opinion. Fox is the only station I know that promotes right of center opinion ideas or so-called news. It is offensive to watch them use their station to campaign for Republicans at all let alone for those that clearly have an extreme agenda. In addition, when these entertainers grab a story without fact checking it look into the camera and tell the viewer the President is going to India with 34 war ships, 3000 staffers so on and so forth it makes you wonder when someone will make them stop.

There were reports that Keith stated he would not be coming back -we will miss him.


CSPAN …

Supreme Court Oral Argument:  Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Supreme Court Oral Argument: Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants
Friday
Fed Chair Bernanke Q&A with Jacksonville University Students on Monetary Policy Fed Chair Bernanke Q&A with Jacksonville University Students on Monetary Policy
Friday
Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Jobs Report Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Jobs Report
Friday
Georgetown University Review of 2010 Midterm Elections Georgetown University Review of 2010 Midterm Elections
Friday
Weekly Standard Review of 2010 Midterm Elections Weekly Standard Review of 2010 Midterm Elections
Friday
Pres. Obama Remarks on October Jobs Numbers Pres. Obama Remarks on October Jobs Numbers
Friday
World Affairs Council 2010 National Conference World Affairs Council 2010 National Conference
Friday
White House Briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs White House Briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
Thursday
Wilson Center Conversation with Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat Wilson Center Conversation with Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat
Thursday
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Post Election Address at Heritage Foundation Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Post Election Address at Heritage Foundation
Thursday