September 7, 2019

A 6-year-old was saving money to visit Disney World. He spent it on food for Hurricane Dorian victim

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/04/us/boy-used-disney-money-to-feed-dorian-evacuees-trnd/index.html

This young man is an example of what's great about America. He put his dream on hold to help people in need. I emailed Disney and encouraged them to invite him and his family to the park as special guests, because kindness like this deserves an appropriate response. This kid's selflessness made my day!

June 23, 2019

A woman is accused of playing a game of 'chicken' with her SUV and her kids. Now her 3-year-old is d

Source: CNN

(CNN) A Texas woman is accused of killing her 3-year-old son after running over him with an SUV during a game of "chicken."

Lexus Stagg, 26, was seen in surveillance footage from her Harris County, Texas, apartment driving toward her three children as they ran toward the front of her 2006 Lincoln Navigator, according to a news release from Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

Two of the children moved out of the vehicle's path, but Stagg's 3-year-old was struck, Ogg's office said in the release.

The child was first caught under the SUV's right tire, the release said. Stagg didn't stop right away and the toddler was hit again by the rear tire of the vehicle -- which weighs about 5,600 pounds, according to the release.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/23/us/suv-chicken-child-death/index.html

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I don't get it. In what way could this have seemed like a good idea? That poor kid never had a chance.

June 17, 2019

A woman was arrested in Florida for allegedly stomping on sea turtle nests

Source: CNN

(CNN) A woman has been arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, after she was seen stomping on a sea turtle nest, according to police.

Yaqun Lu, 41, was seen by witnesses and Miami Beach police officers on Saturday "jabbing at the sea turtle nest" with a wooden stake and "stomping all over the nest with her bare feet," an arrest affidavit says.

Lu, a Chinese citizen who gave police a home address in Michigan, faces a charge of marine turtle or egg molestation or harassment, per online court records.

A number of sea turtle species are protected under both the 1973 US Endangered Species Act and Florida law, according to Miami Beach's website, and it's illegal to touch or harm them or their eggs.


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/16/us/miami-beach-sea-turtles-arrest/index.html

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What... the... actual... fuck... is wrong with this woman? Why would anyone do such a thing? I just can't comprehend what would drive a person to do this. I don't understand how some people can be so cruel to another living being. That fucking smirk on her face is just galling.

June 14, 2019

Iranian boat fired missile at US drone prior to tanker attack, US official says

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)In the hours before the attack on the two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the Iranians spotted a US drone flying overhead and launched a surface-to-air missile at the unmanned aircraft, a US official told CNN.

The missile missed the drone and fell into the water, the official said.

Prior to taking fire, the American MQ-9 drone observed Iranian vessels closing in on the tankers, the official added, though the source did not say whether the unmanned aircraft saw the boats conducting an actual attack.

Still, it is the first claim that the US has information of Iranian movements prior to the attack.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/14/politics/us-drone-tracked-iranian-boats/index.html

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This is not looking good. In the article it mentions that the UK apparently believes that Iran is responsible. It also quotes a diplomatic source of a US ally (without specifying whether it's the UK or a different nation) saying that they believe Iran is responsible.

Bolton and Pompeo are licking their chops at the thought of going after Iran. An earlier article on CNN had something about Trump wanting to avoid "foreign entanglements" but with the way Dolt 45 flip-flops, who the hell knows.

May 18, 2019

GOP Rep. Amash becomes first Republican to call for Trump's impeachment

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)Michigan GOP Rep. Justin Amash said Saturday he had concluded President Donald Trump committed "impeachable conduct" and accused Attorney General William Barr of intentionally misleading the public.

Amash's comments recommending Congress pursue obstruction of justice charges against Trump were the first instance of a sitting Republican in Congress calling for Trump's impeachment.

Amash said on Saturday that he made his conclusions "only after having read Mueller's redacted report carefully and completely, having read or watched pertinent statements and testimony, and having discussed this matter with my staff, who thoroughly reviewed materials and provided me with further analysis."

"Our system of checks and balances relies on each branch's jealously guarding its powers and upholding its duties under our Constitution," Amash tweeted. "When loyalty to a political party or to an individual trumps loyalty to the Constitution, the Rule of Law -- the foundation of liberty -- crumbles."

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/18/politics/justin-amash-trump-impeachable-conduct/index.html

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In other news, a cold snap has been reported in Hell and they are expecting a couple inches of snow.

Less flippantly, one can hope that now that Amash has said it, a few other GOP Congresscritters will feel a strange sensation in their backs and rediscover their spines. Probably not terribly likely, unfortunately.

May 14, 2019

Don't really get the hate for Apple either, personally.

I had an iPhone and felt that it was a bit too restrictive, so when it came time to get a new phone I switched to Android. I still have my old iPad since I have a bunch of ebooks on it, but I mainly use my Android tablet now.

Apple's products are well-made and easy to use, which is great for people like my mother-in-law who aren't very tech-savvy.

With so many options out there, if one doesn't like Apple's products or the way they do business, the solution is simple: buy a different device. It's not as if they're the only smartphone game in town.

December 16, 2018

Father of Guatemalan girl who died in US custody has 'no complaints' about her treatment, consul say

Source: CNN

(CNN)The father of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died after being detained by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) said he has "no complaints about how Border Patrol agents treated him and his daughter," Guatemalan Consul Tekandi Paniagua told CNN on Saturday.

The consul said the father, Nery Gilberto Caal, told him agents did everything they possibly could to help his daughter, Jakelin Caal Maquin, after she became sick on a a bus. The bus traveled from the Antelope Wells port of entry in New Mexico to a Border Patrol station in Lordsburg, New Mexico, about 90 minutes away.

~snip~

Caal did not speak to the media Saturday, but in a statement issued by his lawyers, he said he was "grateful for the many first responders that tried to save young Jakelin's life in New Mexico and Texas."

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/15/us/guatemalan-girls-father/index.html

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With more facts in hand, it doesn't seem at all like CBP denied Jakelin food or water, or that they simply shrugged their shoulders and watched her die because they're sadists. It sounds like they did the best they could in a terrible situation and were unable to save her. Sometimes tragic things happen and no one is at fault, but of course, everyone just can't wait to play the Blame Game.

November 20, 2018

Multiple people shot in downtown Denver

Source: CNN

Denver (CNN) At least five people were shot in downtown Denver, according to Denver Health Medical Center spokesman Simon Crittle.

One person was pronounced dead on the scene and at least four others were taken to a hospital, Crittle said.

The shooting occurred near Coors Field on Lawrence and 21st Street.

No information on the suspect was available Monday evening, according to a tweet from the Denver Police Department.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/19/us/denver-colorado-shooting/index.html

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That's a twofer. Another day in America...

June 30, 2018

Thieves emptied the bank account of America's oldest living veteran

Source: CNN

(CNN)Someone has stolen the identity of the oldest living veteran in America and emptied his bank account.

The family of 112-year-old Richard Overton said they don't know how a thief got Overton's social security and personal checking account numbers.

"It's a shock, it hurts, it hurts tremendously," Overton Jr. said.

His family would not discuss the amount of money that was taken but said it was a "considerable amount."


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/30/us/oldest-living-veteran-theft-trnd/index.html

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I hope they catch the fucker or fuckers who did it, and I hope they nail them to the wall with every possible charge. Stealing from anyone is low. Stealing from an elderly person is lower still. Elder abuse makes me furious. These folks are some of the most vulnerable in our society, and some sick assholes see them only as a payday.

April 22, 2018

California man fatally stabbed while dining with his daughter on his lap

Source: CNN

(CNN) Anthony Mele was dining at a steakhouse in Southern California with his daughter on his lap when a homeless man allegedly walked up to him Wednesday and stabbed him in the neck.

Jamal Jackson, 49, was arrested shortly after the attack in Ventura and has been charged with premeditated first -degree murder, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said.

Mele died the next day, but his daughter was not injured. The two men did not know each other, the Ventura Police Department said.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/22/us/california-steakhouse-stabbing/index.html

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That poor little girl... the trauma of her father being murdered while she sat on his lap. She'll spend years in therapy to get over something like that, if she ever does.

And if our country had any kind of services for the mentally ill, this guy would've been either institutionalized or at least properly diagnosed and on medication to manage his condition, if possible.

It's also worth noting that the cops had been advised about this guy a few hours previously and, after monitoring him via security cameras, cancelled the call since they thought he wasn't a threat.