national news Archives - Where Is The Outrage?

What the rape trial in Steubenville, Ohio tells us (Updated)

Let me clarify – Rape is wrong. Rape is always wrong. Rape should never ever happen in our society. In a truly free society both men and women must be able to decide who they want to have sex with, when they want to have sex and where. There are no exceptions. None. My opening paragraph below has been read by some that I believe that “rape happens.” No. This is not what I meant. I know that people do stupid things that shouldn’t happen. I know that our society has done very little, or better stated, not enough to protect women and punish those that prey on women. It is unclear to me why the Violence Against Women Act had such a hard time passing the House and the Senate. In an enlightened thoughtful, progressive society this should have been a no brainer. (BTW, I did an interview and long discussion about rape and rape kits.)

I must admit that I was paying little or no attention to the rape trial in Steubenville, Ohio. I was kind of shocked when the national news pushed the story. I didn’t get what the big deal was. Rape isn’t rare in the US (see data below). I thought that this was a typical case we see with kids in high school and college. There is no surprise that young boys do stupid, hurtful, awful things. Combine hormones and alcohol (and possibly other substances) and you have the soup of very bad things to happen. Now, it must be understood that I’m not trying to condone or minimize the crime that has happened. Rape is a crime. Rape should not be swept under the rug or hidden from view. (Did you know that over 900 women get raped in the US every day! Did you know that over 97% of men get away with rape?) Rape is wrong. Rape must be stopped.

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By ecthompsonmd|2013-03-19T18:45:21-04:00March 18th, 2013|Civil Rights, Domestic Issues|1 Comment

Trayvon Martin – Update

What a difference a week makes. Last week, it seemed that I was the only one shouting in the wilderness about Trayvon Martin. Then some of the mainstream media began to report on this bizarre shooting. Color of Change got involved and collected signatures. Yesterday, or over the weekend, MoveOn.org also got involved.

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From HuffPo:

The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI have opened an investigation into the “facts and circumstances” surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager shot and killed last month by a neighborhood watch captain in an Orlando suburb.

The department will “conduct a thorough and independent review of all evidence and take appropriate action at the conclusion of the investigation,” according to a statement late Monday.

The announcement comes as the drumbeat around the case continues to grow, becoming national news and shining a brighter media spotlight on the city of Sanford, where the killing occurred, and its police department, which handled the initial investigation that so far has failed to bring charges.

By ecthompsonmd|2012-04-05T20:48:41-04:00March 20th, 2012|Legal, Race|3 Comments

Betting against the American people

A friend of mine sent me an article in which the author states what I think is obvious, that big business is betting against the American people. Without reading the article, I can tell you the basic favor. The article will mention a major company like GE or any other Fortune 1000 company, then quote some numbers which clearly show how American middle class jobs have been shipped to Mexico, China or India (it really doesn’t matter where the jobs were shipped). The final goods are shipped back into the good ole USA for us to buy. The profits are also transferred here so that the corporate big wigs can have their multi-million dollar bonuses.

Here’s my problem with this whole scenario – you and I are supposed to just take it. We aren’t supposed to get mad or upset. We are supposed to sit back in the house which the bank owns and simply be okay with all of this. We are supposed to believe that “market forces” are at work and there is nothing that we can do to change it. So, when we go outside to pick up the morning paper (which has more national news than local news because our local paper was bought by a national syndicate and all of the local guys except one or two were fired) we are supposed to understand market forces are at work. As we walk back to our house, we notice that there are more more “for sale” signs and forclosure notices on our street and we’re supposed to understand and accept that market forces are at work. (Look, I may be wrong, but it seems that “market forces” only enrich those at the top. When have you ever heard anyone say “market forces” and that actually benefits the middle class? Why can’t market forces actually help America and help the middle class?)

When you want to protest and stand up for the middle class, you’re told by the talking heads on the television that you’re anti-American, that you’re communist and that you’re hurting the American economy. It is my opinion that it’s time for us to quit listening to the talking heads. The talking heads are paid to tell us to support corporations. I’m happy to support a corporation that is betting on the American people. If you’re hiring Americans then I’m happy to support you. I’m just saying…

By ecthompsonmd|2011-09-13T22:54:03-04:00September 13th, 2011|Economy|Comments Off