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12 Jan 2011 19:51

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U.S.: Westboro Baptist Church gives in (a little) on funeral protests

  • good Westboro Baptist Church promised not to protest the funeral of nine-year-old Christina Green after Arizona passed a law against their protests. They made a deal with a radio host in exchange for airtime.
  • bad However, the WBC still plans to protest the other funerals in the wake of the Tucson shootings, because clearly it’s still OK to protest a random person’s funeral when they’re older than nine. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jan 2011 10:20

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U.S.: So, how did NYC handle their latest snowstorm, anyway?

  • 5″-9″ number of inches of snow that fell in the NYC area last night; heavy, but not too heavy
  • 2,400+ sanitation workers were out using over 300 trucks to clear out snow – they were ready this time
  • no public schools didn’t close today, but they’ve only closed six times since 1978 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2011 23:51

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U.S.: How major newspaper editors played Jared Loughner’s mug

  • too hot New York Post editor Col Allen, on blowing the photo out: “We felt his leering grin and wild eyes revealed something of his mental state. The image conveyed a sense of madness.”
  • too coldWashington Post editor Marcus Brauchli, who chose to stay local over giving the mugshot big play: “Our community is one of the communities hard hit by this. The photo reflected that.”
  • just rightNew York Times editor Bill Keller, on playing the pic at an effectively large (for them) three columns: “It felt to me like the obvious right choice. This was the picture of the day.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2011 23:33

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U.S.: Gabrielle Giffords’ surgeon: Things going as well as they could be

  • No one that shouldn’t have died, died.
  • University Medical Center Trauma Unit chief Peter Rhee • Sounding cautiously optimistic about the results his surgery crew has had with the Gabrielle Giffords shooting last week. Rhee sounds like the right guy to be handling a shooting like this unfortunate mess – he has loads of experience with these sorts of incidents. “I was in the Navy for 24 years and I trained for nothing but battlefield casualties,” he said. . “We can take anything they throw at us from a civilian standpoint.” Giffords, by the way, remains in critical condition. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2011 21:37

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U.S.: Illinois about to become sixteenth state without death penalty

  • then Since January of 2000, Illinois hasn’t executed anybody on death row, because it was discovered that the state executed people later found to be innocent.
  • now In a slow-coming-but-now-here move, Pat Quinn is about to sign legislation abolishing the death penalty in the state. They’ll be joining 15 states and DC. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2011 21:00

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U.S.: Jared Lee Loughner’s family makes media statement

  • This is a very difficult time for us. We ask the media to respect our privacy. There are no words that can possibly express how we feel. We wish that there were, so we could make you feel better. We don’t understand why this happened. It may not make any difference, but we wish that we could change the heinous events of Saturday. We care very deeply about the victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss.
  • Randy and Amy Loughner • In a statement about their son, Jared Lee Loughner, and his role in Saturday’s shooting. We feel the same way they do. We wish we could give them a hug. They probably need one. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2011 20:33

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U.S.: Gun control advocates in Congress get their legislation ready

  • 30+ number of rounds of ammo gunman Jared Lee Loughner was able to hold in the magazine he used in Saturday’s shooting
  • 10 maximum number of rounds magazines could have if a bill from Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and Sen. Frank Lautenberg passed source
  • » A personal cause: Carolyn McCarthy has first-hand experience with what gun violence can do. She entered politics in 1993 after her husband was killed and her son injured during a shooting on Long Island. Even considering her own personal feelings on the matter, even she’s not sure what can pass. “I have to look at … what can actually pass in Congress and have it signed by the president,” she said Tuesday. “The House and the Senate are pro-gun houses.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

11 Jan 2011 20:16

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U.S.: Arizona legislature to Westboro: Don’t picket a kid’s funeral. Ugh.

  • 29-0 the number of votes the bill garnered in the state Senate
  • 58-0 the number of votes the bill garnered in the State House
  • duh Jan Brewer is probably going to sign this emergency bill source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2011 10:20

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U.S.: Counter-protesters using angel wings against Westboro Baptist Church

  • 42 people plan to use “angel wings” to protect mourners from Westboro Baptist Church protesters
  • 8×10 the size of the enveloping “angel wings” (in feet) – they’ve been around since 1999 source
  • » Protesting a 9-year-old’s funeral? Too far: These giant angel wings, which are designed to protect mourners from crazy folks like Fred Phelps, are being put into action thanks to residents of Tucson and the help of Facebook. “For something like this to happen in Tucson was a really big shock to us all,” said resident Christin Gilmer. “Our nightmare happened when we saw Westboro Baptist Church was going to picket the funerals.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2011 10:04

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U.S.: Should Jared Lee Loughner’s criminal trial go out of state?

  • Loughner’s lawyer is reportedly pushing for this. And honestly, veteran defender Judy Clarke, who has previously defended such upstanding citizens as the Unabomber and the Oklahoma City Bomber, has a point. (And a lot of tolerance for people in rough situations.) Beyond gravely wounding an elected official, Loughner killed a federal judge in Tucson. And while judges in Tucson have already voluntarily recused themselves in the case, it may be better for Loughner to get a fair trial if it’s in another state. Ultimately, the significant evidence behind him (which includes surveillance video, witnesses and evidence of pre-meditation) will prove hard for Clarke to overcome. But the wounding of Giffords and the killings have hurt the state significantly, and it’s probably better for everyone involved that it just happen elsewhere. Even reported monsters deserve a fair trial. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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