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The Ferguson Report. Part 1: Breathing While Black, and Other Offenses
By U.S. Department of Justice
It has been said that African-Americans are often arrested for “driving while black.” In fact, African-Americans seem to be arrested for walking, talking—or just breathing—while black. Here we present excerpts from The Ferguson Report, an astonishing catalog of grinding daily harassments, humiliations—and worse—by a police department intent on keeping a people “in their place” while earning revenue for the city by writing as many tickets as possible.
WHO
The Death of Cecil the Lion and the Big Business of Big Game Trophy Hunting
A dentist from Minnesota paid $55,000 to lure a beloved lion away from a protected park-zone. He then injured the lion with an arrow, tracked down the long-time subject of scientific study and shot him. Cecil the lion was then beheaded, he was skinned and his tracking collar destroyed to cover up the evidence. But it didn’t work. Now Walter Palmer is the target of scorn and a criminal investigation by the government of Zimbabwe. If prosecuted, it wouldn’t be the first time his sport-killing got him in trouble.
Dylann Roof Is Not a “Terrorist” — But Animal Rights Activists Who Free Minks From Slaughter Are
Glenn Greenwald examines the oddity of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. Passed in 2006, it classifies a range of activities—including surreptitious filming of factory farming and agriculture-related whistleblowing—as federally-designated acts of “terrorism.” Meanwhile, Dylan Roof’s desire to spark a race war didn’t quite rise to the level of a terrorist act, according to the Department of Justice.
Jonathan Pollard, Spy for Israel, to Be Released on Parole
After 29 years in prison, one of America’s most notorious spies has been granted parole. Pollard spied on the US nuclear weapons program and sold information to Pakistan, South Africa and two more still-unnamed countries. His release has long been sought by Bibi Netanyahu, but any thoughts that this possible quid-pro-quo will help dull opposition to the Iran Deal may be unfounded. It is rumored that Pollard has a hefty Swiss bank account waiting for him upon release. (For an interesting take on some of the deeper issues possibly involved in this case, see a piece WhoWhatWhyran several years ago.)
WHAT
China’s Market May Be Partying Like It’s 1929
The Shanghai Composite’s second big crash of the month was, just like the first one, followed by a swing back in the other direction. It’s a pattern that one leading analystcompared to the lead-up to the big Crash of 1929. The government wants to control these forces with ad hoc regulatory measures, but few believe it will work. Meanwhile, the rest of the world’s markets “ignored” this latest sign of trouble. American investors who lost $39.8 billion are probably not taking the dip or their losses lightly.
WHY
It’s Not climate Change — It’s Everything Change
Noted author Margaret Atwood writes compelling about the worship of oil—which she calls “our secret God”—and the underestimated impact of our religious devotion of extracting, processing and burning hydrocarbons. In response to the radical change oil is causing, Atwood proposes three possible scenarios: 1) A sustainable world beyond oil; 3) A dystopian world of climate chaos; 3) A patchwork world of nations that change and oil-rich nations that don’t. FYI: The second two possibilities are bleak.
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