bullshit politics

I'm not a political blogger. However interested in the state of the nation, the world, and heck even my city and state. No secret that I think Bush Co. are a bunch of liars and thieves and I'd love nothing more than to see the public wise up and them get some recognition for all the shit they've pulled this country through.

Now for more focused ranting:

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060214/NEWS0201/602140332/1009/NEWS

This article talks about how the Tennessee House Speaker Pro Tem took cash from an undercover FBI agent, but the rest of the committe didnt think it needed to be investigated.

And meanwhile, I'm pissed off that Bush Co was willing to secretly use wiretaps on americans on the phone with international callers. I think he ought to be impeached. And now some folks in congress are talking about passing legislation to "officially" make it legal. We've already got a FISA court that allows the government to get a secret wiretap on anyone and tell NO ONE for 72 hours, before bringing it before FISA. That's practically blank check. Don't get me wrong, I'm down for some fighting terrorism, but this is ridiculous. This is not supposed to be 1984 or Soviet Russia.

And I'll write my congress-people and tell them I think so.

Oh, and the other thing that gets to me... read this email:

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FW: FW: GANG INITIATION WARNING


KEEP YOUR DOORS LOCKED!!

On Monday, Feb 6 @ approximately 1:45 pm the brother-in-law of my friend Donna was attacked on Hwy 70 (Summer Ave) between STAGE RD and KIRBY WHITTEN RD. This was in broad daylight in the middle of the afternoon! 3 black guys all dressed alike, had 2 cars parked sideways across Hwy 70 near Kirby Whitten, Gene went around them in the turn lane-they jumped in the cars and followed him to the red light-got out of the cars and started attacking his truck and telling him to unlock the doors they were going to kill him. He hit the accelerator and thinks he ran over the foot of one of them. He turned on Reese Rd and they were following him, but luckily he knew the neighborhood and lost them. When he reported this to the police they told him that gangs are hanging around the Bartlett/Memphis City limit lines and this is a type of initiation to belong to a gang.

Be extra careful around Yale/ Old Brownsville--Summer/Kirby-Whitten and the Wolfchase Mall areas. Always keep your doors locked and be aware of your surroundings.

Please tell your friends and family and especially your children that drive to be extra cautious.
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Now what do you think, just on reading this?

Well when I got this email from my dad, my first thought on reading the subject was that this was the "OH DONT FLASH YOUR LIGHTS AT CARS WITH THEIR HIGHBEAMS ON CAUSE THEY'LL KILL YOU" email. My second thought was "Wow, this seems increadibly implausable." Wouldn't something like this make.. um.. the news? I'm not in a gang, and never have been. Still, it seems to me that running around town killing people would not be particularly profitable or fruitful for a gang. When people get bullets in them, the cops start looking into it. Now I'm far from saying that street gangs dont involve themselves in violent behavior, but they're criminal enterprises. Busting people up on their way to work seems like it'd be more trouble than it'd be worth. Anyway, matters of street gang social economics aside, this screamed hoax. Sure enough, Krissi found this article for me (requires registration, but text reproduced below).

In the news: Police say e-mail on gangs not true
February 10, 2006

Greater Memphis - Bartlett
Police say e-mail on gangs not true

An e-mail being circulated that there was a gang initiation attack in
Bartlett has not been substantiated, according to Bartlett police.

The e-mail said a man was harassed by three men at about 1:45 p.m. on Monday
on Summer Avenue between Kirby-Whitten and Stage roads. The man came into
the Bartlett police station and reported the incident after he got off work,
which was about 12 hours after it happened, according to the e-mail.

Bartlett police, Memphis police and the Metro Gang Unit said there's no
evidence of gang activity, said Bartlett Police Chief Mark Hopper.

The police began receiving phone calls Thursday after the e-mail began to
circulate.

A police report on the incident wasn't completed Thursday so no details were
available.

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So... This is ridiculous. What moron writes this stuff up so that we can just keep the good ole "black people sure are scary" flame alive. As a friend pointed out, we white folks are so worried about black people somehow doing something terrible do us, when the folks who must fuck us over are old white men in comfortable leather chairs who smoke cigars and drink expensive scotch. That's what I think anyway.

(Dad, if you stumble upon this, gimme a call, we'll chat)