Four and a half months ....
.... since I last posted in LJ.
Not much has changed since my last batch of blogs back in the first quarter. The Russians are still causing trouble in the Ukraine, the Tea Party still hates Obama, the middle east is still a cluster fuck, our nation is being constantly exposed for the police state it is ... and the media is just part of the system, the Ministry of Propaganda.
I never blogged about the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner. I had no words. There is blood on Vladimir's hand.
It doesn't matter which side you're on, you know the people in Gaza are getting screwed again. The Israeli's are dropping bombs but the Palestinians real oppressor is Hamas. They executed 18 men in the streets this week, to send a message to the people. Hamas is the government, not the Palestinian Authority.
Congress hasn't done much these days, except vote to sue Obama. Does this sound familiar? The Clinton years are a blueprint on how the GOP treats any president from the other party. One fabricated scandal after another is trotted out there, some gain legs, most don't. Either way the Republicans can keep the media off the fact they've done NOTHING for the past six years. Priority #1 is blocking anything Obama tries to accomplish and criticize every executive decision.
The shooting of Michael Brown and subsequent unrest should be an eye opener for Americans, but we're so divided on that case no traction will be gained. The militarization of the police will continue, the rights of minorities will be ignored, the police will continue to abuse the citizens it's vowed to protect, and the judicial system will provide a growing population for our for profit private prisons.
Close to home the city of Tempe has called for neighboring police forces to aid them in their seasonal Safe & Sober campaign. Officers from Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Maricopa County and Pinal County DUI task forces have all joined hand in hand. They're not singing Kumbaya. ASU students returned to class this month. The crackdown is not new, but it's gets bigger every year.
The police presence on Mill Ave and in the neighborhoods around the university is so intense you'd be crazy to go there on a weekend evening. Safe & Sober is just another name for Stop & Frisk. They've arrested more than 1400 people in three weekends. Tempe is not a big city, downtown is actually quite small, 1400 is a HUGE number.
People have been arrested for biking after hours, a DUI in this state. People have been arrested walking home from bars, public intoxication. The .08 limit is not actually a law here. You can be busted at .02 if the cop believes you're impaired in the slightest. They've processed hundreds of DUI's in August. You can't fight vague lawspeak like ".... in the officer's judgement".
Of course there have been many cited for underage drinking and some of those DUI's are genuine busts, but the majority of people arrested are simply out to have a good time, and the cops found something to harass them for. You cannot go to dinner on Mill Ave and have a beer with your meal. It's not safe. I won't go.
Business downtown should be feeling the pinch soon. Everyone knows where the cops are and what their game is. There's an unofficial boycott of the Mill Ave district, stay away, stay safe, the sober part is up to you. I have no business on Mill Avenue except for dining, drinking and maybe a little shopping. I can take my dollars elsewhere.
If this were simply a anti-drunk driving campaign they would not be citing bikers, walkers or harassing Uber and Lyft drivers. They're stopping ride sharing people under the guise of an underage drinking stop. They ask all occupants of the vehicle for ID. The state does not like ride sharing. People avoiding drinking and driving should be applauded, not harassed. The taxi companies are funding the anti-ride sharing faction. The cops are enforcing the turf of the established cab cartel.
Our police have become a profit engine, a revenue stream, the courts and media are part of the system. Like I said, not much has changed since I last posted.