CRANKY OLD FART’S
NEWS & LINKS
#345 [archive] • Country Music Channel goes woke, won’t play popular pro-lynching ditty • A black man was elected mayor in rural Alabama, but the white town leaders won’t let him serve
Mighty
big news from a site I’d never heard of, but some rapid Googling
confirms all the major details. Patrick Braxton won the election — three
years ago — but the town’s white mayor has never left office.• Over Republican objections and two Republicans on the state Supreme Court, Illinois eliminates cash bail
Cash
bail is a tremendously unfair system, effectively equating lack of
funds with lack of character. “Presumption of innocence,” my ass — the
poor sit behind bars until their trial, period.
This ends that, and it’s
worth noting (so I’ve noted it, and will note it again) that
Republicans have opposed this every step along the way, because they hate anyone who isn’t white and rich.
• Nebraska woman sentenced to 90 days in jail for abortion when she was 17
Read
it and weep.
This is an unconscionable and infuriating cruelty, which puts the lie to everything behind the right-wing’s
anti-woman agenda. If anyone truly believed that abortion is murder,
that this woman killed her infant child, the sentence certainly wouldn’t be 90 days.
It’s never been about babies. It’s
only about control and punishment and stopping women from having childfree
lives.• Seattle’s primary tool for sweeping encampments without notice ruled unconstitutional
This is beautiful, a refreshingly sane and humane ruling. When the homeless have gone out of their way, out of OUR way, to be secluded and obstructing no-one, it’s sickening when the city comes after them and destroys everything, again and again.
Absolutely, count on the City of Seattle to appeal.• Why Manitoba refuses to search for missing Indigenous women’s remains • Landfill workers’ union calls for search of the Winnipeg city dumps
“We have the ability to do this.”• Climate protestors block entrances to two Scottish oil refineries
• Tornado damages Pfizer plant in North Carolina, will “likely lead to long-term shortages” of medicine
This
is a sneak preview not many years into the future, when there’ll be no
workable supply chains at all, as climate change wreaks hellish havoc
everywhere, consistently.• “We are damned fools”:
Scientist who sounded climate alarm in 80s warns of worse to come • Even if the planet doesn’t get any warmer than it is now, melting ice in Greenland could add at least 1.5 meters to the global average sea level • As climate change progresses, we don’t really know when or how fast things will fall apart
• College Station Police officer arrested, terminated from position for stealing money from arrested suspect
If the facts are as presented, this cop ought to be fired and charged, of course. That seems to never happen, though — not lickety-split like it happened here — unless the cop in question is black.
Let’s start treating all cops the way cops and prosecutors treat black cops.• LPD officer placed on administrative leave after reportedly dragging arrestee through park
① In the newspaper’s headline, “reportedly dragging arrestee through park” actually means “there’s video and it’s gone viral.” ② The police department refuses to name the cop or release his bodycam video. And of course, ③ never forget that “administrative leave” means the cop is suspended with pay, unless someone specifically says “without pay.”• Off-duty Adams County deputy arrested for assault after fight outside of a Walmart
He’s not even suspended with pay; he’s been placed on “restrictive duty,” whatever that means.• Police chief is suspended with pay during investigation nobody will talk about
No, this isn’t the same police chief from earlier. It’s only the same headline, and same turn of events.• How the Seattle Police Dept manipulated the media narrative around the 2020 protests
A
very long article, but a major revelation. And this is journalism from
Seattle’s homeless hand-out freebie newspaper, certainly not The Seattle Times.• Cook County prosecutor publishes list of “rogue cops” too corrupt to testify in court
• New York police officer indicted, accused of using stun gun 7 times on handcuffed man • St. Louis County police officer arrested for beating handcuffed man • Prison guard arrested for tampering with evidence • Off-duty cop goes nuts with ATV, flees other cops, crashes and dies • Staten Island NYPD officer arrested again, accused of sex acts targeting young teen • Kansas City pays $500,000 to settle police abuse lawsuit • Un-named cops are suspended with pay for un-stated reasons • Police lieutenant suspended without pay amid investigations into tasing, road rage fights • Second officer charged in connection with police brutality investigation • Pennsylvania cops kicked, punched, choked arrestees, indictment says • “High school resource officer” resigns after allegations of inappropriate relationship with 18-year-old
• Florida schools will teach how slavery brought ‘personal benefit’ to black people • Republican Congressperson displays sexual images of Hunter Biden at IRS whistleblower hearing
Probably illegal, but that’s irrelevant; as a member of Congress, she can’t be charged.
What I’m wondering is, when a member of Congress waves photos of someone having sex,
in Congress, does it mean that imagery of Hunter Biden’s privates is now part of
the Congressional Record?• Republican Senator is really, really mad about the Barbie movie • Republican Congressman seeks to defund investigations into Trump’s criminality • Republican Senator promised to donate “every dine” of his salary to veterans, and hasn’t • Judge explains what rape is, to Trump, the rapist
🖯 MY BROWSER HISTORY 🖯• The crazily unconstitutional new laws trying to criminalize filming cops • Meet the Wisconsin teacher fired for protesting ban on Miley Cyrus & Dolly Parton song “Rainbowland”
• Inside America’s failed, forgotten conference to save Jews from Hitler • Could a turtle be a taxi, ferrying future generations of fairy shrimp across a mosaic of African wetlands? • Major League Cricket is underway in America • San Francisco before the internet
This is a rerun from a few years ago, but nostalgia only gets better with age.
♫♬ AUDIO ♫• Earn Enough For Us — XTC • I’m a Man — Chicago • The Mists of Time — John Mayall & the BluesBreakers • Resist — Janis Ian • Watermelon In Easter Hay — Frank Zappa
👁 VIDEO 👁• Atomic bomb test, Nevada (1955) • Cloning in baseball • A wiener dog dances to elevator music (18 seconds of silliness) • Drawing on the Blackboard (trippy music and effects)
❔ MYSTERY LINKS ❔• Click • Click • Click • Click • Click
⚰️ OBITUARIES ⚰️ • Tony Bennett• Walt Groller • Sue Marx • Kevin Mitnick • James Reston Jr • Dedric Willoughby
7/21/2023 Cranky Old Fart is annoyed and complains and very occasionally
offers a kindness, along with anything off the internet that’s made me
smile or snarl. All opinions fresh from my ass. Top illustration by Jeff Meyer. Click any image to enlarge. Comments & conversations invited. Tip ‘o the hat to ye olde AVA, BoingBoing, Breakfast at Ralf’s, CaptCreate’s Log, Kottke,org, Looking for My Perfect Sandwich, One Finger Medical, Two Finger Magical, Miss Miriam’s Mirror, Nebulously Burnished, RanPrieur.com, Spock Variety Hour, Voenix Rising, and anywhere else I’ve stolen links, illustrations, or inspiration.Special thanks to Linden Arden, Becky Jo, Wynn Bruce,
Joey Jo Jo, John the Basket, Dave S, Name Withheld, and always extra
special thanks to my lovely late Stephanie, who gave me 21 years and
proved that the world isn’t always shitty.
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