Where debating everything under the sun is only the beginning

Wasn't there some guy named Andrew Yang who proposed doing exactly that?

It’s almost impossible to list off all the news organizations that are hurting, closing or firing people right now, (the New York Times did a recent sampling), but suffice it to say that pain is being felt in every outlet, except for a select few (which I will get to.)

[...]

Paradoxically demand for news is off the charts. People desperately want to know about all facets of the pandemic—a never-before-experienced phenomenon—plus they have more time, working from home or being jobless. Readership and viewership actually doubled at some properties in March.

But here’s the rub. Marketers won’t place their ads next to the endless parade of horrific coronavirus stories. (That’s what happens when the news turns bad—like in the wake of 9/11 for instance.) Plus, millions of businesses that would be advertising right now are shuttered, bankrupt or slashing marketing budgets. (Sports advertising for instance has gone to zero.) So while audience numbers are soaring, ad numbers are plunging.

Advertising is the problem, which is nothing new. It’s just worse now.

The U.N. human rights office said on Friday that the images of the shooting of Black man Jacob Blake in Wisconsin appeared to show that the police officer had used “excessive” force that was likely discriminatory in nature.

Sunday’s shooting, captured on video, showed Blake was shot in the back by a white police officer as three of his young children watched. The footage has gone viral and set off angry protests.

“From the images available that we’ve seen at this point, the police appear to have used force against Jacob Blake that would seem to be excessive,” Rupert Colville said at a virtual briefing in Geneva, saying the use of force did not appear to comply with international standards.  

“It also seems highly possible that the force used against Blake could be discriminatory in nature,” he added.

The shooting of Blake has triggered unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with a teenager shooting three demonstrators including two fatally on Tuesday night.

Asked to comment on the incident, Colville described it as an unfortunate example of “insufficient and lax” gun control measures in the United States, saying it has issued repeated warnings to prevent such events.

“It should be inconceivable to have a 17-year old running out with an automatic rifle in a position to shoot people in such a tense situation,” he added.

The simple answer is usually the best one.

(And I could spin the conjunction of those two statements as something less than a contradiction. )

The simple answer is usually the best one. Of course, simple answers are usually wrong...

I'll return to an old favorite of mine: Lord Russell wrote, "Naive realism leads to physics and physics, if true, shows that naive realism is false. Therefore, naive realism, if true, is false; therefore it is false."
Anyone here think it possible to begin with other than naive realism?

Sunday's incident began when a woman called police saying "her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises," the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation said.

In a police call, a dispatcher names Blake and says he "isn't supposed to be there" and that he took the complainant's keys and refused to leave.

The dispatcher later explains she doesn't have more details because the caller was "uncooperative."

Police said that about five minutes after the initial report, a dispatcher received reports of shots fired.

Officers had attempted to arrest Blake and used a Taser in a failed attempt to stop him, the DCI said. Blake walked around his vehicle, "opened the driver's side door, and leaned forward," the agency said.

Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey, who has been with the department for seven years, then fired seven times into Blake's back, the agency said. No other officer fired their weapon.

The agency said Blake admitted he had a knife in his possession, and law enforcement agents said they recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of Blake's vehicle.

State investigators did not indicate why police moved to arrest Blake, whether he brandished or threatened to use the knife, or why Sheskey shot so many times into Blake's back, and it does not mention his children in the vehicle or other family members standing just feet away.

Authorities said Sheskey and another officer have been placed on administrative leave. The other officers involved in the shooting will be identified soon, according to the state's attorney general.

Police rendered aid to Blake and he was flown to a Milwaukee hospital, police said.

I remain "surprised" that no one has yet mentioned the obvious (...except in a "How dare you!" mode): There were two or three kids in the back of that SUV. What cop would't think of their safety first?

......Matthews said officers were aware that Blake had an open warrant for felony sexual assault before they arrived......

There were two or three kids in the back of that SUV. What cop would't think of their safety first?