Taser Death: Anastasio Hernández Rojas (San Ysidro, CA)
His life was thrown in an uproar last week when he was detained by police and deported to Mexico.
Of course, it is unreasonable to think that a man would who spent 26 of his 42 years on earth in southern California raising five children is going to stay away. Mr. Hernandez and his brother made an effort last Friday to rejoin his wife.
It was a decision that cost him his life.
Hernandez (the Mexican newspapers are calling him Anastasio Hernández Rojas) didn't make it across the border. He was caught by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. CBP officers took him to the Border Patrol station gate leading to Mexico where they removed his handcuffs in preparation to complete the deportation to Tijuana. Police say that he became violent.
A short time later the man stopped breathing. Agents began CPR and called paramedics. He was brain-dead when they took him to Scripps Memorial in Chula Vista after the taser electrocution. He died on Monday, May 31.
The family of Mr. Hernandez is devastated. They are convinced the Border Patrol is lying. Witnesses, who said they saw the altercation Friday at San Ysidro, said agents also kicked Anastasio while he was on the ground ... which would explain why he became brain-dead. There may even be video evidence of the taser electrocution.
Please let us know if you have any new information on this taser-related killing.
GOP Senators Are the Only Obstacle to Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy
The effort to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy made some positive movement this week. The full House of Representatives and the Armed Services Committee in the Senate voted to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Villagers may recall that President Obama promised in his State of the Union address to end the law that denies gays and lesbians the right to serve their country. Now, the Obama administration is closer than ever to making good on that promise.
The full Senate will soon start its debate on repeal. But some Republicans are digging in their heels. John McCain continued to flip-flop on the DADT issue when he said, "I'll do everything in my power" to block a vote. And Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker called the repeal bill "a major mistake" -- announcing that the GOP plans to filibuster.The 'just say No' policy of the Republican Party continues. The GOP never seems to have anything positive to offer on any national issue. They simply say 'No' to anything that the Obama administration is trying to do.
I encourage all villagers to sign an online petition indicating your interest in defeating those who'd stand in the way of history. Show the US Senate that villagers -- in every state -- overwhelmingly support repeal.
Weekly Address: Honoring the Fallen
Ahead of Memorial Day, the President asks all Americans to join him in remembering and honoring those who have died in service to the country.
Taser Death: Carl Johnson (Baltimore, MD)
Shortly after he was electrocuted a second time, county police say Johnson lost consciousness and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Johnson was an accomplished architect and religious man, his brother said, not the type of person who would challenge police and wind up dead after receiving a shock from a taser gun.
For Carl Johnson's brother, the circumstances don't add up.
"The way this is being described is completely out of character ... unprecedented," said Gene Johnson, 42, as he traveled to a Georgia airport to come to Baltimore. "He never had an ounce of trouble."
Am I Not Human? BP Oil Spill
The BP Oil Spill is the major human rights abuse on my mind this month. I watched the president's press conference today. The vast majority of the questions were about the oil spill. It has been more than five weeks since an oil rig leased by BP exploded and sank in the Gulf, and only now does there appear to be progress in plugging the massive leak. Speaking in a more than hour-long press conference in the East Room, President Obama defended his administration’s performance and said he was “angry and frustrated” by the spill.
President Obama doesn't usually get very personal when he speaks to the American people. However, this BP Oil Spill is personal for many villagers in the Gulf Coast ... and it was good to see that it got personal for President Obama as well:
"My job right now is just to make sure that everybody in the Gulf understands this is what I wake up to in the morning and this is what I go to bed at night thinking about – the spill," he said.ABC News went underwater off the Gulf Coast to see first-hand what the Deepwater Oil Disaster looks and feels like. It looks like a nightmare.
On Thursday morning, he said, when he was shaving, his daughter Malia peeked her head into the bathroom and said, "Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?"
"I think everybody understands that, you know, when we are fouling the earth like this, it has concrete complications not just for this generation but for future generations.
"I grew up in Hawaii, where the ocean is sacred. And when you see birds flying around with – with oil all over their feathers and turtles dying and – ... that doesn't just speak to the immediate economic consequences of this. This speaks to, you know, how are we caring for this incredible bounty that we have?"
We’ve seen the oil start to wash up on shore, and we’ve seen satellite images of the slick. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg: You need to take a look at the underwater impact of the oil geyser and the dangerous chemicals BP is using to “disperse” it — effects that could last for decades, even if the risky “Top Kill” maneuver to plug the well works.
This is some nasty shyt. I hope that we can see some positive movement in a few weeks. What are your thoughts on the BP Oil Spill?
OURstory: Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784)
I respect the public schools that are educating my three children. I know that the teachers and curriculum will provide them with a strong basis for their future. However, there are gaps in the education provided by public schools that I'm going to need to fill with my children. I realized that the public schools don't do a good job of teaching the impact of African Americans in US history. The teachers are good at HIS-story ... but, it is up to us to tell OUR-story.
I plan to provide some OURstory blog posts over the coming weeks. They will be here for posterity and I'll use them to fill the gaps in the education of my young Nubian.
For example, I wonder if the public schools mention the name of Phillis Wheatley in their history lessons? Phillis Wheatley was born in Gambia, Africa. She was a was a slave child sold to John and Susanna Wheatley in Boston on July 11, 1761. Her first name was apparently derived from the ship that carried her to America, The Phillis.
Phillis was taught to read and write by her slave-owners and their daughter, Mary. Phillis had a gift for writing poetry -- her first poem was published at the age of twelve. There were a number of benefactors in Phillis' life -- Selina Hastings financed the publication of her book of poetry; former slave Obour Tanner, who made the Middle Passage journey with Phillis, was a lifelong supporter.
I wonder how many villagers are well-versed in Latin? Would you be surprised to learn that Phillis used Latin to write her "Niobe in Distress" publication? It's the truth (or 'veritas', as they say in Latin)!
Phillis' popularity as a poet both in the United States and England ultimately brought her freedom from slavery on October 18, 1773. She even appeared before General Washington in March, 1776 for her poetry and was a strong supporter of independence during the Revolutionary War. She felt slavery to be the issue which separated whites from true heroism: whites can not "hope to find/Deivine acceptance with th' Almighty mind" when "they disgrace/And hold in bondage Afric's blameless race."
Phyllis is remembered for many first time accomplishments from a woman of her day:
Phillis Wheatley died in Boston, Massachusetts while giving birth.
I understand that the Cincinnati Historical Society is loaning one of Wheatley's 1st edition (1773) books to the America I AM: The African American Imprint exhibit coming to the Cincinnati Museum Center on June 19th. This book will be displayed with Phillis Wheatley's table, which is on loan from the Massachusetts Historical Society in the 'enslavement display'.
What are your insights, thoughts or comments on Phillis Wheatley? Personally, I think that every little Black girl in America should learn about Phillis Wheatley!
I plan to provide some OURstory blog posts over the coming weeks. They will be here for posterity and I'll use them to fill the gaps in the education of my young Nubian.
Phillis was taught to read and write by her slave-owners and their daughter, Mary. Phillis had a gift for writing poetry -- her first poem was published at the age of twelve. There were a number of benefactors in Phillis' life -- Selina Hastings financed the publication of her book of poetry; former slave Obour Tanner, who made the Middle Passage journey with Phillis, was a lifelong supporter.
I wonder how many villagers are well-versed in Latin? Would you be surprised to learn that Phillis used Latin to write her "Niobe in Distress" publication? It's the truth (or 'veritas', as they say in Latin)!
Phillis' popularity as a poet both in the United States and England ultimately brought her freedom from slavery on October 18, 1773. She even appeared before General Washington in March, 1776 for her poetry and was a strong supporter of independence during the Revolutionary War. She felt slavery to be the issue which separated whites from true heroism: whites can not "hope to find/Deivine acceptance with th' Almighty mind" when "they disgrace/And hold in bondage Afric's blameless race."
Phyllis is remembered for many first time accomplishments from a woman of her day:
- First African American to publish a book
- An accomplished African American woman of letters
- First African American woman to earn a living from her writing
- First woman writer encouraged and financed by a group of women (Mrs. Wheatley, Mary Wheatly, and Selina Hastings.)
I understand that the Cincinnati Historical Society is loaning one of Wheatley's 1st edition (1773) books to the America I AM: The African American Imprint exhibit coming to the Cincinnati Museum Center on June 19th. This book will be displayed with Phillis Wheatley's table, which is on loan from the Massachusetts Historical Society in the 'enslavement display'.
What are your insights, thoughts or comments on Phillis Wheatley? Personally, I think that every little Black girl in America should learn about Phillis Wheatley!
Succes 2010: Travis Pastrana, superstarul sporturilor de acţiune şi campionul de raliuri al Americii
Travis Alan Pastrana is a motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus with some friends of his. For 2011, Pastrana has partnered with NASCAR team owner Michael Waltrip to form Pastrana-Waltrip Racing. He will drive the #99 Boost Mobile Toyota Camry for 7 races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Pastrana has won two motocross racing championships: the 2000 A.M.A. 125cc National championship, and the 2001 125cc East Coast Supercross Championship. Pastrana also raced in the 2000 MX des Nations. He moved up to the 250cc class in 2002. His stand-up style, ability to spot jump combinations and great speed through the whoops make him easy to spot on the track. Although Pastrana has never won a 250cc race, his kindness to the fans and love of the sport still makes him one of the most popular riders of all time. Pastrana has always raced and competed on Suzuki motorcycles, and remains fiercely loyal to the brand. He races with Team Cernic's Suzuki. All of his motorcycles and rally cars carry the number 199. He even sponsors a Monster Jam truck called Pastrana 199, and Nitro Circus after the TV show on MTV.
In 2003, Pastrana opened a rallying career in the Race of Champions, and began driving for the Subaru-backed Vermont SportsCar rally team in 2004. Starting in 2006, Pastrana was signed by Subaru to lead their new Subaru Rally Team USA, being paired once again with veteran co-driver Christian Edstrom. On August 5, 2006 Pastrana won the gold medal in the first rally car competition at the X Games, edging out rally legend Colin McRae by 0.53 seconds after McRae rolled his car through the last jump.
Pastrana and Edstrom clinched the 2006 Rally America National Series overall and open class championship on October 22, 2006 during day one of the Lake Superior Performance Rally. The team finished out the 2006 series with another first-place victory at the Wild West Rally in Olympia, Washington on December 31, 2006.
On December 16, 2006 Pastrana competed at the 2006 Race of Champions at the Stade de France in Paris. He represented the United States in the Nations' Cup by himself, after injuries forced teammate Jimmie Johnson and his replacement Scott Speed to withdraw.
February 19, 2007 brought news that Pastrana's longtime co-driver Edstrom had announced a sabbatical to concentrate on his career and family. Although former McRae co-driver Derek Ringer is set to compete with Pastrana for the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Salem, Missouri and Rally America, he has not announced a permanent replacement co-driver.
Pastrana driving a classic Ford Escort Mk1 at the 2008 Colin McRae Forest Stages.
In September 2008, Pastrana took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. Derek Ringer was his co-driver and they entered in a historic Ford Escort RS1600. He was one of a number of celebrity drivers to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007.
On August 29, 2009 Pastrana claimed the overall victory at Ojibwe Forests Rally, his fifth of the 2009 Rally America season. The victory sealed his fourth consecutive Rally America driver's title, the most in series history.
Pastrana has won two motocross racing championships: the 2000 A.M.A. 125cc National championship, and the 2001 125cc East Coast Supercross Championship. Pastrana also raced in the 2000 MX des Nations. He moved up to the 250cc class in 2002. His stand-up style, ability to spot jump combinations and great speed through the whoops make him easy to spot on the track. Although Pastrana has never won a 250cc race, his kindness to the fans and love of the sport still makes him one of the most popular riders of all time. Pastrana has always raced and competed on Suzuki motorcycles, and remains fiercely loyal to the brand. He races with Team Cernic's Suzuki. All of his motorcycles and rally cars carry the number 199. He even sponsors a Monster Jam truck called Pastrana 199, and Nitro Circus after the TV show on MTV.
In 2003, Pastrana opened a rallying career in the Race of Champions, and began driving for the Subaru-backed Vermont SportsCar rally team in 2004. Starting in 2006, Pastrana was signed by Subaru to lead their new Subaru Rally Team USA, being paired once again with veteran co-driver Christian Edstrom. On August 5, 2006 Pastrana won the gold medal in the first rally car competition at the X Games, edging out rally legend Colin McRae by 0.53 seconds after McRae rolled his car through the last jump.
Pastrana and Edstrom clinched the 2006 Rally America National Series overall and open class championship on October 22, 2006 during day one of the Lake Superior Performance Rally. The team finished out the 2006 series with another first-place victory at the Wild West Rally in Olympia, Washington on December 31, 2006.
On December 16, 2006 Pastrana competed at the 2006 Race of Champions at the Stade de France in Paris. He represented the United States in the Nations' Cup by himself, after injuries forced teammate Jimmie Johnson and his replacement Scott Speed to withdraw.
February 19, 2007 brought news that Pastrana's longtime co-driver Edstrom had announced a sabbatical to concentrate on his career and family. Although former McRae co-driver Derek Ringer is set to compete with Pastrana for the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Salem, Missouri and Rally America, he has not announced a permanent replacement co-driver.
Pastrana driving a classic Ford Escort Mk1 at the 2008 Colin McRae Forest Stages.
In September 2008, Pastrana took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. Derek Ringer was his co-driver and they entered in a historic Ford Escort RS1600. He was one of a number of celebrity drivers to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007.
On August 29, 2009 Pastrana claimed the overall victory at Ojibwe Forests Rally, his fifth of the 2009 Rally America season. The victory sealed his fourth consecutive Rally America driver's title, the most in series history.
Human Centipede... the game!
I-Mockery has posted a thing of brilliance that made us laugh like a fool; a new version of the old Atari Classic "Centipede", only Human Centipede style! If you want to give it a go, and laugh your tail oof, head over to I-Mockery HERE.
The Human Centipede (2010)
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE
Sub-Genre- Body Horror/Mad Scientist
In Attendance- Me, Erin, Vanilla Gorilla, and Lori. Nick was not allowed.
Cast Members of Note- Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, and Akihiro Kitamura.
What's it About?- There's really no other way to say it and remain polite about it, so here goes... this movie is about two hot chicks and an Asian dude going ass-to-mouth. It's not the happy kind of ATM that you see in your average porn movie either, no, this version of ATM involves a surgical procedure, some strong thread, hate, a loss of appetite, and tears. Plenty of tears.
Lindsay and Jenny are two hot, dumb, annoying, typical American bimbos who for some reason are on vacation in Germany and looking for a party. Naturally, the best way to find a party in Der Hinterland is to drive the back roads and hope for the best. A huge lack of brain power and one blown tire later, the girls find themselves on a long walk through the dark, creepy woods, where they happen upon the house of the creepiest doctor that has ever lived. Surely, he will call them a cab, right?
Herr Doctor, you see, has a plan; in honor of his hatred for mankind, and his disturbingly creepy love for his "sweet 3-hound", he decides to drug the girls, throw in an Asian guy, and sew them together, ass-to-mouth, to create the world's first Siamese Triplet. This will hopefully change the human genetic code forever, since humans suck I guess? How insane do you have to be to even conceive such an idea, let alone try to bring it to life?
From here on out, the movie goes to a places that made even me nervous. Will the human centipede learn to work together, and make it up the stairs? Will there be an "Angry Dragon" (Google that, but it's nasty) involving poop? Does the middle section of the centipede truly have it worse that the caboose? I don't know about all that, but I'm dying to find out how they're going to pull of a sequel.
The Good- If nothing else, this movie delivers on the simple promise of any good horror movie; it was horrifying. We were all pretty uncomfortable watching The Human Centipede, and more than once we found ourselves looking at each other instead of the nasty shenanigans that were happening on screen, and we love our blood and gore. This movie really took blood and gore to a different level though, and at times was a tough watch.
Martyrs, Inside, Baby Blues, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer... these movies all left us feeling dirty and disturbed in the past, but I dare say the residue of this movie feels worse. The concept in and of itself is insanely disturbing, as well as pretty damned original, and the execution is stark and intense, even along side of the elements of black comedy which are definitely present. When I say black comedy, don't get me wrong, this one isn't played for laughs at all. You can see a bit of nasty wit here and there though.
I have to give mad props to the actors in this one too. First and foremost, Dieter Laser does an amazing job at playing the insane and uber-creepy Dr. Heiter. His eyes alone have so much intensity that had he not spoke at all, he would have still been unnerving. As for the three actors who made up the human centipede (Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, and Akihiro Kitamura), to even sign to play roles like this earns my respect. I dare call them brave. Naked and attached to each others asses... that's got to mess with your mind a bit.
The Bad- So, dumb American bimbos, not only do you drive the back roads of rural Germany in search of some happening club, leave the main road and tread through the creepy forest in the dead of night after you get as flat tire (that you can't figure out how to change), but you enter the house of a guy who may be the creepiest person that has ever lived, and don't take the 523 hints that he drops telling you to run away as fast as you can? You kinda deserve what you get.
The Downright Horrendous-At the moment when the head of the human centipede, Katsuro, yells " I have to shit!" in Japanese, I swore off of food for three days. After seeing what came next, I changed my mind and decided to make it five. I'm still not eating peanut butter or deviled ham.
The Gory- Faces sewn to buttholes, faces ripping away from said buttholes, oozing infections, anal blood licking, mouth pooping, surgical procedures, gun violence... this movie is absolutely not for the squeamish.
The Naked- We get to see Ashley and Ashlynn fully naked, but the creepiness of this film wouldn't allow me to enjoy it at all. We also get to see Dieter Laser's goods, which hindered my libido even further.
What did we learn?- How many times do I have to say it... stay the hell off of the back roads of Europe! Also, all German Doctors are inherently creepy.
Best Line- "Feed her!" Ugh.
The Master Says- A (9.0/10) I may never want to watch it again for the rest of my life, but it doesn't mean it wasn't a great movie, and that horror fans everywhere shouldn't see it for themselves. It's a nasty one, full of all sorts of disturbing images and ideas/ideals that will most likely burn themselves deep into your subconscious, and randomly haunt you or make you gag as long as you may live... but at least it was original, fresh, and delivers the horror goods. Catch it now on VOD if you can.Final Thoughts- This is Ashley C. Williams, and I would be a part of her human centipede any day. Not really, but she's hot enough to at least make me lie and say that I would. Maybe we could form a "Pucker-Ring Porcupine" or a "Meat Curtain Llama" or something instead. I'm pretty open minded.
Important Development in the Oscar Grant Case
Soulclap to the brothers and sisters of ColorOfChange for bringing us this important news:
I have to admit that this blog didn't provide as much coverage of the Oscar Grant case as we should have done at the time. I'm grateful to James and his crew from ColorOfChange for their tireless online activism. I hope that justice is finally done in memory of Oscar Grant and for the family that he left behind.
There’s been an important new development in the Oscar Grant case, and you helped make it possible.
Last year, we told you the story of Oscar Grant, the young man who was shot in the back by a police officer while laying face-down on a subway platform in Oakland, CA.
The officer who shot Grant, Johannes Mehserle, was subsequently charged with murder and is currently awaiting trial — a rare moment for police accountability. But in the moments before Grant’s murder he was also brutalized by another officer on the scene named Tony Pirone.
Now, more than a year after Grant’s tragic murder, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Department has fired Pirone for his conduct that night. With Pirone’s dismissal, three officers at the scene of Grant’s murder have now been fired for their actions, which clearly set the stage for Grant’s death that night.While the fate of the officer who killed Grant is not yet certain, it is important to recognize the significance of this moment. It is definitely a victory for all who believe that those who enforce the law can never be above it. And it couldn’t have happened without the participation of tens of thousands of ColorOfChange members who spoke up for justice for Oscar Grant, signing petitions, making phone calls, writing letters and attending rallies.
Last year, ColorOfChange members in the Bay Area confronted the Alameda County District Attorney with stacks of more than 20,000 petitions demanding that he explain why he hadn’t arrested Pirone. Most of the local media covered our event, feeding a public conversation about the D.A’s handling of the case and shining a spotlight on Pirone’s actions.
Our action was a major catalyst in Pirone’s ultimate dismissal. The intense media spotlight ColorOfChange members shone on Pirone and the pressure you generated both locally and nationally contributed significantly to a measure of accountability: a rogue cop was kicked off the police force, losing his ability to shield himself with his badge while terrorizing and brutalizing innocent civilians. It also sends a clear signal to other officers who might be inclined to abuse their power.
We still believe that Pirone should have been brought up on charges for assaulting Grant. But we shouldn’t let this distract us from the ultimate goal: seeing that Grant’s murderer gets the full measure of justice for what he’s done. With his trial for murder pending, we’re already part of the way there — a position we might not be in today were it not for ColorOfChange members like you speaking up, keeping pressure on the District Attorney, and forcing him to act swiftly to pursue justice.
These are achievements we can all be proud of. Thank you for standing with us.
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
I have to admit that this blog didn't provide as much coverage of the Oscar Grant case as we should have done at the time. I'm grateful to James and his crew from ColorOfChange for their tireless online activism. I hope that justice is finally done in memory of Oscar Grant and for the family that he left behind.
Taser Death: Efrain Carrion (Middleton, CT)
The same thing happened in Middltown, CT on May 24. Efrain Carrion was having an anxiety attack Monday night when his family called 9-1-1 to summon an ambulance, a family member said.
The 35-year-old, screaming and breathing heavy, hid under his bed. His wife, Rhode Carrion, said she and her brother-in-law had almost coaxed him out when Middletown police officers arrived at the family's apartment.
The police agree that they arrived based on a report of a despondant male in need of medical assistance. They also agree that they placed Efrain Carrion in handcuffs to allow EMS personnel to examine him.
Carrion's relatives and authorities have differing versions of what happened next. But one thing is clear: Carrion became unresponsive while struggling with police and was pronounced dead at Middlesex Hospital.
Authorities say Carrion became violent after officers put him in handcuffs. He fought with police officers, refused orders and at one point choked a police dog, using his handcuffs as weapons, police said.
Of course, the police neglect to mention that Carrion was being held in double handcuffs. The police want us to believe that this despondent man was able to bring his hands to the front and start choking a police dog which was also used to try to bring him under control as he attempted to flee.
Four out of the five officers who responded were treated for injuries. Acting Police Chief Patrick McMahon said the officers are home, recovering with their families. The police officers treated for injuries were: Sgt. James Prokop, Officer William Hertler, Officer Elias Martz and the dog handler, Officer Douglas Clark.
"If nothing leads me to believe that wrongdoing occurred, we'll get them back on the streets as soon as we can," he said.Chief McMahon isn't fazed by the fact that an unarmed man was electrocuted in his own home by his own police force. Nope, McMahson indicated that he hasn't heard or seen anything indicating that the officers did anything wrong.
For those that are interested, the dog, Niko, was treated by a veterinarian and released.
But Rhode Carrion said the official police version of the story is a lie. Her husband didn't hit the officers or choke the police dog, she said."They're making him seem like he was crazy, like he's a bad man, and he's not," she said. "He never hit them, he never kicked them. He was trying to get away from them because they were Tasing him."After her husband came out from under the bed, he sat on the floor and allowed officers to cuff him, Rhode Carrion said. He was brought to a chair in the living room. The physical violence started after Efrain Carrion slipped off the chair, she said.
The officers ordered him to get up. Her husband had trouble complying because his hands were cuffed behind his back, Carrion said. Two of the officers shot him repeatedly with taser guns and then deployed the dog, she said.
She said Efrain Carrion did not grab the dog and tumble down the stairs with it, as police have said. [SOURCE]
As Middletown police officers tried to calm him in a wooded area behind his apartment complex, Carrion became unconscious. Emergency medical personnel were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead after being transported to Middlesex Hospital.
Eunice Barrientos told reporters she called police to calm down her brother, Efrain Carrion who was acting irrational, but she never expected them to taser him to death.
“The just tasered him and tasered him and let the dog chew him up,” the Middletown woman said.She said after the officers were finished tasering her brother, the kicked him down the stairs as they were taking him out of the apartment.
State police are investigating the incident and will present their findings to the Middlesex state's attorney. The investigation should take several weeks.
An autopsy is planned to try to determine what caused his death.
Please let us know if you have any additional insights or information to add to this taser-related killing.
How Do We Forgive Our Fathers?
How do we forgive our fathers?
Maybe in a dream?
Do we forgive our fathers for leaving us too often,
or forever, when we were little?
Maybe for scaring us with unexpected rage,
or making us nervous, because there never seemed to be any rage there at all.
Do we forgive our fathers for marrying ... or not marrying ... our mothers,
or divorcing ... or not divorcing ... our mothers?
And shall we forgive them for their excesses of warmth, or coldness?
Shall we forgive them for pushing or leaning?
For shutting doors?
or speaking through walls?
or never speaking?
or never being silent?
Do we forgive our fathers in our age?
or in theirs?
or in their deaths, saying it to them?
or not saying it?
If we forgive our fathers, what is left?
I learned afterwards that this poem was adapted from a Dick Laurie poem.
Kentucky Fried Nutcase Rand Paul on BP Oil Spill - 'Sometimes Accidents Happen'
Rand Paul is on Step #2. Did you hear him absolve BP of all accountability for the recent oil spill by saying, "sometimes accidents happen"?
Check out this video!
What do you think of this Rand Paul character?
BP Oil Spill Ticker; President Obama Appoints Independent Commission
The President announces that the independent commission he created for the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling will be chaired by former Florida Governor and Senator Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator Bill Reilly. He promises accountability not just for BP, but for those in government who bore responsibility.
This is a terrible environmental disaster that will be in our minds for decades to come. How do you see this playing out over the coming weeks and months?
Tune In Tuesday: Eels
Villagers who have followed this blog for awhile know that I'm a science fiction fan. As such, I've been watching the first season of a SyFy television series called, 'Stargate Universe'. The episode last week ended with a song that I had to look up. The song is Agony by a group simply known as Eels. I invite you to listen to the song and share your own thoughts if you have time or inclination.
Womanist Musings created a weekly meme today called Tune In Tuesday. She noted that our blogs often deal with serious issues and it might be nice to lighten the atmosphere every once in awhile. Music has the ability to trigger happy memories and much of our lives are marked by song. To that end each Tuesday this blog intends to offer a song and tell you about what it triggers for me and in return you are welcome to share any memories that you have associated with it.
Womanist Musings created a weekly meme today called Tune In Tuesday. She noted that our blogs often deal with serious issues and it might be nice to lighten the atmosphere every once in awhile. Music has the ability to trigger happy memories and much of our lives are marked by song. To that end each Tuesday this blog intends to offer a song and tell you about what it triggers for me and in return you are welcome to share any memories that you have associated with it.
Succes 2010: AC/DC - Brian Johnson & Angus Young
Dupa cum scriam si in postarea din 13 februarie, conform celei mai autorizate publicatii in domeniul colectionarii autografelor, Autograph magazine, Top 10 Rock 'n' Roll al celor mai scumpe semnaturi din lume arata astfel:
1. Elvis Presley
2. Sir Paul McCartney
3. Aerosmith
4. Eric Clapton
5. AC/DC
6. Bob Dylan
7. Jimmy Page
8. Sir Elton John
9. Eddie Van Halen
10. B.B. King.
Deci, vorba francezului: one down, 9 more to go! Desi am motive serioase sa cred ca Elvis nu mai da autografe nici mort! :)
Aerosmith, Dylan si Clapton vin si ei in Romania, in curand...
Taser Lawsuit: Yuceff Young II (Brooklyn, OH)
The police killed Young by using their taser guns. Young was a danger to no one. His actions did not warrant such force.
As such, this blog is glad to see that Young's family has filed a lawsuit against Linndale and Brooklyn police. They are seeking an unspecified amount of damages maintaining that Young would not have died if he had not been Tasered by a Linndale police officer and chased by police from Linndale and Brooklyn. [SOURCE]
Police stopped the car of the 21-year-old man because his car appeared to be unsafe, Linndale police said at the time. Police said Young's front bumper was hanging off and the windshield was shattered.
Young's car went a short distance and crashed into a utility pole.
"We believe the actions of the police were reckless," said Terry Gilbert, attorney for the family. "He was a good kid, a college student, and he was drunk. We don't know why, or if, his car was banged up. But we know he was not giving the officer a hard time. But he was Tasered while sitting behind the wheel, which is very dangerous."Personally, I think that a suspect's flight should not be the sole justification for using a Taser. Perhaps this lawsuit will help get that point across to local law enforcement agencies around the nation so that they can modify their policies. At the rate of a taser-death every week, perhaps we can all agree that the Taser may not be as safe as originally billed.
Succes 2010: Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player of all time.
Nadal has won ten Grand Slam singles titles,including 6 French Open titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 19 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008 and 2009. He completed the career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after only Andre Agassi.
Nadal had a 32-match winning streak in 2008, starting at the 2008 Masters Series Hamburg to the 2008 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open, which included titles at Hamburg, the French Open (where he did not drop a set), Queen's Club, his first ever title at Wimbledon, and the Rogers Cup. In 2011, by winning the Monte Carlo Masters, he became the only player to have won seven editions of a tournament in a row at the ATP level. Nadal was ranked world No. 2, behind Roger Federer, for a record 160 consecutive weeks before earning the top spot, which he held from 18 August 2008 to 5 July 2009.[8] He regained the world No.1 ranking on 7 June 2010, after winning his fifth French Open title.
Nadal has won ten Grand Slam singles titles,including 6 French Open titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 19 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008 and 2009. He completed the career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after only Andre Agassi.
Nadal had a 32-match winning streak in 2008, starting at the 2008 Masters Series Hamburg to the 2008 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open, which included titles at Hamburg, the French Open (where he did not drop a set), Queen's Club, his first ever title at Wimbledon, and the Rogers Cup. In 2011, by winning the Monte Carlo Masters, he became the only player to have won seven editions of a tournament in a row at the ATP level. Nadal was ranked world No. 2, behind Roger Federer, for a record 160 consecutive weeks before earning the top spot, which he held from 18 August 2008 to 5 July 2009.[8] He regained the world No.1 ranking on 7 June 2010, after winning his fifth French Open title.
DO NOT WANT- The Final (2010)
Here's a story about a bunch of high school losers that are tired of getting picked on by the cool kids, so they decide to throw a party to get some good old fashioned torture-revenge on them.
At the point when, in an attempt to be quirky or reverent, one of the killers sits down and starts playing the banjo while another of them tortures one of their captives , I nearly threw my TV out of the window. It was bad enough that what had come in the 45 minutes before that point was poorly written, poorly acted, and just plain sucky, but a character sitting and merrily play the banjo while they ripped off the acupuncture scene from Audition was just painful to watch.
It starts off lame, gets lamer, get frustrating, moves into ridiculous territory, and about halfway through it becomes obvious that there wasn't a bit or thought that went into the writing of or the production of this movie. Maybe if they had a few actors with experience or a better script, it would have been tolerable instead of cringe inducing. The psychopathic geeks even try to kill the one cool kid who stuck up for them and was nice to them... he even got in a fight for their honor, and yet they decide he's quickly expendable too. At least he survives. He was the only one in the movie that didn't suck.
The characters in this movie were so one dimensional and cliche that it's laughable. Now, I don't want to blame the actors for dropping the ball here (which I think they did), because maybe the director wanted them to over act and suck, but most of the performances were just bad. For example, I actually watched the scenes that involved the "cool girls" with my face in my palm for the most part, because I couldn't believe what I was seeing...
"I'm not going to the party, I like, don't feel good and stuff."
"You have to go. All you need is some alcohol and some sex!"
"Fuck yeah bitch! Woo, party!"
"We're so hot!"
"You know it bitch!"
I'm paraphrasing, but that's pretty close to how one scene went down. Really.
I'm not even going to get into the fact that the movie seemed to glorify outcast school kids killing their classmates because they feel so alone and wronged, but in the wake of real life incidents like that in U.S. schools over the past decade or so, it just seems in poor taste to me. It's all just so cliche and cheesy... the kids parents all either neglect, ignore, or fail to connect with their children which prompts them to withdraw into their own dark loneliness and hatch a violent revenge plan... I'm sure the filmmakers made this movie as a cautionary tale, but to me it came off more as a "Yeah, kill the cool kids!" thing, which just felt wrong.
Plenty of other horror sites gave this one a good/decent review, and I just don't get it, as it's the weakest of this years AD Horrorfest lineup. Maybe I'm getting it wrong, but I can't recommend you do anything but avoid this one.
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