Evil Triumphs

Reuters is reporting that the entire trial against Guatemalan dictator Rios Montt has collapsed. A verdict that was hailed as a triumph for human rights has effectively been vacated. People familiar with "justice" in Guatemala are unsurprised.

Geoff Thale, program director at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights group, said legal technicalities should not be allowed to derail due process in Guatemala.

"Endless appeals, shopping for friendly justices, and seeking to delay verdicts and sentencing are classic techniques of those seeking to avoid justice in Guatemala," he said in a statement after the Constitutional Court's decision.

It is not surprising that US media has been reluctant to cover this human rights trial. The fact is that after the CIA deposed democratically-elected president Arbenz, one dictator after another waged a genocidal war against Mayan civilians under the guise of "anti-Communism." These efforts were carried out on the US taxpayer's dime by an officer corps trained in the US.

Given that administrations of both parties were complicit partners in a genocidal war against people of Mayan ancestry, neither party has shown much interest in exposing the history behind the civil rights trial in Guatemala.

Did Cleveland Police Dismiss Domestic Disturbance Complaints?

ORIGINALLY POSTED 8 May 2013:

Police response to domestic violence complaints are a subject that has to be raised in the wake of the rescue of the Cleveland kidnap victims.

The BBC is reporting that several neighbors say that they had complained to the police about domestic disturbances, but that the Cleveland police department failed to take the complaints seriously:

Elsie Cintron told the BBC her granddaughter had seen a naked woman crawling in the backyard last year and called police, but they did not take it seriously.

Another resident, Israel Lugo, said that in November 2011 he heard pounding on doors of the house and his sister saw a girl at the house holding a baby and crying for help.

He said he had called police and officers knocked several times on the front door, but left when no-one answered.

The reports were disputed by Police Chief McGrath.

This would not be the first time that a police department failed to take domestic disturbance complaints seriously. Domestic violence is often seen as a private matter, and police are leery of the high risk of injury that can come from walking into an emotionally charged situation. Half-hearted attempts to "contact" residents, like what is reported by Lugo, are all too common.

It is still early days in this investigation, and more facts will emerge. So far, the stories that are emerging are not painting a complimentary story about the level of importance that the Cleveland police place on curbing domestic violence.

UPDATE, 12 May 2013:
The Washington Post reported on the previous allegations along with another time that Cleveland police were alerted about a problem at the Castro house:

...Israel Lugo says, a group of elderly women who were exercising in the area called police. According to Lugo, the women and his sister had all seen a naked woman on all fours with a dog collar around her neck in Castro’s back yard. Cleveland police say they have no record of the calls.

NCoV Confirmed Capable of Human to Human Transmission

The most recent coronavirus to emerge has been confirmed to be capable of human-to-human transmission. The virus is known as NCoV, or Novel Coronavirus.

This virus is related to the SARS virus, but is distinct from it.

Out of 33 confirmed cases so far since 2012, 18 have resulted in fatalities.

Conservative Reality Warp: Impeach Obama for "Wrecking" Record-Setting Stock Market

Conservatives are suggesting an impeachment proceeding against Obama on the basis of his having wrecked the stock market. Reality appears not to have any impact on their proposal, which was unveiled on the day that the stock market hit new record levels. During the Obama administration, the stock market has risen by 90%. Perhaps there is some new definition of the word "wreck" that I am not familiar with?

3-d Printer Gun Hysteria

Quite a few people have been flipping out over the 3-d printing pattern that is available to print out a gun.

I'm not sure that I see the reason for all the excitement. Basically, this is a new manufacturing method for producing a makeshift firearm from otherwise easily available materials. This isn't even a particularly good gun, since it appears to only be usable for a single shot.

Simple, easily manufacturable guns have been around for quite some time. One of the more interesting historical examples is the Sten gun manufactured in small, improvised machine shops during the Battle of Britain after the British army lost a significant portion of its armory during the Dunkirk evacuation.

This is not the revolution in gun availability that is being proclaimed by gun nuts nor is it the catastrophe that is feared by gun control advocates. It is just another improvised firearm, like those that have been available for a very long time.

Domestic Terrorist Arrested in MN

A person characterized as a "domestic terrorist" was arrested in Minnesota with a large cache of arms and explosives that were evidently targeted at fellow Americans who disagreed with him.

While little information is available, news reports have pointed out that he had displayed an upside-down flag earlier this year, which was associated with right-wing protests against Obama's re-election. I guess this is what the 44% had in mind.

Finger Pointed to Heaven = Excessive Celebration?

A Texas high school relay team was denied the chance to participate in the state track meet when a team member pointed to heaven after anchoring his team to an impressive victory. In what has to be considered a bizarre interpretation of the excessive celebration rule, officials ruled that pointing a single finger to heaven was a "hand gesture" worthy of barring the team from the state championships.

While I can think of some hand gestures (eg flipping off the other teams) that could be considered as poor sportsmanship, I don't see how you can go so far as to interpret something like pointing to heaven (or even crossing oneself) as excessive celebration.

I also don't see a "separation of church and state" issue here, as long as the school is not requiring or encouraging kids to engage in a particular ritual.

These are kids, for crying out loud. If they did something remarkable, like getting a new personal best, they should be allowed to celebrate within the bounds of good sportsmanship. As long as they aren't taunting the other teams or engaging in a prolonged celebration that is keeping them from shaking the other teams' hands in a timely way, I just don't see what the big deal is.