Judge Sits Out Decision on Eric Garner Transcripts

After the agonizing death of Eric Garner, Justice Stephen J. Rooney of State Supreme Court on Staten Island who oversaw the grand jury has relieved himself from releasing transcripts of the proceedings. These transcripts consist of whether or not the jury should charge Officer Daniel Pantaleo as a criminal. In addition, David Bookstaver, the spokesman for the New York State court system said 'judges do little more than swear in the jurors during a grand jury proceeding'. Immediately after the grand jury’s decision, the Staten Island district attorney, Daniel M. Donovan Jr., requested that Justice Rooney release limited information; he did not request the transcripts. After this ordeal the Staten Island district attorney, Daniel M. Donovan Jr., requested that Justice Rooney reveal the information that jury's should have seen prior tot he case. This is his response: "The conflict doesn't arise until there is a request for the minutes themselves,"

All I have to say is for the NYPD to stop hiding information that needs to be given out! If our justice system would stop hiding behind their titles then maybe, just maybe justice would be served. I fear that the police and court justices are allowed to use and abuse their power. Clearly, this is not what our Founding Fathers intended for the future of America. We as Americans should feel safe, and comfortable yet we have police officers murdering civilians. Overall, the Eric Garner decision, hopefully, has opened the eyes of many Americans that are blinded to the imbalance of power.

Goodman, J. "Judge Sits Out Decision on Eric Garner Transcripts." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Dec. 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/nyregion/judge-sits-out-decision-on-eric-garner-transcripts.html?ref=politics>.

Cleveland police's fatal shooting of Tamir Rice ruled a homicide

Yet another case of police brutality is on the rise. This case of police brutality resulted in the death of 12 year old Tamir Rice. Officer Loehmann (26) mistakenly shot Tamir Rice after seeing Rice with a pellet gun.  A witness called 911 to say that a juvenile, black male was pointing "a pistol" at people, but added twice that the gun was "probably" fake. Without hesitation officer Loehmann did not think twice when shooting Tamir Rice. Reports have come out saying that this shooting was a homicide. In addition to fatally shooting a 12 year old boy Officer Lohemann also tackled Rice after to shooting him in the chest.
My question is does every African American look like a criminal? Everyday it seems as if a new story of police violence appears. In between the cases of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, and now Tamir Rice people have been wild. I don't blame them! clearly there is something wrong with our legal system. We as African Americans have the right to be protected just as well as Caucasians, Asians, and any other minority group. Another issue with this country is the constant "I am the victim" philosophy. African Americans are constantly saying that they are victims, which is true, we have been victims in the past. But now today in modern America we need to take responsibility for our actions.



Ly, Laura, and CNN"s McLaughlin. "Cleveland Police's Fatal Shooting of Tamir Rice Ruled a Homicide." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Dec. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/12/justice/cleveland-tamir-rice/?cid=ob_articlesidebarall&iref=obinsite>.

Polls show Democrats Slipping Among Young Voters

Chapter 4 and 7- Culture War/ Political Polls

Regarding the new poll from the Institute of Politics at Harvard University; shows that young voters are moving towards a Republican vote. This is alarming for Democrats regarding next week's midterm elections. "Slightly more than half a young Americans who say they will 'definitely be voting' in the midterm elections would prefer a Republican-controlled Congress'. Back in the 2008 Presidential Election about 55% of young voters were in favor of the Democratic Party. However this surge in voting percent might have been a result of Bush's role in politics. Hence, many voters may have viewed Obama as the Democratic solution to a Republican problem. But now with the upcoming midterm elections about 51% to 47% of voters are in favor of Republicans. The results of this survey were obtained via 2,029 adults ages 18-29, between Sept. 26th and Oct. 9th with an error of 3+/-.

As we talked in class I found this article very controversial. Many news articles argue that Americans, as a whole, have gravitated towards the "left". Yet this article clearly states, especially young American voters are gravitating towards the "right". I find this to be peculiar because the higher the education one has, the more liberal they tend to be. In addition there has been a shift in American values regarding marriage, reproductive rights, and other social issues. Personally, I identify with the independent party and the idea that the government must put aside it's differences to make a change. This is truly alarming for younger generations to come.

Stolberg, Sheryl. "Poll Shows Democrats Slipping Among Young Voters." Nytimes.com. © 2014 The New York Times Company, 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.

Obama puts off campaigning, focuses on aggressive Ebola response

Chapter 4- American Political Culture

Due to the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus, President Obama, unfortunately, cancelled all of his campaign tours. President Obama's reasoning for this was that "that monitoring of Ebola must be done in a "much more aggressive way". This is true. With the constant panic rising in this country it is wise of Obama to stay behind. The only negative aspect of this action are the Democratic candidates running for Senate. With ignored support from President Obama these candidates are in danger of losing. In fact this is another reason why the Republican rates for Senate are so high. For some states it is a matter of retaining Democrats in office. But for states (specifically Georgia) it is a matter of obtaining a Democratic position in office. As of now Michelle Nunn gains the respect of Georgia's demographic. However with the lack of support from Obama and her opponent, Perdue's, support (Republicans have held governor, senator, legislature positions for the past 14 years) of the Republican party.

This race reminds me of the article that we read for homework "Red vs. Blue America". In that reading the author talked about the Bush and Gore race. This correlates with Perdue vs. Nunn because Perdue and Bush are both old white men that have a relatable aspect with the Republican party. As for Nunn and Gore they are both esteemed by their actions and accomplishments. Potentially I think Michelle Nunn and all of the other democratic candidates have a chance at winning. Even though President Obama has put midterm elections on the back burner, he is setting an example for the country. Sometimes it is necessary to take care of bigger ordeals and come back to smaller issues. As for Michelle Nunn, I believe that she has good values and is working excessively on her campaign. For example, when exploring her views on issues, her campaign page was fantastic. For each topic she clearly explained the problem, the reason why, and the solution in detail. As for Perdue his campaign page was rather lacking. On the issue of immigration and border control he only stated his opinion as to why it is "dangerous" to let "others" in. Yet through the four sentenced paragraph, Perdue failed to state a solution to what needs to be done. Sadly, enough elections are based off of popularity, therefore Nunn has a good chance of losing. 

Liptak, Kevin, Jim Acosta, and Jeremy Diamond. "Obama Puts off Campaigning, Focuses on Aggressive Ebola Response." CNN. Cable News Network, 1 Jan. 1970. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/15/politics/obama-campaign-stop/index.html?iref=allsearch>.

"Election 2014 - Georgia Senate - Perdue vs. Nunn." RealClearPolitics -. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.

Connecticut health department gets power to quarantine possible Ebola victims

Chapter 3- Federalism
On Tuesday Governor  Dannel Malloy agreed to allow, Jewel Mullen, the state health commissioner to quarantine the state of Connecticut. In doing so this will limit the spread of the Ebola virus and those that are currently infected from escaping. Currently, no one has shown any severe signs of Ebola (only minor symptoms). Unfortunately one man, Thomas Duncan, is in critical condition in a Dallas hospital. Overall the federal government has revoke the civil rights of the state. In doing so the inhabitants of Connecticut are not allowed to leave and outsiders are not allowed to pass through.

I agree with revoking the civil rights of the people. This is for a legitimate cause and prevents a massive surge of fear in the country. This is the perfect example of how the federal government has the power to override a state's choice. The federal government has jurisdiction because of  the CDC to quarantine a state if there is a possible threat.  The article also stated that this power has not been used since " influenza epidemic in the early part of the 20th century, when more than 600,000 people died."Rights or no rights, this decision was made for the sake of the whole country.

Wilson, Reid. "Connecticut Health Department Gets Power to Quarantine Possible Ebola Victims." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/10/07/connecticut-health-department-gets-power-to-quarantine-possible-ebola-victims/>.

Court: Racial bias did not lead NYC judge to convict man

October 3 2014

 

In October of 1999 Supreme Court Judge Frank Barbaro thought for sure Donald Kagan was guilty of homicide. However Judge Barbaro's motives were merely based off of personal beliefs; Judge Barbaro believed that Donald Kagan killed Wavell Wint because he was Black. Due to this prejudice Donald Kagan was convicted of the murder of 23 year old Wavell Wint. For 15 years Kagan sat in prison, and for 15 years Barbaro contemplated the conviction. Was this a good decision? So after all of this time Judge Barbaro decided to testify against his own word upon the release of Donald Kagan. Finally, October 14th Kagan is expecting a parole hearing and will hopefully be released.

 

Yes, sometimes we as humans can get involved in our feelings, but for them to affect the life of another isn't right. Barbora allowed his prejudice to cloud his mind and at the expense of Kagan's life. And no matter how many times Barbora apologizes Kagan will not get those years of life back. Barbora's request to release Kagan came about because "he believed that he denied a fair trial to a white man who claimed he killed a black man in self-defense." This statement reminded me of the 6th amendment which is the right to a fair trial. in this case Judge Barbora did not give Kagan a fair trial which resulted in 15 years wasted.

 

Carver, Marina Carver. "Court: Racial Bias Did Not Lead NYC Judge to Convict Man." Cnn.cm. ©  2014 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved, 2 Oct. 2014. Web. 3 Oct. 2014.

An Amendment to Cut Political Cash

September 25th, 2014- The Constitution

 

Recently the Supreme Court has unleashed several millions of dollars in order to fund midterm elections. However, the Senate is trying to vote against the Supreme Court's control over government funds. So far about 48 Democratic senators are on board, and move to "to restore congressional control to campaign spending". Nonetheless, the Supreme Court states that spending over "$189 million so far" is fine because "spending money on politics is a form of free speech, and is thus deserving of constitutional protection". Hence the Senate contains limited power in the battle for the all mighty dollar. In addition to limited power, Congress is allowed to influence and guide on public financing; the only stipulation is if the Supreme Court will follow. In total this amendment must have the ability to change the structure of the Supreme Court, or nothing will change.

 

I think this topic fits with Chapter 2 because it threatens the legitimacy of the Constitution. The structure of the Supreme Court is deemed to follow strict rules that Congress has set in place. But this article shows that the Supreme Court is doing what it wants to do, without hearing from Congress. And another aspect of this is the idea that public spending is protected by the 1st amendment; The 1st amendment supports freedom of speech, and prohibits Congress from making laws against it. But, I feel that the Supreme Court is a little too comfortable in their ability to spend money. I find it alarming that the money spent this year for midterm elections is about 3x the amount spent in 2010. This questions the integrity of our government as well as expressing the division of views  in America. If we cannot unite as a country and work towards fixing the current problems, then how will we survive?

                                                                Works cited
"An Amendment to Cut Political Cash." NY Times. © 2014 The New York Times Company, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/opinion/an-amendment-to-cut-political-cash.html>.