Hey, we're closing the year with so many things and I wanted to share them with you.
Here's my top things I've talked about this year.
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| Second term curse. |
1. President Barack Obama's second term.
Who thought this would be easy?
President Barack Hussein Obama found that his second term is more difficult than his first term. He caught the second term curse very early. He first term began successes like his healthcare law, the killing of Osama bin Laden, the Nobel Peace Prize and nomination of the first Latina to the Supreme Court. Not to mention his successful reelection. The country experienced Obama-mania. Things were good those first four years.
But in the middle of his first term, the Republicans won power in the House of Representatives. Then you have a Republican governor putting their finger in his face. You had a politco yell "you lie" during a State of the Union Address. And of course, the umpteenth chants of impeachment during his term from Republican politicos.
Then came the talk about Trayvon Martin, the Benghazi consulate attack, the BP Oil spill, the Harvard Police scandal, the Sandy Hook shooting, the Aurora shooting, the Tucson shooting and every mention of golf outings.
The NSA scandal, the IRS scandal, the Obamacare rollout was a bust, the failure of passing gun control laws despite two mass shootings, and the government shutdown drove the president's job approval to its lowest ever.
Golf outings, vacations, selfie pictures are the most memorable of his harshest critics.
The Independent's Rupert Cornwell wrote this time a year ago, Barack Obama was on the brink of becoming the 16th American president to win two successive elections. A couple of days later, perennial loser Mitt Romney was soundly defeated, and chastened Republicans, it was imagined, would retire to lick their wounds. Backed by a another solid popular mandate, it was said, Obama had a rare opportunity; a 12- or 18-month window in which to push through his agenda and build a legacy for the ages, free of the pressure of ever running for election again.
He says that the junk food media rehashes the talk is of the "Curse", its a supposedly immutable truth of presidencies.
Cornwell noted that the Curse's poster-child has been Richard Nixon, forced to resign less than two years after one of the greatest landslide victories in US history.
I understand that the second term spells disasters for most presidents, but honestly, would you allow a tone-deaf Congress rule things when you won on the narrative of the helping the middle class?
2. George Zimmerman's verdict.
From coast to coast, many Americans reacted to the matter.
I am pretty sure that Black America was really pissed about this verdict. I wasn't surprised that the verdict inspired an extremist to react towards someone! See they're talking about this stupid knockout game, a theme common of the racist right. They're claiming that Black youth are knocking out White people for no freaking reason. Sad ain't it!
Trayvon Martin's death is the new Emmett Till. The racist right would rather blame the victim and tarnish his name instead of questioning the motives of the shooter.
White conservatives were so gleeful about George Zimmerman being found not guilty. You can see it on the social networks. You can see it on the blogs. You'll hear about it with your White conservative friends, co-workers and family members.
These racial extremists in the conservative movement are so happy about the decision, they'll chant NIGGER for every Trayvon Martin tweet. They'll post every NIGGER/RACE HUSTLER for every President Barack Obama, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. They'll say that they want RACE RIOTS to spook the White people to vote the Democrats out of Congress.
There were protests after the decision. They've been mostly peaceful at best. Again, debunking the conservative media's stroking of "race riots" and "retaliation against White people" meme.
George Zimmerman's life isn't going to be the same. He can't live a normal life. The man will live the rest of his "freedom" in hiding. Zimmerman now fears for an apparent revenge by a Black or Hispanic man who may take a choice to "Stand [Your] Ground".
Since the verdict, Zimmerman been in the news for assaulting and threatening to shoot his wife and his new girlfriend. Those charges were dropped. Then of course, his brother Robert, Jr. and unofficial spokesperson Frank Taaffe were making racially insensitive comments.
And to end the year, Zimmerman sold his own artwork for $100,000.
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| Congress has low approval from the general public. |
3. Government Shutdown. Who would of thought history would repeat itself. Republicans have once again pulled the trigger and misfired? They thought the president would cave to their demands. Nope.
Conservatives were rooting for a government shutdown. They believe government was too big and they wanted a major slim down of the government. The 16-day government shutdown gave credence to Republican showboating.
One in particular was the closing of veteran memorials and national parks. The Republicans didn't think that the government had a right to shutdown parks. They believe the president was being hateful and downright mean to veterans of war. They would tear down barriers and berate park rangers to get their way.
They would piece meal policies to make it seem like they really cared about opening the government.
Do you believe that for those days the government being shutdown, it cost $24 billion!
And of course it caused a crazed situation around the U.S. Capitol. A woman would try to run down people before they opened fire on her.
This month closed out a year with Congress having the worst job approval ever. They rank favorably above the root canal extraction. The Kardashians are more popular than a lawmaker.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), former vice presidential nominee have worked out a deal to prevent another government shutdown. But with a debt ceiling debate in the coming months, will we see another game of chicken being played by Republicans in the House?
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| The Stallmigos. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Rand Paul (R-KY), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX). |
4. The Rise Of Stallmigos. The four Republican Senators who managed to shake things up like Mama Grizzly. The unaccomplished members of the U.S. Senate.
Could you imagine one member who refuses to stand down?
One man who challenges his own party on policies.
One member who inspired the government shutdown.
Did you know that a Texas politico came close to being Time's Person of The Year?
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is the only Republican that excites the base. The conservatives love the confrontational approach against the president. Cruz who is floated around as a potential candidate for president has plans to renounce his Canadian citizenship.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has inspired a filibuster over the nomination. Cruz would later follow over the defunding of the Obamacare law.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) would jeopardize his street cred over immigration reform.
Salon wrote about the Tea Party (and the Stallmigots).
The Tea Party is less popular than ever, with even many Republicans now viewing the movement negatively. Overall, nearly half of the public (49 percent) has an unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party, while 30 percent have a favorable opinion,” the Pew Research Center.
They concluded with a 10 point list to why the Tea Party is in decline.
1. They really don’t care about America as a nation. For the past 25 years, Pew said that polls routinely find that about 55 percent of American voters want representatives in Congress to put local concerns ahead of “what they think is best for the country.” Tea Partiers disproportionately take that view. “Among Tea Party Republicans, fully 76 percent say members should vote against a bill their constituents oppose, even if he or she thinks it is in the best interest of the country,” Pew said. “Just 22 percent say the lawmaker should prioritize the national interest.”
2. Forget national solutions to national problems. Since three-quarters of Tea Partiers value a confederacy of GOP-run provinces more than an effective national government, it’s not surprising that they are always talking about making government smaller. But, as Pew found, that rhetoric means dismantling big public programs and overlooking public needs that were behind their creation in the first place.
“A driving attitude of the Tea Party is a belief in smaller government,” Pew said. “Fully 92 percent of Tea Party Republicans prefer a smaller government with fewer services, just 5 percent want a bigger government. Among non-Tea Party Republicans, a smaller government is preferred by a less one-sided 67 percent to 28 percent margin.” Tea Partiers tend to be older, whiter and wealthier than other Republicans—and other Americans, Pew said, which fits their self-centered, gated-community mindset.
3. They don’t believe in new government debt. Despite all the warnings by economists and even foreign leaders, such as Italy’s prime minister speaking at the White House on Thursday—who feared a default would raise global interest rates and spark a downward spiral—69 percent of Tea Parties said it was “not essential” to raise the U.S. debt limit, Pew said. That was 25 percent higher than “non-Tea Party” Republicans, Pew said.
4. They think Wall St. should be deregulated. Even though 2008’s global economic collapse started on Wall Street with bad bets by investors on the U.S. housing market, 79 percent of Tea Partiers say that government had gone too far with “regulating financial institutions,” Pew said. That was 26 percent higher than non-Tea Party Republicans.
5. They hate Obamacare. This is no surprise, of course, because the Tea Party crusade to repeal or defund the Affordable Care Act was the spark and rallying cry behind the government shutdown. Pew found that 95 percent of Tea Partiers opposed Obamacare, compared to 80 percent of non-Tea Party Republicans.
6. They’d gut Social Security and Medicare. Pew found that 73 percent of Tea Partiers would cut funds to these retirement programs to pay down the federal debt, which, again, is consistent with their “I’ve got mine; go get yours” mentality. Notably, Pew found that 46 percent of non-Tea Party Republicans said funding those entitlement programs was a more important priority than paying down the federal debt.
7. They Also Want To Outlaw Abortion. Pew found that 64 percent of Tea Parties want abortion to be illegal, compared to 51 percent of the rest of the GOP. While some polling firms have said that the Tea Party’s libertarian leanings are at odds with the evangelical wing of the party on this issue, Pew’s findings suggest overlap on the rightwing fringes—where evangelicals now are identifying themselves with the Tea Party movement.
8. They Oppose Same-Sex Marriage. Here too, there seems to be a blending of the libertarian and evangelical right, as 69 percent of Republicans who identified with the Tea Party opposed same-sex marriage, compared to 54 percent of non-Tea Party Republicans.
9. They want more oil and gas drilling. Tea Partiers have railed against climate change science and government responses because they feel it will bring more federal regulation of consumers. Pew found that 73 percent of Tea Partiers want to “expand traditional energy,” which means oil, gas and fracking, compared to 53 percent of non-Tea Party Republicans who want to “develop alternatives.”
10. They want more guns in America. Pew found that 93 percent of Tea Partiers say it’s important to “protect gun rights,” compared to 29 percent of non-Tea Party Republicans who said it was more important to “control [gun] ownership” than protect gun rights.
So I guess this Midterm is coin toss! I am hoping we get inspired. We need to put the Republicans back into the minority. They've wasted their time fighting battles of the past. It's time to move forward. It's essential to get things done.
5. The Hip-Hop Meltdown.
Did you hear talk about Lil' Wayne almost dying?
Did you know that Kendrick Lamar and Chris Brown called out Drake over his "pop rap" style?
Did you know Jay-Z and Beyonce were in Cuba?
What about Snoop Dogg changing his name to Snoop Lion?
Did you hear about DMX being on Dr. Phil?
Well there were so many things happening in the hip-hop community.
Many of the entertainers offered 2013 with the most outrageous behavior. Start with Rihanna being caught smoking a joint and fingering off the people. She has gotten a whole lot of sympathy post the incident.
But the more I've seen, the less I like about her. Her former boyfriend Chris Brown got in trouble more than enough times. He attacked Frank Ocean. He and his crew threw bottles at Drake's crew and injured people with flying glass. He would get into a fight in Washington, DC. He would put up ugly painting on his property in Los Angeles, pissing off his neighbors. His latest album tanked. And he said he'll retire if he gets in trouble.
We're waiting on you Mr. Brown.
Beyonce and Jay-Z are the power couple. Unlike Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, I have more respect for Queen Bey and Hova. They keep their business out of the media. They may end up being involuntarily caught up in something like using stock footage of 1986 NASA Challenger tragedy in music videos, the Cuba vacation or sponsoring a company that profiles its customers.
What makes them so cool is the fact they release digital albums without even announcing them publicly.
Jay-Z did it first with his Magna Carta....Holy Grail this year. Beyonce did her self-titled album this month.
Both albums went platinum.
Kanye and Kim welcomed their first child. The junk food media was shocked by the name of their daughter. The couple named their child North. And the outrageous marriage proposal came this year.
Eminem returned for the highly anticipated Marshall Mathers 2 LP which brought fans back the darker and more edgier style the rapper was known for. The Marshall Mathers 2 LP was the most successful album this year. This doesn't match the Marshall Mathers LP, the top selling hip-hop album of the previous decade.
Lil' Wayne released I Am Not A Human Being II. During his album release, he was in trouble for rapping on Future's Karate Chop Remix saying he'll beat that pussy like it was Emmett Till. That got him dropped from Mountain Dew. Then they told that he had a codeine induced seizure where it nearly cost him his life. He caught flack for accidentally stepping on the American flag.
Then there was talk about tension between him, Nicki Minaj and Drake. Then of course he's released the Dedication 5 mixtape which surpassed over 1 million downloads.
Drake released the Nothing Was The Same album. This along with Eminem and Jay-Z's albums were probably the only top selling hip-hop albums. The Canadian rapper/singer/entertainer has brought the swag back.
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| Drake and Kendrick Lamar |
He's been very busy establishing his own label OVO Sound. He still riding with Young Money/Cash Money for the time being, but there's probably tension with the labels. I mean he's been the only rapper who manages to attract stans from both borders. He gross about $20 million in record and ticket sales.
So much popularity, Kendrick Lamar had to get involved. Lamar goes after J. Cole, Mac Miller, Drake, Pusha T and others on Big Sean's Control single. The rapper pissed off a lot of rappers by releasing that mega diss. I mean it's was the best diss I've heard in some time. But from the subliminal attacks from J. Cole and Drake aiming back, the microphone is still hot after Kendrick Lamar touched it.
Kendrick Lamar was bold enough to say fuck perennial loser Mitt Romney. That song was recorded during 2012. It was a scrapped single on B.o.B's album and it was pushed back because Atlantic knew that the single would carry controversy. The racist right would go after President Barack Obama because of it.
Kanye West released Yeezus.
Juicy J had his first commercial success by releasing Stay Trippy.
2 Chainz released his sophomore album B.O.A.T.S. II.
The Game leaves Interscope and jumps onto the Cash Money/Young Money label. Some consider the move a disaster for the troubled rapper. But since he's trying to stay relevant, I guess he made the right decision.
T.I. has left Atlantic Records after 10 years with the label. He would find home with Columbia Records. And during his reboot of the Grand Hustle label, his protege Doe B was gunned down this month.
Snoop Dogg releases his first reggae album.
Gucci Mane gets fired from his own label. Starts a feud with his labelmate Waka Flocka Flame. And caught a federal case when he bugged out in Atlanta. His career is on the line if he is found guilty of carrying a firearm while being a felon.
Nelly works with Honey Nut Cheerios. His fifth album M.O. was a total flop.
Atlanta rapper Future and pop singer Ciara are getting married soon. The rapper rose to fame by rapping on autotune hooks and having catchy singles. His sophomore album was pushed back in 2013. It will probably be released in February. He, Miley Cyrus and many rappers endorsed the controversial Molly craze that has they're inspiring their stans to ecstasy and drinking codeine flavored Sprite.
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| Rick Ross and Future. |
Rick Ross made the list of the year. He, Wale and Meek Mill put out very decent albums. They did better on their mixtapes than their albums, though.
Rozay was nearly killed after he was driving in his hometown of Miami. He pissed off the Gangsta Disciples after rapping a verse dissing them. He recruited Meek Mill, Gunplay, Omarion, Stalley, French Montana, Wale and DJ Scream to his upstart Maybach Music Group label.
The rapper has seen the county lockup for brawling and acting a fool.
Rozay also rap a verse on Rocko's U.N.E.N.O. single where he put a molly in her cup and hit that when she passed out. It got him dropped from Reebok.
On the bright side, his album God Forgives, I Don't went gold in 2012. And his new album Mastermind was supposed to be release this year. It's pushed back for a release in 2014.
Is there anything I missed, let me know! Cause these entertainers were featured on Journal de la Reyna.
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| The racist right's fight against affordable healthcare. |
6. Obamacare malfunction. Did you know the Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act over 40 times?
The Republicans were lockstep in trying to defund, repeal, and threaten impeachment over the president's signature law. The law is supposed to help Americans get affordable health insurance.
The fights throughout 2009 to 2012 were suppose to be over. The Republicans lost the battle in 2012 when the Supreme Court ruled it to be constitutional.
It didn't stop Republicans from continuing their fight against it. Leading the way was Michele Bachmann, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Darrell Issa. Each Republican had some issue with it. Whether truthful or not, it was something that got them flocking to the television.
When October came, the Stallmigos were threatening to shut the government down if the president refused to defund the healthcare law. So as the government shutdown, the Obamacare rollout started.
It was a total disaster. The website was crashing and the people weren't going to jump onto the website.
Republicans worked overtime to scare up citizens.
Out of nowhere some crazy ass White people would say they weren't getting Obamacare coverage. They would run to Loserville and CBS News to cry about how Obamacare is dangerous and people should avoid it.
So with all the fuzz about the healthcare law rolled out and the president's credibility takes a nosedive.
Before the end of the year, the White House can say they've managed to rebound from the rollout.
Over 1.4 million people have enrolled in the month of December. The Healthcare Marketplace is nearly operational and Congress is calling for investigations in the company that handled the website in earlier runs.
Still a rough ride is ahead. Republicans signaled they'll use Obamacare around the necks of Democrats.
Republicans will hope people will ignore their lackluster achievements and focus solely on the healthcare law.
7. Christopher Dorner Shooting Massacre. LAPD is one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country. But however, its one of the infamous for its tactical strategies against gangs and motorist.
One former cop, Christopher Dorner was livid over his apparent firing. So instead of moving on to other agencies, he plotted revenge on his superiors. He would pick off members one by one.
A manifesto posted on Facebook, which police say was written by Dorner, declared "unconventional and asymmetric warfare" upon the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), their families, and their associates, until the LAPD admitted publicly he was fired in retaliation for reporting excessive force.
In two separate incidents during the manhunt, police shot at three civilians unrelated to Dorner, mistaking their pickup trucks for the vehicle being driven by Dorner. One of the civilians was hit by the police gunfire, another was wounded by shattered glass, and a third individual was injured when police rammed his vehicle and opened fire on them.
His first target was a woman named Monica Quan, the assistant head coach of a woman's basketball team at Cal State Fullerton. She was the daughter of a retired superior who defended Dorner when he was getting his walking papers.
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| Monica Quan and her boyfriend/fiance Keith Lawrence were killed by Christopher Dorner. |
Keith Lawrence, Quan's boyfriend was killed as well. Lawrence was a police officer at the University of Southern California. They were planning on getting married this year.
Dorner managed to take his rampage through the hills of Los Angeles and managed to kill two officers as they approached his vehicle.
While on the run, the FBI issues a high maintenance warning to residents. He was a suicidal and considered extremely dangerous.
Dorner would be sought after for over four days. Many people called this murderer a "hero" because he stood up for the "little guy".
Were these people standing up for Monica and Keith? I mean they were innocent victims of a crazed man who thought the LAPD shafted him over his performance.
Dorner was caught up in the woods. He was stationed in a shack. And as the LAPD and ATF were approaching, Dorner went out firing. So they've returned fire. Somehow the gunfire started to cease and then all of sudden smoke comes out the shack. Either they shot Dorner to death or he managed to commit suicide by set the shack on fire. He knew that he wasn't going to go out like punk. He knew what he was doing.
During the month of January this was the biggest story. During that time a young Chicago girl was murdered after she attended Obama's second inauguration.
8. Ohio Rape Story: Over in Steubenville, Ohio. A young girl is raped by two star football players. The townspeople knew about it, but no one decided to respond to the situation appropriately.
Ma'lik Richmond and Trent Mays were popular students at the school.
Who would of thought that one night of drinking and partying would land these two in some hot water?
I mean c'mon guys, are you that stupid?
Apparently so.
The young girl was so intoxicated, the guys didn't care whether she was even alive when they had sex with her. Regardless of what that young girl did, these two men should have used proper judgement when getting involved with a person.
The coaches and superintendent knew about the situation and got sacked.
The jocular attitude of the assailants was documented on Facebook, Twitter, text messages, and cell phone recordings of the acts. The crime and ensuing legal proceedings generated considerable controversy and galvanized a national conversation about rape and rape culture.
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| Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond in juvenile court for rape of West Virginia girl. |
Two students and high school football players, Ma'lik Richmond and Trent Mays, both 16 at the time of the crime, were convicted in juvenile court for the rape of a minor. Additionally, three other adults have been indicted for obstructing the investigation into the rape, while Steubenville's superintendent of schools has been charged with hindering the investigation into a rape that took place earlier in 2012.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine wanted to sweep the town of all its elected leaders. Because apparently, some of those partying teens were the sons and daughters of local leaders.
Hackivist group Anonymous got the ball rolling and made it a national story. Trust me, it would have been swept under the rug if it wasn't for them.
The judge tried Mays and Richmond as juveniles and adjudicated them "delinquent beyond reasonable doubt," the juvenile equivalent of a guilty verdict. Each defendant received the minimum sentence for their convicted crimes, with the possibility of remaining in juvenile detention until age 21.
The judge set the minimum sentence of one year for Richmond, who was found guilty of penetrating the girl while she was unconscious. Mays, who was found guilty of penetrating the girl while she was unconscious and disseminating pornographic pictures of her, was given the minimum sentence of two years.
Because the girl was a minor, Mays was charged with and convicted of the dissemination of child pornography, which is the reason for his additional year in juvenile detention. Whether or not Mays and Richmond will be added to the sexual-offenders registry depends on a future hearing to evaluate their behavior once they have turned 21
This tragedy will be a memorable moment in 2013.
9. Blood Brothers: Hannity and Drudge.
I've frequently talked about these two. These two were the most annoying and most notorious race-baiters of all time this year. Matt Drudge (who I refer to as That Guy Who Throws Shit To The Wall) has driven the narrative of Black on White crime. His news agitator The Drudge Report is the gateway to outright racist comments that come from readers who click on the links posted.
Online racism is very prominent in the links to local news stories that are ginned up by The Drudge Report.
It's proven that for every 100 comments, there's at least 75% of them being racist or downright stupid.
He's been granted the best year for gaining over 1.3 billion clicks this year. The worst for being an aggregation of the right wing hate.
Sean Hannity (who I refer to as That Guy Who Helped Obama Win) is a serial name dropper. He can't go one minute without mentioning Barack Obama's name. I mean in a single sentence, you'll hear the name. It's like he has ADHD whenever he's talking and ranting about how the government is bad under Obama's leadership.
It comes as no surprise that most of the daily rants from Hannity comes from The Drudge Report.
While crime in America is slightly down, there's talk about these events. I mean who would of thought that one man and his small team of trash sniffers would profit off the rage of White America?
Who would of thought, that the most annoying conservative agitator to be demoted after five successful years of being a solo act?
10. Boston Marathon Bombing. Tragedy happened on April 15, 2013. The Boston Marathon went so far without any problems. Until we gotten to the finish line. And boom, two packages go off injuring hundreds, killing three people. Two men who were just as normal as you and I, were the masterminds of this horrible event.
The bombs exploded about 13 seconds near the finish line on Boylston Street.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took over the investigation, and on April 18, released photographs and surveillance video of two suspects.
The suspects were identified later that day as Chechen brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Shortly after the FBI released the images, the suspects allegedly killed an MIT police officer, carjacked an SUV, and initiated an exchange of gunfire with the police in Watertown, Massachusetts. During the firefight, an MBTA police officer was injured but survived with severe blood loss. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot by police and then run over by his brother Dzhokhar and died. Dzhokhar was injured but escaped.
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| Boston Marathon suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. |
Dzhokhar was later found hiding in a boat, badly wounded but alive. He was treated for injuries and hauled off to the federal time out. He will be on trial in the coming year for a destructive murder charge. He will likely get the gas chamber if found guilty.
Now as Russia prepares for the Winter Olympics, many radicalized terrorists will try their best over there to blow up stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if one was to strap themselves with a detonator and blow up around a mass population here in the United States.
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| Mission Accomplished. |
11. Edward Snowden. This is the one guy most are undecided on. Is he a hero or a traitor? While taking a posh job at the NSA, Snowden managed to grab a lot of secrets and decided to leak it out to the press. He wanted to be a hero to the libertarian movement by telling the world, the America is listening to your conversations. He managed to elude the feds by taking temporary asylum in Russia. If he was caught, he would have suffered a fate like Bradley (Chelsea) Manning.
Snowden's release of classified material was called the most significant leak in US history by Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg. A series of exposés beginning in June 2013 revealed Internet surveillance programs such as PRISM, XKeyscore and Tempora, as well as the interception of US and European telephone metadata. The reports were based on documents Snowden leaked to The Guardian and The Washington Post while employed by NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. By November 2013, the Guardian had published one percent of the documents, with "the worst yet to come".
A subject of controversy, Snowden has been variously called a hero, whistleblower, a dissident, a traitor, and a patriot. According to Snowden, his "sole motive" for leaking the documents was "to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them."
The disclosures have fueled debates over mass surveillance, government secrecy, and the balance between national security and information privacy. Six months after the NSA revelations began, Snowden declared his mission accomplished, citing the international debate sparked by his leaks.
A federal judge in December 2013 ruled that the government had "almost certainly" violated the US Constitution by collecting metadata on nearly every phone call within or to the United States. Less than 2 weeks later, a different federal judge ruled the surveillance program was legal, raising the likelihood that the constitutionality of the program would ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
Snowden is considered a fugitive by American authorities who have charged him with espionage and theft of government property.
By standards of the FBI, Snowden is considered armed and dangerous and potential flight risk.
Snowden is hoping to seek asylum in Germany and the Brazil. He is giving all the information to those who are willing to know.
Do you believe Edward Snowden did the right thing or caused a danger to those in the espionage industry?
12. Knockout game.
This was getting play in the white extremist circles. Some asshat went on That Guy Who Helped Obama's right wing carnival to promote this book about "us Black folks" participating in this "knockout game".
We "Black folk" are trying to destroy White America with the five finger roll.
The young Black youth are running amok in America laying the five finger roll on the faces of unsuspecting White folks. This is the new game sponsored by Trayvon Martin and President Barack Obama says those in the conservative media.
This Asshat Colin Flaherty wrote this book White Girl Bleed A Lot and it outlines all the "statistics" about "us Black folks" being the racist, violent, hateful, and destructive entities of our country.
Asshat Colin Flaherty claims he's an author of a book I've never heard of. He believes that racial violence is an everyday thing. He is contributor to WorldNutDaily. So obviously he'll "brag" about being some award winning writer who gets airplay on many news outlets. Whenever on a right wing media outlet this asshole talks about "racial violence (aka Black folks and the rest of America ignoring him)".
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| Asshat Colin Flaherty, the new Breitbart. |
Of course this new theme is welded in the minds of White people. This so-called knockout game has became the issue of the year. I mean from hearing talk about it, one is to believe that "US BLACK FOLK" are wild savages. We're just randomly knocking out White people and taping it on YouTube.
I mean from the kid getting beaten up on the bus and to random people getting knocked out in urban areas.
Serious injuries and even deaths have been attributed to the "knockout game". While news sources report that there has been an escalation of such attacks in late 2013, with some identifying it as a hate crime and/or a crime requiring new targeted legislation, some media analysts have cast doubt on this and have labeled the trend, although not the reported attacks themselves, a myth or an example of panic.
Many assaults are committed by youths.
In the coverage of the attacks in 2013, some on the racist right have focused on racial factors, alleging that the crimes are being committed primarily by African American youth and criticizing the media for ignoring the alleged racial nature of these attacks.
Critics often note that this righteous worry is nothing more than political dog whistle. Some of the handful assaults does not make it a trend, nor does a bunch of kids saying they were playing the "knockout game".
From every aspect of America, crime happens. No matter what statistics the racist right post, it doesn't determine the intelligence or aspects of criminal behavior.
I know that criminals look at opportunity, not race! I don't determine who commits a crime.
Crime is based on the product of the environment.
Conservatives are simple minded individuals. They show such disdain for President Barack Obama and the Black community.
So this is probably why they harp on the knockout game!
Is it possible that this is becoming a trend.
Well I'm done ranting for 2013. We're beginning a new year. Hope the best for all the readers here at Journal de la Reyna. If you have any other things you want to talk about in 2013. Send some feedback and I'll add more to the list.
On behalf of me and S. Baldwin, we thank you for reading and hope that you continue to bring us positive feedback on the latest things going on.
Bruce is now far along in the process, has undergone various procedures and psychological counseling, and is ready to show his journey to the world. Our sources say it's so far along his docuseries will air as early as May.
