REALITYCHEX.COM - Constant Comments - The Commentariat -- July 14, 2013

The Ledes

Monday, June 30, 2025

It's summer in our hemisphere, and people across Guns America have nothing to do but shoot other people.

New York Times: “A gunman deliberately started a wildfire in a rugged mountain area of Idaho and then shot at the firefighters who responded, killing two and injuring another on Sunday afternoon in what the local sheriff described as a 'total ambush.' Law enforcement officers exchanged fire with the gunman while the wildfire burned, and officials later found the body of the male suspect on the mountain with a firearm nearby, Sheriff Robert Norris of Kootenai County said at a news conference on Sunday night. The authorities said they believed the suspect had acted alone but did not release any information about his identity or motives.” A KHQ-TV (Spokane) report is here.

New York Times: “The New York City police were investigating a shooting in Manhattan on Sunday night that left two people injured steps from the Stonewall Inn, an icon of the L.G.B.T.Q. rights movement. The shooting occurred outside a nearby building in Greenwich Village at 10:15 p.m., Sgt. Matthew Forsythe of the New York Police Department said. The New York City Pride March had been held in Manhattan earlier on Sunday, and Mayor Eric Adams said on social media that the shooting happened as Pride celebrations were ending. One victim who was shot in the head was in critical condition on Monday morning, a spokeswoman for the Police Department said. A second victim was in stable condition after being shot in the leg, she said. No suspect had been identified. The police said it was unclear if the shooting was connected to the Pride march.”

New York Times: “A dangerous heat wave is gripping large swaths of Europe, driving temperatures far above seasonal norms and prompting widespread health and fire alerts. The extreme heat is forecast to persist into next week, with minimal relief expected overnight. France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are among the nations experiencing the most severe conditions, as meteorologists warn that Europe can expect more and hotter heat waves in the future because of climate change.”

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New York Times: “The New York Times Company has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence platforms, the company said on Thursday. The multiyear agreement 'will bring Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences,' the news organization said in a statement. Besides news articles, the agreement encompasses material from NYT Cooking, The Times’s food and recipe site, and The Athletic, which focuses on sports. This is The Times’s first licensing arrangement with a focus on generative A.I. technology. In 2023, The Times sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, for copyright infringement, accusing the tech companies of using millions of articles published by The Times to train automated chatbots without any kind of compensation. OpenAI and Microsoft have rejected those accusations.” ~~~

~~~ Marie: I have no idea what this means for "the Amazon customer experience." Does it mean that if I don't have a NYT subscription but do have Amazon Prime I can read NYT content? And where, exactly, would I find that content? I don't know. I don't know.

Washington Post reporters asked three AI image generators what a beautiful woman looks like. "The Post found that they steer users toward a startlingly narrow vision of attractiveness. Prompted to show a 'beautiful woman,' all three tools generated thin women, without exception.... Her body looks like Barbie — slim hips, impossible waist, round breasts.... Just 2 percent of the images showed visible signs of aging. More than a third of the images had medium skin tones. But only nine percent had dark skin tones. Asked to show 'normal women,' the tools produced images that remained overwhelmingly thin.... However bias originates, The Post’s analysis found that popular image tools struggle to render realistic images of women outside the Western ideal." ~~~

~~~ Marie: The reporters seem to think they are calling out the AI programs for being unrealistic. But there's a lot about the "beautiful women" images they miss. I find these omissions remarkably sexist. For one thing, the reporters seem to think AI is a magical "thing" that self-generates. It isn't. It's programmed. It's programmed by boys, many of them incels who have little or no experience or insights beyond comic books and Internet porn of how to gauge female "beauty." As a result, the AI-generated women look like cartoons; that is, a lot like an air-brushed photo of Kristi Noem: globs of every kind of dark eye makeup, Scandinavian nose, Botox lips, slathered-on skin concealer/toner/etc. makeup, long dark hair and the aforementioned impossible Barbie body shape, including huge, round plastic breasts.

New York Times: “George Clooney’s Broadway debut, 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' has been one of the sensations of the 2024-25 theater season, breaking box office records and drawing packed houses of audiences eager to see the popular movie star in a timely drama about the importance of an independent press. Now the play will become much more widely available: CNN is planning a live broadcast of the penultimate performance, on June 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern. The performance will be preceded and followed by coverage of, and discussion about, the show and the state of journalism.”

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. -- Magna Carta ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “Bought for $27.50 after World War II, the faint, water stained manuscript in the library of Harvard Law School had attracted relatively little attention since it arrived there in 1946. That is about to change. Two British academics, one of whom happened on the manuscript by chance, have discovered that it is an original 1300 version — not a copy, as long thought — of Magna Carta, the medieval document that helped establish some of the world’s most cherished liberties. It is one of just seven such documents from that date still in existence.... A 710-year-old version of Magna Carta was sold in 2007 for $21.3 million.... First issued in 1215, it put into writing a set of concessions won by rebellious barons from a recalcitrant King John of England — or Bad King John, as he became known in folklore. He later revoked the charter, but his son, Henry III, issued amended versions, the last one in 1225, and Henry’s son, Edward I, in turn confirmed the 1225 version in 1297 and again in 1300.”

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The Commentariat -- July 14, 2013

Meghashyam Mali of Reuters: "Attorney General Eric Holder faces a crucial decision on whether to press federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, after the neighborhood watchman was acquitted Saturday in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. The NAACP and other leading civil rights groups are pressing for Holder to open a federal case against Zimmerman, after he was found not guilty on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges by a Florida jury." ...

... CW: the Zimmerman case -- because it is so high-profile -- is an ideal candidate for federal charges. Except against wealthy defendants, where it's worthwhile to bring a civil suit, the threat of a federal rap is the only deterrent against reckless disregard for human life. ...

... Jelani Cobb in the New Yorker: "There’s fear that the verdict will embolden vigilantes, but that need not be the concern: history has already done that." Thanks to Diane for the link. ...

** ... Andrew Cohen of the Atlantic: "... you can go looking for trouble in Florida, with a gun and a great deal of racial bias, and you can find that trouble, and you can act upon that trouble in a way that leaves a young man dead, and none of it guarantees that you will be convicted of a crime. But this curious result says as much about Florida's judicial and legislative sensibilities as it does about Zimmerman's conduct that night. This verdict would not have occurred in every state. It might not even have occurred in any other state. But it occurred here, a tragic confluence that leaves a young man's untimely death unrequited under state law. Don't like it? Lobby to change Florida's laws." ...

... Paul Campos in Salon: "Trayvon Martin was stalked by George Zimmerman because he was black. Trayvon Martin is dead because he was black. George Zimmerman was acquitted of killing Trayvon Martin because the boy Zimmerman killed was black."

Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "When President Obama proclaimed that those who commit sexual assault in the military should be 'prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged,' it had an effect he did not intend: muddying legal cases across the country. In at least a dozen sexual assault cases since the president’s remarks at the White House in May, judges and defense lawyers have said that Mr. Obama’s words as commander in chief amounted to 'unlawful command influence,' tainting trials as a result. Military law experts said that those cases were only the beginning and that the president’s remarks were certain to complicate almost all prosecutions for sexual assault."

Mitra Taj of Reuters: "Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian journalist who first published the documents [Edward] Snowden leaked, said in a newspaper interview published on Saturday that the U.S. government should be careful in its pursuit of the former computer analyst. 'Snowden has enough information to cause harm to the U.S. government in a single minute than any other person has ever had,' Greenwald said in an interview in Rio de Janeiro with the Argentinean daily La Nacion. 'The U.S. government should be on its knees every day begging that nothing happen to Snowden, because if something does happen to him, all the information will be revealed and it could be its worst nightmare.'" ...

... Glenn Greenwald confirms that he has a persecution complex: "About the Reuters Article. ... Like everything in the matter of these NSA leaks, this interview is being wildly distorted to attract attention away from the revelations themselves. It's particularly being seized on to attack Edward Snowden and, secondarily, me, for supposedly 'blackmailing' and 'threatening' the US government. That is just absurd." CW translation: "You people are picking on Ed & me." While it is true that Taj does not recite the question to which Greenwald responded, I'll be damned if I can see where a reasonable reader would infer that Greenwald is blackmailing or threatening anyone or that the reporter is attacking Snowden. As Greenwald would say, "That is just absurd." ...

... CW Update: well, okay, Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs writes, "Today, Glenn Greenwald is basically issuing blackmail threats to the US government.... What an amazingly arrogant, skin-crawlingly creepy statement, even for this most arrogant of journalists. Is Greenwald trying to get Edward Snowden killed?" So I stand corrected. Still, I don't take Greenwald's remarks -- in context or out -- as tantamount to blackmail.

Charles Pierce has a nice little essay on the Majority Party in the U.S. House of Representatives: John Boehner "is no more the actual Speaker Of The House than Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is vice-president of the United States. The House Of Representatives is being led by the vicious and demented Id of one of the two major political parties...."

Congressional Race

Matt Gouras of the AP: "Popular former Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Saturday morning that he will not run for Montana's open U.S. Senate seat in 2014, an announcement that complicates Democratic efforts to retain their majority in next year's elections." ...

... Well, maybe that's not so bad. Kathleen Geier of Washington Monthly: "I’ve been less than impressed; Schweitzer is ardently opposed to even the most mild forms of gun control and his anti-tax, pro-war-on-drug rhetoric and policies are the last thing we need more of in Congress. On top of that, recent stories about his alleged links to 'secret money' and rumors of more damaging info to come were causing Montana Democratic officials to have second thoughts about his possible senate candidacy.... There may be an upside here. This Politico story identifies three potential Democratic candidates for the senate seat, and all of them are women."

Local News

Laura Vozzella of the Washington Post profiles Maureen McDonnell, wife of the Virginia governor, who is mightily culpable in the financial scandals that have all but ruined his future in politics.

Paul Nussbaum, et al., of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "In the weeks before the deadly Market Street collapse, the building's owner repeatedly warned top city officials and Salvation Army officials that the demolition could endanger the adjacent Salvation Army thrift store. But that did not prompt the city to step in. Nor did it stop the owner from rapidly demolishing the building - with devastating consequences."

News Ledes

New York Times: "George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, igniting a national debate on racial profiling and civil rights, was found not guilty late Saturday night of second-degree murder. He was also acquitted of manslaughter, a lesser charge."

San Francisco Chronicle: "The third passenger to perish in the Asiana Airlines crash was among the ill-fated group of students on their way from China on a summer tour to learn English, officials confirmed Saturday. Liu Yi Peng, 15, of Jiangshan city in Zhejiang province, died Friday, the same day police confirmed that another fatally injured student in the group, Ye Meng Yuan, 16, had been run over by a fire truck. It is not known whether Ye was alive at the time."

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Regarding the Zimmerman decision, I found this comment to be be interesting: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2013/07/how_much_is_about_florida_law.php?ref=fpblg
"In Florida, if self-defense is even suggested, it’s the states obligation to prove it’s absence beyond a reasonable doubt(!). That’s crazy. But ‘not guilty’ was certainly a reasonable result in this case. As I told in friend in Tampa today though, if you’re ever in a heated argument with anyone, and you’re pretty sure there aren’t any witnesses, it’s always best to kill the other person. They can’t testify, you don’t have to testify, no one else has any idea what happened; how can the state ever prove beyond a doubt is wasn’t self-defense? Holy crap! What kind of system is that?"

July 14, 2013 |

Lisa

Jelani Cobb's New Yorker post on the Zimmerman verdict is well worth the read. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/07/george-zimmerman-not-guilty-blood-on-the-leaves.html

While the Supreme Court continues to ensure that the rights of people of color, women, and the poor are subverted we are quick marching backward.

July 14, 2013 |

Diane

@Lisa: the lawyer who responded to Josh Marshall of TPM is right. The state legislature wrote the Zimmerman verdict before Zimmerman ever pulled the trigger. I didn't follow the case closely, so I don't know whether or not Zimmerman was aware of the stand-your-ground law. It's just as likely that in his mind he was working off a "castle" defense -- that it, he figured he was defending his home turf, even if he wasn't technically on his own property. In any event, he felt justified in not following the 911 operator's instructions to stand down & wait for the police.

As I understand it -- and I might be wrong -- under Florida's stand-your-ground law, you don't even have to assert self-defense; I think you just have to say, "I was scared."

Mix in Florida's permissive carry laws & above-average share of racial prejudice, & the senseless murder of minorities -- particularly males -- is all but inevitable. Could a black or Hispanic person who wasn't wealthy get away with the same "defense" if a white person "scared" him into pulling the trigger? Technically, yes. Actually -- you be the judge.

Marie

July 14, 2013 |

Marie Burns

After this well publicized precedent don't know how domestic disputes are going (or will go) in Florida and other states with ridiculous, but very unfunny stand-your-ground laws, but it occurs to me that the "I felt threatened" trump card might be a lot cheaper and a lot less trouble than a divorce.

Oh...but I'm sure that will never happen.

July 14, 2013 |

Ken Winkes

@Ken, might want to read this: www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/19/marissa-alexander-gets-20_n_1530035.html

"(Marissa) Alexander, a 31-year-old mother of a toddler and 11-year-old twins, knew it was coming. She had claimed self-defense, tried to invoke Florida's "stand your ground" law and rejected plea deals that could have gotten her a much shorter sentence. A jury found her guilty as charged: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Because she fired a gun while committing a felony, Florida's mandatory-minimum gun law dictated the 20-year sentence."

Yes. Black woman gets 20 years! Talk about injustice.

July 14, 2013 |

MAG

There must be in the households of Trayvon Martin's family such deep sadness, such a sense of indignity and such fury at this decision. I cannot fathom how I could ever handle something like this. I recall the shock and anger at the outcome of the trial in "To Kill a Mockingbird" when I first read the book. I was young then and thought nothing like that could ever really happen––what did I know of unfair justice. Yesterday, once again, it reared its ugly head.

July 14, 2013 |

PD Pepe

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