This from the New York Times:

Congressional leaders on Friday voiced dismay and outrage over the killings of police officers in Dallas and called on the American people to unify, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus, while echoing the grief and calls for healing, also demanded that Republicans allow votes to tighten the nation’s gun laws.

“We come to this place each week to represent our constituents who are in pain,” said Representative G.K. Butterfield, Democrat of North Carolina and the chairman of the caucus. “As of June 30, just a few days ago, 491 Americans have been fatally shot by the police; most of those were African-American.”

Mr. Butterfield added, “Last night, despicable crimes were committed against Dallas police officers, and when the dust settled five of them were dead as a result of an organized execution by criminals who possess guns and use them to the extreme. And so the Congressional Black Caucus convenes today to say to America we are continuing our fight to remove guns from the hands of terrorists and would-be criminals.”

Democrats, including the 45-member Black Caucus, have been pushing Republicans to schedule votes on gun control proposals even though those measures are sure to be defeated and similar proposals have already failed in the Senate. They include an effort to block gun sales to individuals on the government’s no-fly list, and a strengthening of mandatory background checks for gun buyers.

“Republicans, what on Earth are you, why are you recoiling and not giving us a debate on gun violence?” Mr. Butterfield said. “Why are you recoiling and not giving us a debate on gun violence? Why not give it a hearing, give us a debate, give us an up-or-down vote on our legislation on gun violence? Why?”

Watch vide below:

The post WATCH: Congressional Black Caucus Condems Police Killings appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Okay, so Hillary isn’t going to jail, because, well, there’s no evidence of criminal wrong-doing. Not that it matters because, of course, many of you find comfort in conspiracy theories. In fact, many believe that Clinton is linked to the deaths of Tupac, Biggie, and Jon Benet Ramsey. But meanwhile, Donald Trump is being sued by a woman for allegedly raping her when she was 13, and it’s hardly mentioned in the media.

Oh, that’s right! Trump isn’t Black, nor did he ever try to buy NBC. Nope, he’s just a wealthy man running for president so allegations of rape aren’t important. Yep, no sexism or racist double standard here.

Listen to a short version of Comey’s announcement below:

Comey said Hillary Clinton and staff were “extremely careless,” in their use of a private email server. However, there’s no evidence to warrant criminal prosecution. This might not make sense to some as it seems that an indictment should be the investigation’s natural conclusion.

Because, well, if your name is Bill or Hillary Clinton you’ve committed every crime on the books between Arkansas and Washington D.C.

The FBI Knows Bullshit When It Sees It

Well, driving down the street with a hot cup of coffee between your legs is also “extremely careless.” However, it’s hardly a crime. Careless? Yes. Extremely careless? Damn right. Now, think about the last time someone went to jail for driving with a hot cup of coffee in their lap. Has that ever happened? No. Will it ever happen? Probably not ever.

Now, if you do the extremely careless act of driving with a hot cup of coffee in your crotch. Let’s say you do that and because of a scorched genital area you have a wreck. Yes, and let’s say your wreck results in the death of someone other than yourself. While unfortunate for all involved, legally what occurred amounts to negligent homicide, at the least.

Okay, so let’s bring it back to Clinton. Did Clinton’s extremely reckless use of her email account compromise national security? Meh. What I do know is that according to Comey, there’s no evidence that Clinton’s email server was hacked.  So, sorry, but there’s no there, there. None. Nothing. Nada!

But, of course, you can’t tell that to Republicans with their thirty-year Clinton witch hunt. Nor can you explain any of this to the remaining six supporters of Bernie Sanders still holding out in hope that Clinton would be indicted. You know, because the game is rigged. Sorry, wrong again.

Here’s A Better Explanation

Back in April, in POLITICO, Josh Gerstein foreshadowed the FBI’s recommendation with a report that showed a marked difference between Clinton’s case, and other cases where mishandled information were prosecuted. As noted in the report, the difference was willful intent:

The examination, which included cases spanning the past two decades, found some with parallels to Clinton’s use of a private server for her emails, but — in nearly all instances that were prosecuted — aggravating circumstances that don’t appear to be present in Clinton’s case.

The relatively few cases that drew prosecution almost always involved a deliberate intent to violate classification rules as well as some add-on element: An FBI agent who took home highly sensitive agency records while having an affair with a Chinese agent; a Boeing engineer who brought home 2000 classified documents and whose travel to Israel raised suspicions; a National Security Agency official who removed boxes of classified documents and also lied on a job application form.

[…] A former senior FBI official told POLITICO that when it comes to mishandling of classified information the Justice Department has traditionally turned down prosecution of all but the most clear-cut cases.

“If you look at the history of what they pursued, you really had to have a slam-bam case that met all the elements,” said the ex-official, who asked not to be named.

Statistics support the view that prosecutions in the area are sparing.

Between 2011 and 2015, federal prosecutors disposed of 30 referrals from investigators in cases where the main proposed charge was misdemeanor mishandling of classified information, according to data obtained from the Justice Department by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Prosecution was declined in 80 percent of those cases. Of the six where charges were filed, all the defendants apparently pled guilty, the data show.

[…]The Espionage Act makes it a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison to cause sensitive national security information to “be removed from its proper place of custody” as a result of “gross negligence.” Another law makes it a misdemeanor to remove classified “documents or material without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location.” Still another makes it a felony to conceal or remove official federal government records.

Now, in the event that you think I’m way off base here. Do yourself a favor and check out the video below for a more professional explanation as to why the FBI Director recommended no indictment of Clinton. In the video below, former federal prosecutor James Melendres weighs in.

The post FBI: Clinton Email Scandal Was Bullshit All Along appeared first on Madness & Reality.

But hey, don’t tell that to Sen. Bernie Sanders; or, any of the many supporters he has that are still holding out. I suspect anything short of an unveiling of a 10ft. golden statue of Bernie at the convention in a few weeks, wouldn’t be good enough.You know, ’cause anything less just isn’t progressive enough, or to their liking.

After all, Democrats must appease Sanders because…

You can head over to Mother Jones if you’re interested in reading the full draft of the document. Mind you, it’s simply the final draft and it’s non-binding until the final version is voted on in Orlando, Florida, by the Platform Committee. However, below is a summary of what’s in it.

Now, aren’t you excited?!!

Yippee!!!!

The post Democrats Release Party Platform Draft appeared first on Madness & Reality.

However, I’ve been questioning whether Trump’s attacks on Elizabeth Warren’s Native American heritage by referring to her as “Pocahontas,” as another example of his racism. I mean, Trump is pretty fucking stupid. He thinks Belgium is a city and that Afghan is a country. That said, could it be that the only reason Trump refers to Warren as Pocahontas is because he doesn’t know how to spell Sacagawea?

But now, even while I still think Trump is just too dumb and unable to spell Sacagawea, there’s new information to confirm what we already knew. That would be, that Trump has had a disdain for Native Americans for a very long time. Because, just as he now insists Elizabeth Warren has no “Native American blood,” Trump once claimed Native casino owners didn’t deserve special status during congressional testimony in 1993.

Watch the video below:

My man Rude Pundit says that the real Pocahontas would fuck Trump’s shit up, and I absolutely agree. Hell, as it is today, Trump’s bitch-ass can’t even deal with the virtual verbal assaults of Elizabeth Warren in 140 character tweets. But no, Trump is a tough guy. Trump and the feral rat he wears on his head may have his knuckle-dragging supporters fooled. Which doesn’t really matter because any undying love from Klansmen and racists alike, is not sustainable. As far as this election cycle goes, with Trump’s numbers tanking as they have, from the looks of it, the silent majority, while not all that silent, just ain’t too much of a majority either.

Trump will continue to encourage his surrogates to never apologize to Elizabeth Warren and the general public for being racist, and that’s fine.

Lord knows I can’t wait to see Trump get his teeth kicked in by Hillary Clinton in November. Oh, and especially if Clinton picks Elizabeth Warren as her running mate. Yes, I’d pay to watch that scalping anytime.

The post Sorry, Elizabeth Warren: Trump Hates Native Americans – It’s Not Just You appeared first on Madness & Reality.

In the airstrike, many innocent patients – some of whom were children – and doctors were killed. Amid the confusion of the incident, what’s known for sure is that many of the doctors were volunteers and were members of the organization Doctors Without Borders. The bombing of the hospital has been characterized as a war crime.

Oh well, stuff happens…

I mean, yeah it sucks that it was a hospital that was bombed.

But hey, it’s not like it was a wedding filled with innocent brown-skinned people with funny-sounding names who happen to pray to the east or anything.

But I digress…

“I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view, and while it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe. Today’s ruling, the first clear statement on this issue in 127 years, will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.

 

“As President, I will uphold the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun-owners, hunters, and sportsmen. I know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact common-sense laws, like closing the gun show loophole and improving our background check system, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. Today’s decision reinforces that if we act responsibly, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe.” – President Barack Obama on the Washington v. Heller Supreme Court decision in 2008

About this gun control debate, let me say this: guns are dangerous.

Why? Because obviously, guns can be used as a tool to kill people.

Having said that, the assumption that “guns are the problem and not people,” is an ill-formed asinine position. Well, that’s unless guns literally walk into public schools – and other public spaces – by themselves, and decide to kill, all on their own.

Guns as an instrument of death are only as effective as the intent of the person pulling the trigger. What wee should be asking ourselves, is why would anyone disregard the value of human life to pull the trigger of any firearm pointed at another human being?

Outside of using a gun for self-defense, the short answer is hate.

Let’s be honest, folks: Nobody points a gun at or in the direction of other human beings and pulls the trigger out of love. No, it’s not like when your parents would beat your ass when you were a kid, all because they love you. A conscious decision to pull the trigger of a gun pointed at anyone outside of an act of self-defense is a conscious decision to kill another human being.

Personally, I don’t think anyone should have that much power. But even so, outside of the occasional accidental hospital airstrike, though guns aren’t my thing, I understand the fascination with them by some here in America. Heck, nothing says “fuck your teepee, like owning a gun.

But, that’s just me being the guy who refuses to own a gun for that reason.

• Not everyone can own a gun. The right does not extend to felons or the mentally ill.
• Guns cannot be carried everywhere. Laws forbidding individuals from carrying  firearms in “sensitive” places, such as schools and government buildings, will probably stand.
• Certain restrictions on the sale of guns are allowed. Laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of firearms will most likely stand.
• Individuals do not have the right to carry certain types of guns. The right does not protect guns that are not generally owned for lawful purposes, such as short-barreled shotguns. Just what kind of handguns may be possessed is not explicitly set forth in the opinion (apart from the one specific reference to sawed-off shotguns, which are not allowed).  The Court did endorse the “the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of ‘dangerous and unusual weapons,'” but did not state whether such weapons include assault weapons or semi-automatic weapons.
• Concealed weapons. Laws forbidding people to carry concealed weapons on their person (or in a place close at hand, such as the glove compartment of a car) probably remain valid.
• Sentence enhancements. A variety of criminal laws provide for increased punishment of offenders who use weapons when committing a crime. Heller does not affect the validity of these laws.

What’s funny to hear is how Barack Obama is characterized as an “anti-gun” politician.

Let some of our friends on the political right tell it, Obama is a Nazi Socialist who sees us owning guns as an impediment to his iron-fisted rule. This couldn’t be further from the truth given that Obama actually supported the majority decision of the conservative court decision on Heller.

To be sure, Obama has made no apologies for politicizing the recent mass shooting in Oregon for the sole purpose of once again pushing for what he calls “common sense” gun control. And as you can see as laid out by the SCOTUS decision on Heller in 2008, nothing that Obama proposes is outside of the scope of what the Second Amendment affords any citizen of the United States that qualifies to own a gun.

I’m sick of the debate. I’m sick of the irrational thoughts that passes for arguments on gun control that comes from both sides of the political divide.

What I also know is that President Obama has agreed with Justice Antonin Scalia’s interpretation of the Second Amendment vis-a-vis Washington v. Heller.

That alone, in my estimation, hardly makes Obama out to be the extreme leftist “gun grabber” as many on the political right make him out to be.

But, of course, don’t tell that to the folks who characterize him as such for the sole purpose of political expediency when  doing the bidding for the NRA (National Rifle Association).

That aside, what I also know is that there should be equally as much remorse as there is outrage over the lack of gun control laws in the wake of the Afghanistan hospital bombing from the White House. But, I don’t see it. We should be just as outraged about the “accidental” hospital bombing in Afghanistan as we are about mass shootings. But, I don’t see that either. And frankly, this bothers me. I get that things close to home relative to acts of violence overseas seem all too real.

However, I wish things were different in our society.

The post Hey, Asshole: Obama Doesn’t Want Your Guns appeared first on Madness & Reality.

While it’s unclear whether there was ever a time in U.S. history when our beloved nation was all white. Even so, Tyler has dreams and aspirations of taking the nation back to a certain utopia, where life was a lot better for today’s racially oppressed so-called dominant culture.

In an interview with WRCB, Tyler claims to have no hatred in his heart for “people of color.” He added that he just wants to go back to “1960s, Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver time when there were no break-ins; no violent crime; no mass immigration.”

While I’m glad that he cleared things up by stating that he isn’t racist, I’m not sure how this would go over with people like me who have gotten used to reruns of shows like Good Times, The Jeffersons, and the occasional beatdown or police shooting we’ve grown so used to lately.

It’s no surprise that Trump’s campaign has inspired Tyler. On the would-be white freedom fighter’s website, he declared “the Caucasian race… the architects and progenitors of advanced civilization and high cultures.” And quite naturally, as all good white men like Tyler would do, he uses the Bible to justify his belief of superiority while hiding behind the First Amendment and “freedom of speech”. You know, like all bigots do.

It’s not that we didn’t know that people like Tyler still exist. One only has to look at the number of people drawn to Trump’s campaign rallies for confirmation. Also, not shocking is that many of Trump’s supporters aren’t the snaggle-toothed trailer-trash knuckle-dragging neanderthals as we’d like to think. Some of them are quite normal-looking average everyday white folks of all walks of life. What is scary, however, is that some of them occasionally run for positions of power and are successful.

Tyler’s “Make America White Again” billboard has drawn the ire of enough residents of his community that it was removed. Tyler managed to draw the criticisms of a few prominent Republicans in the district like Ryan Holmes. “There’s no room for this type of hateful display in our political discourse,” Holmes said in a statement. “Racism should be rejected in all its heinous forms in the Third Congressional District and around the country.” With that type of repudiation, one has to wonder what Holmes has to say about Trump, or whether he’ll be voting for him or not.

Watch the interview below:

The post Congressional Candidate Wants to “Make America White Again” appeared first on Madness & Reality.

In an interview with C-SPAN yesterday, Sanders spoke of his role at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

“It’s hard to say,” he explained in an obviously softer and less defiant tone than normal when asked. “It doesn’t appear that I’m going to be the nominee so I’m not going to be determining the scope of the convention.”

Sanders continued by urging Democrats to “create the most progressive platform as we possibly can reflecting the needs of working families and students and the environment, health care and so forth.”

Recent polling shows that at least 55% of Sanders supporters will vote for Hillary Clinton as we move toward a November general election face off against Republican presumptive nominee, Donald Trump.

“The vast majority of the people who voted for me understand that Donald Trump in a dozen different ways is literally unfit to be president of the United States,” said Sanders. “And it’s not only his views on the issues… but mostly his making bigotry the cornerstone of this campaign.”

Bernie’s comments could not come at a better time. Currently, Trump is caught in the midst of a five-week downward spiral where he’s falling in the polls. That said, while Bernie has yet to do an outright concession speech, at least, for now, his head seems to be in the right place.

It’s left to be seen whether there will be a full floor fight at the Democratic National Convention for the party’s nomination. Hopefully, however, Bernie’s words here will quell any such ideas on the part of his most ardent supporters and delegates.

Watch the video below:

The post Bernie Sanders Finally Accepts Not Being the Nominee appeared first on Madness & Reality.

This from Gothamist:

A federal lawsuit filed Monday in New York accuses Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl more than 20 years ago, at several Upper East Side parties hosted by convicted sex offender and notorious billionaire investor Jeffrey Epstein.

The suit, first reported by the Real Deal, accuses Trump and Epstein of luring the anonymous plaintiff and other young women to four parties at Epstein’s so-called Wexner Mansion at 9 East 71st Street. Epstein allegedly lured the plaintiff, identified in the suit only as Jane Doe, with promises of a modeling career and cash.

Another anonymous woman, identified in additional testimony as Tiffany Doe, corroborates Jane’s allegations, testifying that she met Epstein at Port Authority, where he hired her to recruit other young girls for his parties.

[…] Jane Doe filed a similar suit in California in April, under the name Katie Johnson, also accusing Trump and Epstein of rape. That suit was dismissed on the grounds of improper paperwork—the address affiliated with her name was found to be abandoned. Today’s suit confirms that the plaintiffs are one and the same.

Monday’s complaint details extremely violent and horrific alleged encounters between Trump and Doe. In what Doe’s attorneys describe as a “savage sexual attack,” Trump allegedly tied her to a bed and exposed himself before raping her. When she pleaded that he stop, Trump allegedly “responded… by violently striking Plaintiff in the face with his open hand and screaming that he would do whatever he wanted,” according to the suit.

Afterwards, Trump allegedly threatened the plaintiff, saying that her family would be “physically harmed if not killed” if she were to speak about the abuses. Epstein allegedly proceeded to rape Doe twice more, attempted to strike her, and screamed that he, rather than Trump, should have taken her virginity. Epstein also allegedly reiterated threats to Doe’s family.

You’d think that as much as Trump has been categorized as a sexist pig, that this would be a big story in our news cycle. But then again, Trump is a very wealthy white man, so quite naturally, as privilege would have it, he too can get away with anything without being held accountable.

My guess is that this is precisely the reason why these allegations and subsequent lawsuit filed in federal court this week isn’t more fodder for cable news networks.  After all, it’s not like Trump is a famous black comedian with a onetime highly famous 90s family sitcom or anything. I know he is running for president, but what’s one lowly rape accusation? I mean, it’s not like he’s being accused by 40 or so women. Nor is Trump being accused of putting the nation’s national security at risk by using an unauthorized private email server. Important shit like that is what deserves scrutiny in the press. The alleged rape of a 13-year-old-girl at a party with your wealthy real estate investor buddies? Yeah, not so much.

The post Trump Allegedly Raped a 13-Year-Old Girl, But Who Cares? appeared first on Madness & Reality.

There’s one problem: Trump isn’t really trying to become the nation’s forty-fifth president. From the looks of it, with a lack of cash on hand and no real attempts to raise funds on the part of the Trump campaign, this unconventional unlikely candidate seems to be more intent on making  money for himself. To me, this became quite evident the moment Trump said that he’d consider dropping out of the race for $5 billion and not the measly $150 million it has been rumored. Yes, Donald Trump’s campaign is the political version of the Nigerian email scam. Uh-huh, and like always, suckers are falling for it hook, line, and sinker.

If the Republican party really cared about winning in November they’d pony up the $5 billion Trump said he’d take to drop out of the race. Yes, Trump did say he’d consider dropping out for that much. Yep, apparently making America great isn’t that important when you’re behind on your bills ‘n shit, like Trump.

If character, is what’s seen when nobody is looking, it’s hard to imagine Donald Trump being anything better than the piece shit that he is when the spotlight is on him. With his continued lies, incendiary and divisive bigoted rhetoric, it’s hard to imagine that Trump is serious.

This would explain why:

• Trump has yet to release his tax returns.
• Trump’s campaign has only 30 campaign staffers nationally.
• Trump campaigning in red states and not swing states.

I could go on and on with this, but I’ll stop for now. Instead, I’ll hand it over the Rachel Maddow in the video below. Maddow makes a very good case that Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is essentially a money making racket. She characterizes Trump’s campaign as a giant book tour, which explains why he is not assembling a real campaign staff or raising real campaign money. After watching the video, it all becomes clear. It especially becomes so, when Maddow chronicles just how much money is actually going to companies owned by Donald Trump.

Per The Huffington Post, Trump reported in May spending $423,372 for rooms and catering at his Mar-A-Lago club; $125,080 in rent and utilities to Trump restaurants; $35,845 on facilities rental and catering on the Trump National Golf Club; and $29,715 on facilities rental and catering at the Trump International Golf Club.

And that’s only a sample of the campaign money Trump used on his own businesses last month! In fact, The Associated Presshas found that expenditures on Trump’s own businesses account for 10 percent of his overall campaign spending so far.

Watch the video below:

The post WATCH: Trump Campaign is Nothing But a Scam appeared first on Madness & Reality.

While a lot has been rightfully said of the awesomeness of LeBron James given his team’s historic comeback from a 3-1 deficit to take the series. I think it’s time for us to place the blame for the catastrophic choke-job meltdown on the part of the Warriors where it rightfully should.

While we can analyze the series and posit conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory, the truth is that the Warriors loss was all the fault of Sen. Bernie Sanders. I know it sounds crazy, but follow me on this.

Don’t blame the Warriors, blame Bernie

Remember that time Danny Glover took Bernie Sanders to that Warriors home game, days before the California Primary? Remember Bernie talking about making a comeback like the Warriors after that game? At the time, it was game seven of the Western Conference Finals, and the Warriors had overcome the seemingly insurmountable task of defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder by coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the series themselves. Bernie attended the game just days before the California Primary, where he predicted that he would beat Hillary Clinton.

Sanders and Glover, who arrived from a rally in downtown Oakland, sat in Section 108, in the 15th row behind the basket. The Vermont senator was visible as one of the few spectators not wearing a distinctive yellow “Strength in Numbers” T-shirt or other Warriors garb. His presence drew those seeking selfies and autographs. (Glover, for his part, did put on one of those “Strength in Numbers” shirts — spotlighting a phrase coined by Warriors coach Steve Kerr.)

“We came in the second half and the Warriors turned it around,” Sanders said, according to a pool reporter’s account.

Asked whether the Warriors’ comeback could be attributed to his attendance, the Vermont senator remarked, “Absolutely. No question about it … What other explanation is there?” (source)

Kinda cocky, wasn’t he?

Bernie’s win over Hillary in what would have been the last major primary contest was supposed to give him the necessary momentum to back up his argument that he was the better candidate to face off against Donald Trump in the general election. It was a silly argument given the fact that Bernie was all but out of the picture mathematically, and had no chance of becoming the presumptive nominee. Well, as fate, polls, and the will of the people would have it, Bernie lost the California Primary.

Blaming Bernie makes perfect sense

So, here we are today. Since attributing the success of the Warriors in game seven of the Western Conference Finals to himself, even with no hope of becoming the eventual nominee, Bernie has chosen to stay in the race. Mind you, there are no more primary contests. Which is funny because one week after losing in California, Bernie had his clock cleaned in the Washington D.C. Primary in a contest in which Hillary Clinton did not compete. So while things may have looked great for the Warriors in the NBA finals as they opened up the series to a 3-1 lead, clearly, some of Bernie’s un-luck and shitty math rubbed off on them.

If you’re a fan of the Warriors, you might see this all as bullshit and think that the series was rigged. Well, the NBA isn’t rigged and neither were the Democratic Primaries (Bernie has admitted as much). If anything, Bernie, as my Caribbean people would say, was on some “goat mouth” shit and just jinxed the fuck out of the Warriors. I realize that this all sounds crazy. But hey, it sounds a lot better than saying that Steph Curry and his boys choked. Or that LeBron James is the real MVP; and, that all the talk about Curry being one of the greats was premature.

The post Bernie Sanders Cost the Warriors the NBA Championship appeared first on Madness & Reality.