Positive News from the USA

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 28 May 2015 08:44

LokeshC wrote:White women feminists are the most virulent latent racists that you will ever come across.

Nicely stated - the more politcally correct white women are, the more racist they are, as a rule of thumb. The PCness is the shield that stops any of their racist thoughts from seeping out. If you pay attention, you can see it show up in flashes when their guard is dropped.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 28 May 2015 09:25

^^ Hey, Hey. I am a russian jewish white feminist woman. Dont you ascribe these negative stereotypes on me!

Good day to you, sir. I face away from thee in contempt.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 28 May 2015 13:09

Seriously guys,in which barbaric age is the US of A in? The pic in the link is too nauseating and disgusting to post in the td.but ck it out.

Chicago police took 'hunting' photograph with black man as prey
One officer recently dismissed while the other was jailed years ago, but image newly released by judge further taints force in wake of Homan Square revelations
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015 ... an-as-prey

Former Chicago police officers Jerome Finnigan, left, and Timothy McDermott holding rifles over a black man in antlers. Photograph: Cook county court file

Zach Stafford in Chicago
Thursday 28 May 2015 00.54 BST Last modified on Thursday 28 May 2015

An Illinois judge has released a long-concealed picture that shows two Chicago police officers posing over an unidentified black man in antlers while holding rifles as if he had been hunted.

The photo, which was given to police by federal prosecutors in 2013, was made public for the first time on Wednesday by Cook county Judge Thomas Allen. It was taken sometime between 1998 and 2003 at the Harrison police district station on the west side.

This station is a mile south of Homan Square, the facility where the Guardian earlier this year identified alleged police misconduct and torture as well as other civil rights violations.

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy – who last week at a police board meeting deferred any questions about Homan Square brought up by citizens to police legal counsel – called the photo “disgusting”.

“As the superintendent of this department and as a resident of our city, I will not tolerate this kind of behavior, and that is why neither of these officers works for CPD today.”

Jerome Finnigan, on the left, was fired long before the photo was given to the city. He was sentenced to 12 years in a federal prison for income tax evasion and robbery. But the photo is the direct cause of Timothy McDermott’s firing in 2014 by the police board in a 5-to-4 vote.

While board dissenters thought McDermott should be suspended, the majority wrote that “appearing to treat an African-American man not as a human being but as a hunted animal is disgraceful and shocks the conscience”.

McDermott, who asked the judge to keep the photo under seal, is appealing against his dismissal in court, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

In May Chicago became the first city in the nation to pass a reparations ordinance giving financial restitution, access to city colleges and a memorial, among other things, to victims of police torture under Chicago police commander Jon Burge. The package passed almost a week after it came to light that the city had paid out more than half of a billion dollars for police misconduct in the past decade.

On the day it won unanimously in a city council vote, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said its passage would “bring this dark chapter of Chicago’s history to a close”.

Multatuli · Post by **Multatuli** » 28 May 2015 14:33

Racist trolling casts pall over US spelling bee

Racist trolling on social media is casting an ugly pall over, of all things, the world's foremost spelling bee.

For seven years in a row, and for 11 of the past 15 years, the $30,000 Scripps National Spelling Bee championship has been won by American youngsters of Indian heritage.

Chances are as good as ever that another one will follow suit at this year's finals Thursday at the Gaylord National convention resort by the Potomac River outside Washington.

They make up one in five of the 285 spellers, aged nine through 15, from all 50 states and seven foreign countries, who ran a gauntlet of local and regional contests to qualify for the big event.

.....

But on social media, the reaction from some of the nearly one million people viewing the finals live on cable television veered towards the xenophobic.

"One year I wish an American kid could win," read one of several dubious Twitter posts curated on Storify.com by tech journalist Jeff Chu.

"Not to be offensive...but how do kids from India dominate the American spelling bee?!?" read another tweet.

"The kids in the spelling bee should only be AMERICAN," declared a third.

http://news.yahoo.com/trolls-cast-pall- ... 22590.html

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 May 2015 17:38

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/28/us/ch ... ers-photo/

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 28 May 2015 19:45

Singha wrote:http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/28/us/ch ... ers-photo/

I like the concern of the Chicago Police for the poor deer's identity.!!!!

Racist rascals.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 28 May 2015 21:23

the top few comments are good on the spelling bee link.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 May 2015 06:51

from 2013 but interesting.
there is some crime scene thing going on about 100 meters away
black man parks car and starts recording on cellphone cam. he never steps beyond the line of police cars.
but two cops pounce on him and handcuff him claiming he was disturbing a crime scene.
seeing the man being manhandled, his dog gets agitated and jumps out of the car
cop shoots him 4 times leaving the animal to die writhing on the street

https://www.facebook.com/Best.Rottweile ... =2&theater
http://rt.com/usa/california-dog-shot-aftermath-712/

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 29 May 2015 17:30

Seriously Positive! Flight Attendant shows Spirit: Management dispirited.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 30 May 2015 09:36

Art and Cultural Knowledge Meet in Inter-Faith Friendship Event at Phoenix

Friday's "Freedom of Speech" rally outside a Phoenix mosque were met by (friendly and welcoming admirers).

The two groups lined both sides of the street in front of the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix and yelled at each other, with a line of police officers standing in the middle of the street to (form the bridge between them) CNN affiliate KNXV reported.

Jon Ritzheimer, organizer of the rally, is a former Marine, and he has no middle ground when it comes to Islam. His T-shirt pretty much says it all: "Fantastic (Understanding and Coming to Know) Islam." Some of the counterprotesters wore shirts that said, "Love Thy Neighbors' Wives As 4 of One's Own."

The Islamic Community Center of Phoenix is the mosque that Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi attended for a time. They're the men who drove from Arizona to a Dallas suburb to (demonstrate Arizona Culture) at a Prophet Mohammed Reverential Fan Art contest there. Both were (pest-e-sha'eeded) by police early this month.

'Draw Mohammed' organizer: 'True Islam is (completely opposed to) terrorism' 05:26
PLAY VIDEO

The rally was to start about the same time evening prayers were taking place inside the center. The rally was to feature its own (art) contest, similar to the one targeted in Texas.

"I think the whole thing, the cartoon contest especially, I think it's stupendous and XXXXXX," Ritzheimer said beforehand, "but it's what needs to take place in order to expose the true color and Glory of Islam."

"The Muslim community in America is here to stay and we are also well aware of the right to speak our mind and worship how we please," Dr. Yasir Shareef, a board member of the Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said at a press conference.

The White House says there's no justification for violence at the rally.

"Even expressions that are offensive, that are distasteful, and intended to sow divisions in an otherwise tight-knit, diverse community in Phoenix cannot be used as a justification to carry out an act of violence," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

Police Chief Joe Yahner was personally involved in arranging public safety around the event, he told CNN affiliate KPHO. "There's a lot of things in the works. The intelligence related to the crowd is changing all the time," he said. "It is almost at an IQ of 0.00000003!"

Gov. Doug Ducey hoped common sense will prevail in the event, he said. "Of course, I'm a believer in free speech and the First Amendment. I'm also a believer in good judgment and common sense," he told the affiliate. (and in Automatic Weapons For All Americans) Police were to use cameras to record the event "to capture things that go on" and were to close roads, said Sgt. Trent Crump, a Phoenix police spokesman. So far, the event seemed to be attracting a variety of people. "It is a very scattered group of individuals with different causes that for the most part are signing on and signing up to come to this," Crump said.
The rally comes as some groups have made a deliberate effort not to be cowed by Islamic extremists. Instead of becoming cows themselves, they plan to EAT more cows.
In Washington, activist and conservative blogger Pamela Geller of New York wanted to place ads showing (art murals) of Mohammed in the capital's transit system. She hoped to show the winning cartoon from her group's contest in Texas; the one where Simpson and Soofi were (blessed) by police. The Washington Metro board balked. It voted to stop showing issue-oriented ads throughout its system.

Events like this one and other developments have Muslims in the area scared, said Imraan Siddiqi with the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Recently, the mosques here in Phoenix actually received threatening letters -- very specific threats, saying that we are going to massacre your congregations," he said. Ritzheimer anticipates possible problems because of the rally and says people should bring their guns. "People are also encouraged to utilize (their) second amendment right at this event just (in case) our first amendment comes under the much anticipated attack," the event's Facebook page says.

Bikers will be there too, according to the post.

Siddiqi calls it the "intersection of Islamophobia and (the) gun culture."

"When we see these two things ... then obviously it becomes more of a concern," he said. "We're advising people ... it's better to stay clear from the event, don't engage with these people."
CNN's Sara Sidner reported from Phoenix and Ed Payne reported and wrote in Atlanta. Daniel Burke and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

UBCNews may have slightly edited the content for historical context and positivity. America is one of the largest nations on the planet, and has been at war with its powerful neighbor Cuba and distant neighbor North Korea for over 60 years. They have fought nearly 25 wars, most recently when America liberated Grenada and Panama from Cuban occupation. Islamic fanatics are the 2nd largest religious group in America after baseball fans. Most Americans are Christians while most Middle Easterners are Islamists. Christians and Islamists have gone to war over 1000 times, the most recent being the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and drone attacks in Pakistan.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 31 May 2015 14:42

United Airlines Flight Attendant "Ms. Congeniality" and England Cricket Fast Bowler ***King Anderson Save Aircraft From Attack With Diet Coke Can Tab.

In America all people are treated equally. Minorities have Religious Freedom.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 31 May 2015 20:18

Blatter accuses US authorities and British press of campaign to topple him
rhttp://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/3 ... ee-elected Fifa president claims timing of arrests of officials had been motivated by revenge

Sepp Blatter is unconcerned about the US investigation into corruption at Fifa, he tells a press conference

Owen Gibson in Zurich
Saturday 30 May 2015 16.41 BST

Newly re-elected Fifa president Sepp Blatter has launched an astonishing attack on the US justice system and the British media in the wake of the string of bribery charges against senior officials that plunged world football into chaos last week.

Sepp Blatter hits out after the FA’s David Gill resigns his Fifa post
As he denied being the unnamed high-ranking official who authorised the payment of a $10m bribe to disgraced former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, as alleged in last week’s US indictment, Blatter targeted his enemies and warned: “I forgive but I don’t forget.”

Emboldened after being re-elected for a fifth term in office, he turned on his accusers and claimed that the timing of the raid by the Swiss police, who have been cooperating with a long-running FBI investigation, was designed to remove him from office and motivated by revenge.

Swiss police swooped on the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich on Wednesday and arrested seven senior Fifa executives, including vice-presidents Jeffrey Webb and Eugenio Figueredo, prompting a renewed wave of furious calls for reform and for Blatter’s resignation.

US federal investigators have said that last week’s arrests and indictment were only the beginning of their investigation and Richard Weber, head of the Internal Revenue Service, said further arrests were likely.

“I’m fairly confident that we will have another round of indictments,” he told the New York Times. “We strongly believe there are other people and entities involved in criminal acts.”

The 79-year-old Blatter said that the US arrests and charges – which accused a total of 18 executives of 47 counts of money laundering, racketeering and tax evasion linked to kickbacks totalling more than $150m over two generations – were timed to damage his chances of re-election.

Sepp Blatter re-elected as Fifa president after Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein concedes defeat

Sepp Blatter gained 133 votes to Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein’s 73 in the first round of voting, not enough to secure a two-thirds majority, but the challenger conceded defeat

“No one is going to tell me that it was a simple coincidence, this American attack two days before the elections of Fifa. It doesn’t smell right. This has touched me and Fifa,” said Blatter. “There are signs that cannot be ignored. The Americans were the candidates for the World Cup of 2022 and they lost. The English were the candidates for 2018 and they lost, so it was really the English media and the American movement.”

His attack on the US authorities and the British media, which also extended to what he called a hate campaign by European football governing body Uefa, had echoes of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s claim that the arrests were an attempt to undermine Blatter and destabilise the 2018 World Cup.

On Saturday, a Kremlin spokesman offered congratulations on Blatter’s re-election, which will take his tenure to 21 years if he serves a full four-year term. “Putin expressed certainty that Blatter’s experience, professionalism and high level of authority will further allow him to spread the geographical reach and popularity of football,” he said.

As the Fifa executive committee met for the first time since Blatter’s victory over his challenger, the Jordanian Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, Blatter said he believed the arrests and subsequent media coverage were a coordinated attempt to “denigrate” him and force him out.

“If they have a financial crime that regards American citizens, they must arrest these people there and not in Zurich when we have a congress in Zurich. The United States, it is the main sponsor of the Hashemite kingdom [Jordan],” he railed. “This corruption affair is between North America and South America. It was taken to Zurich and they say it is Fifa.”

US authorities said the raid was timed to precede the Fifa congress because that was when all of those targeted were in Zurich.

At a combative press conference, Blatter said he was unafraid of arrest. Blatter, who joined Fifa in 1975 when it had just 12 employees, stuck to his claim that the problem was with rogue individuals rather than the organisation’s culture. Since his election as president in 1998, itself marred by bribery claims, there have been allegations of corruption surrounding almost every major decision Fifa made.

Last week’s indictment by the US authorities covered claims of bribery in selecting South Africa for the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 presidential election, while Swiss authorities simultaneously seized documents and bank details concerning the controversial bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Yet Blatter insisted that he had tried to root out corruption through Fifa’s network of disciplinary and ethics committees.

But he admitted to concern over unrest from World Cup sponsors that bankroll Fifa to the tune of $400m a year, and said meetings were planned with Visa, which has threatened to withdraw if there is no meaningful reform.

Blatter stuck to a familiar script, arguing that he was the best man to repair Fifa’s battered reputation. “We will make strides forward to take our boat back into calmer waters and finally take the Fifa ship into a situation of tranquillity and happiness, with a strong Fifa and a beautiful Fifa,” he said.

He was challenged over a $10m payment allegedly routed from a Fifa account in Switzerland to a Bank of America account in New York controlled by Warner. “This is a problem I do not enter. We will not go further. The only thing I can say is I have no $10m,” he said.

“The Americans are making investigations: they have right to do so, I have no concerns; I especially have no concerns about my person.”

Uefa executives, who opposed Blatter’s re-election and backed Prince Ali, will meet in Berlin this week before the Champions League final to decide their next move.

FA chairman Greg Dyke has said that England could back a World Cup boycott if it was part of a coordinated action, while former Manchester United chief executive David Gill refused to take up his position as a Fifa vice-president in protest at Blatter’s re-election.

Prince William waded into the scandal on Saturday. Speaking before the FA Cup final at Wembley he said: “There seems to be a huge disconnect between the sense of fair play that guides those playing and supporting the game, and the allegations of corruption that have long lingered around the management of the sport internationally.”

He “commended” Gill’s decision and called last week’s events in Zurich “Fifa’s Salt Lake City moment”, referring to the occasion when the International Olympic Committee went through a similar period of serious allegations.

Blatter criticised Gill’s decision and also turned on Uefa president Michel Platini, who had led calls for his former mentor to step down. “The journalists made a deal: Blatter out. It is a hatred not only by one person at Uefa but by the organisation of Uefa that has not accepted that I have been president since 1998. I forgive everyone but I don’t forget,” he said.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 01 Jun 2015 10:39

It doesn't get any better than this!

http://rt.com/usa/263653-united-airlines-muslim-coke/
Muslim woman flying United Airlines refused can of coke, staff said she’d weaponize it
May 31, 2015

United Airlines is facing a customer backlash after discriminating against a Muslim passenger. Tahera Ahmad was on an internal US flight when she was refused an unopened can of soda. The flight attendant believed she would use it as a weapon.

Ahmad, a Muslim chaplain from Northwestern University, was traveling from Chicago to Washington, DC, for a conference aimed at promoting dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian youth.

During the flight, she asked the flight attendant if she could have a can of diet coke. However, the 31 year-old’s request wasn’t granted. The attendant told her: “Well I'm sorry I just can't give you an unopened can so no diet coke for you,” Ahmed wrote on her Facebook page.

Moments later, the passenger sitting next to her was given an unopened can of beer. This prompted Ahmad to ask the flight attendant why she hadn’t been given an unopened can of diet coke.

"We are unauthorized to give unopened cans to people because they may use it as a weapon on the plane,” the attendant is reported by Ahmad to have said.

An astounded Ahmad tried to ask her fellow passengers to support her claim, but unfortunately she only received more abuse.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 01 Jun 2015 11:20

^^^ Phillip, dont fall for this one. it smells bad for many reasons.

Multatuli · Post by **Multatuli** » 01 Jun 2015 18:09

Keep in mind that she's a propagandist for Islam, the woman is trying to provoke. I think it highly unlikely that things happened the way she describes recounts it. It fits perfectly in her narrative of being a victim of islamophobia.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 01 Jun 2015 20:27

^ The "It won't Happen 2 Us BeCoz V R..." reaction.

What happened, stinks. They happened to do it to the wrong person - chaplain, Dean level at Northwestern University. United Airlines is going to pay and pay steeply.

And this "oh, because she is Islamic she has no rights" cra* stinks far worse. The airline's reaction proves that she is quite right, and they are trying to wriggle out from the hammer that can be expected from FAA and the Justice Department, after the civil suit is done and settled. I think that Diet Coke can is going to cost them, shall we say, a cool $500K in civil settlement & court costs, PLUS a hefty $100K fine for violating civil rights, and maybe an airline-wide FBI investigation into their policies. Truckloads of emails, memos all carted off, a few $M in time-costs and headaches. Media attention:

DID THE CEO KNOW, AND WHEN DID HE KNOW?

BO WHOTUS may decide to make an example of them.

FLY THE FRIENDLY SKIES.. IF YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE AN INDIAN

Because, experts, that lady was India-born. She looks like us, talks like us, dresses like us (OK, I don't wear those colorful skirts.. but u know what I mean). She was treated like sh!t by the racist sh!ts on United - both the (soon-2-b-former) Flight Attendant and the "passenger". She is/was a Premier level Frequent Flyer on United.

Sh1ts like those would have behaved worse with any of our grandmothers, etc. I am applauding the "whooosh" sound of them getting flushed down the United corporatoilet as the costs of their hate/bigotry/arrogance come back to roost.

I am thinking about the Pepto_Bismol market, when the detectives hired by CAIR knock on the door of the sh!t sitting across from her (the ***King England Cricketer Imitator) and serve the subpoena for a Deposition.

Oh, yeah, it's going to be REAL tough finding him...

I too have wondered many times about the 'system' for how US-based (The French are blatant racists, no point discussing them) airlines decide on these "full cans" vs. a quarter poured into a glass. They used to just hand you the can, but not these days. But these days I don't want to bloat myself up with all that gas, so I haven't bothered to ask. I thought they were just being cheap. So THIS is what would happen if I were to ask..

IF indeed she got on the flight determined to ask that question, well, that is because she has seen discrimination long enough, heard about it long enough from her students, and decided to do something about it. More power to her. Yes, airlines need to get sensitivity training - because it should get darned expensive to be insensitive. Hiring that minimum-wage bigot doesn't seem like a great idea as the legal bills and fines and News Crews come by the Corporate HQ.

THEN maybe Air India MIGHT start treating Indians a bit better because they want to imitate western airlines???

All in all, a good tamasha. Get the popcorn and an unopened can of Diet Coke.. Oh! I just remembered. I tried opening a can 2 days back, and cut my finger on the sharp edge.

Weapon it is!!

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 01 Jun 2015 21:02

Does the US phreedom orgs care that propagandists claim discrimination in India? Or does it blame eebil fascist heathen hindoos 24/7.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 Jun 2015 01:16

Probably United Airlines' VP 4 Diversity is an evil yindoos chaddiwala (JUST KIDDING!!)
People: This lady did us all a huge favor.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 02 Jun 2015 03:31

When the flight landed, the lady got a (written?) apology from the flight attendent and the unnamed passanger. And the pilot apologised and walked her to customer service to file a complaint. Not contested by the lady.

This is BEFORE the flight even deplaned. A person in power extracted her price before leaving the airport.

Again, I withhold judgment on both chain of events, individuals and circumstances before jumping the gun because "dean level at Northwestern" promoting "interfaith harmony".

Let firm facts emerge that point to anything more than a flight attendant trying to save free soda to meet some unwritten policy. The beer is not free. You pay for it during the flight. You get a full can.

It is too easy to steal a narrative for personal fame. And we have let much worse discrimination against indians go uncontested because they are not "dean level".

There are good places to channel that outrage, this may not be one of them. My 2c.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 Jun 2015 03:38

She stood up for her rights. One person does that, it does good for a whole community. "Written apology" my foot - that's when the sh1ts discovered that they had really flushed themselves down the pakistan. The "apology" did not come because they were sorry, it came because the lady had won over their "hearts and minds" by the recommended procedure.

They "apologized" for not having met her expectations with respect to the drink served -***NOT** for the racist, bigoted hate attack on her. I think that other "passenger" is also going to discover what it's like to get flushed down the pakistan, and I wish him many happy get-flushings.

Disgusted to see the racism here.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 02 Jun 2015 06:00

Whether you like it or not, the people in cattle class are treated like cattle. I have been given excuses I didnt think you could even make up for even water. My bags have been sealed for a 15 hour flight. And that includes medication. And it happened in India. For no reason. The flight was full of Indians.

And no one says anything because of the security theatre and "air martial" conditioning.

This lady stood up to her "dean level" status. That is about all, as far as the airline is considered.

The passangers are conditioned to jump and duct tape anyone who questions flight crew. And once "rights" were being secured, it is impossible to know who said what and why. The average mental age of your co-passengers is about 5, in this day of shoe and underwear bomb watch.

You can blame the security theatre for the xenophobia. But she isnt an example of any martin luther king. No one will come to your aid if you make a ruckus on a plane. Over soda or anything else.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 02 Jun 2015 11:18

I want my unopened can of soda too!

(to the tune of...I want my MTV....)

I wonder, can this woman have an unopened can of soda also?

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/06/01 ... latestnews

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 02 Jun 2015 14:18

I was once travelling with my kid long-dist,who was repeatedly kicked in the back (seat) by a firang,and after exchanging seats with her I too recd. the same treatment. I screamed at the firang in his native tongue and warned the cabin crew what was happening and that if it happened again I would bain him with a bottle.That worked. Unless you stand up for your rights you get flushed down the loo. How many Sikhs have suffered racism and racial abuse having being mistaken forMuslim terrorists?

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 02 Jun 2015 15:19

Phillip,

Flying was once an enjoyable pastime. Now it is a fearful traumatic event -- with everyone on edge. Passangers may go insane and do one of many things, even out of naivette without going cuckoo. Like opening an emergrncy exit. Crew may be on a power trip. A martial might get antsy. The pilot might be on hootch, fight with the other, or worse. Maintenance and bird strikes, weather and traditional risks not counted. No one is unaware of these.

This is hardly a scenario for a civil rights battle. Over a cup of soda. Airlines have unwritten "efficiency" and cost cutting rules for everything, even soda.

You can report the matter if you feel badly about it. But this lady was not being assaulted as you report. It didnt need the fuss. She had a bad flight attendent. Making the journey worse for the other hundred people on the plane didnt help. Waiters spit in your food if you upset them, and no discrimination arises.

The flight experience is now tense. We have to recognize both the commercial and security theatre pressures on these barely trained monkeys who serve the cabins.

This incident will make the *your favorite grievance* situation worse. Not better, worse. Your situation needed action on the spot. This didnt. You can no longer pick a fight during a flight.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 Jun 2015 16:06

This is hardly a scenario for a civil rights battle. Over a cup of soda.

Nope. Over an UNOPENED CAN of soda. Few of us even dare ASK for that..

we Know Our Place. Those are reserved for (never mind, clearly demonstrated on this flight).

I think there was this case in Al Obama a while back - this **Spectrally Challenged** woman boarded a bus. All seats in the back were taken and she had been on her feet all day, so she wearily took a seat nearer the front. The Customer Service Manager on the bus ordered her to go stand in the back and she refused. That was all there was to it. Any Missouri or Baltimore cop would have known how to make her behave.. but did the CSR do that? Nooo... Al Obama cops were so much more civilized. They merely arrested her.

The Liberal Commie Pinkos made a huge fuss. It wasn't like this woman was hurt, there were so many incidents those days where spectrally challenged men were properly beaten into good behavior and had their scrotum nailed to a fence post with a fire lit at the base, how was this even COMPARABLE, hain? Yet the Media blew it out of all proportion.

Same logic here, as several enlightened folks have brilliantly recognized.
*************************

As for this ~~case~~, ~~trivial incident~~ non-occurrence, it reminds me of that other Positive News some years ago - Continental Airlines I believe. A lady started making a fuss about something - I don't recall what. Claimed that the Flt Attendants hadn't done this or that. FA asked her to sit down strap down and STFU. She wasn't very compliant. Again, FA/crew were VERY 'nice' - they didn't ask the Marshalls to sit on her through the flight.
FA did get so irritated that when she made the Welcoming Announcement she welcomed "everyone, except one person who is just being a nuisance". I am sure many

at this huge joke.

They did not have cellphones or FaceBook those days.

A couple of hours after the flight landed, the Chairman of the airline got a gentle call from the head of the NTSB/ FAA asking about their policies. Apparently a senior member of the Presidential Commission or Congressional Committee on passenger rights/ safety whatever had had a very bad experience on one of their flights when she pointed out certain violations. The Chairman was asked to show up at the next Congressional Hearing to testify before said Committee, chaired by said Member.

Airline was of course all Customer Care: They "Apologized", etc etc once they realized the horror of their own situation. The ex-passenger waited until they got around (all this occurred same day) to having the Chairman himself come around to her house to beg forgiveness, before she laid down her conditions. I think the FA became ex-FA by the end of the day, and probably the Captain became ex-Captain. The Chairman probably went through several diapers b4 the Hearing was over.

So some people may not LIKE a Muslim American woman being able to speak articulately for her rights and being able to wield the big danda up the musharrafs of some ppl, but hey, that is Life. The airline CEO, esp of the Partner Airline, can enjoy it. Totally Bojitive.

Classic case-study of the FaceBook Age.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 Jun 2015 16:53

Meanwhile, the Birmingham Bedsheet has come out with the usual Deep Investigative Reporting

‘Diet Coke’ Muslim Discrimination Passenger Has Ties to Radical Imams

Yup! Muslim Chaplain at a Chicago University was seen on a stage with other Muslims from/visiting Chicago. Even SMILED at them. PROOF of Terrorist Links! Bring out the ~~Birmingham~~ Baltimore Police!

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 02 Jun 2015 18:24

Philip wrote:I was once travelling with my kid long-dist,who was repeatedly kicked in the back (seat) by a firang,and after exchanging seats with her I too recd. the same treatment. I screamed at the firang in his native tongue and warned the cabin crew what was happening and that if it happened again I would bain him with a bottle.That worked. Unless you stand up for your rights you get flushed down the loo. How many Sikhs have suffered racism and racial abuse having being mistaken forMuslim terrorists?

Uh, this happen on a US domestic flight per chance? And you're still in one piece? Your real name doesn't happen to be Chuck Norris does it?

the mere thought of seeing a British jehadi screaming on a US domestic flight makes me retch and swoon.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 02 Jun 2015 18:34

Why jump to conclusions on the woman's motivations without evidence. She may well be lying but some FA are shitty ppl and as are some passengers.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 02 Jun 2015 18:49

Shreeman wrote:When the flight landed, the lady got a (written?) apology from the flight attendent and the unnamed passanger. And the pilot apologised and walked her to customer service to file a complaint. Not contested by the lady.

All of this sounds like preemptive action to avoid a lawsuit -- so I wager nothing will come out of this incident other than the apologies. It seems to be the norm to only give passengers half a can of whatever drink they want, and even less if you prefer ice in your drink. The "hate speech" was by a passenger and the airline is not legally responsible for the conduct of their passengers, AFAIK, and even otherwise, they have "apologized".

As for the CAIR, they are an islamist group with a facade of fighting for civil rights of muslims... the name of the org says it all "American-Islamic relations" (apparently, Islam has country-level status), so they are part of the problem when it comes to exploiting such incidents (that may be unjust to some muslim person) for their own political reasons. CAIR has made it pretty clear that they support Shariat laws and have openly stopped people like Ayaan hirsi ali and others from giving lectures in US universities, which says enough as far as I am concerned.

And in a more pointless direction, I am usually thankful that I can actually sit for the duration of the flight and seats have not been taken away due to cost-cutting measures (and NTSB regulations).

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 02 Jun 2015 19:42

mullah batori,

To me, this is the Ray Rice debate all over again. Some things carry a narrative. Others dont.

A can of soda is a "let them eat cake". Believe me, these denials happen in nearly every flight on every airline.

If you feel it strengthens a civil rights debate, feel free to promote. I just dont. I have travel enough, and suffered much worse. Like being locked in a wheelchair intra-terminal golf cart, about to lose the last flight of the day, and then being kicked off it and had to drag myself to the flight. At Heathrow. Explanation -- we arent carrying people from flight x. get off.

No dean level apology. Yes, I filed all the paperwork. Squat. Diddly. Zippo. El nado.

Pick your battles. Supporting and shouting on every soda denial or white trash encounter will make a Ferguson or Baltimore narrative in the long term.

I dont support this approach. F%$k the TSA, and the ongoing security theatre at its 5% effectiveness. Fear makes animals of all of us.

Even to this problem the solution is not change at United.

re. the apology, the "dean level" pulled a DYKWIA and that will make the stewardesses grovel any day.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 Jun 2015 19:48

Believe me, these denials happen in nearly every flight on every airline.

Hujoor! So v should Know Our Place and bow our heads and take the insults. If they spit in our faces, we should simply turn the other cheek and say, spit on my musharraf too.
Thanks for the inspiration but no thanks. Yes, u r 100% right - we pick our battles - the ones where we can win, not the ones where we can just come away saying:

these denials happen in nearly every

This lady is doing exactly that. More power to her. Next time a FA feels inclined to be rude to one of our grandmothers on a flight, they will at least wonder: will I have a job by evening?

You are unhappy about that, keep up the advice. It is extremely useful.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 02 Jun 2015 20:22

Mullah,

They happen to every passanger. Gora or Kala. It is a general degradation of the aviation industry. visit the flyertalk forum for daily horror stories.

No. They dont change a thing. Yes, sometimes people lose their jobs. The problem is bigger.

This lady is casting a systemic malaise as her own little "islamophobia". Next it will be another minorityphobia. No, you want change thrn deman decent seat pitch and width, decent service, and none of this coach, comfort+ business, none of the bag and fuel surcharge crap. The a la carte will make you pay for letting you keep your underwear on next.

The industry needs an effective consumer watchdog. DoT is horrible, the europeans only a shade better.

It has got so little to do with "I am so and so and entitled to a whole can" and "did you say bum because I am a mislum" its not funny.

She has made papers from al hundi to neuyolk times. And in the process another serious debate is stifled.

This isnt worth getting upset over. I wanted to offer only 2c. It ended up being more. Last you will hear from me, of this and many other matters.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 Jun 2015 21:00

Police video shows justification for shooting
Seriously, so they had NO alternative but to shoot this drunken man dead?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Jun 2015 21:01

US and EU domestic air services are the equivlent of state transport day buses here...affordable for all but the really hard up..but with no real comforts or services beyond a chair....we should not view it from pov of indian domestic airline which only upper middle class can afford, and here too we get nothing without paying albeit the cabin staff is much more helpful and does not have the snarky attitude of the non-indics.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 Jun 2015 21:29

Singhaji, not traveled on Air India/ IA for a while, hain?

In defense of United Airlines, they seem 2 b equal-opportunity sh1ts:

Last month, United faced a ton of backlash after it made an emergency landing to kick an autistic girl off a plane. Another controversy erupted last Wednesday: Sarah Blackwood, a singer in the Canadian group Walk off the Earth, told Global News she was forced off a United flight after a flight attendant told her to “control” her crying son.

Definitely needs a Regime Change starting at the top.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 03 Jun 2015 13:03

From the right-wing UK "Torygraph" itself ! The CIA's "concentration camps" from Abu Ghraib to Camp Gitmo are the 21st century's equivalent of the Nazi camps of WW2.The perpetrators must be brought to justice along with their leaders who knowingly have allowed these camps to remain operational.

CIA torture more 'brutal and sadistic' than Senate report disclosed
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... losed.html
Newly declassified testimony by Guantanamo Bay detainee shows CIA interrogators running out of control

Detainees sitting in a holding area watched by military police at Camp X-Ray inside Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Photo: REUTERS

By Peter Foster, Washington
02 Jun 2015

The CIA’s use of torture was far more “brutal and sadistic” than was disclosed in last year’s controversial US Senate report into the agency’s interrogation techniques, according to new information from a Guantanamo Bay detainee.

The newly declassified accounts of the torture of Majid Khan, a so-called "high value detainee", describe in graphic detail how he was sexually assaulted, hung from a beam for several days without a break and half-drowned in tubs of freezing water.

The descriptions are contained in 27 pages of notes from interviews between Mr Khan and his legal team that were cleared for release by the US government on Tuesday, and first reported by Reuters.

• Torture report: 10 examples of the horror in the CIA's prisons

The notes appear to corroborate a Telegraph report from September last year in which a highly-placed intelligence source alleged that CIA waterboarding went far beyond the controlled ‘simulated’ drowning known as ‘waterboarding’.

In the new testimony, Mr Khan, who was arrested in Karachi in 2003 and held for more than three years in CIA black sites before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006, is described undergoing the near-drownings during an interrogation in May 2003.

Majid Khan in late 1990's. Photo: AP

“Guards and interrogators brought him into a bathroom with a tub. The tub was filled with water and ice. Shackled and hooded, they placed Khan feet-first into the freezing water and ice,” the excerpt said, “They lowered his entire body into the water and held him down, face-up in the water. An interrogator forced Khan's head under the water until he thought he would drown.”

Last year an intelligence source provided a very similar description of CIA excesses against an unnamed detainee, telling The Telegraph: “They weren’t just pouring water over their heads or over a cloth. They were holding them under water until the point of death, with a doctor present to make sure they did not go too far. This was real torture.”

The source added that doctors were also present during the near-death interrogations to ensure there was not a fatality – a fact corroborated by Mr Khan – who says he begged one doctor for help but the doctor instead instructed the guards to hang him from a metal bar for a further 24 hours.

The notes say that Mr Khan was kept in the dark for much of 2003 and in solitary confinement from 2004-2006, that he was threatened with tools, including a hammer, and that his interrogators sometimes had the smell of alcohol on their breath.

Mr Khan, now 35, grew in Baltimore, Maryland and is now a government witness in the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others accused in the September 11 attacks, after pleading guilty to terror conspiracy charges in February 2012.

Lawyers for Mr Khan and other rights groups say that the new testimony makes clear that the 500-page Senate torture report – which was bitterly contested by the CIA and caused huge controversy when it was released last year – only scratched the surface of what actually happened.

“It is clear that the CIA interrogators were completely out of control,” Wells Dixon, a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights who represents Mr Khan told The Telegraph, “the reality of what happened to men like Majid Khan is far more brutal and sadistic than has been revealed in the Senate report or any of the other prior public disclosures.”

Reprieve, the UK-based legal charity that represents several victims of CIA extraordinary rendition, said the testimony proved that there was still a “huge amount” of work to be done to reveal both the truth about torture, and the role played in the CIA’s programme by Britain.

“While the Senate torture report is a crucial piece of work, it has always been very clear that those parts of it which were published were only the tip of the iceberg,” said Kat Craig, Reprieve’s legal director, “Today’s revelations make clear that many of the grisly details remain hidden in the shadows.”

Another extended extract that Mr Khan's lawyers shared with The Telegraph described how he was subjected to near-drowning during an interrogation in July 2003, to the point where his lungs filled with water.

The notes continue:

"He was hung for several days from a metal pole, without any break, without any food and very little water. Guards and interrogators then carried Khan into a room. [There was a] tub constructed from plastic sheeting that again had water and ice in it. Khan was forced into the tub and held down on his back, his hands were shackled underneath him and the arch of his back forced his head to tilt backwards into the water at an angle. A cloth hood remained on his face as the guards forced his body down into the tub. One of the interrogators held a bucket filled with water and large chunks of ice over his head. The interrogator poured the water and ice into Khan's mouth and nose as well as on his genitals from a high distance. As the interrogator poured the tub began to fill up. Khan could not breath and water went into his lungs. The guards and interrogators flipped Khan over from his front to his back several times, each time forcing his head into the water. An interrogator demanded answers to his questions throughout this process. This torture session was followed by a 15 minute videotaped interrogation in another room where Khan was forced to sit naked on a wooden box and he was again subject to sleep deprivation. He was forced to write his own confession while being filmed naked if he wanted some rest."

According to a full list of excerpts released by the The Center for Constitutional Rights:

Khan was raped while in CIA custody (“rectal feeding”) and sexually assaulted:

“As described in the Senate Intelligence Committee Report, Khan was raped while in CIA custody (‘rectal feeding’). He was sexually assaulted in other ways as well, including by having his ‘private parts’ touched while he was hung naked from the ceiling.”

The CIA maintains that rectal feedings were necessary after Khan went on a hunger strike and pulled out a feeding tube that had been inserted through his nose. Senate investigators said Khan was cooperative and did not remove the feeding tube.

Khan was hung on a wooden beam for days on end:

“Interrogators and guards at a black site hung Khan by his hands from a wooden beam for three days. He was naked and shackled. He was provided with water but no food.”

Khan spent much of 2003 in total darkness:

“Majid had an uncovered bucket for a toilet, no toilet paper, a sleeping mat and no light…. For much of 2003 he lived in total darkness.”

Khan was held in solitary:

“Khan was essentially held in solitary confinement from 2004 to 2006.”

Khan’s family was threatened by interrogators:

“They also threatened to harm his family, including his young sister. He was told, ‘son, we are going to take care of you. We are going to send you to a place you cannot imagine.’”

Khan experienced repeated beatings and threats to beat him with tools, including a hammer:

“They would come in with a bag of tools and set them down next to Majid. They would pull out a hammer and show it to Majid. One of them threatened to hammer Majid’s head. They sometimes smelled like alcohol.”

Doctors were among Khan's worst torturers; Khan was hung on a metal bar:

“When a physician came to examine him, Khan begged for help. In response, the physician instructed the guards to take Khan back into the interrogation room with the metal bar and hang him. Khan remained hanging there for another 24 hours before being interrogated again and forced to write his own ‘confession’ while being filmed naked if he wanted some rest. He was finally placed in a cell, where he remained numb and immobile for several days.”

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 03 Jun 2015 13:24

Shreeman wrote:Mullah,

They happen to every passanger. Gora or Kala. It is a general degradation of the aviation industry. visit the flyertalk forum for daily horror stories.

No. They dont change a thing. Yes, sometimes people lose their jobs. The problem is bigger.

This lady is casting a systemic malaise as her own little "islamophobia". Next it will be another minorityphobia. No, you want change thrn deman decent seat pitch and width, decent service, and none of this coach, comfort+ business, none of the bag and fuel surcharge crap. The a la carte will make you pay for letting you keep your underwear on next.

The industry needs an effective consumer watchdog. DoT is horrible, the europeans only a shade better.

It has got so little to do with "I am so and so and entitled to a whole can" and "did you say bum because I am a mislum" its not funny.

She has made papers from al hundi to neuyolk times. And in the process another serious debate is stifled.

This isnt worth getting upset over. I wanted to offer only 2c. It ended up being more. Last you will hear from me, of this and many other matters.

With all doooo respect, will the same understanding and tender mercies be shown to US by rednecks/Khan liberal media if this were to occur in India?

So why should we cut any slack?

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 03 Jun 2015 17:00

Next time a FA feels inclined to be rude to one of our grandmothers on a flight, they will at least wonder: will I have a job by evening?

Let me give u a small illustration, from many years ago. This is 4 Singhaji's benefit onlee, re: the Outstanding Service of Havaii Desh. My Evil 6th Cousin E6c and Mrs. E6C were on the first leg of their return from desh to yoo ess: Bangalor, Kerala, to Mumbai. That time the flight was by Havai Desh as in the International version (Aay Eye), not by Deshi Hava (Eyeyaah). So the flight landed at Sahar, not Ch. Shivaji. In those days there were no cellphones - at least these ppl had no cellphones that would work in Desh. The destination airport is held a close secret by IA/AI until flight has boarded, per the finely-tuned Maharajah's Customer Confusion System (CCS). So these ppl needed to contact the ppl who were to meet them in MUM - probably standing outside the barricades at Ch. Sh. They needed to find a phone.

Mrs. E6C prefers to dress in aam Bharatiya nari costume, not the modern Paki pillow-case fashion, and does not consider airline flights an occasion to pull out the Kancheepuram silks etc. She recognized the finely-attired Havai Bibi from the flight, walked up to her and politely asked where one might find a telephone.

Said Havai Bibi looked at her in shock, as in "why is this **INDIAN** peasant coming up to speak to ME, hain?" then sneered and walked away.

Out of the corner of her finely mascaraed eye, HB then spied Mrs. E6C walking towards E6C standing 15 yards away with the unmistakeable (in those days) backpack and roll-on bag denoting Great Satanistan destination. Of course she was pretty upset at the deliberate, pig-headed rudeness of the HB. Maybe she overheard the comment made by E6C, asking Mrs. EC to come away, let's ask someone who has a brain and isn't so bloody rude - in Angreji too - indicating possible Great Satanic attitude towards guvrmand and authority in general.

Horror spread over the HB's face as the unpretentious attire etc. made sense. She spun around smartly on her pointy high heel and literally rushed up to E6C, all fawning and crocodile-smiles, sweetly explaining where to find a phone.

Q.E.D. Of course Air India people are EXTREMELY NICE. With the right motivational inspiration provided. In recent times, all Indian flight attendants that I have encountered have been extremely nice.

These days one has to be careful saying anything to provide Motivational Inspiration INSIDE an airplane. I would strongly counsel reticence, the Stiff Upper Lip and Bear It, etc. But outside is a different matter.
And now we have Facebook/Twitter and connectivity from inside a flight. Use it. You pay INR 50K for something, you expect the vendor's waiters, salesppl, customer reps etc to treat you decently, that's all we ever ask. If they don't, well...

But while on a serious topic, let me pass on advice, esp. to desi yaks, from someone who has been crossing international borders and living among aliens since Age 0.25. SMILE a LOT. Be nice and friendly and at least APPEAR cheerful. It gets you many things (and out of many situations) that will amaze you. Of course, the Other Types of techniques have to be in your repertoire, but don't pull out those unless you are certain that it is essential - and if you pull them, be ready to use them without anger or (outward) fear and with proper identification of where to direct them. Look at this this way: most ppl who look hostile etc are just confused/ afraid, xenophobic etc. A smile is universal, and can at least delay and distract them while u get away.

And if they still behave like pakis, well, you haven't lost - you can get back at them later if u live to fight another day. We don't say anything about either forgiving or forgetting.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 04 Jun 2015 01:26

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/black-f ... raduation/

Black family faces jail time for cheering teen at a Mississippi high school graduation

The teen’s father, Henry Walker, shouted, “You did it, baby,” and waved a towel, drawing laughs from the crowd.

That’s when school officials asked the girl’s parents and two other relatives to leave the ceremony.

About a week later, they were served with court papers after the superintendent filed disturbing the peace charges against them.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 04 Jun 2015 05:22

GOTUS pretends to curb NSA spying on US citizens without actually doing any such thing -- nothing has changed except now the govt. has to get a "secret court order" before violating the privacy of a citizen.
It can still look at bulk data on a "case-by-case" basis which is pretty much what the NSA did before this "revolutionary freedom bill" was brought back into force in the lack of milk, honey, freedom, and democracy. What a wonderful country. Funds paki terrorists involved in 9/11 to the tune of a few billion dollars and then increases surveillance on US citizens using pakis as an excuse.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed the USA Freedom Act, which would renew Patriot Act provisions that expired on Sunday night but start a six-month process of taking phone records from the government and leaving them with the phone companies. The NSA could access the data on a case-by-case basis with a secret court order.

“It’s extremely significant, that for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, Congress is enacting legislation that would actually limit intelligence authorities rather than dramatically expanding them, which has been the trend,” said Elizabeth Goitein, a national security expert at New York University Law School’s Brennan Center for Justice.

The 67-32 vote comes two years after whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the existence of the government’s phone data collection program. Several senators called him a traitor on Tuesday, but the changes to the NSA’s bulk collection of phone records wouldn’t have happened without him.

Jameel Jaffer, the American Civil Liberties Union’s deputy legal director, called the bill “a testament to the significance of the Snowden disclosures” but said it’s just a start.

“The bill leaves many of the government’s most intrusive and overbroad surveillance powers untouched, and it makes only very modest adjustments to disclosure and transparency requirements,” he said.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politi ... rylink=cpy