sunnykerr

What's going on with the Boston terrorist is precisely why I oppose the death penalty for terrorists. I mean, I oppose the death penalty for a million reasons. I'm not keen on these people becoming martyrs to any cause of theirs. I also think that if you think life is so cheap that you're willing to kill a bunch of innocents to prove a point, you shouldn't get to die easily.

Mostly, though, I want the survivors and the families of the victims to be given the closure of not having to ever spare one thought towards this loser ever again. And when you give someone the death penalty, especially someone who was as young as he was when he committed these crimes against humanity, you open yourself up to an endless parade of appeals, which will forever bring back the events of that day. And, on a less-important level, it costs a bundle and a half to the taxpayers.

Let him rot away in a jail cell forever. Let him die in anonymity an old man in jail. After you've removed him from society for rest of his living days, what more can you possibly achieve by killing him? No one's coming back to life through his death. You can't "avenge" the death of someone who was murdered by spilling yet more blood. Just let him rot away in jail.

Meanwhile, I certainly hope beating an old man was worth it for this woman: U.S. woman pleads no contest in elderly man's beating with brick She could spend up to 15 years in prison. She probably won't because he didn't speak English. But she could spend up to 15 years in prison. And for what, exactly? That man did nothing to her.

And there's yet another update on that Dubai princess who's been shown in a picture with a former UN person: Sheikha Latifa: Mary Robinson 'backed Dubai version of events' So now this person is saying the princess is troubled and in need of medical attention, which her family is making sure she receives. And that's a wrinkle, isn't it? Because, of course, mental illness can happen to anyone, even if they're a princess of Dubai. At the same time, it could be a heck of an excuse used to control a "rebellious" member of a pretty oppressive regime.

There You'll Be

I so much agree with that. The death penalty is the easy way out for them, and, it causes a lot more appeals I think, which keeps the family from being able to deal with it and let go. Exactly! Let him die a nobody.

I'd be the woman in jail for beating a woman who was beating a man with a brick. People like her disgust me. I hope she gets all 15 years, and has to serve every last one. Bravo for the woman who did take the video and picture.

Yes, it would be a good excuse to control the princess. On the other hand, I find it suspicious that Mary said exactly what the government/family's statements said.

3 Vietnamese tourists on a bus tour in Egypt, and the Egyptian driver, were killed by a bomb, that was hidden on the roadside. It went off just as the bus passed. Apparently IS has attacked tourists before, but no one says they did it.

Bravo for this German woman possibly being charged with war crimes, for letting her husband chain their child house slave girl, to die of thirst in the heat, and she did nothing to help the girl. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46705252

I can't make sense out of this story, to form an opinion. Syrian forces have possibly taken control of a city, after Kurdish forces invited them to. There was also an announcement that all US led forces must leave the country. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46701095

sunnykerr

Well, you know Egypt, three people died in a terrorist attack, so naturally: Egypt says its security forces killed 40 militants I mean, that'll teach them, right? They sure won't do it again now. Assuming they killed the right militants anyway. Because, I don't know, but it seems to me like the whole point of justice is to make sure you go after the right culprit.

Considering that German woman was in Iraq to support Daesh, it doesn't make what she did to that poor girl any less gross... but just kinda less surprising, isn't it? How much of sociopath do you have to be to see and participate in stuff like that without feeling anything about it?

The best I can think is that the Kurds have given up, to a certain extent, and are now trying to make the best they can with an absolutely terrible deal. Because Turkey's always been pretty brutal to the Kurds. And Erdogan isn't someone you can trust to treat minorities decently.

I don't know what's going on with Sheikha Latifa, but I don't think we're getting the full story. So all I can do is hope she's okay.

Indian miners: Navy divers deployed in rescue bid They've been in there two weeks now... I hope they're okay, but I don't have much hope at this point, really. Man, remember when it was the boys in Thailand, how quickly the world assembled to help? Was it because they were young? I mean, what's the big difference here? I don't get it.

There You'll Be

Yeah, swift, and possibly ignorant, mass militia killings, are not right-I don't care how they spin it. Unless they catch them in the act, I don't think it's right.

I don't hold out much hope for any of those miners. I'm sure it is because they were children in Thailand. I always think children haven't had time to even begin their lives yet. Not that one life matters more than another, but that's how I tell myself it's okay.

A Swiss-Spanish national has been arrested in connection with the tourist deaths of the 2 women in Morocco. He apparently trained what are being labeled as terrorists. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46714293 I don't know why this surprises me. If I've learned anything, any different person can have the same idealogy.

Kim Jong Un has written a letter to South Korea's Seoul, to meet with Moon Jae-in 2019. He said he wants more meetings with the South. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46714299 Like you said, it's all about survival for him at this point. Especially with the US imposing new sanctions.

A 108 year old French resistance fighter, who saved around 350 Jewish children in WWII, has died. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46714673 Such a beyond amazing thing for him to have accomplished. Some of these WWII war veterans are tough as hell. Not just for surviving the war, but for living to a strong old age. A 112 year old veteran died here recently. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/28/rich...ge-of-112.html He claimed whiskey and cigars helped him live to be so old. Both heroes.

sunnykerr

I read something on Tumblr today, which is not a news site obviously. But someone was saying that their experience training in the military had helped them understand what terrorism is. And it's not setting off bombs. It's making it so people can't think for themselves. So they revert to their most basic fight-or-flight instincts. I mean, setting off bombs helps with that, obviously. But then so does going after tourists in a foreign country.

In the news, we see Islamic terrorists blowing themselves up, attacking airports, shooting up theatres and driving trucks into crowds. And those individuals are obviously guilty of their own actions. But who benefits? That's what detectives investigating murders have to keep in mind and I think the same thing applies to terrorism. Who benefits? Who's pulling the strings?

And it won't always be some sociopath in a Middle-Eastern cave either. Greed has no race, no religion, no nation.

Kim Jung-Un wasn't raised to be a philantropist, so if he's moving to get the Koreas closer to each other, he has an ulterior motive. I doubt he's dumb enough to think he can move in on South Korea, so it has to be about survival.

I think the U.S. WWII veteran's longevity can be attributed to enjoying your life, because Lord knows whiskey and cigars don't actually contribute to anyone's health. But not stressing over every little thing probably helps a person live longer.

That French Resistance member was another hero who probably did what only felt natural to him in the most terrible circumstances. It's funny how adversity reveals character like that. You wouldn't blame a person for thinking of their own first, second and third. But then you have people like this man, who literally risked his life to make sure children survived... That's a hero.

This is the opposite: Trump blames Democrats for deaths of 2 children at border I mean, I know this will play to his base, but it's so devoid of even the smallest amount of logic that you have to wonder if Trump might not have found actual success if his businesses had been about writing fiction.

There You'll Be

I always kind of always thought even mass shooters are terrorists, no matter who does the shooting. I never really thought about what they've been trained to think like. Thanks for that.

Yeah, Trump's tweet got slammed, but he doesn't care. He just wants anyone else to be responsible for anything he is the one actually responsible, and to blame. Supposedly he helped write The Art of the Deal, so yeah, a fiction writer would be right up his alley.

On that note, completely shocking and unlike him, he's decided to slow pulling the troops out of Syria, determined to defeat the IS. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46718397

60+ dead in the Phillippines, due to a tropical storm. They didn't classify it as a typhoon, so people didn't prepare. The majority of them were killed in landslides. In these times, how can countries not alert their citizens to the impending danger? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46720027 I get that people may not listen, just like in hurricanes, but at least warn them.

Awesome. Duterte is so secure he's openly bragging, and telling the story, of how he sexually assaulted a maid. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46720227 So, his goal is apparently to tell men it's okay to do it? That women are objects to be theirs?

Danuck

Kimmie

sunnykerr

Most mass shooters aren't terrorists to me, because they don't plan on surviving. So there is no reason for what they're doing. They're not doing it for any personal gain or any cause. They're just using that U.S. thing of having access to ridiculous amounts of weapons to make their own suicide be a big event. They're just losers who want to matter one way or another.

I wonder what made POTUS realize that the whole world knew his decision to pull troops out of Syria like that was so profoundly moronic. Because you know he didn't just wake up to competence. He just doesn't want to look like the failure he is at doing this job.

The thing about the Philippines and Indonedia and other countries like that going through horrible environmental catastrophes is that they obviously need better warning systemps. But then there's also extreme poverty there. Would homeless people in the United States hear a tornado warning? Would remote regions of those Asian countries, that may or may not have electricity, have access to warning systems? How does that work?

There have been attempts to get Duterte out of power before. So... yeah, I can see why he's confident. But he's not immortal. So, if nothing else, he will die eventually.

Dozens missing in deadly Russia explosion in Magnitogorsk A gas leak leading to a fire? Yeah, those poor people were screwed. And there's obviously so many people missing, so the death toll is likely to go up. It's bizarre to hear of a building that pancakes like that in a part of the world that should have better building codes.

British police arrest 39 for attempted murder after stabbing Oh, I do love it when authorities are no-nonsense. Obviously, in a stabbing, you can't have 39 attackers. But if the people involved won't cooperate? Than, yeah, charge them all. Their complicity should make them culpable anyway, right?

Yemen war: WFP accuses Houthi rebels of diverting food aid Gah. No good side in a civil war is just the worst thing to contemplate. Those poor people being starved to death...

Gunman flees after firing on car in Houston area, killing 7-year-old girl ... I just have no words. How is that even possible? How many babies have to die before the country wakes up?

There You'll Be

I think I think of terrorists as anyone who causes terror.

I agree. People who don't cooperate are clearly complicit, and deserve to be charged.

What's happening in Yemen is sickening. Millions and millions starving, and on deaths door, or dead. I get things like this happen in that part of the world, but how do you solve this-getting food to that many people...

This country won't wake up, because you know "you'll never take our guns!". People say they have a God given right to their guns-I don't think that was on God's agenda, or in his words. They don't know the motive, but said there was no provocation. He's still on the loose. https://wgntv.com/2019/01/02/he-inte...e-by-shooting/ Really? Still?

canflam

Thanks for all this news.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Wins 3rd Term Amid Deadly Violence on Election Day

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling party won Bangladesh’s election with a large majority, the country’s Election Commission said early on Monday, giving Mrs. Hasina a third straight term following a vote that the opposition rejected as flawed.

At least 17 people were killed in Bangladesh in election-related violence on Sunday, according to the police, as voters went to the polls to decide an election tainted by widespread allegations of rigging by the government.

The win by Mrs. Hasina’s Awami League, which was reported by the secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat in a televised speech, would consolidate her decade-long rule over Bangladesh. Mrs. Hasina is credited with improving the economy and promoting development, but has also been accused of rampant human rights abuses, a crackdown on the news media and suppressing dissent — charges she denies.

The head of the opposition coalition, Kamal Hossain, said the alliance had asked the Election Commission to order a fresh vote under a neutral administration “as soon as possible,” alleging Sunday’s poll was unfair and that Mrs. Hasina’s government never granted her opponents a level playing field.

“The whole election was completely manipulated. It should be canceled,” Mr. Hossain, 82, said in an interview at his residence in the capital, Dhaka, late Sunday. Candidates of the alliance reported seeing ballot-stuffing and vote-rigging by ruling party activists, who also barred opposition polling agents from voting centers, Mr. Hossain said.

“We’ve had bad elections in the past, but I must say that it is unprecedented how bad this particular election was,” he said. “The minimum requirements of free and fair election are absent.”

The Awami League won 287 of the 298 seats for which results have been declared in the 300-seat Parliament, the Election Commission said. The main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which boycotted the last poll in 2014, won just six seats.

The commission said it had received allegations of vote-rigging from “across the country,” which it was investigating. A spokesman at the agency declined to say whether those investigations would affect the election result.

The commission said it would hold a new vote for one seat where the poll was marred by violence. Another constituency, where a candidate died days before the election, will also go to the polls in the next few days.

Jahangir Kabir Nanak, the joint secretary of the Awami League, said the opposition had been “rejected by the people of Bangladesh” and that its refusal to accept voting results was “not unusual.”

“It is their old habit,” he said referring to the B.N.P., which has alternated in power with the Awami League for most of the last three decades. “We thought they would welcome this election for a change. But they could not change their habit,” he said.

Scores of opposition workers were arrested in the months before the election on charges that the opposition called “fictitious,” and many said they were attacked by ruling party activists, crippling their ability to campaign.

“The election is a cruel mockery with the nation. This type of election is harmful to the nation,” said the B.N.P.’s secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Mrs. Hasina’s government has denied the accusations and her party has claimed many of its own workers were injured in attacks by members of the opposition.

Polling booths across the country were sparsely attended, and some voters alleged that ruling party workers had blocked them from entering booths, saying their ballots had already been cast. Campaign posters of the ruling party dominated streets in many parts of Dhaka.

This was the first election the B.N.P. had campaigned without its leader, Khaleda Zia. She and Mrs. Hasina have alternated in power for most of the last three decades, but Mrs. Zia has been in jail since February on corruption charges, which she has called politically motivated.

Mr. Hossain said he would meet with alliance members on Monday to decide the next step. B.N.P.’s demand this year for polls to be held under a neutral government was rejected by Mrs. Hasina, who promised a “free and fair election.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/30/w...ce-hasina.html

This is just awful. So much for democracy in Bangladesh.

sunnykerr

Since when had Bangladesh known real democracy?

Kim, I think my mother is too terrified by everything for me to think that people who cause terror are automatically terrorists, you know? And then, what about people who plan an attack but either don't take part in it or it fails? Aren't they terrorists, too? I mean, it's not like I'm saying mass shooters can't be terrorists.

It's just... It's like how a plane crash is more dramatic than a small car crash (again, I realize some car crashes can be very catastrophic). It's still, usually, either mechanical or human error. The rest is all in the context. If we took guns away, terrorists would still find a way to cause trouble. Look at the mail bomber. Look at those people driving trucks into crowds.

I'm not sure you can say the same of all mass shooters, that's all. But that's a personal opinion. It's not like I'm a mind reader who knows what goes on in the mind of someone who can do something like that.

Endangered Florida panther threatened by development project, experts say Of course, if the development itself doesn't destroy this panther, than you know the residents of that project will because, all of a sudden, you'll have terrifying panthers in a residential panthers. God I hate people.

Brazil's Bolsonaro targets LGBT people, Indigenous groups on 1st day in office Speaking of hating people... I get that there was no good candidate during the last elections, but I don't really understand how this guy is better than someone who's corrupt. Is it because he's not even trying to hide how he plans on persecuting some and abusing others? Is that what it is?

Russian investigators deny explosives caused deadly building blast You know, this story was terrible enough when a gas leak was supposed to have been the cause of all these deaths. Now we have to start wondering if there wasn't some sort of illicit demolition or terrorism involved? Awesome.

And, again: Irate Taco Bell customer shoots out drive-thru window How can anyone pretend like the right to bear arms hasn't overstayed its welcome, I don't understand. What about an employee's right to do their job without risking their lives?

canflam

Well I think it's good to strive for a democracy even with the odds against a country doing that.

sunnykerr

Of course, it is.

But we're talking about Bangladesh here. It's had how many military coups in the last 50 years? How many corruption scandals? I mean, there's a reason why it's the poorest country in Asia.

There You'll Be

Sunny, that makes sense. I think I'm like your mom-afraid of everything, so I consider anyone who causes terror a terrorist.

I hate that people get to overtake nature, steal animals' places, and then dare to say the animal is a threat.

Bolsnaro, they support him because everyone likes to have power against people they falsely believe is a threat to them-just by being different. They want power over them, and to punish them, just for existing, and for a threat that doesn't exist.

As for the building in Russia, I believed from the start that it wasn't a natural explosion. I have no reason to think that, but it's the state of things these days.

sunnykerr

My mother doesn't think everyone's a terrorist, Kim. I just meant that causing terror isn't always a consequence of a terrorist act.

I don't know whether the explosion in Russia was caused naturally or not. I mean, even if it wasn't, accidents happen. And, from some friends of mine, I do know that building codes aren't super great in some parts of Russia, so it could have been a gas leak.