Hillary Clinton weighs in on Eric Garner chokehold death, Ferguson:

[Cali_Democrat]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton says the criminal justice system is "out of balance," and she supports federal reviews of police-involved deaths of black men in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City.

Clinton is speaking at a women's conference in Boston. She says the cases show the need for federal law enforcement money to be used for best practices, not weapons of war.

She says the U.S. has let its criminal justice system get out of balance, and she notes disparity in the number of black men in prison.

Civil rights leaders have criticized grand jury decisions not to charge a white police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York and not to charge a white officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teen in Missouri.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/04/hillary-clinton-eric-garner_n_6271302.html

[Cali_Democrat]

1. kick

.

[Don Draper]

44. I'm having a real hard time getting excited for Hillary

What a vanilla response. I want to hear what Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have to say.

[FreakinDJ]

49. Not giving me the "Warm Fuzzy" either

Another Federal Layer of Cover Up is EXACTLY what we don't need

[nichomachus]

2. Wow. Talk about hard hitting

I wonder how many focus groups her handlers had to run that by before they came up with this.

[wyldwolf]

4. wow. Talk about a predictable response

I wonder how long you had to hang out at DU with the Pony-envy crowd to come up with THAT reply.

[nichomachus]

14. Well it was a predictable statement -- carefully crafted and mealy mouthed nt

[wyldwolf]

19. I found it to be calm and even tempered.

Of course, what you want is someone who yells, pounds the podium and points their finger when talking. It makes a better DU sig line pic.

[Heather Kube]

39. I just *LOVE* Hillary Clinton, but unfortunately,

on this issue, I agree with you. It was so blah.

[Kalidurga]

53. Well it would be unseemly if she said something like this...

the whole damn system is rotten to its core
we need reform from shore to shore

brave souls crossed the sea to escape tyranny
but brought with them their bigotry

They created laws for the common w̶h̶i̶t̶e̶ man
making rank elites was the plan

They doled out freedom, the masses to allay
and proudly stand on feet of clay

They built in a Constitution of redress
it serves the needs of the noblesse

by custom, design, and with the law in place
they keep cover over their base

vile behavior to the victims is assigned
that keeps the eyes of justice blind

wars of aggression are launched with impunity
their station gives them immunity

They rob resources from the poor to feed the rich
wealth comes from hard work is the pitch

with silver spoons they feast on lies fed to them
those in their service they must condemn.

and for those that haven’t enough utility
they save the most hostility

their biggest fear is a level playing field
knowing that their power would yield

their hold on resources is with guns, germs, and steal
robbing from labor with much zeal

from a high horse they breath a rarefied air
it is but the stench of despair

And if the masses rise against oppression
they will stomp on any progression

with whips, hoses, and extrajudicial action
freedom has never gained traction

we all must be aware of the thin blue line
it hides the murderous incline

even when unarmed children lay dead in a street
we find justice wears a white sheet

just in case you haven't kept score
the whole damn system is rotten to its core

[LanternWaste]

8. Quite the insightful, well-thought and sourced analysis you've offered us...

Quite the insightful, well-thought and sourced analysis you've offered us... as it most certainly isn't merely a half-witted bumper-sticker in lieu of any valid point.

[nichomachus]

13. Well, for starters

Instead of being outraged that young black men are being murdered with impunity, she turned it into a budgetary issue and called for more meeting and analyses that will do nothing to solve the problem.

[Scuba]

24. Bingo!

[daleanime]

35. +1

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

36. Yup, you nailed it. Typical Third Way do nothin response.

[Heather Kube]

41. Exactly!

[zeemike]

48. +1

But I am sure she has a plan to finance a "No cop left behind program"

[helpmetohelpyou]

26. so true

[yeoman6987]

30. This poor woman cannot win!

She as a private citizen gave a response before Elizabeth Warren who has not said a word.

[DeSwiss]

33. +1000

[Union Scribe]

3. I agree with the idea of starting

to explore paths we may take to find ways to...

[Heather Kube]

43. illuminate the course we must follow

to get on a track where .....

[closeupready]

5. Lame.

[PAProgressive28]

6. I thought this would be a joke

I didn't expect her to say anything about it.

[Blue_Tires]

7. A bit late to the game, but glad she at least said something...

[yeoman6987]

32. Late in the game???? 24 hours????

Where's Nancy's response? Reid? Cuomo? Gilldabrand? Warren? It is so unfair the poor treatment she receives. I wonder how she stays above it? We are privileged to have her as President in 2016 and we don't even appreciate the gift handed to us. Wow!!!

[SunSeeker]

42. Exactly. And what did Bernie and Elizabeth say about Ferguson?

I can't recall them saying anything very different than what Hillary just said.

[Blue_Tires]

46. There's no denying she *IS* late on Ferguson...

and I thought she'd be ahead of the curve on New York since she it's her state and she is the one running for president out of that bunch you named...

And it has to be said that even though his comments were cynical, tone-deaf, and useless, even Rand fuckin' Paul beat her to the news cycle by 12 hours...

[MindPilot]

9. "out of balance"?!

What an astute observation! Can't get nuthin' past her!

[Baitball Blogger]

16. LOL!

[Enthusiast]

45. Pffft!

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[sadoldgirl]

10. Good, this was or is a first step

Now let us hear from others. While I don't believe that the
DoJ can do much, I still hope that Cuomo will call for another
GJ with a special prosecutor. If that does not happen...
all else is whitewash.

BTW I did not hear anything from big Harry, nor Pelosi.
Yet Boehner did talk about a hearing.

[woo me with science]

11. And not a single corporate media toadie will demand more than that conveniently milquetoast reply.

Not a single media toadie will ask her to take a stand on ending these obscene programs to ramp up militarization of police, exploded under a corporate Democratic administration:

Specialty of the Third Way: Vague platitudes while protecting the militarization itself

Militarization of our police departments is a *bipartisan* effort of corporatists in both parties, right along with mass surveillance, the assaults on journalism, and the persecution of whistleblowers. The programs and legislation that are turning our police departments into paramilitary forces come through Homeland Security and the Pentagon, and are being used to suppress and intimidate dissent, exploit communities, and fill lucrative private prisons with slave labor as the nation is corporatized and Americans are made into a nation of low-paid wage slaves.

Both parties are complicit in this outrage. See the links below. Real change requires pushback against corporate politicians who are enabling this militarization, and that includes both corporate Democrats and Republicans.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The entire Democratic leadership opposed Grayson amendment to stop arming cops with DOD weapons
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025390424

The Obama Administration's Escalation of Police Militarization
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/aclu-police-militarization-swat_n_2813334.html

It's almost certain that if the police agencies cooperate, the ACLU will find that the militarization trend has accelerated since Kraska's studies more than a decade ago. All of the policies, incentives and funding mechanisms that were driving the trend then are still in effect now. And most of them have grown in size and scope.

The George W. Bush administration actually began scaling down the Byrne and COPS programs in the early 2000s, part of a general strategy of leaving law enforcement to states and localities. But the Obama administration has since resurrected both programs. The Byrne program got a $2 billion surge in funding as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, by far the largest budget in the program's 25-year history. Obama also gave the COPS program $1.55 billion that same year, a 250 percent increase over its 2008 budget, and again the largest budget in the program's history. Vice President Joe Biden had championed both programs during his time in the Senate.

The Pentagon's 1033 program has also exploded under Obama. In the program's monthly newsletter (Motto: "From Warfighter to Crimefighter&quot , its director announced in October 2011 that his office had given away a record $500 million in military gear in fiscal year 2011, which he noted, "passes the previous mark by several hundred million dollars." He added, "I believe we can exceed that in FY 12.”

Then there are the Department of Homeland Security's anti-terrorism grants. The Center for Investigative Reporting found in a 2011 investigation that since 2001, DHS has given out more than $34 billion in grants to police departments across the country, many of which have been used to purchase military-grade guns, tanks, armor, and armored personnel carriers. The grants have gone to such unlikely terrorism targets as Fargo, N.D.; Canyon County, Idaho; and Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The final ACLU report on militarization of police in America
https://www.aclu.org/criminal-law-reform/war-comes-home-excessive-militarization-american-police-report

WOW... Went Looking For Connections Between Ferguson And ALEC... Found This Piece Of The Puzzle...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025413841

The exploitation of Ferguson I: In 2013 the town issued over 24,000 arrest warrants..
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025404667

The exploitation of Ferguson II: The Seamy Underbelly Of Ferguson Starts To Appear
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025416747

The exploitation of Ferguson III: Ferguson Feeds Off the Poor: Three Warrants a Year Per Household
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025428157

"Operation Urban Shield"...Training our Police, Fire, First Responders..in Military Tactics
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025412909

[RufusTFirefly]

12. Classic Clinton immediacy and decisiveness.

Following in the tradition of her first comments about Ferguson on August 28, a mere 19 days after the shooting occurred. In this age of Tweets, it's great to have a President-elect who's not embarrassed to respond at Pony Express pace.

She began by expressing empathy for the parents of Mike Brown, but in a bit of point-missing that would characterize her remarks, added that “losing a child is every parent’s greatest fear and an unimaginable loss.”

The point she missed, of course, is that losing a child in this manner, gunned down unarmed by police, is not every parent’s greatest fear, but to those for whom it is, the parents of young black men and boys, it is an extremely imaginable loss. It’s a loss that most black parents couldn’t un-imagine if they tried.

In addressing the aftermath of the shooting, Clinton was just vague enough that people could know what she was talking about, but she could avoid explicitly denouncing the police. She talked about the “dramatic, terrible pictures on television,” and noted that “Nobody wants to see our streets look like a war zone,” but didn’t explain why they looked like a war zone. As Clinton described it, the frayed “bonds of trust and respect” sounded like a two-way street, at best.

Hillary Clinton Kinda Feels Bad About What Happened In Ferguson Maybe

Good to have someone thoughtful, deliberate, and courageous like President-elect Clinton, unlike that harpy Elizabeth Warren, who rashly responded just five days after the incident. Has she no shame?!

[nichomachus]

15. Pony Express was faster n/t

[MindPilot]

17. Yeah, and there was an actual pony!

I don't think it farted rainbows, though.

[brooklynite]

18. BTW, point us to Warren's response on Garner, will you? And Bernie's?

[sadoldgirl]

21. Sorry, but I think that you are too much hooked

on 2016. Right now we should ask about Reid's, Pelosi's and McConnel's comments,
since Boehner already agreed to a hearing. This is happening NOW, and the Dem's leading
politicians in office are sparing with their response.
What about Shumer? has he made any sensible comments about a hearing in the
Senate?

[brooklynite]

29. Only responding to the theme already posted...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5909067

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5908305

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5908395

[sadoldgirl]

31. Okay, I understand,

but I still think that my point is valid.

[Doctor_J]

38. Please use the correct term - triangulation

no one knows what it means, so it can't actually be criticized

[RufusTFirefly]

47. Thanks. Sounds too technical. Guess I'll leave it to the experts

[Dreamer Tatum]

20. I always enjoy her timely faxes. nt

[Fearless]

22. Leading from behind

A most detestable trait.

[etherealtruth]

23. Better late than never

[hrmjustin]

25. Glad she responded.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

27. Seems reasonable and responsible to me...

No Clinton fan here but I fail to see what is wrong with what she said

[hrmjustin]

28. It comes with the territory.

People want more of our politicians at times so I understand that some want to hear more.

[asjr]

50. Thank you for your remark. Hillary Clinton has

become a target for some of the people on DU. Seems there is nothing she can do to please them. I have been here since 2002 and more or less have stopped writing here. It is very disturbing to read some of their replies. I do wish Eisenhower was still with us. He was the first president I ever voted for and I can't remember him ever saying degrading things about other people. Of course I only saw and heard him on the radio or in the movie news.

[malaise]

34. This is a reasonable statement n/t

[nomorenomore08]

37. *Too* reasonable IMO. But realistically, I wouldn't have expected anything stronger. n/t

[DeSwiss]

40. If there's such a thing as ''Damning with faint praise.....''

...then I suppose this would be called ''Milktoasting with faint criticism.''

So let me see if I have this right. Her overall take here is:

1) We need a larger federal role in local policing.
2) We need to put the criminal justice system ''back into balance'' (whatever the fuck that means).
3) We should spend federal law enforcement dollars on ''best practices'' (again whatever the fuck that means).

- The only thing that seems to be missing here is ''Oceania, Tis for Thee'' playing in the background......

[zeemike]

51. Well the best practices seems to be

Shoot first and ask questions later...cause dead men tell no tales.

[spanone]

52. thank you ma'am