damnedifIknow
damnedifIknow's JournalAmericans are down on America
We’re No. 33!
That’s the bottom line in a new Gallup poll measuring the extent of freedom in 135 countries. Only 79% of Americans say they’re satisfied with their freedom to choose what to do with their lives, down from 87% in 2008. The top five nations where people feel most satisfied with their freedoms are New Zealand, Australia, Cambodia, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates. At No. 33, the United States is sandwiched between Bahrain and Cameroon."
* The United States is one of the few places where freedoms appear to be on the wane. Of the 100 countries where Gallup measured changes in freedom during the past five years, 75 of them registered an improvement, while 21 registered a decline. Four stayed the same. Of the decliners, only five nations report sharper drops than the United States. Two of them — Syria and Afghanistan —
* the percentage of Americans who believe the United States “stands above all other countries” dropped from 38% in 2011 to 28% in 2014. Young Americans are least impressed with their home country, with only 15% of 18-29-year-olds saying the United States is the world’s No. 1 nation. Among seniors, 40% feel that way "
* Many Americans seem to question the basic premise that everybody can get ahead in the so-called land of the free. A recent analysis by USA Today found living the American Dream, loosely defined, costs a typical family of four roughly $130,000 per year. That’s in a country where the median household income is only about $53,000, or less than half of what’s needed for a middle-class lifestyle."
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/americans-are-down-on-america-190304928.html
Indiana cop assaults wheelchair-bound man, keeps job, faces no charges
LAFAYETTE, IN — An officer has been allowed to keep his job and face no legal consequences after accosting a paralyzed and dumping him out of his wheelchair into the street.
The incident occurred on October 1, 2013. Some Lafayette police officers had just finished issuing a warning to 25-year-old Nicholas Kincade, who requires a motorized scooter for mobility."
Nicholas Kincade’s with facial cuts following the attack.
Kincade had been dismissed, and began slowly rolling down the sidewalk. His wheel inadvertently grazed Lt. Tom Davidson’s foot.
Davidson’s fury erupted in an instant. With both hands he plowed into the paralyzed man, sending him sprawling helplessly onto the pavement.
“You did not drive over me, f*****!!” Davidson barked. “Now you’re going to jail. Now you’re going to jail.”
Officers swarmed the man as he lie awkwardly in the street. Mr. Kincade attempted to explain it was all an accident.
The incident was captured on dash-cam video, which has finally been released after 9 months."
Video at link: http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/nicholas-kincade/#prettyPhoto
Police Brutality Statistics In The United States Fell By 60 Percent When Cops Wear Video Cameras
Police brutality statistics apparently fell by 60 percent in one California town when all police officers were required to wear portable video cameras while on the job.
In a related report by The Inquisitr, a video of a CHP officer punching a fallen woman 11 times in the face went viral after it was filmed by a passing driver. But another video was even worse since it showed Albuquerque police shooting two suspects in the back, never mind when a homeless man was shot in the back.
The city of Rialto, California did a controlled study where the city’s 70 police officers were required to wear a video camera that recorded all of their interactions with the public. In 2012 alone complaints against Rialto police officers fell by 88 percent, while use of force by officers fell by almost 60 percent."
* Of course, one huge negative to outfitting every cop with a camera is public privacy concerns. But even the American Civil Liberties Union, which is usually quick to protest anything that might infringe upon personal privacy, says that the notable drop in police brutality statistics is worth it:
“Although we generally take a dim view of the proliferation of surveillance cameras in American life, police on-body cameras are different because of their potential to serve as a check against the abuse of power by police officers.”
http://www.inquisitr.com/1337944/police-brutality-statistics-in-the-united-states-fell-by-60-percent-when-cops-wear-video-cameras/
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