That cop in Seattle whose body cam captured him laughing as he described the unfortunate death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student he'd witnessed get hit by a speeding cop responding to a call on 23-Jan-2023... well, the excuse he provided, that he was role-playing to highlight the callous attitude with which lawyers try to resolve such matters, that's plausible; that sounded like a lawyer to me. It sounded far too realistic to me, actually. So much so that I've a hard time believing that he still thought he was a cop.

His excuse is plausible, per se, but I'm not hearing anything—nothing at all—in his voice that would substantiate such a version. And I've heard nervous laughter, and that's not what I'd qualify as such.

We don't have the full call? True. But do we really need it? There is a precedent. And, if a 'good cop', he's reached his cracking point and should have been identified for psych eval by a superior before he'd reached that point.   

Further, before wanting to hang all cops indiscriminately, keep in mind that it was a cop tasked with reviewing the recordings who reported the officer; they were concerned with what they described as a clear lack of respect for human life, and I'm certain that they heard the full recording. Thank you to that officer for doing the right thing and not allowing the fraternal bond that encourages silence on such things to rule over their good sense.

I'm curious to see the despicably creative ways with which some will attempt to defend the laughing sociopath.

Better filters and psych tests. And all the rest.

In Quebec, which is renown for being highly progressive albeit a few hang ups, we've actually moved past pilot testing on some projects. One in Montreal that put social workers in a mobile 'office' and on the streets to patrol and respond to a whole slew of 'street-related' incidents in those areas that are frequented by the homeless, addicts, and prostitutes received a $2.6 million 'boost' last January after having established far more positive results than straight policing.

"Montreal's alternative to policing most vulnerable gets boost after over 10,000 interventions" | CBC

The sad part is that I'm aware of a few pilot projects developed in the US, in connection to university programs, that were adopted in various places across the world and are proving to be successful or that have provided the basis from which an applied version was fine tuned and are delivering positives.

The "bigger forces, more guns" crowd are solidly proven wrong, consistently, yet that's all they ever want, this being the only solution they've ever been open to? 

And it's not a tribal thing except for the way the issues get wrapped up in the black-or-white politics that muddle matters. And I know that in between inhumane and sane, only a small handful would choose inhumane, and they're the ones with all the power, the same who are always happy to muddle the matter.

While they or their kids skirt around what they preach and impose. 

For the "Defund" crowd, you realize that it's through pilot programs that demonstrate cost-effective, live-saving measures that establish a plus for an administration that's bound to lead to change. At the very least, a meta-analysis of existing programs made available on a site that deals with the issue seriously and registers feedback and ideas in a packaged and meaningful way, rather than big bold "Defund" and vindictive attacks against the police that puts the latest victim of brutality in your face and demands that you support abolition of all police or you're a fascist SOB!, etc.

The last transmits your sentiments far better, no doubt, but won't achieve your goal in any manner comparable to the first. Also, focusing all efforts toward a single city to implement (well-thought-out) test programs and demonstrating results... No matter how much it upsets you, gotta remember that a bureaucracy, with bureaucratic modes, is what's run things, and you can count on that barrier being there as long as a "budget" is involved.     

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Another story I found sickening was hearing how Alex Jones is trying to avoid his legal responsibilities by not paying the amounts due to the families of the victims of Sandy Hook.

After hearing he'd filed for bankruptcy, I had expected something like the $15,000 transfers to his wife, but over $93,000 in 'standard' expenses for July alone?! That's close to $20,000 more than the average monthly expenses he was paying before going broke?

Twilight Zone, non-racist math aside, what really peeves me is just how full of shit he is, and I'm not even talking about his "news" stuff. Everything he preaches and all he repeats on a loop about what makes America great, those are all true and valuable so long as it's making him money. He's willing to bend things, and bend, and bend, and dupe people and rake in the cash and call it fair game because of, essentially, capitalism, which is the excuse he embraces to harm countless, but when that same system is flipped over and not in his favour, he doesn't even have the balls to respect that which he swears by.

Dude should try his own boner pills and maybe grow a pair.    

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Dirt, on the other hand, is good; let's you grow vegetables.