The gun kook’s idea of 'self defense’ in a nutshell

Arizona Republic: A man suspected of fatally shooting another man at a Walmart on Sunday is saying it was a matter of self-defense, according to police.

At 4 p.m., authorities were called to the store, where they found Kyle Wayne Quadlin, 25, and Kriston Charles Belinte Chee, 36, Chandler Police spokesman Joe Favazzo said.

Quadlin and Belinte Chee had gotten into an argument that turned into a physical altercation at the store’s service counter, according to Favazzo.

Quadlin is believed to have pulled out a gun and shot Belinte Chee after Quadlin said he was losing the fight and was “in fear for his life,” Favazzo said. Quadlin then fled the store.

Police said the man who was shot died from his injuries.

So here’s what happened: a jerk picks a fight because he’s a big man with a pocket full of courage, discovers he’s bitten off more than he can chew, and uses said pocket full of courage because he started something he couldn’t otherwise finish. Quadlin is just a punk who was gettin his ass kicked — not a fine, upstanding Second Amendment Hero saving America from thugs.

And while Stand Your Ground doesn’t factor into this case, it does demonstrate exactly what’s wrong with it. SYG doesn’t require you to retreat — that’s how it got the name — which often translates to ‘sexually insecure male has to prove he’s not a pussy by not running away.” Sometimes, sticking around is escalating the situation and walking away is the wiser course.

Wait, did I say “sometimes”? I meant all times. Discretion is the better part of valor. Always. The guy who needs a gun to finish what he started is not a hero and it’s not self-defense. It’s being a common criminal and it’s murder.

Privatization turns AZ prison system into human rights nightmare

Salon: A new report alleges illegal and deadly mistreatment of Arizona inmates whose medical care the state contracted out to the country’s largest private prison health care provider.

The report, released last week by the American Friends Service Committee, a progressive Quaker group, comes as an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against the Arizona Department of Corrections awaits an appeals court ruling over the state’s challenge to its class action status. The ACLU alleges “grossly inadequate” care that creates “grave danger” for inmates, including “critically ill” people who were told to “be patient” or “pray” for healing, or that “it’s all in your head.”

Shortly before that lawsuit was filed in March 2013, the state contracted with its current for-profit health provider, Corizon, to replace the departed company Wexford. But the AFSC charges that “Correspondence from prisoners; analysis of medical records, autopsy reports, and investigations; and interviews with anonymous prison staff and outside experts indicate that, if anything, things have gotten worse.” Among the allegations: “delays and denials of care, lack of timely emergency treatment, failure to provide medication and medical devices, low staffing levels, failure to provide care and protection from infectious disease, denial of specialty care and referrals, and insufficient health treatment…”

Asked about the report, Corizon sent a statement saying that since March, it has “increased the number and skill level of our healthcare staff with the goal of continually improving patient outcomes.” Corizon said that its facilities are accredited and subject to internal audits, and that “ADC inmate patients receive care that meets their healthcare needs and satisfies constitutional requirements.” It added that “As with any large healthcare provider, litigation does arise from time to time. However, the vast majority of lawsuits filed against Corizon are without merit and are dismissed or settled with no findings of wrongdoing.” The Arizona Governor’s office did not immediately respond to an early morning Wednesday inquiry.

Part of the problem is that the prison-industrial complex is ripe for abuse. When you mention “people in prison,” people’s brains short circuit and they hear “people who deserve it.” For some reason, they imagine these sorts of things happening to rapists, murderers, or child molesters and forget that other, less terrifying people are in prison too.

The other part is that privatization is largely a scam. Prison health was the province of government for decades, with medical staff being employees of the Department of Corrections with the occasional visiting doctor from private practice.. The idea that corporations can do things cheaper than government is an offense to simple math, since government is non-profit and corporations are for-profit. Government can — and does — provide services at cost, while the private sector needs cost-plus-profit.

But that’s just your standard “everybody does it” level of government corruption, where you rip off taxpayers to send some easy business someone’s way and they help you out around election time. This is not that — or rather, it is that and much, much more. It’s not hyperbole to call this evil. People should go to the prisons they’ve turned into nightmares over this. The Justice Department should step in and shake out the prisons and the Arizona government and prosecute anyone and everyone remotely responsible for, or even aware of, this monstrosity. This isn’t some penny ante government corruption, this is a human rights abuse case.

Your daily gun tragedy

Associated Press: Police aren’t expected to seek charges in the death of an Arizona man who was accidentally shot by his 4-year-old son, authorities said.

Justin Stanfield Thomas, 35, was fatally shot Friday after he and his son traveled from Phoenix to a friend’s home 90 miles away in the northern Arizona community of Prescott Valley for a surprise visit.

The boy found the loaded gun in the home within minutes of arrival, asked a question about it and pulled the trigger, Prescott Valley Police spokesman Brandon Bonney said.

Thomas later died at a hospital.

The child has been with his mother since the day the shooting occurred.

Bonney said the gun should have been locked away, but that Thomas’ friend, whose identity hasn’t been released, was caught off guard by the unannounced visit. No children lived in the house.

Thomas was an Army special forces veteran who served in Iraq. The boy will spend his life knowing he killed his father.

Stories to Watch: 6/25/12

Four days smoke-free.


Brian Beutler pours cold water on the punditry's fun by pointing out that handicapping the decision on the Affordable Care Act is pointless horseshit. Ezra Klein concurs.


The ACLU are not fans of the Supreme Court's ruling on Arizona's "Papers Please" law.


However, total jerks are fans of Paul Ryan.


Antonin Scalia's shameful political rant, disguised as a dissenting opinion -- it's factually challenged enough to pass as a Limbaugh segment.


Republican voters actually love the stuff in the Affordable Care Act. This could be a problem for the GOP in the immediate future. Healthcare reform in the abstract is easy to attack. But if it goes down in the Supreme Court, everyone's going to find out what they've lost -- and they aren't going to be very happy.


On the subject of today's Supreme Court and the state of democracy, James Fallows kicks ass and takes names.


Republicans aren't even pretending that voter ID laws aren't about getting Republicans elected anymore.


Finally, congress is pretty damned crooked.

Related articles

• Live blog: Supreme Court strikes down most of Arizona immigration law, upholds one part

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• Scalia's scary thinking

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• U.S. Supreme Court could be an issue in the election

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Stories to Watch: 5/21/12

The Cory Booker non-story, explained concisely.


Limbaugh's ratings post-slut comment were not so hot.


State of Hawaii to Arizona's birther Secretary of State: We are so tired of this bullshit. The email exchange behind all of this is well worth your time.


Facebook's shares aren't doing so well.


The conservative media start a race war. Luckily, it exists only in their imaginations. Bonus fun: Ed Kilgore on how incoherent and insane the whole thing is.


Obama says he's not letting up on Romney's Bain past.


Paul Ryan's stopped trying to make any damned sense at all.


Me talk like conservatives now.


Are squirrels possessed by gay demons?


Just a reminder; rightwing "historian" David Barton sells the purest horseshit known to man.


Finally, if the current escalation in numbers is any indication, by the time November rolls around, Mittens will be claiming to have created about a trillion jobs -- give or take a billion.

Related articles

• This Is Why Rush Limbaugh Is So Entertaining: Now He's A Reverse-Birther

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• Aide: Romney created more jobs as governor than Obama did as president

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• Obama doubles down with new ad attacking Romney on Bain

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Stories to Watch: 2/18/12

I think I'll make chili tonight. And corn bread. That sounds awesome right now. I'll make the chili, put it in a baking dish, spoon the corn bread batter over the top with some cheese, onions, and pepper rings, and bake it. Dang, I've made myself hungry and lunch is the pressing problem. Now here's the news...


Hey, remember the guy the John McCain's "build the danged fence" ad? He seems to be guilty of all different kinds of hypocrisy. Not to mention at least one actual crime. According to the report, "Rising Republican star and well-known border hawk Sheriff Paul Babeu, who’s now running for Congress in Arizona, was hit Friday night with bombshell accusations from a Mexican immigrant who said he dated the sheriff for years and was threatened with deportation if he ever told anyone about their romance."


Santorum's newly released tax records show that, despite being a multi-millionaire, he gives almost nothing to charity.


GOP panic over their presidential field deepens.


This goes a long way toward explaining the GOP's problem here; "There is no other way to put this without resorting to demographic bluntness: the small fraction of Americans who are trying to pick the Republican nominee are old, white, uniformly Christian and unrepresentative of the nation at large."


How far outside the mainstream is the GOP voter? Their frontrunner is getting wild applause for praising income inequality.


***
Wingnut bloggers are super-excited about a recent poll giving Scott Brown a big lead over Elizabeth Warren in the Massachusetts Senate race. Here's the thing though; not even Republicans believe it.


And why should they? Think about it. All the polling before this either had them pretty much tied or Warren leading. Now, all of a sudden, Brown opens up a big lead. And this is because...?

Yeah, it's because nothing. Nothing has changed. No one has switched strategies, no one's launched a big ad campaign or switched to a new message. No one got involved in a big scandal or saved a bunch of orphans from a burning building. The numbers lack any underlying explanation -- which is why even GOP insiders think they're inaccurate.


***
Finally, saying that Super PACs represent the 1% is severely understating the problem. Super PACs represent the .0000063%.

Related articles

• Poll: Scott Brown opens up 9-point lead over Elizabeth Warren (thehill.com)
• An Attack on All of Us By Elizabeth Warren, Reader Supported News (jhaines6.wordpress.com)
• Fight For GOP Soul, SuperPACs Spur Negative Political Ad Explosion (npr.org)
• Feingold: Obama super-PAC decision is 'dancing with the devil' (thehill.com)

Stories to Watch: 1/26/12

A long day is pretty much over now. Huzzah. Now here's the news...


Romney's campaign comes within a millimeter of straight-out calling Gingrich a dangerous lunatic.


Nate Silver thinks Newt may have run out of steam.


As Mittens and Noodles drag each other down in the Sunshine State, President Obama's polling numbers rise.


Retiring Rep. Barney Frank will wed his longtime partner Jim Ready.


Mitt Romney's released tax records don't match up with the personal financial statement he filed when he officially became a candidate.


He's not even running anymore and Rick Perry's presidential campaign is still a disaster for him.


Newt Gingrich lands the all-important corrupt-politician-in-prison endorsement.


Oh for chrissake, another GOP debate?


Finally -- and not entirely shockingly -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's account of a tarmac exchange between herself and President Obama seems to be mostly bullshit.

Related articles

• Newt Hammered by... Pretty Much Everyone (newser.com)
• Watch: Newt Gingrich Attacks Romney on 'Mud' Ads (abcnews.go.com)
• Newt's Make Or Break Moment In Florida (abcnews.go.com)
• Gingrich's Grassroots Outreach Attracts Tea Partiers (abcnews.go.com)

Stories to Watch: 6/2/11

Changed all my Gmail passwords. Did you change yours? Now here's the news...


Wisconsin isn't the only state with a recall effort going on. Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce -- author of that state's infamous "papers please" law -- is also facing recall. And it's going really, really well.


That twitpic that Rep. Anthony Weiner's doing a really lousy job of dealing with? Yeah, those may actually have been as planted as he says. A trail of evidence is beginning to reveal itself and it leads to a tea party twitterer and Andrew Brietbart. Try to act surprised.


The New York Times points out that no president has won reelection with unemployment this high since FDR. Here's what's wrong with that.


Obama's approvals continue to rise. Just as importantly, disapprovals fall to an 18 month low.


If you missed last night's rant by Jon Stewart on pizza, Trump, Palin, and forks, do yourself a favor. It was classic.


Finally, a lot of local news broadcasts say that they're "there when news happens." St. Louis' KSDK currently holds the best claim to that slogan.

Related articles

• Russell Pearce Critics File Recall Petition Against Arizona State Senator (huffingtonpost.com)
• Jon Stewart Goes To Bat For Rep. Anthony Weiner: 'His D*ck Is Just Not That Big' (mediaite.com)
• Weiner Trying to Get Back to Work One More Time (mediabistro.com)
• Rudy Giuliani On Running For President, Anthony Weiner, And "Hanging Out" In New Hampshire (businessinsider.com)

Stories to Watch: 2/12/11

Kind of a boring weekend around here so far. This time of year, the days keep getting longer, but all the additional sun doesn't seem to accomplish anything. We're on the downhill slope of winter, to be sure, but it sure doesn't feel that way. Now here's the news...


Rightwing fears are seeming more and more unfounded as the Egyptian military says they'resticking with the country's treaty with Israel and protesters reaffirm that, yes, this is all about democracy.


Just a reminder: the Obama administration is awful on matters of privacy and domestic surveillance.


Senator Gabrielle Giffords? Let's wait and see if she's still up to being Representative Gabrielle Giffords, OK guys?


House GOP finally settle on $100 billion in cuts. Problem is, it's never going to happen.


Rep. Peter King earns another Profile in Courage award by pissing himself over Muslims again.


Finally, Republican Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin threatens to sic the National Guard on state workers who might get mad about his plan to dismantle their union. The same day Mubarak steps down, Walker steps up. Hooray for Republican freedom!

How to Win a Gubernatorial Debate, the Jan Brewer Way

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer shows up to the first gubernatorial debate well-prepared and ready to kick some ass! Teabags forever! w00t!

OK, so that didn't go so well. You'd think her staff would've clued her in on the fact that you have to actually say things at debates. Dead air and an embarrassed grin don't exactly inspire confidence. Still, as much as it seems like it, time has not stopped and she runs out the clock. Success!

Then the debate turns to her irresponsible "ARIZONA IS A VIOLENT HELLHOLE! PANIC! PANIC!!" messaging and things go from bad to worse. She dodges a question about her beheadings lie, but good questions never actually die. They just lay in wait outside the studio doors like a mountain lion, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting Jan. She leaves the studio and is met by reporters with one subject on their minds -- beheadings.

Yup, she pulls a Sharron Angle and bolts. You get the feeling that, if she knew where the light switch was, she would've thrown the room into darkness. See, this is why supervillains carry those flashbomb things. When things get dicey, you throw one and escape in the smoke, leaving only your sinister cackle behind. So, on this point too, Jan Brewer came unprepared.

So, when all is said and done, who won this debate?

Jan Brewer, of course.

Griper Blade: Vote Dammit!

The McCain team got some news yesterday. It wasn't good. I imagine that they drew straws or flipped coins or played rock-paper-scissors to find out which adviser would break it to the candidate and get an up-close look at his legendary temper -- the Senator from Arizona stands a damned good chance of losing Arizona.

AZCentral.com:

A new poll from Arizona State University shows the presidential race too close to call in Sen. John McCain's home state.

The Arizona senator is leading Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama by 2 percentage points, 46 to 44, down from a 7-point lead a month ago and a double-digit lead this summer. Factor in the poll's 3-point margin of error, and a race that was once a nearly sure thing for McCain is a statistical dead heat, pollsters say.

"One would think McCain would still carry Arizona, but anybody who says they can predict the state this time, they can't. It's going to depend on who goes to the polls," said Tara Blanc, associated director of the poll by ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and local PBS affiliate Channel 8 (KAET).

Not surprisingly, the pool of remaining undecideds there is small, at about 9%. There's a real chance that Arizona could go blue this year, but only if Obama voters get out and vote...

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