Abuse of Power // Current TV

West Point Grad Arrested For Defending Woman Abused By Austin Police

You want to know how to help? Call the following people and DEMAND that they fire... more

Radical_Centrist
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What Most Sex Scandals Have In Common (Hint: It's Not Sex)

Is the season for sex scandals. More possible victims of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky are coming forward, and Herman Cain's sexual harassment allegations remain in the headlines.

Earlier this week, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan took pains to acknowledge Penn State's scandal, which has echoed the Catholic Church's ongoing problems with sex abuse. At a news conference, Dolan said “we once again bow our heads in shame" and reminded listeners that sexual abuse is a universal problem plaguing most institutions.

Perhaps, Archbishop Dolan. But why?

Sex scandals typically unfold the same way—a media frenzy erupts, alleged victims and perpetrators, as well as their defenders, are dissected under a microscope and demonized accordingly. The abuser is "sick," "a bad apple," a "monster." The accuser is "troubled," a "gold-digger," a "liar." Eventually, screaming headlines give way to memes and SNL skits, and the scandal fades from the press. The opportunity to talk about larger structural problems eludes us.

Then, a few months or weeks later, another "shocking" scandal surfaces, and the cycle starts all over again, with the public and the perpetrators apparently none the wiser.

The "he said, she said" legacy of the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas case may make for good gossip, but it has yet to incite real change to stop other abusers in their tracks. Whether it's the shortsighted worship of sports or God or the outrageous entitlement of a man with too much power, we need to channel our thirst for juicy tidbits into a long-term conversation about why sex abuse occurs in the first place.

The Sandusky case has tackled this problem more than the Cain coverage, shining a light on the neglect of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno. But even then, the focus has been more on Paterno's cowardice than the forces behind his decision.

Even the phrase—sex scandal—connotes a torrid love affair; more often than not, we're talking about rape, harassment, and abuse of power. Salacious language takes these incidents at face value and fails to place them alongside cultural patterns—much like convicted rapists are condemned (if we're lucky) out of context in a rape-apologist culture. Of course, the vast majority of people are not rapists and child molesters, and most CEOs don't sexually harass their subordinates. But if you bolster an abuser with too much privilege and leeway, he'll take it and run.

Every time we frame compulsive pedophiles as rogue psychos existing in a bubble, or sexual harassers as bosses who simply got "carried away," we embolden the next sex offender or skeevy executive to make a move. As the twin cases of Cain and Sandusky unfold, let's not only pay attention to the soundbites and lawyers, but the money and power that shielded them for so long.

Photo via (cc) Flickr user bentley_mcbentleson (This photo is a satire of the original.)Is the season for sex scandals. More possible victims of former Penn State assistant... more

BRAVATRAVELS
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1 month ago
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11 comments

Police State - Concealed Cameras in the Wisconsin Capitol

If you hold any inkling of a feeling that we still live an a democracy, you can loose... more

Kelly_Balthrop
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3 months ago
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24 comments

Aransas County Judge William Adams Beats Daughter For Using Internet (VIDEO)

WARNING: Viewer Discretion Is Advised. 2004: Aransas County (Rockport, Texas)... more

dryeraser
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3 months ago
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3 comments

Cops Assault Man With Down Syndrome Over "Suspicious Bulge" In His Pants

The report said officers spotted a bulge in Powell's waist band and when they... more

Anonmaly
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5 months ago
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Courageous Illinois Man Faces 75 Years In Prison For Recording Cops

Every other case involving people arrested for filming cops has been thrown out of... more

KSirys
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5 months ago
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5 comments

POLICE ABUSE THE MENTALLY HANDICAPED, PLEASE GET THIS OUT ON MAINSTREAM

DAYTON, Ohio (CN) - Dayton police "mistook" a mentally handicapped... more

Alaskajoe
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8 months ago
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7 year old boy blamed for causing his own death

FATHER SEEKS PUBLIC'S HELP TO
FIND JUSTICE FOR 7 YEAR OLD SON

A QUESTION TO ALL AMERICANS;
Do Police and Government Agencies That We Trust to Uphold the Law and Protect the Innocent, (Especially Children), Have the Right at Their Own Discretion, to Ignore 2 Felony Crimes Commited against a 7 Year Old Child and Blame the Child for, "CAUSING HIS OWN DEATH"?

Believe it or not it's true, 7 year-old Tyler James was a VICTIM of two Felony crimes that resulted in his death. The authorities here in Lake County, California purposely ignored these crimes, and concluded that my son Tyler James, "CAUSED HIS OWN DEATH".
It's hard to believe that such an Injustice could happen in America. For over ten years now I have been pleading with the Media to investigate the way my son's death was handled. I am at a loss for words as to why the Media has failed to take an interest or even request to "VIEW THE EVIDENCE" that supports my allegations.
For 10 years now I have been expected to believe that my son Tyler, "CAUSED HIS OWN DEATH". I refuse to accept that a 7 year-old is capable of, "causing his own death". When you take a look at the facts and evidence surrounding the death of Tyler James, it is clear that Tyler was not JUST a victim of 2 Felony crimes, he was also a victim of some very serious "ABUSE OF POWER", and CLEARLY DID NOT DESERVE TO BE BLAMED!
It is TRULY a sad day in America when a police agency we trust to uphold the law and protect the innocent can perpetrate such an injustice against an innocent child. I hope one day soon to be able to present my evidence to the American people through a reputable Media organization or Journalist. Please forward this to everyone you know. MY QUESTION TO YOU IS ????
WOULD YOU GIVE UP ON JUSTICE
IF IT WERE YOUR CHILD?
Sincerely, Thomas Wilkerson To find out more about this story please visit my web site at ............................................. www.tylerjames.org
e-mail.... zeke5593@yahoo.com
contact phone... 707-331-7669FATHER SEEKS PUBLIC'S HELP TO FIND JUSTICE FOR 7 YEAR... more

Father_seeking_Justice
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9 months ago
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Cop punches woman in the face at Atlanta IHOP

Talk about bad pancakes. In the early hours of Sunday morning, Cynthia Freeman and... more

KB723
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10 months ago
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170 comments

does the punishment fit the crime?

some may say the cop's did their jobs...i disagree, i see an abuse of power--when... more

shippit5
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10 months ago
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San Juan Co. deputy beats man with flashlight (VIDEO)

KOB Eyewitness News 4 has obtained the video of a San Juan County sheriff’s... more

bundlebear
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10 months ago
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4 comments

Who wants to see a cop steal a basketball hoop from a handicapped man? I do!!!!! I do!!!!!!!

I thought this one was to good not to post... for those of you who haven't seen... more

evilchopsuey
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10 months ago
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4 comments

CIA Officials Involved in Abuse and Wrongful Detention Rarely Reprimanded, Sometimes Promoted | Common Dreams

You just can't make this stuff up!

CIA officers who were involved in cases of wrongful imprisonment, mistreatment and even detainee deaths have often avoided serious punishment and in many cases been promoted within the agency, an investigation by the Associated Press has found.

CIA officers who were involved in cases of wrongful imprisonment, mistreatment and even detainee deaths have often avoided serious punishment and in many cases been promoted within the agency, an investigation by the Associated Press has found.
Take the case of German citizen Khaled El-Masri, who was kidnapped and transferred to a secret prison in Afghanistan for interrogation in 2003. U.S. officials have since admitted that the CIA wrongfully imprisoned El-Masri.

Though the lawyer who signed off on the decision received a reprimand, the CIA never punished the analyst who pressed for El-Masri’s wrongful rendition, despite recommendations from the CIA’s inspector general, AP reported.

A former CIA official told the Washington Post in 2005 that the analyst “didn’t really know. She just had a hunch” when she made the decision regarding El-Masri. The analyst now runs the CIA’s Global Jihad unit, which leads the U.S. government’s counterterrorism efforts against al-Qaeda.

She’s hardly the only example of the CIA’s failure to hold officers accountable for their decisions. Other cases in the AP story in which officers made serious mistakes with little to no punishment include:

A case in which a terrorism suspect froze to death in a makeshift prison in Afghanistan after CIA officers stripped him and left him overnight in an unheated cell. An investigation of the incident raised concerns about the top officer at the prison, the CIA’s station chief in Afghanistan, and management at headquarters. Nobody was punished.
A case in which a CIA interrogator performed a “mock execution” by holding an unloaded gun and bitless drill to the head of an al-Qaeda operative at a secret CIA prison in Poland. Mock executions are not authorized by the Justice Department, but the interrogator received only a reprimand.
A case of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in which a prisoner was interrogated, covered by a hood, shackled to a window, and found dead a half hour later. His death was ruled a homicide and the medical examiner said the hood over his head and the position he was constrained to contributed to his death, but the CIA officer who ran the detainee unit only received a letter of reprimand.Many of the internal investigations which found past mistakes by CIA officers were conducted by the CIA’s inspector general—a position that sat vacant for more than a year before a new inspector general was sworn in last fall.

A CIA spokesman told the AP, “Any suggestion that the agency does not take seriously its obligation to review employee misconduct — including those of senior officers — is flat wrong,”and said that CIA Director Leon Pannetta has fired employees for misconduct.

Shorter versions of the AP story have been published elsewhere, but for all the details, read the full report.You just can't make this stuff up! CIA officers who were involved in cases of... more

kennymotown
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1 year ago
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18 comments

District Attorney Orders Gestapo-style Police Raid on Home of LA Teen That Made Video of Police Abuse.

The family of Jeremy Marks awoke on Jan. 26 at 7:00 am to the sound of nearly 30 Los... more

bundlebear
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1 year ago
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14 comments

Pete Eyre Arrested For Wearing A Hat - Blatant Unneeded Aggressive Coercion

Anyone else think this is going a little far?

davids80
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1 year ago
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149 comments

BREAKING NEWS: Former Swedish Judge:Sundberg-Weitman speaks out on the handling of the Julian Assange case

The following summarizes the unfolding of events surrounding the arrest of Julian... more

gerardange
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1 year ago
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1 comment

Support Wikileaks ~ You're The Voice - Support The Truth

Please support Wikileaks by donating. Click here: http://213.251.145.96/support.html... more

gerardange
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1 year ago
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6 comments

WIKILEAKS, The Year 2010 in Review (60min Interview Video)

2010 can be defined as the year of WikiLeaks. The whisteblowing website first made... more

gerardange
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1 year ago
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SEXUAL HARASSMENT LEADS TO A NUDITY CITATION

I was at the beach at lake Temescal in Oakland, California, with my 3 children peacefully enjoying myself. 3 policemen showed up and gave me a citation for nudity even though I was wearing 2 sweaters and a bikini bottom (not a thong). They justified their actions with East Bay Parks regulations that say that you are not allowed to show buttocks at the beach. I was showing buttocks and was in violation according to their rules.
Ordinance 38/Section 405.
NUDITY. No person shall appear, swim, bathe, sunbathe, walk or be in any of the parks, lands, beaches, waters or any place owned, managed, controlled or otherwise under the jurisdiction of the East Bay Regional Park District, in such a manner that the genitals, vulva, pubis, symphysis, pubic hair, buttocks, and cleft, perineum, anus, anal region, or pubic hair region of any person, or any portion of the breast at or below the upper edge of the areola thereof of any female person, is exposed to public view or is not covered by an opaque covering. This subdivision shall not apply to children under the age of 5 years.
This citation was a result of sexual harassment and retaliation by one of the park rangers. Ranger Vernon Jones had previously asked me out and was turned down and 2 days prior to the incident I filed a complaint about him driving too fast in his personal vehicle down a pedestrian path. He called the police on me in retaliation. The policemen kept insisting that it was a member of the public and not a ranger who called them.
A couple weeks later I was given another citation for swimming while the beach was officially closed even though none of the police saw me swim. It was another ranger Cliff Rocha - agianst whom I had also complained in the past - who called the police and convinced them to give me a ticket. Officer Torres insisted on giving me a citation against the will of the other police officers who were present. Officer Torres said the ranger would sign the citation. This citation was so illegal that 5 days later I received a letter from the Alameda County DA saying that my citation was not going to be filed and that there was no need to go to court nor pay the fine.
I made a video about the incident and uploaded it here.
I host a naked TV show where I interview people in the nude. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to make a nude interview about this incident. I did an interview with one of the women who go to lake Temescal to swim, Cara Judea Alhadeff. This interview is currently airing on Public Access channels in SanFrancisco and Berkeley, California, and it is posted on line at www.MyNakedTruth.TV
Gypsy Taub

www.MyNakedTruth.TVI was at the beach at lake Temescal in Oakland, California, with my 3 children... more

MyNakedTruthTV
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1 year ago
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Guess which country will not be using naked body scanners?

"I don't know why everybody is running to buy these expensive and useless... more

maasanova
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1 year ago
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4 comments

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