IN THE UNITED STATES AN ESCORT WEBSITE IS EQUAL TO A TERRORIST CELL

August, 28, 2015

By Mike Caccioppoli

When Loretta Lynch got her promotion by President Obama it left an opening at the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York. Lynch put Kelly Currie in the position at least temporarily. Robert Capers has been recommended to take over the position. Currie has had the job since this past April. Last month he was urged by many to take over the Eric Garner investigation. Garner, if you need reminding, was strangled to death on camera by a NYC cop on Staten Island., in what can only be called a snuff film. So far Currie has declined to investigate.

Instead of investigating the homicide of an unarmed black man at the hands of a white cop, Currie, decides to raid the offices of Rentboy.com. Rentboy is exactly what it sounds like…a site where men rent other men. The raid was not done by just some local NYC cops or detectives but I.C.E. and the Department of Homeland Security!

I.C.E stands for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They are the ones who investigate someone who is here illegally if a complaint is made. They are also the people at the borders. The Department of Homeland Security was created because of 9/11 by the Bush/Cheney administration. They of course deal with domestic and international terrorist cells.

So what does all this have to do with an escort website you ask? Good question. Rentboy actually is NOT an escort agency, which by the way there are thousands of around the country. They simply provide advertising space for people who wish to promote their escort/massage business or even personal training. I wouldn’t have enough time to list all of the hundreds of websites that do the exact same thing Rentboy.com does. Most of course are “straight” sites where women advertise for men. Rentboy is for men who are seeking men.

Rentboy has been around since 1997, so for 18 years. So with having been around for nearly two decades, and being quite open about what it provides and with the hundreds of other sites (mostly straight) that do exactly the same thing the question that has been burning in my head is..why Rentboy and why now? Now the most obvious non conspiratorial answer is that they were too big and too popular. But the law doesn’t say that if a website gets “too big and too popular” they shall be raided and the site seized by I.C.E and the Dept. of Homeland Security.Of course the conspiratorial part of me says there might be some names the government wants, maybe politicians that have used the website. And actually @BarackObama, the Twitter account that is used by his staffers and that he often tweets on, was listed as a follower of Rentboy.com on Twitter.

The raid of Rentboy.com is sort of a double punch to the gut to those of us who believe the militarization of the police force in this country has gone out of control. On one hand, the excessive force used against Eric Garner is not investigated by Mr. Currie while he uses extreme excess and precious resources in the raid of the Rentboy.com offices. The offices are on 14th st in NYC, the same city, and just a few subway stops away from where the attacks of 9/11 occurred. The only thing that could have made this ridiculous raid any worse would have been if an actual terrorist attack happened in the city while these DHS agents were carrying out those dangerous files and computers which contained the current listings on the site and I’m sure names and phone numbers off all of those dangerous men who were companions to some lonely and or horny people around the world. Yes those optics would have been wonderful.

I’m sure New Yorkers and most Americans are sleeping much easier now knowing these dangerous people can no longer meet. I’m sure we are all sleeping better knowing that the resources of DHS and I.C.E are being used for the purpose of not allowing men to have sex with other men. Because when an actual real terrorist cell develops and the resources are being used for this fucking stupidity and people are actually killed because of it, I would expect Mr. Currie and Ms. Lynch to take full responsibility.

This is what this country has become. But I would have expected this kind of a raid under the Bush administration not the Obama administration, yet Rentboy was thriving during the Bush years (until he ruined the economy) and nothing happened. No witch hunt by that administration. I wonder if President Obama is proud of this. In fact the raid could not have come at a worse time as the website had just begun their campaign to send sex workers to college. That’s right..give people a college education so when they hit that certain age where they can’t do that type of work anymore, or if they choose to do something else, they can. Such a terrible thing…call Homeland Security!

Now you might not have any sympathy for the owners of the site as they were indeed making good money. Of course we don’t seem to care about CEO’s who rake in billions after they rape us, but that’s for another post. However you should have sympathy for the guys who relied on this site to advertise their business and now they can no longer do that. So they can’t pay their rent or in some cases feed their families. Wonderful thing to have happen in an already struggling economy. This time “Thanks Obama” is not so humorous.

Are we living in 1815 or 2015? This raid brings to light another issue. Remember the complaint DOES NOT say anything about the owners of the site not paying taxes. The ENTIRE complaint is strung around sex workers and that act being illegal therefore Rentboy was operating illegally. So that’s it. There you have it. In 2015 the U.S. government is actually prosecuting sex workers and masseurs. That is what they are spending their money on. I swear I feel as though I’m living in an alternate universe. But I’m not, I’m living in the United States in 2015.

There is yet another problem. Why hasn’t the U.S. Government raided the thousands of actual escort agencies and the hundreds of straight escort websites? Why have they gone after a gay site? It’s troubling. If they really want this uniquely American war on sex work they have to raid every single agency and website otherwise I can only see this as cherry picking and blatant discrimination. So that is the gauntlet I’m throwing down. Raid all of them or drop the charges against Rentboy. Discrimination lawsuits need to be brought against Mr. Currie and Ms. Lynch if they do not choose the former.

Of course those of us who are enlightened enough (and I truly believe that is most people, even in the more conservative areas) to know that sex work should be legalized and taxed even BEFORE drugs are, as there is no victim here, we don’t want to see any more of these raids. Has terrorism been wiped out that we can use these divisions that are meant for that SOLE purpose to spend their time and money on websites like Rentboy? Seriously??

With regards to Mr. Currie I see a very troubling pattern. He will not investigate the murder of a black man but he will go after a gay owned and operated website. Seems like he belongs in a southern state not NYC. He needs to be removed from his position immediately. Bigotry should not be tolerated from someone in such a high office. We need fair prosecutors with the guts to go after the real injustices.

Another culprit in this case is NYC top cop Bill Bratton. Here is his inane comment about the raid…“As alleged, Rentboy.com profited from the promotion of prostitution despite their claim that their advertisements were not for sexual services.  Thanks to the detectives, agents, and prosecutors of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District involved in this investigation, these individuals will be held accountable for running this racket,” A “racket”? Seriously Bill? I guess there aren’t enough actual gangsters to prosecute anymore. And while we are at inane comments, here is one from Mr. Currie….“As alleged, Rentboy.com attempted to present a veneer of legality, when in fact this internet brothel made millions of dollars from the promotion of illegal prostitution.” “Internet brothel”? How about the actual brothels, like the ones in Nevada? Talk about cherry picking! I’m sure Mr. Currie or his friends have been to one of those at some point. In fact I’m sure some people in these departments I have mentioned had accounts on Rentboy or some other “Internet brothel”!

But wait there’s more. Mr. Currie went on to thank the DEA! for their help as well. I mean why did they leave out the Navy Seals? Here however is the comment of comments, by some guy who played with too many G.I. Joe dolls when he was a child…HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Glenn Sorge stated, “The facilitation and promotion of prostitution offenses across state lines and international borders is a federal crime made even more egregious when it’s blatantly advertised by a global criminal enterprise,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Sorge of HSI New York.  “HSI will use its unique authorities to disrupt and dismantle such organizations and seize the millions of dollars in illegal proceeds they generate.” 

“Global criminal enterprise” ? Who the fuck is this guy kidding? I mean this stuff could be coming out of a bad super hero movie. Is this what New Yorkers want their money being spent on? It is what Americans want their tax dollars going towards? Especially when there is real terrorism and real bad guys out there?

But I’m sure we are all at peace now knowing that what goes on between two consenting adults behind closed doors is being “disrupted and dismantled” by people like Mr. Currie, Ms. Lynch, Mr Bratton and Mr. Sorge.

Ultimately though, President Obama has responsibility in this matter. He needs to make a call, a call that makes this national disgrace and nightmare go away.

He needs to do that now! What kind of a country are we living in for Christ’s sake?

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike

A petition to end the prosecution is now up…

AMERICAN SNIPER: MY DEFENSE

February 9, 2015

By Mike Caccioppoli

Let’s face it fellow liberals, Clint Eastwood pissed us off with his improvisation at the Republican Convention in 2012. I was just talking to a friend about that night. We were both enraged, we hated Clint, wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Thinking back to that event we both wondered why we were so upset. It’s like thinking back to a fight and wondering what it was you were fighting about. Probably something stupid. The fact is that we hated Mitt Romney so much that we were offended that Eastwood would do anything at an event that officially nominated him for President.

I thought this was a bad move by Clint because it would most likely prejudice people towards his future films especially the critics who so often loved his work. And I was right. I waited a while before seeing “American Sniper” but I did read a few articles about the film. I was prepared to hate it. I heard people call it “propaganda”, “hero worship”, “a film reminiscent of the Nazi propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl.” I was so off put by all of these negative remarks that for a while I didn’t even want to see the film. I’m guessing that a good portion of the people who criticized the film didn’t even see it. Maybe they saw clips and other reviews, but that’s about it.

The controversy surrounds the main character Chris Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper. If the main character were a fictional soldier there would most likely be no controversy at all. Kyle has become controversial because he probably lied about certain things. Two of the biggest being that he punched out Jessie Ventura and that he was a sniper in New Orleans after Katrina. Neither of these events have anything to do with his work as a Navy Seals sniper during the Iraq war. This is what the film is about.

We see Kyle watching the events of 9/11 unfold on television and it makes him angry (as it did all Americans). He signs up to be a Navy Seal. Eastwood shows the rigorous training routines he endures, and it reminded me a bit of his “Heartbreak Ridge.” He makes it through and becomes an elite sniper. His first kill is a young Iraqi boy who is carrying a missile and then his mother who picks it up after the boy is killed by Kyle. The real Chris Kyle said he actually never shot any children. But Eastwood chooses a child as his first “victim.” Hero worship? I think not.

Eastwood has never been a director interested in black and white. How soon we forget that he is the guy who shot two separate films about World War II. One from the American side and one from the Japanese point of view. No director has ever done that before. Eastwood is interested in cinema, not history. If you are interested in history read a history book. We know the Iraq war was a disaster and so does Eastwood. But his film is about one soldier, and it is shown mostly from his point of view.

Eastwood is a masterful filmmaker. What he is not that good at is talking about his films. You can blame him for that but if you call his film jingoistic you are wrong. Every war film is inherently anti-war simply because it shows the horrible things that happen during war. There are films that get a high from their “action” scenes, an exhilaration. Eastwood shoots the wartime action in a very sober fashion. When Kyle kills someone, there is no celebration, just a hollow feeling. Yes he was doing his job, and something in his psyche made him continue to go back to Iraq, for four tours. But Eastwood doesn’t allow any release after Kyle kills someone. He uses close ups on Kyle’s face and eyes and Cooper brilliantly conveys a stare that allows us to project our own feelings on what might have been going on in Kyle’s mind.

Now there is no doubt Kyle needed the action of war. It came at the detriment of his wife (the brilliant Sienna Miller) and kids. When he returns home in between tours, he is detached, just waiting for his next deployment. He says he needs to save the lives of his fellow soldiers and we can see how having that mindset is not only a way to deal with what he does but that it would also be very addictive if you looked at it that way. Eastwood makes the decision to spend most of the film in Iraq, detailing Kyle’s tours and his search for an enemy sniper who is killing American soldiers. The scenes of his time back home in between tours are short and solemn. The war was always in Kyle’s mind, he couldn’t shake it and Eastwood smartly conveys that through the editing of these very short respites before heading back to war.

When Eastwood was asked about if his film was “anti-war” he said that he couldn’t see anything more anti-war than showing how it devastates families. I will go one further and whether or not this was a conscience decision of Eastwood’s I can’t say but the true greatness of  “American Sniper” is how it shows what a true son of a bitch George W. Bush was for getting us into that debacle to begin with. There were many young men and women like Kyle who were motivated by the events of 9/11 and bought into Bush’s Iraq connection that of course never existed. That scene where Kyle watches the planes going into the twin towers was probably the exact scene that took place in household after household, and when Bush convinced people that Iraq caused it, that was the true propaganda. Kyle wasn’t the only one who bought it at the time was he??

You can watch “American Sniper” and come out thinking many things about Kyle. Some might call him a hero, some might say he was addicted to the kill, others might think he was just doing the job he signed up for, like so many other soldiers in all of the wars that have ever existed. Eastwood’s directorial choices allow the viewer to think for themselves. Propaganda pushes a certain point of view. If you see “American Sniper” and really believe that Eastwood is doing that you didn’t watch closely enough.

Once again there is no doubt that if the focus of the film were some unnamed soldier, there would be no controversy at all and “American Sniper” would just go into the pantheon of great war films. The word “jingoistic” would never be used. It’s amazing how the true jingoism of bad war films, of films like “Rambo” don’t seem to bother people. And they keep making them. Yes there are some people who are seeing “American Sniper” because they hate Arabs, but there are people who see Martin Scorsese films because they love the mafia. So what? A film can’t be responsible for the people that choose to see it. Most people just want to see a good film, and good action films, or war films do well at the box office, always.

Bradley Cooper is superb as Kyle. His subtlety as an actor is a perfect match for Eastwood’s sober style. The most heartbreaking scenes are when Kyle returns home, in denial of his PTSD and his addiction to war. Cooper shows how denial works, how Kyle wasn’t able to absorb or recognize his true feelings. Yes Kyle may have done some weird shit when he was done with Iraq, maybe told some lies, but couldn’t his psychological state have something to do with it?

As liberals we should feel for these soldiers, for what they had to endure because of an evil administration.

“American Sniper” is not only a great war film, it’s one of the best films of the year. See it for yourself, don’t just read about it!

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike

EXCLUSIVE: MITT ROMNEY OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR PRESIDENT IN 2016

January 19, 2015

By Mike Caccioppoli

This is a very exciting day at America The Not So Beautiful as Mitt Romney has chosen this blog to formally announce that he will be running for President in 2016. He told me that he hopes the third time is the charm and that he has learned from his past errors. He wants to explain why he is running and point out what he could do better than President Obama if he is elected President of the United States. But I really don’t want to take up any more of his time so ladies and gentlemen here is Governor Mitt Romney!

Thank You Mike. I’m so glad that you allowed me this wonderful venue to announce my candidacy for President of these United States in the year 2016. I agree that America isn’t very beautiful under the leadership of Barack Obama. Now everyone already knows my faults. It’s already been spoken about ad nauseum in past election cycles. The fact that I was fully behind the Vietnam war, even marched in favor of it, but of course I did not serve my county. Instead I went to France, a wonderful country and expressed my love for my beautiful wife Ann. Everyone has seen those photos of myself on the beach in the south of France, where they have this wonderful little film festival called “The Cannes Film Festival”. I wrote in the sand “I Love Ann” with a big heart around it and paid someone 10 grand to photograph it from above. Yes, you have all seen that photo that was taken while our brave soldiers were dying for a great cause in Vietnam. 

But we have already debated that photograph and I ask Americans to simply move on please. Just place that in your binders of thoughts and memories and please move on. I realize now that I should have been more discreet and just taken a photo of my young, taut body in a bubble bath. I mean I could have written Ann’s initials in the bubbly soap to show my love and undying affection for her. Yes, that would have sufficed, I understand now.

I know I took a very big hit with those comments at the social club. Where in front of millionaires I said that 47 percent thing. I said that 47 percent of Americans just want hand outs from the government and that Barack Obama would give them that. I have been thinking very much about that comment and I now realize I was wrong. It’s really only 45 percent. How insensitive of me to say that 47 percent are takers when it is really only 45 percent. I have learned from that mistake, and have met the two percent that convinced me they are workers not takers. So yes the number is most definitely 45 percent. I’m sorry that I offended two percent of America that didn’t deserve it. Truly sorry. 

People feel, I’m sorry…..felt, that I was out of touch with most ordinary people. One reason I believe is that I only paid 13 percent tax while the middle class often pays 25-35 percent. Even though I believe that I’m still giving away much more money since I’m a multi-millionaire, I understand that it doesn’t look good. Especially since I only pay those taxes when I’m running for President. Otherwise I really don’t pay anything. Anyway I have decided that this is insensitive to the middle class and so I paid 14 percent this year.  Believe me that extra one percent adds up to quite a bit of cash since I’m a multi-millionaire. I hope this proves that I’m a friend of the middle class and with that extra money leaving my accounts I do understand the hardships you feel on a daily basis. I really do. This should put aside any more questions or negative ads in regards to my taxes. 

Now that I have put all of this silly business behind me I’d like to show you why I could do better than the current Democratic administration if you would so kindly elect me President. I had said in my previous campaign that the economy would be destroyed if Barack Obama was elected for another four years. Since that time gas prices have plummeted while the stock market has soared. Unemployment continues to decline month by month. While jobs are being created every month in the 150-200K range. This is all pretty much the opposite of what I said would happen throughout the campaign and debates. You have all done an admirable job of trying to prove me wrong and I believe I pushed you in that direction through my brilliant psychology that I learned in the best schools since the age of five. I vocalize negative comments and this motives you, it motivates you to do better, the wonderful American people. So, just imagine what we could do together if I were actually President! The possibilities are endless.

My words might have been wrong but my heart was in the right place. Speaking of heart I just need to remind everyone that I do love Ann. I just love Ann. 

Some people think I’m running again because I have so much money that I don’t know what to do with it. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m running for many honorable reasons but the most honorable is to protect this country from terrorists and to retain our freedoms. Barack Obama didn’t have the money to solely distribute “The Interview” but I do. This would show the terrorists that we are strong and not weak. And unlike the President I have indeed ridden horses bare chested like Vladimir Putin. This shows manliness and strength and power. I have ridden Ann’s ponies bare chested, I love Ann, I do love Ann. 

I believe I have made my points. I’m a true protector of the middle class. I now believe in simple bubble bath selfies over wasteful high angle helicopter shots. I think only 45 percent of this great country are takers. I now pay my 14 percent of taxes when I run for President. Yes the economy is incredibly strong but I can make it stronger with my ability to personally distribute any film that is censored or banned because of terrorism. This is the new Mitt Romney. Please vote for me in 2016 to be the next President of the United States.

Oh and before I go……Benghazi! 

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike

SHUT UP ABOUT SARAH PALIN, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!

January 7, 2015

By Mike Caccioppoli

Look folks, there are lots of important things that are about to go down. The Republicans will try to pass some wicked shit, Obama will veto it. There will be numerous people announcing their candidacy for President. The state of the union is a few weeks away. There will be plenty of things to talk about. Some very important things. What I don’t need to hear about anymore, not one more time, is that nothing ball named Sarah Palin. This is the very last time I want to write about her. Got it?!

I don’t care that her kid stepped on a dog. I really don’t. Kids do this all the time. He is 50 pounds soaking wet and has down syndrome. The huge dog wasn’t in any distress. People do all kinds of weird shit with their animals. They dress them in horrific ways, they make them chase balls endlessly, they put crazy photos of them online. They don’t train them right half the time, and on and on and on. I truly don’t give a shit about Palin or her dog. In fact any dog that would be a friend of Palin is no friend of mine!! If it had any sense it would do everything it can to escape in the middle of the night.

See how silly this all is? How inane?! Everything involving this woman is stupid. No wait, not just stupid but as the great Lawrence O’Donnell would say..stoooopid. She is an attention loving whore. There is no nice way to say it and even if there was I wouldn’t say it. When you give a whore attention they continue to pine for more. It’s never ending. I know if she is reading this she is getting excited by every word. The problem is that the media won’t stop giving her attention. They love the reality show. It gets ratings. So they keep talking about dumb shit that doesn’t matter and the public makes it worse by splattering it all over social media.

This is a vicious cycle. We are about to get the off hand comment, surrounded with that meaningless Palin word salad, that says she is considering the possibility of running for President. You know it’s coming, in 3..2…..And when she says it, the men who run the media outlets in the country will masturbate under their desks and go with the story as though it has meaning and substance.  You and I will know it’s just the whore doing as the whore does, trying to keep herself in the spotlight.

People who have no business being on television will pretend she matters. Once again. “Does she really have a chance?” Some idiot talking head will ask. Mark my words. Come back to the column once it happens and let everyone know how brilliant I am. It’s actually pretty easy to predict. It happened in the 2012 election cycle even though you and I knew she would never, ever run for President. Ever. That would take work and Palin despises work. She likes easy fame and easy money..like..um..a whore.

I can’t use that word enough to describe Palin. I’m sure you have noticed. I hope it doesn’t offend you.  There really is no other word that works. If the media, both mainstream and not so mainstream, would stop covering her every move, I could stop using that word because I could stop writing about her too. Do you think there is any chance of this happening? I have to say that I did think that shortly after the 2008 election, the media would stop caring about her. But this is where I have to give Palin credit. She knows where she lives. I mean, it isn’t France or Germany or even Canada, it’s the USA, where low brow crap plays and plays big. So she worked them well and they went for it. Couldn’t do it if Americans didn’t eat this shit up, but they do.

In normal nations they don’t get it. Maybe I belong in a normal nation. I can explain it but I don’t really get it either. She is a huge empty shell of a human being. A black hole of a person. There is really nothing there. No heart, no soul, just crass commercialism. In a way that makes her perfect for this country.

You see I didn’t say whore this time.

I’m going to take my own advice now and just shut up.

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike

RUDY GIULIANI AND PAT LYNCH: NEW YORK’S FINEST COVONES

December 23, 2014

By Mike Caccioppoli

How predictable that right wingers would use the tragedy of the assassination of two police officers to go after police brutality protesters and those who use their First Amendment rights to free speech. This is not a surprise ladies and gentlemen because right wingers hate the First Amendment, hate freedom of the press, always have, always will. So they use any opportunity to attack those rights. The worst of the offenders so far are Rudy (Nosferatu) Giuliani and Pat (slicked back goombah hair) Lynch, the President of the PBA. Giuliani blames Obama (and those who spoke out about the murders committed by police in Missouri and New York) and Lynch blames NYC mayor Bill de Blasio. There are other right wingers who throw in Al Sharpton as well.

History has taught us that fascists will always blame the populace and those that speak out against atrocities. This happened during the Vietnam War when the relatives of Giuliani and Lynch blamed the war protesters for helping the enemy when we know that in fact they forced the government to pull out faster. The same relatives blamed the civil rights movement and people like MLK for the violence during the 50’s and 60’s and yet we know without those people blacks would still be drinking out of separate fountains and getting killed by police (oh wait, that hasn’t changed much.)

These folks were on the wrong side of history then and they will be on the wrong side of it now. It’s that simple. They are losers, period. Yet there they are spewing hatred and inciting more violence while blaming others for doing that exact thing. There is one person to blame for the death of the two NYC officers…the shooter. That is it. Now justice was immediately served when the gunman killed himself, something neither killer did after Michael Brown and Eric Garner were murdered. If the crazed gunman who killed the two cops had not killed himself another officer would have or he would have been arrested and would be in jail.

So, when these morons ask why people aren’t “up in arms” about the killings of these two officers, they are full of shit. Except for the constant violence we are all subject to in this country, including little children thanks to the right wingers best friend, the second amendment, there is nothing to be “up in arms” about. Justice was served, and quickly.

What is truly dumb and disgusting is the fact that people like Giuliani and Lynch can’t seem to get it through their white ethnic heads that you can be against both police brutality AND the killing of police. Imagine that! I know there will always be a pro police bias because most of us have more relatives/friends who are cops rather than criminals, but how about just shutting the fuck up and thinking for a minute instead of reacting with misguided rage and making even more people angry.

What happened in Ferguson was a tragedy, what happened on Staten Island was a tragedy and what happened in Brooklyn was a tragedy. I’m very afraid that this cycle will only get worse and I have proof. Pat Lynch, a man beyond contempt, who looks like he belongs in an HBO series rather than as the head of a police union, just said that cops are now to act as though they are a “wartime” police department. For this he should be arrested for inciting violence. First of all who the fuck does he think he is? The bosses of that police department are the mayor, the police commissioner, and the citizens of New York City. The same citizens he has now declared “war” on. I have been saying all along that certain people in law enforcement want a war. Here is the direct call for that.

But I care about the families of these officers and I care about the officers. So I hope the people who actually put their lives on the line everyday ignore shithead Lynch. As having his kind of mentality is very dangerous in this day and age when thanks to the NRA so many nut jobs have guns. A “war” isn’t very smart, and Lynch has just put the lives of the very officers he is supposed to protect in jeopardy. The union should at least vote to fire him.

Those officers that turned their backs on Mayor de Blasio are no better than Lynch. They should have turned their backs on the officers that killed innocent people in Missouri and Staten Island. Instead they backed them up and even incited people by wearing “WE CAN BREATHE” T-Shirts. Do they think that maybe this kind of bullshit helped to fan the flames? Any cop that was seen wearing those shirts should have been fired. Also any cop that turned their backs on their BOSS should be fired. You and I would have been canned immediately if we did that at work.

They just don’t get it. The double standards are mind blowing. From the justice system to the way cops are allowed to act on a daily basis. From the small offenses like parking at a bus stop to get lunch, or turning on their sirens to head to the donut shop to the bigger ones such as inciting violence or committing crimes. Justice in these situations is rarely served.

Two cops were killed. Two people who were just out serving and protecting. Heck they may have even hated Darren Wilson and thought that Eric Garner was brutally murdered. All these right wing slimeballs can do is spew bile about the very people who are against any kind of violence.

They were just waiting for their opening, you could sense it. The fact they have used this tragedy for those purposes makes me wish for the worst for the lot of them.

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike

BAD COPS AND USELESS GRAND JURIES

December 5, 2014

By Mike Caccioppoli

I’m so tired of writing about this crap. I’m sure you are tired of reading about it. None of us are surprised another grand jury didn’t indict a cop. Grand juries indict 99.9 percent of time. The .1 percent of the time they don’t is because a cop is on trial. The entire grand jury system needs to be scrapped. There is simply no need for it. They do exactly what the prosecutors want. If they want an indictment, they hand it down, if they don’t, they vote “no true” bill, whatever the hell that means or meant back in 1787 when maybe the grand jury system was necessary. They are now worthless, chocked with people who don’t think on their own, and just march in lock step with the orders they are given. They are just slaves to their prosecutor masters. It is time for the entire system to go.

In the Eric Garner case we have a video. Much like in the Ray Rice case. Before we had the Rice video many people were saying his punching out his fiancee wasn’t a big deal. After the video many wanted to hang Rice. Same case, same offense, but there was video. In the Michael Brown case there is no video. Imagine the difference if there had been. Now I don’t mean a difference in the outcome of the grand jury. We have all seen Eric Garner choked to death. It’s clear to see and it didn’t make a difference. Therefore there is data now that tells us police wearing cameras will not make much of a difference. Yes like with Garner, there would be a difference with public opinion but not where it counts most, in the justice system.  Because a grand jury simply will not indict a police officer.

We all saw what happened. There really is no excuse to not get an indictment for probable cause. Which brings up another issue. An issue which is so glaringly unfair, such an obvious conflict of interest that the fact it had not been remedied decades ago proves that our justice system is not the best in the world.  People can scream and yell about how it’s the best as much as they want, just like they scream and yell that everything in this country is the best, it still doesn’t make it a fact. In this case I’m talking about having an ordinary prosecutor take cases involving police shootings or misconduct. The same prosecutors who are on the side of the police, who work with them daily and need them to make their cases. The same prosecutors who are buddy buddy with cops, who go out and drink with them and socialize with them. This is the greatest injustice of all injustices. Any case which involves law enforcement needs to be assigned immediately to a special prosecutor that has NO connection with the cops involved. If the federal government needs to be involved then so be it. Any country that is serious about its judicial system being the best and most fair would have had this in place already. It’s that simple.

I have to love those right wingers who are now feigning bewilderment at the Garner case. Because there is a video they cannot dispute. Well, most of them. I’m not talking about the disgusting Rudy Giuliani or abhorrent Peter King. They both have enough white ethnic cop apologists (some who are indeed racists) among their followers and constituents that they can be as grotesque as they want with no consequences. The others are, all of a sudden, shocked and amazed that a grand jury didn’t indict. As though this was the first injustice ever. Even though we just had one before this. Of course they still won’t admit any kind of racism was involved. You see it’s all just a coincidence that these are white cops killing blacks, time after time.

Timothy Loehmann, the cop in Cleveland who killed 12 year old Tamir Rice was rejected by the NYPD. The same department that allowed Daniel Pantaleo, the cop who killed Eric Garner, (and who already had one civil case against him settled for tens of thousands of dollars), onto the force, rejected this guy. That’s how bad he is. He was also thrown off a previous police force due to emotional and other issues. He has been reported to have said that he wanted to join the Cleveland police department because he wanted “action.” Action? I thought cops just wanted to go home at night? Oh, and by the way, citizens deserve to go home at night as well. Even more so actually because they aren’t willingly taking a job that can be dangerous and getting money and a pension for it. But this cop was obviously nuts, so why was he hired? Because they never checked into his background. Disgraceful. And the police unions, willing to defend everything and anything a bad cop might do, make this liberal want to hate unions.

Police departments not checking backgrounds before they hire. Cops with no ability to relate on a human, emotional level to another person. When a child puts a chokehold on another, when they are just doing horseplay, and the other child screams or says they can’t breathe, the other child releases. Why? Because human nature kicks in and makes them care about the other kid, to understand that causing distress is bad and wrong. But our cops seem to lack this most basic human ability. Time after time. Whether it’s someone with their hands up or someone who has already been shot two or three times, or a child with a toy gun, or a guy gasping for air, saying 11 times, “I can’t breathe.” Several cops just stood around while Garner was choked to death, both during and after the act.

Too often these cops have no emotional or ethical conscience. There is something sociopathic about it and that’s frightening. Not only do we need police departments to do the BASIC operations of checking backgrounds but we also need better psychological screenings or people wanting to be cops. We need police officers with true concern for the lives and well being of the citizens they are sworn to serve and protect. Not just the old deli owner who serves them lunch, that’s easy, but the people they encounter daily who might be breaking the law as well. That the lives of these people are as important as their own. That they have families they want to go home to as well.

The mentality of the warrior cop must be expunged from the police force. It must be replaced by the human cop.

I CAN’T BREATHE.

Never again.

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike

KILL A BLACK KID AND GET RICH: UNIQUELY AMERICAN

December 1, 2014

By Mike Caccioppoli

Darren Wilson resigned as a police officer. Why do people think this is some kind of victory? Did you really expect him to go back to work as a Ferguson police officer? Seriously? And why would he bother when he can now make six figures for an interview? This is America folks. Where you can kill a black kid and justified or not (NOT!) you will then become a millionaire through interviews and book deals and film rights. Not to mention the right wing talk radio show Wilson will probably be offered as he fits in perfectly with all of the talentless slobs in that business.

This is your capitalist system at work. No laws that make this illegal. A cop can actually kill someone on purpose if they want, because they get away with almost anything, with the knowledge that they can then quit their shitty job that nobody with a brain would want anyway, and become rich. What a country! These are the times when I want to get the next flight available and head to any other country. I truly need to get out of this lunatic asylum.

There were reports that Wilson may have received a half million for the ABC News interview with George Stuffituphisass. Georgie boy asked the obvious questions, feigning true emotions as he inquired about Wilson’s actions and if he would do anything differently. He went through the motions of asking about Brown being far away from Wilson when he shot him several times or with his hands up, but basically he just allowed Wilson to tell his side. Hey, who else did that without question? Oh yeah, Bob McCulloch!

The interview with ABC wasn’t an exclusive. Meaning the killer, Wilson, now has an agent who negotiated the deal, and other news agencies can also pay six figures for future interviews. It’s just that ABC was the most aggressive whore this time. To think I used to work for them. Makes me feel like I need one of those showers they gave to Karen Silkwood at the nuclear power plant.

But there will be other media whores that will throw big money at Wilson. Meanwhile Michael Brown’s family is left with nothing. No son and no justice. Yes the more money Wilson makes the more they can get from him in a civil suit but that’s even a long shot since a jury won’t side against a cop even in that setting. Against O.J. Simpson yes, a cop no. Funny how all of those white people who were up in arms about Simpson getting off are so joyous about Wilson getting off.

Meanwhile this sham of a verdict with the Grand Jury, which every legal scholar has torn apart especially since the transcripts were released, has really brought the usual right wing vicious scum out of the closets. None worse than Rudy Giuliani who continues to live in 1990’s New York City when his police department was regularly violating the civil rights of blacks. He won’t stop talking about black on black crime which he incredulously correlates to the need for an all white police force. Also he won’t talk about how the people who commit those crimes almost always go to jail, unlike cops who commit crimes. Black on black crime, which has gone way, way down takes place in black neighborhoods as white on white crime takes place in white neighborhoods. Makes sense no?

Look, let’s remember who Rudy is shall we? He is the guy who bullied the New York City emergency response center into One World Trade Center after the first terrorist attack there even though the people who knew better were against it. We know what the result was of his power grab. He also took away vital firefighting gear which led to the deaths of many fire fighters on 9/11. Because you see Rudy always gets what Rudy wants.

But wait there’s more. He is also the guy who hired Bernie Kerik as police chief. Kerik the felon. He also recommended the soon to be felon for Homeland Security Director! This is Rudy Giuliani. A man who is still worshiped by some idiot New Yorkers yet despised by his own children. A guy who cares more about the welfare of the New York Yankees than  Americans.

Anyway I truly digress. Darren Wilson is becoming rich. Rich off the killing of Michael Brown. Can you just imagine what Brown’s parents are going through? I can’t. They have to hear about these interviews, maybe even watch them. I hope they don’t. Wilson’s story would be given zero stars by any reviewer if it were made into a film because it is that unbelievable, actually laughable if the result wasn’t so tragic. But seriously folks, even if you are brain dead enough to buy his depiction of the events that led to him killing Brown, you can’t believe that he should become rich over someone else’s death. To make money that he wouldn’t make in a full career as a cop from one or two interviews.

Or maybe you are so brainwashed by the out of control capitalist system you live in that you think it’s all just fine and dandy. If so I feel sorry for you and have disdain for you in equal measure. This is one of those things that truly would never happen in any other country.

A uniquely American disgrace.

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike

‘

THE FIX WAS IN ALL ALONG IN FERGUSON

November 25, 2014

By Mike Caccioppoli

This is my first reaction to what just happened in Ferguson. My stomach is in knots. Buildings are burning. There are people who have criticized the title of my blog “America The Not So Beautiful.” They wanted something more optimistic, softer. Can you argue with the title now? I mean can you really? We are retreating in this country. As other nations forge ahead, we are back in the 1950’s and 60’s. It’s Selma all over again and watts and even further back, into the dark ages. This is where we are now. No justice and certainly no peace.

We all sat together, watched, listened together. Listened as the corrupt St. Louis County Prosecutor named Bob McCulloch, told the nation, told all of us, from San Francisco to Chicago to New York to Miami and to the heart of the tragedy, Ferguson, Missouri, that Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed Michael Brown, will not face charges. Yes, most of us expected it, dreaded it. But now it was real, it had actually happened. Justice denied, again. Again.

McCulloch stood there, and described an execution, then in the next breath said there was nothing to see here. He didn’t sound like any prosecutor I have heard before. He sounded much more like a defense attorney, the defense attorney for Darren Wilson. A prosecutor wants an indictment when they go to a grand jury so therefore in the almost non-existent cases where they don’t get one, they are distraught, just as they are when they lose a case in court. McCulloch hardly seemed upset about the decision, in fact he seemed vindicated, just like a defense attorney would be after they got their client off.

I’m not surprised at all. I expected this decision. We all did. But like everyone else, I was dreading this moment. I knew the fix was in. There was something disquieting about watching McCulloch throwing that fact in our collective faces. He threw it in our faces and hid behind a grand jury. I don’t blame them at all. As all legal experts have said, the grand jury does what the prosecutor wants. This time he didn’t want an indictment so he stacked the deck to get the result he wanted. McCulloch is a coward, and just like a defense attorney who does not put everything on the line for their client, McCulloch should be forced out of office and not be allowed to practice law ever again. He put nothing on the line for Michael Brown, in fact, Brown, the VICTIM wasn’t represented at all.

Look, this is what it comes down to. A cop can kill who they want. If they kill a black person they will get off 100 percent of the time. If they kill a white person that probably drops to about 95 percent. This is why whites shouldn’t think they are safe. WE are not. They say a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich, but police officers aren’t ham sandwiches. In the minds of too many they are filet mignon. They are the top of the line and can do no wrong. If they shoot and kill it’s always because they have to. Whether it’s a kid walking in the street, or a man with a fake gun at his side in a toy store or a 12 year old with a gun that even the guy who called 911 knew was fake but the trained cop didn’t, it simply does not matter. They can kill you if they feel like it that day. There is no recourse.

McCulloch admitted that Wilson shot 12 times, that’s a dozen shots. Once again though, nothing to see here. No question from the idiot reporters in the media pool, about how far away Brown was when Wilson shot at him several times, including the fatal shot to his head. No question to McCulloch about the need for a cop to justify each and every shot, all 12 in this case. Nobody asked him why he allowed Wilson to testify for four hours and if he will afford ALL defendants that leeway from now on. What McCulloch painted was the picture of a hulking black thug charging at Wilson, after he was already shot at least twice, charging AT BULLETS. That Wilson needed all 12 shots against an unarmed 18 year old kid in order to save his own life. Incredulity doesn’t describe it well enough.

McCulloch didn’t present a case. He dumped a case file in the hands of 12 people who were not legal experts and said have at it. He knew there were inconsistencies in testimony, because guess what…there ALWAYS is. If that were a reason to not indict, most of the people in prison wouldn’t be there. This was a game for McCulloch, a game he knew he could manipulate and win. He didn’t want to indict a cop and he knows that juries don’t want to either. So a little prod here and there is all he would need.

Scumbag Rudy Giuliani continues to spew at the mouth about “black on black” crime. But when a black person kills another black person they go to jail in about 23 seconds. As we have seen once again, when a cop kills someone, no matter what the evidence, no matter how many witnesses, no matter what, there is no justice.

Yes Ferguson is burning right now. But the entire country continues to smolder. None of us are protected from the flames.

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike

TIME FOR OBAMA TO DECLARE WAR….ON REPUBLICANS

November 17, 2014

By Mike Caccioppoli

No need to mince words here. Starting with immigration reform President Obama must do what is best for the country and the people who live here and not give a fuck what the Republicans, still very much led by the Tea Party, think about it. After being stymied for six long years by a Congress that did not want the first black President to have a legacy of any kind, he must now give it back to them in a big way. There is nothing to lose, no Republican lite Democrats to protect. After Obama was elected twice, by landslide electoral college victories, Republicans refused to admit there was any mandate, even any legitimacy to his victories. Now Obama must tell them loud and clear that he feels the exact same way about their victory.

Immigration reform is a no lose deal for Obama and the Democrats. First of all it’s the right thing to do. It will prevent 5 million people who live and work here, have families here, from being deported. It will also cement the Latino vote in 2016 and the Republicans have little chance of winning without a decent chunk of the Latino vote. As the Republicans complain and talk about impeachment, this will only make Latinos hate them even more than they already do. Any attempt to impeach Obama for something totally lawful and correct, will further destroy Republicans just as the impeachment of Bill Clinton did.

So there really is no downside to Obama acting by executive action on Immigration. As I had mentioned in my last column, the next two years must be executive orders and veto’s and that’s it. There is no negotiating to do with Republicans, not anymore. Been there for six years, done that for six years. You can’t negotiate with neanderthals. They don’t have the brains nor the heart to do what is right for the American people that are not in the top one percent. On the Keystone pipeline Obama must use his veto pen. Obama must show that America will take the lead on global warming. Funny how a party that hasn’t cared one bit about creating jobs, all of a sudden cares about a thousand short term jobs that would lead to about 50 permanent jobs. The over 200,000 jobs that Obama has been creating every month, they won’t talk about of course.

There is nothing more to talk about. Obama must now finish carving his legacy. A legacy that is about taking us out of a recession, ending two wars, finishing Bin Laden, bringing affordable health care to over 10 million people, a stock market that hits record highs daily, gas prices that continue to plummet, cutting the deficit in more than half, and so on and so on and so on.

Republicans will scream and shout, they will have tantrums and curse and threaten. Too damn bad. They have and will continue to misread this past election and overplay their hand. Obama must use this against them and continue to watch the infighting within the Republican party. Let them continue to have to answer impeachment calls from the Tea Party members, let them continue their infighting over this and other issues. Let them fight over shutting down the government. The more resolute he is the more infighting there will be as they try to figure out what to do with this newly defiant President that they are certainly not accustomed to.

I’m cautiously optimistic.  Obama has had these opportunities before and has squandered them. However maybe with Immigration reform, the great climate deal with China, and his recent comments about the Keystone pipeline, we are indeed seeing a new Obama. An Obama that has finally realized what the agenda of the Republican party is and has been since January 20, 2009. They couldn’t prevent him from being elected twice, but they still believe they can control his destiny.

They can do so only if he allows it. He is the President. He has the moral high ground and the law on his side. He has the veto pen. He cannot allow Republicans to hurt this country anymore than they already have. He cannot allow them to destroy all the good he has done and take us back to 2008.

He must forge ahead. All they can do is cry about it. He has all the power. They know it. Let’s hope he does as well.

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike

ELECTION 2014: THE LETHAL COMBO OF WEAK DEMS AND DUMB, RACIST AMERICANS

November 5, 2014

By Mike Caccioppoli

I have been quiet. I let the elections play out without writing inane predictions or coming up with facile “keys to victory” that you see on so many other blogs and media outlets. I let the candidates do what  they felt was necessary to win, and even though I’m a cynic I felt that people wouldn’t want to elect a party that has obstructed every step of the way and that was responsible for the economic collapse that Obama has almost totally cleaned up. I mean I talk about how dumb many Americans are all of the time but I didn’t think they would be that dumb, that suicidal. Of course I was wrong.

Americans did elect Republicans, but not just enough to barely give them control of Congress but in a huge wave, no wait, a tsunami, and it wasn’t just the House and the Senate but in Gubernatorial races as well. There will be a Republican governor in Illinois and Maryland!! Watching the coverage of the returns I could only shake my head at the response from the millionaire pundits. They wanted to “dissect and analyze” the results. “What does this mean?” they questioned. “This is a total repudiation of Obama!” was of course the answer that right wing politicians and “strategists” gave. No wait….”This is just the way it goes for a President in the mid-term of his second term in office.” Just the way it goes.

The answer my loyal readers is obvious, simple. There is no need for hours, days, weeks, months of head scratching and “soul searching.” Americans are simply the dumbest creatures to roam the earth. That’s it. Am I disappointing you? Did you expect something more “high brow?” Andy Borowitz, the brilliant satirist for the New Yorker wrote one of his mock articles and the point was simply that Americans have the memory capacity of a gnat. But is this really the excuse? That they forgot that this was the party that caused the economic collapse that almost put in a depression? That this is the party of war that loved our time in Iraq and wanted more of it? That this is the party that tried and continues to try to take away health care from the millions that have acquired it through Obamacare? Did they really forget that this President has created jobs for over 60 straight months? That the stock market has doubled since he took office? That the deficit has been cut in more than half? That gas prices are lowest in ages, and the same goes for unemployment? That he got us out of two wars, killed Bin Laden, etc etc etc.??

People like the schizophrenic Chris Matthews thinks the people want to see jobs! You see to a guy like Matthews it’s all a game. A political game that has no real meaning in his life because he is rich and famous and will continue to be no matter what happens. Same goes for folks like Chuck Todd, and all of the morons on Fox News. It’s just a game. The real answers are ones they are not willing to give because they would lose their gigs if they did.

Americans are dumb yes, ignorant, yes, can’t remember what happened yesterday (which is I guess why they are dumb and ignorant.) But there is another element to this. Many people are just simply racist and evil. It doesn’t matter what the Republicans did to the country and it surely doesn’t matter what Obama has done to bring us back. This is the revenge of the racists. They knew that blacks (and I will get to you folks in a minute!) weren’t going to vote the way they did when Obama was heading the ticket so this was their chance. No way to negate their racist votes this time! Same goes to the young voters (got yours coming as well!). So they pounced. Seized the moment. They registered their disgust at a black President. Of course not one pundit came anywhere close to talking about this. Watching MSNBC, I knew that Al Sharpton was seething. You could see it on his face. He had every right. Not only had the racists won, but his own people had let him down.

His own people. There is NO WAY IN HELL if Chicago comes out to vote that a Republican is elected Governor there, same goes for Baltimore in Maryland. Both have heavily black populations. So you see, the racists were able to win almost everywhere they wanted. How does it feel? You guys love to talk about marching, and stand your ground, and Trayvon and Mike Brown, and FUCK YOU! And I can say all of this because I VOTED! I can talk down because I now have the right. If you didn’t vote you can just sit there and read this and take it. Same goes for the young voters who don’t think mid-terms are important enough to pull them away from their sexting. Up yours as well!

Then again maybe I’m being a bit harsh. I mean blacks shouldn’t be called upon to be the saviors of racist America time and again. They shouldn’t have to be. A guy like Obama shouldn’t have to rely on those votes to win. Same goes for the Democrats. Not in a normal country anyway. There was a poll that said it all..in the USA there are still 43 percent of the electorate that believes abortion should be illegal. 43 PERCENT! In the year 2014. This shows the evil and ignorance that slithers here. Go find another civilized nation and find out what that number is. If they even need to have such a poll in any normal country.

The evil and ignorance and racism was on full display on election night. The black man must be punished, he must be shown that it was a mistake for him to ever run for office in the first place. We’ll teach him. They were upset they couldn’t literally hang him anymore but hey second best was to figuratively hang him. Hang the Republicans around his neck instead of a rope.

That’s what happened pundits. It wasn’t about policies or politics. There was no “thought process” with the voters. No need to twist things into a hundred different shapes to try and come up with a reasoning. There was however another problem. This one is age old and will probably never change. Democrats are huge gaping pussies. They have zero backbone. They are weak and feckless and disgusting.

Instead of running on the great record of one of the most successful Presidents of all time, running on such little things as record job growth, record stock markets, lowest gas prices in years, lowest unemployment in years and of course that small accomplishment known as Obamacare which gave millions upon millions the option of actually seeing a doctor and going to the hospital without, you know..dying instead. No they not only didn’t even mention any of that stuff but they actually avoided Obama like the plague, like he was George W. Bush! Grimes, that lame ass woman who ran against the rooster head, wouldn’t even say that she had voted for Obama! I mean how feckless can you be?! By the way, most of the female Dem candidates were just as lame and as useless as the male candidates this time around. Hey I have a great idea. I know it’s groundbreaking and all but here it goes…how about we nominate the BEST candidates?! Hey!! What a fucking idea! How about we nominate people like Alan Grayson of Florida, who aren’t afraid to embrace Obama and his policies??

Guess what? He won! In Florida! Guess who also won? Pretty much anyone who didn’t run away from the President. Guess who lost? Everyone who did. Don’t worry though, all of those campaign advisers will still make millions, write books and be fine. Same goes for the candidates. Republicans never seem to have a problem with embracing their leaders and touting their policies but not Democrats. As Will Rogers once said, “I don’t belong to any organized political party, I’m a Democrat.”

What the Democratic candidates did was simple. They ran away from the black man. As though their lives were at stake. As though he had a shank. They were as racist as the ignorant voters. This is another reason why so many Dems stayed home, so many black voters.

So I say this… There is nothing to lose now. Nothing at all. This President needs to give the Republicans and the racist voters what they have been afraid of all along. The angry black man.

He needs to come out with a huge chain of bling around his neck. A huge chain with four letters spelled out as big as possible. V E T O.

Anything less and his great legacy will dissolve into a big puddle of nothingness.

Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com

@CaccioppoliMike