Author: R J Adams

There is a meanness spreading like a plague throughout America. It is a meanness fed by cold-hearted, uncaring, American people who allow their twisted, out-of-step, principles to take precedence over the most basic forms of humanity.

Examples abound, from the lunatic right-wing who would completely remove that most inadequate of safety nets in this country, Social Security, and replace it with – nothing, to the many individuals who would be happy to carry lethal firearms around public places just to display their right to shoot another human being, if they chose to do so.

Today, I would like to concentrate on just two examples of America’s inhumanity to its fellow man, or, as it happens, in both cases, fellow woman.

Take a good look at this image:

This is the face of David Rimstidt, the chief trial deputy of Marion County, Indiana. I will leave you to form your own opinion of David Rimstidt.

Bei Bei Shuai, 34, is a Chinese woman living in Indiana. She had a boyfriend. They were expecting a baby. Then, the boyfriend left her. Thirty-three weeks pregnant, alone, and not knowing what to do, Bei Bei Shuai tried to kill herself in the most slow and horrible manner. She ate rat poison.

Bei Bei Shuai survived. Her baby was born alive on December 31st, but died three days later from brain hemorrhage.

David Rimstidt is prosecuting Bei Bei Shuai for murder and attempted feticide.

This is what he had to say:

This is a very unique case. Every charging decision is very difficult and goes through a process where we consider all the facts, all the circumstances, and under this situation, we believe we’ve charged the two charges we can prove.”^[1]

A unique case? My response to David Rimstidt is quite simple: Bollocks!

A 2005 article from Slate magazine cites:

………In 1984, for example, a disturbed pregnant woman was admitted to a hospital after ingesting 75 milligrams of brodifacoum [rat poison] over two days. That’s equivalent to a whopping 50 ounces of d-Con mouse poison. She survived, although she suffered severe hemorrhaging throughout her body and lost her baby.”^[2]

Bei Bei Shuai is clearly a mentally disturbed individual in need of compassion and psychiatric treatment, not thrown in a jail cell to await possible life imprisonment, if the jury happens to consist of clones of David Rimstidt.

Before moving on from this distressing case, I would like the reader to take a moment to click on link number one (1) at the foot of this article. Here you will find two more examples of American meanness by watching the short video on the right of the Indiana 6-News page.

Listen carefully to the anchor, Ericka Flye, whose introduction is cleverly formulated to turn opinion against Bei Bei Shuai.

6-News is digging into the case of a pregnant mother who ingested rat poison to kill her baby.”^[1]

Bei Bei Shuai didn’t ingest rat poison simply to kill her baby. She intended to kill herself.

On the same video, take note of the opening words of 6-News reporter, Derrick Thomas, the cold manner in which he utters the words:

Bei Bei Shuai is a Chinese native but has been living in America for about ten years. She is getting an up close and personal look at American justice.”^[1]

Mister Thomas, you are so right. This is a prime example of so-called ‘American justice’. The justice of a warped and sick society; the justice of anti-abortionists and religious nutters who will happily shoot and bomb doctors and clinics to justify forcing their out-of-step, twisted, principles on the saner members of American society.

Bei Bei Shuai needed an interpreter before she could plead, “Not Guilty”, to her charges. She cannot even speak English.

And now, let’s turn to my second example of the meanness of America. This time, unsurprisingly, it’s a politician.

We know from the plethora of cold-hearted and uncaring meanness spreading throughout America that Indiana is probably not the Meanness Capital of the United States. Nevertheless, this next example is also from Indiana. It’s a little bit of super-meanness and extra-special cold-heartedness from Eric Turner, the Assistant Republican Leader of the Indiana House of Representatives.

I will leave the lady responder at the end of this video to express her views on Eric Turner. She does it far better than I ever could.

Suffice to say, Eric Turner is a former member of the board of these ‘Christian’ establishments:

Kingdom Building Ministries of Denver, Colorado
College Wesleyan Church
North Central Indiana Youth for Christ
Taylor University Recruiting Foundation
Connection Youth Ministry
Lakeview Christian School

Says it all, doesn’t it?

This is not just the “state” of Indiana. This is the “state” of America.

^{[1] “Attorney Rips Prosecutor In Infant Rat Poison Death” 6-News, March 16th 2011}

^{[2] “Can Mouse Poison Kill You?” Slate, January 27th 2005}

^{Further reading on Bei Bei Shuai: “Indiana Charges Suicidal Pregnant Woman With “Feticide” and Homicide” AlterNet, March 31st 2011}

Filed under: Reptilian-style societies

The upcoming wedding of the UK’s Prince William and Kate Middleton is not only a chance for Brits to let their hair down and party, it’s also a wonderful business opportunity for entrepreneurs with sufficient flair to make a quick buck out of the occasion.

There will, of course, be the usual array of royal mugs, royal tea sets, royal coffee pots, and similar items on sale throughout the land. One particular commodity caught my eye, which some may perhaps consider less appropriate to the occasion.

Yes, it’s a pack of ‘Royal Condoms’, appropriately labelled, “Crown Jewels – a triumvirate of regal prophylactics.”

One would surely assume the younger royals were a little more into contraception than reliance on the old rubber overcoat. It’s to be hoped our Kate doesn’t have to lie patiently on the royal honeymoon bed waiting for her prince as he fumbles vainly in the darkness, trying to open the packet.

At five pounds for a pack of three ($7.55) these souvenirs(?) are certainly priced for the wealthier customer. A few moments web research unearths a dozen pack of similar items for a mere three pounds eighty seven ($5.99).

Still, it’s not everyday there’s a royal wedding, so why not splash out on something a bit special?

A word of warning, though. These products do carry a disclaimer:

Crown Jewels Royal Wedding Souvenir Condoms are a novelty condom not suitable for contraception or protection against STDs”^[1]

So, in fact, they’re eminently suited to the British royals – they’re overly-expensive and they don’t work.

^{[1] “Crown Jewels Condoms of Distinction” crownjewelscondoms.com}

Filed under: Royal souvenirs

There appears to be confusion in America with regard to Libya. Some US citizens are blaming President Obama for dragging the nation into another Middle East war. Then, there are those who criticize President Obama for passing the leadership of said war over to NATO. After all, if we’re going to have another war it’s only right that America should take charge, isn’t it?

There are also members of Congress who criticize President Obama for not seeking their approval for said war. A loud wailing has been heard from ‘The Hill’: “The Constitution demands it!”

Finally, of course, there is the media, with its plethora of self-opinionated, self-styled, ‘experts’ ready and willing (for a fat fee) to stir up the viewers with veiled suggestions of President Obama selling out the country, having no ‘end game’, or some other vague critique dependent on which cable channel is footing the bill.

They’ve all conveniently forgotten one minor item in the lead up to the military action in Libya; a certain agreement entitled, “UN Resolution 1973 (2011)”.^[1]

It was not America that took the decision to interfere in Libya, it was the United Nations. America is no more, or less, than one member country of that organization, which, of course, comprises among its members the League of Arab States. It was these members, including the League of Arab States, the African Union (Libya is part of Africa), and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, that were in favor of, and voted for, military intervention.

US President Obama is keen that America should be seen as part of the United Nations, but neither running it, nor bossing it – unlike the previous US Administration, who thought they owned it.

UN Resolution 1973 (2011) also calls for the perpetrators of war crimes against civilians in Libya to be referred to the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The previous US Administration, under George W Bush, refused to recognize the ICC. That’s hardly surprising, when one considers how many of his political compatriots could have ended up there, but US President Obama has taken an opposite stance.

“Our government has now made the decision that Americans will return to engagement at the ICC.” ~ Stephen Rapp, US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, November 16, 2009.

America is not at war with Libya, therefore the US Constitution has no relevance, and Congress no reason to complain. Besides, if it all goes badly, they can hypocritically wash their hands of responsibility.

What US President Obama has done with regard to Libya i.e. assist in upholding UN Resolution 1973 (2011), is absolutely right and proper. No one nation should take a lead in enforcing UN resolutions. It must be done by an organization acceptable to all member countries.

In this instance, that organization is NATO.

^{[1] “UN Resolution 1973 (2011)” UN Security Council, Department of Public Information, March 17th 2011}

Filed under: International policing