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[Playergamer]

According to The Counted, 198 out of the 1000 killed by police this year were unarmed. Presumably, some of those unarmed people were also attacking cops.

[RedKing]

Fun fact: So far this year, a French person has almost as high a chance of dying due to ISIS as an American has of dying due to a police officer.

To be fair, most of the police officer deaths were because the "victim" was "attacking" said police officer.

FTFY

[IronyOwl]

Fun fact: So far this year, a French person has almost as high a chance of dying due to ISIS as an American has of dying due to a police officer.

To be fair, most of the police officer deaths were because the "victim" was attacking said police officer.

Yeah, but the extent to which that justifies it is a lengthy and poorly documented discussion in its own right.

Fun fact: So far this year, a French person has almost as high a chance of dying due to ISIS as an American has of dying due to a police officer.

To be fair, most of the police officer deaths were because the "victim" was attacking said police officer.

What are the stats on police brutality?

"Hard to find," which is one of the problems. It's not a well-recorded phenomenon, which usually implies abuse and incompetence.

According to The Counted, 198 out of the 1000 killed by police this year were unarmed. Presumably, some of those unarmed people were also attacking cops.

But not all of those armed people were attacking cops, visibly armed, or in possession of a weapon in the traditional sense. Plus, a lot of the data comes from law enforcement themselves, which as we know tends to be fairly biased.

It's probably greater than 50%, so "most" is technically accurate, but it's fuzzier and likely less favorable than 80+%.

[alway]

And regardless, having death squads roaming around with a license to kill if "provoked" is a very dangerous precedent.

[Reelya]

According to The Counted, 198 out of the 1000 killed by police this year were unarmed. Presumably, some of those unarmed people were also attacking cops.

What the cops tell you is a terribly unreliable information source. Check some history:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-legal-analyst-planting-weapons-on-victims-used-to-be-standard-operating-procedure/
"Fox Legal Analyst: Planting Weapons on Victims Used to Be ‘Standard Operating Procedure’":

“When I was in the DA’s office in the 80s and 90s, that was standard operating procedures,” Aidala said. “Police officers — I hate to say this — would keep a second gun that nobody knew about on their ankle, so if they ever killed someone they shouldn’t have they would take that gun out –”

After that the Fox host Brian Kilmeade quickly tried to shut him up with a handwave "such things obviously don't happen anymore because people have iphones!". Yeah, clearly we live in the enlightened days when no cop would stoop to planting a gun on a victim, not like those wild west days of 15 years ago! The basic story is that it was well known at least until the 1990s if not still ongoing that the police would steal guns from busted drug dealers and the like, then not register them. These guns could then be used as the polce officer deemed expedient, when they either accidentally killed someone with their service revolver they could plant a gun on the body, or they want to shoot someone and not have the ballistics match their service revolver.

And you have cops caught on camera doing it now, except they're lazy now and shoot someone in the back then toss their taser on the ground and say the black man stole it.

In other words, official police data is basically the least plausible source for this information rather than the "final word on the matter". The police have a really, really bad history of fabricating this type of evidence. It's basically their career at stake, and they all back each other's stories up. Any time someone can personally benefit from a specific thing, you should look for indepedent information.

[Playergamer]

...The Counted isn't just official police data, though. They also crowdsource, so, as long as the fatality is somewhere in the news, somebody'll report it. In theory, anyway.

[Aklyon]

By the way, some idiots politicians are using the attack as an opportunity to shout about their magical unicorn keys plan again. Its still as big a fantasy as before.

[smjjames]

Interesting OpEd article.

I think there should be more than one presidential advisor position that is a historian, but then again, presidents will probably just fill the position(s) with those that have views in line with their own.

[smjjames]

Jindal is now OUTTA the race and off teh island.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/bobby-jindal-2016-suspends-presidential-campaign-216002

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Now he shall ascend to his true form and consume every Louisianian body and soul, as was foretold in the prophecies of our ancestors.

[origamiscienceguy]

Here's a short thing I decided to throw together about Ben Carson if you want to use it. Feel free to add to it and to and edit it it as much as you want:

Ben Carson Retired Neurosurgeon

Pros: Probably the smartest candidate in both parties... In every subject except politics. Extremely Likable and Polite.

cons: Has no political experience at all. Nada, zip, zilch.

[Frumple]

Also appears to more or less lie out of every orifice, but that might not be a con for the GOP

Not sure if the inclusion of everything except politics is particularly accurate, though. Granary man is perhaps not the most historically apt. Pretty sure he's a wingnut in the field of economics, too. Really good neurosurgeon, less good... other things.

[smjjames]

Here's a short thing I decided to throw together about Ben Carson if you want to use it. Feel free to add to it and to and edit it it as much as you want:

Ben Carson Retired Neurosurgeon

Pros: Probably the smartest candidate in both parties... In every subject except politics. Extremely Likable and Polite.

cons: Has no political experience at all. Nada, zip, zilch.

He may be smart, yes, but he has made lots of comments that make him look silly, not so smart, and/or incompetent/clueless.

While I would give him credit for being honest in not knowing what to do with a hurricane, theres several basic common sense things that he could have said.

[Flying Dice]

Wasn't he also a creationist in addition to lifting the idea of pyramid granaries from Civilization? Yeah, not exactly topping my list of worldly, intelligent politicians.

[smjjames]

Yeah, I was surprised that his comment on wanting to remove ALL subsidies during that debate didn't tank him in Iowa and other states with large agricultural industries.