Open Thread for Thursday, August 4, 2016

Dwayne Stafford, the jail inmate accused of attacking Roof.

Dwayne Stafford, the jail inmate accused of attacking Roof. Not a hero, but still…

You know, it’s a bit of a misnomer that I call these “Open Threads,” and then give you a bunch of specific topics. Basically, in reality, it’s a Virtual Front Page that I don’t put as much thought into — in terms of picking a lede, worrying about the mix, etc.:

Anyway, here are some topics:

  1. Sheriff: Security snafu led to inmate assault on Dylann Roof — Three points to make: One, man is it hard to work up any sympathy, although of course, inmates should be protected from violence. Two: The story says he attacked him for “no reason.” Really? Because most of us wouldn’t have trouble thinking of one if we did it. Three: So is “snafu” an OK term now in a family newspaper? That’s kind of FUBAR. Wait… can something be “kind of” FUBAR?
  2. Ryan Stands by Trump but Says Endorsement No ‘Blank Check’ — Really? Because so far, it pretty much looks like it is just that.
  3. Swing-state polls show Trump trailing Clinton by wide margins — Yeah, well… I’m not breathing easy until it comes out that way on Election Day.
  4. NIH Plans To Lift Ban On Research Funds For Part-Human, Part-Animal Embryos — As my grandson has taken to saying, What the what? Where are we, the island of Dr. Moreau?
  5. Virginia officer found guilty of manslaughter — Again, The Guardian leads with a story about gun violence in America that you have to hunt for on U.S. sites. But it’s a worthy story. This is about an 18-year-old kid shot when he was suspected of shoplifting.
  6. Egypt ‘kills head of Islamic State’s Sinai branch’ — But maybe it didn’t really happen, right, since the BBC puts it in quotes…

Meanwhile, as I type this, the president is having a live presser at the Pentagon:

6 thoughts on “Open Thread for Thursday, August 4, 2016

  1. Bryan Caskey

    I thought Trump saying he’s “always wanted” a Purple Heart was about the dumbest thing possible. I guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out how he’s gonna top it.

  2. Brad Warthen Post author

    Hmm. I thought that if I embedded that live video of the president at the Pentagon (live when I posted), that when it was over, the link would still be good, and would take you to video recording of the same event.

    I was wrong.

    I think the fact that it was on YouTube caused me to think that. I haven’t dealt much with LIVE YouTube.

    OK, here’s the recording if you want to see it. I’ll fix the embed above as well…

      1. Brad Warthen Post author

        I didn’t watch it all. I’m guessing he said that they’re not whupped yet, and he suspects they’re using some ringers from the Varsity team, which is against ALL the rules, so he’s going to send a sternly-worded letter to the… what would be the high school equivalent of the NCAA?…

  3. Barry

    Virginia officer found guilty of manslaughter

    Police officers would be better served ignoring such shoplifting calls. Let the business handle it or simply write off the loss.

    As an officer, there is no reason to put yourself in harms way with someone willing to fight you instead of comply with your orders when you are armed with a pistol.

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