Monthly Archives: February 2022

Republican lawmakers are renewing their call to increase consequences for repeat youth offenders and they are hoping to find bipartisan support.

Republicans say these are not victimless crimes and they want to make sure something is done, including more support for victim services.

We were left as roadkill on the side of the road, John Rasimas said.

Raismas and his wife Kathy were pulling out of a gas station on their motorcycle when they were hit by a car being driven by someone underage.

My poor wife Kathy lost her leg, Rasimas said.

Raismas says the driver served six months.

This past Monday, Jan. 31 this young boy -- again Im not going to call him a man -- he was released, he said. Changes need to be made to the system and they need to be made now.

Sandy Kraus wasnt physically injured but shes still without a vehicle.

Ive had two cars stolen out of my driveway, Kraus said.

The first car was involved in multiple robberies and was ultimately in an accident with a Waterbury police car. She got a new car and had it for 10 weeks before it was stolen too.

It was locked. My house was locked. They broke into the house. Stole my pocketbook. Used my credit cards, used my car in multiple thefts, she said.

She says there seems to be a misunderstanding about what its like to be a victim of these crimes.

Whats always said to me is 'its just property. Your insurance company will make you whole again.' While I want to explain to you all that that is not the case, Kraus said.

Its been five months since Ive had the privilege of driving a car because the airbags are on backorder, she added.

Republicans want enhanced penalties for car thefts and more support for victims.

Connecticut residents deserve to feel safe within their state and their communities, Rep. Craig Fishbein said.

Fishbein says there need to be harsher penalties for repeat offenders.

Public safety should not be a partisan issue. Its not red or blue, its red, white, and blue, Fishbein said.

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont says hes open to addressing the issue.

Were going to find reasonable common ground to get something done, Lamont said.

Crime and police accountability are expected to be issues in the upcoming election, but it's unclear if theres enough bipartisan support to get something done during the legislative session that starts Feb. 9.

See the original post:

Republicans Call For Tougher Penalties For Car Thefts, Hit-And-Runs - NBC Connecticut

The continued misleading of the people of Tennessee with nothing to see here, folks flies in the face of claims of a spirit of humble service.

Michelle Fiscus| Guest Columnist

I watched Gov. BillLees State of the State Address on Monday.I shouldnt have.

My family warned me. And yet, I still have a vested interest in what happens to the people of Tennessee. My parents live there. The children and families I worked with in my medical practice over 17 years live there. My friends and colleagues and neighbors and people I deeply care about live there.

My inability to live there doesnt dampen my concern and frustration and, at times, outrage, on behalf of the people who do.

I watched as the governor recognized farmers, people who have fled the tyranny of California and New York, and police who have relocated to avoid vaccine mandates placed upon them by other states but who are warmly welcomed in Tennessee.

I listened as he told of the recent horror of a Texas synagogue taken hostage and, rather than work to keep people safe from guns, vowed to teach houses of worship how to protect themselves against such acts.

What I did not hear was any mention of COVID-19 or the 22,151 Tennesseans who have lost their lives to the pandemic over the past two years (as of Jan. 22). Not a call for a moment of silence. Not even thoughts and prayers for the families they left behind.

Oh, sure, there were veiled references to nurses and other health care workers who have cared for the sick and well-deserved praise for the National Guard who have met the worst of circumstances with grit, but not one mention of omicron which, at the time of the governors address, still had case counts more than three times that of last years peak (and those are the ones we know about).

Dr. Michelle Fiscus: Tennessee leaders are playing politics, but they must protect children from COVID-19 | Opinion

Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.

The continued misleading of the people of Tennessee with nothing to see here, folks flies in the face of claims of a spirit of humble service.

According to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Tennessee ranks sixth in the country for the rate of COVID-19 cases among children and current case rates overall. Tennessee is also among states with the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Instead of taking the opportunity to encourage Tennesseans to remain careful by limiting gatherings, wearing a mask, getting vaccinated and staying home when sick so they can get beyond omicron, the governor spoke of how Tennessee is ranked as one of the top five freest states in the country.

Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee.

Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee.

A quick Google search shows the author of that ranking to be from the Charles Koch Institute.

Ironically, that same ranking places Tennessee among the worst for personal freedom, which includes victimless crimes, guns, tobacco, and education. Californians and New Yorkers looking to relocate may want to take notice.

It was Janis Joplin who once sang, Freedoms just another word for nothin left to lose. When youre at the bottom for health care, funding for education, workers rights, and COVID-19, I guess freedom is all you have left to talk about. Its an election year, after all.

Dr. Michelle Fiscus is a pediatrician who, until recently, residedin Williamson County. She served as the medical director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs at the Tennessee Department of Health until July 12, 2021

See the rest here:

Gov. Bill Lee plays politics by failing to mention Tennessee's 22,000 COVID dead | Opinion - Tennessean

Honda CR-V, Lexus RX series and Ford F-150 are the most stolen vehicles in Canada

NEWS RELEASE

GUELPH POLICE SERVICE

*************************

The Guelph Police Service is urging residents to take steps to protect themselves against auto theft.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada reports across the country, a motor vehicle is stolen every six minutes. This represents more than 87,000 stolen vehicles each year.

Guelph is not immune, said Sgt. Kendall Brown of the newly formed B.E.A.T. (Break and Enter Auto Theft) Team. During 2021, the Guelph Police Service investigated almost 200 motor vehicle thefts, or an average of one stolen vehicle every 1.8 days.

Nationally, the Honda CR-V, Lexus RX series, Ford F-150 and Toyota Highlander topped the list of the most stolen vehicles in Canada. But auto theft is often a crime of opportunity and no make or model of vehicle is safe from would-be thieves.

Auto thefts are not victimless crimes or simply property crimes. Auto theft itself costs Canadians millions of dollars every year in policing, court, legal and out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles and increased premiums. And stolen vehicles are often used in other crimes including break and enters and robberies.

The Insurance Bureau suggests these tips to prevent yourself from becoming a victim:

*************************

Read more:

Guelph police investigated almost 200 vehicle thefts in 2021 - GuelphToday

A protester in California demonstrates opposition to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Every two years, the Olympics get harder to watch. This year is no different.

Even if you normally keep your head in the sand when it comes to international affairs, allegations of human rights violations committed by the Chinese government have been impossible to ignore in the leadup to the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Repression of the peoples of Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan, along with suppression of freedom of speech and protest among Chinese citizens, gained renewed attention as China prepared to take center stage in the sporting world.

Tensions ramped up in November when tennis player Peng Shuai said a former government official sexually assaulted her and then disappeared from the public eye, prompting concern over her well-being. And let's not forget that these Olympics are again being held during a pandemic. Last month, Chinese authorities quarantined the 13 million residents of Xi'an in their homes with limited resources in an attempt to contain a COVID-19 outbreak under the country's zero-COVID policy.

But the biggest controversy leading up to these Olympics concerns the massive human rights crisis taking place in the Xinjiang region. As many as 2 million members of the Uyghur people and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups are being held in internment camps there, according to the U.S. State Department, which calls the treatment of the Uyghur people "genocide" and "crimes against humanity." Former detainees allege that the prisoners face torture, forced sterilization and more in an effort to wipe out their culture. Chinese officials have denied the allegations, branding the camps as "re-education camps."

Now, as athletes from around the world gather in a display of international friendship and competition, these issues call into question how much those in power are willing to tolerate for the sake of a sporting event. As President Xi Jinping uses the world's biggest sporting event to veil his government's alleged atrocities, is there anything we lowly viewers can do but sit and watch?

Unfortunately, we can't count on those with political or monetary power to take a stand. Companies like Visa and Procter & Gamble are holding back on their Olympics-related advertising, but they're not pulling their sponsorships despite pleas from over 200 groups around the world as they strike the delicate balance of appeasing both the American public and the Chinese markets. The U.S.'s diplomatic boycott, along with those of Lithuania, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, feels like an empty gesture. And when questioned about the issues at hand, International Olympic Committee officials won't take a stand, often citing the "political neutrality" outlined in the Olympic Charter.

What's more, by awarding the Olympics to Beijing for the second time since 2008, the IOC enables, and indeed condones, the actions of what Human Rights Watch calls an "authoritarian state" that "systemically curbs fundamental rights."

"The IOC deserves all of the disdain and disgust that comes their way for going back to China yet again," said Bob Costas, the former NBC commentator who hosted 12 Olympic Games, on CNN last month, adding: "They're shameless about this stuff."

Part of the IOC's lack of response comes from its unwillingness to upset one of the few countries that is willing to host an Olympics anymore. The cutthroat bidding wars that decided who would host the Games in decades past are all but nonexistent. A study published in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs cites the "spiraling costs" associated with the Olympics, along with the likelihood that hosting the Games doesn't have a positive economic impact. Instead, we get dead venues that become the stuff of depressing slideshows.

The IOC's desperationalong with, of course, the monetary value of its premier sporting eventmeans it's willing to overlook Russia's oppression of gay rights, Japan going ahead with the 2020 Olympics despite a lack of public support and Brazil's displacement of unhoused people in the leadup to the 2016 Olympics. Now, it means ignoring what many consider to be genocide by the Chinese government.

The IOC's decision isn't victimless. Hosting big events like the Olympics is an effective tool for "sportswashing," or using sporting events or teams to distract from political issues like human rights abuses. Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, warned that those associated with the Olympics should "question whether these Games are legitimizing and prolonging grave abuses." Indeed, Xi stated that he hopes the Games will "show a good image of our country and demonstrate our nation's commitment to building a community with a shared future for mankind." In 2008, then vice president and in charge of preparations for the Games, he called a safe Olympics "the most important symbol of the country's international image."

Regardless of where the Olympics are held, they have negative consequences on the communities that are supposed to reap the rewards. Citizens are displaced, public funds are misspent and overspent, and cities are militarized for the sake of a spectacle that is meant to represent a nation's greatness.

Potential solutions exist for these problems, like hosting the Games in the same city each time or having a few cities rotate the responsibility. Alternatively, the format could change entirely. It could be time to question the things we take for granted each Olympic cycle, like why all these events have to happen in the same place.

But change will only come if the risks of hostingor, in the case of the IOC, organizingthe Olympics start to dramatically outweigh the rewards that come with sportswashing. The Olympics will only change if we change how we think about the Olympics. One potential outcome of Beijing 2022 is that media coverage of the alleged genocide will make the public see the Games as a gaudy display of nationalism used by governments to cover up injustices (call it an Olympic rebranding). When Americans see the opening ceremony in Los Angeles in 2028, it may evoke disgust over what it took to get there, rather than national pride. And maybe someday everyone will be able to enjoy the world's biggest sporting event without pangs of guilt.

For a brand as well protected as the Olympics, it's probably too much to ask. But a girl can dream.

See the original post:

How Do We Reconcile the Olympics and China's Human Rights Crisis? - Bleacher Report