These last two months have brought some of the biggest, most horrifying headlines in recent memory. In fact, they’ve been so unfortunately abundant that it seems almost impossible to keep up with, and the media (bias aside) hasn’t been able to shed enough light on all of them. Below, I give a quick run down of the major stories that you should stay informed, with links or videos if you would like to learn more.
- Hermit Gosnell Case: Seven counts of first degree murder and one charge of third-degree-murder for medical incompetence that lead to the overdose death of a 41 year-old woman. That’s what Dr. Hermit Gosnell faces. His workplace was raided in response to the “high-volume” of Oxycontin he was prescribing. It was in that raid that authorities found the bodies of babies killed after botched abortions. It is alleged that he was performing partial-birth abortions after the 24-week legit limit. On occasion, these children would be born, alive and viable, and would be put to death after birth. For a fairly straight-forward report, see the PBS video below.
- Terrorism in Boston: Receiving the most media attention of recent weeks, the terrorist attack in Boston, carried out by a pair of Chechen, Muslim brothers frightened the nation and temporarily shutdown Boston. As with so many other attacks there was no impetus other than hatred. If you feel you need more, see the Boston Globe’s page here: BOSTON GLOBE
- Benghazi Scandal: I will attempt to remain as objective as possible here. The American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, Libya, was attacked on September 11, 2012 by a heavily armed group. Witnesses from Benghazi have come forth and said they “begged” for additional security in the days before the attack. The State Department rejected such calls for security. After the compound fell under siege, help did not come, despite emergency calls for assistance. State Department whistle blowers claim it was clearly communicated to the State Department that it was a terrorist attack with links to Al Qaeda. The White House reported that it was a response to an anti-Islamic video on YouTube. If testimony is true, three major questions arise 1) Why wasn’t security given in advance? 2) Why wasn’t security rushed to Benghazi immediately upon the attack? 3) and most scandalous, why was it reported that the attacked was sparked by an offensive video if intelligence immediately informed them otherwise? When asked what his reaction upon hearing the “YouTube Video Cause,” he said “my jaw dropped.” It shall be interesting to see what comes of this. Unfortunately, its become increasingly politicized. Republicans seem to wish for the worst (with Hillary’s possible 2016 Presidential run) and Democrats appear uninterested in learning more (for the same reason).
Update: Pressure mounts to appoint special committee
- Jodi Arias: Receiving, in my opinion, more coverage than it deserves, the Jodi Arias trial has been the sensational murder that has captured the attention of the nation. She was convicted of first-degree-murder for stabbing her boyfriend to death while he was showering. In an exclusive post-conviction interview, she said she would prefer the death penalty over life in prison.
- IRS anti-Tea Party Scandal: Unfortunately, this one is not just a right-wing conspiracy theory, as they made a public apology.
On Friday, the IRS apologized for what it acknowledged was “inappropriate” targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if those groups were violating their tax-exempt status.
Thanks for reading and staying informed. To quote the video above, “I just feel overwhelmed.”
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