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ARTS AND CULTURE HOME
Texas Rejects Confederate License Plate Proposal
By Hernán Rozemberg / Senior Field Correspondent
Published November 10, 2011 at 12:49 PM PST
Photo courtesy Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
The current Texas license plate.
Texas Confederate Plate Rejected
After months of build-up, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles board took barely a couple of minutes to unanimously vote down a proposed new Confederate license plate Thursday.
The idea originated with the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Tennessee-based group with 35,000 members that sought to use the proceeds to build new memorials honoring Southern soldiers.
Michael Givens, the group's national president - his actual title is "commander-in-chief"- said the decision was an injustice.
"For us to be singled out when it's been issued in nine other states, there's thousands of plates on the road right now, there's no incident of anybody ever receiving any real harm from this," he said. "It's really just political."
But playing politics with history has been the main argument of opponents. Critics accused the Confederate group of needlessly drudging up the legacy of slavery.
Progress Texas, a liberal non-profit group, led the charge against the plate along with other civil rights organizations, such as the Texas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Glazer's group led a petition drive that collected more than 25,000 signatures.
"The community came together to oppose the Confederate flag on historical terms, on racial terms, so there's really no compelling argument that could have been used to endorse this hateful image," Glazer said. "So we are very, very happy."
But Confederate plate opponents know they only won the first round. The Sons of Confederate Veterans were previously rejected in three other states, but later won their case in court each time.
Their main argument – which they've argued elsewhere and they'll also bring up in Texas – is discrimination and free speech. They plan to file suit in Texas within a month.
Givens, the group's president, would have preferred to talk it out with critics - if they were willing to listen.
"Why they won't sit down and talk to us and learn who we are and find out that we're just normal people," he lamented. "I really don't understand it."
Hernán Rozemberg
Senior Field Correspondent Hernán Rozemberg (San Antonio) is a veteran journalist with nearly a decade-and-a-half experience, most of that time spent reporting on immigration and border issues. He has traveled the length of the northern and southern U.S. borders on assignment. Born in Argentina, he's a native Spanish speaker who has lived, worked or studied on five continents. He holds a degree in political economy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a degree in international relations from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.
See stories by Hernán Rozemberg


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JackGordon.org > Century 21 World's Fair > Monthly Calendar > New Mexico Honor Day
New Mexico Governor Mechem Visits Seattle World's Fair on July 14, 1962
New Mexico Governor Edwin L. Mechem (center) is "pinned" with a New Mexico Day sticker by World's Fair employee Mindy Kobbervig, as host Washington Governor Albert D. Rosellini looks on approvingly. It was New Mexico Honor Day at the Plaza of the States at the Seattle World's Fair on July 14.
Row of New Mexicans surround host Washington State Governor Albert D. Rosellini on stage behind the World's Fair Podium. And, yes, that's Bert Parks on the right end wearing a Seafair Skipper Pin. Parks was in town to headline a six-day run of Music Man at the Aqua Theatre on Green Lake for a Greater Seattle and Seafair spectacular.
Here's Host Governor Albert D. Rosellini admiring some beautiful roses.
The printed information card that was mounted at the base of each state's flag pole.
The State of New Mexico was honored by the World's Fair Post Office on their State Day.
A STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNOR
New Mexico is called "the Land of Enchantment" because of the beauty of the land and the history of the people. The scenery varies from forested mountains in the north to great stretches of desert broken by mesas in the south.
Santa Fe, the present capitol, is the oldest seat of government in the United States. It was founded 10 years before the Pilgrims landed.
New Mexico leads the state in the production of uranium. The first atomic bomb was exploded in New Mexico. Missiles and other weapons are now tested at the White Sands Proving Grounds.
New Mexico also contributes to our total agricultural economy. Cattle and sheep graze on vast range lands. Cotton and hay are leading farm crops.
Every year thousands of tourists visit New Mexico to enjoy the rich variery of scenic beauty, the colorful Indian festivals, the uinderground formations of Carlsbad Caverns and ancient cliff dwellings.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Albert D. Rosellini, Governor of the State of Washington, do hereby designate July 14, 1962, as
STATE OF NEW MEXICO DAY
and urge the people of Washington to extend their traditional warm hospitaliuty to our many friends from the "Land of Enchantment" at the Seattle World's Fair.
NEW MEXICO ACCLAIMED
AT SEATTLE WORLD'S FAIR
SEATTLE, July 14—It was New Mexico Day at the Seattle World's Fair today and the Plaza of States was alive with entertainment and celebrities.
Bert Parks, star of "Music Man" was there as was his leading lady, Barbara Williams.
On hand, too was Jimmy Rodgers, ballad singer with the Bob Hope show. And from Albuquerque, N. M., the Mariachi del Norte came to the festivities to entertain the crowd with Mexican songs and dances.
Gov. Edwin L. Mechem of New Mexico was an honored guest and was greeted by Washington State's Gov. Albert D. Rosellini.
The program opened with selections by Jackie Souders' World's Fair Band with Parks taking over as conductor. His clowning had the crowd laughing as the New Mexico ceremonies began.
Together Gov. Mechem and Gov. Rosellini raised the flag of the State of New Mexico to a place of honor in the Plaza and together kindled the Fire Font of Unity, symbol of strength and brotherhood between the states.
A narration of the history, resources, and scenic beauty of the Cactus State was given by Richard Thomas.
The Rev. A. J. Shaughnessy delivered the invocation and State Rep. Audley Mahaffey was chairman of the day.
Mechem, five times governor of New Mexico, and state governor with the longest tenure in office, was introduced by Gov. Rosellini and conveyed the good wishes of the citizens of his state. He invited all Washingtonians to visit the Science Fair at Albuquerque in the spring.
Parks joined with vocalist Paula Bane in a medley of patriotic songs.
Among the guests were Mrs, Torn Bolack, wife of the New Mexico Lt. governor and Dr. W. Randolph Lovelace III, Albuquerque.
Among those to greet the visiting New Mexicans were Mr. and Mrs. Leo Weisfield, Mr. and Edward Carlson, Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Torrance and Mr. and Mrs. Mort Frayn.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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some characters

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It is the so-called 'dull, boring stuff' that makes a business above average, in the long run.
Great businesses do great work but they are also great at figuring out a winning strategy and compelling marketing as well as getting their teams to do all the nitty gritty.
SO, WHAT IS THIS DULL, BORING STUFF?
You need a board or senior management team, the brain of the business. While the functions work in the business on a day-to-day basis, the board should be working on the business.
You need to meet, ideally monthly, to look at the big picture, to monitor and evaluate progress on your master plan (you do have one?).
As the business grows there is a clear trade-off between the owner's ability to execute and his/her ability to delegate. Some people can cross the chasm to the other side, from working IN to working ON the business. Others cannot.
Think Win-Win (or no deal).
Communicate ("seek first to understand").
Stay fit ("sharpen the saw").
what is urgent (what needs to be done now).
Operational efficiency is useless if the client is not happy and we need to remember that customers pay the bills.
The reality is that low effort service (making it easy to buy and do business with you) equals high customer loyalty. Especially in the online world we now live in.
"People are a nightmare" – it is true.
We can do all the clever background stuff but delivery is dependent on your people doing their part and that is where the nightmare comes in.
So, that is the challenge. Run a great business that delivers. And do it by gathering together the power and force of the people inside and outside the business to help you achieve your goals.


Work is underway on a Peshtigo dog park. Last week, crews finished phase one of the TOP Dog Park project, which involved creating the parking lot. Justine Raygo, president of the TOP Dog Park Group, says next up is construction of the dog run area. She hopes at least part of the park will be open by the end of the year.
Raygo says one of the biggest challenges the group continues to face is finding the funding for the park.
The TOP Dog Park Group is about $15000 short of their funding goal to construct both a large and a small dog run at the park. You can find out more about the organization on Facebook.


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Flight-attendant unions urge longer mask edicts
by Tribune News Service | February 23, 2022 at 2:39 a.m.
Flight attendants unions want to extend mask mandate on airplanes
Flight attendants want the federal government to extend face mask requirements on commercial airplanes beyond next month's expiration date, even with pressure growing against mask mandates on planes, airports and elsewhere.
Unions for flight attendants at American Airlines, United Airlines and several regional carriers say it's not the appropriate moment to drop mask rules, even though they are "are looking forward to a time when face coverings are no longer a requirement for air travel."
"While more of the world now has access to life-saving vaccines, we still have a significant portion of the population that are vulnerable, including our youngest passengers," said Paul Hartshorn, a spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents about 24,550 employees at Fort Worth-based American Airlines.
The Transportation Security Administration mandate requiring masks to be worn in airplanes, on interstate bus travel and in transportation terminals such as airports expires March 18, about 14 months after the original mandate from the Biden administration went into effect. Many parts of the country are starting to drop mask requirements, including Connecticut and New Jersey, along with many businesses that required face masks to be worn throughout much of the pandemic.
TWU Local 556, which represents flight attendants at Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, did not respond to a request for comment.
The White House hasn't indicated whether it will extend the airplane masking order beyond next month.
Southwest Airlines has made masks optional at its headquarters campus at Dallas Love Field.
But whether masks should be required in the air on commercial flights is still a contentious issue. Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, sued the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over masks mandates on airplanes, saying the agency lacks authority to enforce the rule. The TSA also has issued a rule mandating masks in airports.
While covid-19 cases have come down from the omicron variant surge that peaked in January, flight attendants and others argue that masks help protect vulnerable travelers.
"The conditions in aviation are the same," said Taylor Garland, a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents flight attendants at such airlines as United, Frontier, Spirit and Alaska, as well as regional carriers Envoy, Mesa, Piedmont and others. "Our youngest passengers do not yet have access to the vaccine."
Garland said masks help maintain passenger confidence in air travel. Despite a rapid return to air travel, passenger numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, especially business and international travel.
"The airplane is a unique but controlled environment for everyone's safety," Garland said. "The layered approach to safety and security includes masks."
The fight to keep masks comes as flight attendants also look to crack down on unruly passengers with a "no-fly" list that could be shared across airlines for travelers who cause problems onboard flights.
"Flight attendants continue to face physical and verbal abuse, and we cannot sit by and allow these offenders to commit these dangerous acts from airline to airline," said APFA president Julie Hedrick in a statement. "This behavior must stop."
Earlier last week, Texas' Ted Cruz was one of eight Republican senators who wrote a letter to the Department of Justice asking to block airlines and the government from starting a no-fly list for passengers.
"The TSA was created in the wake of 9/11 to protect Americans from future horrific attacks, not to regulate human behavior onboard flights."
Print Headline: Flight-attendant unions urge longer mask edicts


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LETTER: Anti-Semitism and bigotry is once again on rise
The Standard-Times verifies and reviews all letters to the editor we receive. The letters represent the views of the letter writers, not those of The Standard-Times.
With the recent attack on Jews in Monsey, New York we have one more piece of evidence illustrating the growing hatred for Jews in the United States and the world. Why has anti-Semitism reemerged with such a vengeance? One need only look at the way minorities are being treated in this country to have an understanding of why anti-Semitism is growing again.
We are living in a toxic time, and strangers, those not part of the majority, are the targets. The Jews have been the embodiment of the outsider in history. As the canaries in the mine, Jews warn the world that intolerance and bigotry are on the rise. But make no mistake, other minorities have been the target of hate crimes; and we as Jews just represent a people never truly accepted and barely tolerated. We need to address the toxicity that causes such intolerance and hatred to emerge.
According to the Anti-Defamation League anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise around the country, leaving members of the Jewish community feeling frightened and unsafe. In New York City, anti-Semitic crimes have jumped 21% in the past year. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there were 1,879 incidents of anti-Semitism in the United States in 2018, including more than 1,000 instances of harassment. The 2018 total is 48% higher than the number of incidents in 2016 and 99% higher than in 2015.
The Jewish community of our area remains vigilant for any such outbreaks here. I am happy to say that the New Bedford Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro, and Dartmouth Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Brian Levesque, have been proactive in monitoring such activity in our area. I appreciate the communication that both departments have taken to reach out to our community and help us upgrade our security. We know they stand ready to assist us. We appreciate the steps they have taken to protect our synagogue and the members of the Jewish community.
This planning has made the Jewish community in our area safer and more reassured of the commitment of law enforcement to make sure we are safe and secure. Let us hope that this remains the case. Let us all confront bigotry and minority hatred, no matter which minority group is under attack. United, and vigilant, we stand.
Rabbi Rafael Kanter is a resident of New Bedford.


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Stories We Tell (2012)
Published on 5 July 2013 26 November 2019 by Ewan M
There's a point in this fascinating documentary film directed by Canadian actress Sarah Polley where the voiceover by her father Michael tells of how she didn't want a significant piece of her life story revealed by a journalist, had not in fact intended to ever reveal this secret. Yet in crafting this film around that very personal story (of which I don't intend to provide too many details here), she's managed to deftly hide herself in the overlapping strands of narrative. Veteran Canadian film producer Harry Gulkin avers in an interview that film should always seek to reveal truth, thereby objecting to his place in Polley's story, for it is perhaps the impossibility of finding truth that's at the heart of the film, along with Polley's mother Diane who died from cancer when Sarah was a child.
For if Sarah is an enigmatic figure behind (and sometimes in front of) the camera, Diane is ever more evanescent, glimpsed only in super 8 home video footage which is interspersed through the film. It is the stories told about her by the men who loved her, her friends and her children that make up the bulk of the documentary. They don't always agree, sometimes even have quite different recollections of her, and by the end the truth of what we've seen and heard seems even more precarious thanks to director Sarah's sleight of hand.
It's no surprise that Polley should be so cunningly adept with narrative, being not only from a family of actors, but having come to attention herself in films as multi-layered as Atom Egoyan's Exotica (1994) and The Sweet Hereafter (1997), both corruscating dramas dealing with complicated family histories. But Polley's parents aren't abusive and manipulative like those in Egoyan's films, and despite the seemingly telling detail that Gulkin's most famous film is entitled Lies My Father Told Me, no one here is exactly lying either.
What we're left with then is an enigma, a mystery of how to find the truth or represent a person when that is so much predicated on people's memories and the place the past has in each person's story of their lives. Although on the surface it feels like Stories We Tell could be a self-indulgent vanity project by a well-known public figure, the final film is far from simply a story about Sarah Polley's family. I feel unequal to doing the film justice in a review, suffice to say it has many fascinating layers, with plenty to say about history, memory and representation — and does so with humour and wonder both.
Director/Writer Sarah Polley; Cinematographer Iris Ng; Starring Michael Polley, Harry Gulkin, Sarah Polley; Length 109 minutes.
Seen at Curzon Soho, London, Wednesday 3 July 2013.
Categories Classification: 12(A), Country: Canada, Rating: EXCELLENT•Tags 2012, canada, directed by a woman, documentary, family drama, fathers and daughters, film reviews, films seen at the cinema, harry gulkin, iris ng, michael polley, photographed by a woman, rosenbaum 1000, sarah polley, written by a woman
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This is the Grey Whale, Rhachianectes glaucus of Cope, which, in these days, is confined to the North Pacific, and does not range farther south than the 20th parallel in that ocean. At the same time it should be stated that indications have been discovered that a nearly allied form existed in the Atlantic in previous geological ages, though this is by no means certain. Besides Rhachianectes, Balæna, Megaptera, and Balænoptera are all represented in the North Pacific, and also many species of Delphinidæ of which little is at present known. But Rhytina and Rhachianectes are the only genera of Marine Mammals absolutely confined to Arctirenia.
SECTION X.—THE MID-Pacific SEA-REGION,
OR MESIRENIA The Eared Seals, Otaria, must have necessarily passed through Mesirenia in their passage from south to north, though the only record of their actual presence in the central part of the Pacific is, so far as we know, the recent discovery of them in the Galapagos. It should be stated, however, that Tschudi records the occurrence of two species of Otaria on the islands of the coast of Peru, and that in 1802 Humboldt met with an Eared Seal on the Island of San Lorenzo, in the Bay of Callao, which is only some 12° south of the Equator.
Like Otaria, the Sea-elephant (Macrorhinus) has apparently in former ages travelled up the South American shores and established itself as far north on the coast of California as about 34° N. lat. The Californian Seaelephant has been discriminated by Gill as a distinct species (Macrorhinus angustirostris), but its differences from the southern form (M. leoninus) seem to be but trifling.
As regards the Cetaceans of Mesirenia, our information is at present very imperfect, and there is little to say except that species of Megaptera, Balænoptera, Physeter, Cogia, and Ziphius certainly occur there, besides many representatives of the widely spread Delphinidæ.
SECTION XI.—THE SOUTHERN SEA-REGION, OR
NOTOPELAGIA
The wide ocean which surrounds the Southern Pole on every side, and extends up to 40° S. lat., seems to present, as regards its marine mammals, a nearly homogeneous fauna, which we will now briefly consider. In the first place it contains representatives of four genera of true Phocidæ — Ogmorhinus, Lobodon, Leptonychotes, and Ommatophoca, which are peculiar to the southern seas, and are quite distinct from all their northern representatives in the Arctic Ocean. The Sea-elephant, Macrorhinus, is also a denizen of Notopelagia, though, as we have already seen, it has wandered north along the South American coast far into Mesirenia.
Like Macrorhinus, Otaria also, containing the group of Eared Seals, appears to have been originally an Antarctic group, and the greater number of its species are still found in the Southern Ocean. But the Otariæ have travelled still further north than Macrorhinus, and three, if not four, species are, as already stated, in these days wellestablished inhabitants of Arctirenia.
The Sirenians are absent from Notopelagia, but Cetaceans of every kind are abundant. Besides one or more representatives of the true Whalebone Whale (Balæna), Notopelagia has a smaller representative of the group (Neobalæna) entirely restricted to its area. It has also representatives of Megaptera and Balenoptera, though it is doubtful how far they are even specifically distinct from some of their northern representatives.
Among the Toothed Whales (Odontoceti) we find a large Ziphioid form, Berardius, restricted to the Pacific area, while Ziphius and Mesoplodon also occur there. The Dolphins (Delphinidæ) are likewise numerous, and present some distinct species, but not, so far as our present knowledge extends, any generic forms that do not occur elsewhere.
But Notopelagia is sufficiently distinguished from all the five more northern Sea-regions by possessing four genera of Seals and two of Cetaceans entirely restricted to its area.
SECTION XII.—CONCLUSIONS
It has therefore been shown that, for the geography of marine mammals, the ocean may be conveniently divided into six Sea-regions (Plate VIII., p. 216), which are as follows :
I. Regio Arctatlantica, characterized by its Seals (Phocine), of which two genera, Halichorus and Cystophora, are peculiar, whilst Phoca is common to it and Arctirenia ; by the absence of Sirenians; and by the possession of a peculiar genus of Cetaceans (Hyperoodon).
II. Regio Mesatlantica, sole possessor of the MonkSeals, Monachus, amongst the Pinnipeds, and of the Sirenian genus Manatus.
III. Regio Indopelagica, characterized by the presence of the Sirenian Halicore and by the absence of Pinnipeds.
IV. Regio Arctirenica, with Phoca like the Regio Arctatlantica, but having Otaria also; the home of the (now extinct) Sirenian Rhytina and of the endemic Cetacean Rhachianectes.
V. Regio Mesirenica, without true Seals (Phocinæ), but having Otaria and Macrorhinus from the south; no Sirenian being known there.
VI. Regio Notopelagica, characterized by four endemic genera of Phocidæ, and by the presence of many Otarix ; without Sirenians, but with two endemic forms of Cetaceans (Neobalena and Berardius).
In conclusion, attention may be called to some of the more remarkable points in the general distribution of the marine mammals and to their apparent significance.
In the first place it is evident that the Pacific has much more in common with the Notopelagian Region than the Atlantic. Otaria and Macrorhinus, quite unknown in the Atlantic, extend themselves to the northern extremity of the Pacific, the former pervading that ocean up to Behring's Strait, and the latter reaching to the Californian coast. It follows that in former ages there must have been some barrier in the Atlantic which did not exist in the Pacific to stop their progress northwards. The only barrier one can imagine that would have effected this must have been a land uniting South America and Africa, across which they could not travel. Adopting this hypothesis, we have at the same time an explanation of the presence of the Manatee on both the American


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Civil Commitment for Substance Abuse
Jeffrey C. Eisen, MD, MBA
Virtual Mentor. 2013;15(10):844-849. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2013.15.10.ecas4-1310.
Mr. Robinson arrived at the emergency room in the middle of the night after crashing a car through a glass storefront. Luckily for him, he hadn't been going very fast, but had a large cut on his hand. He was not an easy patient; he swung at a nurse who was cleaning his wound, yelled obscenities at the doctor who was trying to get a history, and urinated in his cubicle. His hand required 20 stitches. His blood alcohol level was 400.
When Mr. Robinson's daughter Margaret arrived at the hospital, she was frantic with worry, not only about the health of her father but also about her own family. The car was hers and she needed it to get to work. She was the single mother of two young children, whom she'd had to leave with a neighbor. Her father had come to live with them in the Boston suburbs a year earlier after going through a messy divorce. He'd struggled with alcohol throughout his life, but had started drinking heavily again soon after moving in with Margaret. This was his third visit to the emergency department for an alcohol-related crisis. Margaret was at her wit's end. She asked to see Dr. Diallo, a psychiatrist who had been called in to interview Mr. Robinson during a previous hospitalization.
"We've tried everything—individual therapy, group therapy, AA, outpatient full-day programs. It just isn't enough for him. He's wonderful when he's sober, but drunk is another story." Dr. Diallo agreed that Mr. Robinson needed more intensive care to achieve sobriety. He decided to admit Mr. Robinson to the hospital for detoxification and to broach the subject of longer-term inpatient treatment with him that afternoon when he had sobered up and Margaret got out of work.
Mr. Robinson was a completely different person in the afternoon. He gave Margaret a hug when she came in and asked about his grandchildren, but he was less pleased to see Dr. Diallo. "I just got a little too drunk last night," he said impatiently.
Margaret reminded him that they had been through similar episodes three other times. "You're an alcoholic, Dad. You scare me when you're drunk."
Dr. Diallo told him about the advantages of ongoing hospitalization for substance-abuse treatment, but Mr. Robinson shook his head. He wasn't interested. Margaret begged Dr. Diallo to intervene. "He got into a car in that state! He's a menace to himself, my family, and the whole community," she argued.
Unlike many states, Massachusetts allows for involuntary civil commitment for patients with substance use issues if they are at risk of "serious harm" to themselves or others as a result of their use of substances. Though a judge ultimately determines whether or not a patient can be involuntarily committed for substance-abuse treatment, the psychiatrist must make the decision whether or not to petition the court for such an order.
The decision weighed heavily upon Dr. Diallo. On the one hand, Mr. Robinson had come into the ED three times with dangerously high levels of alcohol. On the other hand, infringing someone's freedom demanded strong justification, especially when that person had, so far, not harmed anyone or been accused of harming anyone. Dr. Diallo wondered if mandating inpatient treatment for substance abuse was in his patient's best interest.
The case of Mr. Robinson describes the complexities associated with treating the substance dependent patient. Dr. Diallo's desire to motivate this patient to seek treatment, and the worry expressed by his daughter, stand in great opposition to a patient who denies both the problems and consequences of ongoing substance use.
The concerns of Dr. Diallo and Margaret are further heightened by Mr. Robinson's potential for harm to himself, and others as well, due to his alcohol dependency. He could have injured or killed others when crashing his car. Following this event, he attempted to assault a nurse in the Emergency Department (ED), yet again endangering the life of another.
Mr. Robinson's actions affect Dr. Diallo and Margaret considerably. Margaret exemplifies the range of conflicting and often confusing emotions felt by family members attempting to reach their substance-abusing loved ones. Margaret expresses worry, frustration, hurt, and, importantly, a sense of helpless and desperation. Similarly, Dr. Diallo feels compelled to intervene, yet may feel helpless to change a dire situation and frustrated when the patient does not adhere to treatment recommendations.
Given that Mr. Robinson risks significant harm to himself and others due to substance dependence and has not been helped by other treatment modalities, Dr. Diallo ponders an important question, namely if mechanisms exist to mandate substance-abuse treatment against the will of the patient. In the state of Massachusetts, Chapter 123, Section 35 of the Massachusetts General Laws allows spouses, blood relatives, guardians, physicians, and police officers to petition the court to commit substance-dependent patients for up to 90 days of treatment in a locked facility. This suggests that Dr. Diallo or Margaret may petition the court to commit Mr. Robinson to inpatient substance-abuse treatment.
Between 2004 and 2008, up to 5,000 Section 35 civil commitment cases were considered per year in Massachusetts [1]. Nationally, 38 states have laws that permit civil commitment to inpatient or outpatient substance-abuse treatment programs. Of the remaining states, 8 permit some form of involuntary treatment that does not include civil commitment, such as emergency hospitalization due to substance-use concerns. Alabama, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wyoming do not offer any legal provision for involuntary treatment [2]. Notably, Massachusetts law authorizes commitment to inpatient programs only and does not include an outpatient option.
Clinicians may express interest in this modality of treatment but are often uncertain about whether or not a particular patient is appropriate for mandated treatment, and many may not even be aware of the existence of such laws. Dr. Diallo seems uncertain in both of these regards—whether or not mandated treatment is even possible and, if so, to what extent Mr. Robinson might meet the criteria for commitment.
Determining which patients are appropriate candidates for mandated substance-abuse treatment remains controversial and complicated. Dr. Diallo must be aware of the criteria for commitment under the Massachusetts law. First, the individual under consideration must be a substance abuser, which is defined in the law by chronic or habitual ingestion, the loss of power of self-control over the use of substance(s), and interference with social and/or occupational functioning. Second, likelihood of "serious harm" as a result of the substance use must exist [3].
In this case, determining the seriousness of harm at time of initial presentation is not particularly difficult, given the dramatic events leading to Mr. Robinson's arrival in the emergency department and the behavior following it. However, the evidence shifts over time. Once admitted to a detoxification unit and sober, the patient becomes "a completely different person," described as "wonderful" by his daughter. A clinician evaluating the patient at the time of ED arrival might conclude that the imminence of risk supports civil commitment for substance-abuse treatment, whereas a clinician evaluating the pleasant, sober patient may have less urgent concerns about seriousness of harm. Mr. Robinson's actions while intoxicated are clearly serious, but, as it pertains to the civil commitment statute, clinicians may interpret the definition, timing, and imminent nature of "serious" differently.
Dr. Diallo's review of the legal criteria only represents the beginning of this process. Even if Mr. Robinson appears to meet the legal standard for civil commitment, many clinician-, patient- and systems-based factors can affect the commitment process and may limit access to mandated treatment. Dr. Diallo will also consider the efficacy of such treatment and his own ethical framework as he decides whether or not to file a petition.
The complexity involved in pursuing an order for mandated treatment could create a significant barrier for Dr. Diallo or Margaret, who have limited knowledge of the petitioning process. Typically, in my experience, the physician must provide written documentation in support of the petition, present data at court in front of a presiding judge who will decide the case, and otherwise coordinate patient discharge, among other tasks, all of which are time consuming and take away from time with other, perhaps more urgent, patient needs. As this case continues, Dr. Diallo will have to determine whether the time and effort involved in the process is prohibitive, given the many responsibilities involved in managing a multitude of complicated patients on his detoxification unit. In essence, Dr. Diallo must feel compelled enough to take the time away from other responsibilities to focus on this endeavor.
Patients with medical or psychiatric comorbidities can be challenging for substance-abuse commitment facilities, which may not have staff with the necessary expertise to manage these additional concerns. In some cases, physicians must also assert that the person being committed will remain medically stable throughout the holding and transfer process until reaching a facility. This case does not suggest that Mr. Robinson has acute medical or psychiatric problems that would affect the civil commitment process, but it would be important to consider the possibility that he may experience the physical effects of withdrawal during the holding and transfer period.
The nature of the legal system may also complicate a petitioning effort. In my experience, judges can hold a higher threshold for commitment if a patient has been previously committed. While this has not been documented in the case, it is an important detail not to be overlooked. If a prior commitment is found, Dr. Diallo may need to explain his rationale for pursuing this treatment modality, given that prior commitment did not result in ongoing sobriety.
The timing of the petition requires consideration as well. In Massachusetts, petitions for civil commitment for substance abuse are filed and heard by judges only when the court is open [4]. If Mr. Robinson arrived in the emergency department on the weekend or overnight, for example, clinicians would be limited in their ability to pursue the petition when the need and evidence for containment was greatest. The petition would originate from Mr. Robinson's location in the detoxification unit, which allows more time to prepare the petition, allows Mr. Robinson to detox safely, and reduces the risk of his going through a withdrawal event during the process. Nonetheless, the petitioning effort should still begin at the start of the business day so that the petition and the patient arrive at court early enough for the case to be heard.
As Dr. Diallo evaluates this case, he will certainly ask whether mandated treatment for substance abuse works. A review of 30 years of research into the efficacy of coerced substance-abuse treatment reveals an inconsistent and inconclusive pattern of results [5]. Several of the studies cited in this review found that treatment outcomes for mandated and nonmandated clients did not differ. While certain studies found that voluntary clients had better treatment outcomes, others asserted that legal pressure was negatively related to treatment outcomes. Similarly, studies of the sobriety retention rates of mandated and nonmandated clients reflected mixed outcomes [5-9]. A number of factors account for the varied conclusions, including small sample sizes, the lack of group differences at baseline, the challenge in comparing mandated to nonmandated treatment programs and differences in outcome measures [5].
A clinician's interpretation of the appropriate outcome measures associated with substance-abuse treatment by civil commitment complicates the decision-making process. If basic survival for 90 days represents a successful outcome because risk of imminent harm or death is averted during the commitment period, then a clinician may support pursuing civil commitment as a treatment option. Other clinicians may assign a period of postcommitment sobriety as the appropriate measure of success.
With scant data to support or refute the efficacy of mandated substance-abuse treatment, the decision will fall to Dr. Diallo's clinical judgment, which incorporates the factors associated with this specific case and his own ethical framework. Ethical considerations weigh significantly in the decision to commit a patient for substance-abuse treatment [5]. A review of 850 papers related to coerced substance-abuse treatment noted that 81 percent were nonempirical in nature, reflecting that the discussion of civil commitment for substance abuse emphasizes the significant ethical, legal, and policy issues involved in such treatment [5]. Dr. Diallo must consider the extent to which society should curtail the liberty of substance users and, as such, if he should take away Mr. Robinson's freedom to protect his life and the well-being of the greater community.
Despite agreement between Dr. Diallo and Margaret that that Mr. Robinson often places himself in serious risk of harm to himself and others as a result of ongoing substance use, the question remains whether or not civil commitment for substance-abuse treatment is appropriate for him, particularly when taking into account the multifaceted commitment process and the lack of clarity from the perspectives of efficacy and ethics. As is common in such cases, Dr. Diallo will likely to continue the discourse and debate with his peers, with the family of Mr. Robinson, and with the patient himself.
Decision making/Patient and family centered care,
Mental health/Substance use
Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Forensic mental health services: a five year review (FY2004-FY2008). http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dmh/forensic/forensic-report-04.doc. Accessed August 28, 2013.
Christopher PP, Sander K, Blumberg L, Pinals DA. Legal statutes for involuntary substance abuse treatment in the United States. Poster NR03-61. Presented at: American Psychiatric Association 2011 Annual Meeting; May 15, 2011; Honolulu, HI.
Commitment of alcoholics or substance abusers, Mass Gen Laws, chapter 123, section 35 (2012).
Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services. Section 35 - FAQ: frequently asked questions about civil commitment of those with substance abuse problems and other options. http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/substance-abuse/addictions/drugs-and-alcohol/section-35-faq.html. Accessed August 28, 2013.
Klag S, O'Callaghan F, Creed P. The use of legal coercion in the treatment of substance abusers: an overview and critical analysis of thirty years of research. Subst Use Misuse. 2005;40(12):1777-1795.
Sullivan MA, Birkmayer F, Boyarsky BK, et al. Uses of coercion in addiction treatment: clinical aspects. Am J Addict. 2008;17(1):36-47.
Polcin DL. Drug and alcohol offenders coerced into treatment: a review of modalities and suggestions for research on social model programs. Subst Use Misuse. 2001;36(5):589-608.
Howard DL, McCaughrin WC. The treatment effectiveness of outpatient substance misuse treatment organizations between court-mandated and voluntary clients. Subst Use Misuse. 1996;31(7):895-926.
Brecht ML, Anglin MD, Wang JC. Treatment effectiveness for legally coerced versus voluntary methadone maintenance clients. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 1993;19(1):89-106.
Virtual Mentor. 2013;15(10):844-849.
10.1001/virtualmentor.2013.15.10.ecas4-1310.
The people and events in this case are fictional. Resemblance to real events or to names of people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The viewpoints expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the AMA.
Jeffrey C. Eisen, MD, MBA is a supervisor and instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Health Alliance and is the 2013-2014 fellow in forensic psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His interests include ethics and efficacy in civil commitment for substance-abuse treatment and performance improvement in behavioral health. He also implemented the integration of psychiatric services into a primary care clinic serving the homeless population of Cambridge and its surrounding communities.
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Policy Forum
Civil Commitment for Sex Offenders
Corey Rayburn Yung, JD
Registries, Violence, and Threats of Harm
Howard Zonana, MD
State of the Art and Science
Dynamic Descriptions of Personality Disorder in the DSM-5
Carl C. Bell, MD
Juvenile Forensic Psychiatric Evaluations
Susan Buratto, MD and Stephen H. Dinwiddie, MD


text:
« An Emmy Nomination for Five Writers Contributor Emilia
Using Dialogue »
Special Edition: The Golden Conversation
By Jennie Jarvis
Earlier today, I was fortunate enough to have one of those golden conversations that beginning writers everywhere dream of having. I had a meeting with an agent, and she LOVES my first novel.
As an aspiring screenwriter, I worked for years on script after script, submitting them to agents, writing competitions and producers. It was very disheartening to receive rejection after rejection. Sure, some of my scripts got made into shoe-string budget indie films (something that many screenwriters would desperately love to be able to say themselves), but I never really felt like I broke through that glass ceiling. I never really felt like I had someone on my team who wanted to fight for me because they believed in my work as much as I did. Sure, I had many people who thought that I was a good writer or who wanted to work on my film crews, but when it came to climbing into that ring and fighting for my career, I always went into that battle alone.
The last script that I was dedicating 100% of my writing time to really helped me make the transition mentally from writing for film to writing novels. The script had two young protagonists (one graduates from high school in the opening scene and her brother is only two years older than her), and their journey is one that deals with leaving the past behind and looking forward to the future. I was in conversation with a producer about the script for quite a while. Finally, however, he told me that he couldn't make it – yet. If I turned it into a YA (young adult) novel, and the novel did well, then he could find a way to make the movie.
It was a very weird sensation to be told that my story was fantastic, but that it wouldn't sell, that I was talented but not marketable. Honestly, I thought that this was a load of crap.
Call me innocent and naïve, but I believe that, if a story is strong enough, then there is an audience out there for it. And for one of the first times in my life, I genuinely felt like I had a story that would do great. It was the best that I had ever felt about any script that I had ever written. And yet still I was faced with that brick wall. I couldn't get in to that secret inner club that existed somewhere east of the 405.
But I took the advice, all the same, and I began transitioning into the world of writing for the YA market. I knew very little about it, and most of what I did know wasn't very positive. My brain immediately defaulted to thinking about Twilight, a book series that I think promotes the idea that psychologically unhealthy and codependent relationships are okay. Being a past victim of mentally, emotionally and, yes, physically abusive relationships, the topic is too close to home to sit well with me. Because Twilight was the most popular YA book that I knew, I automatically and stupidly assumed that the rest of the books must be something in the same ballpark.
However, once I did my research, I discovered how wrong I was. Books like Divergent, Across the Universe, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and Hunger Games were also in that list. These were books that explored the inner strength that a young girl (usually) can have as she hits her formative mid to late teenager years. And that wasn't so far off from what I was writing.
When I attended my first YA writing conference, I tried to talk to a few agents about that script that the producer had wanted me to adapt, and I was told that the idea was "behind the trend," that it couldn't be sold. The very idea closed all doors to me before I could show them a page of manuscript. As you can imagine, this was pretty disheartening.
But I'm a firm believer in the idea that, if you fall asleep with imaginary characters talking to each other inside your head, you are either crazy or a writer. And I prefer to call myself a writer – for now, at least.
So I moved forward with another book idea that had come to me out of the blue, and the words flowed from me like I was born to write them. I revised the book, working under a tight deadline and a promise to pay a friend $10 for every day that I didn't write (thanks Eric). I never had to pay him a dime, but the motivation worked for me. The book was ready quicker than I could have imagined, and I was able to pitch it to four separate agents at a conference that I attended in October.
And all four agents requested it.
Yesterday, I got an email from one agent who happened to be in the same city as me (although the main branch of the agency is in NYC), and we met today for coffee. When a meeting with a potential agent lasts three hours, you know that it went well. And it really did. Not only does she want to represent me, but she seemed to be in line with all of my hopes for what I would like to see happen with the book. And that's a pretty awesome place for me to be.
It took me most of the day to really process that this golden conversation had really happened, and that it wasn't just one of those fun daydreams that I like to have from time to time. From my years of working, not only in film but in writing groups and in other critique heavy environments, I was used to being told what wasn't work in my writing. I had gotten used to hearing what I needed to fix. To be complimented and hear words like "book awards", "contracts", "series" and "subsidiary rights" was almost too hard to fathom. I don't disagree with anything that was said – like I said, I'm a person who really believes in my work – but it was hard to imagine it being said by someone other my imagination.
Fortunately, I had hoped for the best before receiving the message saying that this agent wanted to meet up, and I was a good girl and did my research. I knew that my job as a writer wasn't to just sit there and listen to her gush about my book. My job was to interview her (and not the other way around). My job was to make sure that she was the absolute best fit for my book. And something about that was remarkably freeing. She loved my work. She was volunteering to get into the ring with me, to wear the boxing gloves and take all the heavy hits. It was my job now to make the decision about whether or not I wanted her to be there with me.
Because, thanks to my research, I knew that a writer who really cares about building a career should never just take the first offer that comes along. I need to make sure that I chose the person that I feel the most comfortable with, who I think has the most influence and passion to stick in the fight for the long haul. And I still have several more agents to consider.
To be honest, the woman that I met with today is such a wonderful person that, regardless of whether or not I go with her as my agent, I want to find a way to keep our paths moving in the same direction. But at the end of the day, I can only have one agent, and so I have a tough choice ahead.
After sending out emails today letting the other agents know that I have a pending offer of representation, I've already heard back from a 2nd agent. So things are looking good. Now my job is to keep a level head, keep asking the right questions, and find a good home for my writing career.
Today has been a day of a lot of emotion, and surprisingly it wasn't mostly happiness. Yes, this was a happy day, but I have more gratitude and humility flowing through me than anything else. And I really wish that all writers out there reading this have the opportunity to feel this way as well.
Happy writing….
How to get an agent, Jennie Jarvis, Novel writing
This entry was posted on November 18, 2012, 11:26 pm and is filed under Jennie, Special Editions. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
#1 by wordimprovisor177 on November 19, 2012 - 12:29 am
It's so important to believe in yourself and your work, Jennie! I'm thrilled for you.
#2 by My Rite of Passage on November 19, 2012 - 9:38 am
Congratulations, Jennie; it's wonderful to know that there are still success stories out there in this volatile industry. I know your book will be a great success!
#3 by Tom Lucas on November 19, 2012 - 11:14 am


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High Profile Shootings in the USA…
January 23, 2023, Oakland California: 1 person killed, 7 wounded at gas station…
January 23, 2023, Half Moon Bay, California: 7 agricultural workers killed…
January 21, 2023, Monterey Park, California: 10 people killed, 10 others wounded in mass shooting at dance studio during Chinese New Year celebration…
January 16, 2023, Goshen, California: 6 people, including 17 year-old mother and her 6 month old baby, killed in their home…
January 6, 2023, Richneck Elementary School, Newport News, Virginia: 6 year-old shoots teacher with a handgun…
January 4, 2023, Enoch, Utah: Man kills wife, mother-in-law, and 5 children, ages 4-17, before killing himself in their home…
November 22, 2022, Walmart store, Chesapeake, Virginia: 6 employees killed, at least 6 others wounded by store manager…
November 21, 2022, "Club Q" LGBTQ nightclub, Colorado Springs, Colorado: 5 people killed, 18 wounded…
November 13, 2022, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, North Carolina: 3 students killed, 2 others wounded by another student…
October 24, 2022, Central Visual Arts and Performing High School, St., Louis, Missouri: 15 year old student and a teacher killed, 7 others wounded by 19 year old former student…
October 13, 2022, Raleigh, North Carolina: 5 people killed, 2 wounded by 15 year-old boy apparently shooting people at random in upscale neighborhood and along adjacent nature trail…
July 4, 2022, Highland Park, Illinois, 4th of July Parade: 6 people killed, dozens wounded…
June 30, 2022, Prestonburg, Kentucky: 3 police officers killed, 5 injured in ambush by domestic violence suspect…
June 5, 2022, Chattanooga, Tennessee: 3 people killed, 14 wounded…
June 4, 2022, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 3 people killed, 11 wounded, including innocent bystanders in shootout in South Street restaurant district…
June 1, 2022, Tulsa, Oklahoma: Disgruntled patient kills his back surgeon, another physician, a receptionist, and another patient at St. Francis Hospital…
May 24, 2022, Uvalde, Texas: 21 people killed, including 19 students and 2 teachers, at Robb, Elementary school by 18 year old boy who legally purchased semi-automatic rifle…
May 15, 2022, Irvine, California: 1 person killed, 5 people wounded (4 critically) by a gunman targeting worshippers of Taiwanese descent in a Presbyterian church…
May 14, 2022, Buffalo, New York: 10 people killed, 3 people wounded at a supermarket by white supremacist targeting African Americans…
April 12, 2022, Brooklyn, New York: At least 10 people wounded in mass shooting on subway…
April 3, 2022, Sacramento, California: 6 people killed, 12 wounded in shootout in nightclub district after bars closed…
February 28, 2022, Sacramento, California: 39 year old man under domestic violence restraining order kills church elder and his three daughters, ages 9, 10, and 13, before killing himself during supervised visit at church…
November 30,2021, Oxford High School, Oxford, Michigan: 4 students killed, 6 other students and a teacher wounded by 15 year old student…
October 25, 2021, Boise, Idaho shopping mall: 2 people killed, 4 injured…
October 21, 2021, Bonanza Ranch, Santa Fe, New Mexico: Male lead actor accidentally shoots and kills female cinematographer, wounds male director with antique revolver thought to be unloaded during filming of Western movie…
October 17, 2021, Grambling State University, Grambling, Louisiana: One person killed, 7 wounded (one critically) at homecoming event…
October 15, 2021, Mobile, Alabama high school football game: 4 people wounded, one critically…
October 6, 2021, Timberview High School, Arlington, Texas: Two people wounded, including 15 year old student critically injured and 25 year old teacher with less serious gunshot wound, by 18 year old student…
June 26, 2021, Winthrop, Massachusetts: 53 year old African American man and 60 year old African American woman killed by white supremacist…
Miami-Dade rap concert, May 30, 2021: 2 people killed, 20 wounded…
Light rail maintenance facility, San Jose, California, May 26, 2021: 9 people killed by disgruntled employee…
FedEx warehouse, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 15, 2021: 8 people killed, 7 wounded…
Bryan, Texas, April 8, 2021: 1 person killed, 6 people wounded, including responding police officer, by disgruntled cabinet shop employee…
Rock Hill, South Carolina, April 7, 2021: Five people killed, including emergency physician, his wife, and two grandchildren, ages 5 and 9; 1 person seriously wounded…
Orange, California, March 31, 2021: Four people killed, including a 9 year old boy, one person critically wounded…
Boulder, Colorado supermarket, March 22, 2021: 10 people killed, including first responding police officer…
Atlanta-area spas, Georgia, March 16, 2021: 8 people killed, including 6 Asian-American women, 1 wounded…
Atlanta, Georgia, November 6, 2020: 3 people killed, including rapper, King Von; 3 others wounded…
Chicago, Illinois, July 21, 2020: 15 mourners wounded outside funeral home in drive by shooting…
Springfield, Missouri, March 16, 2020: 5 people killed in shooting spree beginning at gas station…
Molson Coors Brewery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 26, 2020: 5 people killed by coworker who then shot and killed himself…
Jersey City, New Jersey, December 10, 2019: 4 people, including a police officer, killed, 3 other people, including 2 officers and a civilian, wounded in suspected anti-semitic hate crime…
Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, December 6, 2019: 3 trainees killed, 8 other people, including 2 police officers injured…
December 4, 2019, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hawaii: 2 civilians killed, 1 wounded by on duty sailor…
Fresno, California, November 17, 2019: 4 people killed, 6 wounded at backyard party…
Saugus High School, Santa Clarita, California, November 14, 2019: 2 students killed, 3 wounded by 16 year old student who shot himself immediately afterward and later died…
Long Beach, California, October 29, 2019: 3 people killed, 9 wounded…
Elkmont, Alabama, September 2, 2019: Father, step-mother, 6 year-old step-brother, 5 year old step-sister, and 6 month old step-brother shot and killed by 14 year-old boy…
Midland and Odessa Texas, August 31, 2019: 7 people killed, 24 wounded…
Dayton, Ohio, August 4, 2019: 9 people killed, 27 injured…
El Paso Texas, August 3, 2019: 22 people killed, at least 24 other injured…
Gilroy, California, July 28, 2019: 3 people killed, 13 injured…
Municipal Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, May 31, 2019: 12 people killed, 4 wounded…
STEM Charter School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, May 7, 2019: 1 student killed, 8 students wounded…
University of North Carolina, Charlotte, April 30, 2019: 2 students killed, 4 students wounded…
Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood cookout, April 29, 2019: 1 person killed, at least 7 people wounded…
April 27, 2019, Chabad Synagogue, Poway, California: 1 woman killed, 3 people, including 8 year old girl, wounded…
February 15, 2019, Henry Pratt Manufacturing Plant, Aurora, Illinois: 5 employees killed, 5 police officers wounded…
January 26, 2019, near Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 5 people killed, including gunman's girlfriend, girlfriend's father and brother, and gunman's parents…
January 23, 2019, SunTrust Bank, Sebring, Florida: 5 women killed…
January 10, 2019, Davis, California: 22 year old female police officer ambushed and killed during her first month on the job while investigating minor traffic accident…
Chicago Mercy Hospital, November 20, 2018: Emergency physician, pharmacy resident, and police officer killed by physician's ex-boyfriend…
Thousand Oaks, California, November 7, 2018: 12 people killed, 22 injured…
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 27, 2018: 11 people killed, 6 wounded at Jewish synagogue by anti-Semitic gunman…
Bakersfield, California, September 13, 2018: 5 people killed, including shooter's ex-wife…
Cincinnati, Ohio, Fountain Square Office Building, September 6, 2018: 3 people killed, 2 wounded…
Jacksonville, Florida Video Football Gaming Tournament, August 26, 2018: 2 people killed, 9 wounded…
Capital Gazette newspaper, Annapolis, Maryland, June 28, 2018: 5 people killed, including editor, 3 journalists, and another staff member…
Santa Fe High School, Santa Fe, Texas, May 18, 2018: 8 students and 2 teachers killed, 13 wounded…
Nashville, Tennessee, April 22, 2018: 4 people killed, 2 wounded…
Pathway Home for Veterans with PTSD, Yountville, California, March 9, 2018: 3 female staff killed by former client…
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, February 14, 2018: 14 students and 3 staff killed, 17 wounded by former student…
Marshall County High School, Benton, Kentucky, January 23, 2018: 2 students killed, 14 wounded by 15 year old male student…
Since 1968, more U.S. civilians have been killed by guns than all the U.S. soldiers killed by any means in all the wars in which the United States has ever been involved…
On an average day in 2017, 109 people were killed by guns in the United States, and at least 2-3 times this many people suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds…
In 2017, a total of 39,773 people were killed by guns in the United States, and at least 2-3 times this many people suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds…
Highlands Ranch, Colorado, December 31, 2017: 1 police officer killed, 4 other officers and 2 civilians wounded…
Tehama County, California, November 14, 2017: 5 people killed, 12 wounded, including 6 children…
Sutherland Springs, Texas, November 5, 2017: 26 people killed, 20 wounded…
Las Vegas, Nevada, October 1, 2017: 58 people killed, 422 wounded…
Freeman High School, Rockford, Washington, September 13, 2017: 1 student killed, 3 students wounded…
New York City Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, June 30, 2017: 1 person killed, 5 wounded…
Little Rock, Arkansas, June 30, 2017: 25 people wounded…
Alexandria, Virginia baseball field, June 14, 2017: 4 people wounded…
San Francisco UPS warehouse, June 14, 2017: 3 people killed, 2 wounded…
Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale Airport, Florida, January 6, 2017: 5 people killed, 6 wounded…
Since 1968, more U.S. civilians have been killed by guns than all the U.S. soldiers killed by any means in all the wars in which the United States has ever been involved….
On an average day in 2016, 106 people were killed by guns in the United States of America, and approximately, 232 suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds….
In 2016, a total of 38, 658 people were killed by guns in the United States of America….
Since 1968, more U.S. civilians have been killed by guns than all the U.S. soldiers killed in all the wars in which the United States has ever been involved…
Townville, South Carolina, September 28, 2016: 2 people killed, including shooter's father and 6 year boy, 2 others wounded by 14 year old boy…
Burlington, Washington, September 28, 2016: 5 people killed at department store makeup counter…
Fort Myers, Florida, July 25, 2016, 2 people killed: 17 wounded…
Sniper Attacks, Dallas, Texas, July 7, 2016: 5 people killed, 7 wounded…
Pulse Nightclub, Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016: 49 people killed, 58 wounded…
Excel Industries, Hesston, Kansas, February 25, 2016, 3 people killed, 14 wounded…
Kalamazoo, Michigan, February 20, 2016, 6 killed, 2 people wounded…
On an average day in the United States in 2015, 99 people killed by guns, 232 wounded….
Inland Regional Center, San Bernardino, California, December 2, 2015, 14 people killed, 21 wounded…
Planned Parenthood, Colorado Springs, November 27, 2015, 3 people killed, 9 wounded…
Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, Oregon, October 1, 2015, 9 people killed, 9 wounded…
Marine Corps Recruitment Center, Chattanooga, Tennessee, July 16, 2015, 5 people killed, 2 wounded…
Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, South Carolina, June 17, 2015, 9 people killed, 1 wounded…
On an average day in the United States in 2014, 92 people killed by guns, 222 wounded…
Marysville-Pilchuck High School, Marysville, Washington, October 24, 2014, 5 people killed, 1 wounded…
University of California, Santa Barbara student mass murder, Isla Vista, California, May 23, 2014, 6 people killed, 13 wounded…
Fort Hood, Texas, April 3, 2014, 3 people killed, 12 wounded…
Rancheria Tribal Office and Community Center, Alturas, California, February 20, 2014, 4 people killed, 2 wounded…
Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C., September 16, 2013, 12 killed, 8 wounded…
Hialeah Apartment Building, Hialea, Florida, July 26, 2013, 7 killed…
Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, California, June 7, 2013, 6 killed, 3 wounded…
Pinewood Village Apartment, Federal Way, Washington, April 21, 2013, 5 killed…
On an average day in the United States, 92 killed, over 180 wounded…
In an average year in the United States, over 30,000 killed, over 60,000 wounded…
Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Connecticut, December 14, 2012, 20 children and 7 adults killed, 2 wounded…
Accent Signage Systems, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 27, 2012, 7 killed, 1 wounded…
Sikh Temple, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, August 5, 2012, 7 killed, 3 wounded…
Century Movie Theater, Aurora, Colorado, July 20, 2012, 12 killed, 58 wounded…
Café Racer, Seattle, Washington, May 20, 2012, 6 killed, 1 wounded…
Oikos University, Oakland, California, April 2, 2012, 7 killed, 3 wounded…
"Pious condolences will no longer suffice…"
"Quarter measures and half measures will no longer suffice…"
"The time has now come that we must enact stringent gun control legislation…"
"…gun control legislation comparable to the legislation in force in virtually every civilized country in the world."
Senator Thomas Dodd, June 11, 1968
President's Messages
Facts and FAQ's About Gun Violence
High School Essay Contest
More about the Giffords Law Center
While the Giffords Law Center is, in general, a good source of information about gun laws in the United States, we have concerns about the change in direction that the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence (LCPGV)has taken, especially on the issue of the proper interpretation of the Second Amendment, since partnering with the Giffords organization.
The LCPGV filed an amicus brief in the the 2008 case Supreme Court case of District of Columbia versus Heller in support of the constitutionality of Washington DC's partial handgun ban and safe storage laws. Gabrielle Giffords was at that time a congresswoman from Arizona, and she signed on to an amicus brief in support of Dick Heller's claim that the District of Columbia's handgun and safe storage laws violated the Second Amendment. In a rogue decision that reversed over 200 years of prior legal precedent, including four prior Supreme Court decisions, a narrow 5-4 majority of the Supreme Court ruled in Heller that the District of Columbia's handgun and safe storage laws did, indeed, violate the Second Amendment.
The majority opinion in the Heller decision, written by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, has been publicly condemned by respected authorities as an example of "snow jobs" produced by well-staffed justices and as "gun rights propaganda passing as scholarship." The late Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote, "Heller is unquestionably the most clearly incorrect decision that the Court announced during my [35 year] tenure on the bench." In Heller, the five member majority of the Supreme Court endorsed an interpretation of the Second Amendment that the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger had called, "one of the greatest pieces of fraud – I repeat the word, 'fraud' – on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime."
The LCPGV website formerly described the Heller decision as being a "radical departure" from the Supreme Court's previous interpretation of the Second Amendment. Since partnering with the Giffords organization, though, the Giffords Law Center has published a pamphlet describing Heller as a "landmark" decision that "affirmed the right to keep a gun for self-defense." In fact, however, the Supreme Court didn't "affirm" a right to individual gun ownership in the Heller decision. In Heller, the Court created an individual right where none previously existed. As the LCPGV noted in its own amicus brief in District of Columbia v. Heller, there was no constitutional right, Second Amendment or otherwise, for anyone to own any kind of gun unrelated to service in a well regulated militia prior to the rogue 2008 Heller decision.
Americans Against Gun Violence is also concerned about a statement in the same pamphlet under the heading of "Slippery Slope to Confiscation:"
Nevermind that no serious organization advocates for mass firearm confiscation…or that collecting America's 357 million firearms would be a logistical impossibility….In reality, smart gun laws are about saving lives and ensuring responsible gun ownership, not taking away guns.
Prior to its partnership with the Giffords organization, the LCPGV had correctly stated on its website that the United States has by far the highest rate of gun violence of any high income democratic country of the world, and that:
The reasons for this great disparity are clear: Americans own far more civilian firearms – particularly handguns – than people in other industrialized nations, and U.S. gun control laws are among the most lax in the world.
Americans Against Gun Violence believes, as the above statement implies, that in order to reduce rates of gun violence in the United States to levels comparable to the rates in other high income democratic countries, we must adopt comparably stringent gun control laws. Such laws need not preclude responsible hunters and target shooters from practicing their sports with traditional sporting rifles and shotguns, but the adoption of such laws will require the surrender and destruction of many other firearms, including handguns and assault rifles. Substantially reducing the pool of guns in our country is not a "logistical impossibility." Other countries have done it, and so can we. The longer we wait, though, the more guns are sold, and the more difficult it becomes to reduce rates of per capita gun ownership in the United States to rates comparable to other high income democratic countries.
We've formally addressed these and other concerns with the leadership of the Giffords Law Center, and we're awaiting a reply.
Bill Durston2020-11-14T10:43:46-08:00
Our 2020 virtual National Gun Violence Prevention Conference is now available for online viewing
Americans Against Gun Violence Second Annual Fall Dinner, Saturday, November 10, in Sacramento, California
Americans Against Gun Violence Announces the Opening of Our 2018 National High School Essay Contest
"Take a Stand" against Gun Violence and Nuclear Weapons
AAGunV in the News
Current Year Essay Contest
International Gun Violence Prevention
More about other organizations
News about Gun Violence
Past Essay Contests
Americans Against Gun Violence Responds to the Adoption of Illinois Assault Weapon and Large Capacity Magazine Ban
Our 2023 National High School Essay Contest is Now Open to All US High School Students With At Least $15,000 in Total Awards
An Open Letter to the PBS NewsHour Concerning Its Reporting on the 10th Anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre
False Assertions in December 3, 2022 Interview on NPR About Gun Violence Prevention
A Two-Word Summary of the Supreme Court's New One-Step Test for the Constitutionality of Gun Laws: "Blatant Hypocrisy"
Copyright 2022, All Rights Reserved | Americans Against Gun Violence, 7862 Winding Way #151, Fair Oaks, CA 95628 (916) 668-4160 | info@aagunv.org


Further details on this event, including when to RSVP, will be shared through Learning Centers. If you have questions, please contact Kristin Angelos at 720-402-3011.
Further details, including how to RSVP, will be shared through Learning Centers. If you have more questions, contact Kristin Angelos at 720-402-3011.


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[15] Restoration and Judgment.--But John also looked forward to a time when the pure Christian faith would be restored; gender and inequality essay when an Angel would "fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth;" [16] when Israel would be called out from the nations; movie review sample essay for college [17] when the hour land of the free, home of the fat of God's judgment would come, and the dead, small and great, would stand before the Great White Throne, to give answer for the deeds done in the body. Land of the free, home of the fat 171, vol. It was imported into Europe very early, and fell into the hands of land of the free, home of the fat the lively and entertaining French minstrels, who have treated it in various ways, as may be seen in Le Grand, Fabliaux et contes , tom., where it is related five times.
Land of the free, home of the fat
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He Research paper on cell phones and society observes that "during the whole of the fifteen million plastic bags poetry analysis voyage there was every reason to be satisfied with their services," and adds: Well, you cannot always tell by a person's manner whether he is a habitui of hotels or of Washington. In the appearance of the gods there is order and mildness, confusion and disorder in that of demons, and tumult in that of the archontes. It is seldom, if ever, that an English term is made up from a French one, unless the thing itself so expressed be likewise borrowed; and it is certain that in the old French moralities and comedies there is no character similar to the swami vivekananda essay in punjabi language translator Vice . "The use of this historic and peculiarly eloquent article of personal property, a living document the umbrella, illustrates pictorially a proverbial allusion to the manifestation of intelligence: Compare with the wing of the bird, fig. 6, and with the anterior extremity of the elephant, fig. 7, p. 28.
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All the literature of the supernatural was as real to me as the laboratory of the chemist, where I saw the continual struggle of material substances to evolve themselves into more volatile, less palpable and coarse forms. The notion has been entertained that Christ's crucifixion descriptive essay new york city completed his work, so far as personal ministrations went, and that after the opening of the so-called Christian Dispensation, there was no further land of the free, home of the fat need of communication between God and man. Though many worthy knights have endeavoured to break the enchantment and work her deliverance, yet none of them could accomplish this great work, by reason of two dreadful griffins who were fixed by magic art at the entrance of the castle gate, which destroy any as soon as they see them. Johnson, not understanding these lines, "with the licence of all editors," pronounces them unintelligible. Ritual. 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The largest mass shooting in U.S. history happened in Las Vegas last night, and this is what we know
Facts are still pouring in about Sunday night's mass shooting in Las Vegas — the deadliest mass shooting in United States' history. As of right now, 58 people are confirmed dead and over 500 have suffered injuries from the attack. The gunman has been identified as Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old retired man from Mesquite, Nevada.
The shooting took place during Jason Aldean's performance at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Aldean was immediately taken offstage as people realized something was wrong. Then, witnesses shared that concert goers "hit the floor" and the gunfire seemingly lasted forever.
According to NBC News, Paddock acted alone from the 32nd floor of Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay hotel.
SWAT officers found Paddock dead in his hotel room, and Las Vegas Police Undersheriff Kevin McMahill told CNN that officers found at least eight weapons in Paddock's possession.
At least one responding police officer was killed and several other officers were injured during their raid on Paddock.
Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said during a press conference that officials are currently attempting to figure out Paddock's motive. The Washington Post reports that police have located Paddocks' "traveling companion," Marilou Danley — who is out of the country at this time — and questioned her about the shooting. Investigators do not currently believe she is involved.
Local hospitals are full of injured victims, and the death toll is expected to rise. If you're in the Las Vegas area, check out your local clinics here to donate blood to victims who need it.
We're sending our prayers and thoughts to every single person affected by this immense, unnecessary tragedy, and holding our loved ones close today.


Jardian Thomas chooses the College of Charleston.
Buchholz senior pitcher Jardian Thomas ended his recruitment on Monday pretty much where it started. In front of family and friends, Thomas signed his national letter of intent to play baseball for the College of Charleston, the first team to offer him a scholarship.
Thomas was recruited by the Cougars to play right field, but will be called on as a pitcher if needed. The right-handed hurler was 10-1 as a sophomore and 5-2 as a junior for the Bobcats. He batted .310 with seven home runs as a junior and was named to The Sun�s All-Area first team.
It was that interest that drew Thomas to his official visit at the College earlier this month. He called his visit to the campus �the best place I�ve been in a while.� It was then that he knew he was going to be a Cougar.
On his visit, the coaching staff at the College of Charleston told Thomas that he has a good chance at winning the starting right fielder�s job as a freshman. They also expect that he can fit in well as a leadoff or two-hole hitter.
Along with the Bobcats, Thomas is a member of the Florida Harballers summer travel team coached by Kevin Maris and John Colacci. It was through both teams that Thomas was groomed into the player that the Cougars were so eager to sign.


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Biggest Israel-Gaza firefight since 2014 ends in ceasefire
By Oren Liebermann, CNN
Updated 5:09 AM EST, Wed November 14, 2018
Fire and smoke billow following Israeli air strikes targeting Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
PHOTO: Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images
A renewed ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza has brought an end to the most severe round of fighting between the two sides since the 2014 war.
Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, announced the ceasefire in a joint statement. "The resistance will abide by the ceasefire agreement as long as the Israeli occupation adheres to the Egyptian-brokered truce," it said.
Egypt and the United Nations had been working to bring a halt to hostilities along and around the Gaza border since Monday evening.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office did not comment on the ceasefire reports, in line with its response to previous restorations of the ceasefire.
In the largest and longest exchange of hostilities since the 2014 war, Gaza militants fired some 400 rockets into Israel on Monday and into Tuesday, while the Israeli military struck more than 100 targets inside the coastal enclave.
A residential building destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza, said the escalation was retaliation for a secret Israeli operation inside Gaza that was unmasked on Sunday, ending in a bloody exchange of fire.
Seven Palestinians were killed in the Israeli strikes, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. One person was killed in Israel when a rocket hit a residential building in the southern city of Ashkelon, Israel's emergency response service, Magen David Adom, said.
The mayor of Ashkelon said the dead man was a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Hebron. He was the first person to die in Israel from a rocket strike from Gaza since the 2014 war.
Dozens of others were injured, mostly from shrapnel.
Rocket fire continued into Tuesday afternoon, as red-alert sirens sounded along the Gaza periphery, warning of incoming fire. More than 100 rockets were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome aerial defense system, while many others have landed in open fields. Some rockets have evaded interception, landing in cities like Ashkelon and Sderot.
By Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had carried out more than 100 strikes on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza, including weapons storage and manufacturing sites, command and control centers, and other targets. It also targeted what the military called "strategic assets," including al-Aqsa TV, a Hamas-run news channel that Israel has long accused of spreading misinformation and inciting Palestinians to attack Israelis.
The latest round of hostilities began Sunday evening when Israeli special forces entered Gaza as part of what the IDF called "operational activity." Hamas' armed wing accused Israel of carrying out an assassination attempt.
A bus set ablaze after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, at the Israel-Gaza border near Kfar Aza.
PHOTO: MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images
In the ensuing exchange of fire, an Israeli officer and a Hamas military commander were killed, as well as six other Palestinians. Israel denied the operation was an assassination attempt, describing it instead as part of a "broad, continuous and dedicated" effort.
Since the beginning of large-scale protests along the Gaza border in late March, there have been multiple rounds of hostilities, often in sharp escalations. But none of these extended beyond 24 hours before the ceasefire was restored.
Divisions within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet over the ceasefire restoration emerged almost immediately. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett both issued statements making clear they had opposed the Prime Minister's push for a truce in a six-hour Security Cabinet meeting Tuesday.


After a lifetime of loving all animals, in 2003, I started Veda's Dog Day Afternoon. With the help of my trusty canine co-worker Bandito and my customized pet van, I've provided excellent personalized care for animals and their owners since then.
1998 to 2003, I volunteered at PAWS Wildlife helping them to rehabilitate injured and orphaned animals brought in with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. I also have worked as a healthcare professional with developmentally disabled adults for 16 years, learning sign language and other nonverbal communication which I now use with my pack on a daily basis.
Who will be the next to join my day?


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Do 'Bachelor in Paradise' Contestants Get Paid? 'BIP' Salary
For the sake of love … and money! Many fan favorites from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette go on to appear on Bachelor in Paradise, but do the contestants get paid for their time in Mexico? Keep reading to find out!
The short answer is: yes, BIP stars do make money for coming to the beach in Mexico. However, the amount widely varies based on a few factors.
Most contestants are offered a rate per day, Reality Steve previously reported, meaning every day they survive on the beach and make love connections, the higher their paycheck rises. This also could deter contestants from self-eliminating because they would be losing out on more cash.
That being said, popular show alum could possibly negotiate a flat rate to guarantee a larger lump sum just by showing up.
Former Bachelorette contestants Jason Tartick and Dean Unglert got into the nitty gritty of their contracts during an episode of Jason's "Trading Secrets" podcast in May 2021.
Dean previously competed for Rachel Lindsay's heart on The Bachelorette and then joined the season 4 cast of BIP in 2017. During his first run on the spinoff, the contestant came under fire by viewers because he was involved in a dramatic love triangle with Danielle Lombard and Kristina Schulman.
When he had the opportunity to join BIP's season 6 cast, the Colorado native said his contract detailed that he would make $600 per day while he was there. He self-eliminated during week 3 but returned during week 5 to win over girlfriend Caelynn Miller-Keyes. They left the beach together shortly after and are still dating.
BIP historically films for about three weeks, meaning Dean still likely made a few thousand dollars from his short stint.
Although Jason never appeared on Paradise because he started dating now-fiancé Kaitlyn Bristowe, the Buffalo native revealed he negotiated a $5,000 guarantee in case he got eliminated during the first rose ceremony.
Basically, the amount of money contestants are able to negotiate has a lot to do with their popularity among fans. Fans were shocked when it was announced that season 14 Bachelorette Becca Kufrin would appear during season 7 of Paradise. She is the first Bachelor Nation star to join the spinoff after being the lead of their own season, so it's safe to say she probably received a hefty amount of money compared to other contestants.
That being said, Demi Burnett, who is also a contestant on season 7, was also likely to have some negotiating power. This will not only be her second go-around in Paradise, but the former Bachelor contestant is known for stirring up a little drama.
Her bestie Katie Morton revealed that she made $10,000 during her season 6 appearance on the show. However, the income lasts some contestants nearly half a year. "You can't do brand deals until the season ends," she told the "She's All Bach" podcast in June 2022. "So that means, if you don't get a job right after paradise and you just try to ride it out, you spend five to six months unemployed.
As you can see, appearing on BIP isn't always for the pursuit of love.
Who Is on Season 8 'BiP'?
New Gas Fees From Solana will Give it a Competitive Edge Against Other Networks