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Terror watchlist violates constitutional rights

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US judge: Terror watchlist violates constitutional rights

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The government's watchlist of more than 1 million people identified as "known or suspected terrorists" violates the constitutional rights of those placed on it, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga grants summary judgment to nearly two dozen Muslim U.S. citizens who had challenged the watchlist with the help of a Muslim civil-rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Sounds an awful lot like Red Flag laws.

Mass media and murder

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I think President Trump is right in viewing the media as partially if not largely responsible for the recent mass shootings.

The truth is the media has a double standard and very different approach to suicide and murder. Suicide is viewed as a tragedy, something that is sad and should be prevented while murder is a crime and evil.

Generally the media views suicide to be a private event, a family matter, and that coverage of it can actually lead to more suicides. When suicide is sometimes discussed in the media, usually it’s in passing and it always includes at least one reference to the suicide hotline. No such occurrence occurs after stories about murder or mass shootings.

People want to believe that murders are evil and possess quantities and beliefs different then our own. In contrast, people who kill themselves are sad, living with despair, suffering from mental illness. But all the evidence points to murder being murder – whether directed towards oneself or others.

Before calling for more gun control or bringing the parents of dead children on the television, I think the media needs to look carefully in the mirror to see who really is to blame for these shootings and murder. Glorification of murder by bringing on sad loved ones isn’t good for our country, even if it’s good for corporate profits due to the high amount of viewers and advertising revenue.

Recommendations for Covering Suicide in the Media: http://reportingonsuicide.org/recommendations/

5 Common Mental Errors That Sway You From Making Good Decisions

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5 Common Mental Errors That Sway You From Making Good Decisions

I like to think of myself as a rational person, but I’m not one. The good news is it’s not just me — or you. We are all irrational, and we all make mental errors.

For a long time, researchers and economists believed that humans made logical, well-considered decisions. In recent decades, however, researchers have uncovered a wide range of mental errors that derail our thinking. Sometimes we make logical decisions, but there are many times when we make emotional, irrational, and confusing choices.