Archive for October 25th, 2014

25
Oct
14

Christine Byers? ‘Never Be Afraid To Attack Wrong’

****

I know the elections should be our chief focus right now, but just a brief interlude…

Although, this all says so much about the media, local and national, and how utterly poisonous it can be.

****

Remember @ChristineDByers? The crime reporter for the St Louis Post-Dispatch, the one who tweeted the above back in August, her ‘scoop’ merrily RTed by the likes of Jake Tapper and over 3,000 Darren Wilson fans.

It set the media narrative about the murder of Michael Brown, the St Louis Post-Dispatch being the trusted source on this story, that poor old Wilson was simply defending himself.

Except?

It wasn’t true.

The story was, evidently, fed to Christine by her police buddies, Wilson’s colleagues, and she dutifully passed it on.

And Christine dutifully passes on a whole bunch of police stuff. That’s her thing.

****

Read @allanbrauer at The People’s View, he said it all at the time.

****

The St Louis Post-Dispatch refused to publish her “story” because it “did not meet standards for publication” - and for the St Louis Post-Dispatch to turn down a Ferguson police-friendly story, Christine’s standards must have been exceedingly low.

She disappeared from Twitter for about a fortnight, refusing to answer a single question about her tweet, but when she returned, she went back in to police-friendly overdrive.

Just some samples from her timeline:

****

01

One of her earliest Ferguson RTs, of a fellow St Louis Post-Dispatch reporter (who couldn’t spell Ferguson)

White student gets cold-cocked by a random black.

Meanwhile, Michael Brown’s bullet-riddled body lay in a morgue.

But: White student gets cold-cocked by a random black.

****

02

Another Christine RT. Of course, Chief Jackson admitted that Wilson didn’t know Michael Brown was a robbery suspect, but never mind the facts.

****

03

Another RT of a St Louis Post-Dispatch reporter.

Another lie.

****

04

And now a RT of the retired St Louis County Police Chief - the Ferguson police are “the keepers at the gate”.

You read that right.

****

05

One of Christine’s many anguished tweets about the safety of Ferguson police cars.

****

06

While Michael Brown’s family was mourning his loss, Christine was busy RTing support for the fatigued Ferguson cops who had to stay up late dealing with folk inexplicably upset about the murder of an unarmed teenager by a cop.

****

07

Now she’s angry with Rev Al, because, you know, he’s the chief villain in the story.

****

09a

Another RT to let us know that the Ferguson police are truth-tellers.

****

09b

Aaaaaand: another RT - this one suggesting that if it wasn’t for those angry ‘rioters’, Michael Brown’s murder wouldn’t even be a story.

****

09c

If only Michael Brown was just injured by a rock, hey Christine?

****

09d

“Misunderstood”?

Oh boy.

****

09e

A tough time.

By now, Christine’s PR work for the Ferguson PD is off the scale.

****

09f

The retired St Louis County Police Chief loved her work!

This is the guy who tweeted this nine days after the murder of Michael Brown:

09g

****

09h

And the killing of Vonderrit Myers, dutifully RTing St Louis Police’s version of events.

****

09i

Here we go. Never mind the facts of the incident, the dead guy was bad. He had it coming.

****

09j

Back to worrying about the safety of police vehicles - because #PoliceCarLivesMatter

****

09k

Ooooh, goodie, found a black officer who was abused! Go for it Christine!

(The unarmed black teenager who was murdered by a colleague of that officer? Meh)

****

09l

Because, you know, it’s not about race.

****

09m

Well then, he deserved to die.

****

09n

Ah, “no angel” again?

Christine, of course, doesn’t mention that Roorda, a Democratic (sigh) member of the Missouri House of Representatives, was a fired police officer who was behind the fundraiser for Darren Wilson.

But never mind, the important message for Christine to get out was that Myers, just like Michael Brown, was “no angel”.

****

09o

She’s dizzy with excitement now - the national media is aboard the Team Wilson train!

****

09p

Source.

(Aka: Team Wilson)

Christine is this -> . <- close to making ‘I Am Darren Wilson’ her Twitter avi.

****

09q

Marijuana! Well then, he had those bullets coming.

****

09r

There were, oh, a gazillion reports out there suggesting the opposite, but Christine opted to link this.

Surprised?

Well, we’re getting her drift now, right?

****

09s

Black witnesses!!

Of course, several black witnesses said the opposite, but Christine must have been too busy to RT their accounts.

****

09t

Ah, going for the Brown family now? Smear-a-rama! Their crime being they were related to an unarmed black teenager murdered by a white cop. So, fair targets.

****

09u

Marijuana!1!1!

One more reminder from Christine: Michael was a drug-fueled beast.

****

09v

Yes, because publishing and tweeting Ferguson PD leaks designed to smear Michael Brown and exonerate Darren Wilson is just like Woodward and Bernstein.

****

The greatest irony?

Christine Byers has this Joseph Pulitzer quote in her Twitter header:

“I know that my retirement will make no difference in its [my newspaper’s] cardinal principles, that it will always fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, always fight demagogues of all parties, never belong to any party, always oppose privileged classes and public plunderers, never lack sympathy with the poor, always remain devoted to the public welfare, never be satisfied with merely printing news, always be drastically independent, never be afraid to attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy or predatory poverty.”

“…..always be drastically independent….

….. never be afraid to attack wrong.”

Oh Christine Byers, the irony truly burns.

****

Update - her latest ‘work’ for the St Louis Post-Dispatch:

“Officer fatigue and stress” …. Christine yet again producing police-friendly copy and a shoulder for the poor souls to weep on.

Any articles on the fatigue and stress of Michael Brown’s family and friends?

Don’t hold your breath.

25
Oct
14

A Tweet Or Two

Yup. The ODS is real

****

****

****

****

****

****

****

****

****

25
Oct
14

Latino Uninsured Rate Plunges. Thanks, ObamaCare

BlMDPWDCMAEj1zn.jpg-large

****

Noam Levey: Number Of Latinos With Insurance Coverage Surges Under Healthcare Law

The federal healthcare law has dramatically increased coverage among Latinos, according to a new report that provides a comprehensive look at the effects of the Affordable Care Act on a historically underinsured community. Overall, the percentage of Latinos ages 19 to 64 lacking health coverage fell from 36% to 23% between summer 2013 and spring 2014. That parallels a broader increase in coverage that has taken place since insurance marketplaces opened last fall and states began expanding Medicaid under the healthcare law.

The overall uninsured rate for U.S. adults under 65 plummeted from 20% to 15% in the same period, according to the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit group that studies U.S. and global health systems. Other surveys have shown similar declines. “The Affordable Care Act appears to be working for millions of Latinos who, as a group, have long faced the nation’s highest uninsured rates,” said the Commonwealth Fund’s Michelle Doty, the report’s lead author. “These substantial improvements will mean better health and healthcare for millions of people.” The Medicaid expansion proved particularly important for Latinos, the Commonwealth Fund report indicates. In states that expanded Medicaid, including California, the uninsured rate among working-age Latino adults dropped by about half, from 35% to 17%.

More here

****

25
Oct
14

Rise and Shine: The Week Ahead

On This Day - Pete Souza: “A young girl captures the President’s attention as he greeted customers at Junior’s Cheesecake with New York City mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio in Brooklyn.” Oct. 25, 2013

****

****

The Week Ahead

Today and Tomorrow

The President has no public events scheduled

Monday

Meets with the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee at the White House

Tuesday

Travels to Wisconsin to attend a DNC roundtable and a campaign event for Mary Burke and other Wisconsin Democrats

Wednesday

Attends meetings at the White House

Thursday

Travels to Portland, Maine to attend a DNC roundtable and a campaign event for Mike Michaud and other Maine Democrats

He will then travel to Providence, Rhode Island where he will remain overnight

Friday

Delivers remarks at Rhode Island College - they will focus on the economy and the importance of pursuing policies that help women succeed

He will then return to Washington, DC.

In the evening, the President and First Lady will welcome local children and children of military families to a trick or treat at the White House

Saturday

Travels to the Detroit area to attend a campaign event for Gary Peters and Mark Schauer

Sunday

Travels to Bridgeport, Connecticut for an event with Dan Malloy and other Connecticut Democrats

Later, he will travel to Philadelphia to attend a campaign event for Tom Wolf and other Pennsylvania Democrats

****

Bo and Sunny play with White House staffer Brian Mosteller (Photo by Pete Souza)

****

On This Day

President Obama, along with Press Secretary Jay Carney, left, and Trip Director Marvin Nicholson, right, play basketball between events at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., Oct. 25, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama waits with staff backstage before an event at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., Oct. 25, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)

Pete Souza: “Even backstage, Jay Leno is a hoot. Here he tells the punch line to a funny story as the President waits to tape the Tonight Show in Burbank, Calif.” Oct. 25, 2011

****

Tampa - October 25, 2025 (Photo by Scout Tufankjian)

President Obama casts his ballot during early voting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Chicago, Ill., Oct. 25, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama early votes in Chicago, October 25, 2025

First Lady Michelle Obama tapes a skit with Jimmy Kimmel prior to their interview for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., Oct. 25, 2012 (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Thousands of people gather on the tarmac at Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport while waiting for the arrival of President Obama and the start of a campaign rally October 25, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio

Pete Souza: “At a late night rally in Cleveland, supporters react as the President delivered his remarks.” Oct. 25, 2012

****

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with Dr. Jill Biden in the Blue Room of the White House before delivering remarks to the 2013 USO Service Member Honorees, Oct. 25, 2013 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan visit a classroom at the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 25, 2013 (Photo by Pete Souza)

****

MoooOOOooorning!

25
Oct
14

Early Bird Chat

On This Day: President Obama greets a family at Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 25, 2013 (Photo by Pete Souza)

****

MoooOOOooorning - Happy Saturday!




@POTUS

@BarackObama

@WhiteHouse

@FLOTUS

@blog44

@PeteSouza

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email.

@TheObamaDiary

@NerdyWonka

@Lib_Librarian

@Our4thEstate

@DaRiverZkind

@zizii2

RSS White House.gov

  • Why Diplomacy Matters: Follow Along as the President Heads to the 70th UN General Assembly
  • Rising Prescription Drug Costs: New Tool Lets You Explore What’s Happening in Medicare
  • Weekly Address: Top 10 Things that Happened in 2015
  • A Critical Step Forward for a Stronger Economy and a Simpler, Fairer Tax Code
  • West Wing Week: 12/18/2015 or, "My Soon-To-Be Fellow Citizens"

RSS WH Tumblr

  • “For all the very real progress America has made over the...
  • Want to watch President Obama’s last State of the Union at...
  • These aren’t the holiday guests we’re looking for…...
  • DJ R2-D2’s White House debut. #TheForceAwakens
  • “I believe in your ability to prove the doubters wrong,...

RSS The People’s View

  • They all rolled over and one fell out Liberal Librarian
  • Open thread - President Obama's year-end press conference Liberal Librarian
  • Open thread - The threat from Agrabah Liberal Librarian
  • Chalk one up for the good guys Liberal Librarian
  • Open thread - A nation united by one thing Liberal Librarian

RSS Smartypants

  • It's Not Just About Bombing ISIS
  • Symbolic Gestures Aren't Enough
  • A World View in its Death Throes
  • A Different Kind of Courage
  • Whose Job Is It to Call Out the Lies?

RSS A Writing Corner (LL)

  • #Pixels: A sign of the Apocalypse?
  • Annals in “WTH Were You Thinking??” – Potty Training
  • For the young lady and her love of Seamus Heaney
  • On compassion
  • A Mass for the Dead

RSS Greg Sargent

  • Happy Hour Roundup
  • Obama predicts that GOP climate skepticism will eventually fade. That’s not totally crazy.
  • Donald Trump boasts about a lot of things. This time, he is 100% right.
  • Sunday Open Thread
  • Open Thread

RSS Steve Benen

  • Ambassador Samantha Power on finding hope in the Syria morass
  • Congratulations Patrick Murphy, undersecretary of the US Army!
  • Debate audiences crush records in 2016
  • Monday's Mini-Report, 12.21.15
  • Will Clinton apologize to Trump? 'Hell, no'

Categories

Archives

Blog Stats

  • 33,559,055 hits

WH Flickr

P120515PS-0047

P120515PS-0129

P112615PS-0063

P091815PS-0492

P022114PS-0888

P010615PS-0373

P010615PS-0599

P010715PS-0718

P010715LJ-0309

P010815PS-0008

More Photos