Russian hacking: Putin winner in U.S. election

Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin gained multiple advantages in the U.S. election that elevated Donald Trump to the White House, including the defeat of a potentially formidable adversary: Hillary Clinton. /image via itv.com

Evidence and logic show the Russian Federation government was involved in hacking efforts that were designed to impact the 2016 U.S. election.

The evidence of Russian meddling is compelling, and it was convincingly presented last week by Eugene Kiely for FactCheck.org:

• All U.S. intelligence agencies and at least three companies have investigated election-related hacking such as the cracking of John Podesta's email account and concluded that the Russian government was involved
• CrowdStrike, the company hired to investigate the May 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee, concluded that "two separate Russian intelligence-affiliated adversaries" were responsible for the electronic espionage
• Fidelis Cybersecurity, another Internet security firm, not only concurred with CrowdStrike's findings but also declared "this settles the question" of Russian government involvement in the DNC hack
• On Nov. 17, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before a House committee, stating the utmost care was taken before the U.S. intelligence community identified the Russian government as the source of election-related hacking: "We gave considerable thought to diming out Russia."

Logically, the case is just as convincing. Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin had powerful motives to push for a Donald Trump victory:

• Hillary Clinton, who had foreign policy experience as secretary of state, would have likely been an adversary on the world stage if she had become president.
• Donald Trump, who has no foreign policy experience beyond financial dealings, has signaled willingness to cooperate with Putin, including openness to recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and fighting in tandem against ISIS in the Middle East.
• The chaotic spectacle of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, including Clinton winning the popular vote, is a huge PSYOP victory for Putin. The hacking exposed dirty tricks and fueled unsubstantiated suspicion of vote rigging.

On Oct. 7, the Department of Homeland Security reported the agency was "confident" that the Russian government was involved in hacking attacks on the U.S. election. /www.dhs.gov 

Child abuse and neglect: The full story

Rachelle and Bella Bond shown in an image posted on Facebook. In June 2015, Bella "Baby Doe" Bond's body was found on Deer Island in Winthrop, Mass. Rachelle Bond has pleaded not guilty to an accessory to murder charge in the killing of her infant daughter. Her boyfriend at the time of the infanticide faces a first-degree murder charge. /Image via bostoncbslocal.com

If there is any job in state government harder than police officer, it is child-protection service worker.

In news story after news story, even reputable journalism organizations tell only part of the sad tales of the neglected and abused children whose lives are entrusted to state agencies entrusted to protect at-risk kids. An overly simplistic narrative is repeated like a mantra in the media across the country: "The state dropped the ball."

Investigation of N.H. child-protection agency: Swollen case loads are key driver of child-protection service worker turnover and under-staffing. /N.H. Department of Health and Human Services graphic

Here is what the public does not hear or learn in most news stories about the parent-betrayed innocents who have no hope other than the assistance and protection provided by state departments of child and family services:

• Personal responsibility: Every one of these children belongs to A FAMILY, not just their biological parents. The front line of defense for neglected and abused children is their family: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other adult relatives. The next time you see a news story about state officials failing to protect neglected and abused children, two of the top questions begging answers are, "Who failed these children in the first place? And how many family members are willing to step to the plate and start swinging to protect their kids?" In nearly every family tormented with violence, sexual abuse and neglect involving a child, there is at least one relative who could intervene decisively.
• Collective responsibility: The general public gobbles up the incomplete and misleading narrative that media outlets usually publish whenever the state "drops the ball" and fails a child who is harmed or killed. Yet the vast majority of citizens fail to look in the mirror. If taxpayers really care about having state officials intervene to protect neglected and abused children, the agencies assigned to do the job must be fully funded and staffed. A 2003 federal General Accounting Office report listed average case loads for child welfare and foster care workers nationally at 24 to 31 children, twice the case-load level that the Child Welfare League of America recommends. Here in New Hampshire, the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) has been woefully underfunded and understaffed since the Department of Health and Human Services budget was slashed during The Great Recession. In a staffing report released in October 2016, the average monthly case load for a New Hampshire DCYF protective-service worker was pegged at 54. From December 2015 to July 2016, one third of DCYF's protective-service worker positions were vacant or held by workers in training or on leave.
• Unrealistic expectations: Anyone concerned about their personal safety is unlikely to apply for a child-protection service worker job and unlikely to stay in the role for very long. Police officers hate to go on domestic disturbance calls--for good reason. Emotions run high in domestic disputes, especially when children are involved. Police officers are at high risk of injury or death when they respond to domestic disturbance calls, and they carry several weapons to defend themselves along with body armor equipment. In most states, child-protection service workers are not allowed to carry weapons when they visit a troubled home. Fear of death or serious injury may not be a daily concern for all child-protective services workers, but brutal stress and dealings with evil perpetrated on children is on the daily.
• Social and behavioral determinants: Coming to grips with the roots of child abuse and neglect is the daunting task facing nearly all of American society: every citizen, government agencies, healthcare providers, educational institutions, law enforcement and the courts. Prevention is under-resourced, particularly substance-abuse treatment and mental health services.  

In September 2015, police were sent to the Manchester, N.H., home of Kaitlin Paquette, 22, and her 21-month-old daughter, Sadence Willott. Paquette is facing second-degree murder charges in the bludgeoning death of the infant. The young mother's troubled life illustrates some of the social determinants that are root causes of child abuse and neglect. /image via patch.com

I loathe apologists, and this post is not intended to make excuses for state officials who are untrusted to protect abused and neglected children. I have witnessed state officials "drop the ball" and put children in harm's way, including a Rockingham (N.H.) County judge who slept through portions of a child-custody hearing in which child sexual abuse was alleged.

But I also loathe overly simplistic journalism that amounts to misinformation, people who shirk personal responsibility, taxpayers who lack the conviction to pay for services they claim are essential, and missed societal opportunities to alleviate the suffering.

In August 2015, Vermont case worker Laura Sobel, left, was shot and killed while leaving her office. The woman accused of pulling the trigger, Jody Herring, was allegedly upset over losing custody of her 9-year-old child and also is suspected of killing three family members. /Image via nbcnews.com

Lax gun laws enable lone wolf terrorists

A shooting victim is carried away from the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016. With 49 killed and more than 50 wounded, the Islamic-extremist terrorist attack in Orlando, Fla., is the most deadly mass shooting in U.S. history.

People on U.S. terrorist watch lists can buy military-style assault rifles.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the most deadly Islamic-extremist terrorist incidents on U.S. soil have been carried out with semi-automatic firearms. These "lone wolf" attacks--including the mass shootings in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Fort Hood in Texas--have emerged as a the primary Islamic-extremist terrorist threat in the United States.

Unless there are commonsense limits on gun ownership, terrorist mass shootings and other gun violence carnage will continue to rage across the country.

Journalist death toll rises in 2015

Last year, 69 journalists were killed with the motive linked to the performance of their professional duties. Another 25 journalists lost their lives in killings with unconfirmed motives. /Committee to Protect Journalists

The number of journalists killed in the line of duty ticked upward last year, rising from 61 dead in 2014 to 69 lost.

In 2015, the bravery required to work as a journalist in countries engulfed in war or riddled with corruption is evident in the statistics:

• In the 47 journalist murders last year, no one has been brought to justice in 83% of the cases
• In the murder cases, 60% of journalists were threatened prior to their killings, 21% were taken captive before they were killed, and 15% were tortured
• Politics was by far the most dangerous beat to cover in 2015, accounting for part or all of the motivation behind 68% of journalist killings
• Political groups (52%), military officials (16%) and government officials (12%) were the leading suspects in orchestrating journalist killings

A free press is a bulwark of democracy, and journalists continue to man the front lines in the struggles against tyranny around the world.

America ignoring gun violence wake-up calls

Television reporter Alison Parker, 24, is gunned down while conducting an interview on Aug. 26, 2015. /Image via washingtontimes.com

Maybe this time will be different.

I doubt it.

In December 2012, the slaughter of 26 school children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School barely moved the needle on common sense restrictions for the possession of firearms.

Last week's slaughter of two television journalists in Virginia, which was captured on video from both the perspective of the killed and the killer, is about as close as we can get to rubbing America's collective nose in the country's gun violence problem.

Before most Americans return to sticking their collective heads in the sand, I hope at least some of them see the eye-popping U.S. gun violence statistics compiled by German Lopez for Vox:

• There have been at least 885 mass shootings since Sandy Hook.
• So far in 2015, there has been an average of nearly one mass shooting every day.
• States with more guns have more police officers who are killed in the line of duty. Every 10 percent increase in gun ownership correlates to 10 more police officers dying in homicides.
• Firearms suicides outpace firearms homicides by a wide margin. In 2013, there were 21,175 firearms suicides and 11,208 firearms suicides.
• Based on homicides by firearms per 1 million people, America is a colossal outlier among developed nations. In 2012, the American rate of homicides by firearms per 1 million people was 29.7. Switzerland posted the next-highest rate at 7.7. Australia posted the lowest rate at 1.4.

Simply put, America's love affair with guns is a cruel joke. On this issue, we are the laughingstock of the world.

Ferguson reminder about race in America

Police in riot gear confront protesters in Ferguson, Mo. The fatal police shooting of an unarmed African American teenager on Aug. 9 inflamed racial tensions in the St. Louis suburb. /Image via npr.org

Many Americans want racially charged issues to go away.

But the final steps in the country's 400-year-long journey through the pitfall-strewn landscape of racial injustice have yet to be taken.

Whether it fits into your view of the United States or not, the racially charged violence sparked by the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., is an ugly reminder about the country's struggle to overcome centuries of bias against African Americans.

As long as African American teenagers walking down the street are at high-risk of being shot to death, America has more steps to take.

As long as white men think it is acceptable to drive around in their pickups with battlefield Confederate flags flying from the truck bed, America has more steps to take.

As long as nearly half of the people incarcerated in the United States are black, America has more steps to take.

Trayvon Martin and racism in America

Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot to death while walking to a convenience store in his Florida neighborhood to buy candy. /Family photo

Speaking out about race in America is dangerous: perilous for political careers, fracturing for friendships, inviting violence from extremists.

I have felt barely safe writing about racism in America. While being a white man married to an African-American comes with its own dangers, it's safe for people to assume I am not racist. While raised in a predominantly white, middle class town, I've experienced racism against African-Americans through the eyes of my wife and daughters. I've seen it when my loved ones react to racist incidents with a toxic brew of anger, isolation, disgust and despair.

The Trayvon Martin killing in Florida is the latest national reminder that racism is an enduring legacy of the American experience. Sadly, the widespread collective distress over George Zimmerman's acquittal in Trayvon's killing shows more time will have to pass before Americans reach the Promised Land that Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned 45 years ago.

Eliciting howls of protest from his political adversaries, President Obama recently said African-Americans look at Trayvon's killing and the Zimmerman verdict "through a set of experiences and history that doesn't go away." That's polite.

In my unique position as a journalist and spouse of an African-American, I can afford to be less polite.

• Trayvon Martin was racially profiled and his killing was a crime. If the roles were reversed, if Trayvon was a black adult who was stalking a Hispanic teenager while armed with a gun after the police had told him to stop, the vast majority of Americans know the Florida verdict would have been far different.
• Paula Dean is a racist. There's a reason why "nigger" is considered so vile that it gets "X-word" treatment in most public discourse, and its use can rarely be justified. Since the founding of the United States, this word has symbolized and reinforced the attempt to inflict subhuman status on African-Americans and to cast them as unworthy of equal citizenship. My wife has been called a nigger several times; in every instance, the speaker was attempting to dehumanize, denigrate, and strike the hideous historical chords of enslavement and discrimination. Imagine your race of Americans enduring 400 years of injustice, racially motivated slaughter, and political and economic disenfranchisement. Now imagine if there was one word that could make those centuries of torment pass before your eyes in an instant.
• Slavery and the ethnic animosity that sustains it have enduring influences on any society. The United States is one of the great beauties in the history of human civilization, but Americans are finding out how long it takes for a nation to heal the ugly wounds created when an entire race of people are enslaved.

Domestic violence deadly blight on society

Evidence is overwhelming that Ariel Castro kidnapped three teens and sexually assaulted them in his Cleveland home for a decade. There was earlier evidence that he physically abused his ex-wife. There is no place for domestic violence in a civilized society. /Cleveland Police photo

American War on Terrorism's Heartbreak Hill

Emergency workers respond to the bombing of the 2013 Boston Marathon finish line. /AP photo Charles Krupa
CBSBoston.com photo gallery

This leaves a dent in the American way of life.

Just as 9/11 ruined the illusion of being safe in the workplace at our biggest cities, the Boston Marathon Bombing has ruined the illusion of being safe at our biggest entertainment events.

In U.S. spectatorship, the Boston Marathon is second only to the Super Bowl.

With three dead and more than 170 injured, the Boston attack ranks among the worst bombings in Iraq, Afghanistan or any other front in War on Terrorism. The bombs appear to have been placed at ground level and were loaded with nails and pellets to maximize lethality.

With no one immediately taking responsibility, it's sobering to ponder who among America's enemies could have perpetrated this Boston bloodbath. At least a half dozen suspects come to mind, after al-Qaeda, both foreign and domestic.

One of the worst outcomes of the hours, days and weeks after this atrocity would be a rush for revenge. Only justice can heal those scarred in the Boston bombing, and there can be no rush to justice.

I lived for several years near the Natick Town Common, where the marathon course crosses through one of the last bastions of Main Street America. It's hard to imagine being anywhere on the course now without the bombing crossing our minds.

Aryan Brotherhood of Texas flexing muscle

Like most gangs, the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas embraces several symbols, tattoos and slogans as part of its effort to forge a group identity that elevates loyalty to the organization over loyalty to any particular ABT member. A shield with an upright sword is one of the most common ABT symbols, according to the Anti-Defamation League. /Image via hlntv.com


The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas' efforts to intimidate law enforcement authorities in the Lone Star State have apparently borne fruit, with a federal prosecutor withdrawing from a case involving 34 defendants linked to the violent white supremacist group.

One of the defense attorneys in the case who knows Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman personally said the federal prosecutor probably dropped out of the case because he feared for his life following the murders of two other prosecutors who had worked on the ABT investigation and indictments. The group has threatened to inflict "mass casualties" on law enforcement officials who have worked on the case, according to ABC News.

An Anti-Defamation League report calls the ABT "one of the largest and most violent white supremacist prison gangs in the United States." The report's findings include the following:

• The ABT formed in the 1980s after the desegregation of the Texas prison system, which had the unintended consequence of spawning white, black and hispanic gangs throughout Lone Star State corrections facilities. ABT members were linked to 13 murders at Texas prisons in 1984 and 1985.
• The ABT's constitution states the group was "founded upon the sublime principles of White Supremacy" but organized crime activity is the primary focus of ABT members once they get out of prison.
• The total number of active ABT members is estimated at about 2,000 men and hundreds of female associates, which is a relatively high number for U.S. extremist groups. The ABT is concentrated in Texas but also has a presence in all neighboring states.
• ABT membership is considered "for life," and "prospects" who wish to join the group must be sponsored by a member and complete an apprenticeship that can last for more than a year.
• The group is organized with a paramilitary structure that includes sergeants, lieutenants, captain and generals. Several alleged generals are among the 34 defendants facing charges in the federal case being prosecuted in Texas.
• ABT criminal activity in prison and on the streets falls into three categories: organized crime, gang crime and hate crime. Methamphetamine trafficking is a mainstay for the group, which also engages in an range of other criminal activity from extortion rackets, to home invasions, to murder.
• ABT members have been convicted of 30 murders outside of prison since 2000. In nearly half of those killings, the victims were ABT members who had violated the group's rules.
• In the most deadly hate crimes committed by an ABT member, Mark Stroman was sentenced to death for a series of shootings in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon. Stroman targeted convenience store clerks in the Dallas area who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. He was convicted of killing two of store clerks and gravely injuring a third.

Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were shot to death March 30 at their home in Forney, Texas. The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas is a prime target of the investigation into the killings. /Image via theblaze.com

Violent racists probed in murder of Texas lawmen

 

Law enforcement authorities are investigating whether the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a prison-based gang modeled after the Aryan Brotherhood, is responsible for the killings of two Lone Star State prosecutors this year. /Image via hlntv.com


It's unclear whether the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas is responsible for the recent murders of two Lone Star State prosecutors, but the prison-based gang is clearly among the most dangerous racist organizations in the country.

Law enforcement authorities suspect the ABT is behind the Jan. 31 assassination of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse and last week's murder of his boss, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland. Two masked gunmen reportedly shot and killed Hasse as he got out of his car outside of the county courthouse, then grabbed their shell casings before leaving the scene. McLelland and his wife were killed over the weekend. CNN reported that McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were shot multiple times in their home and investigators recovered several shell casings from a .223-caliber rifle.

McLelland's office was involved in an investigation that resulted in the indictment last year of 34 suspected ABT members. The group has been linked to multiple cases of extortion, assault and murder.

Reality check on gun background checks

The Duck Dynasty boys are armed to the teeth. During a recently aired episode of the reality show that celebrates American "redneck" culture, a Robertson clan hunting party deployed to the forest with assault rifles, shotguns and at least one pistol in search of giant rats called nutria. /Image via Tumblr.com


Attention U.S. gun rights advocates: You win! Game over! The fat lady has sung! The gun-toting genie is out of the bottle and even a federal army of jack-booted thugs could not collect the 310 million guns in private hands.

Gun makers and their political mouthpiece at the National Rifle Association have fought tooth and nail for the right of every American to possess a firearm. Now there are enough guns to arm every man, woman and child in the country. Regardless of your opinion about private gun ownership, firearms have established a permanent presence in American culture.

The question about whether U.S. citizens should be allowed to possess guns has been settled. The United States is a society that cherishes democracy and freedom. The right to bear arms is written into to country's constitution. The only way the government could confiscate everybody's guns is through a military coup that turned the country into a totalitarian dictatorship. If that ever comes to pass, which is highly unlikely, the condition of the country and the world will be so dire that gun ownership will be among the last of our worries.

The only question now is how do Americans keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals and people suffering from severe mental illness. To achieve that goal, strengthening background checks for gun purchases and laws against the transfer of guns to criminals should be a matter of common sense.

Most U.S. employers require new hires to undergo background checks. The federal government requires background checks for anyone working in a job related to national security. Political parties conduct background checks on candidates for public office. Reputable organizations that work with young children do background checks on employees and volunteers.

What's the problem with requiring background checks for possession of devices that can kill and maim dozens of our fellow citizens in minutes literally with the pull of a trigger?

Here are some of the justifications being put forward against universal background checks for gun purchases:

• "Republican opponents of the new background-check law (in Colorado) said it would make criminals of hunters lending each other weapons for weekend hunting trips. In response, Democrats changed the bill to give people a 72-hour grace period to share guns without triggering background-check requirements. Republicans then said the bill would imperil weeklong hunting trips." The Washington Post
• "Opponents including the National Rifle Association say background checks are easily sidestepped by criminals and threaten creation of a government file on gun owners, which is illegal under federal law." heraldnet.com
• "Mass shootings would continue to occur despite universal background checks. Criminals will continue to steal guns and buy them illegally to circumvent the requirements. When that happens, we will be back here debating whether gun registration is needed. And when registration fails, then the next step is gun confiscation." U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa

It's apparent that gun rights advocates are not satisfied with their overwhelming victory.

Knox story example of crack cocaine journalism

An Italian appellate court has reversed the murder acquittal of American college student Amanda Knox and ordered a new trial, prompting a self-serving frenzy of media coverage. /Image via wbtw.com


There are a lot of people who like crack, but handing it to addicts on a silver platter has been deemed harmful to the common good. There is profit in peddling crack, but dealing the dope has been deemed illegal.

There is profit to be made in peddling stories about a beautiful young woman caught up in a sex game gone bad that ended in murder. But playing the latest twist in the sordid Amanda Knox saga among the top stories in the world is the journalistic equivalent to waving a packed crack pipe in front of a roomful of strung out junkies.

The U.S. and European media is going gaga over the Knox story yet again, drawn as irresistibly to the college student hottie's plight as an addict is drawn to his sugar daddy. The latest development -- the reversal of Knox's murder acquittal in Italy -- has generated more than 550 news stories over the past 24 hours.

It's a classic case of shameless pandering to the most base desires of media consumers. Given the hallowed principle of double jeopardy in the U.S. legal system, it is highly unlikely that American officials would allow Knox to be extradited to face a second trial for the 2007 murder of her British college student roomate in Perugia, Italy, Meredith Kercher. And Knox and her attorneys have made it clear that she will not return to Italy willingly to participate in a new trial.

So, other than the opportunity to cash in on Knox yet again, there's little justification to make the acquittal reversal a top story. Based on a Google news search, here are other stories of the day that deserved more attention but fell far short of the Knox case reporting:
- The U.S. gun control debate, including reports of school districts arming administrators in response to the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre: 97 stories.
- This week's meeting of leaders from the world's fastest emerging economics, the so-called BRICS nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa: 499 stories.
- North Korea's issuing of a new round of threats against U.S. military bases: 358 stories.
- Studies showing that fewer hours of doctor training in the United States is leading to more medical
errors: 22 stories.

Murder cases are inherently interesting, and even this nearly meaningless twist in the Knox case deserves a measure of media coverage. But is it really more important than the 10,000 Americans on average who are killed in gun violence every year? Is it more important than fundamental changes in the global economy? Is it more important than the potential of North Korea sparking a nuclear war that would claim the lives of millions? Is it more important than an increase in the number of patients suffering death and disability in U.S. hospitals?

My Internet identity thief

/Image via parentdish.com

 

I don't have much to go on, but I like the comic book stereotype that fits my Internet identity thief like a burglar's glove.

The Discover card has been getting a workout lately and someone not only swiped the card info but also my cellphone number. With that information in his not quite fully formed hands, my identity thief promptly called QVC and Staples trying to buy a laptop, then he bought a few volumes from an online comic books store.

The profile: male; age 13-19; computer proficient; gets low parental oversight, given belief that he can get away with having a new laptop shipped to his home; he's just getting started, going for laptops and comic books today will be swapped for wide-screen televisions and jewelry tomorrow.

PBS telling truths about gun violence in America

On Dec. 14, 2012, Adam Lanza, a troubled 20-year-old armed with an assault rifle, shot and killed 27 people including 20 first-graders. This horrific massacre has sparked a heated debate about gun violence in America. /Image via AP


With all due respect to Big Bird, the crown jewel of America's Public Broadcasting System is journalism.

This week, PBS is airing After Newtown, a series of special reports on gun laws, mental illness and school security. After watching two of the Frontline special reports last night, I urge all of my fellow Americans and anyone overseas who is interested in the U.S. gun culture to watch these television programs. There is also a wealth of information available online at the link above.

PBS is providing a dispassionate, in-depth and highly professional examination of the key issues surrounding gun violence in America. It's free and literally available at your fingertips.

It's extremely hard to find this kind of unbiased information on the polarizing issue of gun violence anywhere else. I implore my fellow citizens: view this valuable information, educate yourself about aspects of the issues that are unfamiliar to you, draw your own conclusions, then contact your elected officials at all levels to help make sure effective measures are taken to rein in a problem that is killing and maiming thousands of Americans every year.

Bullwork Report: Gun control reality check

This week's Bullwork Report focuses on many of the harsh realities of gun violence in America, including the difficulty of keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the consequences of having 310 millions guns in private hands.

The answer to this week's Bullwork Know It Hall of Fall Challenge will post before midnight on Twitter @cccheney.

Guns in America by the numbers

A Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle similar to this model was used in the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The Bushmaster is a direct descendent of the fully automatic M-16 rifle used for decades by the U.S. military.


Truth is often the first casualty in political warfare and there are plenty of untruths being spewed into the debate over gun control in the United States. The statistics listed below were picked selectively from U.S. Justice Department reports to shine light on many of the key factors and considerations related to gun violence in America:

- There are about 310 million firearms in private hands, including 114 million handguns. There were about 200 million guns in private hands in 1994.

- From 1999 to 2003, an average of 11,345 Americans were shot to death in homicides.

- Homicides committed with firearms peaked in 1993 at 17,075.

- About 68 percent of the 16,929 murders in 2007 were committed with firearms.

- In 2008, 303,880 victims of violent crimes stated they faced an offender with a firearm.

- Incidents involving a firearm represented 7 percent of the 5.1 million rapes, sexual assaults, robberies, and aggravated and simple assaults committed in 2008.

- According to a 1997 survey of prison inmates, 80 percent of the convicts who had possessed a gun at the time of their arrest obtained the weapon from family, friends, a street buy, or an illegal source.

- Of the 55 law enforcement officers killed in 2005, 50 were shot to death, and 45 of those cop killers were armed with handguns.

- An estimated 57,500 nonfatal gunshot wounds from assaults were treated in hospital emergency departments from June 1992 through May 1993. Over half of those victims were black males.

- From the inception of the Brady Act in 1994 to the end of 1999, about 536,000 of the more than 22.2 million individual applications to purchase or pawn firearms were rejected based on federal, state or local laws. The Brady Act is named for Jim Brady, a former White House press secretary who survived a gunshot wound to the head inflicted during an assassination attempt on President Reagan.

- In 1999, of the 123,000 gun purchase rejections made by state and local agencies, 73 percent were rejected because of a felony conviction or indictment. Domestic violence convictions or restraining orders accounted for 11 percent of the rejections.

- In 2011, about 45 percent of Americans over age 18 had guns in their homes.

NRA's opening salvo on gun control blasts Obama

The NRA's first ad campaign since since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School clearly shows any attempt to pass new gun control laws in Congress is going to face unyielding political resistance. The ad started running Jan. 16, hours before President Obama's unveiling of the White House's plan to curb gun violence.

It's rare for political ads to target the president's children. It's also a rare crowd of students that attends Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., where Sasha and Malia Obama take classes. The first children's classmates include the kids of other top government officials, diplomats and wealthy business leaders. Sadly, it's common worldwide for private schools with the kind of clientele found at Sidwell Friends to be armed and secured facilities.

The NRA's claim that President Obama cares more about his children than those of ordinary Americans is clearly a manipulation of the facts aimed at flaming emotions rather than seeking ways to staunch gun violence. If you winced during the 2012 presidential election's open silly season in political advertising, you better brace yourself for the assault on reason and productive dialogue that is being unleashed over gun control.

Newtown: Obama launches gunfight month after Sandy Hook massacre

Children are led from Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., after a gunman killed 20 first-graders. /Image via AP 

Exactly one month after 20 first-graders were shot to death in Newtown, Conn., President Obama foreshadowed his strategy and objectives in the battle ahead over new laws to curb gun violence.

Whether you like Obama or not, he has the admirable quality of generally doing what he says he's going to do. Soon after the Dec. 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the nation's chief executive said Vice President Joe Biden was going to lead an effort to review federal guns laws and find more ways to prevent mass shootings.

At a press conference Monday, Jan. 14, Obama said he would be unveiling the fruit of Biden's labor by the end of the week. While careful not to reveal too many details, the president once again called for a "meaningful ban" on assault weapons and large capacity ammunition clips.

In a sign that the national outrage sparked in Newtown continues to burn, a Pew Research Center poll conducted last week found growing support for several gun control measures. There was overwhelming support for new measures to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill and to strengthen background checks. About 55 percent of those polled favored bans on assault weapons and large capacity ammunition clips.

The first big political struggle of 2013 is heating up.

Gang rape nightmare continues in India

 

Less than a month after a fatal gang rape and beating on a New Delhi bus, a 29-year-old woman taking a bus home to her village in Punjab says she was gang raped by seven men. The police in the northern Indian province have arrested seven suspects, including the bus driver and conductor.

In a similar national reaction to last month's gang rape of a medical student in New Delhi, the Punjab gang rape has sparked protests across India. But the back-to-back incidents demonstrate that far too many Indian men believe they can commit sexual assaults with impunity.