Mediaboss Marketing

Delegates at the GOP state convention this weekend will consider resolutions that call for protecting those who refuse to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and requiring all Wisconsin elections to be conducted by hand-counted paper ballots.

One resolution proposes supporting U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson on COVID-19, praising the Oshkosh Republican for a panel discussion he hosted last year in which speakers largely expressed skepticism about the vaccine.

Johnson has regularly been accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19. A Marquette University Law School Poll in February found 31 percent of Wisconsin voters trust a great deal or a fair amount of what the U.S. senator says about the coronavirus and treatments. Sixty-one percent said they dont trust what he says on the topic much or at all.

The package of resolutions, obtained by WisPolitics.com, run the gamut of conservative causes from universal school choice to calling for Wisconsin to pass a stand your ground law. Those laws allow the use of deadly force in public and state that someone who is attacked has no duty to retreat.

The resolutions originated at the local party level before being screened by a state party committee. Theyre scheduled to be voted on Saturday during convention proceedings in Middleton. Party activists can submit additional resolutions ahead of the floor debate.

The resolutions related to election administration include one that calls for firing Wisconsin Elections Commission staff and reorganizing the agency to be truly fair and honest. Another calls for dissolving the agency and putting the Legislature in charge of election administration.

The agency has been targeted by Republicans for criticism over the guidance it provided local clerks ahead of the 2020 election.

The resolution calling for the use of paper ballots claims recent elections have cast doubt on accuracy in the use of electronic vote tabulation. The Legislative Audit Bureaus review of the 2020 election found electronic voting equipment accurately counted the results in the presidential race.

The resolutions that touch on COVID-19 include one calling for banning mandatory vaccinations. It also calls for an investigation into deaths in Wisconsin hospitals where instead of allowing proven and safe alternative treatments such as Ivermectin to be administered dangerous experimental drugs are being used. Randomized controlled trials have yet to find a beneficial use of ivermectin in treating COVID-19.

The resolution calling for a ban on mandatory vaccinations doesnt differentiate between those for COVID-19 and other diseases. Wisconsin law currently requires students to show they have received required vaccinations against diseases such as polio or have a waiver to attend school.

Other COVID-related resolutions argue national, state and local authorities have no authority to mandate disease mitigations such as masks or vaccinations. Another states, no person or agency can fully understand the complexity of the human body or all of the relationships and interrelationships that comprise public health. It calls public health or environmental emergency orders acts of insurrection against the letter and spirit of our free republic and shall be ignored or deemed advisory only.

Other resolutions would:

*condemn critical race theory and call on the Legislature and local school boards to prohibit its teaching at the elementary, middle and high school levels as well as banning public universities and tech colleges from compelling students to adhere to its tenets.

*call for legislation to ban physical treatments for minors who want to transition their gender. It also calls for legislation to preserve womens and girls sports for biological females. Legislation banning transgender athletes from participating in high school and college sports passed the Assembly this session but wasnt taken up by the Senate.

See the proposed resolutions.

See the rest here:
GOP resolutions call for hand counting paper ballots, praising Johnson on COVID-19 - WisPolitics.com

After reviewing the case, the Cleveland County District Attorney's Office has declined to file charges in a deadly shooting that happened near OU's campus this month.

The DA cited the Stand Your Ground law (21 OK Stat 21-1289.25) as the reason for not filing the charges.

Just before 11:30 a.m. on April 9, near the intersection of Lindsey St. and Elm Ave. police responded to a shooting.

The investigation showed that a man approached a car traveling westbound on Lindsey St. while it was stopped in traffic at a red light.

The driver had his windows down when an the man "aggressively approached his vehicle" and attempted to punch the driver.

Fearing for his safety, the driver shot the man.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver stayed on the scene and cooperated with the investigation.

The investigation showed no prior relationship between the two involved.

Original post:
Cleveland Co. District Attorney Will Not File Charges In Fatal Shooting Near OU Campus - news9.com KWTV

REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly aired on Friday (Apr. 15) to discuss Marcus Wilson and racial disparities regarding Georgias Stand Your Ground law, Jussie Smollett, a new bill that would legalize marijuana on a federal level, and Black couples leaning toward the idea of open marriage.

Neima Abdulahi hosted the episode, titled Cannabis and Congress, Stand Your Ground On Trial, and Monogamy or Not. She was joined byrecording artist Supa Peach,coalition member of Just Georgia Carey CJ Jenkins, criminal defense attorney Bernarda Villalona, filmmaker Fab 5 Freddy and influencer Alex Porter. REVOLT Entertainment Correspondent Kennedy Rue McCullough also gave viewers a look into Jussie Smolletts life while he appeals the verdict in his 2019 hate crime hoax case.

Abdulahi opened the show by discussing the racial disparities within Georgias criminal justice system and the states Stand Your Ground law after 23-year-old Marcus Wilson was charged with murder for killing a white teen.

On June 14, 2020, Wilson was driving with his girlfriend when a pickup truck allegedly attempted to ram his car off the highway. The trucks occupants also allegedly shouted racial slurs. At some point, Wilson pulled out a weapon and struck one of the trucks passengers, 17-year-old Haley Hutcheson who died a few days after the incident.

Wilsons aunt SaJuana Williams believes her nephew had to take matters into his own hands to protect himself.

To have Caucasian men hanging out of a truck hollering racial slurs at him and his girlfriend and then in the midst of this, to hear something hit his vehicle he was terrified. His life was in jeopardy. I can only imagine all of the things that went through his mind that evening, but he had to protect himself and his girlfriend, she explained to REVOLT.

During the show, Wilsons cousin Chance Pridgen expressed that he was very sympathetic [toward] Haleys family but also believed Marc didnt deserve to be put in a position for that to happen.

Wilsons legal team requested that he receive immunity from being prosecuted for felony murder and other charges, however Judge Ronnie Thompson denied the request. Criminal defense attorney Bernarda Villalona reassured Abdulahi that even though the judge denied immunity, that does not mean that he wont be able to argue self-defense at trial itll be a different case when it is presented to the jury.

During the show, Carey CJ Jenkins, a coalition member of Just Georgia, insisted Wilson acted in self-defense.

What we do know is this young man feared for his life. I would rather us be in trial fighting for Marc Wilson than us being at his funeral mourning like we did Ahmaud [Arbery], he stated.

Before moving on to the next topic, Abdulahi pondered on what the outcome will be for Wilson and compared his predicament to the high-profile homicide cases of Kyle Rittenhouse and George Zimmerman. In both cases, the men claimed self-defense and were acquitted of any wrongdoing.

Next, Abdulahi talked about the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act that passed in the House earlier this month. If passed in the Senate, the legislation will decriminalize marijuana and eliminate criminal penalties for any person who possesses the drug.

Filmmaker Fab 5 Freddy reminded REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly viewers that many people in the Black community have been wrongfully punished for possessing cannabis.

A lot of people got nonviolent cannabis charges on their record. That affects where you can live, what kind of jobs you can get. Thats nonsense because cannabis has killed no one, he asserted.

During the show, recording artist Supa Peach discussed racial inequities within the federal legal system and the fact that marijuana laws are not enforced equally.

My brother gets sentenced in two weeks to go to prison when no one should be going to prison over a plant. It doesnt make any sense when the rich are doing the same thing hes doing and [they get to] live free, she noted.

Switching gears a bit, Abdulahi hosted a roundtable discussion about why some people are straying away from traditional relationships.

Influencer Alex Porter said he and his wife decided to have a non-monogamous marriage after being wed for 17 years. He stated he wanted to explore other options, but also mentioned he has faced some challenges being in a relationship with two women.

I realized trying to be with two women and communicating and finding that balance amongst those relationships took a lot more communication, a lot more vulnerability, a lot more honesty, a lot of acceptance and it puts you in a different place, he expressed.

Spirit, a psychologist, cautioned viewers to refrain from entering into non-monogamous connections if they are currentlyexperiencing issues in their relationship.

So many people look at this as an alternative when their relationships are bad. I will tell you to not get involved in a consensual non-monogamous relationship as an alternative to fixing the problems in your relationship because whatever was present before you stepped out and added extra partners, it is only going to magnify that when you bring new players in, she warned.

Later in the show, REVOLTEntertainment Correspondent Kennedy Rue McCullough gave viewers insight into actor Jussie Smolletts life while he appeals his five-year jail sentence for reportedly staging a hate crime in 2019.

The former Empire star has released a new song. Titled Thank You God, it directly addresses his criminal case and pays homage to those who have supported him.

In an interview with REVOLT, Jussie Smolletts younger brother Jocqui stated, Jussies career will be absolutely fine. My brother is one of the most talented, creative, intelligent individuals this world has ever known.

Watch a quick clip from this weeks episode up top. Plus, be sure to catch the next installment ofREVOLT BLACK NEWS Weeklyon Friday, April 22, 2022 at 6 p.m. ET on REVOLTs app.

View post:
Jussie Smolletts brother Jocqui insists the actors career will be absolutely fine - REVOLT

As lawmakers debate loosening gun restrictions and expanding civilian use of deadly force against looters, a new 41-state study asks how stand your ground laws might affect homicide rates.

Stand your ground laws, also known as shoot first" laws, permit people to use deadly force in self-defense as a first resort, replacing the common law principle of a duty to retreat" and of using deadly force as a last resort.

The JAMA Network Open paper links stand your ground laws with an 8% to 11% increase in homicides nationally.

Patterns varied by state.

Rates topped 10% in the South, where additional monthly homicides equaled the annual murder rates of many European countries.

Arizona saw fluctuations in its homicide rate, but the pattern did not indicate a link to its 2006 stand your ground law. The authors did not find such associations in any western state.

Nowhere in the U.S. did such laws reduce homicides.

In an email, lead author and University of Oxford postdoc Michelle Degli Esposti said a states cultural norms can play a role in how such laws play out.

"The South has been shown to have a stronger cultural ideology that endorses the use of self-protective violence for maintaining 'honor' compared to other regions in the U.S., she said.

Degli Esposti added that understanding the context in which the laws were introduced a focused media and lobbying blitz, for example may be key to understanding why states respond differently to such laws.

Existing firearm laws and gun availability likely also play a role.

Original post:
Study links 'stand your ground' laws to uptick in homicides, but not everywhere - KJZZ

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The stand your ground self-defense law had been in effect in Florida for more than six years when it became part of the national vocabulary with the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012. When the 17-year-old was fatally shot, Florida was still one of the few states with the law that removes the duty to retreat before using deadly force in the face of danger.

Now, upward of 30 states have some form of the law and recent research indicates they are associated with more deaths as many as 700 additional firearm killings each year, according to a study published this week in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The study found that stand your ground laws in those states could be associated with a national increase of up to 11% in homicide rates per month between 1999 and 2017. The largest increases, between 16% and 33%, were in Southern states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana, the study found.

These findings suggest that adoption of ('stand your ground') laws across the U.S. was associated with increases in violent deaths, deaths that could potentially have been avoided, the study's authors concluded.

Advocates for the laws, especially the National Rifle Association, have argued they act as a crime deterrent by ensuring a person can protect themselves and others against a would-be assailant.

Florida was first in the nation in 2005 to adopt such a law. It was in force when Martin was fatally shot by self-appointed neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012. Martin was Black; Zimmerman had a white father and Hispanic mother.

The initial police report said Zimmerman called authorities to report a suspicious person, a guy who, he said, looks like hes up to no good. He followed Martin despite instructions not to do so. In the confrontation that followed, Zimmerman would tell authorities, Martin attacked him, forcing him to use his gun to save himself. Zimmerman was allowed to go free.

Martin's parents questioned Zimmerman's version of events and eventually the news media and others picked up on the case. Zimmerman was arrested six weeks later after then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott appointed a special prosecutor to the case.

Zimmerman's lawyers opted not to pursue a stand your ground claim before trial, which could have resulted in dismissal of murder charges against him and immunity from prosecution. But the law was essentially used as his self-defense argument during the trial, which resulted in his acquittal.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who was involved in the Martin case, called the Florida law a virtual get-out-of-jail-free card that is essentially a license to kill.

Today the battle rages. Gun-rights supporters argue people should not have to try to retreat before defending themselves, said Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. He pointed to a Florida homeowner who recently shot and killed a man suspected of shooting a police officer as the man tried to break into his house. While that case could have been covered by other self-defense laws, Gottlieb said stand your ground laws offer reassurance.

Its made a very big difference in self-defense situations, he said.

Three new states passed laws last year removing the duty to retreat: Ohio, Arkansas and North Dakota, where its sponsor said the legislation ensures someone will not have to run away prior to protecting themselves or their family.

Six more loosened requirements to carry guns in public by removing the requirement to get a permit, the largest number of any single year. More than 20 states now allow permitless carry.

The U.S. Supreme Court also is expected to issue a ruling this session on whether New York's restrictive gun permitting law violates the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The laws defenders have said striking it down would lead to more guns on the streets of cities including New York and Los Angeles.

Gun control activists say the increasing presence of guns and laws like stand your ground are a deadly combination.

Laws like stand your ground, or shoot first laws, give people like Jordans killer, my sons killer, the idea that you can shoot first and ask questions later, said Rep. Lucy McBath, who entered politics after her son Jordan Davis was slain at a Florida gas station in 2012 by a white man who was angry over the loud music the Black teenager and his friends had been playing in their car. Michael Dunn used the stand your ground law in his defense, but was convicted and is serving a life sentence.

Likewise, Rovina Billingsleas family has never been the same. Her cousin Jasmine McAfee, a mother of two, was killed at the hands of an intimate partner near Orlando about four years ago. The shooter was later acquitted under stand your ground law, leaving her family reeling.

There was no justice, no closure, just pain, Billingslea said.

There are new efforts to push back against the measures against a backdrop of rising gun violence: Lawmakers from 19 states have signed on to a new task force aimed at amending or repealing the laws, especially in Georgia, Kansas and Pennsylvania, as well as Florida. The push is backed by Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, whose founder Shannon Watts said they should be called shoot first laws since they differ significantly from other self-defense laws already on the books.

Since the Martin slaying, Florida has amended its stand your ground law to shift the burden of proof from the person claiming self-defense to the prosecutor handling the case.

Prosecutors and many police organizations have opposed the laws, contending they can protect criminals and hinder the ability to bring justice to fatal shootings.

'Stand your ground' laws provide safe harbors for criminals and prevent prosecutors from bringing cases against those who claim self-defense after unnecessarily killing or injuring others, said David LaBahn, president and CEO of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, in testimony to Congress.

In Florida, an ongoing trial in which a retired police captain is accused of murder in the 2014 shooting of a man inside a movie theater hinged initially on a stand your ground claim. A judge denied that claim for the former captain, Curtis Reeves, and that was upheld on appeal.

Reeves, however, is still claiming self-defense in the killing of Chad Oulson following a dispute over Oulson's use of a cellphone during movie previews. The shooting happened after Oulson tossed a bag of popcorn at Reeves.

So far, that has not qualified as a stand your ground defense.

The evidence will show that's no reason to kill another person, said Assistant State Attorney Scott Rosenwasser in an opening statement this week. This was an intentional and purposeful shooting.

Whitehurst reported from Salt Lake City.

This story corrects the name of the journal. It is JAMA Network Open, not the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Read more here:
'Stand your ground' laws proliferate after Trayvon spotlight - ABC News