Thursday, March 12, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/reports-2-cops-shot-outside-ferguson-police-headquarters/

2 cops shot outside Ferguson police headquarters
CBS/AP
March 12, 2015

Photograph – Demonstrators outside Ferguson, Missouri Police Department on March 11, 2015 after announcement that city's embattled police chief was resigning
 MICHAEL B. THOMAS, GETTY IMAGES

FERGUSON, Mo. -- Two officers were shot outside the Ferguson, Missouri police headquarters early Thursday, authorities said, as demonstrators gathered following the resignation of the city's embattled police chief in the wake of a scathing Justice Department report alleging bias in the police department and court.

A 32-year-old officer from nearby Webster Groves was shot in the face and a 41-year-old officer from St. Louis County was shot in the shoulder, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference.

Both were taken to a hospital where, Belmar said, they were conscious. He said he did not have further details about their conditions but described their injuries as "serious."

"I don't know who did the shooting, to be honest with you," Belmar said, adding that he could not provide a description of the suspect or gun.

He said his "assumption" was that, based on where the officers were standing and the trajectory of the bullets, "these shots were directed exactly at my officers."

Police sources were calling the gunfire an "ambush" and said whoever fired the shots was at large, CBS St. Louis affiliate KMOV-TV reported.

The station says the two victims were standing next to each other, working crowd control.

The shots were fired shortly after midnight, with protesters gathered following the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson on Wednesday.

Before the shooting, some at the protest were chanting to show they weren't satisfied with the resignations of Jackson, and of City Manager John Shaw earlier in the week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Authorities from multiple agencies had gathered outside the department.

The protest was a familiar scene in Ferguson, which saw similar and much larger demonstrations after the shooting death of black 18-year-old Michael Brown last summer by city police officer Darren Wilson. When Wilson, who is white, was cleared in November by a state grand jury, the decision set off further protests, looting and fires. But Wednesday was the first time an officer at a protest had been shot.

The shots rang out as a crowd of about 150 people had begun to dwindle, the Post-Dispatch reported. Some protesters fell to the ground and others ran. A huge police presence, including officers in riot gear, later surrounded the department.

Bradley Rayford, who was in the crowd, told KMOV, "Bullets went right past my head. ... It was traumatic. I'm still in shock because of it.

"There were 30 - 50 protesters after that, they instantly all left. The police got their rifles out of the car, took cover and made the media duck down," he added.

On Wednesday, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III announced the city had reached a mutual separation agreement with Jackson that will pay Jackson one year of his nearly $96,000 annual salary and health coverage. Jackson's resignation becomes effective March 19.

Jackson was the sixth employee to resign or be fired since the Justice Department report last week cleared Wilson of federal civil rights charges in the Brown shooting. Wilson has since resigned. A separate Justice Department report found a profit-driven court system and widespread racial bias in the city police department.

Jackson had previously resisted calls by protesters and some of Missouri's top elected leaders to step down over his handling of Brown's shooting and the weeks of protests that followed. He was widely criticized from the outset, both for an aggressive police response to protesters and for his agency's erratic and infrequent releases of key information.

He took nearly a week to publicly identify Wilson as the shooter and then further heightened tension in the community by releasing Wilson's name at the same time as store security video that police said showed Brown stealing a box of cigars and shoving a clerk only a short time before his death.

During a 12-minute news conference, Knowles said Jackson resigned after "a lot of soul-searching" about how the community could heal from the racial unrest stemming from the fatal shooting last summer.

"The chief is the kind of honorable man you don't have to go to," Knowles said. "He comes to you when he knows that this is something we have to seriously discuss."

The acting head of the Justice Department's civil rights division released a statement saying the U.S. government remains committed to reaching a "court-enforceable agreement" to address Ferguson's "unconstitutional practices," regardless of who's in charge of the city.

A U.S. law enforcement official said Wednesday the Justice Department had not pressured or encouraged Jackson to resign during meetings with him but had also not resisted the idea. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing meetings between the Justice Department and the police department.

The resignation was welcomed by state lawmakers who represent Ferguson.

"There would be a lot of people that would approve of that," said Democratic state Rep. Sharon Pace, who represents the neighborhood where Brown was shot.

Jackson oversaw the Ferguson force for nearly five years before the shooting that stirred months of unrest across the St. Louis region and drew global attention to the predominantly black city of 21,000.

In addition to Jackson, Ferguson's court. clerk was fired last week and two police officers resigned. The judge who oversaw the court system also resigned, and the City Council on Tuesday agreed to a separation agreement with the city manager.




“A 32-year-old officer from nearby Webster Groves was shot in the face and a 41-year-old officer from St. Louis County was shot in the shoulder, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference. Both were taken to a hospital where, Belmar said, they were conscious. He said he did not have further details about their conditions but described their injuries as "serious." "I don't know who did the shooting, to be honest with you," Belmar said, adding that he could not provide a description of the suspect or gun.... The shots rang out as a crowd of about 150 people had begun to dwindle, the Post-Dispatch reported. Some protesters fell to the ground and others ran. A huge police presence, including officers in riot gear, later surrounded the department. Bradley Rayford, who was in the crowd, told KMOV, "Bullets went right past my head. ... It was traumatic. I'm still in shock because of it. "There were 30 - 50 protesters after that, they instantly all left. The police got their rifles out of the car, took cover and made the media duck down," he added.... The acting head of the Justice Department's civil rights division released a statement saying the U.S. government remains committed to reaching a "court-enforceable agreement" to address Ferguson's "unconstitutional practices," regardless of who's in charge of the city.... The resignation was welcomed by state lawmakers who represent Ferguson. "There would be a lot of people that would approve of that," said Democratic state Rep. Sharon Pace, who represents the neighborhood where Brown was shot.”

“... separation agreement with Jackson that will pay Jackson one year of his nearly $96,000 annual salary and health coverage.” That's not a bad paycheck. I thought police were poorly paid. Actually they should be paid well because, like football players, they are more likely than the average person to be seriously injured or killed on duty. I just think they should have a bachelors degree in some subject and trained in psychology, neighborhood relationships and law at the police academy to get a job on the police force. They need a high level of skills that would deserve high pay. I do think that Jackson should have resigned, because he was responsible for the atmosphere on the police department that allowed the harassment of the black community in several ways. He was also responsible for supervising the officers in their duties. It's a sad case, and it's probably not over yet. The article doesn't say who will replace Jackson, and what his qualifications will be. Hopefully, whoever he is, he will reach out in greater cooperation to the city in the future. I would like to see police and neighborhood interactions that are warmer and not based on racial hostilities. Then the city will be “healed.”





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dallas-home-of-university-of-oklahoma-student-who-led-racist-chant-draws-protesters/

Protesters picket Dallas home of OU student who led racist chant
CBS/AP
March 12, 2015

Photograph – About two-dozen protesters march outside the family home, background, of a former University of Oklahoma Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity member Parker Rice, March 11, 2015, in Dallas. Rice and several other fraternity members were seen on video chanting a racist song.  AP PHOTO/BRANDON WADE

DALLAS -- Dozens of protesters took to the street in front of the home of a former University of Oklahoma student and fraternity member who was shown in a video leading a racist chant aboard a bus.

Dozens of demonstrators Wednesday evening marched up and down the North Dallas residential street in front of the home of Parker Rice. Watching them were about two dozen news media representatives and six police officers.

The protesters chanted, "Racism is taught," and, "Racism is a choice."

CBS Dallas reported that the group, Next Generation Action Network, says Rice and Highland Park-graduate Levi Pettit, another SAE member seen in the OU video and now also expelled from the university, made a bold statement that was caught on tape and now it time for protesters to make theirs.

Their numbers didn't pack the street, but their message was heard loud and clear. "This is what democracy looks like," they chanted. "Teach your kids another way, no modern day KKK!"

Rice has apologized for the chant he led along with another Sigma Alpha Epsilon member aboard a bus last weekend.

The chant referenced lynching and indicated black students would never be admitted to OU's chapter of SAE.

Rice has said he's withdrawn from the university.

CBS Dallas reported that some protesters were even pointing the finger at area residents, making allegations that neighbor Mike Grimm said are simply untrue. "I heard some of them saying the neighborhood is racist, which is totally incorrect. It's painting it with a broad brush."

Grimm, who lives just across the street from Parker Rice's family, didn't have a problem with the protest. "It's a tough situation and they'll [the Rice family] deal with it. They're good people."



https://www.facebook.com/nextgenerationactionnetwork

NEXT GENERATION ACTION NETWORK is not just protesting the use of the word nigger but the song as well. We are protesting the implications of the lyrics that state that the African American race "can hang from a tree but they can never sign with SAE." We live in a society that deems the word nigger appropriate in our music and vocabulary. We must all step up and cease the use of the word nigger.

African Americans are not monkeys. They are human beings. Monkey's hang on trees not humans.




“Dozens of demonstrators Wednesday evening marched up and down the North Dallas residential street in front of the home of Parker Rice. Watching them were about two dozen news media representatives and six police officers. The protesters chanted, "Racism is taught," and, "Racism is a choice."... Their numbers didn't pack the street, but their message was heard loud and clear. "This is what democracy looks like," they chanted. "Teach your kids another way, no modern day KKK!"

The Next Generation Action Network seems to be a good organization according to its website, given above. Their slogans “racism is taught” and “racism is a choice” are simple, hard-hitting and to the point. That is the crux of the racial problem in this county – the followers of that philosophy of hatred are not mostly criminals, but ordinary people who are reasonably respected in their communities. The “criminals” I'm referring to are the likes of “militias” around the nation, who exist for the most part on the edge of society – they have done things as bad as, in one case, putting a rattlesnake in a local politician's mailbox over a dispute and in another case physically beating a town council member. The average Joes I'm worried about are not well-to-do or well-educated, but hold ordinary jobs, probably own a modest home, and go to church on Sundays. They don't really want to see a race war here, they have some common sense after all, but they find an inner store of racism to be a comforting proof that they, simply because they are white, are superior to somebody – assuming, of course, they consider black people to be fully human. It's an insidious and dangerous poison that infects our society and has as long as I can remember. We need a new Generation like these young people to continue the fight for American justice alongside the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sae-trustees-horrible-cancer-entered-oklahoma-university-chapter/

SAE trustees: "Horrible cancer" entered University of Oklahoma chapter
CBS NEWS
March 11, 2015

NORMAN, Okla. -- Leaders and alumni of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at the University of Oklahoma acknowledged Wednesday the racist chant at the center of a firestorm was not new to the chapter.

In a statement released Wednesday evening, the OU chapter's board of trustees said it "has discovered that a horrible cancer entered into the OU chapter of SAE three to four years ago and was not immediately and totally stopped. It should have been."

"We are sincerely remorseful for the pain that this terrible chant has caused and would ask for forgiveness," the statement read.

"For the safety of the students that were involved and the students who were not involved, our desire would be for all parties to begin the healing process," the board of trustees said. "We hope that this despicable situation will forever change an atmosphere that would even allow an incident like this to take place."

The statement comes a day after two students were expelled in connection with a video that surfaced Sunday which showed SAE members chanting a racist song before a fraternity event.

OU President David Boren quickly shut down the fraternity and forced its members to move out of the chapter's house by midnight Tuesday. In addition to the two students who were expelled, the university continues to investigate who else was involved.

Meanwhile, the University of Texas at Austin is investigating rumors that SAE members there used a similar fraternity song.UT Austin president Bill Powers released a statement Wednesday confirming the investigation.

"Our dean of students said Monday she is looking into this matter as is standard practice in such cases," the statement read.

However, the SAE chapter at UT Austin sent out a strong response distancing itself from its OU counterparts calling the song "vindictive" and saying his fraternity brothers were "appalled" by it.

"I would like to clarify that we do not perform this chant or anything remotely close to it for that matter, nor had I, or any active member in our entire chapter, heard of the chant preceding the release of the video containing racial slurs," said chapter president Luke Cone in a statement to CBS News affiliate KEYE.

In the fallout from the incident at OU, the students identified on the video as leading the chant issued apologies Tuesday night.

"I am deeply sorry for what I did Saturday night," freshman Parker Rice said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press and other media outlets by his father. "It was wrong and reckless."

He called the incident "a horrible mistake" and "a devastating lesson" for which he is "seeking guidance on how I can learn from this and make sure it never happens again."

"Yes, the song was taught to us, but that too doesn't work as an explanation. It's more important to acknowledge what I did and what I didn't do. I didn't say 'no.'"

The parents of another student seen on the video, Levi Pettit, released a statement that said he "made a horrible mistake, and will live with the consequences forever."

Pettit's parents, Brody and Susan Pettit, said in a statement posted online that their son "is a good boy, but what we saw in those videos is disgusting."

"We are sad for our son -- but more importantly, we apologize to the community he has hurt," the Pettits said. "We would also like to apologize to the entire African American community, University of Oklahoma student body and administration."




“In a statement released Wednesday evening, the OU chapter's board of trustees said it "has discovered that a horrible cancer entered into the OU chapter of SAE three to four years ago and was not immediately and totally stopped. It should have been." "We are sincerely remorseful for the pain that this terrible chant has caused and would ask for forgiveness," the statement read. "For the safety of the students that were involved and the students who were not involved, our desire would be for all parties to begin the healing process," the board of trustees said. "We hope that this despicable situation will forever change an atmosphere that would even allow an incident like this to take place.".... Meanwhile, the University of Texas at Austin is investigating rumors that SAE members there used a similar fraternity song.UT Austin president Bill Powers released a statement Wednesday confirming the investigation. "Our dean of students said Monday she is looking into this matter as is standard practice in such cases," the statement read.... "I would like to clarify that we do not perform this chant or anything remotely close to it for that matter, nor had I, or any active member in our entire chapter, heard of the chant preceding the release of the video containing racial slurs," said chapter president Luke Cone in a statement to CBS News affiliate KEYE.”

“He called the incident "a horrible mistake" and "a devastating lesson" for which he is "seeking guidance on how I can learn from this and make sure it never happens again." "Yes, the song was taught to us, but that too doesn't work as an explanation. It's more important to acknowledge what I did and what I didn't do. I didn't say 'no.'" This is the key to stopping racist and other cruel bullying and other harm that is too often committed by reasonably well-brought up kids. He has said the key phrase – “I didn't say no.” From the question of whether or not to do drugs as our former first lady said to these group hijinks that go on, we should all “just say no.” The same goes for shoplifting, drinking and driving, and any number of really bad things that middle class, often privileged young people are exposed to as teens and early adults. The things they do are in my opinion downright stupid in most cases, and are very likely to get them in trouble with the law or cause them to be deeply embarrassed if it is found out. This young man is now very sorry. I would like to think this will change the trend of his thinking about life and give him some much needed empathy with other humans, even if they are poor and uneducated. “Love thy neighbor as thyself” means everybody.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-tikrit-isis-victory-just-days-away-shiite-iran-mosul/

Iraqis say victory in Tikrit just days away
CBS/AP
March 12, 2015

TIKRIT, Iraq -- Rockets and mortars echoed across Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit on Thursday as Iraqi security forces clashed with Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants a day after sweeping into the Sunni city north of Baghdad.

Recapturing Tikrit is seen as a key step toward rolling back the extremist group, which seized much of northern and western Iraq last summer and still controls about a third of Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi troops and allied Shiite militiamen entered Tikrit for the first time Wednesday from the north and south. The head of the military operation told The Associated Press on Thursday that troops would launch phase two of the offensive later in the day as they try to reach the city center.

CBS News correspondent Holly Williams was just five miles from Tikrit on Thursday, in a town to the south called al-Dour. The town was in ISIS hands less than a week ago, but Williams said the residents had largely fled and there were only a few Iraqi fighters left there.

Iraqi commanders told Williams they were working to retake Tikrit street-by-street, and they expect to have completed the job in a matter of days. But they're being slowed down by roadside bombs and suicide bombers deployed by the ISIS militants.

One of the commanders in al-Dour told Williams there were 500 roadside bombs discovered in the town in the course of one day.

Iraqi officials said there could be as few as 200 ISIS fighters left in Tikrit, and the Iraqi forces number more than 20,000. Some of them are government soldiers, others are local tribesman, but virtually all of them are Shiite Muslims -- many with direct links to and support from neighboring Iran.

There are Iranian officers in the field as part of the offensive, and that's fueled fears in the U.S. of increasing Iranian influence in Iraq. The overt Iranian role and the prominence of Shiite militias in the campaign have raised fears inside Iraq of possible sectarian cleansing should Tikrit, an overwhelmingly Sunni city, fall to the government troops and their Shiite allies.

Iraqi officials insist the Iranians are only advisers, and they've told CBS News they will take any help they can get to defeat ISIS.

Tikrit, the capital of Salahuddin province, sits on the Tigris River about 80 miles north of Baghdad. Several of Saddam's palaces remain there, and supporters of the deceased dictator are believed to have played a key role in ISIS' seizure of the city last year.

In an interview with The Associated Press on the front line, Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi said he expected security forces to reach the center of Tikrit within three to four days. The operation to retake Tikrit is "essential to opening a corridor for security forces to move from the south to Mosul," he said, referring to Iraq's second-largest city and the militants' biggest stronghold in the country.

He described the operation as "100% Iraqi, from the air and ground."

Military officials told the AP they are advancing with caution in an effort to limit damage to the city's infrastructure, so that residents can return quickly once Tikrit is retaken.

Earlier Thursday, al-Obeidi visited troops and met with senior military commanders of the Tikrit operation as well as Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

The U.S.-allied coalition carrying out airstrikes targeting the extremists has not been involved in the ongoing Tikrit offensive. Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has appealed for more aid for his country's beleaguered ground forces, though the U.S. spent billions of dollars training and equipping Iraq's army during its eight-year occupation.




“Iraqi officials said there could be as few as 200 ISIS fighters left in Tikrit, and the Iraqi forces number more than 20,000. Some of them are government soldiers, others are local tribesman, but virtually all of them are Shiite Muslims -- many with direct links to and support from neighboring Iran. .There are Iranian officers in the field as part of the offensive, and that's fueled fears in the U.S. of increasing Iranian influence in Iraq. The overt Iranian role and the prominence of Shiite militias in the campaign have raised fears inside Iraq of possible sectarian cleansing should Tikrit, an overwhelmingly Sunni city, fall to the government troops and their Shiite allies....The U.S.-allied coalition carrying out airstrikes targeting the extremists has not been involved in the ongoing Tikrit offensive.”

I wonder why we are not providing air support for the Iraqi army and militias? Did Congress decide that, or did Obama? The sooner ISIS is defeated the better.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/high-speed-rail-could-get-new-train-routes-california-texas/

Laying tracks for high-speed rail in the U.S.
CBS NEWS
March 12, 2015

Compared to Japan, which just opened the newest section of its high-speed rail network, the concept has struggled to catch on in the U.S.

The White House unveiled its vision for new train corridors in 2009, but so far there's been little progress. Finally, though, plans to start laying the tracks for a faster future are afoot, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues.

The Bullet Train in Japan covers 320 miles in just 2 hours and 25 minutes, traveling at close to 190 mph. Amtrak's Acela trains can reach only about 150 mph, but now there are high-speed rail projects underway in the U.S. that will boost that top speed by 50 mph.

Within six years, Texas developers are promising a link between Dallas Fort Worth and Houston at 205 mph. In California, another project hopes to bring a 200 mph system linking cities including San Francisco and Los Angeles by 2028.

Texas Central High-Speed Railway CEO and Chairman Richard Lawless believes payoff is just down the tracks.

"Once the system is up and operating, people will appreciate its efficiency, its safety and its dependability, and that's what we have to do here; we have to demonstrate that this system can work in the United States," Lawless said.

Chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority Dan Richard said his state has three of the five busiest Amtrak routes.

"We know that there's a tremendous potential for ridership," he said.

Over the years, high-speed rail initiatives in the U.S. have typically not gone very far.

Between 2009 and 2010 alone, three projects in Florida, Wisconsin and Ohio failed when their funding was cut.

"That's an example of one that has turned into a real boondoggle," California Rep. Jeff Denham said.

Denham represents one of the California districts through which the planned system will travel, and says the $68 billion price tag is a waste of money.

"There aren't ridership numbers to be able to balance the project, and there also aren't private investors willing to invest in it because there will not be profit if you don't have ridership," Denham said.

The Texas project is being funded privately, but it too is facing growing opposition that could stop it in its tracks.

A state representative has proposed legislation that would require elected officials in every city and every county to approve the project.

Cattle ranchers like Rhonda Page Jordan are against it.

"It's not feasible, it's not reasonable, and it's not necessary," Jordan said.

She owns land near Houston that's been in her family for more than 130 years. The high-speed rail line could force them to move.

"Anyone in the United States, and perhaps the world, looks at the state of Texas, and they see cows, cowboy boots, horses and people that farm and ranch," Jordan said. "If they were to try to take Texas Central Railway right through this property, they're going to destroy the very thing that makes Texas the great state it is."

For both projects, it's taken years to get to this point, but they remain on track. In California, where the population is expected to reach 46 million by 2035, high-speed rail is seen as a solution to its growing transportation needs.




“The White House unveiled its vision for new train corridors in 2009, but so far there's been little progress. Finally, though, plans to start laying the tracks for a faster future are afoot, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues.... Within six years, Texas developers are promising a link between Dallas Fort Worth and Houston at 205 mph. In California, another project hopes to bring a 200 mph system linking cities including San Francisco and Los Angeles by 2028....

“Between 2009 and 2010 alone, three projects in Florida, Wisconsin and Ohio failed when their funding was cut.” Who cut the budget, the Republicans, possibly because it was Obama's pet project and not theirs? California Rep. Jeff Denham has called it a boondoggle, which doesn't have the needed ridership to make a profit and attract private investors. The Texas project is also not a sure thing. A rancher is quoted as saying, "It's not feasible, it's not reasonable, and it's not necessary." She also fears that building the project would interfere with her land and ranch. I will clip other articles on this as I find them.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/when-a-social-media-strategy-backfires-in-a-big-way/

Apartment complex vs. social media: Guess who wins?
By AIMEE PICCHI MONEYWATCH
March 11, 2015

Rule No. 1 of social media: Don't threaten to fine people for expressing their opinions on social media.

That's what an apartment building in Florida discovered this week with its "social media addendum" for would-be tenants. The one-page form told applicants for a unit at Windermere Cay that they would be liable for a $10,000 fine if they posted negative reviews of the building on social media sites. The addendum also told applicants that any photographs they took of the complex would become the property of the building's owner.

Yet while Americans may be prone to neglect the fine points of user agreements, they're quite good at social media, as Windermere Cay found after a tenant at the property showed the addendum to Ars Technica. Soon, the property's ham-fisted attempt to control its image on social media backfired, with the addendum spreading across Twitter and other social media sites.

The end result? Windermere Cay is now receiving a windfall of negative comments, with bystanders calling it "totalitarian" and a "bully."

Ironically, Windermere Cay appears perfectly aware of the damaging impact social media can have on a brand. The complex cited what it called a "growing trend in the commercial multifamily apartment leasing industry" for tenants to write "unjustified and defamatory reviews." The addendum notes that such postings can "cripple a business."

If Windermere Cay has been crippled, the wounds are self-inflicted. On top of the $10,000 fine for breaking the addendum, applicants are told that all their photos of the property and its apartments are owned by the building's owners. That could mean that snapshots of a tenant's birthday party held in their apartment, at least in the building owner's view, could be seen as the property of Windermere Cay.

Windermere Cay told Ars Technica that the policy was added "by a previous general partner for the community following a series of false reviews. The current general partner and property management do not support the continued use of this addendum and have voided it for all residents."

That step probably doesn't matter, given that the addendum is actually unenforceable, Santa Clara University Law Professor Eric Goldman told Ars Technica.

In the end, the addendum certainly didn't help Windermere Cay earn better reviews on Yelp, where the apartment complex earns just one out of five stars, with many objecting to the contract. While many of the reviewers don't apparently live there, several said they plan to stay away from the complex because of the attempt to control free speech.

Of course, Windermere Cay isn't the first organization to see its social media strategy backfire. Take last year's social media campaign from the New York Police Department, which asked residents to post photos of cops. The Internet responded with pictures of police wielding weapons and making arrests, rather than the warm-and-fuzzy snapshots it was undoubtedly hoping for.




“Yet while Americans may be prone to neglect the fine points of user agreements, they're quite good at social media, as Windermere Cay found .after a tenant at the property showed the addendum to Ars Technica. Soon, the property's ham-fisted attempt to control its image on social media backfired, with the addendum spreading across Twitter and other social media sites. The end result? Windermere Cay is now receiving a windfall of negative comments, with bystanders calling it "totalitarian" and a "bully.".... Of course, Windermere Cay isn't the first organization to see its social media strategy backfire. Take last year's social media campaign from the New York Police Department, which asked residents to post photos of cops. The Internet responded with pictures of police wielding weapons and making arrests, rather than the warm-and-fuzzy snapshots it was undoubtedly hoping for.”

When bullies try to change their reputation in this age of instant communication, it clearly can backfire. It's like the 47 Senators and the infamous letter to Iran – such things are unfair, illegal and doomed to failure. The writer of the Iran letter Tom Cotton has had nothing but criticism so far. Of course, they will have to do a survey of Americans to find out what John Q Public has to say.