When it comes to language, how does it relate to reality? Signs, sense, reference, definite descriptions or denoting phrases, definite & indefinite articles. This video will explore all of these concepts and is itself a sign referring to the famous Frege/Russell debate about Sense & Reference.
Works Cited: Frege, Gottlob. “On Sense and Nominatum (1892).” The Philosophy of Language, edited by Aloysius Martinich, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 1990, pp. 190–202.
Russell, Bertrand. “On Denoting (1905).” The Philosophy of Language, edited by Aloysius Martinich, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 1990, pp. 203–211.
Russell, Bertrand. “Descriptions (1919).” The Philosophy of Language, edited by Aloysius Martinich, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 1990, pp. 212–218.
The insufferable Sheriff Jon Sandage has announced he will not be seeking re-election for a third term in 2022. Sheriff Sandage was first elected in 2014. He came to the decision after “after extensive thought and discussions with family.
“I have had the honor of serving the citizens of McLean County for 30 years, the last 6 and a half as sheriff, in one of the best departments in the state of Illinois. This decision has not been an easy one as there are still many challenges ahead for our department, and I will face them with the same dedication and vigor as I have throughout my career. I am proud of the progress we have made in my two terms as Sheriff, and this has only been possible because of all the dedicated people I work with.
“I would like to thank my family and friends for their continued support, the citizens for their faith and trust in me and our department, my staff for their hard work and professionals, but most of all, I want to thank my wife and children who have sacrificed in order to allow me to pursue the profession I love.”
This clause in the Bloomington Police Department union contract is causing concern.
According to interim-Chief Gregg Scott & City Manager Tim Gleason, nothing in the contract would prevent a co-responder model. This means crisis teams would be the first responders on the scene along with police officers. But, we don’t want co-responder models. We want these crisis teams responding without police presence, because the mere presence of a police officer is itself an escalation of any situation.
Interim-BPD Police Chief Gregg Scott (Left); City Manager Tim Gleason (Right)
We want the norm to be that individuals experiencing a mental health crisis are not considered a threat to public safety. By having crisis teams be the first responders on the scene (without police), they can determine whether an individual is only a threat to their own health (i.e., we treat this as a health care issue); or, if they do in fact present a larger threat to public safety. If it is the latter situation, then the crisis team can request police assistance to help resolve the conflict. But, treating these mental health crisis as instances requiring health care and/or social welfare is the norm we want to see in society.
Assistant Chief Wamsley, Interim-Chief Scott, and City Manager Gleason all made very clear in the way they framed the conversation that a non-co-responder model could very likely be a violation of Article 20 of the union contract. The PBPA’s membership mainly lives outside the city limits, doesn’t pay property taxes, and can’t even vote for the elected officials their bargaining with. If PBPA did file an Article 20 grievance against the City of Bloomington for implementing crisis teams without initial assistance from police, they would be sending the message that they–and not the tax paying residents of Bloomington–should be in charge of how the City spends and prioritizes its resources; and they should be in charge of how the community chooses to democratically address its own social problems.
CESSA would create an alternative response to the police for most nonviolent, noncriminal calls for service. CESSA stresses that just because an individual is only a threat to themselves this does NOT constitute a threat to public safety. Finally, CESSA is designed so that incarceration, institutionalization, or in anyway restricting a person’s freedom is the last resort in resolving a situation. CESSA is a non-co-responder model. Crisis teams under CESSA would be the first responders on the scene and have authority over the situation to best determine the needs of the individual in crisis, and to be able to determine based on their own experience how best to provide help and not harm.
I’ve got a new, professional logo and have spent some time completely changing the themes of the website. Please leave a comment on what you like about the new site. Love & Liberation!
Special thanks to Soulcraze for all his hard work and numerous rewrites. If you need graphic design work, definitely check him out.
“Mythology tells of how the victories of giants have gradually been forgotten and buried, of the twilight of the gods, of how heroes were wounded or died, and of how kings fell asleep in inaccessible caves. We also have the theme of rights and privileges of the earliest race, which were flouted by cunning invaders, the theme of the war that is still going on in secret, of the plot that has to be revived so as to rekindle that war and to drive out the invaders or enemies; the theme of the famous battle that will take place tomorrow, that will at last invert the relationship of force, and transform the vanquished into victors who will know and show no mercy. Throughout the whole of the Middle Ages, and even later, the theme of perpetual war will be related to the great, undying hope that the day of revenge is at hand, to the expectation of the emperor of the last years, the dux novus, the new leader, the new guide, the new Fuhrer; the idea of the 5th monarchy, the third empire, the third Reich, the man who will be both the beat of the Apocalypse and the savior of the poor. It’s the return of Alexander, who got lost in India; the return expected for so long in England, of Edward the Confessor; it’s the two Fredericks—Barbarossa and Frederick the second—waiting in their caves for their people and their empires to reawaken; it’s Charlemagne sleeping in his tomb, and who will wake up to revive the just war; it’s the king of Portugal, lost in the sands of Africa, returning for a new battle and a new war which, this time, will lead to a final, definitive victory.” – Michel Foucault
