Saturday, June 28, 2014

Slow Saturday Special: Mississippi Steeped in Suicide

The official story tastes real sour!

"Tea Party official charged in Miss. photo case dies" Associated Press   June 28, 2014

RIDGELAND, Miss. — A Tea Party official charged with conspiring to take photos of US Senator Thad Cochran’s wife inside a nursing home apparently committed suicide Friday, police said, days after Cochran won a nasty Republican primary.

The body of attorney Mark Mayfield was found Friday morning in the garage of his home in a gated community outside Jackson. A gun was found nearby, Ridgeland Police Chief Jimmy Houston said. Houston said Mayfield had been shot, and a suicide note was found at the scene.

‘‘Everything we see so far, this appears to be a suicide,’’ Houston said.

Mayfield had faced a conspiracy charge, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for a conviction. He also faced the loss of his law license if convicted. Three other men also were arrested last month and face various charges of conspiring to photograph Rose Cochran in the nursing home where she has lived since 2001 with dementia. The Cochran family said she has lost the ability to speak and is receiving hospice care.

Police said conservative blogger Clayton Thomas Kelly of Pearl photographed the 72-year-old without permission on Easter Sunday. The photos were later used in an anti-Cochran political video posted briefly online during the Republican primary.

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Honestly, this doesn't seem like something someone commits suicide over. Looks like someone took out a vital link in a chain.

"Funding OK’d for suicide barrier at Golden Gate Bridge" by Sudhin Thanawala and Terry Collins | Associated Press   June 28, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge moved a big step closer to getting an oft-debated suicide barrier after bridge officials Friday approved a $76 million funding package for a net system that would prevent people from jumping to their deaths.

The bridge district’s board of directors voted unanimously in favor of the funding for a steel suicide net. The funding sources are $20 million in bridge toll revenue, $49 million in federal money, and $7 million from the state.

A tearful Dan Barks of Napa, who lost his son, Donovan, to suicide on the bridge in 2008, said after the vote that he was almost speechless. ‘‘A lot of people have done so much incredible work to get this accomplished,’’ he said.

He rose from his knees and shared a tearful embrace with Sue Story of Rocklin, whose son Jacob jumped off the bridge in 2010.

‘‘We did it, Dan! We did it! It’s no longer the Bridge of Death anymore,’’ she said.

At least some of the money still requires additional approval. The bridge’s board, however, has now taken its final step in adopting the net.

‘‘The tragedy of today is that we can’t go back in time, we can’t save . . . the people who jumped off the bridge. But the good thing, with this vote today, we can vote in their memory,’’ board member Janet Reilly said.

The Golden Gate Bridge, with its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, has long been a destination for people seeking to end their lives. Since it opened in 1937, more than 1,400 people have plunged to their deaths, including a record 46 suicides last year, officials said.

Officials have been discussing a suicide barrier on the bridge for decades. The bridge’s board voted in 2008 to install a stainless steel net, rejecting other options, including raising the 4-foot-high railings.

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Also see: It's a Wonderful Bridge 

Until you hit the water.

"Father of Calif. shooter wants to help stop mass killings | Associated Press   June 28, 2014

LOS ANGELES — The father of the young man who killed six people and injured 13 others near the University of California, Santa Barbara, last month says it’s his ‘‘duty’’ to help prevent future mass killings.

In a letter provided to ABC News on Friday, Peter Rodger said he wants to help people recognize warning signs of mental illness within families.

He said his son, Elliot, hid his sickness from his parents, mental health professionals, and law enforcement. In hindsight, the father said, he is beginning to understand there are traits, or ‘‘markers,’’ that family members can look out for in loved ones.

‘‘My duty now is to do as much as I can to try and stop this from happening again,’’ the elder Rodger wrote. ‘‘It will be a long journey involving the personal choices of individuals and families, public discussions, mental health reforms, a change in the culture — you name it. My sincere hope is that I can help by telling my story.’’

He said he has created a website — AskForHelp.org — with resources on mental illness and a place to share stories.

‘‘My simple message is, if in doubt about a family member, please ask for help,’’ he wrote.

Elliot Rodger died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound after the May 23 rampage. He killed six UC Santa Barbara students.

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Related: Santa Barbara Shooting Another Staged and Scripted Hoax? 

It is appearing so, yeah. 

Directed by dad?