Odds and Links

Digby reminds us that no, ISIS in Iraq is not an existential threat to America and that the 21st century should have taught us that we can’t simply shape the world to our will.
•More on the militarized approach to policing America’s streets. Though even in calmer situations, cops shoot people whom they insist were uncontrollably violent and dangerous. Which I’ve heard too often to believe, especially given how touchy cops are about anyone catching them on video. Which as Consumerist says is legal. Oh, and here’s alicublog on the right-wing response (cops gunning down black people is Obama’s fault!)
•A discussion of the “sharing economy” represented by Uber and similar companies, and the assumption it’s both going to pep up the economy if we just don’t regulate it and that it represents some deep emotional connection between customer and service provider.