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We Are Not Alone

Outside Outrage

We're not the only ones who are outraged - here are some outside outrages that caught our eye!

Are Your Kids Safe From Predators At School?
The short answer is no. Ohio schools are 100% immune from any liability if any school employee or volunteer molests your child at school, on the bus, a field trip, or anywhere on a school function.
Dell Lies Exposed
Dell technicians refuse to honor warranty and blatantly lie about "spill damage."
Mentally and Physically Disabled Man Locked in Bus Overnight
Bus driver Linda Hockaday was late for church, that's her excuse for locking a man with the capacity of a two year old inside a bus and leaving him there in the bitter cold for 19 hours while his family searched for him.
Boy falls from bridge, breaks back, then tasered by cops!
Teenage boy on the ground with a broken back is tased up to 19 times to "get him under control" and "keep him from getting hurt", delaying emergency surgery by two days.
Keeping America Safe from...Australians
Internet dating at its worst leads to detention and deportation.
And You Thought Tasers Were Bad...
Instead of using Taser guns, police in Nashville (and other cities) now inject "unruly" subjects with an amnesia-inducing sedative. That's legal, right?
Big Bad Texas Cop Murders Teacup Poodle
“Chill out, it’s just a dog, you can buy another one.”
NYPD's 'Operation Sentinel' To Track EVERYTHING
NYC is going to install cameras to track EVERY vehicle that enters Manhattan.
Unlikely Suspect Charged With Murder
A young man is in jail for murder because he defended his home. Now the prosecutor wants to up the charges to seek the death penalty against him.
No Cancer Treatment For You!
Immigration authorities allegedly denied a man treatment for cancer saying that a biopsy is an "elective procedure."
Cut the Drama
Is our biggest problem not being able to post anything we want, anywhere we want? Honestly. I hope so.
4-Year-Olds Handcuffed
These little criminals refused to take a nap.

Recent Outrage

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Submission Guidelines

What We're Looking For:

Rational Outrage is a place to point out the inanity, injustice and sometimes simple stupidity of the world around us. It's NOT a place for ranting, name-calling or speculation, though. Every article published by Rational Outrage must be well-researched and factually presented. We call it like it is, but we DON'T embellish the drama of a piece by gratuitously throwing around hot-button terminology and tangentially related "what's next" speculation. We are, however, very interested in the realistic ramifications of laws, legal decisions, corporate policies and the like...especially those that might not be immediately obvious to the average person.

As with most publications, the best way to understand what we’re looking for is to read Rational Outrage.

The typical Rational Outrage article will be 400-600 words long, though in some cases we will accept longer pieces.

We are accepting submissions for the following categories:

Legal Outrage: Bad statutes, bad court decisions, rulings that just don’t make sense.

Cultural Outrage: What’s going on in the world around us and part of our culture and everyday lives that’s hurting us all—or some sector of us, anyway.

Earthly Outrage: You don’t have to be an environmental activist to realize that some wastes, pollutions and simple carelessnesses do more harm than their motivation can possibly justify.

Political Outrage: Politicians and candidates alike are providing plenty of fodder for this section at the moment, but it doesn’t end there. Volunteers and voters can be just as outrageous.

Just Plain Stupid: Got an outrage that otherwise fits the guidelines but doesn’t fit any of the categories above? Try us out anyway!

Junior Outrage: The opportunity for students aged 12-16 to share what’s outraging THEM in school, organizations or society at large.

Rational Outrage does NOT accept submissions for "One Minute Outrage". One Minute Outrage pieces are created by our editors based on published articles.

Formatting Your Submission:

Rational Outrage accepts submissions via email only, to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please include a brief bio, your contact information, and the entire text of your submission within the body of the email. Unsolicited attachments will not be opened.

Payment and Publication Terms:

Rational Outrage pays for published articles at rates to be negotiated on the basis of the quality of the article, author credentials, research required and any other factor that may impact the value of the piece to Rational Outrage. Rational Outrage purchases exclusive rights for thirty (30) days after publication, and non-exclusive electronic rights in perpetuity. Rational Outrage reserves the right to use portions of any published article in marketing and/or publicity materials. Should we use your full article in a print publication, you will receive an additional payment equal to the original payment.

Payment will be made by Paypal within ten days of publication. If you opt not to receive your payment via Paypal, you may request a check, which will be mailed to you within 45 days of publication.

Submission to Rational Outrage and acceptance of payment constitutes acceptance of these terms and authorization to publish your work as set forth above, and warrants that you are the sole copyright holder of the work submitted.

Rational Outrage does not pay for "Outside Outrage" submissions. We are, however, always happy to hear from our readers about outside articles we should be bringing into the public eye. If you see an article you think we should spotlight, please email the link to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Writer
written by Bob Ecker, October 13, 2009

Dear Editor:

Bob Ecker, SF Bay Area based writer/editor, SATW member and former President of the BATW saying hello. I enjoy your site and have various "rational outrage" pieces to offer.

However, your guidliens do not stste any payment amounts. Please let me know what you are offering. Thanks.

My work has been published in countless magazines, newspapers and websites worldwide. (See list below) I enjoy brainstorming in a team environment but work well independently. My baseball knowledge/history is another asset I can bring to your organization. Additionally, I am well known and respected by national as well as San Francisco Bay Area media circles.

I look forward to speaking with you about potential contributions. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Bob Ecker
Writer/Editor/Photographer
NPPA, SATW Active Member
6430 Gordon Valley Road
Napa, CA 94558
tel: 707-421-1701
cel: 707-771-0911
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

My work has appeared in numerous publications including:

Magazines:

Decanter Magazine, (England)
Wine Enthusiast Magazine,
Wine Business Monthly,
The Wine Report,
Imbibe,
Ventana,
Fine Living Magazine,
San Diego Magazine,
The Travel Channel,
Palladium, (England)
Going Places Magazine,
Luxury Living Magazine,
Smart Meetings,
H Monthly,
Enroute, (Canada)
The Walrus Magazine, (Canada)
TNT Magazine, (England)
Traveller Magazine, (England)
Resort Living Magazine,
Los Angeles Magazine,
Postcards Magazine,
Spirit of Aloha Magazine,
Modern Luxury Group,
My Midwest,
Islands

Newspapers:

San Francisco Chronicle,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
Santa Rosa Press Democrat,
Boston Globe,
Boston Herald,
New York Daily News,
Newsday,
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Sun-Times,

Miami Herald,
St. Petersburg Times,
Dallas Morning News,
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram,
Detroit Free Press,
Providence Journal,
Sydney Morning Herald, (Australia)
Toronto Globe & Mail, (Canada)
Toronto Sun, (Canada)
Sojourn, (Singapore)
and many others...

Carol of the Inconsequential
written by Carol Pierce, October 25, 2009

I really like the categories of this site. It is sorely needed! But the submission guidelines leave something to be desired. If this were a truly egalitarian site compensation would be based on content, not pedigree. Quantity isn't quality, and in the end content is all that matters.

Actually, Carol...
written by Tiffany, October 25, 2009

if it were a "truly egalitarian" site, then compensation would be uniform regardless of quantity, quality, pedigree or any other factor. And, in fact, we'd have to accept anything submitted. Fortunately, it's not an egalitarian site at all. It's one with fairly high standards. As I frequently mention in calls for submissions, we don't care in the slightest about an author's publishing history--but I'm certainly willing to pay for subject matter expertise, since it can enhance the quality and credibility of the content.

...
written by Carol Pierce, October 25, 2009

That's a great answer! Thanks. Don't misunderstand me, I really like the site.
Carol

Many Job Offers
written by Gina Dent, November 01, 2009

GoTo:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/glifetime

Arts Writer & Reviewer
written by Diana Farias, November 14, 2009

Hello.
My most recent article, which I'd like to submit to your site, was published in a local paper. Do you every publish articles that have already appeared in another publication and if so, would you pay something for it?
Thank you.
Diana

Rational Outrage- Where are you?
written by Carley, January 27, 2010

Hello! Just wondering if Rational Outrage is operated out of a particular city, and if so, which one?

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One Minute Outrage - Political

Issue: Nations around the world join forces to put an end to the use of cluster bombs because of the high incidence of civilian injury and death--sometimes long after the conflict is over. But the United States, like Russia, China and Israel, refuses to sign the treaty.

Impact: The United States further abdicates the role of world leader, while still clinging stubbornly to the title. The continued use of cluster bombs is bad enough, but far worse is the message to the world that force by any means necessary is the way to go--and the path to be chosen by the largest and most powerful nations on earth.

Read More: US Joins China and Russia in Rejecting Cluster Bomb Ban

One Minute Outrage - Earthly

Issue: A blind couple is prosecuted for employing a commonly accepted method of composting in their own garden.

Impact: Your tax dollars at work making life difficult for people with the audacity to grow vegetables--and an apparent legal preference for chemical fertilizers over organic matter that might actually help the environment.

Read More: Gardener Threatens Public Safety with Compost

One Minute Outrage - Legal

Issue: Police departments in major cities across the country aren't content to arrest self-made criminals, but have decided to hit the streets and see whether they can create some more.

Impact: Time and tax dollars poured into sting operations designed to test ordinary people and create crimes that would never have been; meanwhile, who's minding the store? Hundreds of thousands of unserved felony warrants lie inactive across the country while police experiment in subways, department stores and on streetcorners.

Read More: Make Your Own Criminal – It's So Much Easier than Chasing the Real Ones

One Minute Outrage - Cultural

Issue: A disabled child is left to die by a negligent mother, and the people charged with her protection stand by and let it happen; sadly, Danieal Kelly is only one example of the wide-ranging failure of the systems that are supposed to keep our children safe.

Impact: The impact on this particular child was a slow and painful death, and she is not alone. Right now, as you're reading this, other children are living in similar circumstances; other parents and caseworkers are ignoring their needs and waiting for someone else to do something. The most helpless among us will not survive unless we all step up and do our part--and insist that others do theirs.

Read More: Disabled Child Left to Die by Mother, Social Workers

Sex Offender Registration / Residency Restrictions Do More Harm than Good

sex offender registration

Fifteen years ago, the mother of a kidnapping victim had a good idea--an idea that made a lot of sense. That idea involved the creation of a registry for use by law enforcement to track child molesters. Soon other states got on the bandwagon, and the classes of crime included in the registries mushroomed. Then those registries were shared with the public, voluntarily or under legal mandate. And then the public found out that there were sex offenders down the block (never mind that those "sex offenders" might have urinated outdoors after too much to drink late one night or had sexual relationships with girlfriends just a few years younger than themselves after they'd crossed the line into adulthood), and we didn't like it. New state laws cropped up across the country restricting where convicted sex offenders could live, and now, we're finally seeing the fruits of those frantic efforts. States are spending tens of millions of dollars to attempt to keep convicted sex offenders in stable places where they can be tracked, and losing the battled. Homelessness has skyrocketed among convicted sex offenders, and with it, the rate of recidivism.

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