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Sunday Open Thread: Olympics, Superbowl, and Everything Else

By Jeralyn, Section Colorado News
Posted on Sun Feb 13, 2022 at 03:16:43 PM EST
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It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon here. The Olympics are ongoing, and most of the country will be watching the Superbowl.

And then there's Donald Trump. Nixon had his plumbers, he had a plunger.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    Sunday Open Thread: Olympics, Superbowl, and Everything Else | 202 comments (202 topical)
    Glad to see you back, J (5.00 / 5) (#3)
    by Peter G on Sun Feb 13, 2022 at 06:20:42 PM EST
    Some of us were worried about you.

    And, (5.00 / 3) (#12)
    by KeysDan on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 11:28:54 AM EST
    Happy Valentine's Day Jeralyn and TL colleagues.

    Parent
    Thanks to both of you (5.00 / 2) (#21)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 12:55:34 AM EST
    I am fine. I just went "off-grid" for a few weeks to organize and structure my life a little better.
    Working from home for two years seems to have eliminated the distinction between my work and personal time, and I've always tried to blog on my personal time. But now that work (emails, court notices, reading case discovery, drafting and reading pleadings) happens 24/7, it's hard to find any personal time.  

    Also, many nights, all I want to do is read, rather than write, and my reading interests don't always align with topics that are a good fit here. Example: I read this article about the death of Magawa, the famous 8 year giant rat who was one of many giant rats trained to detect land mines in southeast Asia, and ended up spending hours reading about the charity that trains and provides the rats and land mines. After which I decided not to write about it because it really doesn't fit here.

    Or this weekend, I was reading the transcript of a recent Ezra Klein podcast with a guest who has a leading book on attention (as in paying attention), and it was 34 pages. I am not a podcast listener as I find the audio to be an intrusion on my thoughts. But because there was a transcript, I read the whole 34 pages. I never knew there were 3 phases of attention (just as there are three phases of memory, but different). At the end the expert discussed how parents and educators are robbing our kids of the ability to develop and grow their attention, because we never let them play outside without adult supervision like we used to do when we were kids.

    The other thing I learned is that I'm not crazy to resist texting for work. I don't text with clients for a lot of reasons, but one big one is that I'm always doing something else when that text chime arrives. It is so distracting. And in Ezra's transcript, the expert says:

    If you're interrupted, it takes you on average 23 minutes to get back to the level of focus you had before you were interrupted. But most of us never get 23 minutes to spare, so we're constantly operating at this diminished level of brainpower. If you receive text messages, it diminishes your brainpower for the main thing you're trying to focus on by 30 percent. That's a staggering amount of brainpower and attention that most of us are hemorrhaging most of the time at the moment.

    He says multi-tasking is really a misnomer. The scientific term is the "switching effect". Lab experiments have shown that the human brain can only consciously think about one or two things at a time. That's it. So, all multi-taskers are doing is switching between tasks, not accomplishing much.

    But what's happened is we've fallen for a mass delusion. The average teenager, according to Professor Larry Rosen's research, now believes they can follow six or seven forms of media at the same time. So what happens when scientists get people into labs is they get them to think they're doing more than one thing at a time.

    And what they discover is you're not. What you're doing is you're very rapidly juggling between your tasks. You're going from, what did it say on WhatsApp, what's this on Netflix, what's that notification I just got? You're switching, switching, switching.

    Of course, your consciousness papers over this. It feels like you're doing them at the same time. And it turns out that comes with a really big cost. The technical term for that is the switch cost effect. When you try and do more than one thing at a time, you will do all the things you're trying to do much less competently.

    Anyway, I found the entire discussion really interesting, but I didn't think about writing a post about it because it just doesn't really have anything to do with politics or crime.

    But I'm getting over the "writer's block" as may be evident by this long comment.

    Happy Valentine's Day to all of you.

    Parent

    I've always believed that ... (none / 0) (#52)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Feb 16, 2022 at 01:38:22 PM EST
    ... people's self-perceived capacity to multi-task only underscores their ability to do several things half-a$$ed simultaneously. It's nice to see some evidence and research supporting my contention.

    Now, while I may be smarter than your average bear, I'm also quite cognizant of my own limitations, particularly my tendency to be easily distracted by other interests and let my mind wander rather than focus on the task at hand.

    (I fear that if I were ever part of a study on attention spans, the findings in my case might read in part, "Subject really likes shiny objects - a lot.")

    Much of my own work is research- and writing-intensive, and so I have to mute my phone and turn off all media when I'm concentrating, especially when I'm on deadline.

    I'm also glad to see that I'm not the only one who dislikes text messaging at work. I mean, what better way is there for the respective parties to take five-plus minutes to say something that could otherwise be conveyed in a 60-second phone call?

    I hope everyone is doing well. Stay safe. Aloha.

    Parent

    I've been felling like podcasts are putting too (none / 0) (#81)
    by ruffian on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 11:01:18 PM EST
    many voices in my head. They have kind of taken over the time I used for listening to music. On one hand, I played mostly the same music over and over, and at least I learn new things with podcasts, but on the other hand as you say it was easier to have my own thoughts going on when I listened to music. On the third hand my own thoughts are mostly worrying about crap, so maybe that's why I need the other voices.

    I've heard some of those studies about attention and since then have been trying to cut down on the attempted multitasking at work. If they are paying me to be on a telecon I should sit there and participate in the telecon. But gees it is hard not to try to do something else at the same time.  I miss in person meetings for that reason.  I do notice when my attention is just so scattered from being interrupted I actually feel sick.

    Parent

    I'm glad I'm not (5.00 / 1) (#116)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Feb 19, 2022 at 02:11:18 PM EST
    the only one. I'm thinking of changing the disclaimer for my legal emails from the standard "This is privileged, yada yada" to

    "Before sending me an email or text message, please know it will result in an interruption in my thought processes and that studies show it will take me an average of 23 minutes to get back to the level of focus I had before the interruption"

    Parent

    Larry Rosen (none / 0) (#118)
    by ladybug on Sun Feb 20, 2022 at 08:08:06 AM EST
    recently retired from the school where I teach and his work has been an inspiration to me for a while. The negative effects of technology are especially clear to teachers who deal with students daily and can see marked changes in students' attention and reading habits. But the most crucial time for development is in the early school years and it looks like the fact of lockdowns and masks over these two years is going to add to the problem. Hopefully when the younger workforce takes over they will be smarter how to deal with it than we currently are.  

    Parent
    K12 teachers had no training (5.00 / 1) (#119)
    by Towanda on Sun Feb 20, 2022 at 03:05:39 PM EST
    and little time, like two to three days, to go online. I witnessed this with my daughter and three other famiky members in four different districts with different challenges. It was nuts.

    I had taught online (part of my courseload, so other courses in classrooms) for ten yers at the college level, with training, so immediately sent them resources. Their school districts did not.

    I never see criticisms of online teaching in the pandemic that include the factors of no training or prep time. Online teaching can be very effective, even at the elementary level, as we know from districts that have online schooling for students with disabilities and others.

    We are not at all preparing for the next pandemic by ignoring the importance of training teachers for it. And schools boards and administrAtors nd parents and others who can only criticize.

    Parent

    So true! (5.00 / 1) (#121)
    by ladybug on Sun Feb 20, 2022 at 04:47:07 PM EST
    I have just finished two years of emergency online teaching and can contest to the confusion and inadequacy. I have been conducting my classes on Zoom, with no training but we do try to help one another, and it got better with time. I can only imagine how much worse at the K12 level, and parents were witnessing the inadequacy as well. Hopefully we are turning the corner with the pandemic.

    Parent
    I meant attest to, not contest! (none / 0) (#122)
    by ladybug on Sun Feb 20, 2022 at 04:51:30 PM EST


    Parent
    My current doctoral work at UCLA ... (5.00 / 1) (#124)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Feb 21, 2022 at 04:40:56 PM EST
    ... is conducted entirely online. I have to admit, it took some getting used to. But it makes sense, and has further given me the opportunity to pursue my doctorate without having to relocate temporarily to L.A.

    Here on the Big Island, when the schools were shuttered and the directive was given to shift to distance learning, about 35% of our public school students went off-radar because they didn't have the online technology and resources at home that were necessary to make the transition to an online curriculum.

    Further, most of our island's population is rural and internet access was sporadic to poor in those locales. The State spent a good deal of CARES Act funding on the purchase of laptops for students and the expansion of web access.

    Was yours a similar experience in Wisconsin?

    Parent

    I have to admit that there were perks with (5.00 / 1) (#126)
    by ladybug on Mon Feb 21, 2022 at 08:54:04 PM EST
    the online teaching for the professors and for the academically-prepared students. It was the more disadvantaged students who had more difficulties, some of which you mentioned, but I think the geatest problem was the lack of personal contact. Students who already have difficulty with attention and reading need that personal contact in the classroom with their teacher and peers. That is such an important element of education and that was what was most harmful. Of course, Towanda is correct that some forms of online teaching can be very beneficial for students with disabilities.

    Congratulations on your doctoral work!  I also went to UCLA and loved it.

    Parent

    Just received my COVID tests (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 04:06:24 PM EST
    Nt

    Seems like maybe a big deal (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 10:07:25 AM EST

    Gunmaker Remington to pay $73m in settlement with Sandy Hook families

    The families' attorneys did a brilliant job (none / 0) (#26)
    by Peter G on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 11:02:44 AM EST
    of coming up with a highly creative, original theory of liability against Remington -- the way the company marketed the type of weapon that was used in the shooting, advertising it as designed for routine civilian uses (hunting, self-defense, etc.) for which it was actually totally unsuitable and highly dangerous. Remington has since gone bankrupt.  The settlement comes from their (former) insurance. (I almost went to work for that law firm in 1978; I had an offer. Would have been working with this lawyer's father, a legendary Connecticut trial attorney.)

    Parent
    They say (none / 0) (#27)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 11:56:57 AM EST
    the mist important part of this is not the money but the documents they got in the process.

    What they show and what it could mean for future cases.

    Parent

    Better Call Saul is returning for a final season (5.00 / 1) (#58)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 08:26:35 AM EST
    that will link it to Breaking Bad and reveal the fate of Jimmy as the manager of Cinnabon

    I read that and thought I would watch a little Breaking Bad and I'm hooked.  I think I have to watch the whole thing.  Again.

    Really looking forward to BCS (none / 0) (#79)
    by ruffian on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 10:28:54 PM EST
    Need to rewatch the previous season -it's been so long. Kim has to be one of my all time favorite TV characters. Can't wait to see what happens to her. Is she managing the Forever 21 at the mall?

    I think I've watched BB all the way through 3 times. I loved the camaraderie around that show in that final season - it seemed everyone was watching together. So much has changed so fast.

    Parent

    Seen this? (none / 0) (#99)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 05:25:04 PM EST
    a new AMC animated series called "Slippin Jimmy"

    It could be great or terrible.  Hard to believe they would use the franchise for something crappy.  It has been so legendary.

    I do like the way it switches to "70 mm" for the violence.

    Parent

    Kim Potter sentenced to two years (5.00 / 1) (#89)
    by McBain on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 02:45:33 PM EST
    Link
    Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter was sentenced to 24 months and a fine of $1,000 on Friday, Feb. 18 following her conviction in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.

    Potter will serve 16 months in prison and the remaining eight months on supervised release, a sentence far below what the prosecution sought.


    Judge Regina Chu said..
    "This is one of the saddest cases I have had in my 20 years on the bench," Chu said when delivering the sentence. "Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically, but she never intended to hurt anyone."

    If it was a mistake, why was she convicted in the first place?  My understanding was that in order to get manslaughter, Potter had to be engaged in reckless activity while making the mistake. The prosecution's argument I remember was her mishandling of  the gun and taser was the reckless activity but that seems more like the mistake.  

    It will be interesting to see what happens with Potter's appeals.  I was expecting a longer sentence with a decent chance of getting a new trial but if she were granted a new trial and was convicted, could she get a longer sentence? This reminds me a little of the Amber Gyger case.  

    A "mistake" can result from extreme and (5.00 / 1) (#90)
    by Peter G on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 03:44:40 PM EST
    inexcusable carelessness, and when it involves a matter that risks another person's life -- and results in taking a life -- a state's criminal law can certainly treat that conduct as involuntary manslaughter.  The standard sentence in that state for this offense, I heard, is seven years' imprisonment. So, the sentence imposed reflects the judge's view that there was substantial mitigation, although not exoneration.

    Parent
    Here's the statute (none / 0) (#96)
    by McBain on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 04:55:58 PM EST
    for 1st degree manslaughter

    609.20 MANSLAUGHTER IN THE FIRST DEGREE.

    Whoever does any of the following is guilty of manslaughter in the first degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 15 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $30,000, or both:

    (1) intentionally causes the death of another person in the heat of passion provoked by such words or acts of another as would provoke a person of ordinary self-control under like circumstances, provided that the crying of a child does not constitute provocation;

    (2) violates section 609.224 and causes the death of another or causes the death of another in committing or attempting to commit a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor offense with such force and violence that death of or great bodily harm to any person was reasonably foreseeable, and murder in the first or second degree was not committed thereby;

    (3) intentionally causes the death of another person because the actor is coerced by threats made by someone other than the actor's coconspirator and which cause the actor reasonably to believe that the act performed by the actor is the only means of preventing imminent death to the actor or another;

    (4) proximately causes the death of another, without intent to cause death by, directly or indirectly, unlawfully selling, giving away, bartering, delivering, exchanging, distributing, or administering a controlled substance classified in Schedule III, IV, or V; or

    (5) causes the death of another in committing or attempting to commit a violation of section 609.377 (malicious punishment of a child), and murder in the first, second, or third degree is not committed thereby.

    As used in this section, a "person of ordinary self-control" does not include a person under the influence of intoxicants or a controlled substance.


    The only one I see that might apply is #2 but even that looks like a stretch. The prosecution argued (weakly in my opinion) the attempted use of a taser was unwarranted and the use of the firearm was reckless. The jury must have bought it.  

    The way I see it, if someone flashes their gun around to look cool or intimidating and it goes off and kills someone, that would be reckless.  Potter had reason to believe a taser was appropriate but grabbed her firearm my mistake. Whatever the case, no one appears to be satisfied with the outcome the trial/verdict.

    Parent

    Where did you get that it was a conviction (none / 0) (#100)
    by Peter G on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 06:19:41 PM EST
    for Manslaughter in the First Degree (which seems like what is usually called Voluntary Manslaughter)? It seems much more likely that it was Second Degree, which is basically what most other states call Involuntary Manslaughter.

    Parent
    She was convicted of both (none / 0) (#101)
    by McBain on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 06:56:32 PM EST
    Link
    The sentence comes nearly two months after Potter was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter.


    Parent
    A cop who trains other officers (none / 0) (#105)
    by jondee on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 09:14:02 PM EST
    that can't tell the difference between a taser and a gun is like a NASCAR driver who can't tell the brake from the gas pedal.

    Parent
    Sobbing cop said she didn't want (5.00 / 2) (#120)
    by Towanda on Sun Feb 20, 2022 at 03:20:45 PM EST
    "To hurt anyone."

    So she as an instructor did not think that tasers hurt?

    Of course she did. Cripes, tasers have killed.

    Just like the guns that she trained others to use. Other cops now out on the streets to continue the authorized mayhem.

    She Is only good at training in how to effect histrionics, from the first moments after she killed -- that video does not depict the demeanor of a cop, either -- through all the many months since.

    Parent

    Is anyone watching 'Somebody Somewhere' on HBO? (5.00 / 1) (#94)
    by ruffian on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 04:47:03 PM EST
    It is with Bridget Everrett and Jeff Hiller, two comedians that I did not know. The trailers didn't do anything for me, but I read a profile of Everrett in the New Yorker that got me interested in her as a performer. She is a classically trained singer with a real bawdy sense of humor and a fearless approach to everything.  Anyway I thought it was at least watching an episode of the show to check her out - and I an hooked. It is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. She had Hiller have an amazing chemistry together that it is hard to explain. They feel so real, like amalgams of the funniest people I actually know.

    Anyway check out a couple of episodes and see what you think.

    well, darmit (5.00 / 2) (#136)
    by leap2 on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 04:16:40 PM EST
    "Prosecutors leading criminal probe into Trump business practices have resigned". Wonder what's really going on there? If Tr666mp skates again... How can this crimey creep worm his way out of absolutely everything he touches and rots? Guess that's his super-power.

    Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson (5.00 / 1) (#176)
    by KeysDan on Fri Feb 25, 2022 at 03:31:58 PM EST
    was nominated by President Biden to the Supreme Court seat of retiring Justice Breyer.

    Judge Jackson is very well qualified: Harvard A.B, magna cum laude, Harvard Law,cum laude, editor of the Harvard Law Review, Supreme Court clerk, private law practice, federal public defender, senate confirmed three times (Sentencing Commission, Federal District Judge, Federal Appeals Court).

    However, I hope Judge Jackson, as the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court, has thick skin.  Already, the attacks are filling the internet spaces.

    I doubt (none / 0) (#177)
    by leap2 on Fri Feb 25, 2022 at 10:08:54 PM EST
    Judge Jackson got to where she is with thin skin.

    Parent
    Yes, Judge Jackson (none / 0) (#179)
    by KeysDan on Sat Feb 26, 2022 at 12:32:20 PM EST
    seems to be able to handle herself quite well. And, I trust she will be able to deal with what is coming during her confirmation process.  

    Parent
    Another (5.00 / 4) (#180)
    by FlJoe on Sun Feb 27, 2022 at 01:14:40 PM EST
    one for the "now you tell me files" and it's a whopper
    According to the Journal, Barr claims Trump "Lost his grip" after the 2020 election results showed he had been defeated, with the former AG charging, "The absurd lengths to which he took his `stolen election' claim led to the rioting on Capitol Hill."

    Hey Billy, would you be willing to testify to that, or are you just trying to cash in like the rest of the bottom feeders?

    The title is great (none / 0) (#182)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 27, 2022 at 04:03:04 PM EST
    Perfect for when it's adapted for a tv sit-com.


    In Barr's forthcoming book, "One Damn Thing After Another,"

    This is a pretty remarkable thing to say about a guy you worked for, covered for and enabled and apparently would have been happy to continue if only he had been, you know, less obviously insane.

    The former attorney general added that Trump might have pulled off a 2020 win if he had "just exercised a modicum of self-restraint, moderating even a little of his pettiness."


    Parent
    PSA (5.00 / 2) (#183)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 27, 2022 at 07:42:52 PM EST

    How to Stop Caring About Trolls and Get On With Your Life

    Believe it or not it's possible to just ignore it.

    Really.  It is.

    They are like houseplants (5.00 / 1) (#185)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 27, 2022 at 07:57:31 PM EST
    Ignore them and they die.  

    Parent
    Yes, (none / 0) (#190)
    by KeysDan on Mon Feb 28, 2022 at 11:24:15 AM EST
    Ignoring seems to be the best way to go.  The suggestion to sort of kill with kindness did not work well with an earlier troll on TL, a tactic tried by some commenters--it was seen as encouragement.  If there is a trollish comment that probably should not remain unattended, I do not respond directly, but try to respond in a stand alone comment.  But, ignoring is preferred.

    Parent
    I have a no reply rule. (none / 0) (#192)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Feb 28, 2022 at 01:34:42 PM EST
    Unless it's funny.  

    Parent
    Perhaps (none / 0) (#193)
    by jmacWA on Mon Feb 28, 2022 at 03:42:40 PM EST
    Consistent 2 rating might get the point across


    Parent
    An ocean of corruption.... (5.00 / 1) (#205)
    by desertswine on Tue Mar 08, 2022 at 12:08:06 AM EST
    Ex-Rand Paul aide pardoned by Trump is charged with funneling Russian money into 2016 election.

    A former campaign staffer and the grandson-in-law of US Senator Rand Paul who received a presidential pardon from former President Donald Trump has been charged with directing Russian money into the 2016 presidential election, according to the US Department of Justice.

    The announcement came on Monday via an unseal indictment from 9 September.

    Business Insider reports that Jesse Benton, Mr Paul's former aide, "conspired to illegally funnel thousands of dollars of foreign money from a Russian foreign national" into the 2016 campaign.

    ---The Independent---

    A plunger (none / 0) (#1)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 13, 2022 at 04:29:55 PM EST
    as in a person who does the plunging.  He would probably wear a plunger like a hat assuming that was what it was for.

    You - on Netflix (none / 0) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 13, 2022 at 04:33:28 PM EST
    I just discovered this but is been around for three seasons with a 4th coming.

    If you like Dexter you will like it.

    You

    Yes. (none / 0) (#8)
    by KeysDan on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 10:15:43 AM EST
    The center of You is the perversely endearing Penn Badgley character who creepily stars in this off-beat thriller.  All are good, but I liked season three's trip to the suburbs the best.

    Parent
    Season 3 (none / 0) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 10:40:48 AM EST
    set in silicon valley world is amazing.  Everyone is perfect.  

    Parent
    I think I agree with the Russians (none / 0) (#4)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 08:03:14 AM EST

    Russians Don't Think Putin Will Go to War
    February 14, 2022 at 9:23 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

    The Economist: "Over the past week The Economist has spoken to a wide range of diplomats, journalists, officials, economists and businesspeople in Russia. Few of them expected their country to go to war, and none of them wished for it. To a man and woman, they seem petrified by the consequences of such a step, were it to happen."

    "Geopolitical tension is already hurting the Russian economy, with risk premiums reflected in bonds, stocks and currency markets."

    If he invades he will be an international war criminal with a hot war of attrition and an economy in the toilet.

    I think he has seriously misjudged the state of NATO.
    Among other things.

    Then again if he does not he will look like a fool.

    Yes, he, no doubt, (none / 0) (#6)
    by KeysDan on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 09:45:32 AM EST
    is in a quandary.  He appears to have overestimated the impact of the chaos and division policies he has so carefully sowed around the globe.  Those Trumpian roots are not as deep as he calculated, at least not yet.  As with all  the other Russian Czars, his outlook is circumscribed.  The danger, however, is also like the other Czars, he can't look weak-- he is the paternalistic overlord.  

    He will need some concession, even a small one to tout.  Zelensky will need to come up with something that defuses the Putin-made crisis.  Russia is nothing these days but a petro-economy.  So,gas, and pipelines to Europe are probably the key to avoidance of a tragic outcome.

    Parent

    I think what the US is doing (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 11:06:13 AM EST
    by shouting INVASION from the rooftops might be smart.  In the past Russian has done this stuff under the radar.  Under the radar because no one was calling them out.  Then there's an attack or an incursion and by the time the world paying attention it's over and Russia has what they wanted.

    Very smart to broadcast their plans to launch false flag operation.   Even if it's not their plan it has been in the past.

    Parent

    Agreed. (none / 0) (#11)
    by KeysDan on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 11:21:22 AM EST
    yes, the Biden Administration has been very smart. Broadcasting imminent invasion along with releasing classified information on Russian movements takes away any surprises militarily and politically.   And, the strategy is affecting Russia's economy already, foreshadowing any further misadventure.

    Parent
    There are areas of the country (none / 0) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 09:58:51 AM EST
    that are very Russian.  They may surrender some of that.  

    I honestly don't think it will take much if a carrot considering the size of the stick.

    At least. Hope so.

    Parent

    Putin "huddling" (none / 0) (#16)
    by KeysDan on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 04:33:17 PM EST
    with his Foreign Minister Lavrov on the Ukraine crisis.

    Parent
    IMHO, President Biden has handled this matter ... (none / 0) (#53)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Feb 16, 2022 at 02:13:58 PM EST
    ... rather masterfully, by seizing control of the public narrative with an unprecedented rapid declassification and release of military and political intelligence that both documented and charted the Russian military's buildup along Ukraine's frontiers in real time. The last time the U.S. intelligence community did that was during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

    In so doing, Biden precluded the ability of Vladimir Putin to publicly mischaracterize any prospective Russian military action as defensive in nature, which likely ensures that he cannot wage war on Ukraine without himself being seen by the entire world - with the exception of Trump's white wingbat world - as the aggressor.

    Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has objected to the Biden administration's public ringing of the five-alarm bells, having voiced his concern that it might sow panic among his countrymen.

    But Putin's growing isolation on the world stage and NATO's own recent military deployments in eastern Europe as a result of that alarm may yet prove to be the best and most effective deterrent to any Russian move to invade and occupy Ukraine.

    At least, let's hope so. Aloha.

    Parent

    Vincent Simmons requests new trial (none / 0) (#5)
    by McBain on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 08:48:16 AM EST
    Link
    Simmons has been in prison for over 40 years. From what I've seen and read about this case, he deserves a new trial.  He's alleging important evidence was withheld from his lawyer...
    Years after he was sentenced to prison, Simmons obtained the district attorney's evidence file for his case. The file, Simmons claims, contained a revealing medical examination conducted by the coroner, who was a doctor.

    A defense attorney claimed the defense never knew during the original trial the coroner said one of the girls was a virgin and that there was no evidence of sexual assault found on either them.


    Interesting part here...
    About a month ago, current district attorney Charlie Riddle offered to release Simmons -- "40 years would probably be the sentence that we would request in a case like this" nowadays, he said -- but Simmons would have to register as a sex offender.

    Simmons turned down the offer, maintaining his innocence.




    Simmons granted new trial, charges dropped (none / 0) (#40)
    by McBain on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 05:22:21 PM EST
    He's now a free man
    Vincent Simmons, a Louisiana man who fought for 44 years to overturn his conviction on attempted aggravated rape charges, has had the judgment vacated and the charges have been dismissed, according to his attorneys Justin Bonus and Malcolm Larvadain.

    Impossible to know what really happened to Karen and Sharon Sanders but based on what I know, this was the correct decision.  There wasn't any physical evidence for a sexual assault.  Neither sister named Simmons when first questioned by police but then gave his full name at trial.  To me, it looked like the police might have convinced the sisters it was Simmons, instead of the other way around. Simmons had a long criminal record and his alibi was ignored.  

    It will be interesting to see if he'll be compensated for the 44 years.  The DA, Charles Riddle III, said this...

    "Just in case anyone has any doubt, no this is not a declaration of innocence at all," he said. "We attempted to free him months ago because he has served enough time. Let this case be put to bed and the victims free from suffering again."


    Parent
    Ted Cruz finds a way to outdo himself (5.00 / 2) (#54)
    by Peter G on Wed Feb 16, 2022 at 09:03:33 PM EST
    seeking a new low: attacking a Biden judicial nominee who has worked 20 years as a top attorney for the Innocence Project, winning some 30 exonerations, for being "soft on crime."

    Parent
    In today's Republican mind (5.00 / 2) (#55)
    by jmacWA on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 04:21:49 AM EST
    it seems like maybe if you let a convict out of their sentence, even if they are wrongly convicted you are soft on crime... BUT WAIT... what does that say about presidential pardons.  ARGGH, today's politics is just too crazy, all they do is try to play to what they think their rubes want to hear.

    Parent
    Speaking of which ... one recipient of a (5.00 / 1) (#67)
    by Peter G on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 02:23:49 PM EST
    Friend-of-the-Prez pardon pleaded guilty this week to a new criminal offense.

    Parent
    Hopefully the Innocence Project will be able (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by McBain on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 08:40:55 AM EST
    prevent the execution of Melissa Lucio.
    In general I hope we don't fall back into a "tough on crime" phase but it sure looks that way.  

    Parent
    Cruz is (5.00 / 2) (#66)
    by KeysDan on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 01:34:50 PM EST
    in confederacy with Josh Hawley who said he would oppose her nomination as District judge along with any Biden nominee--who is soft on crime.  Apparently, soft on crime meaning that sending or keeping innocent people in prison is necessary to the rule of law.

    But, this is in the Republican tradition.  As the late Justice Scalia wrote  in the Troy Davis case (August 17, 2009), "this court has never held the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is able to convince a habeas court that he is `actually' innocent."

    While Scalia was in dissent, his idea prevailed when the state of Georgia executed Troy Davis on September 21, 2011, despite witnesses recanting and, apparently, the real killer identified.


    Parent

    You left out half of the Cruz-Hawley definition (5.00 / 1) (#69)
    by Peter G on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 03:43:40 PM EST
    of "soft on crime." It means disagreeing "that sending or keeping innocent people in prison is necessary to the rule of law" AND/OR having spent any part of your career protecting accused persons' constitutional rights as a criminal defense attorney, particularly for poor people.

    Parent
    And, (none / 0) (#71)
    by KeysDan on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 04:17:30 PM EST
    a further clarification "......particularly for Black people."

    Parent
    Can you please direct me to the quote (none / 0) (#102)
    by ladybug on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 07:10:31 PM EST
    where he said this? From what I have read, he defines "soft on crime" not as releasing innocent people but as declining to prosecute some crimes, such as looting, larceny and others. He wasn't objecting to Morrison for her work on the Innocence Project but for working with some prosecutors that he feels are too soft on crime. While many prosecutors overcharge crimes, some may undercharge crimes as well.    

    Parent
    You think that was a literal quote? (5.00 / 1) (#109)
    by Yman on Sat Feb 19, 2022 at 07:09:43 AM EST
    Heh.

    Parent
    Her response pointing out that (none / 0) (#80)
    by ruffian on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 10:33:41 PM EST
    supporting the victims means catching the real perpetrators instead of convicting innocent people was great. That is not brought up enough. Cruz is such an odious hack I can barely stand watching him, but it was good to her stand up to him.

    Parent
    not without reason (none / 0) (#82)
    by leap2 on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 11:19:28 PM EST
    Al Franken said, "Here's the thing you have to understand about Ted Cruz. I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz." He saw Ted Cruz up close and personal. Ugh.

    Parent
    Seen this? (none / 0) (#41)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 05:29:00 PM EST
    Ahmaud Arbery's killers repeatedly used racial slurs, prosecutor says at hate crimes trial
    During opening statements in the case, defense attorneys admitted their clients had each expressed offensive and indefensible opinions about Black people.

    All 3.  Including to one you were so worried about over sentencng

    Parent

    I'd rather talk about Vincent Simmons (none / 0) (#49)
    by McBain on Wed Feb 16, 2022 at 09:09:29 AM EST
    I don't understand why this isn't a bigger deal.  The media coverage and social activism tends to be about people who are dead, not the ones who have been unjustly convicted and can actually be helped.

    If you really want to talk about offensive opinions about black people, when asked to describe their rapist  the Sanders sisters, said..

    The twins confirmed to Begnaud they never gave the sheriff a detailed description of the man.

    "No, we did not," said Sharon Sanders.
    "You said all --" Begnaud began.
    "All Blacks look alike," they said together.
    "And you said all N-word look alike," Begnaud said.
    "That's right. Sure did," said Sharon Sanders.

    These girls were 14 years old back in 1977 so it's not as shocking as it would be today.  I don't know if their accusation was influenced by racism or the difficulty of one race to distinguish facial features of another.  Either way, that trial was a joke. Unfortunately it took 44 years to overturn it.

    Here's a 1999 documentary It doesn't have the recent developments about certain evidence but even back then it was pretty clear he deserved a new trial.

    Parent

    Simmons was not exonerated. (none / 0) (#68)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 03:23:57 PM EST
    He probably will get nothing in the way of compensation. You're talking about Louisiana.

    Parent
    A satisfying game, to be sure. (none / 0) (#13)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 02:28:49 PM EST
    Especially, as a Giants fan, to see ex-Giant, Mr. Eli "50% effort" Apple, give up the winning TD. Twice.

    This is good (none / 0) (#14)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 03:50:06 PM EST

    Trump's Accounting Firm Retracts Financial Statements
    February 14, 2022 at 4:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 201 Comments

    "Donald Trump's longtime accounting firm abruptly cut ties with his family business last week amid ongoing criminal and civil investigations into whether Mr. Trump illegally inflated the value of his assets," the New York Times reports.

    "The accounting firm notified the company of its decision and disclosed that it could no longer stand behind annual financial statements it prepared... The letter instructed the Trump Organization to essentially retract the documents, known as statements of financial condition, from 2011 to 2020."

    Daily Beast: "The bombshell move by Mazars USA was revealed in court filings in New York on Monday."
    Yep (none / 0) (#17)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 08:25:20 PM EST
    this is why the Trump's are screaming about Hillary "infiltrating" their computers or some such garbage.

    Another part of that letter stated it was due to what they found out from the NY AG and their own internal and external investigations. I understand it also means that they can testify against Trump in court.  

    Parent

    As I understand it, neither NY law nor federal (none / 0) (#20)
    by Peter G on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 08:40:09 PM EST
    recognizes an accountant-client privilege regardless. Unlike attorney-client, spouse-spouse, doctor-patient, psychotherapist-patient, or priest-penitent. Perhaps surprisingly.

    Parent
    Okay. (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 03:59:55 AM EST
    That is what I get for listening to a pundit.

    Parent
    The OAG writes in a brief (none / 0) (#45)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 10:07:20 PM EST
    filed yesterday about this:

    OAG  [Office of the Attorney General]has  not  convened a  grand jury  to investigate  Respondents  or  the Trump Organization  and  it  does  not  have  a  referral  under  Executive  Law  §63(2-3)  that  would grant  it jurisdiction  to  prosecute  offenses  arising  from  the  preparation or  submission of  the Statements  of  Financial Condition or  the  conservation-easement  appraisals.

    Brief available here. And a really good expose of the accounting firm here.

    Parent

    Forgot to include the link (none / 0) (#46)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 10:10:59 PM EST
    to the expose on the accounting firm by Pro Publica -- it is here.

    Also, in case anyone doesn't remember what triggered the investigation, the brief recaps:

    The  investigation  was opened based on the  congressional testimony  by  Michael  Cohen alleging  Mr. Trump  and the Trump Organization  improperly  inflated  asset valuations  to  obtain  financial benefits. That testimony  provided a  sufficient  good-faith  basis  for OAG  to  commence  the  investigation pursuant  to Executive  Law  §63(12).  Respondents  proclaim it "stretches  all  credibility  to  believe" OAG put  "any legitimate  stock  into"  Mr. Cohen's  testimony.  Resp.  Opp.  32. But  OAG  did consider  significant  the  testimony  that the  Statements  of Financial Condition  were  inflated--a finding vindicated by  the  evidence  obtained  to date  and  Mazars's  notification that  those statements  should  not  be  relied upon  (see  Wallace  Aff., Ex. 1).


    Parent
    What does it mean? (none / 0) (#47)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Feb 16, 2022 at 06:54:35 AM EST
    Will there be a referral?  


    OAG  [Office of the Attorney General]has  not  convened a  grand jury  to investigate  Respondents  or  the Trump Organization  and  it  does  not  have  a  referral  under  Executive  Law  §63(2-3)  that  would grant  it jurisdiction  to  prosecute  offenses  arising  from  the  preparation or  submission of  the Statements  of  Financial Condition or  the  conservation-easement  appraisals.


    Parent
    I cannot understand what the AG is saying (5.00 / 2) (#48)
    by Peter G on Wed Feb 16, 2022 at 08:12:28 AM EST
    is or is not under criminal investigation from these two statements. Perhaps some sort of NY State legal jargon that I don't get the subtleties and implications of.

    Parent
    Did they not (none / 0) (#18)
    by Natal on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 08:26:42 PM EST
    do an audit of the balance sheet before certifying the annual returns as being in accord with generally accepted accounting principles?

    Most annual statements by accountants (none / 0) (#19)
    by Peter G on Mon Feb 14, 2022 at 08:33:16 PM EST
    and the like contain a disclaimer that the transactions are reported in accordance with GAAP but are not audited.

    Parent
    Generally (none / 0) (#22)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 03:59:09 AM EST
    audits are done by another firm that did not prepare the taxes. I haven't read that Trump's taxes were audited and Mazar's was just the tax preparer.

    Parent
    As frustrating and annoying as it is (none / 0) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 08:32:15 AM EST
    to see a conservative try to write about counter culture, this is actually pretty funny and spot on.


    Democrats' overall approach to politics right now is to associate their party and its members with high-status authority figures and to denounce Republicans as insufficiently reverent of these figures, and insufficiently deferential to them. The response of many Republicans has been to subject those authority figures and their institutions -- and, in some ways, the idea of authority itself -- to ridicule and scorn. They desire to be both outraged and outrageous, high on rage themselves and a source of rage and anxiety in others. Like those of the hippies and, later, the punks, this right-wing tendency is largely outward-focused rather than the expression of some intimate individual sensibility: If the hippies and the punks had been driven by some kind of anarchic individualism, they wouldn't have all looked alike and listened to the same music. The point wasn't originality or authenticity -- it was to freak out the squares, to vex and offend the mainstream of society, the '60s and '70s version of "owning the libs."

    The American Right Hits Its Hippie Phase

    As (none / 0) (#28)
    by FlJoe on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 02:02:54 PM EST
    if the hippies were a totally astro-turfed movement, backed by billions of dark money with leaders firmly  in positions of great power and a whole media ecosystem to support them.

    Lot's of hippie bashing and false equivalence here, but I agree the right have become chaos agents and have gone on a serious trip.

    Also who are these "authorities" that the Democrats now venerate and the Republicans ridicule, or are they just an euphemism for reality?  

    Parent

    Authorities (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 03:25:23 PM EST
    Dr Fauchi
    Science
    The courts
    People with an education
    Among others.

    I would add they have become hostile to so many of the same things we hated in my college days.  Government.  The FBI.  The (actual) military.

    Sure a little hippie bashing but it's the last thing the wingnuts would want to be equated to.
    1
    And 2 it is absolutely true that we (perhaps only speaking for my hippy self)
    I
    did lots of things, wore lots of things, ingested lots of things, solely for the purpose of annoying the people I wanted to annoy.  Undeniably similar to current right wing thinking.

    Also I think it's incorrect to call them "a completely astroturfed movement".  There is astroturfing.

    Trust me when I tell you from personal family experience much of it is as grass roots as it gets.

    Parent

    At (5.00 / 3) (#33)
    by FlJoe on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 04:29:40 PM EST
    first blush our "stick it to the man" does seem similar to their "own the libs" but I would argue that our life style choices were cultural rather than political, where the "own the libs" is practically the central political tenet on the right. Not to mention we were exhibiting a lot of natural youthful rebellion, this sht comes from their "grown ups".

    Not to say that there wasn't a political side to the movement, it was fairly focused around a few issues that remain salient today, anti-war, anti-racism, anti-corporate greed...but for the most part is was separate from the sex, drugs and rock & roll part.

    Maybe not completely astro-turfed but surely fertilized for years by the right wing BS machine, not much difference. I recall nothing of sort in the rise of the 60's counter culture.


    Parent

    I'm pretty sure (none / 0) (#35)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 04:37:59 PM EST
    they would think their actions were about culture at least as much as politics.  

    A I think we were pretty darn political.  I was at least.

    No metaphor is perfect.  It's like stupid people trying to ape what was essentially an intellectual movement.  Without realizing it of course.  Because they are stupid.

    Stupid hippies.

    Parent

    Another way to see this (none / 0) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 04:52:04 PM EST
    would be to see it as not much of change in cultural sympathies for anyone and more of an institutional change.

    These same people loved the FBI and the military when there were bastions of white supremacy.  They had no problem with the courts until about the 60s.

    These institutions have changed.  They are not morally pure but they are beginning to reflect the country as it exists.  Not unlike it did in the 50s.

    It's about who's ox is being boned.
    And who's side authority is on.

    Parent

    Yes (none / 0) (#38)
    by FlJoe on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 05:02:31 PM EST
    on many fronts the hippies won, or at least made advances and the right has been lashing out ever since. The right absolutely love authority when they are the ones wielding it,

    Parent
    We won many important battles (5.00 / 2) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 05:10:55 PM EST
    which is why they are so upset.

    Good to remember the war is not at all over.  

    Parent

    Oh look (none / 0) (#44)
    by jondee on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 05:57:27 PM EST
    They'd instantly forget all their supposed rebellion and mistrust of authority if all the investigations and scrutiny directed at and exposing Trump, along with the chaos of the pandemic, had happened to a Democratic President.

    These people aren't rebelling against any 'authority' besides the reality of Lord Emperor Trump being thwarted.

    And all it would take for The National Review to stfu would be for a lot of conservatives in control of the levers of power. That's been they're m.o since forever.

    Parent

    It's really tricky (none / 0) (#31)
    by jondee on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 04:16:45 PM EST
    to separate the grassroots from the astroturfing when everyone's online these days.

    I don't know how many times I've run into people regurgitating viral memes as if they thought of it themselves, when it's obvious they didn't.

    Parent

    I was speaking about personal family experience (none / 0) (#32)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 04:25:27 PM EST
    I can tell you they were there before there was an internet.  Or even current talk radio.  It's what they believe.  

    Also, astroturfing.  No.  It just isn't mostly.  Really the opposite.  The really crazy stuff is not being financed by anyone.  Most if these people are GIVING THEM MONEY.  There might have been busses on Jan 6 but it would totally have happened without them.

    The money is in the media.  If you can call that astroturfing there's plenty on the left.

    Parent

    The point being (none / 0) (#34)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 04:32:33 PM EST
    IMO you can poo poo all you want but a heck of a lot of these people believe in what they say and what they are doing and think it's just as important for the survival of humanity an you or me or any of our more committed friends did in 1970.

    It's even way more cult like. It's a movement. These people do not need to be convinced or astroturfed.

    Parent

    I (none / 0) (#42)
    by FlJoe on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 05:32:54 PM EST
    still think you underestimate the value of the reinforcing propaganda echo chamber.

    In any case I am not really talking about the rubes, I am talking about the politicians and pundits who cynically validate the BS.


    Parent

    I don't (none / 0) (#43)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 05:46:31 PM EST
    Really.  But it really is about reinforcement.  It's basically a fully commercial enterprise.  It's only giving people what they want.  Telling them what they want to hear.

    Does that make indoctrination easier?  Sure.

    I don't think it's a cause.  It's a symptom, an effect.

    Parent

    And I must point out (none / 0) (#30)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 03:56:19 PM EST
    this
    As if hippies were a totally astro-turfed movement, backed by billions of dark money with leaders firmly  in positions of great power and a whole media ecosystem to support them.

    Is literally word for word the way the right described hippies at the time.  Even today.

    Parent

    Well (5.00 / 2) (#37)
    by FlJoe on Tue Feb 15, 2022 at 04:54:54 PM EST
    I was told it was some hideous confluence of Rock & Roll, the Commies and Satan.

    Parent
    Nothing to say about this case? (none / 0) (#51)
    by McBain on Wed Feb 16, 2022 at 10:02:44 AM EST
    Do you even care about people who are rotting in prison for crimes they didn't commit?

    I've known about the McMichaels/Bryan comments since before the criminal trial.  Doesn't change my opinion about their convictions.  I hope they get new trials but there are a lot people ahead of them in my opinion.  

     

    "Do you even care" - heh (none / 0) (#111)
    by Yman on Sat Feb 19, 2022 at 07:28:09 AM EST
    "Do you even care" about people who are murdered by r@cists for being the wrong skin color?

    That's rhetorical.

    Parent

    Everyone knows that the judicial system (none / 0) (#112)
    by ladybug on Sat Feb 19, 2022 at 08:41:33 AM EST
    is far from perfect. Some believe it is rotten to the core. There is no clear answer but at least we can talk about it, which is what this site is for.

    Parent
    LadyBug is Correct (none / 0) (#117)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Feb 19, 2022 at 02:24:53 PM EST
    That this is what TalkLeft is for.

    To other commenters, please leave your cynicism about whether another commenter here is sincere or not in their comments in your draft folder. It's not commenters' place to respond to a substantive comment on a particular case with drive-by one-liners questioning the commenter's sincerity.

    If you have such a concern, send me an email about it and I will look into it. Even though it will take me 23 minutes to restore the level of focus I had on the topic I was thinking about when interrupted by your email (/snark, see my comments above about the expert who says that's how much attention focus we lose when responding to text messages), I will reply. Seriously, send me a quick email instead of insulting other commenters by questioning their sincerity.

    Parent

    RIP PJ O'Rourke. (none / 0) (#56)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 05:54:07 AM EST
    He was one of my favorite writers. His books are one the shelf next to Hunter Thompson. I was lucky enough to get one signed by him.

    RIP PJ (none / 0) (#63)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 11:58:39 AM EST
    One of my favorite all time Car and Driver writers.

    You will be missed.

    Parent

    SoS says (none / 0) (#57)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 07:21:57 AM EST
    "He is expected to say, evidence on the ground now shows russia is moving towards [an] 'imminent' invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. calling it a crucial moment," he reported. "The goal of Blinken's address, we hear, will be to convey the gravity of the situation."

    And a Trump indictment seems more imminent by the hour.

    I wish I though it was impossible Putin would time an invasion of Ukraine to push a Trump indictment off the front page.

    False flags (none / 0) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 10:03:58 AM EST

    Russia Accuses Ukrainian Military of `Crimes' in Report to U.N.

    Parent
    Or, Putin (none / 0) (#65)
    by KeysDan on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 01:07:32 PM EST
    to make his move the day of Biden's State of the Union address.

    Parent
    Question for the lawyers here (none / 0) (#59)
    by coast on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 08:34:19 AM EST
    Why is it that a protective/restraining order does not come part and parcel with a charge of making threats against another individual?

    I'm party to a case whereby myself and my friend were the subjects of threats from an individual.  The DA/grand jury have charged and issued a warrant out for the individual who made the threats.  However I'm not able to get a restraining/protective order against the individual because I didn't directly receive the threat - they were received by my friend.

    I understand that one is civil and one is criminal, but they seem interrelated to me. An individual can say they are going to kill me to someone else.  But because they did not say it directly to me, they can still come to my house, my work, wherever and confront me.  Doesn't make much sense.

    The law governing restraining or protective (none / 0) (#62)
    by Peter G on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 10:05:23 AM EST
    orders is state-specific. If you feel having such an order would better protect you, you should talk to a lawyer in your own locality, possibly/ideally one who practices family law (since that is the context for most temporary protective orders) as well as criminal law. If, as you say, a criminal charge has already been brought against this character, you may also have rights under your state's laws, under the umbrella of the criminal case, as a "victim-witness." Check whether the DA's office has a victims' services coordinator (or some such title) who can help you.

    Parent
    Thanks Peter! (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by coast on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 12:31:51 PM EST
    Wise advice as always.

    I already worked through the protective order route and was denied.  I'll look into the rights under the criminal case.

    Thanks!

    Parent

    And on a (none / 0) (#70)
    by Zorba on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 04:17:01 PM EST
    Totally different subject, I am making Greek Avgolemono soup for dinner, to be served with some crusty bread and a salad.
    It's a gray and rainy day here, so I thought soup was called for.

    OTOH (5.00 / 1) (#72)
    by Zorba on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 04:20:29 PM EST
    Maybe I should have made gazpacho soup in "honor" of Marjorie Taylor Greene.  /s

    Parent
    Isn't gazpacho a summer dish (none / 0) (#75)
    by Peter G on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 06:06:32 PM EST
    because it is dependent on fresh tomatoes?

    Parent
    well, yes, but (5.00 / 2) (#78)
    by leap2 on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 06:58:10 PM EST
    I always make a yu-u-u-uuuge beeeeg bowl of gazpacho every summer/fall to use up lots of the cukes, tomatoes, and peppers in the garden; and then freeze bags and bags of it using a vacuum sealer. So I like to have that splash of summer in the bleak dark days of winter.

    Parent
    Same here (5.00 / 1) (#73)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 04:52:16 PM EST
    and I also made soup.  Vegetable chicken.  And also had crusty cheese garlic bread.

    Parent
    Is that the egg lemon (none / 0) (#77)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 06:12:03 PM EST
    soup? I think I made that one time but I messed up an curdled the egg.

    Parent
    Yes, (none / 0) (#115)
    by Zorba on Sat Feb 19, 2022 at 12:04:53 PM EST
    It's the egg-lemon chicken soup.
    You have to be really careful adding the soup to the egg. I take the soup off the burner and let it cool a bit (not much, about 15-20 minutes).
    Then I beat the separated egg whites until quite frothy, beat the egg yolks and add them slowly to the egg whites, add the lemon juice very slowly, beating the whole time.
    The tricky part is adding the broth, which will still be hot. Just add a little bit at a time, beating all the while, until you have incorporated about 2-3 cups of broth into the egg mixture. Then slowly pour that back into the soup pot while stirring.
    (Yes, it can curdle easily.)

    Parent
    Zimmerman $100M Suit Dismissed (none / 0) (#74)
    by RickyJim on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 05:23:38 PM EST
    The suit was against Trayvon Martin's parents, lawyers, prosecutors and most importantly, Rachel Jeantel and Brittany Diamond Eugene. My impression of what the judge said was that Zimmerman's side did not present enough evidence to continue.  If anybody can find a link to the judge's ruling, please post.  I thought there might be something to Zimmerman's claim of fraud involving witness substitution because of this letter to Martin's mother, which Jeantel claimed to have dictated, and introduced into Zimmerman's trial.  As can be seen, it has a printed signature "Diamond Eugene." Jeantel testified that she couldn't read or write cursive and that Diamond Eugene was her nickname.  According to this twitter post, Brittany Diamond Eugene denied knowing both Trayvon Martin and Rachel Jeantel.

    You know that (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Feb 17, 2022 at 06:11:03 PM EST
    POS Zimmerman should just figure out a way to make himself disappear like figuring out a way to live in the middle of the desert where he doesn't interact with anybody.

    He should just be glad that he's not in jail.

    Parent

    George Zimmerman's 15 minutes were up ... (5.00 / 2) (#125)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Feb 21, 2022 at 04:57:08 PM EST
    ... a long time ago and speaking personally, I intend to keep it that way as far as I'm concerned. I'm not going to waste my time trying to understand some people's obsession with the man. But hey, whatever floats their boats and gets them through the night.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Disappointing but not surprising (none / 0) (#83)
    by McBain on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 09:05:43 AM EST
    With the 10 year anniversary coming up, hopefully there will be another documentary or some media interest in this bizarre saga.  Anyone who followed the trial knows Rachel Jeantel's testimony was a puzzling train wreck that never made much sense. Maybe Zimmerman would have had more civil success with Nick Sandman's lawyers.  

    The case made my Joel Gilbert in his documentary and book looked strong to me but if it was false, wouldn't someone have sued him or sent a cease and desist letter?  He's still promoting.  

    Parent

    No, you cannot infer that a reckless or (5.00 / 2) (#85)
    by Peter G on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 12:02:47 PM EST
    outrageous accusation is likely true, from the fact that the person against whom it was made has not sued. If the accusation is so outlandish that few are likely to believe it, it may be best to ignore it.  An internet search on the topic of the witness-substitution claim shows that it has received Zero coverage outside of far-right and conspiracy-minded outlets, not even to be debunked. A person who files suit voluntarily takes on the burden of proof. And if the accusation is made against you in a lawsuit (a privileged forum), as here, then the wisest move may be to just let the legal process play out. Doing anything else may just shine a brighter spotlight on the accusation. If the plaintiffs are unable to present enough evidence of their claim to persuade a reasonable jury, then the case will be dismissed on summary judgment or some other pre-trial process, as it seems to have been here.

    Parent
    It's not just a casual accusation (none / 0) (#87)
    by McBain on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 02:25:39 PM EST
    it was a book and documentary sold on Amazon.  Brittany Diamond Eugene was in the documentary and made to look foolish.  

    Glenn Loury and John McWorter covered the lawsuit and documentary. They're not far-right.  John McWorter said Gilbert..
    "lays out a damning case that there really was a Travon Hoax".  


    Parent

    Who said "casual"? (5.00 / 3) (#91)
    by Peter G on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 03:49:45 PM EST
    And pretty much anything that is not illegal can be sold on Amazon. Finally, a good interviewer, supported by a good film editor, can look almost anyone look foolish (or worse). Nor am I going to spend 90 minutes watching talking heads on video. If there's something well written, critically reasoned, and thoughtful that I can read in ten minutes of less, let me know.

    Parent
    That's just the problem. (5.00 / 1) (#95)
    by ladybug on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 04:54:46 PM EST
    We can't find good coverage in print because it goes against the current social justice narrative on Trayvon, and objective left-leaning journalists wouldn't cover it even if it is a legitimate story because they will be attacked by their own readers. Professors Loury and McWhorter address this very issue in the second part of their podcast, linked above by McBain I think. Even though it is in video format I highly recommend it because they are thoughtful and objective commentators, respected professors. They too bought into the Crump narrative at first but after seeing the actual police transcripts they were surprised at how much was hidden or fabricated by the media. If you watch Gilbert's film, the facts he uncovers about Diamond Eugene are plain to see and mind-blowing and the investigation he does is really impressive. Of course, you have to make it past his obvious biases and not everyone is willing to do that.  I would love to see the details of Zimmerman's defamation case. Does anyone know where to look?

    Parent
    Here's an interesting write up (none / 0) (#97)
    by McBain on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 05:11:14 PM EST
    Link
    I forgot where the official details would be.
    Zimmerman's lawsuit alleged that the defendants in the case surrounding Martin's death painted him as a racial profiler and racist murderer. Zimmerman's mother is Hispanic and his father is white, the AP reported.>

    The lawsuit also alleged that because Eugene didn't want to testify in the murder trial that she had been talking to Martin before he was killed, her half-sister, Jeantel, pretended that it had been her talking to him instead. Jeantel did end up testifying during the 2013 trial in Florida.

    Martin's parents and Crump were accused in the lawsuit of taking part in the alleged conspiracy in order to have charges levied against Zimmerman, put him on trial and "destroy his good will and reputation in the community," according to the AP.


    Assuming that was his complaint you can kind of see why it wasn't successful. Hard to prove that much intent.  

    Parent
    Also hard to prove (none / 0) (#110)
    by Yman on Sat Feb 19, 2022 at 07:12:03 AM EST
    ... the Easter Bunny exists, or any other figment of an overactive, conspiracy theorists imagination.

    Parent
    A "book and a documentary"! (5.00 / 2) (#93)
    by Yman on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 04:33:00 PM EST
    Hahahahahahahahahahahaha ...

    Literally anyone can put any garbage they want up for sale on Amazon.  Joel Gilbert's other "documentaries" include movies claiming that Paul McCartney is dead (and replaced by a double) and Elvis is alive.  We won't even discuss his Obama trash.

    Gilbert's "documentary" and "book" are a joke, as was Zimmerman's suit, which was rightly dismissed.

    Sooooooooooo pathetic ...

    Parent

    "A Trayvon hoax" (none / 0) (#92)
    by jondee on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 04:15:50 PM EST
    So, he's really still alive somewhere, hiding out?  

    And the putz who posted photos of his dead body online and who auctioned off the gun never actually killed anyone?

    Parent

    Nothing About it on Klayman's Twitter Feed (none / 0) (#84)
    by RickyJim on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 10:31:25 AM EST
    Just ant-Biden, pro Trump bile.  Was he still representing Zimmerman?  I would hope that the judge reviewed the Joel Gilbert stuff and commented on it in his opinion.

    Parent
    I heard somewhere he and Zimmerman (none / 0) (#86)
    by McBain on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 02:09:30 PM EST
    parted ways months ago but nothing official.  

    Parent
    Was his (none / 0) (#88)
    by BGinCA on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 02:33:53 PM EST
    documentary more or less convincing than 'Dreams From My Real Father" or"Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison"

    Parent
    This issue (5.00 / 1) (#98)
    by ladybug on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 05:12:56 PM EST
    was also brought up by Loury and McWhorter in their podcast. They make the valid point that only right-wingers would pursue this story because they are vilified by the left anyway, while left-leaning journalists who might be inclined to investigate this story do not want to be "canceled" by their own. If you look at the hard evidence presented it seems hard to refute, and Diamond Eugene has always been a fascinating twist to this story. The best part of Gilbert's film for me is at the end when he finally tracks down Brittany Diamond. The evidence for his narrative in the form of text and phone logs is also quite compelling.  

    Parent
    It's also a valid point (none / 0) (#104)
    by jondee on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 09:06:57 PM EST
    to underscore that a very big reason why right-wingers are vilified is because they have to rely on transparent schlock merchants like Joel "Paul Is Dead" Gilbert to advance their cause.

    Interesting that you folks are so eager to accept at face value what someone with such a laughably shoddy track record serves up to you. Like he was telling you all the things you wanted to hear.

    What's next? A 'Q' produced documentary about Kyle Rittenhouse?


    Parent

    I watched the film. (none / 0) (#106)
    by ladybug on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 09:32:55 PM EST
    If you also did and dispute the facts as presented, please say why. We get one side of the story from Crump and the Trayvon team and another side from the Zimmerman team and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, so by listening to both sides with an open and critical mind you can come up with your own analysis. Loury and McWhorter are reputable academics who are not right wingers by any stretch but are brave enough to be "iconoclasts" that go against the grain and give an honest opinion about the film "The Trayvon Hoax." I wasn't interested in the other two  films Gilbert made and maybe I will try to watch them just to see what the fuss is about. But the Trayvon film is fascinating.

    Parent
    My computer has been broken for a week... (none / 0) (#103)
    by desertswine on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 07:31:43 PM EST
    I just got it back.  It was nice, I got some stuff done, except that I couldn't read the thoughts of my Talkleft compatriots.

    Mask mandate has ended here... (none / 0) (#107)
    by desertswine on Fri Feb 18, 2022 at 11:01:31 PM EST
     I'm expecting a big upsurge in covid cases in about 2 weeks.  Masks off..  breathe deep..  takes your chances.

    Parent
    Same here (none / 0) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 19, 2022 at 09:10:33 AM EST
    I may never stop wearing one just because it pees off all the right people.

    Parent
    Some interesting stuff (none / 0) (#113)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 19, 2022 at 09:08:58 AM EST

    Viral Thread Reveals How COVID Misinformation Gets Into Top News Outlets And Medical Journals

    How Does the US Rank Among Democracies? (none / 0) (#123)
    by RickyJim on Mon Feb 21, 2022 at 11:53:14 AM EST
    I hope you can access this report. The top 10 are Norway, New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Ireland, Taiwan, Australia and Switzerland.  25-27 are Chile, USA and Estonia.  Criteria are:
    I Electoral process and pluralism
    II Functioning of government
    III Political Participation
    IV Political Culture
    V Civil Liberties

    Ahmaud Arbery's killers (none / 0) (#127)
    by Yman on Tue Feb 22, 2022 at 10:18:56 AM EST
    Found guilty on all counts in their federal hate crimes trial.

    In less than two hours, I believe (5.00 / 1) (#131)
    by Peter G on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 10:35:07 AM EST
    But I have to say, I am not overwhelmed with the justification for bringing federal charges on top of state murder convictions with life sentences.

    Parent
    I read (none / 0) (#133)
    by ladybug on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 11:10:47 AM EST
    that the McMichaels tried to plead guilty to the federal crime so they would go to a federal prison rather than to a state prison. Do they still have a shot at a federal prison with the guilty verdict? Also, is their chance for appeal better with a guilty verdict rather than with a guilty plea?

    Parent
    Which sentence they serve first (none / 0) (#134)
    by Peter G on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 12:39:15 PM EST
    does not depend on whether they stood trial or pleaded guilty in federal court. The prosecutors and the defense, as I recall reading, made a plea agreement that would have required the judge to impose concurrent federal time, or in some way require that the federal sentence be served first. That would have put them in a federal (maximum security, penitentiary-type) prison; those are not nice places at all.
       When a plea agreement binds the judge on a point that would otherwise be in the court's discretion, the judge does not have to accept the agreement. The victim's family's objections can influence the judge to say no, as it did here. The judge will still have discretion how to run the sentences relative to one another. Generally, however, it is not up to the sentencing judge to say where the sentence will be served. That's ordinarily up the Bureau of Prisons or state Department of Corrections. The deal must have had some tricky provision that was not fully explained in the press, if that was the case.
       On your last question, yes, for sure, more grounds for appeal are open after a trial than after a guilty plea. That said, I am not aware one way or the other whether they have any good grounds for appeal.

    Parent
    Happy National Margarita Day! (none / 0) (#128)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Feb 22, 2022 at 08:09:15 PM EST
    Somewhere, there's a bottle of premium tequila, lime juice, triple sec, a bowl of ice, a blender and a salt-rimmed glass with your name on it. Find them. You know what to do once you do.

    Besides, after seeing video of Trump and Mike Pompeo praising Vladimir Putin, I'm reserving the first pitcher of the frozen concoction that helps me hang on just for myself, to be consumed leisurely while I remember that once upon a time, Republicans used to be pro-American.

    Hasta mañana, amigos.

    I don't know how to embed links, (none / 0) (#132)
    by ladybug on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 10:37:23 AM EST
    so maybe you can help me. Trump fancies himself a comedian and was being sarcastic with his comments, but Stephen Colbert, a real comedian, said something similar and was actually funny. Here is the URL to Colbert:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wcSFoOPn3U

    I think it is too harsh to say that political rivals are not pro-American, but perhaps your comments are also tongue-in-cheek, and I empathize with your frustration. When I first started posting here someone told me that the commenters here would relish a substantive discussion. That is all I look for.

    Parent

    What? (5.00 / 4) (#137)
    by Yman on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 04:42:45 PM EST
    What is the relevance of comparing Colbert (a comedian making an obvious joke) to Trump's comments?  Trump frequently backpedals and claims he's "making a joke" when he's called out for outrageous comments ... but he's not.  He's about as anti-American as you can get, as are those that defend his comments.  
    To be crystal clear, my comment is not "tongue in cheek."

    Parent
    When the President of the (5.00 / 5) (#139)
    by KeysDan on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 08:30:23 PM EST
    United States is in the midst of an international crisis caused by the autocratic leader of a "nuclear-armed gas station" in a deadly serious threat to a free Europe and US security concerns  not seen since Adolph Hitler in 1938, and some Republicans take the side of the autocratic madman, that might fairly be characterized as anti-American.

     And, when those Republicans include a former president and  Secretary of State who are flat-out fan boys it is outrageously anti-American..  And, those Republicans who align themselves with the ideology of Russia more than that of America, are anti-America.  Support of a foreign government's position that a Democratic sovereign country is a fiction and should be annexed by violence and force is anti-American.  

    Parent

    I wonder (1.44 / 9) (#143)
    by ladybug on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 10:29:30 PM EST
    when the discussion will get off Trump and onto Biden, the one currently in command of this current disaster.

    Parent
    That's easy (5.00 / 1) (#168)
    by Yman on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 04:29:13 PM EST
    As soon as Trump stops praising our enemies and his supporters stop pretending he's just kidding.

    Parent
    It is difficult to know (none / 0) (#155)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 02:57:25 PM EST
    how to respond to statements like these, so I just went with my gut to wonder why we don't just move on from Trump. But from the negative reactions, I'll give it a try. I agreed with everything you said until you started calling people anti-American. I just don't see the value of these kinds of labels that inflame such negative passions against your own countrymen. I know that you fervently believe what you say but I honestly have a different opinion. I have lived in many parts of the world and I love this country.  

    Parent
    In case it is not clear by now (none / 0) (#156)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 03:15:11 PM EST
    the part I disagree with is that all the people you referenced are aligned with Putin. That is where we disagree.

    Parent
    This is anti-American (5.00 / 2) (#162)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 03:56:24 PM EST
    Trump, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo praise Putin while bashing Biden

    Parent
    YES, BUT (5.00 / 1) (#172)
    by jmacWA on Fri Feb 25, 2022 at 04:26:16 AM EST
    It's so today's Republican party.

    Can you even begin to imagine what the press would be doing if the parties were reversed today?

    Parent

    I'm not sure I'm getting your point since (none / 0) (#173)
    by ladybug on Fri Feb 25, 2022 at 08:02:40 AM EST
    it is not directed at me (and I am not republican, I'm independent) and I am not saying 'yes but'. But I am curious what your point is because I like to learn new things.

    Parent
    One thing (none / 0) (#174)
    by jmacWA on Fri Feb 25, 2022 at 08:23:23 AM EST
    you should learn is how to tell what comment is being responded to.  My response was to Chuck0 #162.

    Hint: hover over parent

    Parent

    That is exactly why I said it was not directed (none / 0) (#175)
    by ladybug on Fri Feb 25, 2022 at 08:40:06 AM EST
    at me and why I made the long preface. I am still curious as to your thinking as it is responding to what we have been discussing in this thread and I don't see the point. If you don't mind.

    Parent
    This is the kind of reporting that (none / 0) (#163)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 04:05:26 PM EST
    initiated this whole long discussion. If you see my first post and all the replies, you will see the evolution of the whole conversation.

    Parent
    My rewrite (1.50 / 2) (#164)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 04:17:28 PM EST
    of the title would be something like "Trump makes wise-guy crack about Biden's handling of Ukraine." It was similar to Colbert's joke about the invasion except it was not funny. I think we go overboard with all the labels, but that is just my opinion. This small discussion has not even begun to touch on the complexities of the whole situation, just on the use of these labels.

    Parent
    I do not believe for one second (5.00 / 3) (#169)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 06:16:15 PM EST
    that Pompeo or the orange crime boss were "wise cracking." The comments were sincere beluefs.

    Parent
    Those weren't wisecracks, ladybug. (5.00 / 2) (#170)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 07:02:30 PM EST
    Trump and Pompeo were entirely serious in their gratuitous praise and admiration of Putin.

    Parent
    Not Pompeo. (none / 0) (#171)
    by ladybug on Fri Feb 25, 2022 at 12:18:23 AM EST
    He was serious. He just said Putin was smart. A lot of people say that and it is hardly treasonous. He is also a partisan so he is going to criticize the other side.  But I know our opinions differ and you base your opinions on much more than just those statements, as I do mine. It has been a long day. I hope you have a good night.

    Parent
    The point was (none / 0) (#141)
    by ladybug on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 10:16:04 PM EST
    that the line between literal statements and sarcasm or irony is not always clear. Recently, President Zelensky, a former comedian himself, made a "joke" in response to media reports that the Russian invasion would come on Feb 16. The media misunderstood him and he had to issue a clarification that it was a joke (see "Ukranian Leader Makes Confusing Joke about Russian Invasion").

    And also that a healthy skepticism about what the media says can be a good thing.

    I try to avoid personal attacks and labeling people who have different opinions than mine. But I do like exchanging viewpoints.

    Parent

    Nobody's joking now. (5.00 / 3) (#145)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 11:44:05 PM EST
    Vladimir Putin appeared on Russian State TV at 5:45 a.m. Moscow time (9:45 p.m. EST), announced that the Russian military would proceed to "de-Nazify" Ukraine, and promised "grave consequeences" if NATO attempted to interfere. Missiles began falling on Kyiv shortly thereafter.

    War has begun. Putin and Russia are the aggressors.

    Parent

    I hope (none / 0) (#148)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 12:03:36 AM EST
    that we can unify under this crisis. We all want peace.

    Parent
    Tragically, (5.00 / 1) (#154)
    by KeysDan on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 10:17:50 AM EST
    "We all want Peace" is not true.

    Parent
    I still hope for some unity (2.00 / 2) (#158)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 03:22:22 PM EST
    in the time of war.

    Parent
    OK, I was wondering if this comment (none / 0) (#161)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 03:55:43 PM EST
    would get a low rating. Can I ask why?

    Parent
    Calls for unity on the basis of a war situation (5.00 / 1) (#166)
    by Peter G on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 04:22:03 PM EST
    inevitably become an excuse for totalitarianism, deprivation of civil liberties, and suppression of critical thinking. And for war profiteering by large corporations in the militay-industrial complex. At least, that was my thinking.

    Parent
    Thank you. (none / 0) (#167)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 04:24:40 PM EST
    I always look forward to your thinking. I agree and take it back.

    Parent
    When Trump was president, ... (5.00 / 4) (#140)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 09:11:35 PM EST
    ... he very publicly took the side of Putin over our country's own intelligence agencies.

    He betrayed America then, and he's still doing it now. I'd just as soon go all "Mississippi Burning" on his traitorous a$$ and the rest of the GOP treason weasels, as look at them.

    Aloha.


    Parent

    What the intelligence agencies knew and did (2.00 / 1) (#144)
    by ladybug on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 10:33:46 PM EST
    over the Trump presidency is indeed a very good discussion to have. But loose talk of treason by anyone is not helpful, I think.

    Parent
    Anyone who takes Putin's side ... (5.00 / 5) (#146)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 11:58:41 PM EST
    ... in this particular confrontation has chosen to align themselves with our nation's adversary. Speaking for myself only, I believe such people forfeit their right to be taken seriously in any discussion about this matter. And to be perfectly frank, they will deserve all the ridicule and vitriol they get because they have chosen to prioritize party over country, and they have no rational basis to style themselves as "patriots." They betray America.

    Parent
    Please... (2.00 / 5) (#149)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 12:05:17 AM EST
    talk about aligning with Russia is just hyperbole. We can agree to disagree I guess.

    Parent
    The orange moron (5.00 / 1) (#151)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 08:39:51 AM EST
    was Putin's lapdog when he was in the oval office. He is still suckling his Russian master to this day. He is a traitorous SOB.

    Parent
    I hope (3.00 / 1) (#152)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 08:41:53 AM EST
    we can unify under this current crisis.

    Parent
    Dream on (none / 0) (#157)
    by jmacWA on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 03:20:14 PM EST
    Not possible in the post-Gingrich era

    Parent
    Yes, I am getting that. (none / 0) (#159)
    by ladybug on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 03:25:29 PM EST
    I am still dreaming though.

    Parent
    You are not the boss of us. (none / 0) (#153)
    by leap2 on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 09:11:02 AM EST
    -

    Parent
    hmmm (none / 0) (#129)
    by deappri on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 01:38:03 AM EST
    hmmm .. i'm worried about you
    -----------------------------
    Perusahaan PR
    Asosiasi PR

    SITE VIOLATOR (none / 0) (#130)
    by Peter G on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 10:33:51 AM EST


    Parent
    Retrial for the killing of Bakari Henderson (none / 0) (#135)
    by McBain on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 02:02:55 PM EST
    This would have been a huge story had it happened in the U.S.

    The African-American man was attacked outside of a bar in Lagana resort on the Greek island of Zakynthos in July 2017 by several men. Henderson had flown to the country for a photo shoot for his new clothing line.

    An investigation gave an inclination as to what started the fight. Jealousy.

    A waitress from the bar told the police that the fight happened after she asked Bakari for a selfie. One of the Serbian men approached her and said, "There are a lot of Serbs in the bar. Why are you talking to a Black guy?"

    A video was released on the beating, showing in graphic details the last moments of the Texas native's life. The man who asked the woman about "talking to a Black guy," punches Henderson in the face. The young man did not automatically retaliate, but after he strikes back, he flees. The men run after him.

    As someone who prefers justice systems to error on the side of leniency, I don't like the double jeopardy aspect but I can understand why many were unsatisfied with the original trial.

    Six of the nine, originally charged with intentional homicide, which carries a life sentence in the country, were convicted of the lesser charge of assault. The British citizen was sentenced up to 15 years in prison, the harshest punishment of them all "for causing grievous bodily harm."

    One of the Serbs was sentenced to 10 years. Three of the Serbs were sentenced to seven years and the remaining received five years.

    It will be interesting to see what happens this time.

    Rewatching Ken Burns epic Baseball documentary (none / 0) (#138)
    by McBain on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 06:41:53 PM EST
    It's still great.  I think MLB baseball is a mess right now but this documentary reminds me there have been plenty of ups and downs since the first pro game over 150 years ago.

    As I mentioned before, I'd like to see MLB change things to bring back stealing, triples, shorter games with less home runs, walks and strikeouts.

    Ukraine seems to be under full attack (none / 0) (#142)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 10:18:47 PM EST


    That's since been confirmed. (5.00 / 1) (#147)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 12:02:12 AM EST
    It's a dark day in the world.

    Parent
    An Enemy You Never Want (5.00 / 1) (#150)
    by coast on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 07:15:29 AM EST
    A law enforcement friend of mine once said to me, "the worst enemy you can have is one that feels like they have nothing to lose".

    That's how Putin is acting.  Sanctions will not stop him.  He has already included that into the equation to take Ukraine.  It's going to take military action on the part of NATO to answer his aggression.

    Parent

    War after bloody war. (5.00 / 1) (#160)
    by desertswine on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 03:41:51 PM EST


    Parent
    Lane, Kueng and Thao found guilty (none / 0) (#165)
    by McBain on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at 04:21:57 PM EST

    In federal trial of George Floyd death
    The 12 jurors -- four men and eight women -- found Lane, Kueng and Thao guilty of depriving Floyd of his civil rights by showing deliberate indifference to his medical needs as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd for more than 9 minutes on May 25, 2020 -- ultimately killing him. The jurors also found Thao and Kueng guilty of an additional charge for failing to intervene to stop Chauvin. Lane, who did not face the extra charge, testified that he asked Chauvin twice to reposition Floyd while restraining him but was denied both times.

    Another case where the sentencing will be interesting.

    Curtis Reeves found not guilty (none / 0) (#178)
    by McBain on Sat Feb 26, 2022 at 10:37:32 AM EST
    This trial took 8 years to happen.
    Reeves claimed he shot Oulson in self-defense when the two got into an argument over Oulson texting -- his wife said he was messaging their daughter's babysitter -- during a screening of "Lone Survivor" in a Wesley Chapel movie theater outside Tampa.
    Reeves confronted Oulson about texting during the previews before the movie, according to a criminal complaint.
    Eventually the two got into an argument, and Oulson threw a bag of popcorn at Reeves, who then took out a handgun and fired, hitting Oulson in the chest, according to the complaint.

    Back in 2014 the media mislead people by focusing on popcorn and Florida's stand your ground law.
    Reeves told authorities he was "in fear of being attacked," according to the complaint. He and his attorneys have argued Oulson threw a cellphone at Reeves' head and was aggressively leaning over a chair toward him when the shooting occurred. Prosecutors have said popcorn is not a weapon and added witnesses did not report seeing Oulson throwing his cellphone.

    Of all the recent high profile trials, this wasn't the one I thought had the best chance of an acquittal but the defense showed evidence of self defense and suggested there was a poor investigation. Perhaps age factored in to the jury's decision as Reeves was 71 at the time of the shooting and Oulson was 43.
    Another favorite, red herring (none / 0) (#200)
    by Yman on Sat Mar 05, 2022 at 09:33:33 AM EST
    Back in 2014 the media mislead people by focusing on popcorn and Florida's stand your ground law.

    "The media" did no such thing.  Unless it was a conspiracy with Mr. Reeves, who tried to use the "stand your ground" law as a defense - later denied by the judge.  But who doesn't love to lump together all journalists and then blame "the media", right?

    Parent

    The Guardian used to be good (none / 0) (#181)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 27, 2022 at 01:30:20 PM EST
    This......

    Republicans fear Michelle Obama presidential run, ex-Trump aide says

    Former treasury spokeswoman tells CPAC ex-first lady is popular and `immune to criticism' - though Obama has ruled out politics

    I guess it's something that the subtitle at least point out this is a stupid waste of bandwidth.

    But she is just so scary.

    I'm really liking (none / 0) (#184)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 27, 2022 at 07:48:04 PM EST
    FROM on EPIX

    SITE VIOLATOR (none / 0) (#187)
    by jmacWA on Mon Feb 28, 2022 at 04:17:27 AM EST


    thanks, I zapped him or her (none / 0) (#191)
    by Jeralyn on Mon Feb 28, 2022 at 11:35:00 AM EST


    Parent
    Time for a new Open Thread (none / 0) (#194)
    by Peter G on Mon Feb 28, 2022 at 04:05:20 PM EST
    a lot of the 200 comment slots under this one were consumed with discussion of whether to post comments or not, and with repetitive assurances of how open-minded and curious someone is.

    Parent
    Courtney Bell's murder conviction overturned (none / 0) (#188)
    by McBain on Mon Feb 28, 2022 at 08:02:11 AM EST
    Link
    A state appeals court has reversed a murder conviction of a Georgia mother charged in the death of her newborn child.

    In 2019, Cortney Bell was found guilty by a jury in Newton County of several charges, including second-degree murder, in the death of her 2-week-old daughter, Caliyah.


    More...
    The appeals court affirmed a felony conviction against Bell, though, for the charge of contributing to the dependency of a minor, meaning the court found there was sufficient evidence to show either neglect or abuse.

    Sounds like the court is saying it can't prove she caused the injuries but can prove she played a role.

    However, McGinley explained "the argument from the state wasn't that Ms. Bell caused injuries herself, but just that her negligence and neglect is what led to those injuries."



    Mothers of infants and toddlers (none / 0) (#189)
    by Peter G on Mon Feb 28, 2022 at 09:18:49 AM EST
    are blamed much more often than the facts warrant for "failing to prevent" child abuse by their partners/husbands. A sexist abuse of criminal law.

    Parent
    Wait, what? (none / 0) (#195)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Mar 01, 2022 at 01:09:34 PM EST
    You want to tell them what we are for? Are you nuts!!

    McConnell Clashes with Scott Over Agenda

    March 1, 2022 at 2:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

    "Mitch McConnell and Senate Republican leaders are warning Rick Scott that his agenda for the GOP could expose the party to unnecessary attacks this fall, a significant intraparty rebuke for the Floridian," Politico reports.

    "The Senate minority leader, who has declined thus far to release a party agenda,advised Scott at a GOP leadership meeting on Monday afternoon that his 11-point proposal gave Democrats ammunition for millions of dollars of ads in the midterms."
    The cat is out (none / 0) (#196)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Mar 01, 2022 at 03:42:18 PM EST
    of the bag. I googled it and what a gift. I hope Harrison is already cutting the ads.

    Parent
    If democrats can't take (none / 0) (#197)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Mar 01, 2022 at 04:04:12 PM EST
    not just the list but the clown show described in that quote and make cutting ads from it......

    honestly, it would be absolutely f'ing typical.

    Parent

    Finish the wall and name it Donald (none / 0) (#198)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Mar 01, 2022 at 04:22:57 PM EST
    Think I'm kidding?

    11 point plan

    They should call it "Turning It Up To 11"

    Parent

    Literally (none / 0) (#199)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Mar 01, 2022 at 05:19:38 PM EST
    that plan sounds like it could have been written by Marjorie Taylor Greene.

    I also get what you say about being typical that the Dems don't attack. Obama's whole when they go low we go high politics has infected the entire party.

    Parent

    Scathing Review of Barr Memoir (none / 0) (#201)
    by RickyJim on Sun Mar 06, 2022 at 08:53:25 AM EST
    Jeffrey Toobin, the chief legal analyst at CNN, is writing a book about the Oklahoma City bombing.

    ONE DAMN THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Memoirs of an Attorney General
    By William P. Barr
    Illustrated. 608 pp. William Morrow. $35.

    I'll pass on reading this book.

    I'll pass on both books but I might read (none / 0) (#202)
    by McBain on Sun Mar 06, 2022 at 05:06:33 PM EST
    something on the Waco disaster, which is somewhat related to the Oklahoma City bombing, if new information on what really happened came out.  

    Parent
    And you guys (none / 0) (#203)
    by MKS on Sun Mar 06, 2022 at 06:56:48 PM EST
    know who has more knowledge than almost anyone about that event, no?

    Parent
    Begins with "J" (none / 0) (#204)
    by MKS on Sun Mar 06, 2022 at 06:57:17 PM EST


    Parent
    Sunday Open Thread: Olympics, Superbowl, and Everything Else | 202 comments (202 topical)