Wednesday, April 7, 2021

George Floyd Trial

 A lotta talk about just what Floyd died of.  He had been doing fentanyl.  Had a history of heart problems.  The Chauvin defense is claiming that one or more of these killed Floyd.  And Chauvin's putting his boot to Floyd's neck, while Floyd was handcuffed, flat on the ground, underneath a police cruiser, had nothing to do with it.  I think that treatment would terrify me, or any other sentient being.  And terror makes the adrenaline come quicker, the heart beat faster.  Could have aggravated any one of those other conditions to the point of death.  

Another way of looking at the case.  If someone dies when your client has his boot on the victim's throat,  your client is guilty of killing the victim.  Lawyers can pull down billable hours quibbling over whether it was man slaughter, or some brand of murder up to murder 1, but the plain fact is, Chauvin killed Floyd.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

The Untouchables 1987

 Chicago of Al Capone’s time.  Gung ho Treasury agent, Elliot Ness. played by Keviin Costner,  sent to Chicago to take out Capone,  and Malone, old Chicago beat cop, played by Sean Connery.  After a failed raid, Malone straightens Ness out and they begin to score against Capone.  Cool scene where a shipment (many truckloads) of Canadian booze is met by Capone’s people, driving nice limousines and bringing money, meet at the Canadian border.  Elliot and Malone’s people shoot down Capone’s people so hard core than a Canadian officer calls them out on it.  To which Ness replies, “We are from Chicago.”.  The 1930’s interiors, wood trim, wall paper, kitchen stoves, and other stuff looked just like it did in my childhood.  Some good lines like “Bring a knife to a gun fight” from Malone as he pulls a sawed off 12 gauge out of his Victrola to take down a Capone assassin.   Robert De Niro plays a nasty and murderous Al Capone.  A good watch.

 

Craig Valdez is running for US House of Representatives.


 


Monday, April 5, 2021

Voting, the right and the wrong.

Ideally everyone would vote on election day, at the polls in their town.  The poll workers get to see a real live person carrying a real photo ID.  They can check to see if the photo ID matches the smiling face in front of them.  You can't do that with a mail in ballot.  If this creates a backup at the polls, open more polling places.  

    We don't want to support early voting because last minute changes in a candidate's position can make voters bitterly regret the vote the cast some days before.  We want to limit voting to real live people, people who live in the town they are voting in. We do this by insisting that voters register in person, at town hall BEFORE election day and show some documentation to the election officials.  To be a real New Hampshire resident, you have to have a New Hampshire driver's license and New Hampshire plates on the car.  If you carry some outta-state license and have outta-state plates, you are a resident from outta-state and you need to vote there, not in New Hampshire.  

   We need an absentee ballot procedure for people who simply cannot make it to the polls on election day, such as members of the armed forces stationed overseas.  We have that, although I have never used it and don't know just how it works.  We should never mail out ballots to people who have not requested them.  Absentee ballots should only be issued to people who have a good reason to need them.  Fear of catching Corona virus at the polls is not a good reason.  Going to vote is no more likely to infect one than going to the grocery store, and everyone still goes to the grocery store.  Absentee ballots must arrive by US mail, with a cancelled stamp, and must be in before the end of election day.  After the polls close on election day no more absentee ballots will be accepted. 

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Border Patrol rescued the two little girls

 The two little girls that coyotes dropped over the 14 foot high border fence onto a stony desert.  I like little girls and I hate seeing them hurt.  The Border Patrol picked the girls up from the desert and brought them to a shelter.  For News showed a heart warming picture of the two of them, uninjured and OK after their ordeal which could very easily have broken their limbs. 

Friday, April 2, 2021

Too bad Capitol police shot today's attacker dead

 I would have liked to question him.  I understand he didn't have a gun, just a knife.  You would think trained police officers could get the knife away from him and cuff him, alive.  Well maybe not, he killed one officer which shows he was very dangerous.  Some questions: Like what organizations do you really belong too?  Do you expect us to believe you did this all by your lonesome? Who put you up to it?  How crazy are you, really?  What drugs were you using today?  Anyhow that is water under the bridge now.  Too bad.  

MLB moves big game because they don't like new Georgia election law

 Big Game will be played elsewhere, just because of new Georgia election law, or at least that's what they are saying.  Gotta wonder about that.  I would have thought the mission of MLB was to make money for owners and players. Which means appealing to fans to go to the game and buy tickets.  I don't think baseball fans are all that interested in the new Georgia election law.  It doesn't seem to bear upon professional baseball.   I hear Biden is rooting for the change of venue.  Since when is the US president concerned about where a baseball game is played?  Surely there are a bunch of things the president ought to be doing before he starts refereeing major league baseball.   

   This seems to be part of the "the-feds-will-take-care-of-everything" fad that has popped up really strong since Democrats gained control of the federal government, lock, stock, and barrel.