Recent Comments

1. about 11 hours ago on Tom the Dancing Bug

   “While tRump is oblivious, and MuskRat impervious, the Senate Syncophants and Harlots of the House are not going to defecate on their own doorstep by enraging their largest voting constituency – Senior Citizens!”

   Remember not that long ago that Trump was telling people they wouldn’t have to vote any more if he won?

2. about 11 hours ago on Tom the Dancing Bug

   A caveat to the game Monopoly which I find interesting: it is impossible to play without the free income from passing “Go”.

3. 2 days ago on Frazz

   There’s a whole lot of flavors that have a genetic element to them. I wish more people understood that.

   I was nearly physically ill when I was in a house cooking stuffed bell peppers, from the smell alone. I would not dare try to eat one.

   OTOH I was and still am a nut for Lima beans. As a child I never let those or black-eye peas go to waste.

4. 3 days ago on La Cucaracha

   Well… this is kind of what I was afraid of.

   I think the way I type comes across as talking down or dismissively. I apologize for that; I have no idea how to not put you on the defensive. I hope you could re-read what I had to say with that in mind.

   I spent my career as a civilian in law enforcement. I am well aware the system is deeply flawed. I am also aware that most of the flaws are because we are all humans with biases and filters. We cannot create a perfect system of judgment. So no, in no way am I defending it.

   “What in my comment caused you to think that I believed that reasonable doubt had anything to do with events AFTER the trial.”

   NaGrom posted about differing stories. I believe they refer to the numerous stories that have come out post-verdict, including Peltier’s own memoir which places him at the scene. Since many of those stories came out in the years since the trial, clearly the principle of reasonable doubt does not apply.

   During the trial, though, those multiple contradictory statements would mean people are misremembering at best, and lying under oath at worst.

   But you answered “He should be pardoned on your comment alone. If there is so much question and confusion about events then there is reasonable doubt, correct?” and no, that is not automatic. It’s up to the jury.

   “Perhaps if you took the time to research Peltier’s case before you commented you would understand that your lesson in “basic” court procedure is only relevant if the rules are followed.”

   I don’t need Peltier’s case for that. I know of many others. My goal post-career was to get into a group like the Innocence Project.

   “Have you seen the movie “Cape Fear” Counselor?”

   I have not. I looked it up… it’s a work of fiction. Entertainment. I have enough experience in the field that crime/cop/investigative fiction just makes me roll my eyes. “Double Jeopardy” in particular makes me facepalm.

5. 3 days ago on Dogs of C-Kennel

   I wish I had your optimism. I don’t.

   Trump does not care what someone is “entitled” to. Trump does not care what the law says. He’s a completely unrepentant convicted felon who was also facing trial for selling out his own country.

   He’s backed by a SCOTUS that has preemptively granted him immunity for anything he might care to do, and an incoming Congress which will not exercise their own authority to hold him to account either.

   He has already spoken openly of dictatorship, of people “not needing” to vote any more, of suspending the Constitution, of using the military against us, of jailing anyone who opposes him. And this time he’s coming in with plans, backed by oligarchs.

   He ran on vitriol and hate, and his base adored it. He has no “good” name to keep intact. He has zero respect for anyone who does. He is very likely psychotic.

   Out of prison, Hunter has a chance to flee the country.

6. 3 days ago on La Cucaracha

   First and foremost, a disclaimer: I do know that people are wrongfully convicted and have not enough information about the Peltier case to say one way or the other.

   However, your post shows a misunderstanding of the justice system, and I wanted to help you avoid at least the basic errors.

   First of all, “reasonable doubt” is not about throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. When someone is on the stand, they are bound by oath. You’ve heard it… the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If a witness or defendant offered multiple different, conflicting accounts of what happened, they would be committing perjury. A witness also cannot just spout off alternate reasonable possibilities, as that would be speculation, which is not admissible at trial.

   Further, part of the jury’s job is to take all the evidence into consideration and decide what weight to give it based on how credible each person was. If a person is clearly lying on the stand, the jury would be right to give anything they say no credence.

   Secondly, “reasonable doubt” has no application post-verdict. On appeal, one must give reason to believe that a key piece of evidence or procedure is problematic in some way – that is, new evidence was found, or evidence was suppressed, or something was admitted that should not have been, etc. It has to be key enough to the case that the corrected information would stand a chance to have brought a reasonable jury to a different conclusion. Thus, that multiple stories have been put forward after the trial has no bearing whatsoever on the principle of reasonable doubt.

7. 3 days ago on La Cucaracha

   Funny. His own memoir said he was actually at the shooting. He just said he was not the one who killed them.

8. 3 days ago on Pearls Before Swine

   “Most” are not, and those few that are, are being sabotaged much like the GOP does here. Cut taxes, then wail about not having enough money for the agency, cut funding to the agency until it’s staggering, then wail about how poor a job it’s doing. Then shut it down and farm out its services to the private sector.

   In the many countries where socialized medicine is NOT actually being actively undermined, it’s doing great. It’s notable that democracy is strongest in many of those same countries, and they have the happiest and most educated populations (education is often free as well).

   The idea that socialized medicine does not do well is class-war propaganda. Those who stand to get rich off privatization will say anything to get us to believe it’s the best way to go. It is absolutely proven not to be.

9. 4 days ago on Dogs of C-Kennel

   Re: Hunter, I was of the same mind at first… but consider the reality of the situation, by your own assessment there. Do you really think he’d be safe in federal prison under the incoming administration?

10. 4 days ago on Arlo and Janis

    The amount of angst people have over this stuff is baffling. Words change. Languages change.

    Gift has been a verb for over four centuries.

    Impact has been a verb as long, and the verb use predates the noun use by almost two centuries.