May 22, 2009
Greets and Huggers. Posted the evening of May 22, 2009. I imagine, most of us would find this barbaric: BBC NEWS – Somali justice - Islamist-style. “The dusty streets of Kismayo in Somalia echoed to the sound of a vehicle with loudspeakers summoning residents to a new form of public “entertainment” earlier this month. People were being invited to see a man have his hand chopped off in a public park in the city. The young man, Mohamed Omar Ismail, had been found guilty of stealing goods from another man’s house. That afternoon, hundreds of local people flocked to Freedom Park in order to see the amputation … The official quoted a chapter from the Koran known as Surah Maida, verse 38, which is about stealing and relevant punishment. He said that the verse decreed that punishment for stealing was that the right hand of the thief should be cut off.” So share with me … why isn’t this barbaric? BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) �- Convicted killers executed in Mo., Texas. “Two death row inmates [Note: in Missouri, Dennis Skillicorn] spent some of their last moments apologizing for their crimes before they were put to death six hours apart in Texas and Missouri, which executed its first convict in four years … Supporters wanted Skillicorn’s sentence commuted to life in prison, calling him a role model for other inmates. Skillicorn chaired a prison hospice program, co-founded a program that teaches inmates to be better parents, and compiled a book aimed at persuading juvenile offenders to turn their lives around. But in deciding against clemency, Gov. Jay Nixon noted Skillicorn was on parole for another murder at the time Drummond was kidnapped, robbed and killed. Nixon also noted that Skillicorn, 49, was convicted of two subsequent murders in Arizona.” I have no doubt Mr. Skillicorn was guilty. He admitted as much. There is a strong argument to be made that he deserves/deserved to be put to death. Punishment. An eye for an eye. But share with me … how can Christians fit “redemption” into that picture? From all reports, Mr. Skillicorn had turned his life around and no longer posed a threat to fellow inmates or society, (at least while incarcerated). I remain opposed to the “Death Penalty” for several reasons, both financial and moral, (except in those instances where a person kills another while imprisoned). The greatest of which being, if a person is exonerated, based on new evidence … life in prison with no possibility of parole can be fixed. Death can’t.
I would oppose the death penalty, even for this pilgrim, as depraved as this crime is: (CNN) — Police: Mom killed boy, buried him in playground sand. “A 23-year-old woman suffocated her son and then buried his body beneath the sand of a playground, police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said Thursday … “She placed her hand over her son’s mouth and nose and suffocated him. She had second thoughts about what she did. She performed CPR on her son, brought him back to life and then decided to go forward with that original act she had started to commit,” Schultz said … An emotional Schultz added that Toribio has tried to kill herself since her arrest. She was being held in isolation at a detention facility and kept under observation, he said.” Having said that, I would add, however, if she was successful in snuffing herself … I probably would not shed any tears.
BBC NEWS – US ‘banana gun robber’ slips up. “A US teenager who was thwarted in an attempt to rob an Internet cafe armed with a hidden banana ate the “weapon” before he was arrested, police say. John Szwalla entered the shop with a banana concealed under his T-shirt and demanded money, saying he had a gun. The shop’s owner and customers overcame the hapless thief and called for help, but they said the teenager ate his “weapon” before the police arrived.” … (scratching my head) … I have no doubt this kid is not a brain surgeon candidate … just what would he be trying to rob from an Internet cafe? The server’s tips? Risk life and limb for a cappuccino? Perhaps this was a mistake? Perhaps he was just trying to impress his girlfriend by stuffing the banana in his shorts … and forgot which direction to go?
BBC NEWS – Women’s menstruation genes found. “Scientists say they have begun to crack the genetic code that helps determine when a girl becomes a woman. A UK-led team located two genes on chromosomes six and nine that appear to strongly influence the age at which menstruation starts. The Nature Genetics study also provides a clue for why girls who are shorter and fatter tend to get their periods months earlier than classmates. The genes sit right next to DNA controlling height and weight”. Well … kind of makes you wonder what the PMS gene sits next to … doesn’t it?
And you wonder why the general public believes trial lawyers rank somewhere between whale poop and pond scum? Miami — Swine flu related lawsuit and updates. “The first lawsuit related to a swine flu death may be filed soon. The husband of Judy Trunell, the first U.S. citizen to die of swine flu in this country filed a petition seeking information from Smithfield Foods Inc. (doing business as Granjas Carroll de Mexico), the part-owner of a commercial pig farm in La Gloria, Mexico where the swine flu is thought to have originated. Mr. Trunell is asking a court in Cameron County,Texas to authorize depositions of company officials, employees and agents to investigate wrongful death claims against Smithfield Foods Inc.” So the nexus between H1N1 and pigs is?? Last I checked, negligent “natural selection” isn’t a recognized cause of action.
BBC NEWS — Wiping data ‘hits flu prediction’. “Forcing Google to delete user data after six months could dent its ability to predict pandemics such as swine flu, said the search giant’s co-founder. Larry Page said he thought more debate was needed around the issue of storing user data.” Maintaining user data for more than 6 months allows “Google” to predict pandemics? How? Perhaps 60 million people suddenly searching for Tamiflu or an undertaker would be a valid current indicator of a pandemic, but certainly not a predictor.
So share with me … if your bank deposited $6 million in your account by mistake … what would you do? BBC NEWS — NZ hunts accidental millionaires. “Police in New Zealand are searching for a couple who disappeared after a banking blunder deposited US$6m in their account. The couple had applied for a NZ$10,000 overdraft but received NZ$10m in their business account instead, part of which they withdrew, local media report. They are said to have run a service station in Rotorua, North Island. Police believe the couple have left the country and Interpol has been alerted for assistance.” … (CNN) – Hunt for accidental millionaires focuses on Hong Kong. ” … TVNZ, a CNN television affiliate, named the couple as Leo Gao and his girlfriend Cara Young. Gao owned a gas station in Rotorua, a lakeside tourist town famous for its hot water springs and bubbling mud pools. Police said Friday that the couple were believed to have traveled to Hong Kong.” I wonder why they only withdrew some of the money? I suppose there is a limit on how much cash you can physically carry!! Hong Kong is 6 times the size of Washington D.C, (which has a population 550,000), while Hong Kong has a population of over 7 million people, 95% of which are Chinese. Mr. Gao is Chinese. I suspect, to a Westerner, it will be somewhat difficult to pick Mr. Gao out of a 7 million member crowd! It will be awhile before he is found.
(CNN) — A black woman’s journey to the rabbinate in North Carolina. “When Alysa Stanton officially becomes a rabbi next month, she’ll be walking into history. She’ll become the first African-American woman ever to be ordained as a rabbi and the first African-American rabbi to lead a majority white congregation, according to the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Stanton, 45, will be ordained June 6 in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she received her master’s degree from the HUC-JIR, which is the rabbinical school of the Reform movement. Then in August, she will begin her new job at Congregation Bayt Shalom in Greenville, North Carolina — long a Conservative synagogue and now affiliated with both the Reform and Conservative movements.” Yes, there are Black Jews: Falasha Jews in Ethiopia and the Lemba Jews of South Africa, (take a look at the Websites, both are a fascinating read!) and there are African American Jews, (other than Sammy Davis Jr.), as well, although a significant minority within a minority. As my dear friend and one of my spiritual advisors Rabbi Cukierkorn shared with me a few years ago: “Jews are a people just like any other, who may or may not practice the Jewish faith … and to make me happy, my daughters should marry a Jew!” And in related news? The first African American woman, Ursula Burns, takes over as the CEO of Xerox. As a nation, we are not yet “color blind” … but we are sure working on it.
Sitting here editing these Ramblings with the Editorial Staff playing on the floor. On the evening news, an interview with the last surviving WW I veteran, Frank Buckles. He is 108 years old. It is fitting that he be named the “Person of the Week”, a representative of all who served our America, as we remember on Monday, those who “gave their all”. Growing up in the 60’s, I love Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, (CSN&Y) … and around Memorial Day, think about and listen to “Find The Cost Of Freedom“ from the “Daylight Again” album, (the song written by Steven Stills): “Do we find the cost of freedom/ Buried in the ground/ Mother Earth will swallow you/Lay your body down.” Sitting here listening to it now. Time to post these Ramblings and think about our Sunday “Lunch and a Movie”, (we have friends over on Sundays for lunch and a movie). This week? BBQ Chicken Breasts, potato salad … and for dessert, Bavarian Tort. Tonight, when I finally go to bed, I will say a prayer of thanks for our men and women in uniform. The many who have sacrificed … and for their safe and soon return of those serving now, (care to join me)? And of course, a prayer of thanks for the many blessings in my life, especially the greatest friend, partner and lover any man can have: my Susan. Be and sleep well, the best there is, is in harms way so you can! If my post offends, I apologize, that is not my intent. As always …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri … and the Editorial Staff, Willie, Karly, my ‘Lil Buddy … and Dinker the copy boy.)