January 22, 2010
Greets and Huggers. Posted the evening of January 22, 2010. Life has it’s ironies. 27 days after the US Senate passed a sweeping health insurance reform bill, something Senator Ted Kennedy, (February 22, 1932 � August 25, 2009), championed and labored on his whole senate career … now appears doomed, or significantly scaled back, because of the election of his replacement. Washington (CNN) – Scott Brown: From pinup to pickup-driving populist. “The morning after winning the Massachusetts Senate special election on Tuesday, Scott Brown was still trying to take it all in. “If you would have told me growing up [that] a guy whose mom is on welfare and parents had some marital troubles — and I had some issues growing up … would be standing before you right now, going to Washington D.C.? Are you kidding me?” Brown said at a news conference Wednesday.” Brown is an interesting guy, (read the link!) Put in perspective, he is one of 5 Republican Senators in the 40 member Massachusetts Senate. “When told that different people labeled him a conservative, moderate and a liberal Republican, he responded �I�m a Scott Brown Republican … “I’m Scott Brown, I’m from Wrentham, I drive a truck, and I am nobody’s senator but yours.”" Of course my Democrat friends claim he won because his opponent ran a very poor campaign … and my Republican friends claim, it is a public rebuke of Obama. As for me? I’m just struck by the irony: the original “Boston Tea Party” signaled a populist revolt. “For the 2010 Senate race, Brown was supported by the Greater Boston Tea Party group, which organized a January 2, 2010 fundraising breakfast for him in Boston, which he attended.” Republicans and Democrats consider the “Tea Party” folks a bunch of “wingnuts”. On December 16, 1773, so did the British. I think incumbents are in for a rude awakening.
And in the review of a death penalty Federal Habeas Corpus case, handed down by the Supreme Court of the United States this week: “Petitioner Marcus Wellons was convicted in Georgia state court of rape and murder and sentenced to death. Although the trial looked typical, there were unusual events going on behind the scenes. Only after the trial did defense counsel learn that there had been unreported ex parte contacts between the jury and the judge, that jurors and a bailiff had planned a reunion, and that �either during or immediately following the penalty phase, some jury members gave the trial judge chocolate shaped as male genitalia and the bailiff chocolate shaped as female breasts,� 554 F. 3d 923, 930 (CA11 2009). The judge had not reported any of this to the defense.” see Wellons v. Hall, (click on the link). The issue in this case is not whether Mr. Wellons is guilty … he may or may not be. The issue is whether he has the ability/right to have a hearing about whether or not he received a fair trial, given the disclosures made after trial. Our Supremos ordered he should, given the facts of this case. They declined to deal with the really important issues. Was it white or dark chocolate? What size were the male genitalia chocolates? (From “Blazing Saddles“, “It’s twoo, it’s twoo!“) Did the bailiff munch on the chocolate shaped “female breasts“? Did the “female breasts” appear to be the breasts of a female of appropriate age? Is the bailiff a potential child molester, if the chocolate breasts appear to be those of a female less than 18 years of age? No doubt, a pervert. Maybe, the jury is as well! A jury of perverts, sentencing some pilgrim to death!! Fair trial? Look, the death penalty is like putting a Band-Aid on a syphilitic chancre. It’s an “Easy Button”, no less so than the “Zero Tolerance” policies our schools have adopted. It costs more to put a person to death, then keep him/her confined for life. It is not a deterrence. And in my world view, the taking of human life is immoral under any circumstance, but justifiable to preserve human life. As a veteran, I’m comfortable with that.
ABC NEWS – ‘Small Smiles Centers’ Company to Pay $24 Million. “A dental management company that serves low-income children insured by Medicaid will pay $24 million to settle allegations that it provided medically unnecessary and substandard services, the Justice Department announced Wednesday … Carrying out unnecessary and often painful procedures on children is “pretty disgusting; it doesn’t get much more disgusting than that,” Tony West, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s civil division, told a news conference … In a statement, FORBA said the settlement “encourages us to continue to focus on vital, high-quality dental care for children in America’s low-income communities.” Justice Department civil division? Where are the criminal prosecutions?
HOUSTON – Attorney Stole Dead Dad’s Checks. “A Houston-area attorney who stole tens of thousands of dollars from his deceased father’s Social Security account is headed to prison, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday. Carlos Correa was accused of cashing his father’s Social Security checks for 12 years after his father died. Investigators said he took more than $100,000. Jurors found him guilty of one charge of theft. It took the panel 20 minutes to reach the verdict … Correa’s father died in 1996, but no one told the Social Security Administration. Correa’s attorney said that should not have happened … The state bar has suspended him twice. Once he is released from prison, Correa will not be able to practice law again.” There’s good news and bad news. The good news? He will not be able to regain his license to practice law. The bad news? He is moving to Missouri, opening a storefront and will help folks fill out the forms provided by our Court Administrator. I suppose in a way, that is also good news: will provide additional advertising revenue for “Craig’s List” and the “Pennysaver”.
BBC NEWS — Pretty women ‘anger more easily’. “Attractive women may have the competitive edge by letting their temper flare more, research suggests. Researchers found women who rated themselves as pretty displayed a war-like streak when fighting battles to get their own way … In the study, the women who believed they were good looking were more likely to respond angrily in disputes than those who rated themselves as less attractive. Attractive women also had higher expectations of what they deserved.” Reminds me of Jimmy Soul’s song, (1963), “If You Wanna Be Happy.“ “If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life/ Never make a pretty woman your wife/ So from my personal point of view/ Get an ugly girl to marry you.” Jimmy Soul was a two hit wonder. His other hit, (1962), was “Twisting Matilda“. He died of a heart attack in 1988, at the age of 45.
BBC NEWS – Sexy sparrow exposed as world’s most promiscuous bird. “A bird living on the coast of the US is the world’s most promiscuous bird, say scientists. The saltmarsh sparrow, a bird that lives in the marshes of Connecticut, was found to have extreme levels of multiple mating. The researchers found that 95% of females mated with more than one male during each nesting period … We found that nearly every clutch of eggs was the product of more than one father, and that within broods it was extremely common for any two siblings to have different fathers,” says Professor Chris Elphick from the University of Connecticut.” Male and female saltmarsh sparrows do not form pairs nor do the males play any role in caring for chicks. Sounds like some people I know. Course, that begs the question, “Why didn’t the other 5%?” Perhaps, it’s because they are ugly and found a male to nest with them? Help raise the chicks? Maybe some birds are smarter than their human counterparts, (humming Jimmy Soul’s song!)
Sitting here editing these Ramblings, “Smarticus” and “Farticus” are playing on the floor, while the “Editorial Staff” is asleep in their chair. We will have some “Lunch and a Movie” guests Sunday. Cheese mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, beef garlic pot roast and French Silk Chocolate pie for dessert. The movie? “Inglorious Bastards“ Time to post these Ramblings, then do a Photoshop Tutorial about “Alien Skin Bokeh“. Then, chat a bit on “Facebook” and later hit the sack. As I always do, I will say a prayer for the folks on my “prayer list”, a thank you for the many blessings in my life, especially Susan … and a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?) Be and sleep well, the best there is, is walking the walk 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, Dinker, Karly, my ‘Lil Buddy … and “Floyd” the copy boy. “Smarticus” and Farticus” get no credit, since they didn’t contribute.)