After some reading I did over the weekend, I realized I was wrong on some points in my previous post. Having to quote those parts is part of the penance. : ) - The ringtone on a person’s phone has nothing to do with how they perform their job. - The judge ruled that the prosecution cannot call the dead and injured as “victims” because the trial itself is about were they victims or not. He said that the defense can call the dead and injured as “arsonists” or “looters” if they can back that up with evidence. This judge has made similar rulings in other cases. - I can’t believe I wrote that the judge looks racist. What does “look” racist even mean? Turns out he is just a judge known for his no-nonsense style, was first appointed by a Democratic Governor and ran for the Wisconsin Senate as a Democrat. - Questionable decisions by judges during a trial are common. In this case, they were about evenly distributed in favor of the defense and the prosecution.
A few other things I learned, most from this video: - Rittenhouse did not travel across state lines armed with an AR-15. . - The “crossed state lines” was a litany repeated so often in the media that we simply started to repeat it. - He lived in Antioch, IL with his mother and sisters. He worked in Kenosha, WI as a lifeguard. His father, extended family and friends lived in Kenosha. The two places are twenty miles apart and happen to be separated by state lines that people commute across daily. - The video from 4:05 to 12:45 shows what happened before the shootings, during the shootings and after that. Excellent video editing and analysis by YouTuber Matt Orfalea. This part is a must-watch. - The guy who was injured (Gaige Grosskreutz) has blatantly lied on TV. 26:00-26:35 shows his testimony in court. 26:35 - 28:32 shows how he contradicts himself later. Laughable. - And what took the cake for me was the purposefully biased coverage by WaPo. Watch 30:31 - 35:00 for this. Some of Jimmy Dore’s comments and the tone are annoying. However, the hour spent watching the video was worth my time for this lesson: “You can disagree with someone without making them the extreme opposite of everything you value.” It is wrong to say “justice was served.” A more accurate statement would be that the jury applied the laws as they currently exist. Can we expect a single case like this to fix or even start to fix bigger issues like racial injustice, violent protests, white privilege and gun laws? I don’t know.
I was just reading the news on Chris Cuomo. Initially I wondered what was wrong in him helping his brother in his defense. Now news is coming out that he used his sources to get information on the accusers and helped his brother formulate his defense. Basically he violated journalistic ethics in use of his sources to help in Andy Cuomo’s defense. What defense can Andy have? Multiple victims have come forward. It’s scary how men in power get away with sexual assault in the workplace for a long time and then get help to squash the victims. Very scary!
What do you think about the Kim Potter verdict? Kim Potter is found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright Such cases make me glad I am not a juror. The jury did their job, justice can be said to have been served. Both sides agreed she made a mistake in drawing the wrong weapon and did not intend to use the handgun. The trial was about whether she should have recognized which weapon she was holding, or if a weapon should have been used at all. I have mixed feelings. In all such cases where the victim has a criminal history, has failed to appear in court on weapons charges, or resists arrest, I feel sorry for the tough job the police have to perform. In particular, when the victim dies after resisting arrest, I find it difficult to fully accept a guilty verdict for the police officer. In this case, one of the other police officers was leaning into the car to keep Wright from controlling the gearshift. If Wright was not subdued, the other police officer would be in danger. But I guess, any other verdict would be even harder to accept, so this it is. The trial was not about Potter's intent, but about what really happened. She did not intend to kill him, but she did. Guilty.
Resisting arrest should not automatically earn you a death sentence from law enforcement. These cases may result in police not rushing to hair-trigger reactions and judgements, and the prospect of accountability may lead to different behaviors. How can a civilized society have faith in those who serve as judge, jury and executioner? The officer in this case made a mistake but as the saying goes, sorry doesn’t make a dead man alive.
How many officers life was in danger on January 6th 2021, how many got shot? There should have been 100’s people shot for threatening the elected officials life and many security officials, but that did not happen only one person got shot, Daunte Wright was not carrying a nuclear weapon that he had to be stoped and restrained at that spot, when you carry a badge that does not give you a license to act irrationally. Does that face look like it has any remorse?
Just came across this: NC Governor Roy Cooper Proclaims Tamil Language and Culture Month 2022. Here's the proclamation. This is not new this year, I just happened to hear of it today and found it interesting. Do any other states also celebrate Indian languages or culture in a similar way? .
US is celebrating Tamil and Tamil culture but Modi is spending millions of $$$ to promote a dead language Sanskrit ₹643.84 crore spent on promotion of Sanskrit in 3 years: Government data
I don't think this is about their personal preferences. For both politicians, this is likely more about political expediency than about love for any language/culture. .
When you spend taxpayer money you have a responsibility; if the PM spends the money from PM Cares fund it will be fine.