Saturday, March 28, 2015

Amanda Knox Acquitted of all Murder Charges


Amanda Knox’s “Long National Nightmare is Over” to quote Jerald Ford.  Amanda Knox has finally been unqualifiably acquitted of murder charges in Italy.  I guess it was in 2007 that Amanda Knox was accused of killing her British roommate conspiring with her then boyfriend to do it.  She was initially acquitted but then the appeals court overturned the decision and said she had to be retried.  That can’t happen in this country – as you’re probably already guessed.  It can’t happen in Brittain- as we know from “Witness for the Prosecution.   It can’t happen  because we have explicid protection in our Constitution about “No fact by this jury may ever be reexamined” or something.  Of course Amanda managed to get out of Italy and was planning to live her life under a not so veiled threat of being renditioned back to Italy (by secret police or something)  But yesterday the appeals court made it official that she is free for good.  And now Amanda is free to plan her wedding to her current boyfriend.  We all wish her God’s speed and a happy life.  She deserves it.    I’m typing on red, so I can’t see the red flagged words.

President Obama spoke on the topic of these pay day lones.  I’ve never gotten one myself but from everything I’ve heard- - they charge Mafia style interest rates of 25% a week or something.  My advice is just let your family starve a few days or be like that restaurant guy and cultivate a tast for dirt in your children.  And if it’s a really urgent bill like the rent that’s due, then go out and rob a bank and get the money that way.  It’s less risky then leaving your fate to these loan sharks, where you could easily end up owing double what you borrowed, and that’s probably getting off easy.   The President as in “Now you say something?” seems to have woken up and discovered that the credit companies are ripping off consumers.  Five years ago they passed Dodd Frank and related bills- - and I thought either the administration or congress had decided that any such bank or finance related bill would just be ignored like it didn’t exist.  But if the President is newly concerned about Finance- - there is a host of measures he can take.

Let’s talk about this “Freedom of Religion” act in Indiana.  Apparently people attending the Final Four next week are thinking of organizing a massive boycott instead.  If it were me running a wedding cake business- - and a gay couple wanted a wedding cake- - I’d just say to keep it on the QT that I did business with you.  I wouldn’t want it to get around to all of my “regular customers”.  To me it would be just business.  I wouldn’t care.  I understand the idea that people consider it a “right” to engage in commerce.  But as far as the Courts are concerned the adage is true “We refuse to refuse Service to Anybody”.  You can be fired because the boss doesn’t like the way you part your hair or that garish tie you are wearing.   When I learned this basic fact of life- - it was an eye opener for me.  But to then go on and call it a religious right and give it some sort of government “Institutional” status- -to me seems to be going a little far.  I am sure the tides and the times will be- - pointing to official establishing homoxesuality as a civil right on an equal status with race.  We aren’t there yet.   Like I say I think the Indiana law is a little “over the top”.  A lot will be determined by the official Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage this June, whether homoxesuality is no reason at all to discriminate in anything.

Harry Reid won’t run for reelection to the senate next year in Nevada.  Reid is endoursing Chuck Schummer for new minority leader, or just maybe- - majority leader.  Goldman states that it won’t be necessary for the democrats to win Nevada in order to take the senate.  I hope he’s right.  After his squeaker of last time, I can understand why Reid doesn’t want to risk it.  Some on the far left criticize him.  He’s soft spoken, but he usually got the job done.

Norman Goldman is talking about “the doc fix” where doctors did not have their reimbursements “docked” a small percentage each year, as they should have, year after year because of a law Clinton signed in the nineties.  But now John Boehner has stated that he’s going to submit to “the doc fix”, and we won’t have this problem anymore.  It’s a major concession to the moderates and the tea party is pissed off.   It would seemed that Rush and Shawn may be correct that the party has shown more "flexability" on various issues such as the immigration thing- - then I might have expected.  Norman Goldman claims that nobody takes EITHER the Republican OR Democratic budgets seriously.  This is news to me.  I don't think we so entire in 'Continuing Resolution Land" that it's literally impossible to pass ANY budget.  

I finally got up the nerve to ask Janet for a loan.  I don’t see her out on the benches that much to begin with these days anyhow.  She turned me down and suggested I go to Federico, which I’ve already done.  I borrowed cigarette number 23 from Paul before breakfast and that’s the only whole cigarette I’ve had today.  This is officially day twelve that I haven’t had any money or debit card to spend, and also the twelfth day of Bill being gone.  I talked to that guy last night who opened my door three or four times in the early evening.  Apparently he’s James new roommate across the hall, now that Donald is officially gone.  I check to see who’s name is still on the door and who’s has been removed.  I got my medication from Tom before breakfast.  This is the first time I’ve heard “rewind” on KNX for a number of weeks.  We had oatmeal for breakfast.  Donald complained he can’t see the money in his wallet when it’s dark, but at the time there was already a little twilight showing in the sky.  Orange juice is good, but I need to take a little V8 myself because my night vision isn’t what it used to be, either.   And then there was a long hiatus and it wasn’t till past a quarter to eight that we got our toast and butter and jelly, and a fried egg, and coffee.   I think I’ll stick with blue if I decide to blog stuff here.

We haven't talked about "Federation Politics" for a long time.  In fact 2015 has has a derth of references to doings on "the other side" compared to either of the past two years.   John Lennon had a long conversation with one of the Taccoman representatives a few days ago and one concern was that the Taccomans supported the first Iraq War in 1991 at a time when few people in the Federation, including Stu Sutcliffe - - did.  During those few weeks when Stu was actually around in September of 1990 he was quite anti war.  Although they seemed to be more "pro war" after the War was already over.  But this time around the Taccomans made it clear that they are NOT "pro born again Christian" and NOT pro war with Iran, and in fact they are NOT pro Netenyahoo.   John Lennon has also brought up religion.   John was reminded "You know- - you didn't mind us ruling back in 1991, so why now?"   Both Dennis and Kurt also had these sorts of religious doubts about the Taccomans - - in Dennis' case, for reasons too lengthly to go into here.  It was about that time or a few days before that Stu Sutcliffe- - - pointed out that your host (me) had been cut out of an album cover photo from November of 1991.  And the reason why the photo was "re-staged" using whatever advanced photo guimicry they have- was that "I just wasn't bringing anything TO the picture".    But there is both a Mal Evans and Romulan tradition that "Once an album is out- - you don't change the front cover in these sly ways" because often front covers are seen as omens of the future, and don't change that.   In terms of - - cosmic identities of groups "In Cars" by Gary Newman IS in fact a "Berliner" group - - - just as "Nobody Walks in LA" (Missing Persons) is a Berliner group.   "One Night In Bancock" is the Karn Evel group, if we didn't say.  People sometimes like to say "Oh that's our nationality that did that song" and at least for me- - tagging cosmic identity for a group is not always a slam dunk.

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