It's the last blog of 2015...
My apologies for having been neglectful of my blog for a couple of weeks. I've been otherwise occupied. First off let me wish everyone a very Happy New Year and express my best wishes for you and yours. I hope everyone has their best year yet in 2016. I thought I'd use this final blog of the year to look at some of the most recent news items and share my ponderings on them.
Bill Cosby has been arraigned and posted bail in the amount of $1 million after being charged with aggravated sexual assault in a Pennsylvania case that dates back to 2004. This cased involves a woman, Andrea Constand. She was an employee of Temple University at the time. This is the woman that Cosby made a sealed settlement with in a civil case. He insists the sex was consensual but given that multiple sources report that Ms Constand is a lesbian and was involved with a woman at the time, that seems unlikely. Reporter's note: Even if some of the women who have come out and leveled accusations that Bill Cosby sexually abused them are just jumping on the bandwagon of the initial accusers, it is clear that something untoward happened. In most of these cases, the statute of limitations has expired. Not in this one. Not in the case of Chloe Goins either, although there are reports her civil suit will be dismissed in the next week or so because her lawyer has never had Cosby formally served. The rumors are the parties in that matter are close to a settlement. The thing is, you can't make a criminal case just go away by throwing money at it. You can hire the best lawyers, mount the most vigorous of defenses, but you can't just buy your way out of it. It will be interesting to see if this case ever gets to a courtroom.
* * *
Anyone who grew up in Southern California and has any knowledge of the local surfing community knows that a number of beaches are truly considered to be "locals only" by those who use them regularly. None more so than Lunada Bay in Palos Verdes Peninsula. For decades, a local group known as the Bay Boys has allegedly done a lot of things to keep anyone they considered an intruder away from their beach. Among the allegations against this group of wealthy, mostly white, middle-aged men is that they've thrown rocks at people, vandalized cars and in some cases physically assaulting visitors to what they consider "their beach."
Now there's a new sheriff in town in the form of Palos Verdes Police Department Chief Jeff Kepley. He says he won't allow his officers to ignore these transgressions. "We will make an example out of anyone behaves criminally down there" is just one statement Chief Kepley has made regarding Lunada Beach and the Bay Boys. Reporter's note: This has been going on since before the 1995 protest against the locals by visitors that police ultimately broke up. Long before. I don't know if the residents of the area will get behind this new chief's efforts or not, but I'd like to see him finally clean up that mess. The beaches of California belong to all, and all should be able to use them without fear of retribution.
* * *
Kyle Montgomery is a medically retired U. S. Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2014. Back in 2010 while deployed in Afghanistan he jumped on and covered a grenade to protect his fellow Marines. He was in a coma for five weeks, and lost most of his jaw.
He's in the news at the moment because he was arrested on New Year's Eve in connection with an alleged hit and run accident in South Carolina. Police say Carpenter cooperated with the investigation and was not believed to have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident. Police also report that a pedestrian was injured in the accident, although no details of those injuries were given. Reporter's note: The only reason this is news is because of our societal obsession with anyone with any kind of notoriety. There were dozens, maybe hundreds of hit and run accidents this week in the U. S. and this is the only one I've seen mentioned on the national news. Although I'd much prefer we be obsessed with true heroes than fame whores like the Kardashian Klan.
* * *
There are reports that after the first of the year and before President Obama's scheduled State of the Union Address on January 12th, the President will announce he will issue an Executive Order that will require more rigorous background checks prior to people being allowed to buy guns.
Details of the proposal are not yet available and the National Rifle Association said through a spokesperson the organization would not comment at this time. Reporter's note: All the background checks in the world won't stop people who intend to use guns to commit crimes from obtaining those guns as long as they are in the possession of the public. They will steal them, buy them illegally or do whatever else is required. Someone planning an armed robbery isn't going to worry about violating any gun control regulation. If we want to take assault weapons like those used in San Bernardino away from terrorists and criminals, we can't allow anyone and everyone to own them. We can create a "well-regulated milita" and those who wish to be part of that militia can submit themselves and their weapons to those regulations.
* * *
Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez has given an interview in which she claims she was humiliated by the mix-up at the conclusion of the Miss Universe pageant. For anyone living under a rock, she was incorrectly crowned the winner by host Steve Harvey before he corrected the error and crowned the real winner, Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach. Miss Gutierrez said "It was very humiliating for me, but also for the whole country and for all the people not only from Colombia but the other Latinos that were in the auditorium." Reporter's note: The national pride of Colombia can't be very secure if an incident like this would threaten it. This is as big a non-story as there is out there.
* * *
Kathryn Simmerman has been the manager of a small credit union in Norton Shores, MI. She became manager in 2006 but she's been employed there for over 15 years. During that time she always arrived first at the office. On 433 of those days she helped herself to wads of cash in the credit union's lockbox. More than $1.9 million in cash. Now she's going to prison. Reporter's Note: How did this embezzlement go undetected for so long?
Bill Cosby has been arraigned and posted bail in the amount of $1 million after being charged with aggravated sexual assault in a Pennsylvania case that dates back to 2004. This cased involves a woman, Andrea Constand. She was an employee of Temple University at the time. This is the woman that Cosby made a sealed settlement with in a civil case. He insists the sex was consensual but given that multiple sources report that Ms Constand is a lesbian and was involved with a woman at the time, that seems unlikely. Reporter's note: Even if some of the women who have come out and leveled accusations that Bill Cosby sexually abused them are just jumping on the bandwagon of the initial accusers, it is clear that something untoward happened. In most of these cases, the statute of limitations has expired. Not in this one. Not in the case of Chloe Goins either, although there are reports her civil suit will be dismissed in the next week or so because her lawyer has never had Cosby formally served. The rumors are the parties in that matter are close to a settlement. The thing is, you can't make a criminal case just go away by throwing money at it. You can hire the best lawyers, mount the most vigorous of defenses, but you can't just buy your way out of it. It will be interesting to see if this case ever gets to a courtroom.
* * *
Anyone who grew up in Southern California and has any knowledge of the local surfing community knows that a number of beaches are truly considered to be "locals only" by those who use them regularly. None more so than Lunada Bay in Palos Verdes Peninsula. For decades, a local group known as the Bay Boys has allegedly done a lot of things to keep anyone they considered an intruder away from their beach. Among the allegations against this group of wealthy, mostly white, middle-aged men is that they've thrown rocks at people, vandalized cars and in some cases physically assaulting visitors to what they consider "their beach."
Now there's a new sheriff in town in the form of Palos Verdes Police Department Chief Jeff Kepley. He says he won't allow his officers to ignore these transgressions. "We will make an example out of anyone behaves criminally down there" is just one statement Chief Kepley has made regarding Lunada Beach and the Bay Boys. Reporter's note: This has been going on since before the 1995 protest against the locals by visitors that police ultimately broke up. Long before. I don't know if the residents of the area will get behind this new chief's efforts or not, but I'd like to see him finally clean up that mess. The beaches of California belong to all, and all should be able to use them without fear of retribution.
* * *
Kyle Montgomery is a medically retired U. S. Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2014. Back in 2010 while deployed in Afghanistan he jumped on and covered a grenade to protect his fellow Marines. He was in a coma for five weeks, and lost most of his jaw.
He's in the news at the moment because he was arrested on New Year's Eve in connection with an alleged hit and run accident in South Carolina. Police say Carpenter cooperated with the investigation and was not believed to have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident. Police also report that a pedestrian was injured in the accident, although no details of those injuries were given. Reporter's note: The only reason this is news is because of our societal obsession with anyone with any kind of notoriety. There were dozens, maybe hundreds of hit and run accidents this week in the U. S. and this is the only one I've seen mentioned on the national news. Although I'd much prefer we be obsessed with true heroes than fame whores like the Kardashian Klan.
* * *
There are reports that after the first of the year and before President Obama's scheduled State of the Union Address on January 12th, the President will announce he will issue an Executive Order that will require more rigorous background checks prior to people being allowed to buy guns.
Details of the proposal are not yet available and the National Rifle Association said through a spokesperson the organization would not comment at this time. Reporter's note: All the background checks in the world won't stop people who intend to use guns to commit crimes from obtaining those guns as long as they are in the possession of the public. They will steal them, buy them illegally or do whatever else is required. Someone planning an armed robbery isn't going to worry about violating any gun control regulation. If we want to take assault weapons like those used in San Bernardino away from terrorists and criminals, we can't allow anyone and everyone to own them. We can create a "well-regulated milita" and those who wish to be part of that militia can submit themselves and their weapons to those regulations.
* * *
Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez has given an interview in which she claims she was humiliated by the mix-up at the conclusion of the Miss Universe pageant. For anyone living under a rock, she was incorrectly crowned the winner by host Steve Harvey before he corrected the error and crowned the real winner, Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach. Miss Gutierrez said "It was very humiliating for me, but also for the whole country and for all the people not only from Colombia but the other Latinos that were in the auditorium." Reporter's note: The national pride of Colombia can't be very secure if an incident like this would threaten it. This is as big a non-story as there is out there.
* * *
Kathryn Simmerman has been the manager of a small credit union in Norton Shores, MI. She became manager in 2006 but she's been employed there for over 15 years. During that time she always arrived first at the office. On 433 of those days she helped herself to wads of cash in the credit union's lockbox. More than $1.9 million in cash. Now she's going to prison. Reporter's Note: How did this embezzlement go undetected for so long?
posted by me at 8:54 PM
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