Stuff on a Saturday
Rasool Samir is a 19 year old man who was a member of the Garden City Community College men's basketball team. On November 1st, the rest of his teammates went into the locker room prior to the playing of the national anthem. Rasool did not join them as team rules call for, according to the college's attorney Randall Grisell. During the playing of the anthem, he went onto the court and began shooting baskets That led to a confrontation with a fan who was a long-time school booster.
The team's coach told him to return to the dorm and the college claims that Samir refused to do so. Instead he followed the coach back onto the court and according to the New York Daily News, "Samir followed the team onto the floor and yelled at the coach, threatening to fight him, and responded with an obscenity when Trenkle told him to leave."
Samir left the school after losing his athletic scholarship and returned to Philadelphia. The ACLU claims his civil rights were violated. Samir is a Muslim and as such does not stand for the playing of a nation's national anthem. They may file a lawsuit.
Reporter's Note: Whatever your faith, if the team rule is to go to the locker room, you go to the locker room. He didn't need to stand for the anthem, but he needed to sit silently and allow others to observe the anthem. Shooting baskets isn't a protest, it is an act of disruption. There's a big difference between this and taking a knee, which I support and defend.
* * *
Should Senator Al Franken (D-MN) resign? There's a lot of talk about that right now. Donald Trump tweeted out about Senator Franken but has yet to address the allegations against defrocked Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore. A lot of those who won't condemn Moore are calling for an ethic investigation into Senator Franken's actions from 2006.
Some argue recency as making what Senator Franken did worse than what Roy Moore did back in the late 1970s. That's a ridiculous argument.
Leeann Tweeden is the victim here and she doesn't want Senator Franken to resign.
Reporter's Note: That's good enough for me. If the victim is okay with the apology, everyone else needs to back off. Especially considering that Moore, Trump, Weinstein, et al; have yet to admit their culpability and/or apologize.
* * *
TMZ reports that David Cassidy is in critical condition in a Florida hospital and his organs are shutting down. The story claims he will die if he doesn't get a liver transplant.
TMZ also reported back in February of this year that the singer/actor appeared drunk at a concert. He admitted to alcoholism back in 2008, has had several DUI arrests in the past and been to rehab more than once. In an interview with CNN back in March of 2014 he said, "if I take another drink, I'm going to die, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I'm dead."
Hospitals usually require a liver transplant candidate to be sober for at least six months prior to being given a donor organ. A study published in 2011 suggests that liver transplant candidates suffering from alcoholism who aren't forced to wait for six months of sobriety prior to the transplant don't have a higher rate of returning to drinking than those who have to wait. Since most patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis die within two months of diagnosis, this suggests the wait for sobriety may be contraindicated.
Reporter's Note: This is a tough one. I see two very strong arguments here. One is that precious organs (more than 1,400 patients die annually waiting for a liver transplant) would be wasted if given to alcoholics who then return to drinking. Professional soccer player George Best got a liver transplant in 2002, paid for the by the UK's National Health Service and died a little over two years later. He went right back to drinking after the surgery. Then there is David Crosby, who had his liver transplant in 1994 and is still around 23 years later. I think hard and fast rules are bad and every situation should be evaluated individually.
* * *
Olivia Munn is one of the women who has accused Brett Ratner of sexual harassment/assault. He of course has denied the allegations. In a L.A. Times story published on Saturday, 11/18/2017, she made it clear what she wants. "I want Warner Brothers to sever all ties with Brett Ratner."
The studio's production deal with Ratner's RatPac-Dune runs through the spring of next year, but the slate of films that are supposedly part of the 75 film financing deal between the studio and the company Ranter co-founded with billionaire James Packer.
Since the contract between the two is not a matter of public record, we don't know what the cost of Warner Brothers bailing on the deal before it expires would be. Given that the deal calls for RatPac-Dune to provide $450 million in film financing without creative control, according to The Wrap. That's a lot of money at risk.
Ending contractual business relationships is never easy. It can often be very expensive.
Reporter's Note: I don't blame Ms Munn one bit for wanting everyone in Hollywood to stop doing business with Ratner. Especially given the anecdote she describes in the story when she met with Brian Grazer. Morally, Warner Brothers should pull the plug right now. Legally, they are part of Time-Warner, a publicly held company and they have a responsibility to their shareholders and the bottom line. If there is a way to bail on the deal without it costing a lot of money, Warner should bail immediately.
* * *
According to CNN, seven Chicago Police Department officers are now on desk duty and fifteen men they allegedly framed have been released.
Over 47 years ago, the NY Times published a front page story in which widespread corruption in the New York City Police Department was detailed by a number of cops who spoke to the NYT because they felt the city wasn't investigating reports of corruption. Frank Serpico was one of those cops. Mayor Lindsay appointed five people to serve on the Knapp Commission to investigate.
In 1992 it was the Mollen Commission. After 22 years had passed, this commission was appointed and they issued a report in 1994. It found, "...the New York City Police Department had failed at every level to uproot corruption and had instead tolerated a culture that fostered misconduct and concealed lawlessness by police officers."
Now we find major corruption in the Chicago PD. We have an ever-growing problem with people of color being killed by law enforcement personnel. Who will stop such things?
Reporter's Note:
The team's coach told him to return to the dorm and the college claims that Samir refused to do so. Instead he followed the coach back onto the court and according to the New York Daily News, "Samir followed the team onto the floor and yelled at the coach, threatening to fight him, and responded with an obscenity when Trenkle told him to leave."
Samir left the school after losing his athletic scholarship and returned to Philadelphia. The ACLU claims his civil rights were violated. Samir is a Muslim and as such does not stand for the playing of a nation's national anthem. They may file a lawsuit.
Reporter's Note: Whatever your faith, if the team rule is to go to the locker room, you go to the locker room. He didn't need to stand for the anthem, but he needed to sit silently and allow others to observe the anthem. Shooting baskets isn't a protest, it is an act of disruption. There's a big difference between this and taking a knee, which I support and defend.
* * *
Should Senator Al Franken (D-MN) resign? There's a lot of talk about that right now. Donald Trump tweeted out about Senator Franken but has yet to address the allegations against defrocked Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore. A lot of those who won't condemn Moore are calling for an ethic investigation into Senator Franken's actions from 2006.
Some argue recency as making what Senator Franken did worse than what Roy Moore did back in the late 1970s. That's a ridiculous argument.
Leeann Tweeden is the victim here and she doesn't want Senator Franken to resign.
Reporter's Note: That's good enough for me. If the victim is okay with the apology, everyone else needs to back off. Especially considering that Moore, Trump, Weinstein, et al; have yet to admit their culpability and/or apologize.
* * *
TMZ reports that David Cassidy is in critical condition in a Florida hospital and his organs are shutting down. The story claims he will die if he doesn't get a liver transplant.
TMZ also reported back in February of this year that the singer/actor appeared drunk at a concert. He admitted to alcoholism back in 2008, has had several DUI arrests in the past and been to rehab more than once. In an interview with CNN back in March of 2014 he said, "if I take another drink, I'm going to die, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I'm dead."
Hospitals usually require a liver transplant candidate to be sober for at least six months prior to being given a donor organ. A study published in 2011 suggests that liver transplant candidates suffering from alcoholism who aren't forced to wait for six months of sobriety prior to the transplant don't have a higher rate of returning to drinking than those who have to wait. Since most patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis die within two months of diagnosis, this suggests the wait for sobriety may be contraindicated.
Reporter's Note: This is a tough one. I see two very strong arguments here. One is that precious organs (more than 1,400 patients die annually waiting for a liver transplant) would be wasted if given to alcoholics who then return to drinking. Professional soccer player George Best got a liver transplant in 2002, paid for the by the UK's National Health Service and died a little over two years later. He went right back to drinking after the surgery. Then there is David Crosby, who had his liver transplant in 1994 and is still around 23 years later. I think hard and fast rules are bad and every situation should be evaluated individually.
* * *
Olivia Munn is one of the women who has accused Brett Ratner of sexual harassment/assault. He of course has denied the allegations. In a L.A. Times story published on Saturday, 11/18/2017, she made it clear what she wants. "I want Warner Brothers to sever all ties with Brett Ratner."
The studio's production deal with Ratner's RatPac-Dune runs through the spring of next year, but the slate of films that are supposedly part of the 75 film financing deal between the studio and the company Ranter co-founded with billionaire James Packer.
Since the contract between the two is not a matter of public record, we don't know what the cost of Warner Brothers bailing on the deal before it expires would be. Given that the deal calls for RatPac-Dune to provide $450 million in film financing without creative control, according to The Wrap. That's a lot of money at risk.
Ending contractual business relationships is never easy. It can often be very expensive.
Reporter's Note: I don't blame Ms Munn one bit for wanting everyone in Hollywood to stop doing business with Ratner. Especially given the anecdote she describes in the story when she met with Brian Grazer. Morally, Warner Brothers should pull the plug right now. Legally, they are part of Time-Warner, a publicly held company and they have a responsibility to their shareholders and the bottom line. If there is a way to bail on the deal without it costing a lot of money, Warner should bail immediately.
* * *
According to CNN, seven Chicago Police Department officers are now on desk duty and fifteen men they allegedly framed have been released.
Over 47 years ago, the NY Times published a front page story in which widespread corruption in the New York City Police Department was detailed by a number of cops who spoke to the NYT because they felt the city wasn't investigating reports of corruption. Frank Serpico was one of those cops. Mayor Lindsay appointed five people to serve on the Knapp Commission to investigate.
In 1992 it was the Mollen Commission. After 22 years had passed, this commission was appointed and they issued a report in 1994. It found, "...the New York City Police Department had failed at every level to uproot corruption and had instead tolerated a culture that fostered misconduct and concealed lawlessness by police officers."
Now we find major corruption in the Chicago PD. We have an ever-growing problem with people of color being killed by law enforcement personnel. Who will stop such things?
Reporter's Note:
Now more than ever it is critical to pose
the question, Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?
Who watches the watchers. During
part of my career in the Air Force, I worked as a law enforcement
specialist. I know a lot of good people
who work in the that field today. I
can't imagine any of them doing anything untoward. I suspect that the vast majority of cops are
honest, hard-working people who do not succumb to the temptations to engage in
corruption.
To avoid even the appearance of impropriety, it is long past time for outside agencies to be tasked, created if necessary, to investigate corruption and police shootings.
posted by me at 6:46 PM
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