Any Discussion Open Thread

Mar 7

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Caterpillars, moths, butterflies, a certain roach, and all creatures great and small.

Hope that this week finds you healthy and happy, and not yet fed up with politics, politics, and more politics.  There are several things I have to do in the next few days, so I might not be able to blog on any particular issue that comes up in the news.   We can use this open thread to discuss anything; up-date anything.

I found a few very interesting stories.  In the first, Taylor Thyfault was a cadet in police training who was hit and killed during a high-speed chase in May 2015.  Since then, his mother has been texting his old phone as a way to deal with her grief. She never expected a text back.  Here’s the video.

blue butterflies

The second story comes from attorney David Allen.  A juror serving in a criminal case involving robbery in New York decided to post what was happening at trial to Facebook.  The judge fined her $1000.

blue butterflies

The third story comes out of Florida.  The officer we see on the video has been indicted for beating the suspect.  In the video, we hear the classic “stop resisting” as the officer kicks the still and handcuffed man repeatedly in his ribs.

blue butterflies

To conclude, here’s one of my favorite musical groups from my Flower Child days who in 2013, had a reunion. Their music is timeless.

 

Posted on 03/07/2016, in Good Cops, Happiness and Kindness, open discussion, Potpourri and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 41 Comments.

  1. roach59 | 03/07/2016 at 3:58 am

    I’ll get back with you when I get up off the floor from laughing.
    U killing me over here.

    Liked by 2 people

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  2. mindyme62 | 03/07/2016 at 6:50 am

    Good Morning! The juror who was using social media while hearing a case, how could folks not have seen her doing this? That would be the worst thing any juror could do, finding out details (or not) that may have been ruled inadmissible.

    Now, onto the video where the officer was indicted!

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. mindyme62 | 03/07/2016 at 7:04 am

    From PINAC.

    “Terrell, along with the other four deputies who pleaded guilty last year, are now are facing prison sentences.
    Cody Hoppel, Adam Ray Crawford, Trevor Wade Fitzgerald and James Louis Amidei.”

    You can tell in the video how one officer sees the camera and steps away. I hope they all ‘have the book thrown at them’

    I found this in an article on-line. It may have even been here. To me this is proof the BLM movement is working.

    “According to Philip Stinson, a criminologist at Bowling Green State University, an average of five police officers per year were charged with murder or manslaughter for on-duty shootings between 2005 and 2014. In 2015, that number spiked to 17—a count that doesn’t include the six officers indicted in connection with the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.”

    Marion County Sheriff’s office has a FB page but they must know me there. 😦

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Xena | 03/07/2016 at 4:00 pm

      Mindyme,
      Thanks for that info. So all 4 have been indicted. That’s the way it should be.

      Sorry you lost your passport to the Marion County Sheriff’s FB page. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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      • mindyme62 | 03/07/2016 at 10:08 pm

        I was recently given a 3-day time-out on FB for comments made on Matthew Heimbach’s ‘Traditionalist’ FB group. Matthew is the man in the red hat pushing, hitting and shoving the young woman at the Trump rally in KY. It was worth it.

        I hope this shows up, food for thought.

        Liked by 1 person

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  5. yahtzeebutterfly | 03/07/2016 at 10:51 am

    Aww, look at this little octopus discovered by camera at an ocean depth of two and a half miles:

    Hello little one 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

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  6. Xena | 03/07/2016 at 3:56 pm

    Like

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  7. Xena | 03/07/2016 at 4:01 pm

    Today is the 51st anniversary of the March on Selma. John Lewis is sharing about his experience on Twitter.

    Liked by 3 people

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  8. crustyolemothman | 03/08/2016 at 3:24 pm

    I normally avoid political discussions on this blog, however we as a nation are in great peril individually and as a group, the various non white citizens of this nation are at great physical risk. Unless we work to save our nation from the hate and bigotry that is coming to light in the current political race for the office of the POTUS, we not only as a movement, but as individuals are doomed. Remember, if you studied history from the European area starting in the late 1920’s, a man took advantage of people who were in economic pain and used that advantage to kill and murder millions of people in a racial and ethnic cleansing. Time for us to actually unite to save this nation from a similar process. Think it can’t happen here, the citizens of Germany also did not think it would happen, but????

    http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/louis-c-ktrump-dangerous-bigot/2016/03/05/id/717616/

    Liked by 2 people

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    • yahtzeebutterfly | 03/08/2016 at 5:13 pm

      We must continue to push back against the hate and racial bigotry everywhere we see it.

      Our country and the world can beautiful if people let the love shine through.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    • Xena | 03/09/2016 at 1:52 pm

      Hey Mothman. Anyone is free to discuss politics here. It’s just that politics doesn’t generate much discussion on this blog. I have heard the trumpet. It concerns me that history might repeat itself. Dr. Turi has made some predictions and warnings about Trump. I think the timing for Trump was ripe because of the lack of qualified candidates. As much as I hate to admit this, this nation is not yet ready for a President whose last name is “Cruz” or “Rubio” after 8 years of having a President “Obama.” There are still people who do not want minorities thinking that they can be elected to the White House. Their alternative? Trump. On the Democratic side is a Jew and a woman, so biases come into play for that party also.

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      • crustyolemothman | 03/09/2016 at 2:08 pm

        Xena, I know you do not forbid political discussion, but we both know that it is a difficult subject to discuss, and at times leads to hostile and angry words, neither of which belong here! Some of us get worked up enough as it is without throwing Politics (gas?) on the fire of emotions. 😉

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        • Xena | 03/09/2016 at 2:24 pm

          LOL@Mothman. What you say is true, but even disagreements are allowed as long as they are not personal attacks. Personal attacks is when my banning baton comes out. LOL! I think there is one thing we all agree or can agree on, which is that Trump should never be elected in any political position.

          Liked by 1 person

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      • yahtzeebutterfly | 03/09/2016 at 9:06 pm

        Spoof on Trump…new make-up trend called “trumping” :
        (This was posted to Youtube March 4 and already has over a million views.)

        Liked by 1 person

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  9. yahtzeebutterfly | 03/08/2016 at 5:06 pm

    A woman who was apparently drunk, hit a tree which became embedded in the grille of her Lincoln car. Can you believe she continued driving with that tree attached to her car??! Take a look:

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. yahtzeebutterfly | 03/08/2016 at 10:40 pm

    “In Louisiana, People are Going to Jail Without Ever Getting a Lawyer”

    Excerpt:

    “Everyone knows that in America, you have a right to an attorney. Rich, poor, no matter what. If you’re facing a criminal trial, you’ll have a lawyer to represent you, if you want one. Except, it turns out, if you live in Louisiana.

    “The press has referred to a public defender “meltdown” or “crisis” in Louisiana lately, and that sounds about right. In New Orleans, the ACLU is suing the public defenders’ office over its refusal to give representation to certain felony defendants. Public defenders’ offices are turning away people in a slew of other parishes, too. “It’s a nightmare,” the state public defender said recently. “You have people in jail that don’t have lawyers. It’s that basic.”

    “Louisiana has the highest rate of incarceration of any place in the entire world. It’s hard to imagine that depriving people of lawyers will help.

    “The problem, of course, is money. Louisiana is completely strapped for cash. Some parishes rely on traffic tickets to fund their indigent defense services, and some of them don’t have enough money to hire patrolmen who can write tickets. Why don’t they have money? It probably has something to do with how Governor Bobby Jindal utterly destroyed his state’s budget by supporting a historic tax cut and subsequently vowing not to raise taxes.”

    Liked by 3 people

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  11. chuquestaquenumber1 | 03/09/2016 at 12:30 pm

    The two Baltimore police officers shown in a video ,where one of them assaults a kid ,has been charged with several crimes.

    Liked by 4 people

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    • Xena | 03/09/2016 at 1:44 pm

      Wow! Thanks for the up-date. CNN reports that the officer’s name is Anthony Spence. In 2003, he was fired by the city’s sheriff’s department. In 2011, he was the subject of a domestic violence protective order. The Baltimore Sun reported that Spence was one of two deputies who had previously been fired after they beat and used an electric stun gun on a man they mistook for a bank robber. The city paid $200,000 to settle the man’s lawsuit.

      Liked by 3 people

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  12. crustyolemothman | 03/09/2016 at 2:05 pm

    Here is an article that proves the NRA is right, we do indeed need more guns in this nation!

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/09/my-4-year-old-gets-jacked-up-to-target-shoot-gun-loving-mom-brags-hours-before-her-little-boy-shoots-her/

    Well, actually I am only guessing that would be their position on this incident… Hmmm, wonder how many people can now say that in this case, the only thing that stops a bad person is a good person with a gun! Does that mean, using their logic, that the Mom was a bad person? Isn’t it about time that someone with a little (un)common sense actually does something about the gun epidemic in this nation? Or is it true that “No Life Matters To A Gun Owner?”

    Liked by 3 people

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    • mindyme62 | 03/10/2016 at 4:29 am

      Oh yeah, and she’s a gun lovin’ Obama hatin’ RWNJ convinced the ‘government is coming for her guns’. Her FB was taking a beating yesterday over this. She lives in Jacksonville

      Liked by 1 person

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  13. yahtzeebutterfly | 03/09/2016 at 7:58 pm

    Photo of Willie Hayden with the firefighters who rescued him when he was overcome by smoke inhalation after getting his family members out during a house fire November 14, 2015:

    You can read the story here:

    “Rescued Fire Victim Meets His Heroes”

    http://newschannel9.com/news/local/rescued-fire-victim-meets-his-heroes

    Liked by 2 people

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    • mindyme62 | 03/10/2016 at 4:33 am

      Oh how sad! “Sadly the second night Willie was on life support his mother died of a heart attack. How terrible, now when he wakes up we had to tell him his beloved dog – who he tried to save — died, but now his mother, his MOMMA, had passed away as well.”

      I’m so glad he is ok, now

      Liked by 1 person

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  14. Xena | 03/09/2016 at 11:02 pm

    I just watched the Democratic debate. It was on CNN and moderated by Univision. I heard 3 languages; Spanish, English, and Clintonese.

    Liked by 1 person

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  15. yahtzeebutterfly | 03/10/2016 at 10:05 am

    Wonderful Pistachios have been recalled in nine states because they have the salmonella bacteria.

    Excerpt from article linked below:

    Health officials are currently investigating 11 salmonella cases in nine states: Connecticut, Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Virginia, and Washington, according to a statement from the CDC. There have been two hospitalizations but no deaths.

    The pistachios that could be at risk can be identified by a 13-digit lot code number, which can be found on the back or bottom panel of the package. There are 23 lot codes for recall; see that full list here.

    Since these products have a long shelf life, the CDC advised consumers to check any products that have been in their homes.

    Consumers may return the product to the store from which it was purchased or send the portion of the package that contains the lot code to Wonderful Pistachios, 13646 Highway 33, Lost Hills, California 93249 for a refund.

    http://www.boston.com/health/2016/03/10/wonderful-pistachios-recalled-after-multi-state-salmonella-outbreak/2ldw2PFn1KdyFdYw7VZrgL/story.html

    (When you click on the articles link, you can find another link within the article that sends you to a page with a list of the 13-digit lot codes that have been recalled.)

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  16. yahtzeebutterfly | 03/10/2016 at 10:26 am

    Pi Day is Monday, March 14.

    http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2016/3/9/pi-day-the-nasa-way/

    Pi Day, the informal holiday beloved by math enthusiasts – and even by the math averse – is almost here! March 14 marks the yearly celebration of the mathematical constant (pi), which represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.

    Why March 14?
    Pi is what’s known as an irrational number, meaning its decimal representation never ends and it never repeats. It has been calculated to more than one trillion digits, but 3.14 is often a precise enough approximation, hence the celebration occurring on March 14, or 3/14 (when written in US month/day format).

    The first known celebration occurred in 1988, and in 2009, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution designating March 14 as Pi Day and encouraging teachers and students to celebrate the day with activities that teach students about pi.

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  17. Xena | 03/10/2016 at 2:11 pm

    John McGraw, 78, of Linden, N.C., was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct for punching Rakeem Jones in the head at a Trump rally. More on the story and the video at;
    http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/trump_supporter_charged_with_a.html

    Liked by 1 person

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    • yahtzeebutterfly | 03/10/2016 at 2:26 pm

      Seems as if this type of thing is occurring more and more at Trump rallies…nasty nastiness.

      At least McGraw was charged.

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  18. Xena | 03/10/2016 at 2:13 pm

    Like

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  19. yahtzeebutterfly | 03/10/2016 at 2:34 pm

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  20. Xena | 03/10/2016 at 2:57 pm

    Yes. The Trump rallies have an atmosphere for violence, it seems.

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. Xena | 03/10/2016 at 9:46 pm

    I’m watching the GOP debate. Cruz is running against President Obama who is not running because he’s served 2 terms, and Trump is running against the media.

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