Updates, In The News And Open Discussion

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

Thanks to all of our subscribed followers and participants.  Currently, We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident has two award nominations.  They require some work to accept and although I started on accepting one, I have not been able to complete it.   For those who nominated us, please accept my apologies for the delay.

There’s a lot happening, and rather than write separate posts, here’s some snippets with links to news sources.  Feel free to add to the news in the comment section.

Brussel’s Terrorist Attack

Our heart-felt condolences to the victims of the Brussel’s attack, and best wishes for the recovery of the injured.

Brothers Brahim and Khalid El Bakraoui have been identified as two of the suicide bombers in attacks at an airport and on a metro train Tuesday that left 31 people dead and 260 injured.   The LA Times has more on the situation in addition to updates.

Convicted of Manslaughter, Prosecutor Does Not Want Former Cop to Serve Time In Prison

Last month, a jury convicted former New York police officer Peter Lang of manslaughter in the killing of Akai Gurley.  Today, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson told the judge that he does not want Lang to serve time in prison.   Thompson recommended that the judge sentence Liang to serve five years’ probation, six months of home confinement and 500 hours of community service.  Akai’s family is outraged with the prosecutor’s recommendation.  ABC News has more on this story.

Chicago Police Officer Charged With First Degree Murder Is Afraid To Come To Court.

Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke has asked a Cook County judge to excuse him from attending status hearings in his murder case.  Van Dyke is charged with killing 17-year old Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke claims that he has received threats.  His attorney claims that he is surprised that the public’s interest in the case has not subsided.

There’s a host of pending motions and other issues in the case, such as some advocates requesting the appointment of a special prosecutor to replace Anita Alvarez.  See Chicago CBS Local for the details.

Flint Contaminated Water

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder appointed a task force to investigate the water-contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan.  That task force has now released a 116 page report laying blame squarely on state officials.   The report is available at this link.  The Washington Post has more on this story.

Politics

On Tuesday in the Western States, Clinton and Trump won the primary in Arizona.  Bernie Sanders won in Utah and Idaho.  Ted Cruz came out on top of the Utah Republican caucuses.  Up next is the State of Wisconsin.  CNN reports on the results and more.

Meanwhile, Liz Mair has spent months trying to get Republicans to take the threat of Trump seriously. She previously worked for the Scott Walker campaign.  Liz started a super PAC dedicated to defeating Trump.  It’s named Make America Awesome.  Liz decided to run an ad on Facebook that features Trump’s wife, Melania, in a nude photo she took many years ago.   Trump has now threatened to “spill the beans” on Cruz’s wife, Heidi. Geez!  This is not what professional, mature people do and sounds more like what internet harassers do to each other.  Mother Jones has the story.

Judge Sarah Palin?

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who is often blamed for the 2008 failure to elect Senator McCain as President, is looking for a television station to pick up her program where she will act as a judge.  The concept is said to be like that of Judge Judy.  However, Palin does not have a juris doctorate degree, much less served as a judge deciding cases that require knowledge of the rules of evidence, the law, and the principle of equity.  I can’t imagine anyone wanting her to resolve their legal matters. People Magazine has the details.

More Twin Peaks Bikers Indicted

A Texas grand jury has indicted 48 more bikers in connection with a May 2015 shootout outside a Twin Peaks restaurant that left nine dead.  McLennan County District Attorney, Abel Reyna, previously obtained indictments against 106 other bikers.  This brings the total to 154 charged with engaging in organized criminal activity.  Yahoo News has more on this story.

Ex-Cop Who Arrested Sandra Bland Has Pleaded Not Guilty

Former Texas state trooper Brian Encinia, who arrested motorist Sandra Bland who was later found hanged in her jail cell, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday on a misdemeanor charge of lying on the arrest report he made of the July 2015 incident. Encinia was fired for his conduct that escalated tension in the arrest.   Bland’s family has questioned autopsy reports that say she committed suicide. They have filed a wrongful death suit against the trooper and her jailers.  Blogger Pat keeps up with the Sandra Bland situation.

 

On The Lighter Side

The other week, I shared with a friend how my Husky mix sings.  (On the phone, she first thought that I was singing until she heard me talking while my dog was singing in the background.) I found this really neat video on youtube.  Hope that you enjoy it.