The comments in this story are pretty funny.
Category Archives: Social Commentary
The Mystery Of The Missing Toothpaste
I’ve wondered this for years: why do we get shampoo, but not toothpaste in hotel rooms?
It really does seem to be a true market failure, and one that’s become more acute since the stupid new TSA rules about carrying such things in carry ons.
America 3.0
On the anniversary of the birth of America 1.0, Michael Barone reviews a timely new book.
The Backwards Trial
…resumes:
Unlike Zimmerman’s account, the accounts of the prosecution witnesses would change, abruptly and dramatically, and certainly not to Zimmerman’s benefit.
Following opening statements, the prosecution normally produces a succession of fact witnesses, people that can testify to the facts — the evidence — necessary to establish the elements of the offense and to prove that the defendant committed it. Their ultimate job is to leave no room for reasonable doubt. In this case, the prosecution must also prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman did not act in self-defense.
But this is the George Zimmerman prosecution: a backwards case where the roles of the prosecution and defense are reversed.
Normally, prosecutors are careful to fully question each prosecution witness to obtain all of the evidence their testimony can produce. They do this so that the defense is not able to reveal previously undisclosed evidence, which tends to suggest prosecutorial concealment. But during the first week of this case, the prosecution established a pattern of asking only the bare minimum of their witnesses. In virtually every case, defense cross-examination reveals a great deal the prosecutors avoided bringing to light, and that information either fully supports George’s Zimmerman’s unchanging account, casts doubt on the “narrative” — which is actually the prosecution’s case — or both.
This bizarre turn of events has caused the prosecutors, particularly Bernie de la Rionda, to engage in the spectacle of aggressively cross-examining their own witnesses, trying to get them to mischaracterize, ignore, disown, or soft-pedal their testimony.
Another and disturbing pattern established by prosecution witnesses is that of changing their testimony in significant and ethically questionable ways. A number of prosecution witnesses have testified to important changes in their prior testimony they never before mentioned — not in multiple law enforcement interviews or depositions. This directly suggests that they’ve not only been coached, but perhaps that the subornation of perjury is involved.
Why is this not prosecutorial misconduct?
A Fit Of Sanity At The LA Times
They actually have an editorial in favor of free speech on campus.
Bad Optics In Texas
When you consider the millions of human lives (and particularly how many of them were of minorities, particularly blacks) have been snuffed out in the past forty years by the “pro-choice” movement, this image seems somewhat appropriate. A century later, the “progressives” remain objectively eugenicist. Stand with Wendy, indeed.
[Via Twitchy]
Theresa May
British schoolgirls are being systematically gang-raped by Muslims and British soldiers are being hacked to death in the street by Muslims and yet this despicable gutless appeaser, Theresa May, thinks the way to solve the problem is to ban critics of Islam?
Neville Chamberlain was a heroic statesman by comparison.
It is very sad to see the pathetic state to which England has devolved. She wouldn’t stay long in her position if Cameron were (brain) alive.
The Case Continues To Collapse
They never had a case for Murder Two:
Jonathan Good, one of Zimmerman’s neighbors, testified that he saw Martin straddling Zimmerman in a “ground and pound” position and appeared to be punching him as Zimmerman yelled for help.
This isn’t true, though:
But Good also undermined Zimmerman’s claim that Martin pounded his head into the pavement.
“I couldn’t see that,” he said under cross-examination.
He didn’t say it didn’t happen — he just said he couldn’t see it. That’s of evidence against it — it’s just the absence of evidence for it. And his physical injuries are sufficient evidence for it.
This was never anything but a political show trial. And now they’ve established the predicate for the race riots (and perhaps Zimmerman lynching, as so many were threatening on Twitter yesterday) to come.
[Update early evening]
Why, yes. the Zimmerman trial is a racial circus.
Food Stamps And Farms
This is long overdue:
The plan being contemplated by Cantor closely tracks an earlier proposal by Indiana Republican Marlin Stutzman. In a press release issued last week, Stutzman pointed out that “Eighty percent of the spending goes toward food stamps” in the original farm bill. He called on the House to “do our work in the full light of day by splitting this bill and having serious debates on both farm and welfare policy.”
It’s a shame that Congress doesn’t seem capable of having a serious debate about anything.
The Current Scene
An opinion:
A strong and perhaps unimpeachable case can be made that never in our lifetimes have so many lies, falsehoods, and misrepresentations been told by so many politicians and officials from so many levels of government to so many people on so many significant issues in such a concentrated period of time as in any random month in the last twelve.
It certainly seems that way.