Thanks to the NY State government’s inability to pass a budget (plus a petulant, impotent governor), 55 State parks and historic sites are closed. This action is saving an astounding $11 million dollars (or about on tenth of one percent of our current deficit). That doesn’t figure all the lost revenue for entrance and usage fees, of course, so the “savings” are quite a bit less (according to this, for every million “saved” $350,000 in revenue is lost, making that $11 million more like $7.15 million). It isn’t so much about the money, though; closing parks makes everybody’s quality of life a little bit crappier. Good work, guys. And might I add, you all suck.
Speaking of sucking, some good news (supposedly) from the site of the former Deep Horizon offshore drilling platform, as BP has managed to shove a mile long tube into the drill hole, and is sucking up some of the spewing oil. No idea how much they’re managing to suck up, and the oil that’s already out there appears to have entered the major current that will bring it through the Florida Keys and up the East Coast. Sweet.
Speaking of sweet, Bernie Kerik is scheduled to begin his four-year stint in the slammer today (unless he tries to make a break for it) for lying to Bush Administration officials trying to vet him in advance of his nomination to be Secretary of Homeland Security. It is, of course, a total miscarriage of justice (at least according to Bernie).
“Words cannot express my disappointment in the prosecutors and the judge’s behavior, and his sentence that followed,” Kerik wrote on his blog Sunday.
“I have repeatedly expressed remorse for what I may have done, however, unlike many, I can’t remain silent in the face of what I believe has been a gross injustice, which I pray will be remedied by an appellate court.”
Hey, he said he was sorry. What the hell more do you want? And all he did was lie a little, right?
Kerik, 54, pleaded guilty in November to tax fraud and six other felonies. He has been under house arrest in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, since then.
Oh, house arrest. For tax fraud and six other felonies. I bet Bernie was a big advocate of house arrest and a kinder, gentler Criminal Justice system when he was NYC police commissioner.
My Union leader has negotiated a deal with the state legislators to base 20% of a teacher’s evaluation on the test scores of his/her students. This may sound reasonable, but I don’t think it is.
If you look at the test scores in a school, they do not vary from teacher to teacher. And, the same teacher will have higher or lower scores if he/she teachers in a different school.
But, if test are the be all and end all that is all the kids will learn: how to pass that test.
I have never heard of a teacher who regularly produced either higher or lower scores.
This doesn’t seem right to me.
Far be it for me to defend sex offenders, and if you want to impose life sentences on them, fine. But shouldn’t it be done by the courts, and not “officials” taking it upon themselves to make unilateral determinations?
I’ll need to read the opinion. Here’s the statute, though. Solicitor General Kagan argued for the statute’s validity, btw. It will be scary if I agree with Scalia and/or Thomas. :yuck:
The federal statute before us allows a district court to
order the civil commitment of an individual who is currently “in the custody of the [Federal] Bureau of Prisons,†§4248, if that individual (1) has previously “engaged or attempted to engage in sexually violent conduct or child molestation,†(2) currently “suffers from a serious mental illness, abnormality, or disorder,†and (3) “as a result of†that mental illness, abnormality, or disorder is “sexually dangerous to others,†in that “he would have serious diffi-culty in refraining from sexually violent conduct or childmolestation if released.†§§4247(a)(5)–(6).
In order to detain such a person, the Government (acting through the Department of Justice) must certify to a federal district judge that the prisoner meets the conditions just described, i.e., that he has engaged in sexually violent activity or child molestation in the past and that he suffers from a mental illness that makes him correspondingly dangerous to others. §4248(a). When such a certification is filed, the statute automatically stays the individual’s release from prison, ibid., thereby giving the Government an opportunity to prove its claims at a hearing through psychiatric (or other) evidence, §§4247(b)–(c), 4248(b). The statute provides that the prisoner “shall be represented by counsel†and shall have “an opportunity†at the hearing “to testify, to present evidence, to subpoena witnesses on his behalf, and to confront and cross-examine†the Government’s witnesses. §§4247(d), 4248(c).
If the Government proves its claims by “clear and con-vincing evidence,†the court will order the prisoner’s continued commitment in “the custody of the Attorney Gen-eral,†who must “make all reasonable efforts to cause†the State where that person was tried, or the State where he is domiciled, to “assume responsibility for his custody, care, and treatment.†§4248(d); cf. Sullivan v. Freeman, 944 F. 2d 334, 337 (CA7 1991). If either State is willing to assume that responsibility, the Attorney General “shall release†the individual “to the appropriate official†of that State. §4248(d). But if, “notwithstanding such efforts, neither such State will assume such responsibility,†then “the Attorney General shall place the person for treatmentin a suitable [federal] facility.†Ibid.; cf. §4247(i)(A).
Confinement in the federal facility will last until either
(1) the person’s mental condition improves to the point where he is no longer dangerous (with or without appropriate ongoing treatment), in which case he will be re-leased; or (2) a State assumes responsibility for his custody, care, and treatment, in which case he will be transferred to the custody of that State. §§4248(d)(1)–(2).The statute establishes a system for ongoing psychiatric and judicial review of the individual’s case, including judicial hearings at the request of the confined person at six-month intervals. §§4247(e)(1)(B), (h).
That’s better.
Remind me to never have surgery again.
I just spent 4 1/2 hours in the ophthalmologist’s office waiting to be seen. I ran out of crossword puzzles and sudoku. It was certainly a lesson in patient patience.
#4 — Andy — thanks so much for that clip — how timely.
I drove to Albany on Saturday (to go to a NY statewide Single Payer conference) with a friend of mine who is a Buddhist. It’s a 2-1/2 hour drive and one of the things we talked about at length was how toxic religion can be 👿
Yet, at the same time I work in a hospital which has a Spiritual Care Department that is very ecumenical and the folks who work there aren’t of the shove-God-down-your-throat ilk. There’s one Buddhist nun who is in the dept who I get a real kick out of. She shaves her head and wears a martial arts Gi (I did ask her if she was in the habit ..pardon the convoluted pun .. of knocking sense into people with roundhouse kicks & she thought that was pretty funny). The director of the department is a lady minister who I worked with many years ago when I was a Hospice nurse.
George Carlin is really pretty perceptive — The Spiritual Care Dept at my hospital is mostly made up of women — that must be why it works and the religion part of it is definitely way less important than the caring part of it. :love:
Sure do miss George Carlin 😥 He certainly must have a different perspective on what “God” is wherever he is now. Wonder if he’s still praying to Joe Pesci. He oughta hook up with my Buddhist Nun buddy — I think they’d have a good time together. :jesus:
#7 — SueP — hope they at least fixed you after waiting that long!! :omg:
I have to take my 82-yr-old mother to have cataract surgery on both eyes. First eye will be done next month, next one in July. Hope her followup appointments won’t take 4-1/2 hours per eye! Bad enough I have to listen to her bitching about Medicare. She’s damn lucky she has it! But what do you expect from someone who listens to Glen Beck in the bathroom every day. :smack:
If a lawyer kept a person waiting 4 1/2 hours, they wouldn’t have any clients. Why do doctors get away with it? Why do people ask their lawyer for money, but not their doctor or psychologist? :tap:
Listening to Glen Beck in the loo is the proper place to do it, at least. :crap:
In lieu of what?
🙁 🙁 :gate: :blues: