Per the NY Times, Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers whose shoestring catch known as the Immaculate Reception in 1972 remains one of the most memorable moments in N.F.L. history, has died. He was 72.
The Steelers announced his death but did not cite a cause.
Harris’s death comes days before the 50th anniversary of the “Immaculate Reception,” (see my Video of the Day} which Mike Tomlin, the current Steelers coach, said this week was “the most significant play in the history of the game.” The Steelers planned to retire Harris’s jersey number 32, during a halftime ceremony at their game on Saturday.
The 6-foot-2 running back won four Super Bowls with the Steelers as they established themselves as the N.F.L.’s dominant team of the 1970s, and he was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first nine seasons. But it was a single, heads-up play that more than anything defined his career.
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Since the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Justice Department prosecutors have charged more than 880 defendants from all 50 states.
Out of the more than 880 defendants charged, 272 face charges of assaulting or impeding officers, including 95 charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapons. That led to 140 police officers across two departments to sustain injuries, the Justice Department said.
More than 294 defendants have been charged with felony obstruction of an official proceeding, according to DOJ, and a conviction carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Here is one interchange that occurred in court between a prosecutor and a defendant with the last name of Young.
Prosecutor: And so how do you feel about the fact that you were pushing towards a line of police officers?
Young: Today I feel extremely ashamed and embarrassed.…
Prosecutor: How did you feel at the time?
Young: I felt like, again, we were continuing in some kind of historical event to achieve a goal.
Prosecutor: Looking back now almost two years later, what would that make you as someone who was coming to D.C. to fight against the government?
Young: I guess I was [acting] like a traitor, somebody against my own government.[4]
Here are other comments that defendants said to the courts prior to their sentencing.
Reimler: “And I’m sorry to the people of this country for threatening the democracy that makes this country so great…My participation in the events that day were part of an attack on the rule of law.”[5]
Pert: “I know that the peaceful transition of power is to ensure the common good for our nation and that it is critical in protecting our country’s security needs. I am truly sorry for my part and accept full responsibility for my actions.”[6]
Markofski: “My actions put me on the other side of the line from my brothers in the Army. The wrong side. Had I lived in the area, I would have been called up to defend the Capitol and restore order…My actions brought dishonor to my beloved U.S. Army National Guard.”[7]
Witcher: “Every member—every male member of my family has served in the military, in the Marine Corps, and most have saw combat. And I cast a shadow and cast embarrassment upon my family name and that legacy.”[8]
Edwards: “I am ashamed to be for the first time in my 68 years, standing before a judge, having pleaded guilty to committing a crime, ashamed to be associated with an attack on the United States Capitol, a symbol of American democracy and greatness that means a great deal to me.”[9]
Over 800 have been prosecuted, yet the person responsible for the January 6 insurrection has yet to be charged with a crime.
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The Big Lie has meant big money for the former president. According to the executive summary of the House Select Committee the former president raised roughly $250 million in fundraising efforts between the November 2020 election and January 6th.[141] Those solicitations persistently claimed and referred to election fraud that did not exist. For example, the Trump Campaign, along with the Republican National Committee, sent millions of emails to their supporters, with messaging claiming that the election was “rigged,” that their donations could stop Democrats from “trying to steal the election,” and that Vice President Biden would be an “illegitimate president” if he took office.
PT Barnum lives.
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Although there was no evidence of fraud in the Michigan mid-term elections in November, per Bridge Magazine, a conservative group that supported the “Big Lie” paid for a hand recount of two ballot proposals in Michigan that passed by overwhelming margins in November. The hand recount involved about 500 precincts spread across 43 counties and 117 Michigan municipalities, including Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Ann Arbor. There are about 4,751 voting precincts in the state.
A report from the Michigan Bureau of Elections found:
- The recount of Proposal 2, which guaranteed up to nine days of early, in-person voting, turned up 14 additional “yes” votes and 20 additional “no” votes in Kalamazoo, Macomb, Muskegon and Oakland counties.
- The Proposal 3 recount found 116 additional “yes” votes and seven additional “no” votes for a net gain of 109 votes across precincts in 43 counties.
Election fraud is only an issue in peoples’ mind. The era of voting early and voting often does not exist. Following the 2020 election, 62 of 63 judges dismissed or ruled against challenges to the presidential the presidential election. This report by Bridge Magazine further supports that voter fraud is not the issue some people like to say it is.
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Quote of the Day: See quotes above
Orchid of the Day: EMU Hurons for their 41-27 victory over San Jose’ State in the World Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Down 13-0 they blocked an extra point and ran it back for a two point conversion. They then scored the next 28 points.
Onion of the Day: The people who sponsored the widespread election recount in Michigan.
Question of the Day: Are you going to be watching the Detroit Lions on Christmas eve?
Video of the Day: