Quote of the Day: “Uh, have you watched a minute of this madness, as unpredictable as virtually any NCAA Tournament ever? It’s impossible to separate the Cinderellas from the Cinderblocks, and Michigan is somewhere between the Cinders.” Bob Wojnowski, Detroit News sports columnist on Michigan’s chances against favorite Villanova tonight In a Sweet 16 matchup.
Many of the recent supreme court justice confirmation hearings have been an opportunity for the senators involved in the confirmation hearings to make political points to their political base rather than seeking to determine the qualifications of the nominee. The recent confirmation processes have been a spectacle that has been an embarrassment for our country. When the nominee has no prior federal judge experience, I understand how it is more difficult it is to determine whether the candidate is qualified. However, in the case of judges who have previously been confirmed by the Senate as federal judges and are moving from an existing federal judge position to a supreme court justice, it seems the focus should be on the judge’s prior rulings and handling of their duties. In the case of the confirmation proceedings for Ketanji Brown Jackson, the proceedings have been relatively mild compared to the last two nominations, although, a few senators are using the proceedings to play to their base by questioning Jackson on political hot buttons such as critical race theory, transgender teaching in our public schools, funding the police, etc. It seems these senators are trying to paint a picture of Jackson as a progressive liberal Democrat who should not be confirmed. Her record as a federal judge says she is mainstream on most political issues.
The issues that the senators are bringing up in the confirmation hearings are issues that need to be discussed and debated, but the confirmation of a supreme court justice is not the place for the debate. One observer of the process had this to say, “One thing that is striking about this hearing, is how little effort we are seeing to engage the nominee on her views about actual legal issues.”
As I said yesterday in my blog, many people need a refresher course on the Golden Rule. Earlier this week the Flint Community Schools’ Board of Education voted to remove its president, Danielle Green, from her position after she allegedly assaulted a fellow member during a meeting. Treasurer Laura MacIntyre accused Green of attacking her during a 10 a.m. meeting of the Finance Committee of the Whole at the administration building, the district said in a public notice. MacIntyre sought medical treatment and police were notified, Charis Lee, an attorney representing the board, told The Detroit News. You cannot make this stuff up because no one would believe you. For her action, Green gets my Onion for the Day.
One of my favorite movies is Shawshank Redemption. I watched if for the fourth time last week. In watching the movie, I always wonder how one could endure spending 25 years in prison for a crime you didn’t commit. In the movie, Andy Dufresne, ultimately escapes by spending years digging a tunnel which he uses to escape. This week brothers George and Melvin DeJesus were released from prison after a Michigan judge determined George and Melvin were innocent, so the judge overturned their conviction of a murdering a neighbor woman, which the brothers have maintained they did not commit. The overturn of the conviction was supported by Conviction Integrity Unit of the Michigan Attorney General Office. The Conviction Integrity Unit agreed to hear the case because of unending work of their mother Elizabeth and the Cooley Innocence Project at Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan Innocence Clinic, which worked on their cases for years. The suspect in the case, is already in prison for two other murders in the Pontiac, Michigan area.
Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence? Get vaccinated and get your booster.
Orchid of the Day: George and Melvin DeJesus for having their murder conviction overturned after serving 25 years of a life sentence because they were innocent of the crime. See above story.
Onion of the Day: Danielle Green, former Flint Community Schools Board of Education president, for assaulting the treasurer of the board during a meeting earlier this week.