I didn't necessarily want to write on this topic, but this trial is frustrating me more and more on a daily basis. Going into the trial I assumed, like most of America still does, that Casey was guilty of murdering her daughter. At this point, the only thing that seems clear to me is that the defense has little or no case. Did Casey do it? I suppose it is likely that she did. Can the Prosecution prove it? It is becoming painfully obvious that they cannot surpass the reasonable doubt expectations of the law. Will they get a conviction? Perhaps. If nothing else, Casey appears to be a bad mother and an unlikeable figure and that may play out well for them. If they get the conviction, will it stand? Not a chance in hell.
Every now and then we get an inspiring story of people who fight against all odds and manage to overcome their hardships and come out the other end of the tunnel stronger. This is not one of those stories. Destiny Mathis of Hobart Indiana worked hard to help get President Obama elected. She campaigned for him, had Obama t-shirts made, and encouraged her friends and family to vote for him. Now, she is forced to sell a handwritten letter from the President in a desperate attempt to survive under his administration. Yet Destiny is not alone in her plight nor is she alone in the measures she took to overcome them. Ironically, she even went to the same autograph dealer that Jessica Kline, a Michigan woman who was also selling an Obama letter trying to survive in this economy used.
To this point, I have stayed away from the scandal come to be known in the media as "Weinergate" not because I didn't see it as a worthy story, but largely because I frankly don't care what Anthony Weiner is doing in his spare time. The reason for this is because I see the Congressman for what he truly is. If you are a liberal, chances are you like the guy. If you are a conservative, than not so much. Anthony Weiner is to the left what Sarah Palin is to the right. He is not some policy guy who will draw up the next big piece of legislation. He is not an idea guy who will solve a looming crisis. He is simply a cheerleader for the liberal agenda. Where Pelosi and Boehner are workhorses, Palin and Weiner are show-horses. Since he isn't a threat ideologically, it is frankly irrelevant if he stays or goes.
On the heels of the Navy SEALS taking down Osama Bin Laden, the disconnect between President Obama and the American heartland has shown itself front and center. Sometimes it seems that the areas where we all agree only seem to accentuate the areas where we might disagree. Barring a few extremists on either end of the scale who are unhappy about the military action, the American public is overwhelmingly supportive and approving of the take-down. It is some of the political posturing of the administration that has many people scratching their heads. It is important to remember through all of this that the President is a lawyer, which makes his position here even more questionable to the "average Joe". But the question is indeed as much of a moral one as it is a legal one. It has been posed by many on the right, and was recently stated as follows at FoxNews.
He said that America was a paper tiger, and we would not have the heart to see this through. He was wrong. Dead wrong. Yesterday, public enemy number one met his fate in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where he was living right under the nose of the Pakistani government. It now appears that the United States acted unilaterally inside the borders of Pakistan to take down the terrorist leader. The Navy SEALS apparently offered him the chance to surrender, which he declined. They then culminated a nearly ten year long search with a bullet to the head.
I have some friends and family who supported President Trump from early on in the process. From time to time they will ask me when I will admit that I was wrong about him. "If Trump does x... If Trump gets y... If Trump supports a policy that results in z... will you admit that you were wrong?" My answer is always "no", because I wasn't wrong. To be clear, I could be wrong in practical application, but that isn't what an election is about. Elections are about theory and speculation and, generally speaking about judging records. Trump had no record to speak of, and his history of stances on issues was all over the map. I opposed his candidacy for several major reasons, all of which are proven valid in this single issue we now refer to as the "travel ban". Here were my reasons.
If you're not familiar with Justice with Judge Jeanine, it is a show on the FOX News Network starring Jeanine Pirro. She is known for her over-the-top rants where she serves up gobs of fresh red meat for her largely hard right wing audience. While it's not unusual for her to be a little fast and loose with the facts, she has been known to occasionally return from the break with a correction from her producers. Last night, however, there was no such correction to an outright lie she told on the show, and the matter being discussed should have (at the very least) contained a disclaimer from the host. I would cut her some slack, but as a former prosecutor and judge, she should be well aware of what proper protocol should have been here.
It's not cute anymore, Republicans. The President of the United States is completely detached from reality, and you can't fix that. You can't cover it up, you can't explain it away, and let me make this as clear as I possibly can for you. You cannot possibly undo the damage you are doing to the party brand by trying to pretend this man is anything other than completely unhinged. I'm watching Sean Hannity borrow guests from the Alex Jones show in an attempt to bolster Trump's conspiratorial claims. I'm seeing relatively mainstream conservatives make themselves look like the crazed fringes of the paranoid right wing. Don't believe me? Look at this.
I didn't necessarily want to write on this topic, but this trial is frustrating me more and more on a daily basis. Going into the trial I assumed, like most of America still does, that Casey was guilty of murdering her daughter. At this point, the only thing that seems clear to me is that the defense has little or no case. Did Casey do it? I suppose it is likely that she did. Can the Prosecution prove it? It is becoming painfully obvious that they cannot surpass the reasonable doubt expectations of the law. Will they get a conviction? Perhaps. If nothing else, Casey appears to be a bad mother and an unlikeable figure and that may play out well for them. If they get the conviction, will it stand? Not a chance in hell.
Every now and then we get an inspiring story of people who fight against all odds and manage to overcome their hardships and come out the other end of the tunnel stronger. This is not one of those stories. 
He said that America was a paper tiger, and we would not have the heart to see this through. He was wrong. Dead wrong. Yesterday, public enemy number one met his fate in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where he was living right under the nose of the Pakistani government. It now appears that the United States acted unilaterally inside the borders of Pakistan to take down the terrorist leader. The Navy SEALS apparently offered him the chance to surrender, which he declined. They then culminated a nearly ten year long search with a bullet to the head.
