Been a little negligent in my two cents on the Rod Blagojevich trial.
Briefly recapping: jury's been out nine days. We wait. We wait. And wait some more.
For some unstated reason, the defense chose not to present their case, and rested immediately after the prosecution did the same. In some logic that defies explanation, the defense chose to rest because the prosecution had made all the arguments for them.
Meaning...what? Were they that scared that ex-Gov. B would make himself look like an even bigger doofus that the prosecution had made him seem? Or that to save some shred of dignity, perjury would have to be committed? Once it's disclosed that a governor hid in the bathroom to avoid the budget director, and that he'd spent $400,000 on clothes which sent him onto debt, hence the alleged attempts at soliciting bribes, it would be harder to make him look worse.
So, some nine days later, we wait. Is the jury making sure that they have their ducks in a row before they return the verdict? Are they hung? Or are they listening to the tapes for what a friend of mine, a retired lawyer, calls "the yuck factor" and laughing hysterically?
Stay tuned, Gentle Readers.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
How To Tell if You Need A Break from News
From my dream journal 8/2/10.....I'm being interviewed by Katie Couric. She has tracked me down to interview me about Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial. In the dream, I'm one of his ex-girlfriends. There are flashbacks to pivotal points in our relationship. The dream ends with me in the Thompson Center (the state office building in downtown Chicago) and Rod following me into the ladies' room, begging me to believe in his innocence.
I studied Carl Jung in grad school. I've kept track of my dreams since then. It's been helpful, and have figured out what symbols correlate with which events in my life. But, please, can't I just have a dream about horses or rainbows and unicorns or mythology? Please?
I studied Carl Jung in grad school. I've kept track of my dreams since then. It's been helpful, and have figured out what symbols correlate with which events in my life. But, please, can't I just have a dream about horses or rainbows and unicorns or mythology? Please?
Friday, July 23, 2010
The High Price of Incompetence
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/23/gulf.platform.alert/index.html
It always comes down to simple human stupidity error, doesn't it?
I'm shocked, but not surprised. The alarms had been inhibited so that the crew could get a good night's sleep. OK, well and good. Personally, if I were quartered in a huge body of water on a rig that dealt with oil and all the industrial chemicals, and knowing what they could do, the alarms would have been the last thing keeping me awake.
I just can't get my brain around this sort of behavior, just as I couldn't get my brains around the BBC report a few weeks ago that the ball bouncing up the chain of command had been dropped. I don't have the citation handy, but recapping to my best recollection, a worker saw an alarm go off. He told his supervisor, who told his supervisor, and then that was that. For some unfathomable reason, no action was taken.
As a result of two relatively small inactions, eleven families lost loves ones, and many more are losing their livelihoods, and even more are losing the beaches where their memories live. You can't put a dollar figure on this, but I hope that the courts come close.
It always comes down to simple human stupidity error, doesn't it?
I'm shocked, but not surprised. The alarms had been inhibited so that the crew could get a good night's sleep. OK, well and good. Personally, if I were quartered in a huge body of water on a rig that dealt with oil and all the industrial chemicals, and knowing what they could do, the alarms would have been the last thing keeping me awake.
I just can't get my brain around this sort of behavior, just as I couldn't get my brains around the BBC report a few weeks ago that the ball bouncing up the chain of command had been dropped. I don't have the citation handy, but recapping to my best recollection, a worker saw an alarm go off. He told his supervisor, who told his supervisor, and then that was that. For some unfathomable reason, no action was taken.
As a result of two relatively small inactions, eleven families lost loves ones, and many more are losing their livelihoods, and even more are losing the beaches where their memories live. You can't put a dollar figure on this, but I hope that the courts come close.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
"Blagojevich" is Serbian for "Toast"
After 18 long months of the good ex-Gov. Blagojevich protesting his innocence, demanding his day in court, guess what? On advice of his lead council, it ain't gonna happen.
The defense team stated that the Feds had proved all their points for them, making it unnecessary to put Rod on the stand. What points? That he was involved in a lot of horse trading? That he ran his face too much? Yeah. But one must ask if this decision wasn't to protect the defendant, especially after the tapes the jury heard. How do you answer the question, "Would you please explain what you meant when you said, 'I have this thing and it's bleeping golden?'"
How would he answer it, indeed. The jury's been regaled by profanity-laced diatribes all ready. Witnesses for the prosecution have told stories of Mr. B hiding in the bathroom to avoid meetings with the budget director. What could that trigger off in terms of a melt down? Looks as if we'll never know.
Without any witnesses, the case goes to the jury on Monday. Stay tuned.
The defense team stated that the Feds had proved all their points for them, making it unnecessary to put Rod on the stand. What points? That he was involved in a lot of horse trading? That he ran his face too much? Yeah. But one must ask if this decision wasn't to protect the defendant, especially after the tapes the jury heard. How do you answer the question, "Would you please explain what you meant when you said, 'I have this thing and it's bleeping golden?'"
How would he answer it, indeed. The jury's been regaled by profanity-laced diatribes all ready. Witnesses for the prosecution have told stories of Mr. B hiding in the bathroom to avoid meetings with the budget director. What could that trigger off in terms of a melt down? Looks as if we'll never know.
Without any witnesses, the case goes to the jury on Monday. Stay tuned.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Mel and Lindsay Do Their Patriotic Duty
I have a working theory on the ongoing sagas of Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan. It's a conspiracy to divert our collective attention from what's going on in the world.
No, really. What's more interesting, trainwrecks or ongoing environmental damage? Two actors who had half the world at their disposal before the heady mixture of ego and mood altering agents seeped into their lives, or a group of fanatics who use the same logic as the Taliban to push their agenda? She's going to jail on Tuesday for ninety days (more likely three weeks before getting trundled off to a rehab spa). His latest round of alleged misbehavior is under investigation, and ABC reported that the tapes his girlfriend leaked may have been doctored.
In my darker moments, I wonder if they don't get paid for pulling stunts like that by some covert office in Washington. A little known department of the CIA, say. ("Mr. Gibson, your country needs you..." "Ms. Lohan, we need you to serve as a distraction....") Of course, they'd get handsome rewards for it.
Even if it doesn't take that much to distract the unsuspecting public.
No, really. What's more interesting, trainwrecks or ongoing environmental damage? Two actors who had half the world at their disposal before the heady mixture of ego and mood altering agents seeped into their lives, or a group of fanatics who use the same logic as the Taliban to push their agenda? She's going to jail on Tuesday for ninety days (more likely three weeks before getting trundled off to a rehab spa). His latest round of alleged misbehavior is under investigation, and ABC reported that the tapes his girlfriend leaked may have been doctored.
In my darker moments, I wonder if they don't get paid for pulling stunts like that by some covert office in Washington. A little known department of the CIA, say. ("Mr. Gibson, your country needs you..." "Ms. Lohan, we need you to serve as a distraction....") Of course, they'd get handsome rewards for it.
Even if it doesn't take that much to distract the unsuspecting public.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
A Benefit for the Gulf Going on Now
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Excuse Me, Mr. Lohan, Your Daughter Failed The System
Oh, please. "Today" just reported that Michael Lohan, father of Lindsay Lohan, walked up to a bank of mics after her latest court date and told the world that they system had failed his daughter.
The former actress turned celebrity trainwreck appeared in court yesterday for her probation hearing stemming from a 2008 possession charge. She's missed drug and alcohol rehab classes up the kazoo. Her SCRAM anklet went off once (that we the public know of), indicating alcohol use.
The judge sentenced her to 90 days, starting on the 20th of this month.
The cameras caught shots of Ms. Lohan sobbing that she was trying to take responsibility for her life and that jail would prevent her from earning a living (anyone remember her doing anything other than go to parties, jail, or rehab in the last five years?). And then there was a close up of one of her middle fingers. On it was written, "F*** you."
Not a good way to invoke a judge's grace and favor.
In another lifetime, I was an addictions counselor. Oh, the lies, the stories my clients told. Oh, the coverups by their significant others. Were there some who fell through the cracks? With the social service network as it was, it was regrettably inevitable. In her case, though, the odds would be a lot less because the treatment centers wouldn't be as overcrowded. Some of my clients made good recoveries. Many more probably could have used jail time to wake them up.
I just hope that Lindsay does before it's too late.
The former actress turned celebrity trainwreck appeared in court yesterday for her probation hearing stemming from a 2008 possession charge. She's missed drug and alcohol rehab classes up the kazoo. Her SCRAM anklet went off once (that we the public know of), indicating alcohol use.
The judge sentenced her to 90 days, starting on the 20th of this month.
The cameras caught shots of Ms. Lohan sobbing that she was trying to take responsibility for her life and that jail would prevent her from earning a living (anyone remember her doing anything other than go to parties, jail, or rehab in the last five years?). And then there was a close up of one of her middle fingers. On it was written, "F*** you."
Not a good way to invoke a judge's grace and favor.
In another lifetime, I was an addictions counselor. Oh, the lies, the stories my clients told. Oh, the coverups by their significant others. Were there some who fell through the cracks? With the social service network as it was, it was regrettably inevitable. In her case, though, the odds would be a lot less because the treatment centers wouldn't be as overcrowded. Some of my clients made good recoveries. Many more probably could have used jail time to wake them up.
I just hope that Lindsay does before it's too late.
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