Voting; Robobcall Guy; Disneyland Lady; Liberal Win; Boehner Suit; Supreme Court; Appointments; Bergdahl; Home Rule; Aereo; Bank Money; Womens Rights; Search and Seizure; Eli Wallach; Flicks Pub

Another hot, sunny Summer day.  Nice.  Lots of stuff to talk about.


Politics


Voting in Carroll County Maryland


A total of 114,000 people are registered to vote in Carroll County and only 28,000 voted.  The Carroll County Times says that is either 24% or 20%.  Either way.. its not very good.    People are dying around the world and would love to be able to vote and decide their future and we just don't give a damn.. or, are we so satisfied that we don't need to vote.


Dan Rodricks said it in his Baltimore Sun Paper column yesterday:  "... its depressing as hell to see so few people taking part in a process that ultimately affects their lives and their livelihoods.  Other people walk many miles, and stand in long lines, shouldering through all kinds of intimidation, to vote..."


Robocall Guy Lost


Julius Henson, the guy who sent out a misleading robocall so that African-American voters would stay home, lost out on his bid for election.  It was the height  of arrogance for him to even file as a candidate, but it definitely will not be the last that we will hear from him.


Disneyland Lady Lost


Marilynn Bland, who, while a member of the DC School Board, took her children with her to a Disney World conference trip, and later showed off her new Mickey Mouse doll at the next DC meeting, had a real hard time in this election.  In fact, she was rejected by the voters in her bid for reelection as clerk of the Circuit Court.


Liberal Win


Brian Frosh, a champion of gun control and environmental protection, defeated Jon Cardin and Aisha Braveboy for the Democratic pick for Maryland Attorney General.  (Even name confusion with his cousin in the Senate did not work well for him.)


Conservative Attacks


Speaker of the Disfunctional House


The Speaker announce today that he will be suing the President for going around Congress to achieve his own agenda.  Will this be a "fill in" activity so that he and his colleagues will have something to do between hearings on Benghazi and Bergdahl?  I would advise the President to countersue Boehner for stupidity (in my opinion). 


Presidential Appointments


Incidentally, The Supremes did rule today that some of the President's appointments were not valid because Congress was still in session, even though they fibbed that they were not.  Let's see how Mr. Obama handles this.


Sargeant Bergdahl


Also, after 5 years of imprisonment by the Taliban, Sargeant Bergdahl faces 5 years imprisonment by the U.S. military, if he is found guilty of desertion.  What the hell next!  Leave the man alone!


Home Rule Issue?


District of Columbia leadership has ruled that, for someone arrested for possession of Marijuana, if the amount is less than an ounce, the holder will just be fined $25.  This should cut down on the number of poor folks ending up in jail, and pot is heading for legalization all over the US very soon.  However, Maryland Representative Andy Harris is dead set against drugs of any kind and is pushing an amendment to a hot House bill, that will kill this DC law.


Its funny, that a minor in possession of a regular cigarette, could be fined $50; but in possession of a small amount of pot, they could be fined only $25.  Strange.




More Supreme Court Activity


Allow No Aereo TV Transmission without $


The Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 against Aereo, who planned to give antennae to people and then let them receive "over the air" TV programs, that they could have received free, if they had taken the appropriate computer fix suggested by the Government some time ago.   The Court said that Aereo will have to pay broadcasters whenever it takes TV programs off the air and transmits them to its clients, because they will then, in a sense, be acting just like a cable TV company.


Stop that Naughty Bank Activity


The Supreme Court also unanimously ruled that employees who accused their bank management of evil doing by investing their retirement money in their own bank, knowing the bank was on shaky grounds financially, were right to do so.   That was a bad thing for the banks to do.


Assist Abortion Sidewalkers


The Supreme Court struck down the Massachusetts law mandating a buffer area on the sidewalk outside of so-called Abortion Clinics.  Freedom of Speech requires that the sidewalk be open for people to exercise their right to communicate with clinic patients as they enter the facility.  This is similar to the case where the Court ruled that scumbag church folks must be allowed to get up  close to funeral attendees and be obnoxious to them and to the memory of the deceased. I do not like people getting into other person's faces about what they are doing; especially when they probably have never had to go through special birth situations.   I guess that brands me as a Women's Rights Advocate... so be it.


Kill a Helpful  Police Procedure


The Supreme Court also decided unanimously, that police may not search a smartphone or similar device without a judicial warrant.  I understand the privacy issue, but I can see the Police viewpoint too.


World Cup Bite


Suarez, of Uruguay struck again and bit an Italian player during a game.  People are taking bets on whether he will bites someone else in another game next week.   I bet he does.


Famous Actor Dies


Eli Wallach died at age 98.  The son of Polish Jewish immigrants in New York, Eli liked to play cowboy types, and he was great in many movies, such as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, a classic.  He was also marvelous on the legitimate stage.  I wish that I had seen him play in The Rose Tattoo or in Mr. Roberts, two of his best parts, I'm told.


Finally.... Good News for Thirsty Senior Citizens


The Lorien Assisted Living outfit in Taneytown, Maryland, has opened a restaurant and bar called Flick's Pub, named after former mayor, Bob Flickinger.  I Served with Bob on the Carroll County Commission on Aging for a few years.  Bob is a nice guy and I'm glad they named the pub after him. I wondered how many customers the Pub would get out of the Assisted Living community, and then I found out that an over-55 community nearby was running a trolley back and forth during the day and night so that residents can easily make the special events like Happy Hour. 


...............................................................