All posts by DWMack

HR 40: Commission to Study & Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act.

Misc:

US lawmakers are considering a bill to study paying reparations to descendants of enslaved people, which could open the door for a potential vote on an issue that has gained momentum in recent years.

On April 14 the House Judiciary Committee held the first-ever markup – the process by which committees debate and amend legislation — on a bill that creates a commission to study and develop reparation proposals for Black people. It addresses the period of slavery and discrimination in the United States from 1619 to the present day, and will propose remedies including financial reparations.

“The historic markup of HR 40 is intended to continue a national conversation about how to confront the brutal mistreatment of African Americans during chattel slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and the enduring structural racism that remains endemic to our society today,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said in a statement Friday.

Its intent is not to divide, lawmakers said, but to continue efforts already begun in some states and cities during recent years of racial reckoning.

House Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee, the bill’s sponsor, said that by passing HR 40, Congress could “start a movement toward the national reckoning we need to bridge racial divides.”

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Side Note: To make this type of determination is going to be quite a chore. The nonprofit Georgetown Memory Project has hired genealogists to research the lineage of people sold by Georgetown and to reach out to people it identifies as descendants; the university is also putting documents related to the university’s slave holding history online. Tony Burroughs, founder and CEO of the Center for Black Genealogy and author of “Black Roots: A Beginners Guide to Tracing the Africian American Family Tree” explains many of the gaps in the archives that challenge black Americans doing genealogical research and how they work around those gaps. He said that “You can’t do genealogy based on assumptions,” Burroughs cautioned. “You can’t assume that your ancestors were enslaved without finding evidence of that.” There were hundreds of thousands of free people in the North and the South before the Civil War; Burroughs often sees people with free ancestors go down research rabbit holes, looking for an enslaved ancestor where there wasn’t one. Burroughs make it clear to prospective researchers that the challenges of finding enslaved ancestors might seem great, but they are not insurmountable.

IMHO

Miscellaneous Ramblings

This week, President Biden said he would push for new firearm restrictions regardless of whether Congress goes along with it.

He said, “My job, the job of any president, is to protect the American people. Whether Congress acts or not I’m going to use all the resources at my disposal as president to keep the American people safe from gun violence, but they’ve passed not a single new federal law that has reduced gun violence.”

Since the hundreds of laws on the books have not kept American’s safe from “people on people” violence, its obvious PEOPLE are the problem.

Other than accidents, suicides in America claim the lives of over 48,000 people a year again which is a solid indicator it’s a “person” problem not the technique or devise they end their lives with.

Since the suicide rate is 2.5 times the homicide rate, which is a “people on people” crime, it sounds like a stronger set of laws on not committing suicide is in order.

Like the laws on illegal drugs, I am sure a stronger anti-suicide law would work also. You think?

Other than in war, people kill people because of greed (robbery, drugs, money, objects), humiliation (public humiliation, ridicule, and shamed), safety (domestic violence, protecting self), and cheating (spousal) and a myriad of other reasons.

When legislators consider changes to criminal justice policy, they often face the question of whether the changes will prevent people from committing crimes. Deterrence theory looks at the relationship between the severity of punishment, the certainty that a criminal will be punished, and the speed with which the punishment will be inflicted.

Toward this end research has shown that: * crimes involving conscious planning can be more easily deterred but not those that relate to addiction or sudden emotions; * increases in prison sentences have little deterrent effect; and * policies that increase the likelihood of being caught deter crime. It also indicates the following:

1. Evidence indicates that crime is disproportionately concentrated in economically distressed areas and that reducing poverty can also reduce crime.

2. Addressing mental illness can also lower crime rates.

3. There is an undisputed link between addiction and crime, and that providing chemical dependency treatment is particularly effective at reducing property crime rates.

4. The most common method of addressing crime, though, is through enforcement and punishment.

Its People! Since we can’t legislate morality into the heart, more restrictive gun laws will not transform those who would seek to harm others. Rather than creating more laws that have no effect (ie: illegal drugs & its corresponding laws), we should focus on helping people deal with their mental problem.

We have a culture of violence and death, a waning respect for the dignity of all human beings, a lack of community, a need for better access to mental health care, and a host of other problems and needs that must and should be addressed first.

Just curious !

Misc:

Will mass murderer ex-NFL player Philip Adams, who killed 5 people & then later killed himself, will receive all the news evaluation & attention the last killer did? Was it Adams fault or did the weapon used make him do it? Is race going to be an issue in this too?

And as if the USA needs another crisis:

Miscellaneous Ramblings

China is positioning itself to take over Taiwan who they consider just a breakaway province. A military move on Taiwan by China will be a test of Biden (and company) very soon. Will America allow it or defend them. I do not think America has the will to support democracies in need and bear the cost of supporting them what ever if takes. Like it if not, it’s coming soon …China vs USA …. Big Stick or empty words!

Many planes are still packed

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Despite a Global Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory, and there remain passengers who are traveling without any personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks. So with the social distance guidelines and specific spacing to even eat in a restaurant, how is this remotely or even considered safe & legal?

FOR THOSE WHO COULD USE A GIGGLE:

Misc:

A young Woman who was several months pregnant was sitting in a bus.

When she noticed a young man smiling at her she began feeling humiliated on account of her condition.

She changed her seat & he seemed more amused.

She moved again and then on seeing him laughing more, she filed a court case on him.

In the court the Man’s defense was:”When the lady boarded the bus I couldn’t help noticing she was pregnant. She sat under an advertisement, which read ‘Coming Soon- The unknown boon’.

I was even more amused when she then sat under a shaving advertisement, which read: ‘William’s stick did the trick’..”

“Then I could not control myself any longer when, on the third move, she sat under an advertisement, which read: ‘Dunlop Rubber would have prevented this accident..

‘The case was dismissed… the judge fell off his chair laughing.

This makes me wonder….

Miscellaneous Ramblings

The following government requirement for individuals having a pilot license and needing a physical, makes one wonder how this guidance could apply to ANYONE that had a history of COVID-19 in any job or occupation.

So, can or will annual, semi-annual, or pre-employment physical exams that assures companies that employees are physically and mentally able to take on the responsibilities of a job also have similar requirements? Like those with a CDL and such.

Per the FAA: As long as the pilot or air traffic control (ATC) specialist is otherwise qualified, an aviation medical examiner can issue a medical certificate when the person who had a confirmed case of COVID-19 and who were hospitalized (but not in intensive care), the doctor should forward any applicable records to the FAA after issuing the medical certificate.

The doctor then must defer applications for individuals who were in intensive care or “are experiencing ongoing residual signs and/or symptoms of confirmed COVID-19.”

The ongoing signs and symptoms “may include but are not limited to cardiovascular dysfunction, respiratory abnormalities, kidney injury, neurological dysfunction, psychiatric conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, moodiness), or symptoms such as fatigue, and such,” according to the guidance sent to aviation physicians.

This means the doctor cannot issue the medical certificate in the office and sends the completed application and any other medical records to the FAA’s Aerospace Medical Certification Division.

So, for individuals needing a physical should this guidance could apply to ANYONE that had a history of COVID-19 in any job or occupation?

The Truth & Nothing But the Truth

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Lawyers should never ask a Georgia grandma a question if they aren’t prepared for the answer. In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called …his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand.

He approached her and asked, ‘Mrs. Jones, do you know me?’

She responded, ‘Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you’ll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher.

Yes, I know you.

‘The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, ‘Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?’ She again replied, ‘Why yes, I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can’t build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.’

The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, ‘If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I’ll send you both to the electric chair.