Posted 2:00 AM by Gerald So
Paris Olympics organizers apologized Sunday after an intended opening ceremonies depiction of Greek god Dionysus featuring drag queens offended people and religious groups for its similarity to Leonardo Da Vinci's 15th century "The Last Supper" painting.
Art historians point out the depiction was not a parody of "The Last Supper" but an allusion to Jan van Bijlert's 17th century painting "The Feast of the Gods."
In the organizers' and performers' apologies are the phrases "if I have offended," "if people have taken offense." There's no "if" they offended. People have expressed offense. The apology phrasing should've been "that I have offended," "that people took offense."
I understand it was not a send-up of "The Last Supper," but if the organizers had been more concerned they might offend, it might have occurred to them, "We can't do this. It will bring to mind 'The Last Supper," not what we want."
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Yes We Kam
Posted 6:00 AM by Gerald So
VP Kamala Harris has my vote to be the next POTUS. I think it's long overdue America had a woman president, and I hope we take this opportunity to elect one. It would say our diversity as a country is truly our strength. As last we did by electing Joe Biden, we can reject Donald Trump, his failure in office, and everything else he's heaped on.
We can't forget, though, droves of people will still vote Trump. All of us who don't want Trump have to outvote them.
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VP Kamala Harris has my vote to be the next POTUS. I think it's long overdue America had a woman president, and I hope we take this opportunity to elect one. It would say our diversity as a country is truly our strength. As last we did by electing Joe Biden, we can reject Donald Trump, his failure in office, and everything else he's heaped on.
We can't forget, though, droves of people will still vote Trump. All of us who don't want Trump have to outvote them.
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Sunday, July 21, 2024
Biden ends re-election bid
Posted 3:00 PM by Gerald So
President Biden has decided to end his 2024 re-election bid after many fellow Democrats and deep-pocketed donors turned against him. Reflecting on Biden's life of public service, I'm grateful for it all, especially his presidency.
Never the hottest pick (Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton), Biden got his chance after Trump botched the nation's COVID recovery. Biden righted that wrong, most importantly, and just in general I appreciated his cooler head.
Much had been made of his advanced age. I value what he did all the more because he did it at this age. He gave all he could to his country.
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President Biden has decided to end his 2024 re-election bid after many fellow Democrats and deep-pocketed donors turned against him. Reflecting on Biden's life of public service, I'm grateful for it all, especially his presidency.
Never the hottest pick (Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton), Biden got his chance after Trump botched the nation's COVID recovery. Biden righted that wrong, most importantly, and just in general I appreciated his cooler head.
Much had been made of his advanced age. I value what he did all the more because he did it at this age. He gave all he could to his country.
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Friday, July 19, 2024
MOONLIGHTING
Posted 10:30 AM by Gerald So
Despite my lifelong fondness for private eye fiction, I'm not a fan of MOONLIGHTING, I think mostly because I dislike Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis as the stars, but also because the show plays with tone so broadly.
Now streaming on Tubi, it's interesting to look back at Willis right before his movie breakout, long hefore aphasia forced him to retire. I hear how clever the dialogue is. I would appreciate it whoever played Maddie and David.
Creator Glenn Gordon Caron wrote the role of Maddie for Shepherd and fought the network to cast Willis as David Addison, but if the show had different stars who got along better, if Caron had run things more efficiently, it might have yielded more than sixty-seven episodes and five seasons.
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Despite my lifelong fondness for private eye fiction, I'm not a fan of MOONLIGHTING, I think mostly because I dislike Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis as the stars, but also because the show plays with tone so broadly.
Now streaming on Tubi, it's interesting to look back at Willis right before his movie breakout, long hefore aphasia forced him to retire. I hear how clever the dialogue is. I would appreciate it whoever played Maddie and David.
Creator Glenn Gordon Caron wrote the role of Maddie for Shepherd and fought the network to cast Willis as David Addison, but if the show had different stars who got along better, if Caron had run things more efficiently, it might have yielded more than sixty-seven episodes and five seasons.
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Thursday, July 18, 2024
Bob Newhart dies at 94
Posted 11:00 PM by Gerald So
Deadpan is my favorite comedy. It doesn't seem to seek laughs all along. Adding surprise, only when fully delivered do you see how funny it is. Bob Newhart was a master of deadpan and a presence you couldn't duplicate. As an audience, we're so fortunate he lived and entertained so long.
It's hard to believe he didn't win an Emmy until his 80s, for guest-starring on THE BIG BANG THEORY as Professor Proton Arthur Jeffries. In life, unlike Bill Cosby, he was the husband and father figure he appeared to be, someone who perfectly fit the description "the genuine article."
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Deadpan is my favorite comedy. It doesn't seem to seek laughs all along. Adding surprise, only when fully delivered do you see how funny it is. Bob Newhart was a master of deadpan and a presence you couldn't duplicate. As an audience, we're so fortunate he lived and entertained so long.
It's hard to believe he didn't win an Emmy until his 80s, for guest-starring on THE BIG BANG THEORY as Professor Proton Arthur Jeffries. In life, unlike Bill Cosby, he was the husband and father figure he appeared to be, someone who perfectly fit the description "the genuine article."
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Wednesday, July 17, 2024
One of 8.1 Billion
Posted 3:30 AM by Gerald So
As hopeful as I am that Donald Trump loses the 2024 presidential election, I've been pondering what to do if he wins.
I'm pretty sure my voice as an Asian American will be less heard. My differences won't be respected or valued. The majority will expect me to get in line. It will be a bad time if an authoritarian president is elected, and who knows how long it will last? An authoritarian wouldn't cede power and would only need a few key people to go along to retain power unjustly.
I can't do much to prevent it. I only have one vote in the race.
My relative insignificance oddly gives me hope. I'm not going to feel as if I'm losing my seat at the table the older I get, as many older people grow wistful for a time they felt they had more say in society, as they become set in their ways, ultimately becoming unable to do anything differently. I will instead grow more understanding and accepting of people and ideas.
It may not matter that I do this alone, but it will be my mandate if prejudice prevails around the world.
As hopeful as I am that Donald Trump loses the 2024 presidential election, I've been pondering what to do if he wins.
I'm pretty sure my voice as an Asian American will be less heard. My differences won't be respected or valued. The majority will expect me to get in line. It will be a bad time if an authoritarian president is elected, and who knows how long it will last? An authoritarian wouldn't cede power and would only need a few key people to go along to retain power unjustly.
I can't do much to prevent it. I only have one vote in the race.
My relative insignificance oddly gives me hope. I'm not going to feel as if I'm losing my seat at the table the older I get, as many older people grow wistful for a time they felt they had more say in society, as they become set in their ways, ultimately becoming unable to do anything differently. I will instead grow more understanding and accepting of people and ideas.
It may not matter that I do this alone, but it will be my mandate if prejudice prevails around the world.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Alec Baldwin RUST Shooting Case Dismissed
Posted 5:00 AM by Gerald So
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the RUST-related involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin because the state withheld potentially exculpatory evidence from the defense.
I thought Baldwin might have committed involuntary manslaughter because he accidentally fired the round that killed Halyna Hutchins; however, involuntary manslaughter also has to involve a level of negligence I'm not sure Baldwin met. Because first assistant director David Halls declared the prop gun "cold," Baldwin was unaware he would endanger anyone by pulling the trigger.
I don't know that Baldwin was responsible to do any safety checks himself and neglected them. The prosecution would've had to prove that, as they proved armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed—who presumably had more direct weapons safety responsibility than Baldwin—was negligent.
There is some new buzz that Gutierrez-Reed may not have been the source of the live ammunition on the set of RUST. As armorer, though, she was still responsible for ensuring the live ammunition wasn't loaded and fired.
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Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the RUST-related involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin because the state withheld potentially exculpatory evidence from the defense.
I thought Baldwin might have committed involuntary manslaughter because he accidentally fired the round that killed Halyna Hutchins; however, involuntary manslaughter also has to involve a level of negligence I'm not sure Baldwin met. Because first assistant director David Halls declared the prop gun "cold," Baldwin was unaware he would endanger anyone by pulling the trigger.
I don't know that Baldwin was responsible to do any safety checks himself and neglected them. The prosecution would've had to prove that, as they proved armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed—who presumably had more direct weapons safety responsibility than Baldwin—was negligent.
There is some new buzz that Gutierrez-Reed may not have been the source of the live ammunition on the set of RUST. As armorer, though, she was still responsible for ensuring the live ammunition wasn't loaded and fired.
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Monday, July 15, 2024
Old Blog, New Tricks
Posted 7:30 AM by Gerald So
I'm coming up on two years using Mastodon. I still prefer it to Twitter, but I don't use it for everything I used to tweet, mindful of my Mastodon admin's workload. I've found community following hashtags and I don't want to clutter my contributions to them with random, fleeting observations. So this blog is back to being my place for random, fleeting observations, as it was twenty years ago. Hey, why not?
I'm coming up on two years using Mastodon. I still prefer it to Twitter, but I don't use it for everything I used to tweet, mindful of my Mastodon admin's workload. I've found community following hashtags and I don't want to clutter my contributions to them with random, fleeting observations. So this blog is back to being my place for random, fleeting observations, as it was twenty years ago. Hey, why not?
Where Were You When?
Posted 6:30 AM by Gerald So
20-year-old Republican Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. As details trickled out that Trump was grazed by a bullet and a rally attendee was killed, I thought the shooting was in the crowd, Trump collateral damage. I didn't realize right away it was a sniper shot.
As much as letting Crooks close enough to take the shot may have been a security lapse, in the end the Secret Service saved Trump's life. May normalcy return from here and we defeat Trump at the polls for good.
20-year-old Republican Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. As details trickled out that Trump was grazed by a bullet and a rally attendee was killed, I thought the shooting was in the crowd, Trump collateral damage. I didn't realize right away it was a sniper shot.
As much as letting Crooks close enough to take the shot may have been a security lapse, in the end the Secret Service saved Trump's life. May normalcy return from here and we defeat Trump at the polls for good.
Sunday, July 14, 2024
Shannen Doherty dies at 53
Posted 5:00 PM by Gerald So
Shannen Doherty died yesterday after nine years battling breast cancer that spread to her bones and brain. Not a fan of teen melodrama, I avoided 90210, but enjoyed Doherty in MALLRATS and CHARMED. Living bravely with cancer is surely her legacy, but I'm glad she's free and no longer has to fight. Rest in peace.
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Shannen Doherty died yesterday after nine years battling breast cancer that spread to her bones and brain. Not a fan of teen melodrama, I avoided 90210, but enjoyed Doherty in MALLRATS and CHARMED. Living bravely with cancer is surely her legacy, but I'm glad she's free and no longer has to fight. Rest in peace.
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Saturday, July 13, 2024
Cherchez les films
Posted 7:00 AM by Gerald So
You may remember ABC's 1985–'88 SPENSER: FOR HIRE fondly, but Robert B. Parker didn't love it. According to Jeremiah Healy's tribute essay "Bob, Boston, and Me: A Remembrance" from the 2012 collection IN PURSUIT OF SPENSER, Parker disliked Robert Urich's casting from the start. He gave in when he was offered the alternative, Erik Estrada.
Urich and Avery Brooks reprised their roles in four 1993–'95 Lifetime movies (SPENSER: CEREMONY, SPENSER: PALE KINGS AND PRINCES, SPENSER: THE JUDAS GOAT, SPENSER: A SAVAGE PLACE), but the other regulars (Susan Silverman, Frank Belson, and Martin Quirk) were recast. Parker and his wife Joan were credited with the screenplays, but when they watched the finished movies, they claimed to recognize nothing from their scripts.
From 1999 to 2001, A&E gave Parker full creative control of three movies: SPENSER: SMALL VICES, THIN AIR, and WALKING SHADOW. Joe Mantegna was cast as Spenser. Some said miscast. Parker, however, approved, saying Mantegna had read his books and could act like Spenser. (Since that casting, Mantegna has been the Spenser audiobook reader.) Parker's words indeed played onscreen, but the movies weren't the snappy perfection you'd hope. Parker's prose could be mannered at times. Hearing all the actors speak this way betrayed the fact he put the words in their mouths. TV series, by contrast, use writers' rooms led by showrunners, everyone working to make the characters spontaneous and distinct.
Shiek Mahmud-Bey plays Hawk in SPENSER: SMALL VICES. He has Golden Gloves boxing experience, but unlike the books, where Hawk is Spenser's age, Mahmud-Bey is about twenty years Mantegna's junior. A better match is Luis Guzman as Spenser's similarly lethal friend Chollo in THIN AIR. Finally, Hawk is recast with Ernie Hudson in WALKING SHADOW, leaving the actors no chance to improve their chemistry, the secret sauce of Spenser stories.
The Joe Mantegna Spenser movies stand out because they weren't distributed on home video as widely or for as long as other adaptations of Parker's work. SPENSER: FOR HIRE is available on DVD from Warner Archive and streaming on Roku and Tubi. The four Urich Spenser movies got a DVD set from Rykodisc. The nine Tom Selleck Jesse Stone movies are on DVD from Sony and streaming on Roku, Tubi, and Pluto TV. The 2008 APPALOOSA film is on DVD from Warner Bros. and streaming on Max. 2020's SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL is on Netflix.
Of the Mantegna movies, only SMALL VICES was released on VHS in the United States. THIN AIR got a DVD release internationally, I believe. Bottom line, the Mantegna movies were hard to find, but I found them on YouTube the other day. If you're curious, search them out and let me know what you think.
Embed from Getty Images
You may remember ABC's 1985–'88 SPENSER: FOR HIRE fondly, but Robert B. Parker didn't love it. According to Jeremiah Healy's tribute essay "Bob, Boston, and Me: A Remembrance" from the 2012 collection IN PURSUIT OF SPENSER, Parker disliked Robert Urich's casting from the start. He gave in when he was offered the alternative, Erik Estrada.
Urich and Avery Brooks reprised their roles in four 1993–'95 Lifetime movies (SPENSER: CEREMONY, SPENSER: PALE KINGS AND PRINCES, SPENSER: THE JUDAS GOAT, SPENSER: A SAVAGE PLACE), but the other regulars (Susan Silverman, Frank Belson, and Martin Quirk) were recast. Parker and his wife Joan were credited with the screenplays, but when they watched the finished movies, they claimed to recognize nothing from their scripts.
From 1999 to 2001, A&E gave Parker full creative control of three movies: SPENSER: SMALL VICES, THIN AIR, and WALKING SHADOW. Joe Mantegna was cast as Spenser. Some said miscast. Parker, however, approved, saying Mantegna had read his books and could act like Spenser. (Since that casting, Mantegna has been the Spenser audiobook reader.) Parker's words indeed played onscreen, but the movies weren't the snappy perfection you'd hope. Parker's prose could be mannered at times. Hearing all the actors speak this way betrayed the fact he put the words in their mouths. TV series, by contrast, use writers' rooms led by showrunners, everyone working to make the characters spontaneous and distinct.
Shiek Mahmud-Bey plays Hawk in SPENSER: SMALL VICES. He has Golden Gloves boxing experience, but unlike the books, where Hawk is Spenser's age, Mahmud-Bey is about twenty years Mantegna's junior. A better match is Luis Guzman as Spenser's similarly lethal friend Chollo in THIN AIR. Finally, Hawk is recast with Ernie Hudson in WALKING SHADOW, leaving the actors no chance to improve their chemistry, the secret sauce of Spenser stories.
The Joe Mantegna Spenser movies stand out because they weren't distributed on home video as widely or for as long as other adaptations of Parker's work. SPENSER: FOR HIRE is available on DVD from Warner Archive and streaming on Roku and Tubi. The four Urich Spenser movies got a DVD set from Rykodisc. The nine Tom Selleck Jesse Stone movies are on DVD from Sony and streaming on Roku, Tubi, and Pluto TV. The 2008 APPALOOSA film is on DVD from Warner Bros. and streaming on Max. 2020's SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL is on Netflix.
Of the Mantegna movies, only SMALL VICES was released on VHS in the United States. THIN AIR got a DVD release internationally, I believe. Bottom line, the Mantegna movies were hard to find, but I found them on YouTube the other day. If you're curious, search them out and let me know what you think.
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Friday, July 12, 2024
Wretched Excess
Posted 6:00 AM by Gerald So
If you have to hyphenate a word on your book cover that isn't hyphenated anywhere else, your font size is too large. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
If you have to hyphenate a word on your book cover that isn't hyphenated anywhere else, your font size is too large. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Defrocking DuBois
Posted 3:00 AM by Gerald So
Bestselling mystery author Brendan DuBois was arrested Wednesday, charged with six felony counts. Along with his honors and stature as a novelist, DuBois was a prolific short story writer, winning the Private Eye Writers of America's Best Short Story Shamus and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer and receiving the SMFS's highest award, the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement.
The SMFS is a gratis, informal group, but as a former member who still wants to see the group and its subject gain the highest regard, I hope the Society disassociates from DuBois, stripping his Derringers just as his publisher has dropped him and upcoming and previous Bouchercon anthologies have removed his contributions.
Bestselling mystery author Brendan DuBois was arrested Wednesday, charged with six felony counts. Along with his honors and stature as a novelist, DuBois was a prolific short story writer, winning the Private Eye Writers of America's Best Short Story Shamus and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer and receiving the SMFS's highest award, the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement.
The SMFS is a gratis, informal group, but as a former member who still wants to see the group and its subject gain the highest regard, I hope the Society disassociates from DuBois, stripping his Derringers just as his publisher has dropped him and upcoming and previous Bouchercon anthologies have removed his contributions.
Tuesday, July 09, 2024
Little Help?
Posted 10:00 AM by Gerald So
President Biden's debate performance has politicians and pundits publicly questioning his fitness to serve a second term. I didn't watch the debate. I've already decided to vote for Biden. I was disappointed but not too surprised to hear about the debate. That said, I'm confident Biden can serve again if the Democrats don't worry so much about what could happen and help the President through the moment.
Meanwhile Donald Trump has shown similar shakiness at times, but his party isn't questioning his fitness to serve. They looked past his insurrection after all. Party support is a huge factor. Shame it turns on the appearance of Biden's age and not Trump's more serious, age-unrelated presidential failures.
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President Biden's debate performance has politicians and pundits publicly questioning his fitness to serve a second term. I didn't watch the debate. I've already decided to vote for Biden. I was disappointed but not too surprised to hear about the debate. That said, I'm confident Biden can serve again if the Democrats don't worry so much about what could happen and help the President through the moment.
Meanwhile Donald Trump has shown similar shakiness at times, but his party isn't questioning his fitness to serve. They looked past his insurrection after all. Party support is a huge factor. Shame it turns on the appearance of Biden's age and not Trump's more serious, age-unrelated presidential failures.
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Monday, July 08, 2024
MY ADVENTURES WITH SUPERMAN Renewed for Season 3
Posted 2:00 PM by Gerald So
I'm glad to see this, never mind Season 2's Brainiac storyline isn't my favorite. It rivals Season 1's cleverness. I've just seen Brainiac's brainwashing, collecting m.o. enough for my taste. (I'm less than three months shy of the Big 5-0.)
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I'm glad to see this, never mind Season 2's Brainiac storyline isn't my favorite. It rivals Season 1's cleverness. I've just seen Brainiac's brainwashing, collecting m.o. enough for my taste. (I'm less than three months shy of the Big 5-0.)
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Saturday, July 06, 2024
Coming February 4, 2025
Posted 8:00 AM by Gerald So
Following Mike Lupica's 2020–'22 run, Christopher Farnsworth becomes the fourth Jesse Stone continuation author with ROBERT B. PARKER'S BURIED SECRETS. I've rounded up more details and a link to the synopsis at So Much to Talk About.
Want to chat further? Join Fans of Robert B. Parker, my public Matrix room.
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Following Mike Lupica's 2020–'22 run, Christopher Farnsworth becomes the fourth Jesse Stone continuation author with ROBERT B. PARKER'S BURIED SECRETS. I've rounded up more details and a link to the synopsis at So Much to Talk About.
Want to chat further? Join Fans of Robert B. Parker, my public Matrix room.
Embed from Getty Images
Wednesday, July 03, 2024
BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F
Posted 6:00 AM by Gerald So
Just shy of 50, I've enjoyed my share of Eddie Murphy movies. I was hyped for COMING 2 AMERICA, but when it premiered, I didn't watch it. I still haven't. I like the original so much I don't think it needs a sequel. Sequels replay the hits, bring back storied characters. banking on the nostalgia of people my age. Without exception, the originals are superior. I really don't need to watch sequels. If I want to replay the hits, I can literally replay the originals.
Now that you know my perspective, I did just fire up Netflix and watch BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F. I liked it fine. It did all of the above, as well as adding a thoughtfulness you expect as you age. There are no sour notes. The familiar players hit their shots, and the new ones come to play.
Indeed it's like watching a championship team reconfigure slightly and win another championship. How excited and invested can you get if you've seen it happen before? By contrast, rewatching an original reminds you of before you'd seen as much, and because you hadn't seen as much, your enjoyment, surprise, and excitement were truly fresh.
A fifth Beverly Hills Cop is in the works, and I'm sure they can do a good job with it. They have a successful formula they've repeated and can repeat again.
Embed from Getty Images
Just shy of 50, I've enjoyed my share of Eddie Murphy movies. I was hyped for COMING 2 AMERICA, but when it premiered, I didn't watch it. I still haven't. I like the original so much I don't think it needs a sequel. Sequels replay the hits, bring back storied characters. banking on the nostalgia of people my age. Without exception, the originals are superior. I really don't need to watch sequels. If I want to replay the hits, I can literally replay the originals.
Now that you know my perspective, I did just fire up Netflix and watch BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F. I liked it fine. It did all of the above, as well as adding a thoughtfulness you expect as you age. There are no sour notes. The familiar players hit their shots, and the new ones come to play.
Indeed it's like watching a championship team reconfigure slightly and win another championship. How excited and invested can you get if you've seen it happen before? By contrast, rewatching an original reminds you of before you'd seen as much, and because you hadn't seen as much, your enjoyment, surprise, and excitement were truly fresh.
A fifth Beverly Hills Cop is in the works, and I'm sure they can do a good job with it. They have a successful formula they've repeated and can repeat again.
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Monday, July 01, 2024
Backbone
Posted 1:30 PM by Gerald So
The conservative-stacked U.S. Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 that a President has immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. Without wading through the logic that's supposed to be used to define official acts, let me say being a good person, doing good, wouldn't be in that legal gray area.
Even the best system can let us down. It's up to us as individuals to keep a true sense of right and wrong, to hold ourselves responsible. I believe most people do. If we didn't, the world would be a whole lot worse.
Donald Trump has said he takes no responsibility for himself or his followers. Where does he answer to the public for his conduct? At the polls. We voted him down in 2020 and we can do it again.
The conservative-stacked U.S. Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 that a President has immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. Without wading through the logic that's supposed to be used to define official acts, let me say being a good person, doing good, wouldn't be in that legal gray area.
Even the best system can let us down. It's up to us as individuals to keep a true sense of right and wrong, to hold ourselves responsible. I believe most people do. If we didn't, the world would be a whole lot worse.
Donald Trump has said he takes no responsibility for himself or his followers. Where does he answer to the public for his conduct? At the polls. We voted him down in 2020 and we can do it again.
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