Taking Note of a Few Things: The Does The Punishment Fit The Crime Edition

Pete Rose is ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame because he bet on baseball games as a manager. Despite only betting on his team to win, he was banned for life, something many baseball fans question being fair.

Will Smith has been banned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for ten years because he slapped Oscar host Chris Rock after he made a joke about Smith’s wife.

DeShaun Watson served a one year suspension after more than 20 female massage therapists accused him of inappropriate behavior — only to be rewarded with the richest contract in NFL history with all of the $240 million dollars guaranteed.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded Oscars to people who testified before the McCarthy hearings and gave names of actors who became blacklisted in Hollywood. They have awarded Oscars to racists, misogynists, as well as actors who have been arrested for behavior much worse than slapping a comedian who made a joke about his wife.

In 2002, Roman Polanski won the Oscar for best director despite fleeing the United States to avoid a prison term for drugging and raping a 13 year old girl. He would later be expelled by the academy in 2017 after multiple women came forward with complaints about him.

We seem to get up in arms over the punishments or lack thereof when famous people break the law or simply just screw up. Meanwhile, we remain mostly oblivious to or just do not care about the unequal application of justice handed down to people of color for minor offenses, especially when those sentences are compared to what white men or women receive.

Anyone who believes Hamas when they claim they are not using hospitals, schools, and churches as shields to their system of tunnels and believes Israel is in the wrong with their searching of them needs only to be reminded that any group that uses their phones and Go Pros to record their brutal attacks on innocent Israeli citizens on October 7th is more inclined to lying for PR sake.

Still, at some point people are going to wonder how much death and destruction by the Israeli military is justified in their hunt for all members of Hamas. At what point do they have to accept the blame for the horrific situation in Gaza? For hard liners in Israel, there will never be enough payback for what Hamas did to them.

We seem to still support the people of Ukraine who were invaded by Russia and even relish in the damage Ukrainians inflict on the Russian military. Why then do so many people see the Israelis as the bad guys in all of this? Perhaps if they were able to prove their methods have been successful in eliminating members of Hamas, some might be swayed to cut the Israeli government some slack.

I would be remiss if I did not tie in old Agent Orange and his criminal and civil trials to punishment that fits the crimes. While all accused are innocent until proven guilty, it’s never stopped Americans from jumping to conclusions. Bill Cosby, DeShaun Watson, and countless others faced fewer crimes and were quickly found guilty in the court of public opinion. I’d be willing to bet if Trump were black and not orange, the public would view him in a different light. However, since he is now the unchallenged leader of the party of hate, he is a victim of a witch hunt.

The same people who not only defend Trump, but also defend the people who stormed the Capitol on January 6th of 2021 are also the same people who said the police should shoot and kill looters and rioters after another black is shot by white cops. Where is the consistency? I know, they are pro-life for the unborn but they sure love to see adults of color gunned down by the government.

They also believe things like people of color are committing all the crime in the nation. They base their claims on things like arrests reports, cases that go to trial, and guilty convictions. However, they fail to factor in the predominantly white male dominance of our justice system. Judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement are far more white than the overall percentage they make up of our population. Add in the difference in economic standing, educational failings in our inner cities where people of color are ignored, and the reliance of white politicians to boast they are tough on crime and you end up with a justice system that is a joke.

So what to do with Trump? Logic would say the GOP should shelve him and support a candidate who is not accused of more than 90 crimes. Logic would also say he who yells loudest is trying to cover up his crimes. Think of the kid in school who made the biggest stink about how unfair the teacher was being? We all knew he was guilty. Why can’t voters on the right see this and do what’s right?

President Biden and Donald Trump are precisely why I vote for the person and not for the party. A red turd stinks just as much as a blue turd and vice versa. Trump, in my opinion, has always been a turd. He was a turd when he first hit the public eye in the 80’s and has been one ever since. I’d much prefer our leader be a person who conducts himself in the manner of President Biden than Mr. Orange is the new black.

Women, for the love of God, stop. I belong to a couple of online dating sites. It’s not the way I would prefer meeting someone, but it is what it is. Unfortunately, somewhere between my 20s and 60s, women stopped smiling in pictures and have replaced smiles with puckered lips. I am not sure what you are trying to accomplish, but for me, I find it gross. Ladies, you end up looking like the back end of a horse whose sphincters are about to push out a road apple.

When you think about it, online dating sites have no incentive to match you with the love of your life. If they do, they end up losing two paying customers. They only want to give you enough close but not quite right matches to keep you swiping and extending your membership. Like everything else in life, they are just a money grab.

You can blame Congress for a terrible Thanksgiving this year. Since they actually found a way to continue funding the government, there will not be a shutdown as many on the far right were hoping for. This means airports will be operating and you will either have a miserable time flying to see relatives you’d rather not see, or they will be flying to visit you and staying in your home. Instead of a nice dinner at home with just your spouse and kids, you get to argue politics, religion, and everything that is wrong with kids these days.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching and compared to previous years, my inbox has yet to become flooded with email deals that won’t last long from places I never do business with. Either I have cut way back on my shopping this year or these vultures have moved onto fresher kill. Either way, I don’t mind.

I have figured out why the Los Angeles Clippers wear so many different styles of basketball jerseys. It’s not a gimmick to sell more merchandise as much as it is a need. Since they traded for James Harden, the team stinks so much when they play, they have to actually burn their uniforms.

George Santos announced he is not going to seek re-election next year. I am not sure if it has to do with the horrific ethics report he received or because he is weighing other opportunities. Santos is deciding between being signed by the NFL as a quarterback or to star opposite Taylor Swift in another remake of A Star is Born. However, he must first lead a battalion of soldiers into Gaza and secure peace in the Middle East.

Recently, I began adding painting to my repertoire of creative outlets. I think I have finished my first piece, but to be honest, I have no idea. I have a series of ideas centered around the legend of Sisyphus. Fortunately, it has not been an expensive outlet as I was recently in a ROSS store and saw scores of deals on acrylic paint sets, brushes, and canvases. I’m even finding great use for the t-shirts I purchased there a while back that are too small as they are used to wipe up my messes.

Last time out, I commented on the sign stealing scandal involving the University of Michigan football team. I made a point of claiming I felt head coach Jim Harbaugh was covering up the matter based on how loudly he was claiming his innocence. He went so far as to demand his say in a court. When it came down to crunch time, he had second thoughts and quietly accepted his three-game suspension, hoping this would end the matter. It’s not going away, Jim.

It might not have been his brainchild, but I find it impossible the head football coach at a major university did not know a low level assistant was sent to opponents games to steal their system of signals for play calls, especially when he is standing on Michigan’s sidelines with a chart in hand showing coaches what the signals mean. That entire staff, including Harbaugh, were in on it and figured by using a low level assistant, they had the perfect person to be the fall guy if caught.

Harbaugh was laughed at when he claimed Michigan was now America’s team. He may be right. Sadly, we live in an era where all too often leaders believe the end justifies the means only to follow it up with loud cries of being a victim when caught. It shouldn’t surprise anyone since our 45th president has relied on this since entering politics in 2015.

If you are like me and saw the photos of the damage to I-10 from a fire last week, knowing it is set to open in a couple of days makes me want to still take different routes to work until the freeway is fully repaired. Haste makes waste and I can think of other ways I’d rather die than driving on a freeway that collapses under me.

It has also made me question how many other freeways has our state leased the land under to store every sort of chemical imaginable? Where are the warnings to drivers they are traveling above combustible or hazardous chemicals? Where is the liberal outrage over this tactic now that it has been brought to the public’s attention?

I’m not sure I will ever follow the logic of a Colorado judge who claimed Donald Trump indeed engaged in the insurrection on January 6th, but must be allowed on the Colorado republican primary ballot. Does this also mean we can go ahead and execute him? If so, I am fine with his name remaining on the ballot.

UCLA beat USC in this year’s annual rivalry football game. It may or may not have been enough to save Bruin coach Chip Kelly from a firing. However, it’s USC that has to have a serious case of buyer’s remorse for hiring Lincoln Riley two years ago. After a 7-5 season that could have easily been much worse, I am not so sure he is up for the task of rebuilding USC. If they stick with him and he turns the program around next year, you can bet he will leave for a more lucrative job in the NFL. USC is better off to let him go now.

Let’s end with a Thanksgiving wish for greater peace and tolerance in a time of turmoil and bloodshed. When you strip humans of their epidermis, we are far more alike than different. If removing the skin from a Turkey makes eating one healthier for you, maybe looking past the color of people is also healthier. Happy Thanksgiving.