A LITTLE OF THIS...A LITTLE OF THAT

The 2nd annual summer games have begun up in Minnesota with many participants hoping to win a medal in popular events such as torching a squad car, breaking store front windows, looting, hurling objects at the police and the most competitive category of all....... destroying the business district and ruining someone's life by burning their business down even though the owner had absolutely nothing to do with your outrage. Previous gold medal winners were not available to defend their titles as they are all currently serving time.

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And just as these fires are dying down, they'll announce the Derek Chauvin decision early next week. Oh, to be in the plywood/board-up business.

Remedy for the Minnesota games? High pressure fire hoses and tear gas. simple.

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I don't know how I can go on now that Jennifer Lopez has broken off yet another relationship, this time with baseball/steroid cheat Alex Rodriguez. Rumor has it that there just wasn't enough mirrors in the house to satisfy these two egomaniacs.

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Texas is dropping all licensing requirements to carry a handgun. All requirements. No background checks, no fingerprinting, NO TRAINING, no criminal history check. Just pick up your favorite sidearm and walk out of the house....ready for action. Police Chiefs are not happy about this and gun training centers will probably go bankrupt. Kind of reminds me of Dodge City back in the 1880's. Wonder if they're re-opening boot hill? The real scary part is 19 other states also don't require licensing. 

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Most popular dog breeds were just released for 2021 with the Labrador Retriever #1 for the 30th straight year, followed by the German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, French Bulldog at #4 and his cousin the English Bulldog rounding out the top 5 for 2021. Mutts were listed at #8.

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The BEST awards show on television? With no question, it's the COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS which is a three hour show with 25 live performances by all the stars in the industry. They read the nominees, immediately announce the winner and two minutes later, you're listening to another performance. Great stuff. Keith Urban has hosted for a few years and does a great job of staying out of the way and letting the show flow.

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I read the Academy Award nominees in today's paper and I've seen ONE of the movies. The pandemic locked me out of my local theater and the only stream I know anything about is the one where you catch fish. So the 'retired fat cop movie review' stays on hiatus.

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A proposal to term or age limits for justices of the Supreme Court is gathering steam and I'm 100% in favor of either or both. I don't think we need octogenarian jurists deciding constitutional law so let's make this easy. Twenty years on the bench or mandatory retirement at 75, whichever comes first and that will keep the courts fresh with new blood on a regular basis. 

If that rule was currently in place, 2 justices would be ready to retire now and Justice Roberts would have his 20 years in when he turns 70 in five more years with Justice Alito hitting the 20 year mark on her 75th birthday in 9 more years.

Justice Kagan would have 20 years in when she turns 70 in ten more years and the three newest justices need at least 17 more years each to consider retirement. As I'm hitting the keys, this plan makes more and more sense to me.

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The first guilty plea from the January 6th insurrection was accepted by a federal judge this week as heavy metal guitarist JON RYAN SCHAFFER pled to 2 charges while the government dropped 4 additional charges on the condition that he testifies truthfully against the other rioters. In return, Schaffer will receive a 4 year prison term. 

Schaffer is an admitted "strong Trump supporter" and has long time ties to the OATH KEEPERS, a far right wing radical group that advocates members break the law if they feel the constitution is threatened. The feds asked for and received a court date of late June so they have time to connect the dots with Schaffer's information and prove it to be accurate AND helpful. 

Another case of the first domino falling...........

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All done for now. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

SATURDAY II

 Have you ever lined up dominoes in a long line and then tipped the first one over? 

I got that visual in my head yesterday when pretty boy Matt Gaetz' long time friend Joel Greenberg, agreed to plead guilty to a variety of offenses including having sex with the SAME 17 year old that Gaetz is being accused of taking across state lines for sexual purposes.

Greenberg is currently being held in jail for violating his parole on an earlier conviction and his attorney announced that Greenberg will be cooperating fully with the feds to ease the sentencing burden of his current 33 pending charges. For the first time since this investigation went public, Gaetz had absolutely nothing to say. Now you know it's serious.

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To continue today's fun, let's check in with some of the rioters, where justice is finally running down the jerks who caused the problems--summer version.

 Mathew Rupert, 28, of Galesburg, Il. pleaded guilty to a federal arson charge stemming from his activities in Minneapolis where he set fire to a Sprint store and handed out explosive devices to other rioters and urged them to  "throw them at the police." Rupert faces 5-20 years.

I don't care what side of the political fence you're on.....Wrong is Wrong. You want to set fire to Minneapolis or attack the Capitol building? Be prepared to pay the price. 

Adios, dirt bag.

Chicago rioter Angelo Chester was given a three year vacation for breaking the citywide curfew, running from the police and being in possession of a handgun and a long time criminal history.

Chicagoan Jacob Fagundo received a 14 month sentence and a $60,000 fine for setting fire to a police car. The fine just happens to equal the replacement cost of the squad.

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And now let's take it down a notch.......

A sad note in the entertainment world as the family of celebrity zookeeper JACK HANNA announced his retirement from public life due to rapidly advancing Alzheimer's disease. Hanna was a regular visitor to talk shows and he would always bring a couple of 'friends' from the Columbus Zoo and explain their lifestyles. It always cracked me up when a jungle animal would climb onto the head of David Letterman, Johnny Carson or James Corden and we could see the very real reactions from the host as Hanna, who was a huge advocate for improved wildlife habitats, explained all about the creature.

            

                                                                                     
                       Godspeed, Jack
• 

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Spring is obviously upon us as the world's fattest robin has once again decided that the outside ledge of my gazebo, located under the protective roof line, is perfect for her nest. Doesn't take her long to complete the nest and she actually gets used to me sitting in the gazebo, just a couple of feet from the nest. I'll count the eggs soon.

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An interesting dilemma:  I received my first stimulus check thru the USPS last spring with no problem but the second and third checks (totaling $2000.00) are M.I.A. despite receiving letters from the IRS that the checks had been deposited in my bank. I checked my account on-line with negative results and then visited the bank in person and was told they have no record of either deposit.

No big deal because I figured I would just call my friends at the IRS and they would straighten the whole thing out.  ahhhhhhhhhhhh, no.  I called and gave the nice lady all of the information on both letters and her response was "I'm sorry for your problem but we don't get involved with stimulus checks." When I asked for some guidance, she told me to go to my bank to straighten it out.  ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, no.  Her final statement was, "That sounds like a real problem and I hope you can work it out." My head is still sore from banging it repeatedly against the wall. Anyone have an idea?

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I heard from a few people that the movie theatres had reopened while I was gone so I zipped over to my local REGAL cinema and discovered the only movie playing was that year-long favorite, "CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE" which doesn't get me any closer to theatre popcorn or an afternoon in the dark avoiding a rainy & cold spring day.

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How's this for a litigation  and human resources nightmare? Faye Jenkins worked in the school cafeteria for 17 years and was doing exactly that as they prepared to close down for the pandemic last March when the SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, who was playing 'dodge ball' with some of the employees, threw a full water bottle from the balcony and hit her in the face which split open her left eyebrow, caused a concussion and then constant headaches which resulted in an MRI which revealed an aneurysm that required surgery. Jenkins at no time was involved in the game playing.

"I was just doing my job cleaning the cafeteria when I was struck in the face" said Jenkins, who has filed a lawsuit against both the principal and the Chicago Public School System. The incident was witnessed by 5 other co-workers who have already submitted statements. The principal resigned and was then arrested on a felony charge of aggravated battery last June. The only CPS response to the lawsuit should be "Exactly to whom do i make this check out and for how much?" 

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I haven't had pizza since January and the weather is rainy & cold so it's a perfect day to binge watch all the programs I recorded for two months. Stay safe.

BITS & PIECES

 Question of the day:

What do we we do with the challenged lady who is obsessed with airports and sneaking on planes for which she doesn't have a ticket? MARILYN HARTMAN, 69, of Chicago, who gained notoriety for sneaking aboard and taking a trip to London several years ago has been banned from all airports in Illinois but constantly returns to O'hare despite the fact it activates her new electronic ankle monitor and sounds a loud alarm which results in immediate arrest. 

In & out of trouble for several years with criminal offenses related to airport security, this seemingly harmless grandma-type poses a huge problem for law enforcement and the judicial system, not to mention TSA security. Send her to prison with hardened criminals? Institutionalize her? 

Co-vid prevents both of those but maybe this is a solution: a minimum security work farm downstate complete with ankle bracelet where they have individual rooms rather than dormitories and she can do light landscaping/gardening work in warm weather and work in the greenhouse during the colder months. I don't know if that's a perfect solution but you just can't let her walk free when she keeps breaking the law.

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Catching up with a couple of the rioters:

Remember the guy who broke into the Speaker's office on January 6th, put his boots up on the desk while smoking a cigar and then stole letterhead stationary?

 Dominick Pezzola is STILL in jail awaiting trial and despite repeated attempts by his attorney, the judge stays with his remand order for which there is no bond because Pezzola presents a "clear and present danger" to the community. An admitted member of the Proud Boys, Pezzola whined out loud in court "It's not fair!" when refused bond the other day which brought a big smile to my face. If he thinks this isn't fair, wait until the gavel drops when he's sentenced down the road.

Another dirt bag, Chad Jones, was the guy attacking the police officer with a flag pole and then told his friends he was probably "in big trouble" and guess what? He was right! Assaulting a federal police officer plus several other charges carry a maximum sentence of SIXTY years. Meanwhile, he too has been denied bail because the judge says there's no guarantee that Jones won't disappear if given freedom.

And you have to just love the rioters/arrestees who have written letters of apology in hopes of a lighter sentence to the judges stating that they were caught up in the 'passion and excitement' of the moment. Similar to a pack of wild dogs who have no rules? just sayin........

My favorite is "this is not who i am nor what i stand for". Well, i think i pretty much disagree with that statement.

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How high is high? Illinois pot shops sold $109 million dollars of weed during the month of March, beating the previous monthly 'high' (see what i did there?) by almost thirty million. Talk about March Madness!

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The day-to-day violence constantly amazes me. The south & west sides of Chicago are war zones and you have about a 20% chance of not being victimized if you travel thru these neighborhoods as an outsider. Car jackings in Chicago are up 400% with homicides up 55% (767 in 2020--#1 in the nation!) and ALMOST EVERYONE SEEMS TO CARRY A GUN.

 70% of all gun arrests in Chicago are for people between the ages of 18-30 and almost a third of all gun violators are aged 18-22. Just take a second to visualize that in your head. Imagine one out of every three of your son or daughter's friends carrying a weapon at all times. 

Solution? I have one. If you're found in possession of an illegal weapon outside your home, it's a mandatory 3 year prison term for first offenders and ten years for the second offense. Seems simple to me plus we would have to build more prisons which would provide more jobs, etc BUT the bleeding heart liberals would scream "second chance" "counseling" "probation" and muck up my plan but i'm real tired of mollycoddling (my grandmother's word) these thugs. 

Break a gun law.....go to prison. Simple. Incarceration is the ONLY answer.

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No matter your feelings on the George Floyd trial, I still believe Derek Chauvin was wrong and will be found guilty. There is no way the defense can offset the emotional testimony of family, friends and witnesses plus the words of the 

off-duty paramedic, Chauvin's lieutenant and other officials. The fact that Floyd was handcuffed will seal the deal. 

The only avenue the defense has is medical in nature as they try to sway the jury with testimony about his long history of drug addiction, pain tolerance and his size but I think they will fall far short of convincing the jury. I also think that any charge related to pre-meditation is ridiculous and should be dismissed by the jury.  We'll see.

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Much more to talk about but the weather is too nice. Later, dudes & dudettes.

PLAY BALL!!!!

 OPENING DAY has always had a nice ring to it but probably even more so this year after a year of doing battle with the pandemic and watching an abbreviated season in 2020 but now it's time to PLAY BALL!!

Starting on the north side, do the Cubs have any chance at all this year?? ABSOLUTELY!    The CUBS have a shot at that division because they have decent pitching and should only have to worry about the CARDINALS, who have good hitting and a nice bullpen but the redbirds need their starters to get the game to the 7th inning BUT.........................

how long will this cubs team be together this season? When the mets signed FRANCISCO LINDOR to $34 million a year for ten years, it signaled the end of JAVY BAEZ in Chicago because there's no way the cubs match that kind of money so you either have to trade baez by July 31 or let him walk away and get nothing for him.

Adios parties should also be scheduled for both KRIS BRYANT and ANTHONY RIZZO because rizzo just announced that he's done talking to the cubs about his contract because they're 'just too far apart' and it's time to start the season. Rizzo wants 90 million over 5 years but the cubs are offering just 60. NEVER A GOOD SIGN when one of the most popular guys in Chicago stops talking to you.

P.S.  Of the 26 players on the cubs roster, FOURTEEN are in their walk year. ouch. 

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Now head 8 miles south and the mood is TOTALLY DIFFERENT as the WHITE SOX are gearing up for a run at the world series following a very successful 2020 and a taste of the post season BUT I don't think they can beat the MINNESOTA TWINS, who are even better than last year when they won the division. The season ending injury to ELOI JIMENEZ didn't help either because that removed 45 home runs and 120 rbi's from your daily lineup. The sox have great pitching and a good bullpen but can TIM ANDERSON & JOSE ABREU keep up the good work on offense? I like the sox for a wild card.

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Here's a late night light bulb prediction for you. New cub's left fielder JOC PEDERSON ends up on the south side by the trade deadline. Jimenez is gone, ADAM ENGEL has a bad hammy and ANDREW VAUGHAN is brand new in left fielder. I think the cubs will definitely be sellers and pederson makes zip money on a one year deal.  At midnight after a handful of amarettos, it made perfect sense.

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How the mighty have fallen (and a chance to make some money). BRYCE HARPER is 33-1 to win the MVP.

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When you look west, the world champion LOS ANGELES DODGERS & SAN DIEGO PADRES are set up for a WRESTLEMANIA CAGE MATCH in a division where you could win 100 games and end up being the wild card. Both teams are super loaded and ready to rock & roll.

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Let's wrap it up before the first pitch!  A healthy YANKEES team will be a load and i think the ASTROS will rise again along with the TWINS, DODGERS, CARDINALS and BRAVES. Give wild cards to the WHITE SOX, BLUE JAYS, PADRES & METS.

LET'S GET IT ON!!!