MEMORIAL DAY MUSINGS

 The recent 30 degree drop in temperature activated my memory chip back to the early 90's when I had first purchased my house and held a Memorial Day party to show off Breezy Acres. Everyone showed and enjoyed the walk-thru and the 82 degree temperature along with the bright sunshine. What could go wrong with an annual party?

Fast forward to the next year when the high was 47 degrees and attendance dropped drastically but not as bad as the following year, when 39 degrees in the evening forced a bonfire in a garbage can and all 4 (yes, four) guests counting me, stood around the can like junkies in the hood. END OF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND PARTY IDEA.

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Ex-priest DANIEL McCORMACK continued the long standing tradition of catholic priests being pedophiles but the difference for him is that he got caught, arrested and tried in a criminal court rather than just being transferred to another parish via the Vatican's underground pedophilia railroad.

 And then a very unusual odyssey began for him after being convicted of molesting five boys. He served 5 years in prison and was ready to be paroled in 2009 when he was detained because he was classified by the state prosecutors as a "serial predator and a sexually violent person" and as a result, was remanded PERMANENTLY to a state facility for sex offenders. 

It should be noted that the archdiocese has paid over 10 million dollars to settle 32 more claims against the former priest and an independent investigation by an attorney who deals solely with abuse cases indicates that McCormack my have molested over a hundred boys but limitation laws at that time of those offenses prevented McCormack being tried criminally on any of those cases

Enter the Appellate Court. Last week they overturned that ruling and ordered McCormack freed from the facility, stating that the prosecution failed to prove that his mental disorder would cause him to harm other children in the future. The state, of course, is appealing to the Illinois Supreme Court.

And now the discussion. Should the state have the right to permanently incarcerate someone AFTER they've served their sentence? Shouldn't he be paroled and given the chance to start over? Wear an ankle monitor? continue counseling? Isn't that what prisons are all about?  Murderers and rapist get paroled everyday and who's to say they won't do it again? And keep the age old 'lock him up and throw away the key' statement in your pocket because it doesn't apply in this particular conversation, although I don't have a problem with that line of thinking.

The rulings on both sides of the legal fence have peaked my curiosity.

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Have you ever noticed that whenever someone speaks out against the former president, his immediate reaction to that person is : (your choice of two)

Weak

Ineffective

Terrible person

Unworthy

Loser

Has been

RINO

and on and on and on and on.............his act is really getting old.

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Have you checked air fares recently? YIKES! they're definitely trying to make up for lost revenue from the past 15 months.

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Doesn't matter if you're a baseball fan or not, check out the new jerseys, et al. of the Chicago White Sox that will be unveiled this week. Here's a sneak peak courtesy of shortstop TIM ANDERSON. I'm not crazy about the hat but the new unis are BOFFO!

                                                             

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And finally, a short warning to parents. Teach your kid to behave himself when attending live events or face the very serious consequences of the stadium authorities and the local police department. Both amateur and professional teams have adopted 'zero tolerance' with regards to throwing any object IN ANY DIRECTION while attending the event.  

This past week, a 21-year old fan of the Boston Celtics threw a water bottle that missed a former Celtic as he was walking to the locker room and the jerk was immediately taken into custody and charged with FELONY ENDANGERMENT plus he was BANNED FOR LIFE from attending any future event at TD Gardens. Teach your kids early that with today's technology, you will get caught on camera, just like the dissidents at the Capitol Building riots. Yell & boo all you want but save the throwing for the back yard.

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That's it. I hope you had a wonderful weekend

JUST MORE ODDS & ENDS

 Ex-con Patrick Montgomery, 48, indicted in January on 10 counts related to his storming of the Capitol, was arrested again for possessing a firearm and shooting a mountain lion in Colorado. He had agreed to a list of conditions for release from jail, including not having or using a firearm or violating any state or local laws. Although the lion was taken on the last day of hunting season, Montgomery was cited for violating pre-trial conditions and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Montgomery, who served 6 years for robbery back in the mid-90's and proudly wears a red baseball cap, was also cited in March for using a sling shot to knock a bobcat out of a tree and then letting his dogs kill the cat. Nice guy, huh? Montgomery was cited by Conservation police for taking a bobcat out of season and using illegal hunting methods and that case is pending. Amazingly, Montgomery is now on 24/7 house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor instead of sitting in jail. See you in July, Patrick.

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In another story that makes my one eyebrow elevate, former Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg pled guilty to 6 counts in federal court, including several involving the sex trafficking of a 17 year old girl to himself and close friends. Greenberg's attorney teased the media when he said that the fallout from his client's plea will be 'must see tv.'  For the uninitiated, Greenberg has been the 'wingman' and close friend for years of republican congressman Matt Gaetz, who is still dodging the media after his initial denial of any wrongdoing with Greenberg. There has also been no comment from Gaetz' girlfriend.

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BILL GATES......Now there's a name that when you hear it, you immediately think of money and computers but mostly money, as in 130 BILLION. Gates has announced that he and his wife of 27 years are calling it quits and have already decided on who gets what BUT the internet vultures are trying to make a big deal out of the fact that Gates has an eye for the ladies. SHOCK! The guy has more money than God and those people tend to stray and graze....because they can. Just ask Jeff Bezos of Amazon. I think this is much ado about nothing but we'll see.

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Let's hear for the Chicago cat who jumped from a 5th floor window to avoid a fire......and walked away!   I don't know the cat's name but it should be STONES!!

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Deputies in North Carolina were justified, according to the district attorney, in their shooting of Andrew Brown, who drove his vehicle directly at deputies who were trying to arrest him on drug charges. Brown jumped into his vehicle when deputies arrived on scene and ignored lawful orders to stop the car, making contact with two of the deputies as he backed out. Brown was a convicted felon with a history of resisting arrest. The FBI is also investigating for a possible civil rights violation.

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Just a side note which I've authored before.....When the cop says 'stop', you stop immediately and raise your hands. It's not that difficult to understand. It really isn't.

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When I was a kid, either ANN MARGARET or RAQUEL WELCH was every boy's heart throb because they both had big hair, skimpy clothes AND large partially exposed BAZOOMERS and they made enough movies and tv appearances to keep our minds racing to parts unknown. Both of them turn 80 this year. Check out the photos and you'll understand my tribute!   

RAQUEL:

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Also turning 80 this year but nowhere near as sexy, is the all-time hit king in major league baseball, PETE ROSE. He was banned from baseball 33 years ago for gambling and to put it in perspective, the average murderer serves just over 17 years.  Isn't it time to drop the ban so he can be put into the HALL OF FAME?  I don't think he would mind one bit if an asterisk * was placed on his plaque explaining that he bet on baseball.  Let him in. Enough is enough.

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LATE BREAKING NEWS!!!!! As I was typing, a news flash appeared stating that another maggot from the Capitol riot was taken into custody in South Carolina after being indicted by a grand jury. NICHOLAS LANGUERAND, 26, lived in Vermont in January but then departed rapidly after the riot but one of his "friends" turned him in and told the feds he was hiding at a relative's house. The presiding judge said 'no bail' for the time being and invited Nicky to enjoy some different government property.

The beat goes on...............

ADIOS for now. Stay safe and get vaccinated. 

                                                             

      

   

ODDS & ENDS

 One shot down and one to go next week as I complete my Pfizer protocol. Side effects? A sore arm but I do have a friend who suffered cold-like symptoms for a couple of days but in either case, I think it's totally worth it and I don't think a computer chip was part of the injection nor do I think Bill Gates is now monitoring me. 

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Another one bites the dust.......JANICE JACKSON, the CEO of Chicago's beleaguered public school system has waived the white flag and announced her retirement, which followed the recent resignations of two more top officials of CPS. It is a thankless job where you spend most of your time doing battle with the very militant teacher's union and a constant fight to decrease the dropout rate. She lasted just 3 years. Will the police superintendent be next to go?

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The Derek Chauvin verdict was correct (although the 2nd murder charge seemed like piling on to me) because what Chauvin did was wrong but now there is a definite fly in the ointment. A black juror, BRANDON MITCHELL, participated in a BLM protest before the trial and wore a shirt that said "get your knees off our necks" which certainly begs the question.....Was the jury tainted by prejudice and a mind already made up? It will be very interesting to read Mitchell's answers to the defense attorneys when being interviewed for jury duty during the process known as voir dire. I would think the t-shirt alone would disqualify him with regard to being impartial.  we'll see.

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It seems like every other day we have a police shooting and the uproar is always against the officer without regard to the circumstances so allow me to give some free advice to the youths who live in the jungle:

 ADVICE #1....When you run from the police, they are not going to be happy and when they catch you, don't expect to hear a lot of 'please' and 'thank you' while you're being taken into custody. 

ADVICE #2.....If you're carrying a gun when you run away, expect to get shot because that officer has every right to go home to his family at the end of his shift and just because you're running doesn't mean the officer is not in danger.

You can still squeeze off a round over your shoulder while you're running and I know because it happened to me and while the bullet missed by three feet, the fact that he fired while running away confirms that it's a violent and deadly situation, even if your back is to the officer.

ADVICE #3.....If you've read the first two pieces of advice and decide NOT TO RUN but you're carrying a weapon, raise your hands high and immediately tell the officer that you're armed and tell the officer where the weapon is located on your person. AT NO TIME lower your hands until the officer tells you to because that will get you real dead.....real quick.

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On a much lighter note, the 36 year old THOMPSON CENTER in Chicago is up for sale but before you put in a bid, be aware that the building may need up to.....get ready.......

525 million dollars in repairs before it can be occupied. I think some very deep pockets will be needed to buy this complex.

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Speaking of BILL GATES, he and MELINDA are filing for divorce and there was NO PRE-NUP  so let the games begin. Can you split up 129 million dollars without having a cage match like JEFF BEZOS did when the Amazon owner got divorced? That cost him 4% of amazon, which was then worth 36 billion and has since grown to 62 billion and she is now the richest woman in the world. Are you listening, Melinda?

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R.I.P. to actor JOHNNY CRAWFORD, who's name may not be familiar to you but he played Mark, the son of THE RIFLEMAN who was played by CHUCK CONNORS. The show ran for 5 years and garnered Crawford an Emmy nomination in 1959 at the age of 13. He stayed involved in show business on both sides of the camera until 2019 when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's which compounded his recent battle with Covid-19.

The Illinois weather is teasing us once again with a weekend of 80's followed by 51 degrees and rain but I'M NOT COMPLAINING. Remember that the last two springs we broke the record for rainfall in successive years and it rained 27 out of 31 days in May both years. Moderate rain and eventual summer is just fine with me and soon we'll all be planting the crops.

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Get well wishes to my friend DONNA THE BARTENDER who is fighting her 2nd round of cancer up in Madison. I think she would appreciate a text or email. You probably know her from the best western hotel in Antioch, Renwood golf course or Chilifest.

Donna says she has "chemo brain" which is her nice way of saying she "can't remember shit" so it would probably help if you reminded her of where you met.

262-818-3311  or  dmbush21@yahoo.com 

 Tell her I said hello.

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That's it for now. Stay safe and get your shots.

CATCHING UP WITH CHICAGO

 The CHICAGO BEARS put a big smile on my face by drafting quarterback JOSH FIELDS plus mean & nasty offensive tackle TEVEN JENKINS.

For the first time in my life, I correctly predicted the top two draft choices and I'm really excited about both but especially Jenkins, who is a freaking animal and Bears fans will love him because he's NASTY, just like hall of famer JIM COVERT used to be with the 85 Bears and that's a good thing.

And the icing on the cake is with Jenkins on board, the Bears could release CHARLES "FALSE START" LENO and they did just that yesterday. 

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It's not all good news because unfortunately, it's time to tear up my WHITE SOX world series ticket as injuries have decimated this once promising team and relegated them to the status of 'what could have been' in a year when their starting pitching was great and that would have made them monsters in the post-season when you only need three good starters.

ELOY JIMENEZ, ADAM ENGEL and now LUIS ROBERT, the entire starting outfield which includes two gold gloves and three studs on offense, who would have combined for 70 home runs and 170 rbi's. Impossible to replace. c'est la vie

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On the other side of town, congratulations to KRIS BRYANT, who has rebounded from two injury plagued years and is pounding the baseball again in what happens to be his free agent year (ka-ching) which pretty much assures him of being traded by the end of July or he walks away at the end of the season and the cubs get nothing for him. NO WAY he re-signs with the wrigley rats so he's a gone goose. Classy guy who keeps his mouth shut and plays hard. I've said it before but I think he'd look pretty good in Dodger blue.

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Now let's look at the other side of the fence where hot dog #2 JAVY BAEZ, the king of strikeouts, is costing himself millions of dollars by having a crappy free agent year at the plate although he has shown signs of life recently. 

When shortstop FRANCISCO LINDOR signed with the Mets for 35 million, Baez was licking his chops but they don't pay that kind of money for a one dimensional player which is exactly what Baez is, a great defender who can't be counted on when the game is on the line. As my friend Jimmy always says, "no reason to throw him a strike because he goes fishing all the time." 

HOT DOG #1??? c'mon, you know this answer to that one.  Willson Contreras should be covered with mustard AND ketchup. And he wonders why he gets hit all the time by opposing pitchers???

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 Sorry to hear about AARON RODGERS wanting to leave green bay.

I am such a liar. 😁

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Now it's time to balance the scale with the Bears on one side and the BLACKHAWKS on the other. Losers of 5 in a row just when they needed them, the Hawks were eliminated from the post season last night. INCONSISTENT all season long and that has to be corrected in order to move forward. A tough task.

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On the same side of the scale but improving, the BULLS have shown signs of life and new coach BILLY DONOVAN now has had a full season to evaluate the talent and methinks there will be some serious 'weed pulling' in the off season. ZACH LAVINE and NIKOLA VUCEVIC have proven they can play together and now the task for Donovan is to find them some help.

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And the CHICAGO SKY women's basketball team........gotcha again! just kidding because no one cares.

That's it for now. Have a great week!