Thursday, March 7, 2019

And another day that proves the American justice system is unfair and broken comes to a depressing close:

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” -- Winston Churchill

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is sentenced to 47 months in prison on charges stemming from the Mueller investigation. The law recommends 19-24 years. Crime pays when you’re a connected white guy.

Yes, Manafort can get an even longer sentence next week. We’ll see. 

Donald Trump is laying the groundwork to de-legitimize the 2020 election. Even as the 2020 race begins in earnest, President Donald Trump is already suggesting that Democrats cannot beat him fairly -- raising the specter that if he loses next November, he will suggest that the election was not legitimate.

A Year After Parkland, Republicans Still Don’t Want to Fund Gun Violence Research. Because they know what the research will find.

A bill in the TN state legislature would allow a handgun carry permit to be obtained with two hours of training instead of eight. They’re just trying to get us to kill each other off as fast as they can.

U.S. states with stricter gun controls have fewer mass shootings.

Records show border agents have been told to explicitly target Spanish speakers and migrants from Latin America in carrying out a Trump administration program requiring asylum seekers wait in Mexico.

Chad Readler fought Obamacare protections — now he's a lifetime federal judge.

House Democrats Are Investigating Voter Suppression in Georgia.

Iowa public universities couldn't host early voting under proposed election bill. Say it with me: Voter. Suppression.

After Covington saga, Kentucky state lawmakers have advanced a bill that would make it a crime to publish personal information of a child online with the intent to harass, abuse or frighten. Hmmm, that seems overly broad, and that it could be interpreted in many ways. We may see.

Georgia bill banning abortions once fetal heartbeat detected advances. That’s before many women even know they are pregnant.

Hidden FDA reports detail harm caused by scores of medical devices. The FDA has built and expanded a vast and hidden repository of reports on device-related injuries and malfunctions, a Kaiser Health News investigation shows. Since 2016, at least 1.1 million incidents have flowed into the internal “alternative summary reporting” repository, instead of being described individually in the widely scrutinized public database known as MAUDE, which medical experts trust to identify problems that could put patients in jeopardy.

The Archbishop of Lyon, is facing a prison sentence for failing to act on sexual abuse allegations in the Catholic church.

South Dakota passes laws designed to discourage disruptive protests of the planned Keystone XL oil pipeline that would cross the state.

"83 years old, unable to speak, unable to fight back." Daughters share heartbreaking stories of abuse in nursing homes.

Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver is suffering from dementia and will not make any more public appearances, his family announced.

Seattle drivers lose 138 hours per year stuck in traffic, report finds. That’s five and half days.

Heatwaves are sweeping across the oceans "like wildfires that take out huge areas of forest".

Earth's low orbit needs legal protection before it becomes a cosmic junkyard.

“Our patience will achieve more than our force.” -- Edmund Burke

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.