Author: Jack
I retired in 2008 and so I have more time now to devote to several of my interests The blog here is mainly for my interests in some current events but may have the occasional rant on other subjects. I have also decided to keep my genealogy posts and book reviews here instead of 2 additional blogs (and so simplify my life a little).

Will Lindsey Graham be a bad juror ?

Will Lindsey Graham be a bad juror ?

Posted on by Jack

I’ve been on a few juries. You are supposed to pay attention to the evidence. Another important thing is using that evidence to reach a fair and impartial decision. Senator Lindsey Graham has indicated he will not listen to the evidence. He has made many statements indicating he is certainly not impartial.

If the House votes to impeach, the Senate holds a trial to decide if the person impeached is guilty. The Senators are the jury. The Chief Justice will preside.

Can Senator Graham ask to be excused since he does not seem up to the task?

Impeachment inquiry resolution

Impeachment inquiry resolution

Posted on by Jack

What do Republicans want regarding the impeachment inquiry? When the initial hearings were held by committees, they were closed. That is, they were restricted to members of those committees involved, which of course includes members of both parties.
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Brooklyn Legacies: An Erica Donato Mystery #5

Brooklyn Legacies: An Erica Donato Mystery #5

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This is the fifth in a series. I liked the first three and somehow missed the 4th. I liked them so much I eagerly jumped at the chance to read and review an ARC of Brooklyn Legacies: An Erica Donato Mystery #5 by Triss Stein. It will be out in early December.

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Marsy’s Law and the Pennsylvania Constitution

Marsy’s Law and the Pennsylvania Constitution

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The PA election tomorrow (Nov 5 2019) includes a ballot referendum on whether Marsy’s Law should be added as an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution. I plan to vote “no” and I will get around to telling you why but first I should tell you what the law is.

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization concerned with elections and voting including educating voters. Here is their website on this ballot referendum on Marsy’s Law.
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Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury

Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury

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Raymond Khoury mixes alternative history with political science, human emotions, and time travel to give us a wonderful and fascinating book. This review starts with how I found Empire of Lies.

I was perusing NetGalley to see if they had any books of interest They provide advance reading copies (ARCs) for free and just ask for a review in return. I had found several books there this year and the latest finds were nonfiction so I was ready for a good fiction book.
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Deep State to the rescue

Deep State to the rescue

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I have a confession. I was a member of the deep state. Yes, I am a retired civil servant, a retired federal employee, and proud to add a former member of the deep state. I was there to do a job and I think I did it well. I worked in the area of public health.

I was never a whistle blower but think federal employees who see something that seems wrong need to bring it to the attention of those who can look into it. It is important to catch problems before they get too big or cause more harm.
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Question on Collusion

Question on Collusion

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Another question but this time on collusion. The Mueller report documents several contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians. The report say they found nothing to prove a conspiracy but did not exonerate the President. Collusion is a much less specific term. But I think the lack of proof of conspiracy may just indicate that the obstruction and cover-up might have worked in this case.

Will President Trump’s conversation with the President of Ukraine cause people to re-examine the collision/conspiracy part of the Mueller report?

A question on impeachment and obstruction of justice

A question on impeachment and obstruction of justice

Posted on by Jack

To no ones’ surprise President Trump is not going produce documents or allow critical witnesses to appear as part of the impeachment inquiry or Congressional oversight .

This seem to me to be obstruction of justice. Given that the Mueller report gave multiple examples of President Trump’s obstruction of justice, will these additional cases even more clearly demonstrate obstruction where the pattern was not convincing to some after the release of the Mueller report?

Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide by Richard Dawkins

Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide by Richard Dawkins

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Is there a God? What is God?

Do you believe in God? Which God? If you think there is a God what is this god like. What can god do? What has God done?
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Bloodthirsty Senators

Bloodthirsty Senators

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Who are the Bloodthirsty Senators and what did they do the deserve that name? Let me backup a bit and explain that.

Yesterday I got my email newsletter from Senator Toomey. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) is one of the US Senators for my state. While I often disagree with him, I thought highly of his efforts to get the Senate to approve of universal background checks.

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Letter to Congress on Impeachment Inquiry

Letter to Congress on Impeachment Inquiry

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You may want to write your Representative to let him or her know how you stand on opening an Impeachment Inquiry into President Trump. Many have a contact form on their websites. Here is the text of my letter:
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President Trump’s threats

President Trump’s threats

Posted on by Jack

Interesting opinion piece in the NY Times on President Trump’s threats, violent language, and behavior and a potential article of impeachment.

There is a historical precedent for making this type of behavior into an article of impeachment. One of the articles of impeachment for President Johnson in 1868 involved similar behavior. Read it and think about it.

How Democracies Die (and get saved)

How Democracies Die (and get saved)

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I have previously written about this book (Reading now: How Democracies Die). Now that I’ve finished, I think it was even better than my earlier opinion.

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