Jury Duty

Today was Day 2 of my first encounter with Jury Duty. On Friday, the court bailiff advised that 1,000 jurors were needed for this week. So, a large group (including me) was called on Friday and then another group today. Those of us who were assigned to a court (including me) were required to return today for jury selection. I was actually excited to be part of the justice system and see how things work in court. I was assigned to a criminal case, given my juror badge and number and told to report back this afternoon. After a wait of about an hour, the judge called us in to the court room and told that the case we might have seen was settled with a guilty plea. Overall I was very impressed with the courtesy and professionalism of everyone I interacted with at the Tarrant County Courthouse, from the clerks to Judge Robb Catalano himself.

The picture above is a view of the (now retired) Texas electric chair, fondly nicknamed "Old Sparky." Old Sparky resides in the Texas Prison exhibit at the Huntsville State Prison, located in Walker County, TX. Old Sparky replaced the previous gallows method of execution, and provided Texas Justice from 1924 to 1964. During that period, 361 prisoners met their fate in Old Sparky. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, Texas has executed more prisoners than any other state, though California and Florida have larger death row populations. Today's method of execution is lethal injection.

Project Runway Season 9: Episode 1 Recap

I can already tell this is going to be a good season...

Project Runway Season 9: Episode 1 Recap

Rugby Restart

Last night our rugby club officially ended the summer off-season with a touch rugby tournament. Teams were randomly selected and my team made it to the finals, but lost by two tries. It was a fun evening and most people were in good spirits. One of the coaching staff lost his cool a couple of times and started screaming, which is totally ridiculous. It was supposed to be a fun event and not taken that seriously, but this individual has problems.

With that exception pointed out the rest of us had a nice evening. Next week we start regular practice. I'm worried about the ongoing 100+ degree temperatures and the effect of doing full contact practice during this weather. We'll muscle through it, take breaks, and drink lots of water. I need to get my damned arthritic shoulder looked at, too. Not sure if the Doc will be willing to inject more steroids, or if he's going to say the time has come for surgery.  Sigh. Getting older isn't always fun!

Big Sis is Watching You

Now they're teaching us to spy on one another... note the consistent themes of race-baiting, racial distrust and suspicion in this video produced by the Ministry of Love, AKA Homeland Security. Note the overwhelming effort to portray the vast majority of suspicious persons (e.g. terrorists) as caucasian. Note the disregard for 9/11 in the examples of terrorism shown. I especially like the scene where a woman calls the police to turn in a man (white of course) doing something highly suspicious.... that is, writing in a notebook and using his smartphone.

Why isn't someone shown reporting someone running across the border, a clear violation of the law which happens many thousands of time each year? Will the next video like this go even lower by encouraging people to turn in anyone who asks not to be patted down by a TSA officer? How about someone who doesn't have the right political ideas? Oh, wait, we're not in East Germany...yet.

I am totally against terrorism and in favor of fighting it. But pitting people against one another is a tactic used by every fascist regime for the past 100 years. This is disgusting and unworthy of our nation. Is this what "the land of the free" has degenerated into?

We have GOT to elect people in this country who believe in curtailing the encroachment of the federal government into our lives.

Coming to a Town Near You? TSA Now Storming Public Places 8,000 Times a Year

Chilling. From the American Thinker...

TSA Now Storming Public Places 8,000 Times a Year

Have you heard any reporters in the mass media reporting on where the constitutional authority exists for the TSA to do this? Or asking the President about it at a press conference?

Oh, that's right. There aren't any press conferences anymore. I can remember back during the horrible, repressive right wing 1980s, there used to be regular Presidential press conferences...

Steve Winwood - While You See A Chance

I think this was the first music video I ever saw! It was on "America's Top Ten" hosted by Casey Kasem.

At any rate, it seems to me that music videos have regressed in the past 30 years since this was made. Artists such as Steve Winwood, Peter Gabriel, The Human League, Howard Jones and others epitomized intelligent dance pop and had very wide followings.

Do you think today's videos are more or less intelligent than in the past? You decide.