Liberty and justice for some in America
The Monday Musings!
Perusing today's headlines...
***I have no doubts in my mind that Kyle Rittenhouse, the criminal who crossed state lines with his mother during last year's Black Lives Matter protests, deputized himself, lied about being an "armed" EMT, and shot three people—killing two—will be acquitted of those deaths this week.
My beliefs are not based on my opinion about the evidence alone, but also the deplorable fact that the judge in this case, Bruce Schroeder, lost the appearance of impartiality a long time ago—and is placing his fist squarely on the scales of justice in favor of the defendant.
It has made my stomach turn this past week hearing folks parrot Rittenhouse's momma's cries that her "child" would have been dead if he didn't have his AR-15 rifle handy on that fateful night in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
When I was Kyle's age, I was busy working part-time at McDonald's, shooting hoop and cruising through the Southside with my boys, or watching the Patrick Swayze classic film Dirty Dancing at my girlfriend's house as we all counted down the days to my senior year of high school. It would have never, ever, occurred to me to grab one of the firearms in our house to go quell civic unrest in my city, but such is the insidious nature of toxic parenting and yes, white supremacy, one that endows an underage man-child with the twisted belief that he has the rights to play cop, judge, jury, and executioner out on the streets.
What is even worse is that he has a judge who is partial to his fake tears on the stand—a judge who did something last week that I NEVER saw in the nearly 200 felony cases, and over two dozen murder or attempted murder cases that I tried, which was to sit next to an accused killer—chilling—as they watched an evidentiary videotape.
Again, Judge Schroeder is sitting there at the defense table like he is watching a ball game with his grandson and about to tell him to go fetch another beer from the icebox 😠. Now, for those unaware, judges often step down in trials to view videos but again, they NEVER post up at defense counsel table within breath smelling distance of a defendant.
NEVER!
So yes, it seems as if the fix is on but again, that does not surprise me because as I often remind, some vestiges of Jim Crow still linger within the criminal "justice" system.
***It is tough to be President Joe Biden; the latest ABC News-Washington Post poll shows that "only 41 percent of respondents approve of Biden’s work in office 10 months in, compared to 53 percent who disapprove. The approval figure is down from 50 percent in June and 44 percent in September."
With the bipartisan infrastructure victory in tow and a bipartisan spending bill victory perhaps soon coming, there is still time for Biden and the Democrats to push back against perception of ineptitude. But this morning, I raise a couple of issues that I hope to explore in the days ahead:
1. Where is Vice President Kamala Harris? Yes, I know that she has been “spanning the globe” from Vietnam to France over the past 10 months, but with the "Biden-Harris" ticket having been billed as a "two-for-one" deal in 2020, it sure seems to Ol' Hobbs that, in Spades playing lingo, we've got "one (Biden) and a possible (Harris)" so far in 2021. Which is curious in that while the vice presidency has had many moments of insignificance since the 18th Century, over the past 20 years, Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama relied rather heavily upon Vice Presidents Dick Cheney and Joe Biden, respectively, facts that make Biden's apparent lack of reliance on Harris, at least publicly, somewhat peculiar.
2. Is VP Harris being relegated to the background because the 78-year-old Biden intends to run again in 2024 and, thus, does not want to groom a successor in the court of public opinion?
3. Are Democrats realizing that Republicans are moving beyond Donald Trump, and that even if Trump runs again in 2024, that the recent Virginia gubernatorial race shows that Trump bashing did little to win friends or influence people who identify as Independent voters?
Stay tuned...
*** Breaking News: (The Hill) “Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) announced Monday that he intends to run for governor of the Lone Star State, setting up a heavyweight challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott (R). O’Rourke, who also ran for Senate in 2018 and president last year, made the announcement in a fundraising email to supporters, where he touted himself as a unity candidate and railed against “fringe policies and incompetence that we see in Texas today.”
So, speaking of 2024, could former Democratic contender Beto O'Rourke seek his party's nomination again that year, albeit as a sitting Governor of Texas? Again, stay tuned…
***As a father, my heart weeps once again, this time for the family of Ezra Blunt, the 9-year-old boy who, after a week in a medically-induced coma due to injuries suffered at rap artist Travis Scott's Astroworld festival, has died.
With the death toll now up to 10, here's hoping that concert promoters, artists, and local officials will work in concert to ensure that no future concerts lead to such catastrophic and altogether avoidable consequences!
***Speaking of former President Donald Trump, according to The Hill, "The Trump Organization has reportedly reached an agreement to sell the rights to the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. for $375 million. CGI Merchant Group has also reportedly landed a deal with Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. to rebrand and remove Trump's name from the property. Once the deal is finalized, the property will be managed by Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria group.”
Understandably, with hotel stays down worldwide, and Trump’s lawyer bills and court fees up due to hundreds of lawsuits that the Trump organization faces, it makes sense that a slow liquidation of assets begins in earnest. A liquidation that further leads me to believe that Trump will not run for president again because:
1. The fear that his comeback, just like his idol Teddy Roosevelt in 1912, could end in a resounding loss in the Republican Primary.
2. Trunp’s desire to leave Earth with his business enterprises on solid footing for his children.
Disagree? If so, drop a line and tell Ol’ Hobbs why!
***If you are tired of paying these high gas prices, write to your Senate delegation and congressperson and demand that they pressure President Biden to tap into the emergency petroleum reserves located on the coasts of Texas and Louisiana! It's past time for Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to be talking about making this move—the move needs to be made to keep the flow of work and commerce moving, even at the snail's pace that we collectively are experiencing!
Thank you for subscribing to the Hobbservation Point—have a wonderful Monday and a great week!
The Rittenhouse trial is a disgusting mockery. If that little psycho walks, he will kill again. I feel for the victims families. Imagine having to watch that clown if a judge?
Maybe you should think about going electric for your ride!