I was devastated when I heard about the Metro accident and lives lost and many persons injured. I am a DC resident who takes Metro virtually everyday. I love the convenience of the Metro system. And for those who complain about Metro, just continue to drive and get stuck in traffic. Monday's tragedy was a dark day for DC and Metro. An investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board says the Feds recommended 3 years ago the older fleet of cars known as the 1000 series be replaced, removed or retrofitted. The striking train was the older series. Although, no one knows yet what caused the accident, I hope Metro's decision to keep these older cars had nothing to do with the cause. Even if the aging cars did not cause the accident, they very well may have contributed to the lives lost or persons injured. The train cars were completely smashed compromising the crash worthiness of the cars. The crash worthiness of the older 1000 series was questioned previously by the … [Read more...] about DC Metro Tragedy
LegalSpeaks Blog
Chris Brown and Celebrity Justice
Chris Brown pled guilty to felony assault on Rihanna. In exchange for pleading guilty, he avoided a preliminary hearing, trial and received 5 years probation. Did he receive celebrity justice? Was he treated fairly? Should he have received jail time? The pictures leaked earlier through the media suggest a vicious attack occurred on Rihanna. Yet, I never expected Chris Brown to get any jail time. Unless, there was some mitigating circumstances, he deserved some measure of jail time along with the other conditions he received. I can't imagine any mititgating circumstances. He didn't need jail time to send any message. He didn't deserve jail time to make him a bad poster boy for domestic abuse. He deserved jail time because of the seriousness of the felony assault charge. His charge was not reduced to a misdemeanor assault with far less seriousness involved. The fact that the prosecutor required him to pead guilty to a felony shows the seriousness involved. Michael Vick received … [Read more...] about Chris Brown and Celebrity Justice
Michael Steele- Chairman, Leader or Distraction
For the dysfunctional Republican party, 2012 is really around the corner. Republicans do not know who's leading them. Michael Steele, RNC chairman, does not know if he's leading them. The multiple choices are Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, Collin Powell, Sarah Palin or Michael Steele. A recent poll found no consensus among Republicans. Who are the Republicans today? Apparently, no one knows even within the party. Does anyone know what they stand for? Gone are their glory days when they knew what they stood for. They cannot bring back George H. Bush, Ronald Regan or even George W. Bush. Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and John McCain were all losers. Republicans need to decide who will lead them and then follow the leader. Yes, it's really that simple. Yet, deciding who will lead them could take four years. By then 2012 will have come and gone. What Michael Steele must decide is whether he's an agent of change, a leader or a distraction to his party. Once he makes up his mind, the … [Read more...] about Michael Steele- Chairman, Leader or Distraction
Holocaust and Hate
The shootings and killing of Stephen Jones at the Holocaust Museum last week remind us that racism is still very much alive and well in our society. We need to be reminded of this ugly fact. There is still much work we need to do. While there have been advances, hate and racism of Jews, African Americans, Hispanics, gays and lesbians, other ethnicities and religions still exist. We have not yet overcome. We place so much emphasis on foreign terrorists and their hate against Americans. We forget sometimes the enemy also lives within us. Remember Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma bombings? We need to open up the dialogue of racism and hate in this country. It was opened briefly during the Primary Presidential election with the comments of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. President Obama tried to open up the discussion during the primary election. Sadly, it was a one sided discussion with much emphasis opposed to the comments of Rev. Wright. There are those who are quick to call racist … [Read more...] about Holocaust and Hate
Supreme Court and Bias on the Bench
It never ceases to amaze me the cases that end up before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled this week that a West VA judge who received $ 3 million from his highest campaign donor cannot rule on a $50 million case involving the donor. It should have been a no brainer for the judge to recuse himself from any case involving that donor. Why that case ended up at the Supreme Court shows the utter lack of integrity on the part of the judge. Presiding over the donor's case where the donor had $50 million at stake was incredulous. This could have been in a John Grisham novel. Yes, I always say fact is sometimes stranger than fiction. Many argue that judges should not be elected. Yet the judicial election system should not be scrapped. Here’s why there is a need for state judges to be elected. First, the old boy system is still hard at work in America. Many highly competent and qualified minorities are never able to ascend to the bench without running in judicial elections. Some … [Read more...] about Supreme Court and Bias on the Bench
Chrysler’s Deal- Does it bend,break or change the law?
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg delayed the Chrysler deal this week. A pension fund group, consumer protection groups and others claim the Chrysler deal violates the Constitution, federal bankruptcy laws and ignores previous bankruptcy decisions. The Obama administration says the Chrysler bailout and protection of our auto industry is crucial to our economy. In forging the Chrysler deal, President Obama is trying to prevent an economic tsunami. We are living in turbulent economic times. Desperate times require desperate measures. Isn’t that what the Bush Administration said about housing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. The Bush administration argued our national security demanded new ways of dealing with enemy combatants. So we arrested them, locked them up at Guantanamo and threw away the keys without holding any trials. This was done in the name of national security. Desperate times require desperate measures. Is changing the laws to prevent an economic tsunami any … [Read more...] about Chrysler’s Deal- Does it bend,break or change the law?