The filibuster has become a racist tool.

The filibuster is a real problem. It used to represent the minority's ability to bring attention to a bill that was adverse to the country. It provided some degree of exposure of the minority focus, but, in the year 2021 the filibuster is a racist tool.

March 15, 2021
By Alan Fram

Washington - A leader of Senate Democrats’ (click here) drive to help millions of immigrants become citizens cast severe doubt on its prospects Monday, as one of President Joe Biden’s early priorities seemed in danger of running aground in a Congress his own party controls.

A top Republican senator who’s been pivotal in past efforts to find bipartisan compromise on the issue also expressed pessimism. Together, the comments by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., underscored that immigration remains a complex problem for the two parties to tackle successfully, even with Donald Trump no longer in the White House.

Republican demands to address the surge of young children and families at the Mexican border, plus a lack of needed support in both the House and Senate, were making passage of legislation unlikely, Durbin, his chamber’s No. 2 Democratic leader, told reporters.

“I don’t see a means of reaching that,” Durbin, a veteran of past efforts to strike an immigration deal, said of a comprehensive bill in this two-year Congress....

The US Senate is exactly where it was with Obama. The Joe Biden presidency is nearly following the same path as the presidency of the Obama White House. First, rescue the country from the "Wrong Way Republicans" and then set a path to pass bills that the country really needs to provide status and rights to those completely ignored by any Republican administration, the minorities, and the immigrants.

It is now that we need to act to provide citizenship to the people who belong here and have spent their entire lives in the USA. I am not worried about the filibuster. It is antiquated and provides power to a minority party that DOES NOT DESERVE POWER after a nightmare of a presidency for four years.

The way to defeat draconian Republican politics is to maintain healthy majorities in the US House and US Senate. That is done by providing rights to the people that are otherwise ignored. Give citizenship to the Dreamers. They have done all the necessary steps under Obama's generous executive orders and they want to be a citizen. It is wrong to simply allow the same wrong-headed thinking of the US Senate to maintain the filibuster. If the immigration laws are passed that President Biden has on his agenda there won't be another Republican president in the White House or a majority in the House and Senate until they change their evil ways. 

The filibuster is standing in the way of democracy. The fifty US Senate Republicans have the country by the throat and will not see people of this country as the focus for the laws so much as the people as a problem, especially for their corporate cronies. Enough of this disaster of an opposition party. The people have a right to their country the way they want it and the Republicans are not the way they want it.

Speaker Pelosi has set congressional records in passing legislation to bring justice to the people, while Republican House leadership only passed legislation in the single digits. The Republicans want the status quo. It is where they live and where their wealth lies. The agenda of the Republicans' status quo is corrupt and based in greed even if it includes accepting Russian oligarchs into the USA to provide jobs. Kentucky is a "State of Shame" for the corruption that exists at all levels including with the Senate Minority Leader. McConnell gave legitimacy to "pass-through" Russian money by allowing a business to exist. Just think about that. The Republicans ae so mired in keeping the status quo that McConnell rather sells out to Russia rather than seeking the best way forward for the people of Kentucky. The American people have had enough of the Republican status quo. The country needs this immigration policy and it needs it now. 

"Good Night, Moon"

The new moon

1.6 day old moon

2.9 percent lit

March 14 was Pi Day.

3.14159265359. (click here) If you've never seen this number, it's first few digits of the mathematical constant π (pi). And why is that interesting? Pi is the ratio of the circumference, the length around a circle, to its diameter, the length across a circle. When you do the math, you get a number that's slightly greater than 3. Since circles are fundamental to everything from building construction to quantum physics, pi sees a lot of use....

So, where do we go from here?

Prime Minister Modi is trying desperately to bring India to a balanced democracy at a time when democracy is under attack globally. The people of India cannot be kept in a turmoil of local power plays that disrupt their lives. The people of India need to understand what a sincere democracy is and how best to live their lives in demand of equal treatment and within high standards of quality of life.

The corruption within the practices of the local governments and the states has to stop. If it won't stop then prosecution of those causing disturbing realities have to be brought to justice. The clear measure of justice the UK brought to a criminal in the diamond trade means India understands the severity of lawlessness. 

The farmers have been able to find a person willing to stand on strong principles and refuse to allow any measure of the legislature to victimize India's farmers. The entire circumstances need to be assessed with public hearings held to better understand the complaints that may have brought this action to the legislature. But, to lock out a political party from a vote only leads to more problems with corruption than not. The farmers have a right to their land and they have a right to farm it. There are many measures that must take place to secure the food needed for all of the people of India. The farmers need to understand the brevity of their practices and the deep meaning their produce and grains mean to the country.

The wildlife conservation preserves need to be handled properly. India has a problem with tigers on the loose as well as elephants. There should be partnerships between India's conservationists and those of The West to bring better outcomes to these animals and a point of pride to India. China had it easy in bringing the Panda to the forefront of it's conservation efforts, but, tigers and elephants are slightly different concerns. It would be best if there were partnerships at least for awhile between established leaders in conservation in The West and those currently caring for the animal preserves now. It would be a delight to many of that took place.

This is a very difficult time for democracy. It is important the leaders at all levels of government in any country stay honest and abiding by principles long-held as democratic. Prime Minister Modi has lead India's military to a strong position since the loss of two of it's great leaders. Prime Minister Modi cares about the people and the country. He wants what is best. The people of India should be guided in their vote and their decisions from people already proven to be strong and influential with other leaders of other countries.

Prime Minister Modi wants to end corruption at all levels in India. The people of India need to be full partners with him to bring about the change needed.

India is a country with many, many rivers. The water quality is not guaranteed as safe to the people.

I cannot believe a scientific investigation had to be pursued to end illegal mining (click here) that contaminates the rivers.

THIS IS ILLEGAL RIVER BED MINING IN INDIA THAT ARE MAKING PEOPLE SICK OR WORSE.

Water quality assessment using overall index of pollution in riverbed-mining area of Ganga-River Haridwar, India
Nitin Kamboj &Vishal Kamboj
Pages 65-74

Published online: 25 Jul 2019

The present investigation (click here) was conducted during the period 2017–2018 on Ganga riverbed mining-affected areas of district Haridwar for the assessment of seasonal dynamics of surface quality using the Overall Index of Pollution (OIP). OIP analysis was helpful in determining surface water quality. For the analysis, five sampling sites were selected with triplicate analysis of collected water sample were done to represent the effective impact of riverbed mining on selected physicochemical parameters. OIP value of surface water quality were found in winter (excellent: 1.13) > summer (acceptable: 3.37) > monsoon (slightly polluted: 7.94). As compared to site where mining was not carried out, the spatial analysis showed that the selected riverbed mining sites had high OIP score. Therefore, it was concluded that the riverbed mining practice had a negative influence on the surface water quality of the Ganga River in the selected region, and hence should be given special attention to maintaining ecological sustainability.....

What kind of a mess is this? A five year term is cut to four so the last year can be to reverse everything done in four previous years?

Sometimes the status quo needs to be questioned. If an office is changed to a four-year term then the LAW, not the political party should reflect that change. It is corrupt to have such ideas floating around the party as if it is okay to manipulate the law by resignation followed by reassignment to another party member. That is not correct and reeks of corruption.

March 10, 2021
Reported by Akhilesh Sharma

New Delhi: (click here)

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned on Tuesday as the state's ruling BJP opted for course-correction a year before polls, amid growing resentment in the ranks. His exit was certain after his trip on Monday to Delhi, where he had met with the BJP leadership.

Mr Rawat, 60, handed in his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya just days short of completing four years in power, becoming the latest in Uttarakhand's legacy of Chief Ministers exiting before term. A first-timer, he was chosen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the BJP swept the Uttarakhand election in 2017, winning 57 seats in the 69-member assembly. The Congress won just 11 seats.

"I have been working in politics for a while now and my party gave me an opportunity to work as the state Chief Minister for four years - the golden years of my life. Despite coming from a rural background, I was entrusted with the responsibility to lead the state; that is only possible in a party like BJP," said Mr Rawat.

"Now that party has taken a collective decision to entrust the responsibility of state chief ministership to some other leader."...

Looking at the USA and a shifting baseline.

There is never a "new normal" in a crisis. I reject the idea that anyone has to accept a new normal when the standard normal is being disposed of for a radical idea of accepting tragedy within our lives when so much needs to be done.

There is no new normal in a climate crisis. There is only recognition that there are drastically troubling times that require human resolve to live with a planet where life exists under an atmosphere that protects that life.

This reach for a new normal in predicting weather only proves the Earth is badly out of balance and the climate crisis is in full swing. There is no reason to deny the huge problem of the climate crisis and begin work to reverse its deadly trend. I firmly stand on the facts that a hurricane season is supposed to be contained on a calendar and not strewn throughout it.

February 24, 2021
By Mark Puleo

There are fewer than 100 days (click here) until the 2021 Atlantic basin hurricane season begins and you may be asking yourself, "Wait, didn't the last season just end?"

While 2020 didn't spawn the longest-lasting period of tropical activity on record for the Atlantic basin, although it was close, it was most certainly the most active season overall. With 30 total named storms, including three that developed before the official start of hurricane season on June 1, the 2020 Atlantic season shattered the record for the most named tropical cyclones in a single year, breaking the previous record set in 2005.

While that could be an outlier in historical data, recently published data suggests that what is considered a "normal" amount of storm activity in the Atlantic basin may need redefining.

Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate with the University of Miami, published the data on Twitter, where he said "the bar has been raised" for what can be expected in the new normal. Not only is the count of named storms rising, but the annual average numbers of hurricanes and major hurricanes, considered Category 3 strength or stronger, are also on the rise....

Prime Minister Modi is doing his level best to address corruption and the leadership that can end it.

March 6, 2021
By Anirban Baumik

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (click here) appears to be set to take the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign to win away the “Epar Bangla” from Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress to “Opar Bangla” too.

Just a day before the first of the eight-phase polling for the assembly elections in West Bengal, often referred to as “Epar Bangla” (Bengal on This Side), will take place, the Prime Minister will embark on a two-day visit to Bangladesh a.k.a “Opar B. 

And, with his BJP already on a no-holds-barred campaign to wrest power from the Trinamool Congress in the State, the Prime Minister’s March 26-27 visit to the neighbouring country too is expected to be loaded with political messages to the voters in West Bengal.

The most conspicuous will be the one that will come out of his visit to Orakandi, a small town in Gopalganj district of Bangladesh.

The ‘Thakur Bari’ in Orakandi is the most sacred shrine for the Matuas – a Vaishnavite Hindu sect, which, with a population of over three crore in West Bengal, has emerged as a ‘vote-bank’ that the BJP is keen to win away from the TMC. Modi is likely to pay obeisance to the temple dedicated to Harichand Thakur, who founded the sect out of a reformist movement in the early 19th century. The sect comprised Namashudras, Chamars and Malis, who were then treated as untouchables by the upper caste Hind...

Modi will meet his counterpart Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. He will take part in the celebration of the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and the founder of Bangladesh, in Dhaka....

This is an example of how corruption exists.

This is how some of the more notorious international crime and corruption is handled, by foreign governments. The UK must be sure when remanding these criminals back to India, they won't be treated with minimal regard returning to the same corruption they participated in. in the first place. There is corruption within India and to send a criminal back to districts known to have governance problems is a tragic error.

February 25, 2021

Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi (click here) is set to find out the UK court's ruling in the nearly two-year-long legal battle on February 25, 2021.

Modi, who was arrested in 2019, on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard remains behind bars in a London prison as he contests his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case.

The 49-year-old is expected to appear via videolink from Wandsworth Prison in south-west London at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where District Judge Samuel Goozee is set to hand down his judgment on whether the jeweller has a case to answer before.

The magistrates’ court ruling will then be sent back to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel for a sign off, with the possibility of appeals in the High Court on either side depending on the outcome....

Conservation is an industry for India, but, they struggle with "wildlife management."

Basically, there are too many surviving tigers to be able to find food on their preserve. US private clubs such as Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy used to be interested in proper wildlife management for these foreign preserves. Perhaps there need to be revitalizations between the USA wildlife managers, including zoos, and the India management teams. There is a global concern for the tigers, I am sure that continues regardless of the hostile words that came out of Washington, DC for the past four years.

The four tigers making their way out of the preserve will be met with difficult circumstances as they scavenge for food.

30 October 2019
By Gayathri Vaidyanathan

...Two hundred years ago, (click here) tens of thousands of tigers (Panthera tigris) roamed India and 29 other nations, from the Indonesian swamps to the Russian taiga. There were once Balinese, Caspian and Javanese subspecies, all now considered extinct. Today, only six subspecies remain. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated in 2014 that there are only about 2,200 to 3,200 individuals in the wild, placing the animal on the organization’s endangered list. About 93% of the tiger’s historic range has emptied owing to habitat loss, poaching and depletion of prey.

The spectre of a world without tigers led 13 nations to meet in 2010 in St Petersburg, Russia, where they declared that they would double their wild tiger numbers by 2022. But all except India, Nepal and Bhutan are struggling to save their tigers, even in protected reserves.

Against this backdrop, India is the beacon. It has roughly two-thirds of the world’s tigers in less than one-quarter of their global range. In 2019, it has invested 3.5 billion rupees (US$49.4 million) in tiger conservation, including relocating villages outside protected areas. And it has built the world’s largest animal underpass to funnel tigers safely beneath a highway....

This is some of the problem that lies beneath the surface of India. Flat out corruption and racketeering.

Among the issues at hand is the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the availability of vaccines. India is third in the world with the number of cases and deaths. Brazil is second and Russia is fourth.

But, corruption is a problem no different than it is in Kentucky. It is the corruption that can ruin any attempt at vaccinations and voting to ensure the people of West Bengal can place honest people into office. Obviously, India needs the right incentives to iron out all these problems the Prime Minister has before him.

February 22, 2021
By Soumya Das

The picture to the left is Prime Minister Modi during an address to the Indian people regarding COVID-19. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (click here) on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Mamata Banerjee government accusing it of obstructing development in West Bengal by creating a culture of "cut money" ( bribe to access government services) and syndicates.

Speaking at a BJP rally in Hooghly district, the Prime Minister said that the current situation in Bengal can only be changed by bringing “ashol poribortan” (real change) in the state.

“There is no lack of interest in investment in West Bengal. But the problem is the atmosphere created by the state government here. The culture of cut money and syndicate is creating hurdles in the path of development . We have to change this situation by bringing in ‘ashol porobartan’ and ensure that lotus blooms here,” said Modi.

He said that it would not be possible to usher in development in Bengal as long as “syndicate raj” and extortionists rule the state. The Prime Minister also said that development in the state will not take place till “cut money culture” persists and the administration continues to "provide shelter" to criminals.

“Development in West Bengal is not possible till a government comes to power in Bengal which listens to the common people. People want real change,” said Modi....

The food debate has existed for some time. This is not new.

However, the Climate Crisis is more pressing today and the government of India has recently finished talks with China regarding the incursion. Given the fact this is a highly sensitive problem for India, the policy regarding the climate crisis and food distribution is an emergency for USA foreign policy.

July 9, 2013 (this is a very dated article)
By Jean Dreze

The right to food (click here) is finally becoming a lively political issue in India. Aware of the forthcoming national elections in 2014, political parties are competing to demonstrate – or at least proclaim — their commitment to food security. In a country where endemic undernutrition has been accepted for too long as natural, this is a breakthrough of sorts.

The rhetoric, however, is not always matched by understanding of the issues, let alone action. The National Food Security Bill taken up by Parliament in December 2011 in pursuance of electoral promises made by India’s governing coalition, the United Progressive Alliance, is at the heart of the current debate over food security. The bill was to be put to vote during the last session of Parliament, along with a series of amendments based on the report of a parliamentary standing committee. Opposition parties, however, continuously disrupted the proceedings under one pretext or another.

Exasperated by this obstruction, and quite possibly hoping to win votes, the government recently promulgated the National Food Security Ordinance 2013. The ordinance effectively activates the bill, but it must be ratified by Parliament within six weeks of its first sitting or else the bill will lapse. The use of emergency powers to promulgate this ordinance is being criticized as undemocratic, and rightly so, but most political parties bear some responsibility for this outcome....

The "Deccon Herald" is the English version of India's news. Every Tuesday there is a significant interview of the movers and shakers.

This is a Tuesday Interview from the Deccan Herald. It is worth reading to conclusion. Evidently, there was a farm bill passed by the Indian government that corporatizes farming. The farmers are incensed by it and are furious. This has become an election issue.

Hanuman Beniwal has stated he was wrongly given a positive COVID-19 test so that he could not attend the session when the farming legislation was presented and passed. He has taken to the media and speeches to carry his message. He is upset that the farmers are being marginalized by their own government. He has broken ties with another party due to this issue.

I might add, since Trump was president, the world no longer is relying on the USA for anything. There are measures all over the world to protect from all sorts of tragedy now that every country has witnessed the worst of the USA. I am sure this issue of farming is due to the fact India's population needs to be fed and the aid from the USA may have been withheld. No different than the Northern Triad.

February 9, 2021

Beniwal alleged (click here) that he was given a false Covid-19 positive report and could not attend Parliament on the day the farm bills were passed.

Hanuman Beniwal, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief, has been a vocal supporter of PM Narendra Modi, but he quit the NDA over the farm bills issue. Beniwal, an influential Jat leader in central and northern Rajasthan had helped tilt the 2019 Lok Sabha polls decisively in favour of BJP. Speaking to DH’s Sagar Kulkarni, Beniwal alleged that he was given a false Covid-19 positive report and could not attend Parliament on the day the farm bills were passed....

India's geography. It has many rivers.

These low-income populations (click here) bear the brunt of the problems caused by the changing climate. Therefore, there is a great need for a pathway to development that is sustainable and resilient to climate change.

Since 2009, EDF has been working on the ground with our partner, the Fair Climate Network one of the largest networks of nongovernmental organizations in India, to facilitate low-carbon rural development, educate business and political leaders, and engage local communities.

Together, we are working to move India toward a sustainable development pathway while alleviating poverty, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, and delivering social, health and environmental gains....

As of 2019, there were 1.37 billion people living in India. The picture to the right compares the size if the USA to that of India. The last time I looked the USA had about 330 million people. Needless to say, there are issues of crowding in India's larger cities. The acreage dedicated to farming is precious and the farming structure has been primarily based in a similar model to what the USA calls "the family farm." 

India is growing to be an international country, but, the climate crisis is complicating all aspects of life in India.

This is Hanuman Beniwal, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief,

There are multiple parties in India and they form governance alliances.

Below is a list of the different states and territories. It came out of the CIA World Factbook. The CIA World Factbook now looks like the Encyclopedia Britannica. Not even that good. Britannica actually does a better job than this mess since Trump. It is time for the USA to set their online websites back the way it was. This is juvenile.

28 states and 8 union territories* (click here); Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir*, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh*, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal

 It's Sunday Night 

Green Acres Theme Song by Vic Mizzy (click here for official website - thank you)

Green Acres is the place to be.

Farm livin' is the life for me.
Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.

New York is where I'd rather stay.
I get allergic to smelling hay.
I just adore a penthouse view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.

...The chores.
...The stores.
...Fresh air.
...Times Square

You are my wife.
Good bye, city life.
Green Acres we are there.

This is unintelligence. This is an attemp to dummy down the predictions of the future.

March 9, 2021

By Tim O'Donnell

Republicans, (click here) including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), have relied heavily on a study by a University of Wyoming professor to counter President Biden's climate change plan, but public records suggest the analysis was influenced by the oil and gas industry, The Guardian reports....

For as much as I admire Liz Cheney for her love of this country, I cannot stand by and allow powerful people to destroy the future for our children and grandchildren. The load of carbon and other GHG in Earth's atmospheres is becoming critical if it isn't already. Liz Cheney has to leave her father's cronies behind and stand up for the generations of Americans looking at the future as if they are not allowed to exist. 

Scientists have a way of conducting their research dispassionately and perhaps that is what causes alarm when plutocrats seek the power of the petroleum industry over the future of their children. But, this is the first report of a "space hurricane" and it should be troubling news to all that care about the future of Earth.

March 4, 2021
By Steven Matregrano

East Providence - A phenomena (click here) being referred to as a “space hurricane” was discovered by a team of scientists from the United States, United Kingdom, Norway and China, according to a study published late last month in Nature Communications (click here).

The study was focused on an event that occurred back in 2015. Researchers reviewed satellite images and other data and concluded that a space hurricane did form.

The storm lasted for roughly 8 hours and covered about 1000 kilometers (over 620 miles). It was located directly above the North Pole, making it difficult to be seen.

It is yet to be determined how frequently space hurricanes occur, and the effects of one may not be felt on the Earth’s surface.

When solar activity picks up, the aurora borealis or “northern lights” can potentially be viewed from lower latitudes, away from the North Pole. But with a space hurricane, due to its more localized impact and smaller size, you won’t see as much unless you’re directly under the storm.

However, as we advance our technology in space, there could eventually be impacts to GPS systems and satellites....

This is mixing of the atmospheres of Earth. 2015 is well within the climate crisis paradyme. Considering this is 2015 there can be claims that my concern and this discovery has any mutual outcome. It cannot be ignored, not along with the reporting of the increase of water vapor within the stratosphere where ozone (O3) is most critical.

This cannot be dismissed as some wild idea, it is proven that within the climate crisis lies upper atmospheric tubulence resulting in mixing that endangers our planet. The petroleum industry is a threat to the well being of generations to come.

Politicians, such as Liz Cheney, regardless of the sincere love of their country MUST realize the threat in furthering greenhouse gas emissions by industries like the petroleum industry. Hell, Dick, sell your damn stocks already! Price is up and now is a good time to unload that toxic mess called the petroleum industry. Never meant it more. Liz Cheney's endorsement of the petroleum industry will cost her votes in younger voters.

The Unintelligence of the past must end now!

The concentration of ozone varies with altitude. (click here) Peak concentrations, an average of 8 molecules of ozone per million molecules in the atmosphere, occur between an altitude of 30 and 35 kilometers.

33 percent of the settlement for Flint victims is going to lawyers.

The lawyers negotiated the settlement and now they want a third of it. Lawyers are important, but, where were they when the first resident complained. The residents of Flint complained about their water for an entire year before a pediatrician and a professor from Virginia brought the plight of the people of Flint to the national media, Rachel Maddow to be exact. Where are the fees for the pediatrician, the Virginia professor and a news anchor because if it weren't for them the lawyers wouldn't be asking a judge for a third of the settlement to benefit the people of Flint.

March 9, 2021
By Ed White

Detroit - Lawyers who negotiated a $641 million settlement (click here) for victims of Flint’s lead-contaminated water are asking a judge to carve out as much as $209 million for fees and expenses for years of work on the case.

If granted, the request would take nearly one-third of the overall deal made by dozens of attorneys who sued the state of Michigan, Flint, a hospital and an engineering firm, according to a court filing Monday.

“Working together, plaintiffs’ counsel have achieved a landmark $641.25 million partial settlement in these cases that the court has rightly called ‘complex’ and ‘intensely litigated.’ ... Plaintiffs’ counsel have worked on a contingent basis for more than five years now, without compensation of any kind, to achieve this remarkable result,” the lawyers said....

And all those charged are whining they need a new judge. Why, the current one didn't let them off?

Snyder is scared. He and his cohorts are finally feeling the weight of the Rule of Law and he is scared. He is pulling every trick in the book. They always do. In the beginning of these proceedings, they always try to put up a front that they are innocent and THEY ARE THE VICTIMS.

March 12, 2021

By Ron Fonger

Flint - Two of former Gov. Rick Snyder’s top health officials (click here) are asking for a new judge to hear the involuntary manslaughter and other charges against them, alleged crimes tied to their roles in the Flint water crisis.

Former Michigan Department of Health and Huan Services Director Nick Lyon and former MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Eden Wells filed the judge-swap request in a combined motion in Genesee County Circuit Court Tuesday, March 9....

We already know the preliminary hearings are delayed until the judge goes through the grand jury documents. Evidently, the judge has a great deal of legal work to do in some of these cases because Michigan has a "one-person grand jury" provision.

This case has nothing to do with Flint, but, the one person grand jury is discussed openly in the article.

Originally posted in 2012, it was updated on January 20, 2019

By Danielle Salisbury

Jackson, MI - A one-man grand jury (click here) is a swift, powerful tool to use in cases involving witnesses who are not forthcoming, Jackson County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Mark Blumer said.

“We will do whatever is necessary to make the case work … when we have these tough cases with people who don’t want to get involved,” Blumer said.

For the third time in 10 years, the prosecutor's office requested a one-man grand jury, also called a judicial inquiry, to secure testimony in the case of Eshaum Gant, who died Dec. 24 of a gunshot wound to the head....

So, there is a lot to be understood about the processes involved in the Flint criminal cases. The one person (man) grand jury is probably the reason why the crimes against Synder are a slap on the wrist.

This is an article published by the Michigan Law Review praising the one person(man) grand jury. From this article, it looks like the one-man grand jury is being abused in the Snyder vs. Flint case.

Constitutional Law: (click here) Due Process: Power of Michigan One-Man Grand Jury to Punish Contempt

Stephen C. Bransdorfer

Michigan Law Review

Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jan., 1956), pp. 414-416 (3 pages)

Published By: The Michigan Law Review Association

If there were 16 to 23 grand jury members hearing the evidence Snyder would be facing serious charges regarding the deaths and injuries of so many people in Flint. He ordered the emergency managers and he overrode a law passed in a majority vote by the people in an election that disbanded the emergency manager law.

Snyder was not supposed to continue to use the law that negated elections. Snyder and the Republican legislature profoundly changed the emergency manager law in Michigan which was to benefit schools in its original form. Rick Snyder carries a great deal of responsibility for the deaths and neurological injuries in Flint.

He saw to it that the emergency manager law went far beyond providing adequate education for children in cities with troubled treasuries. He turned the emergency manager law into a dictatorship that dissolved democracy. As chief executive as governor, he implemented a highly punitive law that ultimately killed people. Snyder also completely ignored the letters from the federal EPA stating the water in Flint needed to be treated to end the high levels of lead due to its caustic quality. He is very guilty of harming the people of Flint, Michigan.

There should have been a full grand jury to hear the evidence. The one person (man) grand jury provision in Michigan needs to be assessed for it's appropriate use in this case.

Governor Cuomo

I think he should at least take a leave of absence until the New York Attorney General has completed the state’s investigation. The Lt. Governor is capable of filling in during this time. Governor Cuomo should remain available for consultation to the Lt. Governor considering the global pandemic is still active and President Biden is asking for all states to increase the vaccination rate.

To date, the complaints about Governor Cuomo by an increasing number of women (which is the usual pattern) does not rise to criminal as previous offenders.

Not to diminish the importance of the women forthcoming in their sexual harassment complaints, but, rape in New York State requires that sexual intercourse took place against the will of the victim. It did not.