The prevalence of COVID in vaccine skeptical places is fairly striking. See "People in counties that voted Trump more likely to die from Covid – study // Areas that voted for Trump by at least 60% in November 2020 had 2.7 times the death rate than counties that voted heavily for Biden" in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/07/trump-voters-counties-more-likely-die-covid-study
A specious example of cause and effect. I've also read that more black people are dying of Covid in Cook COunty than white people. There are many arguments for causation relative to that and the same arguments could apply to areas that voted for Trump. Poverty, lack of health care, comorbidities, et al. You need to make a better argument than an article from biased journalists at the Guardian.
Yes I am, Eric. Just as I was skeptical that Trump colluded with Russia. Experts are the servants of those who pay them. Political party is not indicative any more than race.
Is it too much to hope that Jesse Smollett gets a sentence of community service? Where he would be assigned to scrub graffiti off of overpasses, picking up trash for a couple of hours a day, etc. during these dark and dreary months. After his slanderous attacks on Chicago, it would be a way to improve our city.
Community service would be OK with me although I'd just as soon let him walk at this point. He's done more harm to himself than anything that could be imposed by a judge and a tough sentence has the risk of making him a martyr. When Trevor Noah and Dave Chappelle are making you a laughing stock, you have been punished. Yes, he lied on the stand but that's a separate charge and not worth pursuing. The guilty verdict was more than I hoped for when this first blew up. An apology would be great, but too much to expect.
Just a thought, In major league baseball, if there is an intentional walk either team wants...call timeout....tell the ump and request the walk and move on...might save SOME time from a game that's too long as it is.
I guess I was anxious to reply because your weren’t getting comments. My mistake because in checking further, it is optional for the
Manager to let the pitches get tossed or just go for the walk without pitches. I guess I saw an intentional walk with pitches thrown… we’ll anyway, you got a comment so you know someone is reading…
Perhaps Mr Smollett's sentence could include taking acting lessons? THAT would be a community service! Because nothing about this very sad episode of "Too Weird for Real Life" was terribly believable or entertaining.
(Perhaps readers have a bit of 'open comments' hesitancy to overcome, as well. Will work on it.) Chicago has had other "false attack reports" beyond Jusse S's, which never went as far as a trial. Jusse's case was a 3-ring circus because he made it so. But I dont think stupidity merits a harsh sentence.
I think stupidity in this case definitely merit a harsh sentence. He kept on playing us all for stupid all the way up until the jury rendered a verdict. He deserves no sympathy and needs to be made an example.
Thank you, Joseph. Finally, someone with a spine. Smollett brought international disgrace to Chicago. He tore police support away from real crimes. Actual victims of actual hate crimes will be less inclined to pursue justice.
Smollett would reap invaluable sympathetic publicity through some community service sentence (can you imagine "People" magazine covering his "redemption"?). I'm as liberal and progressive as most, but I hate letting criminals off easily. Let there be no mistake - he's a criminal.
I've seen more than one column in various publications suggesting we should just forget the Smollett clown show and move on. One fellow who will remain unnamed suggests we never speak of it again. Let's just shove the story down the memory hole and let the Ministry of Information erase it from history?
We do indeed need to keep talking about it to make sure it never happens again. And by "it" I mean the total lapse of journalistic curiosity, common sense and objective reporting by virtually everyone in the media. Wondering if you are embarrassed of your profession. I suspect so since you have been a rare sane voice regarding rushes to judgement in the past. One would think the media would have learned after the Covington Kid incident. Whatever happened to "If your mother says she loves you, check it out". Or don't they teach that in J-School anymore?
No, do not stop speaking of him. Remember. And live long and prosper.
In baseball, intentional walks have become less and less common over the past 50 years. They will likely decline more if the NL gets the DH, which it probably will. I won't bother changing the scoring rule on them now. Baseball has bigger issues to address.
I’d like to see Jussie Smollett pay a fine since it cost the police department $130,000 per the Trib article. Another option would be community service. Not just a “slap on the wrist” sentence of a few hours, but something that might take several months to complete.
It will be interesting to see what Smollet does in the civil suit brought by the city. If he was smart, he would settle it, but he might get up on the stand and lie again.
No point to add to the taxpayer’s bill to put Jussie in jail. I’d sentence him with a sizable fine and a barrel of community service ideally with the SPLC, or another civil rights organization.
I was hoping for a sandwich board that said "I'm a lying liar" as an option. Maybe a confession and self-criticism in the lobby of the court, or on TV with Robin Roberts. But I guess the community service ideas already posted are a lot better.
JS penalty s/b the entire cost of the police investigation, D.A. costs, plus all court costs including prosecutorial time, plus a minimum 25% cumulative markup. Also, community service instead of jail time.
Re:baseball, my biggest beef is not hardly walk stats. But it is the ancient practice of balls/strike calls that indisputably change many game outcomes. In this age of technology, hand the home plate ump an IPAD that has the correct call electronically signaled after each pitch !! Being piloted in the minors.....but when in MLB ?
The visual tweets gave me a few desperately needed laughs. If nothing else, they're worth the price of subscription. (But of course, there is a lot else. I'm glad I signed up.)
Could we perhaps spend more time paying attention to the House select committee investigating the Jan 6 attack? We need to keep their work front and center in public discourse. The cynicism of those who try to whitewash the attack is unbelievable. Jussie Smollett is small potatoes compared to the egregious actions of those who aided and encouraged this clear display of insurrection. We talk about fines, prison, etc. for a guy who is totally lacking in judgement (Smollett) but who has lost his livelihood and reputation. What penalty will Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows and others pay for trying to destroy our democratic process?
The crime here is not that an ignorant little man lied. The world is full if ignorant little liars. The crime is that sanctimonious moralizers in the media unquestioningly accepted the lie and spread it with deep consequences that are going over most people's heads.
Can you give us quotes and dates on those quotes from "sanctimonious moralizers" in the media. After a quick few days I remember mostly skepticism and hesitancy.
I saw something about government involvement with “vice.” Idk if smoking pot is, or ever was, a vice. But i do know that a lot of people suffered bc the government deemed it illegal, until they saw how much $$ they could make, and completely reversed their position.
It qualifies as a "vice," sure, just like tobacco and alcohol, and I totally agree that the war on drugs ended up blighting more lives than it improved. I'm glad that the airwaves and publications aren't saturated with ads for weed, though.
RE: 'You can't fix stupid' cartoon -- my partner has claimed from the beginning of Covid, "It's an IQ test." Sure seems to be.
Yes, it is an IQ test. Wondering though, if you and I might grade the test differently.
The prevalence of COVID in vaccine skeptical places is fairly striking. See "People in counties that voted Trump more likely to die from Covid – study // Areas that voted for Trump by at least 60% in November 2020 had 2.7 times the death rate than counties that voted heavily for Biden" in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/07/trump-voters-counties-more-likely-die-covid-study
A specious example of cause and effect. I've also read that more black people are dying of Covid in Cook COunty than white people. There are many arguments for causation relative to that and the same arguments could apply to areas that voted for Trump. Poverty, lack of health care, comorbidities, et al. You need to make a better argument than an article from biased journalists at the Guardian.
Well, just about any study you can find shows Democrats are vaccinating at a far higher rate than Republicans and Republicans are dying of COVID at a far higher rate. https://twitter.com/maolesen/status/1471188829302317056?s=20 and https://twitter.com/ryanstruyk/status/1471163346191798272?s=20 are places to start. Are you skeptical that vaccines reduce the severity of COVID-19? Of the reports that show the vast majority of those hospitalized and dying of COVID-19 are unvaccinated.?
Yes I am, Eric. Just as I was skeptical that Trump colluded with Russia. Experts are the servants of those who pay them. Political party is not indicative any more than race.
Is it too much to hope that Jesse Smollett gets a sentence of community service? Where he would be assigned to scrub graffiti off of overpasses, picking up trash for a couple of hours a day, etc. during these dark and dreary months. After his slanderous attacks on Chicago, it would be a way to improve our city.
Community service sounds good. I assume he is a talented actor: How about helping out in high school theater programs for three years?
Heh.
Community service would be OK with me although I'd just as soon let him walk at this point. He's done more harm to himself than anything that could be imposed by a judge and a tough sentence has the risk of making him a martyr. When Trevor Noah and Dave Chappelle are making you a laughing stock, you have been punished. Yes, he lied on the stand but that's a separate charge and not worth pursuing. The guilty verdict was more than I hoped for when this first blew up. An apology would be great, but too much to expect.
Just a thought, In major league baseball, if there is an intentional walk either team wants...call timeout....tell the ump and request the walk and move on...might save SOME time from a game that's too long as it is.
They do that now, though.
I guess I was anxious to reply because your weren’t getting comments. My mistake because in checking further, it is optional for the
Manager to let the pitches get tossed or just go for the walk without pitches. I guess I saw an intentional walk with pitches thrown… we’ll anyway, you got a comment so you know someone is reading…
Love you column
Perhaps Mr Smollett's sentence could include taking acting lessons? THAT would be a community service! Because nothing about this very sad episode of "Too Weird for Real Life" was terribly believable or entertaining.
(Perhaps readers have a bit of 'open comments' hesitancy to overcome, as well. Will work on it.) Chicago has had other "false attack reports" beyond Jusse S's, which never went as far as a trial. Jusse's case was a 3-ring circus because he made it so. But I dont think stupidity merits a harsh sentence.
I think stupidity in this case definitely merit a harsh sentence. He kept on playing us all for stupid all the way up until the jury rendered a verdict. He deserves no sympathy and needs to be made an example.
Thank you, Joseph. Finally, someone with a spine. Smollett brought international disgrace to Chicago. He tore police support away from real crimes. Actual victims of actual hate crimes will be less inclined to pursue justice.
Smollett would reap invaluable sympathetic publicity through some community service sentence (can you imagine "People" magazine covering his "redemption"?). I'm as liberal and progressive as most, but I hate letting criminals off easily. Let there be no mistake - he's a criminal.
John: Check out Chappelle’s riff on Smollett on YouTube
Agree.
Agree about overcoming a built-in reluctance to comment on anything besides the weather, flora, fauna, and first-hand experiences from decades ago…..
Hi Eric, I'll try to oblige re comments.
Have we all read "1984"?
I've seen more than one column in various publications suggesting we should just forget the Smollett clown show and move on. One fellow who will remain unnamed suggests we never speak of it again. Let's just shove the story down the memory hole and let the Ministry of Information erase it from history?
We do indeed need to keep talking about it to make sure it never happens again. And by "it" I mean the total lapse of journalistic curiosity, common sense and objective reporting by virtually everyone in the media. Wondering if you are embarrassed of your profession. I suspect so since you have been a rare sane voice regarding rushes to judgement in the past. One would think the media would have learned after the Covington Kid incident. Whatever happened to "If your mother says she loves you, check it out". Or don't they teach that in J-School anymore?
No, do not stop speaking of him. Remember. And live long and prosper.
Joe Piombino
In baseball, intentional walks have become less and less common over the past 50 years. They will likely decline more if the NL gets the DH, which it probably will. I won't bother changing the scoring rule on them now. Baseball has bigger issues to address.
For some stats, see https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-continued-decline-of-the-intentional-walk/.
I’d like to see Jussie Smollett pay a fine since it cost the police department $130,000 per the Trib article. Another option would be community service. Not just a “slap on the wrist” sentence of a few hours, but something that might take several months to complete.
It will be interesting to see what Smollet does in the civil suit brought by the city. If he was smart, he would settle it, but he might get up on the stand and lie again.
I like the visual tweets - maybe that should be a thing every few weeks!
Several were amusing and I had a really good laugh at the Greeks loading the dishwasher.
I plan to include them regularly, thanks for the feedback!
No point to add to the taxpayer’s bill to put Jussie in jail. I’d sentence him with a sizable fine and a barrel of community service ideally with the SPLC, or another civil rights organization.
I was hoping for a sandwich board that said "I'm a lying liar" as an option. Maybe a confession and self-criticism in the lobby of the court, or on TV with Robin Roberts. But I guess the community service ideas already posted are a lot better.
JS penalty s/b the entire cost of the police investigation, D.A. costs, plus all court costs including prosecutorial time, plus a minimum 25% cumulative markup. Also, community service instead of jail time.
Charging him with costs seems fair enough.
Re:baseball, my biggest beef is not hardly walk stats. But it is the ancient practice of balls/strike calls that indisputably change many game outcomes. In this age of technology, hand the home plate ump an IPAD that has the correct call electronically signaled after each pitch !! Being piloted in the minors.....but when in MLB ?
It's inevitable. The technology is too good.
The visual tweets gave me a few desperately needed laughs. If nothing else, they're worth the price of subscription. (But of course, there is a lot else. I'm glad I signed up.)
Could we perhaps spend more time paying attention to the House select committee investigating the Jan 6 attack? We need to keep their work front and center in public discourse. The cynicism of those who try to whitewash the attack is unbelievable. Jussie Smollett is small potatoes compared to the egregious actions of those who aided and encouraged this clear display of insurrection. We talk about fines, prison, etc. for a guy who is totally lacking in judgement (Smollett) but who has lost his livelihood and reputation. What penalty will Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows and others pay for trying to destroy our democratic process?
The crime here is not that an ignorant little man lied. The world is full if ignorant little liars. The crime is that sanctimonious moralizers in the media unquestioningly accepted the lie and spread it with deep consequences that are going over most people's heads.
Can you give us quotes and dates on those quotes from "sanctimonious moralizers" in the media. After a quick few days I remember mostly skepticism and hesitancy.
Robin Roberts and.
Joe Biden for starters. Bought into the narrative before the facts were known.
So did Trump, who voiced his concern.
Standard reply when one has none. "But Trump!" Trump was a coward on this one too. One of the many shamed into buying the narrative.
Btw Eric, it takes less than a quick few days for cement, and narratives, to harden.
I saw something about government involvement with “vice.” Idk if smoking pot is, or ever was, a vice. But i do know that a lot of people suffered bc the government deemed it illegal, until they saw how much $$ they could make, and completely reversed their position.
It qualifies as a "vice," sure, just like tobacco and alcohol, and I totally agree that the war on drugs ended up blighting more lives than it improved. I'm glad that the airwaves and publications aren't saturated with ads for weed, though.
We are in FL now. Medmar is legal, but not recreational. But judging from the lines at the dispensaries, they don’t need to advertise!