Week in Review
File under: Week 3 of 2007
“Trophyâ€
We started the week with storms in California and the Midwest that moved to New England and by Wednesday had killed 54 people. By the end of the week, that total had risen to 70 and Europe had it’s own storm that took 41 lives.
We also had some hangings (or decapitations as the case may be) in Iraq.
By my rudimentary calculations, I think there are at least ten candidates (Obama, Guiliani, Edwards, Kucinich, McCain, Vilsack {like we would ever elect a President with that name}, Dodd, Tancredo, Biden, Gravel, Romney and I think there are more very minute or so) who have announced their intent to run for the Presidency next year. It will be the first election in 80 years without an incumbant. There are several candidates with big name recognition (Kerry, Gore, Clinton, Clark, Gingrich, Hagel, Patacki) who have yet to make a formal announcement or form one of those silly exploratory commitees. There are many third party candidates who have thrown their hats in too. The election clock is now ticking and it is only 22 months until we elect #44. I will go out on a limb now and make my prediction for the next President: Albert Gore and Barack Obama will be Veep.
Again this week we have a clear winner of Fucktard of the Week in the form of Michael Devlin. The guy is a monster. Life in prison will be too light of a sentence. I also have to mention Harold Levar Jeffcoat as a runner up for FOTW. He got shot in the ass while trying to carjack a couple in South Carolina. This unnamed fucktard should be locked up forever with Mr. Devlin along with some rope. They can skip the video. Another runner-up this week is Omar Brooks, an extremist also known as Abu Izzadeen. I think I am gonna buy another gun or two, even though saying his Muslim name out loud makes me giggle.
If there is an opposite of a fucktard, it is personified by these two un-named Afghanistan citizens. Thanks gentlemen. Well done!
I loved the book and loathed the movie, but I find this situation to be quite fitting. We should have loser pays litigation in this country. One of my cases went to trial over a year and a half ago and we prevailed; the plaintiff appealed, we prevailed again and then she took it to the Supreme Court who rejected her petition this week. I think she should have to pay us what it cost to fight her frivolous law suit. I’d be interested to know if you agree or not?
I also found this story about “online vigilantes†to be highly interesting. And you thought blogs were just for cheap fun. I’ve certainly seen some drivers that I would like to “blogslap”.
Cheat on your spouse and spend life in prison? Only in Michigan.
Previously, I have posted about two great horned owls that resided in my back yard. Recently, I have heard them in the mornings again (hoo hoo) and this week I have seen one of them, this time not so close, but still close enough to tell what the great bird was and what it was doing (looking around and preening). That is why this story caught my attention. They are magnificent creatures. They are so big that when in flight they look like a flying baby and I understand they like to eat skunks. No owl got to this skunk who wound up in Canada and is now being carted back to California.
I have been anxiously waiting all week for Sunday’s football showdowns. I think the Bears can do it and even win the big one, but with names like Manning, Brady and Brees still in the mix, it is not going to be easy. Nor will it be easy when the respective teams’ mojo’s are in play. Damn you Marie Laveau! Damn all of you Marie Laveaus!
Happy healthy weekends to all. Go Bears!
I have been saying for years that people who sue and lose should have to pay the expenses of the people they tried to sue. I would take it a step further and say that the lawyer or lawyers representing the losing suer should have to pay half of those expenses…or at least 33 1/3% of them : )
Interesting story on internet vigilantes. The potential for abuse is high…you know…people that just have an axe to grind and see it as a way to get back at someone for some other perceived slight. But that’s all right…it’s gonna happen regardless and you gotta take the bad with the good. I’m not shy myself and don’t need the internet to get revenge as I have no problem confronting assholes and telling them they are assholes to their faces…I’ve done it before and I’m sure I will do it again…much to my wife’s embarrasment at times.
Good pick for FOW…however, something seems REALLY fishy with that first kid that stayed with him for years that had every opportunity to leave, get help, blow the whistle, etc… The dumbass who tied up, raped, and video taped his wife comes in a close close 2nd.
And sorry FB…I’ve got to pull for the Saints this weekend as that is who I’ve picked in the pool. I am kicking ass so far and have missed only one playoff pick as of yet. Though I am in 2nd place due to the fact that points for the pool are based on picking the winner AND the pont spread and I’ve been a tad too conservative in my point differentials.
Great WIR as usual FB!
Thanks for the nice comments ZC. I agree that the lawyers should have a stake in losing too, especially if they take the case on a contingency basis.
I think Devlin probably threatened Hornbeck and said he would get to his family if he even so much as tried to escape or contact them. Agree it is fishy, but I sort of know how 11 year olds think (cause I never matured very well and have had a couple of kids who passed that stage) and have read a little on the Stockholm Syndrome where captives start to revere their captors. I am not saying it isn’t fishy and frankly, we may never know all of the details or understand what happened, but Devlin should clearly fry. At least twice.
I think you’d make a great internet vigilante, but of course, having heard some of your revenge stories, I wouldn’t mess with you and you certainly do not need the internet to exact revenge.
It is OK that you are pulling for the Saints (hell, you like the PACKERS!) but they are not going to win. It is going to be an Indiana/Illinois Superbowl party in Miami! Oh yeah! Who do you think will win the other game?
I picked the Colts.
I won’t be disappointed if the Bears win. I would actually like to see them go all the way…but when picking for money, I pick with my head and not my heart and I just don’t think the Bears are as good as their record indicates. The offense is especially suspect.
And I agree, the guy should FRY at a very low voltage for a long time. I don’t think the older kid had “stockholm syndrome.” I honestly think there was something else going on. My god…the kid sat at home alone playing video games all day. A 14-15 year old should be smart enough to realize (especially one that has TV and internet access) that once alerted, the authorities wouldn’t let this guy see the light of day to hurt his family. I have always told my daughter that if she were ever “taken” to ignore threats to her family as her “old man” is one vindictive, mean-spirited, evil son of a bitch and the only person who should be scared is the person who took her as I would exact a very very demented and painful toll from them. I’m not big…but I can be devious and nasty…kind of like Earnest T. Bass from the Andy Griffith show ; )
By the way…how’s the “substance abstinence” program going?
I think the Colts will win too, just because the Pats have had their number so many times in the past, that they are due and Manning deserves a SuperBowl. He won’t go down as the greatest QB to ever play unless he at least makes it to one and may be relegated to the Dan Marino level; great, but couldn’t get a ring.
I mean to tell my kids the exact same thing later today (with your permission of course). Devlin probably also let the kid do what he wanted, kept him out of school, let him grow his hair, get piercings, etc. In effect, he brainwashed his victim for years, but I do understand that it is pretty strange that the kid didn’t do something to alert the authorities, much less his parents. It is a curiousity at the very least.
Thanks for asking about the abstinence. I have been 100% alcohol free, but in all honesty, the gurgling water horn has called to me a couple of times, but I have SIGNIFICANTLY reduced my playing on it. Abstinence has actually made the heart grow fonder for some reason and I find that a little goes a very long way. Part of that issue is my superior gardening skill…
I was wondering about your gardening skills when you said you were gonna give up all mind bending things. Growing corn and peppers just ain’t the same.
Nice links dude. This week I am a big fan of lawyers. Or at least my lawyer who is helping me sue the shit out of my HOA. They’re trying to make my pay a HUGE fine that was assessed against the prior owner. And the title company is sending me a copy of they check that they used to pay the fine.(any outstanding liens makes title transfer illegal) Hehehehe – this is gonna be fun!!! My lawyer said he can probably get them to pay for any fees I’ve incurred as well.
Disclosure – my lawyer is also my girlfriends dad, who happens to be quite conservative and at the same time have a great sense of justice. And humor. Yea, this IS gonna be fun.
FOTW gets harder and harder to pick. So many good choices. But you picked a winner.
The story from Afghanistan is outstanding. I’m sure there are many more stories like that that we never hear about.
Losts of choices for Prez so far. But one thing I’ve noticed is the “swift boating” of Obama has begun in a big way. Hmmm…
Bears 27 – Saints 24
Pats 28 – Colts 30 – thanks to 10 Adam Vinatieri field goals.
LOL.
Be wary of all lawyers, even those that fathered significant others. Have fun with that. We used to do a lot of HOA D&O claims, but now they are handled elsewhere, thank God! They were some of the most petty, whiny pieces of litigation I have ever seen. Sounds to me like you have a strong case and they should fork up some coin your way.
Go get ‘em CD!!! I live in an area with an HOA for the first time in my life and I will NEVER do it again! Worthless….absolutely worthless.
Speaking of lawyers….
An engineer dies and finds himself standing at the pearly gates.
“Sorry,” St. Peter tells him, “but you are in the wrong place.” He snaps his fingers and the engineer finds himself in hell. Dissatisfied with the comfort level, he immediately starts making improvements.
One day, God phones Satan to ask how things are going.
“Great!, he answers. We’ve got central air and escalators now. There’s no telling what that engineer will come up with next.”
“You’ve got an engineer?” God says. “There’s been a mistake. Send him back or I’ll sue!”
“Yeah right,” Satan chuckles. “Where are YOU going to find a lawyer?”
FB, glad to hear the ‘detox’ is going well.
As far as the FOTW, I can see how a frightened youngster wouldn’t seek help. He had posted on the website his parents created after he disappeared, and he also had a couple of social networking sites up. The clues, though subtle, were there. So, don’t blame the kid for not calling the cops; he *is* just a kid after all.
Have a good week, everyone! I don’t have a preference as to who wins any football games this week; we’ll leave it at that!