Unfiltered Opinion

This Is Why The Death Penalty Is Needed

This poor 12 year old girl is dead because she has consistently been betrayed by those people she should be able to trust. I'm not going to say much about this case because I find it so repulsive and it makes me so angry. However, it is cases like this that make me a proponent for the death penalty. I don't want to hear any opponents of the death penalty try to convince me otherwise.  Criminals like this girl's uncle, rapists, murderers, etc. cannot be rehabilitated.  They just sit in prison - eating, sleeping and god knows what else - at the tax payers expense.  These hateful convicts just bide their time waiting until they can get out of prison and prey upon other innocent victims. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see innocent people prosecuted and put on death row.  I believe in the justice system and I think it has its problems that need to be addressed and corrected. I would like to see DNA tests made available for those prisoners whom it may exonerate. At the same time, I believe in justice for the victims and their families.  For example, if a man rapes a woman, kills her husband and child, there is no way that person should be allowed to sit in a jail cell.  How is it fair that the convicted killer is allowed to live and ponder what he's going to do the next day, whereas the woman is left with only the portraits of her family on the fireplace mantle?

I would be more than willing to start the electric chair or inject the poisons into their bodies.  These hardened criminals do not deserve to live in this society because they have chosen to take a part in destroying this society.  I will admit the death penalty is a harsh and final punishment.  However, I will also argue that it is a just and needed tool for justice.

Leave The Speed Limit To The States

I had to look at this article twice when I saw that a U.S. Senator is suggesting that Congress should reimpose a national speed limit to help save gas. I was surprised to see this proposal come from Sen. John Warner (R-VA). I expected a proposal like this to come from the Democratic side of the aisle. Regardless of what party wants to re-institute a national speed limit, I think it's a stupid idea. Every one knows that if they drive their cars slower they will save gas and it creates a safer environment. If idiots want to keep driving fast and paying a lot of money for then so be it. I don't feel sorry for them. The government needs to concentrate on more important issues like the economy and tackling the gang problem in this country.

This Could Only Happen In California

Only in California would a federal judge maintain a sexually explicit website while he is still sitting on the bench. This is what Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has been doing in his private time. Kozinski said that he thought that his site was private and could not be viewed by the public. Kozinski is obviously an intelligent man in the legal world, but he has proved to be devoid of any common sense. Why would a man in his position even take a risk like this? Are you telling me that is craving for sexual perversity outweighed any brain wave telling him that it was a bad idea for a federal judge to own a site that depicted borderline pornographic pictures?

"Among the sexually explicit material on his site that he defended as humorous were two photos. In   one, a young man is bent over in a chair and performing fellatio on himself. In the other, two women aresitting in what appears to be a cafe with their skirts hiked up to reveal their pubic hair and genitalia.  Behind them is a sign reading "Bush for President." "That is a funny joke," Kozinski said.

The only reason Kozinski's site came to light is because he is presiding over an obscenity trial in L.A. that involves hours of hard-core fetish material. The judge has offered to remove himself from the trial, but the prosecutors and defense did not immediately object to him staying on the case. However, Kozinski needs to do the right thing and recuse himself from the trial. He should not wait to be asked to leave; he should leave because it's the right thing to do.

There Is More Than One Way To Vote

Roland Martin is a CNN contributor and a Barack Obama supporter (no surprise). I still have no idea how he is considered a political expert and why he has been able to get so much TV time, but that is besides the point. Nevertheless, Martin does make some good points every now and then. Currently, Martin is pushing for the idea of having Election Day held on a Saturday or Sunday instead of its usual Tuesday. For the most part, I don't see anything wrong with this idea. However Martin does not take into consideration the implications for voters who are members of religions that restrict activities on weekends. I'm no religious expert, but I believe members of the Seventh Day Adventist religion are restricted from doing things at certain times on Saturday.

Don't get me wrong, I understand Martin's goal of increasing voter turnout for the general election. However, he is making the assumption that people would get out of bed on a Saturday to go stand in a long line for a couple of hours and vote. I could have taken his idea a little more seriously if he had taken the time to point out that there are options for people who do not have the time to vote on Tuesday. Every voter can choose to complete an absentee ballot if they do not want to miss work or stand in line on election day.

The bottom line is this - if people want to exercise their right to vote then they will vote on Tuesday or by absentee ballot. If people do not vote then they lose the right to complain about the results of the election. I wonder how many people complaining about the current Bush administration actually took the time to vote for John Kerry? I'll admit he was not a good option, but my point is voter's had a choice and they chose Bush - again. This would have happened on any day of the week.

Everyone Has The Right To Count Their Money

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has ruled that the U.S. Treasury Department discriminates against blind people by making paper money the same size and feel.  The court ruled that this policy makes it impossible for blind people to distinguish the monetary value of paper currency.

"The court also ruled that the United States failed to explain why changing the money would be an undue burden. The Treasury Departmenthas redesigned its currency several times in recent years and adding features to aid the blind would come at a relatively small cost, the court said. Other countries have added such features, the court
said, and the United States never explained what made its situation so unique."

I have never considered how difficult it would be for a blind person to distinguish the difference in paper currency.  I also find it pathetic that the government even tried to fight this in court without just making the necessary inexpensive changes to accommodate the blind citizens of this country. Instead the government wasted tax dollars trying to fight for their right to maintain the status quo.

It's About Time

The trial for R&B singer R. Kelly is set to begin today after being delayed for almost 6 years for various reasons.  It's hard to believe that it has taken this long for this sordid mess to come to trial.  The alleged victim is now 23 years old and says she is not the girl in the tape. Kelly has stayed busy by creating hit music for himself and other artists. I believe the lapse of time since the crime occurred and the insistence of the girl that she is the victim on the tape is going to hurt the prosecution.

I don't know if Kelly is guilty or not because I have never watched the infamous movie.  However, Kelly has shown an illegal weak spot for under-aged girls in previous years. For example, he married the late singer Aaliyah when she was only 15 years old.  The marriage was later annulled. Kelly was also busted in 2003 for possession of child pornography, but the charges were dropped as a result of illegally obtained evidence.


If Kelly is guilty then he should be convicted and sent to prison for a long time.  Let him sing for his supper with the other perverts.

He Finally Gets The Message

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann finally resigned from his position.  Dann had been under pressure to resign from most members of the Ohio Democratic power structure since he admitted to having an extramarital affair with an employee.  There have also been charges of sexual harassment from other employees in his office. 

At least disgraced politicians like former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and Dann have the decency to resign their positions of power instead of hanging on like the petulant flop Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick.  I will celebrate the day he is kicked out of the mayor's mansion and I don't even live in Detroit.

Don't Let Your Children Live In Dallas

A strip club in Dallas, Texas is losing its license for 30 days for allowing a 12 year old girl to perform in their club for two weeks.  I can't believe the club is only losing its license for 30 days - what's up with that?  The owner of the club is not even going to jail for one day.  I'm glad to see that Dallas knows how to prevent perverts from exploiting children in their adult businesses.

The Dallas City Council decided to change the ordinance that govern the strip clubs after they realized that the existing law was weak.

"Last month, the Dallas City Council voted to tighten its ordinance regulating the operation of sexually businesses after WFAA-TV and The Dallas Morning News reported that employing someone under the age of 18 wasn’t enough to shut down a strip club."

Dallas will now shut a strip club down for a whole year if they use an underage dancer.  What kind of law is that?  I've got an idea - how about shutting the club down forever. 

My problem with this situation is that Dallas is saying that if you have a under-aged girl stripping in your club your license will be revoked for a year - that's it.  Where's the jail time for the owner of the club?  I guarantee you that if a man filmed some 12 year old girl stripping in his house he would get some serious jail time - as he should.  The authorities would not care if she misled him about her age.  The adult needs to act like the adult.

It's the strip club owner's responsibility to know the ages of his dancers and other employees.  There should be no excuses for any lapse in judgment.  The club owner failed in his duties as an employer and the city of Dallas has failed in its duties to protect its youngest residents.

Divorce - American Style

If you think anybody can get a divorce anytime they want to then you need to read this article.  You may want to think twice about living in certain states who make it hard to obtain a divorce.

Justice Scalia - Unplugged

The most controversial member of the Supreme Court, Justice Antonin Scalia gave a rare, insightful and entertaining  interview to 60 Minutes.  The interview is located below in two parts.

Part One

Part Two

In a surprisingly candid interview, Scalia commented on his judicial philosophy and his opinion on the still controversial Gore v. Bush decision that allowed George W. Bush to become president.  He also made some interesting comments regarding the issue of abortion that some people may find interesting.  I also found it interesting that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one the most liberal justices on the court is one of his best friends.  This revelation may disappoint people who like to think that the justices are throwing darts at each other in the hallways of the Supreme Court.

People either like Scalia or hate Scalia.  I do not agree with many of his court opinions, but I have always enjoyed reading them.  It could be argued that his written opinions have always been, by far, the best on the bench.  When he eventually leaves the Supreme Court, a lot of people will be dancing in the streets.  No matter what people think of Scalia, there is no doubt that he will have left an indelible mark on the Court.