DL Open Thread: Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022
Department Of Corrections Ignored Allegations Against Serial Abuser/Correctional Officer. Hey, Claire DeMatteis‘ job wasn’t ever to stop this stuff, it was to keep it under wraps:
For years, men imprisoned by Delaware have accused correctional officer Kirk Neal of using excessive force in the state’s prisons.
In the past seven years, at least a dozen prisoners have reported to Delaware Department of Correction officials that they were beaten unnecessarily by Neal, according to court filings, prison grievances as well as interviews with accusers.
It is a problem that the public cannot fully assess because Delaware Department of Correction officials declined to comment for this article on the allegations or discuss policy as it relates to excessive force. State law also grants those officials the ability to withhold from the public state records like personnel files, complaints and surveillance video.
Ft. DuPont Skulduggery Too Much For Even Val Longhurst:
Jeffrey Randol, who has served as Executive Director of the Fort Dupont Redevelopment and Preservation Corporation (FDRPC) since 2015, is resigning.
Randol proffered his resignation to the FDRPC Board on Friday, January 28, but will stay on until March 31, 2022.
But WDEL has learned Randol’s resignation was forced, according to multiple sources.
State House Majority Leader Rep. Val Longhurst (D-Bear) issued a statement on her Facebook page in the wake of Randol’s resignation, saying:
“I have long been a strong supporter of the Fort DuPont Redevelopment project. I’m also aware of the issues and concerns surrounding the corporation and the Delaware City community, specifically questions about transparency,” wrote Longhurst.
Of course, she turned down an interview request, referring reporters to her Facebook page. As to the Ft. DuPont Board Chairman:
FDRPC Board Chairman and former state representative Bryon Short said personnel matters are confidential and wouldn’t comment further on Randol’s resignation.
Well. Guess that’s that.
Despicable James Carville Forms PAC For ‘Centrist’ Conor Lamb. When an asshole like Carville endorses someone, I know that said someone is the wrong someone.
Canadian Truckers’ Blockade Is Not A Grassroots Movement:
What’s unfolding in Ottawa is not a grassroots protest that has spontaneously erupted out of the frustration of local lorry drivers. Rather, it’s an astroturfed movement – one that creates an impression of widespread grassroots support where little exists – funded by a global network of highly organised far-right groups and amplified by Facebook’s misinformation machine. The drama may be centred in Canada, but what is unfolding has repercussions for us all.
This an excellent piece. Please read it. You’ll learn something, and you’ll be made aware of what might be coming our way.
How To Want Less. I’m not big on self-help stuff, but I found this to be inspiring.
The January 6 Coup: Can We Not Handle The Truth?:
Regarding the steady flow of revelations pertaining to Trump’s efforts to overthrow the election and retain power, Jeffrey Engel, the director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, observed that voters had become desensitized, if not numb, to Trump’s attacks on democracy: “I actually think the American public is dramatically underplaying how significant and dangerous this is because we cannot process the basic truth of what we are learning about President Trump’s efforts—which is we’ve never had a president before who fundamentally placed his own personal interests above the nation’s.”
The final piece of his statement was naive. Previous presidents have placed their own political interests above the country’s. Richard Nixon, for one, conspired with a foreign power to sabotage the Vietnam War peace talks so he could prevent a breakthrough that would harm his electoral prospects in 1968. (This deed—one of the dastardliest in US presidential history—likely caused the deaths of thousands of American soldiers.) But Engel’s larger point is intriguing: Trump’s wickedness may be too immense for the nation to absorb.
Pornstache Stashed Away In Federal Prison. We all knew he was nuts. Now everybody knows.
What do you want to talk about?
“Trump’s wickedness may be too immense for the nation to absorb.”
Wickendess is an odd word choice but yeah. it seems American Democracy has always depended on the kindness of strangers. This strangers being active politicians who could skate up to the line of throwing the whole corrupt edifice into disrepute – but not cross over that line.
Trump gleefully crosses that line on the regular and our norms, laws, traditions, and culture simply can’t contend with it.
Regardless of what happens it’s a good day with Protack in jail. As in maybe there is a god? As for American democracy and politics one is on the run and the other stinks at a great distance, makes you wonder how we’ve made it this far to begin with.
If you’re looking for self help, why would you read a book written by somebody else? – George Carlin
Please note one of the more recent abuses of taxpayer funds in the “corporate welfare” scheme that Delaware (and its executive branch) continues to enthusiastically embrace. Also note that Delaware’s “Prosperity Partnership” continues to authorize tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer monies for no return on investment (while denying my FOIA request for details). I would advise that everyone concerned with massive government waste, such as this, sign up for Pat Garofalo’s Boondoggle alerts. I can send you links for dozens of previous articles and a way to sign up for future exposures by this gifted critic of government waste and mismanagement. You owe it to your family and wallet to be aware of these giveaways.
https://boondoggle.substack.com/p/a-big-bad-nda-mystery-mess?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzgxODExNywicG9zdF9pZCI6NDg0MTY5NDksIl8iOiJEamNtQyIsImlhdCI6MTY0NDUxNTg4NSwiZXhwIjoxNjQ0NTE5NDg1LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMTM3NDQiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.O5G_7fHEzgRysgU9WFM8QkrUsf1ngnhNSr1Hfs-C6xg
Representative John Kowalko