DL Open Thread Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2024
Remember Hunter Seefried, the Laurel man who followed his Confederate battle flag-waving father into the Capitol on Jan. 6? Now into the second year of his prison sentence, he has filed for early release, noting that he chased a capitol cop but committed no violence. The 34-year-old also earned his GED and his forklift operator certificate while doing time. Scoff if you will, but I count it as a triumph for rehabilitation. But maybe the court should stipulate that he stay away from his father, who’s still serving his 6-year sentence.
It’s Trump, Trump, Trump in the U.S. media – those gold sneakers won’t ship for months – but lots going on in the world. Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia vowed to continue his work, but there are fears that any hope for removing Putin without violence died with him. Remember, that’s the guy the Republican Party bends over to help out.
The U.S. isn’t the only country where Israel’s prolonged assault on Palestinians is roiling domestic politics. The UK’s Labour Party is under pressure to join calls for a cease-fire in Gaza while it tries to dispel charges of anti-Semitism under former leader Jeremy Corbyn and against a backdrop of a steep increase in crimes against Jews. It’s especially odd because Britain doesn’t sell Israel weapons, it buys them from Israel. The conclusion: National delusions of past grandeur.
The Senate race in California shows the blanket primary system, where the top two vote-getters face off in the general election, is as gameable as any other. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Centrist) has been fighting underdog Rep. Katie Porter (D-Progressive) by airing ads for Republican Steve Garvey (R-Dodgers and Padres), hoping to boost him into second place. So Porter is fighting back by running ads for a Trumper, hoping to peel votes away from the ineffectual Garvey. Putting those political donations to good use, aren’t they?
Latest example of how stochastic terrorism works, trans panic division: A non-binary student was beaten to death in Oklahoma, the same state that just put the vile Libs of Tik-Tok woman Chaya Raichik on the state Library Media Advisory Committee. The attack occurred in the same school district Riachik targeted last year when a teacher spoke out in favor of gay rights. A coincidence, I guess, like all those Russians falling out of windows.
Sad news from the eco-diversity front. Coral reefs that were undergoing restoration in the Florida Keys were mostly wiped out last summer when water temperatures spiked. Elkhorn coral, we hardly knew ye.
The floor’s yours.
Hunter Seefried, absolutely with no sarcasm, deserves a good chance at a quiet life where he can move on, hopefully with his father only distantly present. I do hope his contrition is real and his new skills can be utilized. We need to be rooting for young people to make it out of prison and do better. I did.
low-key good post
Just out of curiosity, how does one obtain a forklift operator’s certificate while in prison? It seems as though having a forklift inside a prison facility would be an enticement for a prison break. There’s a movie script in there somewhere!
Seriously, though, I would think that one would have to show competence in actually operating a forklift before obtaining an operator’s certificate. Perhaps Mr. Seefried can use his newfound skills during the next insurrection. And there, friends, is a new movie script in the making!
Good question. But prison industry is a great thing, enabling those who have served their time to leave with some marketable skills.
Which reminds me of a story–during my first two years working for the House (1983-84) in Delaware, I was asked to work on this project. I remember having a meeting with the lead legislator and the then-Commissioner of Corrections. I think his name was Sullivan?
Anyway, Sullivan, who was from the Jim Vaughn ‘lock ’em up and let ’em rot’ school of corrections, made clear that he wasn’t going to help the program go anywhere. Which was a shame because both the Chamber and the unions were on board. I’ll never forget Sullivan’s quote:
“We HAVE prison industry–the cafeteria and the laundry.”
Yep, John Sullivan. AFSCME took him to court back in 1983 and won:
https://law.justia.com/cases/delaware/supreme-court/1983/464-a-2d-899-4.html
Pete DuPont was governor at the time.
“‘We HAVE prison industry – the cafeteria and the laundry.'”
That put me in mind of that classic “Car 54” episode “The White Elephant” (season 2, episode 16), where the guys from the 53rd Precinct recommend a recently released convict to become the chef at a recently opened diner, and the ex-convict only knows how to make meals for 2,000 people.
One of my favourite “Car 54” episodes, and it’s on YouTube.