Things that make you go, Huh? : Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi wants the Honolulu Police Department to feel empowered to enforce the law to create a safer Chinatown community. Over the past few months, the mayor said he’s seen a significant increase in crime, drug abuse and obscenity throughout Chinatown. Focusing mainly on Chinatown, people who are arrested in that area will face a higher bail than if they committed the same crime in a different location on the island. Hey, wait a minute. Couldn’t that “selective” enforcement be just a little, say, unconstituational? Unlawful? Doesn’t that give the accused an automatic appeal to further tie up our courts? And what about the rest of the island and state? Violent crime, everywhere is up, up, up. Is Chinatown that important?
Will there be another “Bay of Pigs” soon?
We understand: Jason Lilley was a special operations forces Marine Raider who fought in multiple battles in Iraq and Afghanistan during America’s longest war. As Lilley, 41, reflects on President Joe Biden’s decision to end America’s military mission in Afghanistan on Aug. 31, he expresses love for his country, but disgust at its politicians and dismay at the blood and money squandered. Comrades were killed and maimed in wars he says were unwinnable, making him rethink his country and his life. “The whole point was to get rid of the Taliban and we didn’t do that. The Taliban will take over.” There is a reason why historians have called Afghanistan the “graveyard of empires.” Mr. Lilley, you and your brothers understand what me and 2,700,000 Vietnam vet’s feel. Like us, you need to keep your head up and be proud of your service.
I could get behind this idea: The drive-thru daiquiri shop. Here’s how it works. The business gets a liquor license and buys the equipment. The customer drives up and orders. The bartender makes it up and puts it in a container with a lid. At that point it is package liquor. The customer gets a straw as part of the package. As long as the straw is not in the lid, it is not an open container. What happens after the customer leaves the parking lot is between their conscience and the local constabulary. You are on the honor system. These things are all over Louisiana and do a thriving business. Even at 1:00 on a Wednesday afternoon.
Happy Birthday Willem DaFoe (7/22). An actor with a unique look and voice he’s been nominated for an Oscar 4 times. His movies include Streets of Fire, Platoon, The Lighthouse, and one of my personal favorites, The Hunter.
“Yellowstone” it ain’t: John Ladd, whose family has ranched at the U.S.-Mexico border for more than 125 years, says illegal immigrants tell him that President Joe Biden invited them to come. Ladd, 66, says he and his family are on constant alert for theft by illegal immigrants who cross the border onto his ranch. The ranchers also must make sure that cattle haven’t escaped and wandered onto the highway because illegal immigrants cut fences. Ladd ranches the same land his parents did, about 16,000 acres that includes 10-and-a-half miles along the border. But times have changed since his parents worked the ranch. His great-grandparents came to the area in 1894. When illegal immigrants cross onto his ranch, he says, they often cut water lines and fences, which becomes both a safety issue and financial liability for him. The Ladd’s also have had to build their lives around protecting the ranch due to what they have experienced. “They come to your house and try and bull their way through the door,” he says. Tragically, Ladd says, he has come upon dead illegal immigrants. “We’ve had 14 dead bodies on the ranch that I know of,” Ladd says. A rancher’s life has never been easy, even without the immigration traffic. It takes a strong man or woman to be a rancher, Ladd and his family are those people. “But this is home. I’m not leaving.”
I agree with the wife: The “lowlife” thief charged with stealing a then-6-year-old Brooklyn boy’s scooter was ordered held on $50,000 bail, while his lawyer took a cheap shot at the young victim. “I don’t know why a 7-year-old is on an electric scooter,” Brooklyn Public Defenders attorney Sarah Burleson, who represents accused scooter thief. Just what the hell does that have to do with the crime? The scooter actually belonged to the boy’s brother with special needs who needed it to get around. Even the thief’s wife say’s “He’s a lowlife.” Later in court, the attorney went to the tried and true defense and said her client suffers from “addiction and needs help.” Probably the same defense he used in his prior manslaughter (1991) , armed robbery (2010), and parole violation cases.
Tonight is the Buck Moon, also known as the Thunder Mood, the Hay Moon or the Mead Moon. Enjoy.
In Hilo this weekend. Gonna mow the lawn, trim the hedge, have a beer with the dog, and ride the motorcycle. Ahhh, heaven.
Storytellers Blog 