James L. Paris's Blog, page 65

Illegal Alien Flees Deadly Hit and Run; Judge Blames Trump

This is what we���re up against, folks: American judges expressing a pronounced political take on a criminal case before them.

Doesn���t inspire a ton of confidence in the system, does it?

A judge from Maryland did that very thing recently when, just before pronouncing sentence on an illegal immigrant convicted by the court of fleeing the scene of a deadly auto accident, she expressed her understanding of why defendant Martin Martinez-Ballinas felt compelled to take off.

Back on February 24, Martinez-Ballinas left the scene of an accident in which Marine Lance Corporal James Ray Ealden III was killed. Walden was riding his motorcycle at the time, and evidence presented during the trial showed Martinez-Ballinas was speeding in his BMW 335i when he lost control and struck the young Marine. The defendant fled the scene and was later found by police hiding in a quarry.

As reported by the Capital Gazette, Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Laura Kiessling said from the bench that she had received many letters about the case that noted the ���current political climate��� wherein President Trump has been ���harshly critical of illegal immigration and of Mexico in particular.���

Kiessling said that it is ���reasonable to conclude��� that Martinez-Ballinas would flee because he was afraid that he���d be deported.

For his crime, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, Martinez-Ballinas was sentenced by the judge to six years.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

You���ve Won the Biggest Single-Ticket Lottery Prize in U.S. History; For Goodness Sake, Stay Hidden

The recent winner of the biggest single-ticket lottery prize in U.S. history, Mavis Wanczyk, has some thinking to do���.lots of it���in the wake of her stunning good fortune.

Make no mistake, the ���problems��� that come with winning a $758.7 million Powerball jackpot are, indeed good problems to have, but they can surely be problems, nevertheless.

For starters, there are all the people - from family and friends, to perfect strangers - who will come out of the woodwork to ask her for a share of her dough. As a matter of fact, as soon as she emerged as the lottery winner, Wanczyk received a serious request from a random stranger to pay off his mortgage.

And there will be many more knocks on the door like that to come.

���She better get ready. She���s going to be hit up for investment opportunities, charity requests, even people she knows are going to come to her,��� said Jason Kurland, an attorney with Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman in New York, in a piece over at CNBC.com about Wanczyk.

���She has an insane amount of money now.���

Many have expressed curiosity that Wanczyk opted to both waste absolutely no time in coming forward, and do so very publicly. In Massachusetts, lottery winners have up to a year to claim their prizes. What���s more, even though Bay State law requires winners to be publicly revealed, they have the option of protecting their anonymity by creating a trust and letting the trustee come forward on their behalf.

By not doing that, however, Wanczyk has opened herself up to a direct and enormous barrage of requests for money by hand-out seekers all around the world.

However, even though she has quickly and completely revealed herself, Wanczyk can still retain an attorney to serve as a buffer between her and the rest of the world, and otherwise help to manage the numerous hassles that will surely result from her newfound notoriety.

���Her life will be much easier if she can hide behind someone else, so to speak, when she gets all these calls and questions,��� Kurland said.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Jim Discussess The Tragedy And Heartbreak Of The Houston And Texas Flooding

On this episode Jim discusses the latest on the flooding in Houston and throughout Texas. The heartbreak and the stories that paint the picture of the tragedy. Also on this episode the pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Mayweather-McGregor fight, and how Amazon plans to bring down grocery prices.

 

NFL Player Serves as a Financial Example to Us All

Sadly, hearing about a professional athlete falling victim to his own financial mismanagement, or the mismanagement of another, is an all-too-regular occurrence.

That���s why it���s such a pleasure to know the story of Ryan Broyles.

Broyles, a wide receiver out of Oklahoma, was chosen by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. Currently a free agent, Broyles recognized something early on in his professional career that still seems to escape far too many players: That the average length of an NFL career is just a few short years, and so it is in one���s best interests to be as smart as possible with one���s contract money.

Broyles took that to heart, and has opted to live WELL below his means for throughout his own career. Although his Lions contract was worth millions, the young player has opted to live on just $60,000 a year���and invest the difference.

Smart.

And a big part of what make this work for him is that Broyles took a chapter out of the book used by financial planners everywhere when he made the decision to ���automate��� his finances. An article over at CNBC.com details that Broyles, who wasn���t always this prudent, has his bank account set up so that his obligations are met through an autopay feature.

���When the Lions drafted me in the second round of the 2012 draft and I got my signing bonus, the first thing I did was pay down my debts and put my bills on autopay ��� the first steps to getting my credit right,��� says Broyles, who began his professional career with a $3.6 million rookie contract.

Personal finance guru David Bach is a huge fan of automatic payments. In his bestselling book The Automatic Millionaire, he writes, ���You'll never forget a payment again ��� and you���ll never be tempted to skimp on savings because you won���t even see the money going directly from your paycheck to your savings accounts.���

Of his own financial perspective, Broyles says, ���The goal was to play 10 years in the NFL. But financially, I planned like I wouldn���t make it past the next 10 minutes.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Poll: Vast Majority of America Opposes Removal of Washington and Jefferson Public Displays

So���how should we look at this?

According to a recent poll from Rasmussen Reports, nearly 90 percent of those surveyed say that favorable public recognition - in the form of statue displays and other, similar memorials - of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson should be maintained, even in what has become an acutely volatile climate of historical revisionism.

At first glance, that seems pretty good���until you flip the numbers around, and realize that means nearly 10 percent of Americans think such memorials of Washington and Jefferson should be eradicated.

The poll of likely voters was conducted from August 17 to August 20, and, among other questions, asked, ���Should George Washington���s and Thomas Jefferson���s names be removed from public places and statues in their honor taken down?���

The results revealed that 88 percent of those surveyed said the monuments should remain, while seven percent said they should go.

Perhaps more troubling is the ratio of answers to another poll question that asked if respondents are ���sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments?��� 50 percent said they are ���sad,��� but a sizable 37 percent disagreed with the notion they are ���sad.���

Overall, though, it does appear that a healthy majority of Americans want history, reflected in any number of ways, to remain in view: The poll also asked, ���Is it better to erase the wrongs of the past or try to learn from them?���

94 percent of Americans say it���s important to keep the past in place and learn from it, while just four percent think it���s a good idea to ���erase the wrongs of the past.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Report: Many Car Buyers Are Better Off Leasing

According to an article over at USA Today, a lot of American car buyers are doing it wrong.

Car buying, that is.

Specifically, the article, reflecting information gleaned from the popular automotive resource site Edmunds.com, points out that with the number of individuals financing their new rides for many years, but trading them in after just a couple, are doing themselves a distinct financial disservice.

Perhaps the best reason to finance a car, rather than lease, is so that, at some point, you can drive a car that no longer has a financial obligation attached to it. You���ve heard those people who say, ���I���ll drive mine until the wheels come off.��� You might even be one of those people. If that is you, then financing is definitely your bag.

The data, however, reveals that a third of those who swing by the dealership intending to exchange their current vehicle for something different are car buyers who are neck-deep in a loan, owing more on the car than it���s worth���to the tune of $5,143, on average.

Part of the problem is that cars are more expensive than ever, with monthly payments averaging $512 and loan terms averaging 69 months���and it turns out that lots of buyers never hang around to the end of the loan term. They trade early, owe more than the value of the vehicle, and then roll the balance into the new loan, digging themselves deeper and deeper.

So, if this is you, and you���re just one of the many Americans who assumes a monthly car payment of some kind is going to be a permanent feature of your existence, then it might be smart to give leasing a serious look.

Not only will your monthly payments usually be less (as an example, the article points out the average monthly purchase payment for a 2017 Honda Civic was $388, while the average lease payment was $266), but when you get to the end of your 36 months and you���re anxious for a different car (because you always are), you won���t have that ugly loan balance with which to contend.

The fact is, very manageable monthly lease payments of $199 are common, and, right now, according to Edmunds, you can lease such well-rated vehicles as a Toyota Camry and Mazda 6 for that figure, with about $2,000 due at signing for each. The total cost, averaged out over 36 months, comes out to just under $255 per month, and you walk away with no balance due.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Atlantic Magazine Article Informs Us of the Racial Component to���the Eclipse

A piece over at Newsbusters.org tells of an Atlantic article that discusses the recent solar eclipse from what most would surely see as a rather curious perspective.

The author, Alice Ristroph, who clearly has too much time on her hands, burdens Atlantic readers with a pointless article on the racial orientation of those parts of the U.S. that fell along the path of the eclipse.

That���s right; the article is a racial overview���historical, sociological, etc���.of the sections of the country over which the total eclipse was visible.

How helpful.

While a quick glance at the article, titled American Blackout (because what else would it be called?), might lead a few to conclude Ristroph is saying the eclipse is somehow racist���even an insane person, like some on the left have evidenced themselves to be, likely doesn���t believe the eclipse is racist.

But that���s not the point here. Indeed, author Ristroph says she is not accusing the eclipse of being racist (thank God for that).

The point isn���t that anyone is seriously contending that the eclipse was actually racist. The point is that race, and matters of what���s become known as social justice, have become so thoroughly ubiquitous that nothing - literally nothing - can be discussed now without the invocation of a racial angle. Everything must have a racial component or dynamic today; everything.

Ask yourself this: Just how obsessed must one be with the matter of race���to be aware of the magnificent celestial event and yet so consumed with curiosity about the racial orientation of the people along the path of the eclipse that she���s compelled to write about it? Who reads or hears of a total eclipse on the way and thinks, ���I wonder what the numbers of black, brown, and white faces are along the path of the eclipse?���

Seriously���?

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor at Large

NFL Hall of Fame Coach Dungy Praises Player for ���Speaking the Truth��� on Abortion

As progressive social justice themes become an even greater presence in the realm of professional sports, more traditional themes of human justice are getting lost in all the noise.

But not entirely. As a matter of fact, one NFL Hall of Fame coach saw fit recently to congratulate an active player for his outspokenness on behalf of the sanctity of life.

As reported by The Daily Caller, Tony Dungy, the former coach of the Super Bowl-winning Indianapolis Colts, took to Twitter this past Sunday to praise Benjamin Watson, a tight end for the Baltimore Ravens, after reading the latter���s comments about abortion quoted over at LifeSiteNews.com. In response to the article, wherein Watson referred to the procedure as ���the ultimate form of racism, Dungy tweeted, ���I applaud my brother @BenjaminSWatson for speaking the truth on a controversial issue. Thank you.���

���I do know that blacks kind of represent a large portion of the abortions,��� Watson said, ���and I do know that honestly the whole idea with Planned Parenthood and Sanger in the past was to exterminate blacks. And it���s kind of ironic that it���s working.���

Of course, when a high-profile person uses social media to defend a position reflective of traditional morality and ethics, the left wastes no time coming after them. To Dungy���s credit, he would not be cowed, and took particular issue with some Twitter users suggesting men have no business discussing a woman���s health issue.

���Do abortions only deal with one woman? Are there any other people involved?��� Dungy countered on Twitter.

Why, yes, Coach Dungy, there are other people involved.

Thank you���and thank you, Ben Watson.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

ESPN Embarrasses Itself by Replacing Broadcaster Who Has Same Name as Confederate General

Actually, ESPN has been embarrassing itself for a while now, when it comes to the matter of espousing leftist ideology on a consistent basis.

But what ESPN has done most recently has dropped jaws on both ends of the political spectrum���because, in the minds of a whole lot of folks, it was so bizarre that it actually looks insane.

In a story broken Tuesday by Clay Travis from OutkickTheCoverage.com, and reported on by a large number of news outlets, including Fox News, officials at ESPN decided to reassign Robert Lee, an Asian-American broadcaster for the network, from working the upcoming University of Virginia football game, because of the obvious similarity of his name to that of Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

Yup; they really did that.

Lee had been scheduled to broadcast the game this weekend between the Virginia and Washington and Lee. Now, he���ll work the Youngstown State ��� Pittsburgh game.

In statement released by spokesman Derek Volner, the network said, ���We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because of the coincidence of his name. In that moment if felt right to all parties.���

It did? It felt right to all parties? No one there saw it as even remotely idiotic?

That does seem hard to believe���even for ESPN.

And yet, it happened.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Mayor of Charlottesville: Car Attack Illustrates Need to Limit Right to Bear Arms

There���s always a reason to limit the Second Amendment, apparently.

In a piece for The Atlantic, Charlottesville, Va. Mayor Mike Signer addressed the violent protests that took place in his city on Saturday, August 12 and culminated in the car attack that killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer. As a part of his remarks, Signer made what he clearly sees is an appropriate connection between that attack and the right to bear arms. In point of fact, the mayor is of the opinion that what took place that day is a sign that the rights of gun owners should be further constrained.

Huh?

���While I am friends with many gun owners and am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment,��� Signer said, ���that right, like all Constitutional rights, comes with limits.���

It does? They do?

To correct Signer, while courts may have placed limits on constitutional rights through the years, it���s hard to see where the rights ���came��� with any such limits.

Continuing, Signer says, ���Just as machine guns cannot be owned by civilians in this country, (a restriction supported by the National Rifle Association), it should not be acceptable to open-carry or concealed-carry firearms at an event of the sort we saw last weekend. First, the danger is too great of a catastrophic incident. Second, it is intimidating beyond any reasonable standard for citizens, particularly members of vulnerable communities.

���And so I am going to work with my colleagues on City Council to demand that our General Assembly swiftly enact legislation allowing localities to ban the open or concealed carry of weapons in public events reasonably deemed to pose a potential security threat.���

Let���s forget about the fact that the mayor is not even close to correct on the matter of private ownership of machine guns in the U.S. (except for a handful of states that explicitly prohibit the ownership of fully-automatic weapons, machine guns manufactured prior to May 1986 can be owned privately, subject to federal restrictions). Still, let���s give him his point, for the sake of discussion; how do you make the logical jump from ���no machine guns��� to ���no concealed carry at rallies���?

The answer is that you make it if you���re a liberal Democrat politician looking for any justification to limit the right to keep and bear arms. The false equivalency has long been the dutiful ally of the liberal, and, in this case, ���machine guns��� = ���concealed carry of handguns.���

Once again, for opportunistic leftist politicians like Signer, every tragedy has a road that leads back to gun control���even if guns had nothing to do with the tragedy.

Because gun control.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large