Good To See A Bad Case Dismissed Against A Fellow Aaron

The case against Aaron Spencer has been finally, and properly dismissed.

Dismissed it has been, but not because, as one would think, his conduct in defending the life of his daughter from a predator was justified.

Instead, it was properly dismissed because of police and prosecutorial misconduct - in spoliating evidence.

CBS News: Judge dismisses murder charge against Arkansas sheriff nominee who killed daughter's alleged abuser

A judge has dismissed a murder charge against an Arkansas man who won the GOP nomination for sheriff while awaiting trial for the shooting death of his teenage daughter's alleged abuser.

Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. dismissed the case against Aaron Spencer on Thursday afternoon — just a few weeks before his trial on the second-degree murder charge was expected to begin — because a dash camera memory card that may have captured the shooting was lost by law enforcement.

 Apparently the dashcamera itself was initially withheld from the defense, and then only produced with the SD card, which had apparently been reviewed, and then conveniently went missing:

Spencer's attorneys filed the motion seeking to have the case dismissed, contending that video and audio of the dash camera from Fosler's truck may have contained evidence that would have cleared Spencer of any wrongdoing. According to court records, a detective with the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office removed the dash camera from the truck when responding to the scene of the shooting.

But the camera's internal settings were not preserved, and the battery of the camera was allowed to drain, and as a result, the camera went back to its default settings. When the camera was sent to the attorney general's office for a forensic exam, the memory card that was in it when it was collected from the truck was missing. The detective who collected the camera later admitted that it was not logged into evidence right away, but was instead stored in his personal office rather than the evidence room, according to court records.

Yep, that's not suspicious, at all. 

Meanwhile CNN gave its salacious best: CNN: Judge dismisses murder case against Arkansas sheriff candidate Aaron Spencer

 Spencer admitted to gunning down Michael Fosler in the early hours of October 8, 2024, after he found him with his daughter after midnight despite a no-contact order. Fosler, 67, was out on bond while facing dozens of charges, including internet stalking of a child and sexual assault in connection with Spencer’s daughter, who was 13 at the time.

Yep, a 67 year old, with a reputation for being a pedo, is released with charges of internet stalking and sexual assault on a 13 year old, while on bond takes the same 13 year old at night into his truck.  Aaron Spencer, the girls father finds him and stops the truck.  A fight ensures and Spencer then shoots him protecting his daughter.

One would think based on those circumstances, the defense of a third party alone the case against Aaron Spencer should never have been brought.  Add to it the  impressive mishandling of evidence, and the dismissal is more than justified.

On the upside, the detective that mishandled the evidence has been terminated, so that's at least something. 

I certainly hope Aaron Spencer wins the election as Sheriff and helps to clean up the department accordingly so "mistakes" with evidence do not happen in the future.

It's the National Institutes of Health, Not the National Institutes of Hijinks

Hijinks, in this case, of a very serious pathogenic nature.

The Detroit News: Feds: 2 researchers brought vials of monkeypox to DTW

The Detroit Free Press: Feds: 2 researchers smuggled monkeypox through Detroit airport 

Two researchers with the National Institutes of Health have been charged with smuggling monkeypox into the United States and lying about it — an alleged crime that was detected at Detroit Metro Airport.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday, June 2 in U.S. District Court, one of the defendants is from the Netherlands, the other from Cameroon. Both are virus experts who work for the NIH at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana, in a lab that, according to the government, has the highest level of biosafety precautions for scientific research of known and potential human pathogens. 

The "highest level of biosafety precautions".

Well, according to federal prosecutors, they allegedly bypassed proper procedures for transporting and importing dangerous pathogens, instead bringing the materials into the country in luggage and then lying about it.

Given their scientific expertise and workplace responsibilities, the allegations are especially striking.

This is the latest in a series of biological-material smuggling incidents uncovered at the Detroit Airport.

Midwesterner: UM faces federal investigation after students from China repeatedly busted for crimes in Michigan

 USDOJ: Three Chinese National Scholars from University of Michigan Laboratory Charged for Conspiring to Smuggle Biological Materials into the U.S. 

NIH Scientists acting like Mad Scientists is just not a good look. 

Oh Canada, WTAF Pt 2

Carney  definition: a carnival worker, Carnies are junky ride jockeys that are here today and gone tomorrow. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is certainly putting on a clown show.

In response to a massive rise in antisemitism and assaults on Jews in Canada he has announced a new committee to deal with the problem:

Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion, which will be chaired by Culture Minister Marc Miller.  . . . its “first responsibility” will be to “address antisemitism.”

Sounds lovely, but as carnies are wont to do, it is a bait and switch.

This DEI committee replaces the special envoy to combat antisemitism  post- but that envoy post has been vacant under Carney for almost a year now.

Instead of a focus on stopping antisemitism as announced this committee is basically a DEI clown show.

In another sign that the Prime Minister is clearly not serious on actually combating antisemitism, this committee announced to combat antisemitism has more Muslims than the Jews on the committee (there's all of one Jew on it) and those Muslims have rather colorful backstories:

The makeup of the new advisory council includes some questionable choices. Miller, for example, served as immigration minister from July 2023 to March 2025. Given that Canada has welcomed unprecedented numbers of newcomers over the past decade, many from countries with high rates of antisemitism, it seems unlikely that he will be willing to admit that some of his own policies may have contributed to the problem.

It also includes Avnish Nanda, the lawyer who represented the anti-Israel students who launched a Charter challenge against the University of Alberta after they were evicted from their illegal encampment, and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.

Alghabra, in particular, has faced considerable scrutiny for his views on Israel and questions over his support for Islamism. He’s the former president of the Canadian Arab Federation, a group that, after this tenure, lost federal funding for its apparent support of Hamas and Hezbollah. In 2022, he defended his attendance at a Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group reception attended by Nazih Khatatba, the editor of an Arabic-language newspaper accused of spreading antisemitism.

This is not to say that either Nanda or Alghabra are antisemites, but given their history, they are certainly odd choices to lead a council tasked with, as Carney put it, “preventing radicalization and addressing institutional biases.”

But, at fear not, there's also a progressive LGBT actisvist,  a retired speedskater, and a Metis advocate for natives in society on the committee so there's that. I daresay the speedskater will be on thin ice with the group.

Yes, the committee announced with great fanfare and tasked to address antisemitism in Canada has people on it who are arguably on the side of the antisemites.

You really can't make this stuff up. 

Ah, It's That Kind of Ceasefire Then

A little bit of political double-think going on in this post from CENTCOM:

Yep, it's an Islamic ceasefire - Iran can fire at others, but if you fire at them it is violating the ceasefire.   We've seen these all around the Middle East.

In reality when one side continuously violates the ceasefire by firing at the other side, you do not, in fact, have a ceasefire. 

That the US is accepting the concept that Iran can continue firing missiles at American forces and it is still an "ongoing ceasefire" is a bad sign. 

A Brief Medical Question For The Experts Out There

In 2024, if you were suspecting someone was having a stroke, was the medical protocol in place at the time to immediately take them to a Waffle House?

Asking for a doctor.

USA Today:  'He's having a stroke': Jill Biden opens up about Joe's 2024 debate

MSN:  Jill Biden took Joe to Waffle House after thinking he had stroke on stage

The President Trump $1 Coin and $250 Note?

There's been a proposal to mint a commemorative dollar coin and engrave a $250 bank note, both with President Trump's likeness upon them, to mark the 250th Anniversary of our Republic.

Naturally this has certain people up in arms as well as being agog and aghast claiming it goes against all precedent.

Newsweek:  Trump Wants His Face on New $250 Bill; an 1866 Law Says It’s Not Allowed

 Newsweek in the article states that it is not allowed due to a law that prohibits living people from appearing on the currency:

The enthusiasm, however, runs directly into a long-standing legal barrier as federal statute prohibits living people from appearing on U.S. currency. The last time it happened was 1866, and Congress outlawed it immediately afterward. 

 The federal statute enacted in 1866 bars living people from appearing on U.S. currency, a rule created after the government briefly allowed a Treasury official’s portrait on a 5‑cent note. The restriction has remained in place ever since, meaning the Treasury cannot legally produce a $250 bill with Trump’s image unless Congress changes the law. 

Well, that statement is not in fact correct, nor has the restriction has remained in place ever since 1866. 

In honor of the United States Sesquicentennial, in 1926, a Half Dollar was minted with both President Washington and the then President Calvin Coolidge on the coin:  

 

So, yes,  there is precedent for a living seated president to be on money in the year of an important anniversary of our republic. Calvin Coolidge, being a darn good President certainly was worthy of the honor in any case.

However, these days, short of the coin and note being limited runs strictly as commemorative items, it would take legislation passing to have President Trump on a bill or coin in general circulation, and there is proposed legislation at the moment to do so.  

It may be tacky to some, even as the mock-ups of the coin and note do look pretty good.  

It may cause his opponents to go even crazier (which they seem to have no problem doing) -- which could be considered a bug or a feature.  

But, it is not the first time it has been done and it is not unprecedented for a present president to be put upon the currency.

Compare And Contrast The Response To "Teen Takeovers"

CBS News: Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield says city will address downtown teen takeovers:

 After several incidents in which large groups of teenagers took over  downtown Detroit, city leaders say they are developing a plan to address it.     

. . . 

While there is some perception that Detroit officials and the Detroit Police Department have been somewhat silent on the issue of these downtown takeovers, since these events began, Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield says a lot is happening behind the scenes to ensure that these takeovers don't get out of control. 

"It's a comprehensive, interdepartmental, all-hands-on-deck approach to assure that we're addressing the needs of our young people," Sheffield said. 

In a one-on-one interview with CBS News Detroit on Wednesday at DPD headquarters, Sheffield says the social media trend is top-of-mind with city officials, police and community intervention groups. Sheffield says the city is taking a holistic approach to addressing the issue and believes it's also an opportunity to serve the youth. 

"We didn't experience what other cities did as far as safety," Sheffield said. "Kids came out; they wanted to hang out; they wanted a place for something to do. So we're trying to make sure that we're addressing that need of making sure that young people have a safe space to be occupied and engaged throughout the upcoming summer months." 

The response from the teens in addition to continued takeovers, some fights and a shooting clearly has taken this strong and unambiguous message to heart: 

Deandrae Morgan said he plans to continue organizing Detroit "teen takeovers," despite Detroit police officers asking him last week to remove social media posts calling for young people to congregate downtown during a weekend that saw one peaceful gathering and another marred by a nonfatal shooting and brawls involving hundreds of combatants. 

Compare Detroit's wishy-washy response to that of Mayor of Pontiac and Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard when a  Teen Takeover was threatened for Pontiac: 

ClickonDetroit: Teen takeover gatherings spread to Pontiac, prompting safety warnings following Detroit chaos 

Similar unpermitted gatherings are now being advertised on social media in Pontiac.

Mayor Mike McGuinness said Pontiac officials and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office moved quickly after seeing one such event promoted online Friday.

“If folks are looking to get crazy or act up, Pontiac, Michigan, ain’t the place,” McGuinness said.

McGuinness said deputies were stationed “at every major intersection in downtown Pontiac” as a precaution this past Friday. 

Result:  No teen takeover and no mass teen violence in Pontiac. 

Funny how enforcing the law and not putting up with disorder and crime works.