Politics: A new beginning

[Atticus Grinch]

At an Oct. 6 press conference, Rhonda Miller accused gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger of pulling up her shirt and taking a photo of her breasts during production of "Terminator 2," in which she worked as a stand-in.

Less than an hour later, Schwarzenegger's campaign staff gave reporters a memo directing them to the Los Angeles Superior Court Web site for the lengthy criminal record, including felony convictions for prostitution and fraud, of a woman named Rhonda Miller.

Trouble is, there's more than one Rhonda Miller in Los Angeles. And this one's a little pissed.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
By that analysis, even drunken driving resulting in death or serious bodily injury would not be a felony. NTTAWWT. Oh, wait, yes there is.

In the states that have codified that drunkenness = recklessness, that works. In the states that have not, generally drunkenness will not suffice for a Manslaughter charge. I think the (moral) difference might be notice - if your state has explicitly held that drunkenness in a fatal accident can bring a felony charge, then I see no problem with it. But, given SD's definition of manslaughter, and how it has historically been interpreted, I still think this is overreaching.

(Maybe the context in which I view this is coloring my view. All over rural SD, people drive 70-90 mph, and regularly blow through the cornfield stop signs, as there is so little traffic, they never expect to see anyone. I slow at all intersections out there, even when I have the ROW, because I've seen so many people blowing through. Maybe my real beef has nothing to do with interpretation, and everything to do with the fact that they just have never historically charged this kind of crime for this kind of conduct.)

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by bilmore
The "channelling Josh" line had to do with "Bilmore's complaining about this crim charge, it must be because Janklow's a Repub."

Since you are a Minnesotan, it was inconceivable to me that you would not have been familiar with Janklow, but evidently I was wrong. I guess I was wrong.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by sgtclub
So the latest theory is that Gore's backing of Dean rather than a Clinton blessed nominee is a signal that he's not finished yet in politics and may take on Hillary in 2008. Thoughts?

I understand that why people engage in this sort of speculation, but 2008 is a long, long way away. Think back to 1998, and whether the predictions people were making in 2003 had any resemblance to our reality.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Not Me
Speeding is usually intentional, but again, may not always be. For instance, if someone's stilletto spiked heels got caught under the gas pedal.

His lawyer was thinking of using that defense, but oddly enough went with the I'm-diabetic-and-forgot-to-eat-that-morning defense instead.

edited to add: Hat Trick!

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
His lawyer was thinking of using that defense, but oddly enough went with the I'm-diabetic-and-forgot-to-eat-that-morning defense instead.

edited to add: Hat Trick!

From the sounds of the jury interviews, the stilletto heel idea might have been better.

(Does this verdict place a higher-than-past burden on diabetic/epileptic drivers to control their illness or face manslaughter charges?)

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by bilmore
(Does this verdict place a higher-than-past burden on diabetic/epileptic drivers to control their illness or face manslaughter charges?)

No. I don't think it helped Janklow that he had joked about speeding in public speeches, though.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
No. I don't think it helped Janklow that he had joked about speeding in public speeches, though.

Nor did it help that he went to the "I had to blow the stop sign to avoid hitting the unidentified white car that later fled the scene" well one too many times.

[sgtclub]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20031209/D7VANKB01.html

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Tuesday Morning Quarterback, at his new home, touches on the same point as HRC (no mention of her, though):

The Football Gods Can Read a Map

Playing the "New York" Giants and "New York" Jets on consecutive weeks, the Bills defeated both. Thus the Buffalo Bills remind the world they are New York State's only NFL franchise.


He calls the Giants and Jets Jersey/A and Jersey/B.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
Tuesday Morning Quarterback, at his new home,

Ty, do you get a commission for click-throughs to TMQ?

As for diabetics/epileptics, aren't there already some restrictions on licensing? Last time I renewed, I remember being asked whether I was diabetic or had epilectic seizures. I assume the question was not just for informational purposes.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
At an Oct. 6 press conference, Rhonda Miller accused gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger of pulling up her shirt and taking a photo of her breasts during production of "Terminator 2," in which she worked as a stand-in.

Less than an hour later, Schwarzenegger's campaign staff gave reporters a memo directing them to the Los Angeles Superior Court Web site for the lengthy criminal record, including felony convictions for prostitution and fraud, of a woman named Rhonda Miller.

Trouble is, there's more than one Rhonda Miller in Los Angeles. And this one's a little pissed.

Republicans don't turn over info, people get pissed
Republicans do turn over info, people get pissed

[Gattigap]

This doesn't translate especially well in the online version, but in today's LA Times, this article appeared on A1.

Above the fold it read: "Governor Drops Plan for Groping".

Below the fold it concluded: "Inquiry."

I think the Guv will have a good few years to look forward to sparring with the LA Times.

(On the substance, it's little surprise that he would drop this. It was a dumb idea to begin with. If the "investigation" turned up corroborating evidence, do we think they'd have released it? If it cleared him, does he think we'd have believed it?)

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Gattigap
(On the substance, it's little surprise that he would drop this. It was a dumb idea to begin with. If the "investigation" turned up corroborating evidence, do we think they'd have released it? If it cleared him, does he think we'd have believed it?)

I'm really of two minds on this one. On one hand, he could honestly be saying that he wasn't nearly as bad as these people are making him out to be, and that most of the accusations were simply limelight-seekers or let's-trash-the-candidate types, but he realizes that to give them yet another pulpit would solve nothing, because, well, how do you prove a negative? On the other hand, I can't believe anyone stood still for the "well, let's look into this after the election" blowoff.

I think, though, that after Clinton, Jesse, and Arnold, we have moved past the era in which we expect respectability in our leaders. Now, we just want someone with personality, someone larger than life.

[Not Me]

Dead.