Posts Tagged ‘john ruberry’

Say his name: Jai’mani Amir Rivera. The 7-year-old was allegedly murdered in Chicago by a teen who officials say cut off his ankle monitor

Posted: June 23, 2024 by John Ruberry in crime, News/opinion, opinion/news, politics
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By John Ruberry

The biggest news story in Chicago at the end of last week was the vandalism of Chicago’s iconic Buckingham Fountain by pro-Hamas protesters. 

That’s tragic, because the more important news was the arrest of 16-year-old Raysean Comer, who according to court records allegedly shot to death a 7-year-old, Jai’mani Amir Rivera, on Chicago’s West Side. Rivera had just completed first grade. The murder occurred about a mile from the United Center, where the Democratic National Convention will be held later this summer.

Say his name: Jai’mani Amir Rivera.

Illinois’ governor, J.B. Pritzker, a likely 2028 presidential candidate–and possibly even this year–was the main catalyst for bringing the DNC to Chicago.

Again, according to court records as well as the essential CWB Chicago site, Comer was on pre-trial release, but under electronic monitoring, for alleged aggravated battery and being in possession of a stolen automobile. Two weeks ago, according to local officials, Comer cut off his ankle monitor. 

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is in charge of the county electronic monitoring program.

Hey Dart! Did you try to find Comer after he removed his ankle monitor?

Back to Pritzker.

With great fanfare in response to the George Floyd murder–the Chicago Democrat signed the SAFE-T Act into law–it eliminates cash bail throughout Illinois. It took effect last autumn. 

Comer is now locked up in Cook County Jail. But he’s the 14th person in Chicago this year, according to CWB Chicago, who is accused of shooting, attempting to shoot, or killing someone while on pretrial release. 

Hey Jackass, another great Chicago site, notes that last week was a very bloody one. “Final tally for the week of 6/16 – 6/22: 125 people shot, 24 fatally,” Hey Jackass posted Sunday morning on X. “The last time #Chicago tallied at least 125 shot in a single week was 9/26/21 – 10/2/21 with 23 killed, 102 wounded.”

Violent crime is increasing in Chicago, despite false assurances otherwise. Murders, for now, being an exception. As I’ve noted earlier here at DTG, Pritzker, and Chicago’s leftist mayor, Brandon Johnson, scored a lucky break when a court challenge delayed implementation of the SAFE-T Act. Summer is the most violent season in Chicago, and the summer of 2024, as we know, has started off badly in terms of public safety. 

So far this year, according to Larry Snelling, Chicago’s police superintendant, 127 youths have been shot. And seventeen of them have died.

Chicago’s violent crime epidemic pre-dates the SAFE-T Act. Eight years ago, a George Soros-funded catch-and-release prosecutor, Kim Foxx, was elected as Cook County’s state’s attorney. She chose not to run for a third term, her successor will be an improvement.

Friday night, the Chicago Police Department held a press conference announcing the arrest of Comer. It was one of those “all-hands-on-deck” events. Perhaps they were out of town or otherwise busy, but three people were noticeably absent at the presser: Foxx, Dart, and Mayor Brandon Johnson. Chicago’s mayor spoke favorably of the Defund the Police movement in 2020, and he’s the most egregious minimizer of crime in his city.

The SAFE-T Act is a monumental failure, and it needs to be repealed.

If Pritzker runs for president, law-and-order Americans–still a majority in this country–needs to tell everyone else that he signed the SAFE-T Act into law. Or better yet, chant “SAFE-T Act!”

Johnson needs to be reminded that his most important duty is to protect the lives of 2.7 million Chicagoans. His dismissal of youth violence as kids doing “silly things” makes things worse.

Good riddance to Foxx.

Say his name: Jai’mani Amir Rivera.

There is a GoFundMe page dedicated to covering Rivera’s funeral expenses. Click here to donate.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

Chicago’s Summer of Misery: Criminals emboldened over cop shortages, no-cash bail, and a Soros prosecutor

Posted: June 16, 2024 by John Ruberry in crime, culture, News/opinion, opinion/news, politics
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By John Ruberry

Chicago, not surprisingly, is coming apart at the seams. 

While recently propped up a bit by COVID relief money, which will run out next year, Chicago, because of massive unfunded pension liabilities, is essentially bankrupt. Its streets and roads are in terrible shape. Riding on Chicago’s buses, and even more so its el trains, can be trip into a scene from Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. The George Floyd riots of 2020 chased out major retailers on North Michigan Avenue, and fear of crime has solidified the work-at-home movement, keeping office workers, and their wallets, out of Chicago’s central business district, the Loop.

Last year, Chicagoans voted in a defund-the-police advocate, Brandon Johnson, as mayor. In 2020, while a county commissioner–as well as working as an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union–Johnson said of the defund movement, “I don’t look at it as a slogan,” he said. “It’s an actual real political goal.” 

At a forum the month before the runoff election, which Johnson of course won, he answered back to that statement with this lie, “I said it was a political goal, I never said it was mine.”

Chicago used to be a hard-knuckle newspaper town. The Front Page, a 1928 play that inspired two movies of the same name, was written by two Chicago newspaper reporters. Chicago has devolved from that to subservience. Led by its worst journalist, PBS Chicago’s Heather Cherone, the local media barely pressed Johnson on his hypocrisy over the defund movement.

Fourteen months into Johnson’s term, with the exception of murder, the crime rate continues to rise in Chicago. To be fair, not everything is Johnson’s fault. Until December, Chicago is plagued with a George Soros-so-called prosecutor, Kim Foxx. And last fall, Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, which abolishes cash bail, went into effect. 

Chicago has about 11,000 police officers, and Johnson’s handpicked police chief, Larry Snelling, says the CPD is short 2,000 cops. 

It’s a glorious new era for criminals. They are emboldened because they don’t fear getting caught, and if they are arrested, Chicago’s criminals have a decent chance of not getting punished.

As I have here before, I am going to list some recent headlines from the essential CWB Chicago:

Yes, a man was shot near the home of the man who signed SAFE-T Act into law. And let me reiterate, these are recent CWB Chicago stories, the oldest is from three days ago. And notice the anarchic nature, when digested together, of these crimes.

Yes, lawbreakers are emboldened in Chicago. A look at this X video from 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner. Police were dispatched to break up a raucous party. Just a few years ago such a police call would be termed “routine.” Look at how these beasts, many recording the mayhem, react. One law enforcement officer is struck in the head while some women twerk, as if they are in a porn video, in response.

On the upside, the jackals are multi-racial. Even as it’s falling apart, Chicago is coming together.

Chicago’s 16th Police District, on the Northwest Side, was considered a safe place to live. No place is safe in Chicago. On a personal note, my daughter and one of my sisters live within the district’s boundaries.

Also from 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner, is this disturbing sign outside the entrance of the 16th Police District station, which because only one cop is working the desk there, advises crime victims to drive to another police station if they want faster service.

Citywide, the complaints from residents calling 911 and having to wait hours for police to respond are piling up.

In two months, the Democratic National Convention will convene in Chicago. Thousands of protesters rioters are expected to descend upon the city.

And the Chicago Police Department, because of staff shortages, cannot even handle a normal weekend.

Chicago’s Summer of Misery is here.

As of this writing, 3:45pm CDT Sunday June 16, there have been 38 people who have been shot in Chicago. Six of them, including a 13-year-old boy, are dead.

UPDATE June 17:

Last weekend ended up being an extremely violent one. The final shooting total, for now, for last weekend in Chicago was 71 people shot and nine killed. There were two mass shootings early Monday morning an hour apart from each other.

Here is coverage of one of the Monday mass shootings.

Welcome to Detroit.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

12 great songs about dads for Father’s Day

Posted: June 9, 2024 by John Ruberry in culture, entertainment
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By John Ruberry

Father’s Day is next Sunday, June 16. 

And today’s is a good day to get a jump start on great songs about dad. Some of these will be familiar to you, others not, and it’s that last category that will make things interesting, I hope.

Leader of the Band: Dan Fogelberg.

One of two Illinois musicians on my list, the other is Steve Goodman, Dan Fogelberg wrote this song about his father, a musician and band leader.

Hold Me My Daddy: XTC.

Most popular music songs are about relationships. You know, boy meets girl or girl loses boy. XTC, well, not so much. But they recorded some such tunes. XTC’s principal songwriter, Andy Partridge, had a troubled relationship with his mother, but less so with his father. Still, there also was conflict between the male Partridges.  He sings here, “This civil war, why are we in it?” Musically, “Hold Me My Daddy” is also a successful leap out of XTC’s comfort zone, it incorporates an Afro Pop style.

A Boy Named Sue: Johnny Cash.

The Man is Black’s relationship with his father, Ray, was portrayed in a harsh light in the movie Walk the Line. But the truth between the two is murky. For his Live at San Quentin album, Johnny Cash crooned of a dysfunctional father meeting his son in the Shel Silverstein-penned song, “A Boy Named Sue.” 

Dear Dad: Chuck Berry.

Often sons–and daughters–seek out their mothers when they need guidance. But automobiles are a dad thing, which is why Chuck Berry speaks to his father about getting a new car. Released in 1965, “Dear Dad” was Berry’s last charting American single until the immature and silly “My Ding-a-Ling,” a number one hit for the legend, seven years later.

Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel): Billy Joel.

Because he has a nasty history of car accidents, Billy Joel is not the type of dad to ask for advice on automobiles, unless, of course, it involves filing an insurance claim. “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” was written for his daughter, Alexa Ray, for his 1993 album, River of Dreams, his last collection of new material in the pop music genre.

My Three Sons: Elvis Costello and the Imposters.

Absentee fathers–because musicians usually travel a lot–are a common topic in dad songs. “My Three Sons” is Elvis Costello’s take on not being there. 

Coal Miner’s Daughter: Loretta Lynn.

The best parents make the most out of a challenging situation. Loretta Lynn tells the story about her dad here. And of course, this song was the title of the Hollywood movie about her storied life.

The Rest of the Dream: John Hiatt:

John Hiatt is yet another one of those artists who hasn’t gotten the support he deserves. “The Rest of the Dream” covers fatherhood, childhood, marriage, and fatherhood again. It’s a multi-generational epic that clocks in under five minutes.

And When I Die: Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Arguably, this is a Mother’s Day song, because “And When I Die” was written by a woman, Laura Nyro. But the best-known version is by Blood, Sweat & Tears. David Clayton-Thomas sings lead here, and the western-movie style instrumentation puts this song on high on my list. Yee-hah! Coincidentally, in 1963, Johnny Cash released an album titled Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

My Old Man: Steve Goodman.

Steve Goodman, best known for his “City of New Orleans,” wrote many other memorable songs. Obviously, “My Old Man” is about his father, a World War II veteran, who died at 58. Sadly, Goodman passed away at a much younger age–he was 36 when cancer claimed him.

Take a peek at these moving lyrics:

I miss my old man tonight
And I wish he was here with me
With his corny jokes and his cheap cigars
He could look you in the eye and sell you a car
That’s not an easy thing to do
But no one ever knew a more charming creature
On this earth than my old man.

Father and Son: Cat Stevens.

Three months ago, here at Da Tech Guy I compiled another musical collection, 13 Great Songs about Getting Old. Cat Stevens, who decades ago changed his name to Yusuf Islam, wrote and sings the only tune that made both of my lists, “Father and Son.” Sometimes the ultimate show of love for a parent is to let a child go.

Cat’s in the Cradle: Harry Chapin.

From Cat Stevens to another Cat. One of music’s all-time great storytellers, Harry Chapin sings about the typical father of the Baby Boom era. A great provider, yes, but many dads then were too busy for their children. Tragically, Chapin never found out if his son would have “grown up just like me,” that is, not having time for him years later. Chapin, like Goodman, died young, at 38, in an automobile accident.

Did I miss a favorite of yours? Probably. Let me know in the comments.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

Meta AI on Facebook gives biased answers on Biden and Trump’s health

Posted: June 2, 2024 by John Ruberry in election 2024, News/opinion, opinion/news, politics
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By John Ruberry

Artificial Intelligence, AI for short, is dangerous.

Musical instruments can be used to create beautiful and soul-stirring music, such as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony; they can also be abused to grind out aural rubbish such as Screaming Lord Sutch’s Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends, which a BBC poll found to be the worst album of all time.

Artificial intelligence can be twisted to produce ugliness, distortions, and lies.

On my smartphone, I asked Meta AI, thru Facebook, “Is Biden healthy?”

This is the answer I received:

President Joe Biden has generally been considered healthy for his age. In 2021, his physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, released a medical report stating that Biden was “healthy” and “vigorous” and that he was fit to serve as president.

However, like many people his age, Biden has had some health issues, including:

– A history of brain aneurysms (Successfully treated in 1988).
– A pulmonary embolism (treated in 1988).
– Atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat).
– High cholesterol.
– Acid reflux.
– A minor foot fracture in 2020.
– COVID-19 in 2022 (mild symptoms).

Despite these issues, Biden has maintained an active schedule and has been cleared by his doctors to continue serving as president.

While I am not a doctor, but clearly the president is that the president is “an old 81” and at the very least, should submit to a full cognitive exam from a qualified and unbiased team of psychiatrists.

Meta AI doesn’t mention Biden’s frequent mental wanderings, the most recent of which was last month’s disastrous Biden press conference that was abruptly ended by Karine Jean-Pierre.

Let’s check into Meta AI’s opinion on the presumptive Republican nominee for president, Donald J. Trump.

“Is Trump healthy?”

Former President Donald Trump’s health has been a subject of interest and controversy. In 2019, his then-personal physician, Dr. Harold Bornstein, wrote a letter stating that Trump was in “excellent physical health” and that his lab results were “astonishingly excellent.” However, there have been some concerns and controversies surrounding Trump’s health, including:

– Obesity (he is reportedly 6’3″ and weighed 230 pounds in 2019).
– High cholesterol.
– A history of fast food consumption and poor diet.
– Questions about his mental health and cognitive abilities.
. – A bout of COVID-19 in 2020 (he was hospitalized for a few days).
– A history of esophageal reflux and sleep apnea.

It’s important to note that Trump’s health records have not been fully disclosed, and some of his medical information has been disputed or controversial.

Shameful.

As the Washington Post says, “Democracy dies in darkness.” It can also choke to death from lies.

Yes, Trump’s diet sucks and he’s overweight. Yet one Meta AI distortion about Trump jumps out: “Questions about his mental health and cognitive abilities.” Trump’s political rallies are an exercise of streams of consciousness. No one ever questioned James Joyce’s cognitive abilities. The same goes for legendary baseball manager Casey Stengel. Trump’s mind is as sharp as a pin, while Biden can’t even make it through a brief speech in front of a teleprompter.

“Controversy” and “controversial” are used in Meta AI’s account of Trump’s health, but not in Biden’s health rundown.

I could go on and on, but two more things: I’ve always been skeptical about the established line that Biden’s “minor foot fracture” was the result of the then-president-elect playing with his dog. And while Meta AI while mentions that Trump suffers from sleep apnea, it’s been widely reported–but not by Meta AI–that Biden uses a CPAP machine to treat his sleep apnea.

If America ever collapses, an Edward Gibbon of the future will need to include a chapter or two about social media in that account of the decline and fall.

I played around the Meta AI a bit more, not every answer about Trump’s health was a biased as the one documented here, but perhaps Meta AI was getting wise to me.

I’m sure Meta AI has a file on me that includes the words “right-wing lunatic.”

John Ruberry regularly blogs, without the use of AI, at Marathon Pundit.

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