What’s interesting in the news today?

The Boston bomber had an appearance in court yesterday. As expected, he showed himself to be a coward yet again. The bombing of innocent and unarmed men, women, and children was the act of cowards. Yesterday he had the chance to admit his guilt and take his punishment. He pled not guilty instead. If that wasn’t insulting enough to the victims and their families,  his supporters added to their pain. It’s pretty sad that people could be so crass. From BostonCBSLocal

“A small group of demonstrators showed up at Moakley Federal Courthouse in South Boston on Wednesday to show support for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Tsarnaev appeared in court for his first public hearing. He has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction in the bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 260.

A group of about a dozen supporters cheered as the motorcade carrying Tsarnaev arrived at the courthouse. The demonstrators yelled “Justice for Jahar,” as Tsarnaev is known. One woman held a sign that said, “Free Jahar.”

Others held signs claiming Tsarnaev’s innocence, while suggesting elaborate conspiracies surrounding the bombing and Tsarnaev’s arrest.”

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The George Zimmerman trial has pretty much finished up. The judge will give jurors their instructions today and then deliberations should begin Friday. Many Sheriff and Police depts. are preparing for the worst, should he be found not guilty. Meanwhile the former Sanford police chief is speaking out about the pressure to charge him even though the police felt he did nothing wrong. It was politicized, from Obama on down. From CNN

“The George Zimmerman investigation was hijacked “in a number of ways” by outside forces, said the former police chief of Sanford, Florida.

Bill Lee, who testified Monday in Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial, told CNN’s George Howell in an exclusive interview that he felt pressure from city officials to arrest Zimmerman to placate the public rather than as a matter of justice.

“It was (relayed) to me that they just wanted an arrest. They didn’t care if it got dismissed later,” he said. “You don’t do that.”

When Sanford police arrived on the scene on February 26, 2012, after Zimmerman fatally shot unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, they conducted a “sound” investigation, and the evidence provided no probable cause to arrest Zimmerman at the scene, he said.”

Despite the evidence, there are plenty of people out there who won’t take a not guilty verdict well. There have been numerous threats of violence from Trayvon Martin supporters. Let’s hope it’s all talk.

More troubling info has also surfaced. Was the DoJ attempting to calm protests, or were they the ones orchestrating the protests? From JudicialWatch

“Judicial Watch, Inc.  on April 24, 2012 launched an investigation into the Trayvon Martin case based on reports that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) had sent a secret team of “peacekeepers” to Sanflord, Florida, where Martin was shot on February 26, 2012 after wandering in a gated community after dark.  George Zimmerman, a resident of the community and its neighborhood watch captain, is currently on trial for Martin’s death though he maintains he acted in self-defense.”

“Records obtained by Judicial Watch in response to local, state and federal public records requests show that the so-called peacekeepers are part of a large and growing division within DOJ called the Community Relations Service (CRS).  Though CRS purports to spot and quell racial tensions nationwide before they arise, the documents obtained by Judicial Watch show the group actively worked to foment unrest, spending thousands of taxpayer dollars on travel and hotel rooms to train protestors throughout Florida.  The peacekeepers also met with officials of the Republican National Convention, scheduled for several months later in Tampa, to warn them to expect protests in connection with Martin’s death.”

“In response to a Florida Sunshine Law request to the City of Sanford, Judicial Watch also obtained an audio recording of a “community meeting” held at Second Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Sanford on April 19, 2012.  The meeting, which opens with a gospel hymn and organ music, is reported to have led to the official ouster of Sanford’s Police Chief Bill Lee.  A week earlier, a group calling themselves the “Dream Defenders” had barricaded the entrance to the police department demanding he be fired for failing to file murder charges against Zimmerman.  The church meeting produced a nine-point plan, the main demand being the firing of Chief Lee.”

Like I said, troubling. And on a related note, is the judge trying to get a mistrial because she knows the case prosecutors presented is too weak for a conviction? From NationalReview

“Nelson reminded Zimmerman that he has the “absolute right to remain silent” if he so desires and proceeded to ask him whether he was prepared to testify. Defense attorney Don West twice objected to the question, but was overruled by Nelson, who explained, “The court is entitled to inquire if Mr. Zimmerman’s determination [sic] as to whether or not he wants to testify.”

The judge then began asking Zimmerman how much time he requires to determine whether or not he would like to testify. West again objected to the question and asked for more time to speak with his client, prompting Judge Nelson to raise her voice and exclaim, “Your objection is overruled!”

“Kathi Belich, a journalist following the trial for a local news channel, tweeted her surprise at the line of questioning, writing “I have never seen that in more than 30 years of court reporting.””

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The Texas House has passed the nation’s most restrictive abortion restrictions. Good. From TheWashingtonTimes

“After weeks of debate and a parliamentary delay engineered by pro-choice  advocates, Texas lawmakers on Wednesday passed a set of abortion limits widely  seen as the most restrictive in the nation.

The Texas House cleared the measure —  known as House Bill 2 — just after noon Wednesday by a vote of 96 to 49. The  legislation now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it’s also expected to pass as early as  this week.”

Democrats of course are throwing fits and shrieking about the “war on women” again, just like their scripts tell them too. They’re calling Republicans extremists for passing what the majority of their citizens favor. But here’s some info to set the record straight on just who the extremists really are. From TownHall

“The American left loves Western European democracies for their cultural sensibilities and for their policies on everything from crime to health care. One policy area where you won’t hear American liberals cite the European example, though, is abortion.

The reason is simple: Abortion law is far more restrictive in Europe than in the United States. As the table below shows, 16 of 18 countries on the continent limit abortion to the first trimester of pregnancy (with certain exceptions in various countries). The banning of late-term abortions now being considered in the House of Representatives and some American states would seem only civilized to most Europeans.”

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And lastly today, the latest baseball scandal. So yeah, of course A-rod’s right in the middle of it. What a waste.

Anyway, while I get the whole idea of removing these types of PED’s, and they should don’t get me wrong, I’m still troubled by something. What MLB has done here is questionable in my mind. Isn’t this the same thing as making a deal for immunity with a drug dealer if he snitches on his customers? After all, their snitch is the one who provided the stuff, yet it’s the user and not the dealer who gets burned. Doesn’t seem right. Thoughts?

From FoxSports

“Tuesday evening, a new ESPN report said MLB “is expected to suspend Braun and Rodriguez [emphasis mine], along with as many as 20 players.” The timing of the discipline, according to the report, is “sometime after next week’s All-Star break.”

The more conclusive tone in Tuesday’s story was noteworthy. Apparently, MLB has made progress in the Biogenesis investigation with the cooperation of founder Anthony Bosch. And now executives, managers, players and fans across the majors must brace for the possibility of (a) bombshell suspensions, (b) lengthy appeals, or (c) some combination thereof.

Whatever the outcome, this could be one of the most awkward second halves in baseball history.”

And I know the Yankees still owe A-rod a ton of money, but I’d still like to see him banned for life for repeat offenses.

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