THE GOOD THE BAD THE UGLY

 Life is full of ups and downs. If we have learned anything in our multiple decades of existence it is these two things- 1) Do not judge a person until you have walked a mile in her moccasins; and 2) If you wait patiently by the river the bodies of your enemies will float by. 

With these two thoughts in mind, and a week closing with the start of the NFL draft, we provide you some thoughts: 

Rudy Giuliani: The bad- the FBI serving a search warrant for his electronic devices on Wednesday; the ugly- his press conference when black hair die trickled down his face; the bad- renting Four Seasons Total Landscaping for a press conference instead of the nearby Four Seasons (we usually stay at a Four Seasons when traveling on a case); the ugly- his scene in Borat Subsequent Movie Film where arguably he has his hands down his trousers (trousers is in danger of being lost in the English language. Here is our effort to revive it). Verdict: a bad year. BAD. Wild prediction: something bizarre like Little Pony videos are found on his devices. 

Miami Dolphins: With the sixth pick in the 2021 NFL your Miami Dolphins select..De Vonta Smith, WR Alabama. With the 18th pick in the 2021 NFL draft your Miami Dolphins select....Christian Darrisaw, Tackle, Virginia Tech. In 2020 Darrisaw graded perfect in preventing sacks or hits on his QB. Not one allowed. The Fins strongly consider a RB at this spot, but there are several available in rounds 3-7 and with Darrisaw paving the way, and De Vonta Smith preventing the defense from  stacking the box and stopping the run, the Dolphins future is looking GOOD. Real good. No bad or ugly here. 

Judge Z. Bad month. You know the story. But you know what, it's not over until it's over. Judges are human (yes we really said that). They can learn from their (many) mistakes. A dose of humility is sometimes the right medicine to turn someone around. Ironically, this is the argument we make when we (rarely) represent someone at sentencing. Sometimes its a good thing if your audience can personally connect with your client's experience. BAD but not over and perhaps some good yet is in store. He certainly has the right counsel (David Rothman, attorney to the stars and bench, and that is a good thing). 

Judge MM. BAD. Moveon.org. It's over Johnny. 

 Apple and Facebook. Both just announced blow-out quarters. GOOD. 

India. BAD AND UGLY. The US State department just announced a level 4 alert for travelers. You cannot go. If you are a US citizen in India you must leave. Want to see what the future holds for the world unprepared for pandemics? Look at India now. Hospitals have no room. They have no oxygen or Covid19 therapeutics and crematoriums (we searched, this is the first time we used that word on the blog lo all these years of writing) are melting from the constant use. Look at India. And learn this lesson. The next Pandemic is coming and why do we feel the idiots of the world and US will be even more resistant to wearing masks and shutting down? 

 

WEEKEND POTPOURRI

Update on the Jail Flu/Virus: Dade County Jail's crack medical team has isolated the sick inmates, and pursuant to the Geneva Convention, are ensuring that they have an adequate supply of running water, toilet paper which can be used as tissues, and bread. To accommodate ill inmates, the temperature in the quarantined area has been warmed to 58 degrees. Hot water, tea, saltine crackers and Tylenol are available for purchase at the commissary. 

Here are some random thoughts for your weekend: 

Who is the youngest person running for president? Donald J Trump!

More women than ever ran for president this election cycle. And yet the next president of the United States will be an old white male over the age of 74.  Why is that? 

While we want a younger president, we like older judges. There is a measure of life experience an older person has that cannot be duplicated. You have to live it to understand it and obtain it. 

Is Kathy Rundle's sudden embrace of bail/bond reform nothing more than an election cycle maneuver? Or has she sat behind her desk for decades fretting about how fair bond reform could be instituted in Florida? In other words, real leaders are out in front of issues- creating discussion and innovating solutions before problems arise. Bureaucrats spend their career putting out fires and struggling to keep the status quo. 

 If anyone has any evidence of our State Attorney exhibiting ANY concerns for bail reform circa 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 please pass it on to us and we will post it. 

Has our State Attorney addressed the REGJB Pandemic of ASAs announcing "The Victim wants the max" on most cases? Or is this not an election issue yet?

Are we being too hard on our State Attorney? Or are election years the only time we can get her to respond to issues? 

Did the 11th Judicial Circuit have a plan for keeping courts running  during unexpected social disruption other than a hurricane ("remain calm...go to Home Depot and stand in line for ten hours...get water...sigh of relief when storm misses us...) ? 

Or are the 117* administrative Judges too busy planning their next Judicial Conference topic: "Why a Well Run Richardson Hearing Means Never Having to Grant a Mistrial For a Discovery Violation."

Shouldn't we get out ahead of the curve here? 

What about Jury Duty? Should the Courts be clustering hundreds of strangers in a small room these next few weeks? 

What is being done to reduce court appearances? Any thoughts to video conferencing calendars?  

Why are ANY civil jury trials being scheduled at all? 

Is it possible our State Attorney will convene a council of advisors to review upcoming cases to see how many can be resolved without a jury trial? Or should Dade County citizens  throw their lives into the furnace of a pandemic because the State announces on a possession of cocaine case  or burglary of an unoccupied vehicle: "The officers/victims  want the max"? 

Or our leaders fiddling while Rome sneezes? 

COMING NEXT: If the court system will not respond to the pandemic, should citizens refuse to come to court for jury duty and misdemeanor cases? What if everyone called in and said they were not feeling well and the CDC guidelines recommend they stay home for two weeks? 

*Current Estimate subject to daily change.