* * * *
If the Shoe Fits, Wear It
I recall a shoe company years ago called ‘Adler’s
Elevator Shoes’ that sold footwear designed to make shorter people appear
taller. I don’t know if they are still
in business, but they certainly don’t have to be in today’s Russia. Photography released by the Kremlin does the
job for them, where necessary.
Here are three photos that were taken of Vladimir Putin and
Chinese President Xi at their recent meeting.
Their ties are the same in all three, so I am assuming they were taken
at the same meeting.
In the first photo they are engaged in a
toast. Because liquids usually reach a
level, and not remain on an incline, it would appear that this photo was
altered to make Putin appear taller than he is.
Tilt it so that the wine is level in their raised glasses, as it would
be according to the laws of physics, when a glass is raised in a toast before
being tilted to one's lips to be tasted, and Putin becomes shorter.
The second photo, apparently taken by a
photographer standing on a ladder or chair, pictures them walking into the
meeting, is so angled that Putin is made to appear taller than Xi. These first two photographs were released by
Kremlin sources.
Finally, the third photo of the two of them at the meeting, taken by a non-Kremlin photographer, shows them together. I doubt that this photo was circulated in Russia since it shows Xi to be about half a head taller than Putin, which is the case.
The camera does not lie unless it is made to. And that is why there is no 'Adler's Elevator Shoes' outlet in Moscow.
JL
* * *
If You Won't Read the Papers, Must I Spoon-Feed You?
In the previous posting of this blog, I pointed
out the necessity of reading local newspapers in order to know what is going on
in government. Floridians are
particularly blind to these activities unless they read a local newspaper. The American Revolution would not have
occurred without the work of journalist Thomas Paine. So it is today. Defend democracy. Read a local newspaper every day!
For those of you who do not read a Florida paper
each day, here is an editorial from the Palm Beach Post that appeared
earlier this week (I urge you to subscribe, at least to its very
inexpensive online edition) regarding what’s going on in the Florida legislature, both houses of
which will do whatever the governor asks of them. But don’t count
on me to provide you with valuable information from newspapers. You must read them yourself if you care about preserving democracy. (And if you
don’t like the Post, there are others, such as the Sun-Sentinel,
but don’t look for material like this in the New York Times.)
“Editorial (Palm
Beach Post) 3-22-23
Legislature’s Supermajority
Unleashes Dogs
All it takes for a bad idea to become law in Florida is a
partisan supermajority of state lawmakers who either are driven by ideology,
eager to grant questionable favors or simply compliant enough to do as they’re
told.
Such is the the state of the Florida Legislature, which
seems content with its reputation as a right-wing political petri dish.
Take HB 1/SB 202, the bill expanding eligibility for voucher
scholarships to any public school student. The bill’s a priority that
has been fast-tracked to move through the Legislature and onto Gov. Ron
DeSantis’ desk.
So has HB 837/SB 236, which makes it more difficult
to sue insurance companies and other businesses, and don’t forget HB 7/SB 300, the
bill that bans abortions after six weeks to the list of high-priority bills
that will likely become law.
Credit Gov. DeSantis’ unannounced presidential campaign as
the Legislature is doing all it can to give him a platform befitting his 'free
state' of Florida. Beyond that, lawmakers generally follow their political
parties and legislative leaders.
That reality often runs counter to the wishes of
constituents.
Floridians, however, still have a say with their voice and
their vote.
Information also helps, which leads The Palm Beach Post
Editorial Board to present this list of select legislation that illustrates the
ideology and the absurdity driving state lawmakers:
HB 555/SB 450: Angered that the Parkland school shooter
ended up with life in prison, lawmakers want to loosen
the law that requires a unanimous jury decision to impose the death penalty.
Under this bill a simple majority would be enough, a change
that could have unforeseen and unwanted consequences.
HB 991/SB 1220: The First Amendment restrains Congress from
curtailing the free speech and press rights, but this isn’t stopping the
Florida Legislature from doing so. This bill opens the door for
litigation against journalists by weakening constitutional protections. This one’s heading to the U.S.
Supreme Court for sure, which may be the intent.
HB 1011/SB 668: Bad enough this bill bans
local governments from displaying gay pride and other flags that don’t fit newly
drawn criteria. But, the Senate sponsor offered an amendment that would have allowed
local governments to fly the Confederate flag. That 'mistake' was withdrawn after
the media got wind of it.
HB 1191/SB 1258: Bill provides for a study to see if phosphogypsum,
a by-product from manufacturing phosphate, can be used as material for road
construction. The bill is moving through the House, even though the
federal Environmental Protection Agency tried and later prohibited
phosphogypsum’s use for health and safety reasons.
HB 1223/SB 1320: Think 'Don’t Say Gay'
through the 8th grade. That what this bill does, extending the prohibition on
sexual orientation and gender identity discussion. It also requires school
districts to publish its parental appeal process to help parents dispute any
such classroom discussion.
HB 1265/SB 952, HB 1421/SB 254, HB 1521/SB 1674: A
transgender trifecta. One bill requires employers providing coverage of gender
dysphoria treatment to cover the costs of reversing that procedure. Another
sets new prohibitions on sex-reassignment prescriptions and procedures. The
last governs transgender bathroom use.
HB 1543: This bill drops the minimum age to
buy a firearm from 21 to 18, just five years after Florida’s big attempt
at gun safety following the 2018 massacre at Parkland’s Marjorie Stoneman
Douglass High School. The bill has sailed through the House but Senate
President Kathleen Passidomo opposes it.
SB 932: This bill would make it illegal for dogs to have their heads hanging out the windows of moving vehicles. It drew ridicule from dog owners who saw the legislation as a massive government overreach. It won’t be unleashed on the public.
SB 1316: Tucked inside this bill is a requirement that bloggers
paid for writing about the Governor, the Florida Cabinet or legislators must
register with
the state. The bill was such a stinker that even former U.S. House Speaker Newt
Gingrich urged the sponsor to kill it. The bill isn’t moving at the moment but
hasn’t been withdrawn.”
All I can add to
this editorial is ‘Wow’! Some of these
bills will never become law, but enough of them will to further define Florida
as the ‘Freedom State,’ free from democracy and laws in the interest of the
majority of its population.
JL
* * *
Legal Problems of the 45th President
Caution: This article may be obsolete by the time you are looking at it.
Of the three cases pending against the defeated former president, the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels is the weakest, based on violation of a New York state law about falsifying business records, just a misdemeanor.
The prosecution has
to tie it to election fraud, a federal crime.
That it was done just to hide his indiscretion and not specifically to help win an
election might suffice for there to be no felony indictment. That's what the delay in movement on this case is all about. By the time you are reading this, the
Manhattan grand jury will probably have made its decision. We know the truth, but getting there seems to
be difficult, although it was easy enough to send lawyer-bagman Michael Cohen to prison … but that
was purely a federal case, not a State matter.
The federal purloined classified documents case and the
Georgia ‘messing with an election result attempt’ are far more likely cases to
provide the defeated former president with an orange suit.
JL
* * *
Housekeeping
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