Random News: December 24, 2023

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s December 24, 2023, and it’s a Sunday. It’s also Christmas Eve. Other wrapping a bunch of things and purchasing the green beans that my grocery store neglected to stock enough of, I am ready for the big day. At the moment, it’s early on a Sunday and I am sipping coffee in a blue robe.

• On Friday, President Biden issued a wide-reaching proclamation that further pardons people who have certain convictions related to marijuana under federal and D.C. law.
• The pardon builds on actions Biden took last year on pardons related to simple possession of marijuana. It encompasses U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who committed or were convicted of simple possession, attempted simple possession or use of marijuana — regardless of whether the offender had been charged or prosecuted yet.
• It’s another step in the right direction, but a messy patchwork of state legislation means the vast majority of convictions remain unchanged. The pardon does not apply to state-level marijuana convictions.
• "Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the use or possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either," said Joe, and I agree.
• Moving on.
• Late last night, Donnie Dump begged a federal appeals court to throw out the federal election subversion criminal case in Washington, DC, again arguing in a filing that he is protected under presidential immunity.
• He wants the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower-court ruling rejecting his claims of immunity in special counsel Jack Smith’s election subversion case. The appeals panel is weighing Dump’s request, which the Supreme Court on Friday refused to take up on an expedited basis.
• Just so you’re clear, his legal defense hinges on the idea that a president is above the law and commit crimes while in office without fear of prosecution. He is saying that his attempt to overturn the 2020 election was an official act as president, and that his indictment is unconstitutional because presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted for official acts.
• Richard Nixon made a very similar argument in 1974. He famously said, "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.”
• Nixon was wrong then, and Dump is wrong now.
• In regard to Dump’s most recent challenge — being removed from state ballots due to his participation in an insurrection against the USA — I like the take of former federal judge Michael Luttig.
• “It will be crystal clear to the American public that it’s the Constitution of the United States that’s disqualifying the former president from higher office, if he is to be disqualified. It’s not President Joe Biden. It’s not the Democrats. It’s not the anti-Trumpers.”
• And that’s an important point. You don’t get to pick and choose which parts of the Constitution you appreciate and obey. If you’re a big fan of the 2nd Amendment but don’t want to follow the 14th Amendment (or any others for that matter), tough shit.
• Do you know how hard it is to amend the constitution? 
• First, an amendment must be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate, or two-thirds of the States can request one by a convention called for that purpose. 
• Then, the amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures, or three-fourths of conventions called in each State for ratification.
• Point being, every single word of the Constitution truly represents the grand majority of Americans’ opinions. And when they wrote the 14th Amendment, they meant what they said. You don’t get a second chance. If you commit insurrection against the USA, you’re done. You do not get to apologize and continue on as if nothing had happened.
• While we’re on this topic, another motion has been filed to remove El Dumpo from the 2024 Presidential Primary Election, this time in Virginia, and again based on the 14th Amendment.
• If Virginia decided to take Trump off the ballot, they would be the second state to do so after Colorado.
• Enough on that. It’s a Sunday, which is also Gunday here at Zak’s Random News. It’s where we look at the past couple of days of gun violence in the USA.
• One dead, four wounded in a shooting outside a club in Houston, TX. A woman shot dead, four men wounded in a shooting in Lockhart, FL. One dead, four wounded in a shooting in the Woodlawn suburb of Baltimore, MD. One dead, two wounded in a shooting outside a Brewery District bar in Columbus, OH. One dead, one critically wounded on a street in Westminster, CO. One dead, one injured in a shooting in a mall in Ocala, FL. One dead, one injured in a shooting near Lake and Hiawatha in Minneapolis, MN. One dead, one injured in a shooting at a business in Oakland, CA. One shot dead at his home in Fall River, MA. One shot dead at his home in Knoxville, TN. One shot dead at a bar in Lawrence, MA. A father of two shot dead in a bar in Wheaton, IL. One person is dead after a shooting in Over-the-Rhine on Saturday night. One shot dead after a shooting in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, OH. One shot dead after a dispute between two employees of a Top Golf in Thornton, CO. Another woman shot dead in Cincinnati, OH. One shot dead in downtown Kansas City, MO. Two shot, one critically, in Fort Wayne, IN. Two shot in a home in Baton Rouge, LA. A migrant seriously wounded in a shooting outside of a shelter in Chicago, IL. One man in critical condition after shooting outside of a bar in Hartford, CT.
• So, as you can tell, it was a relatively light weekend of gun violence compared to many in the USA. Perhaps it’s the spirit of peace on Earth and goodwill toward men that gave us 48 hours with only around 40 people shot so far.
• Were these all the shootings? Oh no. Just some I saw from a quick scroll through the news.
• When you vote for political candidates who don’t support common sense gun laws, this is what you get, so it must be what you want.
• And now, The Weather: “All The Wine” by Blanco Niño
• As I do each Christmas Eve, I’ll be keeping an eye on NORAD’s Santa Tracker. I’m sure you know the story, but I tell it every year anyway.
• It actually starts back in December 24, 1948. The United States Air Force, who had just split off from the Army a year before, issued a cute communique claiming that an "early warning radar net to the north" had detected "one unidentified sleigh, powered by eight reindeer, at 14,000 feet, heading 180 degrees."
• But it was in 1955 that a Sears department store in Colorado Springs ran an ad which told children they could place a call to Santa Claus and included the number ME 2-6681. That number was off by one digit, and instead went to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center.
• It got answered by the crew commander on duty, Colonel Harry Shoup.
• Shoup recognized it as a good PR opportunity, and told public affairs officer Colonel Barney Oldfield to inform the press that CONAD was tracking Santa's sleigh.
• In his release to the press, Oldfield added that "CONAD, Army, Navy, and Marine Air Forces will continue to track and guard Santa and his sleigh.”
• The following year in 1956, Oldfield informed Shoup that the Associated Press and United Press International were awaiting reports that CONAD again was claiming to be tracking Santa Claus. Shoup agreed that Oldfield should announce it again, and the annual tradition was born.
• In 1981, CONAD was renamed NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), and published a hotline number for the general public to call to get updates on Santa Claus’ progress.
• And obviously, the tradition continued in the online age. Starting in 1997, people could track Santa using a website set up for this purpose.
• If you want a less military-based Santa and opt for a more corporate-based Santa, Google has its own Santa Tracker.
• From the Sports Desk… let’s check in on the NHL. Here are the 10 best teams in hockey based on current points.
• 1. Vancouver Canucks (49). 2. New York Rangers (47). 3. Vegas Golden Knights (47). 4. Dallas Stars (44). 5. Boston Bruins (44). 6. Colorado Avalanche (44). 6. Winnipeg Jets (43). 8. Los Angeles Kings (42). 9. New York Islanders (41). 10. Toronto Maple Leafs (40).
• The Sports Desk also notes that after the next couple of days of NFL games (and yes, there are three of them being played tomorrow on Christmas), we will have a much more solid idea of the playoff picture.
• At this very moment, only one AFC team has secured a playoff spot (Ravens), and just three NFC teams — 49ers, Cowboys, and Eagles — have done so.
• Today in history… Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di (759). Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook (1777). The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria (1818). The opera Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt (1871). Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast, consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech (1906). U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Operation Overlord (1943). The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so (1968).
• December 24 is the birthday of astronomer Jean-Louis Pons (1761), frontiersman/general Kit Carson (1809), brewer/physicist James Prescott Joule (1818), engineer/pilot/businessman Howard Hughes (1905), actress Ava Gardner (1922), general George Patton IV (1923), producer/businessman/politician Mike Curb (1944), trumpeter Woody Shaw (1944), singer-songwriter/bass player Lemmy (1945), guitarist Jan Akkerman (1946), actor Diedrich Bader (1966), author Stephenie Meyer (1973), radio/TV host Ryan Seacrest (1974), and NFL player Davante Adams (1992).

I hope you all are simply having a wonderful Christmastime. Ha ha… made you think of that fucking horrible Paul McCartney song. Enjoy your day.