Thoughts for the Day, April 24, 2025: Justice!!!!
Justice!!!
I started following this story when it first broke over a year ago. Today Phase I is completed with the sentencing of William Smith to 19 years in federal prison.
Per the Detroit News: Former Detroit Riverfront Conservancy Chief Financial Officer William Smith was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison Thursday for orchestrating one of the largest, longest-running and most lucrative frauds in Detroit history that involved stealing $44.3 million that was supposed to be spent revitalizing the city's industrial riverfront.
Smith, 52, hung his head and slumped his shoulders after hearing the punishment from U.S. District Judge Susan DeClercq that caps a scandal involving eye-popping amounts of money and a long-running confidence game that exposed lax oversight by some of the region's most powerful business leaders who help run a nonprofit financed by southeast Michigan's leading philanthropies.
"How you spent money is appalling," DeClercq told Smith on Thursday. "It was vulgar."
The sentence exceeded the 18 years sought by federal prosecutors but fell one year short of the 20-year maximum sentence sought by conservancy officials.
Judge DeClercq gets my Quote of the Day and Orchid of the Day. Which also leads to my Question of the Day. Am I the only one who is noticing that women judges seen to have bigger cajónes than the men?
The Clean Up
Most of the debris has been cleaned up and out of the way. Now the emotional part begins as the clean up of trees that have been severely damaged on private property begins. Owners, working with their tree service have to decide whether to completely remove a tree, or try to save it by trimming it back. Either way the owner’s property will not look like it did last summer when the tree was in full bloom. In most cases, the owners will not be around by the time the existing tree fully recovers, or the replacement tree matures to the point where it serves the same function as the previous tree. At Crooked Tree, we watch this play out daily and it is heartbreaking.
Many golf courses were supposed to open on Friday or Saturday of this week, but that has been put off until next week. In talking to a Boyne golf professional, he said the lost trees on many of the courses will have a dramatic effect on how the courses play. For some holes, the loss of one tree can significantly change the difficulty of the hole. In the big scheme of things, it is not important, but to the golf course owners, to the golf course designers, and to the serious players, it means a lot to the overall quality of the course, to its playability and to its ranking.
More to come on this subject as the clean-up process continues.
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NFL Draft,
After a three-month buildup the NFL draft starts tonight and runs through Saturday. The draft fills the void for the football junkies. Predicting draft outcomes has become a niche industry that takes over talk radio, podcasts, and countless articles. It is estimated that over 1,400 mock drafts are published leading up to the NFL draft.
The irony is that none of the mock drafts are done by anyone whose job is on the line. The publishers of mock drafts are like weather forecasters, they can be wrong most of the time, but they will continue to publish their mock drafts because they come across like they know what they are doing.
Once the draft is over, the publishers of the mock drafts will be called upon to critique the work of the NFL general managers who jobs are on the line. We will find countless articles about the winners and losers of the NFL draft. It will go on for months until the NFL season starts.
My advice, ignore every article and keep this in mind. When the Lions traded up to draft Jamyr Gibbs, the draft experts said the Lions were crazy to draft a running back so high in the draft. When they took Jamison Williams with an early round pick when Williams was going to be out for his rookie year because of injury, the draft experts said the Lions were wasting an early round pick. Draft experts predicted the Lions all-pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown would at best be a third or fourth receiver during his pro-career when he was drafted.
These three now make up the core of skill players in the Lions’ top ranked offense.
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The Rule of Law
From Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse.
“People value the Rule of Law because it takes some of the edge off the power that is necessarily exercised over them in a political community. In various ways, being ruled through law, means that power is less arbitrary, more predictable, more impersonal, less peremptory, less coercive even.”
What are citizens’ obligations in a rule of law system? Each of us has to follow the rules, even when we don’t agree with them, and be accountable if we violate them.
In a functioning rule of law system, the law protects everyone equally because people know what the law is, understand what they are obligated to do and refrain from doing, and can have confidence in how they will be treated when they have disputes with others. It’s the framework that lets people live and prosper together without resorting to violence to resolve every dispute, Hatfield and McCoy style. It’s why people from other countries come to the U.S. to invest, do business, and live. The rule of law is something we simultaneously take for granted and can’t live without, at least not in the way we are used to living.
One significant feature of the rule of law in our country is that it isn’t only available to the wealthy and the powerful. In the United States, criminal defendants in felony cases are guaranteed the right to counsel under a 9-0 1963 decision, Gideon v. Wainwright. Although there is nothing equivalent in civil cases, legal aid groups and pro bono organizations sponsored by bar associations provide some access to counsel for people who cannot afford it. Lawyers often take plaintiffs’ cases, everything from car accidents to mass torts, expecting to be paid only if they’re able to recover on behalf of their clients. We could do better, but there is broad access to the legal system, and it has greatly improved over time.
Our system, although imperfect, has largely worked well enough to hold people’s trust and to give us the confidence and certainty that we needed to reap the benefits of the rule of law. The courts work if people trust them to take the rule of law seriously and protect it. That means having an independent judiciary that is transparent and that conducts itself with integrity.
All of this, of course, explains the seismic shift of Trumpism. It explains why presidents shouldn’t exceed their constitutional powers and why courts and Congress should act expeditiously to hold them accountable when they do. It also underscores why the courts, and individual judges, should always act with unquestionable integrity, so that in a moment where confidence in the courts is essential, it is there in abundance. The judiciary must be independent, not beholden to private interests or under the thumb of others in government. Its rulings and reasoning should be transparent. Otherwise, how can people who are removed from the courts trust them to uphold the rule of law?
That is the danger of the moment we live in… The lower courts, and this past weekend the Supreme Court are imposing checks on the administration, but only when they are warranted. But there are still serious concerns about the supine Congress and Trump’s efforts to stifle dissent in government, the press, private businesses, and public organizations. The institutions, it turns out, are only as strong as the people who populate them. In some places we see courage and determination to protect the rule of law. Other places, not so much.
If the rule of law fails, it’s not just words. It’s the bedrock stability that protects our way of life. In other words, it’s not just a shoulder shrug and a time to look away. We are, thankfully, not there yet. There are ups and downs, but the most encouraging development is public awareness, particularly focused on due process, and the understanding of how important all of this is. “Hands off my rule of law!”
Americans are increasingly doing the hard work of understanding how democracy works. You cannot save something you do not understand. Understanding why it matters is as important as understanding how it works….Make sure your elected officials know that you’re paying attention, that you understand what’s happening and what’s at stake. Democracy really does die in darkness, and it’s our job to keep that from happening.
Speak up and Speak out.
Please call your members of Congress today. The U.S. Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121. Tell the operator where you’re from and the operator will connect you to your representatives and senators. I tested this out today. It is very simple. They will ask for the congress member you want to contact. They will then switch you to that office.
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Quote of the Day: "How you spent money is appalling. It was vulgar." Judge Susan DeClercq told William Smith on Thursday during the sentencing of Smith to 19 years in prison for the biggest fraud in Detroit’s history.
Orchid of the Day: Judge Susan DeClercq for having the cajónes to sentene William Smith to a term greater than even the prosecutors were recommending.
Onion of the Day: The NFL draft forecasters. No matter how wrong they are, they will continue to publish their B.S and people will continue to read it.
Lyrics of the Day: Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion. I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high
Though my eyes could see, I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think, I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming. I can hear them say
If you think you know the answer, feel free to send me your answer in the comments section of the blog.
Answer to Lyrics of the Day for April 23, 2025: Stacy’s Mom by the Fountains of Wayne
Question of the Day: Am I the only one who is noticing that women judges seem to have bigger cajónes than the men?
Video of the Day: The amazing Stevie Wonder at Bill Withers’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Bill Withers Stevie Wonder Ain't No Sunshine Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2015 Induction
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