by John Walters
Guilty
There’s no such thing as a slam dunk in a murder case involving race, particularly when the accused is police. But thanks to Danella Frazier, who stopped and shot the video that would be seen ’round the world, Derek Chauvin is going away for a very long time.
Remember, this was the police’s initial report on George Floyd’s death, before Frazier’s video went viral.
“Two officers arrived and located the suspect, a male believed to be in his 40s, in his car. He was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers. Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance where he died a short time later.”
I was watching Newsmax out of curiosity last night to see how they’d react. Apparently there’s a guy named Stinchfield who has his own show (in Bizarro Universe it’s the least funny sitcom revolving around nothing ever happens) and he described Chauvin’s act as “a mistake” and admitted that he should pay a penalty but that “going away for 40 years” is too harsh and then blathered on about chaos in the streets and how we better lock up the white women, particularly the blondes (or something like that).
Even in a case as without question as this one, the White Right looks for a way to make themselves the aggrieved party. Crazy.
Knee-Deep In It
Meanwhile, the National Football League, not content with leaving terrible enough alone, had the above to tweet following the verdict. When all they ever had to do to express their sincerity was to allow Colin Kaepernick to work again. It’s like Exxon doing commercials about environmentalism. Please. You’re embarrassing yourselves.
And here’s the Las Vegas Raiders with good intentions, but man…
(No no no no no no no no no no. No. Nooooooo.)
Did You Really Just?
Republican Senator John Kennedy thought he’d put Stacey Abrams on trial by asking her to list everything she finds wrong with the new Georgia voting bill. And she did. I’m trying to imagine if someone had asked Sen. Kennedy to list the constitutional amendments, or even to name the parishes in his own state, if he could’ve gone a whole minute.
Black people: having to be twice as good as white people all the damn time just to even think of getting their fair share. It must be exhausting.
From Prince To Prince Philip
Prince died five years ago today. And Prince Philip died about five to ten days ago. 2016 was a harsh year for music fans, as we lost David Bowie, Prince and George Michael all in the same year. And yet we still are unable to rid ourselves of Billy Joel. What’s wrong with this planet?
Video above: Did Prince get confused and think he was working with Sheila E. when he decided to collaborate with Sheena Easton? Also, can you hear how Robert Palmer ripped off this riff for “Addicted To Love?”
You’ve got the look (You’ve got the hook)
You sho’nuf do be cookin’ in my book
Your face is jammin’
Your body’s heck-a-slammin’
If love is good
Let’s get to rammin’
— Prince R. Nelson, 1987
It should be a Hallmark card
I think Billy Joel actually wrote a song about why he is alive and Prince is not.
Too Chez!
You can lament George Michael’s death and wish for Billy Joel’s in the same paragraph? Come on, man. I’d put John Prine on the list before George Michael. Three big names in one year seems like a lot, but if you make a list of “big names” and then look at the actuarial tables, people our age should expect three a year to be the norm from here on out, no?
Dray,
Look at you with the NPR-approved comment. John Prine is legit, but did not die in 2016. All three of those dudes did. And, like it or not, George Michael made a greater musical impact than John Prine. Just like The Association made a greater impact than The Flying Burrito Brothers.
You are correct – I spaced out 2016/2020 detail. I’m on pandemic time, which is timeless.
The mention of Prince and Bowie had me thinking along the lines of original geniuses. George Michael doesn’t make that list. But if you were thinking of widely known/played artists, he makes the list. Who can ever forget Karma Chameleon?
You’re so mean.
Freedom ’90 will speak to the next generation and the generation after that…
Lyrics by George Michael or Billy Joel?
Heaven knows we sure had some fun, boy
What a kick just a buddy and me
We had every big-shot goodtime band on the run, boy
We were living in a fantasy