As the U.S. crime rate edges up, President Barack Obama last week commuted the sentences of 98 federal inmates, with 42 of them serving life sentences, notes Grumpy Editor.
So far this year, Obama has commuted sentences of 688 inmates.
One wonders how many of them will wind up in legitimate jobs such as accountants, salesmen, plumbers and such.
The action illustrates why law enforcement folks get more edgy.
Look for more commutations --- especially in December --- before Obama leaves the White House on Jan. 20.
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law in September projected the overall crime rate in 2016 rising by 1.3 percent, with violent crime projected to rise 5.5 percent and murder up 13.1 percent,
Associated Press writer Josh Lederman points out that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump “has warned Americans that their safety could be at risk because of Obama’s move to set prisoners free ahead of schedule.”
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...
Capitol Hill support was building late last week for a law that could absolve Army National Guard troops from repaying re-enlistment bonuses (as reported here on Oct. 24) doled out during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars…Those in military uniform and their families are exposed to health and safety hazards at base housing worldwide that could be alleviated by inspections and better maintenance, says the Defense Department’s Inspector General…CNN's Wolf Blitzer pleads with Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway to ask the GOP nominee to dial back his harassment against the media, saying it endangers reporters…Socked by ongoing print-ad declines that have hurt the broader newspaper industry, USA Today publisher Gannett, is cutting 2 percent of its staff as it reported a loss in its latest quarter…Electric car maker Tesla Motors posted a surprise $21.9 million profit in the third quarter…Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen and permanent resident of the United States, through his attorney says Iranian officials in April told him it would take as much as $2 billion to ensure his release from captivity…90-year old actor-comedian Don Rickles, who played Las Vegas last week, appears in a TV spot as part of a Best Buy ad campaign…Personal finance website WalletHub expects Halloween spending this year to reach $8.4 billion. That’s $1.5 billion more than last year. It also lists its top 20 cities for Halloween:
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1 |
Santa Ana, CA |
11 |
Irving, TX |
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2 |
New York, NY |
12 |
St. Paul, MN |
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3 |
Jersey City, NJ |
13 |
Anaheim, CA |
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4 |
Newark, NJ |
14 |
El Paso, TX |
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5 |
Laredo, TX |
15 |
Tampa, FL |
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6 |
Gilbert, AZ |
16 |
Philadelphia, PA |
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7 |
Chula Vista, CA |
17 |
Garland, TX |
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8 |
Plano, TX |
18 |
Honolulu, HI |
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9 |
Chicago, IL |
19 |
Fort Wayne, IN |
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10 |
Las Vegas, NV |
20 |
Pittsburgh, PA |
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A Sept. 12, 2001 New York Times front page --- topped with U.S. Attacked headline --- signed by presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush sells for $11,000.
The full headline above a photograph of the burning Twin Towers reads: “U.S. Attacked: Hijacked Jets Destroy Twin Towers and Hit Pentagon in Day of Terror.”
