After all the fighting, a new school is finally up and running

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“All aboard the short bus!”

Your own state's campers in danger up in Canada, Timmy? Blame Trump!

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at this point, it’s purely pavlovian

Even assuming Minnesota’s National Guard couldn’t come to the aid of the state’s residents in peril (and why couldn’t it, Tim? If, in your world, Trump could have, but didn’t send troops 175 miles into Canada to rescue American citizens, why not your National Guard?). “On the border” is not “across the border” — even Tampon Tim’s deliberately deceitful choice of words can’t shift national boundaries.

Minnesota YMCA campers rescued from remote Ontario area amid wildfires

Canadian Air Force extracts first group; second group in safe location, awaiting rescue

Where was SEAL Team 6, huh, Trump? Where were they?!

If anyone can help preserve what made Rogues Hill infamous, it’ll be a Man from Miami

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577 Round Hill Road, sold to a Floridian by Raj Rajaratnam for $7.5 million this past January, is slated for deconstruction. Fairly or unfairly, and there’s certainly room to argue unfairly, Raj was one of the home owners up there who, in the post-2008 unveiling of Wall Street shenanigans, helped put the “Rogue” into “Round Hill”. Can this new owner and his new house maintain, even grow that legend? Fingers crossed; we’re always in need of blog fodder.

You're never alone if you're schizophrenic

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Or just stupid

The Bee has discovered Groks new future:

Stupid is as stupid does, but it can also be strategic

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Start with this:

That adds a new factor to consider when watching these morons below apparently struggle to answer hard questions about DSA’s goals and their implications; not all of these communists may be as dumb as they sound, and certainly the puppet masters aren’t.

(cont.) "But shouldn't you?"

Romer: "Ummmmm, that's a good question."

Remnick: "If you're the co-chair of the DSA, shouldn't you be more specific than just taxing the hell out of something? What exactly do you mean?"

Romer: "So again, it's democracy, right?…" This is the Democrat party 'Big Tent.'

MAHER: “Two stories from this week, I think, will show you that this has now infected our political discourse.

Megan Romer, she is the co-chair of the DSA. She was on David Remnick’s podcast, and she talked about taxing the hell out of them. And he said, what do you mean by that? And she said, well, you know, I don’t really have a solid, and then just dribbled off. And he said, ‘But shouldn’t you? Shouldn’t you be more specific about what taxing the hell means?’ They don’t know anything.”

JEREMY PETERS: “By the way, there’s been a slew of interviews just like this where candidates who represent the Democratic Socialists of America have really struggled to articulate how they don’t subscribe to communism, whether or not they really believe in Marxism, and basic facts about how their ideology would help them govern the United States out of this affordability crisis.”

“By and large, a lot of these candidates come out of the activist wing of the party... They’re very into reading Karl Marx and left-wing theory, and we’ve seen time and time again that a lot of them just don’t withstand the scrutiny.”

The DSA’s Marxist Unity Group caucus states its own goal is to create “a fully liberated classless society. In a word, communism.” When they tell you who they are, believe them.

And:

Socialist leader “Doctor” Francis Gill squirms during TV interview when forced to address push to abolish prisons, police

DSA's Frances Gill said she wanted to avoid hypotheticals when pressed on what would happen to a rapist

A socialist leader squirmed during a tense Sunday interview after a local California television anchor pressed her on the real-life ramifications of the radical party's calls to abolish police and prisons.

In an interview with NBC 4 Los Angeles, anchor Conan Nolan posed pointed questions to Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) National Political Committee Member Frances Gill on the topics of law enforcement, immigration and the movement's other far-left proposals.

After a brief back-and-forth over what defunding the police means and how that would be applied in practice, Gill resorted to deflecting by refusing to engage in 'hypotheticals.'

"What we really want to see is a horizon where folks are not reliant on armed enforcement to meet our public safety needs," Gill conceded.

"Right, but it says 'defund police' on your website — that's your goal — and also to get rid of prisons and jails, correct?" he pressed, to which Gill answered affirmatively.

"So if my daughter is assaulted and raped, is there any agency that would seek to find her assailant and bring him to justice?" asked Nolan.

"Of course, yeah of course—" said Gill before the host jumped back in with a follow-up question.

"What would it be if not police and where would he be if not a jail?" asked Nolan.

"So I guess I really want to avoid getting caught into these hypotheticals and talk about the reality that we're actually facing right now," Gill dodged.

That reality, she said, is the city spending "outrageous amounts on police and policing," instead of addressing real issues plaguing Los Angeles. She suggested that the lack of street lights, substance abuse treatment and mental healthcare are all contributing to a lack of public safety and rise in crime.

…. On the issue of border security, Gill became defensive and questioned whether Nolan was acting in "good faith" when he quizzed her about whether there would be any border security if, like the DSA promotes, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was abolished.

"I guess I don't understand why we kind of constantly get pinned on these particular questions when the immediate reality of the situation is that immigration enforcement is absolutely out of control, needs to be addressed immediately and we know that in Los Angeles, like, more than almost any other city in the country," she said.

I want one of these

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Six years after some numbnuts visited, discovered the absence of Free Willy and Flipper, and posted a one-star review on line, some sharp-eyed genius in the New Bedford Whaling Museum spotted a marketing opportunity and struck (sperm) oil:

'Worst Aquarium Ever' Review Leads to Merch Sales Surge at Whaling Museum

The New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts is cashing in on a viral bad review.

The Google review was left by a disappointed guest back in 2020 who called the whaling museum the "worst aquarium ever," leaving just one star. …. the marketing department couldn't let the blistering review go, turning it into a product line, including shirts and tote bags.

In just one week, the museum's sales soared 250% due to the viral merch.

More here:

A museum is cashing in after a one-star Google review calling it the "worst aquarium ever" became an unexpected viral hit.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts, which highlights the history, science and art of whaling rather than marine animals, embraced the one-star review by boldly printing the phrase on T-shirts, sweatshirts and tote bags.

"A few weeks ago, we added to the ‘Worst Aquarium Ever’ merchandise line with a new crew neck T-shirt and tote bags," Amanda McMullen, president & CEO of New Bedford Whaling Museum, told Fox News Digital.

"Since July 20, we have had more than 2,400 orders from all over the globe."

McMullen said she's thrilled. "We are filling orders so quickly that hundreds of boxes and packages are heading out every day," she said. 

"We’ve gotten to know our postal carriers very well," she added.

"It's honestly a great museum," a user commented. "I love that it's gone viral because it's just a wonderful place to support."

I’ll definitely have to visit and while I’m there, stock up on gift garb. A tad pricey, I suppose, but the proceeds are going to the museum, not Sam Walton’s leftwing heirs, so no whining from me.

Self-defense? Seems that way to me.

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I saw this story this story this morning, and, while I remember the original 2021 incident, I never learned its outcome. Now that I have, I’m shocked that his claim of self-defense was rejected by a jury. Assaulted and yanked out of his car by a drunken, angry man shouting “you ruined my life, I’m going to kill you”, the elderly lawyer pulled his gun and shot the stranger dead. So what’s wrong with that?

While his appeal has been successful, the verdict was overturned on what was essentially procedural grounds, leaving him still in prison, and the state free to try him again. I don’t like it.

Connecticut lawyer’s manslaughter conviction overturned over judge’s undisclosed job application

An appeals court on Friday threw out the manslaughter conviction of Robert Fisher, a former Litchfield attorney, ruling that the judge overseeing the trial erred by failing to disclose he applied to serve as the Inspector General.

The position is under the Division of Criminal Justice, the same state agency that was prosecuting Fisher through the state’s attorney’s office.

The judge's application for the position while presiding over the trial "created an appearance of a lack of impartiality," the opinion said. It said the judge, Eliot D. Prescott, should have either disqualified himself, or "disclosed his application to the parties and obtained their waiver prior to proceeding with the trial." 

The appeals court opinion reversed Fisher's conviction and remanded the case for a new trial.

Attorney Jon Schoenhorn, who represented Fisher in his appeal, said he intends to file a motion asking a judge in Torrington to release Fisher on conditions.

“He’s over 80 years old now, he’s in very poor health," Schoenhorn said Friday. "I think justice calls for his immediate release while the future appellate proceedings play out."

He said the case could take months or even a year of additional litigation, and noted the state also has the right to bring a new trial.

Prescott was appointed to a four-year term as inspector general last year. His office is responsible for investigating police shootings and in-custody deaths, and can bring criminal charges if they're determined to be warranted.

Here’s the report on the 2025 conviction:

Jury finds Litchfield lawyer guilty of manslaughter in 2021 shooting outside his law office


TORRINGTON — A jury on Friday found 78-year-old attorney Robert Fisher Jr. guilty of manslaughter in a fatal shooting outside the lawyer's Litchfield office four years ago.

Three hours after starting deliberations, the jury of six's guilty verdict was delivered at approximately 4:30 p.m.

The jury heard four days of evidence in Superior Court, then closing arguments from attorneys and instructions from Judge Eliot D. Prescott Friday morning that focused on whether deadly force was a justifiable outcome.

….. Litchfield County State’s Attorney David Shannon showed the Ruger pistol, its firing mechanism locked, to jurors during his closing argument.

“He had a duty to retreat,” Shannon said. “Was this degree of deadly force necessary to avoid physical injury?”

Shannon demonstrated Fisher’s act of pulling the pistol, within a small holster, from his pocket. Instead of firing through the holster in a panic, Shannon said, Fisher took the time to remove it, then aimed a red dot laser beam at Matthew Bromley, 39. The dot showed the shooter where the shot would end up as the gun was ready to be fired.

The single shot ultimately lodged near Bromley’s left eye, killing him almost instantly.

“If he could have retreated without injury, he had a duty to do that,” Shannon said. “He brandished a weapon when all he had was a fat lip. It was about anger and pride, his desire for payback and refusing to be a victim. How dare this little man assault him in his parking lot.”

The state and defense agreed that still unexplained motives on that afternoon of June 7, 2021, began when Bromley followed, then pulled alongside Fisher’s car outside his Litchfield law firm. The 111-pound younger man reportedly began throwing punches and spit at Fisher, claimed Fisher had ruined his life, hurled expletives and said he was about to kill Fisher.

Shannon claims Fisher had an opportunity to retreat as — according to one eyewitness — the confrontation seemed briefly over before reigniting at the back of Fisher’s car. Defense attorney William A. Conti claims his frail client did not have that opportunity within the minute-long confrontation.

“You can’t bring a gun to a fistfight,” Shannon said.

[I’ll point out that Fisher didn’t bring a gun to fistfight, his assailant brough the fight to him — Ed]

[His defense lawyer] Conti countered that Fisher could not run or retreat to his car due to a variety of medical ailments, a claim substantiated by his doctor. Fisher feared for his life, was told he was about to die and believed it, Conti said.

“He could not drive away, couldn’t close the door, because Mr. Bromley was there,” Conti said. “Retreat, by state statute, must be in complete safety.”

Conti reminded the jury of evidence he presented that painted a fluid scene, first of Fisher being pulled from the Audi as he began to exit it. They never separated, Conti said. Bromley was angry, aggressive and out of control, he said. His blood alcohol level was 0.11, over the legal limit of .08, which could have fueled the aggression.

“There was no way he could get away from him,” Conti said. “Mr. Fisher was pushing him back. ... He had seconds to decide how to save his life.”

Prescott explained the only charge jurors must consider — manslaughter in the first degree. He instructed the three female and three male jurors to set aside sympathy or concerns about possible punishment during their deliberations. 

“A person is justified in using reasonable physical force to defend himself from what he believes to be imminent physical force,” Prescott said. He asked jurors to consider what a reasonable person in the circumstances described would have the same beliefs as Fisher did, and to know that self-defense is defensive and not retaliatory.

Friday marked the fifth consecutive day of the trial at state Superior Court in Torrington. Fisher was convicted of manslaughter with intent, a downgraded offense after he initially was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting. 

Testimony involved forensic experts, police officers and other attorneys who have known Fisher for years. Fisher also took the stand in his own defense. 

“I started to open the door, he grabbed the door or the window and pulled it open all the way,” Fisher testified Tuesday. “He reached in and punched me in the side of the face on the left side of my jaw. He yelled 'You are a (expletive) and (expletive) and you ruined my life. I am going to kill you.' Then he spit in my face.”

Fisher continued: “I was in fear. He was so impossibly angry his face was contorted with rage. I have never seen anything like it. I undid my seat belt and kicked him so he would be farther away. … I got out of the car to face him. … He charged me in the chest. He was shouting. 'I am going to kill you.'”

WTF?