The Eighth Amendment

by on March 6, 2024 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of these United States of America
“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

In United States v. Bajakajian in 1998, the Supreme Court said “The touchstone of the constitutional inquiry under the Excessive Fines Clause is the principle of proportionality: The amount of the forfeiture must bear some relationship to the gravity of the offense that it is designed to punish.”

In Rhodes v. Chapman in 1981, the Supreme Court said “[c]onditions [in prison] must not involve the wanton and unnecessary infliction of pain, nor may they be grossly disproportionate to the severity of the crime warranting imprisonment.”

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Super Tuesday

by on March 5, 2024 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Today is Super Tuesday, the day where many State political parties traditionally vote for who they want to represent them in the Presidential race. Just remember that the campaign is probably going to be one of the biggest ever. The Democrats have already banked hundreds of millions of dollars in cash on hand and purchased ad buys. And at the same time they are seeking to confiscate hundreds of millions of dollars from the leading Republican candidate in the form of civil fines. And at the same time they are trying to put him in jail via criminal charges. This is going to be a very interesting campaign. Pick your candidates well, if you think you can.

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Birthday

by on March 4, 2024 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

It was my birthday over the weekend, and I had an amazing one. Friends came over to eat good and play games. And I really do have the best friends. They gave me coupons for dog grooming and free self-serve doggy baths, because they know I’m the hairiest being on my city block. They got me video games and Legos, both of which are absolutely relevant to my interests. And I had an amazing time all weekend with them all. It’s the best birthday bash I’ve had in years, and I absolutely loved it. A good time was had by all. I’d like to thank everybody who came over, and everybody who sent me birthday wishes. You really made my day.

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Jack of Harts Politics

by on March 3, 2024 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

When the Second Great Depression brought down the Western World, and their foreign aid programs, everyone expected South America to fall entirely under the influence of China and/or Russia. Brazil joined them in creating the old BRICS money system fighting the American dollar of the time for global supremacy after all. The final collapse of the American dollar should have set the stage for a new economic hegemony, but China and Russia focused on their dreams of empire in their own neighbors. That left Brazil and the other South American nations to fend for themselves. And since most of their economies were based on either getting aid from foreign nations or selling things to foreign nations, that did not go well for them for a time. South America fell hard.

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Jack of Harts Politics

by on March 2, 2024 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Africa approached the Western Alliance with a plan once the Great Space Race began in earnest. The Western powers had been looking to build a space elevator for years, but lacked major economic, population, and production hubs that could support one near the equator. Africa happened to have all three at Port Harcourt. Africa officially joined the Western Alliance as an equal member state and Alliance money built the Port Harcourt Elevator. Africa road that elevator to the stars and brought back the riches of space to their continent. And even as Earth built more elevators, they expanded the Port Harcourt Elevator with more and more strands and support infrastructure. Even centuries later, it remained the largest orbital elevator operating on Earth and beyond.

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