Blogs > Frye on the News

Keeping his eye on the news and offering commentaries and insights on what is happening in Oakland County, around the world, on the tube and in the news.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Kids and movies

Seems like a lot of people want to quietly question parents taking their children to see 'Batman,' or as it's really titles, 'Dark Knight Rises.' They'll say things like, forget what happened, but is it OK to take a child to this movie or is it OK to take a child to a movie so late.

Some of these people don't have children, so you can't listen to them. I don't fly so I don't offer tips to pilots. Parents can do whatever they feel like doing with their children and 1. bedtime and 2. entertainment.

But here's one fundamental truth: Movies should be a place where people of any age should not be getting shot. A theatre should be a safe place for all at any time and during any showing. (Unless it's Gallagher and you get hit by watermelon.)

Monday, July 23, 2012

Shooting cannot stop love

And I'm talkin' about the love for the Batman trilogy, which appears to have survived that nut's Friday night craze-fest, the shooting in Colorado.

Thank goodness for that, because as a movie fan, I'd hate for the final installment of this series to be marred by this shooting, which is simply the act of a crazy man who had access to firearms.

It's a shame that people could be targeted while doing what they love, enjoying some fabulous entertainment. But that's what always happens it seems. Attacked at school or work, so it's not entertainment, it's where they should feel safest and most secure. Targeted at church. That's where they go to connect to the community, instead terrorized.

We've had shootings at bars, restaurants, public places, the fireworks at Detroit, McDonalds (one of early news memories was the McDonalds massacre in California), malls, schools, and parks.

I'm glad the fans of the movie refused to let fear or depression about the attacks keep them at home.

What really struck me with this entire story was the diversity of people who were at that midnight showing, young and old, all races, all kinds of jobs and backgrounds. And so many of them inside proved heroes, protecting their loved ones or helping complete strangers. What a country!

No nut can really hurt us.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Relationship with your lawyer

Word came out yesterday that David Griem, lawyer for both Stephen Grant (convicted wife killer, following bout of sad husband to missing wife lie) and now Bob Bashara (accused of hiring hit man to hit alleged hitman), wants off the current case.

We can joke that, of course, he wants out, seeing how his client is now charged with murder.

But he cites the reason as being a break down in the attorney-client relationship, which is code often for a lawyer realizing his client is lying.

They are holding a hearing this morning to see if the abandonment, or the removal from the case, can go forward. But the thing is that the judge can not pry to closely into what the break down is as the attorney (Griem) cannot give up his client's lies — or what he thinks his clients lies are.

Oh well, Griem is fun to watch in the media. He's a good client for a big-time media case, but when Bashara hired him, I wondered if it was a good idea, considering there could be a perception that if you have done sometime wrong, he's the lawyer to hide behind while the investigation is ongoing.

ADDED LATER: Of course, you can't file these things at the last minute, which is why the judge denied it - so far.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Kennedy's

Not the Irish Pub, which is awesome, in Waterford.

But this is about the latest Kennedy in court, the lady who is now explaining (months later) that the accidental medication was actually a medical problem, specifically a seizure.

Wife wondered this: They're so rich, why don't the Kennedy's just hire drivers?

Even when not driving, transportation has been the Kennedy downfall.

JFK was in the back seat when he was killed.
His son was flying when he disappeared into the ocean.
One of them hit a tree while skiing.
Presidential campaign of Eddie ended when his car missed the bridge.

Nothing wrong with staying at home.

Gas prices? No, corn prices

You think gas prices slowed down the economy?

Just wait until our corn crop is wiped out by this heat wave. Everything has corn in it. Even the ice.

When is a bomb threat serious?

Apparently, a bomb threat is serious business when it has to deal with a bridge or tunnel. They shut down both ways into Canada after bomb threats this week, tying up traffic for hours and creating a chaotic transportation nightmare.

But a bomb threat at Comerica Park during a Tigers' game? No slowing down, no evacuation.

I think when a caller says a bomb will blow up in 10 minutes, you can stop traffic, wait, then do a quick check and resume traffic. It's too easy to make a crank call.

Of course, if it were really my decision, and my job on the line, I might be a tad bit more cautious. It just seems so difficult to set up a bomb on a bridge or in a tunnel, a big enough bomb to damage either, that they would get caught during the installation.

A couple of things about heat

Used to be that 86 degrees was hot. But 15 degrees cooler than yesterday makes a big difference. It was so hot at 5 p.m. that you could feel the heat on your face with a slight breeze, just like being in a sauna. So, 86 degrees we'll take with a smile.


Friday, July 6, 2012

Health care here to stay

I think the soundbytes from the post-Supreme Court decision will be short-lived promises to repeal ObamaCare, as Mitt Romney promised to do. (Note, the Republican effort this month is a joke as it will go nowhere; all it does is put some Congressmen and women on the record.)

Here's why I think the effort to fight this law will fail.

It will take four months of fighting it over the election campaign. People will become very tired of this fight, considering it's gone on for three years, highlighted by the legislative battle two years ago and the followed by the fight through the courts.

The American people want to look ahead.

Romney will do much better arguing about the economy. Otherwise, all he is saying is, let's replay the last four years. No way does that play well to the middle of the road Americans.

The same argument goes for the second bridge to Canada. It's going to be built. Same for the smoking ban, which took years to achieve passage and finally a signature.

Gov. Rick Snyder and most Republicans know there's little to be gained by going back in time and fighting battles already lost.

Now, the fireworks law change, allowing more types of fireworks, could be revisited. Why? It was a fast-moving bill that saw little public debate. With the Fourth here and passed, the debate starts now. Small chance of a repeal, but the chance exists. It's not a tiresome fight that was already fought, and still it will be hard to reverse it.

Governors that fight the health care mandates will be surprised to learn that (as I noted earlier) people like getting money back from the government, even as it adds to the national debt. They don't like others getting money and not them, so not joining will only anger constituents.

The majority of Americans are ready to move forward onto the next fight, not replaying one that has become tiresome.