The U.S. Supreme Court does have a sense of public relations and drama, holding its biggest decision for the very end of the term and allowing for outdoor tension as the throngs (not just cable and news people but also regular activist folks, too) await the ruling.

It is a big case and we all wonder what direction our country will go when it comes to the official rules, though their decision will not change how people live, just how they live within legal systems. It may change, though, how people feel about others, particularly if the state becomes more tolerant.

It's been a busy news day in Oakland County:

- Reportedly, three dead in a plane crash at Waterford's Oakland County International Airport in either a fire or a crash

- A West Bloomfield drowning, with the victim a grad of Detroit Country Day
- A home valued at $1.7 million burned in West Bloomfield Township

- A Pontiac teenager has been badly injured after hood surfing, police say

- We are learning new details about firing of OU women's basketball coach, with university saying it was with cause

- The Cipriano murder trial saw gruesome details as first responders testified about arriving at the home and nabbing suspect Mitchell Young as he tried to flee the home

  - And, perhaps the biggest local development of a brewing story, the Pontiac School Board has voted make the district's high school a charter school.

I'm testing out my Tout stream here.

All judges should hate this, because to the public, they appear all this corrupt.

MyFoxDetroit.com reports on an Oakland County judge who is "taking care of business," his business that is:
Fox 2 News Headlines

Two newscasters, who are colleagues, are airing their apparent feud in public over the Philadelphia airwaves.

This YouTube compilation video shows the pair's repeated putdowns and almost hostility. Which one do you find more annoying in this struggle to undermine, the anchor Nicole Brewer or the meteorologist Carol Erickson? Thank you to AmazingLife247 for the footage from CBS 3.



Do you remember any local feuds from the Detroit market that became apparent to viewers, such as former Channel 7 WXYZ anchor Frank Turner being sued by an ex- (and then a colleague) for debts incurred?

Their YouTube clip has more than 400,000 views. At least at this Philly station, you can say they are being honest during the broadcast.... like Bill Bonds.

Remember this classic (and profane) meltdown, which has 160,000 views:

Just because James Holmes, the Colorado theatre shooter, gets to plead not guilty by reason of insanity does not mean that he will be found not guilty. Of course, it is a possibility but there will be much debate and evidence before that happens, we hope.

However, the Associated Press tweet that the judge had accepted the plea, simply stating that fact, set off a firestorm of outrage, or Twitter-rage.

But now comes the trial. Every defendant gets to make a plea. In Michigan, it is almost always in felony cases initially a not guilty plea or standing mute, in which the judge then makes a plea of not guilty. It comes with the presumption of innocence. (Must note, though, that juries or judges do not find one innocent, but not guilty, if there's not enough evidence of guilt... unless the case is dismissed, meaning there's no evidence of guilt). And in this case, much has already been made of what his psychiatrist and school knew about his threatening behavior.


But the wording of the tweet made many think that he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. No, it was just his plea, which outlines his defense strategy. Now comes the trial or hearings. Of course, he could be found not guilty by reason of insanity. It happened a lot in big cases earlier, look at the killing John Lennon or shooting of Pres. Ronald Reagan.

Very unpopular these verdicts are, though clearly many defendants are insane. In Michigan, they get around this uncomfortable decision by giving juries the option of ruling in between, which they like to do, finding 'guilty but mentally ill,' which is the exact same thing as guilty except you're put near front of line for medications. It's a shame that judges and other elected leaders cannot withstand the outrage when the public's demand for vengeance is not met with the most harsh punishments.

The reaction to the AP tweet in its first minutes shows that outrage and distrust in the system. I don't know what level of crazy James Holmes had reached, and what he did means that he should not be allowed to intermingle with the rest of society anymore, just to share my guy reaction. But society has held that mental illness and insanity is different than the cold planned murders that get committed. One could argue that killing anyone requires a bit of craziness and any killer should forfeit his right to live in society.

But that's a whole big debate. Here I just wanted to share a bit about the power of a tweet and the need for people to have enough information to be properly outraged. The AP, smartly, did tweet an updated version with more detail that specifically noted, here comes the large debate over his sanity, apparently realizing how its first tweet had been interpreted.

Here is some of the very initial outrage on Twitter:

Nigel Duara ‏‪@nigelduara‬
WOW RT

herbie cockblock ‏@DeadHampton_ 5m
what?

Amnesia  ‏@TrapBasquiat 27s
Must be nice being white.

Steffi S. Lee ‏@SteffiSLee 55s
What? Really?

Lot less closeouts ‏@lotless 1m
SERIOUSLY????

Apex Predator ‏@MolaLutherKing 1m
He got GREAT lawyers

Christine Seib ‏@seibways 2m
Holy crap

Parker ‏@lifeofagreat1 5m
Your kidding me

ILLUMINATI ‏@eNPHAN 5m
Shoulda been killed on the spot

KRenner ‏@KRenner2 5m
Huh? What about pre-meditated?

Julie Morales ‏@luvlabguidedogs 12m
Nooooo! I was hoping that wouldn't happen!

Teen Gohan ‏@Old_Simba_ 12m
Of course they did

Raine ‏@Phia34 14m
That's crazy!!

Gas prices are high again, quickly spiking at the start of June.

Expect a flood of stories about gas prices with footage of the ticker scrolling high quickly as someone pumps their gasoline.

It is a near universal story, like weather, something that impacts everyone's personal economy as well as the national economy.

I've asked on Twitter about what you think would be a fair price. I got answers ranging from $2.50 to keep it under $4.

At least people have given up on the buck a gallon days. At least gas prices haven't gone up like cigarettes, though with so few people smoking (seemingly, I acknowledge due to ban on public smoking), perhaps higher prices would push for more conservation.