Getting Back to Daniel Penny ...

Daniel Penny, the Marine vet who restrained a violent homeless

man while riding the New York City Subway,  was acquitted in

December 2004 for the 2023 death of the erratically behaving 

rider whom Penny employed a chokehold upon in order to 

restrain him. The jury found Penny wasn't criminally reckless,

though prosecutors argued the force was excessive and prolonged,

with the case touching off a  nation-wide debate on mental health, 

vigilantism, and race. The family of Jordan Neely, the 30-year old

homeless man whom Penny had held back had filed a separate 

wrongful death lawsuit, the results of which The Peasant does not

have information on at present. Penny is white, and Neely was 

black.

Having quite some time ago blogged about this incident here on 

this blogsite, here are the facts of the story in order to refresh your

memories, my grand readers:

Neely was a mentally ill homeless man, and was acting erratically

and yelling on a subway train. He made the other passengers nearby

feel unsafe and fearful when Daniel Penny intervened, restraining 

Neely in a chokehold for several minutes during which Neely became

unresponsive. The NYC medical examiner ruled Neely's death a 

homicide due to compression of the neck.

Penny was charged with criminally negligent homicide and man-

slaughter but the latter charge was dismissed during the trial. 

Prosecutors argued Penny used excessive force for too long, while

the defense stated that he acted to protect others from a perceived 

threat. 

In December 2004, a jury acquitted Penny, finding he didn't act with

the criminal negligence required for a conviction. The case sparked 

nationwide debate on subway safety, mental health, race, and self-

defense. 

We have reason to rejoice in Daniel Penny being judged innocent of 

the charges against him. May he have as much good fortune in the 

wrongful death case brought against him. Meanwhile it looks like 

there is some justice for crime victims and heroic citizens in New 

York after all.

MEM

And Right After Thanksgiving, Too!

Friends, I have suddenly found myself caught in a 

quagmire of too many things to tend to and too little 

time to devote to them. Therefore, I have to excuse  

myself this week from getting together with you. 

I shall, of course, be back as soon as I can manage it.

The Peasant hopes that you all had a wonderful 

Thanksgiving, and we shall regroup very soon!

Thanks for your understanding and forgiveness.

MEM

A Happy and Joyous Thanksgiving to You All!

Your thankful Peasant wishes you, my grand and wonderful

readers a most Happy Thanksgiving! And we have so much

to be thankful for here in our United States, not the least of

which is Donald J. Trump as our president, J.D. Vance as our

vice president, and Republican majorities (albeit slim ones)

in the chambers of Congress, and the fulfillment of many 

campaign promises by them  (President Trump most notably!)

and being citizens of this great country of ours, especially at 

this most exciting and exhilarating time! And I am thankful 

for the readership and support of you, my international readers,

from the more than forty countries where you hail from!

And your joyful Peasant is thankful for all these things, and for

every one of you! See you after Thanksgiving! May you all have

a very happy one!

MEM

William Murchison, R.I.P.

William Murchison was a conservative columnist for 

the Dallas Morning News for 25 years. An editor of that

newspaper praised him by calling him Dallas' William F. 

Buckley. After retirement, Murchison taught journalism

at Baylor University. He often thought of how our country

could adhere once again to traditional morality, something

which brought him to the position of a senior editor at the

Human Life Review. 

William Murchison was God and country to his core.

He went to glory at 83. Requiescat in Pace.

MEM

Veterans Day Returns

November 11 is nigh again, our country's day for honoring

our fellow Americans who have donned a uniform and 

carried a gun for us --- Veterans Day. Here your patriotic

Peasant wants to share with you, my grand and fantastic 

readers, ten facts about this special day:

1) Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day. 

    It marked the end of the First World War on the 11th hour

    of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

2) Armistice Day underwent a name change to its current name.

    President Dwight D. Eisenhower renamed the day to honor 

    all who served in our military.

3) This day honors all veterans, living and deceased, whereas

     Memorial Day honors all deceased service men and women.

4)  Many Americans pause at 11:00 AM to remember the 

     WWI armistice.

5) It's part of a global tradition. 

    Our allies observe similar days: The United Kingdom and Canada

    have Remembrance Day, while France and Belgium have 

    Armistice Day. 

6) Its date was shifted, but restored.

    In 1968 it was shifted to October for a long weekend, but was restored

    to November 11 in 1975. 

7) Arlington Ceremony

    Each year, the President of the United States honors fallen heroes 

    at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

8) No Apostrophe Needed.

     It's Veterans Day, NOT Veteran's or Veterans'. This day belongs to 

     ALL veterans.

9) Over 18 million veterans and counting. 

     

10) A day to say "Thank You" for our veterans' service and sacrifice!

And, as always, if you enjoy your freedom, thank a vet!

MEM

NOTE: These historical facts are compliments of "American Flags Express".

Halloween Greetings Everyone!

The Peasant wishes all of you, my grand readers, a most Happy

and Joyful Halloween! May none of you get any tricks and all of

you get lovely treats!

MEM

Taxation, New York Style

The state of New York has an astronomical budget, and an incredible

propensity to spend money; like the federal government, New York

spends tax revenue faster than it can collect it; the Empire State 

automatically raises income taxes each year with the help of

inflation bracket creep. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) claims that the one-time (HA!) payments 

will "provide relief to New Yorkers who have paid increased sales

taxes due to inflation (another HA!). However, New Yorkers are 

paying more tax on everything, including dining at restaurants

and pet food for Fido and Kitty. Unlike the federal government,

Albany hasn't adjusted New York's tax brackets since 2016.

New Yorkers therefore are shoved up into higher tax brackets as

their nominal wages gradually climb.

Congress stopped this stealth theft by inflation regarding federal 

income tax, but around one-third of the states don't do this; 

New York, being one of these states, has this in store for a single

filer making $90,000 annually while living in New York City:

a top state-and-local tax rate of 9.9% (!). 

Now, New York income tax collections during the first half of 

this year are a whopping 75% higher than in 2022. Although the

state could end the inflation tax the Democrats, who have a 

rock-solid majority in the state legislature, don't want to give

up the resultant revenue (!!). They spend much of it on their 

special-interest constituent groups and brag about their 

"generosity" to voters --- ah, but do regular everyday New Yorkers

see any of that money, at least enough to make any real difference?

If you think that they do, then Gov. Hochul has a great big bridge

in Brooklyn that she would love to sell you! And of course the 

Big Apple is no different in this regard.

And New York City is getting ready to elect a hard-boiled Marxist to be

their new mayor, a candidate who would raise taxes even higher (!!!).

The Mayoral front-runner, Zohran Mamdami wants to do this in order

to establish government-run grocery stores which supposedly would

sell their wares at lower prices than its private sector-run counterparts

and guarantee apartments with far cheaper rent, with a further 

infusion of rent-control (!!!!). For years New York's voters have fallen 

for such malarkey from "progressive" candidates for local offices, 

with nothing ever working out as promised. 

And there's nothing to suggest that there's ever going to be anything 

other than another repeat under a Mamdami administration. Sigh.

MEM