So Nice, We Did it Twice!
We've officially lasted longer than the average Kardashian marriage.
Seriously, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. If you somehow missed the first edition, click here.
Nope
We're not gonna talk about last night. Not this week, at least. America deserves a break after that shit show last night.
The Murder of Breonna Taylor
On the night of March 13, Louisville emergency room technician Breonna Taylor was murdered by police officers executing a search warrant at her apartment. If you read nothing else that I write here it’s important that you process that fact. If you find that idea distasteful or inflammatory then skip this post and return to your safe space.
Shortly after midnight, Louisville police officers executing a search warrant used a battering ram to enter the apartment. They were using a controversial “No-Knock Warrant’ (since outlawed in Louisville), which essentially means that law enforcement is allowed to identify themselves at the exact moment they are entering the premises. Police were alleging that Taylor’s former boyfriend was using her apartment to receive drug packages.
After making several attempts to break down Taylor’s front door (thus awakening her and her boyfriend, who repeatedly demanded to know who was breaking into their apartment at midnight), police broke into the apartment, screaming and yelling in a storm of chaos and confusion. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fearing that the person gaining entry was Taylor’s former boyfriend (and the actual subject of the investigation), grabbed his legally-owned firearm and shot at the individuals storming into the apartment, causing the police to return fire. At least 20 rounds were fired (many fired blindly from outside of the apartment) with five of them striking Ms. Taylor.
Reportedly, Taylor lay in bed coughing and struggling for breath for at least five minutes, and didn’t receive medical treatment for at least 20 minutes while she lay dying in the hallway. For some unexplained reason, an ambulance that had been on site at the beginning of the raid (standard procedure) was sent away by police before making entry. Meanwhile, the officer who was struck in the leg immediately received a tourniquet and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. All the while, Taylor lie on the floor of her apartment bleeding to death without medical assistance.
Left unexplained after this horrendous tragedy is why police departments across the country are increasingly running around like they are military special forces units.
This article by journalist Radley Balko explores all of the myths being spread by Right Wing propaganda organizations such as “Turning Point USA.” It’s an absolute must read.
In it he addresses:
“This was not a no-knock warrant.”
“The police knocked and announced themselves, and a witness heard them.”
“Even Kenneth Walker has admitted that the police pounded on the door for 30 to 45 seconds. Therefore, by definition, this was not a ’no-knock’ raid.”
“If the police say they announced themselves, and one neighbor heard it, then they probably did. So what if the other neighbors didn’t hear it? They were probably asleep.”
“Breonna Taylor was not asleep in her bed when she was shot.”
“The man who shot at the police, Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, was also a drug dealer.”
“Breonna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend implicated her in his drug dealing.”
“The judge who signed the warrant is not to blame.”
“If Kenneth Walker hadn’t shot at the cops, Breonna Taylor would still be alive.”
“This is just an all-around tragedy. We shouldn’t focus on who to blame, whether its police, prosecutors, Walker or Taylor.”
Other sources:
What We Know About Breonna Taylor’s Case and Death
Breonna Taylor was briefly alive after police shot her. But no one tried to treat her
Louisville SWAT Team Told Investigators They Had Concerns About Raid on Breonna Taylor’s Apartment
Ballistics don't support AG Cameron's claim Breonna Taylor's boyfriend shot officer
The Big Get
Dave Weigel is a political reporter for The Washington Post. He’s also worked for Slate, Bloomberg, and Reason. In spite of all the time he spends grooming that glorious mustache, he managed to write an interesting book on progressive rock entitled, “The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock”. Dave’s answers are in italics.
1. Besides Dave Weigel and Joe Biden, who are some other famous people from Delaware?
Aubrey Plaza! I have two copies of "Delaware Today" in my personal archive, one asking if Biden will run for president in 2008, and one just about her. I like the idea that people think every Delawarean is either a senator or an acerbic comic actress.
2. After spending time in England as a teen, are you a soccer fan? And what's the deal with room temperature beer?
No, and I could have if I wanted to - more credibility than the people who just decided, as Americans, to like soccer. I do root for the Four Lions in the World Cup, and have an England jersey, but that's as far as I go. The first beer I ordered at a bar was room temperature bitter so it's always seemed normal to me.
3. When did you decide to become a journalist and who most influenced you in making that decision?
My first memory of "news" happening was my folks explaining to me that they'd voted for a man named Mike Dukakis, who had just lost the presidency. Second was wanting to watch "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and my dad keeping the TV on the coup against Gorbachev. There was something about news, events, etc, that intrigued me, and I became obsessed with music and history in high school, but I didn't translate that into a desire to do journalism until my last years in high school. My friend Loren had moved to the UK from Denmark, because his father was the correspondent for a Danish newspaper, and it just seemed like an amazing way in to all the stuff I wanted to see and learn.
4. Did your experience in England make you a prog rock fan or was that always a thing?
It influenced me, definitely. I got into the music in the 1990s, when I lived in Delaware, and was initially into metal and grunge. I stumbled across Mark Prindle, a freelance music writer who reviewed records on his website. He liked Metallica, I liked Metallica, and he reviewed and recommended bands like Yes. That started me on the journey, and the advantage of living in the UK - this was mostly before internet got fast enough in homes to, uh, download music, which I would never do - was that there were tons and tons of CD stores where I could buy up back catalogues.
5. Best prog rock drummer ever?
Bill Bruford
6. Do you ever bring a copy of your book on the first date and either pretend to read it or just casually leave it on the table?
Ha, I've got too much imposter's syndrome to even put it behind me in TV shots.
7. Favorite whiskey
Gonna lose followers over this but Blanton's.
8. Your favorite political story
If it's a story I read that would be "The Earl of Louisiana." If it's one of mine... I was happy with
9. Best career advice you've ever received
The story isn't at your desk, it's out there.
10. You've been open about voting on presidential elections in the past. Why do you think journalists should vote and why have you made that public?
The cynical answer is that they should make it public because otherwise people will just assume they voted for the Democrat. I think it's up to people individually, though a good compromise IMO is, if you cover national politics, skipping the federal election and voting for local races and ballot measures.
11. Where can you find the best pizza in DC?
Do people usually make a joke here? My sincere answer is Red Rocks.
Florida Man Making McCarthyism Great Again
By Jessica Redding
The Sunshine State is known for many things: miles of beaches, the Happiest Place on Earth, retirees, and Gardener Minshew’s moustache. Did you know that it is also a hotspot for businesses controlled by the Chinese government? You didn’t know? It’s not; however, Florida’s CFO, Jimmy Patronis, visited by the Ghost of Communist Witch Hunts Past, sent letters to 100,000 vendors asking if they are “owned or controlled by the Communist Party of China.” Taxpayers in Florida can rest easy because the hard earned money that they send to Tallahassee each year turned up zero Communists!
The reason for Florida’s Red Scare is Patronis’ desire to suss out companies that may be under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in hopes of penalizing those companies because someone is to blame for Florida’s COVID response dammit! I don’t know about you, but I am unaware of any time in our nation’s past when we demanded restitution from another nation because our own leadership eschewed expertise, instead relying on advice from the Orange Il Duce.
Certainly this was a play to get into the good graces of the Grand Duke of Mar-a-Lago. Are you even a Republican if you aren’t hitched to the MAGA train? How can one prove loyalty unless he or she loses shred after shred of integrity by doing things that earn one a pat on the back, a thumbs up, or a coveted tweet from the world’s most well renowned deal maker?
Thankfully for the people of Florida, places like Key West (a recipient of Patronis’ letter) remain free from the influence of communist China. Hollywood, Florida can breathe a sigh of relief that their inquisition won’t be taken half as seriously as Hollywood, California’s was 66 years ago. Like OJ looking for the real killers, Mr. Patronis will have his hands full looking for the real communists.
You can read Daniel Rivero’s story, “Florida’s Hunt for Chinese Communist Ties Comes Up Empty-Handed” here.
Never Means Never
For me that’s what it has always meant. This article goes into greater depth, but I was struck by this part (emphasis mine):
Amy, a mom from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who likely won’t vote this year, wrote that she has “become more compassionate regarding issues of social justice” since Trump was elected in 2016. “The president’s crude speech has turned me off at nearly every turn,” she said. “I have found myself thinking more openly regarding the opposing perspective on many issues. Hearing some of my own conservative ideas put forth by Donald Trump with such hate and low-level discourse have made me cringe at some of my own former beliefs.”
A retired professor in North Carolina summed up the phenomenon succinctly. “I agree with [Trump] about a great many things and regret that he has discredited those views by holding them.”
On The Bottom Shelf
Kirkland Signature Seven Year Bourbon
I honestly had mixed feelings about this one at first because I wasn’t sure it was appropriate to review something that isn’t as widely available. Then I discovered you can order anything from Costco using Instacart even without a membership. I also remembered that this was my newsletter and I can pretty much do whatever.
I’m very familiar with Costco’s clothing and food items and I’ve been impressed with the quality and value. I hadn’t tried any of their branded liquors until Saturday evening at my friend Christian’s house.
Allegedly this is made by Jim Beam, though there are conflicts about this, but it is bottled at 103 proof, giving it more bite than many bottom shelf bourbons which are bottled at 80 proof.
Frankly, I was impressed. The nose on this bourbon is both sweet and spicy, which was somewhat hinted at by the darker, caramel color. You can pick up some allspice and maybe even clove with a little citrus. The taste is more of the same with a strong taste of clove, allspice and burnt sugar. You don’t get much vanilla or the overt sweetness so often found in cheap bourbon. It’s pretty smooth overall and easy to sip.
For a one liter bottle under $30 (available to anyone via Instacart), this is an excellent around the house sipping choice. Highly recommend. Try some and tell me what you think.
The Best Things I Saw This Week
This incredible, close-up view of a firefighting airliner in action.
A pilot arranged and participated in a special flyover for his dad, a 98 year-old WWII vet.
An incredibly kind and thoughtful gift from my buddy, Dan Goodkin means that I am now officially a member of Liverpool Football Club for the first time ever. And the book! Thanks, brother.
Season Two of Novelist Michael Connelly’s podcast Murder Book premiers this Monday.
That’s all, folks!
Thanks for reading. If something interested you then please share Monticello with your friends. And you can always reply to this email to reach me directly.
Monticello was created by and published by Jacob Perry. Our editor and contributor is Jessica Redding. On social media: