Republic -- "If you can keep it." -- (Democracy)
Accountability for Jan. 6 insurrection.
U. S. Select House Committee Hearings will continue in the fall.
QUESTION: Why were all those files reported by the Ex-President's lawyer as having been returned to U.S. government still in Mar-a-largo, possibly placing our nation's security at risk?
"Cheats and Liars" (Official Music Video)
by Elles Bailey
"Bristol-based, multi-award-winning, genre-crossing' Elles Bailey's ... video "Cheats and Liars' written with Ashton Tucker from her album "Shinng in the Half Light", released earlier in 2022.
LIFE'S INJUSTICES
Some readers here may recall my writing a few years ago about my frustration with a neighbor's backyard leaning wall subjecting a corner of my attached wall to increasing pressures causing the concrete blocks to destructively pull apart. A licensed arborist informally noted years of rampant uncontrolled growth and underground roots on the opposite side of the neighbor's wall was causing the escalating leaning on that wall that was pulling the corner of my wall out of alignment and away from the rest of my wall. Obviously, the situation would only worsen if some action was not taken by my neighbor with the property owners on the other side of his wall to correct the problem.
Thinking my neighbor would be pleased I had discovered this problem so early, I invited him into my backyard to see what was happening. I thought he could act to contact those tall hedge owners who would want to correct the problem before his wall collapsed and would be much more expensive to repair. My wall was their victim, too, so the neighbor and those other property owners would be responsible for any damage expenses, wouldn't they? Duh! Logic and what is just does not always apply.
I was given the impression the neighbor would pursue the issue and get back to me, expecting we would act together. His wall kept leaning. The corner of my wall cement blocks continued to be pulled further and further apart from one another threatening the integrity of my entire back wall. The neighbor actually never really acknowledged what his eyes and mine, plus scientific measurements with photos taken over time showed.
City officials even became involved to examine the issues in a neutral manner exclusive of any monetary matters in which they don't become involved when I finally contacted them with my concerns. They did point out problems to my neighbor. Concluding much later that the neighbor seemed to be taking no action, I consulted further with our city officials to receive authorization to disconnect his wall from mine. By this time the damage to my wall had reached a degree I had to hire reconstruction which was not inexpensive (10K).
Had I realized the neighbor would persist in inaction, apparent denial of the obvious, and was doing nothing meaningful to rectify the problem, I would have disconnected my wall from his sooner. We had talked periodically, and he observed in person what was occurring to my wall, plus I emailed him photos and data believing he was addressing the issue with the owners on the other side of his wall.
Finally, I was surprised to be told by city officials they had asked and the neighbor said he would provide me some financial reimbursement for my expense. I allowed time to pass. expecting to hear from my neighbor. When last he came to my home, and we talked, he mentioned having some vision problems which were altering his immediate activity. When discussion of my wall reconstruction costs came up, I told him the total I paid. I did not press him on reimbursement when he said nothing, since he was dealing with those medical vision issues.
I expected I would hear from him following some resolution there and he considered the information I had given him. Time passed, so hearing nothing further from him I emailed a brief query asking about his intentions. I eventually received an even briefer two or three word unsigned response to the effect the problem was mine.
I reluctantly considered legal action, but such a small case was not of interest to attorneys or cost effective for me to press them. I was experiencing some medical issues of my own affecting my mobility at the time so small claims court had to be ruled out. I am confident I would have won given my accumulated documentation.
Serving the lawsuit was going to be seriously problematic since the neighbor no longer lived in the home or even in our city. There is no assurance in small claims court a judgment will be collectable if the person chooses not to pay, even though the last I knew the owner was employed in what is typically a high paying profession.
Subsequently, the neighbor's house was sold. New owners are in the construction business I recently learned. They independently replaced their back wall which finally fully collapsed when unusually severe winds blew through our city last year causing much damage. They are not pursuing costs from those property owners on the other side of their wall.
The tall hedges have finally been cut down, though I've wondered if root growth or possible expanding above ground growth into the area behind my reconstructed corner wall section could possibly be a problem in the distant future. I did send a letter to the property owners on the other side of my neighbor's wall alerting them to my concern. I wanted to have that information on record. There is no recompense for my wall expense from the new neighbor owners, of course, which I didn't ask for and wouldn't expect.
A wall section separating our properties has a weakened section the new owner plans to replace but I declined to contribute to the cost of doing so. The problem previously given a band-aid was caused by growth on that neighbor's property since there have never been any plants on my side of the wall. The previous owner of his property had been cautioned by city officials that his plants were of concern as causing that wall problem. I became aware he had all those plants dug up which occurred just prior to his selling the property. This news appeared to be not previously known to the new owner which I think helped him understand my perspective. I hope to hear no more about wall issues.
Some individuals, companies, businesses, disregard what is right and fair if there is no way to enforce what is even legally and morally just. They justify doing so by saying, "It's just business", with no conscience or sense of guilt much less empathy or compassion for the abused party.
I've known life is not always fair, that there are people who really don't care about others or seem to have any moral compass. I always feel such disappointment, anger, sometimes sadness, not to mention regret -- especially, when I think about what I anticipated doing with the money I had to pay to repair my wall, to say the least -- when I encounter such individuals. Justice does not always prevail.
No doubt some of you may have similar stories of injustices you've experienced.
