Tea and Vitriol

Controversial Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley announced her resignation earlier this week. It will take effect on August 31, so she has another three weeks to milk to office for all that it's worth. Monroe County NY includes the dying City of Rochester. In a rather mawkishly sentimental statement, she announced that, at 62, it was time for her to ride off into the sunset. Many people would argue that she should have left a long time ago. But, at 62, with 33 years in the DA's Office, and 13 of them as its head honcho, she will be able to collect a healthy pension in full. Monroe County's first female District Attorney is most famous for offering "The Deal," by which violent criminals and white-collar felons are allowed to plead down to lesser charges for reduced sentences. This allowed her to clear her books and state that "Justice has been done." Only it hasn't been. One example consists of a young man who intentionally murdered and se...

  Yesterday, February 23, 2023, within the space of one hour, three teenagers were shot in the dying City of Rochester, New York. All three were shot in what has become known as the "Fatal Crescent," that section of our fair city in which most of our violence and homicides occur. The Crescent corresponds roughly to Rochester's ghettoes. The shootings occurred at different locations within the Crescent. One was pronounced dead at the scene.  He was Rochester's ninth homicide victim 0f 2023. Another of the three was taken to the hospital and into surgery with life-threatening injuries. The victim of the first shooting was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Thank heavens for small mercies, anyway. There is an old saying, "Spare the rod and spoil the child." A "rod," in criminal parlance, also means a pistol. And young people are somehow getting hold of lots of rods these days, always illegally. Therefore, they are not getting sp...