Wishing all the dads a very Happy Father’s Day.

WASHINGTON – Today, Senators and Aging Committee members Mike Braun (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly introduced the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act, a bipartisan bill to support the delivery of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), commonly known as the “senior food box.” 

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a federal food assistance program that provides monthly food boxes to low-income seniors. However, seniors living in rural areas, seniors with disabilities, and those without reliable transportation often do not receive home delivery services from food banks participating in CSFP. The Delivering for Rural Seniors Act would address this gap by creating a pilot program to fund grants specifically for the delivery of CSFP to these underserved populations. 

The bill marks a significant step toward addressing food insecurity among seniors and improving the effectiveness of the CSFP through innovative delivery methods. 

“No senior in America should go hungry. This bill will help rural seniors and those with disabilities get access to food bank services to help cut down on the issue of food insecurity among older Americans,” said Braun, who serves as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research.  

“Our seniors have worked hard their entire lives and deserve to have access to nutritious food without facing barriers due to mobility or transportation,” said Kelly. “This bipartisan bill will help ensure that low-income seniors in Arizona receive the essential food they need directly to their homes, improving their health and quality of life.” 

GAVEL GAMUT

By Jim Redwine

www.jamesmredwine.com

(Week of 17 June 2024)

GET OUT OF THE GUTTER

Lauren Windsor is a conservative Christian who is anti-abortion. That is what she told Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito on June 03, 2024 in statements she made to him at a private gathering of the Supreme Court Historical Society. We know she stands for these principles because she recorded herself saying so then released an edited version of her recording to the Rolling Stone magazine. Of course, she is an admitted, known liar, so who knows what she believes.

Windsor was attempting to sleazily trap Justice Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts during private conversations. Windsor did not inform the justices she was recording them nor did she disclose her true purpose which was to embarrass the Court and maybe get the justices to recuse in cases she cared about.

It turned out neither Alito nor Roberts said anything of significance that might pressure them to avoid ruling on future cases. On the other hand, Windsor should be excommunicated from the Fourth Estate for shaming herself and her vocation.

Gentle Reader, if you have followed this column over its thirty-four years you know I have my issues with our Supreme Court. Just as you, I have never had the opportunity to vote for or against anyone on the Supreme Court. You may recall I have repeatedly written that all federal judges should be selected by the public, have strict term limits and be subject to the same type of judicial ethical boundaries as I as a judge have been for over forty years. I have no brief for an imperial court at any level. However, gutter-type tactics used to ensnare anyone, including judges, are debasing to our system of justice and an affront to journalism.

If one wants to know what a Supreme Court justice really thinks, read their numerous decisions! They are published each term of court and a matter of public record. Justice Alito has been on the Court since 2006 and Chief Justice Roberts has been on the Court since 2005. Each of them has signed on to countless decisions and has dissented in many others. If we want to know how they think, all we need to do is read the public record. There is no call for pulp fiction.

For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com

An illegal immigrant who killed another man in Columbus, Indiana, in exchange for $3,200 must continue serving a 55-year sentence after Attorney General Todd Rokita’s legal team prevailed at the Indiana Court of Appeals.

“Our office works hard to keep Hoosiers and their loved ones safe from a wide array of wrongdoers, ranging from white-collar crimes to outright killers,” Attorney General Rokita said. “A big part of that work includes keeping dangerous lawbreakers off the street through our handling of criminal appeals. In this case, we’re dealing with someone who broke our laws from the very start by entering our country illegally. Then, as happens far too often, this offender proceeded to commit a violent crime.”

The killer, Eliel Avelar, appealed, asking the appellate court to review his sentence. He argued that his mental health issues called for a lower sentence. The appellate court did not find this persuasive.

“[H]e does not explain how these mental health issues render his sentence inappropriate,” the Indiana Court of Appeals stated in its ruling

The court also found that his immigration status did not reflect well on his character. “Moreover, Avelar ignores that he was in the United States illegally,” the court stated. The court cited past precedent affirming that a “defendant’s unlawful immigration status is a valid aggravating factor because it demonstrates a disregard for the law.”

In 2020, Avelar agreed to accept $2,000 from another man who wanted someone to harm his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. Two weeks after agreeing to physically harm the new boyfriend, Avelar went beyond the agreement and murdered Leobardo Flores, fatally shooting him.

Avelar then demanded and received more money for the slaying — to the tune of another $1,200.

Three others confessed to playing roles in the crime.

The Court of Appeals decision is attached.

• Avelar Opinion.pdf