(Danny Fenster hugs mother Rose as Bill Richardson, right, looks on this morning. Danny was released from a Burmese jail yesterday after conviction by a military court last Friday, and immediately departed on a flight to the U.S. Press accounts indicate Bill escorted him on the flight, which accounts for why it was difficult to get ahold of him through his office. AP is all over the story, this picture being captured by their photographer Seth Wenig).

Edging into the daily editorial meeting is necessarily a challenging start. Some are awake, others still waiting for caffein dosages to get adjusted in their bloodstreams. There are several issues percolating at the moment. That trial in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has some folks worked up. The Writer’s section was interested in the Prosecutor pointing the AR-15 involved in the matter at the jury to emphasize a point in his summation. Given the unfortunate death of a woman on an Alex Baldwin film, DeMille wanted to emphasize the moment as one that should be memorialized in gun safety lectures. Of the things that should never be done with a firearm, pointing them at people you do not intend to shoot is the first. Putting your finger through the trigger guard is probably about second. Doing both the above with the bolt closed, as it was, means no one knows whether it is loaded and hence a major safety concern.

Splash was worked up this morning, anyway. “There was no magazine in the rifle!” he exclaimed. “There was no danger!”

Loma tried to cool him down a bit. “If, after the Alex Baldwin accident last week, even a well-intentioned person pointed a rifle in my direction with their finger on the trigger and the bolt closed, I would have complained about safety from a safe position on the floor.”

Splash wasn’t going to be hushed by common sense and seemed ready to engage in other legal matters. Which is to say, nothing unusual about that: sleeping outdoors can get him particularly alert as the seasonal change bathes the Virginia Piedmont. And the current state of legal affairs is enough to make some people concerned. He was wound up yesterday with the news that Bill Richardson got Danny Fenster freed from a Burmese jail. He returned home this morning. His Mom, Rose, was there to greet him after his plane touched down at JFK in New York in the pre-dawn hours. He had been locked up for nearly six months. Now, he is back on US soil, and the military junta that had him locked up has no power to mess with his freedom.

What had Splash going this morning was that we missed something significant in the story.

“You know Danny was released yesterday on Bill’s 74th birthday, November 15th.” There was some contemplation about that. Bill is now a youthful 74 years of age and clearly more vigorous than many of us around the Fire Ring who share an equivalent number of rides around our sun. “Was that part of it? A birthday present for Bill?”

There was a moment of silence, and then a smattering of applause as Splash fished in the pocket of his vest and produced a flask. “It is a decent reason to celebrate for both Danny and Bill,” he said with a flourish. “And an excellent way to start a Tuesday!”

The general celebratory sense around the Fire Ring continued as the group rose and lumbered toward the stairs to the Loading Dock. Then we started the serious discussion about the events of this day, the one still lying at our feet.

Copyright 2021 Vic Socotra
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