Do you want an illustration of how dangerous police work can be? Well, about 30 Dallas cops have been assaulted by the same two dangerous culprits and no arrests have been made yet. And who are these perps?
The two perps are mockingbirds who built a nest by the police station and are guarding their brood. Anyone, cops and civilians alike, who walks to and from the police station is attacked. The ferocious birds deliberately dive onto the torsos and heads of pedestrians, occasionally biting them. The attacks are relentless. So far, at least 30 cops have been assaulted.
The mockingbird is the State Bird of Texas and now we know why. Like all true Texans, these birds know no fear. They will protect their territory against a well-armed and much bigger, stronger enemy. Those mockingbirds must be right-wingers because left-wingers, in their timidity, would never dare to do that.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
"CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS" ESCAPE FROM PRISON
I know that everyone gets a good laugh when we read or watch the TV news about some stupidity on the part of a crook that got him caught. But those stupidities are the exception, not the case. When I started working dope cases, I quickly learned never to underestimate the cleverness of my opponents. They may have been school dropouts, but they more than made up for their lack of education with their street smarts.
The following story is an example of both cleverness and carelessness. A couple of convicts serving life terms for murder escaped from an Arkansas prison which makes uniforms for the prison system’s guards. During a shift change, the two convicts changed into some of those correctional officer uniforms and simply walked out of the prison gates. Now that was clever.
The fact that none of the staff recognized the escaping lifers constitutes a high degree of carelessness. It is hard to imagine how they could have just walked out of that prison without being caught before they got away. While the two escapees are certain to be apprehended, they have proved that crooks can be smarter than their opponents and in this case their opponents were just plain stupid.
Here is the Associated Press report on this caper:
MURDERERS ESCAPE ARKANSAS PRISON IN GUARDS’ UNIFORMS
The Associated Press
May 30, 2009
GRADY, Ark. - Two convicted murderers put on corrections-officer uniforms and walked out of an Arkansas prison during a shift change, officials said Saturday as they searched for the men.
Jeffrey Grinder, 32, and Calvin Adams, 39, escaped Friday evening from the Cummins Unit prison in Grady more than three hours before officials realized they were missing, corrections department spokeswoman Dina Tyler said.
Both men were serving life sentences without the possibility of parole at the prison about 60 miles southeast of Little Rock.
The guard uniforms the inmates put on are made in the prison. Video surveillance shows the men put them on in the prison library after the 6 p.m. headcount and walked out of the prison during a shift change less than 20 minutes later, Tyler said.
Prison officials are investigating whether all policies and procedures were followed.
"Someone should have laid eyes on them. That's one of the things we're looking at: How exactly did they get out without someone challenging them?" Tyler said.
Grinder and Adams drove away in a maroon or burgundy colored, 4-door sedan that had been left for them.
Officials realized the men were missing after coming up short during the 10 p.m. inmate headcount, Tyler said.
Grinder was convicted of capital murder in 2004, and Adams was convicted of capital murder in 1995. Both men have family in Arkansas and out of state.
"We think there's probably a pretty good chance that they are not in Arkansas," she said.
Corrections officials are trying to develop leads on where the men are and hoping someone will spot them. Anyone who sees the men should call the Arkansas state police or their local law enforcement, Tyler said.
The following story is an example of both cleverness and carelessness. A couple of convicts serving life terms for murder escaped from an Arkansas prison which makes uniforms for the prison system’s guards. During a shift change, the two convicts changed into some of those correctional officer uniforms and simply walked out of the prison gates. Now that was clever.
The fact that none of the staff recognized the escaping lifers constitutes a high degree of carelessness. It is hard to imagine how they could have just walked out of that prison without being caught before they got away. While the two escapees are certain to be apprehended, they have proved that crooks can be smarter than their opponents and in this case their opponents were just plain stupid.
Here is the Associated Press report on this caper:
MURDERERS ESCAPE ARKANSAS PRISON IN GUARDS’ UNIFORMS
The Associated Press
May 30, 2009
GRADY, Ark. - Two convicted murderers put on corrections-officer uniforms and walked out of an Arkansas prison during a shift change, officials said Saturday as they searched for the men.
Jeffrey Grinder, 32, and Calvin Adams, 39, escaped Friday evening from the Cummins Unit prison in Grady more than three hours before officials realized they were missing, corrections department spokeswoman Dina Tyler said.
Both men were serving life sentences without the possibility of parole at the prison about 60 miles southeast of Little Rock.
The guard uniforms the inmates put on are made in the prison. Video surveillance shows the men put them on in the prison library after the 6 p.m. headcount and walked out of the prison during a shift change less than 20 minutes later, Tyler said.
Prison officials are investigating whether all policies and procedures were followed.
"Someone should have laid eyes on them. That's one of the things we're looking at: How exactly did they get out without someone challenging them?" Tyler said.
Grinder and Adams drove away in a maroon or burgundy colored, 4-door sedan that had been left for them.
Officials realized the men were missing after coming up short during the 10 p.m. inmate headcount, Tyler said.
Grinder was convicted of capital murder in 2004, and Adams was convicted of capital murder in 1995. Both men have family in Arkansas and out of state.
"We think there's probably a pretty good chance that they are not in Arkansas," she said.
Corrections officials are trying to develop leads on where the men are and hoping someone will spot them. Anyone who sees the men should call the Arkansas state police or their local law enforcement, Tyler said.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
MURDERER OR HERO?
Jerome Ersland, 57, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel who is a disabled veteran of the Persian Gulf War, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Ersland, a pharmacist in civilian life, was working in an Oklahoma City pharmacy on May 19 when he and two women employees were confronted by two hold-up men wearing ski masks.
Ersland pulled a gun and managed to shoot one of the gunmen in the head. He chased the other one out of the store. Then he went back behind the counter, grabbed another gun, and pumped five more bullets into the stomach of the robber with the head wound who was lying unconscious on the floor.
The medical examiner ruled that the five stomach shots were the ones that killed 16-year-old Antwun Parker. The district attorney says that Ersland was justified in shooting the teenager in the head but that when he returned to shoot Parker again, he committed murder because the unconscious robber was no longer a threat to anyone.
This begs the question – is Ersland a murderer or a hero? Hundreds of people have come to his defense. They hail Ersland as a hero. An anonymous donor has put up his $100,000 bail. And, the district attorney has been getting a lot of flack.
You may wonder how I, as a retired professor of criminal justice, feel about this case. For starters, I do not feel sorry for the slain teenager. He got what was coming to him. I do have some sympathy for Parker’s family because they have lost a loved one.
What is really sad though is that a decent man, Ersland, has been ruined because of how he reacted at the time he became the victim of a life-threatening crime. Even if he never goes to trial on any criminal charges in this case, he will be wiped out financially by enormous legal bills. And on top of that, you can bet that bottom feeding lawyers are already crawling all over themselves to represent the Parker family in a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Ersland.
This case is somewhat reminiscent of the Joe Horn case in Pasadena, Texas. Horn, 61, shot two black Colombian illegal immigrants nearly two years ago who had just burglarized his neighbor’s home. Many hailed Horn as a hero for killing the two previously convicted criminals but, because the burglars did not constitute a threat to his person or property at the time he killed them, others were outraged and demanded he be arrested and tried for murder.
Horn was not arrested and a grand jury refused to indict him, but he was nevertheless ruined. Black activists charged that the shootings were racially motivated. Horn abandoned his home and went into hiding to avoid the daily hounding by protesters and he was sued by the "fiance" of one of the burglars. Like Ersland, Horn had been a decent man all his life prior to the shootings.
Of course, I agree that Ersland was not justified in shooting the unconscious robber again. However, had I been the district attorney in this case, I would have referred the shooting to a grand jury without arresting Ersland. I suspect a grand jury would have refused to issue an indictment against the pharmacist.
So, is Ersland a hero? You bet he is! By killing the teenager, he very likely prevented some other innocent person from getting killed by Parker during a future robbery. In my book, that makes Jerome Ersland a crime fighting hero!
Ersland pulled a gun and managed to shoot one of the gunmen in the head. He chased the other one out of the store. Then he went back behind the counter, grabbed another gun, and pumped five more bullets into the stomach of the robber with the head wound who was lying unconscious on the floor.
The medical examiner ruled that the five stomach shots were the ones that killed 16-year-old Antwun Parker. The district attorney says that Ersland was justified in shooting the teenager in the head but that when he returned to shoot Parker again, he committed murder because the unconscious robber was no longer a threat to anyone.
This begs the question – is Ersland a murderer or a hero? Hundreds of people have come to his defense. They hail Ersland as a hero. An anonymous donor has put up his $100,000 bail. And, the district attorney has been getting a lot of flack.
You may wonder how I, as a retired professor of criminal justice, feel about this case. For starters, I do not feel sorry for the slain teenager. He got what was coming to him. I do have some sympathy for Parker’s family because they have lost a loved one.
What is really sad though is that a decent man, Ersland, has been ruined because of how he reacted at the time he became the victim of a life-threatening crime. Even if he never goes to trial on any criminal charges in this case, he will be wiped out financially by enormous legal bills. And on top of that, you can bet that bottom feeding lawyers are already crawling all over themselves to represent the Parker family in a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Ersland.
This case is somewhat reminiscent of the Joe Horn case in Pasadena, Texas. Horn, 61, shot two black Colombian illegal immigrants nearly two years ago who had just burglarized his neighbor’s home. Many hailed Horn as a hero for killing the two previously convicted criminals but, because the burglars did not constitute a threat to his person or property at the time he killed them, others were outraged and demanded he be arrested and tried for murder.
Horn was not arrested and a grand jury refused to indict him, but he was nevertheless ruined. Black activists charged that the shootings were racially motivated. Horn abandoned his home and went into hiding to avoid the daily hounding by protesters and he was sued by the "fiance" of one of the burglars. Like Ersland, Horn had been a decent man all his life prior to the shootings.
Of course, I agree that Ersland was not justified in shooting the unconscious robber again. However, had I been the district attorney in this case, I would have referred the shooting to a grand jury without arresting Ersland. I suspect a grand jury would have refused to issue an indictment against the pharmacist.
So, is Ersland a hero? You bet he is! By killing the teenager, he very likely prevented some other innocent person from getting killed by Parker during a future robbery. In my book, that makes Jerome Ersland a crime fighting hero!
OFF-DUTY COPS CAN BE MISTAKEN FOR CROOKS AND MORE SO IF THEY'RE BLACK
According to an angry black NYPD officer, 15 black off-duty or plainclothes police officers have been shot by white on-duty officers in New York City while no white off-duty or plainclothes officers have been shot by black on-duty police officers. There are those who are quick to blame racism for the killing of black cops by fellow officers who are white.
The most recent incident occurred when a white NYPD cop killed a black off-duty officer who, with gun in hand, was observed chasing a black unarmed car burglar in East Harlem. In my opinion, racism has little to do with such tragedies. It may not be politically correct to say so, but with all those daily shootings in the black community, it is small wonder that an armed black man chasing someone down the street will be seen as a hoodlum intent on another black-on-black killing.
Years ago, when the wearing of headbands was not uncommon, many NYPD foot patrol officers worked in plainclothes with the purpose of suppressing street crimes. In order to avoid mistaken identities, NYPD devised a system of identifying these cops to other officers as fellow police officers. Each day, the plainclothes foot patrol officers would wear a different color headband, or armbands in some instances, and all other officers were notified during roll-call what the color of the day was.
An off-duty cop who comes across a crime in progress and takes the appropriate action to stop it, is not only endangering his own life by confronting a crook, but he also faces the possibility of being mistaken for a crook by another police officer. And if he’s got a gun in hand, that could result in the tragedy of a cop killing a fellow cop.
Here is the Associated Press report of the latest NYPD cop-on-cop killing:
OFF DUTY NYPD COP FATALLY SHOT BY FELLOW OFFICER
By Jennifer Peltz
Associated Press
May 29, 2009
NEW YORK — A plainclothes policeman who drew his gun while chasing someone he had found rummaging through his car was shot and killed by a fellow officer who was driving by and saw the pursuit, the police commissioner said.
Commissioner Raymond Kelly said 25-year-old Omar J. Edwards died after being shot late Thursday within blocks of the Harlem housing police station where he worked.
The shooter was white and Edwards was black, a fact that could raise questions about police use of deadly force in a minority community. And in recent years there have been several cases of off-duty policemen in the New York City area being shot and killed by other officers.
Edwards had just finished his shift around 10:30 p.m. when he headed to his car and saw that the driver's-side window had been smashed and a man was going through the vehicle, Kelly said.
Edwards struggled with the man, who got away from him by slipping out of his sweater, Kelly said. Edwards chased the man up two streets with his gun drawn, he said.
A sergeant and two plainclothes officers in an unmarked police car saw the pursuit and made a U-turn to follow the men, Kelly said. The officers were from the neighboring 25th Precinct anti-crime unit. One of the officers jumped out of the car and fired six times, hitting Edwards twice - once in the arm and once in the chest, he said.
Kelly said Edwards did not fire his weapon. He died at the Harlem Hospital Center about an hour after the shooting.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on his radio show Friday that investigators were reviewing security tapes and interviewing witnesses, and said the shooting was not deliberate. Investigators were also questioning the man Edwards had been chasing.
"The only thing that can come out of this is to improve procedures so perhaps it doesn't happen again," Bloomberg said. "We all know policing is a dangerous job and accidents happen when people have guns in their hands, even legal guns in this case which they are authorized and trained to use."
Kelly said Edwards had been on the force for two years and worked in the housing bureau. He was recently married and had two young children. His father-in-law has been a police officer for 19 years.
The most recent incident occurred when a white NYPD cop killed a black off-duty officer who, with gun in hand, was observed chasing a black unarmed car burglar in East Harlem. In my opinion, racism has little to do with such tragedies. It may not be politically correct to say so, but with all those daily shootings in the black community, it is small wonder that an armed black man chasing someone down the street will be seen as a hoodlum intent on another black-on-black killing.
Years ago, when the wearing of headbands was not uncommon, many NYPD foot patrol officers worked in plainclothes with the purpose of suppressing street crimes. In order to avoid mistaken identities, NYPD devised a system of identifying these cops to other officers as fellow police officers. Each day, the plainclothes foot patrol officers would wear a different color headband, or armbands in some instances, and all other officers were notified during roll-call what the color of the day was.
An off-duty cop who comes across a crime in progress and takes the appropriate action to stop it, is not only endangering his own life by confronting a crook, but he also faces the possibility of being mistaken for a crook by another police officer. And if he’s got a gun in hand, that could result in the tragedy of a cop killing a fellow cop.
Here is the Associated Press report of the latest NYPD cop-on-cop killing:
OFF DUTY NYPD COP FATALLY SHOT BY FELLOW OFFICER
By Jennifer Peltz
Associated Press
May 29, 2009
NEW YORK — A plainclothes policeman who drew his gun while chasing someone he had found rummaging through his car was shot and killed by a fellow officer who was driving by and saw the pursuit, the police commissioner said.
Commissioner Raymond Kelly said 25-year-old Omar J. Edwards died after being shot late Thursday within blocks of the Harlem housing police station where he worked.
The shooter was white and Edwards was black, a fact that could raise questions about police use of deadly force in a minority community. And in recent years there have been several cases of off-duty policemen in the New York City area being shot and killed by other officers.
Edwards had just finished his shift around 10:30 p.m. when he headed to his car and saw that the driver's-side window had been smashed and a man was going through the vehicle, Kelly said.
Edwards struggled with the man, who got away from him by slipping out of his sweater, Kelly said. Edwards chased the man up two streets with his gun drawn, he said.
A sergeant and two plainclothes officers in an unmarked police car saw the pursuit and made a U-turn to follow the men, Kelly said. The officers were from the neighboring 25th Precinct anti-crime unit. One of the officers jumped out of the car and fired six times, hitting Edwards twice - once in the arm and once in the chest, he said.
Kelly said Edwards did not fire his weapon. He died at the Harlem Hospital Center about an hour after the shooting.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on his radio show Friday that investigators were reviewing security tapes and interviewing witnesses, and said the shooting was not deliberate. Investigators were also questioning the man Edwards had been chasing.
"The only thing that can come out of this is to improve procedures so perhaps it doesn't happen again," Bloomberg said. "We all know policing is a dangerous job and accidents happen when people have guns in their hands, even legal guns in this case which they are authorized and trained to use."
Kelly said Edwards had been on the force for two years and worked in the housing bureau. He was recently married and had two young children. His father-in-law has been a police officer for 19 years.
Friday, May 29, 2009
DON'T WEEP AND WAIL FOR JUVENILES IMPRISONED AS COLD-BLOODED KILLERS
I have always maintained that it makes little sense to set an arbitrary age delineation between juveniles and adults in the criminal justice system. In most states youths are juveniles if they are under 18, in Texas under 17, and in a few states, believe it or not, under 21.
It makes more sense to determine the maturity - capability of knowing right from wrong - of an offender under 18 before certifying him as a juvenile and it makes a lot more sense to look at the nature of the crime, as is being done in most states, to determine whether the offender should be tried as an adult.
In California, for instance, youths under the age of 18 can be tried as adults if in a "707 hearing" a juvenile court judge finds the individual charged "is not a fit and proper subject to be dealt with under the juvenile court law." The law stipulates five criteria, which call for judgments about the juvenile, including the "degree of criminal sophistication" and the particular alleged offense. In general, the law applies to those over 16 and under 18, but with some charges of murder or other heinous crimes, juveniles as young as 14 can be considered fit for trial as adults.
The bleeding hearts in California have been weeping and wailing for the juveniles in that state who have been sentenced to "life without the possibility of parole." The fact that the juvenile has been convicted of a cold-blooded murder does not deter liberal do-gooders from changing the law so that these monsters will once again see the light of day outside the prison walls.
California Senate Bill 399 was introduced by Senator Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo. This bill would establish criteria to be used by the secretary of the Department of Corrections or the parole board for determining if a prisoner's sentence should be recalled when the defendant was under 18 years of age at the time of committing an offense for which the defendant was sentenced to life without parole. The bill would establish a procedure for reviewing those sentences and would apply retroactively.
In yesterday's PacoVilla’s Corrections blog, Paco reproduced a letter sent to California state senators by Maggie Elvey whose husband was brutally murdered by a 15-year old thug in 1993. I don’t see how any senator in his right mind could possibly support SB 399 after reading Maggie Elvey’s letter. But since most of them are "California-style" liberals, her words will probably fall on deaf ears.
Elvey's letter should be must reading for anyone concerned about the punishment of cold-blooded killers and especially for all those who seem to be more concerned for juveniles who have been sent to prison, than for their innocent victims. Here, from Paco’s blog, is that letter:
MAY 7, 2009
SB 399: OPPOSITION "The fair Sentencing for Youth Act"
So very Cruel to Victim Survivors & so cold blooded to be Retroactive
Dear Senator,
I am a survivor of a homicide victim, my husband of 29 years, Ross Elvey who was brutally beaten with a metal pipe on April 28, 1993 in Vista California, while being held down...Blood was under the shelves and half way up the walls. Then his business was robbed of 7 handguns. I must assume that being juveniles, they didn’t know what they wanted hand guns for. Maybe they needed hand guns to commit more murders. Ross had 25 skull fractures, a hole in his skull the size of a 50 cent piece that could not be put back together. He laid in a coma for 41 days before passing away on June 7, 1993. He would have been a vegetable if he had survived. And YES I have been told that he asked to be murdered as he owned a Gun Store. What a sick society we live in.
D. Miller, was 4 months short of 16, his street name was "Nine" as he could get Nine MM handguns for others. At 14 DM had supplied hand guns to two other 14 yr old juveniles who committed two other murders…he was never punished. Don’t tell me he didn’t know what he was doing. At 15 he helped in the murder of my husband, which was planned to be done on 4/27 but there were customers in the shop. D. Miller has been out of CYA for 6 years. As far as I am concerned he has had his 3rd strike and gets to start over.
K. Kirchner, 2 months over 16, street name of "187 INSANE" was tried as an adult after having a 707 hearing. The judge during the adult trial found him guilty of first degree murder with special circumstances and sentenced him to LIFE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE (LWOP). He recently received another 25 to life sentence for trying to kill another inmate…now I suppose he should be set free as he probably didn’t understand what he was doing.
The supporters of SB 399 would like for you to believe that California sentences juveniles ages 13 through 17 to LWOP…the facts are; ONLY 16 thru 17 year old juveniles who have committed the most heinous, brutal 1st Degree Crimes with Special Circumstances are sentenced to LWOP and the judge still has the option to give them a sentence of 25 to life. 14 years through 15 are sentenced to 25 to life NOT LWOP.
Yes I am mad…when the killers of our loved ones were sentenced and we walked out of the court room, we figured we could try to get on with our live…that we had received some justice. We would not have to worry about the killer again. Guess we should have known better.
SB399 is a slap in the face to victims of juvenile crime…anything will be tried to release juveniles who have committed brutal violent murder. I sat through 2 trials and one 707 hearing and now I have to be looking over my shoulder everyday to make sure someone does not come along to try to release this sociopath killer.
For a survivor of a homicide victim, the pain never goes away; there is no closure until the day we are buried. To think that victims WILL NOT CARE if someone goes back and changes the sentence of the killer who brutally murdered their loved one without being notified, is APPALLING.
Have you even tried to find the victims families of the juveniles sitting with a LWOP sentence in California to see how they feel about this crazy idea? Well you don’t have to find me…I am watching you and all the others that are so concerned about the guilty killer.
Why have we become a society that feels more for the guilty killer then the innocent victim? Once the victim is buried, the perpetrator becomes the victim. What has happened to the word responsibility when you make a really bad choice? Why have we become a society that feels it is okay to murder someone and you can walk the streets again? Does the Murdered Victim get to walk the street again?
Why are our children not being taught what happens when they commit a crime? I spoke to 6 classes at a local high school last year, not one student knew what the felony murder rule was.
Our loved ones killer can be young or old it does not matter. Our loved ones are still dead, gone forever, never to get a second chance. But yet others are more concerned for the killers of our loved ones. Why don’t others have the same care and concern in their heart for the real victim and their families?
Putting a review, to a possible Parole Hearing into the LWOP sentence, IS changing LWOP for everyone. There is no longer a LWOP sentence. LWOP means, no review, no parole hearing, no release and being held responsible for First Degree Murder with Special Circumstances that you committed, were found guilty of by a judge or jury and sentenced to by a Judge. It is sure more then the victim received.
SB399 IS AN INJUSTICE AND RE-VICTIMIZATION TO VICTIM SURVIVORS IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA WHO ARE VICTIMS OF JUVENILE KILLERS SENTENCED TO LWOP. IT TRANSFERS THE LIFE SENTENCE TO THE VICTIM SURVIVORS.
PLEASE OPPOSE SB399. DON’T RE-VICTIMIZE THE VICTIM SURVIVORS!
Maggie Elvey
www.jlwopvictims.org / National Organization of Victims of "Juvenile Lifers."
It makes more sense to determine the maturity - capability of knowing right from wrong - of an offender under 18 before certifying him as a juvenile and it makes a lot more sense to look at the nature of the crime, as is being done in most states, to determine whether the offender should be tried as an adult.
In California, for instance, youths under the age of 18 can be tried as adults if in a "707 hearing" a juvenile court judge finds the individual charged "is not a fit and proper subject to be dealt with under the juvenile court law." The law stipulates five criteria, which call for judgments about the juvenile, including the "degree of criminal sophistication" and the particular alleged offense. In general, the law applies to those over 16 and under 18, but with some charges of murder or other heinous crimes, juveniles as young as 14 can be considered fit for trial as adults.
The bleeding hearts in California have been weeping and wailing for the juveniles in that state who have been sentenced to "life without the possibility of parole." The fact that the juvenile has been convicted of a cold-blooded murder does not deter liberal do-gooders from changing the law so that these monsters will once again see the light of day outside the prison walls.
California Senate Bill 399 was introduced by Senator Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo. This bill would establish criteria to be used by the secretary of the Department of Corrections or the parole board for determining if a prisoner's sentence should be recalled when the defendant was under 18 years of age at the time of committing an offense for which the defendant was sentenced to life without parole. The bill would establish a procedure for reviewing those sentences and would apply retroactively.
In yesterday's PacoVilla’s Corrections blog, Paco reproduced a letter sent to California state senators by Maggie Elvey whose husband was brutally murdered by a 15-year old thug in 1993. I don’t see how any senator in his right mind could possibly support SB 399 after reading Maggie Elvey’s letter. But since most of them are "California-style" liberals, her words will probably fall on deaf ears.
Elvey's letter should be must reading for anyone concerned about the punishment of cold-blooded killers and especially for all those who seem to be more concerned for juveniles who have been sent to prison, than for their innocent victims. Here, from Paco’s blog, is that letter:
MAY 7, 2009
SB 399: OPPOSITION "The fair Sentencing for Youth Act"
So very Cruel to Victim Survivors & so cold blooded to be Retroactive
Dear Senator,
I am a survivor of a homicide victim, my husband of 29 years, Ross Elvey who was brutally beaten with a metal pipe on April 28, 1993 in Vista California, while being held down...Blood was under the shelves and half way up the walls. Then his business was robbed of 7 handguns. I must assume that being juveniles, they didn’t know what they wanted hand guns for. Maybe they needed hand guns to commit more murders. Ross had 25 skull fractures, a hole in his skull the size of a 50 cent piece that could not be put back together. He laid in a coma for 41 days before passing away on June 7, 1993. He would have been a vegetable if he had survived. And YES I have been told that he asked to be murdered as he owned a Gun Store. What a sick society we live in.
D. Miller, was 4 months short of 16, his street name was "Nine" as he could get Nine MM handguns for others. At 14 DM had supplied hand guns to two other 14 yr old juveniles who committed two other murders…he was never punished. Don’t tell me he didn’t know what he was doing. At 15 he helped in the murder of my husband, which was planned to be done on 4/27 but there were customers in the shop. D. Miller has been out of CYA for 6 years. As far as I am concerned he has had his 3rd strike and gets to start over.
K. Kirchner, 2 months over 16, street name of "187 INSANE" was tried as an adult after having a 707 hearing. The judge during the adult trial found him guilty of first degree murder with special circumstances and sentenced him to LIFE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE (LWOP). He recently received another 25 to life sentence for trying to kill another inmate…now I suppose he should be set free as he probably didn’t understand what he was doing.
The supporters of SB 399 would like for you to believe that California sentences juveniles ages 13 through 17 to LWOP…the facts are; ONLY 16 thru 17 year old juveniles who have committed the most heinous, brutal 1st Degree Crimes with Special Circumstances are sentenced to LWOP and the judge still has the option to give them a sentence of 25 to life. 14 years through 15 are sentenced to 25 to life NOT LWOP.
Yes I am mad…when the killers of our loved ones were sentenced and we walked out of the court room, we figured we could try to get on with our live…that we had received some justice. We would not have to worry about the killer again. Guess we should have known better.
SB399 is a slap in the face to victims of juvenile crime…anything will be tried to release juveniles who have committed brutal violent murder. I sat through 2 trials and one 707 hearing and now I have to be looking over my shoulder everyday to make sure someone does not come along to try to release this sociopath killer.
For a survivor of a homicide victim, the pain never goes away; there is no closure until the day we are buried. To think that victims WILL NOT CARE if someone goes back and changes the sentence of the killer who brutally murdered their loved one without being notified, is APPALLING.
Have you even tried to find the victims families of the juveniles sitting with a LWOP sentence in California to see how they feel about this crazy idea? Well you don’t have to find me…I am watching you and all the others that are so concerned about the guilty killer.
Why have we become a society that feels more for the guilty killer then the innocent victim? Once the victim is buried, the perpetrator becomes the victim. What has happened to the word responsibility when you make a really bad choice? Why have we become a society that feels it is okay to murder someone and you can walk the streets again? Does the Murdered Victim get to walk the street again?
Why are our children not being taught what happens when they commit a crime? I spoke to 6 classes at a local high school last year, not one student knew what the felony murder rule was.
Our loved ones killer can be young or old it does not matter. Our loved ones are still dead, gone forever, never to get a second chance. But yet others are more concerned for the killers of our loved ones. Why don’t others have the same care and concern in their heart for the real victim and their families?
Putting a review, to a possible Parole Hearing into the LWOP sentence, IS changing LWOP for everyone. There is no longer a LWOP sentence. LWOP means, no review, no parole hearing, no release and being held responsible for First Degree Murder with Special Circumstances that you committed, were found guilty of by a judge or jury and sentenced to by a Judge. It is sure more then the victim received.
SB399 IS AN INJUSTICE AND RE-VICTIMIZATION TO VICTIM SURVIVORS IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA WHO ARE VICTIMS OF JUVENILE KILLERS SENTENCED TO LWOP. IT TRANSFERS THE LIFE SENTENCE TO THE VICTIM SURVIVORS.
PLEASE OPPOSE SB399. DON’T RE-VICTIMIZE THE VICTIM SURVIVORS!
Maggie Elvey
www.jlwopvictims.org / National Organization of Victims of "Juvenile Lifers."
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
AMERICAN MUSLIM MANURE
An organization of American Muslim women has accused the FBI of being behind the N.Y. synagogue bomb plot. Amazingly, when I searched the internet, I could not find any American media outlet that reported this story. Apparently it is not politically correct to show Muslims in a ridiculous light.
While the use of dirty tricks by law enforcement investigators is not uncommon (or illegal), the allegation that the FBI hatched a plot to get some Muslims to bomb a couple of synagogues and to shoot down a national guard aircraft is simply preposterous.
I came across this story while checking out today’s IsraelNationalNews.com. Shame on America's media for failing to report the account of this American Muslim manure. Here is the IsraelNationalNews.com report:
US MUSLIM WOMEN: NY SYNAGOGUE BOMB PLAN WAS FBI PLOT
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The National Association of Muslim American Women (NAMAW) has charged the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with entrapping four New York City Muslims arrested for planning to bomb a synagogue.
The cell was nabbed last week after a year-long police dragnet that involved an informant, who the Times of London reported probably is Shahed Hussain, a former New York state motel owner. He began collaborating with the FBI in 2002 to avoid deportation to Pakistan after being arrested on charges of fraud.
NAMAW appealed to the Justice Department to investigate the case, accusing the FBI of plotting to entrap the cell as part of a campaign against Muslims. It said that the FBI is "creating the illusion that all Muslims are either terrorists or potential terrorists, thereby substantiating the use of racial and religious profiling on Muslims and Arabs.
"The FBI, posing as Al Qaeda-backed militants to brainwash and coax 'vulnerable' men into the walking trap of their own foiled terrorist plot, causes grave concern to the representatives of Muslims in American society," the organization said in a statement.
Police and federal investigators, after tracking the cell, sold them fake bombs and a phony Stinger missile that the four men planned to use to attack two Jewish buildings, including a synagogue, and a National Guard air base.
The cell wanted to create "a fireball that would make the country gasp, "according to a police officer.
The Muslim women’s group, which previously has asked for a probe of Jewish lobby groups for allegedly spreading hate messages, claimed that one of those arrested has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. They also charged that the FBI informant "persuaded these men into believing that their religion obligated them to carry out acts of violence in the United States in retaliation for U.S. war crimes being carried out in the Muslim world.'
Terence Kindlon, a lawyer who defended the last terror suspect to be tried in New York State, told the Times of London, "It is almost as if the FBI cooked up the plot and found four idiots to install as defendants."
Referring to nearly 100 law enforcement officers involved n the arrests, he added, "Did they really need all those men in ninja suits with M16 rifles to arrest four idiots? Somewhere, someone in Al-Qaeda must be laughing."
While the use of dirty tricks by law enforcement investigators is not uncommon (or illegal), the allegation that the FBI hatched a plot to get some Muslims to bomb a couple of synagogues and to shoot down a national guard aircraft is simply preposterous.
I came across this story while checking out today’s IsraelNationalNews.com. Shame on America's media for failing to report the account of this American Muslim manure. Here is the IsraelNationalNews.com report:
US MUSLIM WOMEN: NY SYNAGOGUE BOMB PLAN WAS FBI PLOT
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The National Association of Muslim American Women (NAMAW) has charged the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with entrapping four New York City Muslims arrested for planning to bomb a synagogue.
The cell was nabbed last week after a year-long police dragnet that involved an informant, who the Times of London reported probably is Shahed Hussain, a former New York state motel owner. He began collaborating with the FBI in 2002 to avoid deportation to Pakistan after being arrested on charges of fraud.
NAMAW appealed to the Justice Department to investigate the case, accusing the FBI of plotting to entrap the cell as part of a campaign against Muslims. It said that the FBI is "creating the illusion that all Muslims are either terrorists or potential terrorists, thereby substantiating the use of racial and religious profiling on Muslims and Arabs.
"The FBI, posing as Al Qaeda-backed militants to brainwash and coax 'vulnerable' men into the walking trap of their own foiled terrorist plot, causes grave concern to the representatives of Muslims in American society," the organization said in a statement.
Police and federal investigators, after tracking the cell, sold them fake bombs and a phony Stinger missile that the four men planned to use to attack two Jewish buildings, including a synagogue, and a National Guard air base.
The cell wanted to create "a fireball that would make the country gasp, "according to a police officer.
The Muslim women’s group, which previously has asked for a probe of Jewish lobby groups for allegedly spreading hate messages, claimed that one of those arrested has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. They also charged that the FBI informant "persuaded these men into believing that their religion obligated them to carry out acts of violence in the United States in retaliation for U.S. war crimes being carried out in the Muslim world.'
Terence Kindlon, a lawyer who defended the last terror suspect to be tried in New York State, told the Times of London, "It is almost as if the FBI cooked up the plot and found four idiots to install as defendants."
Referring to nearly 100 law enforcement officers involved n the arrests, he added, "Did they really need all those men in ninja suits with M16 rifles to arrest four idiots? Somewhere, someone in Al-Qaeda must be laughing."
Saturday, May 23, 2009
QUIT SMOKING DOPE
Posted this date on Baxter Black’s website:
ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE: STOP BORDER VIOLENCE – QUIT SMOKING DOPE
Here's a tough question: If you are hitting yourself on the head with a spatula and are complaining because it hurts, what should you do?
Answer: Stop it!
If the citizenry wants to save General Motors, what should we do?
Answer: Buy a Chevy!
And the million-dollar question today: If more than 6,300 people were killed last year on the Mexican border trying to smuggle drugs into the United States, how can we stop it?
Answer: Duh ... nobody seems to know.
Eighty percent of the drugs brought into the U.S. through Mexico is marijuana. I am watching the president, Congress, columnists and TV pundits babble. Maybe we should legalize it? Maybe we should send the Army to the border? Maybe we should build a higher wall?
Am I wrong or is it illegal to grow and sell and smoke marijuana in the United States? Where is the outrage among the politicians, the movie industry, the rock stars and the general public that they readily lash out at cigarette smokers, polluters and developers? Where is the public shame, the protest marches? The dots are easy to connect.
The naked answer to stopping the rampant killing along the border is ... quit smoking marijuana.
In an effort to defend its use in spite of the death and destruction it wreaks trying to supply us, supporters fill the air with an obfuscating shrapnel of responses including, "It's less harmful than alcohol, it's not addictive, it's good for you, it doesn't lead to meth, cocaine or heroine use, I don't inhale," etc., ad infinitum.
Let us say that all these reasons given by those who would call themselves potheads are valid, one big truth remains: If you want to stop the killing and bloodshed, stop buying marijuana. And if the humanitarian answer is not enough, remember it is illegal.
The laws against drunk driving, robbing convenience stores, smoking cigarettes in public, and cheating on your income tax are enforced. It is possible some of these crimes are never committed by the majority of people because it is against the law?
The decision is in the hands of the user. It is obvious that our leaders don't want to offend users, pushers, dealers or growers, so it is up to you, up to us. If you want to make it legal, work on that but resist breaking the law until then.
Read the news stories about the continuing border slaughter, the deaths, the ruined lives created just so you can have a toke and get mellow.
If it is not addictive, just say No.
Cheech and Chong don't look as cool as they used to, do they?
Baxter Black is a veterinarian and cowboy poet. His column appears weekly and airs each Monday at 6:20 a.m. on KGNC Talk Radio 710. He can be reached at baxterblack.com or 800-654-2550.
ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE: STOP BORDER VIOLENCE – QUIT SMOKING DOPE
Here's a tough question: If you are hitting yourself on the head with a spatula and are complaining because it hurts, what should you do?
Answer: Stop it!
If the citizenry wants to save General Motors, what should we do?
Answer: Buy a Chevy!
And the million-dollar question today: If more than 6,300 people were killed last year on the Mexican border trying to smuggle drugs into the United States, how can we stop it?
Answer: Duh ... nobody seems to know.
Eighty percent of the drugs brought into the U.S. through Mexico is marijuana. I am watching the president, Congress, columnists and TV pundits babble. Maybe we should legalize it? Maybe we should send the Army to the border? Maybe we should build a higher wall?
Am I wrong or is it illegal to grow and sell and smoke marijuana in the United States? Where is the outrage among the politicians, the movie industry, the rock stars and the general public that they readily lash out at cigarette smokers, polluters and developers? Where is the public shame, the protest marches? The dots are easy to connect.
The naked answer to stopping the rampant killing along the border is ... quit smoking marijuana.
In an effort to defend its use in spite of the death and destruction it wreaks trying to supply us, supporters fill the air with an obfuscating shrapnel of responses including, "It's less harmful than alcohol, it's not addictive, it's good for you, it doesn't lead to meth, cocaine or heroine use, I don't inhale," etc., ad infinitum.
Let us say that all these reasons given by those who would call themselves potheads are valid, one big truth remains: If you want to stop the killing and bloodshed, stop buying marijuana. And if the humanitarian answer is not enough, remember it is illegal.
The laws against drunk driving, robbing convenience stores, smoking cigarettes in public, and cheating on your income tax are enforced. It is possible some of these crimes are never committed by the majority of people because it is against the law?
The decision is in the hands of the user. It is obvious that our leaders don't want to offend users, pushers, dealers or growers, so it is up to you, up to us. If you want to make it legal, work on that but resist breaking the law until then.
Read the news stories about the continuing border slaughter, the deaths, the ruined lives created just so you can have a toke and get mellow.
If it is not addictive, just say No.
Cheech and Chong don't look as cool as they used to, do they?
Baxter Black is a veterinarian and cowboy poet. His column appears weekly and airs each Monday at 6:20 a.m. on KGNC Talk Radio 710. He can be reached at baxterblack.com or 800-654-2550.
ELATED BY THE DONALD, TURNED OFF BY PREJEAN'S LAME EXCUSE
Now that the feminist-gay-lesbian coalition’s onslaught against Carrie Prejean, Miss California USA, seems to have abated somewhat, I want to make some additional comments on the Miss USA 2009 controversy.
Shanna Moakler and Keith Lewis, co-directors of the Miss California USA pageant, wanted to fire Prejean as Miss California. In anticipation of Prejean's departure, they had already installed runner up Tami Farrell as the "Beauty of California Ambassador" to fulfill the duties of Miss California. There was just one catch – since Donald Trump owned the pageant, Moakler and Lewis needed him to officially fire Prejean.
Trump is rich enough where he can tell any one to take a flying leap and that is exactly what he did with Moakler and Lewis. I was elated when The Donald announced that Prejean would keep her crown. He explained that "She gave an honorable answer. She gave an answer from her heart, and I think for that she has to be commended." Trump added that Prejean has "taken a tremendous amount of abuse, and really by some people who shouldn’t be handing out abuse." The Donald sure got that right!
Moakler, who sat by looking very glum during the announcement, took issue with Trump’s action and quit as director. She had repeatedly declared her support for gay marriage since the controversy first started. Later she said the real reason she quit was because of Prejean’s "continuing" lies about her semi-nude photos. That’s not why she quit – Moakler quit because The Donald did not back her attempt to fire Prejean.
Prejean had told Matt Lauer on the May 13 NBC-TV Today Show that her breasts had been exposed because of a "wardrobe malfunction." She claimed she was posing by the edge of a cliff when a gust of wind blew her top apart.
That lame excuse did not fly for Janet Jackson’s breast exposure during a half-time show at the Super Bowl and it doesn’t fly for Carrie Prejean either. Prejean claims the photos were taken only because she was posing as an underwear model. Horseshit!
I’ve seen those "semi-nude" photos of Prejean. Several times, as a matter of fact. After all, she is a hottie. She was not modeling underwear! For whatever reason, she was posing for some very racy shots. From the photos it was obvioous they were seducvtive poses in which Prejean deliberately bared her breasts!
Carrie Prejean is indeed a liar. Her lame wardrobe malfunction excuse is a real turn-off. I still admire her honest and forthright answer that marriage should be between a man and a woman and I continue to be disgusted by the consequential attacks against her. But when all is said and done, Prejean turned out to be just another phony. For that reason she has lost my respect and no longer has my support.
Shanna Moakler and Keith Lewis, co-directors of the Miss California USA pageant, wanted to fire Prejean as Miss California. In anticipation of Prejean's departure, they had already installed runner up Tami Farrell as the "Beauty of California Ambassador" to fulfill the duties of Miss California. There was just one catch – since Donald Trump owned the pageant, Moakler and Lewis needed him to officially fire Prejean.
Trump is rich enough where he can tell any one to take a flying leap and that is exactly what he did with Moakler and Lewis. I was elated when The Donald announced that Prejean would keep her crown. He explained that "She gave an honorable answer. She gave an answer from her heart, and I think for that she has to be commended." Trump added that Prejean has "taken a tremendous amount of abuse, and really by some people who shouldn’t be handing out abuse." The Donald sure got that right!
Moakler, who sat by looking very glum during the announcement, took issue with Trump’s action and quit as director. She had repeatedly declared her support for gay marriage since the controversy first started. Later she said the real reason she quit was because of Prejean’s "continuing" lies about her semi-nude photos. That’s not why she quit – Moakler quit because The Donald did not back her attempt to fire Prejean.
Prejean had told Matt Lauer on the May 13 NBC-TV Today Show that her breasts had been exposed because of a "wardrobe malfunction." She claimed she was posing by the edge of a cliff when a gust of wind blew her top apart.
That lame excuse did not fly for Janet Jackson’s breast exposure during a half-time show at the Super Bowl and it doesn’t fly for Carrie Prejean either. Prejean claims the photos were taken only because she was posing as an underwear model. Horseshit!
I’ve seen those "semi-nude" photos of Prejean. Several times, as a matter of fact. After all, she is a hottie. She was not modeling underwear! For whatever reason, she was posing for some very racy shots. From the photos it was obvioous they were seducvtive poses in which Prejean deliberately bared her breasts!
Carrie Prejean is indeed a liar. Her lame wardrobe malfunction excuse is a real turn-off. I still admire her honest and forthright answer that marriage should be between a man and a woman and I continue to be disgusted by the consequential attacks against her. But when all is said and done, Prejean turned out to be just another phony. For that reason she has lost my respect and no longer has my support.
EVADING ARREST BY FLEEING IN A CAR SHOULD BE MADE A FELONY
From Fox News.com, here are excerpts from two recent stories concerning police car chases:
5 Alabama Police Officers Fired for Beating Suspect on Tape
May 20, 2009
Five Birmingham (Alabama) police officers were fired Wednesday for beating an unconscious suspect ejected from a car after a chase, an attack captured on a patrol car videotape that didn't surface publicly for a year.
Police Chief A.C. Roper said the officers, who were not identified, were seasoned veterans but acted in a "shameful" manner.
The video shows police pursuing Anthony Warren's van on Jan. 23, 2008. One officer on foot was hurt when the van swerved through traffic. It overturned on a ramp, ejecting Warren, who lay motionless as officers ran toward him. The video shows them beating him with their fists, feet and a billy club.
California Police Launch Investigation After Officer Allegedly Kicks Suspect in Head After Chase
May 14, 2009
Police in El Monte, Calif., are conducting an internal investigation after TV cameras caught an officer apparently kick a suspect in the head following a high-speed car chase Wednesday afternoon.
El Monte Assistant Chief Steve Schuster said the investigation was sparked by phone calls by people who saw the kick in live footage taken from above in by helicopter. The suspect appeared to have surrendered and was lying face down on the ground when he was kicked.
A foot pursuit followed the high-speed car chase that lasted more than 30 minutes and saw the suspect lead a chaotic drive through El Monte, Whittier and other parts of eastern Los Angeles County.
The suspect who was kicked had fled on foot behind a nearby apartment complex.
- - - - - -
High speed police chases are controversial and extremely dangerous. Innocent citizens have been killed and injured when struck by the fleeing driver. Officers have also been injured, and in some instances, killed during police pursuits.
By the time such chases end, the pursuing officers are pretty well steamed up. Having seen the fleeing driver narrowly miss deadly collisions with other cars or, in many instances, bounce off of other cars, many officers are ready for some serious ass kicking when they finallly apprehend him.
Let me relate a personal experience. The college that employed me required that each year every faculty member had to show they had been continuing their "professional development." While most of the faculty chose to take additional course work, I chose to return to my old California stomping grounds during the summer breaks and work with various police agencies in order to keep up with the latest evolving law enforcement techniques.
One summer, when I was working with the Riverside Sheriff’s narcotics unit, the officer I was working with and I were returning to Riverside from Hemet where we had just seized some marijuana plants. The police radio dispatcher was coordinating a multi-agency high speed chase of a driver and his girlfriend who had fled from a courthouse with his three young children after losing a custody battle with his ex-wife.
Several police agencies joined in the high speed chase. Since we were close at hand, we decided to join in the chase, admittedly out of curiosity. When we entered the east bound lanes of Highway 60 near Moreno Valley, we were about the fifth or sixth car in line of the other pursuing police cars. Hwy. 60 was a four-lane road divided by a very wide grassy median. Finally, three police cars were able to box-in the fleeing driver, forcing him to come to a stop in the median.
As officers exited their cars to arrest the driver, he turned his wheels sharply to the left and sped off across the median to enter the west bound lanes of Hwy. 60 which is one of the main arteries connecting Riverside to Interstate 10. As he got on the pavement, a number of cars, trying to avoid a collision, were forced off the road, both to the right side and into the median, some colliding with each other.
When the police finally caught up to the fleeing driver again, they forced him off the right side of the road. When he stopped, several officers jerked him out of his car, took him to the back of the car, and beat the supreme shit out of him. The officer I was with exclaimed, "Oh shit, lets get out of here!"
In the classroom, I have always taught my students that police officers must keep their cool and avoid the use of what may be perceived as "excessive force." But to be honest with you, seeing those officers kick the shit out of that driver sure made me feel good! He had not only risked the lives of countless other motorists, but the lives of his three little children as well.
There are those sandbox generals and bathtub admirals who say that the police should not chase any drivers at all except for exigent circumstances. But that ignores the nature of the beast. In the game of cops and robbers, which all cops and crooks play, officers instinctively pursue those who attempt to avoid apprehension. As a result, tempers flare, fleeing drivers get beat up, and cops get fired.
When a driver attempts to evade arrest, he turns his automobile into a deadly weapon. A person who points a gun at another is committing a felony – aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. And that is exactly what a fleeing driver is doing. The time is way past due for a change in our laws. Evading arrest by fleeing in a car should not be treated as a misdemeanor - it should be made a felony the same way that pointing a gun at someone is a felony.
5 Alabama Police Officers Fired for Beating Suspect on Tape
May 20, 2009
Five Birmingham (Alabama) police officers were fired Wednesday for beating an unconscious suspect ejected from a car after a chase, an attack captured on a patrol car videotape that didn't surface publicly for a year.
Police Chief A.C. Roper said the officers, who were not identified, were seasoned veterans but acted in a "shameful" manner.
The video shows police pursuing Anthony Warren's van on Jan. 23, 2008. One officer on foot was hurt when the van swerved through traffic. It overturned on a ramp, ejecting Warren, who lay motionless as officers ran toward him. The video shows them beating him with their fists, feet and a billy club.
California Police Launch Investigation After Officer Allegedly Kicks Suspect in Head After Chase
May 14, 2009
Police in El Monte, Calif., are conducting an internal investigation after TV cameras caught an officer apparently kick a suspect in the head following a high-speed car chase Wednesday afternoon.
El Monte Assistant Chief Steve Schuster said the investigation was sparked by phone calls by people who saw the kick in live footage taken from above in by helicopter. The suspect appeared to have surrendered and was lying face down on the ground when he was kicked.
A foot pursuit followed the high-speed car chase that lasted more than 30 minutes and saw the suspect lead a chaotic drive through El Monte, Whittier and other parts of eastern Los Angeles County.
The suspect who was kicked had fled on foot behind a nearby apartment complex.
- - - - - -
High speed police chases are controversial and extremely dangerous. Innocent citizens have been killed and injured when struck by the fleeing driver. Officers have also been injured, and in some instances, killed during police pursuits.
By the time such chases end, the pursuing officers are pretty well steamed up. Having seen the fleeing driver narrowly miss deadly collisions with other cars or, in many instances, bounce off of other cars, many officers are ready for some serious ass kicking when they finallly apprehend him.
Let me relate a personal experience. The college that employed me required that each year every faculty member had to show they had been continuing their "professional development." While most of the faculty chose to take additional course work, I chose to return to my old California stomping grounds during the summer breaks and work with various police agencies in order to keep up with the latest evolving law enforcement techniques.
One summer, when I was working with the Riverside Sheriff’s narcotics unit, the officer I was working with and I were returning to Riverside from Hemet where we had just seized some marijuana plants. The police radio dispatcher was coordinating a multi-agency high speed chase of a driver and his girlfriend who had fled from a courthouse with his three young children after losing a custody battle with his ex-wife.
Several police agencies joined in the high speed chase. Since we were close at hand, we decided to join in the chase, admittedly out of curiosity. When we entered the east bound lanes of Highway 60 near Moreno Valley, we were about the fifth or sixth car in line of the other pursuing police cars. Hwy. 60 was a four-lane road divided by a very wide grassy median. Finally, three police cars were able to box-in the fleeing driver, forcing him to come to a stop in the median.
As officers exited their cars to arrest the driver, he turned his wheels sharply to the left and sped off across the median to enter the west bound lanes of Hwy. 60 which is one of the main arteries connecting Riverside to Interstate 10. As he got on the pavement, a number of cars, trying to avoid a collision, were forced off the road, both to the right side and into the median, some colliding with each other.
When the police finally caught up to the fleeing driver again, they forced him off the right side of the road. When he stopped, several officers jerked him out of his car, took him to the back of the car, and beat the supreme shit out of him. The officer I was with exclaimed, "Oh shit, lets get out of here!"
In the classroom, I have always taught my students that police officers must keep their cool and avoid the use of what may be perceived as "excessive force." But to be honest with you, seeing those officers kick the shit out of that driver sure made me feel good! He had not only risked the lives of countless other motorists, but the lives of his three little children as well.
There are those sandbox generals and bathtub admirals who say that the police should not chase any drivers at all except for exigent circumstances. But that ignores the nature of the beast. In the game of cops and robbers, which all cops and crooks play, officers instinctively pursue those who attempt to avoid apprehension. As a result, tempers flare, fleeing drivers get beat up, and cops get fired.
When a driver attempts to evade arrest, he turns his automobile into a deadly weapon. A person who points a gun at another is committing a felony – aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. And that is exactly what a fleeing driver is doing. The time is way past due for a change in our laws. Evading arrest by fleeing in a car should not be treated as a misdemeanor - it should be made a felony the same way that pointing a gun at someone is a felony.
ASSISTED SUICIDE: OBAMA'S MIDEAST PEACE PLAN
"Netanyahu’s Peace Plan," a column by Caroline Glick in today’s Townhall.com, deals with President Obama’s unwillingness to confront Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Instead, Obama is trying his best to help Israel commit suicide, pushing it to relinquish control over the West Bank by withdrawing to the indefensible borders that existed prior to 1967.
Glick also points out that it would be folly for Israel to make peace with the divided Palestinian factions that are united only in their vows to destroy the Jewish state. Here is that part of her column:
On the face of it, Obama's obsessive push for a Palestinian state makes little sense. The Palestinians are hopelessly divided. It is not simply that Hamas rules the Gaza Strip and Fatah controls Judea and Samaria. Fatah itself is riven by division. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's appointment of the new PA government under Salaam Fayad was overwhelmingly rejected by Fatah leaders. Quite simply, there is no coherent Palestinian leadership that is either willing or capable of reaching an accord with Israel.
As for the prospects for peace itself, given that there is little distinction between the anti-Semitic bilge broadcast daily in Gaza by Hamas-controlled media, and the anti-Semitic bilge broadcast daily in Judea and Samaria by the Fatah/Abbas/Fayad-controlled media, those prospects aren't looking particularly attractive. That across-the-board anti-Semitic incitement has engendered the current situation where Hamas and Fatah members and supporters are firmly united in their desire to see Israel destroyed. This was made clear on Thursday morning when a Fatah policeman in Kalkilya used his US-provided rifle to open fire on IDF soldiers engaged in a counterterror operation in the city.
………. and in light of the fact that under the present circumstances any Palestinian state will be at war with Israel, and assuming that Obama is not completely ignorant of the situation on the ground, there is only one reasonable explanation for his urgent desire to force Israel to support the creation of a Palestinian state and to work for its establishment by expelling hundreds of thousands of Israelis from their homes. Quite simply, it is a way to divert attention away from Obama's acquiescence to Iran's nuclear aspirations.
Glick also points out that it would be folly for Israel to make peace with the divided Palestinian factions that are united only in their vows to destroy the Jewish state. Here is that part of her column:
On the face of it, Obama's obsessive push for a Palestinian state makes little sense. The Palestinians are hopelessly divided. It is not simply that Hamas rules the Gaza Strip and Fatah controls Judea and Samaria. Fatah itself is riven by division. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's appointment of the new PA government under Salaam Fayad was overwhelmingly rejected by Fatah leaders. Quite simply, there is no coherent Palestinian leadership that is either willing or capable of reaching an accord with Israel.
As for the prospects for peace itself, given that there is little distinction between the anti-Semitic bilge broadcast daily in Gaza by Hamas-controlled media, and the anti-Semitic bilge broadcast daily in Judea and Samaria by the Fatah/Abbas/Fayad-controlled media, those prospects aren't looking particularly attractive. That across-the-board anti-Semitic incitement has engendered the current situation where Hamas and Fatah members and supporters are firmly united in their desire to see Israel destroyed. This was made clear on Thursday morning when a Fatah policeman in Kalkilya used his US-provided rifle to open fire on IDF soldiers engaged in a counterterror operation in the city.
………. and in light of the fact that under the present circumstances any Palestinian state will be at war with Israel, and assuming that Obama is not completely ignorant of the situation on the ground, there is only one reasonable explanation for his urgent desire to force Israel to support the creation of a Palestinian state and to work for its establishment by expelling hundreds of thousands of Israelis from their homes. Quite simply, it is a way to divert attention away from Obama's acquiescence to Iran's nuclear aspirations.
Friday, May 22, 2009
THE MOTHER OF ALL CHILD ABUSE CASES
Rabbi Elior Chen, his wife and three of his followers have been indicted by Israeli authorities on child abuse charges. Chen fled to Brazil, but will be extradited back to Israel. The Chen case has got to be the mother of all child abuse cases. According to the Jerusalem Post, here is what Chen and his followers have been accused of:
Chen and his followers are suspected of savagely and systematically beating two brothers, aged three and four, with hammers, knives and other instruments for months, until the younger boy lost consciousness in March.
They are also suspected of the severe abuse of other children in the family.
The three-year-old suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the abuse, and is expected to remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.
The mother forced her children to eat feces, locked them in a suitcase for three days - letting them out only for brief periods of time - repeatedly beat, whipped, and shook them, burned their hands with a lighter and a heater, and gave them freezing showers, according to the charge sheet.
The mother and Chen and his 'educators' are also suspected of pouring salt on the three-year-old's burn wounds, stuffing his mouth with a kippa and sealing it with masking tape, as well as giving the children alcoholic drinks until they vomited.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Let the punishment fit the crime! No punishment in this case would be too severe. It would be fitting for these monsters to be forced to eat shit and to be bludgeoned for months until they are reduced to a vegetative state. For the Chen group, that's what I would call justice!
Chen and his followers are suspected of savagely and systematically beating two brothers, aged three and four, with hammers, knives and other instruments for months, until the younger boy lost consciousness in March.
They are also suspected of the severe abuse of other children in the family.
The three-year-old suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the abuse, and is expected to remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.
The mother forced her children to eat feces, locked them in a suitcase for three days - letting them out only for brief periods of time - repeatedly beat, whipped, and shook them, burned their hands with a lighter and a heater, and gave them freezing showers, according to the charge sheet.
The mother and Chen and his 'educators' are also suspected of pouring salt on the three-year-old's burn wounds, stuffing his mouth with a kippa and sealing it with masking tape, as well as giving the children alcoholic drinks until they vomited.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Let the punishment fit the crime! No punishment in this case would be too severe. It would be fitting for these monsters to be forced to eat shit and to be bludgeoned for months until they are reduced to a vegetative state. For the Chen group, that's what I would call justice!
NETANYAHU: "JERUSALEM NEVER WILL BE DIVIDED AGAIN"
From today’s IsraelNationalNews.com:
BIBI REJECTS OBAMA’S ‘UN FLAG AT KOTEL’; STAR OF DAVID TO REMAIN
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed at the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem Thursday night that the Israeli flag will continue to fly over the Western Wall (Kotel). The first prime minister in years to appear at the venerable yeshiva on Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), he ignored U.S. President Barack Obama’s apparent trial balloon that he wants to see the United Nations flag fly over the Old City holy sites.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said the president put forward the proposal during his visit to the White House last month.
Prime Minister Netanyahu declared, "The flag that flies over the Kotel is the Israeli flag... Our holy places, the Temple Mount -- will remain under Israeli sovereignty forever."
Between 1949 and 1967, the religious sites in the City, as well as all of Judea and Samaria, had been under the control of Jordan, which forbid entry of Jews to the Western Wall (Kotel) and other holy places, as well as barring Christians from churches. Israel immediately opened all holy sites to all religions after the entire city was re-united in 1967, returning the Old City to Israeli sovereignty after nearly 2,000 years.
In his short but enthusiastic speech at the yeshiva, where an Arab terrorist slaughtered eight young students slightly more than a year ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu repeated his "Undivided Jerusalem" message.
The packed study hall of the yeshiva interrupted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s short speech several times with applause. The first clap of hands was in response to the statement that Israel’s capital "never will be divided again." Jerusalem Day marks the day in the Six Day War upon which the Israel Defense Forces liberated the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem from Jordanian rule.
In an attempt to appeal to the national-religious community after years of neglect from a prime minister, Netanyahu said, "It is important for me to stay in warm communication with you. The connection with Jerusalem unites all sectors of the people, secular and religious, as one."
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had kept a very close relation with Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav when he was mayor of Jerusalem and attended annual Jerusalem Day ceremonies there, but he became more distant from religious institutions after he followed former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his new Kadima party.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s vow on Jerusalem was made in the presence of Israel’s two chief rabbis, Likud Knesset Member and former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon, and Jewish Home party chairman MK Rabbi Daniel Hershkowitz.
It was the second time during the day he promised to keep the city united, having stated earlier in the day that "Jerusalem was always ours, will always be ours, and will never again be divided." His speech was delivered at Ammunition Hill in memory of soldiers who fell in the Six-Day War in 1967.
BIBI REJECTS OBAMA’S ‘UN FLAG AT KOTEL’; STAR OF DAVID TO REMAIN
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed at the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem Thursday night that the Israeli flag will continue to fly over the Western Wall (Kotel). The first prime minister in years to appear at the venerable yeshiva on Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), he ignored U.S. President Barack Obama’s apparent trial balloon that he wants to see the United Nations flag fly over the Old City holy sites.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said the president put forward the proposal during his visit to the White House last month.
Prime Minister Netanyahu declared, "The flag that flies over the Kotel is the Israeli flag... Our holy places, the Temple Mount -- will remain under Israeli sovereignty forever."
Between 1949 and 1967, the religious sites in the City, as well as all of Judea and Samaria, had been under the control of Jordan, which forbid entry of Jews to the Western Wall (Kotel) and other holy places, as well as barring Christians from churches. Israel immediately opened all holy sites to all religions after the entire city was re-united in 1967, returning the Old City to Israeli sovereignty after nearly 2,000 years.
In his short but enthusiastic speech at the yeshiva, where an Arab terrorist slaughtered eight young students slightly more than a year ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu repeated his "Undivided Jerusalem" message.
The packed study hall of the yeshiva interrupted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s short speech several times with applause. The first clap of hands was in response to the statement that Israel’s capital "never will be divided again." Jerusalem Day marks the day in the Six Day War upon which the Israel Defense Forces liberated the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem from Jordanian rule.
In an attempt to appeal to the national-religious community after years of neglect from a prime minister, Netanyahu said, "It is important for me to stay in warm communication with you. The connection with Jerusalem unites all sectors of the people, secular and religious, as one."
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had kept a very close relation with Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav when he was mayor of Jerusalem and attended annual Jerusalem Day ceremonies there, but he became more distant from religious institutions after he followed former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his new Kadima party.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s vow on Jerusalem was made in the presence of Israel’s two chief rabbis, Likud Knesset Member and former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon, and Jewish Home party chairman MK Rabbi Daniel Hershkowitz.
It was the second time during the day he promised to keep the city united, having stated earlier in the day that "Jerusalem was always ours, will always be ours, and will never again be divided." His speech was delivered at Ammunition Hill in memory of soldiers who fell in the Six-Day War in 1967.
THE NEW WAVE OF ANTI-SEMITISM
Suzanne Field’s column "A Courtship for Bibi and Obama" in today’s Townhall.com deals with the White House meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. In her column, Field describes the new wave of anti-Semitism that has been spawned by the existence of Israel. Here is that part of her Townhall.com column:
………. the deadly poison of anti-Semitism pervades the atmosphere of the region. When the Nazi extermination camps and the extent of Hitler's atrocities were exposed at the end of World War II, a wave of sympathy for Jews enabled the revival of a Jewish state where survivors of the Holocaust could re-establish themselves.
But the success of the Jewish state gave way to the envy and malice of Israel's neighbors, and ancient canards emerged again, first from the Arab street and then from intellectual and academic circles of the left in the West. The new anti-Semitism has especially prospered in European countries with large Muslim populations.
Traditional anti-Semitism has been appropriated to fit new conditions. The textbooks in several Middle Eastern nations repeat the anti-Semitic stereotypes and lies of the textbooks in Nazi Germany. Children's fairy tales have been rewritten to demonize Jews as the villains.
Intellectuals in debates both here and abroad, notoriously in the United Nations, couch their attacks in careful rhetoric, characterizing Israel as "racist" and "colonialist," but at root these are the same old slurs of "the money-grubbing Jews who want to run everything." Such stereotyping was once dismissed as harmless rhetoric, but no longer.
Calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel have become a gathering force to delegitimize Israel, writes Michael B. Oren, the new Israeli ambassador to the United States, in Commentary magazine. This is a force, he writes, "that could destroy Israel economically and deny it the ability to defend itself against the existential threats powered by terrorism and Iran."
………. the deadly poison of anti-Semitism pervades the atmosphere of the region. When the Nazi extermination camps and the extent of Hitler's atrocities were exposed at the end of World War II, a wave of sympathy for Jews enabled the revival of a Jewish state where survivors of the Holocaust could re-establish themselves.
But the success of the Jewish state gave way to the envy and malice of Israel's neighbors, and ancient canards emerged again, first from the Arab street and then from intellectual and academic circles of the left in the West. The new anti-Semitism has especially prospered in European countries with large Muslim populations.
Traditional anti-Semitism has been appropriated to fit new conditions. The textbooks in several Middle Eastern nations repeat the anti-Semitic stereotypes and lies of the textbooks in Nazi Germany. Children's fairy tales have been rewritten to demonize Jews as the villains.
Intellectuals in debates both here and abroad, notoriously in the United Nations, couch their attacks in careful rhetoric, characterizing Israel as "racist" and "colonialist," but at root these are the same old slurs of "the money-grubbing Jews who want to run everything." Such stereotyping was once dismissed as harmless rhetoric, but no longer.
Calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel have become a gathering force to delegitimize Israel, writes Michael B. Oren, the new Israeli ambassador to the United States, in Commentary magazine. This is a force, he writes, "that could destroy Israel economically and deny it the ability to defend itself against the existential threats powered by terrorism and Iran."
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION THREATENS ISRAEL WITH A SHUT OFF OF FINACIAL AND MILITARY AID
While Oliver North remains a controversial personality and a frequent target of the left, his column in today’s Townhall.com should serve as a wake-up call to all those liberal Jews who have been taken in by the president's phony platitudes on his administration's solidarity with the State of Israel.
PROMISES AND THE PROMISED LAND
by Oliver North
WASHINGTON -- On May 14, Israelis celebrated their 61st Independence Day. Less than 96 hours later, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, arrived at the White House in an effort to ensure that the Jewish state will survive to commemorate another anniversary.
In 1948, when Israel was founded by survivors of the Holocaust, they pledged, "Never again!" Then the tiny Jewish state, about the size of New Jersey, had a population of fewer than 850,000 and was surrounded by hostile neighbors intent on its destruction. Today 7.2 million people call Israel their home, and the country has the only functioning democratic government in the neighborhood. As it was in the beginning -- and is now -- powerful opponents in the region remain committed to annihilating what they describe as "the Zionist entity." Unfortunately, the theocracy in Iran is bent on acquiring the means of achieving that goal, a threat the Obama administration appears unwilling or unable to do anything but talk about.
This past week's Obama-Netanyahu "summit" at the White House had but two items on the agenda: the O-Team's quest for an Israeli-Palestinian "two-state solution" for "peace in the Middle East" and the Israelis' plea for U.S. help in stopping Tehran's race to acquire nuclear weapons. After a 90-minute one-on-one meeting, the two leaders sat for an Oval Office "press availability," during which they tried their best to make it appear that the U.S. and Israel are of one mind on these issues. It was a good try, complete with jocular exchanges and smiles, but it just isn't so.
Washington remains wedded to the naive hope that if Israel simply withdrew from all territory it captured during the 1967 Six-Day War, tranquility in the volatile Middle East would be assured. According to the O-Team, "a two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians are living side by side in peace and security" somehow will motivate the Iranian government to abandon its quest for a nuclear arsenal and oft-stated aim of "wiping Israel off the map."
Prime Minister Netanyahu apparently understood the role he was handed in this piece of political theater -- the warm-up act for next week's White House seances with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. All of this is but preamble to the much-anticipated June 4 address from Cairo, in which Mr. Obama is pledged to describe his "new approach to the Muslim world." Thankfully, for our own good and that of Israel, Netanyahu didn't stick entirely to the White House script.
The Israeli prime minister did agree to "start peace negotiations with the Palestinians immediately" and called for broadening "the circle of peace to include others in the Arab world." But he never deviated from his most serious concern, the paramount threat to the survival of Israel and peace of any kind: a nuclear-armed Iran. He carefully avoided endorsing a "two-state solution" and did not agree to withdraw from the Golan Heights or accede to shuttering Israeli settlements on the West Bank and Jerusalem. Nor did Netanyahu embrace the idea that the ayatollahs in Tehran will be dissuaded from acquiring nuclear arms -- and the means of delivering them -- just because Palestinians and Israelis somehow are living in comity.
Unfortunately, the O-Team offers little evidence that it shares Israeli anxieties about Iranian weapons of mass destruction or the imminent deployment of Russian S-300 surface-to-air missiles to protect nuclear sites in Persia. Mr. Obama did say that "Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon" would "be a threat to Israel and the United States" and that it would be "destabilizing" and "extraordinarily dangerous." But he then insisted, "We are engaged in a process to reach out to Iran and persuade them that it is not in their interest to pursue a nuclear weapon and that they should change course." In short, nothing is going to be done to stop the Iranian nuclear program until after the June 12 Iranian elections and Mr. Obama and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have a chance to stroke palms, sip tea and chat.
In subsequent discussions at the departments of State and Defense, Netanyahu was reminded that Washington could shut off the flow of financial aid and military hardware to Israel in an instant. It turns out this same message also was being delivered in Tel Aviv by CIA Director Leon Panetta. None of this is good news for Israel or the United States.
Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he was concerned that his "outstretched hand has been interpreted by extremists, especially Ahmadinejad (and others), as a sign of weakness," Mr. Obama replied, "Well, it's not clear to me why my outstretched hand would be interpreted as weakness."
Just hours later, the Iranian regime successfully launched a 1,200-mile-range Sajjil-2 ballistic missile. So much for clarity, weakness and the wisdom of offering an outstretched hand to genocidal despots.
PROMISES AND THE PROMISED LAND
by Oliver North
WASHINGTON -- On May 14, Israelis celebrated their 61st Independence Day. Less than 96 hours later, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, arrived at the White House in an effort to ensure that the Jewish state will survive to commemorate another anniversary.
In 1948, when Israel was founded by survivors of the Holocaust, they pledged, "Never again!" Then the tiny Jewish state, about the size of New Jersey, had a population of fewer than 850,000 and was surrounded by hostile neighbors intent on its destruction. Today 7.2 million people call Israel their home, and the country has the only functioning democratic government in the neighborhood. As it was in the beginning -- and is now -- powerful opponents in the region remain committed to annihilating what they describe as "the Zionist entity." Unfortunately, the theocracy in Iran is bent on acquiring the means of achieving that goal, a threat the Obama administration appears unwilling or unable to do anything but talk about.
This past week's Obama-Netanyahu "summit" at the White House had but two items on the agenda: the O-Team's quest for an Israeli-Palestinian "two-state solution" for "peace in the Middle East" and the Israelis' plea for U.S. help in stopping Tehran's race to acquire nuclear weapons. After a 90-minute one-on-one meeting, the two leaders sat for an Oval Office "press availability," during which they tried their best to make it appear that the U.S. and Israel are of one mind on these issues. It was a good try, complete with jocular exchanges and smiles, but it just isn't so.
Washington remains wedded to the naive hope that if Israel simply withdrew from all territory it captured during the 1967 Six-Day War, tranquility in the volatile Middle East would be assured. According to the O-Team, "a two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians are living side by side in peace and security" somehow will motivate the Iranian government to abandon its quest for a nuclear arsenal and oft-stated aim of "wiping Israel off the map."
Prime Minister Netanyahu apparently understood the role he was handed in this piece of political theater -- the warm-up act for next week's White House seances with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. All of this is but preamble to the much-anticipated June 4 address from Cairo, in which Mr. Obama is pledged to describe his "new approach to the Muslim world." Thankfully, for our own good and that of Israel, Netanyahu didn't stick entirely to the White House script.
The Israeli prime minister did agree to "start peace negotiations with the Palestinians immediately" and called for broadening "the circle of peace to include others in the Arab world." But he never deviated from his most serious concern, the paramount threat to the survival of Israel and peace of any kind: a nuclear-armed Iran. He carefully avoided endorsing a "two-state solution" and did not agree to withdraw from the Golan Heights or accede to shuttering Israeli settlements on the West Bank and Jerusalem. Nor did Netanyahu embrace the idea that the ayatollahs in Tehran will be dissuaded from acquiring nuclear arms -- and the means of delivering them -- just because Palestinians and Israelis somehow are living in comity.
Unfortunately, the O-Team offers little evidence that it shares Israeli anxieties about Iranian weapons of mass destruction or the imminent deployment of Russian S-300 surface-to-air missiles to protect nuclear sites in Persia. Mr. Obama did say that "Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon" would "be a threat to Israel and the United States" and that it would be "destabilizing" and "extraordinarily dangerous." But he then insisted, "We are engaged in a process to reach out to Iran and persuade them that it is not in their interest to pursue a nuclear weapon and that they should change course." In short, nothing is going to be done to stop the Iranian nuclear program until after the June 12 Iranian elections and Mr. Obama and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have a chance to stroke palms, sip tea and chat.
In subsequent discussions at the departments of State and Defense, Netanyahu was reminded that Washington could shut off the flow of financial aid and military hardware to Israel in an instant. It turns out this same message also was being delivered in Tel Aviv by CIA Director Leon Panetta. None of this is good news for Israel or the United States.
Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he was concerned that his "outstretched hand has been interpreted by extremists, especially Ahmadinejad (and others), as a sign of weakness," Mr. Obama replied, "Well, it's not clear to me why my outstretched hand would be interpreted as weakness."
Just hours later, the Iranian regime successfully launched a 1,200-mile-range Sajjil-2 ballistic missile. So much for clarity, weakness and the wisdom of offering an outstretched hand to genocidal despots.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
AUTO THEFTS DOWN, CAR BURGLARIES UP
While the following news release by the Insurance Council of Texas applies to auto thefts in Texas, it contains information of importance to automobile owners throughout the nation and beyond.
AUTO THEFTS DOWN DRAMATICALLY IN TEXAS
Praise the work of auto theft task forces or new car manufacturers or both for the dramatic drop in auto thefts in Texas . Criminals are stealing older vehicles simply because they’re finding it harder to bypass anti-theft devices that manufacturers have placed in newer cars.
In some areas of the state auto thefts have dropped more than 80 percent in the past 15 years. Nationwide, auto thefts have dropped every year since 2003.
"Auto manufacturers continue to implement new anti-theft features making it much more difficult to steal a new car," said Lt. Tommy Hansen, past president of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators. "But, even if with all of the new anti-theft devices in place, almost 50 percent of vehicles that are stolen still had the keys in the ignition."
Hansen said while auto thefts might be down, auto burglaries are skyrocketing. "When drivers leave their GPS units and laptop computers in plain sight, they are just asking for their vehicle to be burglarized," said Hansen.
Hansen said auto theft is a business and that older vehicles become marketable on the black market because of the need for certain auto parts. He said just because one drives an older car, it’s not any less prone to being stolen.
Eight of the top ten most stolen cars are vehicles that are at least ten years old, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). The top three most stolen vehicles are a 1995 Honda Civic, a 1991 Honda Accord and a 1989 Toyota Camry.
"Unfortunately, most owners of older cars have abandoned their comprehensive auto insurance coverage and are only paying for state mandated liability coverage," says Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas. "This leaves them without any insurance protection if their vehicle is stolen, but there are several anti-theft devices on the market that can help them secure their vehicle."
Financially, auto theft remains a serious problem in Texas . In 2007, thieves made off with 94,000 vehicles worth $859 million.
Statewide in Texas , auto thefts are down 58 percent since the state implemented the Texas Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA) in 1991. However, the Mexican border remains a problem where auto thefts have skyrocketed. Laredo is ranked second in the nation in number of vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants.
Sgt. Eduardo Garcia of the Laredo Auto Theft Task Force says the problem with auto thefts along the Mexican border is completely different from anywhere else. "The criminals here can steal a vehicle and have it across the border in Mexico within three minutes," said Garcia. "They have also learned to bypass the anti-theft systems. All they need is a screw driver and a pair of vice grips."
Garcia said the most stolen vehicles in Laredo are Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet trucks which are used to carry or smuggle people and contraband. He said 90 percent of the vehicles stolen in Laredo are taken into Mexico and the officers’ jurisdiction stops at the border.
If thieves are having a hard time stealing a certain vehicle, Garcia said they will take that car into Mexico and dissect it and eventually find a way to be able to steal this vehicle. Garcia called it Auto Theft 101.
Law enforcement officials say a wealth of information is readily available to professional auto thieves who have been able to bypass about every anti-theft device that manufacturers have put into place. The pros either strip the vehicle for parts or change the identification of the vehicle with a title from another car and then sell it.
Tow trucks have also been used to steal vehicles and this bypasses any anti-theft devices put in place.
In an attempt to prevent auto thefts and auto burglaries the Insurance Council of Texas has worked with more than a dozen Texas cities in providing Lock, Take and Hide crime prevention signs for the parking areas of shopping malls, restaurants, business centers and apartment complexes. The signs advise motorists to Lock their cars, Take their keys and Hide their possessions.
"Criminals would have a much harder time in stealing and burglarizing vehicles if all motorists heeded this simple message," said Hanna.
The ABTPA says other preventive measures that have slowed down auto thefts have been etching VIN numbers into vehicle windshields, educating communities on how they can prevent auto thefts and having dedicated law enforcements focused on auto theft.
The Insurance Council of Texas is the largest state insurance trade association in the country consisting of approximately 500 property and casualty insurers writing business in Texas . For more information turn to ICT’s Web site at http://www.insurancecouncil.org/.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Investigations have uncovered the fact that many Mexican police cars are automobiles that were stolen in the U.S.)
AUTO THEFTS DOWN DRAMATICALLY IN TEXAS
Praise the work of auto theft task forces or new car manufacturers or both for the dramatic drop in auto thefts in Texas . Criminals are stealing older vehicles simply because they’re finding it harder to bypass anti-theft devices that manufacturers have placed in newer cars.
In some areas of the state auto thefts have dropped more than 80 percent in the past 15 years. Nationwide, auto thefts have dropped every year since 2003.
"Auto manufacturers continue to implement new anti-theft features making it much more difficult to steal a new car," said Lt. Tommy Hansen, past president of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators. "But, even if with all of the new anti-theft devices in place, almost 50 percent of vehicles that are stolen still had the keys in the ignition."
Hansen said while auto thefts might be down, auto burglaries are skyrocketing. "When drivers leave their GPS units and laptop computers in plain sight, they are just asking for their vehicle to be burglarized," said Hansen.
Hansen said auto theft is a business and that older vehicles become marketable on the black market because of the need for certain auto parts. He said just because one drives an older car, it’s not any less prone to being stolen.
Eight of the top ten most stolen cars are vehicles that are at least ten years old, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). The top three most stolen vehicles are a 1995 Honda Civic, a 1991 Honda Accord and a 1989 Toyota Camry.
"Unfortunately, most owners of older cars have abandoned their comprehensive auto insurance coverage and are only paying for state mandated liability coverage," says Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas. "This leaves them without any insurance protection if their vehicle is stolen, but there are several anti-theft devices on the market that can help them secure their vehicle."
Financially, auto theft remains a serious problem in Texas . In 2007, thieves made off with 94,000 vehicles worth $859 million.
Statewide in Texas , auto thefts are down 58 percent since the state implemented the Texas Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA) in 1991. However, the Mexican border remains a problem where auto thefts have skyrocketed. Laredo is ranked second in the nation in number of vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants.
Sgt. Eduardo Garcia of the Laredo Auto Theft Task Force says the problem with auto thefts along the Mexican border is completely different from anywhere else. "The criminals here can steal a vehicle and have it across the border in Mexico within three minutes," said Garcia. "They have also learned to bypass the anti-theft systems. All they need is a screw driver and a pair of vice grips."
Garcia said the most stolen vehicles in Laredo are Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet trucks which are used to carry or smuggle people and contraband. He said 90 percent of the vehicles stolen in Laredo are taken into Mexico and the officers’ jurisdiction stops at the border.
If thieves are having a hard time stealing a certain vehicle, Garcia said they will take that car into Mexico and dissect it and eventually find a way to be able to steal this vehicle. Garcia called it Auto Theft 101.
Law enforcement officials say a wealth of information is readily available to professional auto thieves who have been able to bypass about every anti-theft device that manufacturers have put into place. The pros either strip the vehicle for parts or change the identification of the vehicle with a title from another car and then sell it.
Tow trucks have also been used to steal vehicles and this bypasses any anti-theft devices put in place.
In an attempt to prevent auto thefts and auto burglaries the Insurance Council of Texas has worked with more than a dozen Texas cities in providing Lock, Take and Hide crime prevention signs for the parking areas of shopping malls, restaurants, business centers and apartment complexes. The signs advise motorists to Lock their cars, Take their keys and Hide their possessions.
"Criminals would have a much harder time in stealing and burglarizing vehicles if all motorists heeded this simple message," said Hanna.
The ABTPA says other preventive measures that have slowed down auto thefts have been etching VIN numbers into vehicle windshields, educating communities on how they can prevent auto thefts and having dedicated law enforcements focused on auto theft.
The Insurance Council of Texas is the largest state insurance trade association in the country consisting of approximately 500 property and casualty insurers writing business in Texas . For more information turn to ICT’s Web site at http://www.insurancecouncil.org/.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Investigations have uncovered the fact that many Mexican police cars are automobiles that were stolen in the U.S.)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
IRENA SENDLER, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LOSER(?)
My good friend Jay sent me an e-mail with a video clip of a newscast on Irena Sendler’s heroic efforts to save Jewish children during WWII. Sendler saved 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto, providing them false documents, and sheltering them in individual and group children's homes outside the Ghetto. The news anchor lamented the fact that, in 2007, Sendler had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but lost out to Al Gore, who was recognized for his crusade against global warming. Irena Sendler (in Polish Irena Sendlerowa née Krzyżanowska) died in 2008 at the age of 98.
In German-occupied Poland, all household members were punished by death if a Jew were found concealed in their home or property. Death was a punishment for providing any aid to Jews, even for giving bread or water to a Jew just passing by. This was the most severe law enforced by the Nazis in occupied Europe. That's why the Irena Sendler story is so remarkable.
You can judge for yourselves as to who was more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize - Sendler or Gore. From Wikipedia, here is the Irena Sendler story:
During the German occupation of Poland, Sendler lived in Warsaw (prior to that, she had lived in Otwock and Tarczyn while working for urban Social Welfare departments). As early as 1939, when the Germans invaded Poland, she began aiding Jews. She and her helpers created over 3,000 false documents to help Jewish families, prior to joining the organized Żegota resistance and the children's division. Helping Jews was very risky—in German-occupied Poland, all household members risked death if they were found to be hiding Jews, a more severe punishment than in other occupied European countries.
In December 1942 the newly created Żegota (the Council to Aid Jews) nominated her (by her cover name Jolanta to head its children's section. As an employee of the Social Welfare Department, she had a special permit to enter the Warsaw Ghetto to check for signs of typhus, something the Nazis feared would spread beyond the Ghetto. During these visits, she wore a Star of David as a sign of solidarity with the Jewish people and so as not to call attention to herself.
She cooperated with the Children's Section of the Municipal Administration, linked with the RGO (Central Welfare Council), a Polish relief organization that was tolerated under German supervision. She organized the smuggling of Jewish children out of the Ghetto, carrying them out in boxes, suitcases and trolleys. Under the pretext of conducting inspections of sanitary conditions during a typhoid outbreak, Sendler visited the Ghetto and smuggled out babies and small children in ambulances and trams, sometimes disguising them as packages. She also used the old courthouse at the edge of the Warsaw Ghetto (still standing) as one of the main routes for smuggling out children.
The children were placed with Polish families, the Warsaw orphanage of the Sisters of the Family of Mary, or Roman Catholic convents such as the Little Sister Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conceived Immaculate at Turkowice and Chotomów. Some children were smuggled to priests in parish rectories. She hid lists of their names in jars in order to keep track of their original and new identities. Żegota assured the children that, when the war was over, they would be returned to Jewish relatives.
In 1943 Sendler was arrested by the Gestapo, severely tortured, and sentenced to death. Żegota saved her by bribing German guards on the way to her execution. She was left in the woods, unconscious and with broken arms and legs. She was listed on public bulletin boards as among those executed. For the remainder of the war, she lived in hiding, but continued her work for the Jewish children. After the war, she dug up the jars containing the children's identities and attempted to find the children and return them to their parents. However, almost all of their parents had been killed at the Treblinka extermination camp or had gone missing otherwise.
In 1965 Sendler was recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, which was confirmed in 1983 by the Israeli Supreme Court. She also was awarded the Commander's Cross by the Israeli Institute. Only in that year did the Polish communist government allowed her to travel abroad, to receive the award in Israel.
In German-occupied Poland, all household members were punished by death if a Jew were found concealed in their home or property. Death was a punishment for providing any aid to Jews, even for giving bread or water to a Jew just passing by. This was the most severe law enforced by the Nazis in occupied Europe. That's why the Irena Sendler story is so remarkable.
You can judge for yourselves as to who was more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize - Sendler or Gore. From Wikipedia, here is the Irena Sendler story:
During the German occupation of Poland, Sendler lived in Warsaw (prior to that, she had lived in Otwock and Tarczyn while working for urban Social Welfare departments). As early as 1939, when the Germans invaded Poland, she began aiding Jews. She and her helpers created over 3,000 false documents to help Jewish families, prior to joining the organized Żegota resistance and the children's division. Helping Jews was very risky—in German-occupied Poland, all household members risked death if they were found to be hiding Jews, a more severe punishment than in other occupied European countries.
In December 1942 the newly created Żegota (the Council to Aid Jews) nominated her (by her cover name Jolanta to head its children's section. As an employee of the Social Welfare Department, she had a special permit to enter the Warsaw Ghetto to check for signs of typhus, something the Nazis feared would spread beyond the Ghetto. During these visits, she wore a Star of David as a sign of solidarity with the Jewish people and so as not to call attention to herself.
She cooperated with the Children's Section of the Municipal Administration, linked with the RGO (Central Welfare Council), a Polish relief organization that was tolerated under German supervision. She organized the smuggling of Jewish children out of the Ghetto, carrying them out in boxes, suitcases and trolleys. Under the pretext of conducting inspections of sanitary conditions during a typhoid outbreak, Sendler visited the Ghetto and smuggled out babies and small children in ambulances and trams, sometimes disguising them as packages. She also used the old courthouse at the edge of the Warsaw Ghetto (still standing) as one of the main routes for smuggling out children.
The children were placed with Polish families, the Warsaw orphanage of the Sisters of the Family of Mary, or Roman Catholic convents such as the Little Sister Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conceived Immaculate at Turkowice and Chotomów. Some children were smuggled to priests in parish rectories. She hid lists of their names in jars in order to keep track of their original and new identities. Żegota assured the children that, when the war was over, they would be returned to Jewish relatives.
In 1943 Sendler was arrested by the Gestapo, severely tortured, and sentenced to death. Żegota saved her by bribing German guards on the way to her execution. She was left in the woods, unconscious and with broken arms and legs. She was listed on public bulletin boards as among those executed. For the remainder of the war, she lived in hiding, but continued her work for the Jewish children. After the war, she dug up the jars containing the children's identities and attempted to find the children and return them to their parents. However, almost all of their parents had been killed at the Treblinka extermination camp or had gone missing otherwise.
In 1965 Sendler was recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, which was confirmed in 1983 by the Israeli Supreme Court. She also was awarded the Commander's Cross by the Israeli Institute. Only in that year did the Polish communist government allowed her to travel abroad, to receive the award in Israel.
Monday, May 18, 2009
ORGASMAXIMAL
Schweinehund Laboratorien, a prominent German pharmaceutical company based in Schweinfurt, has announced a remarkable anti-impotence breakthrough with the introduction of its latest drug, ORGASMAXIMAL.
After exhaustive research, Schweinehund has taken the active ingredients in six drugs - Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, ExtenZe, Enzyte and Maxoderm - and successfully combined them into one drug, ORGASMAXIMAL, which remedies erectile dysfunction, results in substantial penile enlargement, and prolongs performance for hours at a time.
Schweinehund boasted that "with ORGASMAXIMAL your fraulein will experience multiple orgasms and shout ‘ach du lieber’ ecstatically over and over again until she can no longer carry on."
Chancellor Angela Merkel proclaimed that "ORGASMAXIMAL is just one more example of Germany's extraordinary ingenuity" and has nominated Schweinehund Laboratorien for the Nobel prize in Medicine. After a special flight to Schweinfurt, President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, a beaming Carla Bruni, bestowed France's highest civilian award, the Legion d'Honneur, on Herr Doktor Wolfgang von Schweinehund, the founder and director of Schweinehund Laboratorien.
ORGASMAXIMAL was subjected to extensive clinical testing, first on rhesus monkeys, and then on men with erectile dysfunction. Ten male rhesus monkeys were each isolated togther with 10 females. In each case, the males were able to service every female, one immediately after another, until every female was completely exhausted.
After Schweinehund was satisfied with its clinical trials on the rhesus monkeys, it recruited 100 German men with erectile dysfunction and 100 prostitutes from Amsterdam. Each man was paired off with a prostitute. 50 men were given Viagra and the other 50 were given ORGASMAXIMAL. Penile sizes were recorded. The men with Viagra performed satisfactorily. The men with ORGASMAXIMAL performed until their partners were completely exhausted. No notable side effects were observed.
After a 30-day break, the couples were brought back together again and this time the application of Viagra and ORGASMAXIMAL was reversed. New penile measurements demonstrated that ORGASMAXIMAL resulted in a remarkable enlargement in every case. As in the earlier testing, the men with ORGASMAXIMAL completely exhausted their partners after hours of continuous coitus. Again, no notable side effects were observed.
Urologists are dismayed because Schweinehund claims that ORGASMAXIMAL eliminates any need for those costly penile implant surgeries.
Schweinehund Laboratorien issued the following ORGASMAXIMAL warnings:
Discuss your general health condition with your doctor to ensure that you are healthy enough to engage in hours of continuous sexual activity. Prolonged coitus may put an extra strain on your heart, especially if you have heart problems. ORGASMAXIMAL should not be used in men for whom sexual activity is inadvisable due to an underlying cardiovascular condition.
Make sure that your fraulein is healthy enough to engage in hours of continuous coitus.
Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of penis conditions (e.g., angulation, fibrosis/scarring).
Patients who have an erection lasting LESS than 8 hours should seek immediate medical attention as this may be an indication of a near-death condition.
For further information contact Schweinehund Laboratorien at http://www.orgasmaximal.com/ or call 1-888-MAXIMAL.
JUST KIDDING, OF COURSE!!!
After exhaustive research, Schweinehund has taken the active ingredients in six drugs - Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, ExtenZe, Enzyte and Maxoderm - and successfully combined them into one drug, ORGASMAXIMAL, which remedies erectile dysfunction, results in substantial penile enlargement, and prolongs performance for hours at a time.
Schweinehund boasted that "with ORGASMAXIMAL your fraulein will experience multiple orgasms and shout ‘ach du lieber’ ecstatically over and over again until she can no longer carry on."
Chancellor Angela Merkel proclaimed that "ORGASMAXIMAL is just one more example of Germany's extraordinary ingenuity" and has nominated Schweinehund Laboratorien for the Nobel prize in Medicine. After a special flight to Schweinfurt, President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, a beaming Carla Bruni, bestowed France's highest civilian award, the Legion d'Honneur, on Herr Doktor Wolfgang von Schweinehund, the founder and director of Schweinehund Laboratorien.
ORGASMAXIMAL was subjected to extensive clinical testing, first on rhesus monkeys, and then on men with erectile dysfunction. Ten male rhesus monkeys were each isolated togther with 10 females. In each case, the males were able to service every female, one immediately after another, until every female was completely exhausted.
After Schweinehund was satisfied with its clinical trials on the rhesus monkeys, it recruited 100 German men with erectile dysfunction and 100 prostitutes from Amsterdam. Each man was paired off with a prostitute. 50 men were given Viagra and the other 50 were given ORGASMAXIMAL. Penile sizes were recorded. The men with Viagra performed satisfactorily. The men with ORGASMAXIMAL performed until their partners were completely exhausted. No notable side effects were observed.
After a 30-day break, the couples were brought back together again and this time the application of Viagra and ORGASMAXIMAL was reversed. New penile measurements demonstrated that ORGASMAXIMAL resulted in a remarkable enlargement in every case. As in the earlier testing, the men with ORGASMAXIMAL completely exhausted their partners after hours of continuous coitus. Again, no notable side effects were observed.
Urologists are dismayed because Schweinehund claims that ORGASMAXIMAL eliminates any need for those costly penile implant surgeries.
Schweinehund Laboratorien issued the following ORGASMAXIMAL warnings:
Discuss your general health condition with your doctor to ensure that you are healthy enough to engage in hours of continuous sexual activity. Prolonged coitus may put an extra strain on your heart, especially if you have heart problems. ORGASMAXIMAL should not be used in men for whom sexual activity is inadvisable due to an underlying cardiovascular condition.
Make sure that your fraulein is healthy enough to engage in hours of continuous coitus.
Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of penis conditions (e.g., angulation, fibrosis/scarring).
Patients who have an erection lasting LESS than 8 hours should seek immediate medical attention as this may be an indication of a near-death condition.
For further information contact Schweinehund Laboratorien at http://www.orgasmaximal.com/ or call 1-888-MAXIMAL.
JUST KIDDING, OF COURSE!!!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
CAT (FUNNY) AND KIDS (NOT FUNNY) ZAPPED
Here are two reports on the use of stun guns, one funny and the other not the least bit funny.
When a citizen called 911 to report seeing a cougar in the park, 10 police officers responded and the beast was tasered into submission. When Florida prison employees had their children participate in Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day, 43 of the kids were zapped with stun guns and some were given a dose of tear gas to boot.
The cougar turned out to be a stuffed toy. That incident was funny. On the other hand, what occurred in three Florida prisons was far from funny. Whatever possessed those imbeciles to zap and tear gas their kids is beyond my comprehension. The reports on those zappings follow:
MICHIGAN POLICE TASER STUFFED COUGAR AFTER 911 CALL OF BEAST PROWLING PARK
By Associated Press
May 15, 2009
WARREN, Mich. — The fluff was flying when police in suburban Detroit zapped a large stuffed cat with a stun gun while responding to an emergency call about a cougar on the loose.
A 911 caller reported seeing what looked like a cougar inside a piece of discarded drain pipe in Warren. Police zapped the cat with an electronic weapon on Monday, but they wound up with a bunch of fluff.
The Detroit Free Press reports the stuffed animal was apparently placed in the pipe as a hoax. The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reports the caller said it was a 150-pound cat.
About 10 officers responded to the cat call. Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer says the department is "out there to keep the community safe."
FLORIDA PRISON GUARDS ZAP 43 KIDS ON TAKE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS TO WORK DAY
By Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times
May 16, 2009
TALLAHASSEE — Children held hands so that 50,000 volts could pass through their fingers. Other children were exposed to tear gas.
A total of 43 children were directly and indirectly shocked by electric stun guns during simultaneous Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day events gone wrong at three state prisons last month. One was a warden's daughter.
The growing number — and the bizarre descriptions of kids exposed to tear gas and shocked while holding hands in circles — came in a new report Friday by the Florida Department of Corrections.
Three prison guards have been fired, two have resigned and 16 more — from corrections officers to a warden — will be disciplined for what happened on April 23, said DOC Secretary Walt McNeil.
None of the children required medical attention or were notably harmed, McNeil said. He said the victims, who ranged in age from 5 to 17, were all children of prison officials. In nearly every case, the guards who administered the "electronic immobilization devices" had permission from parents or grandparents.
McNeil couldn't understand any of it.
"I can't imagine what these officers were thinking to administer this device to children, nor can I imagine why any parent would allow them to do so," McNeil said. "This must not happen again."
McNeil called the episode "embarrassing" for the nation's fourth-largest prison system, which has been rocked by other scandals.
A McNeil predecessor, Jimmy Crosby, is in federal prison for taking bribes. Other guards were busted in a steroid ring, for rampant pilfering, for misusing inmate labor and for beer-soaked brawls stemming from a cut-throat culture of interprison softball games.
Investigators found that a semipro baseball player was given a no-show job to help one institution win on the diamond.
Jim McDonough, the prison chief who cleaned up the mess left by Crosby, repeatedly said his mission was to end the "culture of brutality" that permeated the prison system.
McNeil has repeatedly stressed that the stun-gunning happened at only three of the 55 institutions and that it wasn't a widespread practice. Still, he acknowledged that it was "logical" to assume that other children had been shocked on other take-your-kids-to-work days. One of the fired guards said the practice had occurred before, but so far, prison officials have found no evidence of that.
McNeil noted that the stun guns used differ from Tasers, which shoot electrified wires at their targets and deliver a far more powerful amperage. So far this year, none of the stun guns have been used on the 100,000 prison inmates — only on the children of DOC workers. McNeil said the use of the guns violated DOC policies.
Of the children exposed to the stun guns, 14 were directly shocked at Franklin, Martin and Indian River correctional institutions.
Twenty-nine others were indirectly exposed when they held hands with a person who was shocked. With the kids circled together, the electricity could flow from one child's hands to the next. The warden whose child was involved was out of town at the time and hadn't given permission.
After hearing of the incident at Franklin, McNeil said, he conducted an investigation that revealed the stun gunning at the other institutions. During the investigation, officials also learned that officials at Lake Correctional Institution demonstrated the use of tear gas, which endangered some of the kids.
In his 30 years in law enforcement, McNeil said, "I've never seen anything like this."
When a citizen called 911 to report seeing a cougar in the park, 10 police officers responded and the beast was tasered into submission. When Florida prison employees had their children participate in Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day, 43 of the kids were zapped with stun guns and some were given a dose of tear gas to boot.
The cougar turned out to be a stuffed toy. That incident was funny. On the other hand, what occurred in three Florida prisons was far from funny. Whatever possessed those imbeciles to zap and tear gas their kids is beyond my comprehension. The reports on those zappings follow:
MICHIGAN POLICE TASER STUFFED COUGAR AFTER 911 CALL OF BEAST PROWLING PARK
By Associated Press
May 15, 2009
WARREN, Mich. — The fluff was flying when police in suburban Detroit zapped a large stuffed cat with a stun gun while responding to an emergency call about a cougar on the loose.
A 911 caller reported seeing what looked like a cougar inside a piece of discarded drain pipe in Warren. Police zapped the cat with an electronic weapon on Monday, but they wound up with a bunch of fluff.
The Detroit Free Press reports the stuffed animal was apparently placed in the pipe as a hoax. The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reports the caller said it was a 150-pound cat.
About 10 officers responded to the cat call. Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer says the department is "out there to keep the community safe."
FLORIDA PRISON GUARDS ZAP 43 KIDS ON TAKE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS TO WORK DAY
By Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times
May 16, 2009
TALLAHASSEE — Children held hands so that 50,000 volts could pass through their fingers. Other children were exposed to tear gas.
A total of 43 children were directly and indirectly shocked by electric stun guns during simultaneous Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day events gone wrong at three state prisons last month. One was a warden's daughter.
The growing number — and the bizarre descriptions of kids exposed to tear gas and shocked while holding hands in circles — came in a new report Friday by the Florida Department of Corrections.
Three prison guards have been fired, two have resigned and 16 more — from corrections officers to a warden — will be disciplined for what happened on April 23, said DOC Secretary Walt McNeil.
None of the children required medical attention or were notably harmed, McNeil said. He said the victims, who ranged in age from 5 to 17, were all children of prison officials. In nearly every case, the guards who administered the "electronic immobilization devices" had permission from parents or grandparents.
McNeil couldn't understand any of it.
"I can't imagine what these officers were thinking to administer this device to children, nor can I imagine why any parent would allow them to do so," McNeil said. "This must not happen again."
McNeil called the episode "embarrassing" for the nation's fourth-largest prison system, which has been rocked by other scandals.
A McNeil predecessor, Jimmy Crosby, is in federal prison for taking bribes. Other guards were busted in a steroid ring, for rampant pilfering, for misusing inmate labor and for beer-soaked brawls stemming from a cut-throat culture of interprison softball games.
Investigators found that a semipro baseball player was given a no-show job to help one institution win on the diamond.
Jim McDonough, the prison chief who cleaned up the mess left by Crosby, repeatedly said his mission was to end the "culture of brutality" that permeated the prison system.
McNeil has repeatedly stressed that the stun-gunning happened at only three of the 55 institutions and that it wasn't a widespread practice. Still, he acknowledged that it was "logical" to assume that other children had been shocked on other take-your-kids-to-work days. One of the fired guards said the practice had occurred before, but so far, prison officials have found no evidence of that.
McNeil noted that the stun guns used differ from Tasers, which shoot electrified wires at their targets and deliver a far more powerful amperage. So far this year, none of the stun guns have been used on the 100,000 prison inmates — only on the children of DOC workers. McNeil said the use of the guns violated DOC policies.
Of the children exposed to the stun guns, 14 were directly shocked at Franklin, Martin and Indian River correctional institutions.
Twenty-nine others were indirectly exposed when they held hands with a person who was shocked. With the kids circled together, the electricity could flow from one child's hands to the next. The warden whose child was involved was out of town at the time and hadn't given permission.
After hearing of the incident at Franklin, McNeil said, he conducted an investigation that revealed the stun gunning at the other institutions. During the investigation, officials also learned that officials at Lake Correctional Institution demonstrated the use of tear gas, which endangered some of the kids.
In his 30 years in law enforcement, McNeil said, "I've never seen anything like this."
EXCELLENT SPYING, BUT TO WHAT END?
ISRAEL’S SECRET WAR WITH IRAN
The Mossad has stunning achievements to its credit, yet the mullahs remain a threat.
By Ronen Bergman
The Wall Street Journal
May 16, 2009
Those who leaf through the secret files of any intelligence service know what grave mistakes bad intelligence can lead to. But they also know that sometimes even excellent intelligence doesn't change a thing.
The Israeli intelligence community is now learning this lesson the hard way. It has penetrated enemies like Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Hezbollah and Hamas. Yet despite former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's willingness to authorize highly dangerous operations based on this intelligence, and despite the unquestionable success of the operations themselves, the overall security picture remains as grim as ever.
In 2002, then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appointed his friend and former subordinate, Gen. Meir Dagan, director of the Mossad. Gen. Dagan found the organization lacking in imagination and shying away from operational risks. Mr. Sharon, who knew Gen. Dagan from his days as head of a secret assassinations unit that acted against Fatah in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s, told the general that he wanted "a Mossad with a knife between its teeth."
Gen. Dagan transformed the Mossad from top to bottom and made the organization's sole focus Iran's nuclear project and its ties to jihadist organizations. He put tremendous pressure on his subordinates to execute as many operations as possible. Moreover, he built up ties with espionage services in Europe and the Middle East on top of Israel's long-standing relationship with the CIA.
In tandem with Gen. Dagan's Mossad revolution, other Israeli military intelligence has also made outstanding breakthroughs. The Shin-Bet (Israel's internal intelligence service), in cooperation with the military, has made huge strides in its understanding of Palestinian guerilla organizations.
The results have been tremendous. During the last four years, the uranium enrichment project in Iran was delayed by a series of apparent accidents: the disappearance of an Iranian nuclear scientist, the crash of two planes carrying cargo relating to the project, and two labs that burst into flames. In addition, an Iranian opposition group in exile published highly credible information about the details of the project, which caused Iran much embarrassment and led to International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.
On July 12, 2006, thanks to precise intelligence, the Israeli Air Force destroyed almost the entire stock of Hezbollah's long-range rockets stored in underground warehouses. Hezbollah was shocked.
In July 2007, another mysterious accident occurred in a missile factory jointly operated by Iran and Syria at a Syrian site called Al-Safir. The production line -- which armed Scud missiles with warheads -- was shut down and many were killed.
In September 2007, Israel destroyed a nuclear reactor built by Syria and aided by North Korea in Dir A-Zur -- despite Syria's significant efforts to keep it a secret. With indirect authorization from a very high ranking Israeli official, the CIA published incriminating pictures obtained by Israel of the site before it was bombed. These photos convinced the world that the Syrians were indeed attempting to manufacture a nuclear bomb.
In February 2008, Hezbollah's military leader, Imad Mughniyah, was killed in Damascus. In August of that year, Gen. Mohammed Suliman, a liaison to Hamas and Hezbollah who participated in the Syrian nuclear project, was assassinated by a sniper.
In December 2008, Israel initiated operation Cast Lead, which dealt Hamas a massive blow. Most of its weapons were destroyed within days by Israeli air strikes. (Israel also knew where the Hamas leadership was hiding, but since it was in a hospital Mr. Olmert refused to authorize the strike.) In January 2009, Israeli Hermes 450 drones attacked three convoys in Sudan that were smuggling weapons from Iran to the Gaza Strip.
These are all excellent achievements, but did they change reality? Mostly not.
The destruction of the Syrian nuclear reactor seems to have put a temporary end to President Bashar Assad's ambitions of acquiring a nuclear weapon. However, the public humiliation caused by the site's bombing did not sway him from supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and hosting terrorist organizations.
Even worse, the heads of Israeli intelligence are now losing sleep over recent information showing that attempts to delay the Iranian nuclear project have failed. Despite some technical difficulties, the Iranians are storming ahead and may possess a nuclear bomb as early as 2010. Hezbollah, although weakened by the 2006 war and Mughniyah's assassination, has become the leading political force in Lebanon.
On the southern front, despite the convoy bombings in Sudan, the trafficking of weapons and ammunition into the Gaza Strip continues. Hamas's standing among Palestinians has strengthened. And if a cease-fire is negotiated between Hamas and Israel it would be perceived as a victory for Hamas.
The bottom line is that excellent intelligence is very important, but it can only take you so far. In the end, it's the tough diplomatic and military decisions made by Israeli leaders that ensure the security of the state.
Mr. Bergman, a correspondent for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, is the author of the "The Secret War With Iran" (Free Press, 2008).
The Mossad has stunning achievements to its credit, yet the mullahs remain a threat.
By Ronen Bergman
The Wall Street Journal
May 16, 2009
Those who leaf through the secret files of any intelligence service know what grave mistakes bad intelligence can lead to. But they also know that sometimes even excellent intelligence doesn't change a thing.
The Israeli intelligence community is now learning this lesson the hard way. It has penetrated enemies like Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Hezbollah and Hamas. Yet despite former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's willingness to authorize highly dangerous operations based on this intelligence, and despite the unquestionable success of the operations themselves, the overall security picture remains as grim as ever.
In 2002, then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appointed his friend and former subordinate, Gen. Meir Dagan, director of the Mossad. Gen. Dagan found the organization lacking in imagination and shying away from operational risks. Mr. Sharon, who knew Gen. Dagan from his days as head of a secret assassinations unit that acted against Fatah in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s, told the general that he wanted "a Mossad with a knife between its teeth."
Gen. Dagan transformed the Mossad from top to bottom and made the organization's sole focus Iran's nuclear project and its ties to jihadist organizations. He put tremendous pressure on his subordinates to execute as many operations as possible. Moreover, he built up ties with espionage services in Europe and the Middle East on top of Israel's long-standing relationship with the CIA.
In tandem with Gen. Dagan's Mossad revolution, other Israeli military intelligence has also made outstanding breakthroughs. The Shin-Bet (Israel's internal intelligence service), in cooperation with the military, has made huge strides in its understanding of Palestinian guerilla organizations.
The results have been tremendous. During the last four years, the uranium enrichment project in Iran was delayed by a series of apparent accidents: the disappearance of an Iranian nuclear scientist, the crash of two planes carrying cargo relating to the project, and two labs that burst into flames. In addition, an Iranian opposition group in exile published highly credible information about the details of the project, which caused Iran much embarrassment and led to International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.
On July 12, 2006, thanks to precise intelligence, the Israeli Air Force destroyed almost the entire stock of Hezbollah's long-range rockets stored in underground warehouses. Hezbollah was shocked.
In July 2007, another mysterious accident occurred in a missile factory jointly operated by Iran and Syria at a Syrian site called Al-Safir. The production line -- which armed Scud missiles with warheads -- was shut down and many were killed.
In September 2007, Israel destroyed a nuclear reactor built by Syria and aided by North Korea in Dir A-Zur -- despite Syria's significant efforts to keep it a secret. With indirect authorization from a very high ranking Israeli official, the CIA published incriminating pictures obtained by Israel of the site before it was bombed. These photos convinced the world that the Syrians were indeed attempting to manufacture a nuclear bomb.
In February 2008, Hezbollah's military leader, Imad Mughniyah, was killed in Damascus. In August of that year, Gen. Mohammed Suliman, a liaison to Hamas and Hezbollah who participated in the Syrian nuclear project, was assassinated by a sniper.
In December 2008, Israel initiated operation Cast Lead, which dealt Hamas a massive blow. Most of its weapons were destroyed within days by Israeli air strikes. (Israel also knew where the Hamas leadership was hiding, but since it was in a hospital Mr. Olmert refused to authorize the strike.) In January 2009, Israeli Hermes 450 drones attacked three convoys in Sudan that were smuggling weapons from Iran to the Gaza Strip.
These are all excellent achievements, but did they change reality? Mostly not.
The destruction of the Syrian nuclear reactor seems to have put a temporary end to President Bashar Assad's ambitions of acquiring a nuclear weapon. However, the public humiliation caused by the site's bombing did not sway him from supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and hosting terrorist organizations.
Even worse, the heads of Israeli intelligence are now losing sleep over recent information showing that attempts to delay the Iranian nuclear project have failed. Despite some technical difficulties, the Iranians are storming ahead and may possess a nuclear bomb as early as 2010. Hezbollah, although weakened by the 2006 war and Mughniyah's assassination, has become the leading political force in Lebanon.
On the southern front, despite the convoy bombings in Sudan, the trafficking of weapons and ammunition into the Gaza Strip continues. Hamas's standing among Palestinians has strengthened. And if a cease-fire is negotiated between Hamas and Israel it would be perceived as a victory for Hamas.
The bottom line is that excellent intelligence is very important, but it can only take you so far. In the end, it's the tough diplomatic and military decisions made by Israeli leaders that ensure the security of the state.
Mr. Bergman, a correspondent for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, is the author of the "The Secret War With Iran" (Free Press, 2008).
Friday, May 15, 2009
WATER AND WINE COMPARED
Sent to me by my good friend Jay:
To all those who enjoy a glass of wine.. . and those who don't.
As Ben Franklin said, "In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, and in water there is bacteria."
In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli (E. coli) - bacteria found in feces.
In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.
However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila,rum, whisky or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.
Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health.
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information because I'm doing this as a public service.
To all those who enjoy a glass of wine.. . and those who don't.
As Ben Franklin said, "In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, and in water there is bacteria."
In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli (E. coli) - bacteria found in feces.
In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.
However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila,rum, whisky or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.
Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health.
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information because I'm doing this as a public service.
SGT. DUDLEY DUMBASS
Another example of a cop who is in the wrong line of work.
WKZO News
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Girl Arrested After Cursing On 911 Call
LINCOLN PARK, MI -- 17-year-old suburban Detroit area girl was arrested recently after cursing while calling 911 and having the operator hang up on her without sending an ambulance or asking what her emergency was. The Lincoln Park girl, Adrianne Ledesma, arrived home to find her father, who had just undergone brain surgery, on the floor having a seizure.
In a panic, she dialed 911 but the line went unanswered. She hung up and called back, while muttering a choice expletive, unaware that the call is recorded even before the operator answers.
On a recording of the call, Ledesma is heard shouting the expletive just as the operator, Sergeant Robert McFarlan, answers. He proceeds to admonish the girl for cursing and in response she shouts, quote, "send me a (expletive) ambulance." He then calls her a curse word and hangs up on her.
She then called a third time and threatened to sue the officer, while asking for his name. He called her a "buffoon," hung up on her and never asked about her emergency. McFarlan finally called the police department, telling them, quote, "I kept getting a 911 call from a filthy-mouthed girl who wanted a rescue. I never found out what it was and I was never able to transfer it over to you."
When Ledesma went to the police station in person, the same operator, Sergeant Robert McFarlan, arrests her on a charge of abusing 911. The girl's father eventually got help, while Sergeant McFarlan got two weeks suspension without pay and has to attend some training classes.
WKZO News
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Girl Arrested After Cursing On 911 Call
LINCOLN PARK, MI -- 17-year-old suburban Detroit area girl was arrested recently after cursing while calling 911 and having the operator hang up on her without sending an ambulance or asking what her emergency was. The Lincoln Park girl, Adrianne Ledesma, arrived home to find her father, who had just undergone brain surgery, on the floor having a seizure.
In a panic, she dialed 911 but the line went unanswered. She hung up and called back, while muttering a choice expletive, unaware that the call is recorded even before the operator answers.
On a recording of the call, Ledesma is heard shouting the expletive just as the operator, Sergeant Robert McFarlan, answers. He proceeds to admonish the girl for cursing and in response she shouts, quote, "send me a (expletive) ambulance." He then calls her a curse word and hangs up on her.
She then called a third time and threatened to sue the officer, while asking for his name. He called her a "buffoon," hung up on her and never asked about her emergency. McFarlan finally called the police department, telling them, quote, "I kept getting a 911 call from a filthy-mouthed girl who wanted a rescue. I never found out what it was and I was never able to transfer it over to you."
When Ledesma went to the police station in person, the same operator, Sergeant Robert McFarlan, arrests her on a charge of abusing 911. The girl's father eventually got help, while Sergeant McFarlan got two weeks suspension without pay and has to attend some training classes.
MY KIND OF MEDICAL ADVICE
This doctor's advice explains how I came to be an octogenarian. Now, if I would only stop speaking English, I could probably live to be a 100.
Medical Advice To Live By:
Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain ... Good!
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger! You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!
Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
AND.....For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The French and Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
Medical Advice To Live By:
Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain ... Good!
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger! You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!
Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
AND.....For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The French and Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
HAMAS AND HEZBOLLAH CHARTERS
Next week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Barack Obama at the White House. Photos and videos will show them warmly greeting each other, shaking hands and smiling. At he end of their meeting they will hold the obligatory congenial concluding remarks.
Off camera it will be quite a different story. The meeting is sure to be grim. Obama is intent on establishing a Palestinian state with its capitol in East Jerusalem and with its territory compassing what it was prior to 1967. Obama will insist that Israel must halt all settlement expansion and that it will destroy all settler outposts and give up many of the established settlement.
It would be folly for Netanyahu to give in to the suicidal concessions that are going to be demanded by the Obama administration as the lynchpin of its "reaching out to the Muslim World" foreign policy. Those demands ignore the vows of Yasser Arafat and his "moderate" protégé Mahmoud Abbas to dismember and destroy Israel on the installment plan.
Obama also ignores the charters of Hamas and Hezbollah which call for the obliteration of the "Zionist entity." He probably thinks that these militant Islamic organizations do not represent the true feelings of the Palestinian majority. Nothing could be further from the truth. The majority of Palestinians believe only in a one-state solution – a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea."
Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s former pastor and long-time mentor, published the Hamas Charter in his church publications. Wright’s sermons frequently condemned Israel’s occupation of the Holy Land and its "brutal oppression" of the Palestinian people. Don’t try to convince me that Obama was not influenced by Wright’s inflammatory rhetoric. For those of you unfamiliar with the Hamas and Hezbollah charters, here are excerpts from each of them:
From the Hamas Charter: "The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up."
"Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad."
From the Hezbollah Charter: "Our primary assumption in our fight against Israel states that the Zionist entity is aggressive from its inception, and built on lands wrested from their owners, at the expense of the rights of the Muslim people. Therefore our struggle will end only when this entity is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no cease-fire, and no peace agreements, whether separate or consolidated."
Off camera it will be quite a different story. The meeting is sure to be grim. Obama is intent on establishing a Palestinian state with its capitol in East Jerusalem and with its territory compassing what it was prior to 1967. Obama will insist that Israel must halt all settlement expansion and that it will destroy all settler outposts and give up many of the established settlement.
It would be folly for Netanyahu to give in to the suicidal concessions that are going to be demanded by the Obama administration as the lynchpin of its "reaching out to the Muslim World" foreign policy. Those demands ignore the vows of Yasser Arafat and his "moderate" protégé Mahmoud Abbas to dismember and destroy Israel on the installment plan.
Obama also ignores the charters of Hamas and Hezbollah which call for the obliteration of the "Zionist entity." He probably thinks that these militant Islamic organizations do not represent the true feelings of the Palestinian majority. Nothing could be further from the truth. The majority of Palestinians believe only in a one-state solution – a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea."
Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s former pastor and long-time mentor, published the Hamas Charter in his church publications. Wright’s sermons frequently condemned Israel’s occupation of the Holy Land and its "brutal oppression" of the Palestinian people. Don’t try to convince me that Obama was not influenced by Wright’s inflammatory rhetoric. For those of you unfamiliar with the Hamas and Hezbollah charters, here are excerpts from each of them:
From the Hamas Charter: "The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up."
"Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad."
From the Hezbollah Charter: "Our primary assumption in our fight against Israel states that the Zionist entity is aggressive from its inception, and built on lands wrested from their owners, at the expense of the rights of the Muslim people. Therefore our struggle will end only when this entity is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no cease-fire, and no peace agreements, whether separate or consolidated."
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
A DIFFERENT TIME, A DIFFERENT DRUG PROBLEM
The following e-mail has been circulating around the internet:
The other day someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"
I replied I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad’s fields. I was drug to the homes of family friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood, and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.
These drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.
God bless the parents who drugged us.
The other day someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"
I replied I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad’s fields. I was drug to the homes of family friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood, and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.
These drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.
God bless the parents who drugged us.
HOW THE KILLING OF OAKLAND COPS UNFOLDED
Oakland Police Department officials are giving briefings to all OPD officers about the events of March 21 during which four of their comrades were gunned down by a California parolee. The briefings gave this account of the incident:
Sgt. MarkDunakin, 40, who had been with the motorcycle unit for three years and was training Officer John Hege, 41, a newcomer to the detail, pulled parolee Lovelle Mixon, 26, over for running a stop sign at MacArthur and 77th Avenue.
Police have since said Mixon is suspected of having raped two women at gunpoint that morning and of having committed other sexual assaults in recent months, but Dunakin had no way of knowing that at the time.
Dunakin checked Mixon's driver's license and discovered that the number belonged to another person. Hege, who had been a few blocks away, arrived and with Dunakin walked toward Mixon's car to arrest him.
Mixon, apparently seeing the officers approach, leaned out his car window and shot Dunakin in the neck. Hege turned to try to find cover and was shot in the back of the head.
Mixon then stood over the two in the street and fired again, but both those rounds were stopped by the officers' bulletproof vests.
Two hours later, the SWAT team officers - acting on patrol Capt. Rick Orozco's orders - broke down the door to the apartment where Mixon was hiding. Mixon was waiting for them.
Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, who was leading the raid, was shot in the face just three feet inside the apartment. Mixon then retreated to a closet and resumed firing through the walls with an SKS assault rifle, killing Officer Daniel Sakai, 35, and wounding another officer, Pat Gonzales, before being shot to death himself.
Sgt. MarkDunakin, 40, who had been with the motorcycle unit for three years and was training Officer John Hege, 41, a newcomer to the detail, pulled parolee Lovelle Mixon, 26, over for running a stop sign at MacArthur and 77th Avenue.
Police have since said Mixon is suspected of having raped two women at gunpoint that morning and of having committed other sexual assaults in recent months, but Dunakin had no way of knowing that at the time.
Dunakin checked Mixon's driver's license and discovered that the number belonged to another person. Hege, who had been a few blocks away, arrived and with Dunakin walked toward Mixon's car to arrest him.
Mixon, apparently seeing the officers approach, leaned out his car window and shot Dunakin in the neck. Hege turned to try to find cover and was shot in the back of the head.
Mixon then stood over the two in the street and fired again, but both those rounds were stopped by the officers' bulletproof vests.
Two hours later, the SWAT team officers - acting on patrol Capt. Rick Orozco's orders - broke down the door to the apartment where Mixon was hiding. Mixon was waiting for them.
Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, who was leading the raid, was shot in the face just three feet inside the apartment. Mixon then retreated to a closet and resumed firing through the walls with an SKS assault rifle, killing Officer Daniel Sakai, 35, and wounding another officer, Pat Gonzales, before being shot to death himself.
DISMEMBERMENT AND DESTRUCTION ON THE INSTALLMENT PLAN
America’s liberal Jews were ardent supporters of Barack Obama during his campaign for the presidency. These gullible fools were seduced by Obama platitudes of solidarity with Israel and commitment to the security of the Jewish state. Once elected, Obama promised to reach out to the Muslim World. The first foreign leader our new president contacted was Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. And the very first television interview President Obama gave was to Al Arabiya, the Arab Television Network.
Here is what Obama’s Jewish supporters ignored. The Obama campaign’s foreign policy team had a long history of open hostility toward Israel. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his long-time pastor and personal mentor, had been a strong supporter of Hamas and had condemned Israel time after time from the pulpit of the church the Obamas attended.
Recent declarations by Obama administration officials indicate that U.S. foreign policy is shifting away from Israel and toward the Palestinians. Accordingly, columnist Ben Shapiro wrote a column ("Obama Proves His Anti-Semitism") in which he stated that "Any Jew who continues to support Obama’s foreign policy should turn in his badge as a Jew."
Obama openly supports a Palestinian state along the lines of the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capitol. That would be suicidal for Israel which, in one part, is only eight miles wide. And with its capitol in East Jerusalem, the Palestinians would be thrusting a dagger into the heart of Israel. Now the Obama administration is demanding a quid pro quo of Israel – concessions to the Palestinians for deterring Iran’s nuclear ambitions. America’s liberal Jews need to wake up and recall the history of Israel, which they have obviously forgotten.
Since Israel’s 1948-49 War for Independence, the Jewish state has had to fight four wars (1956, 1967, 1973-74 and 1982) against combined Arab armies determined to drive the tiny fledging state into the sea. In the Six Day War (1967), Israel defeated the armies of Egypt, Syria and Jordan and, as a result, occupied the West Bank, the Golan Heights, Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula - Israel also captured and annexed East Jerusalem.
Ever since 1967, Israel has been pressured by the international community to return the captured lands, including East Jerusalem, to its enemies. Israel did return the Sinai after concluding a peace treaty with Egypt. In 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat agreed to a Declaration of Principles (DOP) on Interim Self-Government Arrangements which aimed for Palestinian self-rule by 1999..
The DOP, better known as the Oslo Accords, was signed on behalf of the Palestinians by Arafat’s protégé, Mahmoud Abbas. That same day, Arafat told reporters that "Since we can't defeat Israel in war, we must do it in stages, we must take whatever area of Palestine we can get, establish sovereignty there, and then at the right time, we will have to convince the Arab nations to join us in dealing the final blow to Israel."
Israel has made concessions in the past. And how was the Jewish state rewarded for its concessions? Excerpts from yesterday’s Townhalll.com, column by Mona Charen ("Obama's Signal to Israel: Submit") provide answers to that question.
"We have recent history to guide us. In 2000, Israel withdrew from the security corridor it had established in southern Lebanon. The world had long been clamoring for Israel to do this. The Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah movement immediately seized the area -- trumpeting its triumph in driving out the enemy. In 2006, southern Lebanon became the launching pad for Hezbollah's missile campaign against northern Israel.
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The Iranian-backed Hamas movement moved quickly and took control there (not without significant internecine bloodshed with Fatah), and again used the territory not to build a peaceful Palestinian enclave but to launch 10,000 missiles against southern Israel.
Fatah (which is called moderate because it wants to destroy Israel on the installment plan rather than all at once) retains tenuous control of the West Bank. But even Mahmoud Abbas admits that if Israel were to withdraw completely from the area, Hamas would gain control in a heartbeat."
This is how Charen concluded her column: "Next week, Prime Minister Netanyahu will meet with President Obama in Washington. It is hard to see how this relationship can go well. President Obama has sent abundant signals that his foreign policy is 50 percent wishful thinking and 50 percent leftwing mush. There may not be any easy answers to the problem of a nuclear Iran. But pressuring Israel to take suicidal risks is clearly the worst possible approach. Iran will conclude, as its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas at various times concluded, that force and the threat of force work."
Here is what Obama’s Jewish supporters ignored. The Obama campaign’s foreign policy team had a long history of open hostility toward Israel. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his long-time pastor and personal mentor, had been a strong supporter of Hamas and had condemned Israel time after time from the pulpit of the church the Obamas attended.
Recent declarations by Obama administration officials indicate that U.S. foreign policy is shifting away from Israel and toward the Palestinians. Accordingly, columnist Ben Shapiro wrote a column ("Obama Proves His Anti-Semitism") in which he stated that "Any Jew who continues to support Obama’s foreign policy should turn in his badge as a Jew."
Obama openly supports a Palestinian state along the lines of the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capitol. That would be suicidal for Israel which, in one part, is only eight miles wide. And with its capitol in East Jerusalem, the Palestinians would be thrusting a dagger into the heart of Israel. Now the Obama administration is demanding a quid pro quo of Israel – concessions to the Palestinians for deterring Iran’s nuclear ambitions. America’s liberal Jews need to wake up and recall the history of Israel, which they have obviously forgotten.
Since Israel’s 1948-49 War for Independence, the Jewish state has had to fight four wars (1956, 1967, 1973-74 and 1982) against combined Arab armies determined to drive the tiny fledging state into the sea. In the Six Day War (1967), Israel defeated the armies of Egypt, Syria and Jordan and, as a result, occupied the West Bank, the Golan Heights, Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula - Israel also captured and annexed East Jerusalem.
Ever since 1967, Israel has been pressured by the international community to return the captured lands, including East Jerusalem, to its enemies. Israel did return the Sinai after concluding a peace treaty with Egypt. In 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat agreed to a Declaration of Principles (DOP) on Interim Self-Government Arrangements which aimed for Palestinian self-rule by 1999..
The DOP, better known as the Oslo Accords, was signed on behalf of the Palestinians by Arafat’s protégé, Mahmoud Abbas. That same day, Arafat told reporters that "Since we can't defeat Israel in war, we must do it in stages, we must take whatever area of Palestine we can get, establish sovereignty there, and then at the right time, we will have to convince the Arab nations to join us in dealing the final blow to Israel."
Israel has made concessions in the past. And how was the Jewish state rewarded for its concessions? Excerpts from yesterday’s Townhalll.com, column by Mona Charen ("Obama's Signal to Israel: Submit") provide answers to that question.
"We have recent history to guide us. In 2000, Israel withdrew from the security corridor it had established in southern Lebanon. The world had long been clamoring for Israel to do this. The Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah movement immediately seized the area -- trumpeting its triumph in driving out the enemy. In 2006, southern Lebanon became the launching pad for Hezbollah's missile campaign against northern Israel.
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The Iranian-backed Hamas movement moved quickly and took control there (not without significant internecine bloodshed with Fatah), and again used the territory not to build a peaceful Palestinian enclave but to launch 10,000 missiles against southern Israel.
Fatah (which is called moderate because it wants to destroy Israel on the installment plan rather than all at once) retains tenuous control of the West Bank. But even Mahmoud Abbas admits that if Israel were to withdraw completely from the area, Hamas would gain control in a heartbeat."
This is how Charen concluded her column: "Next week, Prime Minister Netanyahu will meet with President Obama in Washington. It is hard to see how this relationship can go well. President Obama has sent abundant signals that his foreign policy is 50 percent wishful thinking and 50 percent leftwing mush. There may not be any easy answers to the problem of a nuclear Iran. But pressuring Israel to take suicidal risks is clearly the worst possible approach. Iran will conclude, as its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas at various times concluded, that force and the threat of force work."
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
OBAMA REWARDS HIS UNION SUPPORTERS AT THE EXPENSE OF SECURED CREDITORS
Sandy Leeds, CFA is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Texas at Austin where he teaches graduate level classes in the MBA program. From his Leeds on Finance website:
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
By Sandy Leeds
May 9, 2009
Barack, you’re wearing me out. I voted for you, but you’re wearing me out. Your latest populist rhetoric is putting me over the edge. You’re a smart guy and your communication skills give you great power. But, you’re starting to abuse that power and it’s really getting to me.
You have a law degree and you taught in law school - so you understand the law. You know that there are secured creditors and unsecured creditors. In bankruptcy, secured creditors have priority over unsecured creditors. We all know the deal - secured creditors charge a lower interest rate because they will be protected in bankruptcy court. Unsecured creditors take the risk that they may not receive anything in bankruptcy.
You have put together a plan for Chrysler which violates these legal principles. Prior to filing for bankruptcy, Chrysler owed money to the following parties:
1. secured lenders: $6.9 billion
2. the US government: $4 billion
3. the UAW healthcare plan (unsecured): $10.6 billion
The US government will throw in the following:
1. $2 billion to pay off the secured lenders
2. $1.3 billion to help the company during bankruptcy
3. $4.76 billion when Chrysler emerges from bankruptcy
You and your band of merry men came up with the following payouts for each of the parties:
1. secured lenders: $2.25 billion
2. US government: 8%
3. Canadian government: 2%
4. UAW healthcare plan: $4.6 billion promissory note (paid off with 9% interest over 13 years) + 55% of Chrysler
5. Fiat: 20% of company - but this will go to 35% if they introduce a car in the US that gets 40 miles per gallon
I just don’t understand this. The secured creditors are giving up $4.6 billion (they are supposed to take $2.25 billion to satisfy the $6.9 billion they are owed) and will receive nothing in return. In effect, they are getting 33 cents on the dollar. The unsecured creditors are receiving 43 cents on the dollar plus 55% of the new company. This defies logic.
So let me list out the problems that I have with what you’ve done:
1. you have single-handedly changed the law - under your regime, secured creditors no longer have priority over unsecured creditors.
2. You know that 70% of the secured creditors are TARP recipients (GS, JPM, MS and C) and that they are not in a position to fight with you (particularly because your edict came out before the stress test results). You have effectively forced them to violate their fiduciary duty to their shareholders - as they have voted against their financial interest. Even you can’t say with a straight face that these institutions would have voted in favor of this plan if they were not wearing TARP handcuffs.
3. In what might have been your most evil, reprehensible act, you used your populist pulpit to turn the public against the secured lenders who wanted to enforce their legal rights. I’ve put your exact words below to remind you of what you said. It sounds great to the average financial moron when you blame the evil hedge funds and claim that they were "hold[ing] out for the prospect of an unjustified taxpayer-funded bailout." In reality, they are supposed to be paid back in full before unsecured creditors receive anything. I don’t want to speak for them, but I think that they just were relying on their legal rights. Can you explain an unjustified taxpayer-funded bailout to me? The only example that I can think of is when you use my money to bail out the UAW’s healthcare plan and then give them 55% of Chrysler.
While many stakeholders made sacrifices and worked constructively, I have to tell you some did not. In particular, a group of investment firms and hedge funds decided to hold out for the prospect of an unjustified taxpayer-funded bailout. The were hoping that everybody else would make sacrifices, and they would have to make none. Some demanded twice the return that other lenders were getting. I don’t stand with them. I stand with Chrysler’s employees and their families and communities. I stand with Chrysler’s management, its dealers and its suppliers. I stand with the millions of Americans who own and want to buy Chrysler cars. I don’t stand with those who held out when everybody else is making sacrifices. And that’s why I’m supporting Chrysler’s plans to use our bankruptcy laws to clear away its remaining obligations so the company can get back on its feet and onto a path of success.
4. You have referred to secured creditors are "speculators." How is a secured creditor a "speculator"? If anyone is a speculator, it’s shareholders in a company. Yet, you have used taxpayer money to bail out shareholders and creditors of many large banks. Even you have to see the hypocrisy in these comments, don’t you?
I know that there are some who will insist that bankruptcy, even for these limited purposes, is a step that should not have been taken. But it was unsustainable to let enormous liabilities remain on Chrysler’s books, and it was unacceptable to let a small group of speculators endanger Chrysler’s future by refusing to sacrifice like everyone else. So I recognize that the path we’re taking is hard. But as is often the case, the hard path is the right one.
To be fair, while you’re the most culpable, there are others that are wrong in this deal:
1. JPM, GS, MS and C have put themselves in a position where they are having to accept the Obama haircut on this debt. If these banks didn’t have TARP money, they wouldn’t be accepting these terms.
2. Other investors have succumbed to political pressure and supported this plan. Perella Weinberg suddenly became supportive and said "we believe that this is in the best interests of all Chrysler stakeholders, and our own investors and partners." Here’s the problem…you have a fiduciary duty to your investors, not to "all Chrysler stakeholders." Personally, I would fire any investment firm that goes along with this plan.
3. Representative John Dingell (Michigan) called the secured creditors "vultures" and said that they "will now be dealt with accordingly in court." I would say that anyone who loans money to a unionized company (given the Administration’s desire to transfer wealth) is an idiot, but I don’t see how they are vultures.
As you know, there are long term repercussions to all of our acts. Some of the problems that will result from this Chrysler debacle include:
1. Secured lenders are going to demand higher interest rates when lending to unionized companies. The risk is clear - capital structure no longer matters.
2. The Republicans are going to have a field day using this against future Democrats. This is the stereotypical Democratic wealth transfer and if people figure it out, it won’t play well.
I Don’t Buy the Argument, Some people have defended your action by arguing that absent the government funding, there would have been a liquidation and the secured creditors probably would have had difficulty recovering $2.25 billion (the amount you offered them). Unfortunately, there are problems with this argument:
1. If you assume that the liquidation value is somewhere around $2 billion, why should the unsecured creditors receive all of the "going-concern" benefit?
2. Fiat clearly wants Chrysler. Why wouldn’t they pay for the company? Clearly, they place value in Chrysler. Chrysler would have been worth even more to Fiat after a true bankruptcy if bankruptcy was used to break contracts.
In sum, the dissenting creditors only held $1 billion of loans. As public sentiment turned against them, more caved in to your populist demands. You won - the dissenters won’t be able to slow the bankruptcy process. But for a small amount of money, you’ve altered the way that investors view capital structure and changed the cost of capital. You’ve vilified lenders and rewarded a union that has helped to drive a company into the ground. You really need to hope that in four years you run against another moose-hunting Alaskan who is less intelligent than her prey.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
By Sandy Leeds
May 9, 2009
Barack, you’re wearing me out. I voted for you, but you’re wearing me out. Your latest populist rhetoric is putting me over the edge. You’re a smart guy and your communication skills give you great power. But, you’re starting to abuse that power and it’s really getting to me.
You have a law degree and you taught in law school - so you understand the law. You know that there are secured creditors and unsecured creditors. In bankruptcy, secured creditors have priority over unsecured creditors. We all know the deal - secured creditors charge a lower interest rate because they will be protected in bankruptcy court. Unsecured creditors take the risk that they may not receive anything in bankruptcy.
You have put together a plan for Chrysler which violates these legal principles. Prior to filing for bankruptcy, Chrysler owed money to the following parties:
1. secured lenders: $6.9 billion
2. the US government: $4 billion
3. the UAW healthcare plan (unsecured): $10.6 billion
The US government will throw in the following:
1. $2 billion to pay off the secured lenders
2. $1.3 billion to help the company during bankruptcy
3. $4.76 billion when Chrysler emerges from bankruptcy
You and your band of merry men came up with the following payouts for each of the parties:
1. secured lenders: $2.25 billion
2. US government: 8%
3. Canadian government: 2%
4. UAW healthcare plan: $4.6 billion promissory note (paid off with 9% interest over 13 years) + 55% of Chrysler
5. Fiat: 20% of company - but this will go to 35% if they introduce a car in the US that gets 40 miles per gallon
I just don’t understand this. The secured creditors are giving up $4.6 billion (they are supposed to take $2.25 billion to satisfy the $6.9 billion they are owed) and will receive nothing in return. In effect, they are getting 33 cents on the dollar. The unsecured creditors are receiving 43 cents on the dollar plus 55% of the new company. This defies logic.
So let me list out the problems that I have with what you’ve done:
1. you have single-handedly changed the law - under your regime, secured creditors no longer have priority over unsecured creditors.
2. You know that 70% of the secured creditors are TARP recipients (GS, JPM, MS and C) and that they are not in a position to fight with you (particularly because your edict came out before the stress test results). You have effectively forced them to violate their fiduciary duty to their shareholders - as they have voted against their financial interest. Even you can’t say with a straight face that these institutions would have voted in favor of this plan if they were not wearing TARP handcuffs.
3. In what might have been your most evil, reprehensible act, you used your populist pulpit to turn the public against the secured lenders who wanted to enforce their legal rights. I’ve put your exact words below to remind you of what you said. It sounds great to the average financial moron when you blame the evil hedge funds and claim that they were "hold[ing] out for the prospect of an unjustified taxpayer-funded bailout." In reality, they are supposed to be paid back in full before unsecured creditors receive anything. I don’t want to speak for them, but I think that they just were relying on their legal rights. Can you explain an unjustified taxpayer-funded bailout to me? The only example that I can think of is when you use my money to bail out the UAW’s healthcare plan and then give them 55% of Chrysler.
While many stakeholders made sacrifices and worked constructively, I have to tell you some did not. In particular, a group of investment firms and hedge funds decided to hold out for the prospect of an unjustified taxpayer-funded bailout. The were hoping that everybody else would make sacrifices, and they would have to make none. Some demanded twice the return that other lenders were getting. I don’t stand with them. I stand with Chrysler’s employees and their families and communities. I stand with Chrysler’s management, its dealers and its suppliers. I stand with the millions of Americans who own and want to buy Chrysler cars. I don’t stand with those who held out when everybody else is making sacrifices. And that’s why I’m supporting Chrysler’s plans to use our bankruptcy laws to clear away its remaining obligations so the company can get back on its feet and onto a path of success.
4. You have referred to secured creditors are "speculators." How is a secured creditor a "speculator"? If anyone is a speculator, it’s shareholders in a company. Yet, you have used taxpayer money to bail out shareholders and creditors of many large banks. Even you have to see the hypocrisy in these comments, don’t you?
I know that there are some who will insist that bankruptcy, even for these limited purposes, is a step that should not have been taken. But it was unsustainable to let enormous liabilities remain on Chrysler’s books, and it was unacceptable to let a small group of speculators endanger Chrysler’s future by refusing to sacrifice like everyone else. So I recognize that the path we’re taking is hard. But as is often the case, the hard path is the right one.
To be fair, while you’re the most culpable, there are others that are wrong in this deal:
1. JPM, GS, MS and C have put themselves in a position where they are having to accept the Obama haircut on this debt. If these banks didn’t have TARP money, they wouldn’t be accepting these terms.
2. Other investors have succumbed to political pressure and supported this plan. Perella Weinberg suddenly became supportive and said "we believe that this is in the best interests of all Chrysler stakeholders, and our own investors and partners." Here’s the problem…you have a fiduciary duty to your investors, not to "all Chrysler stakeholders." Personally, I would fire any investment firm that goes along with this plan.
3. Representative John Dingell (Michigan) called the secured creditors "vultures" and said that they "will now be dealt with accordingly in court." I would say that anyone who loans money to a unionized company (given the Administration’s desire to transfer wealth) is an idiot, but I don’t see how they are vultures.
As you know, there are long term repercussions to all of our acts. Some of the problems that will result from this Chrysler debacle include:
1. Secured lenders are going to demand higher interest rates when lending to unionized companies. The risk is clear - capital structure no longer matters.
2. The Republicans are going to have a field day using this against future Democrats. This is the stereotypical Democratic wealth transfer and if people figure it out, it won’t play well.
I Don’t Buy the Argument, Some people have defended your action by arguing that absent the government funding, there would have been a liquidation and the secured creditors probably would have had difficulty recovering $2.25 billion (the amount you offered them). Unfortunately, there are problems with this argument:
1. If you assume that the liquidation value is somewhere around $2 billion, why should the unsecured creditors receive all of the "going-concern" benefit?
2. Fiat clearly wants Chrysler. Why wouldn’t they pay for the company? Clearly, they place value in Chrysler. Chrysler would have been worth even more to Fiat after a true bankruptcy if bankruptcy was used to break contracts.
In sum, the dissenting creditors only held $1 billion of loans. As public sentiment turned against them, more caved in to your populist demands. You won - the dissenters won’t be able to slow the bankruptcy process. But for a small amount of money, you’ve altered the way that investors view capital structure and changed the cost of capital. You’ve vilified lenders and rewarded a union that has helped to drive a company into the ground. You really need to hope that in four years you run against another moose-hunting Alaskan who is less intelligent than her prey.
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