Settlement unfairly penalizes Massachusetts correctional officers, both male and female, who passed physical agility tests, as well as potential male recruits, while rewarding failing females with cash payments and retroactive seniority
In 2007 the Massachusetts Department of Correction began to subject all correctional officer recruits to the Caritas Physical Abilities Test which consisted of obstacles, including a 6 ft. wall climb. According to the Courthouse News Service (CNS), in 2007, 97.2 percent of men passed, while only 55.1 percent of women passed. In 2008, 96 percent of men passed, while 65.2 percent of women passed. In 2009, 99 percent of men passed and 84.2 percent of women passed.
In 2009, the EEOC sued the state and it’s department of corrections, alleging that the test had an unintentional disparate impact on women in violation of employment-discrimination protections in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. CNS reports that a settlement was eventually reached in which the state would pay $736,000 to the female applicants who previously failed the test. Five women who initially failed the test but passed later on will receive retroactive seniority, while 30 candidates who failed will receive priority hiring with retroactive seniority.
This is pure horseshit! The lawsuit was based on the fact that more men passed the physical agility test than females and completely ignored the fact that correctional officers must perform strenuous physical tasks, including frequent struggles with strong unruly prison inmates.
If the physical agility tests, including a wall climb, were work-related, they were not discriminatory. The feminist movement has long demanded equal rights for women, but what they really want is that more rights be given to women over men.
Just look at what the Navy did years ago to open its ranks to more women. During basic training, all navy recruits were paired off to carry a 150 pound dummy on a stretcher for a specified distance in a specified time. Hardly any of the women recruits were able to complete the test successfully, even when paired off with a male litter bearer. So what did the Navy do? It changed the test to where four litter bearers carried the dummy, and they even reduced the distance to accommodate the female recruits. They had a good reason to require the original test – getting an injured sailor far enough away from spreading flames in time to prevent further injury.
Any time that standards are lowered to accommodate a protected group – like women – the standards are lowered for everyone!
Here is Paco’s take on the EEOC lawsuit and the resulting settlement:
‘RETROACTIVE SENIORITY’ TO FEMALES WHO FAILED DOC’S ‘DISCRIMINATORY’ PHYSICAL TEST
By Jeff ‘Paco’ Doyle
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 29, 2012
In Paco’s estimation, the 84.2% of female applicants passing the test in 2009 proves the test is not discriminatory at all. Rather, as the numbers attest, the wall climb and other “discriminatory” tests are a reasonable standard that a majority of the females rose to. Yet, because men passed with higher numbers, it must be some kind of bias.
Never mind the fact that CO’s must perform physically challenging tasks on a day to day basis. Whether or not employees are able to meet a minimum standard is irrelevant compared to the desirability of having a balanced workforce.
So, what’s next? Will future physical fitness tests be patterned after golf courses, where females have a separate tee, closer to the green? Shall females scale a shorter wall, drag a smaller and lighter dummy or run a kilometer for each mile male applicants complete?
Women make great CPO’s and the majority of those who want to work in corrections are more than capable of doing so. Those who cannot scale a wall or drag a 185 pound dummy have no more “right” to be CO’s than males who fail the test.
Or, to put it in sexist terms, women who want to do what was once considered a “man’s job” ought to be subjected to the same standards. After all, the tests in question are reasonable, time tested standards. If females were expected to stand and urinate a prescribed distance, THAT would be sex discrimination–Scaling a wall is not.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
MARCO RUBIO WOULD BE A REAL ASSET TO THE GOP TICKET
Unfortunately for the GOP, Romney may be looking for someone else as VP
Romney desperately needs a dynamic running mate, one who would whet the appetite of voters, if he is to have any chance of winning the presidency. Florida’s Sen. Marco Rubio, more than any other possible candidate mentioned, certainly fits that bill.
ROB PORTMAN? ROMNEY MUST JEST
By Curt Smith
politicalmavens.com
June 29, 2012
Paul McCartney sang, “We’re so sorry, Uncle Albert.” Likewise, Mitt Romney may grieve by ignoring the clear slam-dunk Republican candidate for Vice-President. If Florida’s Marco Rubio is inexplicably bypassed, the GOP’s weeping and wailing will make Uncle Albert resemble the Sunshine Kid.
Today, Ohio’s Rob Portman, 56, is rumored to be Romney’s Veep flavor of the month. He has a fine resume: U.S. House, now Senate; Bush 41’s head of White House’s head of legislative affairs; two Bush 43 posts; lawyer, businessman, member of last year’s congressional supercommittee to cut the deficit before the deficit cuts us. All of which means little in an election – political – year.
What matters is that Portman is a me-too Republican. Politically, he adds little: Romney trails narrowly in Ohio even with Rob Roy on the ticket. Rhetorically, Portman apes Gerald Ford via Bob Dole by way of J. Danforth Quayle. In a year when Republicans must communicate to win, he makes Romney look like Mick Jagger meets James Earl Jones.
To be fair, Romney, 65, has plusses: honor, savvy, business skill. Elected, he might make a good, even great, president. Alas, he is an awkward politician – thus, may never be president. “Businessmen in politics get eaten alive,” Richard Nixon often said. “Their skill set is irrelevant to politics’ needs”: glad-hand, smear the truth, slice the other guy’s throat. It’s not what they teach in Sunday school, Nixon mused, but it’s true.
It is – which is why Romney Harvard Business School ’75 doesn’t need Portman Dartmouth College’ 79 — a country club, Wall Street, top 1 percent Democratic GOP dream ticket. He does need the man of whom ex-Florida Governor Jeb Bush said in 2010, “Marco Rubio makes me cry for joy” after Bush’s protégé won a U.S. Senate landslide. In 1954, Hollywood released A Star Is Born. A Republican Star is now Romney’s for the asking.
Rubio, 41, is the son of exiles from Castro’s Cuba: dad, a bartender; mom, a maid. He worked through school, at 28 was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, and became the state’s youngest House Speaker – youth not wasted on the young. Rubio embraced the nascent Tea Party, won his 2010 U.S. Senate seat by a million votes, and tied a populist’s DNA, drop-dead looks, and love of American exceptionalism. Such goods are hard to find.
For two decades, top GOPers have been unable to communicate – thus, rhetorically leapfrog a far-left press to lead their right-center country. By contrast, Rubio articulates limited government, sane tax and spend, and Ronald Reagan’s “community of values” – family, work, neighborhood, peace, and freedom – to help the melting pottrump pluralism gone mad.
Theodore Roosevelt warned prophetically, “Anyone who calls himself a hyphenated American is not a real American.” Rubio agrees, insisting that all races assimilate, roughly defined as learn English, prize American history, spurn group grievance, and respect the law. Think of him as a political and ethnic bridge.
A poll of 29-electoral vote Florida shows Romney and Obama even. Add Rubio, and Romney leads, 47-42 percent. Romney’s choice of Veep will largely decide if he becomes president. A bad politician rarely wins the office. As Uncle Albert could tell you, choosing Portman over Rubio would be even sorrier than bad.
Romney desperately needs a dynamic running mate, one who would whet the appetite of voters, if he is to have any chance of winning the presidency. Florida’s Sen. Marco Rubio, more than any other possible candidate mentioned, certainly fits that bill.
ROB PORTMAN? ROMNEY MUST JEST
By Curt Smith
politicalmavens.com
June 29, 2012
Paul McCartney sang, “We’re so sorry, Uncle Albert.” Likewise, Mitt Romney may grieve by ignoring the clear slam-dunk Republican candidate for Vice-President. If Florida’s Marco Rubio is inexplicably bypassed, the GOP’s weeping and wailing will make Uncle Albert resemble the Sunshine Kid.
Today, Ohio’s Rob Portman, 56, is rumored to be Romney’s Veep flavor of the month. He has a fine resume: U.S. House, now Senate; Bush 41’s head of White House’s head of legislative affairs; two Bush 43 posts; lawyer, businessman, member of last year’s congressional supercommittee to cut the deficit before the deficit cuts us. All of which means little in an election – political – year.
What matters is that Portman is a me-too Republican. Politically, he adds little: Romney trails narrowly in Ohio even with Rob Roy on the ticket. Rhetorically, Portman apes Gerald Ford via Bob Dole by way of J. Danforth Quayle. In a year when Republicans must communicate to win, he makes Romney look like Mick Jagger meets James Earl Jones.
To be fair, Romney, 65, has plusses: honor, savvy, business skill. Elected, he might make a good, even great, president. Alas, he is an awkward politician – thus, may never be president. “Businessmen in politics get eaten alive,” Richard Nixon often said. “Their skill set is irrelevant to politics’ needs”: glad-hand, smear the truth, slice the other guy’s throat. It’s not what they teach in Sunday school, Nixon mused, but it’s true.
It is – which is why Romney Harvard Business School ’75 doesn’t need Portman Dartmouth College’ 79 — a country club, Wall Street, top 1 percent Democratic GOP dream ticket. He does need the man of whom ex-Florida Governor Jeb Bush said in 2010, “Marco Rubio makes me cry for joy” after Bush’s protégé won a U.S. Senate landslide. In 1954, Hollywood released A Star Is Born. A Republican Star is now Romney’s for the asking.
Rubio, 41, is the son of exiles from Castro’s Cuba: dad, a bartender; mom, a maid. He worked through school, at 28 was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, and became the state’s youngest House Speaker – youth not wasted on the young. Rubio embraced the nascent Tea Party, won his 2010 U.S. Senate seat by a million votes, and tied a populist’s DNA, drop-dead looks, and love of American exceptionalism. Such goods are hard to find.
For two decades, top GOPers have been unable to communicate – thus, rhetorically leapfrog a far-left press to lead their right-center country. By contrast, Rubio articulates limited government, sane tax and spend, and Ronald Reagan’s “community of values” – family, work, neighborhood, peace, and freedom – to help the melting pottrump pluralism gone mad.
Theodore Roosevelt warned prophetically, “Anyone who calls himself a hyphenated American is not a real American.” Rubio agrees, insisting that all races assimilate, roughly defined as learn English, prize American history, spurn group grievance, and respect the law. Think of him as a political and ethnic bridge.
A poll of 29-electoral vote Florida shows Romney and Obama even. Add Rubio, and Romney leads, 47-42 percent. Romney’s choice of Veep will largely decide if he becomes president. A bad politician rarely wins the office. As Uncle Albert could tell you, choosing Portman over Rubio would be even sorrier than bad.
REVOLUTIONARY NEW BATTERY IN THE WORKS
Lithium-ion batteries that can be sprayed on just about any surface
Amazing research at Houston’s prestigious Rice University may make it possible to convert any object or surface to a battery.
RICE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH T EAM REVEALS SPRAY-ON BATTERY
Agence France-Presse (AFP)
June 29, 2012
A cutting-edge battery that can be spray-painted on just about any surface was unveiled Thursday by a research team that tested it on everything from bathroom tiles to a beer mug.
The design could revolutionise the design of lithium-ion batteries that power our laptops, mobile phones and electric cars -- leading to slimmer, lighter devices with built-in power supplies.
Using liquid versions of the same components found in conventional lithium-ion batteries, the team airbrushed their invention, in several layers, on to a glass slide, a stainless steel sheet, glazed ceramic tiles, and the curved surface of a mug.
"Basically, using this approach, we can convert any object or surface to a battery," said lead author Neelam Singh, an engineering student at Rice University in Texas.
Lithium-ion (or Li-ion) batteries work by transferring a charge between a negative and positive electrode.
Compared to other rechargeable batteries, they are light, have a high power output and storage capacity, and are safer.
For the prototype, the team created liquid, paintable versions of the five layered components -- two current collectors, a cathode, an anode and a polymer separator.
"We first converted all the components of the battery into paints. We could then use these paints to literally paint batteries on any surface and using nothing but just a spraygun," said Singh.
The mug was used to show the paint's versatile application to objects of different shapes.
In one experiment, the team sprayed batteries on to nine bathroom tiles which they connected to each other.
One of the tiles had a solar cell attached to it, which was charged using a white laboratory light.
Once charged and connected, the tiles "delivered enough energy to power 40 red LEDs (light-emitting diodes) for more than six hours," said the team's report in the journal Nature Scientific Reports -- a steady 2.4 volts.
The battery's performance was "comparable" to that of the conventional type, said the team, and described the breakthrough as a "paradigm change in battery design".
Unlike existing batteries, the paintable version does not require an extra compartment for storage, and could thus be more easily integrated into existing designs for battery-powered devices.
It also opens up exciting possibilities for solar power generation and storage.
"The ceramic tiles we converted into batteries could be used to build the entire exterior walls of a house," said Singh.
"A wall made of these batteries could then be covered with solar cells and this combination of solar cells and batteries could be used to capture and store the solar energy into useful electricity."
The painted batteries were put through 60 charge-discharge cycles, which revealed "only a very small drop" in capacity, said Singh.
The researchers have filed for a patent on the technique, which they continue to refine.
Paintable Li-ion batteries use toxic, flammable and potentially corrosive liquid electrolytes, and must be applied in an oxygen- and moisture-free environment, the researchers wrote.
"What would be exciting is the development of lithium-ion batteries that are not sensitive to air or moisture," co-author Charudatta Galande said.
"That would greatly reduce fabrication and packaging costs. With that you could perhaps envision a do-it-yourself spray kit that you could perhaps buy from home depots and paint a battery on any surface that you like at home."
A video on the project can be viewed at:
http://news.rice.edu/2012/06/28/rice-researchers-develop-paintable-battery/
Amazing research at Houston’s prestigious Rice University may make it possible to convert any object or surface to a battery.
RICE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH T EAM REVEALS SPRAY-ON BATTERY
Agence France-Presse (AFP)
June 29, 2012
A cutting-edge battery that can be spray-painted on just about any surface was unveiled Thursday by a research team that tested it on everything from bathroom tiles to a beer mug.
The design could revolutionise the design of lithium-ion batteries that power our laptops, mobile phones and electric cars -- leading to slimmer, lighter devices with built-in power supplies.
Using liquid versions of the same components found in conventional lithium-ion batteries, the team airbrushed their invention, in several layers, on to a glass slide, a stainless steel sheet, glazed ceramic tiles, and the curved surface of a mug.
"Basically, using this approach, we can convert any object or surface to a battery," said lead author Neelam Singh, an engineering student at Rice University in Texas.
Lithium-ion (or Li-ion) batteries work by transferring a charge between a negative and positive electrode.
Compared to other rechargeable batteries, they are light, have a high power output and storage capacity, and are safer.
For the prototype, the team created liquid, paintable versions of the five layered components -- two current collectors, a cathode, an anode and a polymer separator.
"We first converted all the components of the battery into paints. We could then use these paints to literally paint batteries on any surface and using nothing but just a spraygun," said Singh.
The mug was used to show the paint's versatile application to objects of different shapes.
In one experiment, the team sprayed batteries on to nine bathroom tiles which they connected to each other.
One of the tiles had a solar cell attached to it, which was charged using a white laboratory light.
Once charged and connected, the tiles "delivered enough energy to power 40 red LEDs (light-emitting diodes) for more than six hours," said the team's report in the journal Nature Scientific Reports -- a steady 2.4 volts.
The battery's performance was "comparable" to that of the conventional type, said the team, and described the breakthrough as a "paradigm change in battery design".
Unlike existing batteries, the paintable version does not require an extra compartment for storage, and could thus be more easily integrated into existing designs for battery-powered devices.
It also opens up exciting possibilities for solar power generation and storage.
"The ceramic tiles we converted into batteries could be used to build the entire exterior walls of a house," said Singh.
"A wall made of these batteries could then be covered with solar cells and this combination of solar cells and batteries could be used to capture and store the solar energy into useful electricity."
The painted batteries were put through 60 charge-discharge cycles, which revealed "only a very small drop" in capacity, said Singh.
The researchers have filed for a patent on the technique, which they continue to refine.
Paintable Li-ion batteries use toxic, flammable and potentially corrosive liquid electrolytes, and must be applied in an oxygen- and moisture-free environment, the researchers wrote.
"What would be exciting is the development of lithium-ion batteries that are not sensitive to air or moisture," co-author Charudatta Galande said.
"That would greatly reduce fabrication and packaging costs. With that you could perhaps envision a do-it-yourself spray kit that you could perhaps buy from home depots and paint a battery on any surface that you like at home."
A video on the project can be viewed at:
http://news.rice.edu/2012/06/28/rice-researchers-develop-paintable-battery/
WHO IS THE SMARTEST?
The Schalotte
June 29, 2012
A rancher named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust. The driver, a young man in a Brioni® suit, Gucci® shoes, RayBan® sunglasses and YSL® tie, leaned out the window and asked the rancher, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"
Bud looks at the man, who obviously is a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell® notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3® cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.
The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop® and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot® that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL® database through an ODBC connected Excel® spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry® and, after a few minutes, receives a response.
Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet® printer, turns to the rancher and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."
"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.
Then Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"
"You're a U.S. Congressman," says Bud.
"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required," answered the rancher. "You showed up here even though nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars’ worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are. And you don't know a thing about how working people make a living - or about cows, for that matter. This is a herd of sheep. Now give me back my dog!”
June 29, 2012
A rancher named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust. The driver, a young man in a Brioni® suit, Gucci® shoes, RayBan® sunglasses and YSL® tie, leaned out the window and asked the rancher, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"
Bud looks at the man, who obviously is a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell® notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3® cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.
The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop® and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot® that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL® database through an ODBC connected Excel® spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry® and, after a few minutes, receives a response.
Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet® printer, turns to the rancher and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."
"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.
Then Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"
"You're a U.S. Congressman," says Bud.
"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required," answered the rancher. "You showed up here even though nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars’ worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are. And you don't know a thing about how working people make a living - or about cows, for that matter. This is a herd of sheep. Now give me back my dog!”
Friday, June 29, 2012
BLAME IT ON BUSH
The Obama administration and the Democrats continue to blame everything except climate change on former President George W. Bush. Oops, someone just nudged me and said they blame the earth's climate change on Bush too.
Finally the Republicans have something they too can blame on Bush. On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare by a 5-4 vote. And the deciding vote was cast not by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who often casts the court's swing vote, but by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Everyone expected liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Obama appointees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to uphold Obama’s health care act, but hardly anyone expected the Chief Justice to join them.
And who appointed Chief Justice John Roberts to the Supreme Court? Well, it was none other than President George W. Bush. Now the Republicans can blame it on Bush too.
Finally the Republicans have something they too can blame on Bush. On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare by a 5-4 vote. And the deciding vote was cast not by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who often casts the court's swing vote, but by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Everyone expected liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Obama appointees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to uphold Obama’s health care act, but hardly anyone expected the Chief Justice to join them.
And who appointed Chief Justice John Roberts to the Supreme Court? Well, it was none other than President George W. Bush. Now the Republicans can blame it on Bush too.
U.S.-BRITISH RELATIONS: RONALD REAGAN HAD MARGARET THATCHER’S BACK
Ronnie was not about to let the Iron Lady fail in the Falklands
America’s true friends could always count on President Reagan. Good for good old Ronnie!
NOT SO NEUTRAL AFTER ALL: RONALD REAGAN MADE SECRET PLANS TO LOAN U.S. WARSHIP TO BRITAIN IF AIRCRAFT CARRIER WAS LOST DURING FALKLANDS WAR
Reagan would have loaned Britain use of amphibious warship USS Iwo Jima should harm have come to either HMS Invincible or HMS Hermes
By Graham Smith
Mail Online
June 28, 2012
Ronald Reagan made secret plans to loan Britain a U.S. warship if she lost an aircraft carrier during the Falklands War, it has emerged.
The then-president was prepared to support Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher despite the U.S. being officially neutral during the 1982 conflict.
The stunning revelation was made by John Lehman, the former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, to the U.S. Naval Institute on Tuesday.
Mr Reagan would have loaned Britain the use of the amphibious warship USS Iwo Jima should harm have come to either HMS Invincible or HMS Hermes, which the Royal Navy had deployed to defend the islands from Argentinian forces.
Mr Lehman said that he formulated the plans to stand behind Mrs Thatcher with Secretary of Defence Caspar Weinberger following a British request.
Mr Reagan is said to have approved their proposal without hesitation, telling Mr Lehman: 'Give Maggie everything she needs to get on with it.'
The plans were put together in complete secrecy.
Mr Lehman said: 'We would leave the State Department, except for [Secretary of State Al] Haig, out of it.
'As in most of the requests from the Brits at the time, it was an informal request on a "what if" basis, Navy to Navy.'
Both HMS Invincible or HMS Hermes were equipped to handle five vertical take-off Sea Harriers armed with American Sidewinder missiles.
These specifications made the USS Iwo Jima an ideal replacement as, although primarily a helicopter carrier, it was able to operate the U.S. version of the Sea Harrier.
It is likely that the ship would have been manned by a mix of retired seamen and privately contracted Americans familiar with the ship's operating systems.
Admiral James 'Ace' Lyson, commander of the U.S. Second Fleet in 1982, helped plan the possible deployment of a U.S. ship in the South Atlantic.
Now retired, he said: 'We decided that the USS Iwo Jima would be the ship that would be the easiest for the British to operate and would make for a smooth transfer.
'We also identified "contract advisors" who would be on board to help the British with some of the systems.'
The revelation comes as diplomatic relations between Britain and Argentina reach their lowest point since the war.
Falkland residents have announced plans for a referendum next year in an attempt to fend off Argentinian claims to the territory, which have become more vocal around the 30th anniversary of the conflict.
Last week, David Cameron was involved in an extraordinary stand-up row with Argentina’s president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over the future of the Falkands.
The South American leader appeared to attempt to thrust a package stuffed with documents about her country’s claim to the British territory into Mr Cameron’s hands at the G20 summit in Mexico.
To her fury, the Prime Minister refused to accept it – and insisted that she respect the views of the islanders, who want to remain British.
America’s true friends could always count on President Reagan. Good for good old Ronnie!
NOT SO NEUTRAL AFTER ALL: RONALD REAGAN MADE SECRET PLANS TO LOAN U.S. WARSHIP TO BRITAIN IF AIRCRAFT CARRIER WAS LOST DURING FALKLANDS WAR
Reagan would have loaned Britain use of amphibious warship USS Iwo Jima should harm have come to either HMS Invincible or HMS Hermes
By Graham Smith
Mail Online
June 28, 2012
Ronald Reagan made secret plans to loan Britain a U.S. warship if she lost an aircraft carrier during the Falklands War, it has emerged.
The then-president was prepared to support Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher despite the U.S. being officially neutral during the 1982 conflict.
The stunning revelation was made by John Lehman, the former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, to the U.S. Naval Institute on Tuesday.
Mr Reagan would have loaned Britain the use of the amphibious warship USS Iwo Jima should harm have come to either HMS Invincible or HMS Hermes, which the Royal Navy had deployed to defend the islands from Argentinian forces.
Mr Lehman said that he formulated the plans to stand behind Mrs Thatcher with Secretary of Defence Caspar Weinberger following a British request.
Mr Reagan is said to have approved their proposal without hesitation, telling Mr Lehman: 'Give Maggie everything she needs to get on with it.'
The plans were put together in complete secrecy.
Mr Lehman said: 'We would leave the State Department, except for [Secretary of State Al] Haig, out of it.
'As in most of the requests from the Brits at the time, it was an informal request on a "what if" basis, Navy to Navy.'
Both HMS Invincible or HMS Hermes were equipped to handle five vertical take-off Sea Harriers armed with American Sidewinder missiles.
These specifications made the USS Iwo Jima an ideal replacement as, although primarily a helicopter carrier, it was able to operate the U.S. version of the Sea Harrier.
It is likely that the ship would have been manned by a mix of retired seamen and privately contracted Americans familiar with the ship's operating systems.
Admiral James 'Ace' Lyson, commander of the U.S. Second Fleet in 1982, helped plan the possible deployment of a U.S. ship in the South Atlantic.
Now retired, he said: 'We decided that the USS Iwo Jima would be the ship that would be the easiest for the British to operate and would make for a smooth transfer.
'We also identified "contract advisors" who would be on board to help the British with some of the systems.'
The revelation comes as diplomatic relations between Britain and Argentina reach their lowest point since the war.
Falkland residents have announced plans for a referendum next year in an attempt to fend off Argentinian claims to the territory, which have become more vocal around the 30th anniversary of the conflict.
Last week, David Cameron was involved in an extraordinary stand-up row with Argentina’s president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over the future of the Falkands.
The South American leader appeared to attempt to thrust a package stuffed with documents about her country’s claim to the British territory into Mr Cameron’s hands at the G20 summit in Mexico.
To her fury, the Prime Minister refused to accept it – and insisted that she respect the views of the islanders, who want to remain British.
SOON TO BE UNCREDENTIALED TEACHER HAS WORST BEDSIDE MANNER EVER
Another teacher’s career gone down the drain for thinking with his dick. And by thinking with his dick, he didn’t help alleviate the shortage of math teachers either.
KEVIN WHEELER: ALGEBRA TEACHER GETTING BLOW JOB FROM STUDENT TELLS HER, “YOU MUST NOT BE INTO IT BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT WET,” COPS SAY
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
June 28, 2012
A La Porte algebra teacher and coach has been arrested for having sex with a student, although he could also be charged with worst bedside manner ever.
Kevin Wheeler, 31, began flirting with one of his algebra students, a 17-year-old female, on Facebook and eventually arranged a rendevous in his classroom during one of his off periods May 4, court documents say.
The girl skipped her class and went to the classroom. According to court documents, she says he put his dick in her mouth; he told investigators she initiated the deed.
The girl also told investigators that he began fingering her inside and outside her panties, and at one point offered the deathless, charming line of "You must not be into it because you're not wet" which, if true, would add a crass and cruel note of undermining the self-esteem of the underage girl he was raping.
Wheeler told investigators the girl "took out his penis from his pants and attempted to perform oral sex on him" but he denied doing anything else.
He said he did not report the "attempt" because, well, he had a shitload of compromising messages from her on his cel and Facebook page.
He began erasing as many of those as he could and even unfriended her on FB.
He's charged with two felony counts of improper relationship with a student.
KEVIN WHEELER: ALGEBRA TEACHER GETTING BLOW JOB FROM STUDENT TELLS HER, “YOU MUST NOT BE INTO IT BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT WET,” COPS SAY
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
June 28, 2012
A La Porte algebra teacher and coach has been arrested for having sex with a student, although he could also be charged with worst bedside manner ever.
Kevin Wheeler, 31, began flirting with one of his algebra students, a 17-year-old female, on Facebook and eventually arranged a rendevous in his classroom during one of his off periods May 4, court documents say.
The girl skipped her class and went to the classroom. According to court documents, she says he put his dick in her mouth; he told investigators she initiated the deed.
The girl also told investigators that he began fingering her inside and outside her panties, and at one point offered the deathless, charming line of "You must not be into it because you're not wet" which, if true, would add a crass and cruel note of undermining the self-esteem of the underage girl he was raping.
Wheeler told investigators the girl "took out his penis from his pants and attempted to perform oral sex on him" but he denied doing anything else.
He said he did not report the "attempt" because, well, he had a shitload of compromising messages from her on his cel and Facebook page.
He began erasing as many of those as he could and even unfriended her on FB.
He's charged with two felony counts of improper relationship with a student.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
KEYSTONE COPS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER (2)
Detainee’s attorney alleges DEA attempted to get used car dealer to lie and say he was Sinaloa cartel chief El Chapo’s son
Last week, the Mexican navy announced with great fanfare that it had captured El Gordo, the son of El Chapo. That was before it discovered that instead of El Gordo, they were holding a used car dealer. The Mexicans claimed they acted upon information furnished them by the DEA. The DEA claimed the information came from the Mexicans, not from them.
What has happened to the DEA that I once held in the highest regard? It looks as though it has become politicized under the oversight of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. If what the attorney for Felix and Kevin Beltran says is true, and I suspect it is, then the DEA has a black mark against it that will be hard to erase.
From Borderland Beat:
GORDO-GATE: DEA ASKED DETAINEES TO PRETEND BEING RELATIVES OF EL CHAPO UNTIL THE ELCECTION CONCLUDES
La Jornada
June 26, 2012
Inside the offices of Specialized Investigation of Organized Crime (SIEDO) Personnel of the Drug Enforcement Administration Agency (DEA) offered the brothers Felix and Kevin Beltran, to accept the role of a relationship with Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Loera, leader of Sinaloa Cartel, and they would set them free after the elections, according to the lawyer Juan Heriberto Rangel Mendez, defense counselor of the two young men arrested by Marine/Army Secretariat (SEMAR) last Thursday in Zapopan, Jalisco.
The litigant said “the offering happened during Thursday night before the detainees gave their ministerial declaration. DEA approached them when we were not there to defend them.”
“First, they tell Felix to accept being son of El Chapo and that his situation could be resolved after the elections. They wanted him to sign the statements given by SIEDO. Then he told them that he was not going to sign anything, and fortunately he didn’t.”
“The DEA insisted: ‘Accept this, sign your statement and the we make the clarification that you are not the son’; then after he convinced them that he was not going to do it, they told him ‘we want you to blame the people that we tell you to and you are free right now”, but he didn’t agreed either, so says the attorney.
“Obviously, they couldn’t convinced him of anything, and Felix refers that another DEA agent appeared, a bald one, and asked him to turn around and to take his shirt off and then the agent added: ‘no he’s not it, Gordo, has a scare”. (Chapo’s son bears a scar)
How did you know it was a DEA agent?
Because they said that both agents were blonde, tall and they spoke English. Felix said that the words in Spanish were mispronounced and when Felix didn’t agreed they spoke between them in English.
When did the detainees tell you these things?
Midnight, almost at 1:00 o’clock of Saturday, which was the time when I was allowed to meet them. I saw that they were not beaten or abused, and then they told me that the DEA agents were with them and proposed the role playing.
Meanwhile, SIEDO will keep the brothers Kevin and Felix Beltran under arrest during the following 40 hours, although it is confirmed that Felix is not the son of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman.
PGR will continue with the integration of the preliminary investigation PGR/SIEDO/UEIARV/051/2012, for the probable responsibility in the offenses of organized crime, possession of a fire arm, exclusive of the Army and Air Force, and operations with illicit resources.
The above due to the authorization of arrest given to the PGR by a federal judge, in order for the Federal Public Ministry determine the origin of four fire guns, four grenades, 135 thousand dollars and 295 thousand pesos.
The officials of the Secretariat of Marines that detained the suspects last Thursday in Zapopan, Jalisco, then transferred the men to SIEDO.
Last week, the Mexican navy announced with great fanfare that it had captured El Gordo, the son of El Chapo. That was before it discovered that instead of El Gordo, they were holding a used car dealer. The Mexicans claimed they acted upon information furnished them by the DEA. The DEA claimed the information came from the Mexicans, not from them.
What has happened to the DEA that I once held in the highest regard? It looks as though it has become politicized under the oversight of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. If what the attorney for Felix and Kevin Beltran says is true, and I suspect it is, then the DEA has a black mark against it that will be hard to erase.
From Borderland Beat:
GORDO-GATE: DEA ASKED DETAINEES TO PRETEND BEING RELATIVES OF EL CHAPO UNTIL THE ELCECTION CONCLUDES
La Jornada
June 26, 2012
Inside the offices of Specialized Investigation of Organized Crime (SIEDO) Personnel of the Drug Enforcement Administration Agency (DEA) offered the brothers Felix and Kevin Beltran, to accept the role of a relationship with Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Loera, leader of Sinaloa Cartel, and they would set them free after the elections, according to the lawyer Juan Heriberto Rangel Mendez, defense counselor of the two young men arrested by Marine/Army Secretariat (SEMAR) last Thursday in Zapopan, Jalisco.
The litigant said “the offering happened during Thursday night before the detainees gave their ministerial declaration. DEA approached them when we were not there to defend them.”
“First, they tell Felix to accept being son of El Chapo and that his situation could be resolved after the elections. They wanted him to sign the statements given by SIEDO. Then he told them that he was not going to sign anything, and fortunately he didn’t.”
“The DEA insisted: ‘Accept this, sign your statement and the we make the clarification that you are not the son’; then after he convinced them that he was not going to do it, they told him ‘we want you to blame the people that we tell you to and you are free right now”, but he didn’t agreed either, so says the attorney.
“Obviously, they couldn’t convinced him of anything, and Felix refers that another DEA agent appeared, a bald one, and asked him to turn around and to take his shirt off and then the agent added: ‘no he’s not it, Gordo, has a scare”. (Chapo’s son bears a scar)
How did you know it was a DEA agent?
Because they said that both agents were blonde, tall and they spoke English. Felix said that the words in Spanish were mispronounced and when Felix didn’t agreed they spoke between them in English.
When did the detainees tell you these things?
Midnight, almost at 1:00 o’clock of Saturday, which was the time when I was allowed to meet them. I saw that they were not beaten or abused, and then they told me that the DEA agents were with them and proposed the role playing.
Meanwhile, SIEDO will keep the brothers Kevin and Felix Beltran under arrest during the following 40 hours, although it is confirmed that Felix is not the son of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman.
PGR will continue with the integration of the preliminary investigation PGR/SIEDO/UEIARV/051/2012, for the probable responsibility in the offenses of organized crime, possession of a fire arm, exclusive of the Army and Air Force, and operations with illicit resources.
The above due to the authorization of arrest given to the PGR by a federal judge, in order for the Federal Public Ministry determine the origin of four fire guns, four grenades, 135 thousand dollars and 295 thousand pesos.
The officials of the Secretariat of Marines that detained the suspects last Thursday in Zapopan, Jalisco, then transferred the men to SIEDO.
ANGRY TEXANS FELL ROBBERS WITH BASEBALL BATS
Neighbors inflict heavy dose of curbside justice
It is likely that these four robbers will choose some less dangerous crimes to commit in the future.
BAT-WIELDING NEIGHBORS ATTACK ROBBERY SUSPECTS
By Dale Lezon
Houston Chronicle
June 25, 2012
Residents at a Pasadena mobile home park used baseball bats to attack four men who had robbed a neighbor on Monday, officials said.
One of the men was flown by LifeFlight medical helicopter to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. Another was taken to Bayshore Medical Center and then also was flown my LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center. Their injuries and conditions were not released.
The other two men were not injured, said Vance Mitchell, spokesman for the Pasadena Police Department.
Three of the four men had forced their way into the home in the 900 block of Perla near Lafferty about 1:30 a.m., Mitchell said. The fourth man stayed in their vehicle.
One of the residents managed to get outside and alert neighbors, Mitchell said, who are relatives.
The neighbors armed themselves with baseball bats and attacked the men when they came out of the trailer, Mitchell said. Three left in their vehicle. The fourth, badly beaten, was lying on the ground, the spokesman said.
The residents gave officers a description of the get-away vehicle and officers stopped it a short time later. Inside, they found a second severely beaten man, Mitchell said. Officers also found guns as well as cash and hydrocondone pills apparently taken in the heist. Police did not disclose how much cash was discovered.
The four men were taken into custody and charges are pending against them.
It is likely that these four robbers will choose some less dangerous crimes to commit in the future.
BAT-WIELDING NEIGHBORS ATTACK ROBBERY SUSPECTS
By Dale Lezon
Houston Chronicle
June 25, 2012
Residents at a Pasadena mobile home park used baseball bats to attack four men who had robbed a neighbor on Monday, officials said.
One of the men was flown by LifeFlight medical helicopter to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. Another was taken to Bayshore Medical Center and then also was flown my LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center. Their injuries and conditions were not released.
The other two men were not injured, said Vance Mitchell, spokesman for the Pasadena Police Department.
Three of the four men had forced their way into the home in the 900 block of Perla near Lafferty about 1:30 a.m., Mitchell said. The fourth man stayed in their vehicle.
One of the residents managed to get outside and alert neighbors, Mitchell said, who are relatives.
The neighbors armed themselves with baseball bats and attacked the men when they came out of the trailer, Mitchell said. Three left in their vehicle. The fourth, badly beaten, was lying on the ground, the spokesman said.
The residents gave officers a description of the get-away vehicle and officers stopped it a short time later. Inside, they found a second severely beaten man, Mitchell said. Officers also found guns as well as cash and hydrocondone pills apparently taken in the heist. Police did not disclose how much cash was discovered.
The four men were taken into custody and charges are pending against them.
SMOKING POT AND SPEAKING SPANISH A FATAL MIX
With both high on pot, Mexican objects to black man speaking Spanish; argument ends when Mexican is stabbed to death
Earnest Salazar got offended because Andra Jackson was speaking to him in Spanish. And I’ve always been led to believe that it’s those of us who don’t speak Spanish that get pissed off when Mexicans speak Spanish around us.
MAN STABBED TO DEATH AFTER ALLEGED SPANISH LANGUAGE DISPUTE
by Robert Stanton
Houston Chronicle
June 25, 2012
A Houston man is accused of stabbing a man to death who reportedly objected to him speaking Spanish, according to Harris County prosecutors.
Aundra B. Jackson, 41, has been charged with murder in the June 15 stabbing death of Ernest Salazar outside a northeast Houston residence, court records show. Jackson remained at large on Monday.
A witness told police that the men were drinking and smoking marijuana outside a home on Peyton Street when a dispute erupted over the language being spoken, according to an arrest warrant filed in the case.
Jackson began speaking Spanish and (Salazar) “got irritated,” telling him that “he didn’t know Spanish and that (Jackson) didn’t have to speak Spanish to him just because he was a Mexican,” the court document states.
The two men approached each other and a witness stepped in to prevent a fight from erupting, investigators said. Over the next 25 minutes, the men exchanged words “back and forth.”
A witness told police that Jackson placed a “blunt” – a marijuana-filled cigar – and a lighter atop the hood of the car and walked to the passenger side, when Salazar grabbed the blunt and lighter.
Police said the two again squared off and Jackson reportedly “swung his arm at (Salazar’s) neck and hit him.” The injured man fell to the ground.
A witness ran inside the home to call 911, and when he returned “he saw (Salazar) was bleeding from his neck and was saying that he couldn’t feel his arms,” the arrest warrant states. Jackson fled the scene.
Later questioned by police, Jackson said that Salazar had grabbed his blunt and lighter and taunted him, saying, ‘I got your shit, what are you going to do about it.” Jackson told police he swung the knife when Salazar “started walking towards him.”
Jackson told police that he fled the scene because he has a criminal record, and threw the knife out his car as he was driving, the arrest warrant states.
Salazar was rushed to Ben Taub Hospital, where he died the following day from a severed left jugular, according to reports.
Earnest Salazar got offended because Andra Jackson was speaking to him in Spanish. And I’ve always been led to believe that it’s those of us who don’t speak Spanish that get pissed off when Mexicans speak Spanish around us.
MAN STABBED TO DEATH AFTER ALLEGED SPANISH LANGUAGE DISPUTE
by Robert Stanton
Houston Chronicle
June 25, 2012
A Houston man is accused of stabbing a man to death who reportedly objected to him speaking Spanish, according to Harris County prosecutors.
Aundra B. Jackson, 41, has been charged with murder in the June 15 stabbing death of Ernest Salazar outside a northeast Houston residence, court records show. Jackson remained at large on Monday.
A witness told police that the men were drinking and smoking marijuana outside a home on Peyton Street when a dispute erupted over the language being spoken, according to an arrest warrant filed in the case.
Jackson began speaking Spanish and (Salazar) “got irritated,” telling him that “he didn’t know Spanish and that (Jackson) didn’t have to speak Spanish to him just because he was a Mexican,” the court document states.
The two men approached each other and a witness stepped in to prevent a fight from erupting, investigators said. Over the next 25 minutes, the men exchanged words “back and forth.”
A witness told police that Jackson placed a “blunt” – a marijuana-filled cigar – and a lighter atop the hood of the car and walked to the passenger side, when Salazar grabbed the blunt and lighter.
Police said the two again squared off and Jackson reportedly “swung his arm at (Salazar’s) neck and hit him.” The injured man fell to the ground.
A witness ran inside the home to call 911, and when he returned “he saw (Salazar) was bleeding from his neck and was saying that he couldn’t feel his arms,” the arrest warrant states. Jackson fled the scene.
Later questioned by police, Jackson said that Salazar had grabbed his blunt and lighter and taunted him, saying, ‘I got your shit, what are you going to do about it.” Jackson told police he swung the knife when Salazar “started walking towards him.”
Jackson told police that he fled the scene because he has a criminal record, and threw the knife out his car as he was driving, the arrest warrant states.
Salazar was rushed to Ben Taub Hospital, where he died the following day from a severed left jugular, according to reports.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
DAME SU VOTO (2)
Hot line for reporting civil rights violations resulting from Arizona’s ‘show me your papers’ cop stops is another Obama political ploy to solidify the Latino vote.
In light of the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the "show me your papers" provision of Arizona's immigration law, Obama’s Justice Department immediately set up a telephone hotline number and an email address for those who believe their rights have been violated when they were detained by the cops for an immigration status check.
The hotline is in effect just begging people to report that they were victims of racial profiling. That will result in a slew of lawsuits challenging Arizona’s ‘show me your papers’ police stops. And then there will be the civil lawsuits that are sure to be filed which will bankrupt the cities and counties being sued. Furthermore, there are other states that have similar provisions in their laws and they will suffer Arizona’s fate, should they decide to conduct their own ‘show me your papers’ stops.
First Obama panders to Latinos by issuing an executive order giving undocumented immigrants immunity from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30 and giving them the right to apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed, clearly a form of amnesty. And now the Justice Department hotline.
Because the presidential election is now less than five months away, Obama is in full campaign mode. Anyone with half-a-brain should be able to see that by setting up the hotline and email address, the Justice Department is injecting itself into the campaign by pandering to Latino voters. What we have here is just another political ploy that facilitates Obama’s asking them to:
__Dama su voto! Give me your vote!
In light of the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the "show me your papers" provision of Arizona's immigration law, Obama’s Justice Department immediately set up a telephone hotline number and an email address for those who believe their rights have been violated when they were detained by the cops for an immigration status check.
The hotline is in effect just begging people to report that they were victims of racial profiling. That will result in a slew of lawsuits challenging Arizona’s ‘show me your papers’ police stops. And then there will be the civil lawsuits that are sure to be filed which will bankrupt the cities and counties being sued. Furthermore, there are other states that have similar provisions in their laws and they will suffer Arizona’s fate, should they decide to conduct their own ‘show me your papers’ stops.
First Obama panders to Latinos by issuing an executive order giving undocumented immigrants immunity from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30 and giving them the right to apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed, clearly a form of amnesty. And now the Justice Department hotline.
Because the presidential election is now less than five months away, Obama is in full campaign mode. Anyone with half-a-brain should be able to see that by setting up the hotline and email address, the Justice Department is injecting itself into the campaign by pandering to Latino voters. What we have here is just another political ploy that facilitates Obama’s asking them to:
__Dama su voto! Give me your vote!
THE MOST CRAY-CRAY PERSON EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
He’s a wacko from Waco. Come to think of it, ‘He’s a Wacko from Waco’ could be the title of a hit country-western song. Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, this could rejuvenate your fading popularity.
MICHAEL DANIEL: WACO FREAK OF NATURE CHARGED WITH EATING FAMILY DOG ALIVE
This dude’s at the center of a real man-bites-dog story…
By Craig Malisow
Houston Press Hair Balls
June 26, 2012
Mary, mother of mother-effing God: A Waco man has been charged with eating his family's dog while it was still alive!
Michael Daniel, 22, was arrested June 14 after he allegedly assaulted people in his home, "chased a neighbor and started barking and growling," and then -- as you may have remembered us mentioning before -- beating and strangling the family pooch before sinking his motherfucking teeth into it, according to KAIT. The dog died at home.
"Daniel is believed to have ingested 'K-2,' a synthetic drug, before the attack," according to the report. He faces a felony charge for animal cruelty, which is probably because there's not technically a felony charge on the books for "being the most cray-cray person ever in the history of the world."
Police found Daniel "on a front porch with blood smeared on his face and clothes," the New York Daily News reported. They took Daniel to a hospital.
The station didn't have any information on what type of dog it was, or, for that matter, how Daniel claimed it tasted. That's it. We're done with these zombie attacks. Check please -- we're getting the F outta here.
MICHAEL DANIEL: WACO FREAK OF NATURE CHARGED WITH EATING FAMILY DOG ALIVE
This dude’s at the center of a real man-bites-dog story…
By Craig Malisow
Houston Press Hair Balls
June 26, 2012
Mary, mother of mother-effing God: A Waco man has been charged with eating his family's dog while it was still alive!
Michael Daniel, 22, was arrested June 14 after he allegedly assaulted people in his home, "chased a neighbor and started barking and growling," and then -- as you may have remembered us mentioning before -- beating and strangling the family pooch before sinking his motherfucking teeth into it, according to KAIT. The dog died at home.
"Daniel is believed to have ingested 'K-2,' a synthetic drug, before the attack," according to the report. He faces a felony charge for animal cruelty, which is probably because there's not technically a felony charge on the books for "being the most cray-cray person ever in the history of the world."
Police found Daniel "on a front porch with blood smeared on his face and clothes," the New York Daily News reported. They took Daniel to a hospital.
The station didn't have any information on what type of dog it was, or, for that matter, how Daniel claimed it tasted. That's it. We're done with these zombie attacks. Check please -- we're getting the F outta here.
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL COACH OF THE YEAR
Coach leads team members by example
Smoking pot with his team members is merely a reflection of the Kookfornia lifestyle.
KENNEDY’S JUNIOR VARSITY COACH IS ARRESTED
By Eric Sondheimer
Los Angeles Times
June 25, 2012
Pedro Cruz Trujillo, 24, who was the junior varsity baseball coach at Granada Hills Kennedy High School, was arrested Monday on suspicion of child endangerment, according to a news release from the LAPD.
According to police, Trujillo took a group of six students, ranging in age from 14 to 16, to a Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium on May 18. It is alleged that Trujillo and some of the students in his car smoked marijuana to and from the event.
The LAPD said in the release that a staff member at Kennedy reported the findings to police on May 25 after overhearing students talking about the incident.
Trujillo was booked on six counts of child endangering and is being held on $100,000 bail, according to the news release.
Varsity Coach Manny Alvarado said Trujillo was removed as JV coach after the incident was discovered.
Smoking pot with his team members is merely a reflection of the Kookfornia lifestyle.
KENNEDY’S JUNIOR VARSITY COACH IS ARRESTED
By Eric Sondheimer
Los Angeles Times
June 25, 2012
Pedro Cruz Trujillo, 24, who was the junior varsity baseball coach at Granada Hills Kennedy High School, was arrested Monday on suspicion of child endangerment, according to a news release from the LAPD.
According to police, Trujillo took a group of six students, ranging in age from 14 to 16, to a Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium on May 18. It is alleged that Trujillo and some of the students in his car smoked marijuana to and from the event.
The LAPD said in the release that a staff member at Kennedy reported the findings to police on May 25 after overhearing students talking about the incident.
Trujillo was booked on six counts of child endangering and is being held on $100,000 bail, according to the news release.
Varsity Coach Manny Alvarado said Trujillo was removed as JV coach after the incident was discovered.
REALIGNMENT BRAZILIAN STYLE
This sure beats Gov. Moonbeam’s realignment program, even though it doesn’t empty Brazil’s prisons anywhere near to the extent of Kookfornia’s prisons. And it doesn’t dump the inmates on local entities either.
INMATES IN BRAZILIAN PRISON WILL GET FOUR DAYS OFF THEIR SENTENCE FOR EVERY BOOK THEY READ
Inmates in four federal prisons holding some of Brazil’s most notorious criminals will be able to trim a maximum 48 days off their sentence each year
By Jill Reilly
Mail Online
June 26, 2012
Some of Brazil's most notorious inmates will be offered the chance to trim time off their jail sentences by reading books.
The government has announced that they will have four days knocked off their sentence for every book they read.
They will be able to read up to 12 works of literature, philosophy, science or classics.
This means they will be entitled to to trim a maximum 48 days off their sentence each year.
Prisoners will have up to four weeks to read each book and write an essay.
To qualify for the number of days to be reduced they must 'make correct use of paragraphs, be free of corrections, and use margins.'
The notice published yesterday also stated the handwriting would be under scrutiny and inmates must demonstrate 'legible joined-up writing.'
A special panel will decide which inmates are eligible to participate in the program dubbed Redemption through Reading.
'A person can leave prison more enlightened and with a enlarged vision of the world,' said Sao Paulo lawyer Andre Kehdi, who heads a book donation project for prisons.
'Without doubt they will leave a better person,'he said.
The country has a crowded federal penitentiary system so it is hoped this initiative will ease the number of prisoners in jail.
INMATES IN BRAZILIAN PRISON WILL GET FOUR DAYS OFF THEIR SENTENCE FOR EVERY BOOK THEY READ
Inmates in four federal prisons holding some of Brazil’s most notorious criminals will be able to trim a maximum 48 days off their sentence each year
By Jill Reilly
Mail Online
June 26, 2012
Some of Brazil's most notorious inmates will be offered the chance to trim time off their jail sentences by reading books.
The government has announced that they will have four days knocked off their sentence for every book they read.
They will be able to read up to 12 works of literature, philosophy, science or classics.
This means they will be entitled to to trim a maximum 48 days off their sentence each year.
Prisoners will have up to four weeks to read each book and write an essay.
To qualify for the number of days to be reduced they must 'make correct use of paragraphs, be free of corrections, and use margins.'
The notice published yesterday also stated the handwriting would be under scrutiny and inmates must demonstrate 'legible joined-up writing.'
A special panel will decide which inmates are eligible to participate in the program dubbed Redemption through Reading.
'A person can leave prison more enlightened and with a enlarged vision of the world,' said Sao Paulo lawyer Andre Kehdi, who heads a book donation project for prisons.
'Without doubt they will leave a better person,'he said.
The country has a crowded federal penitentiary system so it is hoped this initiative will ease the number of prisoners in jail.
JUSTICE SAUDI STYLE
Saudi justice doesn’t really look all that bad to me.
SAUJDI COURT SENTENCES DRIVER TO DEATH BY BEHEADING FOR KILLING TWO PEOPLE DURING ‘FAST AND FURIOUS-STYLE DRIFTING’ CAR STUNT
Mail Online
June 26, 2012
A Saudi driver has been sentenced to death by beheading after accidentally killing two men while performing a Fast And The Furious-style stunt with his car.
The middle-aged man struck and killed his victims as he was 'drifting' - where drivers make their cars spin and skid at high speed - near the capital Riyadh.
He fled the scene before being arrested.
Saudi newspaper Al Watan reported today that: 'The court of Onaiza handed down a sentence to kill the drifter by beheading as punishment for his heinous deed.
'It is to deter others who tamper with the nation's security.'
Drifting, brought to life on the big screen through the film franchise starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, is said to be popular among Saudi men.
They have few options for entertainment in the conservative kingdom and, ironically considering they try to emulate the film, cinemas do not exist.
Mixing between unrelated men and women is also forbidden.
The newspaper said the man identified himself as 'Mutannish', which means 'he who ignores' in Arabic.
Al Watan did not say when the sentence would be carried out. And a Justice Ministry spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Saudi authorities are known to treat deaths resulting from acts of 'drifting' as criminally negligent homicides.
In 2005, a Saudi naval officer found guilty of killing three minors in a stunt-driving accident was handed a death sentence.
It was subsequently reduced to 3,000 lashes and 20 years in prison.
Saudi Arabia, which follows a strict version of Sunni Islam, does not have a written penal code and judges issue verdicts according to their own interpretation of the Koran.
Amnesty International has said that at least 82 people were executed in Saudi Arabia last year, many of them by public beheading.
SAUJDI COURT SENTENCES DRIVER TO DEATH BY BEHEADING FOR KILLING TWO PEOPLE DURING ‘FAST AND FURIOUS-STYLE DRIFTING’ CAR STUNT
Mail Online
June 26, 2012
A Saudi driver has been sentenced to death by beheading after accidentally killing two men while performing a Fast And The Furious-style stunt with his car.
The middle-aged man struck and killed his victims as he was 'drifting' - where drivers make their cars spin and skid at high speed - near the capital Riyadh.
He fled the scene before being arrested.
Saudi newspaper Al Watan reported today that: 'The court of Onaiza handed down a sentence to kill the drifter by beheading as punishment for his heinous deed.
'It is to deter others who tamper with the nation's security.'
Drifting, brought to life on the big screen through the film franchise starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, is said to be popular among Saudi men.
They have few options for entertainment in the conservative kingdom and, ironically considering they try to emulate the film, cinemas do not exist.
Mixing between unrelated men and women is also forbidden.
The newspaper said the man identified himself as 'Mutannish', which means 'he who ignores' in Arabic.
Al Watan did not say when the sentence would be carried out. And a Justice Ministry spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Saudi authorities are known to treat deaths resulting from acts of 'drifting' as criminally negligent homicides.
In 2005, a Saudi naval officer found guilty of killing three minors in a stunt-driving accident was handed a death sentence.
It was subsequently reduced to 3,000 lashes and 20 years in prison.
Saudi Arabia, which follows a strict version of Sunni Islam, does not have a written penal code and judges issue verdicts according to their own interpretation of the Koran.
Amnesty International has said that at least 82 people were executed in Saudi Arabia last year, many of them by public beheading.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
LIBERALS RULE THE DAY AT SCOTUS
In Miller v. Alabama, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life without parole for juveniles violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment
The 5-4 decision handed down Monday was written by Obama appointee Justice Elena Kagan. She was joined by her fellow liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Obama appointee Sonia Sotomayor, and by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy who often casts the swing vote on SCOTUS.
Justice Kagan, writing for the majority, said: "Mandatory life without parole for a juvenile precludes consideration of his chronological age and its hallmark features—among them, immaturity, impetuosity, and failure to appreciate risks and consequences. It prevents taking into account the family and home environment that surrounds him—and from which he cannot usually extricate himself—no matter how brutal or dysfunctional."
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito dissented.
Chief Justice Roberts accused the court’s majority of confusing decency with leniency. “It is a great tragedy when a juvenile commits murder — most of all for the innocent victims,” Roberts wrote. “But also for the murderer, whose life has gone so wrong so early. And for society as well, which has lost one or more of its members to deliberate violence, and must harshly punish another.”
In a stronger dissent noting the consequences of the majority ruling, Justice Alito said: “Even a 17 ½-year-old who sets off a bomb in a crowded mall or guns down a dozen students and teachers is a ‘child’ and must be given a chance to persuade a judge to permit his release into society. Nothing in the Constitution supports this arrogation of legislative authority.”
Actually, the ruling involved two different cases. In one, a 1999 Arkansas case, Kuntrell Jackson, together with two friends, attempted to rob a video store, killing the store's clerk. Jackson took part in the robbery barely three weeks after his 14th birthday.
In the 2003 Alabama case, after spending the evening smoking marijuana together with an older youth and with a 52-year-old neighbor, Evan Miller, 14 at the time, beat up the neighbor and then set the man's trailer on fire so that he burned to death. Miller’s lawyers claimed he was a victim of serious domestic abuse throughout his childhood.
I think that Kagan’s ruling is full of shit! I have long maintained that it is no longer appropriate to set an arbitrary age - 17, 18, 19 or whatever – for deciding whether a young person is mature enough to be or not to be responsible for criminal behavior.
Our juvenile laws were enacted long ago on the premise that children who committed mischievous or other delinquent acts – breaking windows, shooting out street lights with BB guns, shoplifting, petty thefts, truancy - were too immature to realize that what they were doing was wrong. That was long before juveniles started to pile up armed robberies and heinous crimes of violence.
Juveniles mature much earlier than they did years ago and they have become more sophisticated in their criminal behavior. Whether they are gang bangers, drug dealers, armed robbers or cold blooded killers, the age differentiation for criminal responsibility should no longer apply.
The SCOTUS ruling as written by Justice Kagan, completely disregards the reality that youths under 18 are often sophisticated criminals. As punishment for the most heinous of crimes and to protect the public, some of those under-18 sophisticated criminals should be given a mandatory sentence of life without parole!
What sets off my alarm bells is the awful truth that if Obama gets reelected, he will be able to appoint more liberals to the Supreme Court, like his appointees Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.
The 5-4 decision handed down Monday was written by Obama appointee Justice Elena Kagan. She was joined by her fellow liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Obama appointee Sonia Sotomayor, and by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy who often casts the swing vote on SCOTUS.
Justice Kagan, writing for the majority, said: "Mandatory life without parole for a juvenile precludes consideration of his chronological age and its hallmark features—among them, immaturity, impetuosity, and failure to appreciate risks and consequences. It prevents taking into account the family and home environment that surrounds him—and from which he cannot usually extricate himself—no matter how brutal or dysfunctional."
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito dissented.
Chief Justice Roberts accused the court’s majority of confusing decency with leniency. “It is a great tragedy when a juvenile commits murder — most of all for the innocent victims,” Roberts wrote. “But also for the murderer, whose life has gone so wrong so early. And for society as well, which has lost one or more of its members to deliberate violence, and must harshly punish another.”
In a stronger dissent noting the consequences of the majority ruling, Justice Alito said: “Even a 17 ½-year-old who sets off a bomb in a crowded mall or guns down a dozen students and teachers is a ‘child’ and must be given a chance to persuade a judge to permit his release into society. Nothing in the Constitution supports this arrogation of legislative authority.”
Actually, the ruling involved two different cases. In one, a 1999 Arkansas case, Kuntrell Jackson, together with two friends, attempted to rob a video store, killing the store's clerk. Jackson took part in the robbery barely three weeks after his 14th birthday.
In the 2003 Alabama case, after spending the evening smoking marijuana together with an older youth and with a 52-year-old neighbor, Evan Miller, 14 at the time, beat up the neighbor and then set the man's trailer on fire so that he burned to death. Miller’s lawyers claimed he was a victim of serious domestic abuse throughout his childhood.
I think that Kagan’s ruling is full of shit! I have long maintained that it is no longer appropriate to set an arbitrary age - 17, 18, 19 or whatever – for deciding whether a young person is mature enough to be or not to be responsible for criminal behavior.
Our juvenile laws were enacted long ago on the premise that children who committed mischievous or other delinquent acts – breaking windows, shooting out street lights with BB guns, shoplifting, petty thefts, truancy - were too immature to realize that what they were doing was wrong. That was long before juveniles started to pile up armed robberies and heinous crimes of violence.
Juveniles mature much earlier than they did years ago and they have become more sophisticated in their criminal behavior. Whether they are gang bangers, drug dealers, armed robbers or cold blooded killers, the age differentiation for criminal responsibility should no longer apply.
The SCOTUS ruling as written by Justice Kagan, completely disregards the reality that youths under 18 are often sophisticated criminals. As punishment for the most heinous of crimes and to protect the public, some of those under-18 sophisticated criminals should be given a mandatory sentence of life without parole!
What sets off my alarm bells is the awful truth that if Obama gets reelected, he will be able to appoint more liberals to the Supreme Court, like his appointees Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.
THE ‘RELIGIOUS’ LEFT VS. SHERIFF JOE
Unitarian Church organized big rally to demand closure of ‘Tent City’ jail
The leaders of the ultra-left Unitarian Church declare that the tent facilities are inhumane. As for me, if tents are good enough for our brave troops in the sweltering heat of Afghanistan, they ought to be good enough for lawbreakers in this country.
SEVERAL THOUSAND PROTEST SHERIFF JOE’S TENT CITY
Critics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio called for the closure of the sheriff’s complex of canvas jail tents
Associated Press
June 25, 2012
PHOENIX — Several thousand critics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio gathered outside "Tent City" Saturday night for a rally calling for the closure of the sheriff's complex of canvas jail tents.
Organizers say conditions at "Tent City" complex are inhumane. The sheriff has said he doesn't see any problems with housing inmates in tents and often points out that some members of the U.S. military live in tents.
"We are with you," protesters chanted in both English and Spanish, in hopes that inmates could hear them.
Most protesters held candles and wore yellow T-shirts that read "Standing on the side of love," a slogan of the Unitarian Universalist Association, which was holding its annual convention in Phoenix this weekend.
The rally was the latest effort by the association to promote social justice, association spokesman John Hurley said. The Unitarians organized the rally along with the immigrant rights group Puente Arizona.
The Rev. Peter Morales, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, attended the rally and was among a group that accompanied Arpaio on a tour of Tent City. In 2010, Morales was arrested at a protest in Phoenix over Arizona's immigration law.
Rachel Walden, who works at the Unitarian Universalist Association headquarters in Boston, said the group also gathered Saturday to protest the immigration law.
"We wanted to stand in solidarity with the immigration groups," she said. "We just wanted to be there to have a big presence and say this is wrong."
Arpaio is a national political fixture who built his reputation on jailing inmates in tents during Phoenix's triple-digit summer heat, dressing inmates in pink underwear, selling himself to voters as unceasingly tough on crime and pushing the bounds of how far local police can go to confront illegal immigration.
The U.S. Justice Department has accused the sheriff's office of racially profiling Latinos in its immigration patrols.
The sheriff has said the Justice Department's investigation of his immigration patrols was a politically motivated attack by the Obama administration and denied allegations of systematic discriminatory policing.
The jail complex in west Phoenix was the site of a January 2010 protest that drew 10,000 immigrant rights advocates and was marked by a clash between a small group of protesters and police officers.
The county's jails were closed to visitors on Saturday because of the rally.
The leaders of the ultra-left Unitarian Church declare that the tent facilities are inhumane. As for me, if tents are good enough for our brave troops in the sweltering heat of Afghanistan, they ought to be good enough for lawbreakers in this country.
SEVERAL THOUSAND PROTEST SHERIFF JOE’S TENT CITY
Critics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio called for the closure of the sheriff’s complex of canvas jail tents
Associated Press
June 25, 2012
PHOENIX — Several thousand critics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio gathered outside "Tent City" Saturday night for a rally calling for the closure of the sheriff's complex of canvas jail tents.
Organizers say conditions at "Tent City" complex are inhumane. The sheriff has said he doesn't see any problems with housing inmates in tents and often points out that some members of the U.S. military live in tents.
"We are with you," protesters chanted in both English and Spanish, in hopes that inmates could hear them.
Most protesters held candles and wore yellow T-shirts that read "Standing on the side of love," a slogan of the Unitarian Universalist Association, which was holding its annual convention in Phoenix this weekend.
The rally was the latest effort by the association to promote social justice, association spokesman John Hurley said. The Unitarians organized the rally along with the immigrant rights group Puente Arizona.
The Rev. Peter Morales, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, attended the rally and was among a group that accompanied Arpaio on a tour of Tent City. In 2010, Morales was arrested at a protest in Phoenix over Arizona's immigration law.
Rachel Walden, who works at the Unitarian Universalist Association headquarters in Boston, said the group also gathered Saturday to protest the immigration law.
"We wanted to stand in solidarity with the immigration groups," she said. "We just wanted to be there to have a big presence and say this is wrong."
Arpaio is a national political fixture who built his reputation on jailing inmates in tents during Phoenix's triple-digit summer heat, dressing inmates in pink underwear, selling himself to voters as unceasingly tough on crime and pushing the bounds of how far local police can go to confront illegal immigration.
The U.S. Justice Department has accused the sheriff's office of racially profiling Latinos in its immigration patrols.
The sheriff has said the Justice Department's investigation of his immigration patrols was a politically motivated attack by the Obama administration and denied allegations of systematic discriminatory policing.
The jail complex in west Phoenix was the site of a January 2010 protest that drew 10,000 immigrant rights advocates and was marked by a clash between a small group of protesters and police officers.
The county's jails were closed to visitors on Saturday because of the rally.
Monday, June 25, 2012
CRACKDOWN SPREAD GANG VIOLENCE FAR BEYOND LOS ANGELES
Police crackdowns can have unintended consequences
Cracking down on a particular crime problem merely moves the problem to a different location. When prison authorities sought to break up prison gangs by moving gang members to different prisons, they merely spread prison gangs throughout the state, and for the feds, throughout the country. When the police concentrate their patrols in a specific neighborhood victimized by a rash of burglaries, the burglars merely move to other neighborhoods. And so it went with the LA’s crackdown on the Crips and the Bloods.
When The Gadfly was a gang investigator in Upland, California, he experienced firsthand the consequences of LA’s crackdown on the Crips and the Bloods.
THE CRAZY LIFE
Watch your step!
by Greg ‘The Gadfly’ Doyle
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 24, 2012
With the advent of rock cocaine in the early to mid-1980s came the rise and prominence of Black Street gangs in Los Angeles, California. Two groups came to dominance that were fierce competitors: The Crips and the Bloods. Simplified drug manufacturing and distribution made the drug itself very affordable, abundant, highly addictive and profitable. Styling themselves after Godfather-movie depictions of Italian mafia families and tactics, Black Street gangs rapidly moved in on illegal trafficking markets previously held by more loosely organized Hispanic street gangs, who dominated the marijuana and heroin black market. In response to turf encroachment by rivals, gang violence erupted in record fashion; first in gang-controlled neighborhoods and then on school campuses. Gang-related shootings and murders rose exponentially in the greater Los Angeles area and a police response was demanded by a terrified public.
Two important steps to combat the growing gang problem were taken, which directly impacted the Inland Empire (a two-county region adjacent to and east of Los Angeles County), where I worked my entire career in law enforcement and continue to live in retirement. The first step was taken by LAPD Chief Darryl Gates in a very public declaration of war against street gangs in the City of Los Angeles. A war he declared and a war he waged.
Gang sweeps were conducted in targeted gang neighborhoods with large numbers of police officers serving search warrants, seizing weapons and contraband, breaking down doors with armored cars, and arresting suspected gang members. And though the effort looked effective through the lenses of press cameras, in reality (over a few years) it caused harbored resentments toward police, as well as an eventual exodus. The lure of fast-money and the prestige Black gangs emulated through rapid accumulation of wealth and power appealed to many younger kids living in those LA neighborhoods. Parents who had lived in those affected gang areas packed up their kids and moved to the Inland Empire carrying with them the seeds of new street gang sets.
The pressure Chief Gates asserted by virtue of his heralded gang sweeps made drug distribution more difficult and risky for established gangs. Attrition and violent competition caused many gang members to move east and set up shop in areas where there were more affordable homes, fewer cops, and untapped markets to ply the drug trade. Never before seen Crips and Blood gang members moved in and set up residence in the Inland Empire cities of Riverside, Perris, Moreno Valley, Banning, San Bernardino, Rialto, Colton, Fontana, Ontario, Montclair, and Upland. And war quickly erupted; first with territorial-minded Hispanic gangs and then with the rise and backlash of racist White supremacy gangs.
One other unforeseen consequence of LAPD’s gang sweeps was an unprepared court-system swamped by the sudden onset and high volume of cases all of those sweep arrests had produced. Gang members had no special status among all of the other defendants waiting on the crowded tarmac of LA jurisprudence. Where gang member-defendants were concerned, non-violent drug dealers were released on their own recognizance awaiting further court proceedings. Most were back in business within a day or two. What the street sweeps had hoped to accomplish had been greatly negated by the lethargy of the courts and the existing law as it was practiced. Gang-related murders pushed previous statistical records through the roof. Drive-by shootings became a media fixation and an accepted fixture of the new gang culture.
In 1988, the California legislature took a second step against street gangs by creating the Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention (STEP) Act under Penal Code 186.22. In very specific terms the law defined what a gang was, what illegal activities gangs participated in, and what burden of proof was required to prosecute a defendant identified by the statute. The law was designed to specifically target street gangs as a particular class in need of special attention, much like the federal racketeering statutes (called RICO), for the purpose of adding time enhancements and penalties for committing gang-related crimes. In other words, if a gang member committed a crime enumerated under the STEP Act (and met the qualifications under STEP), a convicted gang member received additional jail or prison time by virtue of being a gang member.
In 1991, gang-related violence impacted my workplace significantly. Where once there had been three loosely associated and fairly inactive Hispanic gangs, Upland patrol officers suddenly encountered ten times the number of gangs, the majority of which were claiming LA Crips sets. The West End of San Bernardino County was awash in LA street gangs and the District Attorney’s office saw aggressive enforcement of the STEP Act as a means of combating the problem long term. Working with probation officers and parole agents, who networked with gang suppression units from neighboring policing agencies, intelligence was gathered, chronicled and shared for the purpose of gang prosecution. Within four years, STEP Act enforcement took much of the leadership of the local street gangs out of commission, and street violence dropped far below expectations. By the end of my assignment as a gang detective, I had gathered and maintained hundreds of files on known gang members and their associates. Thanks to a team effort with State and local agencies, gang suppression efforts helped the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation identify active members of an emerging White Supremacy prison gang and validate them.
Through all of my experiences as a gang investigator I gained insight into a very dark side of humanity, which dealt in fear, intimidation, and misery. That made me a better man of prayer and a more earnest God-seeker. I can still see the faces of many of the dead and wounded victims from my investigations, some of whom were suspects shortly before becoming victims themselves. What stands out in my mind was a particular disregard for the future by most of the gang members I encountered. There was only here and now; little else mattered. There was only the gang life. They called it the “crazy life,” as if that made it acceptable somehow. From my perspective, it was more than crazy—it was stupid and ignorant—like blindfolding a kid with a sweet-tooth and sending him or her into a minefield in search of a nonexistent piece of candy, with the only admonition of “Watch your step!”
“Watch your step!” is what the law is all about isn’t it? If one really cares about the future, then one is mindful to obey the law and avoid the consequences of disobedience. But the law itself does not stop anyone from breaking it, does it? No. Those who break the law are the ones for whom the warning is given and action is eventually taken. Those who invest themselves in lawlessness are generally only concerned with consequences if they get caught by the authorities. Otherwise lawlessness continues until one is caught, killed, or moved by circumstances or conscience to change.
Cracking down on a particular crime problem merely moves the problem to a different location. When prison authorities sought to break up prison gangs by moving gang members to different prisons, they merely spread prison gangs throughout the state, and for the feds, throughout the country. When the police concentrate their patrols in a specific neighborhood victimized by a rash of burglaries, the burglars merely move to other neighborhoods. And so it went with the LA’s crackdown on the Crips and the Bloods.
When The Gadfly was a gang investigator in Upland, California, he experienced firsthand the consequences of LA’s crackdown on the Crips and the Bloods.
THE CRAZY LIFE
Watch your step!
by Greg ‘The Gadfly’ Doyle
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 24, 2012
With the advent of rock cocaine in the early to mid-1980s came the rise and prominence of Black Street gangs in Los Angeles, California. Two groups came to dominance that were fierce competitors: The Crips and the Bloods. Simplified drug manufacturing and distribution made the drug itself very affordable, abundant, highly addictive and profitable. Styling themselves after Godfather-movie depictions of Italian mafia families and tactics, Black Street gangs rapidly moved in on illegal trafficking markets previously held by more loosely organized Hispanic street gangs, who dominated the marijuana and heroin black market. In response to turf encroachment by rivals, gang violence erupted in record fashion; first in gang-controlled neighborhoods and then on school campuses. Gang-related shootings and murders rose exponentially in the greater Los Angeles area and a police response was demanded by a terrified public.
Two important steps to combat the growing gang problem were taken, which directly impacted the Inland Empire (a two-county region adjacent to and east of Los Angeles County), where I worked my entire career in law enforcement and continue to live in retirement. The first step was taken by LAPD Chief Darryl Gates in a very public declaration of war against street gangs in the City of Los Angeles. A war he declared and a war he waged.
Gang sweeps were conducted in targeted gang neighborhoods with large numbers of police officers serving search warrants, seizing weapons and contraband, breaking down doors with armored cars, and arresting suspected gang members. And though the effort looked effective through the lenses of press cameras, in reality (over a few years) it caused harbored resentments toward police, as well as an eventual exodus. The lure of fast-money and the prestige Black gangs emulated through rapid accumulation of wealth and power appealed to many younger kids living in those LA neighborhoods. Parents who had lived in those affected gang areas packed up their kids and moved to the Inland Empire carrying with them the seeds of new street gang sets.
The pressure Chief Gates asserted by virtue of his heralded gang sweeps made drug distribution more difficult and risky for established gangs. Attrition and violent competition caused many gang members to move east and set up shop in areas where there were more affordable homes, fewer cops, and untapped markets to ply the drug trade. Never before seen Crips and Blood gang members moved in and set up residence in the Inland Empire cities of Riverside, Perris, Moreno Valley, Banning, San Bernardino, Rialto, Colton, Fontana, Ontario, Montclair, and Upland. And war quickly erupted; first with territorial-minded Hispanic gangs and then with the rise and backlash of racist White supremacy gangs.
One other unforeseen consequence of LAPD’s gang sweeps was an unprepared court-system swamped by the sudden onset and high volume of cases all of those sweep arrests had produced. Gang members had no special status among all of the other defendants waiting on the crowded tarmac of LA jurisprudence. Where gang member-defendants were concerned, non-violent drug dealers were released on their own recognizance awaiting further court proceedings. Most were back in business within a day or two. What the street sweeps had hoped to accomplish had been greatly negated by the lethargy of the courts and the existing law as it was practiced. Gang-related murders pushed previous statistical records through the roof. Drive-by shootings became a media fixation and an accepted fixture of the new gang culture.
In 1988, the California legislature took a second step against street gangs by creating the Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention (STEP) Act under Penal Code 186.22. In very specific terms the law defined what a gang was, what illegal activities gangs participated in, and what burden of proof was required to prosecute a defendant identified by the statute. The law was designed to specifically target street gangs as a particular class in need of special attention, much like the federal racketeering statutes (called RICO), for the purpose of adding time enhancements and penalties for committing gang-related crimes. In other words, if a gang member committed a crime enumerated under the STEP Act (and met the qualifications under STEP), a convicted gang member received additional jail or prison time by virtue of being a gang member.
In 1991, gang-related violence impacted my workplace significantly. Where once there had been three loosely associated and fairly inactive Hispanic gangs, Upland patrol officers suddenly encountered ten times the number of gangs, the majority of which were claiming LA Crips sets. The West End of San Bernardino County was awash in LA street gangs and the District Attorney’s office saw aggressive enforcement of the STEP Act as a means of combating the problem long term. Working with probation officers and parole agents, who networked with gang suppression units from neighboring policing agencies, intelligence was gathered, chronicled and shared for the purpose of gang prosecution. Within four years, STEP Act enforcement took much of the leadership of the local street gangs out of commission, and street violence dropped far below expectations. By the end of my assignment as a gang detective, I had gathered and maintained hundreds of files on known gang members and their associates. Thanks to a team effort with State and local agencies, gang suppression efforts helped the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation identify active members of an emerging White Supremacy prison gang and validate them.
Through all of my experiences as a gang investigator I gained insight into a very dark side of humanity, which dealt in fear, intimidation, and misery. That made me a better man of prayer and a more earnest God-seeker. I can still see the faces of many of the dead and wounded victims from my investigations, some of whom were suspects shortly before becoming victims themselves. What stands out in my mind was a particular disregard for the future by most of the gang members I encountered. There was only here and now; little else mattered. There was only the gang life. They called it the “crazy life,” as if that made it acceptable somehow. From my perspective, it was more than crazy—it was stupid and ignorant—like blindfolding a kid with a sweet-tooth and sending him or her into a minefield in search of a nonexistent piece of candy, with the only admonition of “Watch your step!”
“Watch your step!” is what the law is all about isn’t it? If one really cares about the future, then one is mindful to obey the law and avoid the consequences of disobedience. But the law itself does not stop anyone from breaking it, does it? No. Those who break the law are the ones for whom the warning is given and action is eventually taken. Those who invest themselves in lawlessness are generally only concerned with consequences if they get caught by the authorities. Otherwise lawlessness continues until one is caught, killed, or moved by circumstances or conscience to change.
ARMED 14-YEAR-OLDS DEFEND THEIR HOMES AND SIBLINGS IN ARIZONA AND IN NORTH CAROLINA
The 911 dispatcher in North Carolina ordered the boy not to shoot the home invader
Here are two cases in which 14-year-old boys, one with a handgun and the other with a shotgun, shot burglars who broke into their homes while they were alone with their siblings. Good for the boys and phooey on that N.C. 911 dispatcher.
CHILDREN HAVE A RIGHT TO SELF DEFENSE, AT LEAST IN ARIZONA
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 24, 2012
Friday night a 14-yer old boy was home in Phoenix, babysitting with his three younger siblings when he heard the front door being rattled. He believed somebody was possibly attempting to break in. He went upstairs and retrieved a handgun. (In the People’s Republic of California having a handgun accessible to someone under 18 could have serious legal consequences.) As he was coming down the stairs from the bedroom the front door broke in and the intruder pointed a gun at the boy on the stairs. The boy shot first.
The as-yet unnamed 37-year old intruder is now in the hospital in critical condition but is likely to live. The cops are looking for a second suspect.
I don’t think that the local authorities are contemplating charging either the young man or his parents. In California that would not be a sure bet.
__________
HENDERSON TEEN TELLS 911 DISPATCHER: ‘I JUST SHOT THE MAN’
By Stacy Davis
WRAL.com
January 3, 2012
Henderson, N.C. — A 14-year-old Henderson boy calmly described in a 911 call how he shot an intruder in a home invasion last week.
"I just shot the man. He came around the corner. I shot him. He broke the whole glass out (of the back door)," the teen told the 911 dispatcher.
Authorities said Anthony Henderson Jr. 19, broke into the home at 586 S. Lynnbank Road on Thursday while the teen and his 17-year-old sister were home.
The boy told the dispatcher that Henderson pointed a handgun at him, but Vance County Sheriff Peter White said deputies found no weapon on Henderson.
Henderson stumbled outside after being shot and was found dead on the lawn.
Deputies have charged Andrew Terry, 23, of 113 N. Woods Drive, with felony breaking and entering, conspiracy to commit breaking and entering and injury to real property in the case. They also are searching for two other men – Seneca Henderson, 20, of 907 S. Beckford Drive, No. 134, and Jatwaun Davis, 21, of 199 Belle Russell Road.
The boy's sister called 911 to report that someone was banging on the door trying to get in. She said she was hiding in her bedroom closet but told the dispatcher that her brother had a gun.
After the brother got on the phone, the dispatcher ordered him to put down his shotgun.
"I don't know how many it was (who broke in). Just one came around the corner. I got one more in the chamber. I'm going to shoot again," the boy said.
"Do not, while I’m on the phone, do not fire that firearm, OK?" the dispatcher said.
"What if another one comes in the house, ma'am?" he asked.
"Let me know, OK, if you see anybody. I will let you know (when a deputy gets to the house)," the dispatcher responded.
As the boy and his sister waited for deputies to arrive, he told the dispatcher that he was "perfectly fine," but his sister was "really shaken up."
The boy even asks about the condition of the intruder.
"He's still outside. He's unconscious. I'm not sure if he's still living or not," the dispatcher said. "They only found one outside. Are you not sure how many it was?"
"I'm not sure how many it was, but when I shot, I didn't hear anybody running," he said.
No charges are expected against the teen for firing on Henderson. North Carolina's Castle Doctrine law, updated on Dec. 1, allows homeowners to assume intruders mean them ill whether they have a weapon on not.
Here are two cases in which 14-year-old boys, one with a handgun and the other with a shotgun, shot burglars who broke into their homes while they were alone with their siblings. Good for the boys and phooey on that N.C. 911 dispatcher.
CHILDREN HAVE A RIGHT TO SELF DEFENSE, AT LEAST IN ARIZONA
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 24, 2012
Friday night a 14-yer old boy was home in Phoenix, babysitting with his three younger siblings when he heard the front door being rattled. He believed somebody was possibly attempting to break in. He went upstairs and retrieved a handgun. (In the People’s Republic of California having a handgun accessible to someone under 18 could have serious legal consequences.) As he was coming down the stairs from the bedroom the front door broke in and the intruder pointed a gun at the boy on the stairs. The boy shot first.
The as-yet unnamed 37-year old intruder is now in the hospital in critical condition but is likely to live. The cops are looking for a second suspect.
I don’t think that the local authorities are contemplating charging either the young man or his parents. In California that would not be a sure bet.
__________
HENDERSON TEEN TELLS 911 DISPATCHER: ‘I JUST SHOT THE MAN’
By Stacy Davis
WRAL.com
January 3, 2012
Henderson, N.C. — A 14-year-old Henderson boy calmly described in a 911 call how he shot an intruder in a home invasion last week.
"I just shot the man. He came around the corner. I shot him. He broke the whole glass out (of the back door)," the teen told the 911 dispatcher.
Authorities said Anthony Henderson Jr. 19, broke into the home at 586 S. Lynnbank Road on Thursday while the teen and his 17-year-old sister were home.
The boy told the dispatcher that Henderson pointed a handgun at him, but Vance County Sheriff Peter White said deputies found no weapon on Henderson.
Henderson stumbled outside after being shot and was found dead on the lawn.
Deputies have charged Andrew Terry, 23, of 113 N. Woods Drive, with felony breaking and entering, conspiracy to commit breaking and entering and injury to real property in the case. They also are searching for two other men – Seneca Henderson, 20, of 907 S. Beckford Drive, No. 134, and Jatwaun Davis, 21, of 199 Belle Russell Road.
The boy's sister called 911 to report that someone was banging on the door trying to get in. She said she was hiding in her bedroom closet but told the dispatcher that her brother had a gun.
After the brother got on the phone, the dispatcher ordered him to put down his shotgun.
"I don't know how many it was (who broke in). Just one came around the corner. I got one more in the chamber. I'm going to shoot again," the boy said.
"Do not, while I’m on the phone, do not fire that firearm, OK?" the dispatcher said.
"What if another one comes in the house, ma'am?" he asked.
"Let me know, OK, if you see anybody. I will let you know (when a deputy gets to the house)," the dispatcher responded.
As the boy and his sister waited for deputies to arrive, he told the dispatcher that he was "perfectly fine," but his sister was "really shaken up."
The boy even asks about the condition of the intruder.
"He's still outside. He's unconscious. I'm not sure if he's still living or not," the dispatcher said. "They only found one outside. Are you not sure how many it was?"
"I'm not sure how many it was, but when I shot, I didn't hear anybody running," he said.
No charges are expected against the teen for firing on Henderson. North Carolina's Castle Doctrine law, updated on Dec. 1, allows homeowners to assume intruders mean them ill whether they have a weapon on not.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
KEYSTONE COPS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER
Mexico and the United States blame each other for mistaken identity arrest
The Mexican Navy announced that on Wednesday its special forces had captured Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar AKA El Gordo, the son of Sinaloa drug cartel boss Joaquin Guzman Loera AKA El Chapo. But according to various Spanish and English language news reports, the captive was not El Chapo’s son El Gordo. Instead he was a hapless used car dealer from Guadalajara caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. How embarrassing – a true Oh Shit moment.
It turns out that the man they thought was El Gordo was really Felix Beltran, an American citizen born in Los Angeles. Beltran had moved to Guadalajara two years ago to go into the used car business. Beltran’s half-brother, Kevin Daniel Rios, was also detained by the Mexican marines.
Here is where the fun comes in. Mexico and the United States are blaming each other for the fuck-up. Mexico claims that the Marines acted upon information furnished them by the DEA. The DEA claims the information came from the Mexicans, not from them. Both sides are running DNA tests on Beltran and Rios.
Borderland Beat’s Chivis Martinez doesn’t buy Mexico’s claims. “Why would the DEA then congratulate Mexico after the arrest? The entire scenario is best described as the Keystone Cops in a pit of revolving ‘truth’ and a landslide of incompetence, on both sides the border.”
It’s gratifying to see how well the U.S. and Mexico are working in concert with each other in the War on Drugs. Did I say concert? Well, you’ve got to expect a sour note every once in a while.
The Mexican Navy announced that on Wednesday its special forces had captured Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar AKA El Gordo, the son of Sinaloa drug cartel boss Joaquin Guzman Loera AKA El Chapo. But according to various Spanish and English language news reports, the captive was not El Chapo’s son El Gordo. Instead he was a hapless used car dealer from Guadalajara caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. How embarrassing – a true Oh Shit moment.
It turns out that the man they thought was El Gordo was really Felix Beltran, an American citizen born in Los Angeles. Beltran had moved to Guadalajara two years ago to go into the used car business. Beltran’s half-brother, Kevin Daniel Rios, was also detained by the Mexican marines.
Here is where the fun comes in. Mexico and the United States are blaming each other for the fuck-up. Mexico claims that the Marines acted upon information furnished them by the DEA. The DEA claims the information came from the Mexicans, not from them. Both sides are running DNA tests on Beltran and Rios.
Borderland Beat’s Chivis Martinez doesn’t buy Mexico’s claims. “Why would the DEA then congratulate Mexico after the arrest? The entire scenario is best described as the Keystone Cops in a pit of revolving ‘truth’ and a landslide of incompetence, on both sides the border.”
It’s gratifying to see how well the U.S. and Mexico are working in concert with each other in the War on Drugs. Did I say concert? Well, you’ve got to expect a sour note every once in a while.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
PELOSI SAYS ATTACK ON AG HOLDER IS REPUBLICAN PLOY TO PURGE INELIGIBLE VOTERS
According to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the congressional hearings on Fast And Furious, and the threat to hold Eric Holder in contempt, are designed to keep the Attorney General from fighting state laws that strike ineligible voters, mostly Democrats, from voter lists.
GOP REP. GOWDY: PELOSI’S COMMENTS ‘MIND-NUMBINGLY STUPID’
Newsmax
June 22, 2012
Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., says House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has truly lost it in claiming that the GOP’s investigation into Fast and Furious was linked to White House opposition to Republican-inspired voter purges.
“It’s really beneath the office of a member of Congress to say something that outrageous, and the fact that she was once the speaker is mind-numbing,” he told Greta van Susteren on Fox News Thursday night, Politico reports. “I have heard a lot in my 16 years as a prosecutor. I couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth.”
In a press conference Thursday, Pelosi said House Republicans are doggedly pursuing their investigation of the Fast and Furious gun-walking operation to prevent Attorney General Eric Holder from fighting the voter suppression effort.
More than a dozen states have adopted GOP-backed bills to strike ineligible people from voter lists. Democratic critics contend that the laws are designed to limit minority voting, and Holder is fighting against them.
“This is no accident. It is no coincidence. It is a plan on the part of the Republicans,” Pelosi said.
Gowdy scoffed at that notion. “I don’t know what was wrong with her when she said that. But I would schedule an appointment with my doctor if she thinks that we are doing this to suppress votes this fall. That is mind-numbingly stupid.”
Gowdy also is unimpressed with President Barack Obama’s claim of executive privilege to withhold Fast and Furious documents from the House. ”If executive privilege were so sacred, they would have invoked it 10 months ago,” he said. “To wait 10 minutes before we start a markup? They still haven’t told us which documents are privileged.”
GOP REP. GOWDY: PELOSI’S COMMENTS ‘MIND-NUMBINGLY STUPID’
Newsmax
June 22, 2012
Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., says House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has truly lost it in claiming that the GOP’s investigation into Fast and Furious was linked to White House opposition to Republican-inspired voter purges.
“It’s really beneath the office of a member of Congress to say something that outrageous, and the fact that she was once the speaker is mind-numbing,” he told Greta van Susteren on Fox News Thursday night, Politico reports. “I have heard a lot in my 16 years as a prosecutor. I couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth.”
In a press conference Thursday, Pelosi said House Republicans are doggedly pursuing their investigation of the Fast and Furious gun-walking operation to prevent Attorney General Eric Holder from fighting the voter suppression effort.
More than a dozen states have adopted GOP-backed bills to strike ineligible people from voter lists. Democratic critics contend that the laws are designed to limit minority voting, and Holder is fighting against them.
“This is no accident. It is no coincidence. It is a plan on the part of the Republicans,” Pelosi said.
Gowdy scoffed at that notion. “I don’t know what was wrong with her when she said that. But I would schedule an appointment with my doctor if she thinks that we are doing this to suppress votes this fall. That is mind-numbingly stupid.”
Gowdy also is unimpressed with President Barack Obama’s claim of executive privilege to withhold Fast and Furious documents from the House. ”If executive privilege were so sacred, they would have invoked it 10 months ago,” he said. “To wait 10 minutes before we start a markup? They still haven’t told us which documents are privileged.”
POSTER BOY FOR A COP IN THE WRONG PROFESSION
Chased car down wrong side of freeway at 100mph and previously shot nine rounds at fleeing sandwich thief
Only a nutjob with a total disregard for his own life and that of innocent drivers would pursue a car at any speed down the wrong side of a freeway. And why he was not fired after shooting at a fleeing sandwich thief is a mystery to me.
FHP TROOPER CHASES CAR THE WRONG WAY AT 100MPH
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper has resigned after an internal affairs investigation determined numerous policy violations
PoliceOne.com
June 21, 2012
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida Highway Patrol trooper seen on video pursuing a suspect at 100 mph the wrong way has resigned after an internal affairs investigation determined numerous policy violations.
Trooper Tim Nichols violated policy in the chase on I-275 in St. Petersburg and in unholstering his gun outside a classroom in a separate incident, police told Bay News 9.
"[Nichols'] actions as a totality clearly indicate flawed judgment ... by improper use of your weapon and your dangerous driving," FHP Col. David Brierton wrote in a dismissal letter this week.
Newly-released dash cam video shows Nichols pursuing a white car he had clocked speeding at 120 mph in a posted 65 mph zone. He followed the car up an exit ramp and past a warning sign, driving the wrong way for 1/8 mile.
A sergeant radioed for him to stop the chase, but he said he did not hear the instruction and decided on his own to stop at the same time a second call came through.
"It was 4 o’clock in the morning. There was very little, if no, traffic on the roadway,” Nichols said.
Nichols made national headlines two years ago when dash cam video was released showing the trooper shooting nine rounds at a fleeing sandwich thief in a nursing home parking lot, according to the report.
Following the incident, he was was suspended for 40 hours after the shooting for "careless use of a weapon."
Nichols said working in law enforcement was his dream job. He had been a trooper for 10 years.
Only a nutjob with a total disregard for his own life and that of innocent drivers would pursue a car at any speed down the wrong side of a freeway. And why he was not fired after shooting at a fleeing sandwich thief is a mystery to me.
FHP TROOPER CHASES CAR THE WRONG WAY AT 100MPH
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper has resigned after an internal affairs investigation determined numerous policy violations
PoliceOne.com
June 21, 2012
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida Highway Patrol trooper seen on video pursuing a suspect at 100 mph the wrong way has resigned after an internal affairs investigation determined numerous policy violations.
Trooper Tim Nichols violated policy in the chase on I-275 in St. Petersburg and in unholstering his gun outside a classroom in a separate incident, police told Bay News 9.
"[Nichols'] actions as a totality clearly indicate flawed judgment ... by improper use of your weapon and your dangerous driving," FHP Col. David Brierton wrote in a dismissal letter this week.
Newly-released dash cam video shows Nichols pursuing a white car he had clocked speeding at 120 mph in a posted 65 mph zone. He followed the car up an exit ramp and past a warning sign, driving the wrong way for 1/8 mile.
A sergeant radioed for him to stop the chase, but he said he did not hear the instruction and decided on his own to stop at the same time a second call came through.
"It was 4 o’clock in the morning. There was very little, if no, traffic on the roadway,” Nichols said.
Nichols made national headlines two years ago when dash cam video was released showing the trooper shooting nine rounds at a fleeing sandwich thief in a nursing home parking lot, according to the report.
Following the incident, he was was suspended for 40 hours after the shooting for "careless use of a weapon."
Nichols said working in law enforcement was his dream job. He had been a trooper for 10 years.
PRELUDE TO ANOTHER INVASION OF GAZA?
How much longer will the Israelis tolerate the steady barrage of rocket attacks on civilian areas?
I suspect that the Israeli military has delayed striking back against Gaza because the Jewish state is trying to avoid the blistering world-wide condemnation that is sure to come once another invasion of the Hamas enclave begins. But there has to be a limit to Israel’s patience.
MORE THAN 120 MISSILES ON SOUTHERN ISRAEL THIS WEEK
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
June 22, 2012
This week's round of terrorist aggression emanating from the Gaza Strip saw more than 120 mortar shells, short-range rockets and medium-range missiles slam into southern Israel.
The attacks began late Monday, following a similar missile attack from the Egyptian Sinai. Israeli commentators believe Hamas and other allied terror groups in Gaza have been encouraged by Muslim Brotherhood claims of victory in Egypt's presidential election.
Some one million Israelis live within missile range of Gaza, so every attack, especially those against larger towns like Ashkelon and Beersheva, send large numbers of men, women and children scrambling for bomb shelters. The severe negative psychological effect on Israeli children living in the area has been documented, but largely ignored by the media.
Miraculously, all those rockets and missiles have resulted in only 11 injuries, all of them coming from a direct strike on a building near Ashkelon where Israeli border policemen were gathered.
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, lamented the weak response to the rocket fire by the international community, which is always quick to issue strident condemnations of Israel when its actions endanger Palestinian lives.
The unfortunate reality is that the world, and especially the mainstream media, simply is not interested in the bombardment of Jewish population centers until either a large number of Israelis are hurt or killed, or Israeli reprisals result in large Palestinian casualty figures.
I suspect that the Israeli military has delayed striking back against Gaza because the Jewish state is trying to avoid the blistering world-wide condemnation that is sure to come once another invasion of the Hamas enclave begins. But there has to be a limit to Israel’s patience.
MORE THAN 120 MISSILES ON SOUTHERN ISRAEL THIS WEEK
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
June 22, 2012
This week's round of terrorist aggression emanating from the Gaza Strip saw more than 120 mortar shells, short-range rockets and medium-range missiles slam into southern Israel.
The attacks began late Monday, following a similar missile attack from the Egyptian Sinai. Israeli commentators believe Hamas and other allied terror groups in Gaza have been encouraged by Muslim Brotherhood claims of victory in Egypt's presidential election.
Some one million Israelis live within missile range of Gaza, so every attack, especially those against larger towns like Ashkelon and Beersheva, send large numbers of men, women and children scrambling for bomb shelters. The severe negative psychological effect on Israeli children living in the area has been documented, but largely ignored by the media.
Miraculously, all those rockets and missiles have resulted in only 11 injuries, all of them coming from a direct strike on a building near Ashkelon where Israeli border policemen were gathered.
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, lamented the weak response to the rocket fire by the international community, which is always quick to issue strident condemnations of Israel when its actions endanger Palestinian lives.
The unfortunate reality is that the world, and especially the mainstream media, simply is not interested in the bombardment of Jewish population centers until either a large number of Israelis are hurt or killed, or Israeli reprisals result in large Palestinian casualty figures.
Friday, June 22, 2012
A COP’S SYMPATHETIC LOOK AT RODNEY KING
A Los Angeles cop who writes under the pseudonym of ‘Jack Dunphy’ has a much more sympathetic view of Rodney King that I do.
ON THE DEATH OF RODNEY KING
By Jack Dunphy
Ricochet
June 19, 2012
It’s shocking to learn that anyone has died at the age of 47, but truth be told, in some cases it’s not quite as shocking as in others. Rodney King’s death was surprising, but not entirely so.
It often seemed as though King had been arrested or otherwise contacted by most police officers in Southern California, but this was an experience that escaped me. I knew him only from press reports and interviews, some of these coming recently on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots that most commonly bear his name.
King’s life was not one to be emulated, and he is neither a hero nor a martyr for the cause of civil rights despite the efforts by some to fashion him into one. Some of the press coverage of his death has bordered on the comically hagiographic, with perhaps the most glaring example I came across appearing in the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. “King explained,” wrote Times writer Kurt Streeter, “how as boots and batons fell, as electricity from Tasers ripped through his body, he thought of what it was like for African slaves to withstanding [sic] whippings. The thought of what they went through helped him stay alive.”
I doubt it.
At the time of his infamous arrest in 1991, King was on parole after an armed robbery conviction, this stemming from a 1989 incident in which he threatened a Korean store owner with an iron bar and struck him with a pole. A violent crime, to be sure, but on the depravity scale it scarcely budged the needle.
Rodney King was not a hardened criminal, but rather a man who lacked sufficient restraint on his appetites, the result of which was a string of arrests for relatively minor offenses like drunk driving and domestic violence. And though the Los Angeles County coroner has yet to disclose the results of King’s autopsy, it will surprise few when it is revealed – as it surely will be – that he was intoxicated on one or more substances when he drowned in his backyard pool. As is the case with most people, he lived and apparently died with the consequences of his own decisions.
In God’s mercy, may he find the peace in the next life that eluded him in this one. R.I.P.
ON THE DEATH OF RODNEY KING
By Jack Dunphy
Ricochet
June 19, 2012
It’s shocking to learn that anyone has died at the age of 47, but truth be told, in some cases it’s not quite as shocking as in others. Rodney King’s death was surprising, but not entirely so.
It often seemed as though King had been arrested or otherwise contacted by most police officers in Southern California, but this was an experience that escaped me. I knew him only from press reports and interviews, some of these coming recently on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots that most commonly bear his name.
King’s life was not one to be emulated, and he is neither a hero nor a martyr for the cause of civil rights despite the efforts by some to fashion him into one. Some of the press coverage of his death has bordered on the comically hagiographic, with perhaps the most glaring example I came across appearing in the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. “King explained,” wrote Times writer Kurt Streeter, “how as boots and batons fell, as electricity from Tasers ripped through his body, he thought of what it was like for African slaves to withstanding [sic] whippings. The thought of what they went through helped him stay alive.”
I doubt it.
At the time of his infamous arrest in 1991, King was on parole after an armed robbery conviction, this stemming from a 1989 incident in which he threatened a Korean store owner with an iron bar and struck him with a pole. A violent crime, to be sure, but on the depravity scale it scarcely budged the needle.
Rodney King was not a hardened criminal, but rather a man who lacked sufficient restraint on his appetites, the result of which was a string of arrests for relatively minor offenses like drunk driving and domestic violence. And though the Los Angeles County coroner has yet to disclose the results of King’s autopsy, it will surprise few when it is revealed – as it surely will be – that he was intoxicated on one or more substances when he drowned in his backyard pool. As is the case with most people, he lived and apparently died with the consequences of his own decisions.
In God’s mercy, may he find the peace in the next life that eluded him in this one. R.I.P.
SOON TO BE EX-LAWYER EXPOSED ERECTION ON PLANE
He’s from California; that explains it
How did this dickhead ever get a license to practice law? Oh, I almost forgot, they do things differently in Kookfornia.
LEONARD SAWYERR: LAWYER EXPOSES ERECT DICK ON PLANE, SOMEHOW DOESN’T GET LAID
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
June 21, 2012
Apparently some pick-up lines work better than others. Showing a seatmate your erect dick and then asking if she really wants to climb over you to get out? Unsuccessful, if Leonard Sawyerr's experience is any indication.
Sawyerr (the extra "r" is for stupid) was convicted today in a Houston federal court of two counts of lewd, indecent or obscene acts.
Sawyerr is a registered California lawyer (not for long) now living in Texas, and in February 2011 he was flying Continental from LA to here.
Note his smooth style, as described by prosecutors:
__Sawyerr insisted the arm rest between he and [a] woman remain raised to eliminate any physical barrier and...during the flight he continuously asked her personal questions. When efforts to terminate the conversations failed, the woman put on her ear phones and began watching a movie on her iPhone. At some point during the flight, Sawyerr raised his tray table and the woman observed his erect genitals protruding out of his pants. As she tried to move, he got up and turned towards her with his genitals exposed, at which time he asked if she wanted to climb over him. At that point, she was able to change seats and he then put his genitals back in his pants.
Cockblocked! But not for long. Later, a flight attendant said Sawyerr walked to the back bathroom and she
__noted he was staring at her strangely which made her feel uncomfortable. Sawyerr exited the bathroom and began to return to his seat, but suddenly looked back, turned around and walked back towards her.
__He entered the bathroom again and, upon his exit, opened his jacket revealing his erect genitals sticking out of his pants. When the flight attendant told him he was being inappropriate, Sawyerr stated, "can't a guy have his fly undone?" and returned to his seat.
Sawyerr didn't completely lose his senses during the flight, however. Another flight attendant "overheard Sawyerr mentioning the impact the matter could have on his legal career."
He'll be sentenced in August and faces up to 90 days in prison and a $5,000 fine on each count.
How did this dickhead ever get a license to practice law? Oh, I almost forgot, they do things differently in Kookfornia.
LEONARD SAWYERR: LAWYER EXPOSES ERECT DICK ON PLANE, SOMEHOW DOESN’T GET LAID
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
June 21, 2012
Apparently some pick-up lines work better than others. Showing a seatmate your erect dick and then asking if she really wants to climb over you to get out? Unsuccessful, if Leonard Sawyerr's experience is any indication.
Sawyerr (the extra "r" is for stupid) was convicted today in a Houston federal court of two counts of lewd, indecent or obscene acts.
Sawyerr is a registered California lawyer (not for long) now living in Texas, and in February 2011 he was flying Continental from LA to here.
Note his smooth style, as described by prosecutors:
__Sawyerr insisted the arm rest between he and [a] woman remain raised to eliminate any physical barrier and...during the flight he continuously asked her personal questions. When efforts to terminate the conversations failed, the woman put on her ear phones and began watching a movie on her iPhone. At some point during the flight, Sawyerr raised his tray table and the woman observed his erect genitals protruding out of his pants. As she tried to move, he got up and turned towards her with his genitals exposed, at which time he asked if she wanted to climb over him. At that point, she was able to change seats and he then put his genitals back in his pants.
Cockblocked! But not for long. Later, a flight attendant said Sawyerr walked to the back bathroom and she
__noted he was staring at her strangely which made her feel uncomfortable. Sawyerr exited the bathroom and began to return to his seat, but suddenly looked back, turned around and walked back towards her.
__He entered the bathroom again and, upon his exit, opened his jacket revealing his erect genitals sticking out of his pants. When the flight attendant told him he was being inappropriate, Sawyerr stated, "can't a guy have his fly undone?" and returned to his seat.
Sawyerr didn't completely lose his senses during the flight, however. Another flight attendant "overheard Sawyerr mentioning the impact the matter could have on his legal career."
He'll be sentenced in August and faces up to 90 days in prison and a $5,000 fine on each count.
THE GPS MADE ME DO IT
Another ‘woman driver’ story sure to give men a good laugh
Actually it was Smirnoff that made her do it, but the GPS excuse is a new one and as good as any.
WOMAN DRIVES BUICK INTO SAND TRAP ON GOLF COURSE, BLAMES IT ON GPS
Patricia A. Malone, who hit the links at 45mph and says she doesn’t even like the game, failed a sobriety test at the scene
By Braden Goyette
New York Daily News
June 21, 2012
A woman who drove into a sand trap on a Massachusetts golf course claims her Buick’s GPS told her to do it.
But police suspect that she was driving drunk, and say that they found a cup of booze in her car, the Worcester Telegram and Gazette reported.
Several golfers were on the course at Whitinsville Golf Club in Northbridge, Mass., when Patricia A. Maione, 46, drove into the sand trap around 5:45 p.m. Monday, but no one was hurt, the newspaper reported.
Maione reportedly claimed that the GPS told her to make a left that brought her into a 'cornfield,' and that she kept driving straight in the hopes of leaving the field.
"Ms. Maione stated that she did not even like golf," Northbridge police officer Randy Lloyd told the Telegram and Gazette.
Maione was driving through the course at 45 miles per hour, police told the newspaper. She failed a sobriety test, and later admitted to consuming half a liter of vodka earlier that morning. She was arrested on drunk-driving charges.
Actually it was Smirnoff that made her do it, but the GPS excuse is a new one and as good as any.
WOMAN DRIVES BUICK INTO SAND TRAP ON GOLF COURSE, BLAMES IT ON GPS
Patricia A. Malone, who hit the links at 45mph and says she doesn’t even like the game, failed a sobriety test at the scene
By Braden Goyette
New York Daily News
June 21, 2012
A woman who drove into a sand trap on a Massachusetts golf course claims her Buick’s GPS told her to do it.
But police suspect that she was driving drunk, and say that they found a cup of booze in her car, the Worcester Telegram and Gazette reported.
Several golfers were on the course at Whitinsville Golf Club in Northbridge, Mass., when Patricia A. Maione, 46, drove into the sand trap around 5:45 p.m. Monday, but no one was hurt, the newspaper reported.
Maione reportedly claimed that the GPS told her to make a left that brought her into a 'cornfield,' and that she kept driving straight in the hopes of leaving the field.
"Ms. Maione stated that she did not even like golf," Northbridge police officer Randy Lloyd told the Telegram and Gazette.
Maione was driving through the course at 45 miles per hour, police told the newspaper. She failed a sobriety test, and later admitted to consuming half a liter of vodka earlier that morning. She was arrested on drunk-driving charges.
A SENIOR’S MEMORABLE MOMENT AT THE STORE
By Ima Schmuck
The Schalotte
June 21, 2012
My next door neighbor, a nice 83-year-old man, came home all excited from the supermarket and told me this:
There was a bit of confusion at the store this morning. When I was ready to pay for my groceries, the cashier said, "Strip down facing me." Making a mental note to complain to my congressman about Homeland Security running amok, I did just as she had instructed.
When the hysterical shrieking and alarms finally subsided, I found out that she was telling me how to slide my credit card. I have been asked to shop elsewhere in the future.
They need to make their instructions to us seniors a little clearer!
The Schalotte
June 21, 2012
My next door neighbor, a nice 83-year-old man, came home all excited from the supermarket and told me this:
There was a bit of confusion at the store this morning. When I was ready to pay for my groceries, the cashier said, "Strip down facing me." Making a mental note to complain to my congressman about Homeland Security running amok, I did just as she had instructed.
When the hysterical shrieking and alarms finally subsided, I found out that she was telling me how to slide my credit card. I have been asked to shop elsewhere in the future.
They need to make their instructions to us seniors a little clearer!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
OURS IS A NATION OF LAWS
It is against the law to smoke, snort or shoot-up dope
Here is something to think about. All of those who smoke, snort or shoot-up dope - or have done so in the past - disregarded the fact that ours is a nation of laws. Since we live under the rule of law, we do not have the right to decide which laws are good and which laws are bad, and then choose to disobey the ones we think are bad.
And it really doesn’t make any difference whether one is a military combat veteran or a counterculture freak.
Here is something to think about. All of those who smoke, snort or shoot-up dope - or have done so in the past - disregarded the fact that ours is a nation of laws. Since we live under the rule of law, we do not have the right to decide which laws are good and which laws are bad, and then choose to disobey the ones we think are bad.
And it really doesn’t make any difference whether one is a military combat veteran or a counterculture freak.
SEND AN OFFICER, WE HAVE A WOMAN IN OUR PHARMACY EATING ICE CREAM IN THE NUDE
The response to this 911 call must have been overwhelming
Shortly after WWII, when I was a Galveston cop, I received a call in the middle of the night of a naked woman walking in the esplanade of Broadway. It was my assignment, but a sheriff’s unit arrived at the scene before I did. Two more Galveston police units arrived. Than another sheriff’s unit. A county constable showed up with red lights on and siren blaring. And a highway patrol unit from the mainland also showed up with red lights and siren. I could have used all that help on several occasions when I was the only officer breaking up a barroom brawl.
STEPHANIE DILLARD: LEAVES HURT KIDS IN CAR AFTER CRASH IN ORDER TO EAT ICE CREAM IN THE NUDE
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls / June 20, 2012
HOUSTON -- When you get in a traffic accident with a bus, what's the first thing you want to do?
Eat ice cream in the nude in a pharmacy, duh.
And you're not going to let a little thing like three shaken up and hurt kids stop you. Ice cream will be had, and it will be had nudely.
Stephanie Dillard, 34, is somehow being charged for such behavior, by people who don't have their priorities straight like she does.
Court documents show that Dillard got into an accident with a Metro bus near South Post Oak and Orem last week, and KPRC reports that after the crash she left her three kids -- aged five, 12 and 16 -- in the car while she went on her bizarre errand.
She walked to a nearby CVS pharmacy, grabbed some ice cream and stripped. When cops found her, she put up a fight. KPRC says.
She faces charges of child endangerment, but no charges have been filed regarding the nudity or the stolen ice cream.
Shortly after WWII, when I was a Galveston cop, I received a call in the middle of the night of a naked woman walking in the esplanade of Broadway. It was my assignment, but a sheriff’s unit arrived at the scene before I did. Two more Galveston police units arrived. Than another sheriff’s unit. A county constable showed up with red lights on and siren blaring. And a highway patrol unit from the mainland also showed up with red lights and siren. I could have used all that help on several occasions when I was the only officer breaking up a barroom brawl.
STEPHANIE DILLARD: LEAVES HURT KIDS IN CAR AFTER CRASH IN ORDER TO EAT ICE CREAM IN THE NUDE
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls / June 20, 2012
HOUSTON -- When you get in a traffic accident with a bus, what's the first thing you want to do?
Eat ice cream in the nude in a pharmacy, duh.
And you're not going to let a little thing like three shaken up and hurt kids stop you. Ice cream will be had, and it will be had nudely.
Stephanie Dillard, 34, is somehow being charged for such behavior, by people who don't have their priorities straight like she does.
Court documents show that Dillard got into an accident with a Metro bus near South Post Oak and Orem last week, and KPRC reports that after the crash she left her three kids -- aged five, 12 and 16 -- in the car while she went on her bizarre errand.
She walked to a nearby CVS pharmacy, grabbed some ice cream and stripped. When cops found her, she put up a fight. KPRC says.
She faces charges of child endangerment, but no charges have been filed regarding the nudity or the stolen ice cream.
WHAT DO FATHERS KNOW ANYWAY?
Like so many sons, this one learned too late that fathers are not so dumb after all, hopefully that is
In my youth, and even in my young adult life, I was sure that I knew everything better than my father. It was only after his death that I came to realize he was a helluva lot smarter than me.
THE INCIDENT
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen
politicalmavens.com
June 20, 2012
‘I told you so” just wasn’t appropriate, or adequate, when my 21-year-old son walked (and I use that term loosely; hobbled is closer) into the house Monday, resembling a mummy.
But, in fact, I had told him so, many, many times since he first started making noises about buying a motorcycle.
I’m a softy with my sons in most things, but I was holding firm on this one.
He took a motorcycle-riding class and assailed me with various relevant statistics about gas savings and the much higher number of fatal crashes involving cars than bikes. No matter. And after the attempted application of logic, threats and pleading failed to change his mind, I resorted to a phrase I swore I’d never use — “not as long as you live in my house, you won’t.”
But he did.
Unlike the earrings and the tattoo, minor irritants to which I also objected, this was a major, life-threatening terrible decision that I was not ever going “to get used to.”
And while my reaction to this big, red monstrosity appearing on our driveway, was to ask my son where he was sleeping that night and what he planned to do about his dogs, his father wimped out. He said something about our son being a grown man, now, technically, which is completely immaterial in this context.
So our son was off to the proverbial races; his only concession to my dread and dire warnings being a promise to call me as soon as he got wherever he was going on the monster.
And he did that, for the two weeks he had the thing before THE INCIDENT.
And THE INCIDENT didn’t happen on the long ride to San Jose last weekend, which we both told him was too far for a person with so little riding experience, no matter how “grown-ass” a man he is. It wasn’t a result of taking that long ride with another person on the back — something with which he had no experience at all — or because both were wearing backpacks. My admonitions about what such conditions can do to a rider’s center of gravity fell on deaf ears likely because he knows I don’t ride motorcycles and therefore assumed I didn’t know what I was talking about. Not the first time.
What did cause THE INCIDENT was a combination of erroneous conclusions he arrived at as a result of being under 25, a condition that should be federally recognized as a debilitating impairment disqualifying one from doing death-defying things like riding motorcycles.
Because this last ride was “only two blocks” and because “it was hot out,” my son was wearing none of the leather stuff he had for this purpose, but, instead, was clad only in shorts and a T-shirt. We’re lucky he was wearing shoes and a helmet.
Anyway, he hit some gravel and lost control, crediting that riding class with the skills that prevented him from going over an embankment.
The ER nurse took one look and said, “motorcycle, right? You’re the fourth one today.”
Suffice it to say he survived, but suffered injuries which I fervently hope are sufficiently uncomfortable to have cured him of the need to ride a motorcycle ever again. Because if he ever forgets this lesson, and gets another bike, I will either chain myself to it or accidentally run it over with a truck.
In my youth, and even in my young adult life, I was sure that I knew everything better than my father. It was only after his death that I came to realize he was a helluva lot smarter than me.
THE INCIDENT
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen
politicalmavens.com
June 20, 2012
‘I told you so” just wasn’t appropriate, or adequate, when my 21-year-old son walked (and I use that term loosely; hobbled is closer) into the house Monday, resembling a mummy.
But, in fact, I had told him so, many, many times since he first started making noises about buying a motorcycle.
I’m a softy with my sons in most things, but I was holding firm on this one.
He took a motorcycle-riding class and assailed me with various relevant statistics about gas savings and the much higher number of fatal crashes involving cars than bikes. No matter. And after the attempted application of logic, threats and pleading failed to change his mind, I resorted to a phrase I swore I’d never use — “not as long as you live in my house, you won’t.”
But he did.
Unlike the earrings and the tattoo, minor irritants to which I also objected, this was a major, life-threatening terrible decision that I was not ever going “to get used to.”
And while my reaction to this big, red monstrosity appearing on our driveway, was to ask my son where he was sleeping that night and what he planned to do about his dogs, his father wimped out. He said something about our son being a grown man, now, technically, which is completely immaterial in this context.
So our son was off to the proverbial races; his only concession to my dread and dire warnings being a promise to call me as soon as he got wherever he was going on the monster.
And he did that, for the two weeks he had the thing before THE INCIDENT.
And THE INCIDENT didn’t happen on the long ride to San Jose last weekend, which we both told him was too far for a person with so little riding experience, no matter how “grown-ass” a man he is. It wasn’t a result of taking that long ride with another person on the back — something with which he had no experience at all — or because both were wearing backpacks. My admonitions about what such conditions can do to a rider’s center of gravity fell on deaf ears likely because he knows I don’t ride motorcycles and therefore assumed I didn’t know what I was talking about. Not the first time.
What did cause THE INCIDENT was a combination of erroneous conclusions he arrived at as a result of being under 25, a condition that should be federally recognized as a debilitating impairment disqualifying one from doing death-defying things like riding motorcycles.
Because this last ride was “only two blocks” and because “it was hot out,” my son was wearing none of the leather stuff he had for this purpose, but, instead, was clad only in shorts and a T-shirt. We’re lucky he was wearing shoes and a helmet.
Anyway, he hit some gravel and lost control, crediting that riding class with the skills that prevented him from going over an embankment.
The ER nurse took one look and said, “motorcycle, right? You’re the fourth one today.”
Suffice it to say he survived, but suffered injuries which I fervently hope are sufficiently uncomfortable to have cured him of the need to ride a motorcycle ever again. Because if he ever forgets this lesson, and gets another bike, I will either chain myself to it or accidentally run it over with a truck.
SMOKING SECTION
SMOKING SECTION
By Adolf der Schweinehund
The Schalotte
June 20, 2012
I was having lunch Saturday with two friends in a smoke-free restaurant. We noted how nice it was to eat without having any cigarette smoke in the air. Rick said he and his wife had recently gone to a well-known restaurant that had a small smoking section off in a far corner. He said smoke spread throughout the restaurant.
Jay piped in with this jewel: A smoking section in a restaurant is like a section in the swimming pool where you can pee.
By Adolf der Schweinehund
The Schalotte
June 20, 2012
I was having lunch Saturday with two friends in a smoke-free restaurant. We noted how nice it was to eat without having any cigarette smoke in the air. Rick said he and his wife had recently gone to a well-known restaurant that had a small smoking section off in a far corner. He said smoke spread throughout the restaurant.
Jay piped in with this jewel: A smoking section in a restaurant is like a section in the swimming pool where you can pee.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
DRUG TESTING FOR WELFARE RECIPIENTS?
A former Marine and I have been discussing the pros and cons of drug testing for welfare recipients. We both favor drug testing. He would cut off any payments to those who tested positive. I wouldn’t go quite that far.
When welfare applicants or recipients test positive they should be cut off if they have no children in their care. Those with children who test positive should be required to go into a rehab program in order to obtain any benefits. One of the problems I see - and it is a big problem - with just cutting them off is that when they have small children, we would be punishing the children for the behavior of their parent(s). I cannot in good conscience favor that.
Here is the former Marine’s reason for testing welfare recipients and cutting them off if they test positive for drugs:
My particular gripe with all the handouts and people looking for handouts stems from my association with one of my high school buddies. After I give you the background, maybe you'll understand why I believe some form of testing is required.
My buddy inherited approximately $550,000 when he was 18. That would be in 1963. He had a terrific life until he ended up in a Mexican jail for bringing some marijuana into Mexico on his sailboat. Six months and $30,000 later , he was released. He graduated from college as a Philosophy major. At that time the Alaska Pipeline was being built. So, he promptly altered his diploma to indicate he was an Engineering graduate from Colorado School of Mines instead of a Philosophy graduate from Colorado State University. That way he could be hired on the pipeline. This is all background. I'll get to my point soon.
Roy was smoking marijuana and anything else he could get his hands on back in 1963. He has continued "lighting up a doobie in the morning; for lunch and in the afternoon". Because money was never an issue, he wasn't too worried about work. Consequently he never accumulated enough credits to receive adequate Social Security. At some point he was involved in a car accident...he was rear-ended. And his insurance company supposedly settled everything correctly. But now Roy is pissed off because he can't receive full Social Security Disability...even though he doesn't have enough credits. Did I mention his claim is for a bad back? Did I also mention he plays golf every day? Did I mention he is pissed if he doesn't break par more than twice a week? Also because he likes smoking so much, he is all for legalized marijuana. When I asked him why he moved from Denver to Phoenix, he replied "so he could smoke his peyote in the desert". I thought he was kidding...who knows maybe he wasn't.
So, maybe I'm the radical because I think Roy is one of those people who should be tested before he receives any benefits. Anyway, just had to get this off my chest.
By the way, I'm not exactly "goodie two shoes". I've smoked marijuana, but it made me so paranoid I would sit in a corner and look to see who was sneaking up on me. I've tried cocaine, but my pocketbook couldn't afford it. When I was being interviewed for my security clearances at a big defense contractor, the interviewer asked me if I had ever done anything else? I don't interview well after 4-5 interviews and my reply was "I had done some shit, it didn't even have a name". His reply was "oh, you were in Vietnam also. I know what you're talking about." I received my clearances which all I can say is I'm still under the watchful eye until I die.
When welfare applicants or recipients test positive they should be cut off if they have no children in their care. Those with children who test positive should be required to go into a rehab program in order to obtain any benefits. One of the problems I see - and it is a big problem - with just cutting them off is that when they have small children, we would be punishing the children for the behavior of their parent(s). I cannot in good conscience favor that.
Here is the former Marine’s reason for testing welfare recipients and cutting them off if they test positive for drugs:
My particular gripe with all the handouts and people looking for handouts stems from my association with one of my high school buddies. After I give you the background, maybe you'll understand why I believe some form of testing is required.
My buddy inherited approximately $550,000 when he was 18. That would be in 1963. He had a terrific life until he ended up in a Mexican jail for bringing some marijuana into Mexico on his sailboat. Six months and $30,000 later , he was released. He graduated from college as a Philosophy major. At that time the Alaska Pipeline was being built. So, he promptly altered his diploma to indicate he was an Engineering graduate from Colorado School of Mines instead of a Philosophy graduate from Colorado State University. That way he could be hired on the pipeline. This is all background. I'll get to my point soon.
Roy was smoking marijuana and anything else he could get his hands on back in 1963. He has continued "lighting up a doobie in the morning; for lunch and in the afternoon". Because money was never an issue, he wasn't too worried about work. Consequently he never accumulated enough credits to receive adequate Social Security. At some point he was involved in a car accident...he was rear-ended. And his insurance company supposedly settled everything correctly. But now Roy is pissed off because he can't receive full Social Security Disability...even though he doesn't have enough credits. Did I mention his claim is for a bad back? Did I also mention he plays golf every day? Did I mention he is pissed if he doesn't break par more than twice a week? Also because he likes smoking so much, he is all for legalized marijuana. When I asked him why he moved from Denver to Phoenix, he replied "so he could smoke his peyote in the desert". I thought he was kidding...who knows maybe he wasn't.
So, maybe I'm the radical because I think Roy is one of those people who should be tested before he receives any benefits. Anyway, just had to get this off my chest.
By the way, I'm not exactly "goodie two shoes". I've smoked marijuana, but it made me so paranoid I would sit in a corner and look to see who was sneaking up on me. I've tried cocaine, but my pocketbook couldn't afford it. When I was being interviewed for my security clearances at a big defense contractor, the interviewer asked me if I had ever done anything else? I don't interview well after 4-5 interviews and my reply was "I had done some shit, it didn't even have a name". His reply was "oh, you were in Vietnam also. I know what you're talking about." I received my clearances which all I can say is I'm still under the watchful eye until I die.
PRECURSORS TO SYNTHETIC POT PLACED ON HIGHEST LIST OF ILLEGAL DRUS
26 drugs, most of them used in creating synthetic pot, have been added to Schedule 1
The purveyors of pot keep coming up with synthetics to get around laws against the distribution, possession and use of marijuana.
CONGRESS GETS TOUGHER ON K2, “SPICE” AND OTHER SYNTHETIC POT
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
June 19, 2012
The Drug Enforcement Agency has announced that the House and Senate have reached a compromise that will make it tougher to get K2, "Spice" and other forms of synthetic marijuana.
Twenty-six drugs, most of them used in creating synthetic pot, have been added to Schedule I, meaning they have been found to have a high tendency towards being abused and have no medical use in the U.S.
"In addition to explicitly naming 26 substances, the legislation creates a new definition for 'cannabamimetic agents,' creating criteria by which similar chemical compounds are controlled," the DEA says.
The legislation also doubles the time to drugs will be placed on Schedule I, changing it from 18 months to 36.
"In recent years, a growing number of dangerous products have been introduced into the U.S. marketplace," the DEA says. "Products labeled as 'herbal incense' have become especially popular, especially among teens and young adults. These products consist of plant material laced with synthetic cannabinoids which, when smoked, mimic the delirious effects of THC, the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana."
The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported receiving almost 7,000 calls related to synthetic marijuana in 2011, as opposed to almost 3,000 in 2010.
The purveyors of pot keep coming up with synthetics to get around laws against the distribution, possession and use of marijuana.
CONGRESS GETS TOUGHER ON K2, “SPICE” AND OTHER SYNTHETIC POT
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
June 19, 2012
The Drug Enforcement Agency has announced that the House and Senate have reached a compromise that will make it tougher to get K2, "Spice" and other forms of synthetic marijuana.
Twenty-six drugs, most of them used in creating synthetic pot, have been added to Schedule I, meaning they have been found to have a high tendency towards being abused and have no medical use in the U.S.
"In addition to explicitly naming 26 substances, the legislation creates a new definition for 'cannabamimetic agents,' creating criteria by which similar chemical compounds are controlled," the DEA says.
The legislation also doubles the time to drugs will be placed on Schedule I, changing it from 18 months to 36.
"In recent years, a growing number of dangerous products have been introduced into the U.S. marketplace," the DEA says. "Products labeled as 'herbal incense' have become especially popular, especially among teens and young adults. These products consist of plant material laced with synthetic cannabinoids which, when smoked, mimic the delirious effects of THC, the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana."
The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported receiving almost 7,000 calls related to synthetic marijuana in 2011, as opposed to almost 3,000 in 2010.
RODNEY KING: GOOD RIDDANCE! (3)
Hmmm, his family and friends are claiming foul play. If the girlfriend didn’t do Rodney in, his family and friends are likely to claim the Rialto cops did it.
WE THINK IT WAS FOUL PLAY: FAMILY OF RODNEY KING SAYS HE WAS A STRONG SWIMMER TRYING TO TURN HIS LIVE AROUND
Several neighbors say they heard ‘out-of-character’ noises from King’s house
By David Gardner
Mail Online
June 18, 2012
Rodney King’s family is suspicious over the drowning death of the man whose savage beating at the hands of the police triggered the deadly 1992 Los Angeles race riots.
‘We think it’s foul play. I don’t care what anyone says,’ King’s cousin, Latoya Anderson claimed yesterday.
Relatives and friends claim the chain of events leading to the discovery of 47-year-old King’s body at the bottom of his swimming pool on Sunday morning don’t add up.
They insist he was a strong swimmer who was turning his life around after a two-decade battle with alcohol.
‘My cousin is 6ft 5in tall. He could swim. He could surf. He did all that stuff. He drowned? Okay, how? The pool was only six feet deep,’ Anderson told a local TV network.
King’s fiancée Cynthia Kelley told police she was woken up by the sound of King banging on the window of their California home just after 5am on Sunday and found his lifeless body at the bottom of the pool a few minutes later.
He had allegedly been drinking all day and smoking marijuana.
But celebrity website TMZ – which first reported the news of King’s death – claimed yesterday that two close friends of the drowning victim have told detectives they don’t believe King’s girlfriend is telling the truth.
They allegedly told a detective that her story had discrepancies when she described what happened in various versions to friends.
Police said they haven’t discovered any sign of foul play at King’s home in Rialto, California, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
An autopsy is being carried out and toxicology tests could provide more clues to what caused the tragedy.
King’s fiancée was a juror in his £2.5million civil suit against the city of Los Angeles following the savage attack by four white police officers in 1991.
Neighbors reported hearing music, talking and crying before a big splash in the early hours of the morning. Police said they received an emergency call at 5.25 am and King was pronounced dead about half an hour later.
Neighbor Sandra Gardea, 31, reportedly heard a commotion in King’s back garden at about 3am.
‘It just sounded like someone was really sad,’ she said. ‘There was a lot of moaning and crying. Another person was trying to console that person.’
She added that it was several hours later when she heard a splash, and that’s when police and paramedics arrived.
Explaining why Kelley didn’t jump into the pool, Rialto police Captain Randy DeAnda said she ‘is not a great swimmer’.
He added there were no signs of life when King’s body was pulled to the side by an officer. There were no indications around the pool of any alcohol use or drug paraphernalia.
‘It’s being investigated as an accidental drowning,’ he said. ‘There’s no sign of foul play and no sign of trauma to the body.’
RIP Rodney King began trending on Twitter soon after the news broke with public figures and celebrities leading the tributes.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, wrote: 'Saddened by the passing of Rodney King. I'd know him over the years & when I interviewed him recently, His life seemed to be on a high note.'
WE THINK IT WAS FOUL PLAY: FAMILY OF RODNEY KING SAYS HE WAS A STRONG SWIMMER TRYING TO TURN HIS LIVE AROUND
Several neighbors say they heard ‘out-of-character’ noises from King’s house
By David Gardner
Mail Online
June 18, 2012
Rodney King’s family is suspicious over the drowning death of the man whose savage beating at the hands of the police triggered the deadly 1992 Los Angeles race riots.
‘We think it’s foul play. I don’t care what anyone says,’ King’s cousin, Latoya Anderson claimed yesterday.
Relatives and friends claim the chain of events leading to the discovery of 47-year-old King’s body at the bottom of his swimming pool on Sunday morning don’t add up.
They insist he was a strong swimmer who was turning his life around after a two-decade battle with alcohol.
‘My cousin is 6ft 5in tall. He could swim. He could surf. He did all that stuff. He drowned? Okay, how? The pool was only six feet deep,’ Anderson told a local TV network.
King’s fiancée Cynthia Kelley told police she was woken up by the sound of King banging on the window of their California home just after 5am on Sunday and found his lifeless body at the bottom of the pool a few minutes later.
He had allegedly been drinking all day and smoking marijuana.
But celebrity website TMZ – which first reported the news of King’s death – claimed yesterday that two close friends of the drowning victim have told detectives they don’t believe King’s girlfriend is telling the truth.
They allegedly told a detective that her story had discrepancies when she described what happened in various versions to friends.
Police said they haven’t discovered any sign of foul play at King’s home in Rialto, California, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
An autopsy is being carried out and toxicology tests could provide more clues to what caused the tragedy.
King’s fiancée was a juror in his £2.5million civil suit against the city of Los Angeles following the savage attack by four white police officers in 1991.
Neighbors reported hearing music, talking and crying before a big splash in the early hours of the morning. Police said they received an emergency call at 5.25 am and King was pronounced dead about half an hour later.
Neighbor Sandra Gardea, 31, reportedly heard a commotion in King’s back garden at about 3am.
‘It just sounded like someone was really sad,’ she said. ‘There was a lot of moaning and crying. Another person was trying to console that person.’
She added that it was several hours later when she heard a splash, and that’s when police and paramedics arrived.
Explaining why Kelley didn’t jump into the pool, Rialto police Captain Randy DeAnda said she ‘is not a great swimmer’.
He added there were no signs of life when King’s body was pulled to the side by an officer. There were no indications around the pool of any alcohol use or drug paraphernalia.
‘It’s being investigated as an accidental drowning,’ he said. ‘There’s no sign of foul play and no sign of trauma to the body.’
RIP Rodney King began trending on Twitter soon after the news broke with public figures and celebrities leading the tributes.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, wrote: 'Saddened by the passing of Rodney King. I'd know him over the years & when I interviewed him recently, His life seemed to be on a high note.'
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
RODNEY KING: GOOD RIDDANCE! (2)
Greg Doyle, ‘The Gadfly’, is a former police officer who is a prolific writer on faith. His father Jerry and I worked together on the Riverside Sheriff’s Department way back when, and his brother Jeff is the force behind PACOVILLA Corrections blog.
When Greg was an Upland police officer, he had some first-hand experiences with Rodney King. Greg offers us a true picture of Rodney and castigates the media for using him as a foil to fuel the flames of racial hatred.
RODNEY KING WAS SIMPLY A MEDIA DUPE
By Greg ‘The Gadfly’ Doyle
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 18, 2012
Shortly after Mr. King won his lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, he moved to Upland and lived for a few years in a house adjacent to our police department employee parking lot. He was not a good neighbor. Mr. King was involved in some domestic violence incidents and destroyed property inside a local liquor store. I would contend that Mr. King lived most of his adult life as if what had happened to him on that infamous traffic stop was just one more excuse to pursue lawlessness. His arrests continued for a number of years in Pomona, Moreno Valley, and Fontana as did his substance abuse. His antics in Upland and Rialto showed little change in behavior after his “life-changing” experience. The big lottery win in the courts was quickly surrendered to attorneys or squandered, and his notoriety within the media gained him little personal advantage except as a poster child for militant blame-layers who believe all cops are racists and brutal thugs.
What the media still refuses to admit in the matter of Mr. King was that the majority of their reporting and perpetual regurgitation of the infamous videotape inflamed a specific minority group, which led to the riots in 1992, wide-spread looting and lawlessness in its wake, and death, injury, and property destruction. Media reporting ignored Mr. King’s parole status at the time (and later so did the CDCR.) Political correctness was king in this incident. The officers involved were tried and found guilty of abuse in the media long before any court proceeding took place. The media stirred the police abuse pot with a racism stick to the boiling point. In the opinion of the press, the video-taped incident appeared to be overwhelming proof that White cops beat helpless Black men as a matter of Department policy. Media focus intentionally ignored Mr. King’s behavior. It was as if every illegal thing Mr. King had done leading up to his attempted detention had nothing to do with the use of force employed by the police. A jury acquitted the officers of wrong-doing. Then all hell broke loose.
In my estimation Rodney King was simply a media dupe. The press got their story, militant leaders and activists grabbed whatever attention and power they could, and Mr. King became irrelevant. Once he served his purpose, Mr. King was discarded and friendless. He fell back into familiar patterns of behavior that had always drawn the attention of the police. I am not surprised that he was found dead in a pool. He had been drowning in a pool of his poor decision-making and life choices long before he met LAPD on that fateful day. Very little seems to have changed in hindsight.
I hope he made peace with God before his passing.
When Greg was an Upland police officer, he had some first-hand experiences with Rodney King. Greg offers us a true picture of Rodney and castigates the media for using him as a foil to fuel the flames of racial hatred.
RODNEY KING WAS SIMPLY A MEDIA DUPE
By Greg ‘The Gadfly’ Doyle
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 18, 2012
Shortly after Mr. King won his lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, he moved to Upland and lived for a few years in a house adjacent to our police department employee parking lot. He was not a good neighbor. Mr. King was involved in some domestic violence incidents and destroyed property inside a local liquor store. I would contend that Mr. King lived most of his adult life as if what had happened to him on that infamous traffic stop was just one more excuse to pursue lawlessness. His arrests continued for a number of years in Pomona, Moreno Valley, and Fontana as did his substance abuse. His antics in Upland and Rialto showed little change in behavior after his “life-changing” experience. The big lottery win in the courts was quickly surrendered to attorneys or squandered, and his notoriety within the media gained him little personal advantage except as a poster child for militant blame-layers who believe all cops are racists and brutal thugs.
What the media still refuses to admit in the matter of Mr. King was that the majority of their reporting and perpetual regurgitation of the infamous videotape inflamed a specific minority group, which led to the riots in 1992, wide-spread looting and lawlessness in its wake, and death, injury, and property destruction. Media reporting ignored Mr. King’s parole status at the time (and later so did the CDCR.) Political correctness was king in this incident. The officers involved were tried and found guilty of abuse in the media long before any court proceeding took place. The media stirred the police abuse pot with a racism stick to the boiling point. In the opinion of the press, the video-taped incident appeared to be overwhelming proof that White cops beat helpless Black men as a matter of Department policy. Media focus intentionally ignored Mr. King’s behavior. It was as if every illegal thing Mr. King had done leading up to his attempted detention had nothing to do with the use of force employed by the police. A jury acquitted the officers of wrong-doing. Then all hell broke loose.
In my estimation Rodney King was simply a media dupe. The press got their story, militant leaders and activists grabbed whatever attention and power they could, and Mr. King became irrelevant. Once he served his purpose, Mr. King was discarded and friendless. He fell back into familiar patterns of behavior that had always drawn the attention of the police. I am not surprised that he was found dead in a pool. He had been drowning in a pool of his poor decision-making and life choices long before he met LAPD on that fateful day. Very little seems to have changed in hindsight.
I hope he made peace with God before his passing.
RODNEY KING: ANTITHESIS TO MARTIN LUTHER KING
With Rodney King’s death, Greg ‘The Gadfly’ Doyle brings back a poem he wrote after the 1992 L.A. race riots
Shortly after the 1992 riot, I penned this poem and later published it in my first book (The Sting of the Gadfly, Gregory Allen Doyle, Lifevest Publishing, CO, pp 106-107) in 2005. It summed up my feelings and assessment of the mess that followed. As I have surmised then and contend now, little has changed.
ON RODNEY KING
By Gregory Allen Doyle
If e’er there was a time or place to not judge something on its face,
Then let the heralds cease to sing cacophony to Rodney King.
No doubt the pundits, meaning well, subject us all to living hell.
The truth is no less hard to take and harder yet in Riot’s wake.
If justice is the end you sought, then by what means should it be sought?
For if your trial’s in the street, then justice you will never mete.
No fouler symbol Rodney brings; antithesis to Martin King.
For Rodney lived above the laws while Martin served a higher cause.
The loudest voices in the fray forgot the words in which to pray.
Instead they love to castigate and spew their epithets of hate.
And all the while, as tension swells, these harlequins condemn themselves.
And do the greatest human harm; to save a foot, they lose an arm.
Shortly after the 1992 riot, I penned this poem and later published it in my first book (The Sting of the Gadfly, Gregory Allen Doyle, Lifevest Publishing, CO, pp 106-107) in 2005. It summed up my feelings and assessment of the mess that followed. As I have surmised then and contend now, little has changed.
ON RODNEY KING
By Gregory Allen Doyle
If e’er there was a time or place to not judge something on its face,
Then let the heralds cease to sing cacophony to Rodney King.
No doubt the pundits, meaning well, subject us all to living hell.
The truth is no less hard to take and harder yet in Riot’s wake.
If justice is the end you sought, then by what means should it be sought?
For if your trial’s in the street, then justice you will never mete.
No fouler symbol Rodney brings; antithesis to Martin King.
For Rodney lived above the laws while Martin served a higher cause.
The loudest voices in the fray forgot the words in which to pray.
Instead they love to castigate and spew their epithets of hate.
And all the while, as tension swells, these harlequins condemn themselves.
And do the greatest human harm; to save a foot, they lose an arm.
‘BLUE DRESS’ FETCHES $1.3 MILLION AT AUCTION
Donald Trump outbids other Republican billionaires for piece of history
By Ima Schmuck
The Schalotte
June 18, 2012
Monica Lewinsky, who turns 39 next month, has auctioned off her famous blue dress which still contains Bill Clinton’s semen stains and backed up her story that she gave the former president nine blow jobs in the Oval Office between November 1995 and March 1997.
In late July 1998, Lewinsky turned the dress over to Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr's investigators. An FBI lab analysis of blood samples taken from Clinton on August 3 and on August 17 concluded that Clinton was the source of the semen on the dress "to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty."
The dress was returned to Lewinsky who kept it in a safe-deposit box until last month when she turned it over to Sotheby’s, the prominent auctioneers.
On Friday, Sotheby’s auctioned off the dress. The bidding was furious and quickly approached the $1 million mark. Near the end, Donald Trump battled it out with the Koch brothers before submitting the winning bid of $1.3 million.
Democrat billionaire George Soros dropped out of the bidding after it reached $800,000. “I wanted to burn that Jewish slut’s dress,” Soros said. “But I’ve got other priorities for my money. I want to help President Obama get reelected. I’m supporting J Street in its fight against AIPAC and the Zionists. I’m supporting the SAFE California Act, the proposition to abolish the death penalty. And I’m supporting the legalization of marijuana. Those issues are far more important than some fucking Jewish slut’s dress.”
Sotheby’s reports that this was the highest amount ever bid on a piece of clothing. In 1999, Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ dress fetched $1.26 million at Christie’s. That’s the dress Monroe wore in 1952 during a birthday tribute to President John F. Kennedy. She was reported to have bedded both President Kennedy and his brother Robert.
“Monica Lewinsky’s dress represents a piece of American history,” said The Donald. “It’s worth every penny I paid for it. The semen stain which is still preserved on the dress proved that President Clinton lied when he denied that Monica ever sucked his cock in the Oval Office of the White House.” Trump added, “I’m going to put it on permanent display in the lobby of the [New York] Trump International Hotel & Tower for the whole world to see.”
Also on Friday, Bill Clinton gave the commencement address at Redondo Beach [California] High School where his nephew Tyler Clinton was graduating. The former President urged the graduates to take chances. Afterwards, when a reporter asked Clinton what he thought about the auction of Lewinsky’s dress, a visibly angry Hillary Clinton snapped back with, “Listen you bitch, if I wasn’t the Secretary of State, I’d take Bill’s dick and shove it up your fucking nose!” As for taking chances, her husband certainly did that with Lewinsky.
As she approaches her 39th birthday, The Schalotte notes that it seems like only yesterday when Monica was crawling around the White House on her hands and knees, putting everything in her mouth.
By Ima Schmuck
The Schalotte
June 18, 2012
Monica Lewinsky, who turns 39 next month, has auctioned off her famous blue dress which still contains Bill Clinton’s semen stains and backed up her story that she gave the former president nine blow jobs in the Oval Office between November 1995 and March 1997.
In late July 1998, Lewinsky turned the dress over to Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr's investigators. An FBI lab analysis of blood samples taken from Clinton on August 3 and on August 17 concluded that Clinton was the source of the semen on the dress "to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty."
The dress was returned to Lewinsky who kept it in a safe-deposit box until last month when she turned it over to Sotheby’s, the prominent auctioneers.
On Friday, Sotheby’s auctioned off the dress. The bidding was furious and quickly approached the $1 million mark. Near the end, Donald Trump battled it out with the Koch brothers before submitting the winning bid of $1.3 million.
Democrat billionaire George Soros dropped out of the bidding after it reached $800,000. “I wanted to burn that Jewish slut’s dress,” Soros said. “But I’ve got other priorities for my money. I want to help President Obama get reelected. I’m supporting J Street in its fight against AIPAC and the Zionists. I’m supporting the SAFE California Act, the proposition to abolish the death penalty. And I’m supporting the legalization of marijuana. Those issues are far more important than some fucking Jewish slut’s dress.”
Sotheby’s reports that this was the highest amount ever bid on a piece of clothing. In 1999, Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ dress fetched $1.26 million at Christie’s. That’s the dress Monroe wore in 1952 during a birthday tribute to President John F. Kennedy. She was reported to have bedded both President Kennedy and his brother Robert.
“Monica Lewinsky’s dress represents a piece of American history,” said The Donald. “It’s worth every penny I paid for it. The semen stain which is still preserved on the dress proved that President Clinton lied when he denied that Monica ever sucked his cock in the Oval Office of the White House.” Trump added, “I’m going to put it on permanent display in the lobby of the [New York] Trump International Hotel & Tower for the whole world to see.”
Also on Friday, Bill Clinton gave the commencement address at Redondo Beach [California] High School where his nephew Tyler Clinton was graduating. The former President urged the graduates to take chances. Afterwards, when a reporter asked Clinton what he thought about the auction of Lewinsky’s dress, a visibly angry Hillary Clinton snapped back with, “Listen you bitch, if I wasn’t the Secretary of State, I’d take Bill’s dick and shove it up your fucking nose!” As for taking chances, her husband certainly did that with Lewinsky.
As she approaches her 39th birthday, The Schalotte notes that it seems like only yesterday when Monica was crawling around the White House on her hands and knees, putting everything in her mouth.
Monday, June 18, 2012
RODNEY KING: GOOD RIDDANCE!
If the ex-con had not resisted a lawful arrest, there would have been no beating and no riots
Rodney King, 47, was found dead Sunday morning at the bottom of the swimming pool at his home in Rialto, California. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.
The L.A. cops have received all the blame for the riots that occurred after the acquittal of four officers for the 1991 beating of King, a worthless ex-con. It all started when Tim and Melanie Singer, a CHP husband-and-wife team, pulled him and two male companions over after a high-speed traffic chase. While King’s companions offered no resistance, King did and Melanie Singer could not handle him. Enter some L.A. cops and the rest is history.
Had King, who is believed to have been high on something, not resisted arrest, Melanie Singer would have been able to take him into custody and that would have been that. But Singer’s inability was not her fault. King was a giant of a man and even a male cop probably would not have been able to subdue him under the same circumstances without resorting to extreme force – four L.A. cops couldn’t do it until they kicked the shit out of him.
King has been busted at least five or six times since a jury awarded him $3.8 million for the beating. He was at best a doper and a drunk. Rodney's fiance told police he had been smoking pot and drinking all night before his terminal rehabilitation at the bottom of his pool.
The fault for King getting beat up and the subsequent riots is not that of Melanie Singer, nor that of the four L.A. cops that kicked the shit out of old Rodney until he stopped resisting. The fault is almost entirely King’s – the media helped by running a loop of the video tape that made it look like the beating went on and on and on, which of course it did not.
Long live the King? Hell no, not this one! I say good riddance to Rodney.
Rodney King, 47, was found dead Sunday morning at the bottom of the swimming pool at his home in Rialto, California. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.
The L.A. cops have received all the blame for the riots that occurred after the acquittal of four officers for the 1991 beating of King, a worthless ex-con. It all started when Tim and Melanie Singer, a CHP husband-and-wife team, pulled him and two male companions over after a high-speed traffic chase. While King’s companions offered no resistance, King did and Melanie Singer could not handle him. Enter some L.A. cops and the rest is history.
Had King, who is believed to have been high on something, not resisted arrest, Melanie Singer would have been able to take him into custody and that would have been that. But Singer’s inability was not her fault. King was a giant of a man and even a male cop probably would not have been able to subdue him under the same circumstances without resorting to extreme force – four L.A. cops couldn’t do it until they kicked the shit out of him.
King has been busted at least five or six times since a jury awarded him $3.8 million for the beating. He was at best a doper and a drunk. Rodney's fiance told police he had been smoking pot and drinking all night before his terminal rehabilitation at the bottom of his pool.
The fault for King getting beat up and the subsequent riots is not that of Melanie Singer, nor that of the four L.A. cops that kicked the shit out of old Rodney until he stopped resisting. The fault is almost entirely King’s – the media helped by running a loop of the video tape that made it look like the beating went on and on and on, which of course it did not.
Long live the King? Hell no, not this one! I say good riddance to Rodney.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CRIME VICTIMS CALL A BUDGET-DEPLEATED COP SHOP?
Burglary victims were placed on prioritized waiting list; it took Oakland cops 3-1/2 hours to show up
Oakland, like other cash-strapped, near-bankrupt cities, has laid off a bunch of cops. The Obama administration is blaming Republicans for blocking the federal government from funding more teaches, firefighters and cops. I always thought that the funding of teachers, firefighters and cops was a local and state responsibility.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU CALL THE COPS AND THEY ARE TOO BUSY TO COME?
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 16, 2012
An interesting thing happened in the crime-ridden shithole of Oakland last week. Someone kicked in the front door of the Maher home in the Temescal neighborhood (a better area in Oakland). They called the cops around 10 p.m. They were smart enough to realize that entering the home could be hazardous to their health. The cops told them there were 109 calls ahead of them, including nine priority calls which included a hostage situation. Eventually the parents entered the home, leaving their three children in the yard. It was in fact clear.
The cops finally came, about 1:40 a.m., and left a sticky note on their door.
Alarms are common in the better areas, but it can take the cops a long time to respond to even a real burglary alarm.
What do the cops do when there is more crime than the cops can handle? What do the citizens do, other than suffer with it?
Oakland, like other cash-strapped, near-bankrupt cities, has laid off a bunch of cops. The Obama administration is blaming Republicans for blocking the federal government from funding more teaches, firefighters and cops. I always thought that the funding of teachers, firefighters and cops was a local and state responsibility.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU CALL THE COPS AND THEY ARE TOO BUSY TO COME?
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 16, 2012
An interesting thing happened in the crime-ridden shithole of Oakland last week. Someone kicked in the front door of the Maher home in the Temescal neighborhood (a better area in Oakland). They called the cops around 10 p.m. They were smart enough to realize that entering the home could be hazardous to their health. The cops told them there were 109 calls ahead of them, including nine priority calls which included a hostage situation. Eventually the parents entered the home, leaving their three children in the yard. It was in fact clear.
The cops finally came, about 1:40 a.m., and left a sticky note on their door.
Alarms are common in the better areas, but it can take the cops a long time to respond to even a real burglary alarm.
What do the cops do when there is more crime than the cops can handle? What do the citizens do, other than suffer with it?
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