By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
November 30, 2013
The city of Oakland, CA. has a program called Highway To Work. It is run by the city and by Alameda County and provides, at least in theory, a work program for “young criminal offenders.”
The city is pulling out of the program and will reevaluate it after Christian Leonard, 19, was busted on the program with a gun (for protection) and some coke for sale (his “regular” job is a street pharmaceutical salesman). Leonard was in the program as a weed abatement worker for the Public Works Agency.
Christian had a semi-auto with the serial numbers filed off and 17 twists of coke on him when he was arrested. His most recent prior beef was carrying a gun. I guess selling drugs pays better, and is more emotionally rewarding, than $10 an hour weedwacking.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
LIKE THE MAFIA AND THE HELLS ANGELS, MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS EXPANDING INTO LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES
If the U.S., the main consumer of cartel drugs, were to legalize drugs, the cartels would simply find other criminal enterprises and continue to invest their ill begotten gains in legitimate businesses
In its heyday, the Mafia took its ill begotten gains and invested them in food companies, trucking companies, garment companies, garbage disposal companies and other legitimate businesses. The Profaci family invested heavily in Progresso Foods and in the Colavita olive oil company, becoming the largest importer of olive oil into this country. (Colavita also makes my favorite red wine vinegar.) The Lucchesi family owned the original Bertolli food company.
The Hells Angels have invested money from illegal meth operations in Monterey’s Cannery Row and other businesses.
So it should come as no surprise that the Mexican cartels are expanding into legitimate businesses as well.
MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS MAKE MONEY EXPORTING IRON ORE TO CHINA
Associated Press
November 29, 2013
MEXICO CITY — Mexican drug cartels looking to diversify their businesses long ago moved into oil theft, pirated goods, extortion, and kidnapping, consuming an ever larger swath of the country's economy. This month, federal officials confirmed the cartels have even entered the country's lucrative mining industry, exporting iron ore to Chinese mills.
Such large-scale illegal mining operations were long thought to be wild rumor, but federal officials confirmed they had known about the cartels' involvement in mining since 2010, and that the Nov. 4 military takeover of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico's second-largest port, was aimed at cutting off the cartels' export trade.
That news served as a wake-up call to Mexicans that drug traffickers have penetrated the country's economy at unheard-of levels, becoming true Mafia-style organizations.
The Knights Templar cartel and its predecessor, the La Familia drug gang, have been stealing or extorting shipments of iron ore, or illegally extracting the mineral themselves and selling it through Pacific coast ports, said Michoacan residents, mining companies, and current and former federal officials.
The cartel had already imposed demands for "protection payments" on many in the state, including shopkeepers, ranchers, and farmers.
But so deeply entrenched was the cartel connection to mines, mills, ports, export firms and land holders that it took authorities three years to confront the phenomenon head-on. Federal officials said they are looking to crack down on other ports where drug gangs are operating.
"This is the terrible thing about this process of [the cartel's] taking control of and reconfiguring the state," said Guillermo Valdes Castellanos, the former head of the country's top domestic intelligence agency. "They managed to impose a Mafia-style control of organized crime, and the different social groups like port authorities, transnational companies and local landowners, had to get in line."
Valdez Castellanos said that even back in 2010, the La Familia cartel would take ore from areas that were under concession to private mining companies, sometimes with the aid or complicity of local farmers and land owners, then sell the ore to processors, distributors and even, apparently, foreign firms.
Mexico's Economy Department said the problem was so severe that it prompted the government to quietly toughen rules on exporters in 2011 and 2012 and make them prove they received their ore from established, recognized sources.
Many exporters couldn't. In 2012, the department denied export applications from 13 companies, because they didn't meet the new rules. And the problem wasn't just limited to Michoacan, or the Knights Templar cartel.
"Since 2010, evidence surfaced of irregular mining of iron in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan and Colima," the department said in a statement to The Associated Press.
"That illegal activity was encouraged by the great demand for iron by countries such as China, to develop their industries," according to the department. "Many trading companies began to build up big stockpiles of legally and illegally obtained iron [ore], that was later shipped out for export."
A Mexican federal official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said the cartels would use a combination of threats and outright theft to get the ore from mines. He said the nexus between the cartels and export companies was key.
"They extort the merchandise from mining companies and then export it through legal companies, or they rob trucks full [of ore] that later turn up in a legal manner, through a distributor, and export it," said the official. "The incredible thing is that they export it, these guys are exporting to South America and Asia."
Ofelia Alcala, a resident of the Michoacan mining village of Aquila, said that since 2012, the Knights Templar cartel demanded residents hand over part of the royalty payments from a local iron ore mine operated by Ternium, a Luxembourg-based consortium.
Alcala, a member of a self-defense group that rose up in arms in Aquila this summer to kick the cartel out, said the cartel also had been hiring people to extract the ore without permits, and then exporting it through another Pacific coast port, Manzanillo.
"They weren't content with getting our money and robbing our trucks, so they began secretly extracting our minerals," Alcala said.
Ternium said in a statement that it has received reports of irregular mining near its operations in Aquila.
"Those have been passed on to the appropriate authorities," the company said in a statement.
Government figures show the amount of iron ore being exported to China quadrupled between 2008 and the first half of 2013, rising to 4.6 million tons per year, precisely during the period the La Familia cartel and later the Knights Templar cemented their control over Michoacan.
In 2008, Lazaro Cardenas handled only 1.5 percent of Mexico's iron ore exports to China; by mid-2013, the seaport was shipping out nearly half.
In 2010, the attorney general's office estimated the cartels shipped 1.1 million tons of illegally extracted iron ore abroad that year.
Officials said the export scheme may have involved other sea ports, and that more military takeovers may be necessary.
The cartel mining issue also resurfaced last year in the coal-mining state of Coahuila bordering Texas. The former governor, Humberto Moreira, called a press conference to claim that Heriberto Lazcano, leader of the Zetas cartel, was running illegal coal mining ventures and partnering with legitimate ones. So far, none of the accusations have been proven.
The only known arrests related to cartel mining operations occurred in Michoacan in 2010, when Ignacio Lopez Medina, an alleged member of La Familia, was accused of selling ore illegally to China, the federal Attorney General's Office said at the time.
But the arrest apparently came to little; the Attorney General's Office could not say whether Lopez Medina had been tried or convicted of that crime, nor could The Associated Press determine if he is represented by a lawyer or is still in custody.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce did not immediately respond to requests for information on companies that have been involved in buying ore from cartels, knowingly or otherwise.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry declined to comment on whether China had any measures in place to ensure the legal provenance of such imports.
The iron ore, meanwhile, has both swelled the cartels' bankrolls, giving them more money to buy guns and bribe officials, and fed the hunger of Asian steel mills.
And it may be a two-way trade: Precursor chemicals the cartel uses to make methamphetamines often arrive from China at both the Lazaro Cardenas and Manzanillo ports.
In its heyday, the Mafia took its ill begotten gains and invested them in food companies, trucking companies, garment companies, garbage disposal companies and other legitimate businesses. The Profaci family invested heavily in Progresso Foods and in the Colavita olive oil company, becoming the largest importer of olive oil into this country. (Colavita also makes my favorite red wine vinegar.) The Lucchesi family owned the original Bertolli food company.
The Hells Angels have invested money from illegal meth operations in Monterey’s Cannery Row and other businesses.
So it should come as no surprise that the Mexican cartels are expanding into legitimate businesses as well.
MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS MAKE MONEY EXPORTING IRON ORE TO CHINA
Associated Press
November 29, 2013
MEXICO CITY — Mexican drug cartels looking to diversify their businesses long ago moved into oil theft, pirated goods, extortion, and kidnapping, consuming an ever larger swath of the country's economy. This month, federal officials confirmed the cartels have even entered the country's lucrative mining industry, exporting iron ore to Chinese mills.
Such large-scale illegal mining operations were long thought to be wild rumor, but federal officials confirmed they had known about the cartels' involvement in mining since 2010, and that the Nov. 4 military takeover of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico's second-largest port, was aimed at cutting off the cartels' export trade.
That news served as a wake-up call to Mexicans that drug traffickers have penetrated the country's economy at unheard-of levels, becoming true Mafia-style organizations.
The Knights Templar cartel and its predecessor, the La Familia drug gang, have been stealing or extorting shipments of iron ore, or illegally extracting the mineral themselves and selling it through Pacific coast ports, said Michoacan residents, mining companies, and current and former federal officials.
The cartel had already imposed demands for "protection payments" on many in the state, including shopkeepers, ranchers, and farmers.
But so deeply entrenched was the cartel connection to mines, mills, ports, export firms and land holders that it took authorities three years to confront the phenomenon head-on. Federal officials said they are looking to crack down on other ports where drug gangs are operating.
"This is the terrible thing about this process of [the cartel's] taking control of and reconfiguring the state," said Guillermo Valdes Castellanos, the former head of the country's top domestic intelligence agency. "They managed to impose a Mafia-style control of organized crime, and the different social groups like port authorities, transnational companies and local landowners, had to get in line."
Valdez Castellanos said that even back in 2010, the La Familia cartel would take ore from areas that were under concession to private mining companies, sometimes with the aid or complicity of local farmers and land owners, then sell the ore to processors, distributors and even, apparently, foreign firms.
Mexico's Economy Department said the problem was so severe that it prompted the government to quietly toughen rules on exporters in 2011 and 2012 and make them prove they received their ore from established, recognized sources.
Many exporters couldn't. In 2012, the department denied export applications from 13 companies, because they didn't meet the new rules. And the problem wasn't just limited to Michoacan, or the Knights Templar cartel.
"Since 2010, evidence surfaced of irregular mining of iron in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan and Colima," the department said in a statement to The Associated Press.
"That illegal activity was encouraged by the great demand for iron by countries such as China, to develop their industries," according to the department. "Many trading companies began to build up big stockpiles of legally and illegally obtained iron [ore], that was later shipped out for export."
A Mexican federal official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said the cartels would use a combination of threats and outright theft to get the ore from mines. He said the nexus between the cartels and export companies was key.
"They extort the merchandise from mining companies and then export it through legal companies, or they rob trucks full [of ore] that later turn up in a legal manner, through a distributor, and export it," said the official. "The incredible thing is that they export it, these guys are exporting to South America and Asia."
Ofelia Alcala, a resident of the Michoacan mining village of Aquila, said that since 2012, the Knights Templar cartel demanded residents hand over part of the royalty payments from a local iron ore mine operated by Ternium, a Luxembourg-based consortium.
Alcala, a member of a self-defense group that rose up in arms in Aquila this summer to kick the cartel out, said the cartel also had been hiring people to extract the ore without permits, and then exporting it through another Pacific coast port, Manzanillo.
"They weren't content with getting our money and robbing our trucks, so they began secretly extracting our minerals," Alcala said.
Ternium said in a statement that it has received reports of irregular mining near its operations in Aquila.
"Those have been passed on to the appropriate authorities," the company said in a statement.
Government figures show the amount of iron ore being exported to China quadrupled between 2008 and the first half of 2013, rising to 4.6 million tons per year, precisely during the period the La Familia cartel and later the Knights Templar cemented their control over Michoacan.
In 2008, Lazaro Cardenas handled only 1.5 percent of Mexico's iron ore exports to China; by mid-2013, the seaport was shipping out nearly half.
In 2010, the attorney general's office estimated the cartels shipped 1.1 million tons of illegally extracted iron ore abroad that year.
Officials said the export scheme may have involved other sea ports, and that more military takeovers may be necessary.
The cartel mining issue also resurfaced last year in the coal-mining state of Coahuila bordering Texas. The former governor, Humberto Moreira, called a press conference to claim that Heriberto Lazcano, leader of the Zetas cartel, was running illegal coal mining ventures and partnering with legitimate ones. So far, none of the accusations have been proven.
The only known arrests related to cartel mining operations occurred in Michoacan in 2010, when Ignacio Lopez Medina, an alleged member of La Familia, was accused of selling ore illegally to China, the federal Attorney General's Office said at the time.
But the arrest apparently came to little; the Attorney General's Office could not say whether Lopez Medina had been tried or convicted of that crime, nor could The Associated Press determine if he is represented by a lawyer or is still in custody.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce did not immediately respond to requests for information on companies that have been involved in buying ore from cartels, knowingly or otherwise.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry declined to comment on whether China had any measures in place to ensure the legal provenance of such imports.
The iron ore, meanwhile, has both swelled the cartels' bankrolls, giving them more money to buy guns and bribe officials, and fed the hunger of Asian steel mills.
And it may be a two-way trade: Precursor chemicals the cartel uses to make methamphetamines often arrive from China at both the Lazaro Cardenas and Manzanillo ports.
ISRAEL WILL HAVE TO ACCEPT OBAMA’S DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION TO IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Netanyahu might as well resign himself to letting the Obama administration settle the Iranian nuclear problem through the use of diplomacy, rather than by a military strike.
OBAMA ASKS NETANYAHU FOR ‘A BREATHER ‘ FROM IRAN CRITICISM
By Cathy Burke
Newsmax
November 29, 2013
President Obama has asked Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "take a breather" from his "clamorous criticism" of an interim deal with Iran over its nuclear program while the United States starts talks on a comprehensive pact, the Washington Post reported.
Obama and Netanyahu spoke on the phone Sunday, in a conversation meant to calm the prime minister's concerns about the "first stage" deal between Tehran and the P5+1 countries — the permanent five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
"A wild card in these negotiations is Israel," Post columnist David Ignatius wrote Wednesday about the next stage of the talks with Iran.
"Obama has asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take a breather from his clamorous criticism and send to Washington a team that can explore with U.S. officials a sound end-state strategy. Perhaps the United States and Israel need a back channel, outside the bombastic pressure campaign by Israeli advocates."
After weeks of Israeli officials publicly condemning the deal, Netanyahu and Obama have agreed to send an Israeli delegation to Washington to discuss strategy for a permanent agreement with the Obama administration, in a clear shift to backroom diplomacy, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.
Last Sunday’s accord with Iran is a six-month agreement with an option to extend, meant to limit the Iranian nuclear program as the P5+1 try to hammer out a comprehensive accord with Iran. In return, Iran received some sanctions relief.
"Now that the Obama administration has won its breakthrough first-step nuclear deal with Iran, officials are planning strategy for the decisive second round that, over the next six months, will seek a broader and tougher comprehensive agreement," Ignatius wrote.
"This 'end state' negotiation, as officials describe it, promises to be more difficult because the United States and its negotiating partners will seek to dismantle parts of the Iranian program, rather than simply freeze them. Another complication is that negotiators will be fending off even more brickbats from hard-liners in Israel, Congress and Tehran.
"If the interim deal was reached largely in secret, through a back channel provided by Oman, this one will have to be negotiated in the diplomatic equivalent of a circus ring, with hoots and catcalls from bystanders."
OBAMA ASKS NETANYAHU FOR ‘A BREATHER ‘ FROM IRAN CRITICISM
By Cathy Burke
Newsmax
November 29, 2013
President Obama has asked Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "take a breather" from his "clamorous criticism" of an interim deal with Iran over its nuclear program while the United States starts talks on a comprehensive pact, the Washington Post reported.
Obama and Netanyahu spoke on the phone Sunday, in a conversation meant to calm the prime minister's concerns about the "first stage" deal between Tehran and the P5+1 countries — the permanent five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
"A wild card in these negotiations is Israel," Post columnist David Ignatius wrote Wednesday about the next stage of the talks with Iran.
"Obama has asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take a breather from his clamorous criticism and send to Washington a team that can explore with U.S. officials a sound end-state strategy. Perhaps the United States and Israel need a back channel, outside the bombastic pressure campaign by Israeli advocates."
After weeks of Israeli officials publicly condemning the deal, Netanyahu and Obama have agreed to send an Israeli delegation to Washington to discuss strategy for a permanent agreement with the Obama administration, in a clear shift to backroom diplomacy, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.
Last Sunday’s accord with Iran is a six-month agreement with an option to extend, meant to limit the Iranian nuclear program as the P5+1 try to hammer out a comprehensive accord with Iran. In return, Iran received some sanctions relief.
"Now that the Obama administration has won its breakthrough first-step nuclear deal with Iran, officials are planning strategy for the decisive second round that, over the next six months, will seek a broader and tougher comprehensive agreement," Ignatius wrote.
"This 'end state' negotiation, as officials describe it, promises to be more difficult because the United States and its negotiating partners will seek to dismantle parts of the Iranian program, rather than simply freeze them. Another complication is that negotiators will be fending off even more brickbats from hard-liners in Israel, Congress and Tehran.
"If the interim deal was reached largely in secret, through a back channel provided by Oman, this one will have to be negotiated in the diplomatic equivalent of a circus ring, with hoots and catcalls from bystanders."
YOUNG GIRLS STRUNG UP BY GULF CARTEL IN ITS WAR WITH THE ZETAS
A banner bearing a narco message was left with the two hanging bodies daring the Zetas to retaliate
Hmm, there had to be witnesses to the hanging from a pedestrian overpass and I wonder why none of them have come forward to describe what they observed when the two girls were strung up.
GULF CARTEL HANGS TWO YOUNG GIRLS WITH MESSAGE TO ZETAS
Borderland Beat
November 29, 2013
On November 25, 2013 a horrific scene unfolded early in the morning in Fresnillo Zacatecas when two bodies were seen ganging on a pedestrian bridge. A narco message was left in a banner hanging on the bridge next to the bodies and was signed by the Gulf Cartel (CDG).
The victims were both young females that are not named here at BB as requested by the family for fear of retaliation. Both young girls were ages 15 and 16 and had been reported missing since November 20, 2013. They were held by members fo the CDG in order to gather information of Los Zetas. Both of the victims were students and were known to associate with members of organize crime.
The general public and vehicles that were travelling under the bridge were witness to the scene as the two bodies were dangling from the bridge. The authorities quickly arrived and they attempted to secure the scene.
The bodies were hanging from what appeared to be yellow plastic chords.
One of the massages on the narco banner (manta) read: "Fucking Z Juan Bandido don't be a faggot, confront us whore, come and pick up your trash, so you know whore here is the CDG, under the command of M3. Respond for your people, don't be a coward."
The other banner on the other side of the bridge had a similar message but the exact words were not available.
Los Zetas are fighting to regain control of Fresnillo, they have sent messages in the past declaring that Fresnillo will never be territory of CDG. In the last few weeks CDG has been abducting people in Fresnillo, and warning that they are going after Los Zetas. This has open full wage war in Zacatecas, especially in the region of Fresnillo. Young girls have been the hardest hit, where at least 25 girls have been abducted in the last month alone.
The bodies and banners were hanged before sunrise and there were no witnesses that came forward.
Hmm, there had to be witnesses to the hanging from a pedestrian overpass and I wonder why none of them have come forward to describe what they observed when the two girls were strung up.
GULF CARTEL HANGS TWO YOUNG GIRLS WITH MESSAGE TO ZETAS
Borderland Beat
November 29, 2013
On November 25, 2013 a horrific scene unfolded early in the morning in Fresnillo Zacatecas when two bodies were seen ganging on a pedestrian bridge. A narco message was left in a banner hanging on the bridge next to the bodies and was signed by the Gulf Cartel (CDG).
The victims were both young females that are not named here at BB as requested by the family for fear of retaliation. Both young girls were ages 15 and 16 and had been reported missing since November 20, 2013. They were held by members fo the CDG in order to gather information of Los Zetas. Both of the victims were students and were known to associate with members of organize crime.
The general public and vehicles that were travelling under the bridge were witness to the scene as the two bodies were dangling from the bridge. The authorities quickly arrived and they attempted to secure the scene.
The bodies were hanging from what appeared to be yellow plastic chords.
One of the massages on the narco banner (manta) read: "Fucking Z Juan Bandido don't be a faggot, confront us whore, come and pick up your trash, so you know whore here is the CDG, under the command of M3. Respond for your people, don't be a coward."
The other banner on the other side of the bridge had a similar message but the exact words were not available.
Los Zetas are fighting to regain control of Fresnillo, they have sent messages in the past declaring that Fresnillo will never be territory of CDG. In the last few weeks CDG has been abducting people in Fresnillo, and warning that they are going after Los Zetas. This has open full wage war in Zacatecas, especially in the region of Fresnillo. Young girls have been the hardest hit, where at least 25 girls have been abducted in the last month alone.
The bodies and banners were hanged before sunrise and there were no witnesses that came forward.
YOGA TO MAKE INMATES COMPASSIONATE?
Can't you just see the mellowing effects of Yoga on Charlie Manson, Phillip Garrido, Sirhan Sirhan and, of course, on all the hunger-striking inmates at Pelican Bay.
JIM FREEMAN: FORMER LAWYER WANTS TO BRING YOGA TO PRISONS
By Craig Malisow
Houston Press Hair Balls | November 29, 2013
Prison must be a stressful environment -- especially if you're innocent! Sure, you can blow off steam with weights, or by the occasional shiv fight, but non-practicing Austin attorney, but practicing Buddhist, Jim Freeman wants to take inmates to a higher level -- through the power of yoga.
Freeman told the Texas Lawyer's wonderful Tex Parte Blog about his goal to launch a yoga program in every Texas prison, saying "The people I want to help are the ones who have been thrown away, the ones that are in there forever. It's a desire to improve life inside that pushes my button."
Freeman founded Conviction Yoga (whose website mysteriously wasn't working for us earlier this week) and plans for it to be a non-profit that, through fundraising, "will support prison yoga teachers across Texas," according to the blog. "For now, three days per week, he drives around the state to towns with 'clusters' of prisons. He can visit three prisons in one 16-hour day."
Sessions usually kick off with "Sun Salutation," which "starts with a person extending his arms to the side and overhead before bowing to touch his toes."
Of course, this can be a tight fit for inmates in the more economy-size cells.
Freeman told Tex Parte that he always asks the inmates "'What does your cell look like?' Some of them have big cells; some of them have very small cells. The front of your yoga mat is bars, and the back of your yoga mat is where the sink and toilet is."
He said that yoga could potentially be an emotional release for the prisoners, and help them build "the ability to have compassion."
Kudos to Freeman for thinking outside the box. We wish him the best of luck. Now we must go practice our downward-facing dog.
JIM FREEMAN: FORMER LAWYER WANTS TO BRING YOGA TO PRISONS
By Craig Malisow
Houston Press Hair Balls | November 29, 2013
Prison must be a stressful environment -- especially if you're innocent! Sure, you can blow off steam with weights, or by the occasional shiv fight, but non-practicing Austin attorney, but practicing Buddhist, Jim Freeman wants to take inmates to a higher level -- through the power of yoga.
Freeman told the Texas Lawyer's wonderful Tex Parte Blog about his goal to launch a yoga program in every Texas prison, saying "The people I want to help are the ones who have been thrown away, the ones that are in there forever. It's a desire to improve life inside that pushes my button."
Freeman founded Conviction Yoga (whose website mysteriously wasn't working for us earlier this week) and plans for it to be a non-profit that, through fundraising, "will support prison yoga teachers across Texas," according to the blog. "For now, three days per week, he drives around the state to towns with 'clusters' of prisons. He can visit three prisons in one 16-hour day."
Sessions usually kick off with "Sun Salutation," which "starts with a person extending his arms to the side and overhead before bowing to touch his toes."
Of course, this can be a tight fit for inmates in the more economy-size cells.
Freeman told Tex Parte that he always asks the inmates "'What does your cell look like?' Some of them have big cells; some of them have very small cells. The front of your yoga mat is bars, and the back of your yoga mat is where the sink and toilet is."
He said that yoga could potentially be an emotional release for the prisoners, and help them build "the ability to have compassion."
Kudos to Freeman for thinking outside the box. We wish him the best of luck. Now we must go practice our downward-facing dog.
Friday, November 29, 2013
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN GOING DOWNHILL FAST (UPDATE)
Arrested November 18 after his new girlfriend alleged he threatened her with a shotgun
Newly released court documents reveal that when Zimmerman was arrested, he had five guns and more than 100 rounds of ammo at his girlfriend’s house. The guns were a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 assault rifle, and three handguns. The handguns did not include the gun he used when he shot Trayvon Martin. That gun is being held by the feds who are still investigating whether to charge him with violating Martin’s civil rights.
Zimmerman has turned into a head-case and become a poster boy for the gun control crowd. He’s clearly giving the Second Amendment a bad name.
The wannabe cop has gone from being a dumb jerk who disregarded a police dispatcher’s instructions to remain in his car before he confronted Martin, to a gun-threatening nutjob. While I still believe Zimmerman was justified in shooting Martin, I also think he has reached a dangerous state of mind and should no longer be allowed to possess any firearms because it will likely be only a matter of time before he’ll shoot someone else.
Newly released court documents reveal that when Zimmerman was arrested, he had five guns and more than 100 rounds of ammo at his girlfriend’s house. The guns were a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 assault rifle, and three handguns. The handguns did not include the gun he used when he shot Trayvon Martin. That gun is being held by the feds who are still investigating whether to charge him with violating Martin’s civil rights.
Zimmerman has turned into a head-case and become a poster boy for the gun control crowd. He’s clearly giving the Second Amendment a bad name.
The wannabe cop has gone from being a dumb jerk who disregarded a police dispatcher’s instructions to remain in his car before he confronted Martin, to a gun-threatening nutjob. While I still believe Zimmerman was justified in shooting Martin, I also think he has reached a dangerous state of mind and should no longer be allowed to possess any firearms because it will likely be only a matter of time before he’ll shoot someone else.
BIENVENIDO DE VUELTRA A ESTADOS UNIDOS EL PONCHIS
Cartel sicario El Ponchis is sent to the U.S. after serving three years in a Mexican prison for beheading four men when he was only 14 years old
Edgar Jimenez Lugo, 17, aka El Ponchis, is back in the U.S. where he was born. He was arrested in December 2010 by Mexican authorities and convicted of beheading four men and kidnapping three others as a 14-year-old sicario (hit man) for the South Pacific Cartel. At the time of his arrest, Lugo admitted to participating in kidnappings, tortures and beheadings as ordered by the cartel.
The 14-year-old had been accused of abduction, torture by beheading, transportation of drugs, possession of military use-only weapons, and military use of weapons during his membership in the South Pacific Cartel. El Ponchis was later linked to 300 killings in Morelos, Mexico where his job was to behead and mutilate his victims. He has just been released from prions because his three-year sentence had expired. Under Mexican law, three years was the maximum sentence Lugo could have received for someone his age.
El Ponchis was just one of a growing number of child sicarios who are paid by the cartels to carry out kidnappings and murders.
Although he was born in the U.S., Lugo spent much of his young life in Mexico where his sisters and an aunt live. His mother now lives in San Diego, but he was sent to San Antonio where an aunt said she would be responsible for him. Lugo is supposed to enter a rehabilitation center where it is hoped he will be cured of his criminal ways.
Welcome back to the United States El Ponchis. And have a Happy Thanksgiving too.
Edgar Jimenez Lugo, 17, aka El Ponchis, is back in the U.S. where he was born. He was arrested in December 2010 by Mexican authorities and convicted of beheading four men and kidnapping three others as a 14-year-old sicario (hit man) for the South Pacific Cartel. At the time of his arrest, Lugo admitted to participating in kidnappings, tortures and beheadings as ordered by the cartel.
The 14-year-old had been accused of abduction, torture by beheading, transportation of drugs, possession of military use-only weapons, and military use of weapons during his membership in the South Pacific Cartel. El Ponchis was later linked to 300 killings in Morelos, Mexico where his job was to behead and mutilate his victims. He has just been released from prions because his three-year sentence had expired. Under Mexican law, three years was the maximum sentence Lugo could have received for someone his age.
El Ponchis was just one of a growing number of child sicarios who are paid by the cartels to carry out kidnappings and murders.
Although he was born in the U.S., Lugo spent much of his young life in Mexico where his sisters and an aunt live. His mother now lives in San Diego, but he was sent to San Antonio where an aunt said she would be responsible for him. Lugo is supposed to enter a rehabilitation center where it is hoped he will be cured of his criminal ways.
Welcome back to the United States El Ponchis. And have a Happy Thanksgiving too.
INGENIOUS COCAINE SMUGGLING TECHNIQUE UNCOVERED
17 kilos of pure cocaine were concealed inside plastic pouches containing 16,000 tropical fish of which only 34 survived
Among the surviving fish were four giant arowanas from the Amazon now on display in a British zoo’s aquarium.
FOUR GIANT SOUTH AMERICAN TROPICAL FISH SURVIVED BEING USED TO SMUGGLE LIQUID COCAINE ON FLIGHT FROM COLOMBIA TO LONDON
Smugglers caught as investigators intercepted 25 boxes containing 16,000 fish and liquid cocaine
By Anna Edwards
Mail Online
November 28, 2013
Smugglers used bags of giant tropical fish to conceal a huge haul of liquid cocaine worth £4.5milllion they were sneaking into the country,
Investigators intercepted 25 boxes containing 16,000 fish that arrived on an American Airlines flight from Colombia to Heathrow Airport in July 2011.
Olaf Urlik, 33, and Norbert Jarzabek, 32, both of Poland attempted to smuggle 17 kilos of pure cocaine, worth millions, into the UK using bags containing live tropical fish. Both were jailed for 11 years for drug smuggling.
The cocaine was dissolved in fluid inside plastic pouches and stitched into an inner bag holding the live fish, including sting rays and catfish.
The consignment was tracked by investigators as the men collected it from the airport.
The court heard that the consignment was tracked by investigators to a house at Wollaton, which had been rented by Jarzabek two months earlier.
The men collected the cargo from the airport and brought it back to Nottingham to be unpacked, unaware it had been bugged.
Prosecutor Robert Davies said: 'There were various jokes about the state of health of the fish, some flapping about on the floor, and some were put in the bath.'
The pair were arrested surrounded by dead fish.
Staff from London Zoo's Aquarium rushed to Nottingham and saved 41 fish.
The court had heard there had been a dummy run in the previous April, when 16,000 tropical fish had been imported and stored in a lock-up garage in Islington.
Confident of success, they plotted the shipment which would contain the cocaine, unaware investigators were on to them.
The investigation was carried out by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), the UK Border Agency and Nottinghamshire Police.
Urlik and Jarzabek were each jailed for 11 years at Nottingham Crown Court last year.
Now the four freshwater arowanas, who are four of just 34 fish that survived the trip from Colombia to Heathrow Airport, have found a new home.
The arowanas, who usually inhabit the Amazon, were initially looked after by staff at London Zoo before several were transferred to Bristol Zoo.
Earlier this week the South American fish, along with eight pacus and a large catfish, were transported from the zoo to a new home at Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire.
Blue Planet Aquarium curator David Wolfenden said: 'The arowanas are part of a truly amazing story and we were only too pleased to offer them a permanent new home.
'Clearly the smugglers did not care at all about the fishes' welfare and the fact that nearly all of them perished during the smuggling operation is extremely sad.
'It's something of a miracle that any managed to survive the ordeal and we're glad they can now live out their time here with us in a large, purpose-built display.
'The fish were transported with the help of aquarists from our sister Bristol Aquarium and they did a great job in catching and transporting them safely,' he added.
The fish will join other re-homed species in the aquarium's giant new 'Flooded Forest' display.
Among the surviving fish were four giant arowanas from the Amazon now on display in a British zoo’s aquarium.
FOUR GIANT SOUTH AMERICAN TROPICAL FISH SURVIVED BEING USED TO SMUGGLE LIQUID COCAINE ON FLIGHT FROM COLOMBIA TO LONDON
Smugglers caught as investigators intercepted 25 boxes containing 16,000 fish and liquid cocaine
By Anna Edwards
Mail Online
November 28, 2013
Smugglers used bags of giant tropical fish to conceal a huge haul of liquid cocaine worth £4.5milllion they were sneaking into the country,
Investigators intercepted 25 boxes containing 16,000 fish that arrived on an American Airlines flight from Colombia to Heathrow Airport in July 2011.
Olaf Urlik, 33, and Norbert Jarzabek, 32, both of Poland attempted to smuggle 17 kilos of pure cocaine, worth millions, into the UK using bags containing live tropical fish. Both were jailed for 11 years for drug smuggling.
The cocaine was dissolved in fluid inside plastic pouches and stitched into an inner bag holding the live fish, including sting rays and catfish.
The consignment was tracked by investigators as the men collected it from the airport.
The court heard that the consignment was tracked by investigators to a house at Wollaton, which had been rented by Jarzabek two months earlier.
The men collected the cargo from the airport and brought it back to Nottingham to be unpacked, unaware it had been bugged.
Prosecutor Robert Davies said: 'There were various jokes about the state of health of the fish, some flapping about on the floor, and some were put in the bath.'
The pair were arrested surrounded by dead fish.
Staff from London Zoo's Aquarium rushed to Nottingham and saved 41 fish.
The court had heard there had been a dummy run in the previous April, when 16,000 tropical fish had been imported and stored in a lock-up garage in Islington.
Confident of success, they plotted the shipment which would contain the cocaine, unaware investigators were on to them.
The investigation was carried out by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), the UK Border Agency and Nottinghamshire Police.
Urlik and Jarzabek were each jailed for 11 years at Nottingham Crown Court last year.
Now the four freshwater arowanas, who are four of just 34 fish that survived the trip from Colombia to Heathrow Airport, have found a new home.
The arowanas, who usually inhabit the Amazon, were initially looked after by staff at London Zoo before several were transferred to Bristol Zoo.
Earlier this week the South American fish, along with eight pacus and a large catfish, were transported from the zoo to a new home at Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire.
Blue Planet Aquarium curator David Wolfenden said: 'The arowanas are part of a truly amazing story and we were only too pleased to offer them a permanent new home.
'Clearly the smugglers did not care at all about the fishes' welfare and the fact that nearly all of them perished during the smuggling operation is extremely sad.
'It's something of a miracle that any managed to survive the ordeal and we're glad they can now live out their time here with us in a large, purpose-built display.
'The fish were transported with the help of aquarists from our sister Bristol Aquarium and they did a great job in catching and transporting them safely,' he added.
The fish will join other re-homed species in the aquarium's giant new 'Flooded Forest' display.
TOM AND MAUREEN OGLETHORPE’S PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED
The Unconventional Gazette
November 28, 2013
During a Sunday morning church service, the Baptist preacher asked if anyone in the congregation would like to bear witness for answered prayers.
Maureen Oglethorpe stood and walked to the pulpit. She said, "I can bear witness. Two months ago, my husband, Tom, had a terrible bicycle wreck and his scrotum was completely crushed. The pain was excruciating and the doctors didn't know if surgery would succeed in restoring the crushed scrotum."
You could hear a muffled gasp from the men in the congregation as they imagine the pain that poor Tom must have experienced with his crushed balls.
"Tom was unable to hold me or the children," she went on, "and every move caused him unbearable pain. We prayed as the doctors performed a delicate operation, and it turned out they were able to piece together the crushed remnants of Tom's scrotum, and wrap wire around it to hold it in place."
Again, the men in the congregation cringed and squirmed uncomfortably as they imagined the horrible surgery performed on Tom’s balls.
"Now," she announced in a quivering voice, "thanks to the Lord, Tom is out of the hospital and the doctors say that with time, his scrotum should recover completely. Praise the Lord, our prayers were answered."
All the men sighed with unified relief.
The preacher rose and tentatively asked if anyone else had something to say. A man stood up and walked slowly to the pulpit.
He said, "I'm Tom Oglethorpe."
The entire congregation held its collective breath.
"I just want to tell my wife the word is sternum."
November 28, 2013
During a Sunday morning church service, the Baptist preacher asked if anyone in the congregation would like to bear witness for answered prayers.
Maureen Oglethorpe stood and walked to the pulpit. She said, "I can bear witness. Two months ago, my husband, Tom, had a terrible bicycle wreck and his scrotum was completely crushed. The pain was excruciating and the doctors didn't know if surgery would succeed in restoring the crushed scrotum."
You could hear a muffled gasp from the men in the congregation as they imagine the pain that poor Tom must have experienced with his crushed balls.
"Tom was unable to hold me or the children," she went on, "and every move caused him unbearable pain. We prayed as the doctors performed a delicate operation, and it turned out they were able to piece together the crushed remnants of Tom's scrotum, and wrap wire around it to hold it in place."
Again, the men in the congregation cringed and squirmed uncomfortably as they imagined the horrible surgery performed on Tom’s balls.
"Now," she announced in a quivering voice, "thanks to the Lord, Tom is out of the hospital and the doctors say that with time, his scrotum should recover completely. Praise the Lord, our prayers were answered."
All the men sighed with unified relief.
The preacher rose and tentatively asked if anyone else had something to say. A man stood up and walked slowly to the pulpit.
He said, "I'm Tom Oglethorpe."
The entire congregation held its collective breath.
"I just want to tell my wife the word is sternum."
Thursday, November 28, 2013
OJ: BUM ATTORNEY APPEAL DID NOT WORK
Simpson’s appeal might have worked had his name been O.J. Skakel with the Kennedy money working for him
“All grounds in the petition lack merit and, consequently are denied…..[Simpson] failed to demonstrate that counsel experienced an actual conflict of interest that substantially impacted counsel’s performance at trial … that the State withheld exculpatory evidence … that appellate and trial counsel were ineffective or that any deficient performance by counsel resulted in prejudice…..Mr. Simpson has failed to pinpoint significant errors that either alone or combined would have changed the outcome of his case. Given the overwhelming amount of evidence, neither the errors in this case, nor the errors collectively, cause this court to question the validity of Mr. Simpson’s conviction.”
So ruled Clark County District Judge Linda Bell on Simpson’s request for a new trial of his 2007 robbery case. In 2008, O.J. was convicted and received a 9 to 33 year in prison sentence on ten counts, including robbery and kidnapping. Simpson, accompanied by armed thugs in a Las Vegas hotel, claimed he was only trying to retrieve items from some memorabilia dealers that rightfully belonged to him.
In his appeal, Simpson claimed that his trial attorney had been ineffective, had financial and legal conflicts, and had given him bad advice. Unless a higher Nevada court overturns the ruling handed down Tuesday by Judge Bell, the murderer of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman has 4 to 18 years left on his prison term for nine remaining counts in his conviction.
Now if Simpson’s name had been O.J. Skakel, he might have had better luck with his bum attorney appeal. Then he would have had millions of Kennedy dollars working for him. All that money did work for Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel in his conviction for the murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley.
O.J. SIMPSON DENIED NEW TRIAL FOR 2007 ROBBERY CASE
By Francis McCabe
Las Vegas Review-Journal
November 26, 2013
O.J. Simpson has lost his bid for a new trial, a Clark County district judge ruled Tuesday.
The Review-Journal has learned that Judge Linda Bell rejected the notorious former football player’s contention that his trial lawyer in his 2007 robbery case, Yale Galanter, was ineffective, had financial and legal conflicts and misadvised the 66-year-old inmate.
Bell’s ruling comes six months after a week-long hearing where Simpson testified Galanter told him he could legally take his property back and would represent him for free.
Simpson is in the midst of serving a nine- to 33-year prison term after he was convicted of 10 charges for robbing two men of sports memorabilia in September 2007. He argued he was simply recovering his own property, including photographs, when he went to the Palace Station hotel room.
In a 100 page decision, Bell said, “All grounds in the petition lack merit and, consequently are denied.”
Bell ruled Simpson “failed to demonstrate that counsel experienced an actual conflict of interest that substantially impacted counsel’s performance at trial … that the State withheld exculpatory evidence … that appellate and trial counsel were ineffective or that any deficient performance by counsel resulted in prejudice,” the ruling stated.
In her ruling, Bell said the evidence was overwhelming against Simpson and there was no indication that it was close verdict.
“Mr. Simpson has failed to pinpoint significant errors that either alone or combined would have changed the outcome of his case,” Bell said.
The judge added, “Given the overwhelming amount of evidence, neither the errors in this case, nor the errors collectively, cause this court to question the validity of Mr. Simpson’s conviction.”
Simpson’s post conviction petition for a new trial made 22 separate arguments.
“We’re definitely going to appeal,” said Simpson’s lawyer Patricia Palm. “We will appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court and seek federal relief.”
Palm said she spoke briefly with Simpson late Tuesday. Simpson, who is imprisoned at Lovelock Correctional Center, which is about 130 miles north of Carson City, called her after learning about the decision.
“He wants us to go ahead with an appeal,” Palm said.
Palm, who was still reviewing the lengthy ruling, remained confident Simpson would be vindicated.
“This decision is going to be overturned once we get to the right court,” Palm said.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson, whose wife, former Judge Jackie Glass, presided over the robbery trial, told the Review-Journal, “I think the judge was conscientious and thorough in her review of the record. And her decision was appropriate in taking into account all the facts and circumstances of the case.”
During the May hearing, Simpson said he began to question Galanter’s motivation for representing him following his 2008 conviction and rejected appeal in the Las Vegas robbery.
According to testimony, Galanter pocketed $572,000 from Simpson while representing him in the robbery case. The lawyer was supposed to use part of the money to provide for a proper defense, which included hiring investigators and experts.
Testimony has shown that Galanter didn’t hire experts or investigators or fully pay his Las Vegas-based co-counsel, Gabe Grasso, who is suing Galanter in federal court over nonpayment for his work in the case.
Simpson testified that Galanter had told him he’d work for free in the case.
Galanter, who won an acquittal for Simpson in a 2001 road rage incident in Florida, denied that.
“No, I don’t do anything for free,” he testified.
Grasso wanted to work for free, Galanter said, but he insisted on paying him $25,000 plus costs. Grasso testified that he was only paid $15,000.
Galanter said that there was no need to hire investigators to profile witnesses because he had cross-examined them during a preliminary hearing.
An intoxication defense wasn’t considered because “Mr. Simpson wasn’t intoxicated,” Galanter said.
Simpson testified that he had consumed enough alcohol before the incident that he wouldn’t consider driving a car.
He also said Galanter never informed him of plea deal discussions with prosecutors. Simpson said he would have considered those deals.
But Galanter refuted that claim, explaining that Simpson was fully aware of the discussions with prosecutors.
Galanter testified that he never told Simpson that he could legally take his property back. Instead, Galanter said, he advised Simpson to call the police.
The Miami-based defense attorney added that Simpson knew his cohorts were armed when they went to Palace Station to recover his family heirlooms and sports memorabilia.
Meanwhile, Simpson is in the midst of serving one to six years on a weapons enhancement for the kidnapping count. He has four to 18 years left on his prison term on the remaining counts.
In July, Simpson won parole on one of the 10 counts he was convicted of in 2008.
Inmate #1027820 has had a “positive record,” the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners said in July, which included his participation in parole programs.
Following his Hall of Fame professional football career, Simpson became one of the most popular former athletes in America, regularly hawking products in humorous TV commercials or starring in movies, such as The Naked Gun.
That is, until Simpson was acquitted by a Los Angeles jury in 1995 of the 1994 deaths of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman in what was dubbed “the trial of the century.”
Testimony at the May hearing revealed that most of the items taken in the 2007 robbery were found to be the football player’s. The items were returned to Simpson and, unless sold, were not subject to satisfy a $33.5 million civil judgment against him for the deaths of his ex-wife and Goldman.
“All grounds in the petition lack merit and, consequently are denied…..[Simpson] failed to demonstrate that counsel experienced an actual conflict of interest that substantially impacted counsel’s performance at trial … that the State withheld exculpatory evidence … that appellate and trial counsel were ineffective or that any deficient performance by counsel resulted in prejudice…..Mr. Simpson has failed to pinpoint significant errors that either alone or combined would have changed the outcome of his case. Given the overwhelming amount of evidence, neither the errors in this case, nor the errors collectively, cause this court to question the validity of Mr. Simpson’s conviction.”
So ruled Clark County District Judge Linda Bell on Simpson’s request for a new trial of his 2007 robbery case. In 2008, O.J. was convicted and received a 9 to 33 year in prison sentence on ten counts, including robbery and kidnapping. Simpson, accompanied by armed thugs in a Las Vegas hotel, claimed he was only trying to retrieve items from some memorabilia dealers that rightfully belonged to him.
In his appeal, Simpson claimed that his trial attorney had been ineffective, had financial and legal conflicts, and had given him bad advice. Unless a higher Nevada court overturns the ruling handed down Tuesday by Judge Bell, the murderer of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman has 4 to 18 years left on his prison term for nine remaining counts in his conviction.
Now if Simpson’s name had been O.J. Skakel, he might have had better luck with his bum attorney appeal. Then he would have had millions of Kennedy dollars working for him. All that money did work for Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel in his conviction for the murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley.
O.J. SIMPSON DENIED NEW TRIAL FOR 2007 ROBBERY CASE
By Francis McCabe
Las Vegas Review-Journal
November 26, 2013
O.J. Simpson has lost his bid for a new trial, a Clark County district judge ruled Tuesday.
The Review-Journal has learned that Judge Linda Bell rejected the notorious former football player’s contention that his trial lawyer in his 2007 robbery case, Yale Galanter, was ineffective, had financial and legal conflicts and misadvised the 66-year-old inmate.
Bell’s ruling comes six months after a week-long hearing where Simpson testified Galanter told him he could legally take his property back and would represent him for free.
Simpson is in the midst of serving a nine- to 33-year prison term after he was convicted of 10 charges for robbing two men of sports memorabilia in September 2007. He argued he was simply recovering his own property, including photographs, when he went to the Palace Station hotel room.
In a 100 page decision, Bell said, “All grounds in the petition lack merit and, consequently are denied.”
Bell ruled Simpson “failed to demonstrate that counsel experienced an actual conflict of interest that substantially impacted counsel’s performance at trial … that the State withheld exculpatory evidence … that appellate and trial counsel were ineffective or that any deficient performance by counsel resulted in prejudice,” the ruling stated.
In her ruling, Bell said the evidence was overwhelming against Simpson and there was no indication that it was close verdict.
“Mr. Simpson has failed to pinpoint significant errors that either alone or combined would have changed the outcome of his case,” Bell said.
The judge added, “Given the overwhelming amount of evidence, neither the errors in this case, nor the errors collectively, cause this court to question the validity of Mr. Simpson’s conviction.”
Simpson’s post conviction petition for a new trial made 22 separate arguments.
“We’re definitely going to appeal,” said Simpson’s lawyer Patricia Palm. “We will appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court and seek federal relief.”
Palm said she spoke briefly with Simpson late Tuesday. Simpson, who is imprisoned at Lovelock Correctional Center, which is about 130 miles north of Carson City, called her after learning about the decision.
“He wants us to go ahead with an appeal,” Palm said.
Palm, who was still reviewing the lengthy ruling, remained confident Simpson would be vindicated.
“This decision is going to be overturned once we get to the right court,” Palm said.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson, whose wife, former Judge Jackie Glass, presided over the robbery trial, told the Review-Journal, “I think the judge was conscientious and thorough in her review of the record. And her decision was appropriate in taking into account all the facts and circumstances of the case.”
During the May hearing, Simpson said he began to question Galanter’s motivation for representing him following his 2008 conviction and rejected appeal in the Las Vegas robbery.
According to testimony, Galanter pocketed $572,000 from Simpson while representing him in the robbery case. The lawyer was supposed to use part of the money to provide for a proper defense, which included hiring investigators and experts.
Testimony has shown that Galanter didn’t hire experts or investigators or fully pay his Las Vegas-based co-counsel, Gabe Grasso, who is suing Galanter in federal court over nonpayment for his work in the case.
Simpson testified that Galanter had told him he’d work for free in the case.
Galanter, who won an acquittal for Simpson in a 2001 road rage incident in Florida, denied that.
“No, I don’t do anything for free,” he testified.
Grasso wanted to work for free, Galanter said, but he insisted on paying him $25,000 plus costs. Grasso testified that he was only paid $15,000.
Galanter said that there was no need to hire investigators to profile witnesses because he had cross-examined them during a preliminary hearing.
An intoxication defense wasn’t considered because “Mr. Simpson wasn’t intoxicated,” Galanter said.
Simpson testified that he had consumed enough alcohol before the incident that he wouldn’t consider driving a car.
He also said Galanter never informed him of plea deal discussions with prosecutors. Simpson said he would have considered those deals.
But Galanter refuted that claim, explaining that Simpson was fully aware of the discussions with prosecutors.
Galanter testified that he never told Simpson that he could legally take his property back. Instead, Galanter said, he advised Simpson to call the police.
The Miami-based defense attorney added that Simpson knew his cohorts were armed when they went to Palace Station to recover his family heirlooms and sports memorabilia.
Meanwhile, Simpson is in the midst of serving one to six years on a weapons enhancement for the kidnapping count. He has four to 18 years left on his prison term on the remaining counts.
In July, Simpson won parole on one of the 10 counts he was convicted of in 2008.
Inmate #1027820 has had a “positive record,” the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners said in July, which included his participation in parole programs.
Following his Hall of Fame professional football career, Simpson became one of the most popular former athletes in America, regularly hawking products in humorous TV commercials or starring in movies, such as The Naked Gun.
That is, until Simpson was acquitted by a Los Angeles jury in 1995 of the 1994 deaths of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman in what was dubbed “the trial of the century.”
Testimony at the May hearing revealed that most of the items taken in the 2007 robbery were found to be the football player’s. The items were returned to Simpson and, unless sold, were not subject to satisfy a $33.5 million civil judgment against him for the deaths of his ex-wife and Goldman.
IF YOU OVERLOOK YOUR FAILURES YOU CAN BOAST ABOUT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Obama forgot to mention winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, an astounding accomplishment considering he did nothing to earn it
Even Jimmy Carter can boast about his accomplishments, provided his abysmal failures are overlooked. And people are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what possessed the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee to select Obama for the peace prize from a record pool of 205 nominations.
OBAMA CLAIMS HE’S AMONG MOST ACCOMPLISHED PRESIDENTS EVER
By Melissa Clyne
Newsmax
November 27, 2013
In spite of a record number of Americans receiving food stamps, a 7.3 percent unemployment rate, and an embarrassing launch of his signature healthcare program, President Barack Obama says his administration has been the most productive in history.
At a private Democratic fundraiser in Beverly Hills, Calif., Obama touted himself and Democratic leaders for surpassing the likes of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who respectively ended slavery and led the country through the Great Depression and World War II.
“We have accomplished as much, if not more, than any time in our history, saving an economy from a Great Depression; revitalizing an auto industry that is producing better cars and has come roaring back like nobody believed; doubling our exports; drastically reducing our dependence on foreign oil; doubling fuel-efficiency standards; doubling our production of clean energy; reducing the pace of our carbon emissions; ending the war in Iraq; about to end the war in Afghanistan; re-centering our fight against terrorism in a way that respects our values and our ideals; expanding access to college for children all across this country; ending ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell'; making sure that we are vindicating the notion that everybody should have a fair shot regardless of their sexual orientation, as well as their race and their gender; pushing for equal pay for women; reinstituting research for stem cells,” Obama gushed, in a text of the remarks, released by the White House.
He went on to pat the administration on the back for constructing “the toughest set of sanctions ever” against Iran.
He briefly mentioned Obamacare, remarking that he’s “as proud as I’ve ever been by the work we did to make sure that in this country, if you get sick you don’t go bankrupt and that you can get the healthcare that you need,” adding that “it’s actually starting to work pretty well.”
Meanwhile, food stamp recipients are at a historical high — 47 million people, or one-sixth of the country, the Washington Post reports, more than a 30 percent increase since the National Bureau of Economic Research declared the recession was over in June 2009.
Many experts have criticized the recent deal with Iran as weak, and the botched Obamacare launch has faced repeated missteps.
Even Jimmy Carter can boast about his accomplishments, provided his abysmal failures are overlooked. And people are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what possessed the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee to select Obama for the peace prize from a record pool of 205 nominations.
OBAMA CLAIMS HE’S AMONG MOST ACCOMPLISHED PRESIDENTS EVER
By Melissa Clyne
Newsmax
November 27, 2013
In spite of a record number of Americans receiving food stamps, a 7.3 percent unemployment rate, and an embarrassing launch of his signature healthcare program, President Barack Obama says his administration has been the most productive in history.
At a private Democratic fundraiser in Beverly Hills, Calif., Obama touted himself and Democratic leaders for surpassing the likes of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who respectively ended slavery and led the country through the Great Depression and World War II.
“We have accomplished as much, if not more, than any time in our history, saving an economy from a Great Depression; revitalizing an auto industry that is producing better cars and has come roaring back like nobody believed; doubling our exports; drastically reducing our dependence on foreign oil; doubling fuel-efficiency standards; doubling our production of clean energy; reducing the pace of our carbon emissions; ending the war in Iraq; about to end the war in Afghanistan; re-centering our fight against terrorism in a way that respects our values and our ideals; expanding access to college for children all across this country; ending ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell'; making sure that we are vindicating the notion that everybody should have a fair shot regardless of their sexual orientation, as well as their race and their gender; pushing for equal pay for women; reinstituting research for stem cells,” Obama gushed, in a text of the remarks, released by the White House.
He went on to pat the administration on the back for constructing “the toughest set of sanctions ever” against Iran.
He briefly mentioned Obamacare, remarking that he’s “as proud as I’ve ever been by the work we did to make sure that in this country, if you get sick you don’t go bankrupt and that you can get the healthcare that you need,” adding that “it’s actually starting to work pretty well.”
Meanwhile, food stamp recipients are at a historical high — 47 million people, or one-sixth of the country, the Washington Post reports, more than a 30 percent increase since the National Bureau of Economic Research declared the recession was over in June 2009.
Many experts have criticized the recent deal with Iran as weak, and the botched Obamacare launch has faced repeated missteps.
A CALL FOR DEATH TO THE JEWS COMES FROM A PALESTINIAN CLERIC PREACHING ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT
Here is another good reason why the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations are a facade that hides the true objective of the Palestinians: The obliteration of the Jewish state.
PALESTINIAN PREACHER: PUT THE JEWS TO THE SWORD
Israel Today
November 27, 2013
Unbelievably, Jerusalem's Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, is still used today, even under Israeli control, as a platform from which to incite jihad against the Jewish state.
Last Friday, Palestinian Authority (PA) religious leader Sheikh Omar Abu Sara'a delivered a sermon at the Al Aqsa Mosque in which he lambasted the PA for being so weak as to actually negotiate with the Jews.
Sara'a noted that Islam's Prophet Mohammed urged his followers to "fight" the Jews, not treat with them. "For Jews, we do not have but the sword and by extension we need to hold an all-out war against them and not talk with them," demanded the sheikh.
Many Israeli officials fear that the conciliatory policies of their government concerning the Temple Mount mean that the Jewish state has already surrendered the holy site to its enemies. The fact that Sara'a and other Muslim clerics can use the Temple Mount to openly call for the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of Jews would seem to justify their concerns.
PALESTINIAN PREACHER: PUT THE JEWS TO THE SWORD
Israel Today
November 27, 2013
Unbelievably, Jerusalem's Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, is still used today, even under Israeli control, as a platform from which to incite jihad against the Jewish state.
Last Friday, Palestinian Authority (PA) religious leader Sheikh Omar Abu Sara'a delivered a sermon at the Al Aqsa Mosque in which he lambasted the PA for being so weak as to actually negotiate with the Jews.
Sara'a noted that Islam's Prophet Mohammed urged his followers to "fight" the Jews, not treat with them. "For Jews, we do not have but the sword and by extension we need to hold an all-out war against them and not talk with them," demanded the sheikh.
Many Israeli officials fear that the conciliatory policies of their government concerning the Temple Mount mean that the Jewish state has already surrendered the holy site to its enemies. The fact that Sara'a and other Muslim clerics can use the Temple Mount to openly call for the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of Jews would seem to justify their concerns.
SEVEN POT HEADS BURN DOWN PRE-CIVIL WAR PLANTATION LOOKING FOR GHOSTS
Another example that pot is not less harmful than alcohol. I suspect the men got stoned in order to have the courage to find the ghosts that, according to folklore, were spooking the old plantation.
SEVEN GHOST HUNTERS CHARGED WITH BURNING DOWN LOUISIANA PLANTATION
By Matthew Watkins
The Dallas Morning News
November 23, 2013
Four Grand Prairie residents were among a group of men arrested in Louisiana this week after they burned down a historic plantation where they were smoking marijuana and looking for ghosts, authorities said.
Seven people in all were arrested, including another person from Fort Worth who investigators reportedly called the ringleader of the group. They were charged with various crimes, including arson, burglary and trespassing.
They are accused of destroying the LeBeau Plantation House, a structure built in the 1850s in Arabi, La. The house was considered the largest pre-Civil War mansion still standing in the New Orleans area, according to local media reports.
The house was reportedly built on an indigo plantation, was later used as a hotel and casino and then was left vacant for its last 30 years. Local lore said that the house was haunted. Law enforcement told reporters that trespassing was a regular problem.
Authorities said that the men arrested were smoking marijuana and drinking on the site.
“They had been looking for ghosts, trying to summon spirits beating on the floors,” said Col. John Doran of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office in an article posted on his office’s Facebook page.
When no ghosts emerged, the group set the mansion on fire, Doran said.
The fire happened Thursday night and the group was arrested the next day. The four men arrested from Grand Prairie were Joshua Allen, 21; Joshua Briscoe, 20; Jerry Hamblen, 17, and Joseph Landin, 20. The man arrested from Fort Worth was 31-year-old Dusten Davenport. The other two men arrested, Kevin Barbe, 20, and Byron Meek, 29, were from Louisiana.
SEVEN GHOST HUNTERS CHARGED WITH BURNING DOWN LOUISIANA PLANTATION
By Matthew Watkins
The Dallas Morning News
November 23, 2013
Four Grand Prairie residents were among a group of men arrested in Louisiana this week after they burned down a historic plantation where they were smoking marijuana and looking for ghosts, authorities said.
Seven people in all were arrested, including another person from Fort Worth who investigators reportedly called the ringleader of the group. They were charged with various crimes, including arson, burglary and trespassing.
They are accused of destroying the LeBeau Plantation House, a structure built in the 1850s in Arabi, La. The house was considered the largest pre-Civil War mansion still standing in the New Orleans area, according to local media reports.
The house was reportedly built on an indigo plantation, was later used as a hotel and casino and then was left vacant for its last 30 years. Local lore said that the house was haunted. Law enforcement told reporters that trespassing was a regular problem.
Authorities said that the men arrested were smoking marijuana and drinking on the site.
“They had been looking for ghosts, trying to summon spirits beating on the floors,” said Col. John Doran of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office in an article posted on his office’s Facebook page.
When no ghosts emerged, the group set the mansion on fire, Doran said.
The fire happened Thursday night and the group was arrested the next day. The four men arrested from Grand Prairie were Joshua Allen, 21; Joshua Briscoe, 20; Jerry Hamblen, 17, and Joseph Landin, 20. The man arrested from Fort Worth was 31-year-old Dusten Davenport. The other two men arrested, Kevin Barbe, 20, and Byron Meek, 29, were from Louisiana.
RACIST POLICE DOGS
A study found that 89 percent of the total bites recorded by LAPD and LASO between 2004 and 2012 involved black or Latino suspects; in the first six months of 2013, 100 percent of the 17 recorded bites affected those two groups
If you look at the stats, K-9 dogs are way more racist than white cops. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, now here you’ve got an issue you two charlatans can really sink your teeth into. Head to LA for some good ‘Stop Racist K-9s’ demonstrations.
As for LAPD’s ‘Find and Bark’ policy vs. LASO’s ‘Find and Bite/Hold’ policy, if it weren’t for the lawsuits that are filed by those who are bitten, I would prefer LASO’s bite/hold strategy over that of LAPD.
BARK VS. BITE: LOS ANGELES POLICE, SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT DIFFER WHEN IT COMES TO K-9 STRATEGIES
By Jason Henry
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
November 26, 2013
LOS ANGELES >> The two largest law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County have polar opposite opinions when it comes to taking a bite out of crime. The difference in K-9 programs boils down to drawing blood versus baring teeth.
Depending on whether a K-9 officer deploys from the Los Angeles Police Department or the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a suspect may have a higher chance of getting chomped.
The Sheriff’s Department’s dogs bit more than 10 percent more often last year than LAPD‘s K-9s, according to statistics obtained from the LAPD and the Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC). In 2012, LAPD had a 20.5 percent bite ratio — a statistic that weighs the number of bites against the number of suspects located — while LASD exceeded 30 percent. Both percentages factor in officer-ordered “directed bites,” which LASD typically leaves out of its numbers.
Despite having a lower bite ratio, LAPD employs nearly double the dogs — 24 compared with LASD’s 12.
The difference in bite percentages highlights two opposite approaches to handling. LAPD uses a tactic called “find and bark.” LASD’s tactic, which it officially refers to as “Handler Control With An Emphasis on Positive Alert,” is more commonly described as “find and bite.”
A “find and bite” dog searches for a suspect once released by their handler and then immediately attempts to subdue whoever it finds. The LAPD switched from “find and bite” in the early 1990s to reduce the risk of litigation, according to Sgt. Michael Goosby, LAPD’s chief trainer for the K-9 program.
“We went through a large amount of lawsuits,” he said. “It got to the point where we were getting ready to lose the unit.”
The LAPD’s bite ratio skyrocketed to 81 percent in 1990, according to a 1998 University of Southern California study by Alec Campbell, Richard Berk and James Fyfe. LASD’s bite ratio was around 36 percent based on data from 1991, according to that study.
The Los Angeles Police Department averaged 45 to 55 percent in the early 1990s, Goosby said. That percentage dropped to 15 to 25 after “find and bark” became the norm, he said.
“It forced us to change our game,” Goosby said.
LASD’s bite ratio has fluctuated in recent years. It was less than 10 percent in 1998, but has stayed at roughly 30 percent for the last several years, according to data released by PARC.
Both departments deploy K-9s under specific conditions, usually when a suspect is believed holed up or armed and hidden. K-9s typically reduce the risk of harm for their human colleagues by detecting suspects who may otherwise get the drop on officers. Goosby noted that both departments use similar procedures, except for the difference of the dog’s end goal: the bite versus the bark.
A recent joint-training exercise by LAPD and LASD came a few weeks after a scathing report by PARC called on the Sheriff’s Department to improve its K-9 program. The report by PARC Special Counsel Merrick Bobb determined that LASD’s handlers more readily use dog bites when K-9s are deployed instead of using less damaging types of force.
“Used properly, this tool can greatly enhance the efficiency of resolving the crisis, prevent deputy-involved shootings and improve officer safety,” the report states. “Used incorrectly, and a dog bite can easily become a significant misuse of force that results in serious injury to a suspect or innocent bystander and significant legal exposure for the County.”
LASD has paid out $1.1 million in settlements for cases involving accidental dog bites since 2009, according to PARC. Both departments use warnings — played by loud speaker — before sending their dogs, but those warnings are not always heard. In one 2010 case, a man living in a shed slept through the announcements and was bitten when a K-9 came upon him, resulting in a $225,000 payout by the county, according to PARC.
Goosby used a recent example of a LAPD K-9 coming across a female bystander to illustrate how “find and bite” helps avoid such incidents.
“(The K-9) goes in the closet and she’s there, and boom, bark, bark, bark right in her face,” Goosby said. “Had he gone in there and taken her out, we’d have a liability on our hands.”
Bobb’s study found roughly half of the K-9 bites it reviewed may have been avoidable. In instances where a suspect hid in a small enclosed space, LASD handlers tended to open the door and send in a dog rather than negotiating or tossing in tear gas or a flash bang (device), according to PARC.
“If officers could open the door safely to send in the dog, they just as safely and easily could have used tear gas or other less risky, and less potentially damaging force,” the report states.
LASD’s K-9s are trained to “bite and hold” discovered suspects until ordered to stop by their handler. Most LASD handlers commanded their canines to release in less than 10 seconds, though some bites lasted as long as 20 to 40 seconds, according to PARC’s review of handler reports. A suspect may get ordered out with the dog still attached, causing even more damage.
“In one study, for example, researchers found that canine bites resulted in hospital visits 67.5 percent of the time, while other uses of force, like batons or Tasers, resulted in hospital visits 22 percent of the time or less,” PARC’s report states. “They opined that canine bites should be considered a level of force immediately below deadly force and equated a bite to an officer swinging a baton with three-centimeter spikes attached.”
A “find and bark” dog is more likely to pinpoint a suspect’s location, compared with a “find and bite” dog, which might circle repeatedly looking for a way in, making it unclear where exactly an officer should focus, according to Goosby.
“He is trying to find a way into the trunk, because his end game is biting,” Goosby said.
A “find and bark dog” will still attack someone who makes sudden movements, but it does also have a higher risk of getting hurt because it gives a suspect, particularly with a weapon, a small window to attack.
PARC’s study found that 89 percent of the total bites recorded between 2004 and 2012 involved black or Latino suspects. In the first six months of 2013, 100 percent of the 17 recorded bites affected those two groups.
“The police operate within a society that continues to produce often unequal and unfair results. That does not, however, absolve the police of responsibility to deal with those consequences,” the report states.
The five Sheriff’s Department stations in Century, Lennox, Compton, Lakewood and Industry had more bites between 2004 and 2013 than all of the other 21 stations combined, according to PARC.
Those areas have higher amounts of bites and deployments because they have more crime, according to sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore. Goosby agreed that the numbers for each station did not seem out of the ordinary.
PARC agreed with the higher crime rates, but remained concerned about the trend shown by the data.
“The stark disparity leads us to wonder why canine deployments seem to occur disproportionately in less affluent areas with larger minority populations,” the report states.
The five stations with the lowest bites — La Crescenta, Altadena, Marina Del Rey, West Hollywood and Malibu — made up only 2 percent of the total. La Crescenta did not have any bites in the past nine years.
Even if some areas have higher crime rates, the topic requires a thorough investigation, according Peter Eliasberg, legal director for ACLU of Southern California.
“Any time you see these kind of disproportionate results, I think that should be cause for concern,” Eliasberg said. “I think we as a society should be concerned that we have policies that have these results, even if they are not necessarily driven by a segregation mindset.”
Those areas, while they have more crime, should not produce such high numbers, he said.
“There are plenty of white suspects that are thought to be armed or thought to have committed a crime,” Eliasberg said of the idea that the best explanation is high crime. “The numbers seem to be so disproportionate in the same way the ‘stop and frisk’ numbers have been so disproportionate in New York and L.A. I don’t find that to be a persuasive argument.”
To help reduce bites across the board, PARC recommended LASD implement more thorough reports on dog bites by tracking the injuries suffered and by requiring handlers to document why they used a dog over another form of force. It also suggested hiring an additional sergeant — the unit only has three — to help reduce misuse. The oversight group further suggests the Sheriff’s Department consider a moratorium on the use of canines in all but the most “critical circumstances involving armed suspects” until practices are developed to “curb the disproportionate impact” on minorities.
Whitmore said LASD brass plans to analyze the report to see if improvements are needed, but in the month since the report was released there have been no changes.
“It was indicated the Department didn’t change their policy on K-9 deployment,” Whitmore wrote in an email. “They did a joint training with LAPD recently and the tactics are only slightly different.
“All the K-9s (both LAPD and LASD) are traditionally trained to alert, however LASD then takes it a step further and trains/integrates the dogs into the entry SWAT teams,” he said.
Though “find and bark” was mandated to LAPD, Goosby stressed he’d fight against any attempt to switch back.
“It made us get better at what we do,” he said.
If you look at the stats, K-9 dogs are way more racist than white cops. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, now here you’ve got an issue you two charlatans can really sink your teeth into. Head to LA for some good ‘Stop Racist K-9s’ demonstrations.
As for LAPD’s ‘Find and Bark’ policy vs. LASO’s ‘Find and Bite/Hold’ policy, if it weren’t for the lawsuits that are filed by those who are bitten, I would prefer LASO’s bite/hold strategy over that of LAPD.
BARK VS. BITE: LOS ANGELES POLICE, SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT DIFFER WHEN IT COMES TO K-9 STRATEGIES
By Jason Henry
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
November 26, 2013
LOS ANGELES >> The two largest law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County have polar opposite opinions when it comes to taking a bite out of crime. The difference in K-9 programs boils down to drawing blood versus baring teeth.
Depending on whether a K-9 officer deploys from the Los Angeles Police Department or the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a suspect may have a higher chance of getting chomped.
The Sheriff’s Department’s dogs bit more than 10 percent more often last year than LAPD‘s K-9s, according to statistics obtained from the LAPD and the Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC). In 2012, LAPD had a 20.5 percent bite ratio — a statistic that weighs the number of bites against the number of suspects located — while LASD exceeded 30 percent. Both percentages factor in officer-ordered “directed bites,” which LASD typically leaves out of its numbers.
Despite having a lower bite ratio, LAPD employs nearly double the dogs — 24 compared with LASD’s 12.
The difference in bite percentages highlights two opposite approaches to handling. LAPD uses a tactic called “find and bark.” LASD’s tactic, which it officially refers to as “Handler Control With An Emphasis on Positive Alert,” is more commonly described as “find and bite.”
A “find and bite” dog searches for a suspect once released by their handler and then immediately attempts to subdue whoever it finds. The LAPD switched from “find and bite” in the early 1990s to reduce the risk of litigation, according to Sgt. Michael Goosby, LAPD’s chief trainer for the K-9 program.
“We went through a large amount of lawsuits,” he said. “It got to the point where we were getting ready to lose the unit.”
The LAPD’s bite ratio skyrocketed to 81 percent in 1990, according to a 1998 University of Southern California study by Alec Campbell, Richard Berk and James Fyfe. LASD’s bite ratio was around 36 percent based on data from 1991, according to that study.
The Los Angeles Police Department averaged 45 to 55 percent in the early 1990s, Goosby said. That percentage dropped to 15 to 25 after “find and bark” became the norm, he said.
“It forced us to change our game,” Goosby said.
LASD’s bite ratio has fluctuated in recent years. It was less than 10 percent in 1998, but has stayed at roughly 30 percent for the last several years, according to data released by PARC.
Both departments deploy K-9s under specific conditions, usually when a suspect is believed holed up or armed and hidden. K-9s typically reduce the risk of harm for their human colleagues by detecting suspects who may otherwise get the drop on officers. Goosby noted that both departments use similar procedures, except for the difference of the dog’s end goal: the bite versus the bark.
A recent joint-training exercise by LAPD and LASD came a few weeks after a scathing report by PARC called on the Sheriff’s Department to improve its K-9 program. The report by PARC Special Counsel Merrick Bobb determined that LASD’s handlers more readily use dog bites when K-9s are deployed instead of using less damaging types of force.
“Used properly, this tool can greatly enhance the efficiency of resolving the crisis, prevent deputy-involved shootings and improve officer safety,” the report states. “Used incorrectly, and a dog bite can easily become a significant misuse of force that results in serious injury to a suspect or innocent bystander and significant legal exposure for the County.”
LASD has paid out $1.1 million in settlements for cases involving accidental dog bites since 2009, according to PARC. Both departments use warnings — played by loud speaker — before sending their dogs, but those warnings are not always heard. In one 2010 case, a man living in a shed slept through the announcements and was bitten when a K-9 came upon him, resulting in a $225,000 payout by the county, according to PARC.
Goosby used a recent example of a LAPD K-9 coming across a female bystander to illustrate how “find and bite” helps avoid such incidents.
“(The K-9) goes in the closet and she’s there, and boom, bark, bark, bark right in her face,” Goosby said. “Had he gone in there and taken her out, we’d have a liability on our hands.”
Bobb’s study found roughly half of the K-9 bites it reviewed may have been avoidable. In instances where a suspect hid in a small enclosed space, LASD handlers tended to open the door and send in a dog rather than negotiating or tossing in tear gas or a flash bang (device), according to PARC.
“If officers could open the door safely to send in the dog, they just as safely and easily could have used tear gas or other less risky, and less potentially damaging force,” the report states.
LASD’s K-9s are trained to “bite and hold” discovered suspects until ordered to stop by their handler. Most LASD handlers commanded their canines to release in less than 10 seconds, though some bites lasted as long as 20 to 40 seconds, according to PARC’s review of handler reports. A suspect may get ordered out with the dog still attached, causing even more damage.
“In one study, for example, researchers found that canine bites resulted in hospital visits 67.5 percent of the time, while other uses of force, like batons or Tasers, resulted in hospital visits 22 percent of the time or less,” PARC’s report states. “They opined that canine bites should be considered a level of force immediately below deadly force and equated a bite to an officer swinging a baton with three-centimeter spikes attached.”
A “find and bark” dog is more likely to pinpoint a suspect’s location, compared with a “find and bite” dog, which might circle repeatedly looking for a way in, making it unclear where exactly an officer should focus, according to Goosby.
“He is trying to find a way into the trunk, because his end game is biting,” Goosby said.
A “find and bark dog” will still attack someone who makes sudden movements, but it does also have a higher risk of getting hurt because it gives a suspect, particularly with a weapon, a small window to attack.
PARC’s study found that 89 percent of the total bites recorded between 2004 and 2012 involved black or Latino suspects. In the first six months of 2013, 100 percent of the 17 recorded bites affected those two groups.
“The police operate within a society that continues to produce often unequal and unfair results. That does not, however, absolve the police of responsibility to deal with those consequences,” the report states.
The five Sheriff’s Department stations in Century, Lennox, Compton, Lakewood and Industry had more bites between 2004 and 2013 than all of the other 21 stations combined, according to PARC.
Those areas have higher amounts of bites and deployments because they have more crime, according to sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore. Goosby agreed that the numbers for each station did not seem out of the ordinary.
PARC agreed with the higher crime rates, but remained concerned about the trend shown by the data.
“The stark disparity leads us to wonder why canine deployments seem to occur disproportionately in less affluent areas with larger minority populations,” the report states.
The five stations with the lowest bites — La Crescenta, Altadena, Marina Del Rey, West Hollywood and Malibu — made up only 2 percent of the total. La Crescenta did not have any bites in the past nine years.
Even if some areas have higher crime rates, the topic requires a thorough investigation, according Peter Eliasberg, legal director for ACLU of Southern California.
“Any time you see these kind of disproportionate results, I think that should be cause for concern,” Eliasberg said. “I think we as a society should be concerned that we have policies that have these results, even if they are not necessarily driven by a segregation mindset.”
Those areas, while they have more crime, should not produce such high numbers, he said.
“There are plenty of white suspects that are thought to be armed or thought to have committed a crime,” Eliasberg said of the idea that the best explanation is high crime. “The numbers seem to be so disproportionate in the same way the ‘stop and frisk’ numbers have been so disproportionate in New York and L.A. I don’t find that to be a persuasive argument.”
To help reduce bites across the board, PARC recommended LASD implement more thorough reports on dog bites by tracking the injuries suffered and by requiring handlers to document why they used a dog over another form of force. It also suggested hiring an additional sergeant — the unit only has three — to help reduce misuse. The oversight group further suggests the Sheriff’s Department consider a moratorium on the use of canines in all but the most “critical circumstances involving armed suspects” until practices are developed to “curb the disproportionate impact” on minorities.
Whitmore said LASD brass plans to analyze the report to see if improvements are needed, but in the month since the report was released there have been no changes.
“It was indicated the Department didn’t change their policy on K-9 deployment,” Whitmore wrote in an email. “They did a joint training with LAPD recently and the tactics are only slightly different.
“All the K-9s (both LAPD and LASD) are traditionally trained to alert, however LASD then takes it a step further and trains/integrates the dogs into the entry SWAT teams,” he said.
Though “find and bark” was mandated to LAPD, Goosby stressed he’d fight against any attempt to switch back.
“It made us get better at what we do,” he said.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
POPE FRANCIS IS DOWNRIGHT UN-AMERICAN
In his condemnation of capitalism, the Pontiff attacks everything that is held sacred by Americans
In an 84-page document, known as an Apostolic Exhortation, Pope Francis condemned unfettered capitalism, economic inequality and idolatry of money. The Pontiff called for redistribution of wealth and guaranteeing citizens health care.
Holy Moly, what this world isn’t coming to. It looks as though the Cardinals elected some kind of a Communist to head the Catholic Church. Calling for redistribution of wealth comes right out of Karl Marx’s ‘Das Kapital.’ Health care for all citizens … you can't get any more Obmaesque than that.
Unfettered capitalism is what made America great. Doesn’t ‘Ole Francis realize that ‘idolatry of money’ is the American way. The Pope is being downright un-American with his condemnation of capitalism and the worship of money. Instead of Pope Francis, what we have here is Pope Marx.
Please note: Before any of you get your poopies in an uproar, be assured that although the Pontiff does condemn capitalism, income inequality, worship of money, etc., I truly believe the Cardinals made a very wise choice when they selected Francis as Pope. Francis is a Pope of and for the people. I predict he will turn out to be the greatest Pope ever.
POPE FRANCIS ATTACKS ‘TYRANNY’ OF UNFETTERED CAPITALISM, ‘IDOLATRY OF MONEY’
By Naomi O’Leary
Thomson Reuters
November 26, 2013
Pope Francis called for renewal of the Roman Catholic Church and attacked unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny," urging global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality in the first major work he has authored alone as pontiff.
The 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, amounted to an official platform for his papacy, building on views he has aired in sermons and remarks since he became the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years in March.
In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the global economic system, attacking the "idolatry of money" and beseeching politicians to guarantee all citizens "dignified work, education and healthcare."
He also called on rich people to share their wealth. "Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills," Francis wrote in the document issued on Tuesday.
"How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses 2 points?"
Economic inequality is one of the issues Francis is most concerned about, and the 76-year-old pontiff calls for an overhaul of the financial system and warns that unequal distribution of wealth inevitably leads to violence.
"As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world's problems or, for that matter, to any problems," he wrote.
Denying this was simple populism, he called for action "beyond a simple welfare mentality" and added: "I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor."
Since his election, Francis has set an example for austerity in the Church, living in a Vatican guesthouse rather than the ornate Apostolic Palace, travelling in a Ford Focus, and last month suspending a bishop who spent millions of euros on his luxurious residence.
He chose to be called "Francis" after the medieval Italian saint of the same name famed for choosing a life of poverty.
In an 84-page document, known as an Apostolic Exhortation, Pope Francis condemned unfettered capitalism, economic inequality and idolatry of money. The Pontiff called for redistribution of wealth and guaranteeing citizens health care.
Holy Moly, what this world isn’t coming to. It looks as though the Cardinals elected some kind of a Communist to head the Catholic Church. Calling for redistribution of wealth comes right out of Karl Marx’s ‘Das Kapital.’ Health care for all citizens … you can't get any more Obmaesque than that.
Unfettered capitalism is what made America great. Doesn’t ‘Ole Francis realize that ‘idolatry of money’ is the American way. The Pope is being downright un-American with his condemnation of capitalism and the worship of money. Instead of Pope Francis, what we have here is Pope Marx.
Please note: Before any of you get your poopies in an uproar, be assured that although the Pontiff does condemn capitalism, income inequality, worship of money, etc., I truly believe the Cardinals made a very wise choice when they selected Francis as Pope. Francis is a Pope of and for the people. I predict he will turn out to be the greatest Pope ever.
POPE FRANCIS ATTACKS ‘TYRANNY’ OF UNFETTERED CAPITALISM, ‘IDOLATRY OF MONEY’
By Naomi O’Leary
Thomson Reuters
November 26, 2013
Pope Francis called for renewal of the Roman Catholic Church and attacked unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny," urging global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality in the first major work he has authored alone as pontiff.
The 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, amounted to an official platform for his papacy, building on views he has aired in sermons and remarks since he became the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years in March.
In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the global economic system, attacking the "idolatry of money" and beseeching politicians to guarantee all citizens "dignified work, education and healthcare."
He also called on rich people to share their wealth. "Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills," Francis wrote in the document issued on Tuesday.
"How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses 2 points?"
Economic inequality is one of the issues Francis is most concerned about, and the 76-year-old pontiff calls for an overhaul of the financial system and warns that unequal distribution of wealth inevitably leads to violence.
"As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world's problems or, for that matter, to any problems," he wrote.
Denying this was simple populism, he called for action "beyond a simple welfare mentality" and added: "I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor."
Since his election, Francis has set an example for austerity in the Church, living in a Vatican guesthouse rather than the ornate Apostolic Palace, travelling in a Ford Focus, and last month suspending a bishop who spent millions of euros on his luxurious residence.
He chose to be called "Francis" after the medieval Italian saint of the same name famed for choosing a life of poverty.
NAKED HOUSTON VANDAL BETTER SUITED FOR SAN FRANCISCO
Running around naked jumping up on cars and smashing automobile windshields is so un-Houstonian. It would appear this kook would feel right at home in San Fransicko where running around naked would hardly raise any eyebrows.
NAKED MAN ARMED WITH SHOTGUN ARRESTED AFTER RAMPAGE IN HOUSTON GALLERIA AREA
By Karla Barguiarena
KTRK-TV
November 25, 2013
HOUSTON -- An armed, naked vandal went on a rampage in the Galleria area Sunday afternoon, trashing a convenience store and smashing several car windows before he was arrested.
He starts with a punch, a swipe and then a throw. In a blink of an eye, the suspect ransacks the Shell gas station in the Galleria area.
Police tell us 18-year-old Ugo Iyegbu began his destructive rampage around noon Sunday after briefly arguing with the clerk over having to pay before pumping gas. After hitting the lottery machine, Iyegbu smashes the coffee dispenser. The clerk could do nothing but stand back and watch.
A second camera shows the suspect knocking over the snack stand. Total destruction time is 2 minutes.
Outside, a third camera shows the suspect pulling out what police say is a shotgun and smashing the car of an innocent bystander.
But the suspect didn't stop there. Police say he drove his car across the street to this luxury car rental business where the story goes from strange to just plain bizarre.
Police say for some unknown reason, Iyegbu stripped off all his clothes, and in the nude, began destroying luxury cars -- six of them, including this white Lamborghini.
Prosecutors tell us Iyegbu's apparent meltdown caused damages in the range of $100,000-$200,000 by striking the cars with the butt of a shotgun.
The destructive rampage came to an end after officers were able to talk the suspect down off one of those cars.
Iyegbu is now charged with felony criminal mischief. He remains behind bars on a $10,000 bond.
NAKED MAN ARMED WITH SHOTGUN ARRESTED AFTER RAMPAGE IN HOUSTON GALLERIA AREA
By Karla Barguiarena
KTRK-TV
November 25, 2013
HOUSTON -- An armed, naked vandal went on a rampage in the Galleria area Sunday afternoon, trashing a convenience store and smashing several car windows before he was arrested.
He starts with a punch, a swipe and then a throw. In a blink of an eye, the suspect ransacks the Shell gas station in the Galleria area.
Police tell us 18-year-old Ugo Iyegbu began his destructive rampage around noon Sunday after briefly arguing with the clerk over having to pay before pumping gas. After hitting the lottery machine, Iyegbu smashes the coffee dispenser. The clerk could do nothing but stand back and watch.
A second camera shows the suspect knocking over the snack stand. Total destruction time is 2 minutes.
Outside, a third camera shows the suspect pulling out what police say is a shotgun and smashing the car of an innocent bystander.
But the suspect didn't stop there. Police say he drove his car across the street to this luxury car rental business where the story goes from strange to just plain bizarre.
Police say for some unknown reason, Iyegbu stripped off all his clothes, and in the nude, began destroying luxury cars -- six of them, including this white Lamborghini.
Prosecutors tell us Iyegbu's apparent meltdown caused damages in the range of $100,000-$200,000 by striking the cars with the butt of a shotgun.
The destructive rampage came to an end after officers were able to talk the suspect down off one of those cars.
Iyegbu is now charged with felony criminal mischief. He remains behind bars on a $10,000 bond.
SOME FACTS OF LIFE
The Unconventional Gazette
November 26, 2013
Money cannot buy happiness, but it's more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes than on a bicycle.
Forgive your enemy, but remember the ass-hole's name.
If you help someone when they're in trouble, they will remember you when they're in trouble again.
Many people are alive only because it's illegal to shoot them.
Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then neither does milk.
Condoms do not guarantee safe sex; a friend of mine was wearing one when he was shot by the woman's husband!
November 26, 2013
Money cannot buy happiness, but it's more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes than on a bicycle.
Forgive your enemy, but remember the ass-hole's name.
If you help someone when they're in trouble, they will remember you when they're in trouble again.
Many people are alive only because it's illegal to shoot them.
Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then neither does milk.
Condoms do not guarantee safe sex; a friend of mine was wearing one when he was shot by the woman's husband!
FRUSTRATED IRANIAN SCIENTIST FORCED TO SHUT DOWN PROJECT HE SPENT 12 GODDAMN YEARS OF HIS LIFE ON
The Onion
November 25, 2013
NATANZ, IRAN—Standing in the dim subterranean facility in which he had spent the better part of his peak work years, deeply frustrated Iranian scientist Ali Khatami told reporters today that the recent Iran-U.S. nuclear accords have forced him to shutter the project he has wasted 12 years of his life—12 goddamned years—developing.
“Perfect! Let’s just flush a decade of my life down the drain, then, shall we?” Khatami said as he angrily typed a code into a nearby computer to power down over 8,000 P-2 centrifuges he reportedly squandered countless nights diligently overseeing. “Do those assholes even know how hard it is to enrich uranium? How much I sacrificed? I never married, I’m prematurely gray, and now guess what? The prime of my life is gone forever. Unbelievable. This country’s going to fucking hell, man.”
The nuclear physicist then paused, sighed, and wondered if he might realistically find work in Yemen.
November 25, 2013
NATANZ, IRAN—Standing in the dim subterranean facility in which he had spent the better part of his peak work years, deeply frustrated Iranian scientist Ali Khatami told reporters today that the recent Iran-U.S. nuclear accords have forced him to shutter the project he has wasted 12 years of his life—12 goddamned years—developing.
“Perfect! Let’s just flush a decade of my life down the drain, then, shall we?” Khatami said as he angrily typed a code into a nearby computer to power down over 8,000 P-2 centrifuges he reportedly squandered countless nights diligently overseeing. “Do those assholes even know how hard it is to enrich uranium? How much I sacrificed? I never married, I’m prematurely gray, and now guess what? The prime of my life is gone forever. Unbelievable. This country’s going to fucking hell, man.”
The nuclear physicist then paused, sighed, and wondered if he might realistically find work in Yemen.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
BOXER AND CONGRESSMAN MANNY PACQUIAO BRNGS MUCH NEEDED JOY TO FILIPINO TYPHOON VICTIMS
The popular ‘Pacman’ dedicated his fight at Macau’s Venetian hotel and casino to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan
Filipino officials were hoping that the spirits of Typhoon Haiya’s victims would be raised by watching Congressman Manny Pacquiao fight Brandon Rios in Macau. And so they were when the Pacman won.
BOXING HERO’S BOOST FOR TYPHOON VICTIMS: THOUSANDS WATCH MANNY PACQUIAO’S VICTORY IN WORLD TITLE FIGHT ON BIG SCREENS SET UP BY OFFICIALS
Officials hoped watching the fight would inspire the typhoon survivors
Mail Online
November 24, 2013
Thousands of survivors of Typhoon Haiyan erupted into wild cheers Sunday to celebrate Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s victory, giving them a brief respite from the enormous destruction that the storm brought to the Philippines.
‘It felt like I got my house back,’ said street sweeper Ardel Nebasa, who lost his home in tsunami-like storm surges that ravaged the city of Tacloban on November 8.
Officials were hoping that watching Pacquiao’s bout against American Brandon Rios in Macau would help traumatized survivors take their minds off the devastation wrought by the typhoon and inspire them to pick up the pieces from the storm, which killed more than 5,200 people.
Many jumped repeatedly in joy as they cheered on Pacquiao, who won by unanimous decision to take the WBO international welterweight title.
‘I was so happy and I wanted to cry, but there were too many people,’ said Nebasa, who watched the match with his son and thousands of others on a TV screen set up in a public plaza in Tacloban.
‘It would have felt like another storm has hit if he lost,’ Nebasa said.
Another survivor waved a cardboard placard that read: ‘We’re for Pacquiao, God bless, Tacloban will rise again.’
Residents also cheered at Tacloban’s seaside Astrodome stadium, where they watched the fight on a giant screen, their view partly obscured by the light filtering through holes in the ceiling. One man carried a Philippine flag.
Pacquiao dedicated his comeback fight to Haiyan victims and promised to visit Tacloban and outlying regions that the typhoon turned into a corpse-strewn wasteland.
Interviewed by Manila’s DZBB radio network after his victory, Pacquiao thanked the Filipino people, particularly the typhoon survivors who prayed for him. ‘The honour is for you,’ he said.
President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesman, Herminio Coloma, said Pacquiao ‘once again united the hearts and mind of our countrymen who are facing intense challenges brought by a series of tragedies that have befallen our country’.
When the bell rang to signal the end of the 12-round match, many spectators in Tacloban threw their baseball caps, shirts and pieces of cardboard into the air, even before the result was officially announced.
Tacloban city folk, Nebasa said, would gladly await the visit of Pacquiao, who rose from poverty to become one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
‘We’ll be thankful if he can help us,’ Nebasa said. ‘He came from the ranks of the poor and we identify with him and are happy for his triumphs.’
Hundreds of typhoon survivors and aid workers, as well as several U.S. Navy personnel, watched the bout in a grandstand at Manila’s Villamor air base.
In Macau, the 13,000-seat arena at the Venetian, where the fight was held, was packed. Many in the audience were Filipinos who either lived and worked in Macau or nearby Hong Kong, or made the one-hour flight from the Philippines.
Some waved Philippine flags, and frequently chanted, 'Manny, Manny'.
Businessman Bong Ferrer flew to Macau with a group of 11 others.
'Of course this is a high morale day to the Filipino people because of what’s happening to us back in the Philippines. It’s redeeming to us. It makes us feel in high spirits,' he said.
Filipino officials were hoping that the spirits of Typhoon Haiya’s victims would be raised by watching Congressman Manny Pacquiao fight Brandon Rios in Macau. And so they were when the Pacman won.
BOXING HERO’S BOOST FOR TYPHOON VICTIMS: THOUSANDS WATCH MANNY PACQUIAO’S VICTORY IN WORLD TITLE FIGHT ON BIG SCREENS SET UP BY OFFICIALS
Officials hoped watching the fight would inspire the typhoon survivors
Mail Online
November 24, 2013
Thousands of survivors of Typhoon Haiyan erupted into wild cheers Sunday to celebrate Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s victory, giving them a brief respite from the enormous destruction that the storm brought to the Philippines.
‘It felt like I got my house back,’ said street sweeper Ardel Nebasa, who lost his home in tsunami-like storm surges that ravaged the city of Tacloban on November 8.
Officials were hoping that watching Pacquiao’s bout against American Brandon Rios in Macau would help traumatized survivors take their minds off the devastation wrought by the typhoon and inspire them to pick up the pieces from the storm, which killed more than 5,200 people.
Many jumped repeatedly in joy as they cheered on Pacquiao, who won by unanimous decision to take the WBO international welterweight title.
‘I was so happy and I wanted to cry, but there were too many people,’ said Nebasa, who watched the match with his son and thousands of others on a TV screen set up in a public plaza in Tacloban.
‘It would have felt like another storm has hit if he lost,’ Nebasa said.
Another survivor waved a cardboard placard that read: ‘We’re for Pacquiao, God bless, Tacloban will rise again.’
Residents also cheered at Tacloban’s seaside Astrodome stadium, where they watched the fight on a giant screen, their view partly obscured by the light filtering through holes in the ceiling. One man carried a Philippine flag.
Pacquiao dedicated his comeback fight to Haiyan victims and promised to visit Tacloban and outlying regions that the typhoon turned into a corpse-strewn wasteland.
Interviewed by Manila’s DZBB radio network after his victory, Pacquiao thanked the Filipino people, particularly the typhoon survivors who prayed for him. ‘The honour is for you,’ he said.
President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesman, Herminio Coloma, said Pacquiao ‘once again united the hearts and mind of our countrymen who are facing intense challenges brought by a series of tragedies that have befallen our country’.
When the bell rang to signal the end of the 12-round match, many spectators in Tacloban threw their baseball caps, shirts and pieces of cardboard into the air, even before the result was officially announced.
Tacloban city folk, Nebasa said, would gladly await the visit of Pacquiao, who rose from poverty to become one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
‘We’ll be thankful if he can help us,’ Nebasa said. ‘He came from the ranks of the poor and we identify with him and are happy for his triumphs.’
Hundreds of typhoon survivors and aid workers, as well as several U.S. Navy personnel, watched the bout in a grandstand at Manila’s Villamor air base.
In Macau, the 13,000-seat arena at the Venetian, where the fight was held, was packed. Many in the audience were Filipinos who either lived and worked in Macau or nearby Hong Kong, or made the one-hour flight from the Philippines.
Some waved Philippine flags, and frequently chanted, 'Manny, Manny'.
Businessman Bong Ferrer flew to Macau with a group of 11 others.
'Of course this is a high morale day to the Filipino people because of what’s happening to us back in the Philippines. It’s redeeming to us. It makes us feel in high spirits,' he said.
IRAN DEAL IS AN IMBECILIC VENTURE
By Allen West
AllenBWest.com
November 25, 2013
Remember this Monday morning as it may end up being the “peace in our time” modern day Sir Neville Chamberlain moment. The reason we teach history is to avoid repeating its pitfalls and this is why the liberal progressive concept of revisionist history is so dangerous.
Why are we so anxious to have a kumbaya moment with Iran? Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world. Why the country even has a government agency that strategizes exportation of its tactics. In every part of the world where there are Islamic terrorist activities, you’ll probably find Iran’s fingerprints.
In October we sadly remembered the 30th anniversary of the Beirut bombing where 250 of our Marines, sailors, and soldiers were killed by an Islamic terrorist truck bomb. The person who planned and oversaw the execution of that attack, General Hossain Dehghan, was appointed as the new Iranian defense minister back in August.
Just a few weeks ago, Iran was celebrating “Death to America Day” remembering the taking of our American embassy and the over 400 days of detention of Americans.
Out of the almost 190 countries in the United Nations, there is only one that continuously calls for the destruction, and elimination of another member country — Iran. And how is it that Secretary of State John Kerry would even engage in talks with Iran while they have an American Christian minister, Saeed Abedini, imprisoned for nearly a year? The unconscionable part of this travesty is that he was not even mentioned by President Obama, nor Kerry — he remains imprisoned.
So what did we gain from this imbecilic venture? The same as Neville Chamberlain — the opportunity to return home and receive the cheers of those who are clueless and be hailed as having accomplished something historic — not a historic achievement but a historic blunder. Even Aljazeera acknowledges there’s a “tough road ahead.”
We have appeased a mad regime led by theocrats focused on attaining a device which will initiate an apocalyptic event according to their belief — the theory of mutually assured destruction (MAD) does not apply.
Chamberlain thought he had secured an agreement from Adolf Hitler, but in reality he had encouraged and enticed a dictator with his weakness, and the demands increased. President Obama and John Kerry have done nothing less.
This is just another failure of an inept community organizer and will not only affect Israel and America, but the world. So now it’s off to a series of fundraisers for Mr. Obama where he can be praised and lauded while the rest of us contend with the failure of Obamacare, and ponder the ramifications of his foreign policy folly.
History only remembers Chamberlain as an incompetent fool and the legacy of President Obama is heading that way. The country needs a Winston Churchill. He was at first vilified for his views, but he ultimately became the symbol of strength and a champion for his countrymen.
AllenBWest.com
November 25, 2013
Remember this Monday morning as it may end up being the “peace in our time” modern day Sir Neville Chamberlain moment. The reason we teach history is to avoid repeating its pitfalls and this is why the liberal progressive concept of revisionist history is so dangerous.
Why are we so anxious to have a kumbaya moment with Iran? Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world. Why the country even has a government agency that strategizes exportation of its tactics. In every part of the world where there are Islamic terrorist activities, you’ll probably find Iran’s fingerprints.
In October we sadly remembered the 30th anniversary of the Beirut bombing where 250 of our Marines, sailors, and soldiers were killed by an Islamic terrorist truck bomb. The person who planned and oversaw the execution of that attack, General Hossain Dehghan, was appointed as the new Iranian defense minister back in August.
Just a few weeks ago, Iran was celebrating “Death to America Day” remembering the taking of our American embassy and the over 400 days of detention of Americans.
Out of the almost 190 countries in the United Nations, there is only one that continuously calls for the destruction, and elimination of another member country — Iran. And how is it that Secretary of State John Kerry would even engage in talks with Iran while they have an American Christian minister, Saeed Abedini, imprisoned for nearly a year? The unconscionable part of this travesty is that he was not even mentioned by President Obama, nor Kerry — he remains imprisoned.
So what did we gain from this imbecilic venture? The same as Neville Chamberlain — the opportunity to return home and receive the cheers of those who are clueless and be hailed as having accomplished something historic — not a historic achievement but a historic blunder. Even Aljazeera acknowledges there’s a “tough road ahead.”
We have appeased a mad regime led by theocrats focused on attaining a device which will initiate an apocalyptic event according to their belief — the theory of mutually assured destruction (MAD) does not apply.
Chamberlain thought he had secured an agreement from Adolf Hitler, but in reality he had encouraged and enticed a dictator with his weakness, and the demands increased. President Obama and John Kerry have done nothing less.
This is just another failure of an inept community organizer and will not only affect Israel and America, but the world. So now it’s off to a series of fundraisers for Mr. Obama where he can be praised and lauded while the rest of us contend with the failure of Obamacare, and ponder the ramifications of his foreign policy folly.
History only remembers Chamberlain as an incompetent fool and the legacy of President Obama is heading that way. The country needs a Winston Churchill. He was at first vilified for his views, but he ultimately became the symbol of strength and a champion for his countrymen.
SUV FACILITATES DETECTION OF TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
Big SUVs enable NY troopers to peer down at drivers to see if they are texting
It also enables them to get a good view of women in short skirts. I’m waiting for a trooper to wreck his unit after ogling some blonde’s exposed privates.
NY TROOPERS IN BIG SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLES PEER IN ON TEXTING DRIVERS
Associated Press
November 25, 2013
New York state troopers are using a new fleet of 32 tall, unmarked SUVs as part of a crackdown on drivers sending text messages.
The high vantage point in the Chevy Tahoes helps troopers see drivers' hands, even if they're down on their laps, pushing smartphone buttons.
It's part of one of the nation's most aggressive attacks on texting while driving that also includes steeper penalties and dozens of highway "Texting Zones," where motorists can pull over to use their devices.
A study has found that a texting driver is 23 times more likely to be in a collision than those not texting.
New York this year increased the penalties for motorists caught using hand-held devices to talk or text.
It also enables them to get a good view of women in short skirts. I’m waiting for a trooper to wreck his unit after ogling some blonde’s exposed privates.
NY TROOPERS IN BIG SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLES PEER IN ON TEXTING DRIVERS
Associated Press
November 25, 2013
New York state troopers are using a new fleet of 32 tall, unmarked SUVs as part of a crackdown on drivers sending text messages.
The high vantage point in the Chevy Tahoes helps troopers see drivers' hands, even if they're down on their laps, pushing smartphone buttons.
It's part of one of the nation's most aggressive attacks on texting while driving that also includes steeper penalties and dozens of highway "Texting Zones," where motorists can pull over to use their devices.
A study has found that a texting driver is 23 times more likely to be in a collision than those not texting.
New York this year increased the penalties for motorists caught using hand-held devices to talk or text.
IGNORING A ‘NO LOITERING NO STANDING’ SIGN LEADS TO CAT FIGHT BETWEEN COP AND PROSTITUTE
Although she gave a good account of herself, the hooker ended up losing the fight. Maybe she’ll learn how to read signs during her stint in the pokey.
WOMAN TRIES TO GRAB DALLAS POLICE OFFICER’S GUN AND CHOKES HER WITH POLICE RADIO CORD
By Melissa Repko
Dallas Morning News
November 24, 2013
A Dallas police officer was punched, bitten on the hand and nearly choked Saturday night as she tried to arrest a woman in East Oak Cliff, according to police reports.
The police officer was patrolling a neighborhood known for drugs and prostitution when she saw a woman standing near a convenience store in the 3500 block of Bonnie View Road around 9:20 p.m., according to a police report. The woman was standing near a sign that said “No Loitering. No Standing.” The officer ran a background check and found an arrest warrant for prostitution.
When the officer attempted to arrest the woman, she tried to run away, according to a police report. Once the officer caught up to her, the woman tried to grab the officer’s gun and choke her with a wire from the police radio, the report says. The woman bit her on the right hand and punched her in the neck.
After a struggle, the officer pinned the woman down with her body weight until more police arrived.
The names of the police officer and arrested woman are not listed in police reports.
WOMAN TRIES TO GRAB DALLAS POLICE OFFICER’S GUN AND CHOKES HER WITH POLICE RADIO CORD
By Melissa Repko
Dallas Morning News
November 24, 2013
A Dallas police officer was punched, bitten on the hand and nearly choked Saturday night as she tried to arrest a woman in East Oak Cliff, according to police reports.
The police officer was patrolling a neighborhood known for drugs and prostitution when she saw a woman standing near a convenience store in the 3500 block of Bonnie View Road around 9:20 p.m., according to a police report. The woman was standing near a sign that said “No Loitering. No Standing.” The officer ran a background check and found an arrest warrant for prostitution.
When the officer attempted to arrest the woman, she tried to run away, according to a police report. Once the officer caught up to her, the woman tried to grab the officer’s gun and choke her with a wire from the police radio, the report says. The woman bit her on the right hand and punched her in the neck.
After a struggle, the officer pinned the woman down with her body weight until more police arrived.
The names of the police officer and arrested woman are not listed in police reports.
NOT A GOOD IDEA TO ENCOUNTER COPS WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF POT AND BATH SALTS
After a banker accused LA cops of an unprovoked beating which broke his nose and shoulder blade, the police union fights back with secret recording in which he admits snorting bath salts 20 times
While some may fault the police union for resorting to dirty tactics, I see nothing wrong in discrediting an individual when the union believes he is making false accusations against police officers.
What I find most interesting in this case is that LA Police Chief Charlie Beck refused to help the union obtain the recording made by a Glendale cop who turned it over to LAPD investigators.
WHEN LAPD OFFICERS WERE ACCUSED, UNION DUG UP DIRT TO FIGHT BACK
A case offers a look into how the L.A. Police Protective League mobilized to defend officers who union officials feel have been wrongly accused
By Joel Rubin and Richard Winton
Los Angeles Times
November 23, 2013
As far as news releases go, the one the Los Angeles police union put out was highly unusual.
It dealt with Brian C. Mulligan, a Hollywood executive turned banker, who had been arrested by LAPD officers. In the news release, the union portrayed Mulligan as a drug-abusing liar and accused him of trying to "shake down" the Police Department.
The evidence? A secret recording that a police officer in nearby Glendale had made of Mulligan a few days before his arrest. Sounding agitated and paranoid, Mulligan admitted on the recording to using a potent type of bath salts, a synthetic drug that can cause paranoia. The union embedded in the release a link to the recording, which it had uploaded to its website.
It was a counterattack on Mulligan. The Deutsche Bank executive had gone public with a strange, troubling account of his arrest, in which he was badly injured. Officers, he said through an attorney, had kidnapped him, forced him to go to a motel and then beat him in a brutal, unprovoked attack when he tried to flee. He also denied the officers' claim that he had admitted using bath salts and marijuana, and he accused the officers of lying in their arrest report to cover up the alleged abuse.
How the audio recording made its way into the hands of the Los Angeles Police Protective League and its decision to publish it are at the heart of a lawsuit filed recently by Mulligan. In it, and in a related lawsuit, Mulligan has accused union officials of conspiring with a lawyer in the L.A. city attorney's office and a media consultant to "publicly vilify" Mulligan and pressure him to drop his demands for millions of dollars in damages.
The union has stoutly defended its right to publish the audio recording, saying in a court filing that it was acting "to defend the reputation of the two officers" who arrested Mulligan and was free to release the recording because it was not confidential.
An attorney for Eric Rose, the union media consultant named in the recent lawsuit, echoed that idea, saying Rose and the union had the right to disseminate Mulligan's "very public truthful admission which he finds embarrassing."
The case offers a look into how the union mobilized to defend officers who its officials feel have been wrongly accused.
The odd events that ended with Mulligan's arrest began late one night in May last year. Officers from the LAPD's Northeast Division were dispatched to a neighborhood near Occidental College after people reported a man trying to get into locked cars, according to police and court records. They came upon Mulligan, who matched the man's description, walking in the street and stopped him.
In Mulligan's car parked nearby, an officer found what appeared to be bath salts, which are not illegal to possess, according to a recounting of events by the Police Commission, which oversees the LAPD. Although they noticed he was "sweating profusely and appeared unsteady," the officers determined Mulligan was not drunk or under the influence of illegal drugs.
Mulligan asked the officers to bring him to a motel, according to accounts given by the officers and a police supervisor who was at the scene. They agreed, dropping him off at one nearby. The officers told investigators they advised Mulligan to stay in the room and left his car key with the motel manager.
About an hour later, the same officers encountered Mulligan again when they saw him "screaming and dragging a metal trash can in the street," police reports show. Mulligan tried to open the doors of several cars and then ran away from the officers, according to the LAPD's official account of the incident. The officers gave chase and said they found Mulligan snarling and thrashing and swiping at them as if he believed his hands were claws. They claimed Mulligan charged at them. The officers said they pushed him to the ground and kicked and struck him in the torso with a baton, according to police records.
When it was over, Mulligan's nose was broken in several places and his shoulder blade fractured. After an internal investigation, the Police Commission found the officers' use of force was justified.
Mulligan's account of the night differs dramatically. He claimed the officers took him to the motel against his will and then attacked him when he fled, beating him in the face and on the head and deliberately breaking his shoulder blade.
After reviewing the case, prosecutors for the district attorney and city attorney chose not to pursue any criminal charges against Mulligan.
That August, Mulligan had hired an attorney, who went to the media with Mulligan's account of the night and claimed the officers had fabricated their report. Rose took note of the news reports on Mulligan's claims. In an email to Tyler Izen, president of the L.A. Police Protective League, Rose warned that "the BS story concocted by Brian Mulligan from Deutsche bank is getting legs," court records show. He ended by asking Izen, "Is there anything we can put out or say to discredit this guy"?
Weeks later, court records show, Rose learned from an acquaintance about the existence of the audio recording the Glendale officer made. In it, Mulligan acknowledged snorting bath salts as many as 20 times. Saying he knew he sounded paranoid, Mulligan told the officer he feared a helicopter was following him.
Rose and Izen set out to get the recording. They turned first to LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other top LAPD officials for help, but were told the department didn't have a copy. Izen then asked Glendale police directly but was rebuffed.
Later, when he learned Glendale officials had given a copy of the recording to LAPD officers investigating the force used to arrest Mulligan, Izen and Rose once again pressed the LAPD. Beck and other senior officials were aware of the recording and the union's desire to get a copy, but Beck refused to hand it over, emails show.
The union then turned to Cory Brente, a veteran lawyer who handles cases involving LAPD officers for the city attorney's office. That office declined to comment on the case. Brente did not respond to phone calls and emails.
Brente asked a detective who was working on the Mulligan investigation to make him a copy of the recording, according to court records. While at home and using his personal email account, Brente sent the recording to Izen on Oct. 10, 2012, court records show. He followed it up with messages to Izen, advising the union to hold off on releasing the recording and then spring it on Mulligan if he again denied using drugs.
"This would certainly sink his case and his reputation," Brente wrote.
"I will defer to you as the defender of your members to do what you think is in their best interest," Brente concluded.
The news release went out a few days later.
While some may fault the police union for resorting to dirty tactics, I see nothing wrong in discrediting an individual when the union believes he is making false accusations against police officers.
What I find most interesting in this case is that LA Police Chief Charlie Beck refused to help the union obtain the recording made by a Glendale cop who turned it over to LAPD investigators.
WHEN LAPD OFFICERS WERE ACCUSED, UNION DUG UP DIRT TO FIGHT BACK
A case offers a look into how the L.A. Police Protective League mobilized to defend officers who union officials feel have been wrongly accused
By Joel Rubin and Richard Winton
Los Angeles Times
November 23, 2013
As far as news releases go, the one the Los Angeles police union put out was highly unusual.
It dealt with Brian C. Mulligan, a Hollywood executive turned banker, who had been arrested by LAPD officers. In the news release, the union portrayed Mulligan as a drug-abusing liar and accused him of trying to "shake down" the Police Department.
The evidence? A secret recording that a police officer in nearby Glendale had made of Mulligan a few days before his arrest. Sounding agitated and paranoid, Mulligan admitted on the recording to using a potent type of bath salts, a synthetic drug that can cause paranoia. The union embedded in the release a link to the recording, which it had uploaded to its website.
It was a counterattack on Mulligan. The Deutsche Bank executive had gone public with a strange, troubling account of his arrest, in which he was badly injured. Officers, he said through an attorney, had kidnapped him, forced him to go to a motel and then beat him in a brutal, unprovoked attack when he tried to flee. He also denied the officers' claim that he had admitted using bath salts and marijuana, and he accused the officers of lying in their arrest report to cover up the alleged abuse.
How the audio recording made its way into the hands of the Los Angeles Police Protective League and its decision to publish it are at the heart of a lawsuit filed recently by Mulligan. In it, and in a related lawsuit, Mulligan has accused union officials of conspiring with a lawyer in the L.A. city attorney's office and a media consultant to "publicly vilify" Mulligan and pressure him to drop his demands for millions of dollars in damages.
The union has stoutly defended its right to publish the audio recording, saying in a court filing that it was acting "to defend the reputation of the two officers" who arrested Mulligan and was free to release the recording because it was not confidential.
An attorney for Eric Rose, the union media consultant named in the recent lawsuit, echoed that idea, saying Rose and the union had the right to disseminate Mulligan's "very public truthful admission which he finds embarrassing."
The case offers a look into how the union mobilized to defend officers who its officials feel have been wrongly accused.
The odd events that ended with Mulligan's arrest began late one night in May last year. Officers from the LAPD's Northeast Division were dispatched to a neighborhood near Occidental College after people reported a man trying to get into locked cars, according to police and court records. They came upon Mulligan, who matched the man's description, walking in the street and stopped him.
In Mulligan's car parked nearby, an officer found what appeared to be bath salts, which are not illegal to possess, according to a recounting of events by the Police Commission, which oversees the LAPD. Although they noticed he was "sweating profusely and appeared unsteady," the officers determined Mulligan was not drunk or under the influence of illegal drugs.
Mulligan asked the officers to bring him to a motel, according to accounts given by the officers and a police supervisor who was at the scene. They agreed, dropping him off at one nearby. The officers told investigators they advised Mulligan to stay in the room and left his car key with the motel manager.
About an hour later, the same officers encountered Mulligan again when they saw him "screaming and dragging a metal trash can in the street," police reports show. Mulligan tried to open the doors of several cars and then ran away from the officers, according to the LAPD's official account of the incident. The officers gave chase and said they found Mulligan snarling and thrashing and swiping at them as if he believed his hands were claws. They claimed Mulligan charged at them. The officers said they pushed him to the ground and kicked and struck him in the torso with a baton, according to police records.
When it was over, Mulligan's nose was broken in several places and his shoulder blade fractured. After an internal investigation, the Police Commission found the officers' use of force was justified.
Mulligan's account of the night differs dramatically. He claimed the officers took him to the motel against his will and then attacked him when he fled, beating him in the face and on the head and deliberately breaking his shoulder blade.
After reviewing the case, prosecutors for the district attorney and city attorney chose not to pursue any criminal charges against Mulligan.
That August, Mulligan had hired an attorney, who went to the media with Mulligan's account of the night and claimed the officers had fabricated their report. Rose took note of the news reports on Mulligan's claims. In an email to Tyler Izen, president of the L.A. Police Protective League, Rose warned that "the BS story concocted by Brian Mulligan from Deutsche bank is getting legs," court records show. He ended by asking Izen, "Is there anything we can put out or say to discredit this guy"?
Weeks later, court records show, Rose learned from an acquaintance about the existence of the audio recording the Glendale officer made. In it, Mulligan acknowledged snorting bath salts as many as 20 times. Saying he knew he sounded paranoid, Mulligan told the officer he feared a helicopter was following him.
Rose and Izen set out to get the recording. They turned first to LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other top LAPD officials for help, but were told the department didn't have a copy. Izen then asked Glendale police directly but was rebuffed.
Later, when he learned Glendale officials had given a copy of the recording to LAPD officers investigating the force used to arrest Mulligan, Izen and Rose once again pressed the LAPD. Beck and other senior officials were aware of the recording and the union's desire to get a copy, but Beck refused to hand it over, emails show.
The union then turned to Cory Brente, a veteran lawyer who handles cases involving LAPD officers for the city attorney's office. That office declined to comment on the case. Brente did not respond to phone calls and emails.
Brente asked a detective who was working on the Mulligan investigation to make him a copy of the recording, according to court records. While at home and using his personal email account, Brente sent the recording to Izen on Oct. 10, 2012, court records show. He followed it up with messages to Izen, advising the union to hold off on releasing the recording and then spring it on Mulligan if he again denied using drugs.
"This would certainly sink his case and his reputation," Brente wrote.
"I will defer to you as the defender of your members to do what you think is in their best interest," Brente concluded.
The news release went out a few days later.
Monday, November 25, 2013
DUKE ‘RAPE VICTIM’ CONVICTED OF MURDER
The national media has for the most part ignored the latest Crystal Mangum case and nothing has been heard from Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson
Some of you may remember the 2006 Duke lacrosse team rape case. Crystal Mangum, a black student at North Carolina Central University who worked for an escort service and as a stripper, accused three white Duke lacrosse players of having gang-raped her at a team house party. The three accused team members were arrested, the team coach was forced to resign and the team’s season was cancelled.
Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson came down to lead the usual street protests against white racism. 88 left-wing Duke faculty members placed a full-page ad in the student newspaper thanking the demonstrators for judging the accused lacrosse players guilty, and charging that a racist and sexist atmosphere pervades the university’s campus. And, of course, the media had a field day fueling the racial animosity between whites and blacks.
The case against the three accused rapists was led by an overzealous and unscrupulous district attorney who was up for reelection and played up to Durham's black community. Despite evidence that those accused by Mangum were innocent and that she was never raped at the party, the DA plowed right ahead and conducted a judicial lynching.
After all the damage had been done by the DA, the media, and by Sharpton and Jackson, the case fell apart when the Attorney General’s office determined that Mangum’s accusations were a pack of lies. The charges were dropped a year after they had been filed and the DA was disbarred for "dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation." A lot of lawsuits were filed against the city of Durham, its police force, the DA, and against the university.
Crystal Mangum had several run-ins with the law afterwards, but she did graduate from NCCU in 2008 with a degree in – you won’t believe this – police psychology. Her degree wasn’t much help because things really went downhill from there.
In April 2011, Mangum stabbed her boyfriend and was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill by inflicting serious bodily injury. The charge was upgraded to murder when the boyfriend died of his wounds in the hospital. On November 22, 2013, Mangum was convicted of second degree murder and immediately sentenced to prison for a term of 14 to 18 years. Unlike the Duke rape case frenzy, the media has for the most part ignored Mangum's murder case.
Al and Jesse, let’s hear from you now! The ‘Gang of 88’ professors, let’s hear from you now! And all the talking heads on TV and other media types who rushed to judgment in the Duke rape case, let’s hear from you now! Hmm, all I get is deadly silence.
Some of you may remember the 2006 Duke lacrosse team rape case. Crystal Mangum, a black student at North Carolina Central University who worked for an escort service and as a stripper, accused three white Duke lacrosse players of having gang-raped her at a team house party. The three accused team members were arrested, the team coach was forced to resign and the team’s season was cancelled.
Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson came down to lead the usual street protests against white racism. 88 left-wing Duke faculty members placed a full-page ad in the student newspaper thanking the demonstrators for judging the accused lacrosse players guilty, and charging that a racist and sexist atmosphere pervades the university’s campus. And, of course, the media had a field day fueling the racial animosity between whites and blacks.
The case against the three accused rapists was led by an overzealous and unscrupulous district attorney who was up for reelection and played up to Durham's black community. Despite evidence that those accused by Mangum were innocent and that she was never raped at the party, the DA plowed right ahead and conducted a judicial lynching.
After all the damage had been done by the DA, the media, and by Sharpton and Jackson, the case fell apart when the Attorney General’s office determined that Mangum’s accusations were a pack of lies. The charges were dropped a year after they had been filed and the DA was disbarred for "dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation." A lot of lawsuits were filed against the city of Durham, its police force, the DA, and against the university.
Crystal Mangum had several run-ins with the law afterwards, but she did graduate from NCCU in 2008 with a degree in – you won’t believe this – police psychology. Her degree wasn’t much help because things really went downhill from there.
In April 2011, Mangum stabbed her boyfriend and was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill by inflicting serious bodily injury. The charge was upgraded to murder when the boyfriend died of his wounds in the hospital. On November 22, 2013, Mangum was convicted of second degree murder and immediately sentenced to prison for a term of 14 to 18 years. Unlike the Duke rape case frenzy, the media has for the most part ignored Mangum's murder case.
Al and Jesse, let’s hear from you now! The ‘Gang of 88’ professors, let’s hear from you now! And all the talking heads on TV and other media types who rushed to judgment in the Duke rape case, let’s hear from you now! Hmm, all I get is deadly silence.
ISRAELI GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS EXPRESS THEIR UNHAPPINESS OVER IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
Foreign minister calls it the biggest diplomatic victory Iran has known in recent years
Iran’s foreign minister says the nuclear pact is a victory over "the Zionists." Israeli officials are astounded that Obama could agree to the pact with his eyes fully opened. Kerry insists the deal had made the world safer. Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz calls the pact a "cataclysmic error of gigantic proportions."
An Obama administration official told ABC News that, unknown to Israel and America’s other allies, U.S. officials handpicked by the president have for months been holding secret meetings with Iranian officials in Oman to pave the way for a nuclear agreement.
IRAN, WEST ‘THWART ZIONIST PLOT’ WITH NUCLEAR DEAL
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
November 24, 2013
Israel fuming over 'delusional' Iran nuke deal, threatening to review military option
Iran on Sunday hailed the nuclear deal it reached with Western powers as a victory over "the Zionists," while Israel fumed over the details of the agreement, even as US President Barack Obama insisted it would improve the security of the Jewish state.
"All plots hatched by the Zionist regime to stop the nuclear agreement have failed," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said to his nation's media from Geneva.
The deal signed on Sunday is only the first in many proposed steps. It requires Iran to temporarily freeze its nuclear program (while leaving it fully intact) in exchange for a lessening of Western sanctions.
Over the coming six month, Zarif said Iran will give America and its Western allies an opportunity to prove their trustworthiness to the Islamic Republic before moving on to the second step.
Israelis officials seemed incredulous that Obama could enter, eyes fully opened, into such an arrangement.
"What was agreed last night in Geneva is not a historic agreement, it is a historic mistake," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Sunday's cabinet meeting. "Today the world has become much more dangerous because the most dangerous regime in the world took a significant step to getting the most dangerous weapon in the world."
"There is no achievement in this agreement," added Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. "This is the biggest diplomatic victory Iran has known in recent years."
"We awoke this morning to a new reality. A reality in which a bad deal was signed with Iran. A very bad deal," Economic Minister Naftali Bennett wrote on his Facebook page. "If a nuclear suitcase blows up five years from now in New York or Madrid, it will be because of the deal that was signed this morning."
Iran’s foreign minister says the nuclear pact is a victory over "the Zionists." Israeli officials are astounded that Obama could agree to the pact with his eyes fully opened. Kerry insists the deal had made the world safer. Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz calls the pact a "cataclysmic error of gigantic proportions."
An Obama administration official told ABC News that, unknown to Israel and America’s other allies, U.S. officials handpicked by the president have for months been holding secret meetings with Iranian officials in Oman to pave the way for a nuclear agreement.
IRAN, WEST ‘THWART ZIONIST PLOT’ WITH NUCLEAR DEAL
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
November 24, 2013
Israel fuming over 'delusional' Iran nuke deal, threatening to review military option
Iran on Sunday hailed the nuclear deal it reached with Western powers as a victory over "the Zionists," while Israel fumed over the details of the agreement, even as US President Barack Obama insisted it would improve the security of the Jewish state.
"All plots hatched by the Zionist regime to stop the nuclear agreement have failed," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said to his nation's media from Geneva.
The deal signed on Sunday is only the first in many proposed steps. It requires Iran to temporarily freeze its nuclear program (while leaving it fully intact) in exchange for a lessening of Western sanctions.
Over the coming six month, Zarif said Iran will give America and its Western allies an opportunity to prove their trustworthiness to the Islamic Republic before moving on to the second step.
Israelis officials seemed incredulous that Obama could enter, eyes fully opened, into such an arrangement.
"What was agreed last night in Geneva is not a historic agreement, it is a historic mistake," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Sunday's cabinet meeting. "Today the world has become much more dangerous because the most dangerous regime in the world took a significant step to getting the most dangerous weapon in the world."
"There is no achievement in this agreement," added Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. "This is the biggest diplomatic victory Iran has known in recent years."
"We awoke this morning to a new reality. A reality in which a bad deal was signed with Iran. A very bad deal," Economic Minister Naftali Bennett wrote on his Facebook page. "If a nuclear suitcase blows up five years from now in New York or Madrid, it will be because of the deal that was signed this morning."
BEWARE OF LATRODECTUS IN YOUR STOREBOUGHT GRAPES
Other araneae may also come with your purchase of grapes
If you haven’t already browsed the internet to see what the hell I am talking about, the scientific name for the black widow spider is latrodectus and the scientific name for spiders in general is araneae. Apparently it is not uncommon for the little fellas to make their homes in grape bunches, and to go undetected until their arrival at the store customer’s home.
BLACK WIDOWS FOUND ON GRAPES AT SUPERMARKETS IN SEVERAL STATES
First bananas, now grapes? No fruit is safe!
By Sara Gates
The Huffington Post
November 24, 2013
A Pennsylvania woman got quite the shock Thursday when she was washing some red grapes and felt her fingers brush up against something slimy. Yvonne Whalen saw a long spider leg creep over the top of one of the pieces of fruit and immediately dropped the colander into the sink.
A spider expert later confirmed what Whalen's initial Internet search revealed -- it was a young black widow crawling on the grapes.
The appetite-ruining find follows several similar instances of the deadly spiders found on grapes at supermarkets in Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Food Safety News reports.
Yvonne Duckhorn was inspecting a container of red grapes at an Aldi supermarket in Wauwatosa, Wis., earlier this month, when she spotted something peculiar.
"I saw the legs moving frantically," Duckhorn recalled to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. "I've seen bugs on fruit before, and I thought, 'That is a very big spider.' Nothing I'd ever seen before."
Duckhorn wrapped the container in a plastic bag and handed it off to an employee, warning that she spotted a red marking on the spider's abdomen -- a common characteristic of Black widows. As a precaution, the chain opted to remove all grapes from stores in the Milwaukee area.
In another incident this month in Michigan, 20-year-old Callum Merry noticed a spider web in a bag of grapes purchased at a Kroger store in Brighton.
"I looked in the grapes and there was a black widow staring right at me," Merry told ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV. While Merry wanted to release the spider outside, fortunately, his 14-year-old brother recognized the danger and intervened.
Black widow spiders -- known for their red, hour-glass shaped insignia -- are venomous and their bite can be fatal, especially in small children and the elderly, without treatment. It's not uncommon for black widows to be found among grapes, since the spiders often build their webs in grape vineyards.
If you haven’t already browsed the internet to see what the hell I am talking about, the scientific name for the black widow spider is latrodectus and the scientific name for spiders in general is araneae. Apparently it is not uncommon for the little fellas to make their homes in grape bunches, and to go undetected until their arrival at the store customer’s home.
BLACK WIDOWS FOUND ON GRAPES AT SUPERMARKETS IN SEVERAL STATES
First bananas, now grapes? No fruit is safe!
By Sara Gates
The Huffington Post
November 24, 2013
A Pennsylvania woman got quite the shock Thursday when she was washing some red grapes and felt her fingers brush up against something slimy. Yvonne Whalen saw a long spider leg creep over the top of one of the pieces of fruit and immediately dropped the colander into the sink.
A spider expert later confirmed what Whalen's initial Internet search revealed -- it was a young black widow crawling on the grapes.
The appetite-ruining find follows several similar instances of the deadly spiders found on grapes at supermarkets in Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Food Safety News reports.
Yvonne Duckhorn was inspecting a container of red grapes at an Aldi supermarket in Wauwatosa, Wis., earlier this month, when she spotted something peculiar.
"I saw the legs moving frantically," Duckhorn recalled to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. "I've seen bugs on fruit before, and I thought, 'That is a very big spider.' Nothing I'd ever seen before."
Duckhorn wrapped the container in a plastic bag and handed it off to an employee, warning that she spotted a red marking on the spider's abdomen -- a common characteristic of Black widows. As a precaution, the chain opted to remove all grapes from stores in the Milwaukee area.
In another incident this month in Michigan, 20-year-old Callum Merry noticed a spider web in a bag of grapes purchased at a Kroger store in Brighton.
"I looked in the grapes and there was a black widow staring right at me," Merry told ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV. While Merry wanted to release the spider outside, fortunately, his 14-year-old brother recognized the danger and intervened.
Black widow spiders -- known for their red, hour-glass shaped insignia -- are venomous and their bite can be fatal, especially in small children and the elderly, without treatment. It's not uncommon for black widows to be found among grapes, since the spiders often build their webs in grape vineyards.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
GENTILE NOT SO GENTLE WITH ANTI-SEMITIC BARKEEP
In a dramatic fashion, a Cherokee Indian took up for me and left some indelible marks on the protagonist of an anti-Semitic episode
Chief Gordon House was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian boxer who had a serious drinking problem that eventually got him killed. From 1946-50, Gordon fought 55 times all over the country in the 135 lb. (lightweight) division. He won 34 fights, 25 by knockout and lost 19 bouts, 4 by knockout. He also fought to two draws. Two of those losses came at the hands of Buddy Garcia, my best friend while I lived in Galveston. If it had not been for his excessive drinking, Gordon might very well have become World Lightweight Champion. After his retirement Gordon faded into obscurity until some years later, when his father-in-law shotgunned him to death in Oklahoma.
Gordon’s most memorable bout took place in Long Beach, New York on July 15, 1949 in a 10 round non-title match with World Featherweight Champion Sandy Saddler, one of the greatest fighters to ever put on the gloves. Sadler was tuning up to defend his championship. But the fight turned out to be anything but a tune up. Gordon knocked Sandy down for a four-count in the first round and the champion barely made it to the end of the round. Gordon beat the shit out of Sandy throughout the second round. But Sadler had recovered before the start of the third round and began to give Gordon a boxing lesson. The fight was stopped in the fourth round after Gordon had suffered a bad cut over his left eye.
You are probably wondering why in the hell am I writing about a fighter from back in ‘40s. It’s because in 1949 I had a close relationship with Chief Gordon House. Irving Cohen, who managed World Middleweight Champion Rocky Graziano, was also managing Gordon at the time. Irving asked me to look after Gordon while he was training in New York. My job was to try and keep Gordon’s drinking from getting out of hand after his daily training sessions at Stillman’s Gymnasium. That was some experience. I must have visited more than a dozen different bars with Gordon. I thought it was quite an achievement if I could get him to leave a bar after only a couple of beers.
What brings my relationship with Gordon back to mind is the resurgence of anti-Semitism throughout the Western World, especially in Europe, the cradle of the Holocaust. One afternoon after we left the gym and were headed to his Manhattan hotel room, Gordon decided to take a slight detour and stop in at a bar. At the time there were only three or four patrons inside. Somehow the barkeep must have figured out that I was Jewish because, as we sat down at the bar, he blurted out, “Get the fuck outa here, I don’t want no goddamn Jews in my bar!”
To my surprise, and within the blink of an eye, Gordon grabbed the fat son-of-a-bitch with both hands and dragged him over the bar. He then knocked him on his ass and continued pounding on him with both fists while telling the bigot he couldn’t talk like that to "my Jewish friend." I had to drag Gordon off the bastard because I thought he was about to kill him. Leaving a bloody mess on the bar floor, we made a hasty exit so as to avoid any cops that might show up.
Speaking of Buddy Garcia, he also took up for me in a Galveston club during another anti-Semitic incident. Sometime in the late ‘40s, I was with Buddy when he was playing poker with four other Galvestonians. One of the players was the Galveston municipal judge (His first name was Eddie, I don’t remember his last name) who for some reason suddenly went into an anti-Semitic tirade. Buddy interrupted the judge’s rant and chewed his ass out royally in front of everyone in the club, telling him that “Howie here is Jewish and he’s my friend. I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that again or I’ll kick the shit out of you.” The judge sat red-faced through the ass chewing but never made so much as a peep.
I am fully aware that in beating up the barkeep, Gordon was committing a serious criminal offense. But as far as I am concerned, that anti-Semite got exactly what he deserved. Because this gentile took up for me in such a dramatic fashion, Gordon will forever be in my grateful heart and mind.
Chief Gordon House was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian boxer who had a serious drinking problem that eventually got him killed. From 1946-50, Gordon fought 55 times all over the country in the 135 lb. (lightweight) division. He won 34 fights, 25 by knockout and lost 19 bouts, 4 by knockout. He also fought to two draws. Two of those losses came at the hands of Buddy Garcia, my best friend while I lived in Galveston. If it had not been for his excessive drinking, Gordon might very well have become World Lightweight Champion. After his retirement Gordon faded into obscurity until some years later, when his father-in-law shotgunned him to death in Oklahoma.
Gordon’s most memorable bout took place in Long Beach, New York on July 15, 1949 in a 10 round non-title match with World Featherweight Champion Sandy Saddler, one of the greatest fighters to ever put on the gloves. Sadler was tuning up to defend his championship. But the fight turned out to be anything but a tune up. Gordon knocked Sandy down for a four-count in the first round and the champion barely made it to the end of the round. Gordon beat the shit out of Sandy throughout the second round. But Sadler had recovered before the start of the third round and began to give Gordon a boxing lesson. The fight was stopped in the fourth round after Gordon had suffered a bad cut over his left eye.
You are probably wondering why in the hell am I writing about a fighter from back in ‘40s. It’s because in 1949 I had a close relationship with Chief Gordon House. Irving Cohen, who managed World Middleweight Champion Rocky Graziano, was also managing Gordon at the time. Irving asked me to look after Gordon while he was training in New York. My job was to try and keep Gordon’s drinking from getting out of hand after his daily training sessions at Stillman’s Gymnasium. That was some experience. I must have visited more than a dozen different bars with Gordon. I thought it was quite an achievement if I could get him to leave a bar after only a couple of beers.
What brings my relationship with Gordon back to mind is the resurgence of anti-Semitism throughout the Western World, especially in Europe, the cradle of the Holocaust. One afternoon after we left the gym and were headed to his Manhattan hotel room, Gordon decided to take a slight detour and stop in at a bar. At the time there were only three or four patrons inside. Somehow the barkeep must have figured out that I was Jewish because, as we sat down at the bar, he blurted out, “Get the fuck outa here, I don’t want no goddamn Jews in my bar!”
To my surprise, and within the blink of an eye, Gordon grabbed the fat son-of-a-bitch with both hands and dragged him over the bar. He then knocked him on his ass and continued pounding on him with both fists while telling the bigot he couldn’t talk like that to "my Jewish friend." I had to drag Gordon off the bastard because I thought he was about to kill him. Leaving a bloody mess on the bar floor, we made a hasty exit so as to avoid any cops that might show up.
Speaking of Buddy Garcia, he also took up for me in a Galveston club during another anti-Semitic incident. Sometime in the late ‘40s, I was with Buddy when he was playing poker with four other Galvestonians. One of the players was the Galveston municipal judge (His first name was Eddie, I don’t remember his last name) who for some reason suddenly went into an anti-Semitic tirade. Buddy interrupted the judge’s rant and chewed his ass out royally in front of everyone in the club, telling him that “Howie here is Jewish and he’s my friend. I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that again or I’ll kick the shit out of you.” The judge sat red-faced through the ass chewing but never made so much as a peep.
I am fully aware that in beating up the barkeep, Gordon was committing a serious criminal offense. But as far as I am concerned, that anti-Semite got exactly what he deserved. Because this gentile took up for me in such a dramatic fashion, Gordon will forever be in my grateful heart and mind.
BAD TIMES AHEAD FOR NYPD UNDER NEW MAYOR
The NYPD is about to come under the thumb of two competing power sources: a federal monitor, appointed by Judge Shira Scheindlin as part of her shockingly biased ruling against the NYPD's stop-question-and-frisk policies, and the City Council's recklessly created inspector general
As I’ve said before, NYPD could become a toothless tiger under Bill de Blasio who in his younger years went down to Nicaragua in support of the Marxist Sandinista rebels.
NYPD’S RAY KELLY TAKES NEW SHOT AT BILL DE BLASIO
By Theodore Kettle
Newsmax
November 22, 2013
Less than a week after incoming New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly "cleared the air," the outgoing top cop took another shot at de Blasio, who pledged during his campaign to "end the era of stop-and-frisk" policing that Kelly directed and strongly defended.
Kelly complained of "the misguided policies that would bring us back to the past" during his glowing introduction of Manhattan Institute scholar Heather MacDonald at Thursday evening's black-tie gala Wriston Lecture at the Essex House on Central Park South, attendees told Newsmax.
Kelly, the city's longest-serving police commissioner, didn't mention de Blasio by name.
But Kelly clearly was referring to the mayor-elect when he warned of "those that would impose unnecessary, onerous restraints on our police officers," and defended what he called "the police tactic of stop, question and sometimes frisk," eliciting sympathetic laughs from the audience.
Praising MacDonald, whose scholarship has provided evidence for the effectiveness of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy, Kelly said she has "a laser-like ability to cut through the distortions and lay bare the truth."
"Heather is a New York treasure, and I have a feeling she is going to have a lot of fun around here over the next few years," Kelly said, in another apparent allusion to de Blasio.
Kelly also used quotes from a recent New York Post article by MacDonald to warn that de Blasio might reverse New York's huge strides against violent crime under Mayors Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, whom de Blasio is replacing.
"Now, I've been around law enforcement for a long time," Kelly said. "In my opinion, no one has written more incisively about the role of proactive policing, the role that it's played in New York City's resurgence over the past two decades, than Heather."
"In her words," he said, quoting MacDonald: '"Too many voters have never grasped the immensity of the city's public-safety advantage over every other American metropolis, nor the reasons for it . . . The New York and the national crime declines are not the same phenomenon, and policing is the sole source of New York's massive margin of success over the rest of the country.'"
Kelly did not, however, quote the conclusion of MacDonald's article, which warned that the de Blasio era could be disastrous for New York City.
"Ray Kelly's untiring stewardship that . . . has kept the department focused like a laser beam on public safety for over a decade," MacDonald wrote, "is now under dire threat. The NYPD is about to come under the thumb of two competing power sources: a federal monitor, appointed by Judge Shira Scheindlin as part of her shockingly biased ruling against the NYPD's stop-question-and-frisk policies, and the City Council's recklessly created inspector general."
De Blasio's regime, MacDonald wrote, may likely "distract the NYPD from its paramount duty of protecting the law-abiding."
Speaking in Harlem last Saturday, de Blasio said, "I had a good conversation with" Kelly the day before, in which "we cleared the air."
It was their first talk since Kelly agreed with an interviewer in the most recent issue of Playboy magazine that de Blasio and other Democratic candidates for mayor this year were "full of ----" in their criticism of aggressive policing in the city.
"Absolutely," Kelly said of de Blasio and the other candidates. "They'll say or do anything to get elected. I know all these people. They all claimed to be friends of mine up until their mayoral campaigns. They'd call me on the phone and ask for information or come over here and sit in this chair to get briefed."
De Blasio said in Harlem, "I am convinced Commissioner Kelly will work very productively and positively with us" in helping his successor make a smooth transition.
But that was before Kelly's latest comments.
Kelly and Bloomberg have credited stop-and-frisk with saving more than 7,300 lives over a decade.
As I’ve said before, NYPD could become a toothless tiger under Bill de Blasio who in his younger years went down to Nicaragua in support of the Marxist Sandinista rebels.
NYPD’S RAY KELLY TAKES NEW SHOT AT BILL DE BLASIO
By Theodore Kettle
Newsmax
November 22, 2013
Less than a week after incoming New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly "cleared the air," the outgoing top cop took another shot at de Blasio, who pledged during his campaign to "end the era of stop-and-frisk" policing that Kelly directed and strongly defended.
Kelly complained of "the misguided policies that would bring us back to the past" during his glowing introduction of Manhattan Institute scholar Heather MacDonald at Thursday evening's black-tie gala Wriston Lecture at the Essex House on Central Park South, attendees told Newsmax.
Kelly, the city's longest-serving police commissioner, didn't mention de Blasio by name.
But Kelly clearly was referring to the mayor-elect when he warned of "those that would impose unnecessary, onerous restraints on our police officers," and defended what he called "the police tactic of stop, question and sometimes frisk," eliciting sympathetic laughs from the audience.
Praising MacDonald, whose scholarship has provided evidence for the effectiveness of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy, Kelly said she has "a laser-like ability to cut through the distortions and lay bare the truth."
"Heather is a New York treasure, and I have a feeling she is going to have a lot of fun around here over the next few years," Kelly said, in another apparent allusion to de Blasio.
Kelly also used quotes from a recent New York Post article by MacDonald to warn that de Blasio might reverse New York's huge strides against violent crime under Mayors Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, whom de Blasio is replacing.
"Now, I've been around law enforcement for a long time," Kelly said. "In my opinion, no one has written more incisively about the role of proactive policing, the role that it's played in New York City's resurgence over the past two decades, than Heather."
"In her words," he said, quoting MacDonald: '"Too many voters have never grasped the immensity of the city's public-safety advantage over every other American metropolis, nor the reasons for it . . . The New York and the national crime declines are not the same phenomenon, and policing is the sole source of New York's massive margin of success over the rest of the country.'"
Kelly did not, however, quote the conclusion of MacDonald's article, which warned that the de Blasio era could be disastrous for New York City.
"Ray Kelly's untiring stewardship that . . . has kept the department focused like a laser beam on public safety for over a decade," MacDonald wrote, "is now under dire threat. The NYPD is about to come under the thumb of two competing power sources: a federal monitor, appointed by Judge Shira Scheindlin as part of her shockingly biased ruling against the NYPD's stop-question-and-frisk policies, and the City Council's recklessly created inspector general."
De Blasio's regime, MacDonald wrote, may likely "distract the NYPD from its paramount duty of protecting the law-abiding."
Speaking in Harlem last Saturday, de Blasio said, "I had a good conversation with" Kelly the day before, in which "we cleared the air."
It was their first talk since Kelly agreed with an interviewer in the most recent issue of Playboy magazine that de Blasio and other Democratic candidates for mayor this year were "full of ----" in their criticism of aggressive policing in the city.
"Absolutely," Kelly said of de Blasio and the other candidates. "They'll say or do anything to get elected. I know all these people. They all claimed to be friends of mine up until their mayoral campaigns. They'd call me on the phone and ask for information or come over here and sit in this chair to get briefed."
De Blasio said in Harlem, "I am convinced Commissioner Kelly will work very productively and positively with us" in helping his successor make a smooth transition.
But that was before Kelly's latest comments.
Kelly and Bloomberg have credited stop-and-frisk with saving more than 7,300 lives over a decade.
FOUR OF THE KOOKIEST JFK ASSASSINATION CONSPIRACY THEORIES
Who was behind the JFK assassination? Was it Lyndon B. Johnson, the CIA, the industrial-military complex, the Mafia, Fidel Castro or the KGB? For those who do not believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, those are the usual suspects.
However, there are some really kooky theories about the JFK assassination, and here are four of them:
JFK: A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE BATSHIT CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORIES
By Craig Malisow
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 22. 2013
One of the greatest disservices Jack Ruby did when he killed Lee Harvey Oswald was to unleash a never-ending stream of conspiracy theories ranging from insane to slightly-less-insane. Most of these are benign, and in their own way entertaining; some, like deranged Orleans Parish District Attorney Jim Garrison's belief that respected businessman Clay Shaw conspired in the act, ruined lives.
If we were in charge of the world (we're still waiting to hear back about our application), we'd force all the loonies to read Vincent Bugliosi's exhaustive dissection of conspiracy theories in Reclaiming History, a work that, at 1,600 pages, also doubles as a barbell. Here are some of the kookiest conspiracy theories out there:
David Lifton and the Ol' Switcheroo
In his 1981 book Best Evidence, unhinged "researcher" David Lifton advanced his theory that, following the President's death, conspirators removed the corpse from the bronze casket aboard Air Force One and slipped it into a shipping casket. Why? Because the bullet entrance wounds would have shown that JFK was shot from the grassy knoll, and not from the rear. They needed to alter the wounds in order to frame their patsy, Oswald.
Upon landing at Andrews Air Force Base, the body was sneaked out of the side of the plane away from the television cameras focusing on the "decoy" casket. The body was then transported via helicopter to an unidentified location where evil doctors went to town, poking here and prodding there, sculpting the wounds to jibe with their plan.
Of this theory, Bugliosi writes, "One could safely say that David Lifton took folly to an unprecedented level. And considering the monumental foolishness of his colleagues in the conspiracy community, that's saying something."
Howard Donahue and Bonar Menninger and the Oops! Theory
Firearms expert Donahue is the one who came up with the cockamamie theory; Menninger is the dude who wrote Mortal Error, about said theory, which is: a Secret Service agent in the car following JFK's accidentally shot the President in the back of the head. Here's the deal: Oswald fired two shots from the Texas School Book Depository, but only one hit his target -- the bullet that struck both JFK and Governor John Connally. That's when agent George Hickey grabs the AR-15 on the floor of the follow-car and stands up to take aim at where he thinks the shots are coming from. But then he loses his balance -- it's unclear if this is because of all the stray banana peels in the car or a gust of wind huffed by a big bad wolf -- and Hickey falls over and accidentally fires the fatal shot to the President's noggin.
Amazingly, Hickey never responded to Donahue's request to be interviewed for the book. Was this because Donahue's theory is batshit crazy, or because Hickey had something to hide? YOU be the judge!
The Umbrella Man
The mad genius behind this one -- which happens to be one of our faves -- may be lost to history, but somehow this tall tale has managed to stick around. This could be because this individual (or portions of his umbrella) appears in the Zapruder film and in still photos, so, whether he liked it or not, he's inextricably part of the case file. And why is this fellow so appealing to some of the theorists? Because he's the only person who can be seen holding an umbrella on what was a clear, sunny day.
As the President's car passed him, the Umbrella Man ("Brella" to his friends) opened his eponymous awning, held it above his head and waved it about. Theorists have interpreted this to mean he was either signalling unknown shooters or -- because the umbrella was really a James Bond-like gun -- firing a tranquilizer dart into JFK in order to make him a more stationary target.
Apparently tired of hearing this nonsense, the House Select Committee on the Assassination in 1978 set out to find this most spectral of figures. Turns out the U.M. was a former insurance company supervisor named Louis Witt, a staunch Republican who was using the umbrella to heckle the President. Dude could've spared himself some infamy if he'd just flipped off JFK instead.
James Fetzer and the Zapruder Zig-Zag
Fetzer, a University of Minnesota-Duluth professor, has written extensively about how the famous Zapruder film was supposedly altered in furtherance of a conspiracy. He edited the unbelievably engrossing compendium of coo-coo, The Great Zapruder Film Hoax, in which he and other film fanatics dissect Zapruder's clip frame-by-frame, geometrically extrapolating the positions and angles and height of every person and their relationship to every blade of grass, deducing that, if the film is authentic, certain people would have to be over seven feet tall. We seriously cannot recommend this book enough.
Those are just a few of the kookier theories out there. Feel free to share yours, especially if they involve Bigfoot.
However, there are some really kooky theories about the JFK assassination, and here are four of them:
JFK: A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE BATSHIT CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORIES
By Craig Malisow
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 22. 2013
One of the greatest disservices Jack Ruby did when he killed Lee Harvey Oswald was to unleash a never-ending stream of conspiracy theories ranging from insane to slightly-less-insane. Most of these are benign, and in their own way entertaining; some, like deranged Orleans Parish District Attorney Jim Garrison's belief that respected businessman Clay Shaw conspired in the act, ruined lives.
If we were in charge of the world (we're still waiting to hear back about our application), we'd force all the loonies to read Vincent Bugliosi's exhaustive dissection of conspiracy theories in Reclaiming History, a work that, at 1,600 pages, also doubles as a barbell. Here are some of the kookiest conspiracy theories out there:
David Lifton and the Ol' Switcheroo
In his 1981 book Best Evidence, unhinged "researcher" David Lifton advanced his theory that, following the President's death, conspirators removed the corpse from the bronze casket aboard Air Force One and slipped it into a shipping casket. Why? Because the bullet entrance wounds would have shown that JFK was shot from the grassy knoll, and not from the rear. They needed to alter the wounds in order to frame their patsy, Oswald.
Upon landing at Andrews Air Force Base, the body was sneaked out of the side of the plane away from the television cameras focusing on the "decoy" casket. The body was then transported via helicopter to an unidentified location where evil doctors went to town, poking here and prodding there, sculpting the wounds to jibe with their plan.
Of this theory, Bugliosi writes, "One could safely say that David Lifton took folly to an unprecedented level. And considering the monumental foolishness of his colleagues in the conspiracy community, that's saying something."
Howard Donahue and Bonar Menninger and the Oops! Theory
Firearms expert Donahue is the one who came up with the cockamamie theory; Menninger is the dude who wrote Mortal Error, about said theory, which is: a Secret Service agent in the car following JFK's accidentally shot the President in the back of the head. Here's the deal: Oswald fired two shots from the Texas School Book Depository, but only one hit his target -- the bullet that struck both JFK and Governor John Connally. That's when agent George Hickey grabs the AR-15 on the floor of the follow-car and stands up to take aim at where he thinks the shots are coming from. But then he loses his balance -- it's unclear if this is because of all the stray banana peels in the car or a gust of wind huffed by a big bad wolf -- and Hickey falls over and accidentally fires the fatal shot to the President's noggin.
Amazingly, Hickey never responded to Donahue's request to be interviewed for the book. Was this because Donahue's theory is batshit crazy, or because Hickey had something to hide? YOU be the judge!
The Umbrella Man
The mad genius behind this one -- which happens to be one of our faves -- may be lost to history, but somehow this tall tale has managed to stick around. This could be because this individual (or portions of his umbrella) appears in the Zapruder film and in still photos, so, whether he liked it or not, he's inextricably part of the case file. And why is this fellow so appealing to some of the theorists? Because he's the only person who can be seen holding an umbrella on what was a clear, sunny day.
As the President's car passed him, the Umbrella Man ("Brella" to his friends) opened his eponymous awning, held it above his head and waved it about. Theorists have interpreted this to mean he was either signalling unknown shooters or -- because the umbrella was really a James Bond-like gun -- firing a tranquilizer dart into JFK in order to make him a more stationary target.
Apparently tired of hearing this nonsense, the House Select Committee on the Assassination in 1978 set out to find this most spectral of figures. Turns out the U.M. was a former insurance company supervisor named Louis Witt, a staunch Republican who was using the umbrella to heckle the President. Dude could've spared himself some infamy if he'd just flipped off JFK instead.
James Fetzer and the Zapruder Zig-Zag
Fetzer, a University of Minnesota-Duluth professor, has written extensively about how the famous Zapruder film was supposedly altered in furtherance of a conspiracy. He edited the unbelievably engrossing compendium of coo-coo, The Great Zapruder Film Hoax, in which he and other film fanatics dissect Zapruder's clip frame-by-frame, geometrically extrapolating the positions and angles and height of every person and their relationship to every blade of grass, deducing that, if the film is authentic, certain people would have to be over seven feet tall. We seriously cannot recommend this book enough.
Those are just a few of the kookier theories out there. Feel free to share yours, especially if they involve Bigfoot.
CAN COLD WATER CLEAN DISHES?
The Unconventional Gazette
November 23, 2013
John went to visit his 90-year-old grandfather in a very secluded rural area of Saskatchewan. After spending a great evening chatting the night away, the next morning John's grandfather prepared a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast.
However, John noticed a film-like substance on his plate. He questioned his grandfather, "Are these plates clean?"
His grandfather replied, "They're as clean as cold water can get 'em. Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!"
For lunch the old man made hamburgers.
Again, John was concerned about the plates, as his appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg. He asked, "Are you sure these plates are clean?"
Without looking up, the old man said, "I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now don't you fret. I don't want to hear another word about it!"
Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town, and as he was leaving, his grandfather's dog started to growl and wouldn't let him pass.
John yelled and said, "Grandfather, your dog won't let me get to my car!"
Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted, "Coldwater, go lay down now, yah hear me!"
November 23, 2013
John went to visit his 90-year-old grandfather in a very secluded rural area of Saskatchewan. After spending a great evening chatting the night away, the next morning John's grandfather prepared a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast.
However, John noticed a film-like substance on his plate. He questioned his grandfather, "Are these plates clean?"
His grandfather replied, "They're as clean as cold water can get 'em. Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!"
For lunch the old man made hamburgers.
Again, John was concerned about the plates, as his appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg. He asked, "Are you sure these plates are clean?"
Without looking up, the old man said, "I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now don't you fret. I don't want to hear another word about it!"
Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town, and as he was leaving, his grandfather's dog started to growl and wouldn't let him pass.
John yelled and said, "Grandfather, your dog won't let me get to my car!"
Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted, "Coldwater, go lay down now, yah hear me!"
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