Major pharmaceuticals have been intimidated by death penalty abolitionists into withholding drugs used to execute murderers
Missouri executed Herbert Smulls, 56, Wednesday for the 1991 robbery-murder of a St. Louis jewelry store owner. The execution was delayed for a day because his lawyers filed last minute appeals arguing the by refusing to divulge the identity of the compounding pharmacy that supplied Missouri with pentobarbital, the state was making it impossible to know whether the drug could cause pain and suffering during the execution. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to stop Smulls’ execution.
The lawyers did what lawyers do best … lie.
Death penalty abolitionists have intimidated major pharmaceutical companies into withholding drugs used to execute murderers. Death penalty states have had to turn to compounding pharmacies to obtain the drugs needed to carry out executions. Abolitionists have succeeded in several instances in obtaining the identity of the supplying compounding pharmacies.
In those cases wherein the compounding pharmacies have been identified, they too have been intimidated into withholding any further supplies of execution drugs. In a Texas case, one compounding pharmacy which had been identified was hounded by death penalty opponents into demanding that the pentobarbital it had sold to the state be returned.
Make no mistake about it, the lawyers for the late Mr. Smulls were much more interested in obtaining the identity of the compounding pharmacy so it would be intimidated into withholding any further execution drug supplies from the state, than they were concerned about any possible pain and suffering their murderous client might experience.
As I’ve often said before, the only difference between a lawyer and a liar is the spelling!
Friday, January 31, 2014
VOICEMAIL REVEALS NEWLY ELECTED QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENT HAD TWO-TIMING NON-ANGELLIC GUARDIAN ANGEL ‘STILL DRIPPING OUT OF ME’
Among sexually explicit voicemails, one in 2010 tells Guardian Angels founder to “remember that when you married Mary, you were with me the night before you left for the wedding”
It’s never been a secret that Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa was no angel, but his affair with newly elected Queens Borough President Melinda Katz struck a new low with his wife Mary who accuses Katz of being a ‘homewrecker.’
WIFE: KATZ’ STEAMY CALLS TO SLIWA PROVE AFFAIR
Curtis Sliwa and his partner Melinda Katz were having an affair while the Guardian Angels founder was still married, divorcing ex-wife Mary Sliwa alleges in court papers
By Julia Marsh
New York Post
January 29, 2014
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz cooed to boyfriend Curtis Sliwa about his bedroom prowess in racy phone messages while the Guardian Angels founder was still married, his ex-wife claims in court papers.
“Last night was not about you going home,” Katz said in a July 2010 message on Sliwa’s voicemail — over six months before he left wife Mary Sliwa.
“Last night was about the fact that you are capable of making love to me twice,” Katz allegedly said.
Transcripts of 19 steamy phone messages and incriminating emails that allegedly reveal intimate details of the borough president’s years-long affair with radio personality Sliwa were filed in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday by lawyers for his jilted ex.
“You should remember that when you married Mary, you were with me the night before you left for the wedding,” Katz allegedly said in another July 2010 message.
The hot and heavy conversations were filed in support of Mary’s $1 million Manhattan lawsuit against the duo, who now live together in Forest Hills with their two sons.
Sliwa admitted in a separate Family Court proceeding in December that he had given Mary access to his email and phone so she could handle calls for the Guardian Angels, where she worked as an executive director during their 12-year marriage.
In another July 2010 message, Katz castigates Sliwa for not calling her even though her sheets were “still…wet” and she “still [had him] dripping out of me.”
The allegedly two-timed Mary said Curtis “devastated” their special needs son when he left to live with Katz in 2011.
She calls Katz a “money-loving homewrecker who relentlessly plotted for years to destroy my marriage, my family and me.”
In her suit, filed in May, Mary Sliwa accuses Katz and her then-husband of siphoning off over $400,000 in tax-free child support payments from their marital assets.
Katz revealed in an exclusive interview with The Post in 2012, that the secret sperm donor who was the daddy of the two boys she claims to have had through in-vitro fertilization, was her longtime “friend” Curtis Sliwa.
But Mary calls the frozen sperm story “a fairy tale,” adding, “no sane person would believe that Katz used ancient sperm when she was frequently and repeatedly receiving my husband’s fresh sperm during sexual intercourse.”
She claims that her ex and his new girlfriend committed perjury by telling the court in June that they were not having an affair.
Katz spokesman Nathan Smith said, “We have not had the opportunity to review the materials and, therefore, can’t speak specifically to their contents,” adding, “Curtis’ ex-wife is furious about recently losing her $13,000 a month payment from that settlement and this is her reaction.”
Sliwa and his attorney did not return messages seeking comment.
It’s never been a secret that Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa was no angel, but his affair with newly elected Queens Borough President Melinda Katz struck a new low with his wife Mary who accuses Katz of being a ‘homewrecker.’
WIFE: KATZ’ STEAMY CALLS TO SLIWA PROVE AFFAIR
Curtis Sliwa and his partner Melinda Katz were having an affair while the Guardian Angels founder was still married, divorcing ex-wife Mary Sliwa alleges in court papers
By Julia Marsh
New York Post
January 29, 2014
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz cooed to boyfriend Curtis Sliwa about his bedroom prowess in racy phone messages while the Guardian Angels founder was still married, his ex-wife claims in court papers.
“Last night was not about you going home,” Katz said in a July 2010 message on Sliwa’s voicemail — over six months before he left wife Mary Sliwa.
“Last night was about the fact that you are capable of making love to me twice,” Katz allegedly said.
Transcripts of 19 steamy phone messages and incriminating emails that allegedly reveal intimate details of the borough president’s years-long affair with radio personality Sliwa were filed in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday by lawyers for his jilted ex.
“You should remember that when you married Mary, you were with me the night before you left for the wedding,” Katz allegedly said in another July 2010 message.
The hot and heavy conversations were filed in support of Mary’s $1 million Manhattan lawsuit against the duo, who now live together in Forest Hills with their two sons.
Sliwa admitted in a separate Family Court proceeding in December that he had given Mary access to his email and phone so she could handle calls for the Guardian Angels, where she worked as an executive director during their 12-year marriage.
In another July 2010 message, Katz castigates Sliwa for not calling her even though her sheets were “still…wet” and she “still [had him] dripping out of me.”
The allegedly two-timed Mary said Curtis “devastated” their special needs son when he left to live with Katz in 2011.
She calls Katz a “money-loving homewrecker who relentlessly plotted for years to destroy my marriage, my family and me.”
In her suit, filed in May, Mary Sliwa accuses Katz and her then-husband of siphoning off over $400,000 in tax-free child support payments from their marital assets.
Katz revealed in an exclusive interview with The Post in 2012, that the secret sperm donor who was the daddy of the two boys she claims to have had through in-vitro fertilization, was her longtime “friend” Curtis Sliwa.
But Mary calls the frozen sperm story “a fairy tale,” adding, “no sane person would believe that Katz used ancient sperm when she was frequently and repeatedly receiving my husband’s fresh sperm during sexual intercourse.”
She claims that her ex and his new girlfriend committed perjury by telling the court in June that they were not having an affair.
Katz spokesman Nathan Smith said, “We have not had the opportunity to review the materials and, therefore, can’t speak specifically to their contents,” adding, “Curtis’ ex-wife is furious about recently losing her $13,000 a month payment from that settlement and this is her reaction.”
Sliwa and his attorney did not return messages seeking comment.
BUSTED FOR DUI EARLIER IN THE MONTH, SHE SPTS ON ARRESTIING COP’S PIZZA
Tennessee Pizza Hut manager now busted for disorderly conduct
I would think a more serious charge would be in order. This reminds me of when I was doing volunteer work at the Ferguson Unit of the Texas prison system, inmates working in the kitchen would get caught spitting and even peeing or ejaculating in the food being prepared for the correctional officers’ mess.
PIZZA HUT MANAGER ARRESTED FOR SPITTING ON COP’S PIZZA
By Samantha Jordan
news965.com
January 30, 2014
A Pizza Hut manager in Tennessee was arrested for doing what we all fear is done to our food: she spit on a pizza.
But this wasn't just any person's pizza. Amanda Engle recognized the officer, Jonathan Rogers, because he had arrested her earlier in the month for a DUI. Well, while Rogers waited for his food, he said the manager began to act suspicious.
As the defendant removed the pizza from the oven I observed her cut her eyes and look at me. The defendant then leaned over the pizza that she had began to slice and I observed her spit on the pizza which had been purchased by me.
Unfortunately for her, Rogers arrested her for a second time. She's now facing misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges.
I would think a more serious charge would be in order. This reminds me of when I was doing volunteer work at the Ferguson Unit of the Texas prison system, inmates working in the kitchen would get caught spitting and even peeing or ejaculating in the food being prepared for the correctional officers’ mess.
PIZZA HUT MANAGER ARRESTED FOR SPITTING ON COP’S PIZZA
By Samantha Jordan
news965.com
January 30, 2014
A Pizza Hut manager in Tennessee was arrested for doing what we all fear is done to our food: she spit on a pizza.
But this wasn't just any person's pizza. Amanda Engle recognized the officer, Jonathan Rogers, because he had arrested her earlier in the month for a DUI. Well, while Rogers waited for his food, he said the manager began to act suspicious.
As the defendant removed the pizza from the oven I observed her cut her eyes and look at me. The defendant then leaned over the pizza that she had began to slice and I observed her spit on the pizza which had been purchased by me.
Unfortunately for her, Rogers arrested her for a second time. She's now facing misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
JOHN KERRY’S PIPE DREAM OF A PEACE PLAN PROMOTED BY ANTI-ISRAEL THOMAS FRIEDMAN
Friedman promotes Kerry’s plan for Israel to be recognized as a Jewish State in exchange for a divided Jerusalem
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, billionaire George Soros and J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami are among America’s leading anti-Israel Jews. Friedman, a favorite of the Obama administration, is promoting John Kerry’s latest Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal.
In a Times column, Friedman reports on and promotes a Kerry pipe dream that would have Israel and the Palestinians make core concessions to achieve a lasting peace. Israel would withdraw from the West Bank in stages, but we be allowed to maintain sovereignty over the large Jewish settlement blocks. In return, the Palestinians would be given some Israeli lands.
Kerry’s plan provides for a divided Jerusalem, with the eastern part of the Holy City being recognized as the capital of Palestine. In return for giving up the eastern part of Jerusalem, the Palestinians would explicitly recognize Israel as a Jewish State.
Kerry and Friedman must be smoking some funny tobacco. Abbas has repeatedly and emphatically rejected any suggestion that Israel be recognized as a Jewish State. And poll after poll shows that Israeli Jews will not tolerate the “re-division of their ancient and sacred capital.” If Netanyahu or any other prime minister were to agree to divide Jerusalem, he would be run out of office in a New York minute.
Israel Today reports that “Abbas has staked his political legacy on achieving a ‘right of return’ for Palestinians to Israel-proper,” and yet according to Friedman, Kerry’s plan does not allow for the return of Palestinian refugees. And Abbas “has been so adamant about never calling Israel a ‘Jewish state’ that it is somewhat unreasonable for anyone to expect him to change his mind now.”
And then there is Hamas, which “has demonstrated its ability to win Palestinian elections and ascend to the highest positions of power.” Hamas issued a statement Tuesday in which it vowed never to accept a two-state solution and never to give up even "one inch of the land of Palestine," which to them includes all of Israel.
Furthermore, Kerry and Friedman not only disregard the vows of Hamas, but they also ignore the oft-repeated vows of Abbas and other Fatah leaders of the PLO that there will be only one state from the (Jordan) river to the (Mediterranean) sea ... and that's not just rhetoric. It clearly means there will be no Jewish homeland, only a Palestinian State which is the actual goal of the PLO.
What we have here is a Jewish New York Times columnist pretending to be a supporter of Israel, trying to help the Secretary of State in his quest for the Nobel Peace Prize, knowing full-well that Kerry’s plan will eventually lead to the obliteration of the Jewish State.
Israel Today’s Ryan Jones says, “Why Kerry or Friedman believe that this latest proposal will lead to a different result than those that came before it is beyond me.” Ryan, it’s simple … they’re a couple of dickheads.
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, billionaire George Soros and J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami are among America’s leading anti-Israel Jews. Friedman, a favorite of the Obama administration, is promoting John Kerry’s latest Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal.
In a Times column, Friedman reports on and promotes a Kerry pipe dream that would have Israel and the Palestinians make core concessions to achieve a lasting peace. Israel would withdraw from the West Bank in stages, but we be allowed to maintain sovereignty over the large Jewish settlement blocks. In return, the Palestinians would be given some Israeli lands.
Kerry’s plan provides for a divided Jerusalem, with the eastern part of the Holy City being recognized as the capital of Palestine. In return for giving up the eastern part of Jerusalem, the Palestinians would explicitly recognize Israel as a Jewish State.
Kerry and Friedman must be smoking some funny tobacco. Abbas has repeatedly and emphatically rejected any suggestion that Israel be recognized as a Jewish State. And poll after poll shows that Israeli Jews will not tolerate the “re-division of their ancient and sacred capital.” If Netanyahu or any other prime minister were to agree to divide Jerusalem, he would be run out of office in a New York minute.
Israel Today reports that “Abbas has staked his political legacy on achieving a ‘right of return’ for Palestinians to Israel-proper,” and yet according to Friedman, Kerry’s plan does not allow for the return of Palestinian refugees. And Abbas “has been so adamant about never calling Israel a ‘Jewish state’ that it is somewhat unreasonable for anyone to expect him to change his mind now.”
And then there is Hamas, which “has demonstrated its ability to win Palestinian elections and ascend to the highest positions of power.” Hamas issued a statement Tuesday in which it vowed never to accept a two-state solution and never to give up even "one inch of the land of Palestine," which to them includes all of Israel.
Furthermore, Kerry and Friedman not only disregard the vows of Hamas, but they also ignore the oft-repeated vows of Abbas and other Fatah leaders of the PLO that there will be only one state from the (Jordan) river to the (Mediterranean) sea ... and that's not just rhetoric. It clearly means there will be no Jewish homeland, only a Palestinian State which is the actual goal of the PLO.
What we have here is a Jewish New York Times columnist pretending to be a supporter of Israel, trying to help the Secretary of State in his quest for the Nobel Peace Prize, knowing full-well that Kerry’s plan will eventually lead to the obliteration of the Jewish State.
Israel Today’s Ryan Jones says, “Why Kerry or Friedman believe that this latest proposal will lead to a different result than those that came before it is beyond me.” Ryan, it’s simple … they’re a couple of dickheads.
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS OBJECT TO REASONABLE CALIFRONIA BILL REQUIRING PELLET GUNS TO BE DISTINGUISHABLE FROM REAL FIREARMS
In light of several kids getting shot by cops, the California State Senate has passed a bill requiring that BB, pellet and airsoft guns sold in the state be painted bright colors or be made transparent to distinguish them from real weapons
As a former cop, I have to side with the Democrats on this proposed law. There is nothing more devastating to a police officer than to discover that he has killed or seriously wounded some kid because he mistook a pellet gun for a real firearm.
PELLET GUN PROPOSAL RESPONDS TO SHOOTING TRAGEDIES
By Don Thompson
Associated Press
January 28, 2014
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—BB guns and pellet guns would have to look clearly different from those that fire bullets to be sold in California under a bill approved Tuesday by the state Senate in response to several recent shooting tragedies involving children.
Senators approved the Imitation Firearm Safety Act on a party-line 22-8 vote, although several senators from each party did not vote. It now goes to the Assembly.
SB199 advanced in the wake of the October fatal shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa, when a sheriff's deputy mistook the boy's "airsoft" rifle for a real AK-47. Airsoft guns are replica firearms that fire plastic pellets, paper balls or eraser chunks.
"The tragedy has rocked Santa Rosa and Sonoma County to its very core," said Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, a co-author of the bill. "A toy should look like a toy. A toy should not get a child killed."
Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, unsuccessfully introduced a similar bill in 2011 after another 13-year old, Rohayent Gomez, was shot and left a paraplegic when Los Angeles police thought his replica firearm was a real weapon.
De Leon's new bill would require that BB, pellet and airsoft guns sold in the state be painted bright colors or be made transparent to distinguish them from real weapons.
"Law enforcement officers have extreme difficulty—extreme difficulty—in distinguishing between the real thing and what is fake ... especially when officers must make a split-second decision in a very dangerous situation," de Leon said.
He added later, "This is about saving lives."
More than 200 such tragedies occur each year across the country, he said, citing a 1990 U.S. Department of Justice study.
Several Republicans objected that the bill could endanger police officers because some real guns are now manufactured in different colors and are partly marketed toward children.
Smith & Wesson, for instance, makes several handguns with pink hand grips to appeal to women.
Another manufacturer, Milton, Pa.-based Keystone Sporting Arms, makes rifles designed for use by children that are colored hot pink, royal blue and with multicolor swirls. One of those weapons was involved in a shooting last year in Kentucky, when a 5-year-old boy fatally shot his 2-year-old sister.
Sen. Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, said officers could hesitate for a fatal moment if they see a brightly colored real weapon pointed their way, thinking it is a harmless toy.
"To say that I can make that distinction within a split second and say that that is a toy gun, I know it, all they can do is shoot me with an airsoft and I'm OK—that's ridiculous," said Knight, who served 18 years as a Los Angeles police officer before his election to the Legislature.
Sen. Joel Anderson, R-Alpine, also opposed the bill. He said the state would be better to focus on educating young people about the dangers of carrying lookalike weapons in public or pointing them at police.
"The problem with this bill is it puts false hope out there," he said.
The legislation is opposed by the Airsoft Safety Foundation, as well as several organizations representing gun owners and retailers.
As a former cop, I have to side with the Democrats on this proposed law. There is nothing more devastating to a police officer than to discover that he has killed or seriously wounded some kid because he mistook a pellet gun for a real firearm.
PELLET GUN PROPOSAL RESPONDS TO SHOOTING TRAGEDIES
By Don Thompson
Associated Press
January 28, 2014
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—BB guns and pellet guns would have to look clearly different from those that fire bullets to be sold in California under a bill approved Tuesday by the state Senate in response to several recent shooting tragedies involving children.
Senators approved the Imitation Firearm Safety Act on a party-line 22-8 vote, although several senators from each party did not vote. It now goes to the Assembly.
SB199 advanced in the wake of the October fatal shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa, when a sheriff's deputy mistook the boy's "airsoft" rifle for a real AK-47. Airsoft guns are replica firearms that fire plastic pellets, paper balls or eraser chunks.
"The tragedy has rocked Santa Rosa and Sonoma County to its very core," said Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, a co-author of the bill. "A toy should look like a toy. A toy should not get a child killed."
Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, unsuccessfully introduced a similar bill in 2011 after another 13-year old, Rohayent Gomez, was shot and left a paraplegic when Los Angeles police thought his replica firearm was a real weapon.
De Leon's new bill would require that BB, pellet and airsoft guns sold in the state be painted bright colors or be made transparent to distinguish them from real weapons.
"Law enforcement officers have extreme difficulty—extreme difficulty—in distinguishing between the real thing and what is fake ... especially when officers must make a split-second decision in a very dangerous situation," de Leon said.
He added later, "This is about saving lives."
More than 200 such tragedies occur each year across the country, he said, citing a 1990 U.S. Department of Justice study.
Several Republicans objected that the bill could endanger police officers because some real guns are now manufactured in different colors and are partly marketed toward children.
Smith & Wesson, for instance, makes several handguns with pink hand grips to appeal to women.
Another manufacturer, Milton, Pa.-based Keystone Sporting Arms, makes rifles designed for use by children that are colored hot pink, royal blue and with multicolor swirls. One of those weapons was involved in a shooting last year in Kentucky, when a 5-year-old boy fatally shot his 2-year-old sister.
Sen. Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, said officers could hesitate for a fatal moment if they see a brightly colored real weapon pointed their way, thinking it is a harmless toy.
"To say that I can make that distinction within a split second and say that that is a toy gun, I know it, all they can do is shoot me with an airsoft and I'm OK—that's ridiculous," said Knight, who served 18 years as a Los Angeles police officer before his election to the Legislature.
Sen. Joel Anderson, R-Alpine, also opposed the bill. He said the state would be better to focus on educating young people about the dangers of carrying lookalike weapons in public or pointing them at police.
"The problem with this bill is it puts false hope out there," he said.
The legislation is opposed by the Airsoft Safety Foundation, as well as several organizations representing gun owners and retailers.
OBAMA’S HIGH SCHOOL-DAYS POT DEALING BUDDY KILLED BY HIS GAY LOVER FOR FARTING IN HIS FACE
All I will say is that you are known by the company you keep.
EXCLUSIVE: OBAMA’S HIGH SCHOOL POT DEALER WHO HE THANKED FOR THE ‘GOOD TIMES’ WAS BEATEN TO DEATH WITH A HAMMER BY HIS GAY LOVER
Raymond Boyer, known as 'Gay Ray' to Obama and his marijuana smoking 'Choom Gang' of privately-educated kids at Hawaiian high school, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in 1986 for breaking wind in his lover’s face, seven years after he supplied the future president and his friends with drugs
By Richard Alleyne
Mail Online
January 29, 2014
Honolulu -- President Obama’s high school pot dealer who he thanked in his yearbook for the 'good times' was beaten to death by his lover after a series of fights over flatulence and drugs, MailOnline can reveal today.
Raymond Boyer, known as 'Gay Ray' to Obama and his marijuana smoking 'Choom Gang', was bludgeoned to death with a hammer seven years after he sold the future president and his friends drugs.
His lover Andrew Devere, a male prostitute, gave police a laundry list of reasons for the killing, including that Boyer, a surfer and unemployed chef, constantly put him down, made him beg for drugs and had a habit of breaking wind in his face.
The sordid end to the life of Boyer at 37 was in direct contrast to the young men he supplied drugs to who all went on to lead successful and productive lives.
Since getting high with Obama and his private school educated friends he lost his job as the manager of a local pizzeria and ended up on welfare living above a car repair shop.
The full extent of Ray's grisly end and the bizarre reasons for it were set out in mitigation by Devere, who was jailed for life for the murder.
Appeal court documents from 1991, uncovered for the first time by MailOnline, reveal Devere killed Boyer on New Year’s Day 1986 because: Boyer was killing a friend of his by supplying that friend with drugs; Boyer embarrassed Devere and put him down in front of other people; Boyer had developed a habit of farting in Devere's face; Boyer once attacked Devere with a knife, slicing Devere's finger; Boyer made Devere beg for drugs.
Finally, the documents say the last straw came on the morning that Devere killed Boyer when the victim had refused to give Devere money to buy medication to soothe the murderer's sore throat.
Obama has never hidden his drug taking youth and recently put on record that he felt that marijuana was no worse than alcohol.
He mentioned in his own autobiography that he took drugs. And David Maraniss’s book ‘Barack Obama: The Story’ revealed the existence of the Choom Gang (Choom is slang for smoking pot) and their dealer 'Ray'.
It was even known that 'Ray' had been murdered but only now can the MailOnline can reveal the full tragic story of his life.
Raymond Boyer, originally from California, was an athletic surfer who earned a living as the day manager of a pizza restaurant near the private school where Obama and his teenage friends were taught in Hawaii.
Mama Mia Pizza restaurant, which also had a bar, was at the centre of a thriving university scene in Honolulu during the counter culture days of 1979.
At the time, marijuana – or pakalolo as it was known locally - was flourishing on the island. It was grown in the hills and sold and smoked openly on the streets and beaches.
Boyer, 30 at the time, lived the archetypal hippy existence, sleeping in an old bus with two pet monkeys, and enjoying in full the promiscuous and hedonistic lifestyle of the gay community on the Pacific island.
He also dealt drugs to friends - and it was through supplying marijuana that he came into contact with the young Obama, known as Barry, who was attending Punahou school nearby.
Obama, 18, who was only just beginning to explore his black roots – having been brought up by his white grandparents – was a leading member of a group called the Choom Gang.
Choom is island slang for pot smoking and the group went on excursions to the countryside where they would get high and party, sometimes in Ray’s surf van.
The gang, whose other passions were beer and basketball, even made up rules about the smoking of 'bud'.
One of them was that you skipped a turn if you did not inhale properly and the other, a favorite of Obama, was that you could grab an extra drag of a joint if you elbowed in and shouted 'intercepted'.
The young Obama popularized the concept of 'roof hits', when all the windows of a car were rolled up so you could suck up the last bit of smoke from the ceiling.
'Wasting good bud smoke was not tolerated,' Tom Topolinski, one member of the Choom Gang, told Maraniss.
'Barry also had a knack for interceptions. When a joint was making the rounds, he often elbowed his way in, out of turn, shouted "Intercepted!", and took an extra hit. No one seemed to mind.'
Ray, although older, was an integral part of the gang, known for his ability to 'score good bud' and drive them up nearby Mount Tantalus to party.
He even got a mention in Obama's school yearbook as the teenager wrote his thanks to: 'Tut [his grandmother], Gramps, Choom Gang, and Ray for all the good times.'
While the other members of the gang went onto university and careers as lawyers, writers and businessmen, Ray’s wild life was just beginning to unravel.
He lost his job at Mama Mia’s and lived above a car repair shop in a rundown area of downtown Honolulu.
His relationships became ever more sordid and he ended up sleeping with a gay prostitute drug addict called Andrew Devere, 17 years his junior.
This was to be his undoing.
As he slept on New Year’s Day 1986, Devere, upset with Ray’s treatment of him, took a claw hammer and literally beat his brains out. His body was not found until eight days later.
Devere said that he had meant to shoot Boyer but could not get a gun and was planning to kill him at night but he fell asleep. He finally bludgeoned him to death the next morning.
He said: 'I wasn't mad at him at the time that I did it.... But I knew I had to do it because.... later on ... I knew that I would, you know, I would forget about how he treated me'.
Devere, who was jailed for life for the murder but released in 2007, has since moved to the mainland.
He now has a wife and although has since been convicted of minor drug offenses holds down a job.
He is too traumatized to talk about his old life but his wife, Elizabeth, told MailOnline that the gruesome episode was a warning to anyone.
'He is embarrassed about it but I told him that you cannot run from it,' she said. 'Drugs always alter your mind. I have a past myself. Because of the drugs and his lifestyle it was a really tough environment to survive in.
'He survived by being a prostitute. I think drugs affect people in different ways. 0It depends how you are brought up.
'If you have the right tools to deal with them then it’s okay. But if not they definitely subtract from the good.'
EXCLUSIVE: OBAMA’S HIGH SCHOOL POT DEALER WHO HE THANKED FOR THE ‘GOOD TIMES’ WAS BEATEN TO DEATH WITH A HAMMER BY HIS GAY LOVER
Raymond Boyer, known as 'Gay Ray' to Obama and his marijuana smoking 'Choom Gang' of privately-educated kids at Hawaiian high school, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in 1986 for breaking wind in his lover’s face, seven years after he supplied the future president and his friends with drugs
By Richard Alleyne
Mail Online
January 29, 2014
Honolulu -- President Obama’s high school pot dealer who he thanked in his yearbook for the 'good times' was beaten to death by his lover after a series of fights over flatulence and drugs, MailOnline can reveal today.
Raymond Boyer, known as 'Gay Ray' to Obama and his marijuana smoking 'Choom Gang', was bludgeoned to death with a hammer seven years after he sold the future president and his friends drugs.
His lover Andrew Devere, a male prostitute, gave police a laundry list of reasons for the killing, including that Boyer, a surfer and unemployed chef, constantly put him down, made him beg for drugs and had a habit of breaking wind in his face.
The sordid end to the life of Boyer at 37 was in direct contrast to the young men he supplied drugs to who all went on to lead successful and productive lives.
Since getting high with Obama and his private school educated friends he lost his job as the manager of a local pizzeria and ended up on welfare living above a car repair shop.
The full extent of Ray's grisly end and the bizarre reasons for it were set out in mitigation by Devere, who was jailed for life for the murder.
Appeal court documents from 1991, uncovered for the first time by MailOnline, reveal Devere killed Boyer on New Year’s Day 1986 because: Boyer was killing a friend of his by supplying that friend with drugs; Boyer embarrassed Devere and put him down in front of other people; Boyer had developed a habit of farting in Devere's face; Boyer once attacked Devere with a knife, slicing Devere's finger; Boyer made Devere beg for drugs.
Finally, the documents say the last straw came on the morning that Devere killed Boyer when the victim had refused to give Devere money to buy medication to soothe the murderer's sore throat.
Obama has never hidden his drug taking youth and recently put on record that he felt that marijuana was no worse than alcohol.
He mentioned in his own autobiography that he took drugs. And David Maraniss’s book ‘Barack Obama: The Story’ revealed the existence of the Choom Gang (Choom is slang for smoking pot) and their dealer 'Ray'.
It was even known that 'Ray' had been murdered but only now can the MailOnline can reveal the full tragic story of his life.
Raymond Boyer, originally from California, was an athletic surfer who earned a living as the day manager of a pizza restaurant near the private school where Obama and his teenage friends were taught in Hawaii.
Mama Mia Pizza restaurant, which also had a bar, was at the centre of a thriving university scene in Honolulu during the counter culture days of 1979.
At the time, marijuana – or pakalolo as it was known locally - was flourishing on the island. It was grown in the hills and sold and smoked openly on the streets and beaches.
Boyer, 30 at the time, lived the archetypal hippy existence, sleeping in an old bus with two pet monkeys, and enjoying in full the promiscuous and hedonistic lifestyle of the gay community on the Pacific island.
He also dealt drugs to friends - and it was through supplying marijuana that he came into contact with the young Obama, known as Barry, who was attending Punahou school nearby.
Obama, 18, who was only just beginning to explore his black roots – having been brought up by his white grandparents – was a leading member of a group called the Choom Gang.
Choom is island slang for pot smoking and the group went on excursions to the countryside where they would get high and party, sometimes in Ray’s surf van.
The gang, whose other passions were beer and basketball, even made up rules about the smoking of 'bud'.
One of them was that you skipped a turn if you did not inhale properly and the other, a favorite of Obama, was that you could grab an extra drag of a joint if you elbowed in and shouted 'intercepted'.
The young Obama popularized the concept of 'roof hits', when all the windows of a car were rolled up so you could suck up the last bit of smoke from the ceiling.
'Wasting good bud smoke was not tolerated,' Tom Topolinski, one member of the Choom Gang, told Maraniss.
'Barry also had a knack for interceptions. When a joint was making the rounds, he often elbowed his way in, out of turn, shouted "Intercepted!", and took an extra hit. No one seemed to mind.'
Ray, although older, was an integral part of the gang, known for his ability to 'score good bud' and drive them up nearby Mount Tantalus to party.
He even got a mention in Obama's school yearbook as the teenager wrote his thanks to: 'Tut [his grandmother], Gramps, Choom Gang, and Ray for all the good times.'
While the other members of the gang went onto university and careers as lawyers, writers and businessmen, Ray’s wild life was just beginning to unravel.
He lost his job at Mama Mia’s and lived above a car repair shop in a rundown area of downtown Honolulu.
His relationships became ever more sordid and he ended up sleeping with a gay prostitute drug addict called Andrew Devere, 17 years his junior.
This was to be his undoing.
As he slept on New Year’s Day 1986, Devere, upset with Ray’s treatment of him, took a claw hammer and literally beat his brains out. His body was not found until eight days later.
Devere said that he had meant to shoot Boyer but could not get a gun and was planning to kill him at night but he fell asleep. He finally bludgeoned him to death the next morning.
He said: 'I wasn't mad at him at the time that I did it.... But I knew I had to do it because.... later on ... I knew that I would, you know, I would forget about how he treated me'.
Devere, who was jailed for life for the murder but released in 2007, has since moved to the mainland.
He now has a wife and although has since been convicted of minor drug offenses holds down a job.
He is too traumatized to talk about his old life but his wife, Elizabeth, told MailOnline that the gruesome episode was a warning to anyone.
'He is embarrassed about it but I told him that you cannot run from it,' she said. 'Drugs always alter your mind. I have a past myself. Because of the drugs and his lifestyle it was a really tough environment to survive in.
'He survived by being a prostitute. I think drugs affect people in different ways. 0It depends how you are brought up.
'If you have the right tools to deal with them then it’s okay. But if not they definitely subtract from the good.'
SUPER BOWL PREDICTION: KOMODO DRAGONS PICK DENVER TO WIN
Murphy and Diablo, who will go on display at Galveston’s Moody Garden on February 15, are very young Komodo dragons. The Houston Zoo has had a pair of these huge lizards for some years that are still not fully grown and they are monstrous. That’s why I wouldn’t argue with the prediction of the Moody Gardens pair, even though they are just a couple of juveniles.
BRONCOS WIN … ACCORDING TO MOODY GARDENS FOOTBALL PROGNOSTICATING KOMODO DRAGONS
Murphy and Diablo might not be Puppy Bowl cute, but they predict the future! And they might eat your face off
By Jeff Balke
Houston Press Hair Balls
January 29, 2014
From Jimmy the Greek to whatever current incarnation of oddsmakers in Las Vegas will offer you this week's picks "free on a recorded message," there have always been people willing to offer you their opinions on who will win a game, among any number of other crazy bets gambling degenerates are willing to spend their hard earned cash on. My colleague, Sean Pendergast, has a much better grasp on this whole betting thing, but does he or any of the Vegas bookies have a Komodo dragon?
Well, Moody Gardens does, two in fact. And in addition to this species being the largest lizards in existence -- though much smaller than what I normally imagine dragons to look like except for, of course, the band Imagine Dragons, who don't look like lizards at all -- they like them some football (or at least the leather because it is made of flesh and all). In fact, they made their picks for the Super Bowl and, if you are a Broncos fan and believe in the magic power of dragons, you might be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
The staff at Moody Gardens in Galveston put footballs with paint on them representing the team colors of the Broncos and Seahawks inside the cage of the animals. Both Murphy and Diablo made their way to the Bronco ball first, obviously crowning them the favorite.
Komodo dragons are some of the most deadly hunters in the world. If you recall, it was a Komodo dragon that attacked Sharon Stone's husband back in 2001 after he unwisely got into its cage on a private tour at the LA zoo. He survived with all but his dignity intact.
My point is that, even though these aren't exactly the dragons of Khaleesi in Game of Thrones, they will mess you up, so if you know what's good for you, you'll bet on Denver. I hope you are listening, Vegas. I bet (get it?) this pushes the line -- currently making the Broncos one-point favorites -- to at least three.
BRONCOS WIN … ACCORDING TO MOODY GARDENS FOOTBALL PROGNOSTICATING KOMODO DRAGONS
Murphy and Diablo might not be Puppy Bowl cute, but they predict the future! And they might eat your face off
By Jeff Balke
Houston Press Hair Balls
January 29, 2014
From Jimmy the Greek to whatever current incarnation of oddsmakers in Las Vegas will offer you this week's picks "free on a recorded message," there have always been people willing to offer you their opinions on who will win a game, among any number of other crazy bets gambling degenerates are willing to spend their hard earned cash on. My colleague, Sean Pendergast, has a much better grasp on this whole betting thing, but does he or any of the Vegas bookies have a Komodo dragon?
Well, Moody Gardens does, two in fact. And in addition to this species being the largest lizards in existence -- though much smaller than what I normally imagine dragons to look like except for, of course, the band Imagine Dragons, who don't look like lizards at all -- they like them some football (or at least the leather because it is made of flesh and all). In fact, they made their picks for the Super Bowl and, if you are a Broncos fan and believe in the magic power of dragons, you might be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
The staff at Moody Gardens in Galveston put footballs with paint on them representing the team colors of the Broncos and Seahawks inside the cage of the animals. Both Murphy and Diablo made their way to the Bronco ball first, obviously crowning them the favorite.
Komodo dragons are some of the most deadly hunters in the world. If you recall, it was a Komodo dragon that attacked Sharon Stone's husband back in 2001 after he unwisely got into its cage on a private tour at the LA zoo. He survived with all but his dignity intact.
My point is that, even though these aren't exactly the dragons of Khaleesi in Game of Thrones, they will mess you up, so if you know what's good for you, you'll bet on Denver. I hope you are listening, Vegas. I bet (get it?) this pushes the line -- currently making the Broncos one-point favorites -- to at least three.
GERMAN MAN DID NOT PAY NEIGHBOR TO SHOOT BLANKS INTO HIS WIFE 72 TIMES, SUES TO GET MONEY BACK
Paid $2,500 to do it, but fails to make his neighbor’s wife pregnant after 72 attempts
The Unconventional Gazette
January 29, 2014
In Stuttgart, Germany, a court judge must decide on a case of honorable intentions in a situation where a man hired his neighbor to get his wife pregnant.
It seems taht Demetrius Soupolos, 29, and his former beauty queen wife, Traute, wanted a child badly, but Demetrius was told by a doctor that he was sterile.
So Soupolos, after calming his wife's protests, hired his neighbor, Frank Maus, 34, to impregnate her. Since Maus was already married and the father of two children, plus looked very much like Soupolos to boot, the plan seemed good.
Soupols paid Maus $2,500 for the job and for three evenings a week for the next six months, Maus tried desperately, a total of 72 different times, to impregnate Traute.
When his own wife objected, he explained, "I don't like this any more than you. I'm simply doing it for the money. Try and understand."
When Traute failed to get pregnant after six months, however, Soupolos was not understanding and insisted that Maus have a medical examination, which he did.
The doctor's announcement that Maus was also sterile shocked everyone except his wife, who was forced to confess that Maus was not the real father of their two children.
Now Soupolos is suing Maus for breach of contract in an effort to get his money back, but Maus refused to give it up because he said he did not guarantee conception, but only that he would give an honest effort.
EDITOR’S NOTE: While this story is most likely a hoax, I thought it was funny enough to post it anyway.
According to one source, this story had originally started as an article in Jet Magazine, written in 1978. While it doesn't prove that it's not a "hoax", that does help to explain why, even though this story has been repeated countless times on the internet, you will be unable to find anything on Google search relating to the court case.
The Unconventional Gazette
January 29, 2014
In Stuttgart, Germany, a court judge must decide on a case of honorable intentions in a situation where a man hired his neighbor to get his wife pregnant.
It seems taht Demetrius Soupolos, 29, and his former beauty queen wife, Traute, wanted a child badly, but Demetrius was told by a doctor that he was sterile.
So Soupolos, after calming his wife's protests, hired his neighbor, Frank Maus, 34, to impregnate her. Since Maus was already married and the father of two children, plus looked very much like Soupolos to boot, the plan seemed good.
Soupols paid Maus $2,500 for the job and for three evenings a week for the next six months, Maus tried desperately, a total of 72 different times, to impregnate Traute.
When his own wife objected, he explained, "I don't like this any more than you. I'm simply doing it for the money. Try and understand."
When Traute failed to get pregnant after six months, however, Soupolos was not understanding and insisted that Maus have a medical examination, which he did.
The doctor's announcement that Maus was also sterile shocked everyone except his wife, who was forced to confess that Maus was not the real father of their two children.
Now Soupolos is suing Maus for breach of contract in an effort to get his money back, but Maus refused to give it up because he said he did not guarantee conception, but only that he would give an honest effort.
EDITOR’S NOTE: While this story is most likely a hoax, I thought it was funny enough to post it anyway.
According to one source, this story had originally started as an article in Jet Magazine, written in 1978. While it doesn't prove that it's not a "hoax", that does help to explain why, even though this story has been repeated countless times on the internet, you will be unable to find anything on Google search relating to the court case.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
THE OLD COW
The Unconventional Gazette
January 29, 2014
Suddenly, a cow runs out into the road and a Limo driving late at night hits it head on and the car comes to a stop.
The woman in the back seat - in her usual abrasive manner, says to the chauffeur "You get out and check on that poor cow--you were driving."
So the chauffeur gets out, checks, and reports that the animal is dead but it appeared to be very old.
Well, says the woman, "You were driving, so you go and tell the farmer in that lighted farmhouse over there"
Two hours later the chauffeur returns totally inebriated, a full belly, is hair ruffled, with a big grin on his face.
"My God, What Happened to You?" asks the woman.
The chauffeur replies, "When I got there, the farmer opened his best bottle of single malt scotch, the wife gave me a meal fit for a king, and the beautiful daughter made love to me."
"What on earth did you say?" asks the woman.
Well, I just knocked on the door..........and when it opened I said to them, "I'm Hillary Clinton's chauffeur, and I've just killed the old cow."
January 29, 2014
Suddenly, a cow runs out into the road and a Limo driving late at night hits it head on and the car comes to a stop.
The woman in the back seat - in her usual abrasive manner, says to the chauffeur "You get out and check on that poor cow--you were driving."
So the chauffeur gets out, checks, and reports that the animal is dead but it appeared to be very old.
Well, says the woman, "You were driving, so you go and tell the farmer in that lighted farmhouse over there"
Two hours later the chauffeur returns totally inebriated, a full belly, is hair ruffled, with a big grin on his face.
"My God, What Happened to You?" asks the woman.
The chauffeur replies, "When I got there, the farmer opened his best bottle of single malt scotch, the wife gave me a meal fit for a king, and the beautiful daughter made love to me."
"What on earth did you say?" asks the woman.
Well, I just knocked on the door..........and when it opened I said to them, "I'm Hillary Clinton's chauffeur, and I've just killed the old cow."
HIS LAWYER MAY HAVE TOLD MCGUIRE TO FAKE SUFFOCATION SYMPTOMS AT HIS EXECUTION
The lawyer allegedly believed that if McGuire put on a big show by faking suffocation symptoms, it would put an end to executions in Ohio
I am convinced that if McGuire was not faking any symptoms, he was actually not conscious of the struggles his body appeared to be experiencing.
After an internal investigation, the public defender’s office “concluded that there wasn’t any substantial proof or evidence” that McGuire was coached to feign symptoms.” Hmm, but they did not claim there was no evidence.
DID LAWYER ASK KILLER TO PUT ON ‘BIG SHOW’ AT EXECUTION?
By Alan Johnson
The Columbus Dispatch
January 28, 2014
The inmate who gasped for air and choked during an unusually long execution process this month was urged by his attorney to put on a “big show” that could single-handedly bring capital punishment to a halt in Ohio, the head of the prison’s execution team says.
But those allegations were rejected yesterday by Ohio Public Defender Tim Young after a weeklong investigation following the Jan. 16 execution.
Public defender Rob Lowe, one of Dennis McGuire’s attorneys, returned to work yesterday after a weeklong administrative suspension after an internal investigation found “no wrongdoing,” Young said.
But three incident reports from prison staff members released to The Dispatch by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction tell a different story.
Two members of the prison execution team said they overheard McGuire talking with his ex-wife, Darlene Thomas, the day before the execution, describing what he had been instructed to do by his attorney when he began feeling the effects of the chemicals. “When I begin to gasp for air I will have my thumb in the air per my attorney. ... If it wasn’t for my daughter, I would really put on a show.”
A third, more-detailed report from the unidentified execution-team leader recounted a conversation he had with McGuire later the same night. McGuire said Lowe told him that if things went wrong during the execution, he “would be the sole reason that executions no longer happen in Ohio, and all his buddies on Death Row would be saved.”
Lowe also reportedly told the condemned man that if things went wrong, the governor could step in to stop the execution, and that an “antidote” drug would be injected to “counter the drugs and he would be all right.”
Informed there was no such antidote, and that once the lethal drugs were injected the process could not be stopped, McGuire became upset, the report said.
He angrily rejected Lowe’s request to be allowed to witness the execution. “He (Lowe) wants me to put on this big show in front of my kids all right when I’m dying. I ain’t gonna do this. It’s about me and my kids, not him and his cause.”
Nevertheless, McGuire gave a brief “thumbs up” as he looked toward his family members before turning his head away and apparently losing consciousness. (The Dispatch was a witness of the execution.)
Minutes later, he repeatedly gasped for air, snorted, choked and clenched his fists before succumbing to a lethal two-drug combination that had not previously been used in a U.S. execution. McGuire’s struggles did not begin immediately but occurred several minutes after the chemicals began flowing into his veins.
Young sent a memo to his staff about six hours after McGuire’s execution, indicating that he had been contacted by Gov. John Kasich’s legal counsel about the allegations.
In an interview, Young confirmed the details of what happened but vehemently denied that Lowe or anyone on his staff urged McGuire to fake suffocation.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “We would never in any way try to corrupt this process or ask our client to feign any symptoms.”
An internal investigation led by Elizabeth Miller, deputy director in Young’s office, involved interviews with 11 people and reviews of emails and phone messages. “We concluded that there wasn’t any substantial proof or evidence” that McGuire was coached to feign symptoms, Young said.
Young said that in McGuire’s execution, as in all death-penalty cases, public defenders discuss the process step-by-step with the inmate. “We want to make sure we tell them exactly what is going to occur.
“We did ask Mr. McGuire to signal us so we would know when he lost consciousness,” Young said.
Amber and Dennis McGuire, the executed man’s children, who witnessed the execution, filed a lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court claiming their father’s constitutional rights were violated because the two-drug lethal injection triggered a reaction that amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment.” The lawsuit also goes after Hospira Inc., the Chicago drug manufacturer.
McGuire was executed for the 1989 murder of Joy Stewart, 22, who was newly married and 30 weeks pregnant at the time of her death. McGuire raped Stewart, choked her, stabbed her in the chest and slit her throat. He dumped her body in the woods near Eaton, where it was found the next day by two hikers.
I am convinced that if McGuire was not faking any symptoms, he was actually not conscious of the struggles his body appeared to be experiencing.
After an internal investigation, the public defender’s office “concluded that there wasn’t any substantial proof or evidence” that McGuire was coached to feign symptoms.” Hmm, but they did not claim there was no evidence.
DID LAWYER ASK KILLER TO PUT ON ‘BIG SHOW’ AT EXECUTION?
By Alan Johnson
The Columbus Dispatch
January 28, 2014
The inmate who gasped for air and choked during an unusually long execution process this month was urged by his attorney to put on a “big show” that could single-handedly bring capital punishment to a halt in Ohio, the head of the prison’s execution team says.
But those allegations were rejected yesterday by Ohio Public Defender Tim Young after a weeklong investigation following the Jan. 16 execution.
Public defender Rob Lowe, one of Dennis McGuire’s attorneys, returned to work yesterday after a weeklong administrative suspension after an internal investigation found “no wrongdoing,” Young said.
But three incident reports from prison staff members released to The Dispatch by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction tell a different story.
Two members of the prison execution team said they overheard McGuire talking with his ex-wife, Darlene Thomas, the day before the execution, describing what he had been instructed to do by his attorney when he began feeling the effects of the chemicals. “When I begin to gasp for air I will have my thumb in the air per my attorney. ... If it wasn’t for my daughter, I would really put on a show.”
A third, more-detailed report from the unidentified execution-team leader recounted a conversation he had with McGuire later the same night. McGuire said Lowe told him that if things went wrong during the execution, he “would be the sole reason that executions no longer happen in Ohio, and all his buddies on Death Row would be saved.”
Lowe also reportedly told the condemned man that if things went wrong, the governor could step in to stop the execution, and that an “antidote” drug would be injected to “counter the drugs and he would be all right.”
Informed there was no such antidote, and that once the lethal drugs were injected the process could not be stopped, McGuire became upset, the report said.
He angrily rejected Lowe’s request to be allowed to witness the execution. “He (Lowe) wants me to put on this big show in front of my kids all right when I’m dying. I ain’t gonna do this. It’s about me and my kids, not him and his cause.”
Nevertheless, McGuire gave a brief “thumbs up” as he looked toward his family members before turning his head away and apparently losing consciousness. (The Dispatch was a witness of the execution.)
Minutes later, he repeatedly gasped for air, snorted, choked and clenched his fists before succumbing to a lethal two-drug combination that had not previously been used in a U.S. execution. McGuire’s struggles did not begin immediately but occurred several minutes after the chemicals began flowing into his veins.
Young sent a memo to his staff about six hours after McGuire’s execution, indicating that he had been contacted by Gov. John Kasich’s legal counsel about the allegations.
In an interview, Young confirmed the details of what happened but vehemently denied that Lowe or anyone on his staff urged McGuire to fake suffocation.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “We would never in any way try to corrupt this process or ask our client to feign any symptoms.”
An internal investigation led by Elizabeth Miller, deputy director in Young’s office, involved interviews with 11 people and reviews of emails and phone messages. “We concluded that there wasn’t any substantial proof or evidence” that McGuire was coached to feign symptoms, Young said.
Young said that in McGuire’s execution, as in all death-penalty cases, public defenders discuss the process step-by-step with the inmate. “We want to make sure we tell them exactly what is going to occur.
“We did ask Mr. McGuire to signal us so we would know when he lost consciousness,” Young said.
Amber and Dennis McGuire, the executed man’s children, who witnessed the execution, filed a lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court claiming their father’s constitutional rights were violated because the two-drug lethal injection triggered a reaction that amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment.” The lawsuit also goes after Hospira Inc., the Chicago drug manufacturer.
McGuire was executed for the 1989 murder of Joy Stewart, 22, who was newly married and 30 weeks pregnant at the time of her death. McGuire raped Stewart, choked her, stabbed her in the chest and slit her throat. He dumped her body in the woods near Eaton, where it was found the next day by two hikers.
$89,000 SNAKE BITE
When Eric Ferguson saw what the hospital charged he went into severe shock and the bill was a whole lot more painful than the snakebite
The hospital readily admits they charge paying patients more to make up for losses from uninsured patients who do not pay their bills. A shining example of why health care reform is an urgent necessity. The high cost of hospitalization is one of the main reasons we have been stuck with Obamacare.
MOORESVILLE PATIENT STUNNED BY $89,000 CHARGE FOR 18-HOUR HOSPITAL STAY
Laura and Eric Ferguson were shocked by the bill from Lake Norman Regional Medical Center after he was treated for a snake bite in August 2013
By Karen Garloch
The Charlotte Observer
January 27, 2014
How much should it cost to treat a snake bite?
It’s hard to know given the lack of transparency in hospital pricing and billing today. But Laura and Eric Ferguson, both 54, of Mooresville, believe they were overcharged for his trip to the emergency room last year.
Eric Ferguson was taking out the trash one evening in August when he felt what he thought was a bee sting. When he looked down at his foot, he was surprised to see fang marks. He drove himself to Lake Norman Regional Medical Center about 15 miles from his home, where he received anti-venom medicine for the snake bite.
For an 18-hour hospital stay, he got a bill for $89,227. More than $81,000 was for the four-vial dose of anti-venom, or about $20,000 per vial.
Shocked at the amount, the Fergusons went on the Internet and found retail prices for the medicine ranging from $750 to $12,000 per vial.
Medicare, the federal health program for seniors, typically reimburses for drugs by paying the average sales price plus 6 percent. For a 1-gram vial of the snake bite medicine, that is $2,365. Medicare would pay $9,460 for the four-vial dose.
Eric Ferguson’s treatment was covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. With Blue Cross’ contractual discount, Lake Norman Regional reduced his total bill to $20,227. Of that, the couple paid about $5,400 to cover their deductible and co-pays.
The medical care was “beyond phenomenal,” Eric Ferguson said. “It was just the sticker shock.” What made him and his wife angry was that the hospital charged so much initially and, even with the Blue Cross discount, wound up collecting about twice what Medicare would have paid.
“What if it was someone that didn’t have the resources to research and didn’t have insurance?” Laura Ferguson said. “What is fair and equitable here?”
Lake Norman Regional, a private for-profit hospital, is under scrutiny by others for questionable practices. In a 2010 lawsuit, recently unsealed in Mecklenburg County, two emergency room doctors alleged that Lake Norman and Davis Regional Medical Center in Statesville committed fraud by offering kickbacks to doctors who would order unnecessary tests and admit more patients to increase corporate revenues. The federal Department of Justice is also investigating.
Both hospitals are owned by Health Management Associates, one of the largest for-profit hospital chains. HMA has denied the allegations, which are repeated in lawsuits by other doctors in other states.
Asked to comment on the snake bite billing, Lake Norman officials provided a written statement: “… Hospitals only collect a small percentage of our charges, or ‘list prices.’ We are required to give Medicare one level of discount from list price, Medicaid another, and private insurers negotiate for still others. … If we did not start with the list prices we have, we would not end up with enough revenue to remain in operation. … Our costs for providing uncompensated care are partially covered by higher bills for other patients.
“In some cases, Lake Norman Regional’s charge is considerably higher than other local hospitals,” the statement said. But the hospital said it offers discounts of 62 to 65 percent to “self-pay” patients without insurance.
The hospital readily admits they charge paying patients more to make up for losses from uninsured patients who do not pay their bills. A shining example of why health care reform is an urgent necessity. The high cost of hospitalization is one of the main reasons we have been stuck with Obamacare.
MOORESVILLE PATIENT STUNNED BY $89,000 CHARGE FOR 18-HOUR HOSPITAL STAY
Laura and Eric Ferguson were shocked by the bill from Lake Norman Regional Medical Center after he was treated for a snake bite in August 2013
By Karen Garloch
The Charlotte Observer
January 27, 2014
How much should it cost to treat a snake bite?
It’s hard to know given the lack of transparency in hospital pricing and billing today. But Laura and Eric Ferguson, both 54, of Mooresville, believe they were overcharged for his trip to the emergency room last year.
Eric Ferguson was taking out the trash one evening in August when he felt what he thought was a bee sting. When he looked down at his foot, he was surprised to see fang marks. He drove himself to Lake Norman Regional Medical Center about 15 miles from his home, where he received anti-venom medicine for the snake bite.
For an 18-hour hospital stay, he got a bill for $89,227. More than $81,000 was for the four-vial dose of anti-venom, or about $20,000 per vial.
Shocked at the amount, the Fergusons went on the Internet and found retail prices for the medicine ranging from $750 to $12,000 per vial.
Medicare, the federal health program for seniors, typically reimburses for drugs by paying the average sales price plus 6 percent. For a 1-gram vial of the snake bite medicine, that is $2,365. Medicare would pay $9,460 for the four-vial dose.
Eric Ferguson’s treatment was covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. With Blue Cross’ contractual discount, Lake Norman Regional reduced his total bill to $20,227. Of that, the couple paid about $5,400 to cover their deductible and co-pays.
The medical care was “beyond phenomenal,” Eric Ferguson said. “It was just the sticker shock.” What made him and his wife angry was that the hospital charged so much initially and, even with the Blue Cross discount, wound up collecting about twice what Medicare would have paid.
“What if it was someone that didn’t have the resources to research and didn’t have insurance?” Laura Ferguson said. “What is fair and equitable here?”
Lake Norman Regional, a private for-profit hospital, is under scrutiny by others for questionable practices. In a 2010 lawsuit, recently unsealed in Mecklenburg County, two emergency room doctors alleged that Lake Norman and Davis Regional Medical Center in Statesville committed fraud by offering kickbacks to doctors who would order unnecessary tests and admit more patients to increase corporate revenues. The federal Department of Justice is also investigating.
Both hospitals are owned by Health Management Associates, one of the largest for-profit hospital chains. HMA has denied the allegations, which are repeated in lawsuits by other doctors in other states.
Asked to comment on the snake bite billing, Lake Norman officials provided a written statement: “… Hospitals only collect a small percentage of our charges, or ‘list prices.’ We are required to give Medicare one level of discount from list price, Medicaid another, and private insurers negotiate for still others. … If we did not start with the list prices we have, we would not end up with enough revenue to remain in operation. … Our costs for providing uncompensated care are partially covered by higher bills for other patients.
“In some cases, Lake Norman Regional’s charge is considerably higher than other local hospitals,” the statement said. But the hospital said it offers discounts of 62 to 65 percent to “self-pay” patients without insurance.
MOSES WARNS BURGLAR THAT JESUS IS WATCHING HIM
The Unconventional Gazette
January 28, 2014
A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said, 'Jesus knows you're here.'
He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze. When he heard nothing more, after a bit, he shook his head and continued.
Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard 'Jesus is watching you.'
Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice .............. Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.
'Did you say that?' he hissed at the parrot.
'Yep', the parrot confessed, then squawked, 'I'm just trying to warn you that he is watching you.'
The burglar relaxed. 'Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?'
'Moses,' replied the bird.
'Moses?' the burglar laughed. 'What kind of people would name a bird Moses?'
'The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus.'
January 28, 2014
A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said, 'Jesus knows you're here.'
He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze. When he heard nothing more, after a bit, he shook his head and continued.
Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard 'Jesus is watching you.'
Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice .............. Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.
'Did you say that?' he hissed at the parrot.
'Yep', the parrot confessed, then squawked, 'I'm just trying to warn you that he is watching you.'
The burglar relaxed. 'Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?'
'Moses,' replied the bird.
'Moses?' the burglar laughed. 'What kind of people would name a bird Moses?'
'The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus.'
ORIGIN OF THE WORD ‘OLYMPICS’
By Pamela Putz
The Unconventional Gazette
January 28, 2014
In keeping our readers informed on new-found knowledge, here is the origin of the word “Olympics”:
A slave call girl from Sardinia named Gedophamee was attending a great but as yet unnamed athletic festival 2500 years ago in Greece.
In those days, believe it or not, the athletes performed naked.
To prevent unwanted arousal while competing, the men imbibed freely on
drink containing saltpeter before and throughout the variety of events.
At the opening ceremonial parade, Gedophamee observed the first wave of naked magnificent males marching toward her and she exclaimed: "Oh! Limp pricks!"
Over the next two and a half millenniums that morphed into "Olympics".
The Unconventional Gazette
January 28, 2014
In keeping our readers informed on new-found knowledge, here is the origin of the word “Olympics”:
A slave call girl from Sardinia named Gedophamee was attending a great but as yet unnamed athletic festival 2500 years ago in Greece.
In those days, believe it or not, the athletes performed naked.
To prevent unwanted arousal while competing, the men imbibed freely on
drink containing saltpeter before and throughout the variety of events.
At the opening ceremonial parade, Gedophamee observed the first wave of naked magnificent males marching toward her and she exclaimed: "Oh! Limp pricks!"
Over the next two and a half millenniums that morphed into "Olympics".
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
GUTSY MICHELE LEONHART RISKS JOB WITH BLAST AT OBAMA’S MARIJUANA REMARKS
The DEA chief accused Obama of not knowing the science regarding pot
Attendees at a two-say Sheriff’s conference at which she spoke, report that Leonhart said July 4 was the lowest point in her 33-yer career with the DEA because the administration had flown a hemp flag over the Capitol that day for a group of pot advocates.
DEA CHIEF LEONHART RIPS OBAMA FOR MARIJUANA COMMENTS
By Lisa Barron
Newsmax
January 27, 2014
Drug Enforcement Administration chief Michele Leonhart has blasted President Barack Obama's recent remarks suggesting that marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol.
Leonhart said at a two-day meeting of the nation's sheriffs in Washington last week that she was unhappy about the administration's openness towards state legalization, reports the Boston Herald.
“She’s frustrated for the same reasons we are. She said she felt the administration didn’t understand the science enough to make those statements” Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, who attended the conference, told the newspaper.
Sheriff Donny Youngblood of Kern County, Calif., said Leonhart called out Obama for what he described as "irresponsible'" comments.
"This is a woman who has spent 33 years of her life fighting drug abuse in the DEA, her entire life. To have the president of the United States publicly say marijuana was a bad habit like alcohol was appalling to everyone in that room," Youngblood, president of the Major Counties Sheriffs' Association, told the Herald.
"I think the way that she felt was that it was a betrayal of what she does for the American people in enforcing our drug laws . . . She got a standing ovation," he added.
Leonhart was apparently upset by the administration's actions as well as its words. "She was particularly frustrated with the fact that, according to her, the White House participated in a softball game with a pro-legalization group," Hodgson told the Herald.
"But she said her lowest point in 33 years in the DEA was when she learned they'd flown a hemp flag over the Capitol on July 4," he said.
The White House has not responded to Leonhart's diatribe, but Tom Angell, founder of the Marijuana Majority reform group, told the Huffington Post he doesn’t expect her to be fired for her "insubordinate speech."
"But in light of the president's newfound boldness in speaking out about the unfairness of marijuana prohibition enforcement, he should take the opportunity to significantly reform federal marijuana policy and rearrange the agencies that have mismanaged it for so long," he said.
Attendees at a two-say Sheriff’s conference at which she spoke, report that Leonhart said July 4 was the lowest point in her 33-yer career with the DEA because the administration had flown a hemp flag over the Capitol that day for a group of pot advocates.
DEA CHIEF LEONHART RIPS OBAMA FOR MARIJUANA COMMENTS
By Lisa Barron
Newsmax
January 27, 2014
Drug Enforcement Administration chief Michele Leonhart has blasted President Barack Obama's recent remarks suggesting that marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol.
Leonhart said at a two-day meeting of the nation's sheriffs in Washington last week that she was unhappy about the administration's openness towards state legalization, reports the Boston Herald.
“She’s frustrated for the same reasons we are. She said she felt the administration didn’t understand the science enough to make those statements” Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, who attended the conference, told the newspaper.
Sheriff Donny Youngblood of Kern County, Calif., said Leonhart called out Obama for what he described as "irresponsible'" comments.
"This is a woman who has spent 33 years of her life fighting drug abuse in the DEA, her entire life. To have the president of the United States publicly say marijuana was a bad habit like alcohol was appalling to everyone in that room," Youngblood, president of the Major Counties Sheriffs' Association, told the Herald.
"I think the way that she felt was that it was a betrayal of what she does for the American people in enforcing our drug laws . . . She got a standing ovation," he added.
Leonhart was apparently upset by the administration's actions as well as its words. "She was particularly frustrated with the fact that, according to her, the White House participated in a softball game with a pro-legalization group," Hodgson told the Herald.
"But she said her lowest point in 33 years in the DEA was when she learned they'd flown a hemp flag over the Capitol on July 4," he said.
The White House has not responded to Leonhart's diatribe, but Tom Angell, founder of the Marijuana Majority reform group, told the Huffington Post he doesn’t expect her to be fired for her "insubordinate speech."
"But in light of the president's newfound boldness in speaking out about the unfairness of marijuana prohibition enforcement, he should take the opportunity to significantly reform federal marijuana policy and rearrange the agencies that have mismanaged it for so long," he said.
WONG WAS WRONG, NOW SUING FOR BEING WRONGED
When 84-year-old Kang Chun Wong got stopped by a NY cop for jaywalking, he did not understand the cop’s orders and was knocked unconscious, ending up bloodied in a hospital
On January 21 I wrote on BarkGrowlBite that it was hard for me to fathom why a very old man who does not speak English ends up bloodied in the hospital because he could not understand an officer’s orders in a jaywalking violation and tried to walk away. Now Mr. Wong, who was wrong, is suing for being wronged.
The New York Daily News reports that Sanford Rubenstein, Wong’s attorney, will file a $5 million lawsuit against NYC, NYPD and the cops who participated in the arrest.
When he was 19, Kang Chun Wang, now 84, left his native China for Cuba where he found work as a farm laborer. In 1966 he arrived in NYC with only the clothes on his back. He slept on floors and worked as a dishwasher in restaurants. Eventually he managed to open his own Chinese-Spanish restaurant on Broadway which he operated until he retired. Wong is the father of three sons. He has lived in the same Upper West Side apartment for almost 50 years. Wong never learned to speak English, speaking only Cantonese and Spanish.
Wong had never been arrested until January 19, when he was arrested for jaywalking at the corner of 96th St. & Broadway while on the way to his apartment. Here is Wong’s account of what occurred:
Wong insists the traffic light was green when he started to cross the street. When he got to the other side of the street he was stopped by a cop who asked for his ID. Wong understood what the cop wanted and handed over his ID. But when the cop walked away, Wong repeatedly said in Cantonese, “Give me back my ID.” That’s when the cop whipped out his cuffs and spoke into his handy-talkie. The next thing Wong knew was that he was surrounded by cops who threw him against a wall and then threw him onto the sidewalk, knocking him unconscious. When he came to, his hands were cuffed behind his back and blood was streaming down his face.
Ian King, a Fordham University law student, witnessed the incident and described it this way: “[The officer] stood him up against the wall and was trying to write him a ticket. The man didn’t seem to understand, and he started walking away. The cop tried to pull him back, and that’s when he began to struggle with the cop. As soon as he pushed the cop, it was like cops started running in from everywhere.”
The police had been ordered to focus on jaywalking after several pedestrians had been killed in the area. At first Bill Bratton, New York’s newly appointed Police Commissioner, praised the cops for the way they handled Wong, but then backed off pending an Internal Affairs investigation. And Bill de Blasio, New York’s new Sandinista-loving mayor, released a statement through his office which said that because there have been too many traffic deaths, zero tolerance would be enforced against violators.
Wong was clearly wrong. I am sure he jaywalked against a red traffic light and then struggled with an apparently inpatient cop. But I have a real problem with the way a bunch of officers handled this 84-year-old non-English speaking man who had worked hard all his life and had never been arrested. Wong was not a dangerous young gangbanger.
Now I know that some of you patriots will say that Wong should have learned to speak English. But New York is a city of immigrants and many of them, especially the elderly, have lived and worked within a cluster of their fellow countrymen and thus have never found the need to speak English. You have Hispanics speaking only Spanish, Italians speaking only Italian, Chinese speaking only Chinese, Poles speaking only Polish, Russians speaking only Russian, etc. And while they may not be able to speak English, they are nevertheless loyal American citizens who deserve to be treated as such.
On January 21 I wrote on BarkGrowlBite that it was hard for me to fathom why a very old man who does not speak English ends up bloodied in the hospital because he could not understand an officer’s orders in a jaywalking violation and tried to walk away. Now Mr. Wong, who was wrong, is suing for being wronged.
The New York Daily News reports that Sanford Rubenstein, Wong’s attorney, will file a $5 million lawsuit against NYC, NYPD and the cops who participated in the arrest.
When he was 19, Kang Chun Wang, now 84, left his native China for Cuba where he found work as a farm laborer. In 1966 he arrived in NYC with only the clothes on his back. He slept on floors and worked as a dishwasher in restaurants. Eventually he managed to open his own Chinese-Spanish restaurant on Broadway which he operated until he retired. Wong is the father of three sons. He has lived in the same Upper West Side apartment for almost 50 years. Wong never learned to speak English, speaking only Cantonese and Spanish.
Wong had never been arrested until January 19, when he was arrested for jaywalking at the corner of 96th St. & Broadway while on the way to his apartment. Here is Wong’s account of what occurred:
Wong insists the traffic light was green when he started to cross the street. When he got to the other side of the street he was stopped by a cop who asked for his ID. Wong understood what the cop wanted and handed over his ID. But when the cop walked away, Wong repeatedly said in Cantonese, “Give me back my ID.” That’s when the cop whipped out his cuffs and spoke into his handy-talkie. The next thing Wong knew was that he was surrounded by cops who threw him against a wall and then threw him onto the sidewalk, knocking him unconscious. When he came to, his hands were cuffed behind his back and blood was streaming down his face.
Ian King, a Fordham University law student, witnessed the incident and described it this way: “[The officer] stood him up against the wall and was trying to write him a ticket. The man didn’t seem to understand, and he started walking away. The cop tried to pull him back, and that’s when he began to struggle with the cop. As soon as he pushed the cop, it was like cops started running in from everywhere.”
The police had been ordered to focus on jaywalking after several pedestrians had been killed in the area. At first Bill Bratton, New York’s newly appointed Police Commissioner, praised the cops for the way they handled Wong, but then backed off pending an Internal Affairs investigation. And Bill de Blasio, New York’s new Sandinista-loving mayor, released a statement through his office which said that because there have been too many traffic deaths, zero tolerance would be enforced against violators.
Wong was clearly wrong. I am sure he jaywalked against a red traffic light and then struggled with an apparently inpatient cop. But I have a real problem with the way a bunch of officers handled this 84-year-old non-English speaking man who had worked hard all his life and had never been arrested. Wong was not a dangerous young gangbanger.
Now I know that some of you patriots will say that Wong should have learned to speak English. But New York is a city of immigrants and many of them, especially the elderly, have lived and worked within a cluster of their fellow countrymen and thus have never found the need to speak English. You have Hispanics speaking only Spanish, Italians speaking only Italian, Chinese speaking only Chinese, Poles speaking only Polish, Russians speaking only Russian, etc. And while they may not be able to speak English, they are nevertheless loyal American citizens who deserve to be treated as such.
LAPD COP BUSTED BY POMONA PD, FIRED BY LAPD, SUED POMONA, WINS LAWSUIT, AND IS REHIRED
Awarded $260,000 because he convinced a jury that Pomona cops lied about his arrest
This cop was between a rock and a hard place. I he didn’t try to help one of his wife’s relatives involved in a Pomona PD traffic accident investigation, she would be royally pissed off. And if he did try to help, the Pomona cops might get pissed off. He tried to help and they did get pissed off.
LAPD OFFICER AWARDED $260,000 OVER ARREST BY POMONA PD
A jury found that LAPD rookie Sergio Arreola was the victim of excessive force by two Pomona officers. Arreola refused to resign or take a plea bargain, arguing that the other officers were lying
By Joel Rubin
Los Angeles Times
January 24, 2014
A jury has awarded a Los Angeles police officer $260,000 after finding that Pomona police used excessive force on the young cop and unlawfully arrested him.
The verdict reached Wednesday evening was a final step in a nearly two-year effort by Sergio Arreola to clear his name after the 2012 encounter that left him fired from the LAPD and facing a possible prison sentence.
"This was about showing the officers and showing Pomona that they can't be treating others the way they treated me," Arreola, 27, said.
The Times first wrote about Arreola's case last year as he was fighting to get his job back.
In the morning on April 11, 2012, Arreola, who was then a rookie in the LAPD's Central Division, finished a night shift on patrol and drove to Pomona to meet his wife. While on the way, his wife called and asked Arreola to meet her in a nearby neighborhood where a relative had gotten into a minor traffic accident.
Things spun out of control quickly after Arreola arrived. Although Arreola identified himself as an off-duty LAPD officer, within minutes he was on the ground with Pomona officers piled on top of him, placing him in handcuffs.
One of the officers, Eric Hamilton, said in his arrest report that Arreola was aggressive and belligerent from the outset, refusing to obey the officer's commands. Hamilton and another officer, Chris Tucker, described Arreola's demeanor as "extremely angry." Tucker said in a report that when he tried to handcuff Arreola, he "began to twist and tense up, pulling his arms from our grasp." The officers alleged that Arreola tried to punch Hamilton in the face as they restrained him.
Pomona police officials notified Arreola's LAPD supervisors of the arrest and the account of his behavior that Hamilton and Tucker had given. The next day, Arreola's commanding officer called him into the station and gave him a choice to resign or be fired.
He refused to resign, saying that he had done none of the things the Pomona officers accused him of doing.
Out of a job, things worsened for Arreola when prosecutors in the Los Angeles County district attorney's office charged him with three misdemeanors of resisting arrest, assaulting Hamilton and obstructing the officers' work. They eventually dropped the assault charge but refused to budge on the others. Arreola refused to consider a guilty plea in exchange for a lenient sentence. "They've ruined my life, they've ruined my name," he recalled saying to his attorney at the time. "What's the worst they can do? Send me to jail?"
At his trial, jurors heard a starkly different account of the morning than the one the officers had told.
Arreola took the stand to challenge the officers' allegations, saying that Hamilton had been the aggressive one, cursing and yelling at him. He denied ever resisting the officers, saying that Tucker had intentionally pulled him off balance while he was being frisked and, when Arreola stumbled, the officer used it as an excuse to take him to the ground.
In an audio recording of the encounter captured by a recorder Hamilton carried, the officer is heard telling Arreola repeatedly to "stop resisting" and Arreola saying that he is not resisting. Arreola is also heard pleading with onlookers to record the scene. Once on the ground, Arreola said, the officers punched him repeatedly. Hamilton, he said, bent his left arm back violently and Tucker attempted to subdue him by using a choke hold.
Later in the recording, Hamilton told Arreola's wife, "I'm going to make sure your husband is never a police officer in the state of California again. I'll talk to Chief Beck myself personally," referring to the LAPD chief.
And jurors listened as Hamilton and Tucker recounted the arrest for other officers. "I just about broke his left arm. I wanted to break his arm," Hamilton said. "I had my arm around him to choke his ass out," Tucker said.
The jury found Arreola not guilty. After the acquittal, the LAPD offered Arreola his job back.
Pomona police officials could not be reached for comment. It is unknown whether the department has conducted an internal investigation into the conduct of Hamilton and Tucker.
Matthew McNicholas, Arreola's attorney in the civil case, said that although the jury did not award Arreola as much money as he had hoped, the verdict sent a message.
"The jury saw these officers beat him, just abused him intentionally. They took everything away from him…. This verdict completes Sergio's vindication."
This cop was between a rock and a hard place. I he didn’t try to help one of his wife’s relatives involved in a Pomona PD traffic accident investigation, she would be royally pissed off. And if he did try to help, the Pomona cops might get pissed off. He tried to help and they did get pissed off.
LAPD OFFICER AWARDED $260,000 OVER ARREST BY POMONA PD
A jury found that LAPD rookie Sergio Arreola was the victim of excessive force by two Pomona officers. Arreola refused to resign or take a plea bargain, arguing that the other officers were lying
By Joel Rubin
Los Angeles Times
January 24, 2014
A jury has awarded a Los Angeles police officer $260,000 after finding that Pomona police used excessive force on the young cop and unlawfully arrested him.
The verdict reached Wednesday evening was a final step in a nearly two-year effort by Sergio Arreola to clear his name after the 2012 encounter that left him fired from the LAPD and facing a possible prison sentence.
"This was about showing the officers and showing Pomona that they can't be treating others the way they treated me," Arreola, 27, said.
The Times first wrote about Arreola's case last year as he was fighting to get his job back.
In the morning on April 11, 2012, Arreola, who was then a rookie in the LAPD's Central Division, finished a night shift on patrol and drove to Pomona to meet his wife. While on the way, his wife called and asked Arreola to meet her in a nearby neighborhood where a relative had gotten into a minor traffic accident.
Things spun out of control quickly after Arreola arrived. Although Arreola identified himself as an off-duty LAPD officer, within minutes he was on the ground with Pomona officers piled on top of him, placing him in handcuffs.
One of the officers, Eric Hamilton, said in his arrest report that Arreola was aggressive and belligerent from the outset, refusing to obey the officer's commands. Hamilton and another officer, Chris Tucker, described Arreola's demeanor as "extremely angry." Tucker said in a report that when he tried to handcuff Arreola, he "began to twist and tense up, pulling his arms from our grasp." The officers alleged that Arreola tried to punch Hamilton in the face as they restrained him.
Pomona police officials notified Arreola's LAPD supervisors of the arrest and the account of his behavior that Hamilton and Tucker had given. The next day, Arreola's commanding officer called him into the station and gave him a choice to resign or be fired.
He refused to resign, saying that he had done none of the things the Pomona officers accused him of doing.
Out of a job, things worsened for Arreola when prosecutors in the Los Angeles County district attorney's office charged him with three misdemeanors of resisting arrest, assaulting Hamilton and obstructing the officers' work. They eventually dropped the assault charge but refused to budge on the others. Arreola refused to consider a guilty plea in exchange for a lenient sentence. "They've ruined my life, they've ruined my name," he recalled saying to his attorney at the time. "What's the worst they can do? Send me to jail?"
At his trial, jurors heard a starkly different account of the morning than the one the officers had told.
Arreola took the stand to challenge the officers' allegations, saying that Hamilton had been the aggressive one, cursing and yelling at him. He denied ever resisting the officers, saying that Tucker had intentionally pulled him off balance while he was being frisked and, when Arreola stumbled, the officer used it as an excuse to take him to the ground.
In an audio recording of the encounter captured by a recorder Hamilton carried, the officer is heard telling Arreola repeatedly to "stop resisting" and Arreola saying that he is not resisting. Arreola is also heard pleading with onlookers to record the scene. Once on the ground, Arreola said, the officers punched him repeatedly. Hamilton, he said, bent his left arm back violently and Tucker attempted to subdue him by using a choke hold.
Later in the recording, Hamilton told Arreola's wife, "I'm going to make sure your husband is never a police officer in the state of California again. I'll talk to Chief Beck myself personally," referring to the LAPD chief.
And jurors listened as Hamilton and Tucker recounted the arrest for other officers. "I just about broke his left arm. I wanted to break his arm," Hamilton said. "I had my arm around him to choke his ass out," Tucker said.
The jury found Arreola not guilty. After the acquittal, the LAPD offered Arreola his job back.
Pomona police officials could not be reached for comment. It is unknown whether the department has conducted an internal investigation into the conduct of Hamilton and Tucker.
Matthew McNicholas, Arreola's attorney in the civil case, said that although the jury did not award Arreola as much money as he had hoped, the verdict sent a message.
"The jury saw these officers beat him, just abused him intentionally. They took everything away from him…. This verdict completes Sergio's vindication."
Monday, January 27, 2014
ASPCH SLAMS SHERIFF JOE’S WOMEN CHAIN GANGS
Pictures in the Daily Mai showing Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s women jail inmates chained together digging graves in the desert infuriates the Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Humans
By Adolf der Schweinehund
The Unconventional Gazette
January 26, 2014
Life in Shackles: Digging Ditches and Collecting Trash With the Women Prisoners of the Only Female Chain Gang in the Country, an article in Saturday’s issue (updated Sunday) of the Daily Mail, included 30 photos of Maricopa County, Arizona women jail inmates who volunteered to work in chain gangs. The inmates wore horizontally striped white and black uniforms and they were shackled together, each at the left ankle, with nine-foot-long chains.
One photo showed them digging a grave in the desert for an unclaimed body. Another showed them clearing scrubland. If an inmate has to pee or poop, they remain chained together while she uses a Waste Management Port-O-Let.
The photos infuriated members of the Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Humans (ASPCH). The human rights group has joined forces with Amnesty International and with Human Rights Watch to condemn Sheriff Arpaio’s use of women chain gangs as inhumane, and to bring him up on Crimes Against Humanity charges.
Marcia Morgenstein, executive director of ASPCH, held a news conference at their San Francisco headquarters in which she charged that even though the women inmates volunteered, the chain gangs clearly constituted cruel and unusual punishment. “The Heinrich Himmler of America should be jailed for intentionally violating the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” said Morgenstein. “We are joining with Amnesty International and with Human Rights Watch to charge Arpaio with Crimes Against Humanity before the International Criminal Court.”
When asked if calling Arpaio the 'Heinrich Himmler of America' wasn't a bit too strong, Morgenstein replied, "Hell no! Himmler ran Nazi Germany's slave labor camps and that is exactly what Arpaio is doing here in the United States."
The Gazette contacted Steven Hawkins, executive director of Amnesty International, at his office. Hawkins confirmed that his organization was joining ASPCH and Human Rights Watch in bringing Arpaio up before the International Criminal Court. “Our members are convinced that Sheriff Arpaio is committing Crimes Against Humanity in his treatment, not only of women jail inmates, but male inmates as well,” said Hawkins. “We will demand that the International Criminal Court issue an arrest warrant for this disgraceful Gestapo-like lawman.”
We were able to contact Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, in his New York offices. “We are pleased to join with our sister organizations, ASPCH and Amnesty International, in bringing Sheriff Arpaio up on charges before the International Criminal Court,” said Roth. “Not since J. Edgar Hoover has America seen a law enforcement administrator disregard and violate the rights of people to the extent Arpaio has. We are confident that after we present our case, the International Criminal Court will issue an arrest warrant for Mr. Arpaio.”
Brian Fallon, chief spokesman for Attorney General Eric Holder, told The Gazette that the Justice Department considers Sheriff Arpaio a rogue lawman who needs to be removed from office. “Mr. Holder does not believe the women chain gangs are unlawful, but he is looking into the possibility that the hard labor does constitute cruel and unusual punishment,” said Fallon. “If we can establish that is the case, Mr. Holder intends to bring the full weight of the Justice Department to bear down on Sheriff Arpaio.”
We contacted the 80-year-old lawman at his Phoenix office. “It’s the only female chain gang in the world,” Sheriff Joe said proudly. “Started it with men and thought: ‘Why discriminate against women?’ And all those pictures in the Daily Mail, they were made at my invitation … that’s right, I invited the photographer to take them.”
When asked if he was worried about the human rights organizations planning to bring him up on Crimes Against Humanity charges, Arpaio replied, “Me worried? They’re just pissed off that I’m recognized as ‘America’s Toughest Lawman.’ I’ve got Hoder’s Justice Department all over my ass, I’ve been sued dozens of times for all kinds of alleged violations, so I’m supposed to worry about a bunch of liberal bleeding hearts trying to obtain an international arrest warrant on me. You've gotta be kidding. Hell, I’m not about to lose one damn minute of sleep over this.”
By Adolf der Schweinehund
The Unconventional Gazette
January 26, 2014
Life in Shackles: Digging Ditches and Collecting Trash With the Women Prisoners of the Only Female Chain Gang in the Country, an article in Saturday’s issue (updated Sunday) of the Daily Mail, included 30 photos of Maricopa County, Arizona women jail inmates who volunteered to work in chain gangs. The inmates wore horizontally striped white and black uniforms and they were shackled together, each at the left ankle, with nine-foot-long chains.
One photo showed them digging a grave in the desert for an unclaimed body. Another showed them clearing scrubland. If an inmate has to pee or poop, they remain chained together while she uses a Waste Management Port-O-Let.
The photos infuriated members of the Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Humans (ASPCH). The human rights group has joined forces with Amnesty International and with Human Rights Watch to condemn Sheriff Arpaio’s use of women chain gangs as inhumane, and to bring him up on Crimes Against Humanity charges.
Marcia Morgenstein, executive director of ASPCH, held a news conference at their San Francisco headquarters in which she charged that even though the women inmates volunteered, the chain gangs clearly constituted cruel and unusual punishment. “The Heinrich Himmler of America should be jailed for intentionally violating the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” said Morgenstein. “We are joining with Amnesty International and with Human Rights Watch to charge Arpaio with Crimes Against Humanity before the International Criminal Court.”
When asked if calling Arpaio the 'Heinrich Himmler of America' wasn't a bit too strong, Morgenstein replied, "Hell no! Himmler ran Nazi Germany's slave labor camps and that is exactly what Arpaio is doing here in the United States."
The Gazette contacted Steven Hawkins, executive director of Amnesty International, at his office. Hawkins confirmed that his organization was joining ASPCH and Human Rights Watch in bringing Arpaio up before the International Criminal Court. “Our members are convinced that Sheriff Arpaio is committing Crimes Against Humanity in his treatment, not only of women jail inmates, but male inmates as well,” said Hawkins. “We will demand that the International Criminal Court issue an arrest warrant for this disgraceful Gestapo-like lawman.”
We were able to contact Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, in his New York offices. “We are pleased to join with our sister organizations, ASPCH and Amnesty International, in bringing Sheriff Arpaio up on charges before the International Criminal Court,” said Roth. “Not since J. Edgar Hoover has America seen a law enforcement administrator disregard and violate the rights of people to the extent Arpaio has. We are confident that after we present our case, the International Criminal Court will issue an arrest warrant for Mr. Arpaio.”
Brian Fallon, chief spokesman for Attorney General Eric Holder, told The Gazette that the Justice Department considers Sheriff Arpaio a rogue lawman who needs to be removed from office. “Mr. Holder does not believe the women chain gangs are unlawful, but he is looking into the possibility that the hard labor does constitute cruel and unusual punishment,” said Fallon. “If we can establish that is the case, Mr. Holder intends to bring the full weight of the Justice Department to bear down on Sheriff Arpaio.”
We contacted the 80-year-old lawman at his Phoenix office. “It’s the only female chain gang in the world,” Sheriff Joe said proudly. “Started it with men and thought: ‘Why discriminate against women?’ And all those pictures in the Daily Mail, they were made at my invitation … that’s right, I invited the photographer to take them.”
When asked if he was worried about the human rights organizations planning to bring him up on Crimes Against Humanity charges, Arpaio replied, “Me worried? They’re just pissed off that I’m recognized as ‘America’s Toughest Lawman.’ I’ve got Hoder’s Justice Department all over my ass, I’ve been sued dozens of times for all kinds of alleged violations, so I’m supposed to worry about a bunch of liberal bleeding hearts trying to obtain an international arrest warrant on me. You've gotta be kidding. Hell, I’m not about to lose one damn minute of sleep over this.”
HUNGARY LIKE POLAND EAGERLY COLLABORATED WITH THE NAZIS IN EXTERMINATING JEWS
Kudos to historian Randolph Braham for returning an award to show the hypocrisy of the Hungarian government in whitewashing Hungary’s part in the Holocaust.
HISTORIAN RETURNS HUNGARIAN AWARD OVER HOLOCAUST ‘WHITEWASH’
Thomson/Reuters
January 26, 2014
BUDAPEST — An American historian said on Sunday he was returning an award he received from the Hungarian state in protest at what he called the government's attempt to erase Hungary's role in the Holocaust.
Romanian-born Randolph Braham, who settled in the United States after World War Two, received Hungary's Order of Merit in 2011 for his life's work, including on the Hungarian Holocaust.
"I have followed the latest developments in Hungary with great concern," Braham wrote in an open letter posted on several news websites. "I was shocked, as were surely others, at the past few years' campaign to whitewash history."
"They wish ... to excuse Hungary from the responsibility for the active role it played in annihilating nearly 600,000 of its Jewish citizens," wrote Braham, author of "The Politics of Genocide: Holocaust in Hungary."
Jewish groups have criticized the center-right government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban for what they say is its lackluster attempt to fight anti-Semitism.
Orban, favourite to win re-election in April, has said he would do everything to stamp out growing anti-Semitism in a country where a far-right party, Jobbik, openly uses anti-Semitic rhetoric and last November unveiled a statue of wartime leader Miklos Horthy, an ally of Adolf Hitler.
Last week a Jewish group threatened to boycott Holocaust commemorations this year over plans to erect a monument to the country's German occupation in 1944.
Jews said that pushed the blame for the genocide solely onto Germans and obscured the role of Hungarians.
In Hungary the Holocaust began years before it came under direct German occupation in 1944. Under the rule of Horthy, there were anti-Jewish pogroms, several reported instances of mass killings and the deportation of thousands of Jews to government-run labor camps.
Occupying German forces then received willing help from Hungarian authorities in deporting 437,000 Jews within a few weeks in 1944.
"(The) national monument to the German occupation... is a cowardly attempt to deflect attention from the role the Horthy regime played in the annihilation of Jews," Braham wrote.
"It blurs the Holocaust with what they say is the suffering of Hungarians during the German occupation ... which was met with general applause rather than resistance, as proven by historical facts."
HISTORIAN RETURNS HUNGARIAN AWARD OVER HOLOCAUST ‘WHITEWASH’
Thomson/Reuters
January 26, 2014
BUDAPEST — An American historian said on Sunday he was returning an award he received from the Hungarian state in protest at what he called the government's attempt to erase Hungary's role in the Holocaust.
Romanian-born Randolph Braham, who settled in the United States after World War Two, received Hungary's Order of Merit in 2011 for his life's work, including on the Hungarian Holocaust.
"I have followed the latest developments in Hungary with great concern," Braham wrote in an open letter posted on several news websites. "I was shocked, as were surely others, at the past few years' campaign to whitewash history."
"They wish ... to excuse Hungary from the responsibility for the active role it played in annihilating nearly 600,000 of its Jewish citizens," wrote Braham, author of "The Politics of Genocide: Holocaust in Hungary."
Jewish groups have criticized the center-right government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban for what they say is its lackluster attempt to fight anti-Semitism.
Orban, favourite to win re-election in April, has said he would do everything to stamp out growing anti-Semitism in a country where a far-right party, Jobbik, openly uses anti-Semitic rhetoric and last November unveiled a statue of wartime leader Miklos Horthy, an ally of Adolf Hitler.
Last week a Jewish group threatened to boycott Holocaust commemorations this year over plans to erect a monument to the country's German occupation in 1944.
Jews said that pushed the blame for the genocide solely onto Germans and obscured the role of Hungarians.
In Hungary the Holocaust began years before it came under direct German occupation in 1944. Under the rule of Horthy, there were anti-Jewish pogroms, several reported instances of mass killings and the deportation of thousands of Jews to government-run labor camps.
Occupying German forces then received willing help from Hungarian authorities in deporting 437,000 Jews within a few weeks in 1944.
"(The) national monument to the German occupation... is a cowardly attempt to deflect attention from the role the Horthy regime played in the annihilation of Jews," Braham wrote.
"It blurs the Holocaust with what they say is the suffering of Hungarians during the German occupation ... which was met with general applause rather than resistance, as proven by historical facts."
RESEARCH REGARDING DEATH ROW LAST MEALS
A Cornell University study claims that guilt or innocence is revealed by what the condemned inmate ordered for his last meal
Guilt or innocence according to the last meal eaten by a condemned inmate on death row? I have real doubts about this research. And even if it is true that an innocent death row inmate either refuses to order a last meal, or will order a much smaller meal than a guilty inmate, I don’t think the warden is going to call the governor to stop the execution.
WHAT LAST MEALS CAN TELL US ABOUT GUILT AND INNOCENCE
A final test of conscience
Kniffin, K., & Wansink, B. (2014). Death row confessions and the last meal test of innocence. Laws, 1–11. doi: 10.3390/laws3010001
Cornell University
Food and Brand Lab
Can last meals reveal more about individuals on death row than their taste preference? Some have argued there is significance embedded in death row last meal decisions. Famously, Ricky Ray Rector asked to save his untouched pecan pie for after his execution. This request sparked significant discussion about Rector’s competency – on the basis of his food request. Similarly, in a documentary film about last suppers, artists Bigert and Bergstrom have claimed a connection between whether or not an individual choses to have a last meal and his or her guilt. In each case, there is an assertion that last meals are relevant to the legitimacy of an execution. It is these signals that Cornell University researcher Kevin Kniffin examined in this self-funded study. In particular, he studied whether an individual who has accepted guilt—by apologizing or confessing—is more likely to indulge in a last meal. He also looked at how their meals differ from those who maintain that they are innocent.
Along with co-author Brian Wansink, Professor and Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, Kniffin hypothesized that those who perceived themselves as innocent would request fewer calories or decline to receive a last meal altogether. After analyzing the last meals of 247 people who were executed in the United States between 2002 and 2006, Kniffin found the hypothesis to be accurate. Those who denied guilt were 2.7 times more likely to decline a last meal than those who admitted guilt. Furthermore those who were admittedly guilty requested 34% more calories of food and were more likely to request brand name, comfort-food items.
Social circumstance often gives meals meaning, so it is logical that the last meals of those on death row may signify something beyond taste preference. While there are many factors that could contribute to last meal selection, this study is the first to provide evidence of a link between food selection and self-perceived guilt or innocence. These findings may be useful to the legal community in further assessing the innocence and perceived innocence of those who have received the death penalty in the past.
Guilt or innocence according to the last meal eaten by a condemned inmate on death row? I have real doubts about this research. And even if it is true that an innocent death row inmate either refuses to order a last meal, or will order a much smaller meal than a guilty inmate, I don’t think the warden is going to call the governor to stop the execution.
WHAT LAST MEALS CAN TELL US ABOUT GUILT AND INNOCENCE
A final test of conscience
Kniffin, K., & Wansink, B. (2014). Death row confessions and the last meal test of innocence. Laws, 1–11. doi: 10.3390/laws3010001
Cornell University
Food and Brand Lab
Can last meals reveal more about individuals on death row than their taste preference? Some have argued there is significance embedded in death row last meal decisions. Famously, Ricky Ray Rector asked to save his untouched pecan pie for after his execution. This request sparked significant discussion about Rector’s competency – on the basis of his food request. Similarly, in a documentary film about last suppers, artists Bigert and Bergstrom have claimed a connection between whether or not an individual choses to have a last meal and his or her guilt. In each case, there is an assertion that last meals are relevant to the legitimacy of an execution. It is these signals that Cornell University researcher Kevin Kniffin examined in this self-funded study. In particular, he studied whether an individual who has accepted guilt—by apologizing or confessing—is more likely to indulge in a last meal. He also looked at how their meals differ from those who maintain that they are innocent.
Along with co-author Brian Wansink, Professor and Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, Kniffin hypothesized that those who perceived themselves as innocent would request fewer calories or decline to receive a last meal altogether. After analyzing the last meals of 247 people who were executed in the United States between 2002 and 2006, Kniffin found the hypothesis to be accurate. Those who denied guilt were 2.7 times more likely to decline a last meal than those who admitted guilt. Furthermore those who were admittedly guilty requested 34% more calories of food and were more likely to request brand name, comfort-food items.
Social circumstance often gives meals meaning, so it is logical that the last meals of those on death row may signify something beyond taste preference. While there are many factors that could contribute to last meal selection, this study is the first to provide evidence of a link between food selection and self-perceived guilt or innocence. These findings may be useful to the legal community in further assessing the innocence and perceived innocence of those who have received the death penalty in the past.
THE FASCINATION WITH A DEATH ROW PRISONER’S FINAL MEAL CHOICE
Final meal requests in Florida range from salami sandwiches to Jack Daniel's whiskey
Mail Online
January 26, 2014
A Death Row prisoner's choice of last meal fascinates like few other requests and has been the subject of a number of research projects in recent years.
Last year, artist Julie Green completed a 13-year project painting more than 500 Death Row final meals on to plates.
They included everything from cigarettes to pizza and tubs of ice cream. The most commonly ordered meals were fast food from KFC and McDonald’s.
Meanwhile, in October, the Orlando Sentinel explored the final meal choices of the Death Row inmates of Florida.
Before Panhandle Killer Arthur Rutherford was put to death in 2006, he requested some foods true to his southern locale. A deep fried feast of fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, fried eggplant and hush puppies were laid out for him before his lethal injection. Rutherford washed it down with sweet tea.
Clarence Hill, an attempted bank robber and police officer killer, asked for tacos. So did Angel Nieves Diaz, who murdered the owner of a Miami strip club while he and accomplices robbed it.
Oba Chandler, who raped and murdered an Ohio woman and her two teen daughters after they asked him for directions in 1989, asked for salami sandwiches and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
John Spenkelink got a special treat at his 1979 execution. Not only was he the first in Florida to be put to death following the Supreme Court’s reinstatement of the death penalty, but he also got to split a flask of Jack Daniel's whiskey with the prison superintendent.
Aileen Wuornos’ seven-man killing spree was immortalised in the 2003 film Monster, but her life came to an end the year before. She declined a last meal and instead drank just a cup of coffee nine hours before she was put to death.
Taking the opposite route was Allen Lee Davis, who murdered a pregnant woman in 1982 along with her two young daughters. He chose to have a smorgasbord of lobster tail, fried potatoes, a half-pound of fried shrimp, six ounces of fried clam strips, half a loaf of garlic bread and 32 ounces of A&W root beer.
Mail Online
January 26, 2014
A Death Row prisoner's choice of last meal fascinates like few other requests and has been the subject of a number of research projects in recent years.
Last year, artist Julie Green completed a 13-year project painting more than 500 Death Row final meals on to plates.
They included everything from cigarettes to pizza and tubs of ice cream. The most commonly ordered meals were fast food from KFC and McDonald’s.
Meanwhile, in October, the Orlando Sentinel explored the final meal choices of the Death Row inmates of Florida.
Before Panhandle Killer Arthur Rutherford was put to death in 2006, he requested some foods true to his southern locale. A deep fried feast of fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, fried eggplant and hush puppies were laid out for him before his lethal injection. Rutherford washed it down with sweet tea.
Clarence Hill, an attempted bank robber and police officer killer, asked for tacos. So did Angel Nieves Diaz, who murdered the owner of a Miami strip club while he and accomplices robbed it.
Oba Chandler, who raped and murdered an Ohio woman and her two teen daughters after they asked him for directions in 1989, asked for salami sandwiches and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
John Spenkelink got a special treat at his 1979 execution. Not only was he the first in Florida to be put to death following the Supreme Court’s reinstatement of the death penalty, but he also got to split a flask of Jack Daniel's whiskey with the prison superintendent.
Aileen Wuornos’ seven-man killing spree was immortalised in the 2003 film Monster, but her life came to an end the year before. She declined a last meal and instead drank just a cup of coffee nine hours before she was put to death.
Taking the opposite route was Allen Lee Davis, who murdered a pregnant woman in 1982 along with her two young daughters. He chose to have a smorgasbord of lobster tail, fried potatoes, a half-pound of fried shrimp, six ounces of fried clam strips, half a loaf of garlic bread and 32 ounces of A&W root beer.
A BAD OMEN AT THE VATICAN
The attack on peace doves released from the Pope’s window appears to be an omen that peace is doomed.
BIRDS ATTACK PEACE DOVES FREED FROM POPE’S WINDOW
Associated Press
January 26, 2014
VATICAN CITY — Two white doves released by children standing alongside Pope Francis as a peace gesture were attacked by other birds.
As tens of thousands of people watched in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, a seagull and a large black crow swept down on the doves right after they were set free from an open window of the Apostolic Palace.
One dove lost some feathers as it broke free from the gull. But the crow pecked repeatedly at the other dove.
It was not clear what happened to the doves as they flew off.
While speaking at the window beforehand, Francis had appealed for peace in Ukraine, where anti-government protesters have died.
BIRDS ATTACK PEACE DOVES FREED FROM POPE’S WINDOW
Associated Press
January 26, 2014
VATICAN CITY — Two white doves released by children standing alongside Pope Francis as a peace gesture were attacked by other birds.
As tens of thousands of people watched in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, a seagull and a large black crow swept down on the doves right after they were set free from an open window of the Apostolic Palace.
One dove lost some feathers as it broke free from the gull. But the crow pecked repeatedly at the other dove.
It was not clear what happened to the doves as they flew off.
While speaking at the window beforehand, Francis had appealed for peace in Ukraine, where anti-government protesters have died.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
JUDGE RULES POLICE SPECTATORS AT COP KILLER’S MURDER TRIAL CANNOT WEAR THEIR UNIFORMS
The courts have ruled that a criminal defendant must wear civilian clothing during his trial because a jail uniform might sway a jury against him. It seems logical then, that the presence of a whole bunch of uniformed cops in the courtroom might also sway a jury against the defendant.
A couple of PoliceOne readers suggested that the cops pack the courtroom wearing "Justice for Barbara Pill" T-shirts. Not a bad idea, but that would be much more likely to sway the jury against the accused killer of Brevard County Deputy Barbara Pill than if the cops had worn their uniforms.
JUDGE: POLICE CAN’T WEAR UNIFORMS AT COP KILLER’S TRIAL
The defendant’s attorney argued a ‘sea of blue’ would sway the jury’s decision
PoliceOne
January 24, 2013
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A judge has enacted a policy barring police officers from wearing their uniforms or other insignia while in attendance of the trial for a man accused of killing a Brevard County sheriff’s deputy.
Judge Morgan Reinman enacted the policy after Brandon Bradley’s attorney argued that a "sea of blue" in the courtroom would influence the jury and prevent Bradley from a fair trial. He is accused of fatally shooting deputy Barbara Pill at a traffic stop in 2012, according to Florida Today.
The police barring the wearing of uniforms does not apply to witnesses and court deputies.
Bradley is charged with first-degree murder for the death of Pill, who pulled Bradley over for allegedly stealing from a motel, according to WFTV. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Andria Kerchner, who was in the suspect's vehicle at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison. As part of her plea deal with the state, Kerchner has agreed to testify truthfully in Bradley's trial.
A couple of PoliceOne readers suggested that the cops pack the courtroom wearing "Justice for Barbara Pill" T-shirts. Not a bad idea, but that would be much more likely to sway the jury against the accused killer of Brevard County Deputy Barbara Pill than if the cops had worn their uniforms.
JUDGE: POLICE CAN’T WEAR UNIFORMS AT COP KILLER’S TRIAL
The defendant’s attorney argued a ‘sea of blue’ would sway the jury’s decision
PoliceOne
January 24, 2013
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A judge has enacted a policy barring police officers from wearing their uniforms or other insignia while in attendance of the trial for a man accused of killing a Brevard County sheriff’s deputy.
Judge Morgan Reinman enacted the policy after Brandon Bradley’s attorney argued that a "sea of blue" in the courtroom would influence the jury and prevent Bradley from a fair trial. He is accused of fatally shooting deputy Barbara Pill at a traffic stop in 2012, according to Florida Today.
The police barring the wearing of uniforms does not apply to witnesses and court deputies.
Bradley is charged with first-degree murder for the death of Pill, who pulled Bradley over for allegedly stealing from a motel, according to WFTV. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Andria Kerchner, who was in the suspect's vehicle at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison. As part of her plea deal with the state, Kerchner has agreed to testify truthfully in Bradley's trial.
OH NO, POT A POISON?
Not only people have been poisoned by ingested marijuana, but so have their pets
This can’t be true. There must be some mistake. After all, no less than President Obama says marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol.
BENICIA TEACHER FACES POISONING CHARGES OVER MARIJUANA-LACED FOOD
Benicia police have arrested a first-grade teacher on poisoning charges after she allegedly fed her co-workers marijuana-laced food at an employee pot luck
By Cheryl Hurd
NBC Bay Area
January 25, 2014
Benicia police have arrested a first-grade teacher on poisoning charges after she allegedly fed her co-workers marijuana-laced food at an employee pot luck.
Teresa Gilmete Badger, a 47-year-old teacher at Matthew Turner Elementary School in Benicia, was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of poisoning after a month and a half long investigation, according to Lt. Frank Hartig.
Police were informed in early December by Benicia Unified School District Superintendent Janice Adams that a number of people reported feeling sick or possibly under the influence after attending a Nov. 21 after-hours employee potluck, Hartig said.
One female victim was admitted to a hospital for treatment that evening, and another was admitted on Nov. 22 complaining of chest pain and other symptoms, Hartig said.
Tests determined that victim had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, present in her blood, Hartig said.
Police determined that several other people reported feeling like they were under the influence as a result of the potluck, and that one had taken the affected food home, where a 15-year-old family member consumed it.
The juvenile later experienced some of the same symptoms, Hartig said.
Badger allegedly confessed her involvement to individuals who were also at the party, Hartig said, but she did not admit that to police.
Dave Padilla lives across the street from Badger and says he can’t believe the charges she is facing.
“This just doesn’t fit at all,” Padilla said. “I’m hoping this is really just a bad mistake.”
Police say Badger was arrested on three counts of poisoning Friday afternoon at her home on Clyne Court and booked into Solano County Jail in Fairfield in lieu of $15,000 bail.
Badger chose not to speak to arresting officers about the incident, Hartig said.
Adams could not be reached for comment.
__________
ASPCA: MARIJUANA-RELATED PET POISNONINGS ON RISE
According to experts, some pets are drinking bong water and becoming sick from the active ingredients in marijuana
By Monica Garske
NBC Bay Area
January 21, 2013
Pet poisonings involving marijuana – specifically, the ingestion of pot via bong water or edibles – are on the rise, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
NBC News reports that, according to the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center division, calls reporting pet poisonings by marijuana have increased by 30 percent since 2009, from 213 calls that year to 320 in 2013.
Dr. Monika Kaelble, medical director of the Pet Emergency and Specialty Care Center in San Diego’s La Mesa community, told NBC 7 San Diego on Tuesday that her practice sees cases of cannibis poisonings quite frequently, at least once per week.
“We certainly do see a lot of marijuana poisoning. I think it’s on the rise because we now have legalization of medical marijuana, and it’s more prevalent,” said Kaelble.
“It’s not something that people think of that much. I don’t think people think their dog is going to get into marijuana but dogs love to eat things, and that’s definitely on the list,” she added.
Kaelble said her practice sees enough cases to spot the symptoms in a pooch suffering from pot poisoning, which usually includes staggering and sensitivity to sounds and lights.
"Most dogs come in kind of drunk-looking, acting very abnormally," she explained. "In most cases the dog has eaten a brownie or baked good. Secondarily, they may eat a stash or joint."
Kaelble said she rarely sees cases involving poisoning from owners purposely blowing secondhand smoke into a dog's face.
"We don't typically see deliberate poisonings, thankfully pet owners love their pets. Usually the pets are getting into something [in these pot poisoning cases]," she explained.
Kaelble said the smaller the dog, the sicker they get from ingesting marijuana.
Treatment at her practice includes giving the four-legged patient IV fkuids to flush out its system or activated charcoal to help bind the drug if vets think the drug is still in the dog's stomach.
"Usually, within 24 to 48 hours, they're back to normal again," she said.
Animal Poison Control Center director Dr. Tina Wismer says dogs, in particular, don’t react the same way as humans to marijuana. While some may become “sedated” or “wobbly,” Wismer told NBC News that some dogs experience agitation and high heart rates, resulting in distress.
“Most dogs become incontinent,” Wismer said. “They stagger around dribbling urine everywhere.”
The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center says marijuana – namely the Delta-9-THC element in the plant – is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs of pot poisoning in a pet also include prolonged depression, vomiting, lack of coordination, sleepiness, hypersalivation, dilated pupils, low body temperature, seizure, coma, or, even in some rare cases, death.
If a dog experiences soaring blood pressure as a result of pot poisoning and goes without treatment, a dog can go into a coma and die.
Poisoning experts say bong water is one way for pets to ingest the active ingredients in marijuana. They could also eat marijuana leaves or edibles, such as pot brownies or cookies.
Wismer says marijuana butter used to make these baked goods can be especially dangerous to pets who may eat them thinking they may be treats.
“People put weed and a stick of butter in a sauce pan and the fat soluble cannabinoids leech into the butter creating a much higher concentration of THC,” she explained.
Brownies may be twice as dangerous for dogs, too, since chocolate is one of the leading causes of dog poisonings, according to the ASPCA.
Chocolate, a heart and nervous system stimulant in dogs, can cause hyperactivity, vomiting, diarrhea, panting, tremors, seizures and even death in extreme cases.
As marijuana becomes more legally prevalent and people learn of its danger to dogs, Kaelble said she thinks owners will become more astute about hiding their pot away from a pet's reach.
"A lot of it is public awareness of the problem," said Kaelble.
The ASPCA says pet owners who think their dog or pet may have ingested marijuana should contact their local veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center.
This can’t be true. There must be some mistake. After all, no less than President Obama says marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol.
BENICIA TEACHER FACES POISONING CHARGES OVER MARIJUANA-LACED FOOD
Benicia police have arrested a first-grade teacher on poisoning charges after she allegedly fed her co-workers marijuana-laced food at an employee pot luck
By Cheryl Hurd
NBC Bay Area
January 25, 2014
Benicia police have arrested a first-grade teacher on poisoning charges after she allegedly fed her co-workers marijuana-laced food at an employee pot luck.
Teresa Gilmete Badger, a 47-year-old teacher at Matthew Turner Elementary School in Benicia, was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of poisoning after a month and a half long investigation, according to Lt. Frank Hartig.
Police were informed in early December by Benicia Unified School District Superintendent Janice Adams that a number of people reported feeling sick or possibly under the influence after attending a Nov. 21 after-hours employee potluck, Hartig said.
One female victim was admitted to a hospital for treatment that evening, and another was admitted on Nov. 22 complaining of chest pain and other symptoms, Hartig said.
Tests determined that victim had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, present in her blood, Hartig said.
Police determined that several other people reported feeling like they were under the influence as a result of the potluck, and that one had taken the affected food home, where a 15-year-old family member consumed it.
The juvenile later experienced some of the same symptoms, Hartig said.
Badger allegedly confessed her involvement to individuals who were also at the party, Hartig said, but she did not admit that to police.
Dave Padilla lives across the street from Badger and says he can’t believe the charges she is facing.
“This just doesn’t fit at all,” Padilla said. “I’m hoping this is really just a bad mistake.”
Police say Badger was arrested on three counts of poisoning Friday afternoon at her home on Clyne Court and booked into Solano County Jail in Fairfield in lieu of $15,000 bail.
Badger chose not to speak to arresting officers about the incident, Hartig said.
Adams could not be reached for comment.
__________
ASPCA: MARIJUANA-RELATED PET POISNONINGS ON RISE
According to experts, some pets are drinking bong water and becoming sick from the active ingredients in marijuana
By Monica Garske
NBC Bay Area
January 21, 2013
Pet poisonings involving marijuana – specifically, the ingestion of pot via bong water or edibles – are on the rise, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
NBC News reports that, according to the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center division, calls reporting pet poisonings by marijuana have increased by 30 percent since 2009, from 213 calls that year to 320 in 2013.
Dr. Monika Kaelble, medical director of the Pet Emergency and Specialty Care Center in San Diego’s La Mesa community, told NBC 7 San Diego on Tuesday that her practice sees cases of cannibis poisonings quite frequently, at least once per week.
“We certainly do see a lot of marijuana poisoning. I think it’s on the rise because we now have legalization of medical marijuana, and it’s more prevalent,” said Kaelble.
“It’s not something that people think of that much. I don’t think people think their dog is going to get into marijuana but dogs love to eat things, and that’s definitely on the list,” she added.
Kaelble said her practice sees enough cases to spot the symptoms in a pooch suffering from pot poisoning, which usually includes staggering and sensitivity to sounds and lights.
"Most dogs come in kind of drunk-looking, acting very abnormally," she explained. "In most cases the dog has eaten a brownie or baked good. Secondarily, they may eat a stash or joint."
Kaelble said she rarely sees cases involving poisoning from owners purposely blowing secondhand smoke into a dog's face.
"We don't typically see deliberate poisonings, thankfully pet owners love their pets. Usually the pets are getting into something [in these pot poisoning cases]," she explained.
Kaelble said the smaller the dog, the sicker they get from ingesting marijuana.
Treatment at her practice includes giving the four-legged patient IV fkuids to flush out its system or activated charcoal to help bind the drug if vets think the drug is still in the dog's stomach.
"Usually, within 24 to 48 hours, they're back to normal again," she said.
Animal Poison Control Center director Dr. Tina Wismer says dogs, in particular, don’t react the same way as humans to marijuana. While some may become “sedated” or “wobbly,” Wismer told NBC News that some dogs experience agitation and high heart rates, resulting in distress.
“Most dogs become incontinent,” Wismer said. “They stagger around dribbling urine everywhere.”
The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center says marijuana – namely the Delta-9-THC element in the plant – is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs of pot poisoning in a pet also include prolonged depression, vomiting, lack of coordination, sleepiness, hypersalivation, dilated pupils, low body temperature, seizure, coma, or, even in some rare cases, death.
If a dog experiences soaring blood pressure as a result of pot poisoning and goes without treatment, a dog can go into a coma and die.
Poisoning experts say bong water is one way for pets to ingest the active ingredients in marijuana. They could also eat marijuana leaves or edibles, such as pot brownies or cookies.
Wismer says marijuana butter used to make these baked goods can be especially dangerous to pets who may eat them thinking they may be treats.
“People put weed and a stick of butter in a sauce pan and the fat soluble cannabinoids leech into the butter creating a much higher concentration of THC,” she explained.
Brownies may be twice as dangerous for dogs, too, since chocolate is one of the leading causes of dog poisonings, according to the ASPCA.
Chocolate, a heart and nervous system stimulant in dogs, can cause hyperactivity, vomiting, diarrhea, panting, tremors, seizures and even death in extreme cases.
As marijuana becomes more legally prevalent and people learn of its danger to dogs, Kaelble said she thinks owners will become more astute about hiding their pot away from a pet's reach.
"A lot of it is public awareness of the problem," said Kaelble.
The ASPCA says pet owners who think their dog or pet may have ingested marijuana should contact their local veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center.
BRAZILIAN JOURNALISM STUDENT DELUSIONAL ABOUT HITLER’S ESCAPE TO SOUTH AMERICA
Simoni Renee Guerreiro Dias claims Hitler did not die in his Berlin bunker, but escaped to South America, eventually settling in Brazil where he died at 95
This aspiring journalist follows a long line of pseudo-historians who, with their conspiracy theories, have claimed over the years that Hitler escaped to South America. She said she identified the Fuhrer by photoshopping a Hitlerian mustache on the picture of a man in the small town of Nossa Senhora do Livramento. Shit, anyone who might photoshop a Hitlarian mustache on my picture would make me look like the Fuhrer too.
NEW BOOK CLAIMS PICTURE PROVES HITLER ESCAPED HIS BERLIN BUNKER AND DIED IN SOUTH AMERICA IN 1984 AGED 95
Author Simoni Renee Guerreiro Dias claims the Fuhrer 'fled to Argentina and then Paraguay before settling in Brazil' where the fascist actually died aged 95
By Anna Edwards
Mail Online
January 25, 2014
He is believed to have died after shooting himself in a Berlin bunker in 1945 when he realised Germany had lost World War II.
But a startling new book claims Adolf Hitler actually escaped his hideout and actually died incognito in 1984 in a small town near Brazil's border with Bolivia - and it can be proved by a picture.
Not only that, but the author believes the Fuhrer fled to Argentina and then Paraguay before settling in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso to hunt for buried treasure - with a map given to him by Vatican allies, according to its author.
As part of his elaborate ruse to escape detection, he also had a relationship with a black woman called Cutinga, which was meant to prove that he could not be the dictator who hated anyone who did not fit his Aryan ideal, the book claims.
Post-graduate student Simoni Renee Guerreiro Dias has outlined her bizarre theory, claiming the fascist actually died aged 95.
The book, titled 'Hitler in Brazil - His Life and His Death', challenges the accepted view that the dictator shot himself in his Berlin bunker on April 30 1945.
She claims he may have lived as Adolf Leipzig in the small town of Nossa Senhora do Livramento, 30 miles from the state capital Cuiaba.
Simoni, a Brazilian who comes from Cuiaba, says Leipzig was known locally as the 'Old German.'
Simoni is now planning to use DNA tests using a relative of Hitler living in Israel, after been given permission to exhume Adolf Leipzig's remains from his alleged final resting place in Nossa Senhora do Livramento.
The journalism student has linked the Fuhrer's alleged arrival in the area to a Vatican offer of ownership rights over buried Jesuit treasure in a cave near his adopted home.
She points out in her book Leipzig was the birthplace of Hitler's favourite composer Bach.
She says her suspicions about Adolf Leipzig increased after she Photoshopped a moustache onto the grainy picture she obtained of him and compared it to photos of the Nazi leader.
According to Simoni, an unidentified Polish nun recognised an elderly man due to have an op at a hospital in Cuiaba in the early eighties as Hitler and demanded he leave - but was reprimanded by a superior who claimed he was there on Vatican orders.
Academics in Brazil have also rubbished the theory Hitler lived and died in Nossa Senhora do Livramento.
Candido Moreira Rodrigues, a history professor at Mato Grosso's Federal University said: "There's nothing new in people who claim to be historians coming up with the most far-reaching theories about Hitler supposedly living in south America and subsequently dying in one of the countries in this region."
Ten of thousands of Nazis escaped after the war, including the notorious Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele.
Investigators probing Hitler's demise were hampered by the lack of any physical evidence for his death.
Fantasists were given added ammunition he didn't die in his Berlin bunker when 2009 DNA tests on skull fragments found near the bunker and believed to be his, turned out to belong to a woman.
Rochus Misch, a former bodyguard of Adolf Hitler who has been named as the last man to see the Fuhrer alive during his final hours in Germany, died last September aged 96.
Misch, who lived with Hitler and his mistress in their underground refuge as the allies closed in, told before his death he saw Hitler slumped with his head on the table after hearing a gunshot behind his closed door.
This aspiring journalist follows a long line of pseudo-historians who, with their conspiracy theories, have claimed over the years that Hitler escaped to South America. She said she identified the Fuhrer by photoshopping a Hitlerian mustache on the picture of a man in the small town of Nossa Senhora do Livramento. Shit, anyone who might photoshop a Hitlarian mustache on my picture would make me look like the Fuhrer too.
NEW BOOK CLAIMS PICTURE PROVES HITLER ESCAPED HIS BERLIN BUNKER AND DIED IN SOUTH AMERICA IN 1984 AGED 95
Author Simoni Renee Guerreiro Dias claims the Fuhrer 'fled to Argentina and then Paraguay before settling in Brazil' where the fascist actually died aged 95
By Anna Edwards
Mail Online
January 25, 2014
He is believed to have died after shooting himself in a Berlin bunker in 1945 when he realised Germany had lost World War II.
But a startling new book claims Adolf Hitler actually escaped his hideout and actually died incognito in 1984 in a small town near Brazil's border with Bolivia - and it can be proved by a picture.
Not only that, but the author believes the Fuhrer fled to Argentina and then Paraguay before settling in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso to hunt for buried treasure - with a map given to him by Vatican allies, according to its author.
As part of his elaborate ruse to escape detection, he also had a relationship with a black woman called Cutinga, which was meant to prove that he could not be the dictator who hated anyone who did not fit his Aryan ideal, the book claims.
Post-graduate student Simoni Renee Guerreiro Dias has outlined her bizarre theory, claiming the fascist actually died aged 95.
The book, titled 'Hitler in Brazil - His Life and His Death', challenges the accepted view that the dictator shot himself in his Berlin bunker on April 30 1945.
She claims he may have lived as Adolf Leipzig in the small town of Nossa Senhora do Livramento, 30 miles from the state capital Cuiaba.
Simoni, a Brazilian who comes from Cuiaba, says Leipzig was known locally as the 'Old German.'
Simoni is now planning to use DNA tests using a relative of Hitler living in Israel, after been given permission to exhume Adolf Leipzig's remains from his alleged final resting place in Nossa Senhora do Livramento.
The journalism student has linked the Fuhrer's alleged arrival in the area to a Vatican offer of ownership rights over buried Jesuit treasure in a cave near his adopted home.
She points out in her book Leipzig was the birthplace of Hitler's favourite composer Bach.
She says her suspicions about Adolf Leipzig increased after she Photoshopped a moustache onto the grainy picture she obtained of him and compared it to photos of the Nazi leader.
According to Simoni, an unidentified Polish nun recognised an elderly man due to have an op at a hospital in Cuiaba in the early eighties as Hitler and demanded he leave - but was reprimanded by a superior who claimed he was there on Vatican orders.
Academics in Brazil have also rubbished the theory Hitler lived and died in Nossa Senhora do Livramento.
Candido Moreira Rodrigues, a history professor at Mato Grosso's Federal University said: "There's nothing new in people who claim to be historians coming up with the most far-reaching theories about Hitler supposedly living in south America and subsequently dying in one of the countries in this region."
Ten of thousands of Nazis escaped after the war, including the notorious Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele.
Investigators probing Hitler's demise were hampered by the lack of any physical evidence for his death.
Fantasists were given added ammunition he didn't die in his Berlin bunker when 2009 DNA tests on skull fragments found near the bunker and believed to be his, turned out to belong to a woman.
Rochus Misch, a former bodyguard of Adolf Hitler who has been named as the last man to see the Fuhrer alive during his final hours in Germany, died last September aged 96.
Misch, who lived with Hitler and his mistress in their underground refuge as the allies closed in, told before his death he saw Hitler slumped with his head on the table after hearing a gunshot behind his closed door.
YOU ARE FED BREAD AND WATER IF YOU DESECRATE THE AMERICAN FLAG IN SHERIFF JOE’S JAILS
I suspect that most of the desecrations were committed by inmates who identify more with Mexico than the United States. Good for good old Sheriff Joe!
ARIZONA’S SHERIFF JOE PUTS INMATES ON BREAD AND WATER
Thomson/Reuters
January 24, 2014
Dozens of inmates in Arizona jails run by a sheriff who has been a controversial figure in the national immigration debate have been put on a diet of bread and water for desecrating U.S. flags that hang in each cell, authorities said on Friday.
Maricopa County lawman Joe Arpaio, who has been called "America's toughest sheriff," said 38 inmates were currently getting these meals twice a day as punishment for destroying government property while in custody at six jails.
"These inmates have destroyed the American flag that was placed in their cells. Tearing them, writing on them, stepping on them, throwing them in the toilet, trash or wherever they feel," Arpaio said in a statement. "It's a disgrace to those who have fought for our country."
The punishment will last for seven days, he said, and a second offense would bring 10 more days of the sparse diet.
A sheriff's spokesman said the bread provides the daily requirement of calories and nutrients that is necessary. There are about 8,300 inmates in the jail system.
In recent months, the Maricopa County jails have broadcast patriotic songs over the public address systems - "The Star Spangled Banner" in the morning and "God Bless America" at night.
Arpaio, a six-term sheriff, has come under increased scrutiny and criticism in recent years for his actions, including a hard-line stance on immigration.
Last week, a court monitor was appointed to oversee operations at his office after a federal judge found in May that Arpaio's deputies had racially profiled Latino drivers. That ruling came in response to a lawsuit that tested whether police could target unauthorized immigrants without profiling U.S. citizens and legal residents of Hispanic origin.
Dan Pochoda, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union in Arizona, called the move a "publicity stunt."
"It's certainly not illegal, but what he is doing is bad policy," Pochoda said. "It's just another vindictive policy that has nothing to do with running a good jail system."
The sheriff, who is facing a lawsuit and investigation from the U.S. Justice Department accusing him of civil rights abuses, strongly denies that he or his officers profile Latinos.
Under a portion of a controversial Arizona immigration law that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, police in the state may ask people they stop about their immigration status.
ARIZONA’S SHERIFF JOE PUTS INMATES ON BREAD AND WATER
Thomson/Reuters
January 24, 2014
Dozens of inmates in Arizona jails run by a sheriff who has been a controversial figure in the national immigration debate have been put on a diet of bread and water for desecrating U.S. flags that hang in each cell, authorities said on Friday.
Maricopa County lawman Joe Arpaio, who has been called "America's toughest sheriff," said 38 inmates were currently getting these meals twice a day as punishment for destroying government property while in custody at six jails.
"These inmates have destroyed the American flag that was placed in their cells. Tearing them, writing on them, stepping on them, throwing them in the toilet, trash or wherever they feel," Arpaio said in a statement. "It's a disgrace to those who have fought for our country."
The punishment will last for seven days, he said, and a second offense would bring 10 more days of the sparse diet.
A sheriff's spokesman said the bread provides the daily requirement of calories and nutrients that is necessary. There are about 8,300 inmates in the jail system.
In recent months, the Maricopa County jails have broadcast patriotic songs over the public address systems - "The Star Spangled Banner" in the morning and "God Bless America" at night.
Arpaio, a six-term sheriff, has come under increased scrutiny and criticism in recent years for his actions, including a hard-line stance on immigration.
Last week, a court monitor was appointed to oversee operations at his office after a federal judge found in May that Arpaio's deputies had racially profiled Latino drivers. That ruling came in response to a lawsuit that tested whether police could target unauthorized immigrants without profiling U.S. citizens and legal residents of Hispanic origin.
Dan Pochoda, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union in Arizona, called the move a "publicity stunt."
"It's certainly not illegal, but what he is doing is bad policy," Pochoda said. "It's just another vindictive policy that has nothing to do with running a good jail system."
The sheriff, who is facing a lawsuit and investigation from the U.S. Justice Department accusing him of civil rights abuses, strongly denies that he or his officers profile Latinos.
Under a portion of a controversial Arizona immigration law that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, police in the state may ask people they stop about their immigration status.
YOU SHOULD CHECK YOUR NEW ‘FRIEND’S’ ID
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
January 24, 2014
A San Francisco police officer is in at least potentially serious trouble for failure to ensure that his new boyfriend was not actually jail bait.
Richard Hastings III, 38, was arrested for possession of kiddie porn and lewd acts on a child on the basis of his relationship with a 15-year old boy. His lawyer has said that Hastings was told, and reasonably believed, the young man was actually of legal age.
If I remember correctly if the victim is under 14 there is no possible cleanup, but if the victim is older than that there is a possible way around it if you can clearly demonstrate that you reasonably believed your new “friend” was actually legal.
Hastings has been a cop in San Francisco for about 12 years. He is currently suspended without pay.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I thought gay relationships between an older man and a young boy were perfectly acceptable in San Fransicko. Bob says the trouble is he got busted in Contra Costa County where that kind of relationship is evidently still frowned upon.
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
January 24, 2014
A San Francisco police officer is in at least potentially serious trouble for failure to ensure that his new boyfriend was not actually jail bait.
Richard Hastings III, 38, was arrested for possession of kiddie porn and lewd acts on a child on the basis of his relationship with a 15-year old boy. His lawyer has said that Hastings was told, and reasonably believed, the young man was actually of legal age.
If I remember correctly if the victim is under 14 there is no possible cleanup, but if the victim is older than that there is a possible way around it if you can clearly demonstrate that you reasonably believed your new “friend” was actually legal.
Hastings has been a cop in San Francisco for about 12 years. He is currently suspended without pay.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I thought gay relationships between an older man and a young boy were perfectly acceptable in San Fransicko. Bob says the trouble is he got busted in Contra Costa County where that kind of relationship is evidently still frowned upon.
WOMAN TAKES A FALL ON HAWAIIAN GOLF COURSE
WOMAN TAKES A FALL ON HAWAIIAN GOLF COURSE
The Unconventional Gazette
January 25, 2014
HONOLULU -- A woman was playing golf near Kailua, Hawaii when she took a big swing and fell.
The party waiting behind her was a group that included vacationing President Obama.
The president quickly stepped forward and helped her to her feet.
She thanked him and started to leave, when he said, "I'm Barack Obama and I hope you’ll support Obamacare.”
She laughed and quickly said, "I fell on my ass, not my head!!"
The Unconventional Gazette
January 25, 2014
HONOLULU -- A woman was playing golf near Kailua, Hawaii when she took a big swing and fell.
The party waiting behind her was a group that included vacationing President Obama.
The president quickly stepped forward and helped her to her feet.
She thanked him and started to leave, when he said, "I'm Barack Obama and I hope you’ll support Obamacare.”
She laughed and quickly said, "I fell on my ass, not my head!!"
Saturday, January 25, 2014
CIA ACCUSED OF BRIBING POLISH AUTHORITIES TO LET IT RUN DETENTION AND TORTURE FACILITY IN POLAND
$15 million allegedly paid in 2003 by CIA to Poland’s intelligence service to let it interrogate terrorism suspects at a secret detention facility in a Polish forest
I can’t really get all exercised over the CIA torturing terrorists for information that will help us deter any further 9/11-type attacks.
POLAND TO LOOK INJTO NEW ALLEGATIONS ABOUT SECRET CIA JAIL
By Wojciech Zurawski
Reuters
January 24, 2014
KRAKOW, Poland - Polish prosecutors investigating allegations the CIA ran a secret jail in a Polish forest said on Friday they will look into a newspaper report that gave new accounts about the alleged "black site."
Human rights groups and lawyers have argued for years that Poland allowed the Central Intelligence Agency to use the site, an intelligence training academy in north-east Poland, to detain and interrogate men it suspected of being al Qaeda leaders.
On Thursday, The Washington Post newspaper cited what it said were former CIA officers as saying that the agency paid $15 million to Polish intelligence in 2003 for use of the site, handing over the cash in two cardboard boxes.
Piotr Kosmaty, spokesman for prosecutors in the Polish city of Krakow who are pursuing a criminal investigation into allegations about the facility, said it was possible the newspaper report contained evidence about the case.
"In the course of the investigation that is underway, we will analyze this Washington Post article and will include it in our investigation," Kosmaty told Reuters.
The Washington Post article said the CIA declined to comment when it inquired about the Polish site.
The case goes to the heart of the CIA's program of "extraordinary rendition" in which suspected al Qaeda militants were moved around the world and subjected to interrogation techniques that rights campaigners say amounted to torture.
It would be a crime if Polish officials colluded in any way in illegal detention or torture. Politicians who held senior posts at the time could be prosecuted.
Polish officials have denied the existence of a secret CIA jail on their soil. But they also say cooperation with U.S. intelligence is vital for Poland's national security.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a news conference on Friday: "These allegations that appear in the public sphere are allegations about prisons and torture committed by the CIA, not Poles but Americans."
"Irrespective of what prosecutors determine with regard to the responsibility of Poland's civil servants in this case, our role is to guard the interests of the Polish state," he said.
Rights campaigners say that Polish prosecutors already have hard evidence about the jail and the role that Polish officials played. But they accuse the authorities of putting off prosecutions because of the likely political fallout.
The investigation has been running for five years, with no outward signs of progress. Prosecutors deny dragging their feet, saying the case is complex and time-consuming.
The Washington Post report included new accounts of what happened at the alleged CIA jail.
The paper's sources described how two interrogators were pulled out of Poland after word reached their superiors that they had used a mock execution on a detainee.
The newspaper quoted the former CIA officials describing how Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding the September 11, 2001, attacks on U.S. cities, was subjected to water boarding while at the Polish facility.
They described how he initially resisted, counting down the seconds before he knew the water boarding - or simulated drowning - would stop, but that he later gave up information to his interrogators.
Mohammed is now being held at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, awaiting a possible military trial.
I can’t really get all exercised over the CIA torturing terrorists for information that will help us deter any further 9/11-type attacks.
POLAND TO LOOK INJTO NEW ALLEGATIONS ABOUT SECRET CIA JAIL
By Wojciech Zurawski
Reuters
January 24, 2014
KRAKOW, Poland - Polish prosecutors investigating allegations the CIA ran a secret jail in a Polish forest said on Friday they will look into a newspaper report that gave new accounts about the alleged "black site."
Human rights groups and lawyers have argued for years that Poland allowed the Central Intelligence Agency to use the site, an intelligence training academy in north-east Poland, to detain and interrogate men it suspected of being al Qaeda leaders.
On Thursday, The Washington Post newspaper cited what it said were former CIA officers as saying that the agency paid $15 million to Polish intelligence in 2003 for use of the site, handing over the cash in two cardboard boxes.
Piotr Kosmaty, spokesman for prosecutors in the Polish city of Krakow who are pursuing a criminal investigation into allegations about the facility, said it was possible the newspaper report contained evidence about the case.
"In the course of the investigation that is underway, we will analyze this Washington Post article and will include it in our investigation," Kosmaty told Reuters.
The Washington Post article said the CIA declined to comment when it inquired about the Polish site.
The case goes to the heart of the CIA's program of "extraordinary rendition" in which suspected al Qaeda militants were moved around the world and subjected to interrogation techniques that rights campaigners say amounted to torture.
It would be a crime if Polish officials colluded in any way in illegal detention or torture. Politicians who held senior posts at the time could be prosecuted.
Polish officials have denied the existence of a secret CIA jail on their soil. But they also say cooperation with U.S. intelligence is vital for Poland's national security.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a news conference on Friday: "These allegations that appear in the public sphere are allegations about prisons and torture committed by the CIA, not Poles but Americans."
"Irrespective of what prosecutors determine with regard to the responsibility of Poland's civil servants in this case, our role is to guard the interests of the Polish state," he said.
Rights campaigners say that Polish prosecutors already have hard evidence about the jail and the role that Polish officials played. But they accuse the authorities of putting off prosecutions because of the likely political fallout.
The investigation has been running for five years, with no outward signs of progress. Prosecutors deny dragging their feet, saying the case is complex and time-consuming.
The Washington Post report included new accounts of what happened at the alleged CIA jail.
The paper's sources described how two interrogators were pulled out of Poland after word reached their superiors that they had used a mock execution on a detainee.
The newspaper quoted the former CIA officials describing how Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding the September 11, 2001, attacks on U.S. cities, was subjected to water boarding while at the Polish facility.
They described how he initially resisted, counting down the seconds before he knew the water boarding - or simulated drowning - would stop, but that he later gave up information to his interrogators.
Mohammed is now being held at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, awaiting a possible military trial.
GEORGIA WOMAN STOLE $1 MILLION DURING 15 YEARS WORKING IN SCHOOL CAFETERIA
While there were four lines in the cafeteria that each had a cash register to keep track of the money, she regularly ran a cash-only line for which there were no records.
CAFETERIA WORKER ACCUSED OF STEALING UP TO $1M ARRESTED
Fulton County school police have arrested a former cafeteria manager suspected of stealing hundreds of dollars every day for at least 15 years.
By Richard Belcher
WSB-TV
January 22, 2014
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned that Fulton County school police have arrested a former cafeteria manager suspected of stealing hundreds of dollars every day for at least 15 years.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Richard Belcher says that the total amount of money stolen over a longer period could reach $1 million, based on information from arrest warrants.
The alleged thefts took place at North Springs High School in north Fulton County.
Channel 2 Action News broke the story last spring, when a cafeteria worker told us her manager regularly ran a cash-only line for which there were no records.
Now, police charge it was a long-running and extremely profitable theft scheme.
A whistleblower provided video inside the North Springs cafeteria. There were four lines that each had a cash register to keep track of the money.
Standing alone was a blue cart that sold a-la-carte items for cash and never had a register.
Now, Belcher has learned that Fulton County school police obtained 10 arrest warrants for former cafeteria manager Brenda Watts.
The warrants accuse Watts of stealing $500 a day from the cafeteria.
Last spring, Belcher asked Beth Walsh, former cafeteria worker, how long the a la carte line had been running.
"At least 15 years. Up to maybe 20,” Walsh said.
The police charge that Watts stole $500 a day. That's $2,500 a week, which is a staggering $90,000 in a school year.
Over 15 years, that would be $1,350,000.
According to the arrest warrants, Watts lives in a five-bedroom, 5,400 square-foot home in south DeKalb County.
No one answered the door when Belcher stopped at the home for comment on this story. Moments later, a late model Mercedes pulled out of the garage and drove away from the home.
Watts retired last June, the day after Channel 2 Action News aired the first story about North Springs. She'd been with the school system for 26 years.
Walsh was fired but said she does not regret blowing the whistle.
“You know, just, if you feel like something's going on, look into it. You could be wrong. But if you're right, you're doing the right thing,” Walsh said.
Deputy Fulton County School Superintendent Patrick Burke sent a statement that reads in part, “Beyond taking appropriate personnel actions, when a potential crime occurs, we will investigate and work with law enforcement to prosecute to the full extent of the law.”
CAFETERIA WORKER ACCUSED OF STEALING UP TO $1M ARRESTED
Fulton County school police have arrested a former cafeteria manager suspected of stealing hundreds of dollars every day for at least 15 years.
By Richard Belcher
WSB-TV
January 22, 2014
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned that Fulton County school police have arrested a former cafeteria manager suspected of stealing hundreds of dollars every day for at least 15 years.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Richard Belcher says that the total amount of money stolen over a longer period could reach $1 million, based on information from arrest warrants.
The alleged thefts took place at North Springs High School in north Fulton County.
Channel 2 Action News broke the story last spring, when a cafeteria worker told us her manager regularly ran a cash-only line for which there were no records.
Now, police charge it was a long-running and extremely profitable theft scheme.
A whistleblower provided video inside the North Springs cafeteria. There were four lines that each had a cash register to keep track of the money.
Standing alone was a blue cart that sold a-la-carte items for cash and never had a register.
Now, Belcher has learned that Fulton County school police obtained 10 arrest warrants for former cafeteria manager Brenda Watts.
The warrants accuse Watts of stealing $500 a day from the cafeteria.
Last spring, Belcher asked Beth Walsh, former cafeteria worker, how long the a la carte line had been running.
"At least 15 years. Up to maybe 20,” Walsh said.
The police charge that Watts stole $500 a day. That's $2,500 a week, which is a staggering $90,000 in a school year.
Over 15 years, that would be $1,350,000.
According to the arrest warrants, Watts lives in a five-bedroom, 5,400 square-foot home in south DeKalb County.
No one answered the door when Belcher stopped at the home for comment on this story. Moments later, a late model Mercedes pulled out of the garage and drove away from the home.
Watts retired last June, the day after Channel 2 Action News aired the first story about North Springs. She'd been with the school system for 26 years.
Walsh was fired but said she does not regret blowing the whistle.
“You know, just, if you feel like something's going on, look into it. You could be wrong. But if you're right, you're doing the right thing,” Walsh said.
Deputy Fulton County School Superintendent Patrick Burke sent a statement that reads in part, “Beyond taking appropriate personnel actions, when a potential crime occurs, we will investigate and work with law enforcement to prosecute to the full extent of the law.”
LEADING GUN MAKERS SAY ADIOS CALIFORNIA
Smith &Wesson and Sturm Ruger will stop selling guns in California because its microstamping mandate makes manufacturing guns too costly
Fox News reports that Smith & Wesson has announced it will stop selling guns in California because a state law has been put into effect that requires semi-automatic pistols to imprint a tiny stamp on bullets so they can be traced back to the guns that fired them.
Microstamping is supposed to work by engraving the pistol’s serial number or some other gun-specific identifying mark on the tip of the firing pin so that every time the gun is fired, it will imprint that mark on the base of the bullet casing. And that should enable law enforcement to trace the casing back to the gun owner. But even if microstamping can be successfully applied to the firing pin tips, it will be ineffective since many guns used in killings were stolen by the perpetrators.
S&W released the following statement: “Smith & Wesson does not and will not include microstamping in its firearms. A number of studies have indicated that microstamping is unreliable, serves no safety purpose, is cost prohibitive and, most importantly, is not proven to aid in preventing or solving crimes. The microstamping mandate and the company’s unwillingness to adopt this so-called technology will result in a diminishing number of Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistols available for purchase by California residents.”
Sturm Ruger had already announced earlier this month that because of the microstamping law, it too will stop selling guns in California.
Many Second Amendment defenders believe that the real intent of the microstamping mandate is not to aid law enforcement, but to ban the further sale of handguns in California.
David Kopel, a constitutional law professor at Denver University, told Fox News that “The technology doesn’t fully exist yet, but by making it into a law, they [California] in fact enacted a gun law without actually passing one. This is an indirect way to ban new handguns from being sold.”
The Democratic lawmakers who voted for this mandate must be afflicted with microbrains encased in uber-thick skulls. I can see gun shops in Arizona and Nevada doing a booming business soon with visiting California gun buyers. And I am sure that Gov. Rick Perry would welcome any California gun enthusiasts to the State of Texas, should they desire to relocate to the gun-happy Lone Star State.
Fox News reports that Smith & Wesson has announced it will stop selling guns in California because a state law has been put into effect that requires semi-automatic pistols to imprint a tiny stamp on bullets so they can be traced back to the guns that fired them.
Microstamping is supposed to work by engraving the pistol’s serial number or some other gun-specific identifying mark on the tip of the firing pin so that every time the gun is fired, it will imprint that mark on the base of the bullet casing. And that should enable law enforcement to trace the casing back to the gun owner. But even if microstamping can be successfully applied to the firing pin tips, it will be ineffective since many guns used in killings were stolen by the perpetrators.
S&W released the following statement: “Smith & Wesson does not and will not include microstamping in its firearms. A number of studies have indicated that microstamping is unreliable, serves no safety purpose, is cost prohibitive and, most importantly, is not proven to aid in preventing or solving crimes. The microstamping mandate and the company’s unwillingness to adopt this so-called technology will result in a diminishing number of Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistols available for purchase by California residents.”
Sturm Ruger had already announced earlier this month that because of the microstamping law, it too will stop selling guns in California.
Many Second Amendment defenders believe that the real intent of the microstamping mandate is not to aid law enforcement, but to ban the further sale of handguns in California.
David Kopel, a constitutional law professor at Denver University, told Fox News that “The technology doesn’t fully exist yet, but by making it into a law, they [California] in fact enacted a gun law without actually passing one. This is an indirect way to ban new handguns from being sold.”
The Democratic lawmakers who voted for this mandate must be afflicted with microbrains encased in uber-thick skulls. I can see gun shops in Arizona and Nevada doing a booming business soon with visiting California gun buyers. And I am sure that Gov. Rick Perry would welcome any California gun enthusiasts to the State of Texas, should they desire to relocate to the gun-happy Lone Star State.
CALIFORNIA ABOUT TO BE MADE SAFE FROM THE SCOURGE OF PLASTIC BAGS
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
January 24, 2014
A deal reached in the legislature today makes it likely that SB270 will be passed into law this year, making single-use plastic bags illegal in the formerly great state of California. Reusable bags would have to be good for an estimated 125 use cycles and contain at least 20% recycled content.
I guess I will have to make sure to get a LOT of single-use bags before the law kicks in so I will have something to shovel dog crap into, which for some reason or other reminds me of the state legislature.
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
January 24, 2014
A deal reached in the legislature today makes it likely that SB270 will be passed into law this year, making single-use plastic bags illegal in the formerly great state of California. Reusable bags would have to be good for an estimated 125 use cycles and contain at least 20% recycled content.
I guess I will have to make sure to get a LOT of single-use bags before the law kicks in so I will have something to shovel dog crap into, which for some reason or other reminds me of the state legislature.
PURCHASE OR LEASE?: COST OF WIFE COMPARED TO COST OF PROSTITUTE
By Pamela Putz
The Unconventional Gazette
January 24, 2014
Many people cannot decide which is cheaper - purchasing or leasing. We'd like to help you decide by illustrating the circumstances surrounding two prominent foolish men – Paul McCartney and Eliot Spitzer.
Purchasing
The math on the Paul McCartney - Heather Mills divorce was as follows:
After 5 years of marriage, he paid her $49 million.
Assuming he had sex with her every night during their 5 year relationship it ended up with him purchasing her @ $26,849 per nightly fuck.
Leasing
On the other hand, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's favorite hooker, Ashley Dupré aka Kristen, charged $4,000 per night.
So, had Paul McCartney leased Kristen for 5 years @ $4,000 per night, he would have paid only $7.3 million in total for sex every night. This represents a $41.7 million saving from what it cost him for his romp with Heather. What a shrewd man the former governor is, compared to the aging Beatle.
Further valuable benefits of this leasing option are;
* a (real) 22 year old
* no need for coaxing / pleading / begging
* never a headache
* happily agrees to any sexual intercourse position
* happily agrees to perform any type of sex – oral, anal, S&M, etc.
* no complaining
* no honey-do lists
* best of all, she leaves and returns when asked
And all at 1/7th the cost and no legal fees.
Sometimes leasing just makes more sense.
The Unconventional Gazette
January 24, 2014
Many people cannot decide which is cheaper - purchasing or leasing. We'd like to help you decide by illustrating the circumstances surrounding two prominent foolish men – Paul McCartney and Eliot Spitzer.
Purchasing
The math on the Paul McCartney - Heather Mills divorce was as follows:
After 5 years of marriage, he paid her $49 million.
Assuming he had sex with her every night during their 5 year relationship it ended up with him purchasing her @ $26,849 per nightly fuck.
Leasing
On the other hand, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's favorite hooker, Ashley Dupré aka Kristen, charged $4,000 per night.
So, had Paul McCartney leased Kristen for 5 years @ $4,000 per night, he would have paid only $7.3 million in total for sex every night. This represents a $41.7 million saving from what it cost him for his romp with Heather. What a shrewd man the former governor is, compared to the aging Beatle.
Further valuable benefits of this leasing option are;
* a (real) 22 year old
* no need for coaxing / pleading / begging
* never a headache
* happily agrees to any sexual intercourse position
* happily agrees to perform any type of sex – oral, anal, S&M, etc.
* no complaining
* no honey-do lists
* best of all, she leaves and returns when asked
And all at 1/7th the cost and no legal fees.
Sometimes leasing just makes more sense.
Friday, January 24, 2014
43 USES OF WD-40
This useful information was sent to me by B.J. Whitburn, a retired Galveston police officer. B.J. asks: “What is the main ingredient of WD-40?” You will find the answer at the end, but first read the different uses of this amazing product.
WD-40 - 'Water Displacement #40'. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'water displacement' compound.. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Convair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you...
When you read the 'shower door' part (No. 14), try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stove top (No. 31). Viola! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed.
WD-40 uses:
1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps flies off cows . (I love this one!)
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains .
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewelry chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots .
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors .
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
18. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!
20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers...
22. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open..
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades , and other tools.
31. Removes splattered grease on stove.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida 's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'
38. The favorite use in the state of New York: WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites . It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap , it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
And now, what is the basic ingredient of WD-40? It is fish oil.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Do not use it to lubricate guns. WD-40 has no lubrication qualities at all once it dries. In fact, when exposed to heat (like on a firearm) it turns gummy. Once dry, it does not lube or protect a firearm from rust. Yes, it can cut thru some cruddy buildup, but then you need to clean the firearm completely and lubricate it with a proper firearms rated lube. I prefer, and highly recommend that you use Break Free CLP to clean and lubricate any firearm.
And Trey Rusk, a former state law enforcement official, adds that since WD-40 is a penetrating oil, it can enter bullet primers and render them useless.
WD-40 - 'Water Displacement #40'. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'water displacement' compound.. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Convair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you...
When you read the 'shower door' part (No. 14), try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stove top (No. 31). Viola! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed.
WD-40 uses:
1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps flies off cows . (I love this one!)
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains .
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewelry chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots .
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors .
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
18. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!
20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers...
22. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open..
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades , and other tools.
31. Removes splattered grease on stove.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida 's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'
38. The favorite use in the state of New York: WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites . It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap , it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
And now, what is the basic ingredient of WD-40? It is fish oil.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Do not use it to lubricate guns. WD-40 has no lubrication qualities at all once it dries. In fact, when exposed to heat (like on a firearm) it turns gummy. Once dry, it does not lube or protect a firearm from rust. Yes, it can cut thru some cruddy buildup, but then you need to clean the firearm completely and lubricate it with a proper firearms rated lube. I prefer, and highly recommend that you use Break Free CLP to clean and lubricate any firearm.
And Trey Rusk, a former state law enforcement official, adds that since WD-40 is a penetrating oil, it can enter bullet primers and render them useless.
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