Houston Press Hair Balls
November 8, 2011
CASE #1
Another example of the consequences of sending nude pictures of yourself to your (at the time) boyfriend.
POLICE OFFICER CORRIE LONG: HER NUDE PICTURES LEAD TO EEOC COMPLAINT
By Richard Connelly
As shocking as it might be to believe, a woman sending nude pictures of herself to a boyfriend led to some complications.
For the Galena Park police force, it's led to an embarrassing discrimination suit, somehow.
GPPD officer Corrie Long was going out with fellow cop Terry Pena, KPRC reports. In the throes of romantic enthrallment, she sent what Long's lawyer called "topless and sexually suggestive" pictures (KTRK showed them, censored) to Pena before eventually breaking up with him.
It's a break-up Pena didn't take well, the lawyer says, and he sent the shots to the police chief, because chivalry is dead.
The chief said the relationship violated a police rule on no intra-office dating, so he suspended Long for five days and Pena for ten. Pena never served his suspension, Long's attorney claims.
He also says, in a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, that Long was called in to the chief's office and confronted by him and another supervisor, who demanded details on whether Long ever blew Pena (because....why?) and then "began leering at and making sexual comments and jokes" about the pictures. They pressured Long to resign, and she did.
Adding to the whole thing is a tape recording Pena is said to have sent to the chief of a conversation he had with another officer, in which that officer admits having a sexual relationship with a young woman in the office.
That other officer was not even questioned by his bosses, Long's lawyer says, so therefore the department has been guilty of gender discrimination.
GPPD chief Robert Pruett told KPRC the investigation into all matters was handled professionally and did not violate any laws.
CASE #2
Hell hath no fury like a woman (cop) scorned.
This case reminds me of when a Riverside, California female cop, driving her patrol unit, chased her police sergeant lover, driving his cop car down the freeway. She caught up to him when he had to stop at the end of an off-ramp because of cross traffic. She got out of her unit and popped four or five caps at him. She missed him and they both got fired.
VERONICA SALMERON: HPD COP BREAKS UP WITH HPD COP, GETS TASED
By Richard Connelly
Bad Cop Break-Ups, Part II: Earlier today we told you about a bad break-up between Galena Park cops. This one concerns HPD.
It doesn't involve nude pictures, but it does involve a cop getting tased.
KPRC reports that Houston cop Veronica Salmeron, 25, has been charged with criminal mischief after breaking windows at her former boyfriend's home. The ex is also an HPD cop.
Court documents show she took a lawn chair to the guy's car windows, and then did the same to the front windows of the house.
She apparently was upset at the end of the relationship, and figured this was the best way to get him back.
From there the story gets a little murky, and court documents don't do much to clear it up: KPRC says Salmeron got in the house and locked herself in the bathroom -- again, a top-notch relationship-restoring move -- and her ex then tased her. (Through the window? Unclear.)
The ex then called 911. He has not been charged with anything, but Salmeron, a two-year HOD vet, "has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation," the station reports.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
NETANYAHU, SARKOZY, OBAMA: WHICH ONE IS A LIAR?
When one politician calls another politician a liar, isn’t that like the kettle calling the pot black?
OBAMA, SARKOZY DON’T LIKE NETANYAHU
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
November 8, 2011
Earlier this month US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy had what they thought was a private conversation regarding their mutual dislike of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The incident occurred after the two leaders fielded questions at a G20 press conference in Paris on November 3. With their microphones still attached and apparently still turned on, Obama and Sarkozy retired to a private meeting room.
Obama started by criticizing Sarkozy for not warning him that France intended to vote in favor of recognizing "Palestine" at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) days earlier. From there, the conversation drifted toward relations with Netanyahu. According to a report on the French website Arret Sur Images, the brief conversation went like this:
Sarkozy: I can't stand him [Netanyahu]. He is a liar.
Obama: You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!
Due to the microphones that Obama and Sarkozy were wearing being inadvertently left on, all members of the press who had been wearing translation headsets were able to hear the private conversation regarding Netanyahu.
Incredibly, though probably not surprisingly, the assembled members of the press agreed to sign a document promising not to publish the damning remarks. "There were discussions between journalists and they agreed not to publish the comments due to the sensitivity of the issue," and unnamed journalist told Arret Sur Images.
One must wonder if the mainstream media would have been so sensitive had Netanyahu been caught making similar remarks.
OBAMA, SARKOZY DON’T LIKE NETANYAHU
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
November 8, 2011
Earlier this month US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy had what they thought was a private conversation regarding their mutual dislike of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The incident occurred after the two leaders fielded questions at a G20 press conference in Paris on November 3. With their microphones still attached and apparently still turned on, Obama and Sarkozy retired to a private meeting room.
Obama started by criticizing Sarkozy for not warning him that France intended to vote in favor of recognizing "Palestine" at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) days earlier. From there, the conversation drifted toward relations with Netanyahu. According to a report on the French website Arret Sur Images, the brief conversation went like this:
Sarkozy: I can't stand him [Netanyahu]. He is a liar.
Obama: You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!
Due to the microphones that Obama and Sarkozy were wearing being inadvertently left on, all members of the press who had been wearing translation headsets were able to hear the private conversation regarding Netanyahu.
Incredibly, though probably not surprisingly, the assembled members of the press agreed to sign a document promising not to publish the damning remarks. "There were discussions between journalists and they agreed not to publish the comments due to the sensitivity of the issue," and unnamed journalist told Arret Sur Images.
One must wonder if the mainstream media would have been so sensitive had Netanyahu been caught making similar remarks.
HOW 'HUMAN RESOURCES' NOW WORKS IN CALIFORNIA'S PAROLE SYSTEM
How low can they sink?
SOMETHING STINKY IN DAPO (AGAIN)
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
November 7, 2011
This particular tale of stinkiness originated about five years ago in DAPO [Adult Parole Division] Region III with a PA II named Robert Alfaro. He is currently the Parole District Administrator in Region IV Long Beach Parole Complex. Also involved are a couple of parole administrators, one of them being none other than Maria Franco, now head of Region III, and over 100 people at a Board and Care facility in Sylmar who were put at risk.
Five years ago Alfaro was assigned to the Midtown 2 Parole Unit. He placed a paroled registered sex offender and arsonist in a Board and Care home. He managed this feat by deliberately concealing from them the fact that the prospective resident parolee, G. Harris, was a registered sex offender and arsonist. The parolee set fire to the home and caught a new prison term for his trouble.
When the arson investigators were looking into the fire they notified the home operator that they had a parolee arsonist / sex offender as a resident. The management of that Board and Care home made a formal complaint to DAPO about Alfaro’s conduct. They were assured by DAPO that they would “take care of it.” In this case taking care of it meant a transfer to Region IV and two promotions. At least one of those promotions had Maria Franco sitting on the oral panel. Alfaro is firmly seated in the car Franco has been driving for some time. She is also busy tweaking promotions and arranging protected jobs for other riders in her car, even though there is supposed to be a hard freeze on promotions within DAPO.
Not only are parole agents being told to reduce their actual hours of field supervision in order to NOT roll up parolees, good people with intermediate seniority may be losing their jobs down the road because of home-boy hook-ups orchestrated by Ms. Franco. No wonder morale is in the crapper at DAPO. Not only is downsizing looking more and more real as the days go by the place smells like an old, nasty porta-potty, with Maria Franco hiding the turds.
Now one should ask; How is Alfaro going to justify the lax parole supervision of Richard L. Kaflin, assigned to the Long Beach Parole Complex, a convicted arsonist with a history of sex related offenses, who has now been charged with the horrific and unprovoked murder of a 74-year old man inside the Wal-Mart store in Lakewood? Maybe Alfaro just has a soft spot for arsonist-sex offenders.
(For those of Paco’s readers who may not be up on the jargon, THE CAR is an old tradition within CDCR. It is a group of people who travel together in a career sense. These cars are often ethnically oriented, though not always so. The one Maria Franco is driving is unquestionably so.)
SOMETHING STINKY IN DAPO (AGAIN)
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
November 7, 2011
This particular tale of stinkiness originated about five years ago in DAPO [Adult Parole Division] Region III with a PA II named Robert Alfaro. He is currently the Parole District Administrator in Region IV Long Beach Parole Complex. Also involved are a couple of parole administrators, one of them being none other than Maria Franco, now head of Region III, and over 100 people at a Board and Care facility in Sylmar who were put at risk.
Five years ago Alfaro was assigned to the Midtown 2 Parole Unit. He placed a paroled registered sex offender and arsonist in a Board and Care home. He managed this feat by deliberately concealing from them the fact that the prospective resident parolee, G. Harris, was a registered sex offender and arsonist. The parolee set fire to the home and caught a new prison term for his trouble.
When the arson investigators were looking into the fire they notified the home operator that they had a parolee arsonist / sex offender as a resident. The management of that Board and Care home made a formal complaint to DAPO about Alfaro’s conduct. They were assured by DAPO that they would “take care of it.” In this case taking care of it meant a transfer to Region IV and two promotions. At least one of those promotions had Maria Franco sitting on the oral panel. Alfaro is firmly seated in the car Franco has been driving for some time. She is also busy tweaking promotions and arranging protected jobs for other riders in her car, even though there is supposed to be a hard freeze on promotions within DAPO.
Not only are parole agents being told to reduce their actual hours of field supervision in order to NOT roll up parolees, good people with intermediate seniority may be losing their jobs down the road because of home-boy hook-ups orchestrated by Ms. Franco. No wonder morale is in the crapper at DAPO. Not only is downsizing looking more and more real as the days go by the place smells like an old, nasty porta-potty, with Maria Franco hiding the turds.
Now one should ask; How is Alfaro going to justify the lax parole supervision of Richard L. Kaflin, assigned to the Long Beach Parole Complex, a convicted arsonist with a history of sex related offenses, who has now been charged with the horrific and unprovoked murder of a 74-year old man inside the Wal-Mart store in Lakewood? Maybe Alfaro just has a soft spot for arsonist-sex offenders.
(For those of Paco’s readers who may not be up on the jargon, THE CAR is an old tradition within CDCR. It is a group of people who travel together in a career sense. These cars are often ethnically oriented, though not always so. The one Maria Franco is driving is unquestionably so.)
SCORE A BIG ONE FOR BOTH THE TERMINATOR AND MOONBEAM
With this piece of shit, Arnie and Jerry got it right, the parole board got it way wrong both times.
JERRY JERKS PAROLE FROM NOTORIOUS MURDERER
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
November 7, 2011
Governor Brown has intervened to halt the parole of a notorious murderer from SoCal.
Paul Crowder, now 39, has been doing 15 to life for murdering Berylin Cosman, a 4.0 student with a college basketball scholarship. The young lady was gunned down on the night of her high school prom. Crowder brought alcohol and two firearms to the prom party at a hotel in Anaheim in 1991. Crowder got drunk, started waiving the guns around, and got angry when Cosman wouldn’t let him crash in her room. Later that night he shot her in her bed as she slept, then fled. He claimed it was an accident. The jury didn’t buy it.
Arnold also overturned the parole board on this guy last year, but a court invalidated that action and returned the matter for further consideration. The parole board again found him suitable for parole. Crowder’s family says they will sue again. Just what we need, more drunken violent assholes on the streets.
JERRY JERKS PAROLE FROM NOTORIOUS MURDERER
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
November 7, 2011
Governor Brown has intervened to halt the parole of a notorious murderer from SoCal.
Paul Crowder, now 39, has been doing 15 to life for murdering Berylin Cosman, a 4.0 student with a college basketball scholarship. The young lady was gunned down on the night of her high school prom. Crowder brought alcohol and two firearms to the prom party at a hotel in Anaheim in 1991. Crowder got drunk, started waiving the guns around, and got angry when Cosman wouldn’t let him crash in her room. Later that night he shot her in her bed as she slept, then fled. He claimed it was an accident. The jury didn’t buy it.
Arnold also overturned the parole board on this guy last year, but a court invalidated that action and returned the matter for further consideration. The parole board again found him suitable for parole. Crowder’s family says they will sue again. Just what we need, more drunken violent assholes on the streets.
STRANDED ON A DESERTED ISLAND
A man was washed up on a beach after a shipwreck. Only a sheep and a sheepdog were washed up with him. After looking around, he realized that they were stranded on a deserted island.
After being there awhile, he got into the habit of taking his two animal companions to the beach every evening to watch the sunset. One particular evening, the sky was a fiery red with beautiful cirrus clouds, the breeze was warm and gentle - a perfect night for romance.
As they sat there, the sheep started looking better and better to the lonely man. Soon, he leaned over to the sheep and put his arm around it.
But the sheepdog, ever protective of the sheep, growled fiercely until the man took his arm from around the sheep. After that, the three of them continued to enjoy the sunsets together, but there was no more cuddling.
A few weeks passed by and, lo and behold, there was another shipwreck. The only survivor was Nancy Pelosi. That evening, the man brought Nancy to the evening beach ritual. It was another beautiful evening - red sky, cirrus clouds, a warm and gentle breeze - perfect for a night of romance. Pretty soon, the man started to get those feelings again.
He fought the urges as long as he could but he finally gave in and leaned over to Nancy and told her he hadn't had sex for months. Nancy batted her eyelashes and asked if there was anything she could do for him.
He said, 'Take the dog for a walk.'
After being there awhile, he got into the habit of taking his two animal companions to the beach every evening to watch the sunset. One particular evening, the sky was a fiery red with beautiful cirrus clouds, the breeze was warm and gentle - a perfect night for romance.
As they sat there, the sheep started looking better and better to the lonely man. Soon, he leaned over to the sheep and put his arm around it.
But the sheepdog, ever protective of the sheep, growled fiercely until the man took his arm from around the sheep. After that, the three of them continued to enjoy the sunsets together, but there was no more cuddling.
A few weeks passed by and, lo and behold, there was another shipwreck. The only survivor was Nancy Pelosi. That evening, the man brought Nancy to the evening beach ritual. It was another beautiful evening - red sky, cirrus clouds, a warm and gentle breeze - perfect for a night of romance. Pretty soon, the man started to get those feelings again.
He fought the urges as long as he could but he finally gave in and leaned over to Nancy and told her he hadn't had sex for months. Nancy batted her eyelashes and asked if there was anything she could do for him.
He said, 'Take the dog for a walk.'
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
THEY GOT THEIR POUND OF FLESH They demonstrated in front of the courthouse daily to remind the jury what verdict they were demanding
A lynch mob of hundreds cheered loudly outside the Los Angeles County courthouse when it was announced that Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of their child-molesting hero. At last, they and Michael Jackson’s family got their pound of flesh.
Since he administered a drug he knew was intended to be used exclusively in a hospital operating room, I have no sympathy for Dr. Murray. But I do have to agree with his defense team that he would never have been put on trial had his patient been anyone other than Michael Jackson.
Jeff ‘Pacovilla’ Doyle says, “Thanks to the incompetence and greed of Dr. Conrad Murray, one of the most talented child molesters of modern times was lost to the World.” My final word on the Jackson-Murray saga: Good riddance to both of them!
Since he administered a drug he knew was intended to be used exclusively in a hospital operating room, I have no sympathy for Dr. Murray. But I do have to agree with his defense team that he would never have been put on trial had his patient been anyone other than Michael Jackson.
Jeff ‘Pacovilla’ Doyle says, “Thanks to the incompetence and greed of Dr. Conrad Murray, one of the most talented child molesters of modern times was lost to the World.” My final word on the Jackson-Murray saga: Good riddance to both of them!
DHS, THE GREAT BLOB
By Pamela Putz
The Schalotte
November 7, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Sunday’s ABC This Week, a guest panel was discussing the problem Congress was having in bringing down the nation’s debt. Regular panelist George Will referred to the Department of Homeland Security as that “great blob.” In response to Will’s comment, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano held a joint news conference Monday together with FBI Director Robert Mueller, newly appointed Acting ATF director B. Todd Jones and DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart.
Napolitano began the conference by stating that she was personally affronted by the characterization of DHS as a great blob. She said it was well known that national columnist George Will has long been part of a vast right-wing conspiracy.
Napolitano reminded the reporters that DHS was formed to put an end to debilitating rivalries and lack of cooperation between the FBI, DEA, ATF, and other federal law enforcement agencies. The Homeland Security Secretary stated that she was proud of her agency’s accomplishments and pointed out that all the different law enforcement agencies were now getting along well together and cooperating with each other.
When this reporter suggested that Napolitano shoulder some of the blame for Operation Fast and Furious and the resulting death of an ICE agent and the deaths of more than 200 Mexicans, she bristled and shot back, “Now wait a minute there young lady! I had nothing to do with that rogue operation. That was strictly the ATF’s doing!”
At this point, an angry Todd Jones interrupted, “I beg your pardon Madam Secretary, but Operation Fast and Furious was coordinated with the FBI and the DEA. I do not think it serves law enforcement well to put all the blame on ATF. Madam, you wanted cooperation and you got it!”
Director Mueller jumped in, “Wait a minute, wait a minute! Don’t get us involved in your idiotic rogue operation. As far as I know, the FBI was unaware of ATF and DEA’s stupidity.”
Michele Leonhart interjected, “Hey you guys, just leave the DEA out of this. We had nothing to do with Operation Fast and Furious and didn’t even know about it. I’m sorry Robert, but it’s my understanding that the FBI was definitely in on it.”
“Now look here little lady,” Mueller started to say. But before he could go any further, Leonhart got in his face and told him, “Don’t you little lady me mister!”
At this point, the proceeding deteriorated into a shouting match between Napolitano, Mueller, Jones and Leonhart. Attorney General Eric Holder entered the room and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, this news conference is over.”
The Schalotte
November 7, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Sunday’s ABC This Week, a guest panel was discussing the problem Congress was having in bringing down the nation’s debt. Regular panelist George Will referred to the Department of Homeland Security as that “great blob.” In response to Will’s comment, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano held a joint news conference Monday together with FBI Director Robert Mueller, newly appointed Acting ATF director B. Todd Jones and DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart.
Napolitano began the conference by stating that she was personally affronted by the characterization of DHS as a great blob. She said it was well known that national columnist George Will has long been part of a vast right-wing conspiracy.
Napolitano reminded the reporters that DHS was formed to put an end to debilitating rivalries and lack of cooperation between the FBI, DEA, ATF, and other federal law enforcement agencies. The Homeland Security Secretary stated that she was proud of her agency’s accomplishments and pointed out that all the different law enforcement agencies were now getting along well together and cooperating with each other.
When this reporter suggested that Napolitano shoulder some of the blame for Operation Fast and Furious and the resulting death of an ICE agent and the deaths of more than 200 Mexicans, she bristled and shot back, “Now wait a minute there young lady! I had nothing to do with that rogue operation. That was strictly the ATF’s doing!”
At this point, an angry Todd Jones interrupted, “I beg your pardon Madam Secretary, but Operation Fast and Furious was coordinated with the FBI and the DEA. I do not think it serves law enforcement well to put all the blame on ATF. Madam, you wanted cooperation and you got it!”
Director Mueller jumped in, “Wait a minute, wait a minute! Don’t get us involved in your idiotic rogue operation. As far as I know, the FBI was unaware of ATF and DEA’s stupidity.”
Michele Leonhart interjected, “Hey you guys, just leave the DEA out of this. We had nothing to do with Operation Fast and Furious and didn’t even know about it. I’m sorry Robert, but it’s my understanding that the FBI was definitely in on it.”
“Now look here little lady,” Mueller started to say. But before he could go any further, Leonhart got in his face and told him, “Don’t you little lady me mister!”
At this point, the proceeding deteriorated into a shouting match between Napolitano, Mueller, Jones and Leonhart. Attorney General Eric Holder entered the room and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, this news conference is over.”
IS THERE SEX AFTER DEATH?
A couple made a deal that whoever died first would come back and inform the other if there was sex after death. Their biggest fear was that there was no after-life at all.
After a long life together, the husband was the first to die.
True to his word, he made the first contact:
"Judy..........Judy"
"Is that you, George?"
"Yes, I've come back like we agreed."
"That's wonderful! What's it like?"
"Well, I get up in the morning, I have sex. I have breakfast and then it's off to the golf course. I have sex again, bathe in the warm sun and then have sex a couple of more times. Then I have lunch - you'd be proud, I eat lots of greens. Another romp around the golf course, then pretty much have sex the rest of the afternoon. After supper, it's back to golf course again. Then it's more sex until late at night. I catch some much-needed sleep and then the next day it starts all over again"
"Oh, George, are you in Heaven?"
“Hell no, I'm a damn rabbit in Kansas."
After a long life together, the husband was the first to die.
True to his word, he made the first contact:
"Judy..........Judy"
"Is that you, George?"
"Yes, I've come back like we agreed."
"That's wonderful! What's it like?"
"Well, I get up in the morning, I have sex. I have breakfast and then it's off to the golf course. I have sex again, bathe in the warm sun and then have sex a couple of more times. Then I have lunch - you'd be proud, I eat lots of greens. Another romp around the golf course, then pretty much have sex the rest of the afternoon. After supper, it's back to golf course again. Then it's more sex until late at night. I catch some much-needed sleep and then the next day it starts all over again"
"Oh, George, are you in Heaven?"
“Hell no, I'm a damn rabbit in Kansas."
Monday, November 07, 2011
RACIAL SLUR OR INTEMPERATE REMARK?
At the annual Caddy Awards dinner held in Shanghai this year, Steve Williams, who caddied for Tiger Woods for 13 years, called his former boss a “black asshole” in the presence of the press. Obviously, Williams was still pissed off because Woods had fired him in July.
By referring to Tiger as a black asshole Williams set off a shitstorm of criticism accusing him of being a racist. He was condemned by the Professional Golfers Association. Williams posted an apology on his website.
Now professional golfer Adam Scott, his new boss, is being heavily criticized for not firing Williams. Instead of firing Tiger’s former caddy, Scott accepted his apology and, barring some kind of sanction by the PGA, plans to keep Williams as his caddy.
Scott said, “I had Steve issue an apology. What more should I do? Look, anything with Tiger involved is a story. I value Steve's contribution to my game and to have him on the bag.”
My question is, does calling Tiger Woods a black asshole make Williams a racist? I suppose that had he just called Woods an asshole instead of a black asshole, there would have been little if any controversy.
I think it’s quite a stretch to call Williams a racist on the basis of this one remark. I’m sure some of you will call me a racist because I don’t consider what Williams called Woods to be a racial slur.
Now I’ve been referred to as a Jew bastard more than once. Did I like the insertion of the word Jew? Of course not! But would I consider any person who called me that to be anti-Semitic? Not unless that person made additional disparaging remarks about Jews or otherwise exhibited commonly recognized anti-Semitic behavior.
I believe calling Tiger a black asshole was just an intemperate remark that Williams made and that he should not have said anything at all about Tiger Woods in the first place.
By referring to Tiger as a black asshole Williams set off a shitstorm of criticism accusing him of being a racist. He was condemned by the Professional Golfers Association. Williams posted an apology on his website.
Now professional golfer Adam Scott, his new boss, is being heavily criticized for not firing Williams. Instead of firing Tiger’s former caddy, Scott accepted his apology and, barring some kind of sanction by the PGA, plans to keep Williams as his caddy.
Scott said, “I had Steve issue an apology. What more should I do? Look, anything with Tiger involved is a story. I value Steve's contribution to my game and to have him on the bag.”
My question is, does calling Tiger Woods a black asshole make Williams a racist? I suppose that had he just called Woods an asshole instead of a black asshole, there would have been little if any controversy.
I think it’s quite a stretch to call Williams a racist on the basis of this one remark. I’m sure some of you will call me a racist because I don’t consider what Williams called Woods to be a racial slur.
Now I’ve been referred to as a Jew bastard more than once. Did I like the insertion of the word Jew? Of course not! But would I consider any person who called me that to be anti-Semitic? Not unless that person made additional disparaging remarks about Jews or otherwise exhibited commonly recognized anti-Semitic behavior.
I believe calling Tiger a black asshole was just an intemperate remark that Williams made and that he should not have said anything at all about Tiger Woods in the first place.
A TRUE PROFESSIONAL JOB
As well executed as this job was, I think the crooks are going to get caught when the police trace the cell phone number given them by the four suspects found in one of the apartments.
BURGLARS STRIP APARTMENT BLOCK AND MAKE OFF WITH EVERYTHING (INCLUDING 32 KITCHEN SINKS)
By Gareth Finighan
Mail Online
November 6, 2011
Brazen thieves got away with £250,000 worth of fittings from an abandoned housing estate - after posing as builders carrying out demolition work on the project.
The gang, wearing hard hats and high-visibility vests, parked a truck in the driveway of Pepperwood Mews in Kelston, Auckland, New Zealand, before erecting a safety fence around the building.
They then marched in and helped themselves to fixtures and fittings in the 32-apartment complex, taking out kitchen sinks, doors and windows, carpeting and even wiring.
The £6million apartment block was built in 2004 under a Housing New Zealand Corporation contract. But residents were forced to move out in 2009 when the building was condemned as structurally unsound. Since then, the project has been the center of a legal battle between the owners and builders and the flats have remained empty.
Apartment owner Judy Anderson told the New Zealand Herald: 'This is just beyond our imagining. They even took the kitchen sinks - 32 of them.
'The hideous situation the owners face - they have lost income from the building, some have to leave their own homes. And they have had this last little bit of money taken out of the building which was going to fund the demolition.'
Four people have now been charged with burglary after they were discovered by police in one of the apartments.
The three men and a woman - who are currently only charged with removing fittings from the single unit they were found in - claim they were hired by an unidentified man and were only able to provide police with the mobile phone number of their employer, not his name. According to the New Zealand Herald, when detectives called that number, the mystery person who answered immediately hung up.
Detective Senior Sergeant Andy King told the newspaper: 'They allege they were working for somebody else. They were advised, "if you tell us who that is, we can look at the charges".'
And owners group chairman Adrian Chitty also acknowledged that the four may have believed they were working legally.
'Someone, somewhere has seen an opportunity to make some money and they have moved in - it's bloody frustrating,' he said.
The owners of a truck seen at the site say it was borrowed from their demolition company by an unknown man and they are now helping police track him down.
BURGLARS STRIP APARTMENT BLOCK AND MAKE OFF WITH EVERYTHING (INCLUDING 32 KITCHEN SINKS)
By Gareth Finighan
Mail Online
November 6, 2011
Brazen thieves got away with £250,000 worth of fittings from an abandoned housing estate - after posing as builders carrying out demolition work on the project.
The gang, wearing hard hats and high-visibility vests, parked a truck in the driveway of Pepperwood Mews in Kelston, Auckland, New Zealand, before erecting a safety fence around the building.
They then marched in and helped themselves to fixtures and fittings in the 32-apartment complex, taking out kitchen sinks, doors and windows, carpeting and even wiring.
The £6million apartment block was built in 2004 under a Housing New Zealand Corporation contract. But residents were forced to move out in 2009 when the building was condemned as structurally unsound. Since then, the project has been the center of a legal battle between the owners and builders and the flats have remained empty.
Apartment owner Judy Anderson told the New Zealand Herald: 'This is just beyond our imagining. They even took the kitchen sinks - 32 of them.
'The hideous situation the owners face - they have lost income from the building, some have to leave their own homes. And they have had this last little bit of money taken out of the building which was going to fund the demolition.'
Four people have now been charged with burglary after they were discovered by police in one of the apartments.
The three men and a woman - who are currently only charged with removing fittings from the single unit they were found in - claim they were hired by an unidentified man and were only able to provide police with the mobile phone number of their employer, not his name. According to the New Zealand Herald, when detectives called that number, the mystery person who answered immediately hung up.
Detective Senior Sergeant Andy King told the newspaper: 'They allege they were working for somebody else. They were advised, "if you tell us who that is, we can look at the charges".'
And owners group chairman Adrian Chitty also acknowledged that the four may have believed they were working legally.
'Someone, somewhere has seen an opportunity to make some money and they have moved in - it's bloody frustrating,' he said.
The owners of a truck seen at the site say it was borrowed from their demolition company by an unknown man and they are now helping police track him down.
HERMAN, NEIN MEANS NO
Conan O’Brien: “Herman Cain is having to respond to charges he once sexually harassed women. One German woman kept saying, ‘Nein! Nein! Nein!’”
THE FOOD THAT CAUSES THE MOST GRIEF AND SUFFERING FOR YEARS AFTER EATING IT
A Doctor was addressing a large audience in Tampa.
'The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago.. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the germs in our drinking water.
However, there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have eaten, or will eat it. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?'
After several seconds of quiet, a 75-year-old man in the front row raised his hand, and softly said, 'Wedding Cake.'
'The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago.. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the germs in our drinking water.
However, there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have eaten, or will eat it. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?'
After several seconds of quiet, a 75-year-old man in the front row raised his hand, and softly said, 'Wedding Cake.'
OLD BOB LIED ABOUT HIS AGE
Bob, a 70-year-old, extremely wealthy widower, shows up at the Country Club with a breathtakingly beautiful and very sexy 25-year-old blonde-haired woman who knocks everyone's socks off with her youthful sex appeal and charm and who hangs over Bob's arm and listens intently to his every word.
His buddies at the club are all aghast. At the very first chance, they corner him and ask, 'Bob, how'd you get the trophy girlfriend?'
Bob replies, 'Girlfriend? She's my wife!'
They are knocked over, but continue to ask. 'So, how'd you persuade her to marry you?'
'I lied about my age', Bob replies.
'What, did you tell her you were only 50?'
Bob smiles and says, 'No, I told her I was 90.'
His buddies at the club are all aghast. At the very first chance, they corner him and ask, 'Bob, how'd you get the trophy girlfriend?'
Bob replies, 'Girlfriend? She's my wife!'
They are knocked over, but continue to ask. 'So, how'd you persuade her to marry you?'
'I lied about my age', Bob replies.
'What, did you tell her you were only 50?'
Bob smiles and says, 'No, I told her I was 90.'
Sunday, November 06, 2011
THOMAS FRIEDMAN ALL WET PROCLAIMING THAT CHINA IS WINNING THE FUTURE
Jonah Goldberg says that all this handwringing over China’s future superiority is a myth and he puts down Thomas Friedman, that all-knowing New York Times Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, for continually singing the praises of China.
NO REASON FOR AMERICA TO ENVY CHINESE SYSTEM
We should just forget all that talk about how the United States is losing ground to its authoritarian rival in the Far East
By Jonah Goldberg
Houston Chronicle
November 4, 2011
Up to 40 million Chinese people still live in caves. That's more than the populations of Texas and Illinois, combined. In fairness, a fraction of these caves are apparently pretty nice, complete with electricity and well-compacted dirt floors. But that's grading on a curve because, well, they're still caves.
Meanwhile, 21 million Chinese live below what the Communist Party calls the "absolute poverty" line. That sounds pretty good if you have in mind our poverty line, which is just under $11,000 per year for an individual and roughly $22,000 for a family of four. The absolute poverty rate in China is $90 a year, or $7.50 per month. And 35 million live on less than $125 per year. Hundreds of millions of Chinese live on $1 or $2 a day.
Michael Levy, who recently wrote a book on his stint as a Peace Corps worker in rural China, put it well in an interview with NPR: "Imagine that there's a country exactly like the United States. Exactly the same size. It's got the same cities. It's got the same number of rich people and poor people. It's just like us. And now add 1 billion peasants. That's China."
And yet that's the country President Obama insists we need to emulate. "Everybody's watching what's going on in Beijing right now with the Olympics," then-candidate Obama told an audience in Virginia in 2008. "Think about the amount of money that China has spent on infrastructure. Their ports, their train systems, their airports are vastly superior to us now, which means if you are a corporation deciding where to do business you're starting to think, Beijing looks like a pretty good option."
Obama has returned to campaign mode and his fear-China refrain. To listen to Obama, China's beating us in some sort of infrastructure race. "Folks in Congress are also going to get a chance to decide ... whether our construction workers should sit around doing nothing while China builds the best railroads, the best schools, the best airports in the world."
Now maybe we could use more infrastructure spending, but China's got nothing to do with it. The reason China has invested massively in infrastructure is simply that it has relatively little of it. America has 5,194 airports with paved runways. That's more than 11 times China's 442. In fact, you can add up the paved airports of the next 10 countries combined, and America beats them with more than a thousand airports to spare. We have nearly twice the roadways China does and almost three times the railways.
Ah, but China is investing in high-speed rail! Which, we are told, will help us win the future. Except China has, in the words of the London Financial Times, "slammed the brakes" on its high-speed rail program for a slew of safety and economic reasons.
What people don't often mention is that we have the best freight system in the world (in Europe, they move people on rails and cargo on roads; we mostly do the opposite because we're so much more spread out). That's why the billionaire Warren Buffett has invested massively in freight rail. Alas, switching to high-speed rail in the U.S. would seriously threaten the efficiency of our system.
Obviously, China's a formidable economic player, and a growing military and diplomatic power. But only a fool would trade our problems for theirs. China's health and safety standards are abysmal compared with America's. China's air is crunchy, its rivers often flammable. Its housing bubble could make ours look like a minor correction. Demographically, China is still on target to get old before it gets rich.
Moreover, China's social fabric is in dire need of repair. Just consider the recent horrifying footage of a 2-year-old toddler who was struck by two vehicles and was left to die in agony in the middle of a busy street as passersby ignored her. The New York Times reported this summer that in some regions, it is common for officials to snatch newborn babies from parents - and sell them. Indeed, China has a thriving market in children. And do you really think our problems with income inequality are worse than China's? Oh, and let's not forget: It's still an autocratic police state.
Obama is hardly alone in his effort to mythologize China in order to justify expansion of government. Times columnist Tom Friedman - who has written often of his envy for China's authoritarian system - begins his new book comparing the unreliable escalators at his neighborhood subway station with a glitzy convention center in China, in order to suggest that China is winning the future. It's as instructive as comparing his mansion in Bethesda, Md., to a Chinese cave.
NO REASON FOR AMERICA TO ENVY CHINESE SYSTEM
We should just forget all that talk about how the United States is losing ground to its authoritarian rival in the Far East
By Jonah Goldberg
Houston Chronicle
November 4, 2011
Up to 40 million Chinese people still live in caves. That's more than the populations of Texas and Illinois, combined. In fairness, a fraction of these caves are apparently pretty nice, complete with electricity and well-compacted dirt floors. But that's grading on a curve because, well, they're still caves.
Meanwhile, 21 million Chinese live below what the Communist Party calls the "absolute poverty" line. That sounds pretty good if you have in mind our poverty line, which is just under $11,000 per year for an individual and roughly $22,000 for a family of four. The absolute poverty rate in China is $90 a year, or $7.50 per month. And 35 million live on less than $125 per year. Hundreds of millions of Chinese live on $1 or $2 a day.
Michael Levy, who recently wrote a book on his stint as a Peace Corps worker in rural China, put it well in an interview with NPR: "Imagine that there's a country exactly like the United States. Exactly the same size. It's got the same cities. It's got the same number of rich people and poor people. It's just like us. And now add 1 billion peasants. That's China."
And yet that's the country President Obama insists we need to emulate. "Everybody's watching what's going on in Beijing right now with the Olympics," then-candidate Obama told an audience in Virginia in 2008. "Think about the amount of money that China has spent on infrastructure. Their ports, their train systems, their airports are vastly superior to us now, which means if you are a corporation deciding where to do business you're starting to think, Beijing looks like a pretty good option."
Obama has returned to campaign mode and his fear-China refrain. To listen to Obama, China's beating us in some sort of infrastructure race. "Folks in Congress are also going to get a chance to decide ... whether our construction workers should sit around doing nothing while China builds the best railroads, the best schools, the best airports in the world."
Now maybe we could use more infrastructure spending, but China's got nothing to do with it. The reason China has invested massively in infrastructure is simply that it has relatively little of it. America has 5,194 airports with paved runways. That's more than 11 times China's 442. In fact, you can add up the paved airports of the next 10 countries combined, and America beats them with more than a thousand airports to spare. We have nearly twice the roadways China does and almost three times the railways.
Ah, but China is investing in high-speed rail! Which, we are told, will help us win the future. Except China has, in the words of the London Financial Times, "slammed the brakes" on its high-speed rail program for a slew of safety and economic reasons.
What people don't often mention is that we have the best freight system in the world (in Europe, they move people on rails and cargo on roads; we mostly do the opposite because we're so much more spread out). That's why the billionaire Warren Buffett has invested massively in freight rail. Alas, switching to high-speed rail in the U.S. would seriously threaten the efficiency of our system.
Obviously, China's a formidable economic player, and a growing military and diplomatic power. But only a fool would trade our problems for theirs. China's health and safety standards are abysmal compared with America's. China's air is crunchy, its rivers often flammable. Its housing bubble could make ours look like a minor correction. Demographically, China is still on target to get old before it gets rich.
Moreover, China's social fabric is in dire need of repair. Just consider the recent horrifying footage of a 2-year-old toddler who was struck by two vehicles and was left to die in agony in the middle of a busy street as passersby ignored her. The New York Times reported this summer that in some regions, it is common for officials to snatch newborn babies from parents - and sell them. Indeed, China has a thriving market in children. And do you really think our problems with income inequality are worse than China's? Oh, and let's not forget: It's still an autocratic police state.
Obama is hardly alone in his effort to mythologize China in order to justify expansion of government. Times columnist Tom Friedman - who has written often of his envy for China's authoritarian system - begins his new book comparing the unreliable escalators at his neighborhood subway station with a glitzy convention center in China, in order to suggest that China is winning the future. It's as instructive as comparing his mansion in Bethesda, Md., to a Chinese cave.
ABOLISH DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
As far back as I can remember I’ve felt that changing times between standard and daylight savings is just one big pain in the ass. I’ve long advocated keeping the time either on one or the other and be done with people getting to church an hour too soon or an hour late.
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME: WHO NEEDS IT?
By Lee Riner
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 4, 2011
Most of you are probably happy to get that extra hour of sleep Sunday, but at what cost? Think of all those days to come that you'll get up before dawn, plus, the drive home from work will be in the dark, because if you're working at all nowadays, you're working past dark either way in the winter.
Is that really worth the tradeoff? Who thought up this load of crap, anyway, and why? It was touted as a way to provide farmers an extra hour of daylight. What's next: We're going to mandate an extra hour of rain - even during a drought?
"Farmers don't need it," a manager of the renewables division of a major utility said about Daylight Savings Time. That's probably so, because there are only about three family farms left in the country and the corporate farmers, the Archer Daniels Midland Co.s of the world make their own sunlight. "And," he added, "kids don't walk to school anymore."
No, instead their parents drive them three blocks away in their very own SUVs. That's kind of a bummer, because the main reason Daylight Savings Time got institutionalized - after fits and starts in this country since WWI - was to conserve energy after the oil embargo in 1973.
The research results on actual conservation actually has been mixed, and not just because of carpooling kids in their very own Hummers. Plus, the most conservation attributed to DST is mainly in March and April, leaving the rest of us wondering why we're jumping through hoops for an additional nine months each year.
Okay, justification #2: "Safer trick-or-treaters" says one of the clouds under "Why?" at this site.
It's highly unlikely this brutish practice will keep children dressed as Peter Pan or a Transformer or a budding Kardashian safer from threats like poisoned Pixy Stix.
And it cuts into time postal workers can be out on the streets, says one Houston letter carrier (Okay, Hair Balls' neighborhood letter carrier). The old adage about "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is apparently an inscription on a historic USPS building and no longer the agency's creed.
Speaking of energy, some of the workers most impacted by the DST transition days in the spring and fall are those who keep the lights on, literally: the "real-time" scheduling desks at utilities and other power-trading or -producing entities. They can't just blow off the extra hour this Sunday; they've got to make sure what lights are on stay on, by making sure the 25-hour day is scheduled with enough megawatts to meet their area's demand.
The result, when one utility trades power with another, can create a confusing mess for scheduling authorities like ERCOT if A dubs the extra hour "Hour 25," and runs the same schedule for both hours, but B refers to it as Hour 3, parts a and b - and trades different amounts and different prices (maybe 3a with Utility A and 3b with Utility B). To mix things up just a bit more, there's not even common agreement on which hour should be deemed the extra hour: Is it Hour 2 (the majority of those in California) or Hour 3 (other parts of the Western U.S.)? Perhaps GOP presidential nominee Herman Cain - with his amazing grasp of numbers - should be in charge of reaching consensus there.
Or maybe the "Abolish DST" groups on Facebook or a chat room near you are right.
But there's a compromise, said the utility renewables manager: "We oughta cut out the change altogether," he said, "and keep Daylight Savings all the time."
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME: WHO NEEDS IT?
By Lee Riner
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 4, 2011
Most of you are probably happy to get that extra hour of sleep Sunday, but at what cost? Think of all those days to come that you'll get up before dawn, plus, the drive home from work will be in the dark, because if you're working at all nowadays, you're working past dark either way in the winter.
Is that really worth the tradeoff? Who thought up this load of crap, anyway, and why? It was touted as a way to provide farmers an extra hour of daylight. What's next: We're going to mandate an extra hour of rain - even during a drought?
"Farmers don't need it," a manager of the renewables division of a major utility said about Daylight Savings Time. That's probably so, because there are only about three family farms left in the country and the corporate farmers, the Archer Daniels Midland Co.s of the world make their own sunlight. "And," he added, "kids don't walk to school anymore."
No, instead their parents drive them three blocks away in their very own SUVs. That's kind of a bummer, because the main reason Daylight Savings Time got institutionalized - after fits and starts in this country since WWI - was to conserve energy after the oil embargo in 1973.
The research results on actual conservation actually has been mixed, and not just because of carpooling kids in their very own Hummers. Plus, the most conservation attributed to DST is mainly in March and April, leaving the rest of us wondering why we're jumping through hoops for an additional nine months each year.
Okay, justification #2: "Safer trick-or-treaters" says one of the clouds under "Why?" at this site.
It's highly unlikely this brutish practice will keep children dressed as Peter Pan or a Transformer or a budding Kardashian safer from threats like poisoned Pixy Stix.
And it cuts into time postal workers can be out on the streets, says one Houston letter carrier (Okay, Hair Balls' neighborhood letter carrier). The old adage about "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is apparently an inscription on a historic USPS building and no longer the agency's creed.
Speaking of energy, some of the workers most impacted by the DST transition days in the spring and fall are those who keep the lights on, literally: the "real-time" scheduling desks at utilities and other power-trading or -producing entities. They can't just blow off the extra hour this Sunday; they've got to make sure what lights are on stay on, by making sure the 25-hour day is scheduled with enough megawatts to meet their area's demand.
The result, when one utility trades power with another, can create a confusing mess for scheduling authorities like ERCOT if A dubs the extra hour "Hour 25," and runs the same schedule for both hours, but B refers to it as Hour 3, parts a and b - and trades different amounts and different prices (maybe 3a with Utility A and 3b with Utility B). To mix things up just a bit more, there's not even common agreement on which hour should be deemed the extra hour: Is it Hour 2 (the majority of those in California) or Hour 3 (other parts of the Western U.S.)? Perhaps GOP presidential nominee Herman Cain - with his amazing grasp of numbers - should be in charge of reaching consensus there.
Or maybe the "Abolish DST" groups on Facebook or a chat room near you are right.
But there's a compromise, said the utility renewables manager: "We oughta cut out the change altogether," he said, "and keep Daylight Savings all the time."
THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING AWAKE ON THE JOB
He should have stolen a Tempur-Pedic bed. That would have allowed him to get a good sleep before venturing out to sell and/or use dope and to steal.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE A CRIMINAL, YOU SHOULD STAY AWAKE WHILE COMMITTING CRIMES
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
November 5, 2011
A Sacramento area resident was busted yesterday when he fell asleep in a Walgreen’s parking lot in a car full of stolen property and drug paraphernalia.
Yevgeniy Gorlachev, 24, who was already on an O R release as a suspect in prior criminal activity, was asleep (passed out?) in the drivers seat with the engine running. When the cops showed up to roust him they spotted a syringe and a meth pipe. A search of the car found blank checks that were not his, heroin, weed, and some assorted stolen property.
Gorlachev was arrested for possession and transportation of controlled substances, possession of stolen property, committing a felony while on O R release (I didn’t even know that was a specific crime) and felony stupidity (I just made that last one up).
IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE A CRIMINAL, YOU SHOULD STAY AWAKE WHILE COMMITTING CRIMES
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
November 5, 2011
A Sacramento area resident was busted yesterday when he fell asleep in a Walgreen’s parking lot in a car full of stolen property and drug paraphernalia.
Yevgeniy Gorlachev, 24, who was already on an O R release as a suspect in prior criminal activity, was asleep (passed out?) in the drivers seat with the engine running. When the cops showed up to roust him they spotted a syringe and a meth pipe. A search of the car found blank checks that were not his, heroin, weed, and some assorted stolen property.
Gorlachev was arrested for possession and transportation of controlled substances, possession of stolen property, committing a felony while on O R release (I didn’t even know that was a specific crime) and felony stupidity (I just made that last one up).
THE 55TH MOST POWERFUL PERSON ON THE PLANET
From Borderland Beat:
MEXICAN DRUG LORD MAKES FORBES ‘MOST POWERFUL’ LIST; MEXICAN PRESIDENT DOESN’T
By Andrew O'Reilly
Fox News Latino
November 4, 2011
It seems reputed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán has gotten the best of Felipe Calderón again – this time, cracking the list of the world's most powerful people while the Mexican president missed the cut.
The billionaire leader of the Sinaloa cartel was named the 55th most powerful on the planet by Forbes magazine, which annually compiles the list. Calderón was on the outside looking in – even though his Brazilian counterpart, Dilma Rousseff, and the world's richest man and his countryman, Carlos Slim, made the list.
The drug trafficker dropped 14 places from two years ago when he sat 41st, right behind Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Guzmán and the Sinaloa cartel, along with the rival Zetas cartel, have been blamed for much of the violence in Mexico, which ramped up when Calderón declared a war on organized crime shortly after taking office in 2006.
Since then around 40,000 people have been killed in the ensuing violence.
The Sinaloa cartel leader has remained a shadowy figure, despite being ranked as the 937th richest man in the world by Forbes in 2010. Since his 1993 escape from prison, Guzmán has eluded Mexican authorities by hiding deep in the mountains near Mexico’s Pacific coast and surrounding himself with a large retinue of bodyguards.
The United States has placed a $5 million bounty on Guzmán’s head and allege that the “world’s most wanted man” is responsible for the majority of cocaine and marijuana entering the U.S. from Mexico and Colombia.
President Calderón has been roundly criticized for his government’s actions in the drug war, the war’s enormous body count and the fact that Guzmán is still not in custody. With the next year’s presidential elections fast approaching, there is concern within Calderón’s conservative National Action Party (PAN by its Spanish-language acronym) that his legacy could hurt the party’s chances of victory against the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that ruled the country for seven decades prior to 2000.
The other two Latin Americans on the list posted much higher than Guzmán; Rousseff ranked 22nd, and Slim was one spot behind her.
Rousseff’s star has risen since her inauguration as the BRIC-country leader back in January. In September she became the first woman to open the United Nations General Assembly and she has become a major player in the debate over the global financial crisis, warning Europe against harsh austerity plans.
Two notable Latin American leaders who had been on the list last time but failed to make the cut this year were Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez and former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, both of whom are currently being treated for cancer.
MEXICAN DRUG LORD MAKES FORBES ‘MOST POWERFUL’ LIST; MEXICAN PRESIDENT DOESN’T
By Andrew O'Reilly
Fox News Latino
November 4, 2011
It seems reputed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán has gotten the best of Felipe Calderón again – this time, cracking the list of the world's most powerful people while the Mexican president missed the cut.
The billionaire leader of the Sinaloa cartel was named the 55th most powerful on the planet by Forbes magazine, which annually compiles the list. Calderón was on the outside looking in – even though his Brazilian counterpart, Dilma Rousseff, and the world's richest man and his countryman, Carlos Slim, made the list.
The drug trafficker dropped 14 places from two years ago when he sat 41st, right behind Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Guzmán and the Sinaloa cartel, along with the rival Zetas cartel, have been blamed for much of the violence in Mexico, which ramped up when Calderón declared a war on organized crime shortly after taking office in 2006.
Since then around 40,000 people have been killed in the ensuing violence.
The Sinaloa cartel leader has remained a shadowy figure, despite being ranked as the 937th richest man in the world by Forbes in 2010. Since his 1993 escape from prison, Guzmán has eluded Mexican authorities by hiding deep in the mountains near Mexico’s Pacific coast and surrounding himself with a large retinue of bodyguards.
The United States has placed a $5 million bounty on Guzmán’s head and allege that the “world’s most wanted man” is responsible for the majority of cocaine and marijuana entering the U.S. from Mexico and Colombia.
President Calderón has been roundly criticized for his government’s actions in the drug war, the war’s enormous body count and the fact that Guzmán is still not in custody. With the next year’s presidential elections fast approaching, there is concern within Calderón’s conservative National Action Party (PAN by its Spanish-language acronym) that his legacy could hurt the party’s chances of victory against the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that ruled the country for seven decades prior to 2000.
The other two Latin Americans on the list posted much higher than Guzmán; Rousseff ranked 22nd, and Slim was one spot behind her.
Rousseff’s star has risen since her inauguration as the BRIC-country leader back in January. In September she became the first woman to open the United Nations General Assembly and she has become a major player in the debate over the global financial crisis, warning Europe against harsh austerity plans.
Two notable Latin American leaders who had been on the list last time but failed to make the cut this year were Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez and former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, both of whom are currently being treated for cancer.
PISSED-OFF BANK CUSTOMER MAKES DEPOSIT THAT IS WITHDRAWN BY THE NEXT CUSTOMER
I wonder if the lady was charged a banking fee for withdrawing the previous customer’s deposit?
ANGRY BANK CUSTOMER URINATES IN DRIVE-IN TELLER TUBE
By Susan Jacobson
The Orlando Sentinel
November 4, 2011
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A customer at a Flagler County bank, unhappy that he could not buy a money order, urinated in a drive-in bank tube Thursday, the sheriff's office said. The urine spilled into the lap of the next customer.
The man pulled up about 8:50 a.m. and asked whether RBC Bank in Palm Coast sold money orders, deputies said. When a teller said no, he got upset, mumbled something about bad customer service and drove away, they said.
Shortly thereafter, another customer picked up the tube and saw liquid, which spilled onto her and her car, investigators said. The customer and a teller told authorities that the liquid smelled like urine.
Deputies are trying to find the first customer, who could be charged with causing a nuisance injurious to health, a second-degree misdemeanor.
ANGRY BANK CUSTOMER URINATES IN DRIVE-IN TELLER TUBE
By Susan Jacobson
The Orlando Sentinel
November 4, 2011
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A customer at a Flagler County bank, unhappy that he could not buy a money order, urinated in a drive-in bank tube Thursday, the sheriff's office said. The urine spilled into the lap of the next customer.
The man pulled up about 8:50 a.m. and asked whether RBC Bank in Palm Coast sold money orders, deputies said. When a teller said no, he got upset, mumbled something about bad customer service and drove away, they said.
Shortly thereafter, another customer picked up the tube and saw liquid, which spilled onto her and her car, investigators said. The customer and a teller told authorities that the liquid smelled like urine.
Deputies are trying to find the first customer, who could be charged with causing a nuisance injurious to health, a second-degree misdemeanor.
DEATH CHEATS JUSTICE
Texas death row inmate John Selvage joins these other death row inmates who recently cheated justice by dying of natural causes:
3-6-11: James Van Pelt on California’s death row for a 1985 murder.
5-11-11: Vincent Accardo on Arizona’s death row for a 1997 murder.
9-6-11: John Fleming on North Carolina’s death row for a 1996 murder.
TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE DIES OF NATURAL CAUSES
Associated Press
November 4, 2011
HOUSTON -- Texas prison officials have announced the death of a death row inmate who had been getting treatment at a psychiatric unit since 2010.
John Selvage died late Wednesday after he was found unresponsive earlier in the day in his cell at the Jester IV Unit near Richmond, about 30 miles southwest of Houston.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said Thursday that an autopsy will be performed to determine what caused the 61-year-old’s death.
Selvage was sentenced to death for killing Harris County sheriff’s Deputy Albert Garza during a July 1979 Houston jewelry store robbery. He had faced lethal injection at least five times, but won stays each time.
Selvage’s attorneys argued that he was mentally retarded and his death sentence was unconstitutional.
3-6-11: James Van Pelt on California’s death row for a 1985 murder.
5-11-11: Vincent Accardo on Arizona’s death row for a 1997 murder.
9-6-11: John Fleming on North Carolina’s death row for a 1996 murder.
TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE DIES OF NATURAL CAUSES
Associated Press
November 4, 2011
HOUSTON -- Texas prison officials have announced the death of a death row inmate who had been getting treatment at a psychiatric unit since 2010.
John Selvage died late Wednesday after he was found unresponsive earlier in the day in his cell at the Jester IV Unit near Richmond, about 30 miles southwest of Houston.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said Thursday that an autopsy will be performed to determine what caused the 61-year-old’s death.
Selvage was sentenced to death for killing Harris County sheriff’s Deputy Albert Garza during a July 1979 Houston jewelry store robbery. He had faced lethal injection at least five times, but won stays each time.
Selvage’s attorneys argued that he was mentally retarded and his death sentence was unconstitutional.
Saturday, November 05, 2011
WHY DIDN'T THE DA GO FOR THE DEATH PENALTY?
If anyone deserved the death penalty it’s this multiple murderer. I guess the DA didn't seek the death penalty because the murders took place in the crime-ridden cesspool of Oakland where such killings are commonplace.
Bob Walsh says that if you are going to murder someone you should be very careful about what you write down, who you give it to and your method of transmission.
MAN TRIED FOR MURDERS AND ATTEMPTED MURDERS WROTE DETAILED LETTER DESCRIBING KILLINGS
By Paul T. Rosynsky
Oakland Tribune
November 4, 2011
OAKLAND -- A letter a prosecutor said was written by Gumaro Baez as the 22-year-old Oakland native sat in jail awaiting trial on multiple murder and attempted murder charges tells the jury everything it needs to know to convict Baez of a killing rampage that took the lives of three people, including two San Leandro teenage girls.
Written to a friend who also was in jail, the letter gives vivid details of a Feb. 3, 2008, shooting in a van that resulted in the death of cousins Dominique Hoover-Brown, 15, and Melissa Jackson, 17, and the near-killings of two other men who also were in the van. Baez also is accused of killing a man less than two days before the van shooting and the attempted murder of the van driver and front seat passenger.
"As soon as I thought (the van driver) was dead, everyone had to go," the letter states. "Everyone knows you can't leave witnesses."
The letter explains how Baez got into the van with his friend, Devashawn Walker, to confront the driver, who Baez believed was responsible for the death of his brother, Adiel Meza, a year earlier. Meza was gunned down by an Oakland police officer after he repeatedly reached for a gun he had just been shooting into the air.
Deputy district attorney Stacie Pettigrew said Baez thought the driver of the van should have allowed Meza into his home the night he was killed before police arrived. Pettigrew asked that the names of the driver and his passenger not be published for fear of retaliation.
On Super Bowl Sunday in 2008, Baez developed a ruse to share a bottle of liquor with the driver, his friend and the two girls they were hanging out with to get into the van, Pettigrew said. Once inside, and after the group smoked marijuana and drank alcohol, Baez asked the driver what happened to his brother and then began to fire his handgun, critically wounding the driver and his friend and killing the two girls who sat in the back, Pettigrew said.
The letter explains how Baez developed the ruse to get into the van, how he decided to kill the driver and how immediately after that he decided that he had to kill everyone else in the van, Pettigrew said.
"(The letter) gives details that only the killer would have known," Pettigrew said. "Not only details about what was going on in that van but details about what was going on in (Baez's) mind."
While the letter describes the details of the killings and gives a motive for why they occurred, the two surviving men in the van told police that Baez was the shooter.
But Al Wax, Baez's defense attorney, urged the jury not to jump to conclusions about his client's guilt as he attempted to shift blame to Walker, who took a plea deal to avoid murder convictions.
Walker's plea deal came after an Alameda County judge ruled that prosecutors did not have enough evidence against Walker to charge him with the murders. Instead, Walker pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for driving the van after the original driver jumped out after he was shot.
Wax told the jury that his client was innocent and said it was Walker who killed the girls. He also told the jury that Walker killed another man 46 hours earlier.
Wax used testimony during the trial to try to prove his point.
The two surviving witnesses recanted their original statements to police. One witness told the jury that he suffered from amnesia, and the other said he could not remember what happened. Meanwhile, the inmate who initially brought the letter to police recanted his original story on the witness stand and instead said he wrote the letter.
But Pettigrew said the jury should have no doubt who wrote the letter as she pointed out the similarities between the handwriting in the letter and the handwriting in hundreds of other letters Baez wrote from jail.
Pettigrew also pointed out that the letter contained numerous details of the crime and personal information about Baez that the inmate would not have known.
Baez faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The jury will begin deliberating Monday.
Bob Walsh says that if you are going to murder someone you should be very careful about what you write down, who you give it to and your method of transmission.
MAN TRIED FOR MURDERS AND ATTEMPTED MURDERS WROTE DETAILED LETTER DESCRIBING KILLINGS
By Paul T. Rosynsky
Oakland Tribune
November 4, 2011
OAKLAND -- A letter a prosecutor said was written by Gumaro Baez as the 22-year-old Oakland native sat in jail awaiting trial on multiple murder and attempted murder charges tells the jury everything it needs to know to convict Baez of a killing rampage that took the lives of three people, including two San Leandro teenage girls.
Written to a friend who also was in jail, the letter gives vivid details of a Feb. 3, 2008, shooting in a van that resulted in the death of cousins Dominique Hoover-Brown, 15, and Melissa Jackson, 17, and the near-killings of two other men who also were in the van. Baez also is accused of killing a man less than two days before the van shooting and the attempted murder of the van driver and front seat passenger.
"As soon as I thought (the van driver) was dead, everyone had to go," the letter states. "Everyone knows you can't leave witnesses."
The letter explains how Baez got into the van with his friend, Devashawn Walker, to confront the driver, who Baez believed was responsible for the death of his brother, Adiel Meza, a year earlier. Meza was gunned down by an Oakland police officer after he repeatedly reached for a gun he had just been shooting into the air.
Deputy district attorney Stacie Pettigrew said Baez thought the driver of the van should have allowed Meza into his home the night he was killed before police arrived. Pettigrew asked that the names of the driver and his passenger not be published for fear of retaliation.
On Super Bowl Sunday in 2008, Baez developed a ruse to share a bottle of liquor with the driver, his friend and the two girls they were hanging out with to get into the van, Pettigrew said. Once inside, and after the group smoked marijuana and drank alcohol, Baez asked the driver what happened to his brother and then began to fire his handgun, critically wounding the driver and his friend and killing the two girls who sat in the back, Pettigrew said.
The letter explains how Baez developed the ruse to get into the van, how he decided to kill the driver and how immediately after that he decided that he had to kill everyone else in the van, Pettigrew said.
"(The letter) gives details that only the killer would have known," Pettigrew said. "Not only details about what was going on in that van but details about what was going on in (Baez's) mind."
While the letter describes the details of the killings and gives a motive for why they occurred, the two surviving men in the van told police that Baez was the shooter.
But Al Wax, Baez's defense attorney, urged the jury not to jump to conclusions about his client's guilt as he attempted to shift blame to Walker, who took a plea deal to avoid murder convictions.
Walker's plea deal came after an Alameda County judge ruled that prosecutors did not have enough evidence against Walker to charge him with the murders. Instead, Walker pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for driving the van after the original driver jumped out after he was shot.
Wax told the jury that his client was innocent and said it was Walker who killed the girls. He also told the jury that Walker killed another man 46 hours earlier.
Wax used testimony during the trial to try to prove his point.
The two surviving witnesses recanted their original statements to police. One witness told the jury that he suffered from amnesia, and the other said he could not remember what happened. Meanwhile, the inmate who initially brought the letter to police recanted his original story on the witness stand and instead said he wrote the letter.
But Pettigrew said the jury should have no doubt who wrote the letter as she pointed out the similarities between the handwriting in the letter and the handwriting in hundreds of other letters Baez wrote from jail.
Pettigrew also pointed out that the letter contained numerous details of the crime and personal information about Baez that the inmate would not have known.
Baez faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The jury will begin deliberating Monday.
RUSSIAN DRACULA AND HIS 26 MAIDENS
During the daylight hours this sicko was a historian, journalist and lecturer who spoke 13 languages.
RUSSIAN GRAVE-ROBBER ‘LIVED WITH 26 FEMALE CORPSES THAT HE DRESSED AS DOLLS’
Antoly Moskvina’s sick fetish discovered when his parents came to visit him
By Emma Reynolds
Mail Online
November 4, 2011
A Russian grave-robber lived with 26 female bodies that he dressed up as dolls and teddy bears, police have discovered.
Anatoly Moskvina dug up the corpses from hundreds of cemeteries and took them to his small, three-bedroom flat in Nizhny Novgorod, according to local media.
He was said to have carried the 'dried up' remains of at least 26 women - all aged between 15 and 26 - in plastic bags.
At his apartment, the twisted 45-year-old apparently dressed the bodies and skeletons in stockings and dresses, and even made one look like a teddy bear. All had died years earlier.
His ghastly obsession was uncovered when Moskvina's parents visited him in the town around 200 miles east of Moscow after returning from a holiday.
Moskvina, a historian and journalist described by neighbors as a 'genius', sometimes slept in a coffin or on graveyard benches, said BNO News.
Moskvina was said to have visited more than 750 cemeteries in western Russia to indulge his fantasies, although it was not clear when he had begun exhuming graves.
Police arrested Moskvina and later released him, but it was not immediately clear what charges he will face.
He is said to speak 13 languages and have a vast knowledge of history - on which he used to lecture at a local museum.
RUSSIAN GRAVE-ROBBER ‘LIVED WITH 26 FEMALE CORPSES THAT HE DRESSED AS DOLLS’
Antoly Moskvina’s sick fetish discovered when his parents came to visit him
By Emma Reynolds
Mail Online
November 4, 2011
A Russian grave-robber lived with 26 female bodies that he dressed up as dolls and teddy bears, police have discovered.
Anatoly Moskvina dug up the corpses from hundreds of cemeteries and took them to his small, three-bedroom flat in Nizhny Novgorod, according to local media.
He was said to have carried the 'dried up' remains of at least 26 women - all aged between 15 and 26 - in plastic bags.
At his apartment, the twisted 45-year-old apparently dressed the bodies and skeletons in stockings and dresses, and even made one look like a teddy bear. All had died years earlier.
His ghastly obsession was uncovered when Moskvina's parents visited him in the town around 200 miles east of Moscow after returning from a holiday.
Moskvina, a historian and journalist described by neighbors as a 'genius', sometimes slept in a coffin or on graveyard benches, said BNO News.
Moskvina was said to have visited more than 750 cemeteries in western Russia to indulge his fantasies, although it was not clear when he had begun exhuming graves.
Police arrested Moskvina and later released him, but it was not immediately clear what charges he will face.
He is said to speak 13 languages and have a vast knowledge of history - on which he used to lecture at a local museum.
FORBIDDEN FUN AND GAMES IN DUBAI
The moral of this story is don’t drink and have unmarried sex in Sharia law Dubai.
BRITISH SALESMAN ‘PUSHED NAKED PROSTITUTE OUT OF DUBAI HOTEL ROOM WINDOW’ IN ROW OVER HER FEE
Salesman faces ten years in jail for sex, drink and assault charges
By Rob Cooper
Mail Online
November 4, 2011
A British salesman pushed a naked prostitute from his Dubai hotel room window after they argued during sex about her fee, a court heard yesterday.
Zoubair Ali, 37, faces up to ten years behind bars if convicted.
Dubai Criminal Court heard how the vice girl fell 20ft from the first floor window and landed on the roof of a car.
The British worker allegedly pushed her after a drunken row over her £85 fee.
According to the Ukrainian prostitute she met Ali in a bar before returning to his luxury room.
But they began arguing over her £85 fee during sex in his private first-floor suite and she refused to continue until he paid more.
The sex worker - known only as A.K. - said she was then thrown from the bedroom's window and on to the roof of a car.
She ran to the reception and alerted hotel staff who contacted police.
Ali was then stopped by security staff trying to get into his car to flee the scene before officers arrived, the court heard.
The prostitute, 36, said: 'I went with him to his hotel room because I felt lonely and needed company. I was interested in continuing the evening with him,' she said in her witness statement, website Gulf News said.
'As soon as we walked into his room, we quarreled… I ran to the bedroom and closed the door from inside. Then I opened the window and cried for help.'
It was then that she was allegedly pushed.
A worker at the hotel said that he heard a loud crash seconds before a naked woman ran into the hotel's reception.
Ali is charged with having sex while unmarried and assault, which he denies. He admitted drinking on unauthorized premises.
The prostitute is accused of prostitution and having unmarried sex.
She did not turn up at court for the hearing.
A British friend has claimed they met the prostitute in a bar and she offered a massage and sex in return for money.
Judge Mohammad Majid Mohammad adjourned the case until December 1. Ali was released on bail.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: 'We are aware of reports of the detention of a British national in Dubai.
'We are urgently looking into these reports so we can provide consular assistance if required.'
A court source added: 'This gentleman could be in serious trouble. He could get ten years if found guilty of assault, plus time for sex and drink offenses.'
BRITISH SALESMAN ‘PUSHED NAKED PROSTITUTE OUT OF DUBAI HOTEL ROOM WINDOW’ IN ROW OVER HER FEE
Salesman faces ten years in jail for sex, drink and assault charges
By Rob Cooper
Mail Online
November 4, 2011
A British salesman pushed a naked prostitute from his Dubai hotel room window after they argued during sex about her fee, a court heard yesterday.
Zoubair Ali, 37, faces up to ten years behind bars if convicted.
Dubai Criminal Court heard how the vice girl fell 20ft from the first floor window and landed on the roof of a car.
The British worker allegedly pushed her after a drunken row over her £85 fee.
According to the Ukrainian prostitute she met Ali in a bar before returning to his luxury room.
But they began arguing over her £85 fee during sex in his private first-floor suite and she refused to continue until he paid more.
The sex worker - known only as A.K. - said she was then thrown from the bedroom's window and on to the roof of a car.
She ran to the reception and alerted hotel staff who contacted police.
Ali was then stopped by security staff trying to get into his car to flee the scene before officers arrived, the court heard.
The prostitute, 36, said: 'I went with him to his hotel room because I felt lonely and needed company. I was interested in continuing the evening with him,' she said in her witness statement, website Gulf News said.
'As soon as we walked into his room, we quarreled… I ran to the bedroom and closed the door from inside. Then I opened the window and cried for help.'
It was then that she was allegedly pushed.
A worker at the hotel said that he heard a loud crash seconds before a naked woman ran into the hotel's reception.
Ali is charged with having sex while unmarried and assault, which he denies. He admitted drinking on unauthorized premises.
The prostitute is accused of prostitution and having unmarried sex.
She did not turn up at court for the hearing.
A British friend has claimed they met the prostitute in a bar and she offered a massage and sex in return for money.
Judge Mohammad Majid Mohammad adjourned the case until December 1. Ali was released on bail.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: 'We are aware of reports of the detention of a British national in Dubai.
'We are urgently looking into these reports so we can provide consular assistance if required.'
A court source added: 'This gentleman could be in serious trouble. He could get ten years if found guilty of assault, plus time for sex and drink offenses.'
UNESCO AND THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Here are some excerpts from ‘Delegitimizing the delegitimizers,’ an op-ed by Caroline Glick that was published in the November 4 issue of Jewish World Review:
You have to hand it to the Palestinians. They decided to abandon the peace process and seek international recognition of the "State of Palestine" -- a state in a de facto state of war with Israel. And they are pursuing their goal relentlessly.
This week their efforts bore their first fruit with the UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) vote to accept "Palestine" as a full state member.
It is not a coincidence that the PLO/PA decided to apply for membership for "Palestine" at UNESCO first. Since 1974 UNESCO has been an enthusiastic partner in the Palestinians' bid to erase Jewish history, heritage and culture in the Land of Israel from the historical record.
In 1974 UNESCO voted to boycott Israel and "withhold assistance from Israel in the fields of education, science and culture because of Israel's persistent alteration of historic features in Jerusalem."
UNESCO's moves to deny Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the rest of historic Israel have continued unabated ever since. For instance, in 1989 UNESCO condemned "Israel's occupation of Jerusalem" claiming it was destroying the city through "acts of interference, destruction and transformation."
In 1996 UNESCO held a symposium on Jerusalem at its Paris headquarters. No Jewish or Israeli groups were invited to participate.
Beginning in 1996, the Arab Wakf on the the Temple Mount began systematically destroying artifacts of the Second Temple. The destruction was undertaken during illegal excavations under the Temple Mount carried out in order to construct an illegal, unlicensed mosque at Solomon's Stables.
UNESCO never bothered to condemn this act. It was silent despite the fact that the Wakf's actions constituted a grave breach of the very international laws related to antiquities and sacred sites that UNESCO is charter bound to protect. Similarly, UNESCO never condemned Palestinian desecration of Rachel's Tomb, of Joesph's Tomb or of any of the ancient synagogues in Gaza and Jericho which they razed to the ground.
The reason for UNESCO's miscarriage of its responsibilities is clear. Far from fulfilling its mission of protecting world heritage sites, since 1974 UNESCO has been a partner in one of the greatest cultural crimes in human history - the Palestinian and pan-Arab attempt to wipe Jewish history in the Land of Israel off the historical record. And UNESCO's crimes in this area are unending. In 2009 it designated Jerusalem a "capital of Arab culture."
In 2010 it designated Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron "Muslim mosques."
UNESCO's campaign against Jewish history is not limited to Israel. In 1995 it passed a resolution marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Despite requests from Israel, the resolution made no mention of the Holocaust.
In December 2010, UNESCO published a report on the history of science in the Arab world. Its report listed the great Jewish doctor and rabbinic scholar Rabbi Moshe ben-Maimon -- Maimonides -- as a Muslim renamed "Moussa ben Maimoun."
In light of UNESCO's virulently anti-Jewish policies and actions, it is not surprising that it cooperated with the PLO/PA's bid to achieve recognition of a state that is in a state of war with Israel.
the UNESCO vote exposed disturbing truths about US President Barack Obama's position on Israel. Obama has been widely praised by American Jewish leaders as well as by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for his announced commitment to veto the draft Security Council resolution recommending that the PLO/PA be granted full state membership at the UN. Obama's pledge - forced out of him by massive Congressional pressure - is touted as proof of his commitment to the US alliance with Israel.
But Obama's response to the PLO/PA's bid for UNESCO membership tells a different story. In the lead up to the vote, the Obama administration went out of its way not to threaten UNESCO. It did not threaten to withdraw the US from the organization. Instead, just days before the vote, US Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter addressed the body and praised the "great things have happened at UNESCO," over the past year. Kanter then announced the US's bid for reelection to UNESCO's executive board.
The administration did not attack the move as one that undermines chances of peace. It did not note that by endorsing the PA/PLO's decision to act unilaterally, UNESCO was making it all the more difficult for Israel and the Palestinians to achieve a negotiated peace deal. Rather, State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland sufficed with claiming that the move was "regrettable," and "premature."
Administration officials did not make clear that in accordance with US law, all US funding to UNESCO would end if the Palestinian membership bid was approved. Rather administration officials joined forces with UN officials to lobby Congress to change the law.
As Claudia Rosett reported in Forbes on Tuesday, David Killion, the US Ambassador to UNESCO made what bordered on an apology for the US funding cut-off when he said "We sincerely regret that the strenuous and well-intentioned efforts of many delegations to avoid this result fell short."
Killion added, "We pledge to continue our efforts to find ways to support and strengthen the important work of this vital organization."
So after UNESCO thumbed its nose at the US, undermined its mission, breached its own charter and seriously diminished chances of Palestinian peace with Israel by accepting "Palestine" as a member state, the Obama administration reacted with near groveling apologetics.
You have to hand it to the Palestinians. They decided to abandon the peace process and seek international recognition of the "State of Palestine" -- a state in a de facto state of war with Israel. And they are pursuing their goal relentlessly.
This week their efforts bore their first fruit with the UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) vote to accept "Palestine" as a full state member.
It is not a coincidence that the PLO/PA decided to apply for membership for "Palestine" at UNESCO first. Since 1974 UNESCO has been an enthusiastic partner in the Palestinians' bid to erase Jewish history, heritage and culture in the Land of Israel from the historical record.
In 1974 UNESCO voted to boycott Israel and "withhold assistance from Israel in the fields of education, science and culture because of Israel's persistent alteration of historic features in Jerusalem."
UNESCO's moves to deny Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the rest of historic Israel have continued unabated ever since. For instance, in 1989 UNESCO condemned "Israel's occupation of Jerusalem" claiming it was destroying the city through "acts of interference, destruction and transformation."
In 1996 UNESCO held a symposium on Jerusalem at its Paris headquarters. No Jewish or Israeli groups were invited to participate.
Beginning in 1996, the Arab Wakf on the the Temple Mount began systematically destroying artifacts of the Second Temple. The destruction was undertaken during illegal excavations under the Temple Mount carried out in order to construct an illegal, unlicensed mosque at Solomon's Stables.
UNESCO never bothered to condemn this act. It was silent despite the fact that the Wakf's actions constituted a grave breach of the very international laws related to antiquities and sacred sites that UNESCO is charter bound to protect. Similarly, UNESCO never condemned Palestinian desecration of Rachel's Tomb, of Joesph's Tomb or of any of the ancient synagogues in Gaza and Jericho which they razed to the ground.
The reason for UNESCO's miscarriage of its responsibilities is clear. Far from fulfilling its mission of protecting world heritage sites, since 1974 UNESCO has been a partner in one of the greatest cultural crimes in human history - the Palestinian and pan-Arab attempt to wipe Jewish history in the Land of Israel off the historical record. And UNESCO's crimes in this area are unending. In 2009 it designated Jerusalem a "capital of Arab culture."
In 2010 it designated Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron "Muslim mosques."
UNESCO's campaign against Jewish history is not limited to Israel. In 1995 it passed a resolution marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Despite requests from Israel, the resolution made no mention of the Holocaust.
In December 2010, UNESCO published a report on the history of science in the Arab world. Its report listed the great Jewish doctor and rabbinic scholar Rabbi Moshe ben-Maimon -- Maimonides -- as a Muslim renamed "Moussa ben Maimoun."
In light of UNESCO's virulently anti-Jewish policies and actions, it is not surprising that it cooperated with the PLO/PA's bid to achieve recognition of a state that is in a state of war with Israel.
the UNESCO vote exposed disturbing truths about US President Barack Obama's position on Israel. Obama has been widely praised by American Jewish leaders as well as by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for his announced commitment to veto the draft Security Council resolution recommending that the PLO/PA be granted full state membership at the UN. Obama's pledge - forced out of him by massive Congressional pressure - is touted as proof of his commitment to the US alliance with Israel.
But Obama's response to the PLO/PA's bid for UNESCO membership tells a different story. In the lead up to the vote, the Obama administration went out of its way not to threaten UNESCO. It did not threaten to withdraw the US from the organization. Instead, just days before the vote, US Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter addressed the body and praised the "great things have happened at UNESCO," over the past year. Kanter then announced the US's bid for reelection to UNESCO's executive board.
The administration did not attack the move as one that undermines chances of peace. It did not note that by endorsing the PA/PLO's decision to act unilaterally, UNESCO was making it all the more difficult for Israel and the Palestinians to achieve a negotiated peace deal. Rather, State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland sufficed with claiming that the move was "regrettable," and "premature."
Administration officials did not make clear that in accordance with US law, all US funding to UNESCO would end if the Palestinian membership bid was approved. Rather administration officials joined forces with UN officials to lobby Congress to change the law.
As Claudia Rosett reported in Forbes on Tuesday, David Killion, the US Ambassador to UNESCO made what bordered on an apology for the US funding cut-off when he said "We sincerely regret that the strenuous and well-intentioned efforts of many delegations to avoid this result fell short."
Killion added, "We pledge to continue our efforts to find ways to support and strengthen the important work of this vital organization."
So after UNESCO thumbed its nose at the US, undermined its mission, breached its own charter and seriously diminished chances of Palestinian peace with Israel by accepting "Palestine" as a member state, the Obama administration reacted with near groveling apologetics.
FAA TO BAN PLANE CRASHES
The Onion
October 30, 2011
WASHINGTON—In what officials are calling "a much-needed policy shift," the Federal Aviation Administration announced this weekend that it would ban all plane crashes. "After a careful review of flight data from the past 25 years, we've determined that customers, pilots, and the airlines themselves would benefit significantly from a strictly enforced no-plane-crash policy," said FAA administrator Randy Babbitt, adding that pilots involved in fiery plane wrecks could face a steep fine or even suspension. "The practice of crashing an airliner into an ocean or mountain will no longer be tolerated. American consumers deserve better." According to industry sources, most commercial airlines are planning to fit in as many crashes as possible between now and Jan. 1, when the ban officially goes into effect.
October 30, 2011
WASHINGTON—In what officials are calling "a much-needed policy shift," the Federal Aviation Administration announced this weekend that it would ban all plane crashes. "After a careful review of flight data from the past 25 years, we've determined that customers, pilots, and the airlines themselves would benefit significantly from a strictly enforced no-plane-crash policy," said FAA administrator Randy Babbitt, adding that pilots involved in fiery plane wrecks could face a steep fine or even suspension. "The practice of crashing an airliner into an ocean or mountain will no longer be tolerated. American consumers deserve better." According to industry sources, most commercial airlines are planning to fit in as many crashes as possible between now and Jan. 1, when the ban officially goes into effect.
Friday, November 04, 2011
DEATH PENALTY OPPONENTS HAVE BEEN CONNING US ABOUT THE HIGH COSTS FROM SENTENCING TO EXECUTION (2)
Here is how human rights activist Dorina Lisson responded to yesterday’s post:
Oh please don't insult my intelligence !!!
The execution costs was meant to be a mere glimpse into the millions of dollars spent each year in the USA over the death penalty system ... whether it be in Oregon, Venus or other US states.
Whatever caused the USA to be in financial poo-poo, can be debated. However, it is blatantly obvious that the USA cannot continue to spend millions of taxpayers' money on the death penalty system, which is riddled with legal errors, is rotten to the core and seriously flawed beyond repair. Life in prison without parole is a cheaper alternative. In case you haven't noticed - the fear/terror/control of death over society is no longer a deterrent. It might have been in your time, but not anymore - things have changed.
You might like to know that a few years ago I did research into the thoughts of prisoners at Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas. One hundred convicted persons were asked whether they would have committed the same crime if they knew, beforehand, that they would be executed for that crime. 98 percent stated they wouldn't have been deterred by the thought of execution. Times have changed ... 'fear' is slowly dissolving among the youth in society. Today's youth are another type of 'assertive' generation with little, if any, fear of consequences.
Sorry, but those execution costs involved just to kill a person, seem outrageous and shameful to the civilized world. And don't tell me to mind my own business - human rights belong to everybody - human rights is everybody's business.
__________
REBUTTAL:
First of all let me say that I would never insult Dorina’s intelligence. She is a very smart young lady who is passionately dedicated to the cause of human rights. And I agree with her that human rights belong to everybody. Where we differ is that I firmly believe the death penalty is NOT a human rights violation.
While there have been legal errors in capital cases, it is not true that the death penalty system “is riddled with legal errors, is rotten to the core and seriously flawed beyond repair.” When you look at the totality of death penalty cases, the legal errors have been far and few between and the only people who say that it is rotten to the core are those who are opposed to capital punishment.
If the death penalty is no longer a deterrent, which I do not believe, it is only because of the endless appeals which have delayed executions for 10 years or more. This has probably led some killers to believe that if they get caught they will never be executed.
Bob Walsh hit the nail on the head when he said: “Before they castrated themselves the British had a functional death penalty and it operated cheaply and efficiently. From verdict to the drop was six months. Max. You could appeal to anybody you wanted, the Home Secretary, the Monarchy, your mother, it didn’t matter. If your appeal didn’t come through in six months they hung you. It worked and under their system is WAS a deterrent.”
While those who commit a murder in the heat of passion do not think about the death penalty, you can bet that those who are contemplating premeditated murder do. And if it weren’t for the death penalty a lot more murders would be committed by burglars, robbers, rapists and child molesters.
Dorina’s research at the Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas was deeply flawed. In fact it was meaningless. “One hundred convicted persons were asked whether they would have committed the same crime if they knew, beforehand, that they would be executed for that crime.” Of course 98 percent said they didn’t think about the death penalty. Why didn’t the death penalty deter them? Because the crimes they committed did NOT qualify for capital punishment.
During the 1960s, when executions were usually carried out without delays, a group of researchers surveyed death row inmates in several states. The inmates were asked the same question – did they consider the death penalty before murdering their victim(s)? Naturally, almost all of them said they did not. But those death row inmate surveys were also meaningless. The researchers knew from the get-go that none of the death row inmates were about to admit BEING STUPID by disregarding the possibility of being strapped in the electric chair if they got caught.
Believe me, they thought about the death penalty. Those death row inmates just didn’t think they would be caught. And as insurance in case they might get caught, a lot of armed robbers held up their victims with empty guns back then.
Finally, let me get back to the cost issue. The biggest cost associated with the death penalty is what it costs to fight the endless appeals that are filed while a murderer sits on death row. The death row custodial costs are somewhat higher than those for the regular prison population. But as for those sentenced to life without parole, when you add up what it costs to keep them in prison for 20 or more years, it will cost more for a lifer than for an inmate awaiting execution.
We’re still talking about millions of dollars to maintain those lifers.
As I stated before, the costs associated with the death penalty, when figured on a yearly basis for each individual person condemned to death, are a mere drop in the bucket of an annual state budget. Citing those costs as a good reason to abolish capital punishment is nothing more than one big con job!
Oh please don't insult my intelligence !!!
The execution costs was meant to be a mere glimpse into the millions of dollars spent each year in the USA over the death penalty system ... whether it be in Oregon, Venus or other US states.
Whatever caused the USA to be in financial poo-poo, can be debated. However, it is blatantly obvious that the USA cannot continue to spend millions of taxpayers' money on the death penalty system, which is riddled with legal errors, is rotten to the core and seriously flawed beyond repair. Life in prison without parole is a cheaper alternative. In case you haven't noticed - the fear/terror/control of death over society is no longer a deterrent. It might have been in your time, but not anymore - things have changed.
You might like to know that a few years ago I did research into the thoughts of prisoners at Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas. One hundred convicted persons were asked whether they would have committed the same crime if they knew, beforehand, that they would be executed for that crime. 98 percent stated they wouldn't have been deterred by the thought of execution. Times have changed ... 'fear' is slowly dissolving among the youth in society. Today's youth are another type of 'assertive' generation with little, if any, fear of consequences.
Sorry, but those execution costs involved just to kill a person, seem outrageous and shameful to the civilized world. And don't tell me to mind my own business - human rights belong to everybody - human rights is everybody's business.
__________
REBUTTAL:
First of all let me say that I would never insult Dorina’s intelligence. She is a very smart young lady who is passionately dedicated to the cause of human rights. And I agree with her that human rights belong to everybody. Where we differ is that I firmly believe the death penalty is NOT a human rights violation.
While there have been legal errors in capital cases, it is not true that the death penalty system “is riddled with legal errors, is rotten to the core and seriously flawed beyond repair.” When you look at the totality of death penalty cases, the legal errors have been far and few between and the only people who say that it is rotten to the core are those who are opposed to capital punishment.
If the death penalty is no longer a deterrent, which I do not believe, it is only because of the endless appeals which have delayed executions for 10 years or more. This has probably led some killers to believe that if they get caught they will never be executed.
Bob Walsh hit the nail on the head when he said: “Before they castrated themselves the British had a functional death penalty and it operated cheaply and efficiently. From verdict to the drop was six months. Max. You could appeal to anybody you wanted, the Home Secretary, the Monarchy, your mother, it didn’t matter. If your appeal didn’t come through in six months they hung you. It worked and under their system is WAS a deterrent.”
While those who commit a murder in the heat of passion do not think about the death penalty, you can bet that those who are contemplating premeditated murder do. And if it weren’t for the death penalty a lot more murders would be committed by burglars, robbers, rapists and child molesters.
Dorina’s research at the Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas was deeply flawed. In fact it was meaningless. “One hundred convicted persons were asked whether they would have committed the same crime if they knew, beforehand, that they would be executed for that crime.” Of course 98 percent said they didn’t think about the death penalty. Why didn’t the death penalty deter them? Because the crimes they committed did NOT qualify for capital punishment.
During the 1960s, when executions were usually carried out without delays, a group of researchers surveyed death row inmates in several states. The inmates were asked the same question – did they consider the death penalty before murdering their victim(s)? Naturally, almost all of them said they did not. But those death row inmate surveys were also meaningless. The researchers knew from the get-go that none of the death row inmates were about to admit BEING STUPID by disregarding the possibility of being strapped in the electric chair if they got caught.
Believe me, they thought about the death penalty. Those death row inmates just didn’t think they would be caught. And as insurance in case they might get caught, a lot of armed robbers held up their victims with empty guns back then.
Finally, let me get back to the cost issue. The biggest cost associated with the death penalty is what it costs to fight the endless appeals that are filed while a murderer sits on death row. The death row custodial costs are somewhat higher than those for the regular prison population. But as for those sentenced to life without parole, when you add up what it costs to keep them in prison for 20 or more years, it will cost more for a lifer than for an inmate awaiting execution.
We’re still talking about millions of dollars to maintain those lifers.
As I stated before, the costs associated with the death penalty, when figured on a yearly basis for each individual person condemned to death, are a mere drop in the bucket of an annual state budget. Citing those costs as a good reason to abolish capital punishment is nothing more than one big con job!
'JEW THEM DOWN'
As a member of the Jewish faith, the anti-Semitic term 'Jew them down' has always been extremely offensive to me. Taylor is currently a candidate for the Texas state senate. Sorry, but his apology rings hollow to me. Taylor is running in my district and he sure as hell is not going to get my vote.
STATE REP LARRY TAYLOR AT COMMITTEE HEARING: “DON’T TRY TO JEW THEM DOWN”
At least he didn't make any cracks about "Jew York City"
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 3, 2011
Larry Taylor is League City's state rep, and a co-chair of the state's Joint Legislative Committee on Windstorm Insurance.
According to the Quorum Report, at a hearing today he "was discussing delivery of quick and fair payments for windstorm victims."
What's so bad about that? Well, here's how he "discussed" it: "Don't nitpick, don't try to Jew them down."
In his defense, the Republican immediately added "That's probably a bad term" before resuming his remarks, so it's clear he has a deep understanding of what might be offensive.
He has apologized, because "many" people find the phrase offensive. Not "almost all" people, we guess.:
__At a legislative oversight committee hearing today, I inadvertently used a phrase that many people find offensive.
__I corrected myself immediately when I realized what I had said.
__I regret my poor choice of words and sincerely apologize for any harm they may have caused.
STATE REP LARRY TAYLOR AT COMMITTEE HEARING: “DON’T TRY TO JEW THEM DOWN”
At least he didn't make any cracks about "Jew York City"
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 3, 2011
Larry Taylor is League City's state rep, and a co-chair of the state's Joint Legislative Committee on Windstorm Insurance.
According to the Quorum Report, at a hearing today he "was discussing delivery of quick and fair payments for windstorm victims."
What's so bad about that? Well, here's how he "discussed" it: "Don't nitpick, don't try to Jew them down."
In his defense, the Republican immediately added "That's probably a bad term" before resuming his remarks, so it's clear he has a deep understanding of what might be offensive.
He has apologized, because "many" people find the phrase offensive. Not "almost all" people, we guess.:
__At a legislative oversight committee hearing today, I inadvertently used a phrase that many people find offensive.
__I corrected myself immediately when I realized what I had said.
__I regret my poor choice of words and sincerely apologize for any harm they may have caused.
VIETNAMESE FIGHT FOR RIGHT TO EAT TRADITIONAL FOODS
God bless them if they want to eat roaches and weevils.
CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT SUED FOR CONDEMNING TRADITIONAL ‘FRESH MEATS’
Vietnamese restaurant owners charge discrimination and racism
By Adolf der Schweinehund
The Schalotte
November 3, 2011
The Vietnamese Restaurant Association of Greater Houston (VRAGH) has sued the Houston City Health Department because the health inspectors have repeatedly cited its members for having weevils in stored rice and roaches all over the food preparation areas.
Nguyễn Trấng Dũong, the association’s attorney, filed suit in federal court, charging that the repeated citations constituted discrimination and racism. The suit states that weevils and roaches are considered fresh meat because they are traditional Vietnamese foods.
Võ Nguyên Phùng, owner of the Poo Fong Poo restaurant told this reporter that he had been cited 37 times in the last two month by city health inspectors. Phung said that none of his Vietnamese customers have ever complained about roaches or weevils in their food because they eat them at home all the time.
“I don’t know what they expect me to do,” Phong said. “Without roaches and weevils I would not be able to stay in business.”
Trang said that VRAGH has tried to be sensitive to American pet lovers by urging its members not to offer dogs, another traditional Vietnamese food, on their menus.
Mayor Annise Parker told The Scallion that she has instructed the City Attorney to fight the suit because she does not believe it has any merit. “But,” she said, “As a gay person who knows discrimination firsthand, I want to make sure that our health inspectors are not motivated by racism.” Parker said she would appoint a City Council committee to look into the charges.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston announced that Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered the Justice Department’s civil rights section to conduct a thorough investigation of the discrimination and racism charges.
UPDATE 11-4-2011, 9:20 am: Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, Republican candidate for president, came to the defense of Vietnamese restaurant owners when he learned that in California it is now specifically illegal to eat cats and dogs and other animals kept as domestic pets. The ban was enacted because of the belief that Vietnamese were getting pound animals for food. Paul released the following statement:
“As a Libertarian, it is my firm belief that if the Vietnamese want to, it is their right as American citizens to eat cats, dogs, mice, roaches, weevils or, for that matter, even maggots. The government has no business telling Americans what they can and cannot eat.”
CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT SUED FOR CONDEMNING TRADITIONAL ‘FRESH MEATS’
Vietnamese restaurant owners charge discrimination and racism
By Adolf der Schweinehund
The Schalotte
November 3, 2011
The Vietnamese Restaurant Association of Greater Houston (VRAGH) has sued the Houston City Health Department because the health inspectors have repeatedly cited its members for having weevils in stored rice and roaches all over the food preparation areas.
Nguyễn Trấng Dũong, the association’s attorney, filed suit in federal court, charging that the repeated citations constituted discrimination and racism. The suit states that weevils and roaches are considered fresh meat because they are traditional Vietnamese foods.
Võ Nguyên Phùng, owner of the Poo Fong Poo restaurant told this reporter that he had been cited 37 times in the last two month by city health inspectors. Phung said that none of his Vietnamese customers have ever complained about roaches or weevils in their food because they eat them at home all the time.
“I don’t know what they expect me to do,” Phong said. “Without roaches and weevils I would not be able to stay in business.”
Trang said that VRAGH has tried to be sensitive to American pet lovers by urging its members not to offer dogs, another traditional Vietnamese food, on their menus.
Mayor Annise Parker told The Scallion that she has instructed the City Attorney to fight the suit because she does not believe it has any merit. “But,” she said, “As a gay person who knows discrimination firsthand, I want to make sure that our health inspectors are not motivated by racism.” Parker said she would appoint a City Council committee to look into the charges.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston announced that Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered the Justice Department’s civil rights section to conduct a thorough investigation of the discrimination and racism charges.
UPDATE 11-4-2011, 9:20 am: Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, Republican candidate for president, came to the defense of Vietnamese restaurant owners when he learned that in California it is now specifically illegal to eat cats and dogs and other animals kept as domestic pets. The ban was enacted because of the belief that Vietnamese were getting pound animals for food. Paul released the following statement:
“As a Libertarian, it is my firm belief that if the Vietnamese want to, it is their right as American citizens to eat cats, dogs, mice, roaches, weevils or, for that matter, even maggots. The government has no business telling Americans what they can and cannot eat.”
Thursday, November 03, 2011
DEATH PENALTY OPPONENTS HAVE BEEN CONNING US ABOUT THE HIGH COSTS FROM SENTENCING TO EXECUTION
Dorina Lisson, my friend from Down Under and passionate human rights activist, sent me the following message: “Is it any wonder the USA is in deep financial poo-poo !!!” Dorina included the following information on the total cost of two Oregon executions:
OFFICIAL OREGON EXECUTION COSTS
Oregon corrections officials don't have a cost estimate for Gary Haugen's planned execution on December 6, 2011, but they released figures for the state's two executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1984. Both were executed by lethal injection.
Douglas Franklin Wright - Sentenced to death in 1993 and executed in 1996 for killing three homeless men.
Total Cost: $196,170. Breakdown: $85,205 for overtime, $89,437 for the attorney general, $4,864 for facility alterations, $16,664 for travel, training, equipment and other expenses.
Harry Charles Moore - Sentenced to death 1993 and executed in 1997 for murdering his father-in-law and mother-in-law.
Total Cost: $57,656. Breakdown: $21,574 for personnel including overtime, $2,891 for office expenses, $3,030 for facilities and maintenance, $539 for medical supplies and services, $3,012 for other supplies and services, $1,557 for staff food, $25,053 for legal costs.
['Attorney General' and 'legal' costs refer to what it cost Oregon to fight numerous appeals.]
__________
The opponents of capital punishment have been bombarding us with claims that executions are costing taxpayers millions and millions of dollars. Some California legislators have even introduced legislation to abolish the death penalty because of these claims. But thanks to Dorina, I can now show that the high cost claims are nothing more than a big con job.
Take the case of Douglas Wright. When you spread the total cost of$196,170 over the three years he spent on death row, it amounts to only $65,390 a year.
Then take the case of Harry Moore. When you spread the total cost of $57,656 over the four years he spent on death row, it amounts to only $14,414 a year.
Those yearly amounts are a mere drop in the bucket of Oregon’s annual budgets.
Now in California where everything costs more – that is why people and businesses are locating to other states – the yearly execution costs are going to be higher. Oh, wait a minute! They’re not executing anyone in the Golden State. Due to endless appeals, some of its death row residents have been there for 20 to 30 years. But when you figure the yearly costs of keeping each individual inmate on death row, those amounts, like in Oregon, are a mere drop in the bucket of California’s multibillion dollar budget. Of course, when you total the yearly costs of all the inmates that have pile up on death row, it does add up, but it's still an insignificant amount of the state's total annual expenditures.
The Oregon figures do not include what it cost to try Wright and Moore. In California, capital cases are quite costly because they take weeks if not months to try. By contrast, capital cases in Texas usually last no more than a couple of weeks.
The bottom line is that the yearly cost of keeping a condemned murderer on death row is a rather insignificant part of any state’s total expenditures. Instead of a drop in the bucket, the opponents of capital punishment would have us believe the cost of executions is more like a flood and, unfortunately, they’ve conned a lot of people into believing that malarkey.
OFFICIAL OREGON EXECUTION COSTS
Oregon corrections officials don't have a cost estimate for Gary Haugen's planned execution on December 6, 2011, but they released figures for the state's two executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1984. Both were executed by lethal injection.
Douglas Franklin Wright - Sentenced to death in 1993 and executed in 1996 for killing three homeless men.
Total Cost: $196,170. Breakdown: $85,205 for overtime, $89,437 for the attorney general, $4,864 for facility alterations, $16,664 for travel, training, equipment and other expenses.
Harry Charles Moore - Sentenced to death 1993 and executed in 1997 for murdering his father-in-law and mother-in-law.
Total Cost: $57,656. Breakdown: $21,574 for personnel including overtime, $2,891 for office expenses, $3,030 for facilities and maintenance, $539 for medical supplies and services, $3,012 for other supplies and services, $1,557 for staff food, $25,053 for legal costs.
['Attorney General' and 'legal' costs refer to what it cost Oregon to fight numerous appeals.]
__________
The opponents of capital punishment have been bombarding us with claims that executions are costing taxpayers millions and millions of dollars. Some California legislators have even introduced legislation to abolish the death penalty because of these claims. But thanks to Dorina, I can now show that the high cost claims are nothing more than a big con job.
Take the case of Douglas Wright. When you spread the total cost of$196,170 over the three years he spent on death row, it amounts to only $65,390 a year.
Then take the case of Harry Moore. When you spread the total cost of $57,656 over the four years he spent on death row, it amounts to only $14,414 a year.
Those yearly amounts are a mere drop in the bucket of Oregon’s annual budgets.
Now in California where everything costs more – that is why people and businesses are locating to other states – the yearly execution costs are going to be higher. Oh, wait a minute! They’re not executing anyone in the Golden State. Due to endless appeals, some of its death row residents have been there for 20 to 30 years. But when you figure the yearly costs of keeping each individual inmate on death row, those amounts, like in Oregon, are a mere drop in the bucket of California’s multibillion dollar budget. Of course, when you total the yearly costs of all the inmates that have pile up on death row, it does add up, but it's still an insignificant amount of the state's total annual expenditures.
The Oregon figures do not include what it cost to try Wright and Moore. In California, capital cases are quite costly because they take weeks if not months to try. By contrast, capital cases in Texas usually last no more than a couple of weeks.
The bottom line is that the yearly cost of keeping a condemned murderer on death row is a rather insignificant part of any state’s total expenditures. Instead of a drop in the bucket, the opponents of capital punishment would have us believe the cost of executions is more like a flood and, unfortunately, they’ve conned a lot of people into believing that malarkey.
MONICA CROWLEY'S OP-ED ON HERMAN CAIN BEFORE THE SEXUAL HARRASSMANT ISSUE ERUPTED
I’m sure Crowley wrote her op-ed before the sexual harassment issue came to light. I’m just as sure she would never have written this about Cain had she known about the allegations and observed him digging himself ever deeper in a hole each time he came up with a different answer when asked about the allegations.
Coincidentally, Crowley got it right about Kim Kardashian even though the op-ed was obviously written before Kim announced she was getting a divorce from Kris Humphries after only 72 days of ‘wedded bliss.’
HERMAN C AND KIM K
By Monica Crowley
politicalmavens.com
November 2, 2011
Many professional political observers have puzzled over the rise of Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. Here he is—a non-politician, successful businessman running a non-traditional insurgent campaign on a shoestring. And here he is—ahead of the pack in many polls or running even with the traditional political choice, Mitt Romney. Many of these professional political analysts are scratching their heads, wondering why GOP primary voters seem inclined to the unconventional candidate who sings gospel, admits he doesn’t know things when he doesn’t know them and otherwise tells it like it is.
Let me explain the rise of Herman Cain in two words: Kim Kardashian.
Kim and the entire Kardashian clan have built quite the empire for themselves. Launching from Kim’s sex tape, the family has major reality shows on E!, clothing boutiques, a clothing line and a brand that rakes in millions of dollars a year in personal appearances and other events.
Kim took her reality superstardom to new levels this summer when she announced her engagement to NBA forward Kris Humphries. Much hoopla surrounded the impending nuptials, including of course a major run-up to the wedding on their various reality shows. They didn’t have to pay for a thing in the $10 million affair; designers and vendors happily gave away their services for a chance to have their stuff promoted by Kim and the gang on the show. KK and KH sold their “exclusive” wedding pictures to People magazine for $2 million. Speculation is that the total amount of money they raked in over the wedding period was a stunning $17 million.
So are they dummies? No way. They are very, very shrewd businesspeople. Fine capitalists. In fact, I’m surprised Occupy Wall Street hasn’t discovered them yet and set out to Occupy Team Kardashian. Spread the wealth, KK!
I admit that I watch the Kardashians on occasion. I find their various shows to be amusing escapism. The one thing I noticed—-and this wasn’t a surprise—was that neither Kim nor Kris showed any true love for each other. Their eyes were empty when they looked at each other. There was no honest tenderness or intimacy between them. Again, not a shocker since we all know what a fine actress Kim is. That sex tape performance—wow! Hand that lady an Oscar!
Check out what one “Kardashian insider” told RadarOnline: “It was pretty much an arranged marriage right from the start. Kim was looking for a husband, and Kris was selected for her, amongst others. She wasn’t into him, but she hoped she would be able to develop some feelings, but it never happened.”
In other words, Kim is a phony. Kris is a phony. The whole wedding was a phony. Everything about them is phony.
Which brings us back to Herman Cain. His rapid ascent can be explained by the fact that he is the antithesis of phony. Many conservatives believe Mitt Romney is a phony, whether that’s fair or not. I dare say ALL conservatives believe Barack Obama is a world-class phony who gives Kim a run for her money.
But Herman Cain is the real deal. He’s authentic, true, warm and believable. He’s not in this for himself or his own personal ambitions—at least that’s not the primary reason he’s in this. He’s running because he sees the country he so loves, that has allowed him and countless others the room to succeed and flourish, going down the tubes and he wants to help turn it around.
He’s honest. He makes mistakes. He apologizes for them. He’s not slick. He’s not rehearsed. He’s not pulling a fraud on the people. He’s not fake. In other words, he’s not Kim.
With her money-making scheme dressed up as a marriage, Kim finally jumped the shark. She and her family will eventually—probably sooner rather than later—recede into the pop culture firmament.
But Herman Cain, the anti-Kim? He’s here to stay, because while no one likes a phony, everyone likes an authentically good person.
Coincidentally, Crowley got it right about Kim Kardashian even though the op-ed was obviously written before Kim announced she was getting a divorce from Kris Humphries after only 72 days of ‘wedded bliss.’
HERMAN C AND KIM K
By Monica Crowley
politicalmavens.com
November 2, 2011
Many professional political observers have puzzled over the rise of Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. Here he is—a non-politician, successful businessman running a non-traditional insurgent campaign on a shoestring. And here he is—ahead of the pack in many polls or running even with the traditional political choice, Mitt Romney. Many of these professional political analysts are scratching their heads, wondering why GOP primary voters seem inclined to the unconventional candidate who sings gospel, admits he doesn’t know things when he doesn’t know them and otherwise tells it like it is.
Let me explain the rise of Herman Cain in two words: Kim Kardashian.
Kim and the entire Kardashian clan have built quite the empire for themselves. Launching from Kim’s sex tape, the family has major reality shows on E!, clothing boutiques, a clothing line and a brand that rakes in millions of dollars a year in personal appearances and other events.
Kim took her reality superstardom to new levels this summer when she announced her engagement to NBA forward Kris Humphries. Much hoopla surrounded the impending nuptials, including of course a major run-up to the wedding on their various reality shows. They didn’t have to pay for a thing in the $10 million affair; designers and vendors happily gave away their services for a chance to have their stuff promoted by Kim and the gang on the show. KK and KH sold their “exclusive” wedding pictures to People magazine for $2 million. Speculation is that the total amount of money they raked in over the wedding period was a stunning $17 million.
So are they dummies? No way. They are very, very shrewd businesspeople. Fine capitalists. In fact, I’m surprised Occupy Wall Street hasn’t discovered them yet and set out to Occupy Team Kardashian. Spread the wealth, KK!
I admit that I watch the Kardashians on occasion. I find their various shows to be amusing escapism. The one thing I noticed—-and this wasn’t a surprise—was that neither Kim nor Kris showed any true love for each other. Their eyes were empty when they looked at each other. There was no honest tenderness or intimacy between them. Again, not a shocker since we all know what a fine actress Kim is. That sex tape performance—wow! Hand that lady an Oscar!
Check out what one “Kardashian insider” told RadarOnline: “It was pretty much an arranged marriage right from the start. Kim was looking for a husband, and Kris was selected for her, amongst others. She wasn’t into him, but she hoped she would be able to develop some feelings, but it never happened.”
In other words, Kim is a phony. Kris is a phony. The whole wedding was a phony. Everything about them is phony.
Which brings us back to Herman Cain. His rapid ascent can be explained by the fact that he is the antithesis of phony. Many conservatives believe Mitt Romney is a phony, whether that’s fair or not. I dare say ALL conservatives believe Barack Obama is a world-class phony who gives Kim a run for her money.
But Herman Cain is the real deal. He’s authentic, true, warm and believable. He’s not in this for himself or his own personal ambitions—at least that’s not the primary reason he’s in this. He’s running because he sees the country he so loves, that has allowed him and countless others the room to succeed and flourish, going down the tubes and he wants to help turn it around.
He’s honest. He makes mistakes. He apologizes for them. He’s not slick. He’s not rehearsed. He’s not pulling a fraud on the people. He’s not fake. In other words, he’s not Kim.
With her money-making scheme dressed up as a marriage, Kim finally jumped the shark. She and her family will eventually—probably sooner rather than later—recede into the pop culture firmament.
But Herman Cain, the anti-Kim? He’s here to stay, because while no one likes a phony, everyone likes an authentically good person.
PERSISTENT RESTAURANT MEAL THIEF
It looks like good ole Tony will soon reside in a Texas state guest house where they lock the doors to his room and where the cuisine will not be anyway near as fine as what he liked to order when eating out.
TONY GIANNAKIS: A MAD CHECK-WALKER’S REIGN OF TERROR POSSIBLY BROUGHT TO CLOSE
By John Nova Lomax
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 1, 2011
Antonis (or possibly Antonio) Lee Giannakis appears to like fine food. Unfortunately for local restaurants and himself, it looks like he doesn't like to pay for it.
On September 20, Giannakis, 47, appropriated a meal valued at more than $50 and was caught slipping out the door without paying. After getting a court-appointed attorney, four days later he accepted guilt and was sentenced to 30 days in the Harris County Jail, with credit for the time he had already served.
Generally, if they behave, county jail inmates do half their sentences. Giannakis appears to have done even less than that, because he was a free man on October 4. A free man and a hungry man. According to a criminal complaint, he went into an unspecified restaurant and ordered up "one serving of enchiladas, one serving of guacamole and chips, and one served alcoholic beverage" and again tried to leave without paying. Once again he was caught, and once again he got a court-appointed lawyer and accepted guilt. This time he got 45 days in the pokey.
But Giannakis's reign of restaurant terror was not done.
It was Halloween eve. Giannakis was free again and his stomach was rumbling. He had been subsisting on dismal Harris County jail chow for far too long. The enchiladas and guacamole that landed him there were starting to fade into the bittersweet dreams of yesterday's walked checks.
Perhaps that was why Giannakis, who according to court records currently resides in a Fannin Street rescue mission, felt compelled to stride into, of all places, the downtown McCormick and freaking Schmick's, plunk down in a booth and order up a feast consisting of, according to the complaint, "a restaurant meal of a house salad, a rib-eye steak, and three spiced teas" and again try to bail without dropping a red cent. (An HPD spokesman said that Giannakis ordered not tea but alcohol, so maybe the complaint was supposed to read "spiked.")
And he was nabbed for the third time. Since this is strike three in his little five-finger discount gourmand plan, this time around it's a felony. Bond has been set at $5,000.
While these are Giannakis's first offenses in Harris County, he has a lengthy rap sheet chock full of similar misdeeds elsewhere in the state. He's been popped burgling coin-op machines in San Antonio, filing false police reports in Austin, burgling homes in Sinton and, from the looks of it, walking checks in Corpus and Rockport.
Looks like the guy might enjoy seafood as much as Tex-Mex and steaks. And hey, even if he keeps on getting caught, they can't take all those meals away.
TONY GIANNAKIS: A MAD CHECK-WALKER’S REIGN OF TERROR POSSIBLY BROUGHT TO CLOSE
By John Nova Lomax
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 1, 2011
Antonis (or possibly Antonio) Lee Giannakis appears to like fine food. Unfortunately for local restaurants and himself, it looks like he doesn't like to pay for it.
On September 20, Giannakis, 47, appropriated a meal valued at more than $50 and was caught slipping out the door without paying. After getting a court-appointed attorney, four days later he accepted guilt and was sentenced to 30 days in the Harris County Jail, with credit for the time he had already served.
Generally, if they behave, county jail inmates do half their sentences. Giannakis appears to have done even less than that, because he was a free man on October 4. A free man and a hungry man. According to a criminal complaint, he went into an unspecified restaurant and ordered up "one serving of enchiladas, one serving of guacamole and chips, and one served alcoholic beverage" and again tried to leave without paying. Once again he was caught, and once again he got a court-appointed lawyer and accepted guilt. This time he got 45 days in the pokey.
But Giannakis's reign of restaurant terror was not done.
It was Halloween eve. Giannakis was free again and his stomach was rumbling. He had been subsisting on dismal Harris County jail chow for far too long. The enchiladas and guacamole that landed him there were starting to fade into the bittersweet dreams of yesterday's walked checks.
Perhaps that was why Giannakis, who according to court records currently resides in a Fannin Street rescue mission, felt compelled to stride into, of all places, the downtown McCormick and freaking Schmick's, plunk down in a booth and order up a feast consisting of, according to the complaint, "a restaurant meal of a house salad, a rib-eye steak, and three spiced teas" and again try to bail without dropping a red cent. (An HPD spokesman said that Giannakis ordered not tea but alcohol, so maybe the complaint was supposed to read "spiked.")
And he was nabbed for the third time. Since this is strike three in his little five-finger discount gourmand plan, this time around it's a felony. Bond has been set at $5,000.
While these are Giannakis's first offenses in Harris County, he has a lengthy rap sheet chock full of similar misdeeds elsewhere in the state. He's been popped burgling coin-op machines in San Antonio, filing false police reports in Austin, burgling homes in Sinton and, from the looks of it, walking checks in Corpus and Rockport.
Looks like the guy might enjoy seafood as much as Tex-Mex and steaks. And hey, even if he keeps on getting caught, they can't take all those meals away.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
RECKLESS DRIVER WAS AN OFF-DUTY COP (2)
Instead of disavowing itself from the inexcusable recklessness of one of its members, the Miami Fraternal Order of Police attacks the Florida Highway Patrol trooper who arrested the off-duty cop whose disregard for the lives of others on the highway was appalling.
This was not an emergency run. And even if it had been, that would not justify going 120 mph. He was driving like a bat out of hell because he was late for a moonlighting security job.
As I said before, this jerk should be drummed out of the police service. Dump him on NASCAR. When the FOP defends this type of serious misconduct, it dishonors police officers everywhere.
MIAMI FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE DEFENDS SPEEDING OFFICER
Calls FHP Trooper ‘Reckless, Unprofessional’
Local 10.com
October 31, 2011
MIAMI -- The Miami Fraternal Order of Police defended one of its officers who FHP said was pulled over by a state trooper while driving a Miami police cruiser 120 mph on Florida's Turnpike.
Officer Fausto Lopez, 35, was charged with reckless driving in the Oct. 11 incident. An FHP trooper pulled Lopez over in the southbound lanes of Florida's Turnpike near Hollywood Boulevard after following him for 12 miles in seven minutes at speeds reaching 120 mph, police said.
The police officer drew her weapon when Lopez finally pulled over, then handcuffed him.
In a letter, Sergeant Javier Ortiz defended Lopez, writing, "Pulling a firearm on a police officer in full uniform in a marked unit is extremely reckless and unprofessional."
Ortiz, the vice president of the order, questioned the FHP trooper's motives, writing that she only wanted to cite a City of Miami police officer.
On the dash cam video, the FHP trooper is heard saying, "This is not a first time occurrence with y'all. Y'all come from that way all the time -- this Miami police car -- and we never catch it."
Ortiz also questioned why the FHP trooper, if she thought the vehicle was stolen, didn't conduct a felony stop and wait for back-up. He said that Lopez was not driving 120 mph.
"Why did she continue to follow the police vehicle after being told several times to stop by her supervisors? Why didn't she verify with dispatch if any Miami Police Department vehicles were stolen? "Why did she activate her police equipment when she can't even see the police vehicle?" he wrote.
FHP defended the trooper's actions, saying it could have been important to stop the police cruiser if it had been stolen or if its driver was involved in a crime.
"She wanted to, evidently, make contact with him, detain him, to find out what was causing him to drive in that fashion," said Sgt. Mark Wysocky, of FHP.
Lopez was given a reckless driving ticket. He faces a court hearing for the second-degree misdemeanor.
Lopez has been with the Miami Police Department for several years and has had a good driving record, both before and after becoming a police officer. He remains on duty. The police chief said he is waiting for the outcome of the criminal charge and an internal affairs investigation.
This was not an emergency run. And even if it had been, that would not justify going 120 mph. He was driving like a bat out of hell because he was late for a moonlighting security job.
As I said before, this jerk should be drummed out of the police service. Dump him on NASCAR. When the FOP defends this type of serious misconduct, it dishonors police officers everywhere.
MIAMI FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE DEFENDS SPEEDING OFFICER
Calls FHP Trooper ‘Reckless, Unprofessional’
Local 10.com
October 31, 2011
MIAMI -- The Miami Fraternal Order of Police defended one of its officers who FHP said was pulled over by a state trooper while driving a Miami police cruiser 120 mph on Florida's Turnpike.
Officer Fausto Lopez, 35, was charged with reckless driving in the Oct. 11 incident. An FHP trooper pulled Lopez over in the southbound lanes of Florida's Turnpike near Hollywood Boulevard after following him for 12 miles in seven minutes at speeds reaching 120 mph, police said.
The police officer drew her weapon when Lopez finally pulled over, then handcuffed him.
In a letter, Sergeant Javier Ortiz defended Lopez, writing, "Pulling a firearm on a police officer in full uniform in a marked unit is extremely reckless and unprofessional."
Ortiz, the vice president of the order, questioned the FHP trooper's motives, writing that she only wanted to cite a City of Miami police officer.
On the dash cam video, the FHP trooper is heard saying, "This is not a first time occurrence with y'all. Y'all come from that way all the time -- this Miami police car -- and we never catch it."
Ortiz also questioned why the FHP trooper, if she thought the vehicle was stolen, didn't conduct a felony stop and wait for back-up. He said that Lopez was not driving 120 mph.
"Why did she continue to follow the police vehicle after being told several times to stop by her supervisors? Why didn't she verify with dispatch if any Miami Police Department vehicles were stolen? "Why did she activate her police equipment when she can't even see the police vehicle?" he wrote.
FHP defended the trooper's actions, saying it could have been important to stop the police cruiser if it had been stolen or if its driver was involved in a crime.
"She wanted to, evidently, make contact with him, detain him, to find out what was causing him to drive in that fashion," said Sgt. Mark Wysocky, of FHP.
Lopez was given a reckless driving ticket. He faces a court hearing for the second-degree misdemeanor.
Lopez has been with the Miami Police Department for several years and has had a good driving record, both before and after becoming a police officer. He remains on duty. The police chief said he is waiting for the outcome of the criminal charge and an internal affairs investigation.
INFANT PORNOGRAPHY
This piece of shit is not all that unique. There are many cretins who enjoy infant porn. Worse yet, every year there are arrests of sub-humans for actually raping tiny infants. The death penalty should be reinstated for rape of an infant or toddler.
PETER KINGMAN LINDSLEY: INFANT PORN, FOR WHEN CHILD PORN ISN’T SICK ENOUGH
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 1, 2011
A Montrose man has entered a guilty plea to possession of child pornography, and he's taken the "child" part of it to extremes.
Peter Kingman Lindsley, 49, was found to have on his computer "3,805 digital images and 860 video files that depicted children engaging in lewd exhibitions of the genital and the anus, sexual intercourse and deviant sexual acts, the vast majority of which involved infants," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The stash was found on a laptop in Lindsley's bedroom in the 1400 block of Richmond this summer. The Baytown police first discovered him trading child-porn pictures using peer-to-peer software on the web.
Lindsley plead guilty to one count of possession and faces minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. When he gets out of prison, he also faces a lifetime of supervised release.
PETER KINGMAN LINDSLEY: INFANT PORN, FOR WHEN CHILD PORN ISN’T SICK ENOUGH
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 1, 2011
A Montrose man has entered a guilty plea to possession of child pornography, and he's taken the "child" part of it to extremes.
Peter Kingman Lindsley, 49, was found to have on his computer "3,805 digital images and 860 video files that depicted children engaging in lewd exhibitions of the genital and the anus, sexual intercourse and deviant sexual acts, the vast majority of which involved infants," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The stash was found on a laptop in Lindsley's bedroom in the 1400 block of Richmond this summer. The Baytown police first discovered him trading child-porn pictures using peer-to-peer software on the web.
Lindsley plead guilty to one count of possession and faces minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. When he gets out of prison, he also faces a lifetime of supervised release.
WIN A JAR FULL OF TENS IF YOU PASS THREE TESTS
A man walks into a bar, notices a very large jar on the counter, and sees that it's filled to the brim with $10 bills. He guesses there must be at least ten thousand dollars in it. He approaches the bartender and asks,
"What's with the money in the jar?"
"Well..., you pay $10, and if you pass three tests, you get all the money in the jar and the keys to a brand new Lexus"
The man certainly isn't going to pass this up, so he asks, "What are the three tests?"
"You gotta pay first," says the bartender, "those are the rules."
So, after thinking it over a while, the man gives the bartender $10 which he stuffs into the jar.
"Okay," says the bartender, "here's what you need to do:
First - You have to drink a whole quart of tequila, in 60 seconds or less, and you can't make a face while doing it."
"Second - There's a pit bull chained in the back with a bad tooth. You have to remove that tooth with your bare hands."
"Third - There's a 90-year old lady upstairs who's never had sex. You have to take care of that problem."
The man is stunned! "I know I paid my $10 -- but I'm not an idiot! I won't do it! You'd have to be nuts to drink a quart of tequila and then do all those other things!"
"Your call," says the bartender, "but, your money stays where it is."
As time goes on, the man has a few more drinks and finally says, "Where's the damn tequila?!"
He grabs the bottle with both hands and drinks it as fast as he can. Tears stream down both cheeks -- but he doesn't make a face -- and he drinks it in 58 seconds!
Next, he staggers out the back door where he sees the pit bull chained to a pole. Soon, the people inside the bar hear loud growling, screaming, and sounds of a terrible fight -- then nothing but silence!
Just when they think that the man surely must be dead, he staggers back into the bar. His clothes are ripped to shreds and he's bleeding from bites and gashes all over his body.
He drunkenly says, "Whew.., the dog didn’t want to and I had a hard time getting it up. Now..., where's that old woman with the bad tooth?"
"What's with the money in the jar?"
"Well..., you pay $10, and if you pass three tests, you get all the money in the jar and the keys to a brand new Lexus"
The man certainly isn't going to pass this up, so he asks, "What are the three tests?"
"You gotta pay first," says the bartender, "those are the rules."
So, after thinking it over a while, the man gives the bartender $10 which he stuffs into the jar.
"Okay," says the bartender, "here's what you need to do:
First - You have to drink a whole quart of tequila, in 60 seconds or less, and you can't make a face while doing it."
"Second - There's a pit bull chained in the back with a bad tooth. You have to remove that tooth with your bare hands."
"Third - There's a 90-year old lady upstairs who's never had sex. You have to take care of that problem."
The man is stunned! "I know I paid my $10 -- but I'm not an idiot! I won't do it! You'd have to be nuts to drink a quart of tequila and then do all those other things!"
"Your call," says the bartender, "but, your money stays where it is."
As time goes on, the man has a few more drinks and finally says, "Where's the damn tequila?!"
He grabs the bottle with both hands and drinks it as fast as he can. Tears stream down both cheeks -- but he doesn't make a face -- and he drinks it in 58 seconds!
Next, he staggers out the back door where he sees the pit bull chained to a pole. Soon, the people inside the bar hear loud growling, screaming, and sounds of a terrible fight -- then nothing but silence!
Just when they think that the man surely must be dead, he staggers back into the bar. His clothes are ripped to shreds and he's bleeding from bites and gashes all over his body.
He drunkenly says, "Whew.., the dog didn’t want to and I had a hard time getting it up. Now..., where's that old woman with the bad tooth?"
AN OLD JOKE WORTH REPEATING
THE PROMISED LAND
Over five thousand years ago, Moses said to the children of Israel , "Pick
up your shovels, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you to the
Promised Land."
Nearly 75 years ago, (when Welfare was introduced) Roosevelt said, "Lay down
your shovels, sit on your asses, and light up a Camel, this is the Promised
Land."
Today, Congress has stolen your shovel, taxed your asses, raised the price
of Camels and mortgaged the Promised Land!
I was so depressed last night thinking about Health Care Plans, the economy,
multiple wars, lost jobs, savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc. .
I called a Suicide Hotline.
I had to press 1 for English.
I was connected to a call center in Pakistan. I told them I was suicidal.
They got excited and asked if I could drive a truck......
Over five thousand years ago, Moses said to the children of Israel , "Pick
up your shovels, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you to the
Promised Land."
Nearly 75 years ago, (when Welfare was introduced) Roosevelt said, "Lay down
your shovels, sit on your asses, and light up a Camel, this is the Promised
Land."
Today, Congress has stolen your shovel, taxed your asses, raised the price
of Camels and mortgaged the Promised Land!
I was so depressed last night thinking about Health Care Plans, the economy,
multiple wars, lost jobs, savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc. .
I called a Suicide Hotline.
I had to press 1 for English.
I was connected to a call center in Pakistan. I told them I was suicidal.
They got excited and asked if I could drive a truck......
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
U.S. MILITARY DISASTER AHEAD? Spending Cuts: Either the Military or Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid
The looming budget cuts to our military, coupled with military budget cuts by our NATO allies, could spell disaster for the West. We won’t be able to fight a war against enemy ground forces only with drones and manned aircraft. And the West’s moral character will not allow us to resort to the use of nuclear weapons. The Chinese and the Iranians must be rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation of our decline. And Islamic militants must be dancing in the streets, shouting “Allah Akbar!” over and over again.
The Republican clarion call of ‘no new taxes’ sounds great, but we can’t have our cake and eat it too. The only way to avoid further deep spending cuts to our military without raising taxes is to make deep spending cuts to our Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs.
GUTTING THE MILITARY: LOOMING CUTS MEAN U.S. RETREAT
By Peter Brookes
politicalmavens.com
October 31, 2011
In about a month, if a congressional “super committee” [joint House-Senate committee on deficit reduction] can’t come up with a plan to slim down the federal budget by $1.5 trillion in 10 years, the Pentagon will be facing the budget cleaver– again.
That’s right, if the super committee can’t agree on a drastic budget diet, the 2011 Budget Control Act (the law passed this summer, raising the debt ceiling) will trigger a spending “sequestration” (automatic reduction) of $1.2 trillion, with half — or more — coming from defense coffers.
Team Obama has already slashed the Pentagon by some $850 billion over 10 years, including canceling some 50 major weapons programs, so this is nothing less than double trouble for our troops — and our national security.
With the big cuts already under way, even Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, previously a green eye-shade “budgeteer” himself, cautioned Congress about deeper Pentagon reductions in a recent Capitol Hill appearance.
Of course, taking another bite of the Pentagon apple looks pretty darn easy compared to the political risk of touching the third-rail of American politics: reforming the Big Three entitlement programs — Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.
But experts are also warning of dire consequences internationally and higher risks to our troops if further Defense Department draw-downs are taken. After all, it’s an uncertain and dangerous world we live in.
For instance, analysts say that axing the defense budget will shrink the Marine Corps to its smallest force in some 50 years; the Army will dwindle to pre-9/11 numbers, and the Air Force will have two-thirds fewer fighters and bombers than in 1990.
The Navy will lose one to two aircraft-carrier battle groups, reducing our flattop numbers to as little as nine. The brass may have to shrink the fleet to some 220-240 ships — smaller than at any time since just before the First World War.
Plus, we may lose one leg of the nuclear triad of fleet ballistic-missile submarines, long-range bombers and land-based missiles silos — discarding nuke duty for our boomers (missile subs) or bombers.
There’s also likely to be delays in fielding national and theater missile defense to protect the homeland, our deployed troops, allies and friends abroad from the growing ballistic-missile threat.
Equally important in this tough economy, Panetta told lawmakers that large defense reductions could cost 1.5 million jobs, adding 1 percentage point to the already staggering 9 percent unemployment rate.
Bottom line?
More hacking away at the Pentagon budget could leave our military (already tired and tattered after 10 years of war) a mere shadow of what it once was — in just a decade’s time.
This will harm our ability to deter, dissuade or deal with adversarial activities and shape world events in our favor, presaging a possible plummet in US power across the globe.
China, which has increased its defense budget by 10 percent or more each year for the last two decades, must be giddy at the prospect of the sun setting on American influence in the Pacific.
The perception of our military might in free-fall will also please Iran, which is gleeful about our Iraq withdrawal, recently promised to send warships to patrol the Atlantic coast and feels safe plotting assassinations on US soil.
You can only imagine what Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, Syria and al Qaeda (from Pakistan to Yemen to Somalia) — not to mention our friends and allies — must be thinking.
The Hollywood fantasy “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” was great fun, but ”Honey, I Shrunk the Military” won’t prove very amusing at all.
The Republican clarion call of ‘no new taxes’ sounds great, but we can’t have our cake and eat it too. The only way to avoid further deep spending cuts to our military without raising taxes is to make deep spending cuts to our Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs.
GUTTING THE MILITARY: LOOMING CUTS MEAN U.S. RETREAT
By Peter Brookes
politicalmavens.com
October 31, 2011
In about a month, if a congressional “super committee” [joint House-Senate committee on deficit reduction] can’t come up with a plan to slim down the federal budget by $1.5 trillion in 10 years, the Pentagon will be facing the budget cleaver– again.
That’s right, if the super committee can’t agree on a drastic budget diet, the 2011 Budget Control Act (the law passed this summer, raising the debt ceiling) will trigger a spending “sequestration” (automatic reduction) of $1.2 trillion, with half — or more — coming from defense coffers.
Team Obama has already slashed the Pentagon by some $850 billion over 10 years, including canceling some 50 major weapons programs, so this is nothing less than double trouble for our troops — and our national security.
With the big cuts already under way, even Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, previously a green eye-shade “budgeteer” himself, cautioned Congress about deeper Pentagon reductions in a recent Capitol Hill appearance.
Of course, taking another bite of the Pentagon apple looks pretty darn easy compared to the political risk of touching the third-rail of American politics: reforming the Big Three entitlement programs — Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.
But experts are also warning of dire consequences internationally and higher risks to our troops if further Defense Department draw-downs are taken. After all, it’s an uncertain and dangerous world we live in.
For instance, analysts say that axing the defense budget will shrink the Marine Corps to its smallest force in some 50 years; the Army will dwindle to pre-9/11 numbers, and the Air Force will have two-thirds fewer fighters and bombers than in 1990.
The Navy will lose one to two aircraft-carrier battle groups, reducing our flattop numbers to as little as nine. The brass may have to shrink the fleet to some 220-240 ships — smaller than at any time since just before the First World War.
Plus, we may lose one leg of the nuclear triad of fleet ballistic-missile submarines, long-range bombers and land-based missiles silos — discarding nuke duty for our boomers (missile subs) or bombers.
There’s also likely to be delays in fielding national and theater missile defense to protect the homeland, our deployed troops, allies and friends abroad from the growing ballistic-missile threat.
Equally important in this tough economy, Panetta told lawmakers that large defense reductions could cost 1.5 million jobs, adding 1 percentage point to the already staggering 9 percent unemployment rate.
Bottom line?
More hacking away at the Pentagon budget could leave our military (already tired and tattered after 10 years of war) a mere shadow of what it once was — in just a decade’s time.
This will harm our ability to deter, dissuade or deal with adversarial activities and shape world events in our favor, presaging a possible plummet in US power across the globe.
China, which has increased its defense budget by 10 percent or more each year for the last two decades, must be giddy at the prospect of the sun setting on American influence in the Pacific.
The perception of our military might in free-fall will also please Iran, which is gleeful about our Iraq withdrawal, recently promised to send warships to patrol the Atlantic coast and feels safe plotting assassinations on US soil.
You can only imagine what Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, Syria and al Qaeda (from Pakistan to Yemen to Somalia) — not to mention our friends and allies — must be thinking.
The Hollywood fantasy “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” was great fun, but ”Honey, I Shrunk the Military” won’t prove very amusing at all.
MATH AS A CRIME FIGHTING TOOL
Let’s hope they get the math right.
FIGHTING VIOLENT GANG CRIME WITH MATH
UCLA mathematicians working with the Los Angeles Police Department to analyze crime patterns have designed a mathematical algorithm to identify street gangs involved in unsolved violent crimes. Their research is based on patterns of known criminal activity between gangs, and represents the first scholarly study of gang violence of its kind.
By Stuart Wolpert
PhysOrg.com
October 31, 2011
The research appears today on the website of the peer-reviewed mathematical journal Inverse Problems and will be published in a future print edition.
In developing their algorithm, the mathematicians analyzed more than 1,000 gang crimes and suspected gang crimes, about half of them unsolved, that occurred over a 10-year period in an East Los Angeles police district known as Hollenbeck, a small area in which there are some 30 gangs and nearly 70 gang rivalries.
To test the algorithm, the researchers created a set of simulated data that closely mimicked the crime patterns of the Hollenbeck gang network. They then dropped some of the key information out — at times the victim, the perpetrator or both — and tested how well the algorithm could calculate the missing information.
"If police believe a crime might have been committed by one of seven or eight rival gangs, our method would look at recent historical events in the area and compute probabilities as to which of these gangs are most likely to have committed crime," said the study's senior author, Andrea Bertozzi, a professor of mathematics and director of applied mathematics at UCLA.
About 80 percent of the time, the mathematicians could narrow it down to three gang rivalries that were most likely involved in a crime.
"Our algorithm placed the correct gang rivalry within the top three most likely rivalries 80 percent of the time, which is significantly better than chance," said Martin Short, a UCLA adjunct assistant professor of mathematics and co-author of the study. "That narrows it down quite a bit, and that is when we don't know anything about the crime victim or perpetrator."
The mathematicians also found that the correct gang was ranked No. 1 — rather than just among the top three — 50 percent of the time, compared with just 17 percent by chance.
Police can investigate further when the gangs are narrowed down.
"We can do even better," Bertozzi said. "This is the first paper that takes this new approach. We can only improve on that 80 percent by developing more sophisticated methods.
"Our algorithm exploits gang activity patterns to produce the best probability of which gang, or which three gangs, may have been responsible for the crimes," she said.
The new research is federally funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Research Office's mathematics division, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
FIGHTING VIOLENT GANG CRIME WITH MATH
UCLA mathematicians working with the Los Angeles Police Department to analyze crime patterns have designed a mathematical algorithm to identify street gangs involved in unsolved violent crimes. Their research is based on patterns of known criminal activity between gangs, and represents the first scholarly study of gang violence of its kind.
By Stuart Wolpert
PhysOrg.com
October 31, 2011
The research appears today on the website of the peer-reviewed mathematical journal Inverse Problems and will be published in a future print edition.
In developing their algorithm, the mathematicians analyzed more than 1,000 gang crimes and suspected gang crimes, about half of them unsolved, that occurred over a 10-year period in an East Los Angeles police district known as Hollenbeck, a small area in which there are some 30 gangs and nearly 70 gang rivalries.
To test the algorithm, the researchers created a set of simulated data that closely mimicked the crime patterns of the Hollenbeck gang network. They then dropped some of the key information out — at times the victim, the perpetrator or both — and tested how well the algorithm could calculate the missing information.
"If police believe a crime might have been committed by one of seven or eight rival gangs, our method would look at recent historical events in the area and compute probabilities as to which of these gangs are most likely to have committed crime," said the study's senior author, Andrea Bertozzi, a professor of mathematics and director of applied mathematics at UCLA.
About 80 percent of the time, the mathematicians could narrow it down to three gang rivalries that were most likely involved in a crime.
"Our algorithm placed the correct gang rivalry within the top three most likely rivalries 80 percent of the time, which is significantly better than chance," said Martin Short, a UCLA adjunct assistant professor of mathematics and co-author of the study. "That narrows it down quite a bit, and that is when we don't know anything about the crime victim or perpetrator."
The mathematicians also found that the correct gang was ranked No. 1 — rather than just among the top three — 50 percent of the time, compared with just 17 percent by chance.
Police can investigate further when the gangs are narrowed down.
"We can do even better," Bertozzi said. "This is the first paper that takes this new approach. We can only improve on that 80 percent by developing more sophisticated methods.
"Our algorithm exploits gang activity patterns to produce the best probability of which gang, or which three gangs, may have been responsible for the crimes," she said.
The new research is federally funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Research Office's mathematics division, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
RECKLESS DRIVER WAS AN OFF-DUTY COP
This jerk needs to be drummed out of the police service. There is absolutely no excuse for putting other drivers at risk by this kind of driving, whether on duty or not. No emergency really requires a cop to exceed a speed of from 90 to 100 mph, not even to assist another officer.
FLORIDA COP LATE TO WORK PULLED OVER DRIVING CRUISER 120 MPH TO OFF-DUTY JOB
A Miami police officer is accused of driving 120 mph on a turnpike
Associated Press
October 30, 2011
MIAMI — A Miami police officer is accused of driving 120 mph on a turnpike because he was late for his off-duty job working security at a school.
The Florida Highway Patrol says officer Fausto Lopez was arrested at gunpoint after leading police on a brief high-speed chase.
According to a police report, a trooper spotted a patrol car changing lanes in a dangerous manner earlier this month. The report says the patrol car ignored warnings to pull over and led a brief high-speed chase before stopping near Hollywood.
Miami police spokesman Delrish Moss told The Associated Press on Saturday that any administrative action against Lopez will be taken after the outcome of the criminal case.
FLORIDA COP LATE TO WORK PULLED OVER DRIVING CRUISER 120 MPH TO OFF-DUTY JOB
A Miami police officer is accused of driving 120 mph on a turnpike
Associated Press
October 30, 2011
MIAMI — A Miami police officer is accused of driving 120 mph on a turnpike because he was late for his off-duty job working security at a school.
The Florida Highway Patrol says officer Fausto Lopez was arrested at gunpoint after leading police on a brief high-speed chase.
According to a police report, a trooper spotted a patrol car changing lanes in a dangerous manner earlier this month. The report says the patrol car ignored warnings to pull over and led a brief high-speed chase before stopping near Hollywood.
Miami police spokesman Delrish Moss told The Associated Press on Saturday that any administrative action against Lopez will be taken after the outcome of the criminal case.
VAGOS AND ATF VS. HELLS ANGELS
The U.S. Justice Department and California have been trying to break up the Hells Angeles going back to the 1950s. They haven’t had much success and have suffered some embarrassing defeats in court trials. In years past the Angels were believed to have controlled California’s illegal meth trade but some of my law enforcement friends tell me that they are now much more into running legitimate businesses. The Angels have always been involved in bloody confrontations with rival biker gangs.
My experience with the Angels has been less than congenial. As a cop I found them to be a hard-drinking, mean bunch of fearless good-old boys, but after several knock-down and drag-outs, I also found that when us cops did not approach the Angels with a belligerent attitude, we could deal with them in a reasonable manner.
HELLS ANGELS VIOLENT YEAR SHINES LIGHT ON GANG
The violence spilled into public view in the unlikeliest of places two weeks ago
By Paul Elias
Associated Press
October 31, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO — The Hells Angels have had a rough year in California.
Three Northern California members have died violently in the last month amid a turf battle with a rival biker gang. And law enforcement officials on both ends of the motorcycle club's home state are pursuing and jailing members, with 26 Angels and their associates arrested recently in San Diego.
The violence spilled into public view in the unlikeliest of places two weeks ago when thousands of Harley-Davidsons rolled up to a San Jose cemetery on a sunny Saturday afternoon to bury a Hells Angels leader who was gunned down weeks earlier in a Nevada casino.
A Hells Angel allegedly shot and killed a fellow member at the cemetery and fled _ the latest sign of the in-fighting and violence that has plagued the gang in recent months. And if the deadly gunfire were not enough, a member was plowed down by a van a week later near Oakland, the alleged the victim of road rage.
While no one is predicting the demise of the notorious outlaw motorcycle club, law enforcement officials and gang experts said the Hells Angels' recent woes still stand out for an organization they describe as violent, sophisticated and disciplined with loyal-to-the-death members.
"They are the heavyweight champions of the biker gang culture," said Jay Dobyns, an agent with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who infiltrated the Hells Angels in Arizona for two years beginning in 2001. "And every other biker gang wants the belt."
The organization has a long history in California, dating to its founding in 1948 by returning World War II veterans in the dusty town of Fontana and including a notorious incident during a Rolling Stones show in Altamont in 1969 in which a spectator was stabbed by a Hells Angel working security. A jury later acquitted the killer, finding he acted in self defense.
The U.S. Department of Justice says the Hells Angels now have as many as 2,500 members in 230 chapters in 26 countries, and are a major source of drug-trafficking.
Federal, state and local police have pursued the club for decades, infiltrating it with undercover agents, prosecuting suspects with harsh charges once reserved for the Mafia and indicting members on charges ranging from drug trafficking to mortgage fraud.
Yet the club flourished. They opened chapters worldwide, aggressively enforced their trademarks in court like a responsible Wall Street corporation and won high-profile acquittals and other legal battles with law enforcement.
The ATF, which handles many federal biker cases, said it arrested more outlaw motorcycle gang members last year than any other since 2003. Police in Germany, Canada and elsewhere also report a surge in motorcycle gang violence, with much of it connected to the Hells Angels.
The California Hells Angels' current problems are partly rooted in a battle with the Vagos, a California-based motorcycle club founded in the 1960s. The clubs have been bitter enemies dating at least back a decade to a violent 2001 confrontation at a Costa Mesa swap meet.
"These groups are trying to expand their membership and dominance," said Kent Shaw, the California Attorney General's acting head of law enforcement. "There's going to be a number of clashes and it seems to have gotten worse over the last couple years. It seems to be coming to a flash point."
After dozens of Vagos took over a bar in Lakeport, California, and rode their motorcycles up and down the main drag, officials went so far as to close the downtown to traffic on May 14.
Lake County Sheriff Frank Rivero said the Vagos were making a statement about controlling the region after one of its members was allegedly beaten by Hells Angels earlier in the year. So Rivero put up a road block that day after the California Highway Patrol and FBI warned that Hells Angels were traveling toward town.
The Angels turned back before reaching the road block. But now the district attorney is investigating whether the sheriff violated the club members' civil rights with his plans to stop them. The sheriff is unapologetic.
"It's a basic response," Rivero said. "I'm not going to tolerate gang violence in Lake County."
A month later, a Vagos member and a friend were severely beaten in a casino. Four Hells Angels have been charged with assault. Three were arrested and the sheriff said they were bailed out by fellow Angel Steve Tausan, who owned a bail bonds company. A fourth is being sought.
In September, the two gangs fought again.
San Jose Angels leader Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew was slain during a wild shootout with rival Vagos in a Reno-area casino on Sept. 23.
It was at Pettigrew's burial where more violence occurred. Two shots were fired, and Tausan, Pettigrew's good friend and high-ranking Angel, lay bleeding with a mortal wound. Police suspect fellow Angel Steve Ruiz of firing on Tausan after they argued over the casino shooting and whether enough was done to protect Pettigrew, the president of the San Jose chapter.
Police are now searching for Ruiz, who reportedly was hustled into a waiting car, leaving behind his motorcycle. Investigators initially feared Ruiz was killed and went so far as to dig up Pettigrew's grave in search of a body. But now police believe he is on the run with his girlfriend.
San Jose police were out in force Saturday as Tausan was laid to rest at the same cemetery where he was killed during the Oct. 15 funeral. A police spokesman said there were no reports of any disturbances or violence.
The Hells Angels didn't respond to numerous phone calls and email messages sent to their clubhouses in San Jose and Santa Cruz, where Tausan served as the chapter's sergeant at arms.
The Angels have always maintained they are a club of motorcycle enthusiasts who are unfairly regarded as an organized crime syndicate because of the crimes of a few members acting independently. The club participates in charity events, such as "Toys for Tots" motorcycle runs and blood drives.
"When we do right, nobody remembers," the club's Web site states. "When we do wrong, nobody forgets."
Karen Snell, a lawyer who won a $1.8 million settlement in 2005 after the San Jose chapter filed a lawsuit claiming illegal police searches during a murder investigation, said Pettigrew, Tausan and the others involved with the case were serious businessmen with families.
"They were really responsible clients," Snell said. "In my all my interactions with them, they were always gentlemen."
Now Pettigrew and Tausan are dead.
"We lost our brother, our father, our son and our friend," said Karen Tausan, Steve's sister. "He left a big hole in our family and we can only hope this will come to an end now."
My experience with the Angels has been less than congenial. As a cop I found them to be a hard-drinking, mean bunch of fearless good-old boys, but after several knock-down and drag-outs, I also found that when us cops did not approach the Angels with a belligerent attitude, we could deal with them in a reasonable manner.
HELLS ANGELS VIOLENT YEAR SHINES LIGHT ON GANG
The violence spilled into public view in the unlikeliest of places two weeks ago
By Paul Elias
Associated Press
October 31, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO — The Hells Angels have had a rough year in California.
Three Northern California members have died violently in the last month amid a turf battle with a rival biker gang. And law enforcement officials on both ends of the motorcycle club's home state are pursuing and jailing members, with 26 Angels and their associates arrested recently in San Diego.
The violence spilled into public view in the unlikeliest of places two weeks ago when thousands of Harley-Davidsons rolled up to a San Jose cemetery on a sunny Saturday afternoon to bury a Hells Angels leader who was gunned down weeks earlier in a Nevada casino.
A Hells Angel allegedly shot and killed a fellow member at the cemetery and fled _ the latest sign of the in-fighting and violence that has plagued the gang in recent months. And if the deadly gunfire were not enough, a member was plowed down by a van a week later near Oakland, the alleged the victim of road rage.
While no one is predicting the demise of the notorious outlaw motorcycle club, law enforcement officials and gang experts said the Hells Angels' recent woes still stand out for an organization they describe as violent, sophisticated and disciplined with loyal-to-the-death members.
"They are the heavyweight champions of the biker gang culture," said Jay Dobyns, an agent with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who infiltrated the Hells Angels in Arizona for two years beginning in 2001. "And every other biker gang wants the belt."
The organization has a long history in California, dating to its founding in 1948 by returning World War II veterans in the dusty town of Fontana and including a notorious incident during a Rolling Stones show in Altamont in 1969 in which a spectator was stabbed by a Hells Angel working security. A jury later acquitted the killer, finding he acted in self defense.
The U.S. Department of Justice says the Hells Angels now have as many as 2,500 members in 230 chapters in 26 countries, and are a major source of drug-trafficking.
Federal, state and local police have pursued the club for decades, infiltrating it with undercover agents, prosecuting suspects with harsh charges once reserved for the Mafia and indicting members on charges ranging from drug trafficking to mortgage fraud.
Yet the club flourished. They opened chapters worldwide, aggressively enforced their trademarks in court like a responsible Wall Street corporation and won high-profile acquittals and other legal battles with law enforcement.
The ATF, which handles many federal biker cases, said it arrested more outlaw motorcycle gang members last year than any other since 2003. Police in Germany, Canada and elsewhere also report a surge in motorcycle gang violence, with much of it connected to the Hells Angels.
The California Hells Angels' current problems are partly rooted in a battle with the Vagos, a California-based motorcycle club founded in the 1960s. The clubs have been bitter enemies dating at least back a decade to a violent 2001 confrontation at a Costa Mesa swap meet.
"These groups are trying to expand their membership and dominance," said Kent Shaw, the California Attorney General's acting head of law enforcement. "There's going to be a number of clashes and it seems to have gotten worse over the last couple years. It seems to be coming to a flash point."
After dozens of Vagos took over a bar in Lakeport, California, and rode their motorcycles up and down the main drag, officials went so far as to close the downtown to traffic on May 14.
Lake County Sheriff Frank Rivero said the Vagos were making a statement about controlling the region after one of its members was allegedly beaten by Hells Angels earlier in the year. So Rivero put up a road block that day after the California Highway Patrol and FBI warned that Hells Angels were traveling toward town.
The Angels turned back before reaching the road block. But now the district attorney is investigating whether the sheriff violated the club members' civil rights with his plans to stop them. The sheriff is unapologetic.
"It's a basic response," Rivero said. "I'm not going to tolerate gang violence in Lake County."
A month later, a Vagos member and a friend were severely beaten in a casino. Four Hells Angels have been charged with assault. Three were arrested and the sheriff said they were bailed out by fellow Angel Steve Tausan, who owned a bail bonds company. A fourth is being sought.
In September, the two gangs fought again.
San Jose Angels leader Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew was slain during a wild shootout with rival Vagos in a Reno-area casino on Sept. 23.
It was at Pettigrew's burial where more violence occurred. Two shots were fired, and Tausan, Pettigrew's good friend and high-ranking Angel, lay bleeding with a mortal wound. Police suspect fellow Angel Steve Ruiz of firing on Tausan after they argued over the casino shooting and whether enough was done to protect Pettigrew, the president of the San Jose chapter.
Police are now searching for Ruiz, who reportedly was hustled into a waiting car, leaving behind his motorcycle. Investigators initially feared Ruiz was killed and went so far as to dig up Pettigrew's grave in search of a body. But now police believe he is on the run with his girlfriend.
San Jose police were out in force Saturday as Tausan was laid to rest at the same cemetery where he was killed during the Oct. 15 funeral. A police spokesman said there were no reports of any disturbances or violence.
The Hells Angels didn't respond to numerous phone calls and email messages sent to their clubhouses in San Jose and Santa Cruz, where Tausan served as the chapter's sergeant at arms.
The Angels have always maintained they are a club of motorcycle enthusiasts who are unfairly regarded as an organized crime syndicate because of the crimes of a few members acting independently. The club participates in charity events, such as "Toys for Tots" motorcycle runs and blood drives.
"When we do right, nobody remembers," the club's Web site states. "When we do wrong, nobody forgets."
Karen Snell, a lawyer who won a $1.8 million settlement in 2005 after the San Jose chapter filed a lawsuit claiming illegal police searches during a murder investigation, said Pettigrew, Tausan and the others involved with the case were serious businessmen with families.
"They were really responsible clients," Snell said. "In my all my interactions with them, they were always gentlemen."
Now Pettigrew and Tausan are dead.
"We lost our brother, our father, our son and our friend," said Karen Tausan, Steve's sister. "He left a big hole in our family and we can only hope this will come to an end now."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)