Let me get this straight. His girlfriend was in a stolen car with the parolee as he rammed a police car in an attempt to get away and she was only in the car to help the cops catch him. Bob Walsh says that’s a ‘new twist’ on him. Me too!
The liar (lawyer) for the deceased girlfriend’s family came up with a real whopper for this lawsuit. In the car to help the cops catch her boyfriend – that’s a real good one.
GOLD STAR PAROLEE COPS A PLEA
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
November 19, 2010
A Gold Star Parolee plead guilty in a somewhat odd case in beautiful downtown Escondido.
Christopher Ramirez, 28, was a wanted parolee who rammed a stolen car into a police car triggering a shooting that killed Ramirez’ girlfriend. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to six felonies and will draw a ten-year sentence for this trouble. The case has also generated a lawsuit.
Jennnifer Favreau was a passenger in the car when the cops opened fire. She was shot and killed. Her family has filed a $50 million wrongful death suit. The suit claims that Favreau was present in the car at the request of the police and that she was in some fashion helping the cops catch her boyfriend. I have to admit, that is a new twist on me.
Clicking here will link to a SFGATE story on this subject.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
'BIG EASY' WAY TOO EASY IN RECRUITING COPS
Where in hell did the recruiters find these cops from hell? And three of these sorry shitheads now on trial in federal court even managed to rise to the rank of lieutenant.
POLICE OFFICER ‘LAUGHED AFTER SHOOTING NEW ORLEANS LOOTER AND BURNING HIS BODY’, COURT HEARS
Mail Online
November 19, 2010
A New Orleans police officer was laughing after he burned the body of a man who had been gunned down by police in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, a fellow officer has testified.
The testimony came during the trial of five police officers who have gone on trial charged in the shooting and burning of Henry Glover, 31, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Lt. Joseph Meisch says he was standing outside a police station near the Mississippi River when he saw a car followed by a pickup truck driving on a levee.
Gregory McRae was driving the car and Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann was driving the truck, according to prosecutors.
Moments after the car drove off the levee, Meisch saw a plume of thick, black smoke.
Meisch didn't know who was driving the vehicles until McRae and Scheuermann ran toward him.
Scheuermann had a blank look on his face, but McRae was laughing, Meisch said.
'Laughing like somebody had just played a joke?' Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Knight asked.
'It could have been humorous or nervous laughter,' he said.
Meisch said he asked what had happened, and McRae told him not to worry about it.
'I got it,' Scheuermann added, according to Meisch.
McRae's lawyer, Frank DeSalvo, has conceded that his client burned the body.
DeSalvo said in his opening statement that McRae was under stress from Katrina's harsh conditions when he made a 'very bad decision' to toss a flare in the car.
Jeffrey Kearney, one of Scheuermann's attorneys, has said his client didn't know McRae was going to set the car on fire.
Meisch said he didn't check on the car until four or five days later. When he looked into the back seat, he saw what appeared to be a ribcage.
'It kind of actually scared me,' he said. But he didn't tell anybody about his discovery, assuming Scheuermann was handling it, Meisch said.
'It did raise some suspicion in my mind,' he said. 'But, again, Lt. Scheuermann said he's got it.'
Meisch said he didn't discuss the matter with Scheuermann again until 2009, after federal authorities started investigating Glover's death. Meisch said Scheuermann told him that they wouldn't deny what happened and that McRae had made a 'stupid mistake.'
A former officer, David Warren, is charged with shooting Glover. Prosecutors say Glover wasn't armed and didn't pose a threat to Warren.
Scheuermann and McRae are accused of beating people who drove Glover to a makeshift police headquarters in search of help.
The three men were handcuffed when the officers drove off with the car containing Glover's body.
Former Lt. Robert Italiano and Lt. Travis McCabe are accused of falsifying a report to make it appear Glover's shooting was justified.
In other testimony Thursday, a federal agent deployed in New Orleans after Katrina said he interviewed William Tanner, the owner of the burned car, about a month after the shooting.
Tanner had driven Glover, Glover's brother and a friend to the school, where he claims they were beaten before the officers drove off with his car.
John Schmidt, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, said he recounted Tanner's story to Italiano because he supervised the investigative unit for the police district where the shooting and alleged beatings occurred.
'He said he was going to take care of it,' Schmidt recalled Italiano saying.
But prosecutors say Italiano helped cover up the incident and lied to the FBI about his knowledge of the shooting and burned car.
POLICE OFFICER ‘LAUGHED AFTER SHOOTING NEW ORLEANS LOOTER AND BURNING HIS BODY’, COURT HEARS
Mail Online
November 19, 2010
A New Orleans police officer was laughing after he burned the body of a man who had been gunned down by police in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, a fellow officer has testified.
The testimony came during the trial of five police officers who have gone on trial charged in the shooting and burning of Henry Glover, 31, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Lt. Joseph Meisch says he was standing outside a police station near the Mississippi River when he saw a car followed by a pickup truck driving on a levee.
Gregory McRae was driving the car and Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann was driving the truck, according to prosecutors.
Moments after the car drove off the levee, Meisch saw a plume of thick, black smoke.
Meisch didn't know who was driving the vehicles until McRae and Scheuermann ran toward him.
Scheuermann had a blank look on his face, but McRae was laughing, Meisch said.
'Laughing like somebody had just played a joke?' Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Knight asked.
'It could have been humorous or nervous laughter,' he said.
Meisch said he asked what had happened, and McRae told him not to worry about it.
'I got it,' Scheuermann added, according to Meisch.
McRae's lawyer, Frank DeSalvo, has conceded that his client burned the body.
DeSalvo said in his opening statement that McRae was under stress from Katrina's harsh conditions when he made a 'very bad decision' to toss a flare in the car.
Jeffrey Kearney, one of Scheuermann's attorneys, has said his client didn't know McRae was going to set the car on fire.
Meisch said he didn't check on the car until four or five days later. When he looked into the back seat, he saw what appeared to be a ribcage.
'It kind of actually scared me,' he said. But he didn't tell anybody about his discovery, assuming Scheuermann was handling it, Meisch said.
'It did raise some suspicion in my mind,' he said. 'But, again, Lt. Scheuermann said he's got it.'
Meisch said he didn't discuss the matter with Scheuermann again until 2009, after federal authorities started investigating Glover's death. Meisch said Scheuermann told him that they wouldn't deny what happened and that McRae had made a 'stupid mistake.'
A former officer, David Warren, is charged with shooting Glover. Prosecutors say Glover wasn't armed and didn't pose a threat to Warren.
Scheuermann and McRae are accused of beating people who drove Glover to a makeshift police headquarters in search of help.
The three men were handcuffed when the officers drove off with the car containing Glover's body.
Former Lt. Robert Italiano and Lt. Travis McCabe are accused of falsifying a report to make it appear Glover's shooting was justified.
In other testimony Thursday, a federal agent deployed in New Orleans after Katrina said he interviewed William Tanner, the owner of the burned car, about a month after the shooting.
Tanner had driven Glover, Glover's brother and a friend to the school, where he claims they were beaten before the officers drove off with his car.
John Schmidt, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, said he recounted Tanner's story to Italiano because he supervised the investigative unit for the police district where the shooting and alleged beatings occurred.
'He said he was going to take care of it,' Schmidt recalled Italiano saying.
But prosecutors say Italiano helped cover up the incident and lied to the FBI about his knowledge of the shooting and burned car.
MINIATURIZATION OF POLICE DOGS
The Japanese are well known for miniaturizing all sorts of electronic gizmos. And now they’ve don it with police dogs. What can possibly be next, the miniaturization of humans?
ARE THEY BARKING MAD? JAPAN’S NEWEST POLICE DOG IS A CHIHUAHUA CALLED ‘MOMO’
Mail Online
November 19, 2010
Meet Japan's newest police dog - all 6.6 lb of her.
In what is a world first, a long-haired Chihuahua named 'Momo' has passed exams to become a police dog in the western Japanese prefecture of Nara.
The brown-and-white dog was one of 32 successful candidates out of 70 dogs, passing a search and rescue test by finding a person in five minutes after merely sniffing their cap.
'Any breed of dog can be entered to become a police dog in the search and rescue division,' said a Nara police spokesman.
But he admitted that news a Chihuahua had been entered may still come as a surprise to many.
'It's quite unusual,' he said.
Television footage showed the seven-year-old Momo bounding across grass or sitting proudly, long hair blowing in the breeze.
Momo will be used for rescue operations in case of disasters such as earthquakes, in the hope that she may be able to squeeze her tiny frame into places too narrow for more usual rescue dogs, which tend to be German Shepherds.
The public response to the news of Momo's selection took police by surprise, the spokesman said, adding: 'The phone's been ringing all afternoon.'
'It's quite rare for us to have a chihuahua work as a police dog,' the spokeswoman said.
Chihuahuas, named after a Mexican state, are the smallest breed of dog.
'We would like it to work hard by taking advantage of its small size,' a Nara police department official told the Sankei Shimbun daily.
ARE THEY BARKING MAD? JAPAN’S NEWEST POLICE DOG IS A CHIHUAHUA CALLED ‘MOMO’
Mail Online
November 19, 2010
Meet Japan's newest police dog - all 6.6 lb of her.
In what is a world first, a long-haired Chihuahua named 'Momo' has passed exams to become a police dog in the western Japanese prefecture of Nara.
The brown-and-white dog was one of 32 successful candidates out of 70 dogs, passing a search and rescue test by finding a person in five minutes after merely sniffing their cap.
'Any breed of dog can be entered to become a police dog in the search and rescue division,' said a Nara police spokesman.
But he admitted that news a Chihuahua had been entered may still come as a surprise to many.
'It's quite unusual,' he said.
Television footage showed the seven-year-old Momo bounding across grass or sitting proudly, long hair blowing in the breeze.
Momo will be used for rescue operations in case of disasters such as earthquakes, in the hope that she may be able to squeeze her tiny frame into places too narrow for more usual rescue dogs, which tend to be German Shepherds.
The public response to the news of Momo's selection took police by surprise, the spokesman said, adding: 'The phone's been ringing all afternoon.'
'It's quite rare for us to have a chihuahua work as a police dog,' the spokeswoman said.
Chihuahuas, named after a Mexican state, are the smallest breed of dog.
'We would like it to work hard by taking advantage of its small size,' a Nara police department official told the Sankei Shimbun daily.
Friday, November 19, 2010
JESSE VENTURA DOESN'T LIKE TO GET GROPED
Trey wrote, "Good, I hope he stays home!" But I say: Aww, come on, give Jesse a break. Jesse was a strong backer of our own Kinky Friedman when the ‘Texas Jew Boy’ ran for governor. Now anyone who supports Kinky can't be all bad.
FORMER GOV. VENTURA WILL NO LONGER FLY DUE TO ABUSE HE’S ENDURED AT HANDS OF TSA
By Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
November 19, 2010
Appearing on the Alex Jones Show today, the former governor of Minnesota and host of the popular TruTV show, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, announced he will no longer use commercial airlines due to the egregious abuses of the TSA and the government.
Ventura said he made the decision to avoid public aircraft after he found himself becoming too comfortable with being routinely searched. He said he was subjected to pat down and search three or four times a week when he traveled for his television show. Ventura had hip surgery and the metal in his body invariably sets off airport metal detectors.
Jesse said he will no longer be forced by the TSA to prove he is not a criminal or terrorist. He refuses to be considered guilty until proven innocent by the government in violation of the Fourth Amendment. He also admitted the decision not to fly may put an end to his career.
Several people have initiated lawsuits against the government, including a 21-year-old college student from Amarillo, Texas, who had her breasts exposed by a TSA goon and a businessman and frequent traveler who has is so infuriated by TSA workers sexually groping passengers, squeezing breasts and genitals, that he has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Miami requesting an injunction against the TSA to prevent them from touching private areas without reasonable suspicion.
FORMER GOV. VENTURA WILL NO LONGER FLY DUE TO ABUSE HE’S ENDURED AT HANDS OF TSA
By Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
November 19, 2010
Appearing on the Alex Jones Show today, the former governor of Minnesota and host of the popular TruTV show, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, announced he will no longer use commercial airlines due to the egregious abuses of the TSA and the government.
Ventura said he made the decision to avoid public aircraft after he found himself becoming too comfortable with being routinely searched. He said he was subjected to pat down and search three or four times a week when he traveled for his television show. Ventura had hip surgery and the metal in his body invariably sets off airport metal detectors.
Jesse said he will no longer be forced by the TSA to prove he is not a criminal or terrorist. He refuses to be considered guilty until proven innocent by the government in violation of the Fourth Amendment. He also admitted the decision not to fly may put an end to his career.
Several people have initiated lawsuits against the government, including a 21-year-old college student from Amarillo, Texas, who had her breasts exposed by a TSA goon and a businessman and frequent traveler who has is so infuriated by TSA workers sexually groping passengers, squeezing breasts and genitals, that he has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Miami requesting an injunction against the TSA to prevent them from touching private areas without reasonable suspicion.
BETTER WAY TO SCREEN AIRLINE PASSENGERS
Well an good, but why can’t Homeland Security adopt the Israeli method? Israel’s air travel security is based mostly on thorough background checks of all air travelers and on profiling passengers getting ready to board airliners. Israel’s airliners are prime targets for Muslim militants, but that nation’s security system has prevented any of its airliners from being downed.
THE SOLUTION TO AIRPORT SCREENING UPROAR?
By Tony Pugh
Jewish World Review
Nov 18, 2010
After 23-year-old Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded a flight from the Netherlands to Detroit last Christmas with enough explosives to bring down the plane, officials at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport decided to build a better mousetrap.
So they installed more than a dozen full-body scanners capable of detecting metallic and non-metallic materials, including explosives, gels, powders and liquids.
In the 11 months that the devices have operated, Schiphol largely has avoided the privacy and safety uproar that surrounds passenger screening at U.S. airports on the eve of the holiday travel season.
Ironically, the Dutch can credit their relative success to good ol' American ingenuity: the kind that the Department of Homeland Security is now considering.
Unlike the backscatter imaging devices that provide revealing body images and which have stoked concerns about radiation, the system at Schiphol uses radio waves to detect contraband.
The Woburn, Mass., firm that manufacturers the system, L-3 Communications Security & Detection Systems, claims on its website that the radio waves are "10,000 times lower than other commonly used radio-frequency devices."
If the software identifies a passenger carrying explosives, an outline of the problem body area is displayed on a generic mannequin figure instead of on the actual image of the passenger's body. The mannequin image, which appears on the operator's control panel, "can then be used by security personnel to direct a focused discussion or search," the company website reads.
The "automatic threat detection" system, dubbed "ProVision ATD," sells for $40,000 to $150,000 and doesn't use ionizing radiation or X-rays.
In May, the Transportation Security Administration ordered 200 of the less-advanced ProVision systems to screen passengers at U.S. airports. These units don't feature the "automatic threat detection" capability that can highlight parts of the body without generating actual images. But TSA has contracted with L-3 to develop software upgrades that could provide that capability for the agency's 200 units.
It's unclear how soon the updated software will be made available, but it should go a long way in eliminating the current controversy.
THE SOLUTION TO AIRPORT SCREENING UPROAR?
By Tony Pugh
Jewish World Review
Nov 18, 2010
After 23-year-old Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded a flight from the Netherlands to Detroit last Christmas with enough explosives to bring down the plane, officials at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport decided to build a better mousetrap.
So they installed more than a dozen full-body scanners capable of detecting metallic and non-metallic materials, including explosives, gels, powders and liquids.
In the 11 months that the devices have operated, Schiphol largely has avoided the privacy and safety uproar that surrounds passenger screening at U.S. airports on the eve of the holiday travel season.
Ironically, the Dutch can credit their relative success to good ol' American ingenuity: the kind that the Department of Homeland Security is now considering.
Unlike the backscatter imaging devices that provide revealing body images and which have stoked concerns about radiation, the system at Schiphol uses radio waves to detect contraband.
The Woburn, Mass., firm that manufacturers the system, L-3 Communications Security & Detection Systems, claims on its website that the radio waves are "10,000 times lower than other commonly used radio-frequency devices."
If the software identifies a passenger carrying explosives, an outline of the problem body area is displayed on a generic mannequin figure instead of on the actual image of the passenger's body. The mannequin image, which appears on the operator's control panel, "can then be used by security personnel to direct a focused discussion or search," the company website reads.
The "automatic threat detection" system, dubbed "ProVision ATD," sells for $40,000 to $150,000 and doesn't use ionizing radiation or X-rays.
In May, the Transportation Security Administration ordered 200 of the less-advanced ProVision systems to screen passengers at U.S. airports. These units don't feature the "automatic threat detection" capability that can highlight parts of the body without generating actual images. But TSA has contracted with L-3 to develop software upgrades that could provide that capability for the agency's 200 units.
It's unclear how soon the updated software will be made available, but it should go a long way in eliminating the current controversy.
ARYAN BROTHERHOOD NOW ALLIED WITH DRUG CARTELS
The following report is from the Borderland Beat blog:
MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS TIED TO U.S. WHITE SUPREMACISTS
By Claudia Núñez, Translated by Elena Shore
La Opinion
November 17, 2010
The activities of white supremacist groups in the United States could be financed by Mexican drug cartels as a result of ties between the two groups, experts say. Members of the supremacist gang Aryan Brotherhood are collaborating with organized crime groups the Mexican Mafia and the Tijuana Cartel to smuggle illegal drugs both in state and federal prisons, and on the California-Mexico market.
"The cartels are looking for partners, bridges, to connect their activities inside the United States, and the supremacists have become an important force on the streets and inside prisons," according to Larry Gaines, gang expert and president of the criminal justice department at San Bernardino State University.
Members of the Aryan Brotherhood, the notoriously violent organization founded in the California penitentiary system in 1967, are serving as hitmen for Mexican cartels and offering added protection and intimidation against rival groups, according to a report by the National Gang Intelligence Center.
"Some members of the Aryan Brotherhood (AB) have business relationships with Mexican cartels that bring illegal drugs into California for the AB to distribute. The Aryan Brotherhood is notoriously violent and is often involved in murder for hire," the report says.
Likewise, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirms that its own research indicates that white supremacist gangs are currently collaborating with Mexican cartels in car theft operations and arms trafficking to Mexico, primarily in Texas, California and Chicago.
Although the first investigation into the collaboration between the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia was conducted by the Los Angeles bureau of the FBI, that office told La Opinión that it does not currently have any intelligence supporting their collaboration. This, despite the fact that the National Gang Intelligence Center (which the FBI is a part of) confirms the ties between the two groups.
In 1984, the FBI’s Los Angeles bureau issued a report stating that Aryan Brotherhood gang members were facing longer prison terms than Latino gang members and had become the major force of organized crime inside prisons.
Several prison guards were allegedly killed by AB gang members as a sign of intimidation.
The report also states that both groups came to a "peace" agreement that they would not kill a member of a rival racial group. If the Aryan Brotherhood had a problem with a Mexican, for example, they would pass the case onto the Mexican Mafia who would order his execution; and the AB would be responsible for punishing its own members.
The FBI agents that conducted the six-month investigation warned that many of the AB gang members would be released from prison in a few years, and the alliance between the two gangs would continue on the streets. The theory, according to new reports, has become a reality.
SOLDIERS IN THE SERVICE OF CRIMINALS
According to a white supremacist doctrine, the Aryan Brotherhood, whose symbol is "666," has shifted from an organization whose mission was to protect itself from other racial groups to a group that seeks power and control over sectors of the drug market.
But the Aryan Brotherhood is also secondarily financing other extremist political groups like the gangs Peckerwoods, Public Enemy Number One and Nazi Low Riders that it has formed alliances with to distribute drugs. "The drug trafficking money is indirectly serving the purposes of supremacists," said Wes McBride, executive director of the California Gang Investigators Association.
The Aryan Brotherhood formed a coalition with the group Nazi Low Riders (NLR) to serve as street soldiers in drug and arms trafficking. But a series of mass arrests of NLR members changed the structure of their business.
In March 2006, Ty Fowles, a resident of Garden Grove and alleged leader of the NLR, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges. Fowles was charged with extortion, conspiracy to distribute drugs, witness tampering, robbery, murder and attempted murder. The same year, Richard Klein, 35, and his wife Kylie, 25, were convicted of selling methamphetamines on the streets of Orange County to fund the NLR and the families of its incarcerated members.
With members of NLR divided, Donald Reed "Popeye" Mazza, the leader of Public Enemy Number One, joined the Aryan Brotherhood in 2005. Public Enemy Number One, also known as Death Squad, has grown immensely. Although it has a racist ideology, the group is primarily dedicated to making money, particularly in the meth trade.
Authorities suspect that there could be hundreds of these members operating throughout Southern California. Meanwhile, federal reports state that Aryan Brotherhood squads were or are still part of the U.S. Armed Forces and have employed their military tactics in their own operations.
On the streets of Lancaster and Palmdale, east of Los Angeles, anti-drug agents have discovered alliances between gangs of different races working for the cartels, according to Lt. Erik Ruble of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.
"In prison, divisions and racial problems are still strong, but on the street, the structure is different. Now it’s based on a union of power and economics where racial divisions are unnecessary," says Ruble.
In the past, meth and Ecstasy production in California was controlled by white gangs. Now the market is completely dominated by Mexican cartels, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The spokesperson said he is not aware of agreements between white supremacist gangs and Latino gangs, but he confirmed cases of white and Asian gangs working together on large-scale synthetic drug operations.
"The amount of money these gangs handle is massive. We had a case of the wife of a member of [the Mexican Mafia] who had half a million dollars in cash at home, and expensive properties in several cities," said Mrozek. "The reality is that today if you want cocaine, the Mexican cartels have the big market, same with methamphetamines, and there are enough drugs for the cartels to have to find new customers and systems of distribution."
MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS TIED TO U.S. WHITE SUPREMACISTS
By Claudia Núñez, Translated by Elena Shore
La Opinion
November 17, 2010
The activities of white supremacist groups in the United States could be financed by Mexican drug cartels as a result of ties between the two groups, experts say. Members of the supremacist gang Aryan Brotherhood are collaborating with organized crime groups the Mexican Mafia and the Tijuana Cartel to smuggle illegal drugs both in state and federal prisons, and on the California-Mexico market.
"The cartels are looking for partners, bridges, to connect their activities inside the United States, and the supremacists have become an important force on the streets and inside prisons," according to Larry Gaines, gang expert and president of the criminal justice department at San Bernardino State University.
Members of the Aryan Brotherhood, the notoriously violent organization founded in the California penitentiary system in 1967, are serving as hitmen for Mexican cartels and offering added protection and intimidation against rival groups, according to a report by the National Gang Intelligence Center.
"Some members of the Aryan Brotherhood (AB) have business relationships with Mexican cartels that bring illegal drugs into California for the AB to distribute. The Aryan Brotherhood is notoriously violent and is often involved in murder for hire," the report says.
Likewise, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirms that its own research indicates that white supremacist gangs are currently collaborating with Mexican cartels in car theft operations and arms trafficking to Mexico, primarily in Texas, California and Chicago.
Although the first investigation into the collaboration between the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia was conducted by the Los Angeles bureau of the FBI, that office told La Opinión that it does not currently have any intelligence supporting their collaboration. This, despite the fact that the National Gang Intelligence Center (which the FBI is a part of) confirms the ties between the two groups.
In 1984, the FBI’s Los Angeles bureau issued a report stating that Aryan Brotherhood gang members were facing longer prison terms than Latino gang members and had become the major force of organized crime inside prisons.
Several prison guards were allegedly killed by AB gang members as a sign of intimidation.
The report also states that both groups came to a "peace" agreement that they would not kill a member of a rival racial group. If the Aryan Brotherhood had a problem with a Mexican, for example, they would pass the case onto the Mexican Mafia who would order his execution; and the AB would be responsible for punishing its own members.
The FBI agents that conducted the six-month investigation warned that many of the AB gang members would be released from prison in a few years, and the alliance between the two gangs would continue on the streets. The theory, according to new reports, has become a reality.
SOLDIERS IN THE SERVICE OF CRIMINALS
According to a white supremacist doctrine, the Aryan Brotherhood, whose symbol is "666," has shifted from an organization whose mission was to protect itself from other racial groups to a group that seeks power and control over sectors of the drug market.
But the Aryan Brotherhood is also secondarily financing other extremist political groups like the gangs Peckerwoods, Public Enemy Number One and Nazi Low Riders that it has formed alliances with to distribute drugs. "The drug trafficking money is indirectly serving the purposes of supremacists," said Wes McBride, executive director of the California Gang Investigators Association.
The Aryan Brotherhood formed a coalition with the group Nazi Low Riders (NLR) to serve as street soldiers in drug and arms trafficking. But a series of mass arrests of NLR members changed the structure of their business.
In March 2006, Ty Fowles, a resident of Garden Grove and alleged leader of the NLR, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges. Fowles was charged with extortion, conspiracy to distribute drugs, witness tampering, robbery, murder and attempted murder. The same year, Richard Klein, 35, and his wife Kylie, 25, were convicted of selling methamphetamines on the streets of Orange County to fund the NLR and the families of its incarcerated members.
With members of NLR divided, Donald Reed "Popeye" Mazza, the leader of Public Enemy Number One, joined the Aryan Brotherhood in 2005. Public Enemy Number One, also known as Death Squad, has grown immensely. Although it has a racist ideology, the group is primarily dedicated to making money, particularly in the meth trade.
Authorities suspect that there could be hundreds of these members operating throughout Southern California. Meanwhile, federal reports state that Aryan Brotherhood squads were or are still part of the U.S. Armed Forces and have employed their military tactics in their own operations.
On the streets of Lancaster and Palmdale, east of Los Angeles, anti-drug agents have discovered alliances between gangs of different races working for the cartels, according to Lt. Erik Ruble of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.
"In prison, divisions and racial problems are still strong, but on the street, the structure is different. Now it’s based on a union of power and economics where racial divisions are unnecessary," says Ruble.
In the past, meth and Ecstasy production in California was controlled by white gangs. Now the market is completely dominated by Mexican cartels, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The spokesperson said he is not aware of agreements between white supremacist gangs and Latino gangs, but he confirmed cases of white and Asian gangs working together on large-scale synthetic drug operations.
"The amount of money these gangs handle is massive. We had a case of the wife of a member of [the Mexican Mafia] who had half a million dollars in cash at home, and expensive properties in several cities," said Mrozek. "The reality is that today if you want cocaine, the Mexican cartels have the big market, same with methamphetamines, and there are enough drugs for the cartels to have to find new customers and systems of distribution."
'CRIMINALS ARE CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH, ALL OF THEM'
On Wednesday’s PACOVILLA Corrections blog, Paco posted ‘Non-violent parolee murdered RPD officer as he pleaded for mercy.’ The tragic killing of a Riverside PD officer by a parolee who had been classified as ‘non-violent’ before he was released from prison, resulted in a number of comments.
My comment was:
No one, man or computer, can predict future behavior. Nothing is more non-violent than writing bad checks. But years ago, a bad check writer in Houston became a cold-blooded killer. He was passing through the check out line in a supermarket and attempted to pay for some groceries with a bad check. The telecheck system alerted the checker who called for the manager. At that point the bad check writer pulled out a gun and shot the checker to death. The asshole had no prior arrests for violence on his record.
So in memory of Ryan Bonaminio [the slain officer] and for the sake of other officers and members of the public, get rid of that stupid ‘non-violent’ classification!
One of Paco’s followers, ‘warm ham’, made some insightful observations in his comment. Here is what he said:
Politicians don’t get it, judges don’t get it and unfortunately the majority of the public doesn’t get it. It’s not about who is or is not non-violent, what a criminal’s past history was, or the factors that may indicate future violent behavior. It is about a mindset that criminals have.
Whether a check forger or a murderer, criminals are irresponsible, impulsive, selfish, opportunists. They are cut from the same cloth, all of them.
Those that manage to see the light and change their ways, more power to them, but for the vast majority of criminals, when a situation requires violence you can bet they won’t hesitate.
The politicians & so called "experts" think they have devised a [computer] program that can determine the likelihood a parolee will or will not engage in violence. Time and time again criminals will prove just how naive everyone really is. Problem is it comes at the cost of lives.
My comment was:
No one, man or computer, can predict future behavior. Nothing is more non-violent than writing bad checks. But years ago, a bad check writer in Houston became a cold-blooded killer. He was passing through the check out line in a supermarket and attempted to pay for some groceries with a bad check. The telecheck system alerted the checker who called for the manager. At that point the bad check writer pulled out a gun and shot the checker to death. The asshole had no prior arrests for violence on his record.
So in memory of Ryan Bonaminio [the slain officer] and for the sake of other officers and members of the public, get rid of that stupid ‘non-violent’ classification!
One of Paco’s followers, ‘warm ham’, made some insightful observations in his comment. Here is what he said:
Politicians don’t get it, judges don’t get it and unfortunately the majority of the public doesn’t get it. It’s not about who is or is not non-violent, what a criminal’s past history was, or the factors that may indicate future violent behavior. It is about a mindset that criminals have.
Whether a check forger or a murderer, criminals are irresponsible, impulsive, selfish, opportunists. They are cut from the same cloth, all of them.
Those that manage to see the light and change their ways, more power to them, but for the vast majority of criminals, when a situation requires violence you can bet they won’t hesitate.
The politicians & so called "experts" think they have devised a [computer] program that can determine the likelihood a parolee will or will not engage in violence. Time and time again criminals will prove just how naive everyone really is. Problem is it comes at the cost of lives.
THEY MUST HAVE SLEPT THROUGH CHEM ISTRY CLASS
Without proper prescribed precautions, your little lab might just go KABOOM! That’s what they teach in chemistry class.
METH FIRES GALORE IN LUFKIN
By John Nova Lomax
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 18, 2010
Man, Lufkin's got the crystal methamphetamine blues bad. Just as one high-profile meth lab fire case comes to a close, another one opens...
We begin with the adventures of Gilbert Sanders and Charles Euper...
Okay, imagine you own a motel on Texas 59 in the Piney Woods just north of Lufkin. It's 3 AM. Gilbert Naylor Sanders, the not-scary-looking-at-all gentleman, walks in and asks for a room, and you oblige.
Fifteen minutes later your entire motel is on fire.
Okay...Should you really be all that surprised? I mean, did it not cross your mind that this extra from the Devil's Rejects-looking dude just might be in the mood for cookin' up a little of that good ol'-fashion East Texas bathtub crank?
We're not casting aspersions on the owner of Lufkin's American Motel, which indeed burned down last January. Nope, this is all on Sanders, who pleaded guilty to arson this week was sentenced to two years in prison, and his buddy Charles Roy Euper, who took a six-year bit for the same charge.
According to the Lufkin Daily News, the night in question went down like this:
__Euper joined [Sanders] in Room 28 where the two apparently began cooking meth, according to previous reports. Fifteen minutes later, the entire building was engulfed in flames. As the motel owner, Norma Berreles, and her husband began to settle in for the night, both heard sounds of crackling and popping which prompted the husband to investigate. Outside the front office he saw flames coming from of one of the rooms. The motel owner told investigators her husband was able to get all guests out of their rooms before they dialed 911.
Euper was arrested in November of 2009 in connection with the motel fire, and was released on bond. But he wasn't quite done yet -- East Texas cops caught him with another meth lab this past August.
Apparently James Durham doesn't read, or possibly doesn't comprehend, the Lufkin papers because he made the same mistake Euper and Sanders did.
Last Thursday, the home Durham shared with his mother burned to the ground. After determining the fire was allegedly ignited by a mobile "shake and bake" meth lab, they tracked Durham down in the motel room he and his mom had been provided by the Red Cross. (Who knows -- maybe it was the American Motel, risen from the ashes.)
According to the Daily News, Durham tried gamely to talk his way out of the jam, despite some pretty compelling evidence.
__Angelina County Sheriff Segreant Allen] Hill said Durham did not take ownership of the lab, but had chemical burns on his body. "He said, 'I'm clean. I didn't do nothing.' He was burned all along his side as if he'd been squirted with lighter fluid," Hill said.
As of Wednesday, Durham was in the Angelina County Jail facing an arson charge. His bond was set at $25,000.
METH FIRES GALORE IN LUFKIN
By John Nova Lomax
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 18, 2010
Man, Lufkin's got the crystal methamphetamine blues bad. Just as one high-profile meth lab fire case comes to a close, another one opens...
We begin with the adventures of Gilbert Sanders and Charles Euper...
Okay, imagine you own a motel on Texas 59 in the Piney Woods just north of Lufkin. It's 3 AM. Gilbert Naylor Sanders, the not-scary-looking-at-all gentleman, walks in and asks for a room, and you oblige.
Fifteen minutes later your entire motel is on fire.
Okay...Should you really be all that surprised? I mean, did it not cross your mind that this extra from the Devil's Rejects-looking dude just might be in the mood for cookin' up a little of that good ol'-fashion East Texas bathtub crank?
We're not casting aspersions on the owner of Lufkin's American Motel, which indeed burned down last January. Nope, this is all on Sanders, who pleaded guilty to arson this week was sentenced to two years in prison, and his buddy Charles Roy Euper, who took a six-year bit for the same charge.
According to the Lufkin Daily News, the night in question went down like this:
__Euper joined [Sanders] in Room 28 where the two apparently began cooking meth, according to previous reports. Fifteen minutes later, the entire building was engulfed in flames. As the motel owner, Norma Berreles, and her husband began to settle in for the night, both heard sounds of crackling and popping which prompted the husband to investigate. Outside the front office he saw flames coming from of one of the rooms. The motel owner told investigators her husband was able to get all guests out of their rooms before they dialed 911.
Euper was arrested in November of 2009 in connection with the motel fire, and was released on bond. But he wasn't quite done yet -- East Texas cops caught him with another meth lab this past August.
Apparently James Durham doesn't read, or possibly doesn't comprehend, the Lufkin papers because he made the same mistake Euper and Sanders did.
Last Thursday, the home Durham shared with his mother burned to the ground. After determining the fire was allegedly ignited by a mobile "shake and bake" meth lab, they tracked Durham down in the motel room he and his mom had been provided by the Red Cross. (Who knows -- maybe it was the American Motel, risen from the ashes.)
According to the Daily News, Durham tried gamely to talk his way out of the jam, despite some pretty compelling evidence.
__Angelina County Sheriff Segreant Allen] Hill said Durham did not take ownership of the lab, but had chemical burns on his body. "He said, 'I'm clean. I didn't do nothing.' He was burned all along his side as if he'd been squirted with lighter fluid," Hill said.
As of Wednesday, Durham was in the Angelina County Jail facing an arson charge. His bond was set at $25,000.
WHOPPER OF A RECEIPT
This customer was so traumatized that he is contemplating a lawsuit. Of course, since we live in a litigious society, that’s what you would expect from this poor humiliated fellow.
BURGER KING STAFF FIRED AFTER DRIVE-THRU CUSTOMER FINDS FOUR-LEETER INSULTS ON HIS DOUBLE WHOPPER RECEIPT
Mail Online
November 18, 2010
Burger King has fired a number of employees after a customer in California was given a receipt with swear words written on it.
Francisco Perez was shocked when he went through a Sacramento drive thru for a cheeseburger and saw the words FUCK YOU printed out twice on his bill.
He spent $9.22 on a double Whopper with cheese, onion rings, funnel cake sticks, and a small drink during his late-night food run.
As he collected his meal he noticed the expletives typed out where the customer number is usually placed.
'All I did was place my order and got a "fuck you" burger' Perez told KTVU.
'Actually, I am embarrassed. It's humiliating.
'I showed the guy and he just kind of laughed.
'There was no "Sorry, we'll fix it".'
He says he did nothing to provoke the workers, whose names also appear on the receipt.
According to Perez a Burger King representative called him late Wednesday to offer vouchers for free food.
He refused.
Perez said that while he ate his Whopper meal from that night, he will never eat at a Burger King again.
He is now contemplating a lawsuit.
BURGER KING STAFF FIRED AFTER DRIVE-THRU CUSTOMER FINDS FOUR-LEETER INSULTS ON HIS DOUBLE WHOPPER RECEIPT
Mail Online
November 18, 2010
Burger King has fired a number of employees after a customer in California was given a receipt with swear words written on it.
Francisco Perez was shocked when he went through a Sacramento drive thru for a cheeseburger and saw the words FUCK YOU printed out twice on his bill.
He spent $9.22 on a double Whopper with cheese, onion rings, funnel cake sticks, and a small drink during his late-night food run.
As he collected his meal he noticed the expletives typed out where the customer number is usually placed.
'All I did was place my order and got a "fuck you" burger' Perez told KTVU.
'Actually, I am embarrassed. It's humiliating.
'I showed the guy and he just kind of laughed.
'There was no "Sorry, we'll fix it".'
He says he did nothing to provoke the workers, whose names also appear on the receipt.
According to Perez a Burger King representative called him late Wednesday to offer vouchers for free food.
He refused.
Perez said that while he ate his Whopper meal from that night, he will never eat at a Burger King again.
He is now contemplating a lawsuit.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
A THIEF WITH MORALS
He probably saved the baby from becoming a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning.
MAN STEALS CAR, FINDS BABY INSIDE AND GOES BACK TO CHASTISE DRIVER: A MORALITY TALE
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 17, 2010
A man's got to have a code, as Omar Little says.
Stealing a car? Permissible, if circumstances warrant. Leaving a baby in one? No way.
The Galveston County Daily News reports on this stirring morality tale, which took place early Tuesday morning.
A Houston woman and a boyfriend intended to go fishing off a Seawall pier; as they were taking the equipment out on a jetty, the woman left her baby in a car seat with the heater on because she thought it was too cold out.
As both of them were way out on the jetty, a man -- thought to be homeless -- hopped in the car and took off.
He quickly made a U-turn, though, when he discovered the baby in the backseat.
He drove it back to the couple, got out and, according to Galveston police, asked the couple "What the hell are you doing?"
"The guy made comments about why would you leave your kid in the car," a GPD spokesman said.
We do not know if the couple asked why the hell the guy would steal their car. But we're guessing they were too stunned by getting a morality lecture from a car thief to comment.
MAN STEALS CAR, FINDS BABY INSIDE AND GOES BACK TO CHASTISE DRIVER: A MORALITY TALE
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
November 17, 2010
A man's got to have a code, as Omar Little says.
Stealing a car? Permissible, if circumstances warrant. Leaving a baby in one? No way.
The Galveston County Daily News reports on this stirring morality tale, which took place early Tuesday morning.
A Houston woman and a boyfriend intended to go fishing off a Seawall pier; as they were taking the equipment out on a jetty, the woman left her baby in a car seat with the heater on because she thought it was too cold out.
As both of them were way out on the jetty, a man -- thought to be homeless -- hopped in the car and took off.
He quickly made a U-turn, though, when he discovered the baby in the backseat.
He drove it back to the couple, got out and, according to Galveston police, asked the couple "What the hell are you doing?"
"The guy made comments about why would you leave your kid in the car," a GPD spokesman said.
We do not know if the couple asked why the hell the guy would steal their car. But we're guessing they were too stunned by getting a morality lecture from a car thief to comment.
MOTHER FROM HELL
Why did the judge only give her 15 years when he called her ‘the mother from hell’ and described her as 'sadistic and merciless'?
Another example of why humans are the most cruel of all animals.
MOTHER PLUNGED BOY, THREE, INTO BOILING WATER LEAVING HIM WITH SUCH BAD BURNS HE HAD TO HAVE ALL 10 TOES AMPUTATED
Mail Online
November 17, 2010
A 'mother from hell' has been jailed for 15 years after plunging her three-year-old son into boiling water because he soiled his nappy.
Former care worker Regina Cooper, 31, from New York, held the child in a bath and watched as his skin 'fell off'.
Barkim Owens had to have all 10 toes amputated and suffered severe burns that spread to 20 per cent of his body.
He spent six weeks in a coma after the attack and has had to learn how to walk again.
Doctors had to remove a rib and place it in his throat to open up his airway.
Queens Supreme Court, in New York, heard that Barkim 'just wanted to be loved' and screamed 'it hurts, it hurts' as he was held in the water for several minutes, the New York Daily News reported.
Cooper pleaded guilty to assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Justice Richard Buchter, sentencing, described Cooper as 'sadistic and merciless', the newspaper said.
He said: 'Regina Cooper, unfortunately, is the mother from hell.
'The defendant is sadistic and merciless.'
Pam Jordan, Cooper's lawyer, said her client had been abused throughout her life.
At yesterday's sentencing hearing, Cooper told the judge that 'everybody hates me' and that she 'did not mean for this to happen', the newspaper reported.
Prosecutors said Cooper carried out the horrific attack after becoming angry that her son had soiled his nappy as they returned to their apartment on January 25.
Barkim has now been reunited with his father, 46-year-old Ronnie Owens, and his two sisters.
Mr Owens told the New York Daily News that Cooper had stopped him from seeing his children for two years.
He now hopes to gain custody of all three children before Christmas.
Barkim still suffers from nightmares and refuses to get into a bath.
Another example of why humans are the most cruel of all animals.
MOTHER PLUNGED BOY, THREE, INTO BOILING WATER LEAVING HIM WITH SUCH BAD BURNS HE HAD TO HAVE ALL 10 TOES AMPUTATED
Mail Online
November 17, 2010
A 'mother from hell' has been jailed for 15 years after plunging her three-year-old son into boiling water because he soiled his nappy.
Former care worker Regina Cooper, 31, from New York, held the child in a bath and watched as his skin 'fell off'.
Barkim Owens had to have all 10 toes amputated and suffered severe burns that spread to 20 per cent of his body.
He spent six weeks in a coma after the attack and has had to learn how to walk again.
Doctors had to remove a rib and place it in his throat to open up his airway.
Queens Supreme Court, in New York, heard that Barkim 'just wanted to be loved' and screamed 'it hurts, it hurts' as he was held in the water for several minutes, the New York Daily News reported.
Cooper pleaded guilty to assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Justice Richard Buchter, sentencing, described Cooper as 'sadistic and merciless', the newspaper said.
He said: 'Regina Cooper, unfortunately, is the mother from hell.
'The defendant is sadistic and merciless.'
Pam Jordan, Cooper's lawyer, said her client had been abused throughout her life.
At yesterday's sentencing hearing, Cooper told the judge that 'everybody hates me' and that she 'did not mean for this to happen', the newspaper reported.
Prosecutors said Cooper carried out the horrific attack after becoming angry that her son had soiled his nappy as they returned to their apartment on January 25.
Barkim has now been reunited with his father, 46-year-old Ronnie Owens, and his two sisters.
Mr Owens told the New York Daily News that Cooper had stopped him from seeing his children for two years.
He now hopes to gain custody of all three children before Christmas.
Barkim still suffers from nightmares and refuses to get into a bath.
MY MOMMY SAID IT WAS CANDY
The little girl wasn’t lying when she said mommy did it.
And this reminds me that several times I found balloons containing heroin concealed in the diapers babies were wearing.
TEACHER FINDS 17 BAGS OF CRACK COCAINE IN 3-YEAR-OLD GIRL’S SHOE AFTER SHE COMPLAINED ABOUT HER FOOT HURTING
Mail Online
November 17, 2010
A toddler went to her Boston preschool with 17 bags of crack hidden in her shoe.
After the 3-year-old girl complained that her foot hurt, her teacher took off her sneaker and found the small plastic bags containing crack cocaine.
Police say teachers at the Walnut Grove preschool were adjusting the girl's sneaker Monday when they found the individually wrapped bags of crack, ready for distribution.
The teachers told police the girl said her mother had put 'candy' inside her sneaker.
In the police report, she is quoted as saying, 'My mommy put it in my shoes and said it was candy.'
But the girl's mother told police she knew nothing about the drugs.
Police arrested 19-year-old Demare Gary, the mother's boyfriend, after he allegedly told police the crack was his. He pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and drug trafficking charges.
'I was the one who placed the drugs inside the shoe last night,'' Gary is quoted by police as telling them. 'And I forgot about it.'
But his attorney, Lauren Craig Redmond, dismissed the alleged confession to the Boston Globe.
'He's a young man,' she said. 'Most likely, he is taking the fall for somebody.'
Craig Redmond said the 3-year-old's mother also has a baby fathered by Gary.
'What is clear is the child is the person who knows more than anybody else,' the attorney said.
'The child knows better than the cops, the child knows better than the teachers. And the child clearly said that someone who was not Mr. Gary.'
The girl was transported to the hospital as a precaution but is fine.
And this reminds me that several times I found balloons containing heroin concealed in the diapers babies were wearing.
TEACHER FINDS 17 BAGS OF CRACK COCAINE IN 3-YEAR-OLD GIRL’S SHOE AFTER SHE COMPLAINED ABOUT HER FOOT HURTING
Mail Online
November 17, 2010
A toddler went to her Boston preschool with 17 bags of crack hidden in her shoe.
After the 3-year-old girl complained that her foot hurt, her teacher took off her sneaker and found the small plastic bags containing crack cocaine.
Police say teachers at the Walnut Grove preschool were adjusting the girl's sneaker Monday when they found the individually wrapped bags of crack, ready for distribution.
The teachers told police the girl said her mother had put 'candy' inside her sneaker.
In the police report, she is quoted as saying, 'My mommy put it in my shoes and said it was candy.'
But the girl's mother told police she knew nothing about the drugs.
Police arrested 19-year-old Demare Gary, the mother's boyfriend, after he allegedly told police the crack was his. He pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and drug trafficking charges.
'I was the one who placed the drugs inside the shoe last night,'' Gary is quoted by police as telling them. 'And I forgot about it.'
But his attorney, Lauren Craig Redmond, dismissed the alleged confession to the Boston Globe.
'He's a young man,' she said. 'Most likely, he is taking the fall for somebody.'
Craig Redmond said the 3-year-old's mother also has a baby fathered by Gary.
'What is clear is the child is the person who knows more than anybody else,' the attorney said.
'The child knows better than the cops, the child knows better than the teachers. And the child clearly said that someone who was not Mr. Gary.'
The girl was transported to the hospital as a precaution but is fine.
POCKET TAZER STUN GUN, A GREAT GIFT FOR THE WIFE
With Christmas just around the corner, a guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Tazer for their anniversary submitted this:
Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized Tazer.
The effects of the Tazer were supposed to be short lived, with no long term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety...??
WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home... I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time, I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.
AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.
Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right?
There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target.
I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and then thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised.
Am I wrong?
So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and Tazer in another.
The directions said that:
__a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant;
__a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control;
__a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water; and
__any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.
All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference (loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries); pretty cute really, and thinking to myself, 'no possible way!'
What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.
I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side so as to say, 'Don't do it stupid,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny lil ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it.
I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and...
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. WHAT THE... !!!
I'm pretty sure Hulk Hogan ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs! The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.
Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a Tazer, one note of caution:
__There is NO such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor! A three second burst would be considered conservative!
A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape.
__My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace.
__The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was.
__My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching.
__My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs.
__I had no control over the drooling.
__Apparently I had crapped in my shorts, but was too numb to know for sure, and my sense of smell was gone.
__I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head, which I believe came from my hair.
I'm still looking for my testicles and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!
PS: My wife can't stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift and now regularly threatens me with it!
Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized Tazer.
The effects of the Tazer were supposed to be short lived, with no long term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety...??
WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home... I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time, I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.
AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.
Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right?
There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target.
I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and then thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised.
Am I wrong?
So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and Tazer in another.
The directions said that:
__a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant;
__a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control;
__a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water; and
__any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.
All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference (loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries); pretty cute really, and thinking to myself, 'no possible way!'
What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.
I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side so as to say, 'Don't do it stupid,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny lil ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it.
I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and...
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. WHAT THE... !!!
I'm pretty sure Hulk Hogan ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs! The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.
Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a Tazer, one note of caution:
__There is NO such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor! A three second burst would be considered conservative!
A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape.
__My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace.
__The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was.
__My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching.
__My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs.
__I had no control over the drooling.
__Apparently I had crapped in my shorts, but was too numb to know for sure, and my sense of smell was gone.
__I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head, which I believe came from my hair.
I'm still looking for my testicles and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!
PS: My wife can't stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift and now regularly threatens me with it!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
THE THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE
My friend Dave Kovach wrote that "I don’t think I’ve ever heard the concept explained any better than this."
From the TV series ‘Cheers’, Cliff Clavin explains to Norm Peterson why you always feel smarter after a few beers:
Well you see, Norm, it’s like this … A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can operate only as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.
And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.
From the TV series ‘Cheers’, Cliff Clavin explains to Norm Peterson why you always feel smarter after a few beers:
Well you see, Norm, it’s like this … A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can operate only as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.
And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.
CHARLIE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE
Charles Rangel, who was just reelected to a 21st term in Congress by his Harlem constituents, was convicted Tuesday by an eight member House ethics panel on 11 of 13 counts charging him with breaking House ethics rules.
From the Houston Chronicle:
__The congressional panel, sitting as a jury, found that Rangel had used House stationery and staff to solicit money for a New York college center named after him. It also concluded he solicited donors for the center with interests before the Ways and Means Committee, leaving the impression the money could influence official actions.
__He also was found guilty of failing to disclose at least $600,000 in assets and income in a series of inaccurate reports to Congress; using a rent-subsidized New York apartment for a campaign office, when it was designated for residential use; and failure to report to the IRS rental income from a housing unit in a Dominican Republic resort.
His punishment will be determined by the full House ethics committee. The committee’s recommendation to the House is not expected to be more than a reprimand.
Now I am not going to get all exercised over Charlie’s financial and fundraising violations. Why not? Because I am sure there are plenty of other Congressmen and Senators who are doing similar things. It’s just that poor Charlie got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Of greater concern is the sad fact that Charlie won reelection by a landslide despite wide public knowledge of the charges that were pending against him. I guess his Harlem constituents must have been convinced that their Congressman was just another black victim of racism.
From the Houston Chronicle:
__The congressional panel, sitting as a jury, found that Rangel had used House stationery and staff to solicit money for a New York college center named after him. It also concluded he solicited donors for the center with interests before the Ways and Means Committee, leaving the impression the money could influence official actions.
__He also was found guilty of failing to disclose at least $600,000 in assets and income in a series of inaccurate reports to Congress; using a rent-subsidized New York apartment for a campaign office, when it was designated for residential use; and failure to report to the IRS rental income from a housing unit in a Dominican Republic resort.
His punishment will be determined by the full House ethics committee. The committee’s recommendation to the House is not expected to be more than a reprimand.
Now I am not going to get all exercised over Charlie’s financial and fundraising violations. Why not? Because I am sure there are plenty of other Congressmen and Senators who are doing similar things. It’s just that poor Charlie got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Of greater concern is the sad fact that Charlie won reelection by a landslide despite wide public knowledge of the charges that were pending against him. I guess his Harlem constituents must have been convinced that their Congressman was just another black victim of racism.
EVEN THE COPS ARE SUING L.A.
In the past three years, LAPD cops who have been fired or otherwise disciplined have been awarded over $20 million by jury verdicts in lawsuits they brought against LAPD and the City of Los Angeles. And you can add to that the millions of dollars that have been awarded by juries to Angelenos who have filed suits claiming they were mistreated by the cops. That’s sure not helping a city that was already facing a deep financial crisis.
Here are some excerpts from the Los Angeles Police Protective League blog:
LATEST CIVIL SUIT VERDICT SHOULD BE A WAKE-UP CALL
By John R. Mumma
LAPPL BLOG
November 12, 2010
Another sunny day in Los Angeles, another multimillion dollar jury award to a former LAPD officer treated unfairly. This, of course, does not happen every day, but it does happen all too often for a city that is in such dire budget straits that it forces veteran cops to fill in for clerical workers at the stations and can’t afford to hire jailers.
Consider the latest case, which involved 18-year veteran officer Richard Romney. He was fired in February 2008 in retaliation for telling the truth in testimony against the Department in a labor dispute. A Los Angeles federal jury awarded him nearly $4 million on November 2. This brought the total awards to former LAPD officers and sergeants to more than $20 million since 2008. When will the City and LAPD command staff learn?
For those keeping score, here are the major awards in just the past three years:
__Officer Richard Romney -- $4 million (plus $1.6 million in anticipated additional legal fees)
__Sergeant Blaine Blackstone -- $2 million (including legal fees)
__Officer Paul Waymire -- $125,000
__Officer Malcolm Thomas -- $700,000
__Officer Melissa Borck -- $2.3 million
__Officer Patricia Fuller -- $2.5 million
__Officer Donald Bender -- $3.5 million
__Officer Robert Hill -- $3.1 million
__Sergeant Ya-May Christle -- $1 million
It gets worse. The awards above don’t include an additional $18 million paid to Officer Paul Harper, and Sergeants Edward Ortiz and Brian Liddy, whose earlier verdicts were upheld by an appellate court in 2008 (and thus accrued an extra $3 million in interest). So in reality, Los Angeles taxpayers are liable for over $38,000,000 to LAPD officers in just the past three years thanks to persistent systemic abuses within the LAPD. But because not a single cent of that money came out of the LAPD budget, nothing, it seems, has changed.
If these outrageous totals haven’t been enough to get the attention of the Chief of Police, Police Commission, Mayor and City Council, and prompt them to reconsider their actions and decisions, perhaps realizing that there are still other pending cases with facts nearly identical to Romney’s will bring about the needed changes. Meanwhile, we can only continue to watch the tally grow and wonder when the madness will finally end.
Los Angeles Times reporter Joel Rubin, in a story on the Romney case, wrote: "The verdict, which stems from one of several similar lawsuits that thousands of disgruntled LAPD officers are pursuing against the department, underscores a long-running, internal rift between LAPD cops and the department’s command staff that could ultimately cost the city millions of dollars more." Just how many millions is anyone’s guess.
Here are some excerpts from the Los Angeles Police Protective League blog:
LATEST CIVIL SUIT VERDICT SHOULD BE A WAKE-UP CALL
By John R. Mumma
LAPPL BLOG
November 12, 2010
Another sunny day in Los Angeles, another multimillion dollar jury award to a former LAPD officer treated unfairly. This, of course, does not happen every day, but it does happen all too often for a city that is in such dire budget straits that it forces veteran cops to fill in for clerical workers at the stations and can’t afford to hire jailers.
Consider the latest case, which involved 18-year veteran officer Richard Romney. He was fired in February 2008 in retaliation for telling the truth in testimony against the Department in a labor dispute. A Los Angeles federal jury awarded him nearly $4 million on November 2. This brought the total awards to former LAPD officers and sergeants to more than $20 million since 2008. When will the City and LAPD command staff learn?
For those keeping score, here are the major awards in just the past three years:
__Officer Richard Romney -- $4 million (plus $1.6 million in anticipated additional legal fees)
__Sergeant Blaine Blackstone -- $2 million (including legal fees)
__Officer Paul Waymire -- $125,000
__Officer Malcolm Thomas -- $700,000
__Officer Melissa Borck -- $2.3 million
__Officer Patricia Fuller -- $2.5 million
__Officer Donald Bender -- $3.5 million
__Officer Robert Hill -- $3.1 million
__Sergeant Ya-May Christle -- $1 million
It gets worse. The awards above don’t include an additional $18 million paid to Officer Paul Harper, and Sergeants Edward Ortiz and Brian Liddy, whose earlier verdicts were upheld by an appellate court in 2008 (and thus accrued an extra $3 million in interest). So in reality, Los Angeles taxpayers are liable for over $38,000,000 to LAPD officers in just the past three years thanks to persistent systemic abuses within the LAPD. But because not a single cent of that money came out of the LAPD budget, nothing, it seems, has changed.
If these outrageous totals haven’t been enough to get the attention of the Chief of Police, Police Commission, Mayor and City Council, and prompt them to reconsider their actions and decisions, perhaps realizing that there are still other pending cases with facts nearly identical to Romney’s will bring about the needed changes. Meanwhile, we can only continue to watch the tally grow and wonder when the madness will finally end.
Los Angeles Times reporter Joel Rubin, in a story on the Romney case, wrote: "The verdict, which stems from one of several similar lawsuits that thousands of disgruntled LAPD officers are pursuing against the department, underscores a long-running, internal rift between LAPD cops and the department’s command staff that could ultimately cost the city millions of dollars more." Just how many millions is anyone’s guess.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
GRIM REAPER CHEATS JUSTICE
Justice delayed is justice denied.
35 years on death row. Talk about endless appeals. And Roland Chambers, this worthless piece of shit, was going through yet another appeal. He had been transferred to the Dallas County jail where he was preparing for another sentencing trial at the time of his death. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the new trial because the jury that condemned him to death had not been told of his impoverished upbringing and his exposure to violence and drugs.
Impoverished upbringing and exposure to violence and drugs? Those are mitigating circumstances against imposing a death sentence? Holy fuck, I’m about to puke.
LONGEST-SERVING TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE DIES OF NATRUAL CAUSES
A 55-year-old inmate who spent nearly 35 years on Texas death row for the abduction and murder of a college student has died of natural causes
KWTX.com
November 15, 2010
DALLAS —Roland Chambers, 55, the longest-serving prisoner on Texas death row, has died of natural causes in the Dallas County Jail, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Kim Leach said Monday.
Leach said Chambers died at Parkland Memorial Hospital after he was found on the floor of his cell in the Dallas County Jail, where he’d been held since May 2009 pending resolution of an appeals issue.
She said Chambers was transferred to the jail with "a series of health complications."
He died Friday, she said.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice lists Chambers, who served nearly 35 years, as the longest-serving inmate on death row.
He arrived on Jan. 8, 1976, three days before his 21st birthday, after he was convicted of the abduction and murder of a Texas Tech student Mike McMahon, 22, who was visiting Dallas.
He and his date were abducted from the parking lot of a nightclub and driven to the Trinity River where they were robbed and shot.
The couple apparently survived the shooting, but McMahon was beaten to death after he called out to his companion.
35 years on death row. Talk about endless appeals. And Roland Chambers, this worthless piece of shit, was going through yet another appeal. He had been transferred to the Dallas County jail where he was preparing for another sentencing trial at the time of his death. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the new trial because the jury that condemned him to death had not been told of his impoverished upbringing and his exposure to violence and drugs.
Impoverished upbringing and exposure to violence and drugs? Those are mitigating circumstances against imposing a death sentence? Holy fuck, I’m about to puke.
LONGEST-SERVING TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE DIES OF NATRUAL CAUSES
A 55-year-old inmate who spent nearly 35 years on Texas death row for the abduction and murder of a college student has died of natural causes
KWTX.com
November 15, 2010
DALLAS —Roland Chambers, 55, the longest-serving prisoner on Texas death row, has died of natural causes in the Dallas County Jail, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Kim Leach said Monday.
Leach said Chambers died at Parkland Memorial Hospital after he was found on the floor of his cell in the Dallas County Jail, where he’d been held since May 2009 pending resolution of an appeals issue.
She said Chambers was transferred to the jail with "a series of health complications."
He died Friday, she said.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice lists Chambers, who served nearly 35 years, as the longest-serving inmate on death row.
He arrived on Jan. 8, 1976, three days before his 21st birthday, after he was convicted of the abduction and murder of a Texas Tech student Mike McMahon, 22, who was visiting Dallas.
He and his date were abducted from the parking lot of a nightclub and driven to the Trinity River where they were robbed and shot.
The couple apparently survived the shooting, but McMahon was beaten to death after he called out to his companion.
CONVICT BLAMES VICTIMS
It’s a goddamn shame that a court would accept a lawsuit in which a convict sues the parents of his 14-year-old victim. The judge should have shit-canned this countersuit the second he got it.
DAVID WEAVING, DRIVER IN FATAL CONN. CRASH, FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST VICTIM’S PARENTS
by Naimah Jabali-Nash
CBS News
November 15, 2010
HARTFORD, Conn. -- David Weaving, who is serving a manslaughter sentence for striking and killing a 14-year-old boy with his car, is suing the victim's parents, accusing them of being responsible for their son's death because they allowed the boy to ride his bike in the street without a helmet.
Weaving was carelessly passing another car at about 83 mph in a 45-mph zone when his car struck Matthew Kenney in the Waterbury suburb of Prospect, about 30 miles outside of Hartford, Conn., on April, 27, 2007.
Kenney suffered severe head and internal injuries, broken bones and lacerations. He was declared brain dead the next day.
A jury convicted Weaving of manslaughter and other charges in December 2008 and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Shortly after Weaving was sentenced last year, Kenney's parents, Stephen and Joanne, filed a lawsuit against the 48-year-old in Waterbury Superior Court, accusing him of negligence and seeking more than $15,000 in damages.
Weaving, who has a history of drunken driving convictions, responded months later with a handwritten countersuit accusing the Kenneys of "contributory negligence." He's also seeking more than $15,000 in damages, claiming he has endured "great mental and emotional pain and suffering," wrongful conviction and imprisonment, and the loss of his "capacity to carry on in life's activities."
Weaving claims he was driving the speed limit the day the accident occurred and wasn't acting recklessly when he passed another car in a legal passing zone, and said the teen suddenly appeared in the road around dusk in wet, foggy conditions. He alleges that the boy and some of his friends were jumping their bicycles off a ramp at the end of a friend's driveway and landing in the middle of the two-lane road.
In his lawsuit, Weaving wrote that had the Kenneys "complied with the responsibilities of a parent and guardian and the laws of this state and not allowed their son to ride his bicycle without a helmet and play out in the middle of Rt. 69...this incident and Matthew's death would not have happened."
Joanne Kenney, 42, called Weavings accusations "unbelievable."
"I just think it's crazy that they have the ability to do this behind bars," she said. "I think inmates have too many rights. They're the ones who committed the crimes, not us. And we're the ones who suffer more."
It's not often that perpetrators sue victims, said Jeff Dion, director of the nonprofit National Crime Victim Bar Association. According to Dion, its database indicates that out of more than 12,000 civil cases dating back to the 1980s, approximately 485 cases are ones in which perpetrators actually sue victims.
While the Kenneys are paying an undisclosed amount in attorneys fees, Weaving is filing his claims for free because he's considered indigent; a judge has waived $500 in fees so far.
DAVID WEAVING, DRIVER IN FATAL CONN. CRASH, FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST VICTIM’S PARENTS
by Naimah Jabali-Nash
CBS News
November 15, 2010
HARTFORD, Conn. -- David Weaving, who is serving a manslaughter sentence for striking and killing a 14-year-old boy with his car, is suing the victim's parents, accusing them of being responsible for their son's death because they allowed the boy to ride his bike in the street without a helmet.
Weaving was carelessly passing another car at about 83 mph in a 45-mph zone when his car struck Matthew Kenney in the Waterbury suburb of Prospect, about 30 miles outside of Hartford, Conn., on April, 27, 2007.
Kenney suffered severe head and internal injuries, broken bones and lacerations. He was declared brain dead the next day.
A jury convicted Weaving of manslaughter and other charges in December 2008 and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Shortly after Weaving was sentenced last year, Kenney's parents, Stephen and Joanne, filed a lawsuit against the 48-year-old in Waterbury Superior Court, accusing him of negligence and seeking more than $15,000 in damages.
Weaving, who has a history of drunken driving convictions, responded months later with a handwritten countersuit accusing the Kenneys of "contributory negligence." He's also seeking more than $15,000 in damages, claiming he has endured "great mental and emotional pain and suffering," wrongful conviction and imprisonment, and the loss of his "capacity to carry on in life's activities."
Weaving claims he was driving the speed limit the day the accident occurred and wasn't acting recklessly when he passed another car in a legal passing zone, and said the teen suddenly appeared in the road around dusk in wet, foggy conditions. He alleges that the boy and some of his friends were jumping their bicycles off a ramp at the end of a friend's driveway and landing in the middle of the two-lane road.
In his lawsuit, Weaving wrote that had the Kenneys "complied with the responsibilities of a parent and guardian and the laws of this state and not allowed their son to ride his bicycle without a helmet and play out in the middle of Rt. 69...this incident and Matthew's death would not have happened."
Joanne Kenney, 42, called Weavings accusations "unbelievable."
"I just think it's crazy that they have the ability to do this behind bars," she said. "I think inmates have too many rights. They're the ones who committed the crimes, not us. And we're the ones who suffer more."
It's not often that perpetrators sue victims, said Jeff Dion, director of the nonprofit National Crime Victim Bar Association. According to Dion, its database indicates that out of more than 12,000 civil cases dating back to the 1980s, approximately 485 cases are ones in which perpetrators actually sue victims.
While the Kenneys are paying an undisclosed amount in attorneys fees, Weaving is filing his claims for free because he's considered indigent; a judge has waived $500 in fees so far.
MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Now this is my kind of car dealership.
THE TRUCK DEALERSHIP THAT OFFERS MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK: A FREE AK-47 WITH EVERY PURCHASE
Unbeatable offer: Nations Trucks in Seminole County, Florida, is offering a free AK-47 rifle for every truck sold
Mail Online
November 15, 2010
A car dealer is offering an unusual inducement to potential new customers - a free AK-47 assault rifle.
The entrepreneurial move might raise some eyebrows but sales have nearly doubled in used trucks at the Florida outlet.
Nick Ginetta, general sales manager at Nations Trucks, in Sanford, Seminole County, has been promoting the offer since Veterans Day and is thrilled with results.
Customers have to pass a background check before using the $400 (£250) gun shop voucher.
They also have the option of using the money toward other firearms, or they can request a cheque in that amount instead.
The AK-47 was first developed in the former Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov and is popular for its durability, cheap cost and simplicity.
More AK-47s have been produced than any other assault rifle.
Unsurprisingly, there have been some complaints about the deal, which Ginetta acknowledges is controversial but he doesn't plan to retract it.
He said: 'My buyer is absolutely a gun owner, no question.'
The promotion runs through the end of November.
THE TRUCK DEALERSHIP THAT OFFERS MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK: A FREE AK-47 WITH EVERY PURCHASE
Unbeatable offer: Nations Trucks in Seminole County, Florida, is offering a free AK-47 rifle for every truck sold
Mail Online
November 15, 2010
A car dealer is offering an unusual inducement to potential new customers - a free AK-47 assault rifle.
The entrepreneurial move might raise some eyebrows but sales have nearly doubled in used trucks at the Florida outlet.
Nick Ginetta, general sales manager at Nations Trucks, in Sanford, Seminole County, has been promoting the offer since Veterans Day and is thrilled with results.
Customers have to pass a background check before using the $400 (£250) gun shop voucher.
They also have the option of using the money toward other firearms, or they can request a cheque in that amount instead.
The AK-47 was first developed in the former Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov and is popular for its durability, cheap cost and simplicity.
More AK-47s have been produced than any other assault rifle.
Unsurprisingly, there have been some complaints about the deal, which Ginetta acknowledges is controversial but he doesn't plan to retract it.
He said: 'My buyer is absolutely a gun owner, no question.'
The promotion runs through the end of November.
WILL AMERICAN CITIES BE NEXT?
Oakland is cutting way down on the number of its cops and several small cities in California have disbanded their police departments. With a nationwide budget crunch, how many other cities will fall in line with drastic public safety cuts of their own?
POLICE CUT 3,000 JOBS
The Straits Times
November 15, 2010
LONDON - THE Greater Manchester Police force (GMP) is to cut almost 3,000 jobs over the next four years including some frontline officers to cope with a shrinking budget, its chief constable said on Monday.
Peter Fahy said the impact of cuts in government funding would mean the posts - which account for nearly a quarter of the force's current strength - would be axed in order to make 134 million pounds of savings.
Over four years, 2,950 jobs will go at GMP, one of Britain's biggest forces, with a reduction of 309 officers in 2011/2.
In order to make the cuts, GMP would have to use powers to force some officers with 30 years experience to retire, Mr Fahy said in a report to the force's governing body, the Greater Manchester Police Authority.
'Although there will be a significant reduction in the size of the middle and back offices, it is clear that over the four year period there will also need to be a reduction in frontline police officer numbers,' the report said.
'Service levels could deteriorate due to reduced funding.' In a statement, Mr Fahy said the aim of their savings plan was to protect frontline services. 'Protecting frontline policing is at the heart of the plans we have been developing,' he said. -- REUTERS
POLICE CUT 3,000 JOBS
The Straits Times
November 15, 2010
LONDON - THE Greater Manchester Police force (GMP) is to cut almost 3,000 jobs over the next four years including some frontline officers to cope with a shrinking budget, its chief constable said on Monday.
Peter Fahy said the impact of cuts in government funding would mean the posts - which account for nearly a quarter of the force's current strength - would be axed in order to make 134 million pounds of savings.
Over four years, 2,950 jobs will go at GMP, one of Britain's biggest forces, with a reduction of 309 officers in 2011/2.
In order to make the cuts, GMP would have to use powers to force some officers with 30 years experience to retire, Mr Fahy said in a report to the force's governing body, the Greater Manchester Police Authority.
'Although there will be a significant reduction in the size of the middle and back offices, it is clear that over the four year period there will also need to be a reduction in frontline police officer numbers,' the report said.
'Service levels could deteriorate due to reduced funding.' In a statement, Mr Fahy said the aim of their savings plan was to protect frontline services. 'Protecting frontline policing is at the heart of the plans we have been developing,' he said. -- REUTERS
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