13-year-old boy charged with felony for throwing snowball at Chicago cop
No wonder cops are disrespected. Whatever possessed the police to charge the snowball throwing kid with aggravated battery to a peace officer, a felony, is beyond my comprehension.
In a New York case four years ago, the city has since shelled out $60,000 each to five teens arrested for throwing snowballs at a cop. In that case the cop even pulled his gun on the snowball throwers.
CHICAGO BOY CHARGED WITH A FELONY FOR THROWING SNOWBALL AT COP, SAYS HE DIDN’T DO IT
The unnamed 13-year-old never had a snowball's chance; he says someone else threw the ball of snow at the policeman from within a group of 15 students, but his school dean and security guard identified him as the culprit
By Sasha Goldstein
New York Daily News
February 20, 2014
A 13-year-old boy is accused of chucking a snowball at a Chicago police officer - who immediately hit back with a felony charge against the teen.
The unnamed 8th grader says he wasn't even the student who tossed the chunk of ice around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, earning the boy a charge of aggravated battery to a peace officer.
"It made me mad," the teen told the Chicago Tribune. "He [the officer]said the snowball hit him but it hit the car, not him."
The officer, on the other hand, said the ball of snow hit his arm after it was lobbed out from within a group of about 15 kids playing a half-block from their school.
The school's dean, Lenard Robertson, and a security guard standing nearby apparently saw the throw and blamed the boy.
"He kept trying to tell the officer that he didn't do it but they didn't believe him," the boy's mother told the Tribune. "He was standing on the corner, there was a whole crowd of kids. It's so crazy."
The boy, who isn't a gang member and has never been in trouble with the law, is also suspended from school for five days.
"I have absolutely no comment," Robertson, the school's dean, told the Tribune when the newspaper contacted him for comment.
The boy is scheduled to appear in juvenile court next month.
"It's sad, he's only 13. I'm so upset, he's never been in trouble before," his mom told the newspaper. "It's his first case."
In New York, the city shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to five teens who were arrested for throwing a snowball at a cop in February 2010.
The cop pulled his gun on the boys, who were originally charged with a crime.
Those charges were later dropped and the five sued for $10 million - settling for $60,000 each earlier this month.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
IOWA MAN FIRED AFTER FORKLIFT TUSSLE WITH MALFUNCTIONING VENDING MACHINE
The worker put a dollar for candy bar in a vending machine, then another dollar when it got stuck, and when that failed to work, he attacked the faulty machine with a forklift
Robert McKevitt obviously did not pay attention while he was attending criminal justice and law enforcement classes at Iowa Lakes Community College.
MAN, 27, FIRED FOR USING A FORKLIFT TO RETRIEVE A TWIX BAR STUCK IN A BROKEN VENDING MACHINE
The Iowa resident allegedly picked up a vending machine with a forklift and dropped it six times to get a 90c Twix bar
Mail Online
February 21, 2014
A 27-year-old warehouse worker was fired after allegedly using a forklift to retrieve a Twix bar from a malfunctioning vending machine.
Robert McKevitt deposited $1 in a vending machine for a chocolate bar at Polaris Industries' warehouse in Milford, Iowa, last year.
But when the 90c Twix bar got snagged and wouldn't fall, he inserted another dollar - without luck.
After banging the vending machine with his fist and rocking it back and forth, the father-of-two allegedly commandeered an 8,000-pound forklift in a desperate bid to satiate his sweet tooth.
Des Moines Register reported McKevitt, who served in Afghanistan with the Iowa National Guard in 2011, allegedly picked up the machine at least six times and dropped it about two feet onto the concrete floor.
Only three candy bars fell into the chute.
When a supervisor confronted him, McKevitt allegedly explained he was trying to get the snack he had paid for.
While McKevitt denies lifting and dropping the machine, he was fired from his job five days after the bizarre incident.
'That machine was trouble,' McKevitt told the newspaper. 'They fired me, and now I hear they have all new vending machines there.'
In a ruling that became public last month, a state administrative law judge denied McKevitt's claim for unemployment benefits following his dismissal.
The judge said McKevitt had demonstrated a willful disregard for his employer’s interests.
The young father reportedly didn’t testify at his December 16 hearing.
According to his Facebook page, McKevitt graduated from Spirit Lake High School before studying criminal justice and law enforcement at Iowa Lakes Community College.
Robert McKevitt obviously did not pay attention while he was attending criminal justice and law enforcement classes at Iowa Lakes Community College.
MAN, 27, FIRED FOR USING A FORKLIFT TO RETRIEVE A TWIX BAR STUCK IN A BROKEN VENDING MACHINE
The Iowa resident allegedly picked up a vending machine with a forklift and dropped it six times to get a 90c Twix bar
Mail Online
February 21, 2014
A 27-year-old warehouse worker was fired after allegedly using a forklift to retrieve a Twix bar from a malfunctioning vending machine.
Robert McKevitt deposited $1 in a vending machine for a chocolate bar at Polaris Industries' warehouse in Milford, Iowa, last year.
But when the 90c Twix bar got snagged and wouldn't fall, he inserted another dollar - without luck.
After banging the vending machine with his fist and rocking it back and forth, the father-of-two allegedly commandeered an 8,000-pound forklift in a desperate bid to satiate his sweet tooth.
Des Moines Register reported McKevitt, who served in Afghanistan with the Iowa National Guard in 2011, allegedly picked up the machine at least six times and dropped it about two feet onto the concrete floor.
Only three candy bars fell into the chute.
When a supervisor confronted him, McKevitt allegedly explained he was trying to get the snack he had paid for.
While McKevitt denies lifting and dropping the machine, he was fired from his job five days after the bizarre incident.
'That machine was trouble,' McKevitt told the newspaper. 'They fired me, and now I hear they have all new vending machines there.'
In a ruling that became public last month, a state administrative law judge denied McKevitt's claim for unemployment benefits following his dismissal.
The judge said McKevitt had demonstrated a willful disregard for his employer’s interests.
The young father reportedly didn’t testify at his December 16 hearing.
According to his Facebook page, McKevitt graduated from Spirit Lake High School before studying criminal justice and law enforcement at Iowa Lakes Community College.
Friday, February 21, 2014
SMART GUNS A DUMB IDEA
‘Gun safety’ technologies that would prevent anyone but the owner from using a firearm are not fail-safe and are cost prohibitive; just another scheme to keep guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens
Liberals are salivating over a bill by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., which would require every new gun sold to have technological systems that would prevent anyone but the owner from firing it. If Markey’s bill becomes law, it would take effect in two years and three years thereafter, all guns without such a system would have to be retrofitted or else they will be illegal.
Several ‘gun safety’ systems are in the works. One such system is a gun paired with a special wrist watch that sends a wireless signal to the firearm. The gun will not fire unless the user is wearing that watch. Another system is a biometric one that would have sensors which recognize the owner’s fingerprints. And yet another one would have a number of sensors along the gun’s grips which would recognize the tightness of the owner’s grip.
Requiring such technologies has little to do with gun safety. This is just another scheme to keep guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. These technologies would drive the price of handguns sky-high. According to the Washington Post, the watch/gun combo costs nearly $2,000.
There are real problems associated with such systems. If a gun owner were away from home, his family members would not be able to use the gun to defend themselves from home intruders.
And these devices are not fail-safe either. What happens when the wrist watch battery runs out? And could a crook wrestle the gun away from its owner and still be close enough to the watch to fire it? And what happens when the gun owner doesn’t use the same grip as when it was initially measured by the sensors? These new technologies could be disastrous to law abiding citizens trying to defend themselves against criminals.
And what about the cops? Let’s say that an officer wearing a wrist watch-paired gun went down in a firefight. His partner or another officer would not be able to use the fallen cop’s gun unless he discarded his own watch and replaced it with the other one. The cops sure as hell are not going to want the wrist watch, biometric and grip technologies with their guns.
In any event, these technologies won’t make a dime’s worth of difference because they will only be on new guns. There are millions of guns in the hands of law abiding citizens that do not have these new features. And the owners of these firearms would not spend the money necessary to retrofit their guns. The only way this law would work as intended is if the government confiscated all guns that do not have these systems. And that would leave most law abiding citizens without the means to defend themselves, while the gangbangers and criminals would still be armed.
Smart guns are a really dumb idea. They are just another scheme dreamed up by liberals who do not want anyone to own a gun if they are not a cop or in the military. It figures that a liberal east coast Democrat like Sen Markey would be behind this scheme. Of course, both California senators and other congressional liberals will be enthusiastic supporters of Markey's bill. These technologies have anti-gunners salivating all over the place.
Liberals are salivating over a bill by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., which would require every new gun sold to have technological systems that would prevent anyone but the owner from firing it. If Markey’s bill becomes law, it would take effect in two years and three years thereafter, all guns without such a system would have to be retrofitted or else they will be illegal.
Several ‘gun safety’ systems are in the works. One such system is a gun paired with a special wrist watch that sends a wireless signal to the firearm. The gun will not fire unless the user is wearing that watch. Another system is a biometric one that would have sensors which recognize the owner’s fingerprints. And yet another one would have a number of sensors along the gun’s grips which would recognize the tightness of the owner’s grip.
Requiring such technologies has little to do with gun safety. This is just another scheme to keep guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. These technologies would drive the price of handguns sky-high. According to the Washington Post, the watch/gun combo costs nearly $2,000.
There are real problems associated with such systems. If a gun owner were away from home, his family members would not be able to use the gun to defend themselves from home intruders.
And these devices are not fail-safe either. What happens when the wrist watch battery runs out? And could a crook wrestle the gun away from its owner and still be close enough to the watch to fire it? And what happens when the gun owner doesn’t use the same grip as when it was initially measured by the sensors? These new technologies could be disastrous to law abiding citizens trying to defend themselves against criminals.
And what about the cops? Let’s say that an officer wearing a wrist watch-paired gun went down in a firefight. His partner or another officer would not be able to use the fallen cop’s gun unless he discarded his own watch and replaced it with the other one. The cops sure as hell are not going to want the wrist watch, biometric and grip technologies with their guns.
In any event, these technologies won’t make a dime’s worth of difference because they will only be on new guns. There are millions of guns in the hands of law abiding citizens that do not have these new features. And the owners of these firearms would not spend the money necessary to retrofit their guns. The only way this law would work as intended is if the government confiscated all guns that do not have these systems. And that would leave most law abiding citizens without the means to defend themselves, while the gangbangers and criminals would still be armed.
Smart guns are a really dumb idea. They are just another scheme dreamed up by liberals who do not want anyone to own a gun if they are not a cop or in the military. It figures that a liberal east coast Democrat like Sen Markey would be behind this scheme. Of course, both California senators and other congressional liberals will be enthusiastic supporters of Markey's bill. These technologies have anti-gunners salivating all over the place.
CONTRABBAND CELLPHONES CONTINUE TO BE SMUGGLED INTO PRISONS IN EVER LARGER NUMBERS
Technology to incapacitate contraband cellphones is available but costs over $1 million for each prison
The smuggling of cellphones by inmate visitors and crooked correctional officers has gotten to be a huge problem for prison authorities. Because federal law prohibits the jamming of cellphone signals, the only way prison authorities can keep inmates from communicating by cellphones is to install special towers that control what cellphone calls can come in and out of prison, a system that costs more money than many states have available.
PRISONERS’ USE OF SMUGGLED CELLPHONES ON THE RISE
By Brendan Farrington
Time
February 16, 2014
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — They’re hidden in babies’ diapers, ramen noodle soup packages, footballs, soda cans and even body cavities.
Not drugs or weapons, but cellphones. They’re becoming a growing problem in prisons across the country as they are used to make threats, plan escapes and for inmates to continue to make money from illegal activity even while behind bars.
“You can pick states all across the country and you’ll see everything from hits being ordered on individuals to criminal enterprises being run from inside institutions with cellphones,” said Michael Crews, head of Florida‘s Department of Corrections.
When two murderers serving life sentences escaped from Florida Panhandle prison last fall, a search of their cells turned up a cellphone used to help plan the getaway, drawing attention to the burgeoning problem. It was just one of 4,200 cellphones confiscated by prison officials last year, or 11 per day.
“The scary part is, if we found 4,200, we know that’s not all of them,” Crews said.
And while prison officials are trying their best to keep cellphones out, it’s not such an easy task. Jamming cellphone signals is prohibited by federal law, and it costs more than $1 million each for authorized towers that control what cellphone calls can come in and out of prisons. Some prisons even have to police their own corrections officers who sometimes help inmates receive contraband.
In Texas, a death row inmate made several calls with a cellphone to state Sen. John Whitmire, who chairs the Criminal Justice Committee. Whitmire didn’t believe it when he started receiving calls from death row inmate Richard Tabler.
“He held his phone out, I guess outside his cell and there was a very distinct prison noise. He said, ‘Did you hear that?’ and I said, ‘Yup. That’s a prison,’ ” Whitmire said. “I said, ‘How’d you get that phone?’ He said, ‘I paid $2,100 for it.’ I said, ‘How do you keep it charged?’ He said, ‘I have a charger.’ “
The calls continued, and Whitmire had the phone investigated. The month before, Tabler used 2,800 minutes and was sharing the phone with other prisoners, Whitmire said. Tabler’s mother, in Georgia, was paying the bill and collecting payments from the other prisoners’ families.
Tabler asked Whitmire if he could help arrange a visit with his mother. When she arrived in Texas she was arrested for her part in the prison cellphone scheme. Tabler wasn’t happy about that and made another call to Whitmire. “He said he was going to have me killed,” Whitmire said.
In other cases around the country, infamous murderer Charles Manson, imprisoned in California, was found with a cellphone under his mattress, twice.
Two Indiana prisoners were convicted of using cellphones smuggled in by guards to run an operation that distributed methamphetamine, heroin and other drugs. A prisoner in Georgia was accused this year of using two cellphones to impersonate a sheriff’s lieutenant and scam elderly drivers who had received red light camera tickets, getting them each to pay about $500.
In Oklahoma, a newspaper investigation found dozens of prisoners using cellphones to maintain Facebook pages. The Oklahoman found about three dozen inmates who were disciplined by prison officials and its reporters found about as many who hadn’t been caught.
Florida prisoners have also been using social media with cellphones.
“We’ve got inmates running their own blogs and all kinds of stuff. We stop it when we catch it, but it’s very difficult to police the whole Internet. We don’t have Internet police on our staff,” said assistant corrections secretary James Upchurch.
Those helping inmates smuggle phones into Florida prisons can be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. In Mississippi, the penalty can be 15 years for having a cellphone in prisons.
As corrections departments keep looking for new ways to stop cellphone smuggling, prisoners are finding creative, new ways to get them in.
“You may get a prepackaged, sealed ramen noodle soup — and it’s completely sealed — the weight seems to be right, but when you open it, there’s a cellphone inside,” said Timothy Cannon, Florida’s deputy corrections secretary. “They’re very, very, very creative in the way they do some of these things.”
Phones have been hidden in the hollowed out centers of large stacks of legal documents. One corrections officer found two liter soda bottles that were used as floats outside a prison. When he pulled them out of a pond, bags containing more than a dozen cellphones each were found tied to them.
“We’ve found cellphones and drugs in babies’ diapers” during visitations, Cannon said. “If they think you’d never search an infant child, that will be the next place they go to try to get it in.”
Phones hidden in body cavities can’t always be picked up by traditional metal detectors, and many are wrapped in electrical tape to further avoid detection.
“We have found cellphones in the private area of visitors — I’m talking females and males,” said Christopher Epps, head of the Mississippi prison system and president of the American Corrections Association. He said it’s not unusual to find three phones in a body cavity.
States are looking for new ways to find cellphones or to prevent their use. Epps said that includes recently installed netting held up by 50-foot poles to keep people from throwing bags over prison fences for prisoners to retrieve.
Federal law prohibits jamming cellphone signals, but Texas, Maryland, California and Mississippi installed towers at some prisons that control what cellphone traffic is allowed. Phone signals reach the tower, but only authorized numbers are then passed through.
It’s not something Florida is considering because of the hefty price tag. Each system costs about $1.5 million, and with 49 major prisons, the state doesn’t have the money to cover them all.
Instead, it’s testing machines that detect a cellphone’s magnetic fields. And like Indiana and other states, Florida is also using dogs trained to sniff out cellphones.
Still, with 100,000 prisoners in Florida, Crews knows the problem will never be completely solved, especially with the profit that can be made.
“When you’re talking about that kind of money, you’re going to have a lot of people who are willing to do just about anything to get them in,” Crews said. “For a large portion of these inmates, it is about making a dollar.”
The smuggling of cellphones by inmate visitors and crooked correctional officers has gotten to be a huge problem for prison authorities. Because federal law prohibits the jamming of cellphone signals, the only way prison authorities can keep inmates from communicating by cellphones is to install special towers that control what cellphone calls can come in and out of prison, a system that costs more money than many states have available.
PRISONERS’ USE OF SMUGGLED CELLPHONES ON THE RISE
By Brendan Farrington
Time
February 16, 2014
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — They’re hidden in babies’ diapers, ramen noodle soup packages, footballs, soda cans and even body cavities.
Not drugs or weapons, but cellphones. They’re becoming a growing problem in prisons across the country as they are used to make threats, plan escapes and for inmates to continue to make money from illegal activity even while behind bars.
“You can pick states all across the country and you’ll see everything from hits being ordered on individuals to criminal enterprises being run from inside institutions with cellphones,” said Michael Crews, head of Florida‘s Department of Corrections.
When two murderers serving life sentences escaped from Florida Panhandle prison last fall, a search of their cells turned up a cellphone used to help plan the getaway, drawing attention to the burgeoning problem. It was just one of 4,200 cellphones confiscated by prison officials last year, or 11 per day.
“The scary part is, if we found 4,200, we know that’s not all of them,” Crews said.
And while prison officials are trying their best to keep cellphones out, it’s not such an easy task. Jamming cellphone signals is prohibited by federal law, and it costs more than $1 million each for authorized towers that control what cellphone calls can come in and out of prisons. Some prisons even have to police their own corrections officers who sometimes help inmates receive contraband.
In Texas, a death row inmate made several calls with a cellphone to state Sen. John Whitmire, who chairs the Criminal Justice Committee. Whitmire didn’t believe it when he started receiving calls from death row inmate Richard Tabler.
“He held his phone out, I guess outside his cell and there was a very distinct prison noise. He said, ‘Did you hear that?’ and I said, ‘Yup. That’s a prison,’ ” Whitmire said. “I said, ‘How’d you get that phone?’ He said, ‘I paid $2,100 for it.’ I said, ‘How do you keep it charged?’ He said, ‘I have a charger.’ “
The calls continued, and Whitmire had the phone investigated. The month before, Tabler used 2,800 minutes and was sharing the phone with other prisoners, Whitmire said. Tabler’s mother, in Georgia, was paying the bill and collecting payments from the other prisoners’ families.
Tabler asked Whitmire if he could help arrange a visit with his mother. When she arrived in Texas she was arrested for her part in the prison cellphone scheme. Tabler wasn’t happy about that and made another call to Whitmire. “He said he was going to have me killed,” Whitmire said.
In other cases around the country, infamous murderer Charles Manson, imprisoned in California, was found with a cellphone under his mattress, twice.
Two Indiana prisoners were convicted of using cellphones smuggled in by guards to run an operation that distributed methamphetamine, heroin and other drugs. A prisoner in Georgia was accused this year of using two cellphones to impersonate a sheriff’s lieutenant and scam elderly drivers who had received red light camera tickets, getting them each to pay about $500.
In Oklahoma, a newspaper investigation found dozens of prisoners using cellphones to maintain Facebook pages. The Oklahoman found about three dozen inmates who were disciplined by prison officials and its reporters found about as many who hadn’t been caught.
Florida prisoners have also been using social media with cellphones.
“We’ve got inmates running their own blogs and all kinds of stuff. We stop it when we catch it, but it’s very difficult to police the whole Internet. We don’t have Internet police on our staff,” said assistant corrections secretary James Upchurch.
Those helping inmates smuggle phones into Florida prisons can be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. In Mississippi, the penalty can be 15 years for having a cellphone in prisons.
As corrections departments keep looking for new ways to stop cellphone smuggling, prisoners are finding creative, new ways to get them in.
“You may get a prepackaged, sealed ramen noodle soup — and it’s completely sealed — the weight seems to be right, but when you open it, there’s a cellphone inside,” said Timothy Cannon, Florida’s deputy corrections secretary. “They’re very, very, very creative in the way they do some of these things.”
Phones have been hidden in the hollowed out centers of large stacks of legal documents. One corrections officer found two liter soda bottles that were used as floats outside a prison. When he pulled them out of a pond, bags containing more than a dozen cellphones each were found tied to them.
“We’ve found cellphones and drugs in babies’ diapers” during visitations, Cannon said. “If they think you’d never search an infant child, that will be the next place they go to try to get it in.”
Phones hidden in body cavities can’t always be picked up by traditional metal detectors, and many are wrapped in electrical tape to further avoid detection.
“We have found cellphones in the private area of visitors — I’m talking females and males,” said Christopher Epps, head of the Mississippi prison system and president of the American Corrections Association. He said it’s not unusual to find three phones in a body cavity.
States are looking for new ways to find cellphones or to prevent their use. Epps said that includes recently installed netting held up by 50-foot poles to keep people from throwing bags over prison fences for prisoners to retrieve.
Federal law prohibits jamming cellphone signals, but Texas, Maryland, California and Mississippi installed towers at some prisons that control what cellphone traffic is allowed. Phone signals reach the tower, but only authorized numbers are then passed through.
It’s not something Florida is considering because of the hefty price tag. Each system costs about $1.5 million, and with 49 major prisons, the state doesn’t have the money to cover them all.
Instead, it’s testing machines that detect a cellphone’s magnetic fields. And like Indiana and other states, Florida is also using dogs trained to sniff out cellphones.
Still, with 100,000 prisoners in Florida, Crews knows the problem will never be completely solved, especially with the profit that can be made.
“When you’re talking about that kind of money, you’re going to have a lot of people who are willing to do just about anything to get them in,” Crews said. “For a large portion of these inmates, it is about making a dollar.”
ATTACK OF THE KILLER PEACOCKS
Some evil scientist must have shown the 1978 comedy horror flick ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’ to a bunch of peacocks.
PEACOCK ATTACKS ACTUALLY DO EXIST
By Haydee Clotter
Houston Press Hair Balls
February 20, 2014
Did you know that all peacocks are not peacocks? Yes, there is a difference. A male is a peacock and a female is a peahen and together they are peafowl. These exotic birds are mostly known for their enormous feathers, but they're also known to attack.
On Valentine's Day, one local peacock was tasered by police then shot to death by its owner. What a way to go out for such a pretty bird.
A Harris County sheriff's deputy answered a call on Kluge and Dale roads about a peacock attacking women. During an interview the peacock began to attack and the deputy shot his taser, according to a report. The bird had his feathers so ruffled that he continued to attack, and the owner took matters into his own hands and shot and killed the peacock with his shotgun.
No charges were filed against the homeowner.
Here's a short history of peacock attacks. Sounds bizarre, but they do happen. Zoo officials, according to a report, have said that peacocks become more aggressive during mating season. We're not sure if Valentine's Day generally sets them off too.
In May 2013, a peacock at the Albuquerque Zoo attacked a two-year-old girl. The mother told Associated Press that the peacock jumped on her daughter's head, causing a bloody wound on her forehead. She required medical attention and had to get two stitches.
In June 2010, a three-year-old boy was hurt at the Denver Zoo. According to the Associated Press the father said he received a call from a daycare saying that a peacock had attacked his son. The boy was taken to the hospital and had to get stitches on his nose and forehead. The zoo confirmed that the young boy was injured by one of the peacocks that wandered the grounds.
Another peacock attack occurred in July 2006, according to Born Free USA's Exotic Animal Incident Report. A toddler was attacked while at the Oregon Zoo and suffered scratches to one shoulder and welts on both arms by a free-ranging peacock.
Although not commonly known for being aggressive animals you may have to watch your back if you come across a peafowl. We don't always know what mood they may be in so just be careful at all times.
PEACOCK ATTACKS ACTUALLY DO EXIST
By Haydee Clotter
Houston Press Hair Balls
February 20, 2014
Did you know that all peacocks are not peacocks? Yes, there is a difference. A male is a peacock and a female is a peahen and together they are peafowl. These exotic birds are mostly known for their enormous feathers, but they're also known to attack.
On Valentine's Day, one local peacock was tasered by police then shot to death by its owner. What a way to go out for such a pretty bird.
A Harris County sheriff's deputy answered a call on Kluge and Dale roads about a peacock attacking women. During an interview the peacock began to attack and the deputy shot his taser, according to a report. The bird had his feathers so ruffled that he continued to attack, and the owner took matters into his own hands and shot and killed the peacock with his shotgun.
No charges were filed against the homeowner.
Here's a short history of peacock attacks. Sounds bizarre, but they do happen. Zoo officials, according to a report, have said that peacocks become more aggressive during mating season. We're not sure if Valentine's Day generally sets them off too.
In May 2013, a peacock at the Albuquerque Zoo attacked a two-year-old girl. The mother told Associated Press that the peacock jumped on her daughter's head, causing a bloody wound on her forehead. She required medical attention and had to get two stitches.
In June 2010, a three-year-old boy was hurt at the Denver Zoo. According to the Associated Press the father said he received a call from a daycare saying that a peacock had attacked his son. The boy was taken to the hospital and had to get stitches on his nose and forehead. The zoo confirmed that the young boy was injured by one of the peacocks that wandered the grounds.
Another peacock attack occurred in July 2006, according to Born Free USA's Exotic Animal Incident Report. A toddler was attacked while at the Oregon Zoo and suffered scratches to one shoulder and welts on both arms by a free-ranging peacock.
Although not commonly known for being aggressive animals you may have to watch your back if you come across a peafowl. We don't always know what mood they may be in so just be careful at all times.
CONGREGATION SHEARITH ISRAEL WANTS TO KEEP RABBI MOISHE KHOSHERMAN
The Unconventional Gazette
February 20, 2014
During the regular Saturday morning service at Congregation Shearith Israel, Rabbi Moishe Khosherman announced that he was planning to leave for a larger congregation that would pay him more. There is a hush within the congregation. No one wants him to leave because he is so popular.
Fred Shapiro, who owns several car dealerships in Venice and Sarasota, stands up and proclaims, “If the rabbi stays, I will provide him with a new Cadillac every year and his wife with a Honda mini-van to transport their children!”
The congregation sighs in appreciation and applauds.
Saul Cohen, a successful businessman and lawyer, stands and says, “If the rabbi will stay on here, I'll personally double his salary and establish a foundation to guarantee a free college education for his children!”
More sighs and loud applause!
Estelle Rubin, age 88, stands and announces with a smile, “If the rabbi stays, I will give him sex!”
There is total silence.
Rabbi Khosherman, blushing, asks her: “Mrs. Rubin, you're a wonderful and holy lady. Whatever possessed you to say that?”
Estelle's 90-year old husband, Abe, is now trying to hide, holding his forehead with the palm of his hand and shaking his head from side to side, while his wife replies:
“Well, I just asked my husband how we could help, and he said, “Fuck him!”
February 20, 2014
During the regular Saturday morning service at Congregation Shearith Israel, Rabbi Moishe Khosherman announced that he was planning to leave for a larger congregation that would pay him more. There is a hush within the congregation. No one wants him to leave because he is so popular.
Fred Shapiro, who owns several car dealerships in Venice and Sarasota, stands up and proclaims, “If the rabbi stays, I will provide him with a new Cadillac every year and his wife with a Honda mini-van to transport their children!”
The congregation sighs in appreciation and applauds.
Saul Cohen, a successful businessman and lawyer, stands and says, “If the rabbi will stay on here, I'll personally double his salary and establish a foundation to guarantee a free college education for his children!”
More sighs and loud applause!
Estelle Rubin, age 88, stands and announces with a smile, “If the rabbi stays, I will give him sex!”
There is total silence.
Rabbi Khosherman, blushing, asks her: “Mrs. Rubin, you're a wonderful and holy lady. Whatever possessed you to say that?”
Estelle's 90-year old husband, Abe, is now trying to hide, holding his forehead with the palm of his hand and shaking his head from side to side, while his wife replies:
“Well, I just asked my husband how we could help, and he said, “Fuck him!”
Thursday, February 20, 2014
POSTER BOY FOR GUN CONTROL (UPDATE)
Michael Dunn, convicted on three counts of attempted murder, damages efforts to preserve our Second Amendment rights
The jury in the trial for the murder of 17-year-old Jordan Davis consisted of 5 men and 7 women. 8 jurors were white, 2 were black, one was Hispanic and one was Asian. The jury deadlocked on the first-degree murder charge, but found Michael Dunn guilty on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for shooting at Davis' three companions.
Juror No. 4 has now come forward and told ABC News that nine of the 12 jurors wanted to convict Dunn of murder, but three jurors caused a deadlock because they were convinced he acted in self-defense. She said that from the get-go of their deliberations, they knew that they were not going to get a unanimous vote on the murder of 17-year-old Davis.
Although the nine jurors had some differences on the degree of murder, they all agreed Dunn had other options than to open gunfire on the SUV and its four teenage occupants. “The rest of us were 100 percent sure,” she said, “you didn't have to react [with gunfire], you could have had another option.” The nine jurors believed that Dunn could have rolled up his window, put his car in reverse, or simply ignored the loud music.
There was no disagreement among the 12 jurors about the three attempted murder charges. Dunn claimed that Davis pointed a shot gun at him but he never claimed that any of the other boys threatened him. After he shot Davis, the SUV started to drive off. When Dunn continued to fire at the SUV and its occupants, he clearly crossed the line between self-defense and attempted murder.
Dunn is a fucking liar! There never was a shotgun or any other type of gun. He should have stayed in his car and ignored the loud music or moved his car to another location in the convenience store parking lot. But he had a hatred for blacks as exemplified by the letter he sent his daughter from jail in which he wrote that more people should arm themselves and kill blacks and Hispanics because that might get them to change their 'thuggish' behavior.
The gun he was carrying, gave Dunn the courage to get out of his car and confront the four black teenagers. The loud music was merely an excuse for Dunn to vent his hatred against blacks. When they started arguing with him, he decided to put them in their place. If Dunn had been more accurate with the 10 shots he fired, all four would now be dead.
Under Florida law, Dunn will be at least 107 years old before he can walk out of prison. That is very good news because now he can no longer damage efforts to preserve our Second Amendment rights. Once again, thanks to Dunn, the anti-gunners and many supporters of our right to bear arms are demanding that the 'stand-your-ground' laws of Florida and 21 other states be repealed. It’s jerks like Dunn and Curtis Reeves, the retired Florida cop who killed a man in a movie theater during an argument over texting, that call into question why civilians should be issued concealed carry permits.
The jury in the trial for the murder of 17-year-old Jordan Davis consisted of 5 men and 7 women. 8 jurors were white, 2 were black, one was Hispanic and one was Asian. The jury deadlocked on the first-degree murder charge, but found Michael Dunn guilty on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for shooting at Davis' three companions.
Juror No. 4 has now come forward and told ABC News that nine of the 12 jurors wanted to convict Dunn of murder, but three jurors caused a deadlock because they were convinced he acted in self-defense. She said that from the get-go of their deliberations, they knew that they were not going to get a unanimous vote on the murder of 17-year-old Davis.
Although the nine jurors had some differences on the degree of murder, they all agreed Dunn had other options than to open gunfire on the SUV and its four teenage occupants. “The rest of us were 100 percent sure,” she said, “you didn't have to react [with gunfire], you could have had another option.” The nine jurors believed that Dunn could have rolled up his window, put his car in reverse, or simply ignored the loud music.
There was no disagreement among the 12 jurors about the three attempted murder charges. Dunn claimed that Davis pointed a shot gun at him but he never claimed that any of the other boys threatened him. After he shot Davis, the SUV started to drive off. When Dunn continued to fire at the SUV and its occupants, he clearly crossed the line between self-defense and attempted murder.
Dunn is a fucking liar! There never was a shotgun or any other type of gun. He should have stayed in his car and ignored the loud music or moved his car to another location in the convenience store parking lot. But he had a hatred for blacks as exemplified by the letter he sent his daughter from jail in which he wrote that more people should arm themselves and kill blacks and Hispanics because that might get them to change their 'thuggish' behavior.
The gun he was carrying, gave Dunn the courage to get out of his car and confront the four black teenagers. The loud music was merely an excuse for Dunn to vent his hatred against blacks. When they started arguing with him, he decided to put them in their place. If Dunn had been more accurate with the 10 shots he fired, all four would now be dead.
Under Florida law, Dunn will be at least 107 years old before he can walk out of prison. That is very good news because now he can no longer damage efforts to preserve our Second Amendment rights. Once again, thanks to Dunn, the anti-gunners and many supporters of our right to bear arms are demanding that the 'stand-your-ground' laws of Florida and 21 other states be repealed. It’s jerks like Dunn and Curtis Reeves, the retired Florida cop who killed a man in a movie theater during an argument over texting, that call into question why civilians should be issued concealed carry permits.
ANTI-GUN STATE SENATOR PROPOSES RESTRICTIVE AMMO PURCHASE LAW FOR CALIFORNIANS
Democratic Sen. Kevin de Leon wants criminal background checks run on all purchasers of ammunition
California already has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation and now this anti-gun Democrat, who is behind much of the state’s recent anti-gun legislation, wants to require criminal background checks on all Californians when they try to purchase ammunition.
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE CONSIDERING AMMUNITION BACKGROUND CHECK BILL
By Max Pringle
Capital Public Radio
February 18, 2014
SACRAMENTO -- “In California, to buy a product that has the potential to maim or kill another human being, you can walk into any gun store and buy all the ammunition you like," says Democratic State Senator Kevin de Lèon, who authored the bill. "You can fill a U-Haul truck, no questions asked.”
He says his bill would provide commonsense safeguards to the sale of a potentially lethal product and give law enforcement a useful tracking tool.
“We have no regulations whatsoever," he says. "We don’t know who buys it. We don’t know who sells it. And that’s simply wrong.”
Gun advocates' groups say the measure puts unfair restrictions on lawful purchases.
“The new vendor requirements would basically limit the opportunity for Californians to exercise their rights,” says Brandon Combs with the Cal Guns Foundation.
De Lèon tried before in the Assembly in 2008 with legislation that would have required background checks on hand gun ammunition only. That version failed in the Senate.
The Assembly Public Safety Committee is considering the current bill. Gov. Jerry Brown’s office is working with Senator de Lèon on drafting the latest bill.
California already has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation and now this anti-gun Democrat, who is behind much of the state’s recent anti-gun legislation, wants to require criminal background checks on all Californians when they try to purchase ammunition.
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE CONSIDERING AMMUNITION BACKGROUND CHECK BILL
By Max Pringle
Capital Public Radio
February 18, 2014
SACRAMENTO -- “In California, to buy a product that has the potential to maim or kill another human being, you can walk into any gun store and buy all the ammunition you like," says Democratic State Senator Kevin de Lèon, who authored the bill. "You can fill a U-Haul truck, no questions asked.”
He says his bill would provide commonsense safeguards to the sale of a potentially lethal product and give law enforcement a useful tracking tool.
“We have no regulations whatsoever," he says. "We don’t know who buys it. We don’t know who sells it. And that’s simply wrong.”
Gun advocates' groups say the measure puts unfair restrictions on lawful purchases.
“The new vendor requirements would basically limit the opportunity for Californians to exercise their rights,” says Brandon Combs with the Cal Guns Foundation.
De Lèon tried before in the Assembly in 2008 with legislation that would have required background checks on hand gun ammunition only. That version failed in the Senate.
The Assembly Public Safety Committee is considering the current bill. Gov. Jerry Brown’s office is working with Senator de Lèon on drafting the latest bill.
JAILER GETS HERSELF KNOCKED UP BECAUSE CONDEMNED COP KILLER NEEDED ‘TO HAVE SOMETHING BEHIND’ (UPDATE)
Cop killer said ‘I just need a baby before the pigz try to take my life’
Making whoopee between jailers and inmates is not all that uncommon, but a female guard deliberately getting pregnant because some scumbag of a cop-killer wanted to leave behind a baby after he’s executed is one of the craziest things I ever heard of. Hot-to-trot jail guard Nancy Gonzalez got pregnant by Ronell Wilson who was under her supervision and, as a result, the taxpayers will be paying to support the kid for the next 18 years. Her motive for getting knocked up was to gain sympathy for the killer of two cops because she thought that if he had a baby it might keep him from being resentenced to death.
EX-JAIL GUARD GETS PRISON FOR SEX WITH CONVICTED COP KILLER
By Tom Hays
Associated Press
February 19, 2014
A former jail guard who had a behind-bars affair with a New York City man convicted in the brutal slaying of two police officers was sentenced Wednesday to one year and one day in prison.
Nancy Gonzalez asked a judge in federal court in Brooklyn to spare her prison time, saying she wanted to be free to visit a baby son, Justus, fathered by the convicted killer in 2012.
A tearful Gonzalez asked for "a chance to pick up the pieces of my life and mend it for Justus' sake." Her lawyers described how she had sought psychotherapy and taken other steps to overcome a troubled upbringing and win back custody of her child, who is in the care of relatives.
But U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said Gonzalez's offense went beyond having an impulsive tryst with an inmate. He cited evidence that she deliberately allowed the man, Ronell Wilson, to impregnate her to try to win him sympathy, and that she enabled him to create "medieval" conditions in his cellblock that put other guards and inmates at risk.
"This is not a person who understands all the things that are wrong with her. ... I just don't think she's connected to reality," he said.
Gonzalez, 30, had pleaded guilty last year to charges she intentionally engaged in a sex act with an inmate.
By adding an extra day to the one-year term, the judge qualified Gonzalez for time off for good behavior. She also must serve three years of probation once she completes her sentence.
Wilson, 31, was a young gang member on Staten Island when he was arrested in the point-blank shootings of undercover officers James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews in an illegal gun sting gone awry. Wilson was found guilty in 2006 and he was sentenced to death, but an appeals court threw out the sentence in 2010 and prosecutors chose to repeat a penalty phase.
While Wilson awaited the proceeding in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Gonzalez gave him favorable treatment and let him bully other inmates while they carried on their affair in a vacant activity room next to his cell, according to court papers.
Gonzalez was recorded telling another inmate that "she slit her pants so she could quickly engage in sexual intercourse with Wilson," the papers said. "Once she learned that she was pregnant, the defendant brought the pregnancy test into the MDC to show Wilson."
Last year, another jury found that Wilson should die by lethal injection and he was returned to the federal death row in Terre Haute, Ind.
Making whoopee between jailers and inmates is not all that uncommon, but a female guard deliberately getting pregnant because some scumbag of a cop-killer wanted to leave behind a baby after he’s executed is one of the craziest things I ever heard of. Hot-to-trot jail guard Nancy Gonzalez got pregnant by Ronell Wilson who was under her supervision and, as a result, the taxpayers will be paying to support the kid for the next 18 years. Her motive for getting knocked up was to gain sympathy for the killer of two cops because she thought that if he had a baby it might keep him from being resentenced to death.
EX-JAIL GUARD GETS PRISON FOR SEX WITH CONVICTED COP KILLER
By Tom Hays
Associated Press
February 19, 2014
A former jail guard who had a behind-bars affair with a New York City man convicted in the brutal slaying of two police officers was sentenced Wednesday to one year and one day in prison.
Nancy Gonzalez asked a judge in federal court in Brooklyn to spare her prison time, saying she wanted to be free to visit a baby son, Justus, fathered by the convicted killer in 2012.
A tearful Gonzalez asked for "a chance to pick up the pieces of my life and mend it for Justus' sake." Her lawyers described how she had sought psychotherapy and taken other steps to overcome a troubled upbringing and win back custody of her child, who is in the care of relatives.
But U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said Gonzalez's offense went beyond having an impulsive tryst with an inmate. He cited evidence that she deliberately allowed the man, Ronell Wilson, to impregnate her to try to win him sympathy, and that she enabled him to create "medieval" conditions in his cellblock that put other guards and inmates at risk.
"This is not a person who understands all the things that are wrong with her. ... I just don't think she's connected to reality," he said.
Gonzalez, 30, had pleaded guilty last year to charges she intentionally engaged in a sex act with an inmate.
By adding an extra day to the one-year term, the judge qualified Gonzalez for time off for good behavior. She also must serve three years of probation once she completes her sentence.
Wilson, 31, was a young gang member on Staten Island when he was arrested in the point-blank shootings of undercover officers James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews in an illegal gun sting gone awry. Wilson was found guilty in 2006 and he was sentenced to death, but an appeals court threw out the sentence in 2010 and prosecutors chose to repeat a penalty phase.
While Wilson awaited the proceeding in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Gonzalez gave him favorable treatment and let him bully other inmates while they carried on their affair in a vacant activity room next to his cell, according to court papers.
Gonzalez was recorded telling another inmate that "she slit her pants so she could quickly engage in sexual intercourse with Wilson," the papers said. "Once she learned that she was pregnant, the defendant brought the pregnancy test into the MDC to show Wilson."
Last year, another jury found that Wilson should die by lethal injection and he was returned to the federal death row in Terre Haute, Ind.
FIGHT OVER CHICKEN FOOT ENDS WITH ONE MAN DEAD
A fight over a chicken foot? That’s something you might expect to happen in a third-world country, but in America?
TAMPA MAN CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER AFTER DISPUTE ABOUT CHICKEN FOOT TURNS DEADLY
By Jessica Vander Velde
Tampa Bay Times
February 17, 2014
TAMPA — A Tampa man has been charged with manslaughter after an investigation revealed that he beat his roommate to death after a disagreement about a chicken foot, Tampa police said.
James Jugo, 52, admitted in an interview with detectives on Saturday that he beat his roommate, 56-year-old Benjamin Calderon, with his fist after an argument about some stolen food, police said.
The fight started earlier, when Jugo took a chicken foot from a skillet as Calderon cooked in the apartment they shared at 8722 N 48th Street, police said.
Officers were called to the apartment on Friday to investigate an "unexplained death." It is unclear when the fight took place and if Calderon died immediately. Police declined to share details, saying the attack is still under investigation.
An autopsy revealed that Calderon suffered internal bleeding after being hit numerous times on the face, neck and elsewhere, police said. A witness told police that she saw Jugo hit Calderon with a board.
Jugo was booked in jail Saturday. He is being held on $15,000 bail.
Jugo has been arrested 19 times in Florida on charges including burglary, cocaine possession, petty theft, probation violation, open container and possession of a dangerous dog, state records show.
Calderon had been arrested twice in Florida on charges of DUI and failure to appear. He had recently become homeless after losing his security job, his brother Bolivar Calderon said Monday.
Benjamin Calderon lived out of his car for a while and tried staying at a shelter. He ended up living with Jugo and female roommate, the brother said.
Calderon was saving money to apply for a license that would allow him to work as an armed security officer.
"He had plans. He was setting goals for himself," Bolivar Calderon said.
Benjamin Calderon leaves a mother, two brothers, a sister and children. The family is devastated, and they have lingering questions that they hope police will eventually answer, Bolivar Calderon said.
"No one deserves to die over a chicken foot," he said.
TAMPA MAN CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER AFTER DISPUTE ABOUT CHICKEN FOOT TURNS DEADLY
By Jessica Vander Velde
Tampa Bay Times
February 17, 2014
TAMPA — A Tampa man has been charged with manslaughter after an investigation revealed that he beat his roommate to death after a disagreement about a chicken foot, Tampa police said.
James Jugo, 52, admitted in an interview with detectives on Saturday that he beat his roommate, 56-year-old Benjamin Calderon, with his fist after an argument about some stolen food, police said.
The fight started earlier, when Jugo took a chicken foot from a skillet as Calderon cooked in the apartment they shared at 8722 N 48th Street, police said.
Officers were called to the apartment on Friday to investigate an "unexplained death." It is unclear when the fight took place and if Calderon died immediately. Police declined to share details, saying the attack is still under investigation.
An autopsy revealed that Calderon suffered internal bleeding after being hit numerous times on the face, neck and elsewhere, police said. A witness told police that she saw Jugo hit Calderon with a board.
Jugo was booked in jail Saturday. He is being held on $15,000 bail.
Jugo has been arrested 19 times in Florida on charges including burglary, cocaine possession, petty theft, probation violation, open container and possession of a dangerous dog, state records show.
Calderon had been arrested twice in Florida on charges of DUI and failure to appear. He had recently become homeless after losing his security job, his brother Bolivar Calderon said Monday.
Benjamin Calderon lived out of his car for a while and tried staying at a shelter. He ended up living with Jugo and female roommate, the brother said.
Calderon was saving money to apply for a license that would allow him to work as an armed security officer.
"He had plans. He was setting goals for himself," Bolivar Calderon said.
Benjamin Calderon leaves a mother, two brothers, a sister and children. The family is devastated, and they have lingering questions that they hope police will eventually answer, Bolivar Calderon said.
"No one deserves to die over a chicken foot," he said.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
EVERY YEAR MORE COPS ARE KILLED ON DUTY IN TRAFFIC CRASHES THAN BY GUNFIRE OR ANY OTHER CAUSE
Those emergency lights and sirens are not meant to make cops crash proof
Driving like a bat out of hell gets more cops killed while on duty every year than gunfire or any other cause. In this case two CHP officers were killed when they came upon the multi-vehicle accident they were responding to and driving too fast to stop in time to avoid crashing their patrol car. What officers don't seem to realize is that the arrival-on-scene time difference between going 75 mph and 95 mph in most cases is negligible.
Jeff ‘Paco’ Doyle says, “Cops need to learn to wear their seatbelts just like the rest of us.” Paco is absolutely right, but when cops keep driving with reckless abandonment, seat belts may not be enough to save their lives in a crash. And the latest reports from CHP do reveal that both officers were wearing their seat belts when they died.
2 CHP OFFICERS KILLED IN HIGHWAY 99 CRASH
By Tim Sheehan and Jim Guy
The Fresno Bee
February 17, 2014
FRESNO, Calif. — Two California Highway Patrol officers died early Monday on Highway 99 while driving to a collision near Kingsburg.
They have been identified as Brian Law of Clovis and Juan Gonzalez of Fresno.
CHP Capt. Dave Paris said the CHP received multiple calls about a collision in the northbound lanes of Highway 99 south of Sierra Avenue. The officers were responding when they drove right up on the crash scene, which was in the southbound lanes north of Sierra. They took evasive action to avoid striking any of the other parties and struck a guard rail with their Ford Crown Victoria cruiser. Gonzalez was driving. They died at the scene.
Paris said Law, 34, and Gonzalez, 33, attended the California Highway Patrol Academy together, graduating in 2008. Gonzalez then served as an officer in Oakland and Law went to San Jose.
They then both came to the Central Division, where they teamed up to work the night shift and became the best of friends.
Paris said Law is married, has three children and lives in the Clovis area. Gonzalez, who lives in the Fresno area, was talking about marriage with his girlfriend.
Services for the men are pending.
"Everybody that comes on the CHP understands the risks," said Paris. "Their biggest goal is to help their community, to strengthen their community. They understand that they can become a victim of an assault or a traffic collision. It's always in their mind and they prepare for it."
Paris expressed some disappointment that the names of the officers were made known on social media before some family members could be informed by CHP officials personally.
Monday afternoon, the CHP reopened the left lane of southbound Highway 99 at the crash scene in Kingsburg, but the right-hand lane remains closed.
Driving like a bat out of hell gets more cops killed while on duty every year than gunfire or any other cause. In this case two CHP officers were killed when they came upon the multi-vehicle accident they were responding to and driving too fast to stop in time to avoid crashing their patrol car. What officers don't seem to realize is that the arrival-on-scene time difference between going 75 mph and 95 mph in most cases is negligible.
Jeff ‘Paco’ Doyle says, “Cops need to learn to wear their seatbelts just like the rest of us.” Paco is absolutely right, but when cops keep driving with reckless abandonment, seat belts may not be enough to save their lives in a crash. And the latest reports from CHP do reveal that both officers were wearing their seat belts when they died.
2 CHP OFFICERS KILLED IN HIGHWAY 99 CRASH
By Tim Sheehan and Jim Guy
The Fresno Bee
February 17, 2014
FRESNO, Calif. — Two California Highway Patrol officers died early Monday on Highway 99 while driving to a collision near Kingsburg.
They have been identified as Brian Law of Clovis and Juan Gonzalez of Fresno.
CHP Capt. Dave Paris said the CHP received multiple calls about a collision in the northbound lanes of Highway 99 south of Sierra Avenue. The officers were responding when they drove right up on the crash scene, which was in the southbound lanes north of Sierra. They took evasive action to avoid striking any of the other parties and struck a guard rail with their Ford Crown Victoria cruiser. Gonzalez was driving. They died at the scene.
Paris said Law, 34, and Gonzalez, 33, attended the California Highway Patrol Academy together, graduating in 2008. Gonzalez then served as an officer in Oakland and Law went to San Jose.
They then both came to the Central Division, where they teamed up to work the night shift and became the best of friends.
Paris said Law is married, has three children and lives in the Clovis area. Gonzalez, who lives in the Fresno area, was talking about marriage with his girlfriend.
Services for the men are pending.
"Everybody that comes on the CHP understands the risks," said Paris. "Their biggest goal is to help their community, to strengthen their community. They understand that they can become a victim of an assault or a traffic collision. It's always in their mind and they prepare for it."
Paris expressed some disappointment that the names of the officers were made known on social media before some family members could be informed by CHP officials personally.
Monday afternoon, the CHP reopened the left lane of southbound Highway 99 at the crash scene in Kingsburg, but the right-hand lane remains closed.
‘HELL, EVERY TEXAN KNOWS THE GATEWAY DRUG IS BEER’ [NOT POT]
In running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Kinky Friedman is advocating the legalization of marijuana
While I vehemently disagree with his position on legalizing pot, Kinky continues to be one of my favorite authors and entertainers. And when Kinky refers to Israeli scientists announcing recently that they had destroyed cancer cells with marijuana, I’m sure those scientists did not mean cancer cells can be destroyed by smoking pot, since marijuana smoke contains a good dose of carcinogens.
KINKY FRIEDMAN’S ‘LEGALIZE IT’ CAMPAIGN HITS MUCKY DUCK
By William Michael Smith
Houston Press Hair Balls
February 18, 2014
The Kinky Friedman Agriculture Commissioner campaign rolled through Houston this weekend, with the candidate playing a sold-out show at Mucky Duck Sunday night and speaking at a NORML luncheon this week.
As reported in a recent Houston Press cover story, Friedman, who previously ran for governor as an independent, is running on the Democratic ticket with legalizing marijuana and the growing of hemp as a cash crop as his main platform planks.
Friedman's evening began with a small snafu when he learned at 5:00 p.m. that his show start time was 6:00 p.m., not the 7:30 p.m. shown on his master schedule. When Hairballs arrived, Friedman and the sound man were doing a double-time sound check.
Fortunately with only two microphones -- acoustic guitar and vocal -- the check proved to be a minimum hassle. Still, Friedman was sweating profusely and was clearly not in the mode to take the stage and sing when Hairballs first talked with him about 5:45.
By start time, the place was packed with mostly graying, well dressed couples. Duck owner Rusty Andrews noted that "this is a great crowd, but the only time we see most of these folks is when Kinky plays."
In spite of his somewhat rattled entry, by the second song, "Sold American," all seemed right with the candidate and the crowd, who hung on every word as if the song had taken on an even deeper meaning in the current nut job political atmosphere.
Mid-set, Friedman finally got down to politics. While he promised only "three minutes and four seconds," his stump speech stretched out to 14 minutes as he enunciated his positions. The crowd was totally silent and attentive the entire time, interrupting with applause after Friedman's statement about legalizing pot and the state stopping the practice of incarceration for a mostly young population of pot users.
"Putting these young people in jail for smoking pot, sticking them in a cell for six months, a year, two years, is a great way for the state to help ruin a bunch of lives," Friedman appealed. "What with the cost of law enforcement, the cost to our judicial system, and the cost to keep these non-violent guys locked up, it costs the taxpayers of this state hundreds of millions of dollars with zero return.
"We could send every one of these people to Harvard with what this costs," Friedman quipped. "You're the ones paying for this. Which is the right thing to do?"
Friedman also reeled off details of the latest medical research about Israeli scientists announcing recently that they had destroyed cancer cells with marijuana.
"Right here in Houston, Texas, we have arguably the greatest cancer hospital in the world, but there is not one single research project going on there. That's insane, given what researchers elsewhere are learning. And let's face it, there isn't a person in this room who hasn't had a family member with cancer and the problems that come with chemotherapy and its aftermath. This is an issue that affects every last one of us."
Friedman went on to poo-poo attacks by is opponents that he is not someone who works in agriculture.
"At 400 acres, my ranch may be the biggest non-producing ranch in the state," says Friedman.
He then gave details on his Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, and followed with a rundown of other candidates in the race. He summarized that "I'm the only candidate strictly in this race to do something right for Texas. And that's why outfits like the Farm Bureau and other agriculture lobby groups are contributing money to my opponents and ignoring me."
"Unfortunately, the past 20 years, the Agriculture Commissioner's seat has been little more than a stepping stone for Republicans looking to climb the ladder to some higher office."
Friedman, who invoked Barbara Jordan, Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, and Sam Rayburn as role models and his political inspiration, also noted that, as he is approaching 70, "this may well by my last race for public office. If that's true, I want to go out having done something that really makes a mark on Texas."
He went on to note that he just got back from a tour of Australia with a stop in Hawaii, where he played a gig in a small club with Willie Nelson.
"From what I saw and heard while I was out there, Texas is viewed as a backward-thinking reactionary state by most of the world. People are enamored with the idea of what they think Texas is, but our standing in national and world opinion is at an all-time low right now.
"But if Texas moves to legalize pot, the whole perception turns on a dime. I want to be a big part in making that happen."
He laughed off suggestions by opponents that "marijuana is a gateway drug."
"Hell, every Texan knows the gateway drug is beer," he quipped to the delight of the throng.
At 7:30, Friedman leaves the stage to a standing ovation. 45 minutes later the merchandise line is still past the door as people wait patiently for their private moment with the candidate. Friedman doesn't rush anyone, lets them get their story out, signs their books and Cds, poses for innumerable photos.
Friedman puts his arm around a woman and strikes his usual pose, but the husband is taking forever to frame the shot with his ancient flip phone. The woman chuckles, "No rush, honey, I'm quite enjoying this." It's obvious that Friedman is enjoying the interaction with his constituency too.
A 74-year-old Vietnam veteran waits until the throng finally subsides before ambling back to meet Friedman. He has a distinct limp. Not aware that anyone else is waiting, Friedman has already packed his merchandise case, but when the veteran requests a certain CD and a copy of his book, Friedman opens up again. He spends another ten minutes listening to the former Navy man tell his story.
Afterwards, Friedman is ebullient.
"I know it's very difficult to get a sense of it this early, but I think we've got a great shot at still being in the race after the Democratic primary. Is Texas ready to decriminalize marijuana and legalize it? We'll know pretty soon."
While I vehemently disagree with his position on legalizing pot, Kinky continues to be one of my favorite authors and entertainers. And when Kinky refers to Israeli scientists announcing recently that they had destroyed cancer cells with marijuana, I’m sure those scientists did not mean cancer cells can be destroyed by smoking pot, since marijuana smoke contains a good dose of carcinogens.
KINKY FRIEDMAN’S ‘LEGALIZE IT’ CAMPAIGN HITS MUCKY DUCK
By William Michael Smith
Houston Press Hair Balls
February 18, 2014
The Kinky Friedman Agriculture Commissioner campaign rolled through Houston this weekend, with the candidate playing a sold-out show at Mucky Duck Sunday night and speaking at a NORML luncheon this week.
As reported in a recent Houston Press cover story, Friedman, who previously ran for governor as an independent, is running on the Democratic ticket with legalizing marijuana and the growing of hemp as a cash crop as his main platform planks.
Friedman's evening began with a small snafu when he learned at 5:00 p.m. that his show start time was 6:00 p.m., not the 7:30 p.m. shown on his master schedule. When Hairballs arrived, Friedman and the sound man were doing a double-time sound check.
Fortunately with only two microphones -- acoustic guitar and vocal -- the check proved to be a minimum hassle. Still, Friedman was sweating profusely and was clearly not in the mode to take the stage and sing when Hairballs first talked with him about 5:45.
By start time, the place was packed with mostly graying, well dressed couples. Duck owner Rusty Andrews noted that "this is a great crowd, but the only time we see most of these folks is when Kinky plays."
In spite of his somewhat rattled entry, by the second song, "Sold American," all seemed right with the candidate and the crowd, who hung on every word as if the song had taken on an even deeper meaning in the current nut job political atmosphere.
Mid-set, Friedman finally got down to politics. While he promised only "three minutes and four seconds," his stump speech stretched out to 14 minutes as he enunciated his positions. The crowd was totally silent and attentive the entire time, interrupting with applause after Friedman's statement about legalizing pot and the state stopping the practice of incarceration for a mostly young population of pot users.
"Putting these young people in jail for smoking pot, sticking them in a cell for six months, a year, two years, is a great way for the state to help ruin a bunch of lives," Friedman appealed. "What with the cost of law enforcement, the cost to our judicial system, and the cost to keep these non-violent guys locked up, it costs the taxpayers of this state hundreds of millions of dollars with zero return.
"We could send every one of these people to Harvard with what this costs," Friedman quipped. "You're the ones paying for this. Which is the right thing to do?"
Friedman also reeled off details of the latest medical research about Israeli scientists announcing recently that they had destroyed cancer cells with marijuana.
"Right here in Houston, Texas, we have arguably the greatest cancer hospital in the world, but there is not one single research project going on there. That's insane, given what researchers elsewhere are learning. And let's face it, there isn't a person in this room who hasn't had a family member with cancer and the problems that come with chemotherapy and its aftermath. This is an issue that affects every last one of us."
Friedman went on to poo-poo attacks by is opponents that he is not someone who works in agriculture.
"At 400 acres, my ranch may be the biggest non-producing ranch in the state," says Friedman.
He then gave details on his Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, and followed with a rundown of other candidates in the race. He summarized that "I'm the only candidate strictly in this race to do something right for Texas. And that's why outfits like the Farm Bureau and other agriculture lobby groups are contributing money to my opponents and ignoring me."
"Unfortunately, the past 20 years, the Agriculture Commissioner's seat has been little more than a stepping stone for Republicans looking to climb the ladder to some higher office."
Friedman, who invoked Barbara Jordan, Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, and Sam Rayburn as role models and his political inspiration, also noted that, as he is approaching 70, "this may well by my last race for public office. If that's true, I want to go out having done something that really makes a mark on Texas."
He went on to note that he just got back from a tour of Australia with a stop in Hawaii, where he played a gig in a small club with Willie Nelson.
"From what I saw and heard while I was out there, Texas is viewed as a backward-thinking reactionary state by most of the world. People are enamored with the idea of what they think Texas is, but our standing in national and world opinion is at an all-time low right now.
"But if Texas moves to legalize pot, the whole perception turns on a dime. I want to be a big part in making that happen."
He laughed off suggestions by opponents that "marijuana is a gateway drug."
"Hell, every Texan knows the gateway drug is beer," he quipped to the delight of the throng.
At 7:30, Friedman leaves the stage to a standing ovation. 45 minutes later the merchandise line is still past the door as people wait patiently for their private moment with the candidate. Friedman doesn't rush anyone, lets them get their story out, signs their books and Cds, poses for innumerable photos.
Friedman puts his arm around a woman and strikes his usual pose, but the husband is taking forever to frame the shot with his ancient flip phone. The woman chuckles, "No rush, honey, I'm quite enjoying this." It's obvious that Friedman is enjoying the interaction with his constituency too.
A 74-year-old Vietnam veteran waits until the throng finally subsides before ambling back to meet Friedman. He has a distinct limp. Not aware that anyone else is waiting, Friedman has already packed his merchandise case, but when the veteran requests a certain CD and a copy of his book, Friedman opens up again. He spends another ten minutes listening to the former Navy man tell his story.
Afterwards, Friedman is ebullient.
"I know it's very difficult to get a sense of it this early, but I think we've got a great shot at still being in the race after the Democratic primary. Is Texas ready to decriminalize marijuana and legalize it? We'll know pretty soon."
COLLEGE SOCIOLOGY TEXTBOOK TRSHES RONNIE REAGAN AND CONSERVATIVES
Professors who adopt Kirst-Ashman’s ‘Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare’ for their classes should be horsewhipped, tarred and feathered, and ridden off the campus and out of town on a rail
The author of this nefarious political text is Karen K. Kirst-Ashman, a professor and former chairperson in the social work department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has written several social work textbooks and numerous articles on social work and women's issues. At $159.83 - $201.05 this book is one gigantic rip-off.
Kirst-Ashman obviously has a left-wing political agenda, as do most activists in behalf of women’s issues. What Ronald Reagan has to do with social work is a mystery to me. I’ve dealt with a lot of social workers in my time and many of them couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. But they were shrill supporters of left-wing causes.
REAGAN’S PORTRAYAL AS SEXIST IN TEXTBOOK STIRS CONTROVERSY
By Courtney Coren
Newsmax
February 18, 2014
A college sociology textbook portrays Ronald Reagan as a sexist who downplayed racism, stirring anger among some students.
"I was absolutely shocked and was tempted to throw the book away," Anna Chapman, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, told Fox News. "I would even write comments in the actual textbook next to some of the offensive things that I read. I didn't know that this is what I had signed up for."
According to the textbook, "Introduction to Social Work & Social Welfare: Critical Thinking Perspectives," Reagan "ascribed to women, 'primarily domestic functions' and failed to appoint many women to significant positions of power during his presidency."
The textbook doesn't mention that Reagan appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor; the first woman to be the ambassador to the United Nations; the first female secretary of transportation; the first female secretary of health and human services; and the first female labor secretary, Fox News said.
According to excerpts obtained by the blog Campus Reform, Reagan's main accomplishments were reducing taxes, increasing defense spending, and cutting welfare spending.
"Reagan 'discounted the importance of racism and discrimination,' and maintained that, 'if they tried,' African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans could become just as successful as White people," the textbook says. "He viewed American males as rugged individualists who could accomplish almost anything if they tried."
It also describes conservatives as averse to change and clinging to traditions. The textbook says that "conservatives 'tend to take a basically pessimistic view of human nature. People are conceived of as being corrupt, self-centered, lazy, and incapable of true charity.'"
"This is really outrageous, it's so in our face, and people need to know about it," Chapman told Campus Reform.
The author of this nefarious political text is Karen K. Kirst-Ashman, a professor and former chairperson in the social work department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has written several social work textbooks and numerous articles on social work and women's issues. At $159.83 - $201.05 this book is one gigantic rip-off.
Kirst-Ashman obviously has a left-wing political agenda, as do most activists in behalf of women’s issues. What Ronald Reagan has to do with social work is a mystery to me. I’ve dealt with a lot of social workers in my time and many of them couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. But they were shrill supporters of left-wing causes.
REAGAN’S PORTRAYAL AS SEXIST IN TEXTBOOK STIRS CONTROVERSY
By Courtney Coren
Newsmax
February 18, 2014
A college sociology textbook portrays Ronald Reagan as a sexist who downplayed racism, stirring anger among some students.
"I was absolutely shocked and was tempted to throw the book away," Anna Chapman, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, told Fox News. "I would even write comments in the actual textbook next to some of the offensive things that I read. I didn't know that this is what I had signed up for."
According to the textbook, "Introduction to Social Work & Social Welfare: Critical Thinking Perspectives," Reagan "ascribed to women, 'primarily domestic functions' and failed to appoint many women to significant positions of power during his presidency."
The textbook doesn't mention that Reagan appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor; the first woman to be the ambassador to the United Nations; the first female secretary of transportation; the first female secretary of health and human services; and the first female labor secretary, Fox News said.
According to excerpts obtained by the blog Campus Reform, Reagan's main accomplishments were reducing taxes, increasing defense spending, and cutting welfare spending.
"Reagan 'discounted the importance of racism and discrimination,' and maintained that, 'if they tried,' African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans could become just as successful as White people," the textbook says. "He viewed American males as rugged individualists who could accomplish almost anything if they tried."
It also describes conservatives as averse to change and clinging to traditions. The textbook says that "conservatives 'tend to take a basically pessimistic view of human nature. People are conceived of as being corrupt, self-centered, lazy, and incapable of true charity.'"
"This is really outrageous, it's so in our face, and people need to know about it," Chapman told Campus Reform.
NUN WILL FIND PRISON MEALS AND ACCOMMODATIONS BETTER THAN CONVENT
Sister Megan Rice may not want to return to the Spartan life of the convent after she finishes her prison term. She’ll probably have TV in her cell, get three good meals a day, and have use of a recreation room where she can shoot pool, play cards, etc., etc., and she’ll have to perform fewer menial tasks than at the convent.
JUDGE SENTENCES NUN, 84, TO 35 MONTHS PRISON
Associated Press
February 18, 2014
An 84-year-old nun has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for breaking into and defacing a storage bunker holding bomb-grade uranium in a peace demonstration at a Tennessee weapons plant.
Megan Rice was sentenced Tuesday along with activists Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli. The men were sentenced to more than five years in prison.
The three activists cut through three fences on July 28, 2012, and reached a storage bunker that holds the nation's primary supply of bomb-grade uranium.
They painted messages, hung banners and threw blood on the bunker wall.
While officials claimed there was never any danger of the protesters reaching materials that could be detonated or used to assemble a dirty bomb, the break-in raised serious questions about security.
JUDGE SENTENCES NUN, 84, TO 35 MONTHS PRISON
Associated Press
February 18, 2014
An 84-year-old nun has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for breaking into and defacing a storage bunker holding bomb-grade uranium in a peace demonstration at a Tennessee weapons plant.
Megan Rice was sentenced Tuesday along with activists Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli. The men were sentenced to more than five years in prison.
The three activists cut through three fences on July 28, 2012, and reached a storage bunker that holds the nation's primary supply of bomb-grade uranium.
They painted messages, hung banners and threw blood on the bunker wall.
While officials claimed there was never any danger of the protesters reaching materials that could be detonated or used to assemble a dirty bomb, the break-in raised serious questions about security.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
KAPOW, OOPS SPLASH, OH SHIT!
Chicago police sergeant accidentally discharges gun inside cop shop
The Chicago Tribune reports that a police sergeant accidentally discharged his gun Monday night inside Chicago’s Central District police station.
The round went into the first floor ceiling, hitting a pipe that gushed water for two hours before it could be cut off. The ensuing downpour ruined desks and computers.
No one was injured but twelve male and three female prisoners awaiting court appearances in the station’s holding cells had to be transferred to another police station.
This is likely to cost the sergeant dearly. If I were him, I would say that I smelled something burning and since there was no sprinkler system, I decided to shoot the water pipe instead. Can anyone think of a better excuse?
The Chicago Tribune reports that a police sergeant accidentally discharged his gun Monday night inside Chicago’s Central District police station.
The round went into the first floor ceiling, hitting a pipe that gushed water for two hours before it could be cut off. The ensuing downpour ruined desks and computers.
No one was injured but twelve male and three female prisoners awaiting court appearances in the station’s holding cells had to be transferred to another police station.
This is likely to cost the sergeant dearly. If I were him, I would say that I smelled something burning and since there was no sprinkler system, I decided to shoot the water pipe instead. Can anyone think of a better excuse?
THE PRO CRIME PARTY MOVEMENT IN CALIFORNIA
Give the criminals what they want –Float on, don’t worry
by Richard Krupp, PhD
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
February 17, 2014
After a number of legal maneuverings California citizens are floating down a path to greater criminal victimization. Given the ass-backwards position of many politicians, judges and lawyers, it is time to label them the Pro Crime Party. This party includes the judges involved in the nonsensical overcrowding/medical case that lead us to “Realignment,” Stephen Reinhardt, Thelton Henderson, and Lawrence Karlton. They think there are too many inmates in California prisons, but they don't want any inmates sent out of state. Wouldn't that reduce overcrowding? State Senator Darrell Steinberg would be a member of the Pro Crime party also. He is more interested in the care and comfort of criminals than law abiding citizens.
The spokesmen for the Pro Crime Party could be selected from the legal group representing inmates for several years. Don Spector and Michael Bein are always trying to figure out how to convince people to feel sorry for rapists, murderers, and thieves. Recent news articles lend some support to my position.
Wall Street Journal February 11, 2014, State Wins Delay on Prisoner Numbers:
A panel of three federal judges gave California a temporary reprieve on a mandate to ease prison overcrowding allowing the state two more years to shed nearly 6,000 prisoners.
“The state now has the time and resources necessary to help inmates become productive members of society and make our communities safer, according to Governor Brown.
Don Spector said, “We believe that delaying overcrowding for two more years will result in more suffering and death for prisoners who must endure these conditions.”
The judges were reluctant, but issued the delay because the State agreed to move up parole consideration for some nonviolent offenders and install a court appointed overseer with the power to release prisoners if the state doesn't meet population goals. the judges also ordered the state to stop sending inmates out of state.
I'm not sure how Governor Brown plans to cure the criminals, but it must involve some special powers or magic. Spector must not have read the study showing criminals have lower death rates in prison than out. The real poison pill in the two year delay is the overseer releasing inmates. This does give the Governor and the legislature a good scapegoat.
Sacramento Bee February 11, 2014, Court OKs prison delay:
Don Spector has not decided whether to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court. Michael Bein said the deadline extension is dangerous and unjustified. The violations (of previous court orders) are so extreme that it is dangerous to do this. People are dying all the time.
In what Bizzaro world is it dangerous to keep criminals in prison and not in the community? Only the Pro Crime Party members can explain this. Maybe they are suffering from some personality disorder.
How far can the Pro Crime Party take this movement in California? Washington D.C. has a more advanced Pro Crime Party movement that may provide a peek into the future for California.
According to the website, Offgrid Survival:
With violent crime left virtually unchecked, Washington D.C. Residents are looking for ways to protect themselves. Washington D.C. is a notoriously Anti-Gun city with some of the country’s most oppressive firearms laws. In fact, the loopholes and regulations in D.C. make it almost impossible for a law-abiding citizen to own a gun.
In a meeting that was open to the public last week, D.C. residents showed up to ask Council members why the city makes it so difficult for law-abiding residents to register guns. They also wanted to know why the city refuses to allow them to carry weapons outside of their homes.
Paul Quander, the District's deputy mayor for public safety and justice, told the crowd that “crime victims should give the criminals what they want.”
He then went on to tell them how becoming a victim is preferable to self-defense. “The problem is, if you were armed, it escalates the situation. It is much better, in my opinion, to be scared, to be frightened, and even if you have to be, to be injured, but to walk away and survive. You'll heal and you can replace whatever was taken away.”
I suppose if you just give criminals what they want it might not even be a crime, just a voluntary gift. What a brilliant idea. Crime without crime. Personally I feel this Pro Crime movement should be crushed. I don't care if criminals are uncomfortable when they are locked up. If it's uncomfortable enough they may decide not to go back to prison. If you believe the recidivism rate nonsense more than a third of the people who go to prison once, do not return. Maybe they found prison too uncomfortable.
Here are some lyrics from the song, Float On by the band Modest Mouse to help with the new way of looking at the situation we face:
I backed my car into a cop car, the other day.
Well he just drove off, sometimes life's ok.
A fake Jamaican took every last dime with a scam.
It was worth it just to learn some sleight-of-hand.
Bad news comes don't you worry even when it lands.
Good news will work its way to all them plans.
We both got fired on exactly the same day.
Well we'll float on good news is on the way.
No, don't you worry, we'll all float on.
Alright, already, we'll all float on.
Alright, don't worry, we'll all float on.
by Richard Krupp, PhD
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
February 17, 2014
After a number of legal maneuverings California citizens are floating down a path to greater criminal victimization. Given the ass-backwards position of many politicians, judges and lawyers, it is time to label them the Pro Crime Party. This party includes the judges involved in the nonsensical overcrowding/medical case that lead us to “Realignment,” Stephen Reinhardt, Thelton Henderson, and Lawrence Karlton. They think there are too many inmates in California prisons, but they don't want any inmates sent out of state. Wouldn't that reduce overcrowding? State Senator Darrell Steinberg would be a member of the Pro Crime party also. He is more interested in the care and comfort of criminals than law abiding citizens.
The spokesmen for the Pro Crime Party could be selected from the legal group representing inmates for several years. Don Spector and Michael Bein are always trying to figure out how to convince people to feel sorry for rapists, murderers, and thieves. Recent news articles lend some support to my position.
Wall Street Journal February 11, 2014, State Wins Delay on Prisoner Numbers:
A panel of three federal judges gave California a temporary reprieve on a mandate to ease prison overcrowding allowing the state two more years to shed nearly 6,000 prisoners.
“The state now has the time and resources necessary to help inmates become productive members of society and make our communities safer, according to Governor Brown.
Don Spector said, “We believe that delaying overcrowding for two more years will result in more suffering and death for prisoners who must endure these conditions.”
The judges were reluctant, but issued the delay because the State agreed to move up parole consideration for some nonviolent offenders and install a court appointed overseer with the power to release prisoners if the state doesn't meet population goals. the judges also ordered the state to stop sending inmates out of state.
I'm not sure how Governor Brown plans to cure the criminals, but it must involve some special powers or magic. Spector must not have read the study showing criminals have lower death rates in prison than out. The real poison pill in the two year delay is the overseer releasing inmates. This does give the Governor and the legislature a good scapegoat.
Sacramento Bee February 11, 2014, Court OKs prison delay:
Don Spector has not decided whether to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court. Michael Bein said the deadline extension is dangerous and unjustified. The violations (of previous court orders) are so extreme that it is dangerous to do this. People are dying all the time.
In what Bizzaro world is it dangerous to keep criminals in prison and not in the community? Only the Pro Crime Party members can explain this. Maybe they are suffering from some personality disorder.
How far can the Pro Crime Party take this movement in California? Washington D.C. has a more advanced Pro Crime Party movement that may provide a peek into the future for California.
According to the website, Offgrid Survival:
With violent crime left virtually unchecked, Washington D.C. Residents are looking for ways to protect themselves. Washington D.C. is a notoriously Anti-Gun city with some of the country’s most oppressive firearms laws. In fact, the loopholes and regulations in D.C. make it almost impossible for a law-abiding citizen to own a gun.
In a meeting that was open to the public last week, D.C. residents showed up to ask Council members why the city makes it so difficult for law-abiding residents to register guns. They also wanted to know why the city refuses to allow them to carry weapons outside of their homes.
Paul Quander, the District's deputy mayor for public safety and justice, told the crowd that “crime victims should give the criminals what they want.”
He then went on to tell them how becoming a victim is preferable to self-defense. “The problem is, if you were armed, it escalates the situation. It is much better, in my opinion, to be scared, to be frightened, and even if you have to be, to be injured, but to walk away and survive. You'll heal and you can replace whatever was taken away.”
I suppose if you just give criminals what they want it might not even be a crime, just a voluntary gift. What a brilliant idea. Crime without crime. Personally I feel this Pro Crime movement should be crushed. I don't care if criminals are uncomfortable when they are locked up. If it's uncomfortable enough they may decide not to go back to prison. If you believe the recidivism rate nonsense more than a third of the people who go to prison once, do not return. Maybe they found prison too uncomfortable.
Here are some lyrics from the song, Float On by the band Modest Mouse to help with the new way of looking at the situation we face:
I backed my car into a cop car, the other day.
Well he just drove off, sometimes life's ok.
A fake Jamaican took every last dime with a scam.
It was worth it just to learn some sleight-of-hand.
Bad news comes don't you worry even when it lands.
Good news will work its way to all them plans.
We both got fired on exactly the same day.
Well we'll float on good news is on the way.
No, don't you worry, we'll all float on.
Alright, already, we'll all float on.
Alright, don't worry, we'll all float on.
BLACK LIBERATION ARMY COP KILLERS SHOULD BE DENIED PAROLE WHETHER THEY SHOW REMORSE OR NOT
Despite earning college degrees while in prison and doing good deeds, Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom should remain in prison as punishment for the cold-blooded killing of two NYPD cops
Instead of getting the opportunity to earn college degrees, Black Liberation Army terrorists Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom should have been put to death for luring two cops into a deadly ambush. These two slimeballs still cling to the absurd claim that they are political prisoners.
NY COP KILLERS SEEK PAROLE WITH NO REMORSE FOR DEATHS
Former Black Liberation militants Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom will again go before the state Parole Board to ask for freedom
By Jake Pearson
Associated Press
February 17, 2014
NEW YORK — Since they became eligible for parole a decade ago, two aging ex-members of a militant black power group serving 25-years-to-life sentences for the 1971 killings of two New York City police officers have been routinely rejected for release after displaying little or no remorse.
Starting this week, Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom will again go before the state Parole Board to ask for freedom. But this time, it will be after admitting for the first time that they were involved in the execution-style slayings.
The admissions have reignited a debate over whether the men, who still call themselves political prisoners, have become rehabilitated after four decades in prison or are simply more willing to game the system.
"As long as they keep admitting they're political prisoners, then they aren't taking responsibility for their actions," said Diane Piagentini, the widow of one of the slain officers who still lives in the same Long Island home she bought with him before he was killed at 28. "They should never be paroled."
The case dates to the late 1960s and early '70s, when a violent offshoot of the Black Panthers called the Black Liberation Army sanctioned symbolic killings of police officers regardless of their race in New York and California and robbed banks to finance its activities, authorities have said. Declassified documents show the FBI then initiated a covert campaign to infiltrate and disrupt the BLA and other violent radical movements.
BLA members Bell, Bottom and an accomplice, who died in prison in 2000, called themselves the "New York 3." They denied killing the officers and insisted they'd been framed during their trial and after their convictions in 1975. Five years ago, they accepted plea deals and served probation sentences for their roles in the killing of a police sergeant shot inside a San Francisco stationhouse.
In their 2012 appearances before parole officials, both men admitted their roles in killing officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones, 33. The officers were shot multiple times after they'd responded to a report of a domestic dispute at a Harlem housing complex on May 21, 1971. Prosecutors said it was a trap set by Bell and Bottom.
"I began to see things in a way that I wanted to come clean," Bell said in 2012, according to a transcript. "I wanted to accept that fact that I committed this offense, I wanted to show remorse, but I didn't really know how to express that to the Board."
When pressed on why he'd maintained his innocence for so long, Bottom said, according to his transcript, "Who wants to acknowledge, who really wants to deal with the issues of killing another human being?"
Since being incarcerated, Bell, 66, has earned bachelor's and master's degrees, has learned to play the flute and corresponds with homeless New York City children. Bottom, now 62, has also earned a college degree, was credited with stopping prison riots and helped found an organic farm operation that brings healthy food to poor families.
Assessments have found both men to have a low risk of returning to prison, and each claims to have family support and job opportunities awaiting them on the outside.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the son of one of the officers, Waverly Jones Jr., has written in support of their release and told the Daily News of New York last month that Bell had served decades without getting "into so much as an argument."
Others are also pushing for the pair's release.
"If you want to talk about justice, it's been served," said Anne Lamb, the New York City co-chairwoman of The Jericho Movement, a group that advocates for political prisoners. "They have no reason to hold them in prison. It's not going to bring back Officer Piagentini or Officer Waverly Jones."
Advocates for the men argue the state Parole Board is unduly swayed by the powerful Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and others who exert pressure on parole denials even after the convicts serve their minimum sentences and meet all the other criteria required for release.
But the PBA is unfazed by the criticism and since September 2012 has maintained a website that has generated about 850,000 letters urging commissioners not to release Bell, Bottom and others convicted of killing a total of some 66 city officers.
Organizers hope to reach a million letters by next week, when Bell goes before the board for a sixth time. Bottom appears for his seventh time in June.
Instead of getting the opportunity to earn college degrees, Black Liberation Army terrorists Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom should have been put to death for luring two cops into a deadly ambush. These two slimeballs still cling to the absurd claim that they are political prisoners.
NY COP KILLERS SEEK PAROLE WITH NO REMORSE FOR DEATHS
Former Black Liberation militants Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom will again go before the state Parole Board to ask for freedom
By Jake Pearson
Associated Press
February 17, 2014
NEW YORK — Since they became eligible for parole a decade ago, two aging ex-members of a militant black power group serving 25-years-to-life sentences for the 1971 killings of two New York City police officers have been routinely rejected for release after displaying little or no remorse.
Starting this week, Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom will again go before the state Parole Board to ask for freedom. But this time, it will be after admitting for the first time that they were involved in the execution-style slayings.
The admissions have reignited a debate over whether the men, who still call themselves political prisoners, have become rehabilitated after four decades in prison or are simply more willing to game the system.
"As long as they keep admitting they're political prisoners, then they aren't taking responsibility for their actions," said Diane Piagentini, the widow of one of the slain officers who still lives in the same Long Island home she bought with him before he was killed at 28. "They should never be paroled."
The case dates to the late 1960s and early '70s, when a violent offshoot of the Black Panthers called the Black Liberation Army sanctioned symbolic killings of police officers regardless of their race in New York and California and robbed banks to finance its activities, authorities have said. Declassified documents show the FBI then initiated a covert campaign to infiltrate and disrupt the BLA and other violent radical movements.
BLA members Bell, Bottom and an accomplice, who died in prison in 2000, called themselves the "New York 3." They denied killing the officers and insisted they'd been framed during their trial and after their convictions in 1975. Five years ago, they accepted plea deals and served probation sentences for their roles in the killing of a police sergeant shot inside a San Francisco stationhouse.
In their 2012 appearances before parole officials, both men admitted their roles in killing officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones, 33. The officers were shot multiple times after they'd responded to a report of a domestic dispute at a Harlem housing complex on May 21, 1971. Prosecutors said it was a trap set by Bell and Bottom.
"I began to see things in a way that I wanted to come clean," Bell said in 2012, according to a transcript. "I wanted to accept that fact that I committed this offense, I wanted to show remorse, but I didn't really know how to express that to the Board."
When pressed on why he'd maintained his innocence for so long, Bottom said, according to his transcript, "Who wants to acknowledge, who really wants to deal with the issues of killing another human being?"
Since being incarcerated, Bell, 66, has earned bachelor's and master's degrees, has learned to play the flute and corresponds with homeless New York City children. Bottom, now 62, has also earned a college degree, was credited with stopping prison riots and helped found an organic farm operation that brings healthy food to poor families.
Assessments have found both men to have a low risk of returning to prison, and each claims to have family support and job opportunities awaiting them on the outside.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the son of one of the officers, Waverly Jones Jr., has written in support of their release and told the Daily News of New York last month that Bell had served decades without getting "into so much as an argument."
Others are also pushing for the pair's release.
"If you want to talk about justice, it's been served," said Anne Lamb, the New York City co-chairwoman of The Jericho Movement, a group that advocates for political prisoners. "They have no reason to hold them in prison. It's not going to bring back Officer Piagentini or Officer Waverly Jones."
Advocates for the men argue the state Parole Board is unduly swayed by the powerful Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and others who exert pressure on parole denials even after the convicts serve their minimum sentences and meet all the other criteria required for release.
But the PBA is unfazed by the criticism and since September 2012 has maintained a website that has generated about 850,000 letters urging commissioners not to release Bell, Bottom and others convicted of killing a total of some 66 city officers.
Organizers hope to reach a million letters by next week, when Bell goes before the board for a sixth time. Bottom appears for his seventh time in June.
NEW YORK PRISON INMATES HAVE BEEN DENIED PAROLE BECAUSE THE PAROLE BOARD DID NOT LIKE THEIR CRIMES
I suspect that parole boards in other states also deny paroles because they did not like the crimes committed by inmates. It’s been my experience that inmates convicted of certain crimes, are more likely to reoffend than those who committed of other crimes – druggies and child molesters, among others, come to mind. But there are many factors that determine parole outcome and not having a job is one of the foremost factors. I do agree with the NYT’s editorial board that fewer parolees should be returned for technical violations.
NEW YORK’S BROKEN PAROLE SYSTEM
By The Editorial Board
The New York Times
February 16, 2014
The fact of a crime never changes, but the person who commits it can, and often does. This is the basic principle of parole — that while people must be punished for their wrongdoing, most are capable of growing, changing and rejoining society before the end of their sentence.
But how does society determine when someone is ready to take that step? This difficult job is entrusted to parole boards, which should weigh, among other things, a person’s behavior behind bars and the likelihood that he or she will not commit another offense if released.
In New York, the parole board rarely seem to consider these factors in any meaningful way, denying parole even to low-risk inmates with exemplary records in prison. Even after the state’s adoption of a new data-analysis program called Compas, to measure and predict inmates’ risk of reoffending using factors like an inmate’s education level, age when convicted and what sort of home he or she would return to, the board seems to follow the practices of an outdated era.
Inmates are repeatedly denied parole long after they have served their minimum sentence, not because of misbehavior or any concern for public safety but because of the “seriousness” of the original offense. As one former chairman of the board told The New York Law Journal last year, “If the Parole Board doesn’t like the crime, you are not going to get out.”
This attitude may be predictable from a body made up of political appointees, but that doesn’t make it just or protective of public safety.
In 2011, legislators amended the state law to require that the board consider a prisoner’s future along with his or her past. So far it hasn’t made much of a difference. While New York has reduced its overall prison population by more than 15,000 since 2000, release rates — the board granted just over one-third of the 16,000 applications it considered in 2012 — have actually gone down.
Prisoners’ rights advocates and those who have gone through the process — which involves a brief, often intimidating interview — say parole decisions are inconsistent and largely unrelated to what a person has accomplished while incarcerated. Recently, some state judges have been scrutinizing, and reversing, the board’s denials, which use boilerplate language and in some cases fail even to acknowledge an inmate’s Compas results.
In December, the board finally complied with the 2011 amendment by proposing new regulations to guide its work, but it continues to resist any meaningful change.
Its obstinacy is all the more lamentable because programs like Compas have been proved to work. At least 15 states have used similar data-based risk-assessment tools in recent years, with good results. A three-year study in New Jersey found that parolees were 36 percent less likely to return to prison for new crimes than inmates who served full sentences. The key was post-release supervision: parolees get it; those who “max out” do not.
The study also suggested reducing the number of parolees sent back to prison for technical violations, like a missed appointment or failed drug test. In New York, such violations account for three out of four parole revocations.
Lasting reform of New York’s parole system will require a fundamental reworking of both the board’s process and its culture. For low-risk inmates, early release into parole should be the default, and the board should have to articulate a good reason to keep them locked up.
If the board is worried that some parolees might commit new crimes, it could start by releasing older inmates, who represent one of the fastest-growing and most-expensive segments of the prison population and yet are by far the least likely to reoffend. (Elderly prisoners convicted of first-degree murder have among the lowest recidivism rates of all.)
For parole to have any value, it must serve as a meaningful incentive to personal growth and rehabilitation. “No one can ever change the past,” a prison chaplain wrote to the board last month. “But we don’t have to remain prisoners of it.”
NEW YORK’S BROKEN PAROLE SYSTEM
By The Editorial Board
The New York Times
February 16, 2014
The fact of a crime never changes, but the person who commits it can, and often does. This is the basic principle of parole — that while people must be punished for their wrongdoing, most are capable of growing, changing and rejoining society before the end of their sentence.
But how does society determine when someone is ready to take that step? This difficult job is entrusted to parole boards, which should weigh, among other things, a person’s behavior behind bars and the likelihood that he or she will not commit another offense if released.
In New York, the parole board rarely seem to consider these factors in any meaningful way, denying parole even to low-risk inmates with exemplary records in prison. Even after the state’s adoption of a new data-analysis program called Compas, to measure and predict inmates’ risk of reoffending using factors like an inmate’s education level, age when convicted and what sort of home he or she would return to, the board seems to follow the practices of an outdated era.
Inmates are repeatedly denied parole long after they have served their minimum sentence, not because of misbehavior or any concern for public safety but because of the “seriousness” of the original offense. As one former chairman of the board told The New York Law Journal last year, “If the Parole Board doesn’t like the crime, you are not going to get out.”
This attitude may be predictable from a body made up of political appointees, but that doesn’t make it just or protective of public safety.
In 2011, legislators amended the state law to require that the board consider a prisoner’s future along with his or her past. So far it hasn’t made much of a difference. While New York has reduced its overall prison population by more than 15,000 since 2000, release rates — the board granted just over one-third of the 16,000 applications it considered in 2012 — have actually gone down.
Prisoners’ rights advocates and those who have gone through the process — which involves a brief, often intimidating interview — say parole decisions are inconsistent and largely unrelated to what a person has accomplished while incarcerated. Recently, some state judges have been scrutinizing, and reversing, the board’s denials, which use boilerplate language and in some cases fail even to acknowledge an inmate’s Compas results.
In December, the board finally complied with the 2011 amendment by proposing new regulations to guide its work, but it continues to resist any meaningful change.
Its obstinacy is all the more lamentable because programs like Compas have been proved to work. At least 15 states have used similar data-based risk-assessment tools in recent years, with good results. A three-year study in New Jersey found that parolees were 36 percent less likely to return to prison for new crimes than inmates who served full sentences. The key was post-release supervision: parolees get it; those who “max out” do not.
The study also suggested reducing the number of parolees sent back to prison for technical violations, like a missed appointment or failed drug test. In New York, such violations account for three out of four parole revocations.
Lasting reform of New York’s parole system will require a fundamental reworking of both the board’s process and its culture. For low-risk inmates, early release into parole should be the default, and the board should have to articulate a good reason to keep them locked up.
If the board is worried that some parolees might commit new crimes, it could start by releasing older inmates, who represent one of the fastest-growing and most-expensive segments of the prison population and yet are by far the least likely to reoffend. (Elderly prisoners convicted of first-degree murder have among the lowest recidivism rates of all.)
For parole to have any value, it must serve as a meaningful incentive to personal growth and rehabilitation. “No one can ever change the past,” a prison chaplain wrote to the board last month. “But we don’t have to remain prisoners of it.”
NINE-YEAR-OLD MAKES THE BOOK OF EXODUS BELIEVABLE
The Unconventional Gazette
February 17, 2014
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned at Sunday school.
"Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
"When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely.
"Then he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."
"Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked.
"Well, no. But if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"
February 17, 2014
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned at Sunday school.
"Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
"When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely.
"Then he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."
"Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked.
"Well, no. But if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"
Monday, February 17, 2014
POSTER BOY FOR GUN CONTROL
Michael Dunn, convicted on three counts of attempted murder, damages efforts to preserve our Second Amendment rights
On November 23, 2012, Michael Dunn, 47 and his fiancée stopped at a gas station convenience store in Orange Park, Florida so that she could buy some wine and chips. Dunn, a white computer programmer and software developer, parked his car next to an SUV with four black teenagers who were playing loud rap music. Dunn got out of his car, went over to the SUV, and told the boys to turn down the music. An argument ensued and Dunn pulled out his pistol, firing 10 rounds into the SUV, killing Jordan Davis, 17, a boy with no police record.
Dunn claimed that Davis, who was sitting in a rear passenger seat, pointed a shotgun at him and he only fired his gun in self-defense. However, the cops found no gun of any kind in or near the SUV.
After 32 hours of deliberations, a Jacksonville jury Saturday found Dunn guilty on three counts of second-degree attempted murder and one count of shooting or throwing a deadly missile. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a murder charge. The judge declared a mistrial on the first-degree murder charge and the prosecutors vowed to retry Dunn for murdering Davis.
Each attempted murder conviction mandates a 60-year prison term and the court could order the terms to be served consecutively. The missile charge carries a term of up to 15 years in prison. At 47, Dunn has effectively been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
This is no George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case. Although both jerks would have avoided those deadly confrontations by staying in their cars, that's where any similarity ends. Martin was a thug, Davis seems to have been a clean-cut kid. Martin was ambling along at night in a predominantly white neighborhood plagued by burglaries, Davis was just sitting in a car listening to rap music. Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer, Dunn was just a jerk annoyed by loud music. Anyone with half a brain would have known that confronting four teenagers over some loud music was just asking for trouble.
How did Dunn ever get a concealed carry permit in the first place? He was not just an ordinary computer nerd. While awaiting trial, Dunn sent his daughter a letter from jail in which he wrote that more people should arm themselves and kill blacks and Hispanics because that might get them to change their ‘thuggish’ behavior. And during a police interview, Dunn’s Port St. Lucie next door neighbor Charles Hendrix said Dunn threatened to kill his two ex-wives. Hendrix said he personally witnessed Dunn bullying and beating the two women, causing them to be in fear of their lives. He also said the second wife told him Dunn held a gun to her head and that he had forced her to have sex with strangers at a Fort Lauderdale swingers club just two days after they were married.
I wonder if Zimmerman would have had the guts to get out of his car if he had not been armed? Would Curtis Reeves, the retired Florida cop who killed a man in a movie theater during an argument over texting, have confronted his victim if he had not been armed? And would Dunn have gotten out of his car to tell four teenagers to turn down the music if he had not been armed?
Dunn is an even bigger jerk than Zimmerman. He deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Dunn is a poster boy for gun control. Once again the anti-gunners and many supporters of our right to bear arms are demanding that the 'stand-your-ground' laws of Florida and 21 other states be repealed. Jerks like Dunn and Curtis Reeves not only call into question why civilians should be issued concealed carry permits, but they also damage efforts to preserve our Second Amendment rights.
On November 23, 2012, Michael Dunn, 47 and his fiancée stopped at a gas station convenience store in Orange Park, Florida so that she could buy some wine and chips. Dunn, a white computer programmer and software developer, parked his car next to an SUV with four black teenagers who were playing loud rap music. Dunn got out of his car, went over to the SUV, and told the boys to turn down the music. An argument ensued and Dunn pulled out his pistol, firing 10 rounds into the SUV, killing Jordan Davis, 17, a boy with no police record.
Dunn claimed that Davis, who was sitting in a rear passenger seat, pointed a shotgun at him and he only fired his gun in self-defense. However, the cops found no gun of any kind in or near the SUV.
After 32 hours of deliberations, a Jacksonville jury Saturday found Dunn guilty on three counts of second-degree attempted murder and one count of shooting or throwing a deadly missile. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a murder charge. The judge declared a mistrial on the first-degree murder charge and the prosecutors vowed to retry Dunn for murdering Davis.
Each attempted murder conviction mandates a 60-year prison term and the court could order the terms to be served consecutively. The missile charge carries a term of up to 15 years in prison. At 47, Dunn has effectively been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
This is no George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case. Although both jerks would have avoided those deadly confrontations by staying in their cars, that's where any similarity ends. Martin was a thug, Davis seems to have been a clean-cut kid. Martin was ambling along at night in a predominantly white neighborhood plagued by burglaries, Davis was just sitting in a car listening to rap music. Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer, Dunn was just a jerk annoyed by loud music. Anyone with half a brain would have known that confronting four teenagers over some loud music was just asking for trouble.
How did Dunn ever get a concealed carry permit in the first place? He was not just an ordinary computer nerd. While awaiting trial, Dunn sent his daughter a letter from jail in which he wrote that more people should arm themselves and kill blacks and Hispanics because that might get them to change their ‘thuggish’ behavior. And during a police interview, Dunn’s Port St. Lucie next door neighbor Charles Hendrix said Dunn threatened to kill his two ex-wives. Hendrix said he personally witnessed Dunn bullying and beating the two women, causing them to be in fear of their lives. He also said the second wife told him Dunn held a gun to her head and that he had forced her to have sex with strangers at a Fort Lauderdale swingers club just two days after they were married.
I wonder if Zimmerman would have had the guts to get out of his car if he had not been armed? Would Curtis Reeves, the retired Florida cop who killed a man in a movie theater during an argument over texting, have confronted his victim if he had not been armed? And would Dunn have gotten out of his car to tell four teenagers to turn down the music if he had not been armed?
Dunn is an even bigger jerk than Zimmerman. He deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Dunn is a poster boy for gun control. Once again the anti-gunners and many supporters of our right to bear arms are demanding that the 'stand-your-ground' laws of Florida and 21 other states be repealed. Jerks like Dunn and Curtis Reeves not only call into question why civilians should be issued concealed carry permits, but they also damage efforts to preserve our Second Amendment rights.
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