By Bob Walsh
Now, the DA didn’t agree to pass because it didn’t happen. In point of fact it did happen. Three First-Grade girls plotted to murder another First-Grade girl by poison. They were going to use silica gel packets, which they believed to be poisonous. (They really aren’t.)
This situation became general knowledge when the authorities at the Winterberry Charter School in Anchorage, Alaska sent out an email to parents.
I guess thumbtacks on the seats or spit-balls to the back of the head are déclassé now. Nowadays seven-year olds want to actually murder one another.
The world is truly going crazy.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
TRUMP PROVES HE IS A POLITICALLY SUICIDAL WHACKO
Attempts to commit political harakiri may have finally come to fruition by his interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews
BarkGrowlBite | March 31, 2016
How many times can Donald Trump shoot himself in the foot without blowing it completely away? How many times can he fall on his own sword without succeeding at political harakiri? This week The Donald finally proved that he is a politically suicidal whacko … twice!
On Wednesday, during an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Trump said he was pro-life and that if Congress passes a law outlawing the procedure, women should be punished if they get an abortion.
During a town hall meeting on Tuesday night, Trump told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that Japan and South Korea should be allowed to have nuclear weapons to defend themselves against North Korea and China. Then he went further than that by saying that Saudi Arabia should also be allowed to have nuclear weapons
What a whacko!
Trump had already alienated most women by a number of sexist comments, but his abortion remark will probably leave him with only a handful of women supporters, mainly those within his family. He succeeded, for the moment, in uniting both the far left and the far right. Both pro-choice and pro-life groups condemned Trump’s idea of punishing women for getting abortions. Both Ted Cruz and John Kasich condemned him for advocating that women be punished for getting an abortion.
Seeing that Trump’s abortion gaffe had infuriated conservatives as well as liberals, his campaign quickly released a statement saying that he meant doctors should be punished when they perform an abortion. Nice try, but it’s too late to repair the damage.
So Trump is pro-life. Yeah right. In 1999 Trump appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and told Tim Russert that he was “very pro-choice” and even approved of partial-birth abortions. Now he tries to explain his turnaround by saying he has evolved. What a phony!
As for those nukes, Japan will let hell freeze over before even thinking about acquiring nuclear weapons. Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki!
Letting Saudi Arabia acquire nukes? How whacko can you get?
I believe Trump’s attempts at political harakiri have finally succeeded and he will not be the Republican nominee for president. But if the Republicans are so whacko as to revive The Whacko Donald, Hillary will win by a landslide and the Senate will once again have a Democratic majority.
In the past I have said that if the election is between Trump and Hillary, I would vote for The Donald, but I would be holding my nose and a barf bag while doing so. If Trump somehow manages to survive this week’s whacko remarks and it’s between him and the Clinton bitch, I’ll do something I’ve never done since I became old enough to vote … stay home.
BarkGrowlBite | March 31, 2016
How many times can Donald Trump shoot himself in the foot without blowing it completely away? How many times can he fall on his own sword without succeeding at political harakiri? This week The Donald finally proved that he is a politically suicidal whacko … twice!
On Wednesday, during an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Trump said he was pro-life and that if Congress passes a law outlawing the procedure, women should be punished if they get an abortion.
During a town hall meeting on Tuesday night, Trump told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that Japan and South Korea should be allowed to have nuclear weapons to defend themselves against North Korea and China. Then he went further than that by saying that Saudi Arabia should also be allowed to have nuclear weapons
What a whacko!
Trump had already alienated most women by a number of sexist comments, but his abortion remark will probably leave him with only a handful of women supporters, mainly those within his family. He succeeded, for the moment, in uniting both the far left and the far right. Both pro-choice and pro-life groups condemned Trump’s idea of punishing women for getting abortions. Both Ted Cruz and John Kasich condemned him for advocating that women be punished for getting an abortion.
Seeing that Trump’s abortion gaffe had infuriated conservatives as well as liberals, his campaign quickly released a statement saying that he meant doctors should be punished when they perform an abortion. Nice try, but it’s too late to repair the damage.
So Trump is pro-life. Yeah right. In 1999 Trump appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and told Tim Russert that he was “very pro-choice” and even approved of partial-birth abortions. Now he tries to explain his turnaround by saying he has evolved. What a phony!
As for those nukes, Japan will let hell freeze over before even thinking about acquiring nuclear weapons. Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki!
Letting Saudi Arabia acquire nukes? How whacko can you get?
I believe Trump’s attempts at political harakiri have finally succeeded and he will not be the Republican nominee for president. But if the Republicans are so whacko as to revive The Whacko Donald, Hillary will win by a landslide and the Senate will once again have a Democratic majority.
In the past I have said that if the election is between Trump and Hillary, I would vote for The Donald, but I would be holding my nose and a barf bag while doing so. If Trump somehow manages to survive this week’s whacko remarks and it’s between him and the Clinton bitch, I’ll do something I’ve never done since I became old enough to vote … stay home.
ROOM FOR ONE JUST FREED UP ON CALIFORNIA DEATH ROW
By Bob Walsh
Bernard L. Hamilton, 64, shuffled off this mortal coil on Death Row in California this week, of natural causes.
Bernie had been on death row since March of 1981. He murdered and dismembered a woman who discovered him burglarizing her van.
Since 1978, when the death penalty was, at least in theory, reactivated in the People’s Republic of California, 79 condemned inmates have died of natural causes. Another 25 self-rehabilitated. A total of 13 have actually been executed in that time but none for many, many years. There are now 747 guests of the state on death row in the formerly great state of California.
It seems that California wants to HAVE a death penalty as long as they don’t actually have to USE it.
Bernard L. Hamilton, 64, shuffled off this mortal coil on Death Row in California this week, of natural causes.
Bernie had been on death row since March of 1981. He murdered and dismembered a woman who discovered him burglarizing her van.
Since 1978, when the death penalty was, at least in theory, reactivated in the People’s Republic of California, 79 condemned inmates have died of natural causes. Another 25 self-rehabilitated. A total of 13 have actually been executed in that time but none for many, many years. There are now 747 guests of the state on death row in the formerly great state of California.
It seems that California wants to HAVE a death penalty as long as they don’t actually have to USE it.
COAL MINE ROOSTERS WILL NO LONGER WAKE UP PENNSYLVANIA WOMAN
21-year-old Jenna Caso up and shot the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine’s two roosters for waking her up at six in the morning
By Alicia Nieves | WNEP | March 28, 2016
ASHLAND, Pennsylvania -- A woman is facing animal cruelty charges after she killed two roosters in Schuylkill County.
At the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine in Ashland, it's quieter than usual. Normally, two roosters could be heard belting out a sunrise crow or seen roaming the roads at the tourist attraction.
However, the 'Brother Roosters,' who were always seen together, were recently shot and killed.
"These two roosters would follow you around they would go down to open up," said Tony Loftus.
Loftus works at the Pioneer Tunnel and says about a year ago the roosters were donated to the tunnel. They replaced a former beloved rooster and hen known as 'Big Red' and 'Anne-thracite', who died of natural causes.
"Normally when I come in the morning to fire up the steam locomotive. The roosters would be crowing when the sun comes up. I know I will probably miss that," said Loftus.
That crowing is what caused their death a few weeks ago. According to police, Jenna Caso, 21, was sleeping in a home on Walnut Street when she heard the roosters crowing just after 6 in the morning. She then shot them three times.
Court documents show that after Caso shot the two roosters, a witness ran up to her and yelled, 'Why did you do that?' Caso replied simply, 'They woke me up.' Then, she went back into her home.
"That seems pretty extreme," said Samantha Kinkaid.
Kinkaid lives on the other side of Walnut Street and saw the roosters often, she's among those who thought the animals were part of the community.
"They seemed to be like farm animals they never bothered anybody. I never heard of them attacking anybody. They seemed pretty friendly," said Kinkaid.
Ashland Police charged Jenna Caso with misdemeanor animal cruelty and reckless endangerment. Her case now has to go through the courts.
Police added that they had never received a complaint about the roosters by anyone in Ashland including Caso.
By Alicia Nieves | WNEP | March 28, 2016
ASHLAND, Pennsylvania -- A woman is facing animal cruelty charges after she killed two roosters in Schuylkill County.
At the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine in Ashland, it's quieter than usual. Normally, two roosters could be heard belting out a sunrise crow or seen roaming the roads at the tourist attraction.
However, the 'Brother Roosters,' who were always seen together, were recently shot and killed.
"These two roosters would follow you around they would go down to open up," said Tony Loftus.
Loftus works at the Pioneer Tunnel and says about a year ago the roosters were donated to the tunnel. They replaced a former beloved rooster and hen known as 'Big Red' and 'Anne-thracite', who died of natural causes.
"Normally when I come in the morning to fire up the steam locomotive. The roosters would be crowing when the sun comes up. I know I will probably miss that," said Loftus.
That crowing is what caused their death a few weeks ago. According to police, Jenna Caso, 21, was sleeping in a home on Walnut Street when she heard the roosters crowing just after 6 in the morning. She then shot them three times.
Court documents show that after Caso shot the two roosters, a witness ran up to her and yelled, 'Why did you do that?' Caso replied simply, 'They woke me up.' Then, she went back into her home.
"That seems pretty extreme," said Samantha Kinkaid.
Kinkaid lives on the other side of Walnut Street and saw the roosters often, she's among those who thought the animals were part of the community.
"They seemed to be like farm animals they never bothered anybody. I never heard of them attacking anybody. They seemed pretty friendly," said Kinkaid.
Ashland Police charged Jenna Caso with misdemeanor animal cruelty and reckless endangerment. Her case now has to go through the courts.
Police added that they had never received a complaint about the roosters by anyone in Ashland including Caso.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
55 YEARS AFTER THE CRIME, ILLINOIS MAN IS CONVICTED FOR THE MURDER OF A 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL, BUT 3 YEARS LATER, PHONE RECORDS SHOW HE WAS 35 MILES AWAY AT THE TIME OF THE CRIME
In 2012, Jack McCullough was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1957 murder and rape of seven-year-old Maria Ridulph, but telephone records now corroborate his alibi that he was not anywhere nearby when the girl was abducted
BarkGrowlBite | March 30, 2016
This is a strange case from DeKalb County, Illinois.
Seven-year-old Maria Ridulph was abducted, raped and stabbed to death in Sycamore in 1957. The case lingered as a cold case until 2012 when Jack McCullough, a security guard, was arrested, tried convicted of the crimes and sentenced to life in prison. McCullough had been a neighbor of the slain girl.
During the trial McCullough claimed he was in Rockford at the time of the killing. Rockford is about 35 miles from Sycamore.
Now, after researching the evidence for the past six months, prosecutor Richard Schnack has concluded McCullough is innocent. A search of phone records showed that he did make a call from Rockford at about the time of Maria’s abduction, thus confirming his alibi. Furthermore, Schmack discovered that in interviewing a witness to the abduction, investigators used a discredited photo-lineup technique that has since been outlawed.
His public defender intends to file a motion before a DeKalb County court on Tuesday seeking dismissal of the charges against McCullough.
However, Maria’s brother thinks Schmack is a schmuck. Charles Ridulph filed a motion in court Monday. In his motion he requested that a special prosecutor be appointed to uphold McCullough’s conviction.
BarkGrowlBite | March 30, 2016
This is a strange case from DeKalb County, Illinois.
Seven-year-old Maria Ridulph was abducted, raped and stabbed to death in Sycamore in 1957. The case lingered as a cold case until 2012 when Jack McCullough, a security guard, was arrested, tried convicted of the crimes and sentenced to life in prison. McCullough had been a neighbor of the slain girl.
During the trial McCullough claimed he was in Rockford at the time of the killing. Rockford is about 35 miles from Sycamore.
Now, after researching the evidence for the past six months, prosecutor Richard Schnack has concluded McCullough is innocent. A search of phone records showed that he did make a call from Rockford at about the time of Maria’s abduction, thus confirming his alibi. Furthermore, Schmack discovered that in interviewing a witness to the abduction, investigators used a discredited photo-lineup technique that has since been outlawed.
His public defender intends to file a motion before a DeKalb County court on Tuesday seeking dismissal of the charges against McCullough.
However, Maria’s brother thinks Schmack is a schmuck. Charles Ridulph filed a motion in court Monday. In his motion he requested that a special prosecutor be appointed to uphold McCullough’s conviction.
HOUSTON MAN EXONERATED SEVEN YEARS AFTER DRUG LAB TEST PROVED HIS INNOCENCE
Johnny Adams served a 90-day jail sentence despite the District Attorney’s knowledge that he had no drugs at all
By Meagan Flynn | Houston Press | March 29, 2016
Less than a month after Johnny Adams pled guilty to possession of less than a gram of cocaine in 2009, the Harris County District Attorney's Office received results from the Houston Police Department crime lab showing that, actually, Adams had no drugs at all.
And then: nothing. Adams continued to sit in jail for the remainder of his 90-day sentence, despite the fact that the DA had clear-cut evidence that would have vacated his conviction and returned him to his family. In fact, it wasn't until five and a half years later, in July 2014, that prosecutors finally acknowledged the crime lab results and sent a letter to Adams that he was “convicted in error.” Finally, this month, he was formally exonerated — a good seven years late.
Adams's exoneration is one of dozens of drug conviction reversals in Harris County in recent years. From 2014 to the end of 2015, 73 people were cleared of drug crimes in Harris County, leading the country two years in a row in drug exonerations (and, as a result, all exonerations), according to an annual report from the National Registry of Exonerations released last month. That's largely because, in 2014, Harris County district attorney's conviction review team started aggressively hunting for false drug convictions after prosecutors realized test results from the lab were somehow never seeing the light of day. They were often processed so slowly that they were just forgotten about and never communicated—meanwhile, innocent people sat in jail. And according to Harris County Public Defender Nick Hughes, who has filed dozens of writs for innocent drug offenders, that's likely what happened in Adams's case.
“Sometimes [the results] just sat there on somebody's desk,” Hughes said. “It was worse than just falling through the cracks. There was no system in place. There was nothing that dealt with this issue whatsoever.”
While this problem may have been brought to light, prompting dozens of post-conviction writs, Hughes says there are several other problems that still persist.
One of them is that most innocent people are pleading guilty to low-level drug offenses because they just want to get their jail time over with. Many, he said, often can't afford bail, and so they're sitting in jail waiting for their court date, which may be reset multiple times. After prosecutors realized the problem that this presents in drug cases — causing people to plead to a lesser sentence before the drug test results even come back — District Attorney Devon Anderson created a policy in early 2015 stating that prosecutors can't offer plea deals until they've got those test results back from the lab.
“But that's a really shitty solution if you're the guy sitting there behind bars,” Hughes said. “You might have lost your job, maybe your kids, your family might have some tension they're left to deal with. It's just a bad situation.”
Another problem, Hughes said, is the field tests cops use to determine whether someone has drugs, tests that are notorious for false positives. In fact, the Washington Post once compiled a short list of the amount of strange items these field tests had mistaken for drugs: Deodorant, billiards chalk, breath mints and Jolly Ranchers are just a few examples. Perhaps that's why the results for some of those "drugs," when taken to the lab for more formal testing, turn up negative. Hughes says that in many cases, it's impossible to know exactly where the system failed because there's no documentation about how those field tests were even administered. As Hughes told the the Press, “My bottom line is, when you can't check their work and the courts aren't really holding them accountable for anything, it really kind of limits your ability to push these issues or have any change.”
Hughes said that change, at this point, really rests in judges' hands: Until they start granting drug offenders more personal bonds so they don't need to sit in jail awaiting either test results or a court date, the problems aren't going away any time soon.
Over at the National Registry of Exonerations, where researchers track exonerations on a daily basis, Director Sam Gross called Johnny Adams's case "disturbing." But his colleague, the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Maurice Possley, offered perhaps a more disturbing idea: Johnny Adams's case is among those that we know about. How many other cases of innocent offenders sat atop prosecutors' desks untouched?
EDITOR’S MOTE: It’s a bitch to be poor when you’re charged with a crime and can’t afford to hire an attorney. I suspect Adams was given a court-appointed lawyer who, instead of defending him, advised him to cop a plea. To the court appointed attorney, this is just another coin-collecting quickie. Case closed and on to the next sucker!
By Meagan Flynn | Houston Press | March 29, 2016
Less than a month after Johnny Adams pled guilty to possession of less than a gram of cocaine in 2009, the Harris County District Attorney's Office received results from the Houston Police Department crime lab showing that, actually, Adams had no drugs at all.
And then: nothing. Adams continued to sit in jail for the remainder of his 90-day sentence, despite the fact that the DA had clear-cut evidence that would have vacated his conviction and returned him to his family. In fact, it wasn't until five and a half years later, in July 2014, that prosecutors finally acknowledged the crime lab results and sent a letter to Adams that he was “convicted in error.” Finally, this month, he was formally exonerated — a good seven years late.
Adams's exoneration is one of dozens of drug conviction reversals in Harris County in recent years. From 2014 to the end of 2015, 73 people were cleared of drug crimes in Harris County, leading the country two years in a row in drug exonerations (and, as a result, all exonerations), according to an annual report from the National Registry of Exonerations released last month. That's largely because, in 2014, Harris County district attorney's conviction review team started aggressively hunting for false drug convictions after prosecutors realized test results from the lab were somehow never seeing the light of day. They were often processed so slowly that they were just forgotten about and never communicated—meanwhile, innocent people sat in jail. And according to Harris County Public Defender Nick Hughes, who has filed dozens of writs for innocent drug offenders, that's likely what happened in Adams's case.
“Sometimes [the results] just sat there on somebody's desk,” Hughes said. “It was worse than just falling through the cracks. There was no system in place. There was nothing that dealt with this issue whatsoever.”
While this problem may have been brought to light, prompting dozens of post-conviction writs, Hughes says there are several other problems that still persist.
One of them is that most innocent people are pleading guilty to low-level drug offenses because they just want to get their jail time over with. Many, he said, often can't afford bail, and so they're sitting in jail waiting for their court date, which may be reset multiple times. After prosecutors realized the problem that this presents in drug cases — causing people to plead to a lesser sentence before the drug test results even come back — District Attorney Devon Anderson created a policy in early 2015 stating that prosecutors can't offer plea deals until they've got those test results back from the lab.
“But that's a really shitty solution if you're the guy sitting there behind bars,” Hughes said. “You might have lost your job, maybe your kids, your family might have some tension they're left to deal with. It's just a bad situation.”
Another problem, Hughes said, is the field tests cops use to determine whether someone has drugs, tests that are notorious for false positives. In fact, the Washington Post once compiled a short list of the amount of strange items these field tests had mistaken for drugs: Deodorant, billiards chalk, breath mints and Jolly Ranchers are just a few examples. Perhaps that's why the results for some of those "drugs," when taken to the lab for more formal testing, turn up negative. Hughes says that in many cases, it's impossible to know exactly where the system failed because there's no documentation about how those field tests were even administered. As Hughes told the the Press, “My bottom line is, when you can't check their work and the courts aren't really holding them accountable for anything, it really kind of limits your ability to push these issues or have any change.”
Hughes said that change, at this point, really rests in judges' hands: Until they start granting drug offenders more personal bonds so they don't need to sit in jail awaiting either test results or a court date, the problems aren't going away any time soon.
Over at the National Registry of Exonerations, where researchers track exonerations on a daily basis, Director Sam Gross called Johnny Adams's case "disturbing." But his colleague, the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Maurice Possley, offered perhaps a more disturbing idea: Johnny Adams's case is among those that we know about. How many other cases of innocent offenders sat atop prosecutors' desks untouched?
EDITOR’S MOTE: It’s a bitch to be poor when you’re charged with a crime and can’t afford to hire an attorney. I suspect Adams was given a court-appointed lawyer who, instead of defending him, advised him to cop a plea. To the court appointed attorney, this is just another coin-collecting quickie. Case closed and on to the next sucker!
SMUGGLER OF ILLEGALS CAUGHT BY BORDER PATROL 23 TIMES IN LESS THAN 17 YEARS SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS IN PRISON
Efrain Delgado Rosales’ latest encounter came in November, when agents spotted the 35-year-old guiding a foursome of illegal immigrants through San Diego’s rugged East County terrain
By Teri Figueroa | The San Diego Union-Tribune | March 26, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- An apparent career smuggler nabbed while guiding four undocumented immigrants through the Otay Mountains last year was sentenced Friday to five years in prison.
U.S. Border Patrol agents had caught Efrain Delgado Rosales with undocumented immigrants 23 times in less than 17 years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
His latest encounter came in November, when agents spotted the 35-year-old guiding the foursome through rugged East County terrain.
The four men told authorities that Delgado had picked them up at a stash house in Mexico, led them to the border then left them for several hours. As they waited, thieves turned up and robbed them of all of their cash — thousands of dollars.
Delgado returned and — indifferent to the robbery — guided them over the border and through the mountains. While hiking, he left behind three men who could not keep his pace.
At the begging of the fourth man, he eventually returned to collect the distressed trio, each of whom had paid $5,000 to be smuggled into the country.
The details they gave investigators about their experience with Delgado were strikingly similar to an instance in 2014, when a man smuggled into the country died while hiking in a rugged stretch of the Otay Mountains. One of his companions later identified Delgado as their guide.
Federal prosecutors said agents have apprehended Delgado 24 times since 1999, and in all but one instance, he was found with at least two and up to 46 undocumented immigrants.
By Teri Figueroa | The San Diego Union-Tribune | March 26, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- An apparent career smuggler nabbed while guiding four undocumented immigrants through the Otay Mountains last year was sentenced Friday to five years in prison.
U.S. Border Patrol agents had caught Efrain Delgado Rosales with undocumented immigrants 23 times in less than 17 years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
His latest encounter came in November, when agents spotted the 35-year-old guiding the foursome through rugged East County terrain.
The four men told authorities that Delgado had picked them up at a stash house in Mexico, led them to the border then left them for several hours. As they waited, thieves turned up and robbed them of all of their cash — thousands of dollars.
Delgado returned and — indifferent to the robbery — guided them over the border and through the mountains. While hiking, he left behind three men who could not keep his pace.
At the begging of the fourth man, he eventually returned to collect the distressed trio, each of whom had paid $5,000 to be smuggled into the country.
The details they gave investigators about their experience with Delgado were strikingly similar to an instance in 2014, when a man smuggled into the country died while hiking in a rugged stretch of the Otay Mountains. One of his companions later identified Delgado as their guide.
Federal prosecutors said agents have apprehended Delgado 24 times since 1999, and in all but one instance, he was found with at least two and up to 46 undocumented immigrants.
DISNEY FILM CANCELLED
Al Sharpton reported today that Walt Disney's new film called "Jet Black," the African-American version of "Snow White," has been cancelled.
All of the 7 dwarfs: Dealer, Stealer, Mugger, Forger, Drive By, Homeboy and Shank have refused to sing "Hi Ho" because they say it offends black prostitutes.
They also say they damn sure have no intention of singing "It's off to work we go.”
All of the 7 dwarfs: Dealer, Stealer, Mugger, Forger, Drive By, Homeboy and Shank have refused to sing "Hi Ho" because they say it offends black prostitutes.
They also say they damn sure have no intention of singing "It's off to work we go.”
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
DIRE PREDICTIONS FOR AMERICA
By Harry Dunne
Unless something dramatic happens to change the downward spiral of life in America, I predict the following:
I predict law enforcement will continue to be less pro-active. This will give rise to entrepreneur criminals. This type of criminal will target large cash robberies and burglaries. Home invasions of business owners for cash will go through the roof.
I predict the police will respond after the fact and take a report. Cases will be assigned to detectives which will already have a crippling case load.
I predict home alarms and security camera businesses will flourish. Open and concealed carry will become the norm in society because the police are in no hurry to respond to your home alarm, business burglary or take your stolen vehicle report.
In fact, I predict people will be denied a responding police officer and be instructed to file a report via an automated system.
I predict citizens organizing armed neighborhood militias or hiring ex-military mercenary types for protection.
I predict the criminal culture will believe they are entitled to commit crimes. They will be raised in an atmosphere of criminal behavior that is accepted as being normal. If you need new clothes, rob somebody. If you go to jail then you earn street credibility.
I predict law suits against citizens from criminals will flourish.
I predict the citizens will retaliate, because a "I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six" attitude will replace political correctness.
I predict the lack of pro-active policing ie: sting operations, saturation patrol and tactical response units will cease to exist until the police feel appreciated and not prosecuted for doing their jobs.
Do these Predictions sound over the top?
Count the predictions that you believe have already occurred.
Harry Dunne is the pen name of a veteran Texas law enforcement official.
Unless something dramatic happens to change the downward spiral of life in America, I predict the following:
I predict law enforcement will continue to be less pro-active. This will give rise to entrepreneur criminals. This type of criminal will target large cash robberies and burglaries. Home invasions of business owners for cash will go through the roof.
I predict the police will respond after the fact and take a report. Cases will be assigned to detectives which will already have a crippling case load.
I predict home alarms and security camera businesses will flourish. Open and concealed carry will become the norm in society because the police are in no hurry to respond to your home alarm, business burglary or take your stolen vehicle report.
In fact, I predict people will be denied a responding police officer and be instructed to file a report via an automated system.
I predict citizens organizing armed neighborhood militias or hiring ex-military mercenary types for protection.
I predict the criminal culture will believe they are entitled to commit crimes. They will be raised in an atmosphere of criminal behavior that is accepted as being normal. If you need new clothes, rob somebody. If you go to jail then you earn street credibility.
I predict law suits against citizens from criminals will flourish.
I predict the citizens will retaliate, because a "I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six" attitude will replace political correctness.
I predict the lack of pro-active policing ie: sting operations, saturation patrol and tactical response units will cease to exist until the police feel appreciated and not prosecuted for doing their jobs.
Do these Predictions sound over the top?
Count the predictions that you believe have already occurred.
Harry Dunne is the pen name of a veteran Texas law enforcement official.
GANDHI LOVED DER FUHRER
The revered Indian saint declared that the Germans of the future “will honor Herr Hitler as a genius, a brave man, a matchless organizer and much more.”
Here are some interesting facts about the revered Gandhi’s apparent love for Hitler that most people, including me, are unaware of. My former fellow officer and longtime friend Jerry Doyle sent me the following excerpt from “Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire” by Alex Von Tunzelmann (Pages 110-111):
"Gandhi's position on nonviolence was absolute. Aggression could never be returned. He did not believe that women should resist rape, but preferred that they should 'defeat' their assailants by remaining passive and silent. Correspondingly, he did not believe that the vic¬tims of war should resist attackers by physical force, but rather ought to offer satyagraha -- that is, noncompliance with the invaders. 'If there ever could be a justifiable war in the name of and for humanity, war against Germany to prevent the wanton persecution of a whole race would be completely justified,' he wrote. 'But I do not believe in any war.'
"He advised the British to give up the fight against Hitler and Mussolini: 'Let them take possession of your beautiful island ... allow yourself, man, woman and child, to be slaughtered, but you will refuse to owe allegiance to them.' Furthermore, in one of his most controversial arguments, Gandhi advised the Jews in Germany to offer passive resistance to the Nazi regime -- and to give up their own lives as sacrifices. He told the Jews to pray for Adolf Hitler. 'If even one Jew acted thus,' he wrote, 'he would salve his self respect and leave an example which, if it became infectious, would save the whole of Jewry and leave a rich heritage to mankind besides.'
"Gandhi compounded this error of judgment by offering praise to Hitler. 'I do not consider Herr Hitler to be as bad as he is depicted,' he wrote in May 1940. 'He is showing an ability that is amazing and he seems to be gaining his victories without much bloodshed. ' Ap¬parently, he saw some parallel between his own efforts to return In¬dia to the Indians and Hitler's invasion of French territory to reclaim that lost to Germany under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles at the end of the First World War. He regretted that Hitler had employed war rather than nonviolence to achieve his aims, but nonetheless averred that the Germans of the future 'will honour Herr Hitler as a genius, a brave man, a matchless organizer and much more.'
"The American journalist Louis Fischer brought up this subject with Gandhi in 1946. By that time, the concentration camps had been discovered, and the true, awful extent of the Holocaust re¬vealed. It might have been expected that the benefit of hindsight would have tempered the old man's views. It had not. 'Hitler killed five million Jews,' Gandhi told Fischer, 'It is the greatest crime of our time. But the Jews should have offered themselves to the butcher's knife. They should have thrown themselves into the sea from cliffs. . . . . As it is they succumbed anyway in their millions.' "
EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank God that my parents did not follow Gandhi’s advice by sacrificing us for his beloved Der Fuhrer because then I would not be here to piss off people with my blogs.
After learning about Gandhi’s love affair with Hitler, I would have to conclude that, rather than a saint worshipped to this day by pacifists all over the world, the man who ran around wearing a bedsheet was a certified nutcase.
Here are some interesting facts about the revered Gandhi’s apparent love for Hitler that most people, including me, are unaware of. My former fellow officer and longtime friend Jerry Doyle sent me the following excerpt from “Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire” by Alex Von Tunzelmann (Pages 110-111):
"Gandhi's position on nonviolence was absolute. Aggression could never be returned. He did not believe that women should resist rape, but preferred that they should 'defeat' their assailants by remaining passive and silent. Correspondingly, he did not believe that the vic¬tims of war should resist attackers by physical force, but rather ought to offer satyagraha -- that is, noncompliance with the invaders. 'If there ever could be a justifiable war in the name of and for humanity, war against Germany to prevent the wanton persecution of a whole race would be completely justified,' he wrote. 'But I do not believe in any war.'
"He advised the British to give up the fight against Hitler and Mussolini: 'Let them take possession of your beautiful island ... allow yourself, man, woman and child, to be slaughtered, but you will refuse to owe allegiance to them.' Furthermore, in one of his most controversial arguments, Gandhi advised the Jews in Germany to offer passive resistance to the Nazi regime -- and to give up their own lives as sacrifices. He told the Jews to pray for Adolf Hitler. 'If even one Jew acted thus,' he wrote, 'he would salve his self respect and leave an example which, if it became infectious, would save the whole of Jewry and leave a rich heritage to mankind besides.'
"Gandhi compounded this error of judgment by offering praise to Hitler. 'I do not consider Herr Hitler to be as bad as he is depicted,' he wrote in May 1940. 'He is showing an ability that is amazing and he seems to be gaining his victories without much bloodshed. ' Ap¬parently, he saw some parallel between his own efforts to return In¬dia to the Indians and Hitler's invasion of French territory to reclaim that lost to Germany under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles at the end of the First World War. He regretted that Hitler had employed war rather than nonviolence to achieve his aims, but nonetheless averred that the Germans of the future 'will honour Herr Hitler as a genius, a brave man, a matchless organizer and much more.'
"The American journalist Louis Fischer brought up this subject with Gandhi in 1946. By that time, the concentration camps had been discovered, and the true, awful extent of the Holocaust re¬vealed. It might have been expected that the benefit of hindsight would have tempered the old man's views. It had not. 'Hitler killed five million Jews,' Gandhi told Fischer, 'It is the greatest crime of our time. But the Jews should have offered themselves to the butcher's knife. They should have thrown themselves into the sea from cliffs. . . . . As it is they succumbed anyway in their millions.' "
EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank God that my parents did not follow Gandhi’s advice by sacrificing us for his beloved Der Fuhrer because then I would not be here to piss off people with my blogs.
After learning about Gandhi’s love affair with Hitler, I would have to conclude that, rather than a saint worshipped to this day by pacifists all over the world, the man who ran around wearing a bedsheet was a certified nutcase.
INDIANA TROOPER FINDS WOMAN MISSING SINCE 1970S
Evansville Courier & Press | March 25, 2016
Lula Ann Gillespie-Miller thought she was too young to be a mother. So the 28-year-old gave custody of her children to her parents and disappeared.
After a decades-long search that included an exhumed body and an intense search through missing persons record, Gillespie-Miller has been found -- and she could be reunited with her family via telephone this holiday weekend.
Gillespie-Miller, originally from Laurel, Indiana, was found in living in south Texas under an alias.
She left Indiana in 1974, shortly after giving birth to her third child, according to a news release from Indiana State Police. With the exception of a letter postmarked from Richmond, Indiana, in 1975, the family hadn't heard from her since.
ISP Detective Sgt. Scott Jarvis took the case in January 2014, after the Doe Network, a website that assists families with missing person's investigations, contacted state police at the Pendleton Post.
Jarvis combed through Richmond Police Department records, and discovered the case of an unidentified dead woman found in 1975. The woman was buried in an unmarked grave in Richmond, and after Jarvis obtained a search warrant, authorities exhumed the body to collect DNA.
Jarvis garnered DNA from Gillespie-Miller's daughter, Tammy Miller, for comparison, but no match was found.
He then latched onto the trail of a woman who had lived in Tennessee in the '80s before moving to Texas. That trail eventually led him to small town in the southern part portion of the state.
Texas Rangers spoke to the woman. She wished to remain anonymous in her new identity, but admitted to authorities that she was Gillespie-Miller, now 69 years old.
Despite her wish for continued anonymity, she allowed authorities to pass along contact information to her daughter. The two hope to speak this Easter weekend.
Lula Ann Gillespie-Miller thought she was too young to be a mother. So the 28-year-old gave custody of her children to her parents and disappeared.
After a decades-long search that included an exhumed body and an intense search through missing persons record, Gillespie-Miller has been found -- and she could be reunited with her family via telephone this holiday weekend.
Gillespie-Miller, originally from Laurel, Indiana, was found in living in south Texas under an alias.
She left Indiana in 1974, shortly after giving birth to her third child, according to a news release from Indiana State Police. With the exception of a letter postmarked from Richmond, Indiana, in 1975, the family hadn't heard from her since.
ISP Detective Sgt. Scott Jarvis took the case in January 2014, after the Doe Network, a website that assists families with missing person's investigations, contacted state police at the Pendleton Post.
Jarvis combed through Richmond Police Department records, and discovered the case of an unidentified dead woman found in 1975. The woman was buried in an unmarked grave in Richmond, and after Jarvis obtained a search warrant, authorities exhumed the body to collect DNA.
Jarvis garnered DNA from Gillespie-Miller's daughter, Tammy Miller, for comparison, but no match was found.
He then latched onto the trail of a woman who had lived in Tennessee in the '80s before moving to Texas. That trail eventually led him to small town in the southern part portion of the state.
Texas Rangers spoke to the woman. She wished to remain anonymous in her new identity, but admitted to authorities that she was Gillespie-Miller, now 69 years old.
Despite her wish for continued anonymity, she allowed authorities to pass along contact information to her daughter. The two hope to speak this Easter weekend.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS FINALLY DROP THE OFFENSIVE NAME
Neil Snyder, owner of the National Football League team, the Washington Redskins, has announced that following in-depth research into the acceptance of the team name, it is conclusive that the name has been found offensive.
Beginning with the 2017 season, Snyder is dropping "Washington" from the team name, and it will henceforth be simply known as "The Redskins."
Results of the research discovered that the word 'Washington' imparts a negative image of poor leadership, mismanagement, corruption, cheating, lying, and graft, and that image is not a fitting role-model for young fans of football!
Beginning with the 2017 season, Snyder is dropping "Washington" from the team name, and it will henceforth be simply known as "The Redskins."
Results of the research discovered that the word 'Washington' imparts a negative image of poor leadership, mismanagement, corruption, cheating, lying, and graft, and that image is not a fitting role-model for young fans of football!
Monday, March 28, 2016
CRUZ’S KOOKY RESPONSE TO ISLAMIST ATTACKS ON BRUSSELS
Cruz appears to be clueless on the differences between the Muslim neighborhoods in Europe and those in the United States
BarkGrowlBite | March 28. 2016
“We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”
“For years, the West has tried to deny this enemy exists out of a combination of political correctness and fear. We can no longer afford either. Our European allies are now seeing what comes of a toxic mix of migrants who have been infiltrated by terrorists and isolated, radical Muslim neighborhoods.”
Thus spoke Cruz on March 22. Police need to “Patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods.” What a kooky response to the Islamist attacks on Brussels.
Cruz appears to be clueless on the differences between the Muslim neighborhoods in Europe and those in the United States.
The Muslim migrants of Europe have failed to become integrated with people in their host nation. As a result they live in self-imposed isolation. They are mostly poor and live in slummy neighborhoods. Most of them take the word of the Quran literally, and believe they themselves must implement the teaching of the Islamic holy book. That makes them prime candidates for jihadism. The young especially, many of them jobless, are drawn to the siren songs of fundamentalist imams.
In contrast, America’s Muslims are mostly middle class. They have integrated into American society, the hijab veil worn by Muslim women notwithstanding. Many American Muslims own their own businesses, including convenience stores and gas stations.
Many American Muslims are professionals. Almost all of my doctors are Muslims, and they are considered among the best physicians in the area.
America’s Muslims are less likely to become radicalized because they have achieved the American Dream. The overwhelming majority are not fundamentalists who take the writings of the Quran literally. They are hard-working loyal Americans.
Thus, having the police patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods would be counterproductive. It would produce an ‘us against them’ mentality that would enhance and exacerbate the radicalization of young Muslims.
However, there have been a number of Wahhabi mosques and madrassas established in this country by the Saudis. The imams of these mosques and madrasas preach hatred of the west and are responsible for most of our homegrown Islamic terrorists. Therefore it seems appropriate for the police to conduct surveillance of the Wahhabi schools and places of worship. That is what NYPD did both in New York and New Jersey before the newly elected Sandinista-loving Mayor Bill de Blasio put an end to this practice.
Cruz defended his proposal by pointing to NYPD’s “successful program” under then Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Wrong again. NYPD did not patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods, it merely conducted surveillance of Mosques known to be run by radical imams.
But guess what? Cruz did get Trump to finally agree with something ‘Lying Ted’ said. The Donald said he agreed with Cruz’s proposal to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods. A kooky idea supported by a kooky presidential candidate.
The tragedy of the Republican presidential campaign is that the longer it goes on, with Cruz and Trump wallowing in the sewer about their wives and coming forth with kooky pronouncements, the more certain it becomes that Hillary will be the next President of the United States.
BarkGrowlBite | March 28. 2016
“We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”
“For years, the West has tried to deny this enemy exists out of a combination of political correctness and fear. We can no longer afford either. Our European allies are now seeing what comes of a toxic mix of migrants who have been infiltrated by terrorists and isolated, radical Muslim neighborhoods.”
Thus spoke Cruz on March 22. Police need to “Patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods.” What a kooky response to the Islamist attacks on Brussels.
Cruz appears to be clueless on the differences between the Muslim neighborhoods in Europe and those in the United States.
The Muslim migrants of Europe have failed to become integrated with people in their host nation. As a result they live in self-imposed isolation. They are mostly poor and live in slummy neighborhoods. Most of them take the word of the Quran literally, and believe they themselves must implement the teaching of the Islamic holy book. That makes them prime candidates for jihadism. The young especially, many of them jobless, are drawn to the siren songs of fundamentalist imams.
In contrast, America’s Muslims are mostly middle class. They have integrated into American society, the hijab veil worn by Muslim women notwithstanding. Many American Muslims own their own businesses, including convenience stores and gas stations.
Many American Muslims are professionals. Almost all of my doctors are Muslims, and they are considered among the best physicians in the area.
America’s Muslims are less likely to become radicalized because they have achieved the American Dream. The overwhelming majority are not fundamentalists who take the writings of the Quran literally. They are hard-working loyal Americans.
Thus, having the police patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods would be counterproductive. It would produce an ‘us against them’ mentality that would enhance and exacerbate the radicalization of young Muslims.
However, there have been a number of Wahhabi mosques and madrassas established in this country by the Saudis. The imams of these mosques and madrasas preach hatred of the west and are responsible for most of our homegrown Islamic terrorists. Therefore it seems appropriate for the police to conduct surveillance of the Wahhabi schools and places of worship. That is what NYPD did both in New York and New Jersey before the newly elected Sandinista-loving Mayor Bill de Blasio put an end to this practice.
Cruz defended his proposal by pointing to NYPD’s “successful program” under then Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Wrong again. NYPD did not patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods, it merely conducted surveillance of Mosques known to be run by radical imams.
But guess what? Cruz did get Trump to finally agree with something ‘Lying Ted’ said. The Donald said he agreed with Cruz’s proposal to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods. A kooky idea supported by a kooky presidential candidate.
The tragedy of the Republican presidential campaign is that the longer it goes on, with Cruz and Trump wallowing in the sewer about their wives and coming forth with kooky pronouncements, the more certain it becomes that Hillary will be the next President of the United States.
OBAMA DANCED THE TANGO IN ARGENTINA, BUT IN CUBA, CASTRO TURNED DOWN A DANCE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
At the end of their joint press conference in Havana, Castro rejected Obama’s attempt to embrace him
BarkGrpwlBite | March 28, 2016
Raul Castro has good taste. While Obama danced the tango in Argentina following his visit to Cuba, the Cuban leader did not want to dance with the American president. Castro rejected Obama’s attempt to embrace him at the end of their joint press conference in Havana.
A video of the press conference shows Castro deflecting Obama’s left arm as the American president attempted to hug him. As his arm was deflected upwards and held there by Castro, Obama’s left hand was left dangling limply.
What an embarrassing picture … President Obama’s left hand dangling limply.
Ah, but after he arrived in Argentina, Obama looked pretty good dancing the tango with a professional dancer.
However, the international community will not judge Obama by how well he tangoed, but by how the President of the United States was publically rejected and embarrassed by the leader of a tiny Caribbean island nation.
BarkGrpwlBite | March 28, 2016
Raul Castro has good taste. While Obama danced the tango in Argentina following his visit to Cuba, the Cuban leader did not want to dance with the American president. Castro rejected Obama’s attempt to embrace him at the end of their joint press conference in Havana.
A video of the press conference shows Castro deflecting Obama’s left arm as the American president attempted to hug him. As his arm was deflected upwards and held there by Castro, Obama’s left hand was left dangling limply.
What an embarrassing picture … President Obama’s left hand dangling limply.
Ah, but after he arrived in Argentina, Obama looked pretty good dancing the tango with a professional dancer.
However, the international community will not judge Obama by how well he tangoed, but by how the President of the United States was publically rejected and embarrassed by the leader of a tiny Caribbean island nation.
LIE IS HARD. IT’S HARDER WHEN YOU’RE STUPID. OFTEN IT’S SHORTER TOO
By Bob Walsh
15-year-old Stephen BrenoR of Lakeland, Florida, is never going to make it to 16. He died from terminal stupidity, with maybe a touch of bad luck.
Shawn Plain is a licensed security guard. He was charging his cell phone in an apartment building laundry room when a young male appeared in the doorway, produced a handgun, and shot Plain in the face. It turned out the handgun was in fact a pellet gun, which is still a weapon. People die with some regularity from being shot with pellet guns.
Plain pursued the young male who fled the scene with a number of other young men. Plain fired on Brenor, hitting him in the leg. Plain then returned to the laundry room, retrieved his cell phone and returned to the scene where he shot Brenor. Brenor allegedly apologized to Plain and asked him to summon an ambulance.
The ambulance showed up, but Brenor died. I presume he bled out because very few otherwise healthy young men die from a leg shot except for that.
Brenor was a known, documented gang member.
Plain went to the hospital for treatment for pellet wounds to his face. The shooting is under investigation.
I will now offer a piece of free advice for people similarly situated. Shooting at someone with a pellet gun who is likely to have a more conventional, more powerful firearm at his immediate disposal is a really, really stupid idea. The other person may kill you.
15-year-old Stephen BrenoR of Lakeland, Florida, is never going to make it to 16. He died from terminal stupidity, with maybe a touch of bad luck.
Shawn Plain is a licensed security guard. He was charging his cell phone in an apartment building laundry room when a young male appeared in the doorway, produced a handgun, and shot Plain in the face. It turned out the handgun was in fact a pellet gun, which is still a weapon. People die with some regularity from being shot with pellet guns.
Plain pursued the young male who fled the scene with a number of other young men. Plain fired on Brenor, hitting him in the leg. Plain then returned to the laundry room, retrieved his cell phone and returned to the scene where he shot Brenor. Brenor allegedly apologized to Plain and asked him to summon an ambulance.
The ambulance showed up, but Brenor died. I presume he bled out because very few otherwise healthy young men die from a leg shot except for that.
Brenor was a known, documented gang member.
Plain went to the hospital for treatment for pellet wounds to his face. The shooting is under investigation.
I will now offer a piece of free advice for people similarly situated. Shooting at someone with a pellet gun who is likely to have a more conventional, more powerful firearm at his immediate disposal is a really, really stupid idea. The other person may kill you.
WHO CAN RUN FASTER?
Usually the one who is having a gun pointed at him
When two Atlanta cops got into an argument over which one can run the fasted, one of them pulled his gun on the other one. If the one having the gun pointed at him would just have taken off and beat feet (as Bob Walsh would say), he would have shown he was the fastest because, I’ll bet, he would have left the gun-wielding cop in the dust.
Seriously though, hoe did these two jerks ever become cops?
ATLANTA POLICE OFFICER PULLS GUN ON COLLEAGUE
The officers argued about who would be faster in a foot race
By Kimberly James | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | March 26, 2016
Two Atlanta police officers were relieved of duty after getting into a fist fight where a gun was allegedly pulled.
They fought over who could run faster.
The scuffle happened early Friday morning at R. Thomas Restaurant in Buckhead, after officers Stephen Green, Joseph Tyer and a handful of other officers met there for dinner, Officer Lukasz Sajdak, a spokesman for Atlanta police, said in an email.
The officers bantered about who would be faster in a foot race, Green or Tyer, Sajdak said.
The conversation began to escalate and Green said he noticed Tyer getting upset.
"I'm going to punch you in the face," Tyer told Green, according to the statement. Green, who was taken by surprise, said, "What?"
"I'll punch you in the face," Tyer said.
The argument escalated to blows and the other officers broke up the fight, Sajdak said. Tyer allegedly pulled his service weapon, but no shots were fired.
The Office of Professional Standards opened an investigation that is still ongoing, Sajdak said.
"The Atlanta Police Department takes these allegations very seriously," the department said in a statement. "Chief [George] Turner has always prioritized officer accountability and professional behavior at all times. He will continue to take decisive action when necessary to hold his employees to the highest standard."
Green, who had been with the force since 2011, is on administrative leave.
Tyer resigned on Tuesday. He had been with Atlanta police since 2012.
When two Atlanta cops got into an argument over which one can run the fasted, one of them pulled his gun on the other one. If the one having the gun pointed at him would just have taken off and beat feet (as Bob Walsh would say), he would have shown he was the fastest because, I’ll bet, he would have left the gun-wielding cop in the dust.
Seriously though, hoe did these two jerks ever become cops?
ATLANTA POLICE OFFICER PULLS GUN ON COLLEAGUE
The officers argued about who would be faster in a foot race
By Kimberly James | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | March 26, 2016
Two Atlanta police officers were relieved of duty after getting into a fist fight where a gun was allegedly pulled.
They fought over who could run faster.
The scuffle happened early Friday morning at R. Thomas Restaurant in Buckhead, after officers Stephen Green, Joseph Tyer and a handful of other officers met there for dinner, Officer Lukasz Sajdak, a spokesman for Atlanta police, said in an email.
The officers bantered about who would be faster in a foot race, Green or Tyer, Sajdak said.
The conversation began to escalate and Green said he noticed Tyer getting upset.
"I'm going to punch you in the face," Tyer told Green, according to the statement. Green, who was taken by surprise, said, "What?"
"I'll punch you in the face," Tyer said.
The argument escalated to blows and the other officers broke up the fight, Sajdak said. Tyer allegedly pulled his service weapon, but no shots were fired.
The Office of Professional Standards opened an investigation that is still ongoing, Sajdak said.
"The Atlanta Police Department takes these allegations very seriously," the department said in a statement. "Chief [George] Turner has always prioritized officer accountability and professional behavior at all times. He will continue to take decisive action when necessary to hold his employees to the highest standard."
Green, who had been with the force since 2011, is on administrative leave.
Tyer resigned on Tuesday. He had been with Atlanta police since 2012.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
EVERY TEXAN AND HIS MOTHER APPLIED FOR A LICENSE TO CARRY A GUN IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS
In the months immediately preceding and following the January 1, 2016 start-date for Texas' new open carry law, a pretty astounding amount of Texans applied for a license to carry a gun
By Leif Reigstad | Houston Press | March 25, 2016
According to a Texas Department of Public Safety press release, "during the three-month period from December 2015 through February 2016, DPS has received approximately 136,000 LTC application submissions compared to approximately 57,000 over the same time period the year prior – representing a 139 percent increase [italics from original version, but we probably would've added it anyway]."
It is unclear what, exactly, caused the mad dash to be lawfully strapped, but there are a number of possible explanations, including the state's new open carry law, the terrorist attacks in Paris and the ISIS-affiliated shooting in San Bernardino, California, and President Barack Obama's executive action in January aimed at curbing gun violence. No matter what caused the uptick, DPS has more applicants than it can handle.
The jump in applications has apparently sent DPS scrambling to meet the state's 60-day deadline to issue a license from whenever the application was submitted. According to the press release, DPS has "increased staffing strength (hiring additional personnel and initiating an overtime project involving multiple shifts, seven days a week) and resources" to deal with the surge, and the agency is desperately urging applicants to make sure they "closely follow LTC application guidelines and to ensure they submit a fully-completed application."
In early January, we took (and passed) the LTC shooting test after applying for a license. It has been more than 60 days, and we have still not received a license.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I think I can explain the ‘mad dash’ for licenses to carry a gun. The police are refraining from being proactive because their leaders and politicians have wilted under the threat of lawsuits and Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and because cops are getting fired, prosecuted and sued. With the police no longer wanting to be proactive, law abiding citizens want to carry guns to protect themselves.
By Leif Reigstad | Houston Press | March 25, 2016
According to a Texas Department of Public Safety press release, "during the three-month period from December 2015 through February 2016, DPS has received approximately 136,000 LTC application submissions compared to approximately 57,000 over the same time period the year prior – representing a 139 percent increase [italics from original version, but we probably would've added it anyway]."
It is unclear what, exactly, caused the mad dash to be lawfully strapped, but there are a number of possible explanations, including the state's new open carry law, the terrorist attacks in Paris and the ISIS-affiliated shooting in San Bernardino, California, and President Barack Obama's executive action in January aimed at curbing gun violence. No matter what caused the uptick, DPS has more applicants than it can handle.
The jump in applications has apparently sent DPS scrambling to meet the state's 60-day deadline to issue a license from whenever the application was submitted. According to the press release, DPS has "increased staffing strength (hiring additional personnel and initiating an overtime project involving multiple shifts, seven days a week) and resources" to deal with the surge, and the agency is desperately urging applicants to make sure they "closely follow LTC application guidelines and to ensure they submit a fully-completed application."
In early January, we took (and passed) the LTC shooting test after applying for a license. It has been more than 60 days, and we have still not received a license.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I think I can explain the ‘mad dash’ for licenses to carry a gun. The police are refraining from being proactive because their leaders and politicians have wilted under the threat of lawsuits and Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and because cops are getting fired, prosecuted and sued. With the police no longer wanting to be proactive, law abiding citizens want to carry guns to protect themselves.
CALLING THE COPS AFTER YOUR FRIEND OVERDOSES CAN STILL GET YOU ARRESTED
Arrests of the persons who report an overdose basically means that Good Samaritan laws are null and void
By Maia Szalavitz | VICE News | March 23, 2016
It was exactly the kind of tragedy you'd expect a "Good Samaritan" overdose law to address.
Last July, Shane Ward overdosed on heroin and other drugs after getting high in a van with three friends. When he passed out, his friends acted quickly: One of them, 21-year-old Devan Miller, got behind the wheel and took off, calling 911. She was told to pull over, which she did, instructing another friend to perform CPR on Ward while they awaited an ambulance. When help arrived, Ward was taken to a nearby hospital, and probably owes Miller his life.
But her altruism got Miller arrested, not praised.
Rather than being offered amnesty from low-level drug charges for doing the right thing—as Illinois's Good Samaritan law suggests—Miller was handcuffed and taken in for questioning. She was charged with "aggravated battery" under the apparent contention (which she and her lawyer dispute) that she helped Ward inject himself.
Miller was also charged with driving with a revoked license, drug possession, and drug delivery—even though she had no drugs on her when she was arrested. And she remains in jail some eight months later because her family cannot afford to post the $7,500 required to secure bond.
She isn't alone, ether.
Kathleen Kane Willis, director of the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University, has documented at least three such prosecutions in rural counties in the state in recent years. These cases have supporters of Good Samaritan laws, which are supposed to protect people like Miller in the name of public health, thinking it's the 1980s all over again.
"It obviously acts at complete cross purposes to Good Samaritan legislation, in both spirit and letter," argues Leo Beletsky, associate professor of law and health science at Northeastern University. He sees a pattern across the country of enforcement that undermines Good Samaritan laws.
"It means basically that Good Samaritan laws are null and void," Willis adds.
The desire on the part of cops and prosecutors across America to show that they're cracking down on heroin is increasingly coming into direct conflict with initiatives to prevent overdose deaths. Call it Good Samaritans v. Drug Warriors. Spurred by the activism of grieving parents whose children were abandoned after overdose, dozens of states now have Good Samaritan laws, which are well-grounded in research showing that the most common reason people don't seek medical attention in these situations is fear of arrest. Since we know that most overdoses are witnessed, immunizing witnesses from prosecution should reduce this fear and save lives.
Unfortunately, these laws aren't all that well publicized—and now they're being threatened in a sort of twisted coda to the fading war on drugs.
In fact, most states have "drug delivery" laws that allow prosecution of dealers for murder if it can be proven that someone overdosed on a product they sold. Federal law also allows lengthier sentences for dealers linked with such deaths. And in some states, like Illinois, people who try to help other drug users can get prosecuted for crimes like battery instead of murder if the victim survives the overdose.
The majority of these laws were passed in the 1980s, following widespread outrage over the coke-related death of college basketball star Len Bias. But Illinois, Kansas, and Pennsylvania passed their laws between 2011 and 2012—during the current opioid crisis—and politicians around America continue to propose new versions.
Such laws are a terrible mistake. It would be one thing if they were only applied to high-level dealers. But overwhelmingly, the people being picked up for "drug-induced homicide" or "aggravated battery" associated with overdose are those like Miller, who are struggling with addictions.
Nearly all of these prosecutions involve people who were in the room when the victim died; almost never does such a situation involve a kingpin, because they don't tend to sit around shooting up in vans. And I can tell you from personal experience that it's almost impossible to have a heroin problem without having "sold" or "delivered" the stuff at some point. That distinction, any given time, tends to be between the person who knows where to score that day and the one who doesn't.
Of course, many anguished parents of overdose victims want to punish someone for the loss of their children's lives—and prosecutors seem to take up these cases with an eye to getting justice for these families and making dealers think twice because they could face the long sentences associated with homicide.
"Although many prosecutors support Good Samaritan laws, there is a real conflict when someone actually recklessly caused death of another person and then panics and calls 911," says Josh Marquis, who has been the district attorney for Clatsop County, Oregon, since 1994, and is a spokesperson for the National District Attorney's Association. He adds, "There is a weighing test you have to go through, and you can't simply grant blanket amnesty for anyone who knowingly provides a highly toxic substance, which then, in turn, kills people."
Tamara Olt, an Illinois obstetrician and gynecologist who lost her son Josh to overdose at 16, once supported prosecuting such cases. In her rage and grief over losing a child so young, she wanted anyone with any responsibility for what happened to pay. "Initially, I wanted everybody prosecuted," she tells me, adding that prosecutors began pursuing drug-induced homicide charges in her son's case.
However, the police first went after the wrong dealer—and as she mourned, Olt began to see the situation very differently. She got involved with a support group for parents who had also lost children to overdose, known as GRASP, for Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing. Talking with other moms, she realized that it was only chance that her Josh was the one who had died, rather than being the one who faced homicide charges. "I've forgiven everyone associated with his death, including him and myself," she says.
In order to help others, she started the JOLT foundation in memory of her son—and she works to promote harm-reduction practices, like distributing the overdose antidote Naloxone, and Good Samaritan laws. She's even put up billboards to tell users that they will be safe from arrest if they help their friends. That's why, when she heard about Miller's case, she was outraged and went so far as to donate $1,500 to her legal defense.
Miller's lawyer, Terry Slaw, adds, "Based on the fact that my client made the call and that brought the police on the scene, she should immune from prosecution—yet she's charged with three very serious crimes."
The prosecutor in Miller's case is Jonathan Wright, the state's attorney for Logan County. He told the local paper, the Courier, that he could not comment the case. But Marquis, who's been prosecuting drug cases for years in an Oregon community with plenty of experience in heroin overdoses, says choosing to charge a low-level user in a situation like Miller's "seems like an odd prosecutorial decision."
"You don't want to discourage people from calling for help," he says.
As I see it, we've already tried a bunch of ways to discourage drug dealing through the criminal justice system with little success. How is it different if a dealer faces 15 years to life simply for selling drugs, versus facing the same kind of time because someone overdoses? Why would fear of a long sentence for drug-induced homicide prove more potent than that of a long sentence for simple drug dealing? And is the terror of doing extra time in prison for helping your friends get drugs really a deterrent if you aren't too worried about dying of overdose yourself?
This is one of many examples of how unchecked the power of prosecutors is—and another reason why we need to thoroughly revise our drug laws. Decriminalizing low-level possession would be a good start, and would help prevent users from being prosecuted as dealers. But we also need to recognize that the way we handle dealers isn't working, either.
Saving lives has to come first—it's absurd to turn a tragedy for one family into a tragedy for two by prosecuting the addicted survivor and tearing them away from their loved ones. It's time to reward people who save lives rather than try, in vain, to scare them out of addiction.
EDITOR’S NOTE: When there is clear evidence that the ‘Good Samaritan’ supplied the drugs or helped the overdose victim inject the drugs, that person should be arrested, and if the victim dies, charged with murder.
By Maia Szalavitz | VICE News | March 23, 2016
It was exactly the kind of tragedy you'd expect a "Good Samaritan" overdose law to address.
Last July, Shane Ward overdosed on heroin and other drugs after getting high in a van with three friends. When he passed out, his friends acted quickly: One of them, 21-year-old Devan Miller, got behind the wheel and took off, calling 911. She was told to pull over, which she did, instructing another friend to perform CPR on Ward while they awaited an ambulance. When help arrived, Ward was taken to a nearby hospital, and probably owes Miller his life.
But her altruism got Miller arrested, not praised.
Rather than being offered amnesty from low-level drug charges for doing the right thing—as Illinois's Good Samaritan law suggests—Miller was handcuffed and taken in for questioning. She was charged with "aggravated battery" under the apparent contention (which she and her lawyer dispute) that she helped Ward inject himself.
Miller was also charged with driving with a revoked license, drug possession, and drug delivery—even though she had no drugs on her when she was arrested. And she remains in jail some eight months later because her family cannot afford to post the $7,500 required to secure bond.
She isn't alone, ether.
Kathleen Kane Willis, director of the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University, has documented at least three such prosecutions in rural counties in the state in recent years. These cases have supporters of Good Samaritan laws, which are supposed to protect people like Miller in the name of public health, thinking it's the 1980s all over again.
"It obviously acts at complete cross purposes to Good Samaritan legislation, in both spirit and letter," argues Leo Beletsky, associate professor of law and health science at Northeastern University. He sees a pattern across the country of enforcement that undermines Good Samaritan laws.
"It means basically that Good Samaritan laws are null and void," Willis adds.
The desire on the part of cops and prosecutors across America to show that they're cracking down on heroin is increasingly coming into direct conflict with initiatives to prevent overdose deaths. Call it Good Samaritans v. Drug Warriors. Spurred by the activism of grieving parents whose children were abandoned after overdose, dozens of states now have Good Samaritan laws, which are well-grounded in research showing that the most common reason people don't seek medical attention in these situations is fear of arrest. Since we know that most overdoses are witnessed, immunizing witnesses from prosecution should reduce this fear and save lives.
Unfortunately, these laws aren't all that well publicized—and now they're being threatened in a sort of twisted coda to the fading war on drugs.
In fact, most states have "drug delivery" laws that allow prosecution of dealers for murder if it can be proven that someone overdosed on a product they sold. Federal law also allows lengthier sentences for dealers linked with such deaths. And in some states, like Illinois, people who try to help other drug users can get prosecuted for crimes like battery instead of murder if the victim survives the overdose.
The majority of these laws were passed in the 1980s, following widespread outrage over the coke-related death of college basketball star Len Bias. But Illinois, Kansas, and Pennsylvania passed their laws between 2011 and 2012—during the current opioid crisis—and politicians around America continue to propose new versions.
Such laws are a terrible mistake. It would be one thing if they were only applied to high-level dealers. But overwhelmingly, the people being picked up for "drug-induced homicide" or "aggravated battery" associated with overdose are those like Miller, who are struggling with addictions.
Nearly all of these prosecutions involve people who were in the room when the victim died; almost never does such a situation involve a kingpin, because they don't tend to sit around shooting up in vans. And I can tell you from personal experience that it's almost impossible to have a heroin problem without having "sold" or "delivered" the stuff at some point. That distinction, any given time, tends to be between the person who knows where to score that day and the one who doesn't.
Of course, many anguished parents of overdose victims want to punish someone for the loss of their children's lives—and prosecutors seem to take up these cases with an eye to getting justice for these families and making dealers think twice because they could face the long sentences associated with homicide.
"Although many prosecutors support Good Samaritan laws, there is a real conflict when someone actually recklessly caused death of another person and then panics and calls 911," says Josh Marquis, who has been the district attorney for Clatsop County, Oregon, since 1994, and is a spokesperson for the National District Attorney's Association. He adds, "There is a weighing test you have to go through, and you can't simply grant blanket amnesty for anyone who knowingly provides a highly toxic substance, which then, in turn, kills people."
Tamara Olt, an Illinois obstetrician and gynecologist who lost her son Josh to overdose at 16, once supported prosecuting such cases. In her rage and grief over losing a child so young, she wanted anyone with any responsibility for what happened to pay. "Initially, I wanted everybody prosecuted," she tells me, adding that prosecutors began pursuing drug-induced homicide charges in her son's case.
However, the police first went after the wrong dealer—and as she mourned, Olt began to see the situation very differently. She got involved with a support group for parents who had also lost children to overdose, known as GRASP, for Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing. Talking with other moms, she realized that it was only chance that her Josh was the one who had died, rather than being the one who faced homicide charges. "I've forgiven everyone associated with his death, including him and myself," she says.
In order to help others, she started the JOLT foundation in memory of her son—and she works to promote harm-reduction practices, like distributing the overdose antidote Naloxone, and Good Samaritan laws. She's even put up billboards to tell users that they will be safe from arrest if they help their friends. That's why, when she heard about Miller's case, she was outraged and went so far as to donate $1,500 to her legal defense.
Miller's lawyer, Terry Slaw, adds, "Based on the fact that my client made the call and that brought the police on the scene, she should immune from prosecution—yet she's charged with three very serious crimes."
The prosecutor in Miller's case is Jonathan Wright, the state's attorney for Logan County. He told the local paper, the Courier, that he could not comment the case. But Marquis, who's been prosecuting drug cases for years in an Oregon community with plenty of experience in heroin overdoses, says choosing to charge a low-level user in a situation like Miller's "seems like an odd prosecutorial decision."
"You don't want to discourage people from calling for help," he says.
As I see it, we've already tried a bunch of ways to discourage drug dealing through the criminal justice system with little success. How is it different if a dealer faces 15 years to life simply for selling drugs, versus facing the same kind of time because someone overdoses? Why would fear of a long sentence for drug-induced homicide prove more potent than that of a long sentence for simple drug dealing? And is the terror of doing extra time in prison for helping your friends get drugs really a deterrent if you aren't too worried about dying of overdose yourself?
This is one of many examples of how unchecked the power of prosecutors is—and another reason why we need to thoroughly revise our drug laws. Decriminalizing low-level possession would be a good start, and would help prevent users from being prosecuted as dealers. But we also need to recognize that the way we handle dealers isn't working, either.
Saving lives has to come first—it's absurd to turn a tragedy for one family into a tragedy for two by prosecuting the addicted survivor and tearing them away from their loved ones. It's time to reward people who save lives rather than try, in vain, to scare them out of addiction.
EDITOR’S NOTE: When there is clear evidence that the ‘Good Samaritan’ supplied the drugs or helped the overdose victim inject the drugs, that person should be arrested, and if the victim dies, charged with murder.
KINDERGARTEN PLAY GETS BROKEN P BY POLICE AFTER PARENTS BRAWL OVER BEST SEATS
By Sarah Kaplan | The Washington Times | March 25, 2016
Guys.
We know that school productions can be stressful affairs. There are carpools to coordinate and kids to corral. Great Aunt June’s hearing aid needs adjusting; teenage cousin Ralph has to be bribed to attend. Sonia will demand a juice box five minutes before curtain, then inevitably spill it on her costume two minutes later.
But still. It’s probably not a good sign when the local police have to be called to the local school auditorium to break up an all-out brawl. Especially when the brawl involves not the collection of kindergartners standing on stage, but their parents.
“Yeah, it’s kind of shocking,” said Michael Vasquez, the bemused sheriff’s deputy tasked with handling media inquiries about what went down at Ridgemoor Elementary School’s kindergarten play on Wednesday.
According to Vasquez, the fight broke out over “seating privileges”: Someone walked to the front of the auditorium to film the production. Other audience members registered their discontent. Insults — and eventually fists — began to fly.
The local police arrived at the Manifee, Calif., school soon after to find several adults “pushing and shoving” one another, Vasquez said. No one was arrested, but a citation was issued for one person to appear in court at a later date. Then everyone was sent home.
Vasquez said that the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is still investigating the incident.
He chuckled: “Sometimes adults act in funny ways.”
Uh huh.
Menifee Union School District spokeswoman Betti Cadmus told the Riverside, Calif. Press-Enterprise that Ridgemoor students were given letters about the incident to take home on Thursday. The district also made phone calls to families in both Spanish and English. The play does not appear to have been rescheduled.
Grown-ups, this is why we can’t have nice things.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Manifee is a city of around 78,000 people in southwestern Riverside County. Holy shit! When I was with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in the ’50s, I never even heard of the place.
According to Wikipedia, on June 3, 2008, the residents of the communities encompassing the Menifee area voted to incorporate together to form Riverside County's 26th city. The new City of Menifee was officially established on October 1, 2008.
Guys.
We know that school productions can be stressful affairs. There are carpools to coordinate and kids to corral. Great Aunt June’s hearing aid needs adjusting; teenage cousin Ralph has to be bribed to attend. Sonia will demand a juice box five minutes before curtain, then inevitably spill it on her costume two minutes later.
But still. It’s probably not a good sign when the local police have to be called to the local school auditorium to break up an all-out brawl. Especially when the brawl involves not the collection of kindergartners standing on stage, but their parents.
“Yeah, it’s kind of shocking,” said Michael Vasquez, the bemused sheriff’s deputy tasked with handling media inquiries about what went down at Ridgemoor Elementary School’s kindergarten play on Wednesday.
According to Vasquez, the fight broke out over “seating privileges”: Someone walked to the front of the auditorium to film the production. Other audience members registered their discontent. Insults — and eventually fists — began to fly.
The local police arrived at the Manifee, Calif., school soon after to find several adults “pushing and shoving” one another, Vasquez said. No one was arrested, but a citation was issued for one person to appear in court at a later date. Then everyone was sent home.
Vasquez said that the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is still investigating the incident.
He chuckled: “Sometimes adults act in funny ways.”
Uh huh.
Menifee Union School District spokeswoman Betti Cadmus told the Riverside, Calif. Press-Enterprise that Ridgemoor students were given letters about the incident to take home on Thursday. The district also made phone calls to families in both Spanish and English. The play does not appear to have been rescheduled.
Grown-ups, this is why we can’t have nice things.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Manifee is a city of around 78,000 people in southwestern Riverside County. Holy shit! When I was with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in the ’50s, I never even heard of the place.
According to Wikipedia, on June 3, 2008, the residents of the communities encompassing the Menifee area voted to incorporate together to form Riverside County's 26th city. The new City of Menifee was officially established on October 1, 2008.
Saturday, March 26, 2016
NORTH CAROLINA MAN ARRESTED FOR NOT RETURNING A VHS TAPE …14 YEARS LATER
James Meyers got fingered by “Freddy Got Fingered” and it landed him in the slammer
By Euan McKirdy | CNN | March 25, 2016
A man pulled over in a routine traffic stop found himself behind bars over a long-overdue copy of the Tom Green comedy “Freddy Got Fingered.”
The North Carolina man, James Meyers, was pulled over for a broken brake light. When the Concord, NC officers ran a check on his driver’s license it showed an outstanding warrant for a movie he had rented and failed to return — in 2002.
“The guy brings me to the back of the car and he goes: ‘Sir, I don’t know how to tell you this, but there’s a warrant out for your arrest from 2002. Apparently you rented a movie, ‘Freddy Got Fingered,’ and you never returned it,'” he recounted the officers telling him in a video posted to YouTube.
“That’s what my local law enforcement officers are up to,” he says in the video. “They’re not out here catching heroin dealers.”
He was handcuffed before being taken into the magistrate’s office, according to a local media report.
When stopped, he was on his way to drop off his daughter at school, he says. The officers, who Meyers described as courteous, allowed him to complete the school run before turning himself in.
Open warrant
The Rowan County warrant remains open, according to the report, and Meyers is liable for a fine. He’s due in court on April 27 to answer the charge of failure to return hired property, a misdemeanor.
The film in question, “Freddy Got Fingered,” starring comedian Tom Green and actor Rip Torn, was a relatively new release at the time. The video shop, J&J Video in Salisbury, North Carolina, has since closed.
Green himself has developed an interest in the case, tweeting on Thursday, “I just saw this and am struggling to believe it is real.”
He has since referenced the case — and the movie — in a number of tweets.
The Canadian comedian, interviewed on an Australian TV show, talked about the incident, adding that he’d contacted Meyers and they’d “had a good laugh about it.”
“It’s a completely bizarre story… it’s an example of how bureaucracy can get out of control.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: I don’t think I would have thrown this guy in the slammer, I would have told him to pay the fine and that I would check on it in a week because if he hadn’t paid it by then, I’d come and throw his ass in jail.
By Euan McKirdy | CNN | March 25, 2016
A man pulled over in a routine traffic stop found himself behind bars over a long-overdue copy of the Tom Green comedy “Freddy Got Fingered.”
The North Carolina man, James Meyers, was pulled over for a broken brake light. When the Concord, NC officers ran a check on his driver’s license it showed an outstanding warrant for a movie he had rented and failed to return — in 2002.
“The guy brings me to the back of the car and he goes: ‘Sir, I don’t know how to tell you this, but there’s a warrant out for your arrest from 2002. Apparently you rented a movie, ‘Freddy Got Fingered,’ and you never returned it,'” he recounted the officers telling him in a video posted to YouTube.
“That’s what my local law enforcement officers are up to,” he says in the video. “They’re not out here catching heroin dealers.”
He was handcuffed before being taken into the magistrate’s office, according to a local media report.
When stopped, he was on his way to drop off his daughter at school, he says. The officers, who Meyers described as courteous, allowed him to complete the school run before turning himself in.
Open warrant
The Rowan County warrant remains open, according to the report, and Meyers is liable for a fine. He’s due in court on April 27 to answer the charge of failure to return hired property, a misdemeanor.
The film in question, “Freddy Got Fingered,” starring comedian Tom Green and actor Rip Torn, was a relatively new release at the time. The video shop, J&J Video in Salisbury, North Carolina, has since closed.
Green himself has developed an interest in the case, tweeting on Thursday, “I just saw this and am struggling to believe it is real.”
He has since referenced the case — and the movie — in a number of tweets.
The Canadian comedian, interviewed on an Australian TV show, talked about the incident, adding that he’d contacted Meyers and they’d “had a good laugh about it.”
“It’s a completely bizarre story… it’s an example of how bureaucracy can get out of control.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: I don’t think I would have thrown this guy in the slammer, I would have told him to pay the fine and that I would check on it in a week because if he hadn’t paid it by then, I’d come and throw his ass in jail.
FLORIDA GIRL, 12, CHARGED WITH BATTERY FOR PINCHING BOY’S BUTT AT SCHOOL
By Jessica Chasmar | The Washington Times | March 24, 2016
A 12-year-old Florida girl has been arrested and charged after she pinched a male student's butt at school.
Breana Evans was hauled away by police and booked into juvenile detention after the incident earlier this month at Milwee Middle School in Longwood, just north of Orlando, a local CBS News affiliate reported.
The girl now faces misdemeanor battery charges.
"Lord, lord, lordy ... what has this world come to?" Breana's father, Ray, told the local news station. "Kids can't even be kids, and that's basically what it is. She's 12 years old, she was acting like a 12-year-old child."
According to the incident report, the boy whom Breana pinched initially told a school resource deputy that he didn't want to press charges. Breana was only suspended, until the boy's mother got involved and called the police, CBS News reported.
Ray Evans said he thinks the boy's mother overreacted.
"I'm sorry my kid touched your kid, but I'm sorry because you need some help I think, too overprotective. Let your kid be your kid," he said.
Breana said she was only joking and that the butt pinch was part of a game that a lot of kids play at the school.
"I regret it because I didn't know it would lead to this," she said. "I feel like it's just stupid, just a stupid charge that shouldn't have to happen."
The Seminole County state attorney said that if Breana completes the diversion program and completes her community service, classes and passes all the drug tests, the charge will be dismissed and her record would be clean, CBS News reported.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Shit, I would have been thrilled if a girl in my sixth-grade class had played grab-ass with me.
As for the boy’s mother in this case … how do you spell A-S-S-H-O-L-E?
A 12-year-old Florida girl has been arrested and charged after she pinched a male student's butt at school.
Breana Evans was hauled away by police and booked into juvenile detention after the incident earlier this month at Milwee Middle School in Longwood, just north of Orlando, a local CBS News affiliate reported.
The girl now faces misdemeanor battery charges.
"Lord, lord, lordy ... what has this world come to?" Breana's father, Ray, told the local news station. "Kids can't even be kids, and that's basically what it is. She's 12 years old, she was acting like a 12-year-old child."
According to the incident report, the boy whom Breana pinched initially told a school resource deputy that he didn't want to press charges. Breana was only suspended, until the boy's mother got involved and called the police, CBS News reported.
Ray Evans said he thinks the boy's mother overreacted.
"I'm sorry my kid touched your kid, but I'm sorry because you need some help I think, too overprotective. Let your kid be your kid," he said.
Breana said she was only joking and that the butt pinch was part of a game that a lot of kids play at the school.
"I regret it because I didn't know it would lead to this," she said. "I feel like it's just stupid, just a stupid charge that shouldn't have to happen."
The Seminole County state attorney said that if Breana completes the diversion program and completes her community service, classes and passes all the drug tests, the charge will be dismissed and her record would be clean, CBS News reported.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Shit, I would have been thrilled if a girl in my sixth-grade class had played grab-ass with me.
As for the boy’s mother in this case … how do you spell A-S-S-H-O-L-E?
MAN CLIMBS TREE, TRIGGERS DAYLONG STANDOFF
By Evan Bush | The Seattle times | March 23, 2016
Seattle police negotiators spent a frustrating day Tuesday trying to coax a man down from an 80-foot-tall tree outside the downtown Macy's store after a passer-by called 911 to report that someone had scaled the massive conifer.
As of 9:30 p.m., more than 10 hours after the 911 report, the man still had not come down. (Update: The 28-year-old man climbed down from the tree shortly before noon Wednesday. He was taken into custody and will receive a medical evaluation.)
"It is quite a spectacle, honestly," police spokesman Patrick Michaud said Tuesday afternoon. The incident attracted onlookers, closed off downtown streets and spawned a parody Twitter account: @Man_In_Tree.
"We want to make sure he's OK and that he can get down from the tree without hurting himself or someone else," Michaud said. "We're on his schedule -- we're not going to rush it with someone at the top of a tall tree. If you rush it, it could become dangerous."
Police and firefighters responded to Stewart Street and Third Avenue around 11:20 a.m. Tuesday after receiving reports that the man had climbed about 70 feet up the sequoia tree in a street median. Officers, believing the man posed a danger to himself, pedestrians and motorists, closed several surrounding streets.
Police said the man also claimed to be carrying a knife.
Negotiators used an extended ladder from a truck to climb near the man and try to persuade him to get down. The man responded by yelling obscenities and, at one point, hurled an apple at medics.
Witnesses say the bearded man in a red-knit cap and checkerboard-pattern jacket also tossed pieces of tree branch.
"He's just been up in the tree for a few hours now, cussing at people and throwing pine cones," witness Braden Foley said.
The tree has been decorated during Christmastime.
Around 2:45 p.m., the man began stripping off branches from the top and tossed them at a police negotiator. The negotiator caught most of them.
The daylong standoff impacted downtown traffic for hours.
Two King County Metro Transit routes, the 25 to Portage Bay and Laurelhurst and the 66 to Roosevelt and Northgate, were rerouted. Those lines were diverting outbound to the north of the tree using Virginia Street, then returning to Olive Way east of Fifth Avenue.
Also, some electric trolley buses were being pushed through a transition zone on Stewart Street, where the Fire Department asked electric buses to retract their power poles, transit spokeswoman Rochelle Ogershok said. These buses were being repositioned at the end of a new run, so they weren't carrying passengers, she said.
Some watching the scene unfold said the tree-climber may be a homeless man who frequents the area.
"I've seen him around downtown," James Arriola said.
Michaud, the police spokesman, said as far as he knew, police were not contemplating seeking criminal charges against the man.
"I think we're more concerned about him getting out of the tree safely. And, if he needs any mental (health) help, to get that help for him. That's our first concern," he said.
Foley praised police for the way they handled the situation. "They're doing a great job controlling the area. It seems like they're controlling him. They're getting pine cones consistently thrown at them," he said.
Matt Louie, who was running errands downtown on a day off from work, said he planned to stay and watch the man until the situation was resolved.
"I got nothing but time. It's a nice day; he's probably got a great view. I'm sure his perspective is a bit off the norm."
Seattle police negotiators spent a frustrating day Tuesday trying to coax a man down from an 80-foot-tall tree outside the downtown Macy's store after a passer-by called 911 to report that someone had scaled the massive conifer.
As of 9:30 p.m., more than 10 hours after the 911 report, the man still had not come down. (Update: The 28-year-old man climbed down from the tree shortly before noon Wednesday. He was taken into custody and will receive a medical evaluation.)
"It is quite a spectacle, honestly," police spokesman Patrick Michaud said Tuesday afternoon. The incident attracted onlookers, closed off downtown streets and spawned a parody Twitter account: @Man_In_Tree.
"We want to make sure he's OK and that he can get down from the tree without hurting himself or someone else," Michaud said. "We're on his schedule -- we're not going to rush it with someone at the top of a tall tree. If you rush it, it could become dangerous."
Police and firefighters responded to Stewart Street and Third Avenue around 11:20 a.m. Tuesday after receiving reports that the man had climbed about 70 feet up the sequoia tree in a street median. Officers, believing the man posed a danger to himself, pedestrians and motorists, closed several surrounding streets.
Police said the man also claimed to be carrying a knife.
Negotiators used an extended ladder from a truck to climb near the man and try to persuade him to get down. The man responded by yelling obscenities and, at one point, hurled an apple at medics.
Witnesses say the bearded man in a red-knit cap and checkerboard-pattern jacket also tossed pieces of tree branch.
"He's just been up in the tree for a few hours now, cussing at people and throwing pine cones," witness Braden Foley said.
The tree has been decorated during Christmastime.
Around 2:45 p.m., the man began stripping off branches from the top and tossed them at a police negotiator. The negotiator caught most of them.
The daylong standoff impacted downtown traffic for hours.
Two King County Metro Transit routes, the 25 to Portage Bay and Laurelhurst and the 66 to Roosevelt and Northgate, were rerouted. Those lines were diverting outbound to the north of the tree using Virginia Street, then returning to Olive Way east of Fifth Avenue.
Also, some electric trolley buses were being pushed through a transition zone on Stewart Street, where the Fire Department asked electric buses to retract their power poles, transit spokeswoman Rochelle Ogershok said. These buses were being repositioned at the end of a new run, so they weren't carrying passengers, she said.
Some watching the scene unfold said the tree-climber may be a homeless man who frequents the area.
"I've seen him around downtown," James Arriola said.
Michaud, the police spokesman, said as far as he knew, police were not contemplating seeking criminal charges against the man.
"I think we're more concerned about him getting out of the tree safely. And, if he needs any mental (health) help, to get that help for him. That's our first concern," he said.
Foley praised police for the way they handled the situation. "They're doing a great job controlling the area. It seems like they're controlling him. They're getting pine cones consistently thrown at them," he said.
Matt Louie, who was running errands downtown on a day off from work, said he planned to stay and watch the man until the situation was resolved.
"I got nothing but time. It's a nice day; he's probably got a great view. I'm sure his perspective is a bit off the norm."
Friday, March 25, 2016
TAXPAYERS GETTING SOAKED BY BILLIONAIRE SPORTS TEAM OWNERS
The video is 19 minutes long but well worth viewing and hilarious to boot.
WHEN A TOP COP CAUGHT THE GOVERNOR HAVING AN AFFAIR, HE KISSED HIS JOB GOODBYE
Alabama Top Cop Fired, Accuses Governor of affair
By Josh Moon | Montgomery Advertiser | March 24, 2016
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has carried on an affair with a married staffer and potentially committed a felony by misusing state resources to facilitate the affair, the former head of the state's law enforcement agency publicly alleged Wednesday.
Spencer Collier, who was fired Tuesday from his position as the head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), told reporters that he held direct conversations with Bentley about his affair with senior political adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason. Collier provided specific details of those conversations, going so far as to name when they occurred, dates, other parties present and subject matter. Bentley was married at the time the affair began.
"This has been a difficult time for my family and for the Bentleys," Collier said to open his press conference at the office of Montgomery attorney Kenny Mendelsohn. "I am disappointed in the man (Bentley) that I looked up to."
Collier said he learned of Bentley's affair by accident in August 2014, after the governor left his personal cell phone behind at an event. A text message on the screen was from Mason and it was sexual in nature, he said.
A short time later, a member of Bentley's security staff brought Collier a tape recording that had been provided by a member of Bentley's family, Collier said. On it, he said he heard Bentley and Mason carrying on a conversation that was sexual in nature.
"Body parts were discussed," Collier said. "It was very obvious what it was, what was taking place."
Collier said he dismissed Bentley's normal security team and he and another senior member escorted Bentley to an event in Greenville. During the trip, Collier said he confronted Bentley about the affair.
"He hung his head, he didn't deny it," Collier said. "He asked me how to get out of it."
Collier said he informed Bentley during that trip that an affair with Mason could easily violate the law should he provide her state resources, or even use state resources, to carry out the affair or cover it up.
Bentley assured him that he was not misusing state funds, so Collier said he let it go. Even after Bentley allegedly called Collier the following day and said he couldn't break off the affair, Collier said he was confident at that time that the governor was not misusing state funds.
However, that perception changed, Collier said. During conversations with other state workers, particularly those who handled Bentley's travel arrangements, Collier said he started to believe that Bentley has misappropriated state resources, although he admitted to having no proof.
Collier said Bentley has admitted to him within the last month that the affair is ongoing with Mason.
"He has told me that he is madly in love with Mason, but he's a man of honor and will not ask her to divorce her husband," Collier said.
Collier was originally placed on medical leave by Bentley a month ago, following an odd series of events related to the ongoing prosecution of Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard. An assistant attorney general for the state had requested an affidavit from Collier on a specific matter, but Bentley instructed Collier to remain out of the case and not submit the affidavit.
Collier said he had no choice as a law enforcement officer to cooperate.
"Bentley and (Mason) were furious with me," Collier said.
On Tuesday, Bentley relieved Collier of his duties and at the same time alleged that an investigation at ALEA had turned up misused funds. Collier vehemently denied that allegation.
"You can turn ALEA upside down and there won't be missing funds there," Collier said. "I'll be happy to cooperate with any investigation into that."
EDITOR’S NOTE: It should be emphasized that Gov. Bentley is an honorable man because he will not ask his playmate to divorce her husband.
By Josh Moon | Montgomery Advertiser | March 24, 2016
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has carried on an affair with a married staffer and potentially committed a felony by misusing state resources to facilitate the affair, the former head of the state's law enforcement agency publicly alleged Wednesday.
Spencer Collier, who was fired Tuesday from his position as the head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), told reporters that he held direct conversations with Bentley about his affair with senior political adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason. Collier provided specific details of those conversations, going so far as to name when they occurred, dates, other parties present and subject matter. Bentley was married at the time the affair began.
"This has been a difficult time for my family and for the Bentleys," Collier said to open his press conference at the office of Montgomery attorney Kenny Mendelsohn. "I am disappointed in the man (Bentley) that I looked up to."
Collier said he learned of Bentley's affair by accident in August 2014, after the governor left his personal cell phone behind at an event. A text message on the screen was from Mason and it was sexual in nature, he said.
A short time later, a member of Bentley's security staff brought Collier a tape recording that had been provided by a member of Bentley's family, Collier said. On it, he said he heard Bentley and Mason carrying on a conversation that was sexual in nature.
"Body parts were discussed," Collier said. "It was very obvious what it was, what was taking place."
Collier said he dismissed Bentley's normal security team and he and another senior member escorted Bentley to an event in Greenville. During the trip, Collier said he confronted Bentley about the affair.
"He hung his head, he didn't deny it," Collier said. "He asked me how to get out of it."
Collier said he informed Bentley during that trip that an affair with Mason could easily violate the law should he provide her state resources, or even use state resources, to carry out the affair or cover it up.
Bentley assured him that he was not misusing state funds, so Collier said he let it go. Even after Bentley allegedly called Collier the following day and said he couldn't break off the affair, Collier said he was confident at that time that the governor was not misusing state funds.
However, that perception changed, Collier said. During conversations with other state workers, particularly those who handled Bentley's travel arrangements, Collier said he started to believe that Bentley has misappropriated state resources, although he admitted to having no proof.
Collier said Bentley has admitted to him within the last month that the affair is ongoing with Mason.
"He has told me that he is madly in love with Mason, but he's a man of honor and will not ask her to divorce her husband," Collier said.
Collier was originally placed on medical leave by Bentley a month ago, following an odd series of events related to the ongoing prosecution of Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard. An assistant attorney general for the state had requested an affidavit from Collier on a specific matter, but Bentley instructed Collier to remain out of the case and not submit the affidavit.
Collier said he had no choice as a law enforcement officer to cooperate.
"Bentley and (Mason) were furious with me," Collier said.
On Tuesday, Bentley relieved Collier of his duties and at the same time alleged that an investigation at ALEA had turned up misused funds. Collier vehemently denied that allegation.
"You can turn ALEA upside down and there won't be missing funds there," Collier said. "I'll be happy to cooperate with any investigation into that."
EDITOR’S NOTE: It should be emphasized that Gov. Bentley is an honorable man because he will not ask his playmate to divorce her husband.
CONGRESSWOMAN WANTS TO MAKE AMERICA SAFE … FROM BURNER PHONES
By Bob Walsh
United State Representative Jackie Speier, (D-San Mateo), is arguably the most stupid person in Congress, and that is saying something. I have stepped in stinky stuff in the gutter that is smarter than she is. Never-the-less she is a member of Congress and wants to outlaw burner cell phones.
If Ms. Speier has her way ALL cell phones sold in the U. S. would be trackable to the initial buyer. Even those very basic cell phones, commonly called burner phones, would have to be tracked by the retailer with VERIFIED ID information on the initial purchaser. This information would be maintained in a data base which could be accessed by the government with a warrant.
Chucky Schumer, (D-New York) ran this same idea up the flagpole back in 2010, but nobody saluted.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I previously referred to Speier as a “kooky congresswoman” because each month she gets up to give a speech on the House floor in which she reads aloud the names of people killed in mass shootings the month before. Kooky Jackie also has a memorial wall to gun violence victims outside her office.
On March 15Speier, a firm opponent of the right to bear arms, introduced a bill banning the importation of assault rifles that was supported by 32 of her fellow Democrats.
It pains me to disagree with Bob, but when it comes to burner phones, Speier is right on track.
Burner phones are cellphones with prepaid time that the user discards once the paid-for minutes have been used up. ISIS and other jihadists have been using burner phones to thwart American and European intelligence agencies from tracing the phones to the terrorists using them.
Accordingly, Speier’s bill would enhance our homeland security.
United State Representative Jackie Speier, (D-San Mateo), is arguably the most stupid person in Congress, and that is saying something. I have stepped in stinky stuff in the gutter that is smarter than she is. Never-the-less she is a member of Congress and wants to outlaw burner cell phones.
If Ms. Speier has her way ALL cell phones sold in the U. S. would be trackable to the initial buyer. Even those very basic cell phones, commonly called burner phones, would have to be tracked by the retailer with VERIFIED ID information on the initial purchaser. This information would be maintained in a data base which could be accessed by the government with a warrant.
Chucky Schumer, (D-New York) ran this same idea up the flagpole back in 2010, but nobody saluted.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I previously referred to Speier as a “kooky congresswoman” because each month she gets up to give a speech on the House floor in which she reads aloud the names of people killed in mass shootings the month before. Kooky Jackie also has a memorial wall to gun violence victims outside her office.
On March 15Speier, a firm opponent of the right to bear arms, introduced a bill banning the importation of assault rifles that was supported by 32 of her fellow Democrats.
It pains me to disagree with Bob, but when it comes to burner phones, Speier is right on track.
Burner phones are cellphones with prepaid time that the user discards once the paid-for minutes have been used up. ISIS and other jihadists have been using burner phones to thwart American and European intelligence agencies from tracing the phones to the terrorists using them.
Accordingly, Speier’s bill would enhance our homeland security.
SO YOU THINK THE NORTH KOREANS ARE STUPID
Kim Jung Un had no military experience whatsoever before Daddy made him a four-star general. This snot-nosed twerp had never accomplished anything in his life that would even come close to military leadership.
He hadn't even so much as led a Cub Scout troop, coached a sports team, or commanded a military platoon.
So he is made the "Beloved Leader" of North Korea.
Terrific!!!
I'm sorry... I just remembered that we did the same thing. We took an arrogant phony community organizer, who had never worn a military uniform, and made him Commander-in-Chief.
A guy who smoked pot, graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, but had never held a real job, worked on a budget, or led anything more than an ACORN demonstration, and we made him "Beloved Leader" of the United States - Twice!!!!!
So if you think North Koreans are stupid... I'm sorry I brought this up about Kim Jung Un.
Never mind!
He hadn't even so much as led a Cub Scout troop, coached a sports team, or commanded a military platoon.
So he is made the "Beloved Leader" of North Korea.
Terrific!!!
I'm sorry... I just remembered that we did the same thing. We took an arrogant phony community organizer, who had never worn a military uniform, and made him Commander-in-Chief.
A guy who smoked pot, graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, but had never held a real job, worked on a budget, or led anything more than an ACORN demonstration, and we made him "Beloved Leader" of the United States - Twice!!!!!
So if you think North Koreans are stupid... I'm sorry I brought this up about Kim Jung Un.
Never mind!
Thursday, March 24, 2016
HOMEOWNER SHOOTS, KILLS TEEN BURGLARY SUSPECT
The slain teen’s sister says, “You have to understand… how he gonna get his money to have clothes to go to school?”
By Gaby Fleischman | CBS Miami | March 11, 2016
MIAMI -- Relatives of a 17-year-old are angry the teenager was shot and killed by a homeowner who police say was protecting her property.
The sister of the teen who died identified him as Trevon Johnson. She said he was a student at D. A. Dorsey Technical College.
“I don’t care if she have her gun license or any of that. That is way beyond the law… way beyond,” said Johnson’s cousin Nautika Harris. “He was not supposed to die like this. He had a future ahead of him. Trevon had goals… he was a funny guy, very big on education, loved learning.”
On Thursday, police say Johnson burglarized a home south of 79th Street near I-95 — just blocks away from where he lives.
The 54-year-old woman told police her surveillance system alerted her to the break-in of her home. She said she rushed home and found the teen climbing out of a window.
“She observed a subject leaving the home through the rear,” said police Det. Dan Ferrin.
Miami-Dade police said there was a confrontation and shots were fired. Police said they were on scene seconds after the shooting and gave CPR to the teen. Johnson was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“What’s wrong with her,” asked Johnson’s sister Nisha Johnson. “She did not have to shoot him.”
“It’s no reason she should have waited until I think he walked out the yard to try to shoot him,” said Harris. “If she called the police already why would she shoot him?”
Relatives said they don’t believe Johnson stole anything from the home but detectives would not confirm that.
“You have to look at it from every child’s point of view that was raised in the hood,” said Harris. “You have to understand… how he gonna get his money to have clothes to go to school? You have to look at it from his point-of-view.”
Police said the homeowner is cooperating with detectives and was taken to a police station for questioning.
“She’s a person that is a little distraught because this is her home that someone obviously was in,” Ferrin said.
Investigators said they’re still trying to sort all of this out and want the public to remember that, if possible, it’s best not to take these types of situations into your own hands.
“If there’s any type of situation that happens or they believe there’s a burglary at the home or any type of confrontation, dial 911. Have the police make that confrontation,” Ferrin said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
The case has been handed over to state attorney’s office but, so far, no charges have been filed against her.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For a guy who was “very big on education, loved learning,” Trevon Johnson apparently never learned that breaking into people’s houses is a crime. As for “how he gonna get his money to have clothes to go to school,” how about by getting a job?
I hope they do not file any charges against the homeowner. In California she'd be facing the death penalty.
By Gaby Fleischman | CBS Miami | March 11, 2016
MIAMI -- Relatives of a 17-year-old are angry the teenager was shot and killed by a homeowner who police say was protecting her property.
The sister of the teen who died identified him as Trevon Johnson. She said he was a student at D. A. Dorsey Technical College.
“I don’t care if she have her gun license or any of that. That is way beyond the law… way beyond,” said Johnson’s cousin Nautika Harris. “He was not supposed to die like this. He had a future ahead of him. Trevon had goals… he was a funny guy, very big on education, loved learning.”
On Thursday, police say Johnson burglarized a home south of 79th Street near I-95 — just blocks away from where he lives.
The 54-year-old woman told police her surveillance system alerted her to the break-in of her home. She said she rushed home and found the teen climbing out of a window.
“She observed a subject leaving the home through the rear,” said police Det. Dan Ferrin.
Miami-Dade police said there was a confrontation and shots were fired. Police said they were on scene seconds after the shooting and gave CPR to the teen. Johnson was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“What’s wrong with her,” asked Johnson’s sister Nisha Johnson. “She did not have to shoot him.”
“It’s no reason she should have waited until I think he walked out the yard to try to shoot him,” said Harris. “If she called the police already why would she shoot him?”
Relatives said they don’t believe Johnson stole anything from the home but detectives would not confirm that.
“You have to look at it from every child’s point of view that was raised in the hood,” said Harris. “You have to understand… how he gonna get his money to have clothes to go to school? You have to look at it from his point-of-view.”
Police said the homeowner is cooperating with detectives and was taken to a police station for questioning.
“She’s a person that is a little distraught because this is her home that someone obviously was in,” Ferrin said.
Investigators said they’re still trying to sort all of this out and want the public to remember that, if possible, it’s best not to take these types of situations into your own hands.
“If there’s any type of situation that happens or they believe there’s a burglary at the home or any type of confrontation, dial 911. Have the police make that confrontation,” Ferrin said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
The case has been handed over to state attorney’s office but, so far, no charges have been filed against her.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For a guy who was “very big on education, loved learning,” Trevon Johnson apparently never learned that breaking into people’s houses is a crime. As for “how he gonna get his money to have clothes to go to school,” how about by getting a job?
I hope they do not file any charges against the homeowner. In California she'd be facing the death penalty.
NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS: ‘ISIS ARE FUCKING ASSHOLES’
The Onion | March 23, 2016
WASHINGTON—Updating the public about the deadly attacks carried out in Brussels yesterday by members of the Syria-based jihadist group, national security experts held a press conference in Washington this morning to notify Americans that ISIS are fucking assholes.
“As we work with our European colleagues to investigate these deplorable attacks and take measures to address terrorism concerns both at home and abroad, we strongly urge all citizens to keep in mind that ISIS are a festering shitpile of complete and utter fuckwads,” said National Security Advisor Susan Rice, adding that recent intelligence reports confirmed that members of ISIS are gigantic motherfucking pricks who are driven to commit acts of violence by a fervently held dumb-as-dogshit worldview. “We continue to work with security authorities around the world to prevent these soulless, rat-bastard assfucks from acting like the absolute sacks of shit that they are, and we stand with the international community in delivering a message to ISIS that they can go fuck themselves.”
At press time, Rice had submitted a detailed report to the White House recommending a balanced strategy for neutralizing ISIS that consisted of galvanizing the support of regional Sunni tribes and “shoving a fat one so far up ISIS’ ass they choke.”
WASHINGTON—Updating the public about the deadly attacks carried out in Brussels yesterday by members of the Syria-based jihadist group, national security experts held a press conference in Washington this morning to notify Americans that ISIS are fucking assholes.
“As we work with our European colleagues to investigate these deplorable attacks and take measures to address terrorism concerns both at home and abroad, we strongly urge all citizens to keep in mind that ISIS are a festering shitpile of complete and utter fuckwads,” said National Security Advisor Susan Rice, adding that recent intelligence reports confirmed that members of ISIS are gigantic motherfucking pricks who are driven to commit acts of violence by a fervently held dumb-as-dogshit worldview. “We continue to work with security authorities around the world to prevent these soulless, rat-bastard assfucks from acting like the absolute sacks of shit that they are, and we stand with the international community in delivering a message to ISIS that they can go fuck themselves.”
At press time, Rice had submitted a detailed report to the White House recommending a balanced strategy for neutralizing ISIS that consisted of galvanizing the support of regional Sunni tribes and “shoving a fat one so far up ISIS’ ass they choke.”
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
INCREDIBLE! IS INCREDIBLE!
A stain remover that actually removes stubborn stains
BarkGrowlBite | March 23, 2016
When our dog Cassie reached a ripe old age, she could no longer hold her pee. Because we did not want to put a beloved pet down until the vet told us it was time for her to go, she left pee stains throughout our house. Her favorite spot was on the carpet between the kitchen and the breakfast nook. I finally had to have the carpet ripped out and had it replaced with vinyl flooring. Cassie also left awful stains in the master bathroom and in a couple of other rooms. Regular stain removers failed to get the stains out. What to do?
Last week I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to look for a solution. The store manager steered me to a stain remover named “incredible!”. It was in a nondescript opaque white plastic bottle. I never heard of it. The manager assured me it would remove the pee stains from my carpets. So I took a chance and bought two bottles.
When I got home I tried it on the bad stain in the bathroom. Voila … the stain started disappearing as soon as I applied the stain remover and then it was gone!
Incredible! is easy to use. You just pour it on the stain and get a brush to scrub the fluid into the stain. As soon as you start scrubbing the stain starts to disappear and within a few more seconds the stain is completely gone. Then you simply blot up the wet carpet with a towel.
I’ve never seen it advertised but my sister tells me this product has been around for years.
Incredible Inc., a Houston company, says it removes pet stains, food, blood, wine, cosmetics, grease, coffee and tea from carpet, clothing and upholstery.
Incredible! is Incredible! It’s saved me the cost of hiring a carpet cleaning outfit. I highly recommend it.
BarkGrowlBite | March 23, 2016
When our dog Cassie reached a ripe old age, she could no longer hold her pee. Because we did not want to put a beloved pet down until the vet told us it was time for her to go, she left pee stains throughout our house. Her favorite spot was on the carpet between the kitchen and the breakfast nook. I finally had to have the carpet ripped out and had it replaced with vinyl flooring. Cassie also left awful stains in the master bathroom and in a couple of other rooms. Regular stain removers failed to get the stains out. What to do?
Last week I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to look for a solution. The store manager steered me to a stain remover named “incredible!”. It was in a nondescript opaque white plastic bottle. I never heard of it. The manager assured me it would remove the pee stains from my carpets. So I took a chance and bought two bottles.
When I got home I tried it on the bad stain in the bathroom. Voila … the stain started disappearing as soon as I applied the stain remover and then it was gone!
Incredible! is easy to use. You just pour it on the stain and get a brush to scrub the fluid into the stain. As soon as you start scrubbing the stain starts to disappear and within a few more seconds the stain is completely gone. Then you simply blot up the wet carpet with a towel.
I’ve never seen it advertised but my sister tells me this product has been around for years.
Incredible Inc., a Houston company, says it removes pet stains, food, blood, wine, cosmetics, grease, coffee and tea from carpet, clothing and upholstery.
Incredible! is Incredible! It’s saved me the cost of hiring a carpet cleaning outfit. I highly recommend it.
HATCHET VS. PISTOL ... GUESS THE OUTCOME
By Bob Walsh
Yesterday morning a regular customer, aged 60, was sitting around the local 7-11 in Burien, Washington sucking up a mug of coffee and shooting the breeze with the clerk.
As this mundane scene was under way a man wearing a mask and carrying a hatchet entered the store and attacked the clerk, age 58. The customer pulled out his licensed pistol and blasted the man with the hatchet. Mr. Hatchet died at the scene, the clerk was slightly injured in the hatchet attack. So far the cops are not releasing any names.
The King’s County S O is forwarding the whole thing to the D.A. but so far it looks as if the shooting was fully justified.
It is pretty much always better to have a gun and not need it rather than to need a gun and not have it. After all, when seconds count the cops are only minutes away
Yesterday morning a regular customer, aged 60, was sitting around the local 7-11 in Burien, Washington sucking up a mug of coffee and shooting the breeze with the clerk.
As this mundane scene was under way a man wearing a mask and carrying a hatchet entered the store and attacked the clerk, age 58. The customer pulled out his licensed pistol and blasted the man with the hatchet. Mr. Hatchet died at the scene, the clerk was slightly injured in the hatchet attack. So far the cops are not releasing any names.
The King’s County S O is forwarding the whole thing to the D.A. but so far it looks as if the shooting was fully justified.
It is pretty much always better to have a gun and not need it rather than to need a gun and not have it. After all, when seconds count the cops are only minutes away
DISGUSTING PERV GETS 208 YEAR SENTENCE
By Bob Walsh
Jose Flores, 35, of San Pablo, CA, is a disgusting lump of excrement. His girlfriend, Juana Damien, 38, is not much better. For a period of five years, from the time the girl was five years old, Flores molested and raped his girlfriend’s daughter, finally impregnating her when she was nine. She gave birth at age ten.
Her mom tried to hide her condition and tried to conceal the identity of the father of her child’s child. She also denied knowing what was going on though the fact that they lived in a small mobile home and Flores took video of himself having sex with the child makes that hard to believe. At least the judge and jury didn’t believe it.
Damien got six years as an accessory. Flores got 208 years for 45 counts of child sexual abuse. In the old days that meant that he would certainly die in prison. Probably about four days after hitting the mainline. Nowadays it doesn’t. You can’t hardly swing a dead cat in prison now without hitting a child molester.
Flores will be up for parole consideration under the current law when he is 60. That doesn’t mean he will get it, but he will be up for consideration. The current batting average for senior citizen parole is about one out of six. Maybe he will slip in the shower and crack his skull. Wouldn’t be much of a loss.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Only six years for Juana Damien ….. that’s a fucking miscarriage of justice. She should have gotten the maximum!
Jose Flores, 35, of San Pablo, CA, is a disgusting lump of excrement. His girlfriend, Juana Damien, 38, is not much better. For a period of five years, from the time the girl was five years old, Flores molested and raped his girlfriend’s daughter, finally impregnating her when she was nine. She gave birth at age ten.
Her mom tried to hide her condition and tried to conceal the identity of the father of her child’s child. She also denied knowing what was going on though the fact that they lived in a small mobile home and Flores took video of himself having sex with the child makes that hard to believe. At least the judge and jury didn’t believe it.
Damien got six years as an accessory. Flores got 208 years for 45 counts of child sexual abuse. In the old days that meant that he would certainly die in prison. Probably about four days after hitting the mainline. Nowadays it doesn’t. You can’t hardly swing a dead cat in prison now without hitting a child molester.
Flores will be up for parole consideration under the current law when he is 60. That doesn’t mean he will get it, but he will be up for consideration. The current batting average for senior citizen parole is about one out of six. Maybe he will slip in the shower and crack his skull. Wouldn’t be much of a loss.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Only six years for Juana Damien ….. that’s a fucking miscarriage of justice. She should have gotten the maximum!
MEET THE MEN SHAPING DONALD TRUMP’S FOREIGN POLICY VIEWS
By Missy Ryan
Chicago Tribune
March 21, 2016
Republican presidential contender Donald Trump on Monday provided five names on his foreign policy team after months of speculation over who could be advising the businessman frontrunner. Here's what we know so far about the advisers named by Trump in a meeting with the Washington Post.
Joseph Schmitz
Schmitz served as inspector general at the Department of Defense during the George W. Bush administration. A Los Angeles Times investigation in 2005 revealed a number of issues with Schmitz's term there:
"Schmitz slowed or blocked investigations of senior Bush administration officials, spent taxpayer money on pet projects and accepted gifts that may have violated ethics guidelines, according to interviews with current and former senior officials in the inspector general's office, congressional investigators and a review of internal email and other documents.
"Schmitz also drew scrutiny for his unusual fascination with Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, a Revolutionary War hero who is considered the military's first true inspector general. Schmitz even replaced the official inspector general's seal in offices nationwide with a new one bearing the Von Steuben family motto, according to the documents and interview," the Times reported.
He later became a senior official at the Prince Group, the parent company of defense contractor Blackwater. In an article in The Washington Post covering the move, Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, said, "The inspector general is a standard-bearer for ethics and integrity for the Pentagon. To see a person who has been holding that position cash in on his public service and go work for one of their contractors is tremendously disappointing."
In a brief phone call Monday, Schmitz confirmed that he is working for the Trump campaign and said that he has been involved for the past month. He said he frequently confers with Sam Clovis, one of Trump's top policy advisers, and that there has been a series of conference calls and briefings in recent weeks.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Schmitz attended the U.S. Naval Academy and Stanford Law School, and has worked in recent years for two small law firms bearing his name. His father is the late former Republican Congressman John G. Schmitz, who was also a member of the right-wing John Birch Society.
One of Schmitz's siblings is Mary Kay Letourneau, the ex-schoolteacher who received seven years in prison for child rape after starting a relationship with a 13-year-old student.
George Papadopoulos
Papadopoulos directs an international energy center at the London Centre of International Law Practice. He previously advised the presidential campaign of Ben Carson and worked as a research fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he has had meetings with the president of Cyprus and the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. He obtained a Masters from the University of London in 2010 and an undergraduate degree from DePaul University in 2009.
A biography on Carson's website says Papadopoulos "designed the first ever project in Washington, D.C. think tank history on U.S., Greece, Cyprus and Israel relations at a symposium entitled 'Power Shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Emerging Strategic Relationship of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus.'"
Papadopoulos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Walid Phares
Phares is a provost at BAU International University, an institution in downtown Washington that was founded in 2013.
According to his LinkedIn profile and his personal website, Phares has taught at various colleges and universities and has advised members of Congress. He has also been an analyst for Fox News. He obtained his PhD from the University of Miami.
Phares attracted attention in 2012 when, as an advisor to Mitt Romney's presidential bid, a Mother Jones story linked him to armed Christian factions blamed for abuses in Lebanon's civil war:
"During the 1980s, Phares, a Maronite Christian, trained Lebanese militants in ideological beliefs justifying the war against Lebanon's Muslim and Druze factions, according to former colleagues. Phares, they say, advocated the hard-line view that Lebanon's Christians should work toward creating a separate, independent Christian enclave.
A photo obtained by Mother Jones shows him conducting a press conference in 1986 for the Lebanese Forces, an umbrella group of Christian militias that has been accused of committing atrocities. He was also a close adviser to Samir Geagea, a Lebanese warlord who rose from leading hit squads to running the Lebanese Forces."
He did not immediately respond to attempts by the Post to contact him.
J. Keith Kellogg Jr.
Retired Army Lt. Gen. Kellogg is a former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, he served as chief operating officer for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. He has also worked at Oracle, CACI International, an intelligence and information technology consulting firm with clients around the world, and Abraxas, a risk mitigation firm.
Kellogg was interviewed by The Washington Post in 2005 soon after he joined CACI:
"I started my career in the U.S. military. Traditionally in the military . . . you either start with a technical background or a more leadership-focused one. I took the leadership path. The scope of responsibility starts from leading about 30 people to where I finished with 14,000 people that I led and managed. You are responsible for budget, housing, feeding, training, equipping, making sure that the families are taken care of. So it's a huge management responsibility."
Kellogg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Carter Page
Page, a longtime energy executive, told The Washington Post that he and other advisers have met with the Trump campaign. Page is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and rose through the ranks at Merrill Lynch before founding his current firm, Global Energy Capital. He previously was a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations where he focused on the Caspian Sea region and the economic development in former Soviet states, Carter told the Post in a phone call. He is also a fellow at the Center for National Policy in Washington and has a PhD from the University of London.
In a September 2014 article, Page appeared to blame NATO in part for provoking Russia.
While interventionist policies of the Soviet Union might have stood as the pivotal threat in Europe when Thatcher was rising to power as she argued at the time, similar aggressive policies of pushing NATO right to Russia's doorstep have instigated today's predicament.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Where did Trump dig these guys up? Off of his TV show? Never mind all the bickering within the Republican Party … his choice of foreign policy advisers is a good reason for him not to be the presidential nominee.
Chicago Tribune
March 21, 2016
Republican presidential contender Donald Trump on Monday provided five names on his foreign policy team after months of speculation over who could be advising the businessman frontrunner. Here's what we know so far about the advisers named by Trump in a meeting with the Washington Post.
Joseph Schmitz
Schmitz served as inspector general at the Department of Defense during the George W. Bush administration. A Los Angeles Times investigation in 2005 revealed a number of issues with Schmitz's term there:
"Schmitz slowed or blocked investigations of senior Bush administration officials, spent taxpayer money on pet projects and accepted gifts that may have violated ethics guidelines, according to interviews with current and former senior officials in the inspector general's office, congressional investigators and a review of internal email and other documents.
"Schmitz also drew scrutiny for his unusual fascination with Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, a Revolutionary War hero who is considered the military's first true inspector general. Schmitz even replaced the official inspector general's seal in offices nationwide with a new one bearing the Von Steuben family motto, according to the documents and interview," the Times reported.
He later became a senior official at the Prince Group, the parent company of defense contractor Blackwater. In an article in The Washington Post covering the move, Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, said, "The inspector general is a standard-bearer for ethics and integrity for the Pentagon. To see a person who has been holding that position cash in on his public service and go work for one of their contractors is tremendously disappointing."
In a brief phone call Monday, Schmitz confirmed that he is working for the Trump campaign and said that he has been involved for the past month. He said he frequently confers with Sam Clovis, one of Trump's top policy advisers, and that there has been a series of conference calls and briefings in recent weeks.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Schmitz attended the U.S. Naval Academy and Stanford Law School, and has worked in recent years for two small law firms bearing his name. His father is the late former Republican Congressman John G. Schmitz, who was also a member of the right-wing John Birch Society.
One of Schmitz's siblings is Mary Kay Letourneau, the ex-schoolteacher who received seven years in prison for child rape after starting a relationship with a 13-year-old student.
George Papadopoulos
Papadopoulos directs an international energy center at the London Centre of International Law Practice. He previously advised the presidential campaign of Ben Carson and worked as a research fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he has had meetings with the president of Cyprus and the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. He obtained a Masters from the University of London in 2010 and an undergraduate degree from DePaul University in 2009.
A biography on Carson's website says Papadopoulos "designed the first ever project in Washington, D.C. think tank history on U.S., Greece, Cyprus and Israel relations at a symposium entitled 'Power Shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Emerging Strategic Relationship of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus.'"
Papadopoulos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Walid Phares
Phares is a provost at BAU International University, an institution in downtown Washington that was founded in 2013.
According to his LinkedIn profile and his personal website, Phares has taught at various colleges and universities and has advised members of Congress. He has also been an analyst for Fox News. He obtained his PhD from the University of Miami.
Phares attracted attention in 2012 when, as an advisor to Mitt Romney's presidential bid, a Mother Jones story linked him to armed Christian factions blamed for abuses in Lebanon's civil war:
"During the 1980s, Phares, a Maronite Christian, trained Lebanese militants in ideological beliefs justifying the war against Lebanon's Muslim and Druze factions, according to former colleagues. Phares, they say, advocated the hard-line view that Lebanon's Christians should work toward creating a separate, independent Christian enclave.
A photo obtained by Mother Jones shows him conducting a press conference in 1986 for the Lebanese Forces, an umbrella group of Christian militias that has been accused of committing atrocities. He was also a close adviser to Samir Geagea, a Lebanese warlord who rose from leading hit squads to running the Lebanese Forces."
He did not immediately respond to attempts by the Post to contact him.
J. Keith Kellogg Jr.
Retired Army Lt. Gen. Kellogg is a former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, he served as chief operating officer for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. He has also worked at Oracle, CACI International, an intelligence and information technology consulting firm with clients around the world, and Abraxas, a risk mitigation firm.
Kellogg was interviewed by The Washington Post in 2005 soon after he joined CACI:
"I started my career in the U.S. military. Traditionally in the military . . . you either start with a technical background or a more leadership-focused one. I took the leadership path. The scope of responsibility starts from leading about 30 people to where I finished with 14,000 people that I led and managed. You are responsible for budget, housing, feeding, training, equipping, making sure that the families are taken care of. So it's a huge management responsibility."
Kellogg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Carter Page
Page, a longtime energy executive, told The Washington Post that he and other advisers have met with the Trump campaign. Page is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and rose through the ranks at Merrill Lynch before founding his current firm, Global Energy Capital. He previously was a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations where he focused on the Caspian Sea region and the economic development in former Soviet states, Carter told the Post in a phone call. He is also a fellow at the Center for National Policy in Washington and has a PhD from the University of London.
In a September 2014 article, Page appeared to blame NATO in part for provoking Russia.
While interventionist policies of the Soviet Union might have stood as the pivotal threat in Europe when Thatcher was rising to power as she argued at the time, similar aggressive policies of pushing NATO right to Russia's doorstep have instigated today's predicament.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Where did Trump dig these guys up? Off of his TV show? Never mind all the bickering within the Republican Party … his choice of foreign policy advisers is a good reason for him not to be the presidential nominee.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
THE GREAT MINNESOTA CEMENT TRUCK CHASE
An 11-year-old boy stole a cement truck and led police on an hour-long chase at speeds up to 70 mph
BarkGrowlBite | March 22, 2016
Sunday afternoon, a cement truck was sitting around in Dodge County, Minnesota waiting to be stolen. It didn’t have to wait too long before an 11-year-old boy jumped in the driver seat and took off with the concrete-mixer.
When the cops spotted the truck speeding, they tried to pull it over. That led to an hour-long chase at speeds of up to 71 mph. The chase involved cop cars from the Dodge County SO, Minnesota State Police, Kasson PD and Dodge Center PD. A Minnesota State Police helicopter was also involved for much of the chase. Two police vehicles were damaged by the truck.
The chase went up and down Dodge County Roads. Deputies laid down stop-strips in an attempt to end the chase. But the driver kept going on deflated tires. The truck then lost a tire, driving the final several miles on the rim and thereby heavily damaging the street surfaces.
The Great Minnesota Cement Truck Chase finally ended when the 11-year-old driver turned into a Dodge Center cul-de-sac where he surrendered to the police without any shots having been fired. He was taken to Rochester where he was locked up in the County Juvenile Detention Center. Formal charges were expected to be filed on Monday.
It is good to know that a dangerous criminal was taken off the streets without anyone getting hurt.
And I suspect that by the time the chase ended, the concrete inside the truck was thoroughly mixed.
BarkGrowlBite | March 22, 2016
Sunday afternoon, a cement truck was sitting around in Dodge County, Minnesota waiting to be stolen. It didn’t have to wait too long before an 11-year-old boy jumped in the driver seat and took off with the concrete-mixer.
When the cops spotted the truck speeding, they tried to pull it over. That led to an hour-long chase at speeds of up to 71 mph. The chase involved cop cars from the Dodge County SO, Minnesota State Police, Kasson PD and Dodge Center PD. A Minnesota State Police helicopter was also involved for much of the chase. Two police vehicles were damaged by the truck.
The chase went up and down Dodge County Roads. Deputies laid down stop-strips in an attempt to end the chase. But the driver kept going on deflated tires. The truck then lost a tire, driving the final several miles on the rim and thereby heavily damaging the street surfaces.
The Great Minnesota Cement Truck Chase finally ended when the 11-year-old driver turned into a Dodge Center cul-de-sac where he surrendered to the police without any shots having been fired. He was taken to Rochester where he was locked up in the County Juvenile Detention Center. Formal charges were expected to be filed on Monday.
It is good to know that a dangerous criminal was taken off the streets without anyone getting hurt.
And I suspect that by the time the chase ended, the concrete inside the truck was thoroughly mixed.
TANK
A tribute to the passing of our best friend
By Demise Vanover Rusk
Our dog Tank passed away today. He was nearing nine and that’s getting up there for an English Mastiff. Our son Artre dropped Tank off at our home when he was in the military. He was deployed too often to take care of Tank. Tank was territorial. He walked the perimeter of our back yard daily. Trey could say, “Go Get Em” and Tank would run to the fence and bark that low loud unmistakable roar.
However, he was a house dog. I’ll admit at 6’ 7” from tail to nose and 225 pounds he took up a lot of space. The AKC Standard says, "A combination of grandeur and good nature, courage and docility. Dignity, rather than gaiety, is the Mastiff's correct demeanor." They also mention that an English Mastiff is stubborn, gassy, drools constantly and is prone to very loud snoring. He loved to play soccer with the grandkids and could kick the ball. He never once knocked one of them down or became threatening.
We couldn’t walk Tank without people pulling over to pet and discuss him. He was that big. We once had a tree trimmer stop by looking for work. He pointed out a tree in the back yard and without waiting, headed that way. The gate was open and Tank greeted him with the roar of a lion. The tree trimmer ran to the street and yelled back in a stammer that he couldn’t do the job. Tank didn’t chase him, but stood there with his chest out.
Tank and Trey would watch television in the bedroom. Tank loved peanut butter crackers and pork skins for snacks. He slept at the foot of our bed on his own mattress and snored. He hated thunder and our other dog Bella would curl up next to him during a storm.
He gradually needed assistance to stand and we helped him for nearly a year. We gave him meds for comfort but this morning he let us know that he was hurting and couldn’t get up anymore. As the Vet put him down, Trey whispered in his ear, “Go Get Em”.
Tank brought happiness to our home and we will miss him.
Denise Rusk is married to a longtime Texas law enforcement agent.
By Demise Vanover Rusk
Our dog Tank passed away today. He was nearing nine and that’s getting up there for an English Mastiff. Our son Artre dropped Tank off at our home when he was in the military. He was deployed too often to take care of Tank. Tank was territorial. He walked the perimeter of our back yard daily. Trey could say, “Go Get Em” and Tank would run to the fence and bark that low loud unmistakable roar.
However, he was a house dog. I’ll admit at 6’ 7” from tail to nose and 225 pounds he took up a lot of space. The AKC Standard says, "A combination of grandeur and good nature, courage and docility. Dignity, rather than gaiety, is the Mastiff's correct demeanor." They also mention that an English Mastiff is stubborn, gassy, drools constantly and is prone to very loud snoring. He loved to play soccer with the grandkids and could kick the ball. He never once knocked one of them down or became threatening.
We couldn’t walk Tank without people pulling over to pet and discuss him. He was that big. We once had a tree trimmer stop by looking for work. He pointed out a tree in the back yard and without waiting, headed that way. The gate was open and Tank greeted him with the roar of a lion. The tree trimmer ran to the street and yelled back in a stammer that he couldn’t do the job. Tank didn’t chase him, but stood there with his chest out.
Tank and Trey would watch television in the bedroom. Tank loved peanut butter crackers and pork skins for snacks. He slept at the foot of our bed on his own mattress and snored. He hated thunder and our other dog Bella would curl up next to him during a storm.
He gradually needed assistance to stand and we helped him for nearly a year. We gave him meds for comfort but this morning he let us know that he was hurting and couldn’t get up anymore. As the Vet put him down, Trey whispered in his ear, “Go Get Em”.
Tank brought happiness to our home and we will miss him.
Denise Rusk is married to a longtime Texas law enforcement agent.
Monday, March 21, 2016
MOOSE STOMPS FIVE NORTH CAROLINA DEPUTIES FOR FAILING TO DO THEIR DUTY
Five Cumberland County sheriff's deputies were disciplined for not preventing a Trump supporter from sucker-punching a protester they were escorting out of a Trump rally
BarkGrowlBite | March 21, 2016
Unless you’re living under a rock and get no TV, you’ve seen video of a protester bring escorted out of a Trump rally by deputies when suddenly he gets sucker-punched by a Trump supporter. Well, those deputies, five of them, got stomped in deep shit by Moose Butler, Sheriff of Cumberland County, North Carolina.
During a March 9 Trump rally at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, protester Rakeem Jones kept shouting at The Donald as the presidential candidate was trying to deliver a speech. Cumberland County deputies then escorted Jones out of the coliseum when suddenly John Franklin McGraw, a 78-year-old dipshit, jumped up out of his seat and sucker-punched the protester in the face, an assault and battery caught on cellphone videos and seen by millions of viewers on TV and on social media.
Moose didn’t take kindly to what he saw. His deputies failed to protect Jones and they did not take dipshit McGraw into custody. The Sheriff disciplined five deputies.
Three deputies were demoted in rank and suspended for five days each without pay “for unsatisfactory performance and for failing to discharge the duties and policies of the Office of Sheriff.” Two other deputies were suspended for three days without pay for unsatisfactory performance and the failure to discharge their duties. In addition, all five “have been reprimanded and placed in a probationary status for the next 12 months, and admonished not to fail to act and directed to comply with the requirements of Sheriff's Office policies concerning proper response to apparent criminal activity.”
Moose said: “The actions of the deputies and their failures to act in situations such as that which occurred during the Trump rally at the Crown Coliseum have never been and will not ever be tolerated under the policies of this office. We regret that any of the circumstances at the Trump rally occurred, and we regret that we have had to investigate all of these matters. It is our duty and responsibility to do justice, and to carefully examine not only the actions of others, but our own actions to ensure that the law and our policies are justly and fairly enforced.”
McGraw was subsequently charged with misdemeanor assault, communicating threats and disorderly conduct.
McGraw bragged on camera about whacking Jones. He told Inside Edition: “You bet I liked it. Knocking the hell out of that big mouth. Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.”
And when Inside Edition asked why he punched Jones, he said: “Number one, we don’t know if he’s ISIS. We don’t know who he is, but we know he’s not acting like an American, cussing me… If he wants it laid out, I laid it out.”
McGraw is unhinged and belongs locked up at Babbling Brooks Farm. He took on an ISIS fighter. He bravely took care of someone from a terrorist organization.
McGraw should have been busted on the spot. Why he wasn’t is a mystery to me. Maybe the dipshit didn’t get busted because the deputies escorting Jones were also Trump supporters. Anyway, those five deputies have paid a heavy price for not preventing McGraw’s assault and then failing to take him into custody.
BarkGrowlBite | March 21, 2016
Unless you’re living under a rock and get no TV, you’ve seen video of a protester bring escorted out of a Trump rally by deputies when suddenly he gets sucker-punched by a Trump supporter. Well, those deputies, five of them, got stomped in deep shit by Moose Butler, Sheriff of Cumberland County, North Carolina.
During a March 9 Trump rally at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, protester Rakeem Jones kept shouting at The Donald as the presidential candidate was trying to deliver a speech. Cumberland County deputies then escorted Jones out of the coliseum when suddenly John Franklin McGraw, a 78-year-old dipshit, jumped up out of his seat and sucker-punched the protester in the face, an assault and battery caught on cellphone videos and seen by millions of viewers on TV and on social media.
Moose didn’t take kindly to what he saw. His deputies failed to protect Jones and they did not take dipshit McGraw into custody. The Sheriff disciplined five deputies.
Three deputies were demoted in rank and suspended for five days each without pay “for unsatisfactory performance and for failing to discharge the duties and policies of the Office of Sheriff.” Two other deputies were suspended for three days without pay for unsatisfactory performance and the failure to discharge their duties. In addition, all five “have been reprimanded and placed in a probationary status for the next 12 months, and admonished not to fail to act and directed to comply with the requirements of Sheriff's Office policies concerning proper response to apparent criminal activity.”
Moose said: “The actions of the deputies and their failures to act in situations such as that which occurred during the Trump rally at the Crown Coliseum have never been and will not ever be tolerated under the policies of this office. We regret that any of the circumstances at the Trump rally occurred, and we regret that we have had to investigate all of these matters. It is our duty and responsibility to do justice, and to carefully examine not only the actions of others, but our own actions to ensure that the law and our policies are justly and fairly enforced.”
McGraw was subsequently charged with misdemeanor assault, communicating threats and disorderly conduct.
McGraw bragged on camera about whacking Jones. He told Inside Edition: “You bet I liked it. Knocking the hell out of that big mouth. Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.”
And when Inside Edition asked why he punched Jones, he said: “Number one, we don’t know if he’s ISIS. We don’t know who he is, but we know he’s not acting like an American, cussing me… If he wants it laid out, I laid it out.”
McGraw is unhinged and belongs locked up at Babbling Brooks Farm. He took on an ISIS fighter. He bravely took care of someone from a terrorist organization.
McGraw should have been busted on the spot. Why he wasn’t is a mystery to me. Maybe the dipshit didn’t get busted because the deputies escorting Jones were also Trump supporters. Anyway, those five deputies have paid a heavy price for not preventing McGraw’s assault and then failing to take him into custody.
WOMEN IN COMBAT? I THINK NOT!
By Alicia Colon | Jewish World Review | March 17, 2016
March is Women’s History Month and Michelle Obama in a speech March 3rd celebrated the decision taken by her husband’s administration to put young women in all combat roles in the U.S. military. I am constantly amazed by liberals who refuse to accept the biological fact that men and women are different. But there's hope. Recently, Defense Secretary Aston Carter admitted there are differences between men and women. Welcome to reality, Carter. Booyah.
There is a scene in that great WWII TV miniseries, Band of Brothers, which shows the GI’s racing through the enemy lines and one of them played by Damien Lewis, spots a young unarmed German soldier with his arms out to the side. He shoots him dead. Go to You Tube for ‘Dick Winters kills boy’ video. That is war and why men are born with testosterone and women have estrogen. Different strokes for different folks but I can't imagine the average woman shooting that young boy who appears to be surrendering but the question remains; if women were in combat during World War II, would we have even won?
Feminists always point to the Israeli model for advocating women in combat but according to Rowan Scarborough of the Washington Times: “a closer look shows Israeli women are not in direct combat special operations such as the Green Berets. Nor are they in front-line combat brigades mobilized to engage in direct heavy combat. In the infantry, virtually all of Israel’s female combat soldiers are confined to two light battalions — the Caracal and the Lions of Jordan — which are assigned to guard the borders with Egypt and Jordan, the only Arab countries that have peace treaties with Israel."
Israel is one of only a few countries in the world (along with Norway[1] and Eritrea[2]) with a mandatory military service requirement for women. Considering that this small country is surrounded and besieged daily by hostile forces, it makes perfect sense to have as much of the citizenry, male and female, involved in its survival. That being said, there are allowable exceptions to service that include religion, marriage, pregnancy or parenthood.
War is indeed hell but there are evil forces that need to be conquered and it takes true warriors to win the battle. I'm sorry; Mrs. Obama and the rest of the feminist brigade, but the average American women are not that kind of warrior. Very few of us are built like 6' 3" Gwendoline Christie who plays Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones. We do not have magical powers like the good witches on Charmed. We are not all MMA fighters like Ronda Rousey or any of the reality show contestants- save for those survivalists pioneering Alaskan residents.
There may be valid and plausible reasons for having all women forces in the Middle East fighting jihadist men who would fear losing to 'gasp' women because they would go straight to hell. But American women can’t be compared to those female Kurdish soldiers who live daily under siege by ISIS.
The reality is that there may indeed be women who meet all the designations of warrior and women are also excellent snipers. These women, of course, should aspire and have the opportunity to fight in some venues in the military but the danger of the blanket policy that Obama and his advisers are promoting raises the possibility that standards will be lowered to admit unqualified women. It has happened in police and fire departments to their detriment.
Remember when Gloria Steinem protested the strength tests for the fire departments by insisting that instead of carrying the test dummies on their shoulders, the female applicants could drag the bodies down the stairs? What if there are no stairs, Gloria?
Modern feminists do not seem to have a clue about any political issue without portraying women as victims of sexism. Ever since that play, ‘The Vagina Chronicles’ reared its pitiful head, feminists insist on letting their vaginas rule their actions. These liberal women are as brainless as the men they mock who think with their private parts. They proudly announce that they vote with their vaginas at both Hillary and Bernie rallies. I kid you not.
I don’t expect liberals to propose any policy that does not square with their partisan social engineering agenda but it would be nice if for once they considered the consequences of their naive and inane schema.
Instead of pushing for women to fight in combat, may I suggest the most effective way to fight jihadists in the Middle East? We do need boots on the ground but not in huge numbers. We have superb special ops teams such as Delta Force, Navy Seals, Green Berets, and Army Rangers that can exact deadly covert activity against ISIS. Every Time I see videos of ISIS murderers brazenly driving in their trucks after their slaughters, I keep thinking, “Where’s a Chris Kyle when you need him?” How about a home grown Lyudmila Pavlichenko to take care of those beheaders? Too bad so many of our gender militants don’t like guns or the Second Amendment.
Pardon me for sounding so cranky but I am so sick and tired of the debate about the faux war on women’s rights. A real woman doesn’t need the federal government babysitting her. I have been sexually harassed on the subway and on jobs and knew like many women of my generation how to handle it without getting a Gloria Alred to sue somebody.
By the way, if there's a women's history month, is there a men's history month; or a Caucasian, Asian, heterosexual month? Just asking.
EDITOR’S NOTE: There’s more to it than men are born with testosterone and women have estrogen. It takes a certain amount of strength to engage in and to survive combat. The vast majority of women, as well as many men, lack the required strength.
The only way the average woman will succeed in combat training is for the training standards to be lowered. But that won’t help her survive in actual combat. And worse yet, her fellow male comrades will not be able to count on her to carry her part of the burden.
Of course, we are nearing total push button war. When that happens, all we need booys on the ground for is to occupy conquered territory. Women will be able to do that.
March is Women’s History Month and Michelle Obama in a speech March 3rd celebrated the decision taken by her husband’s administration to put young women in all combat roles in the U.S. military. I am constantly amazed by liberals who refuse to accept the biological fact that men and women are different. But there's hope. Recently, Defense Secretary Aston Carter admitted there are differences between men and women. Welcome to reality, Carter. Booyah.
There is a scene in that great WWII TV miniseries, Band of Brothers, which shows the GI’s racing through the enemy lines and one of them played by Damien Lewis, spots a young unarmed German soldier with his arms out to the side. He shoots him dead. Go to You Tube for ‘Dick Winters kills boy’ video. That is war and why men are born with testosterone and women have estrogen. Different strokes for different folks but I can't imagine the average woman shooting that young boy who appears to be surrendering but the question remains; if women were in combat during World War II, would we have even won?
Feminists always point to the Israeli model for advocating women in combat but according to Rowan Scarborough of the Washington Times: “a closer look shows Israeli women are not in direct combat special operations such as the Green Berets. Nor are they in front-line combat brigades mobilized to engage in direct heavy combat. In the infantry, virtually all of Israel’s female combat soldiers are confined to two light battalions — the Caracal and the Lions of Jordan — which are assigned to guard the borders with Egypt and Jordan, the only Arab countries that have peace treaties with Israel."
Israel is one of only a few countries in the world (along with Norway[1] and Eritrea[2]) with a mandatory military service requirement for women. Considering that this small country is surrounded and besieged daily by hostile forces, it makes perfect sense to have as much of the citizenry, male and female, involved in its survival. That being said, there are allowable exceptions to service that include religion, marriage, pregnancy or parenthood.
War is indeed hell but there are evil forces that need to be conquered and it takes true warriors to win the battle. I'm sorry; Mrs. Obama and the rest of the feminist brigade, but the average American women are not that kind of warrior. Very few of us are built like 6' 3" Gwendoline Christie who plays Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones. We do not have magical powers like the good witches on Charmed. We are not all MMA fighters like Ronda Rousey or any of the reality show contestants- save for those survivalists pioneering Alaskan residents.
There may be valid and plausible reasons for having all women forces in the Middle East fighting jihadist men who would fear losing to 'gasp' women because they would go straight to hell. But American women can’t be compared to those female Kurdish soldiers who live daily under siege by ISIS.
The reality is that there may indeed be women who meet all the designations of warrior and women are also excellent snipers. These women, of course, should aspire and have the opportunity to fight in some venues in the military but the danger of the blanket policy that Obama and his advisers are promoting raises the possibility that standards will be lowered to admit unqualified women. It has happened in police and fire departments to their detriment.
Remember when Gloria Steinem protested the strength tests for the fire departments by insisting that instead of carrying the test dummies on their shoulders, the female applicants could drag the bodies down the stairs? What if there are no stairs, Gloria?
Modern feminists do not seem to have a clue about any political issue without portraying women as victims of sexism. Ever since that play, ‘The Vagina Chronicles’ reared its pitiful head, feminists insist on letting their vaginas rule their actions. These liberal women are as brainless as the men they mock who think with their private parts. They proudly announce that they vote with their vaginas at both Hillary and Bernie rallies. I kid you not.
I don’t expect liberals to propose any policy that does not square with their partisan social engineering agenda but it would be nice if for once they considered the consequences of their naive and inane schema.
Instead of pushing for women to fight in combat, may I suggest the most effective way to fight jihadists in the Middle East? We do need boots on the ground but not in huge numbers. We have superb special ops teams such as Delta Force, Navy Seals, Green Berets, and Army Rangers that can exact deadly covert activity against ISIS. Every Time I see videos of ISIS murderers brazenly driving in their trucks after their slaughters, I keep thinking, “Where’s a Chris Kyle when you need him?” How about a home grown Lyudmila Pavlichenko to take care of those beheaders? Too bad so many of our gender militants don’t like guns or the Second Amendment.
Pardon me for sounding so cranky but I am so sick and tired of the debate about the faux war on women’s rights. A real woman doesn’t need the federal government babysitting her. I have been sexually harassed on the subway and on jobs and knew like many women of my generation how to handle it without getting a Gloria Alred to sue somebody.
By the way, if there's a women's history month, is there a men's history month; or a Caucasian, Asian, heterosexual month? Just asking.
EDITOR’S NOTE: There’s more to it than men are born with testosterone and women have estrogen. It takes a certain amount of strength to engage in and to survive combat. The vast majority of women, as well as many men, lack the required strength.
The only way the average woman will succeed in combat training is for the training standards to be lowered. But that won’t help her survive in actual combat. And worse yet, her fellow male comrades will not be able to count on her to carry her part of the burden.
Of course, we are nearing total push button war. When that happens, all we need booys on the ground for is to occupy conquered territory. Women will be able to do that.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
INVESTIGATIONS OF POLICE SHOOTINGS SHOULD BE CONDUCTED BY THE ‘COMMUNITY’
After community activists have concluded their 2-hour long investigation, members of Black Lives Matter should decide whether or not a cop should be arrested, charged with and tried for murder
Does the title and subtitle of this post sound silly? Of course it does. But with police administrators and prosecutors suffering from Fergusonphobia, it is not too farfetched to say that we could be headed that way.
A recent example of Fergusonphobia occurred in Texas where the police chief of Addison had an off-duty officer from neighboring Farmers Branch arrested for murder in the shooting of a 16-year-old car burglar even though he said that the investigation was still ongoing.
The latest example of Fergusonphobia comes from the District Attorney in Minneapolis. In police shootings, he will no longer use grand juries, opting instead to be the one who decides whether or not to charge a cop with murder.
And with protest demonstrations or the threat thereof after a white cop shoots a black man, what do you think a police administrator or prosecutor will do if there is the slightest question about the justification of that shooting? Yup, you’re right … they’ll throw the cop under the bus.
In case you’re wondering, Fergusonphobia is a word I have coined to designate the fear of Ferguson-like riots occurring because a white cop has shot a black man.
NO GRAND JURY FOR MINNESOTA POLICE SHOOTINGS
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Wednesday that grand juries will no longer be used to look into police-involved shootings, including the death of Jamar Clark
By David Chanen | Star Tribune (Minneapolis) | March 17, 2016
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Wednesday that grand juries will no longer be used to look into police-involved shootings, including the death of Jamar Clark.
"I concluded that the accountability and transparency limitations of a grand jury are too high a hurdle to overcome," Freeman said in a news conference. Instead, the County Attorney's office will investigate and determine whether there are charges. No decision has been made in the Jamar Clark case.
The 23-member grand jury has been used to determine in secret whether criminal charges are warranted in police shootings for more than 40 years in Hennepin County. Freeman said he began a review of the process 16 months ago, and was set to announce changes to the system last November, but postponed the announcement after Clark was killed.
Clark, a black man, was shot in the head during a scuffle with two Minneapolis police officers in November. The shooting led to widespread protests and an 18-day encampment outside the police department's Fourth Precinct in north Minneapolis, near the site of the shooting.
"Secrecy, lack of transparency and no direct accountability strikes us as problematic in a democratic society, and to use or not use a grand jury in a shooting case is a hard decision for me," Freeman said. " ... The law that applies to the facts is exactly the same whether the prosecutor makes a decision or the grand jury does. On the other hand in our society I believe accountability and transparency are critical concepts for a just and healthy democracy."
Civil rights advocates, who long pushed Freeman to do away with a grand jury in the case, hailed the decision. "I am so incredibly proud of the black and queer young folks and the community who demanded justice," said Kandace Montgomery, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Minneapolis.
She credited the community pressure to scrap the grand jury in the Clark case that began within 24 hours of him being shot. "This is a big step," she said, but there are many more steps we have to take -- getting the cops charged and actually seeing economic and racial justice in Minnesota.
"This will not keep black people from being shot in the streets," Montgomery added. "This just means we have a little more chance at justice."
For five consecutive Fridays, beginning Feb. 12, as many as 50 demonstrators had jammed the lobby of the Hennepin County attorney's office, demanding that Freeman not use a grand jury, but instead charge the two police officers, Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, with the shooting. The protests began with rallies in the Hennepin County Government Center and included marches though the nearby skyways.
Mel Reeves, a member of the Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice for Jamar Clark, which organized the "Freeman Fridays," said he believed the pressure from the community and his coalition played an important role in Freeman's decision. "We think it's a partial victory for sure," he said.
"Our demand is still that officers Ringgenberg and Schwarze, be prosecuted for killing Jamar Clark to the fullest extent of the law," he said. "We think, based on what we've heard, there is enough evidence to convict them of a crime."
"I'm happy -- I just got the news," said Nekima Levy-Pounds, president of the Minneapolis NAACP. "I am overjoyed that in this instance Mike Freeman decided to do the right thing .... Mike Freeman is fully aware that the grand jury process has been ineffective here and nationally in holding officers accountable. Justice requires a fair, transparent and open process which is the opposite t what typically happens in grand jury procedures. I believe sustained community procedure played a huge role in Mike Freeman's decision ..."
While most young activists have wanted the grand jury system scrapped deciding in police shooting cases, longtime Minneapolis civil rights activist Ron Edwards continues to favor a grand jury procedure.
He said grand juries give prosecutors an opportunity to see how witnesses will perform in a court setting and it becomes a way to determine their integrity and veracity. Now, he said, prosecutors will not hear their testimony under oath until a trial. "This puts tremendous pressure on civil rights organizations to produce witnesses who will hold up under cross examination," Edwards said.
Clark, 24, was shot after officers responded to a disturbance call outside an apartment building in the 1600 block of Plymouth Avenue N.
The police union has said Clark had his hand on one of the officer's guns when he was shot. Activists say that's not true and that Clark was handcuffed at the time.
Police had been called on a report that Clark assaulted his girlfriend and blocked paramedics from trying to treat her. Clark died the next day. The two officers, Mark Ringgenberg, 30, and Dustin Schwarze, 28, were on administrative leave but returned to police desk jobs in January.
The protests that followed Clark's death, which drew international attention, produced several tense standoffs between the demonstrators and police officers in riot gear who used pepper spray and batons to disperse crowds. That police response is now under review by the U.S. Justice Department.
The Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP and ACLU sued the state Department of Public Safety for release of the videos from the night of Clark's death.
Does the title and subtitle of this post sound silly? Of course it does. But with police administrators and prosecutors suffering from Fergusonphobia, it is not too farfetched to say that we could be headed that way.
A recent example of Fergusonphobia occurred in Texas where the police chief of Addison had an off-duty officer from neighboring Farmers Branch arrested for murder in the shooting of a 16-year-old car burglar even though he said that the investigation was still ongoing.
The latest example of Fergusonphobia comes from the District Attorney in Minneapolis. In police shootings, he will no longer use grand juries, opting instead to be the one who decides whether or not to charge a cop with murder.
And with protest demonstrations or the threat thereof after a white cop shoots a black man, what do you think a police administrator or prosecutor will do if there is the slightest question about the justification of that shooting? Yup, you’re right … they’ll throw the cop under the bus.
In case you’re wondering, Fergusonphobia is a word I have coined to designate the fear of Ferguson-like riots occurring because a white cop has shot a black man.
NO GRAND JURY FOR MINNESOTA POLICE SHOOTINGS
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Wednesday that grand juries will no longer be used to look into police-involved shootings, including the death of Jamar Clark
By David Chanen | Star Tribune (Minneapolis) | March 17, 2016
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Wednesday that grand juries will no longer be used to look into police-involved shootings, including the death of Jamar Clark.
"I concluded that the accountability and transparency limitations of a grand jury are too high a hurdle to overcome," Freeman said in a news conference. Instead, the County Attorney's office will investigate and determine whether there are charges. No decision has been made in the Jamar Clark case.
The 23-member grand jury has been used to determine in secret whether criminal charges are warranted in police shootings for more than 40 years in Hennepin County. Freeman said he began a review of the process 16 months ago, and was set to announce changes to the system last November, but postponed the announcement after Clark was killed.
Clark, a black man, was shot in the head during a scuffle with two Minneapolis police officers in November. The shooting led to widespread protests and an 18-day encampment outside the police department's Fourth Precinct in north Minneapolis, near the site of the shooting.
"Secrecy, lack of transparency and no direct accountability strikes us as problematic in a democratic society, and to use or not use a grand jury in a shooting case is a hard decision for me," Freeman said. " ... The law that applies to the facts is exactly the same whether the prosecutor makes a decision or the grand jury does. On the other hand in our society I believe accountability and transparency are critical concepts for a just and healthy democracy."
Civil rights advocates, who long pushed Freeman to do away with a grand jury in the case, hailed the decision. "I am so incredibly proud of the black and queer young folks and the community who demanded justice," said Kandace Montgomery, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Minneapolis.
She credited the community pressure to scrap the grand jury in the Clark case that began within 24 hours of him being shot. "This is a big step," she said, but there are many more steps we have to take -- getting the cops charged and actually seeing economic and racial justice in Minnesota.
"This will not keep black people from being shot in the streets," Montgomery added. "This just means we have a little more chance at justice."
For five consecutive Fridays, beginning Feb. 12, as many as 50 demonstrators had jammed the lobby of the Hennepin County attorney's office, demanding that Freeman not use a grand jury, but instead charge the two police officers, Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, with the shooting. The protests began with rallies in the Hennepin County Government Center and included marches though the nearby skyways.
Mel Reeves, a member of the Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice for Jamar Clark, which organized the "Freeman Fridays," said he believed the pressure from the community and his coalition played an important role in Freeman's decision. "We think it's a partial victory for sure," he said.
"Our demand is still that officers Ringgenberg and Schwarze, be prosecuted for killing Jamar Clark to the fullest extent of the law," he said. "We think, based on what we've heard, there is enough evidence to convict them of a crime."
"I'm happy -- I just got the news," said Nekima Levy-Pounds, president of the Minneapolis NAACP. "I am overjoyed that in this instance Mike Freeman decided to do the right thing .... Mike Freeman is fully aware that the grand jury process has been ineffective here and nationally in holding officers accountable. Justice requires a fair, transparent and open process which is the opposite t what typically happens in grand jury procedures. I believe sustained community procedure played a huge role in Mike Freeman's decision ..."
While most young activists have wanted the grand jury system scrapped deciding in police shooting cases, longtime Minneapolis civil rights activist Ron Edwards continues to favor a grand jury procedure.
He said grand juries give prosecutors an opportunity to see how witnesses will perform in a court setting and it becomes a way to determine their integrity and veracity. Now, he said, prosecutors will not hear their testimony under oath until a trial. "This puts tremendous pressure on civil rights organizations to produce witnesses who will hold up under cross examination," Edwards said.
Clark, 24, was shot after officers responded to a disturbance call outside an apartment building in the 1600 block of Plymouth Avenue N.
The police union has said Clark had his hand on one of the officer's guns when he was shot. Activists say that's not true and that Clark was handcuffed at the time.
Police had been called on a report that Clark assaulted his girlfriend and blocked paramedics from trying to treat her. Clark died the next day. The two officers, Mark Ringgenberg, 30, and Dustin Schwarze, 28, were on administrative leave but returned to police desk jobs in January.
The protests that followed Clark's death, which drew international attention, produced several tense standoffs between the demonstrators and police officers in riot gear who used pepper spray and batons to disperse crowds. That police response is now under review by the U.S. Justice Department.
The Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP and ACLU sued the state Department of Public Safety for release of the videos from the night of Clark's death.
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