Why We Carry

Welcome to Our New Neighbors

2011-04-09T07:06:00.001-07:00

PEORIA, Ariz. - An undercover officer was shot by members of a suspected drug cartel this afternoon, according to The Department of Public Safety.

The shooting occurred just before 4:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon at the intersection of 91st Avenue and Mountain View Road in Peoria.

The officer is an investigator with the Attorney General's office who had been working with a DPS drug task force. His name was not immediately available.

DPS officials say he was shot in the shoulder and the bullet lodged in his neck. He was treated and released from a local hospital Friday evening and expected to make a full recovery.

The officer had been trailing several cars believed to be part of the drug cartel when the suspects apparently realized they were being followed, said DPS Capt. Steve Harrison.

One of the suspects, driving a white pick-up truck, rammed the undercover officer's car from behind. Then a gold Chrysler Pacifica pulled up next to the officer and at least one shot was fired from it.

That car fled the scene, but the driver of the white pick-up was taken into custody at the scene.

The neighborhood has been blocked off for a full investigation.

The suspects are described as two hispanic males, in a gold Chrystler Pacifica with Arizona plates. Anyone with information is asked to call police.

The DPS drug task force had been watching this particular cartel since December. The group is believed to traffic in cocaine.

Man shoots himself unloading handgun

2010-12-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

A local man was hospitalized after accidentally shooting himself while unloading his handgun on Wednesday.

According to a press release sent by the Maricopa Police Department, the man, an unidentified 25-year-old who lives on the 180000 block of N. Greenway Drive, was shot in the lower section of his arm while unloading his .45-caliber handgun.

The Maricopa Fire Department treated the man at his home, and he was taken later to a Phoenix area trauma center with non-life threatening injuries.

The department will not seek any criminal charges as a result of the incident.

Well..... he did manage to unload at least one round...

Robbery suspect shot dead by store owner.... GOOD JOB!!!

2010-11-20T07:24:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX -- When three men tried to rob a jewelry store this morning, one of the suspects didn't make it out alive, according to Phoenix police.

One of the men was armed and so was the shop owner.

Police said the owner pulled out his own gun and killed one of them, near 43rd Avenue and Indian School Road.

Phoenix police Sgt. Tommy Thompson said the store is owner is OK, but he's shaken up.

"Anytime that an individual is forced to use deadly force, it's not like the movies where you go have lunch. It's a traumatic experience.

The other two suspects got away.

11 Mexican mayors murdered this year

2010-10-08T13:41:00.001-07:00

MEXICO CITY - When Gustavo Sánchez became mayor in January of Tancítaro, in the heart of Mexico's drug country, he knew the job made him a target of the violent drug cartels that have been targeting elected officials.

A tae kwon do instructor, he liked to joke that he had assembled a city council full of fighters.

"The fear is always there," he told The Arizona Republic in January. "But if you have courage and a desire to make a contribution, that outweighs the fear."

Last week, Sánchez's body was found by the side of a road, his head bashed in with rocks, his hands tied behind him. There were signs of torture.

He is the 11th mayor slain this year - the fifth since Aug. 16 - as the country's drug cartels tighten their control over rural Mexico. The violence is raising comparisons to war-torn Colombia, where dozens of mayors had to govern in exile during the 1990s after being run out of their towns by leftist guerillas who financed themselves with drug money.

"It's a show of force aimed at generating terror," said René Jiménez Ornelas, a crime expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

"By eliminating mayors like they did in Colombia, they can move on to even higher levels of violence."

Some killings may be linked to disputes between mayors and drug lords, or punishment for a mayor suspected of helping federal police, said Dante Haro, a criminology professor at the University of Guadalajara. But other murders may just be aimed at intimidating citizens, he said.

"It's a demonstration," Haro said. "They're carrying out these (killings) to exert pressure."

Murders in Mexico have soared since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderón ordered troops into smuggling hotspots to crack down on the cartels.

Since then, nearly 23,000 people have died in drug-related violence, according to an unofficial tally by the Reforma newspaper.

Until recently, most of the murdered officials have been from little-known villages.

But on Aug. 16, attackers kidnapped and killed the mayor of Santiago, a bedroom community just 15 miles from Monterrey, Mexico's wealthiest city. On Sept. 23, gunmen ambushed and killed the mayor of Doctor González, another Monterrey suburb, while he was driving to his ranch.

Tancítaro, population 26,000, is in the central Mexican state of Michoacán, where major marijuana fields and methamphetamine labs are located. In recent years, a drug gang known as the Familia Michoacana has been seizing control of the state's crime rackets, from prostitution to software piracy.

In December, gunmen kidnapped the fathers of Tancítaro's town administrator and the city council secretary. Within hours, both officials resigned, along with the mayor, the entire city council, two administrators, the police chief and all 60 police officers. The fathers were then released.

The Michoacán governor appointed Sánchez to run the town in January.

At the time, the 38-year-old mayor told The Republic he was concentrating on keeping the town services running and was steering clear of law-enforcement issues. With no town police left, fighting crime was the responsibility of federal police and troops, he said.

He was blunt when asked who ran the town.

"I can't tell you that it's me," he said. "Legally speaking, we're in charge. But no one is exempt from the pressure of those (criminal) groups."

In the weeks before he was killed, Sánchez showed no sign that he felt threatened, said town spokeswoman Marta López Lozano. The mayor had led several group horseback rides to celebrate Mexico's bicentennial and inaugurated a number of street-paving projects.

"I was with him the whole time taking pictures, and everything was totally normal," López said. "We didn't feel in danger."

On Sept. 26, Sánchez and the town's director for agricultural affairs, Rafael Equihua Cervantes, disappeared while driving back to Tancítaro from the nearby town of Apatzingan.

Their bodies were found the next day, next to four large rocks that had been used to kill them.

"Nobody understands why he was killed," López said.

No one has been convicted in any of the 11 murders of mayors this year, and federal police say the motives are unclear.

The killings are "something worrying and reprehensible," Calderón's national security adviser, Alejandro Poiré, said after Sánchez's death. Mexico's Public Safety Secretariat was launching a study to identify at-risk mayors and offer them extra security, he said.

The deaths come as experts are voicing concern about the government's ability to maintain order.

In September, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the situation in Mexico was "looking more and more like Colombia looked 20 years ago," with drug traffickers controlling "certain parts of the country."

To combat lawlessness in small towns, the Calderón administration on Wednesday filed a bill in Congress that would dissolve the country's municipal police and replace them with 32 state police forces.

"Many municipal police . . . are incapable of providing the confidence and the protection you need," Calderón said in a letter to citizens announcing the bill.

In the long term, the violence against town officials may hurt Mexican democracy because many smart and qualified people are afraid to run for office, said Haro, the criminology professor.

"Before, it used to be an attractive job, living on the public payroll," he said. "Now being a town mayor is very difficult, not just because of the economic problems but also this issue of obedience to organized crime."

Getting elected now, he said, "is like winning a tiger in a raffle."

Gunfire Breaks Out In Store Parking Lot

2010-10-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

PHOENIX -- Phoenix police were on scene of an unusual fight that ended with a shooting.

It happened in the K-Mart parking lot near Interstate 17 and Northern Avenue.

Police said three men got into a fight over bike parts.

At one point a man pulled out a gun and shot another man in the face.

That victim is expected to survive.

Investigators said the shooter took off on a seatless bike.

The third man in the fight also ran off, but police have not called him a suspect.

Seatless bike?

Never really been, now I sure don't wanna go.

2010-09-27T16:26:00.001-07:00

Small-town mayor stoned to death in western Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The mayor of a small town in western Mexico was found on Monday stoned to death in the third attack on a public official in the country in less than a week, local authorities said.

The bodies of Gustavo Sanchez, mayor of Tancitaro in Michoacan state, and an aide were found, officials said.

"It appears they stoned them to death," a source from the local prosecutor's office said on condition of anonymity.

Local media reported that the bodies were found in the back of a flat-bed truck.

There was no immediate indication whether the killings were related to drug violence. More than 29,000 people have been killed in violence between rival drug cartels and between cartels and state security forces since President Felipe Calderon launched his offensive on cartels in 2006.

On Friday, a mayor-elect in northern Chihuahua state was shot in the head and chest by suspected drug hitmen, leaving him in critical condition.

A day earlier, armed men killed the mayor of a town outside Mexico's northern business city of Monterrey.

PD: Phoenix man shoots teen trying to break into home

2010-09-21T18:11:00.001-07:00

By: Deborah Stocks

PHOENIX - Phoenix police say a homeowner will probably not face charges after he shot a suspect trying to break into his home Tuesday.

Phoenix Police Sgt. Tommy Thompson said there had been two previous attempted break-ins at the home near 51st Avenue and Baseline. In one case the homeowner's wife scared the suspects away as they tried to knock down the door.

Thompson said in Tuesday's incident, the homeowner heard "aggressive" knocking at the front door and went to his bedroom for a gun.

The homeowner told police the suspects were trying to push down the door and as they broke through the homeowner fired his shotgun, striking one of the suspects in the lower back.

The 19-year-old suspect was taken to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, according to Thompson. He will face charges in the burglary.

The second suspect was able to get away and was described as wearing a long white t-shirt and black hat.

The 30-year-old homeowner has not been taken into custody and the investigation is ongoing, Thompson said

Fw: Amen bro

2010-09-10T05:41:00.002-07:00

Chandler man shoots, kills 2 suspected gang members

The intruder who punched out a Chandler man while stealing beer at a keg party picked the wrong victim.

The man, who had been attempting to defend his wife during the beer theft, had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Fearing for his life and under attack, he pulled out a gun and fatally shot two men believed by police to be gang members early Sunday morning.

"People in Arizona carry guns," said Detective David Ramer, a Chandler police spokesman. "You better be careful about who you are picking on."

Ramer said police have concluded the shooter, who fears reprisals and whose name is not being released, acted in self-defense and have cleared him of any potential wrongdoing in the shooting deaths.

The names of the two men who were shot to death also have not been released by police.

The shootings occurred early Sunday morning in the 600 block of North Sunland Drive. A group of men showed up as uninvited guests at the keg party, paid a $2 admission fee, then became angry when the organizers started to shut the bash down, Ramer said.

"They thought they weren't getting their money's worth," he said.

The intruders were stealing the beer when they were confronted by a woman who had been attending the party, Ramer said.

After the men started yelling at the woman, her husband attempted to come to her defense and was punched to the ground.

"This guy was punched, he was attacked," Ramer said.

When one of the intruders threatened the man with a gun, he pulled out his own gun and shot the two men to death, Ramer said. Police said they have documents confirming that the men are gang members.

Ramer said the husband showed restraint during the incident and only fired when he was threatened with a gun.

The man involved in the shooting had passed a concealed-weapons course, Ramer said. Although he had a permit, the Arizona Legislature passed a bill earlier this year to allow residents to carry concealed weapons without one.

Chandler police have arrested seven other men and plan to recommend that they be charged not only with robbery but with murder because the slayings occurred during the commission of another crime, Ramer said.

2010-08-14T05:49:00.002-07:00

Phoenix police arrest 3 men suspected of aggravated assault

by Colin Lecher - Aug. 13, 2010 10:25 PM
The Arizona Republic

Three men were arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault after threatening a Phoenix man with a shotgun after his sister broke up with one of them, police said. One man remained on the loose Friday night.

Four men, one armed with a shotgun, went to the victim's apartment near 19th and Glendale avenues and tried to goad him out, said Phoenix police Sgt. Steve Martos. The men had threatened him with a knife earlier in the day and threatened to damage his property earlier this week, Martos said.

The victim, who was inside the apartment with two of his nieces, refused to leave and called 911. When police arrived, the four men ran to a vehicle and drove to a nearby apartment complex, Martos said.

One man was arrested trying to get out of the car, but police set up a perimeter to catch the remaining three. Two more made it to a QuikTrip convenience store down the street, where they hid in the bathroom before employees called 911, Martos said. The fourth suspect was last seen at the complex and had not been found as of 10 p.m.

The two men fled the QuikTrip out a backdoor and into a nearby neighborhood. One was caught on the streets, but another forced his way into a woman's home and kept her from leaving, according to Martos.

A police officer searching the neighborhood saw her through the window and motioned for her to come outside so she could be interviewed. The officer found it suspicious when the woman ignored the officer's request, however, and police entered her home, arresting the man without incident.

Lesson in gun safety takes deadly turn of events in Mesa

2010-08-14T05:21:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX A young mother is dead and her boyfriend is behind bars after police say a lesson in gun safety took a deadly turn of events.

Initially the call came out as a possible suicide but police say the boyfriend changed his story and now they believe he is responsible.

Det. Steve Berry, with the Mesa Police Department, tells 3TV, "He had said that he had been somewhere else inside the home and heard a gunshot."

Police say 20-year-old Sheila Schurz was shot in the upper body although they would not say where or how many times. She was taken to the hospital where she later died.

Now police say her boyfriend, 21-year-old Bernardo Barraza is to blame.

Berry explains, "Some things in the story as to how it all occurred after she was transported away didn't seem to add up."

Police say Barraza gave them misleading information first claiming Schurz shot herself but then later changing his story.

Berry says, "They had recently purchased the handgun and he had apparently fallen asleep with it or something like that. There was some discussion as to the safety of the handgunduring the course of that discussion or whatever the gun discharged and she was struck."

Barraza is charged with one count of second-degree murder, meaning it was not premeditated.

Investigators submitted second-degree charges instead of manslaughter or accidental death but have not explained why.

Police say there is no indication that the couple fought before Schurz was shot. The couple lived together in the apartment near McKellips Road and Mesa Drive with children from previous relationships although no kids were home at the time of the fatal shooting.

SHE SAYS: Guns scare me, why did you buy that, I don't want it in my house!!

HE SAYS: YO!! WASSUP BITCH? You think I don't know guns? Lemme show you how I know guns (Puts his finger on the trigger, holds the gun on it side "gangster style", points it at her and shoots. DAMMIT BITCH!! Who put bullets in the gun?? Stop fuckin around and get up off the floor, you ain't hurt!!! Get up Bitch!! oh Shit....

Even the ugly parts of life can be beautiful if you look up.

2010-08-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Emailing: MOO MOTIVATOR

2010-07-09T14:31:00.001-07:00

Tired of this yet?

2010-06-28T04:32:00.001-07:00

Mexican transit officials kidnapped

(CNN) -- Two city officials in Monterrey, Mexico, were kidnapped on Sunday and Monday, respectively, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.

The city's secretary of roadways and transit, Enrique Barrios Rodriguez, and the director of transit, Reynaldo Ramos Alvarado, were taken from their homes by gunmen, Nuevo Leon state officials said, according to Notimex.

According to initial reports, Barrios was kidnapped at his house where he was with his family in the early morning Monday, by a group of men who broke through the front door. His garage door was also knocked down.

Barrios had only been in his post since May 14, Notimex said.

The day before, Ramos was kidnapped in a similar fashion, authorities said.

At about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, the transit director was taken from his home, Notimex reported.

Police offered no motive and did not name any criminal organization as the perpetrators. The state of Nuevo Leon is known to have a lot of drug cartel activity.

Before being named roadways and transit secretary this month, Barrios was an adminstrative director for the city, and had previously served as a state congressman from 2003 to 2006 and a federal congressman from 2006 to 2009.

Thanks for Caring!!!! Blam.

2010-06-28T04:29:00.001-07:00

Humanitarian workers killed in Mexico

Two human rights workers were killed in an ambush in the Mexican southern state of Oaxaca, authorities said Wednesday.

A Finnish citizen, Jyri Antero Jaakkola, and a Mexican activist, Beatriz Alberta Carino Trujillo were part of a caravan that was attacked Tuesday, the Oaxaca attorney general's office said, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.

The two victims were part of a group of activists from various organizations traveling to the city of San Juan Copala with members of Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca, or APPO by its Spanish initials.

Both died from gunshot wounds, the attorney general's office said. A third person was injured

The APPO is a leftist movement that seized control of the Oaxacan capital for months in 2006 in a bid to oust the governor.

Witnesses told authorities that the gunmen were members of a rival group, the Regional Union of Social Well-being, with whom the APPO has long had hostile relations, Notimex reported. There are other armed groups that are in dispute of the remote area, Notimex said.

The activists' caravan was heading to San Juan Copala on a humanitarian mission to deliver clothes and other goods to residents there, in addition to assessing the violence that has been recorded in the area, the news agency said

Mexico's youth: Hope for the Next Generation of Gravediggers.

2010-06-28T04:27:00.001-07:00

10 people, ages 8-21, shot dead in Mexico

(CNN) -- Ten children, youths and young adults between the ages of 8 and 21 were gunned down, presumably by drug traffickers, in the northern Mexican state of Durango, the state's attorney general said Monday.

The incident happened Sunday on a road near the town of Pueblo Nuevo in southern Durango.

Attorney General Daniel Garcia Leal said that unknown gunmen who had set up a fake checkpoint on the road shot and even threw grenades at the victims, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.

The victims were in a pickup truck, returning to their homes after having traveled to pick up money to support their school as part of a government social program, Garcia Leal said.

The gunmen motioned the truck to stop but the victims, out of fear of being robbed or assaulted, did not comply, the attorney general said.

No arrests had been made in the incident, which is the latest in which children have found themselves caught in the middle of the country's violent drug wars.

In January, in a case of mistaken identity, 15 people, mostly teenagers, were killed when gunmen attacked a house party in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Ahh, Peaceful Old Mexico

2010-06-28T04:24:00.001-07:00

Gunmen kill Mexican singer on the way to concert

(CNN) -- A group of gunmen killed a well-known Mexican singer when he arrived at a toll booth in the western Mexican state of Sinaloa, state media said.

The Deputy Attorney General's Office said Sergio "El Shaka" Vega was on his way to perform at a village festival concert when gunmen ambushed the red Cadillac he was driving around 9:30 p.m. Saturday (12:30 a.m. Sunday ET), Mexican state news agency Notimex reported.

Authorities are still investigating the 40-year-old musician's death. They said they found 9 mm shell casings in the car's door, Notimex reported.

Musicians have been targets of Mexican drug gangs in the past.

Violence in Mexico has skyrocketed since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the nation's drug cartels shortly after taking office in December 2006. More than 22,000 people have died in drug violence during that time period, the government said recently.

Wow, strong words.

2010-06-20T06:35:00.001-07:00

Phoenix murder of Latino man in May called hate crime

Prosecutors say the Mexican-American man was killed by a neighbor shouting racial epithets.

Just a thought......

2010-06-17T05:40:00.001-07:00

If we Americans wanted to gear up with Hummers, guns, body armor and assorted militaria, and then just toddle our asses down to Guanajuato to do a little sight seeing and drug cartel hunting, do you think the Federales would post signs around the area to keep out the non criminal Mexicans? Afterall, we are just there because we want a better life... See More (in Arizona), and we are doing the work that Mexicans don't want to. So what if we crossed over illegally, it's a human right to immigrate willy nilly, isn't it? And besides, we aren't gonna stay forever: just until our video game enhanced bloodlust gets satisfied, or we make a few thousand dollars through kidnapping and smuggling.

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2010-06-02T05:25:00.001-07:00

Arizona has a lot of gun lovers. Almost anyone in the state over 21 will be able to carry a concealed weapon without a permit starting June 29th, but some pro-gun advocates are already visiting local businesses with their weapons in plain sight in an attempt to make the practice more socially acceptable. Arizona lets businesses ban guns at their discretion, so this weekend the Arizona Star looked at how restaurants and bars are deciding who to piss off more: gun carriers or the people who feel uncomfortable around them.

"

Pro-gun arguments have worked with some Tucson restaurant owners. The Hungry Fox, a bustling diner at 4637 E. Broadway, put up a sign prohibiting guns last year but quickly heard protests from customers who, unknown to the restaurant's owners and employees, were concealed-weapon carriers. The restaurant's management quickly reversed the policy.

"We were going to lose a lot of customers, and we can't afford to lose even one," said Dene Little, the restaurant's manager.

"

There's even a website, www.gunburger.com, where pro-gun consumers can check out a restaurant's policy before deciding to visit.

One customer of an Italian restaurant where some of the advocates recently ate told the paper, "I found it was pretty hard to have fun and joke in a room where there's a large group of people who are heavily armed."

2010-06-02T04:31:00.001-07:00

Groups want FCC to police hate speech on talk radio, cable news networks

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is being urged to monitor "hate speech" on talk radio and cable broadcast networks.

A coalition of more than 30 organizations argue in a letter to the FCC that the Internet has made it harder for the public to separate the facts from bigotry masquerading as news.

The groups also charge that syndicated radio and cable television programs "masquerading as news" use hate as a profit model.

"As traditional media have become less diverse and less competitive, they have also grown less responsible and less responsive to the communities that they are supposed to serve," the organizations wrote to the FCC. "In this same atmosphere hate speech thrives, as hate has developed as a profit-model for syndicated radio and cable television program masquerading as 'news.'"

The organizations, which include Free Press, the Center for Media Justice, the Benton Foundation and Media Alliance, also argue that the anonymity of the Web gives ammunition to those that would spread hate.

The groups did not mention any specific programming on the right or the left in their letter, which supports a petition filed by the National Hispanic Media Coalition last year requesting a probe of the relationship between hate speech and hate crimes.

The groups argue the Internet has made it harder for the public to separate the facts from bigotry masquerading as news.

"The Internet gives the illusion that news sources have increased, but in fact there are fewer journalists employed now than ever before. Moreover, on the Internet, speakers can hide in the cloak of anonymity, emboldened to say things that they may not say in the public eye."

"For these reasons, as the Commission deliberates how the public interest will be served in the digital age, it should consider the extent of hate speech in media, and its effects."

It's always good to have the governments decide what is hate and what isn't.

Darwinian Weapons Training 101: How NOT to Carry a Gun.

2010-05-31T07:23:00.001-07:00

Police: Man accidentally shoots self in testicles

SEATTLE (AP) - Police say a man accidentally shot himself in the testicles at a Lynnwood department store.

Police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions says the man was carrying his handgun in his waistband and it accidentally went off about noon Sunday.

She says he was wounded in the testicles and also in his leg and foot. No one else was hurt.

The man was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, but there was no immediate word on his condition.

Jail for man who shot girlfriend while posing for pic

2010-05-28T04:59:00.001-07:00

Fri, 28 May 2010 11:00a.m.

A man who accidentally shot dead his girlfriend with a sawn-off shotgun last year has been jailed for three years four months.

Justin Paul Goldstone, 21, was sentenced in the High Court at Auckland today by Justice Forrest Miller.

Goldstone admitted the manslaughter of his partner of six months, Samantha Joanne Henderson, 20, when he appeared in North Shore District Court in February.

He also pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of a cut-down shotgun. He was jailed for six months on this charge, to run concurrently.

Sentencing Goldstone, Justice Miller told him it was hard to imagine a more reckless act than pointing a gun at someone with your finger on the trigger.

"You acted recklessly by pointing the gun at the camera, which defies belief. You had your finger on the trigger when you were posing for photos and you didn't have the safety catch on.

"I'm satisfied that you didn't use the gun deliberately but you did know the gun was loaded," Justice Miller said.

Ms Henderson died on December 4 last year as Goldstone posed for a series of pictures with a sawn-off shotgun which police said he had acquired for their protection.

She had asked him to pose after he got the loaded shotgun from an attic space where it had been stored.

Ms Henderson took several pictures with her digital camera, showing Goldstone with his finger resting on the trigger as he pointed the shotgun at the camera.

The shotgun discharged and the blast hit Ms Henderson in the head with shotgun pellets going through the camera.

The blast caused "massive trauma to the left side of her head," said police in the summary of facts.

Goldstone dropped the shotgun and went to her aid, but Ms Henderson was unresponsive.

He put her in his car and took her to a medical centre but refused to give a statement to police for three days.

He said he believed his finger was outside the trigger guard and not resting on the trigger.

Activists blast Mexico's immigration law

2010-05-26T08:31:00.001-07:00

TULTITLN, Mexico — Arizona's new law forcing local police to take a greater role in enforcing immigration law has caused a lot of criticism from Mexico, the largest single source of illegal immigrants in the United States.

But in Mexico, illegal immigrants receive terrible treatment from corrupt Mexican authorities, say people involved in the system.

And Mexico has a law that is no different from Arizona's that empowers local police to check the immigration documents of people suspected of not being in the country legally.

"There (in the United States), they'll deport you," Hector Vázquez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, said as he rested in a makeshift camp with other migrants under a highway bridge in Tultitlán. "In Mexico they'll probably let you go, but they'll beat you up and steal everything you've got first."

Mexican authorities have harshly criticized Arizona's SB1070, a law that requires local police to check the status of persons suspected of being illegal immigrants. The law provides that a check be done in connection with another law enforcement event, such as a traffic stop, and also permits Arizona citizens to file lawsuits against local authorities for not fully enforcing immigration laws.

Mexico's Foreign Ministry said the law "violates inalienable human rights" and Democrats in Congress applauded Mexican President Felipe Calderón's criticisms of the law in a speech he gave on Capitol Hill last week.

Yet Mexico's Arizona-style law requires local police to check IDs. And Mexican police freely engage in racial profiling and routinely harass Central American migrants, say immigration activists.

"The Mexican government should probably clean up its own house before looking at someone else's," said Melissa Vertíz, spokeswoman for the Fray Matías de Córdova Human Rights Center in Tapachula, Mexico.

In one six-month period from September 2008 through February 2009, at least 9,758 migrants were kidnapped and held for ransom in Mexico — 91 of them with the direct participation of Mexican police, a report by the National Human Rights Commission said. Other migrants are routinely stopped and shaken down for bribes, it said.

A separate survey conducted during one month in 2008 at 10 migrant shelters showed Mexican authorities were behind migrant attacks in 35 of 240 cases, or 15%.

Most migrants in Mexico are Central Americans who are simply passing through on their way to the United States, human rights groups say. Others are Guatemalans who live and work along Mexico's southern border, mainly as farm workers, as maids, or in bars and restaurants.

The Central American migrants headed to the United States travel mainly on freight trains, stopping to rest and beg for food at rail crossings like the one in Tultitlán, an industrial suburb of Mexico City.

On a recent afternoon, Victor Manuel Beltrán Rodríguez of Managua, Nicaragua, trudged between the cars at a stop light, his hand outstretched.

"Can you give me a peso? I'm from Nicaragua," he said. Every 10 cars or so, a motorist would roll down the window and hand him a few coins. In a half-hour he had collected 10 pesos, about 80 U.S. cents, enough for a taco.

Beltrán Rodríguez had arrived in Mexico with 950 pesos, about $76, enough to last him to the U.S. border. But near Tierra Blanca, Veracruz, he says municipal police had detained him, driven him to a deserted road and taken his money. He had been surviving since then by begging.

Abuses by Mexican authorities have persisted even as Mexico has relaxed its rules against illegal immigrants in recent years, according to the National Human Rights Commission.

In 2008, Mexico softened the punishment for illegal immigrants, from a maximum 10 years in prison to a maximum fine of $461. Most detainees are taken to detention centers and put on buses for home.

Mexican law calls for six to 12 years of prison and up to $46,000 in fines for anyone who shelters or transports illegal immigrants. The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that the law applies only to people who do it for money.

For years, the Mexican government has allowed charity groups to openly operate migrant shelters, where travelers can rest for a few days on their journey north. The government also has a special unit of immigration agents, known as Grupo Beta, who patrol the countryside in orange pickups, helping immigrants who are in trouble.

At the same time, Article 67 of Mexico's immigration law requires that all authorities "whether federal, local or municipal" demand to see visas if approached by a foreigner and to hand over migrants to immigration authorities.

"In effect, this means that migrants who suffer crimes, including kidnapping, prefer not to report them to avoid … being detained by immigration authorities and returned to their country," the National Human Rights Commission said in a report last year.

As a result, the clause has strengthened gangs who abuse migrants, rights activists say.

"That Article 67 is an obstacle that urgently has to be removed," said Alberto Herrera, executive director of Amnesty International Mexico. "It has worsened this vicious cycle of abuse and impunity, and the same thing could happen (in Arizona)."

A bill passed by the Mexican Senate on Oct. 6 would eliminate the ID requirement in Article 67 and replace it with language saying "No attention in matters of human rights or the provision of justice shall be denied or restricted on any level (of government) to foreigners who require it, regardless of their migration status."

The Mexican House of Representatives approved a similar measure on March 16, but added a clause requiring the government to set aside funds to take care of foreigners during times of disaster. The revised bill has been stuck in the Senate's Population and Development Committee since then.

To discourage migrants from speaking out about abuse, Mexican authorities often tell detainees they will have to stay longer in detention centers if they file a complaint, Vertíz said.

A March 2007 order allows Mexican immigration agents to give "humanitarian visas" to migrants who have suffered crimes in Mexico. But the amnesty is not automatic, and most migrants don't know to ask for it, the commission said.

Hawley is Latin America correspondent for USA TODAY and The Arizona Republic

whoopee

2010-05-19T05:06:00.001-07:00

ASU Report: Illegal Immigration Perceptions and Realities

Updated: Tuesday, 18 May 2010, 4:46 PM MDT
Published : Tuesday, 18 May 2010, 4:30 PM MDT

PHOENIX - A recent report is examining the truth of 9 common assertations regarding undocumented workers and their impact on everything from the economy to health-care to education.

The report, issued by ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy is entitled Illegal Immigration: Perceptions and Realities and looks at several myths and truths regarding illegal immigration in Arizona.

Some of those "assertions" include:

Assertion: Most violent crime in Arizona is committed by undocumented immigrants.
Reality: The Americas Majority Foundation found that "between 1999 and 2006, states like Arizona with high numbers of immigrants witnessed a greater percentage drop in all types of crime than the national average.

Why does the "reality" quote not seem to address the "assertion" statement? So what if the crime rate dropped; who committed the crimes?

Assertion: Virtually all Arizonans consider undocumented immigration a major threat.
Reality: A Rasmussen report found that "most Arizona voters [57%] favor an immigration policy that welcomes all immigrants, 'except national security threats, criminals, and those who would come here to live off our welfare system.'"

Welcome is such a strong word. How about tolerate?

Assertion: Undocumented immigrants are a drain on Arizona's economy.
Reality: Undocumented immigrants create jobs and contribute to the economy through their labor, their purchase of goods and services and by their payment of sales and payroll taxes, user fees and other common revenue sources.

What about the drain on hospital revenues for ER visits? How about driving without car insurance and having an accident? And are you telling me that the vast herd of Yob-seekers at Home DepotLowes parking lots are paying income taxes, and obeying minimum OSHA safety standards?

ASU is not affiliated with any particular political party. But they are a bastion of liberal leaning hippy types.

STRONG BREW

2010-05-04T18:38:00.001-07:00

By Jennifer Harper

The term "tea-bagger" is like uttering the "n" word, some say. Though he aspires to promote civility, evidence has surfaced that President Obama has added "tea-bagger" to his public lexicon, though it's considered a cheap and tawdry insult by "tea party" activists. Watchdogs at Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) barked when they saw the proof, tucked in a sneak peak of Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter's new book, "The Promise: President Obama, Year One," to be released May 18. Indeed, it appears the president joined certain partisan critics and the liberal media, and took the tea-bag plunge.

"This remark is the equivalent of using the 'n' word. It shows contempt for middle America, expressed knowingly, contemptuously, on purpose, and with a smirk. It is indefensible to use this word. The president knows what it means, and his people know what it means. The public thought we reached a new low of incivility during the Clinton administration. Well, the Obama administration has just outdone them," ATR president Grover Norquist tells Inside the Beltway.

There is not always parity in these situations. There were outraged calls for Rep. Dan Burton's resignation and massive press coverage after the Indiana Republican called President Clinton a "scumbag" during the Monica Lewinsky matter in 1998.

The offending passage that started the tea-bagger shuffle? Mr. Alter wrote, "Obama said that the unanimous House vote against the Recovery Act 'set the tenor for the whole year': 'That helped to create the tea-baggers and empowered that whole wing of the Republican Party to where it now controls the agenda for the Republicans.' "

Mr. Obama himself was recently ruing the contentious state of politics, noting Saturday at a college commencement speech, "We've got politicians calling each other all sorts of unflattering names. Pundits and talking heads shout at each other. The media tends to play up every hint of conflict, because it makes for a sexier story."

The watchdogs, incidentally got their advance look at the book in Mike Allens "Playbook" in Politico.

Don't let it offend you. He's just an inexperienced, half term former senator and one term uffish snob. He hasn't filled out his Messiah shoes yet, and ilkely never will.

2010-04-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Friend:

You probably saw that the state of Arizona passed a very tough anti-illegal immigration last week. This new law will strengthen law enforcement’s ability to identify, arrest and detain those who are in this country illegally.

I support this new law 100%. Even before this law was passed, I was the only law enforcement official in this state enforcing all the laws that our federal and state legislatures put in place to combat illegal immigration and human smuggling.

Because I have taken the lead over the years by enforcing existing state and federal laws against illegal immigration, I have become the target of attack by radical, left-wing, open-borders extremists.

I’ve been sued, picketed, burned in effigy and even had the Reverend Al Sharpton come to Phoenix to march on my headquarters. Some have even gone so far as to call for my assassination!

Their anger and vitriol is clearly misdirected at me. If they don't like the laws of this state or they support Obama's water-downed approach on illegal immigration, then they need to work with their legislators to change the law. The biggest problem they have in taking that approach is that the vast majority of citizens of the United States don't want the laws changed and they certainly don't support amnesty for those who break the law.

What they really want is a Sheriff who will look the other way, be silent and allow the charade to continue, while ignoring the laws of our land. That, I promise, will never happen.

But I desperately need your help. It's going to take a lot of resources to combat these false allegations — as well as the latest talk about a recall campaign against me. We anticipate the hardest campaign in Maricopa county history to remove me due to my unyielding stance on illegal immigration enforcement.

I cannot compete with the local and national media machines that distort my record and the job I’m doing to protect this country. And, I don’t have the personal resources to defend myself from these vicious attacks.

That’s why I’m writing to you. I have to go directly to the people for their support. I need good people like you in this country to stand behind me and help me fight this fight.

Will you join me? I desperately need your help now. My election has been targeted as the frontline in the battle to end illegal immigration. We must win this battle.

Your financial support today is so critical. Please log on to http://www.reelectjoearpaio.com right now and make a much needed contribution. Any amount you can offer today is tremendously appreciated. I promise I will not let you down.

The fight starts now. Please help me. I pledge to you that I will never stop the fight. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Maricopa County

P.S. In addition to making a contribution, please do me a favor and forward this email to your friends, family and other individuals who share our views. Together we can win this fight. Thank you.

2010-04-29T07:22:00.001-07:00

Mexico acknowledges migrant abuse, pledges changes

By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer Mark Stevenson, Associated Press Writer – Wed Apr 28, 8:04 pm ET

MEXICO CITY – Amnesty International called the abuse of migrants in Mexico a major human rights crisis Wednesday, and accused some officials of turning a blind eye or even participating in the kidnapping, rape and murder of migrants.

The group's report comes at a sensitive time for Mexico, which is protesting the passage of a law in Arizona that criminalizes undocumented migrants.

The Interior Department acknowledged in a statement that the mainly Central American migrants who pass through Mexico on their way to the United States suffer abuses, but attributed the problem to criminal gangs branching out into kidnapping and extortion of migrants.

Rupert Knox, Amnesty's Mexico researcher, said in the report that the failure by authorities to tackle abuses against migrants has made their trip through Mexico one of the most dangerous in the world.

"Migrants in Mexico are facing a major human rights crisis leaving them with virtually no access to justice, fearing reprisals and deportation if they complain of abuses," Knox said.

Central American migrants are frequently pulled off trains, kidnapped en masse, held at gang hideouts and forced to call relatives in the U.S. to pay off the kidnappers. Such kidnappings affect thousands of migrants each year in Mexico, the report says.

Many are beaten, raped or killed in the process.

One of the main issues, Amnesty says, is that migrants fear they will be deported if they complain to Mexican authorities about abuses.

At present, Article 67 of Mexico's Population Law says, "Authorities, whether federal, state or municipal ... are required to demand that foreigners prove their legal presence in the country, before attending to any issues."

The Interior Department said the government has taken some steps to combat abuses and Mexico's legislature is working to repeal Article 67 "so that no one can deny or restrict foreigners' access to justice and human rights, whatever their migratory status."

The Amnesty report said one female migrant told researchers that Mexican federal police had forced her group off a train and stolen their belongings. Forced to walk, she said, she was subsequently attacked by a gang and raped.

The Interior Department said it shares Amnesty's concern, and called the report "a valuable contribution."

Mexico has long been offended by mistreatment of its own migrants in the United States.

The Arizona law — slated to take effect in late July or early August — makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and allows police to question anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Mexico has complained that the law would lend itself to racial profiling and discrimination.

Isn’t this the olla calling the kettle black?

2010-04-28T14:13:00.001-07:00

How to Remove Your Head from Your Nether Regions:

People who haven't read the law and don't know anything about requirements that resident aliens already have to fulfill.
If you're a resident alien, you always have to have your 'papers'. It's federal law that you carry them.
Under this law, illegal immigration status is not a primary offense - they have to stop you for something else first. If you produce an AZ driver's license (or license from another state or some other official identification document), then you're presumed to be a citizen. If you produce the papers that the federal government makes you carry around, then you're presumed to be a legal resident alien. End of story - you get your speeding ticket and go on your way. Of course, if you're driving without a license, and without papers, you're in trouble. But then, you'd be in trouble anyway for driving without a license.
Link to the law, full text: http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070s.pdf

What would happen to me if I crossed into Mexico and got caught?

2010-04-26T14:18:00.001-07:00

Mexican president slams Arizona immigration law

MEXICO CITY, April 26 (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Monday slammed a tough new immigration law in the U.S. state of Arizona, which borders Mexico, saying it would breed hate and discrimination.

The law has raised fears that Hispanic immigrants could be racially profiled and reignited the hot-button political issue of immigration reform in the United States, which at times has touched off fierce criticism from some Latin American leaders.

"Criminalizing immigration, which is a social and economic phenomena, this way opens the door to intolerance, hate, and discrimination," Calderon told a meeting with Mexican immigrant groups.

"My government cannot and will not remain indifferent when these kinds of policies go against human rights," Calderon said, adding that he would bring up the new law when he meets with Obama next month during an official visit to Washington.

Arizona's Republican governor signed a bill into law last week requiring police to determine whether people are in the country legally and allowing them to detain suspected illegal immigrants.

The toughest immigration law in the United States, it triggered a chorus of criticism from leaders of the Democratic party, including President Barack Obama.

The majority of the 11 million people believed to be living illegally in the United States are immigrants from Mexico, which shares a lengthy border with its northern neighbor and has been pushing for years for comprehensive U.S. reform to improve immigrant rights.

Set to take effect 90 days after the current legislative session adjourns, the law requires state and local police with "reasonable suspicion" to determine if people are in the country illegally. It also makes it a crime to transport illegal immigrants and hire day laborers off the street.

Just consider it "local culture"

2010-04-22T05:25:00.001-07:00

Monterrey hotel attacked in Mexico kidnappings

Reporting from Mexico City

In a bold predawn attack, gunmen stormed a hotel Wednesday in the heart of the northern city of Monterrey and kidnapped at least three people, officials said.

Mexican media said up to 50 hooded gunmen arrived in a convoy and burst into the downtown Holiday Inn, seizing guests and employees.

Law enforcement officials, offering only scant details by late afternoon, said it was not immediately clear whether a fourth person was seized or how many gunmen took part in the 3 a.m. attack. Authorities offered no motive for the kidnappings, but the attack bore the hallmarks of Mexico's drug gang violence.

Monterrey's mayor, Fernando Larrazabal, said police had trouble reaching the scene because the attackers commandeered cars and used them to block surrounding streets. Larrazabal told a radio interviewer that the kidnappers had disappeared in less than 20 minutes.

Authorities dismissed news reports that the kidnappers had seized another person from a hotel across the street. Initial news accounts here said seven people had been kidnapped.

Violence related to drug gangs has spiked in recent months in northeastern Mexico, including around Monterrey, a business hub that is Mexico's third-largest metropolitan area. Hit men have slain police officers and members of rival groups.

A shootout in Monterrey between gunmen and Mexican soldiers last month killed two university students outside their school, Monterrey Tech.

Much of the recent mayhem across the state of Nuevo Leon, of which Monterrey is the capital, and the nearby state of Tamaulipas stems from fighting between the Gulf cartel and former allies, known as the Zetas. That feud has drawn in other trafficking groups, spreading chaos along the U.S. border near the Gulf of Mexico.

The Holiday Inn, with 390 rooms, sits in a downtown zone with numerous high-rise hotels.

The website of the daily Reforma newspaper quoted an unidentified witness as saying the hotel erupted in shouts and the sound of people being beaten. It said gunmen fired when a captive tried to escape, but that it was not clear if the person was hit.

A security guard was reportedly pistol-whipped.

Calls to the hotel were not answered.

2010-04-21T07:19:00.001-07:00

I must admit, I am sick to death of the number of car insurance commercials, in their variety of forms, that permeate TV, radio, and print ads. Flo, Erin, Cavemen, Gecko, Unknown Black Dude for Allstate….. please…. Go away…. NOW!!!!

But.... I thought you couldn't carry a gun in Washington? And isn't robbing people illegal? This can't be happening...

2010-04-20T15:12:00.001-07:00

'Harold & Kumar' star, Kal Penn, robbed at gunpoint in D.C.

by Chris Nashawaty

Categories: Movies, News, Television

As TMZ first reported, actor Kal Penn was robbed at gunpoint in Washington, D.C., early this morning, his rep confirmed. The 32-year-old star of the 2004 stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its 2008 sequel has been working in the capital for the Obama administration. The D.C. police confirmed a robbery at 1:20 A.M. on the 1500 block of S Street to EW. The actor was accosted by a gunman, who walked up to him and took a wallet and other belongings. Penn gave up his role on the TV show House last year to take the position of an associate director in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement. He is scheduled to star in a third Harold & Kumar film later this year.

Nah, this didn’t really happen…. Not in Obama’s Washington…..

2010-04-17T00:58:00.000-07:00

Arizona to allow concealed weapons without permit

Governor Brewer signs legislation into law

Alia Beard Rau - Apr. 16, 2010 03:46 PM
The Arizona Republic

Starting later this summer, U.S. citizens 21 and older can begin carrying a concealed firearm without a permit in Arizona.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1108 into law Friday afternoon. It eliminates the requirement for a concealed-carry weapons permit, but does require gun owners to accurately answer if an officer asks them if they are carrying weapon concealed. It also allows officers to temporarily confiscate a weapon while they are talking to an individual, including during a traffic stop.

"I believe strongly in the individual rights and responsibilities of a free society, and as governor I have pledged a solemn and important oath to protect and defend the Constitution," Brewer said in a news release. "I believe this legislation not only protects the Second Amendment rights of Arizona citizens, but restores those rights as well."

The law goes into effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns for this session, which could happen in the next couple of weeks.

Arizona joins Vermont and Alaska in not requiring such permits.

"If you want to carry concealed, and you have no criminal history, you are a good guy, you can do it," bill sponsor Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, has said of his bill. "It's a freedom that poses no threat to the public."

National Rifle Association lobbyist Matt Dogali said the new state law would not violate any current federal requirements.

"There is no federal requirement for a permit or lack thereof," Dogali said.

The federal government oversees the background-check program required to purchase a weapon, which will still be required in Arizona in most cases.

Brewer last week did sign a separate law that exempts guns made and kept in Arizona from federal regulation, including background checks.

Arizona had 154,279 active permits as of April 4. Permit holders are spread across all ages, races and counties, but White males older than 30 in Maricopa and Pima counties hold the majority, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety data.

The permits generated $1.8 million in revenue last fiscal year, according to DPS. The money is used to help cover costs for enforcing laws related to the Highway Patrol, operating the concealed-carry weapon-licensing program and impounding vehicles.

Arizona's permit process will remain in place, and many gun owners may still choose to get a permit. Permits would still be needed in order to carry a weapon into a restaurant or bar that serves alcohol. They would also be needed if an Arizonan wants to carry his or her gun concealed in most other states.

For those who do choose to get a permit, the education requirements do change under the new law. Classes are no longer required to be a set number of hours or include any hands-on use of the weapon. Those who don't get a permit would not be required to get any training or education.

Retired Mesa police officer Dan Furbee runs a business teaching permit and other gun safety classes. He said if most people choose not to get a permit, it will put several hundred Arizona firearms instructors out of business.

"It's going to hurt," he said.

But he said what really concerns him is that the new law will allow people who have had no education about Arizona's laws and no training on the shooting range to carry a concealed gun. The eight-hour class currently required to get a permit includes information on state law and gun safety, as well as requires students to be able to hit a target 14 out of 20 times. Furbee said his class at Mesa-based Ultimate Accessories costs $79, plus $60 for the five-year permit.

"I fully agree that we have a right to keep and bear arms," Furbee said. "But if you are not responsible enough to take a class and learn the laws, you are worse than part of the problem."

He said it's not uncommon for students to walk into his classroom and pull a new gun out of a box with no idea how to hold it and no understanding of the laws surrounding it.

"If you are going to carry a concealed weapon, you should have some kind of training and show that you are at least competent to know how the gun works and be able to hit a target," he said. "You owe the people around you a measure of responsibility."

This new law is the latest of several that have passed over the past year since Brewer took over the office from former Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat.

Napolitano vetoed at least a dozen weapons bills that crossed her desk during her seven years in office, all of which would have loosened gun restrictions. In 2005, Napolitano rejected a bill that would have allowed patrons to carry loaded guns into bars and restaurants. In 2008, she also vetoed a bill that would have allowed people to have a hidden gun in vehicles without a concealed-carry permit.

In January 2009, Napolitano resigned to become U.S. Homeland Security secretary and Republican Secretary of State Brewer became governor.

During her first year in office, Brewer signed a bill allowing loaded guns in bars and restaurants, as well as another that prohibits property owners from banning guns from parking areas, so long as the weapons are kept locked in vehicles.

Of course he bowed. Kissing the Ass is Best Done Behind Closed Doors.

2010-04-13T04:59:00.001-07:00

2010-04-13T04:30:00.001-07:00

Police: Man Left Puppies Locked in Trunk

Updated: Monday, 12 Apr 2010, 6:31 PM MDT
Published : Monday, 12 Apr 2010, 3:56 PM MDT

PHOENIX - Phoenix Police have arrested a man after they say he left six puppies in the trunk of a car for over an hour without ventilation, food, or water -- and outside temperatures were in the 80s.

34-year-old Daniel Suarez Lujan is facing animal cruelty charges after police say he locked six puppies in a car while inside Desert Sky Mall on Sunday afternoon.

About 1 p.m., mall security was alerted to the car by passerbys who said they could hear an animal crying inside the trunk. A Phoenix Police officer who also worked security for the mall came to assist and heard yelping from the trunk.

The officer contacted the Humane Society and requested a lock-pick. At this point, Lujan walked out of the mall towards the car and deactivated the car alarm.

Police say Lujan opened the trunk to reveal six very small puppies in a metal cage. The puppies were not moving and were sprawled across the cage.

They were drenched in sweat, and there was no food or water in the cage. Lujan allegedly told the officer his cousin put them there.

Officers brought the puppies into the mall and gave them water. They had been inside the trunk for an hour. Outside temperatures were in the 80s.

AHS workers arrived at the mall to bring the puppies to their facility for treatment. They suffered heat stress and all are expected to survive.

Punishment: lock his ass in the trunk, one hour for each puppy. Agreed? I'd make such a good judge.

No, bad Idea.

2010-04-10T06:24:00.001-07:00

Gun advocates divided over proposed bill on concealed weapons

PHOENIX -- Even among gun advocates, opinions are mixed over the bill that would allow Arizonans to carry concealed weapons without a permit or hands-on training.

At Shooter's World in Phoenix, some, like Susette Tenney, voiced support for the bill that Brewer is expected to sign into law next week. She said gun owners should not have to buy a permit from the government to carry concealed weapons.

"I'm carrying a gun and it's going in my purse and I want the right to do that," she said.

Firearms instructor Dave Gushert said that training was important, and that the new bill might be a problem. In addition to safety, he said people carrying firearms should also know the laws about when it is legal to use a gun for self defense.

"Everybody thinks Arizona is the wild west and that you can just draw from the hip and go, and this is going to get a lot of people hurt or in trouble," Gushert said.

Nonetheless, advocates of the bill said they did not need the government to mandate training.

"I don't like the idea of anyone telling me I have to do anything," Tenney said.

If signed, the new bill will still require gun owners to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon inside of restaurants that serve alcohol and outside of Arizona.

Alaska and Vermont are the only other states that have similar laws.

Untrained idiots with no familiarity with the rules of escalation of force. Gap toothed, mouth breathers now can hide their guns under their sweat stained, chicken grease covered t shirts. I feel so much better. I think with the injuries and discharging of guns that is soon to come, this with be a litigation cash cow for the state.

Oy.

2010-04-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Man shoots round into ceiling at el Mirage Walmart in front of people

EL MIRAGE Police took a man into custody who reportedly accidentally fired one round into the ceiling of a Walmart in front of several people.

El Mirage officers responded to the store located at 12900 W. Thunderbird after receiving reports of shots fired. When police arrived at the store the manager was standing with the suspect.

During the investigation, witnesses told officers 30-year-old David Walter, of Surprise, entered the store with a semi-automatic pistol in a holster. He would reportedly holster the gun and un-holster it as he walked through the store. Witnesses say the suspect 'continually messed with' and was manipulating the gun.

Walter was standing at the electronics counter talking to the clerk when he reportedly pulled the gun out of the
holster, removed the magazine and put it back in. The clerk got scared and said she was afraid he was going to rob her and notified the store manager.

Walter again allegedly approached a checkout lane and stood near several customers and workers as he pulled the gun from his holster. As he pulled the gun out it magazine dislodged and fell to the floor.

Walter re-inserted the magazine into the pistol and manipulated it as if loading it when the gun discharged.

The suspect was arrested and booked on six counts of endangerment, disorderly conduct and discharging a weapon within the city limits.

Yes, I am all for the right to keep and bear arms, but just like children, some folks should not be allowed toown a gun. Especially after a dumb ass stunt like this.

But, that's illegal.......

2010-04-08T09:26:00.001-07:00

Triple Shooting at Phoenix Apartment Complex

Updated: Wednesday, 07 Apr 2010, 11:10 PM MDT
Published : Wednesday, 07 Apr 2010, 9:28 PM MDT

PHOENIX - Phoenix Police and Fire are at the scene of a gang-related triple shooting in an apartment complex at 12th St and Northern.

Police say an adult female has been shot in the abdomen, a 14-year-old boy has been shot in the arm, and a 15-year-old girl had a bullet graze her stomach.

The victims are expected to survive.

Officers are now searching for the shooters, who may be teenagers.

A witness described seeing the suspects drive by, guns blazing, in a gray van.

It's not clear if the victims were related and targeted by the shooters, or if the shooting was random.

Just sayin'

2010-03-31T18:04:00.001-07:00

I can't fucking stand John Cusack and his leftist spouting of diahrettic filth.

2010-03-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

3-year-old's death spurs campaign to prevent abuse

by Megan Boehnke - Mar. 22, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Covered in bruises, 3-year-old Schala hid from her mother's boyfriend in the bathroom.

She squeezed herself between the toilet and the vanity and died there, alone.

The details of her death shook longtime nurses and veteran police officers.

Everyone who touched Schala's case - the detectives, paramedics, doctors and social workers - were so disturbed by what they saw last August that they took action.

They united with child advocates on a statewide campaign to describe the horrors of child abuse and what might be done to prevent it.

"I cried for two weeks, every day," said nurse Kepra Jack, who tended to Schala when she arrived at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. "I cried when I was taking care of her, and I cried myself to sleep that night.

"It was the hardest death I've had, ever, in 11 years. I don't know when or if it will ever go away," Jack said, tears still coming to her eyes seven months after the girl's death. "All I could think was, 'Somebody has failed.' "

Schala arrived at the hospital naked, her hair wet, her body purple and blue.

She had marks on her arms, legs, shoulders, head, wrist and back that matched the stitching of a leather belt that Chandler police found on the bathroom vanity. Bruises covered the back of her hand; she had raised her arms to protect herself.

Police reports say Schala upset her mother's boyfriend by not listening to him.

Susan Witbracht bathed her daughter that morning because she wasn't feeling well. According to the police reports, Witbracht's boyfriend, Dauntorian Sanders, then hit the little girl over and over with the belt.

Schala's face fell between her knees, and then Sanders whipped her back, investigators reported. She was picked up and dropped again and again on the bathroom floor, police say. While she was sprawled on the tile, a door was slammed repeatedly into her head, reports say.

Sanders went to Walgreens to buy cigarettes, the reports say. When he came back, Schala was naked, propped against the vanity, her legs in front of her, her eyes and mouth open.

Sanders calmly called 911. When emergency help arrived, it was too late. He and Witbracht were arrested. The case is pending in Maricopa County Superior Court.

"You get the job done. You can't be emotional about it. You can be emotional later," said veteran homicide Detective Gary Fuller, the lead investigator on Schala's case.

Fuller's co-workers say he was extremely professional and helpful throughout the entire case, but afterward, it was clear the tragedy had affected him.

"It's the helplessness you feel, and you're angry it happened, because there wasn't a part of her body that wasn't bruised," Fuller said. "By the time it gets to me, it's too late. I don't investigate child abuses. I investigate child homicides. And that is so frustrating."

In the week after Schala died, the hospital held meetings to help workers cope. Workers held a memorial service for Schala in the hospital chapel and invited police and firefighters to attend.

Her body was cremated and sent to her father in New York. Schala's dad, who barely knew her, was devastated, Fuller said.

Nine days after Schala's case, a 3-week-old girl was beaten and molested by her father. By then, Fuller's unit had investigated four child-abuse homicides in the past year.

Fuller asked the public-information unit to see if anything could be done. In response, Sgt. Joe Favazzo turned to ChildHelp, a national foundation based in Arizona that assists child-abuse victims.

A dozen agencies, hospitals and police departments united to create public-service announcements and billboard advertisements and to start panel discussions on public-television stations.

They're planning a rally for the first week of April, which is national Child Abuse Prevention Month, and a proclamation by the governor.

In the first public-service announcement, faces of children flash on screen while a dispatcher talks a caller through compressions on a patient.

Two more videos are in the works for parents who struggle with anger and outsiders who see signs of abuse. The videos point both sides to resources that can help.

Please….. make sure your acquaintances who might be in the County Lockup read about this. Dauntorian Sanders needs to be whipped to death.

SIGH......

2010-03-21T06:38:00.001-07:00

Husband says he accidentally shot wife

by Ofelia Madrid - Mar. 20, 2010 10:11 PM
The Arizona Republic

A woman in her 70s was shot dead Saturday, and her husband told investigators that it happened while he was cleaning a firearm police said.

Phoenix police were called to a home near Tatum and Cave Creek roads around 4:30 p.m. after the homeowner called 911, said Desert Horizon precinct Lt. Tina Gonzalez.

The husband, who is in his 70s, told police that he was in the bedroom cleaning his handgun when a round went through the window and struck his wife, who was outside cleaning the backyard, Gonzalez said. Their names were not released.

Detectives are still investigating and putting the pieces together, Gonzalez said.

Open your friggin' owners manual and learn how to unload your gun without putting a bullet down the barrel.

From Arthur

2010-03-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

I tend to agree with the men who contribute to this website…. Read it all at

http://www.arthurshall.com

2010 CENSUS HOW-TO
Arthur's Response to the Government Leviathan

I just received an envelope from the US Census Bureau informing me that the Census will be sent next week. So let me get this straight...you are sending me a letter to tell me that the Census will be here next week? Really? In an era of out of control government spending and suicidal debt levels our government decided that spending at least $100 million dollars to send out these waste-of-time notices was prudent. Just another example of a government that has become a Leviathan, ever growing, ever present and increasingly hostile to the People. I know, I know...the Census is something that is delineated by the Constitution. Its purpose WAS to reapportion Congress and provide the government a road map of present and future revenues. Now its been turned into a "Make sure to respond so your area can get the funding it NEEDS". It is now an excuse for more debt spending, more income redistribution and more government intrusion into your life.

There are three approaches you can take on the Census. One is to answer the questions honestly. This, to me, is unconscionable. The government is not our friend and they don't need to know a fucking thing about our living arrangements. Fuck them. The second approach is to under report or not answer. People who do this are on the right track...this cuts the number of dollars the federal government will be inventing to shove into your neighborhoods and schools. Not answering is respectable for the simple reason that spending five minutes corresponding with an Obongo-led government is six minutes too much. The third approach is one that I am taking, I am going to over-report like a motherfucker.

The Arthur household is going to have 40 retarded, paraplegic refugees from every piece of shit area on the planet. Why? Because I want to fuck their numbers up. I don't want the government to have any idea of what is going on in local areas. The Federal Government is now an enemy of the people and as far as I am concerned anything I can do to make them over fund is something I should do. I implore everyone to make up silly ass numbers. You want to throw those pieces of shit for a loop? Tell them you have 200 kids. If enough people just made up random numbers it would minimize the accuracy of the Census and thus robbing the government of its ability to target certain areas for increased funding (minority laden areas to be sure). If your neighborhood has thousands of refugees from Haiti you KNOW your school district is going to be getting a ton of money from the government. All the money is fake anyway so it may as well come to your neck of the woods.

My overriding point to this request is that we should not trust the Federal Government for any reason. Giving them an honest representation is an invitation for them to rape you in the face. Fuck all that. I would love nothing more than the Census Bureau (undoubtedly rife with piece of shit unionized Federal workers) to throw up their hands and say "We cannot accurately model the population". This is just one way for me to send them a message. The message is that I don't like you, don't trust you and want you to be destroyed. Yes...I said that. I love America and what we stood for but this government is not that government. This government is bent on the destruction of the country we grew up in and if you think they won't use the Census to further their redistributive destruction you are naive and foolish. I am glad to throw a wrench in the Obongo America Destroying machine. I sincerely hope that all of you do the same.

Pass this article along to your friends and family. If enough of us stand up and raise our middle fingers we will make our point.

Didn't we say opening our roads to Mexican trucks and buses would be dangerous?

2010-03-11T04:26:00.001-07:00

Bus Crash Victims' Families Look For Answers

Jason Barry
Reporter, KPHO.com

Family members, with loved ones either injured or killed in last week's bus crash along Interstate 10, gathered at the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix on Wednesday.

They were looking for assistance to help with medical bills and find out if there is any legal action they can take against the company that operated the bus, Tierra Santa from California.

Bianca Lovatos has an aunt and cousin still in the hospital. They were both badly injured in the crash.

Lovatos wants to know how the bus company could operate illegally.

"I just don't understand how that could be possible, how somebody operates that way," Lovatos said. "I think they need to take responsibility for what's happened."

Six people died and 16 others were injured in last Friday's bus crash, along I-10 near Sacaton.

Arizona's Department of Public Safety just released inspection results, which determined that the bus and driver should have never been on the road.

Among the violations uncovered:

*Defective brakes on more than 20 percent of the vehicle.

*No seven day driver's log to keeps track of how long he'd been behind the wheel and how rested he was.

*No seven day log for the co-driver.

*The driver himself could not read or speak English.

According to DPS officials, the investigation into the cause of the crash could take several weeks.

Yeah, well... the Mythbusters said this doesn't happen....

2010-03-02T06:44:00.001-07:00

Wash. man electrocuted by urinating on power line

MONTESANO, Wash. (AP) - Authorities believe a Washington man was killed by accidentally urinating on a downed power line after a car crash.

Grays Harbor County sheriff's Deputy Dave Pimentel said Monday 50-year-old Roy Messenger was not seriously hurt after he collided with a power pole Friday and called a relative to pull his car from a ditch.

However, family members found Messenger electrocuted when they arrived.

Pimentel says Messenger apparently urinated into a roadside ditch but didn't see the live wire. The urine stream likely served as a conductor, allowing the electricity to reach his body.

Pimentel says there will be an autopsy but burn marks indicated the way the electricity traveled through Messenger's body.

Oh Nanny State... You Do Love Me!!!!

2010-02-23T13:15:00.001-07:00

The American Academy of Paediatrics has recommended that hot dogs be redesigned to make them, well, less sausage-shaped. This is because they account for around 17% of the food-related choking deaths of up to 77 children, and the emergency treatment of 15,000, in the United States every year.

"If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child's airway, it would be a hot dog," Gary Smith, director of the Centre for Injury Research and Policy at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, told USA Today.

The academy also wants food manufacturers to put choking warning labels on their products, in the way that toy manufacturers are required to.

According to Stephen Cadwallader, a food technical consultant, hot dogs could easily be redesigned in any number of ways: square, circular or "pretty much any shape you wanted. It would be a piece of cake, if that's not the wrong choice of words. But then would it be a hot dog as we know and love it, and will people buy it?"

Other high-risk foods highlighted by the academy included grapes, nuts, chunks of vegetables and items such as hard sweets, chewing gum and marshmallows. "It is noteworthy that many foods with high-risk characteristics associated with choking are man-made," wrote the report's authors. "The characteristics of these foods are engineered and, therefore, amenable to change."

But if there is no market for a flat hot dog, what is the answer? "I think the best thing would be to do nothing, and just get people to try their best to use their common sense," says Cadwallader. "We just cut them into bits for our two kids."

2010-02-19T06:40:00.001-07:00

What is all this "Tiger Woods Must Apologise" BS? He doesn't need to apologise to me, only his family. Like Charles Barkley before him, he is not my role model. You can admire his skills and the way he promotes himself, but if you try to emulate anybody famous too much, it just means you're a vacuous shell of a human.n, waiting for a fantasy to suck in.

2010-02-11T16:26:00.001-07:00

President Obama reports that 95,000 jobs, including the long-awaited Unicorn Herder, Leprechaun Catcher, and Fairy Wing Polisher, to start arriving each month

East Palo Alto cop takes heat for Facebook remarks

2010-02-11T15:04:00.001-07:00

By Jessica Bernstein-Wax

Daily News Staff Writer

Posted: 02/09/2010 03:00:00 AM PST

Updated: 02/11/2010 11:21:11 AM PST

An East Palo Alto police detective is taking heat in online forums for allegedly posting comments from his Facebook account that advocate shooting Open Carry gun advocates.

Detective Rod Tuason apparently made the remarks in response to a friend's status update, which joked that gun advocates who carry unloaded weapons in plain view as a political statement should start doing so in places such as Oakland, Richmond and East Palo Alto "and not limit themselves to hoity toity cities."

"Haha, we had one guy last week try to do it!" Tuason replied, referring to a Redwood City man who strolled into the Mi Pueblo Food Center in East Palo Alto on Jan. 27 with a gun on his hip. "He got proned out and reminded where he was at and that turds will jack him for his gun in a heartbeat!"

After several more comments in the thread, Tuason apparently joked that officers should shoot the advocates, who have made recent headlines throughout the Bay Area for sipping coffee at cafes and performing other everyday acts with visible weapons.

"Sounds like you had someone practicing their 2nd amendment rights last night!" Tuason wrote. "Should've pulled the AR out and prone them all out! And if one of them makes a furtive movement ... 2 weeks off!!!"

It's unclear when Tuason made the comments, but they attracted the attention of gun rights advocates after blogger and lawyer Kevin Thomason posted a screen grab of the thread and a link to Tuason's Facebook page on his Web site Sunday.

"East Palo Alto, CA Detective Roderick Tuason didn't realize that actual PRO-GUN people also read Facebook," Thomason said in the post. "Amazingly, he posted the following comment about law abiding gun owners on a friend's page. Basically, he's saying 'prone them out' (on the ground), and if anyone moves, kill them."

Thomason urged his readers to contact East Palo Alto council members to complain. Reached by phone Monday, Thomason said he wanted to comment but couldn't because he works with a nonprofit foundation that wouldn't want him to speak publicly on the matter.

California Penal Code bars carrying concealed weapons without a county-issued license but says it isn't a crime to openly display a firearm in a belt holster. However, it remains illegal for the gun to be loaded in most cases.

While residents who carry unloaded, registered guns in plain view aren't breaking any laws, police have said the practice is dangerous because officers can't tell whether a gun is loaded and what an armed person's intentions are.

Tuason didn't return a phone message seeking comment Monday. But East Palo Alto police Capt. Carl Estelle said the department's professional standards division is looking into the Facebook remarks to see if they violate any rules or policies.

"We have to be careful because they're on his own personal private Web page," Estelle said. "We have to be careful not to violate his First Amendment rights."

The department hasn't taken action against Tuason, and the detective was working in uniform Monday, he said.

"In no way are his personal comments reflective of any policies or procedures here at the department, nor does he speak for the police department," Estelle said.

Meanwhile, Tuason's Facebook comments had sparked a 45-page thread on the Web site Calguns.net Monday afternoon. A user with the handle .45shooter claiming to be either Tuason or the detective's Facebook friend who posted the original status update — the identity wasn't clear from the post — apologized to site members and said he was a Second Amendment advocate himself.

"Sometimes sacastic or off color humor should be best kept in the confines of those you can confide in," the poster wrote. "I forgot the golden rule of whos watching and listenting to you! I know i ruffled alot of feathers by making that comment! But as a person i did not mean no harm to anyone. Those that know me know my form of humor after all i'm a former Marine!"

Mark Hudson, a San Mateo resident and Second Amendment supporter, said that while he isn't part of the Open Carry movement, he saw the post on Calguns and Tuason's comments offended him.

"The reason people are open carrying is because in San Mateo County they're unable to get concealed carry permits," Hudson said. "This East Palo Alto policeman basically said he would shoot you in the back — a law-abiding citizen exercising their Second Amendment rights. ... You're going to invite law enforcement into your life when you open carry. That's why I don't do it."

Open carry of an unloaded gun is legal in California? Why would anyone in their right mind carry an empty gun?

2010-02-09T10:41:00.002-07:00

Pinal County 3-Year-Old Still in Critical Condition After Shooting Himself in the Head

By James King in News

www.photobucket.com

A 3-year-old Pinal County boy is still in critical condition after shooting himself in the head with a gun he found in his grandmother's San Tan Valley home.

According to police, on Friday night, the boy's grandmother, who lives in a rural section of the county, grabbed the gun when her dogs started barking and she got scared. She put the gun underneath her couch to keep it close to her and forgot about it.

The next day, her grandson came to visit and guess what was still under the couch -- a loaded gun.

The boy found the gun and accidentally shot himself in the head. The bullet went through his brain, however, there is hope he will survive.

In a related story, last week -- while arguing in support of a bill that would weaken Arizona's already laughable gun control laws -- Senator Russell Pearce had this to say: "I've never been afraid of a good citizen being armed."

We wonder if 3-year-olds or forgetful grandmothers fall under Pearce's definition of "good citizen."

No charges are pending in the case at the moment and the boy, whose name is not being released, is unconscious at a Phoenix hospital.

Grandma was not a responsible gun owner. Period.

Better Living Through Chemistry

2010-02-09T04:29:00.002-07:00

A semi-nude man wearing his underwear around his neck was arrested in Mesa Saturday night when he flashed a plastic bag filled with drugs in front of a police officer.
The suspect, identified as Edward Rodriguez, whose age was unavailable, later admitted to using the drugs, police said.
The incident began about 10:20 p.m. when neighbor called police to report a suspicious man hiding in a ditch behind a vacant home near Broadway Road and Mesa Drive, police said.
When an officer approached the man, he noticed he was shirtless and wearing women's pants with a hole in the crotch exposing his genitals. The man also was wearing his underwear around his neck, police said.
The officer also noticed numerous pornographic items around him.
When contacted by the officer, Rodriguez placed his hand in a drainage pipe and removed a plastic bag filled with a white powdery substance, which later tested positive for methamphetamine, police said. The man also showed the officer aluminum foil with a burnt section in the middle, a common way of smoking the drug.
Rodriguez was booked on possession of a dangerous drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Wow!!! Meth use has so many great benefits, it's no wonder people get hooked!! It's the breakfast of comedic champions!!!

It's Cheaper Than a Teleprompter, isn't it?

2010-02-09T04:19:00.001-07:00

Critics have ridiculed former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin for writing crib notes on her hands for her Tea Party speech on Saturday.

Mrs Palin was shown reading from her hand and displaying the scribbled notes after she had made the address.

She had spoken in the speech of a "charismatic guy with a teleprompter", apparently meaning President Obama.

Mrs Palin received a standing ovation for the speech as she called for a "return to conservative principles".

But a photo taken during a question-and-answer session after the speech showed her left hand with the words "energy", "budget cuts", "tax" and "lift Americans' spirits". The word "budget" had been crossed out.

'Cheat sheets'

Also, video footage showed her seemingly reading from her hand when asked what top three things a conservative-led Congress should do.

The footage prompted NBC journalist Andrea Mitchell to say that the "cheat sheets" were damaging in view of her attack on Barack Obama during the speech.

"If [senior Republican] Mitt Romney had notes on his hand, wouldn't we take it pretty seriously?" she said on MSNBC's Daily Rundown show on Monday.

There was controversy at the convention over Mrs Palin's appearance fee, reported to be as much as $100,000, although she said she would not financially benefit from it.

Some activists have also complained about the $500 (£317) registration fee for the Nashville conference.

The year-old Tea Party movement draws together opponents of Mr Obama's healthcare reform, his economic stimulus package and other aspects of his agenda.

Swell, more leeches on my wallet.... just what I needed.

2010-02-01T15:38:00.001-07:00

As food distribution improves, Haitians want U.S to 'take over'

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI -- International relief organizations backed by American soldiers delivered hundreds of tons of rice to homeless residents of the Haitian capital Sunday, laboring to ease a food shortage that has left countless thousands struggling to find enough to eat.

But even as food-aid workers enjoyed their most successful day since the Jan. 12 earthquake, the increasingly prominent role of U.S. troops and civilians in the capital is creating high expectations that the Obama administration is struggling to contain.

The needs are extraordinary, and the common refrain is that the Americans will provide.

"I want the Americans to take over the country. The Haitian government can't do anything for us," said Jean-Louis Geffrard, a laborer who lives under a tarp in the crowded square. "When we tell the government we're hungry, the government says, 'We're hungry, too.' "

Added Canga Matthieu, a medical student whose school was destroyed: "The American government should take care of us."

"They're well organized. The United States is the richest country in the world, and they can help."

But help has its limits, U.S. officials emphasize in their public statements and in their interactions with Haitians. "You will have a friend and partner in the United States of America today and going forward," President Obama said the day after the earthquake. But U.S. officials here make it clear that the American government is not responsible for rebuilding the ravaged country.

"The military forces . . . are not here to do any reconstruction. That is not our mission," said Col. Rick Kaiser, a U.S. Army engineer overseeing emergency repairs to the Port-au-Prince docks, the electrical and water systems, and other battered infrastructure in the hemisphere's poorest country.

Administration officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, describe virtually every activity here as "Haiti-led," although the government is barely functioning and its record was checkered even before the earthquake killed more than 110,000 people and leveled an array of government ministries.

Louis Lucke, the senior U.S. Agency for International Development official in Haiti, stood in an American-run medical complex Saturday with President René Préval and told reporters that "the Haitians are leading the process in all the areas that are necessary" -- including food distribution, despite strong evidence to the contrary.

U.S. officials are doing what they can to bolster the stature of Préval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and to promote international assistance efforts for the more-daunting work that lies ahead. In the meantime, they are deploying personnel to support projects from food delivery to the erection of a temporary hospital near Port-au-Prince.

Sgt. 1st Class Jason Jacot, an Army engineer, drove to a critical power station in the Delmas neighborhood Sunday morning to assess repairs made by Haitian and Dominican workers.

Markestre Theolien, a supervisor with Haiti Electricity, the national utility, lamented the condition of the 27-year-old transformers and asked for new ones. Asked where the help should come from, he smiled and said, "U.S.A."

"So they're expecting us to take over?" Jacot asked a translator. "No, no, no. How can we assist without completely rebuilding? We're not here to rebuild."

The discussion went back and forth cordially. Jacot said he would be talking with the utility's director to learn what was needed. Theolien defined his bottom line: "What we really want is the United States to rebuild it, to modernize."

U.S. soldiers, whose numbers within Haiti have risen to 6,500, played a central role in Sunday's food distributions, working alongside U.N. peacekeepers to prevent the pushing, shoving and occasional melees that have severely hampered deliveries. Where U.S. troops have been present in recent days, relief workers say, deliveries have gone smoothly.

By day's end, the U.N. World Food Program calculated that roughly 400 metric tons of rice had been delivered to nine sites. Five more locations will be running early in the week, a spokesman said, but increased gang violence in the Cité Soleil slums made deliveries too risky.

The generally smooth deliveries on Sunday, based on a new system of ration cards, were met with pleasure at the Place du Canape Vert, an impromptu settlement where several hundred families received large sacks marked "Product of USA" or "USA Best Rice." Yet some asked when there would be something more than rice, while others wanted to know why they were left out.

Deliveries will resume Monday as the World Food Program, bolstered by an $80 million U.S. contribution, seeks to reach 2 million people in the next two weeks. The agency hopes the system will lead to distribution of other badly needed food and relief supplies.

At the ramshackle encampment, some residents were boiling water for rice within an hour of the delivery. Some had beans or root vegetables to add, and a few had meat. Those who could afford neither complained that rice alone would not be enough.

"It's there, but we can do nothing with it. We only got rice. No oil, nothing. And it's not easy to find water," said Flore Laurent, who is eight months pregnant. But she had nothing but praise for the role of the American soldiers. "I vote for the help of the U.S., 100 percent."

A throng of people in the square discussed their lack of faith in Haitian authorities. One after another, they said their only hope is the United States.

"The Haitian government has been here for a while, and they give us nothing. The United States should take over the country," said Andrelita Laguerre, shepherding four children and a grandchild at the camp. "Most of my friends expect the United States to take over. I wish!"

Give a man a fish, and he’ll bring his whole country over to eat all your fish.

There are no "routine" traffic stops.

2010-01-29T09:02:00.003-07:00

Officer Shot, Killed During Traffic Stop

Lt. Eric Shuhandler A 12-Year Veteran Of Gilbert Police Department

POSTED: 6:43 am MST January 29, 2010
UPDATED: 8:43 am MST January 29, 2010

PHOENIX -- More than 20 investigators are at the scene where a Gilbert Police Department veteran was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop late Thursday evening.
According to a representative from the Gilbert Police Department, Lt. Eric Shuhandler, a 12-year veteran of the department, was shot once in the parking lot of a Fry's Marketplace at Val Vista Drive and Baseline Road.
"Two Mesa police sergeants were across the street, just north of Baseline," said spokesman Sgt. Mark Marino. "They heard the shot that was fired. They came over almost immediately (and) discovered Lt. Shuhandler."
Shuhandler was transported to the Maricopa Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The two suspects were spotted near Greenfield and Baseline roads, and officers chased them on U.S. 60 to Superior, police said. Both men were hit during a shootout with officers at the end of the pursuit.
During the pursuit, the suspects threw debris from the work truck, disabling two patrol cars and a civilian vehicle, police said.
Both suspects are in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety will take the lead in the investigation of the pursuit and the shootout on U.S. 60, a DPS representative said. The road will remain closed until officers have finished gathering evidence.
Take the perps out of the hospital and shoot them both. Save the time, trouble and cost of a trial. I don't want to hear the wailing and lamentations of their mothers, sisters or baby-mamas. I want them dead, today would be good. Oh gee, is this politically incorrect? Maybe mean or insensitive? So is shooting officer Shuhandler.
I demand an eye for an eye, I think God does too.

DPS confronts man with children on I-17

2010-01-28T04:51:00.001-07:00

Garcia told authorities that their car had broken down, but officers found no car in the area. When officers asked Garcia to move to the other side of the guardrail with the children, he began to act frantic, authorities said. With the 5-year-old in his arms, Garcia started walking north into traffic, leaving the 6-year-old on the shoulder.

The officer attempted to calm Garcia down by stepping back, but Garcia continued into the next lane. Because traffic was light at the time, Garcia made it to the far lane, adjacent to the HOV lane.

Drivers noticed Garcia and came to a stop, allowing the officer to run into the road. Two Phoenix police officers traveling in unmarked cars arrived at the scene.

As Garcia became cornered, he claimed to have a gun. Officers used a Taser and forced him to the ground, according to DPS.

Officers discovered he had a fully loaded .45-caliber Taurus pistol, extra ammunition and a glass smoking device in his pockets. A check of the pistol revealed it was stolen.

Both children were unharmed and taken into Child Protective Services custody. CPS has begun an investigation.

Garcia was arrested and taken to the Fourth Avenue Jail. He could face charges of child abuse, threatening or intimidating, misconduct involving weapons, aggravated assault on a police officer, endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia, obstruction of a highway, and theft and possession of stolen property.

I could walk to the site of this and not break a sweat.

2010-01-27T17:38:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX (AP) - Authorities say a suspect in a domestic violence incident was shot and killed after he pulled out a gun and two Phoenix police officers opened fire.

Sgt. Tommy Thompson says neither of the officers, both 35-years-old, were injured in the shooting Monday night.

According to Thompson, the officers were investigating a domestic violence situation when they spotted a 51-year-old man who turned out to be a suspect in the case. When the officers attempted to contact the man, he pulled out a gun and the officers shot him.

The man's name has not been released. The officers are being placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, which is standard procedure.

Dear John.....

2010-01-24T06:34:00.001-07:00

Former Ariz. congressman plans run against McCain

PHOENIX (AP) - Former Arizona Congressman J.D. Hayworth says he's planning to run against John McCain for his U.S. Senate seat.

Hayworth told The Associated Press late Friday that he stepped down as host of his radio program on KFYI-AM, a conservative radio talk show in Phoenix. Legally, he wouldn't be able to host the program and be an active candidate.

Hayworth was ousted from his Congressional seat in 2007 after 12 years in office by Democrat Harry Mitchell, and has hosted the radio show for the past few years.

Hayworth says he's not formally announcing a run for the Senate seat, but that "we're moving forward to challenge John McCain."

He added that he's had a wonderful time at KFYI, but "it's time to enter public life again."

Dear John: You lost the presidential election because you weren't conservative enough. You had to bring in Sarah Palin to bump up your creds, and since she wasn't going to be president, we didn't vote for you. You really have lost the conservative base in you home state, being such a liberal and all. JD was in the house for 12 years (good enough). He's amiable, well spoken and can whip your tired old ass.

PS. Thanks for the Viet Nam service, we still consider you a war hero. But then we still consider Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan to be Basketball players too.

Hmmmm....

2010-01-21T07:28:00.001-07:00

Why is it, when a Republican gets elected, the voters are described as “angry” and when a Liberal Democrat gets elected, suddenly the voters are “enlightened, yearning for hope and change”?

Ah, those quaint customs South of the Border....

2010-01-18T04:41:00.001-07:00

Human head found by tomb of Mexican drug lord Beltran Leyva

Mexico City - A human head and a red flower were found Sunday by the tomb of Mexican drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva, who was killed by Mexican security forces in a raid last month. The office of the Attorney General of the state of Sinaloa said that an employee of the Jardines del Humaya cemetery in the city of Culiacan, about 1,200 kilometres northwest of Mexico City, had informed them of the finding. Several suspected drug bosses are buried in that cemetery.

Mexican authorities did not immediately know the identity of the person whose head was laid on the steps of access to the tomb with a flower in one ear. The rest of the body was found inside a plastic bag in the same cemetery, by the tomb of Gonzalo "El Chalo" Araujo, a boss of the Sinaloa drug cartel who was killed in October 2006.

Beltran Leyva, a former boss of the Sinaloa cartel, died on December 16 in a clash with members of the Mexican Navy in Cuernavaca, about 70 kilometres south of Mexico City.

The drug lord known as "El Barbas" had created in 2008 a new cartel under his own family name, after splitting with the Sinaloa cartel. He was regarded as one of Mexico's most dangerous drug traffickers.

Violence linked to organized crime claimed over 7,700 dead in Mexico in 2009, according to a count made by the daily El Universal.

Obama stumps for Coakley; Scott Brown holds counter-rally

2010-01-17T16:33:00.001-07:00

By Matt Viser, Eric Moskowitz, and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

President Barack Obama urged Massachusetts voters at a Boston rally today to cast their ballots for Democrat Martha Coakley, saying she would fight for working people while her opponent, Scott Brown, is marching in "lockstep" with Washington Republicans who want to return to the failed policies of the Bush-Cheney administration.

Yeah, those eight years were pretty sucky. Must be why he was elected twice.

"Where we don't want to go now is backwards," (Since when does he impersonate Yoda?) Obama told a crowd of 1,500 Coakley supporters at a Northeastern University gymnasium. "We've got so much work left to do. ... I can't do it alone. I need leaders like Martha by my side so we can kick it into high gear, so we can finish what we've started."

This country won't willingly trash itself ya know...

Obama traveled to the city to lend a hand to Coakley, the state's attorney general, because she is facing an unexpectedly tough challenge from Brown, a previously little-known state senator, in a race that could be crucial to the president's success in pressing his agenda in Washington. The president's appearance will be a key test of his ability to reenergize his dispirited party, the Globe reported this morning.

The president's speech was briefly interrupted by a shout of "Abortion! Abortion! Innocent Blood!" Two men and an 8-year-old boy were escorted out of the room by police. One of the men could be seen holding a placard that read, "Jesus loves all babies."

Brown held a competing rally at about the same time at Mechanics Hall in Worcester that was attended by 2,200 people, with other people spilling over into two additional rooms.

The rally's speakers included a number of Massachusetts sports and entertainment celebrities, including former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling; Doug Flutie, the former Boston College and NFL quarterback; John Ratzenberger, the actor who portrayed "Cliff" on the TV show "Cheers," and Brown's daughter, Ayla, a BC basketball player and former American Idol contestant.

One sign said, "The president may be in Boston, but the real people of Mass. are here with Scott Brown in Worcester." And we cool like dat.......

Some of the sports figures likened the feeling at the rally, which came just two days before the election, to that of a locker room before a team goes out to win a championship.

"This feels to me like a clubhouse on the morning of Game 7," said Schilling, a World Series hero for the Red Sox. AND ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS!!!!!!

"I stand before you as the proud candidate of Democrats, Republicans, and independents across Massachusetts, north and south, east and west," Brown told the crowd. "I will serve no faction but Massachusetts. I will pursue no agenda but what is right. I will be nobody's senator but yours."

"Friends and fellow citizens, I'm Scott Brown, I'm from Wrentham, I drive a truck and I'm asking for your vote," said Brown, who has made much of the fact that he owns a pickup truck with 200,000 miles on it.

But Obama told people at the Boston rally, "You've got to look under the hood," saying that Brown had a record of voting with the Republicans 96 percent of the time and it would be "hard to suggest" he would be independent from the Republican agenda.

Coakley told the crowd that "people are angry at the policies of the past that frankly rewarded the wealthy and left Main Street behind" and that people "deserve someone who's going to tackle the tough problems and get us back on track."

"Scott Brown is on the side of Wall Street CEOs. I'm on the side of taxpayers. I'm on your side to make sure that we change this," she said.

A series of Massachusetts elected officials spoke to the crowd before Obama took the stage. Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the widow of Edward M. Kennedy, whose death opened up the seat the Brown and Coakley are vying for, also spoke.

"As Teddy would say, Jan. 19 is the date, Massachusetts is the state, and Martha Coakley is our candidate," Kennedy told the crowd. And then he would say, "errrr, ahhhh, weah are da broads at? I, errr ahhh, seem to have misplaced my gin rickey.... errrrrahhhh."

Outside in the streets earlier today, an energetic crowd of thousands, most of them young people, stood in lines that stretched about a half-mile, hoping to get into the event.

Many held Coakley campaign signs. Some said they had been waiting for hours. Sarah Jane Vaughan, 31, of Arlington, said she was attending the event because she wanted to support Coakley. "It is nice right now that everyone is energized," she said.

Dozens of Brown supporters were also there, holding signs for their candidate bearing messages such as, "Make Obama frown, Vote for Scott Brown" and "What makes Dems vote Red, Big Bad Brown!"

Coakley entered the special election, which is on Tuesday, with a huge advantage: Registered Democrats in Massachusetts outnumber Republicans three-to-one, and the GOP hasn't won a US Senate seat here since 1972. But Brown has apparently tapped into a discontented electorate and appears to be making headway with the unpredictable independents who make up the majority of the voters.

If Brown were elected, it could have an immediate impact on the debate over health care reform in Washington. Brown has promised to be the 41st vote against the president's health care reform bill in Washington, while Coakley has promised to be the 60th vote for it. Political pundits are saying a victory by Brown could put Obama's entire agenda in Washington in jeopardy and foreshadow a seismic political shift in Washington toward the GOP.

Come on Mass. Do what's right.

Independent Joseph L. Kennedy, who is no relation to the famous Massachusetts political family, is also running. Not even sure why we brought him up.

The President and Unions get together for a mutual prostate massage.

2010-01-17T05:40:00.001-07:00

Unions will dodge O's health tax

By CARL CAMPANILE

Big Labor got some big love from President Obama and congressional Democrats yesterday after they agreed to exempt union workers from the whopping "Cadillac tax" on high-cost health-care plans until 2018.

The sweetheart deal, hammered out behind closed doors, will save union employees at least $60 billion over the years involved, while others won't be as lucky -- they'll have to cough up almost $90 billion.

Remember: it's Hope and Change, not Fair and Balanced.

The 40 percent excise tax on what have come to be called "Cadillac" health-care plans would exempt collective-bargaining contracts covering government employees and other union members until Jan. 1, 2018.

In another major concession to labor, the value of dental and vision plans would be exempt from the tax even after the deal expires in eight years, negotiators said.

Under the plan to help fund health-care reform, the tax would kick in for plans valued at $8,900 or more for individuals and $24,000 or more for families.

That's slightly higher than the $8,500 and $23,000 thresholds in the bill passed by the Senate last month.

The threshold will be even higher for certain plans with many older workers and women -- a move to benefit unions with a high proportion of female membership, sources said.

New York labor leaders -- who had initially campaigned against the Cadillac tax, favoring instead a surcharge on the wealthy -- said they are thrilled.

No shit, really? Self serving bastards.

"We can live with it. We have an agreement that nothing will be taxed until 2018," crowed George Boncoraglio, regional president of the Civil Service Employees Association.

Officials said the deal was thrashed out over more than 15 hours of negotiating at the White House that ended after midnight Wednesday.

Powerful unions were well-represented around the bargaining table.

Some of the paybacks for their "strongarm the vote" efforts included prostate massages and blowjobs under the same table.

Participants included AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and Andy Stern, head of Service Employees International Union; Anna Burger, head of Change to Win; and the leaders of unions representing teachers, government workers, food and commercial workers, and electricians.

Stern has been among the most frequent visitors to the White House over the last year, showing up more than 20 times, according to logs.

Originally, the Cadillac tax included in the Senate bill was estimated to raise $149 billion through 2019.

But Trumka said the exemption would reduce that amount by $60 billion -- money that negotiators will now have to find elsewhere, or reduce the coverage in the legislation.

Guess where they're gonna find it? TAX INCREASES!!!

Boncoraglio said CSEA leaders were meeting in Albany -- preparing to wage a major offensive against the tax -- when their Washington lobbyist called and briefed them on the changes.

Obama backs the Cadillac excise tax, citing economists who say it would drive down costs by encouraging insurance companies to offer employers and workers a chance to buy lower-cost health plans to avoid the levy.

You work your ass off to afford something extra, and you get punished for it or pushed into buying something less. Classic socialism: we all must ride in the same leaky boat or else we get thrown overboard.

McCain strategist: Palin thought candidacy was mapped by God

2010-01-11T04:34:00.001-07:00

Associated Press
Monday, January 11, 2010

Sarah Palin believed that Sen. John McCain chose her to be his running mate in the 2008 presidential race because of "God's plan," according to a top political strategist in the Arizona Republican's campaign.
In an interview with the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes," Steve Schmidt described Palin as "very calm -- nonplussed" after McCain met with her at his Arizona ranch just before putting her on the Republican ticket. McCain had planned to name Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) as his choice until word leaked, sparking what Schmidt called political blowback over selecting the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee.
Schmidt, McCain's chief campaign adviser, said he asked Palin about her serenity in the face of becoming "one of the most famous people in the world." He quoted her as saying, "It's God's plan." Palin has not ruled out a run for the presidency.
Schmidt was interviewed by "60 Minutes" for a segment about a new book about the 2008 presidential race, "Game Change," by John Heilemann of New York magazine and Mark Halperin of Time.
Schmidt credited Palin with being a quick study and for giving a great speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., but he said it soon became clear that she often was not accurate in her remarks.
"There were numerous instances that she said things that were -- that were not accurate that, ultimately, the campaign had to deal with. And that opened the door to criticism that she was being untruthful and inaccurate. And I think that that is something that continues to this day," he said.
Palin's spokeswoman, Meg Stapleton, has disputed the version of events presented in the book.
"The governor's descriptions of these events are found in her book, 'Going Rogue.' Her descriptions are accurate," Stapleton said in a statement to "60 Minutes." She added, "She was there. These reporters were not."
Schmidt conceded that had Palin not been on the ticket, "our margin of defeat would've been greater than it would've been otherwise."

And now, we shall portray the belief in God and that He has a plan for your life, as the ravings of a simpleton. Compare the reactions to this story to the fact Obama went to Jeremy Wrights' Church of the Ranting Loon for 20 years and never heard him spout off his lunacy. Say.... when was the last time our Christian in Chief went to church? I don't go myself, but I never claimed to either.

2010-01-06T08:48:00.001-07:00

What lies behind us and lies before us are small matters compared to what lies right to our faces.

Police ID teen accidentally run over by sister at Mesa mall

2010-01-04T04:25:00.001-07:00

MESA -- Police have identified a 17-year-old boy who was killed Saturday when his teenaged sister accidentally ran over him with her car.

Mesa Police spokesman, Ed Wessing, said Dwight J. Brock, Jr. was dropped off at Superstition Springs mall by his 16-year-old sister Nicole Saturday evening.

According to Wessing, the two were playing around, with Dwight jumping in front of the car and Nicole slamming on the brakes.

The last time that happened Nicole was reportedly unable to stop and ran over her brother.

Dwight was taken to a local hospital in extremely critical condition and was later pronounced dead.

It's all fun and games until your sister runs over your head and pops your eyes out.

Court upholds police pointing gun at lawful carrier

2010-01-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

It's open season on gun carriers.

A case out of the First Circuit has some painful lessons for gun carriers in Georgia. A United States Circuit Court of Appeals last week upheld the constitutionality of pointing a gun at any citizen daring to carry, lawfully, a concealed weapon in public.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals is the Court just below the United States Supreme Court in the New England states. The case stems from a lawyer who sued a police officer after he was detained for lawfully carrying a concealed weapon while in possession of a license to carry concealed. According to the case opinion, the lawyer, Greg Schubert, had a pistol concealed under his suit coat, and Mr. Schubert was walking in what the court described as a "high crime area." At some point a police officer, J.B. Stern, who lived up to his last name, caught a glimpse of the attorney's pistol, and he leapt out of his patrol car "in a dynamic and explosive manner" with his gun drawn, pointing it at the attorney's face.

Officer Stern "executed a pat-frisk," and Mr. Schubert produced his license to carry a concealed weapon. He was disarmed and ordered to stand in front of the patrol car in the hot sun. At some point, the officer locked him in the back seat of the police car and delivered a lecture. Officer Stern "partially Mirandized Schubert, mentioned the possibility of a criminal charge, and told Schubert that he (Stern) was the only person allowed to carry a weapon on his beat."

For most people, this would be enough to conclude that they were being harassed for the exercise of a constitutional right, but the officer went further, seizing the attorney's pistol and leaving with it. Officer Stern reasoned that because he could not confirm the "facially valid" license to carry, he would not permit the attorney to carry. Officer Stern drove away with the license and the firearm, leaving the attorney unarmed, dressed in a suit, and alone in what the officer himself argued was a high crime area.

The attorney sued in federal court, but the District Court threw out his suit, ruling that Officer Stern's behavior is the proper way to treat people who lawfully carry concealed pistols. Mr. Schubert appealed, and the First Circuit upheld the District Court's ruling. The court held that the stop was lawful and that Officer Stern "was permitted to take actions to ensure his own safety."

The court further held that the officer was entitled to confirm the validity of a "facially valid" license to carry a concealed weapon. The problem for Officer Stern was that there is no way to do so in Massachusetts, where this incident occurred. As a result, the court held that Officer Stern "sensibly opted to terminate the stop and release Schubert, but retain the weapon."

Georgia is not in the First Circuit, but this case holds some harsh lessons for Georgians who exercise their right to bear arms. Recall that in the MARTA case here in Georgia, the court held that the officer was entitled to take measures to protect himself, including disarming the person carrying, and entitled to investigate further for a half hour even after Mr. Raissi produced a Georgia firearms license. Although the officers in that case did not actually point a gun at Mr. Raissi's face, as Officer Stern did to attorney Schubert, it is a logical conclusion that the court would have upheld the constitutionality of them doing so. The vast majority of the cases MARTA cited in its briefs to the federal court included an officer pointing a gun at the person stopped. In addition, carrying a concealed weapon onto the MARTA system is a felony, and no court is going to hold that an officer violated any constitutional right by pointing a gun at an armed felon.

Furthermore, it must be recalled that Georgia, like Massachussetts and the vast majority of states, has no system to confirm the validity of a Georgia firearms license. The similarities between the MARTA federal opinion and the First Circuit opinion are startling, and the implications for Georgia are clear.

This First Circuit case is a logical extension of the MARTA case here in Georgia, and it shows what armed Georgians can expect if the General Assembly does not take action soon to correct the presumption of criminality that federal judge Thomas Thrash attached to the exercise of the right to bear arms.

Welcome to the new "right" to bear arms.

Rush Limbaugh Says Doctors Found "Nothing Wrong"

2010-01-03T08:06:00.004-07:00

LOS ANGELES, Jan 2 - (Reuters) - Influential conservative U.S. radio host Rush Limbaugh said on Friday doctors had found nothing wrong with him after he was hospitalized this week in Hawaii with sharp chest pains.

Limbaugh, 58, underwent an angiogram, or an imaging of the arteries and heart, to determine what caused the pain "like I have never experienced before," he said.

"They found absolutely nothing wrong. It was a blessing. No arterial disease, no coronary disease whatsoever," Limbaugh told reporters at Honolulu's Queen's Medical Center, where he was rushed on Wednesday from a nearby resort.

It was unclear when Limbaugh would return to his top-rated radio show, with 20 million listeners weekly. But he did use the news conference to take a jab at Democrats and their top policy priority -- healthcare reform that aims to give coverage to 47 million uninsured Americans and lower costs.

"Based on what happened to me here, I don't think there is one thing wrong with the American healthcare system. It is working just fine," he said.

Limbaugh, a multimillionaire, said he got no special treatment, but the staff made his stay "almost like a hotel."

That settles it: I'm going back to my 3 cigar a day habit.

Police warn against vigilantism in wake of bow and arrow incident

2010-01-03T08:04:00.001-07:00

By Leslie Slape / The Daily News | Posted: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 11:00 pm

The mother of a man shot with a bow and arrow by an apparent vigilante is angry at some of the public response to the Dec. 13 incident, deriding online story comments as "hero worship."

Jacquelyne Crayne of Longview said in an interview this week the man who allegedly shot her son in the left buttock "took matters into his own hands that belonged to the police."

According to a Kelso police report, Scott Schwingdorf saw Galen Crayne prowling around a neighbor's property in North Kelso, a house that was vacant due to a recent fire. Schwingdorf yelled, and Crayne ran. Schwingdorf chased him to Cliff's Hilltop Market and shot him in the buttock with a broadhead arrow, according to police

The incident sparked a volley of anonymous online praise for the alleged shooter, including "he should be given a medal" and predictions that the crime rate would plummet if "more burglars were met with this kind of action."

The incident and the reaction to it are prompting police to remind the public that vigilante justice can have dangerous consequences.

A citizen who takes the law into his or her own hands puts people in danger, police say. A gun could go off accidentally, shooting the citizen, a loved one, an innocent bystander or a responding police officer. A suspect, cornered, could strike back.

"Many years ago, an employee at Keil's on Ocean Beach Highway (where Safeway is today) tried to stop a shoplifter and his face was slashed," recalled Detective Sgt. Mike Hallowell of the Longview Police. "He came extremely close to his jugular being cut."

He said most civilians don't have police or self-defense training, and if they're armed they could have weapons "taken from you and turned on you."

Law enforcement's advice is that "you find a safe place and call 911, and wait for us to take action," he said. "Wait for us to take the danger."

Vigilantes risk felony charges of their own, though the law does allow citizens some room to defend themselves and their property. Washington law RCW 9A.16.020 allows use of force in these instances:

When used to arrest someone who has committed a felony and deliver the suspect to a public officer.

When used by a party about to be injured or about to suffer "malicious interference " to his own property. The force must be "not more than is necessary."

When force is "reasonably" used by the owner of property to detain someone who unlawfully enters his property.

If a prosecutor determines a citizen has exceeded the boundaries of the law, charges may be filed. Some people have gone to prison for taking the law into their own hands.

However, a Toledo homeowner who shot and killed a nighttime intruder in his home Oct. 27 seems unlikely to face charges in Lewis County. Although the case remains open, Lewis County Sheriff's Patrol Commander Steve Aust said Tuesday that, unless new evidence arises unexpectedly, it looks like the shooter legitimately acted in self defense.

In the Dec. 13 Kelso case, a police report has been sent to the Cowlitz County Prosecutor's Office. Both Crayne and Schwingdorf could face charges Crayne for burglary or criminal trespass, Schwingdorf for assault.

Charging decisions probably will be made in early January, said Chief Criminal Deputy Michelle Shaffer. Until a charging decision is made, the prosecutor's office will not comment.

Crayne's mother doesn't shield her son from blame, but she's angry at Schwingdorf for shooting him.

"The man had 3 1/2 blocks to think about what he was doing, and he didn't think," Jacquelyne Crayne said. She said there's no excuse for burglary, but "this takes it to a whole different level. Somebody's got to try to get through to people. Think this through before somebody's killed for stuff that doesn't even belong to you."

"He wasn't protecting himself. He wasn't protecting his own property," she said. "It was somebody else's property he had deemed himself in control of."

She said Monday the arrow still is deeply embedded in her son's pelvis. A decision is pending whether he will undergo extensive surgery to remove it. Her son broke off the shaft the night of the shooting, according to police.

Schwingdorf has not responded to Daily News requests for interviews as recently as Tuesday.

Some previous local attempts at vigilantism have had fatal and near-fatal consequences and worked out badly for the vigilantes.

Earlier this year, for example, Ringo Joe Hubbard, Jennifer Lowe, Edward Pelton and Delayna Stanley were sentenced to prison for their roles in the near-fatal shooting of Emanuel "Wes" Wesley. They meted out vigilante justice after Longview police found no evidence to support Lowe's contention that Wesley deliberately broke a window. The glass caused minor cuts to her son's face.

In 2002, Phillip Butters-Perry, Dale Ziolkowski, Michael Chilson and Sandy Fehr went to prison for their roles in the near-fatal beating Scott Vanskike of Longview. They were punishing him for the theft of two leather coats.

Even though Oliver Hooker was acquitted, he suffered as much as if he were guilty. In 2002, Hooker, of Centralia, shot and killed a suspected burglar, David Cline of Longview. Hooker, who had been burglarized 10 times before the shooting, was charged with first-degree manslaughter. Although a Lewis County jury found him not guilty, Hooker said the ordeal left him bitter and broken.

The psychological burden of using deadly force is something average citizens have no concept of, said Hallowell of the Longview Police.

"You've taken a life or you've injured somebody and you're trying to live afterward," he said. "There are psychological aftereffects."

Even police officers, who have mandatory counseling after they take a life or discharge a weapon, have trouble with the burden of regret, he said. "There's a significant increase in those that leave law enforcement."

Mom is right. The guy with the bow had no right to injure a fleeing criminal (especially after 3 1/2 blocks) there was no threat to him or anyone else at that time, and you don't try to kill someone for "messing with my stuff". And it wasn't even the bowmans property being burgled. Even if he is not charged (he should be) the civil liability in this case is going to make him live in a world of hurt.

Ooooo mommy, look at the big stupid thugs....

2010-01-02T06:30:00.002-07:00

There's nothing quite like having a crisis on your hands to start a new year and a new decade, but that's exactly what David Stern has with the revelation that two Washington Wizards players allegedly drew guns on each other before a recent practice.

If true, the dangerous and idiotic behavior by Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittendon should be used by Stern to set an example.

The problem is, this is not the aftermath of the riot at Auburn Hills when Stern wasted almost no time in handing out record suspensions to Ron Artest, among others, for running into the stands to exchange punches with unruly fans. In that case, albeit a very different case, Stern was right to rush to judgment. The entire episode was seen on TV by millions that very night and for days after, amounting to the worst night in NBA history. So Stern couldn't afford to wait when he knew his league would be flogged, publicly, if he did not take swift and appropriate action.

But in this case, Stern needs to treat this like other legal issues and wait to see what D.C. police and the U.S. Attorney's office find in their joint investigation. Gunplay goes beyond the basketball court and the NBA's jurisdiction.

Friday, the NBA said it was monitoring the police investigation while continuing to do its own, and Arenas denied the story to The Washington Post and to people who are acting as his advisers.

When you've got $80 million coming to you after this season, over the next four years, as Arenas does, and your contract could be voided in this kind of mess, it makes sense to tell the world that the allegations are false.

But if it turns out that Arenas and Crittenton did, in fact, draw weapons and are indicted on gun charges, then Stern should hope that the players are harshly penalized in local courts.

After that, Stern needs to follow up with additional penalties. They have to be severe. He has to turn this particular episode into a landmark case.

If the two drew guns, then Stern has to send a message that firearms will no longer be tolerated in the NBA.

No exceptions.

From here on out, players who don't abide by the rule should be banned from the league. For life.

Throw Arenas out. Throw Crittenton out. Consider what happened down in D.C. a warning to all players.

Harsh as it is, it's the only way to go, rather than to risk having players one day actually exchanging gunfire.

Does the NBA really need that? Just imagine the outcry, from coast to coast, if one player ever shot another. It would make Auburn Hills look like a minor fracas.

IF TRUE: What a pair of idiots. Never point a weapon at something you don't want to destroy. Guns are not used to impress people or threaten them, they are for defense and they are made to kill. PERIOD. If I pulled a gun on someone frivolously, I would lose my job and go to jail. They deserve the same.

Alleged Nigeria terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutall tries to explode Northwest Airlines 253 to Detroit

2009-12-26T07:23:00.001-07:00

An Al Qaeda-linked terrorist attempted to blow up a packed commercial jet over Detroit on Friday, but was tackled by heroic passengers as he tried to explode the bomb, officials said.

Nigerian extremist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was subdued immediately aboard Northwest Flight 253 - carrying 278 passengers and 11 crew members - minutes before the plane landed, officials said.

A White House official called the incident "an attempted act of terrorism" and said President Obama was monitoring events.

"It was a fairly sophisticated device," Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) told the Daily News after counterterrorism officials briefed him. "If it would have worked, he could have brought the plane down."

Obama immediately ordered security tightened at airports across the nation, raising travelers' fears on one of the busiest days of the year.

Abdulmutallab, who suffered third-degree burns, told authorities he got the explosives in Yemen and received orders from Al Qaeda operatives to detonate the device aboard a plane over U.S. soil, officials said.

The suspect, reportedly an engineering student at University College of London, said he had explosive powder taped to his leg.

He confessed to trying to use a chemical-filled syringe designed to ignite the powder, ABC News reported.

King called the explosive "a new device."

"The subject is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the device was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," a federal bulletin warned.

King said Abdulmutallab was not on a no-fly list, but was known to have terrorist connections in northern Africa - a hotbed of militant activity.

"He's part of a terrorist nexus," King said.

Officials said Abdulmutallab was traveling one way, without a return ticket. He boarded the Airbus 330 in Amsterdam after transferring from another flight out of Lagos, Nigeria. The flight then continued to Detroit.

Passengers said the frightening incident lasted only a few, chaotic minutes.

Several said they heard a loud popping noise, smelled smoke and then spotted flames leaping from the man's lap.

"It was higher than the seat," Stephanie van Herk, 22, told The Wall Street Journal.

Pandemonium ensued as crew members tried to douse the suspect with water.

Passenger Syed Jafry said that's when a burly man jumped over several seats and tackled the blood-thirsty extremist.

"He took him under his arm and got hold of his neck and then other people helped him," Jafry, who was sitting three rows behind the suspect, told Fox News. "He handled it very well."

"It was terrifying," Richelle Keepman told CNN. "We all thought we weren't going to land, we weren't going to make it."

Once the severely burned terrorist was subdued, he was dragged to the front of the plane and restrained there until the jet landed a few minutes later.

A passenger sitting nearby said the man, his legs charred and his pants cut off, appeared eerily calm.

"He didn't show any reaction to pain or to any feeling of shock or nervousness," said Melinda Dennis. "He just looked like a normal individual."

The heroic passenger was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center and was still hospitalized Friday night. The extent of his injuries was not revealed. The suspect was being treated at the same hospital under heavy guard and was expected to survive, officials said.

Obama spoke by conference call with national security advisers and then he "instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel," White House spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement.

Authorities on Friday night were investigating how Abdulmutallab got on the plane with explosives.

The Homeland Security Department said passengers may see additional screening measures on all flights because of the incident.

"We encourage those with future travel plans to stay in touch with their airline and to visit www.tsa.gov for updates," the department said.

"ALLEGED" terrorist? You think it's possible we are misinterpreting this guys actions or motives at this point?

Senate 'Liberal Fat Ass' Remembered in Health Debate

2009-12-24T09:21:00.002-07:00

The memory of Sen. Drunk as a Skunk Kennedy loomed over the Senate Thursday (much as his bloated corpulent carcass did) when his weary colleagues moved his life's work, booze,broads, and healthcare to cure his various VD and liver ailments, to the brink of reality.

''He's having a Merry Christmas in the Cemetery,'' said an emotional Sen. Brownnose Kirk, D-Mass., who was appointed to fill the seat after Kennedy succumbed to brain cancer in August. Kirk said it was an honor to essentially cast Kennedy's vote as majority Democrats passed the Senate's version of a bill that would extend insurance to 30 million Americans. "If this was Chicago, he would still be voting." Kirk said.

The sunrise vote was a dramatic end to a tortured debate in which Majority Leader Harried struggled and ultimately succeeded to line up 60 votes to overcome a Republican half hearted effort to stop this travesty.

The pre-dawn procession to the Senate had the feel of a bittersweet, Christmas Eve memorial, with Kennedy's close friends and former staffers nearly filling the galleries, his name on the tips of everyone's tongues, and his fat, undead corpse roaming the halls looking for interns to bang, and then eat. With the dawn, he would return to his zombie lair in Hyannis Port.

''With Sen. Ted Kennedy's rasping voice in our ears, with his evil in our hearts, we say, as he said: The work goes on, the cause endures,'' said Reid, D-Nev. At that moment an intern reached over and pinched Senator Reids Depends Undergarment saying, "Did you poopie? Yes I think you did poopie! Let's get you kweaned up... such a big boy!"

Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade lit up a nearly-empty Pennsylvania Avenue at 6:30 a.m. EST, Capitol Police bringing the mini-traffic jam near the Senate parking spaces to a halt as it passed. As his presence was not required in the Senate or the White House, no one is really sure why he did this, other than the fact that he could. And that spending taxpayer dollars on useless motorcades somehow "stimulates him". People in dark suits climbed the hill and lined up at the security entrances with their Neuralyzers at the ready.

Michigan Democrat John Dingell, at 83 the longest-serving member of the House, used two crutches to navigate the ice outside the Senate chamber as he made his way inside with his wife, Debbie, at his side. Debbie Dingell.... say it out loud. Poor woman.

The galleries quickly filled with the guests of senators, as the lawmakers themselves trickled into the chamber and took their seats under the baleful gaze of Kennedy's widow, Vicki.

''Mr. President, this is for my friend, Ted Kennedy,'' intoned Sen Robert Byrd D-W.Va., the longest-serving member of Congress in history, as he cast his vote for the bill. At that moment, Senator Byrd cackled aloud, threw back his head and crumbled to dust, his task of screwing American Taxpayers nearly completed. He was then sucked up by the Sergeant at Arms with a 15 gallon Shop-Vac, to be reconstituted at a future date with the blood of virgins in a secret ceremony held by his "former" fraternity, The Invisible Empire of the Ku Klux Klan.

The news as I see it...

The Magical Years

2009-12-20T07:54:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX -- A man was hit and killed by a city of Phoenix bus Saturday night. It happened near the intersection of 27th Avenue and Maryland.

According to police, the 20-year-old man and his girlfriend were trying to make it to the bus stop and couldn't. They were on the west side of Maryland when the bus pulled out of the stop and started heading southbound.

That's when police said the man ran across the five lanes of traffic and jumped in front of the bus, trying to get it to stop. The bus driver didn't see him in time and couldn't stop. The bus ran him over and killed him.

Police said if there's one lesson to be learned tonight, it's the importance of properly crossing the street, especially at night.

Phoenix police Lt. Ben Leuschner said, "We'd like to have people use crosswalks, jaywalking is a minor offense but obviously in this case you can see how serious the consequences can be if you're not careful."

There were about six people left on the bus at the time of the accident. No one else was hurt. Police said the bus driver won't face any charges.

I remember when I thought I was the center of the Universe and had some sort of invulnerablity to harm; it lasted from about age 17 to 25. What ran through this guys head (other than the bike rack on the front of the bus)? Did he think he glowed in the dark? That the power of Christ would compel the bus to stop? Was he friggin drunk or trying to impress his girl? She's impressed now... but not nearly as much as those tire imprints are impressed on his head.

2009-12-06T15:56:00.001-07:00

911 Call Released From Home Invasion Shooting

posted 5:56 pm Fri December 04, 2009 - Cushing

Officials have released the 911 tape from this morning's home invasion shooting that left an intruder dead from a shotgun blast.

It happened in Cushing, about 50 miles west of Tulsa in Lincoln County. Police say the female homeowner was awakened by her barking dog and called 911. While she was on the phone with dispatchers, police say she warned the intruder that she had a rifle.

Authorities say the intruder, identified as Billy Dean Riley, ignored the woman's warning and threw a chair through the window. That's when the woman opened fire.

The 911 call details the tense moments before the woman opened fire. It does not contain the actual shooting.

RESIDENT - "Oh crap he's coming around the front..."

911 - "Is your front door locked?"

RESIDENT - "Yes ma'am but it's only got a lock on the handle."

911 - "Okay, do you have a place inside your house and lock yourself in a room?"

RESIDENT - "Uh, not really."

911 - "He's trying to come through the front door."

RESIDENT - "i've got a big shotgun. I'm not going into a tiny bathroom..."

RESIDENT - "He's walking around the house trying to find a way in..."

RESIDENT - "Oh crap, he's at the back..."

911 - "Okay , (unintelligible) is advising that you can defend your property if you need to."

RESIDENT - "Alright he's at the garage."

911 - "He's at the garage? Is it attached to your house?"

RESIDENT - "Nope, he's at the patio door again."

911 - "I can hear him banging again."

RESIDENT - "I don't want to have to kill this man, but i'll kill him graveyard dead ma'am."

911 - "I understand."

RESIDENT - "Alright."

RESIDENT - Oh crap he's breaking in. he's breaking in now, he's breaking in now. He's breaking the window, i'm going to kill him. He's walking back and forth on the porch. He looks to be an older man, I don't want to kill him. He's kicking the door please hurry. He's going to make it in please hurry ma'am. I think he's drunk . He doesn't know where his pickup's at. God I don't want to kill this man."

RESIDENT - "I cant keep this gun and keep on the phone darling, it's a big shotgun, it will break my arm. As soon as you tell me they're here im taking the safety, uh.. Im putting the safety back on this sucker."

Random Killing

2009-11-25T04:38:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX - It has been about 24 hours since a nearly 50-year-old shopper was gunned down outside a Phoenix Kmart.

That woman's killer is still on the loose. The killing happened Monday night in the 300 block of Baseline. Police released the victim's name as 48-year-old Luz Navarro.

3TV talked to a family member who says they are obviously devastated. Police say the crime was completely random, probably a botched robbery.

Word of the parking lot murder is rippling through the plaza and has left other shoppers stunned. One woman says, "Can't believe it."

Witnesses say the attacker approached other people outside the Kmart asking for cigarettes. Police say the suspect lurked in the lot for half an hour before targeting the 48-year-old victim, who was alone and carrying bags.

James Holmes, with Phoenix police, says, "It's absolutely terrible, tragic, and senseless."

This is a tragic reminder that parking lot crime goes up during holiday shopping season.

Holmes says, "The economy has nothing to do with it. It's the time of the year and predators know more people are out shopping right now." Their annual advice is to shop in groups, carry your keys in your hand and do not linger too long in your car.

Now Phoenix police stand guard at the store doors as the hunt for the attacker continues.

Police are looking for a black male in his 20s. He was wearing a black hoodie and jeans Monday night. He had been seen earlier in an old, grey Chevy pickup. Police are hoping tips from the public can help them solve this murder.

Anybody with any information about the suspect or the person of interest in this deadly shooting should contact the police or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-TESTIGO).

The Wolves

2009-11-17T05:23:00.001-07:00

I was discussing my fathers Alzheimer death with someone who was experiencing the same. I said that knowing that there was Alzheimers in your genetics was like " knowing there are are wolves in the forest where you live." They are there, they are killers, and they may or may not attack you. It's not that I hate them, or they hate me: it's the impersonal nature of biology and life in general. The wolves are there, whether or not you choose to acknowledge it. One of them will get you eventually.

I went in for my follow up EKG yesterday. Again, anxious to the point of elevated blood pressure, but not too bad. I was expecting/hoping that it would show nothing and I could get on with feeling normal again. The whole reason for the first EKG turned out to be a toothache, so there was no reason to worry, right? Let's just be done with this whole thing: confirm I am ok, and send me on my way. Please?

No.

After discussing with the cardiologist all of the pertinent information (no symptoms, blood pressure is lowered, no events indicating an attack.) He showed me the EKG. Simple really: where this little line should lay flat, it actually dips down below the baseline of the graph. What does it mean? Can't say until we do more tests (stress test, ultrasound, nuclear imaging will be scheduled later). The possibilities are:

a) Nothing wrong. The EKG is not "way out of whack", so this might just be an electrical anomaly of my heart.

b) Minor blockage of an artery, causing an electrical anomaly.

c) Previous heart attack.

So I left their office with the same cloud over me that I went in with. I feel fine. I never had any events that stand out in my memory. I feel fine on my bike or elliptical machine. But there is no resolution for me yet. I'm scaring myself in my quiet moments, and it's stressing me out. "Is that a pain in my chest? My arm? Do I feel dizzy? Am I going to die from this? Soon?" As much as logic says I am OK, there is no pain or symptoms, I may not be. As much as Melissa and my friends say not to worry, how can I not?

I think I can hear him, out there. Hidden in the trees.

Good Way to Get Dead

2009-11-13T11:52:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX -- Police arrested a man Wednesday on aggravated assault charges after he allegedly brandished a weapon and threatened people at the Cobblestone Store in Surprise, authorities said.

According to a news release from the Surprise Police Department, William McDougle, 20, threatened several customers outside the store on West Bell Road and brandished a black pistol out the driver's side door as he drove off the property.

Officers stopped him several blocks away and discovered a black pellet gun disguised as a 9mm semiautomatic pistol in his car, police said.

McDougle was charged with aggravated assault, threatening and disorderly conduct.

Stay Classy, Mr. Ex-Presdent

2009-11-10T14:43:00.001-07:00

Former President Bill Clinton told a room full of Democratic senators Tuesday that passing health care reform — which he failed to do 15 years ago — is not only a moral issue but also “an economic imperative.”

Clinton argued that even “the most cold-hearted person” ought to support health care reform simply from an economic standpoint. He reminded Democrats of the political momentum their failure to pass reform in 1993 delivered the House of Representatives to the Republicans the following year.

"The point I want to make is: Just pass the bill, even if it's not exactly what you want," Clinton told Democrats. "When you try and fail, the other guys write history.”

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said Clinton described the ongoing tea party protests against the Democratic agenda as a sign his party was making progress.

Whitehouse quoted Clinton arguing: "The reason the tea-baggers are so inflamed is because we are winning."

And he should know about tea-bagging. Hillary subjects him to it regularly.

2009-11-09T06:58:00.001-07:00

Obama Gives Shout Out to 'Congressional Medal of Honor Winner' Who Isn't

By Mike Bates November 6, 2009 - 01:18 ET

The Washington Post this afternoon reported "President Obama delivers remarks on Ft. Hood shooting at end of tribal leaders conference." The transcript begins:

SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

OBAMA: Please, everybody, have a seat. Let me first of all just thank Ken and the entire Department of the Interior staff for organizing just an extraordinary conference. I want to thank my Cabinet members and senior administration officials who participated today. I hear that Dr. Joe Medicine Crow (ph) was around, and so I want to give a shout out to that Congressional Medal of Honor winner. It's good to see you.

Ah, the dangers of giving shout outs without a teleprompter. Crow is not a Medal of Honor recipient. As noted by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society:

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Generally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress, it is often called the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Crow's name is not included on the Society's Medal of Honor recipient list. He was, however, awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in August.

Obama, often described as "cerebral" by the mainstream media, should know the difference between the Medal of Honor and the Medal of Freedom, especially since he personally awarded the latter to Crow. Don't expect his blunder to receive wide coverage. It's not something he can blame George Bush for.

This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard...

2009-11-07T06:12:00.000-07:00

PELOSI: Buy a $15,000 Policy or Go to Jail

JCT Confirms Failure to Comply with Democrats' Mandate Can Lead to 5 Years in Jail

Friday, November 06, 2009

Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain "acceptable health insurance coverage" and who choose not to pay the bill's new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: "This is the ultimate example of the Democrats' command-and-control style of governing buy what we tell you or go to jail. It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately."

Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:

"H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax." [page 1]

- - - - - - - - - -

"If the government determines that the taxpayer's unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply" [page 2]

- - - - - - - - - -

"Criminal penalties

Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses. Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:

 Section 7203 misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

 Section 7201 felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years." [page 3]

When confronted with this same issue during its consideration of a similar individual mandate tax, the Senate Finance Committee worked on a bipartisan basis to include language in its bill that shielded Americans from civil and criminal penalties. The Pelosi bill, however, contains no similar language protecting American citizens from civil and criminal tax penalties that could include a $250,000 fine and five years in jail.

"The Senate Finance Committee had the good sense to eliminate the extreme penalty of incarceration. Speaker Pelosi's decision to leave in the jail time provision is a threat to every family who cannot afford the $15,000 premium her plan creates. Fortunately, Republicans have an alternative that will lower health insurance costs without raising taxes or cutting Medicare," said Camp.

According to the Congressional Budget Office the lowest cost family non-group plan under the Speaker's bill would cost $15,000 in 2016.

If he's guilty, I don't really have aproblem with this....

2009-11-03T07:31:00.001-07:00

Saudi court upholds child rapist crucifixion ruling

Tue Nov 3, 2009 2:22pm IST

RIYADH (Reuters) - A Saudi court of cassation upheld a ruling to behead and crucify a 22-year-old man convicted of raping five children and leaving one of them to die in the desert, newspapers reported on Tuesday.

The convict was arrested earlier this year after a seven-year old boy helped police in their investigation. The child left in the desert after the rape was three years old, Okaz newspaper said.

International rights groups have accused the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam, of applying draconian justice, beheading murderers, rapists and drug traffickers in public. So far this year about 40 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia, crucifixion means tying the body of the convict to wooden beams to be displayed to the public after beheading.

(Reporting by Souhail Karam; editing by Inal Ersan)

2009-11-02T07:09:00.001-07:00

We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons and daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but they're not optimists—they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. They don't even notice.

PEGGY NOONAN

2009-11-01T07:49:00.001-07:00

George Bush liberates 50 million Muslims. Ronald Reagan liberates hundreds of millions of Europeans, saves parts of Latin America. Any awards? No. Just derision. Obama gives speeches trashing his own country and he gets a prize for it.

Nobels For Nothing

2009-10-09T07:41:00.001-07:00

Did you hear that Obama won the Nobel Prize? There’s no punchline. For real. Next thing you know we’ll all be getting one for the same reason: good wishes and hope. Those 2 things and 5 dollars get you a footlong sam’mich at Subway.

2009-10-08T11:57:00.001-07:00

It's kind of strange, isn't it? How the mountains pay us no attention at all. You laugh or you cry... The wind just keeps on blowing.

How about we call it a "Crazy Murderous Evil and Fucked Up Crime?"

2009-10-04T05:54:00.001-07:00

Phoenix Police Probe Drive-By Shooting

Woman Killed In What Police Say Might Be A Hate Crime

PHOENIX -- Police need the public's help in finding a man they said killed a woman with a shotgun and then drove off in north Phoenix.

Detectives said this might be a hate crime. The victim, a white woman, was with a black man when the white male suspect asked what he was doing with a white woman, said Detective James Holmes with the Phoenix Police Department.

It all started in a park near 12th Street and Dunlap Avenue.

At about 1:15 a.m. Saturday, the 39-year-old white woman and 48-year-old black man were walking in the park when a white man walked up to them, Holmes said.

That's when police said the suspect questioned why the two were together. The couple ignored the comment and walked away, police said.

The suspect followed them on foot for a little while before the pair lost track of him, Holmes said.

Officers said the man came back in the passenger seat of a white car with a shotgun and fired two shots, one of them hit the woman and killed her. The man was not injured.

"You know the guy is bald, he's got tattoos, he's making a comment about a white woman with a black man," Holmes said. "One could assume it might be a hate crime or racially motivated. I won't come out and say it is, it's something we have to look into."

Police are looking for a man about 5 feet 6 inches tall. They said he weighed around 200 pounds, had a shaved head and multiple tattoos.

He was last seen in a white, four-door car with dark tinted windows.

What would they call it if the shooter was anything other than white? "Gang Related", of course. But aren't all crimes of violence really Hate Crimes? Other than collateral damage killings, where someone other than your target gets killed, don't you have to have some kind of hatred motivating you to pick up something lethal with the intent to use it to criminally kill or injure? I guess the HATE CRIME label sells more papers, evokes more emotion. I admit the shooter as described sounds like your stereotypical White Power Racist, and he may truly be one. But when the black students beat the fucking snot out of some white kid, "they" are hesitant to call it a hate crime.

Didn't mom warn you about taking rides from strangers?

2009-10-01T09:42:00.002-07:00

Police asking for help to find kidnapped Phoenix woman

Police are asking for the public's help to find a woman who was kidnapped after she and her boyfriend accepted a ride from home from a stranger.

It happened at about 2:15 Thursday morning.

According to investigators, Vivian Franklin Kelly was with her boyfriend in the area of Seventh Avenue and Osborn Road. The couple got a ride home from a man in a white pickup truck.

When the man dropped them off at a nearby apartment complex, the boyfriend got out of the car. Police said he turned around to help Kelly, who reportedly was quite intoxicated, but the driver took off. Kelly has not been seen since.

Kelly, 29, is a white female about 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 155 pounds. She has brown hair and green eyes. Kelly has numerous tattoos, including ones on her neck, chest, lower back, right hip, left ear, and left foot. She has a gold hoop earring on the right side of her nose, gauges in her ears, and a barbell piercing in her left eyebrow. Kelly also has scars on her forehead and chest.

Kelly was last seen wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeve light blue plaid shirt, dark blue flip flops, and a belt with silver studs and a silver buckle. She was also wearing numerous rings on her fingers.

The suspect vehicle is a late '80s or early '90s model single-cab white pickup truck.

Anyone having information regarding this case is asked to contact the Phoenix Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 602-534-2121 or phoenix.tips.ppd@phoenix.gov.

2009-10-01T04:42:00.001-07:00

Obama to take weeks to study Afghanistan strategy

30 Sep 2009 23:57:07 GMT

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will take several weeks to review U.S. strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the White House said on Wednesday after a meeting between top U.S. officials about the region.

"When it comes to decisions as important as keeping this country safe and putting our troops into harm's way, the president has made it clear that he will rigorously assess our progress," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

"That is why he held this meeting today and will take the next several weeks to review our strategy." (Reporting by Jeff Mason, editing by Chris Wilson)

OBAMA TO FIDDLE WHILE AFGHANISTAN BURNS.

Why?

2009-09-28T16:35:00.001-07:00

Boo Hoo; We have opposition..... Boo Hoo.

2009-09-27T14:56:00.001-07:00

Bill Clinton speaks of vast, right-wing conspiracy

(AP)

WASHINGTON Bill Clinton says a vast, right-wing conspiracy that once targeted him is now focusing on President Barack Obama.

The ex-president made the comment in a television interview when he was asked about one of the signature moments of the Monica Lewinsky affair over a decade ago. Back then, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton used the term "vast, right-wing conspiracy" to describe how her husband's political enemies were out to destroy his presidency.

Bill Clinton was asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether the conspiracy is still there. He replied: "You bet. Sure it is. It's not as strong as it was because America has changed demographically. But it's as virulent as it was."

Clinton said that this time around, the focus is on Obama and "their agenda seems to be wanting him to fail."

No shit... did he just now figure out that opposing parties always want the other guy to fail? Or is this the "epiphany of insight" only available to former Presidents? And by "conspiracy", does he mean "hidden agenda serving the selfish desires of the few" (like a blowjob or the ruination of a good cigar) or does he mean an "organized and loud opposition to your own conspiracy"?

Cut my taxes... I promise to buy American made.

Holy Crap, I'm Psychic....

2009-09-20T16:06:00.001-07:00

This is actually a follow up to the post from this morning.... Turns out Crazy Woman was doing excatly what I thought she could be doing... barricades, gas lines etc... Weird.

PHOENIX -- Officials have identified a 32-year-old woman who was shot and killed by police Saturday after she allegedly stabbed an officer several times.

Police identified the woman as Katherine Hysaw.

Officials say police responded to a call of a subject threatening with a knife around noon at an apartment complex on 19th Avenue, just south of Glendale Avenue.

Police say neighbors reported the woman was threatening other residents with a butcher knife.

Neighbor Mike Rocha said the woman thought he was being loud and started pounding on his door.

"She was banging a toilet seat on my door," Rocha said.

Rocha and his girlfriend stayed inside their apartment, but when Celestina Berumen looked out the peek hole she noticed the suspect stabbing her front door.

Rocha said the couple got scared and called police.

"We have a 3-month-old," he said.

Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill said when officers arrived the suspect had barricaded herself in her apartment. He said they tried to talk the woman out, but she had barricaded the door with a sofa.

Hill said when officers smelled natural gas, they broke through the door and Hysaw began throwing glass beer bottles at them, striking two officers.

Hill said officers tried using a Taser but it missed Hysaw.

As two other officers entered the apartment, Hysaw advanced on one of them and began striking him repeatedly in the upper chest with a large butcher knife, Hill said.

Hill said the blade was deflected by the officer's ballistic vest and neck protector. The officer fired two sage (rubber) rounds without effect.

Another officer, described as a 27-year veteran, fired his rifle twice and Hysaw fell back into the bathroom, dropping the knife, Hill said. She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

None of the officers was injured.

Neighbors said she only lived in the apartment for a short time and seemed agitated the night before.

When Rocha heard the woman had stabbed the officer he believed the shooting was justified.

"They did what they had to do," Rocha said.

The investigation is ongoing.

If I commented on the headline the way I want to, my wife would whup my ass.....

2009-09-20T06:57:00.001-07:00

Police Shoot Bizarre-Acting Woman

POSTED: 5:34 pm MST September 19, 2009

UPDATED: 6:13 am MST September 20, 2009

PHOENIX -- Phoenix police shot and killed a woman on Saturday after she tried to stab an officer in a barricade situation near 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road, investigators said.

The woman's neighbors, Mike Rocha and Celestina Berumen, said the woman was carrying a toilet seat lid when she showed up and complained there was too much noise coming from their apartment.

Berumen said the woman threw a porcelain toilet lid at their door, and then a couple of minutes later, came armed with a knife and bottle and started stabbing the door.

"I'm scared," Rocha said. "I've got a newborn. What's going through my head is, 'Keep that door shut. Do everything you can to keep this crazy lady out.'

Rocha said he called 911. The SWAT team responded.

"The woman that lived there stabbed one of the officers with a knife," said Sgt. Andy Hill. "His vest protected him."

Police said another officer shot and killed the woman. Rocha said it's hard to believe all this happened over a noise complaint.

"Somebody's life was taken today for nothing," Rocha said.

The officer who shot the woman has more than 20 years on the force, Hill said.

Hill said the SWAT team did try a Taser first, but it wasn't effective.

As for the officer stabbed, we're told his vest was cut but he was not hurt.

The officer who shot the woman is a veteran officer with more than 20 years on the police force. He is on routine paid leave while officers investigate whether the shooting was justified.

First question a wiener would ask is: "Why did they have to shoot an unarmed, mentally unstable woman?" It's called Escalation of Force, and it's kind of tricky. She already displayed a tendency for violence by stabbing a door, then a uniformed police officer, and they tried the taser to no avail. Why couldn't they just get riot shields and pin her to a wall? Ever chase someone with a riot shield? And she could still reach around and potentially kill an officer. Pepper spray? Good stuff... the story doesn't say why or if it was deployed. But the fact is this: there isn't time to fuck around in most of these cases. Crazy woman can bolt into traffic, run off into a store full of people, retreat to her house for a little barricade action with more guns inside or a little disconnected gas line excitement. The decision to shoot someone is usually made in the time it takes to say "aw fuck!" And then come the retroactive quarterback of the community and press.

I support the officer until it is proven he acted maliciously and without cause, perhaps criminally. I feel bad for the woman because it didn't have to end this way, but her mind put her in harms way.

Here's a tip from my weapons instructors past and present: if you carry a gun, always spend some time every day imagining when you may have to use deadly force. Then try to avoid those situations. The result is never good for anyone.

Just me this time.

2009-09-19T06:50:00.001-07:00

I am a conservative. Have been since Reagan took office. I don't toe the "Party Line", and tend to take issues one at a time. It's never good to be a sheep. In support of this, I would produce my voter registration card which shows my Independent status for about 20 years. I have my beliefs and core values, and while they tend to stay the same, I am open to discussion on many things. I can't imagine I will ever have all the facts on anything.

A core belief of mine is this: American Republicans and Democrats are overwhelmingly conservative.

There is a center to this country that has Faith in a God. They think abortion should never happen because you shouldn't get pregnant with all the precautions available, and if you do...... what the hell did you think sex was for? It is the Law of the Land that abortion is legal, but it is the Law of Biology and God that it is also murdering an innocent (if not yet viable) life form.

There is a large part of us who believe gun ownership is a right not to be tampered with. We like to hunt, plink, look tough, blow things apart and as long as we do so safely, what's the problem? I also feel that those of us who carry for protection have a realistic view of the craziness of our unpredictable world and police response times. First there's the crime, then call 911, then the cops arrive. The crime and violence is usually over with when they arrive. Not their fault, it's the way the Constitution prevents them from rounding up criminals before the crime has been committed.

Most of the country also believes that it's a bad idea to spend money you have not earned yet, from people who may not be old enough to earn it yet. While deficit spending is useful in mortgages, if you go crazy spending money based on future earnings you will get fucked up. And spending money to stimulate the economy is the worst idea ever. All it does is create short term activity, like caffiene. If there is not ongoing spending (like thru a tax cut) there will be no good done to the economy.

I also believe the far right and far left of both Parties are nothing but self serving, concieted attention whores. Don't preach values and morals to me and get caught jacking off in a bathroom. Don't tell me I have to sacrifice for country and health care when you live in a mansion and will not be part of this new utopian folly you want to foist on us.

And stop calling Tea-Party activists Tea Baggers. It shows nothing more than your juvenile mentality and lack of decency when you keep repeating this on national TV and radio. Yeah, we got it the first time you said it..... we ignored you because sticks and stones etc.

Carter comes from Georgia/Gerogia was part of the Confederacy/Therefore Carter is a racist too and he should know.

2009-09-16T04:33:00.001-07:00

Jimmy Carter: Wilson comments 'based on racism'

By GREG BLUESTEIN

ATLANTA (AP) - Former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday that U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst to President Barack Obama during a speech to Congress last week was an act "based on racism" and rooted in fears of a black president.

"I think it's based on racism," Carter said in response to an audience question at a town hall held at his presidential center in Atlanta. "There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president."

The Georgia Democrat said the outburst was a part of a disturbing trend directed at the president that has included demonstrators equating Obama to Nazi leaders.

"Those kind of things are not just casual outcomes of a sincere debate on whether we should have a national program on health care," he said. "It's deeper than that."

Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, was formally rebuked Tuesday in a House vote for shouting "You lie!" during Obama's speech to Congress last Wednesday.

The shout came after the president commented that illegal aliens would be ineligible for federal subsidies to buy health insurance. Republicans expressed their disbelief with sounds of disapproval, punctuated by Wilson's outburst.

Tuesday's rebuke was a rare resolution of disapproval pushed through by Democrats who insisted that Wilson had violated basic rules of decorum and civility. Republicans characterized the measure as a witch hunt and Wilson, who had already apologized to Obama, insisted he owed the House no apology.

Wilson's spokesman was not immediately available for comment, but his eldest son defended his father.

"There is not a racist bone in my dad's body," said Alan Wilson, an Iraq veteran who is running for state attorney general. "He doesn't even laugh at distasteful jokes. I won't comment on former President Carter, because I don't know President Carter. But I know my dad, and it's just not in him."

"It's unfortunate people make that jump. People can disagree - and appropriately disagree - on issues of substance, but when they make the jump to race it's absolutely ludicrous. My brothers and I were raised by our parents to respect everyone regardless of background or race."

South Carolina's former Democratic Party chairman said that he doesn't believe Wilson was motivated by racism, but said the outburst encouraged racist views.

"I think Joe's conduct was asinine, but I think it would be asinine no matter what the color of the president," said Dick Harpootlian, who has known Wilson for decades. "I don't think Joe's outburst was caused by President Obama being African-American. I think it was caused by no filter being between his brain and his mouth."

Harpootlian said he received scores of racial e-mails from outside South Carolina after he talked about the vote on Fox News.

"You have a bunch of folks out there looking for some comfort in their racial issues. They have a problem with an African-American president," he said. "But was he motivated by that? I don't think so. I respectfully disagree with President Carter, though it gives validity to racism."

Carter called Wilson's comment "dastardly" and an aftershock of racist views that have permeated American politics for decades.

"The president is not only the head of government, he is the head of state," he said. "And no matter who he is or how much we disagree with his policies, the president should be treated with respect."

Thank you, Mr. Worst President Ever. Please return to your penance of building shanties for the poor and be quiet. Since when does being non-white mean you are immune from criticism, anger or unruly outbursts? I dislike Obama and his policies severely, yet I think JC Watts is a great politician... and he's darker than Obama! If we judge people based on content of character rather than color of skin, we still may really dislike their character.

2009-09-09T13:52:00.001-07:00

Barack Obama accused of making 'Depression' mistakes

By Edmund Conway
Published: 9:55PM BST 06 Sep 2009

Barack Obama is committing the same mistakes made by policymakers during the Great Depression, according to a new study endorsed by Nobel laureate James Buchanan.

His policies even have the potential to consign the US to a similar fate as Argentina, which suffered a painful and humiliating slide from first to Third World status last century, the paper says.

There are "troubling similarities" between the US President's actions since taking office and those which in the 1930s sent the US and much of the world spiralling into the worst economic collapse in recorded history, says the new pamphlet, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs.

In particular, the authors, economists Charles Rowley of George Mason University and Nathanael Smith of the Locke Institute, claim that the White House's plans to pour hundreds of billions of dollars of cash into the economy will undermine it in the long run. They say that by employing deficit spending and increased state intervention President Obama will ultimately hamper the long-term growth potential of the US economy and may risk delaying full economic recovery by several years.

The study represents a challenge to the widely held view that Keynesian fiscal policies helped the US recover from the Depression which started in the early 1930s. The authors say: "[Franklin D Roosevelt's] interventionist policies and draconian tax increases delayed full economic recovery by several years by exacerbating a climate of pessimistic expectations that drove down private capital formation and household consumption to unprecedented lows."

Although the authors support the Federal Reserve's moves to slash interest rates to just above zero and embark on quantitative easing, pumping cash directly into the system, they warn that greater intervention could set the US back further. Rowley says: "It is also not impossible that the US will experience the kind of economic collapse from first to Third World status experienced by Argentina under the national-socialist governance of Juan Peron."

The paper, which recommends that the US return to a more laissez-faire economic system rather than intervening further in activity, has been endorsed by Nobel laureate James Buchanan, who said: "We have learned some things from comparable experiences of the 1930s' Great Depression, perhaps enough to reduce the severity of the current contraction. But we have made no progress toward putting limits on political leaders, who act out their natural proclivities without any basic understanding of what makes capitalism work."

Why did you elect this jerk?

2009-09-09T04:38:00.001-07:00

President Obama says 'sin tax' on sodas is food for thought, despite Gov. Paterson's failed proposal

The President, in an interview with Men's Health magazine released yesterday, said he thought taxing soda and other sugary drinks is worth putting on the table as Congress debates health care reform.

"It's an idea that we should be exploring," the president said. "There's no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda. And every study that's been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity as just about anything else."

Obama is floating the idea seven months after a storm of protest forced poll-challenged Gov. Paterson to drop his plans for an 18% tax on soda and other sugary drinks.

Despite that debacle, congressional lawmakers have considered soda taxes as one way to cover the cost of revamping the nation's health care system, estimated to eat up much as $1 trillion over the next decade.

But Obama - who works out six days a week and keeps a bowl of apples in the Oval Office - has been largely mum on the controversial topic, at least until now.

As in Paterson's case, Obama's comments drew the immediate wrath of industry and consumer-choice groups yesterday.

"The tax code should not be used as a method for social engineering, and that's what this is," said J. Justin Wilson, the senior research analyst for the Center for Consumer Freedom, a group funded in part by the food and beverage industry. "It smacks of the regulation that government imposed on tobacco, but soda is not tobacco."

Obama acknowledged that the idea could lead to charges that Uncle Sam is trying to dictate personal diets, but he hinted the trade-off may be worth it.

"Look, people's attitude is that they don't necessarily want Big Brother telling them what to eat or drink, and I understand that," Obama said. But I will do it anyway, for I am the chosen one........

"It is true, though, that if you wanted to make a big impact on people's health in this country, reducing things like soda consumption would be helpful."

Let's raise taxes on soda to punish people and make money to pay for my Utopian plans. When people start to drink less soda, we'll collect less money and have to tax something else.....bacon?

I could start a blog called "Why We Never Go Out Anymore"

2009-09-07T06:25:00.001-07:00

2 killed, 7 hurt when SUV runs red light in Phoenix

PHOENIX -- Officials say two men are dead after an SUV ran a red light, striking their vehicle in a West Phoenix intersection early Saturday morning.

Seven other people were injured.

Phoenix police spokesman James Holmes said the accident happened about 2:30 a.m. at the intersection of Grand and 35th avenues and Indian School Road.

Investigators said that 27-year-old Jesus Manuel Briseno was driving a Cadillac Escalade northwest on Grand Avenue when he failed to stop for a red left turn signal onto Indian School Road.

The SUV struck a Chevrolet Impala which was traveling southeast on Grand Avenue.

Holmes said the driver of the Impala was killed in the crash, along with one of the passengers. The victims have only been identified as two Hispanic males, ages 18 and 20.

Seven other people from both vehicles suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Alcohol was determined to be a factor in the crash and Briseno was booked into jail on two counts of manslaughter and several counts of aggravated assault, Holmes said.

Awwww, don't arrest him... he didn't mean to do it... he was drunk.... drunks are silly... like Otis from Mayberry.

Now it makes sense....

2009-09-04T19:04:00.001-07:00

Oh so close to home

2009-09-02T14:27:00.001-07:00

4-5 armed men bust into Phoenix home, claim to be with sheriff's office

PHOENIX -- Several men busted into a Phoenix home early Wednesday morning and tied up four people in a home-invasion style robbery.

It happened at about 5 a.m. in the area of 19th Avenue and Beardsley.

Officer Luis Samudio of the Phoenix Police Department said the four to five suspects who stormed the home were wearing tactical gear and black clothing and were armed with high-powered rifles. The men said several times that they were with the sheriff's office before they zip-tied four people -- two men and two women -- and began ransacking the home.

One of the victims was able to escape through a window while the suspects were busy. That man went to a neighbor's house and called 911.

"That's how we were to respond very quickly and get our Special Assignments Unit here," Samudio said.

By the time the SAU arrived on the scene, the suspects were gone. Police don't know anything about the suspects' vehicle.

It's not yet clear what the men were looking for or why that particular home was targeted.

Investigators are talking to the four victims, none of whom was hurt.

Samudio said this morning's incident bears some resemblance to previous crimes, but investigators are not yet sure if it's the same crew at work.

"We're asking the community ... if they see anything or of they know of anything to please give us a call so we can put a stop to this," he said.

I don't really have a problem with this...

2009-08-26T04:38:00.001-07:00

CIA memo details procedures for breaking detainees

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Sleep deprivation, "insult slaps", water dousing and "walling", or slamming a detainee's head against a wall, were techniques used by CIA interrogators to break high-value detainees, according to an agency memo.

The memo, sent to the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel on Dec. 30, 2004, was released on Monday under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Amnesty International USA and the American Civil Liberties Union.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday named a special prosecutor to probe Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) prisoner abuse cases.

His decision, which promises political headaches for President Barack Obama, came after the Justice Department's ethics watchdog recommended considering prosecution of CIA employees or contractors for interrogations in Iraq and Afghanistan that went beyond approved limits.

"The goal of interrogation is to create a state of learned helplessness and dependence conducive to the collection of intelligence," the memo, outlining procedures for handling captured al Qaeda leaders sent to CIA "black site" prisons, said.

The document, first reported by The Washington Post, said prior to an interrogation session, detainees may be stripped and held in a "vertical shackling position" to begin sleep deprivation.

Once the interrogation begins, the "insult slap" on the face may be used when the interrogator needs to immediately correct the detainee, the memo said.

The document said "walling" was one of the most effective interrogation techniques for wearing down detainees physically.

"An HVD (high-value detainee) may be walled one time (one impact with the wall) to make a point or 20 to 30 times consecutively when the interrogator requires a more significant response to a question," the document said.

Interrogations at CIA prisons occurred in special cells outfitted on one side with a plywood wall to prevent severe head injuries, The Washington Post reported.

The paper said agency spokesman George Little noted that the interrogation programme operated under guidelines approved by top legal officials of the Bush administration.

"This programme, which always constituted a fraction of the CIA's counterterrorism efforts, is over," Little was quoted as saying.

CIA officials have also noted that harsh techniques were reserved for a small group of top-level terrorism suspects believed to be knowledgeable about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Post said.

Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney criticised Obama's ability to handle national security after the special prosecutor was appointed.
Cheney, who has emerged as a vocal defender of Bush administration policies since leaving the White House, said the intelligence obtained from harsh interrogation techniques had saved lives.

"The people involved deserve our gratitude. They do not deserve to be the targets of political investigations or prosecutions," he said in a statement.

Holy crap. Are we apologizing for this sort of thing? At least we are not ripping out finger nails and electrocuting testicles (not officially), but I don't think we should treat these guys with love and understanding. They are likely to really be killers, and if we get it wrong a few times, then we apologize, offer the innocent some money, and if they refuse and won't shut up..... they disappear. Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet.

CASH FOR CLUNKERS = SUCKERS!!!

2009-08-23T14:58:00.001-07:00

Cash for Clunkers = SUCKERS

Alright, lets get to the point: who is really going to benefit from the so-called Cash for Clunkers Redistribution of Income?

DEALERS: So far most of them are afraid they aren't going to get paid, and if they do, will it cover the costs associated with taking in all these POC vehicles and transporting them to their destruction? Who is paying for the destruction, by the way? But for now, the straggly and hungry wolves roaming car lots are just happy to see sheep return to the aisles.

BUYERS: What is the best way to fuck up your credit? Trade in an old (but paid off) jalopy for a new car with a great new payment! And don't forget the insurance rates on a new car are much higher than on your old car.... I believe this will end the same way the Zero Percent Financing spree resulting from the September 11th attacks did: massive repossessions. Only this will take just a few month, not a year like it did then.

TAX PAYERS: Riiight.... who do you think is paying for this? Santa? Have you heard the new phrase "ten year deficit " projections? This means we are not raising taxes just now.... we are getting you slobs used to hand outs first. There will be health care, stimulus spending, all the grand and glorious things with pretty utopian names or acronyms, all slop for greedy, lazy piggies. But ten years from now.... when Obama cannot possibly still be in office, the bill comes due. To be laid at the feet of a different president, and different taxpayers... who probably are too young to have gotten much benefit out of this stupid spending spree.

I have said it before: the economy runs in cycles, it goes up and down. Sometimes a little farther than we'd like.. but it cycles back eventually. Raising ta taxes and government spending is not the answer. Paradoxically, lowering taxes is the answer. The more money I keep from my paycheck is what drives the economy: if I spend it.. you sell something, and the guys who made it and delivered it all get something from my buying. If I save it in a bank, the bank loans it out and someone buys something. Put put goes the economy. Taking more from me when I am already hurting and then giving it away as a "stimulus" generates nothing but anger from me and a feeling of entitlement from the recipient.

BEHOLD: CLASS WARFARE.

Travel Expert To Skip Ariz. After Gun Display

2009-08-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

Arthur Frommer Stops Short Of Issuing Travel Boycott

Arthur Frommer wrote on his Web site, "I will not personally travel in a state where civilians carry loaded weapons onto the sidewalks and as a means of political protest."

Frommer was referring to a gathering of protesters, some of whom carried firearms, including an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over one man's shoulder.

"I not only believe such practices are a threat to the future of our democracy, but I am firmly convinced that they would also endanger my own personal safety there," Frommer said in his blog.

"And therefore I will cancel any plans to vacation or otherwise visit in Arizona until I learn more. And I will begin thinking about whether tourists should safeguard themselves by avoiding stays in Arizona."

Phoenix police said the gun-toters at Monday's event didn't need permits. No crimes were committed, and no one was arrested.

Gun-rights advocates said they were exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control said it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Arizona is an "open-carry" state, which means anyone legally allowed to have a firearm can carry it in public as long as it's visible. Only someone carrying a concealed weapon is required to have a permit.

"The continued tolerance of extremists carrying guns is a frightening development which strikes at the heart of the political process and endangers the ability to carry out a reasoned debate," Frommer wrote.

He wasn't an extremist, he was a law abiding Libertarian Crackpot with an agenda of self promotion. There is a difference ya know....

No! do you really think so?

2009-08-16T10:34:00.003-07:00

Many deported felons just sneak back across border
U.S. pushing prosecution, lengthy prison terms to deter re-entry

by Daniel González - Aug. 16, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic .

The goal of the U.S. government's expanding program to rid the country of foreign-born criminals is clear: Find illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes and deport them so they no longer pose a threat to the public.

The government has successfully deported hundreds of thousands of foreign-born criminals in recent years. But a significant number have come back again, illegally, to the United States, often to commit more crimes, according to government data and interviews with law-enforcement authorities, federal prosecutors and criminal-defense lawyers.

There are no broad government statistics on how many deported criminals re-enter the United States illegally, but arrests by Border Patrol agents in the Tucson region alone suggest the number is high. In fiscal year 2008, 16 percent of the 317,696 immigrants arrested by agents in Tucson, one of nine sectors on the U.S.-Mexican border, were charged with felony counts of re-entering illegally, either because they had prior felony convictions in the U.S. or previously had been formally deported. Crossing the border illegally is typically a misdemeanor.The illegal re-entry of people who have been deported, especially those with criminal histories, represents one of the most vexing and persistent problems in the government's stepped-up effort to battle illegal immigration. The government doesn't have the resources to prosecute all of them, and in the past most were simply just deported again.
There is no easy answer, especially as authorities struggle with shrinking budgets and increasing responsibilities.

But now to deter re-entry, the government is beefing up efforts to prosecute violent criminals who come back to the country after they've been incarcerated and then deported, sentencing the most dangerous and egregious offenders to lengthy prison terms, rather than just automatically sending them back home.

The goal is to prevent deported criminals who re-enter the U.S. from committing more crimes and to deter others from re-entering, said Joseph Koehler, an assistant U.S. attorney in Phoenix who supervises a unit that prosecutes these cases.

The only way to deter violent criminals who get "formally kicked out of the country" and repeatedly return is to "make it very clear that there is a sanction for coming into the United States," Koehler said.

But even that is no guarantee that a criminal prosecuted for re-entering the country illegally, sent to prison and then deported again won't sneak back into the country.

"I'd say it happens fairly frequently," Koehler said. "It certainly is not the majority of the people we prosecute, but there are a significant number who do."

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank in Washington, D.C., that favors less immigration, said prosecuting deported criminals who return to the United States is effective at preserving public safety because it takes criminals off the street.

"These are not just people coming to work as bus boys," she said. "They are coming to return to a life of crime."

But, she said, it is difficult to say whether prosecuting deported criminals actually deters them or others from re-entering illegally.

"The only way to stop that is to have better security at the border," she said.

Atmore Baggat, a defense attorney who has represented immigrants charged with felony counts of illegal re-entry, said deported immigrants often return for jobs or because their spouses or children are still in this country, not necessarily to commit crimes.

He said many often do not realize the penalty for re-entry can be so harsh.

"I don't know how much the government impresses upon them the penalties for coming back," he said.

Federal officials say deportees are given plenty of warning, including a written statement that notifies them that re-entering the U.S. illegally is a federal offense that could cost them up to 20 years in prison. Helloooo? They are criminals.....they commit crimes.... they are not planning on being caught, so they don't really think about penalties in the here and now.... duh.

Marc Rosenblum, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington, D.C., said the United States has tried developing programs with other countries to integrate deported criminals into their homelands rather than just "dumping them at the border or kicking them off an airplane." But those efforts fell off following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he said.

Rosenblum said, however, that countries are often reluctant to take in deported criminals.

"When you talk about real bad guys, they are not real attractive to take back," Rosenblum said.

He said there is strong public support for deporting illegal immigrants who commit crimes and for prosecuting those who return. But, he stressed, studies have shown that illegal immigrants tend to commit fewer crimes than people born in the United States.

The U.S. government is deporting more criminals than ever before.

In fiscal year 2008, ICE deported 369,221 people, 31 percent of whom had criminal records. The year before, 35 percent of the 291,060 people deported had criminal records.

Over the past two years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has greatly ramped up a program to identify illegal immigrants in the federal prison system and deport them. In fiscal 2008, ICE began proceedings to deport 46 percent more illegal-immigrant criminals than it did the previous year and 225 percent more than in fiscal year 2006, according to the agency's annual report.

Those numbers do not include the more than 78,000 illegal immigrants who have been placed in deportation proceedings over the past five years through a separate ICE program that trains state and local jail officials on how to identify inmates who are in the country illegally.

In Arizona, the number of people prosecuted for felony re-entry jumped 300 percent from 1997 to 2007, according to the Justice Department. Nationwide, prosecutions increased 150 percent during the same period.

Vincent Picard, an ICE spokesman in Phoenix, said the agency's Detention and Removal Operations has placed highest priority on those who "pose the most danger to our community," primarily illegal immigrants who have been convicted of violent crimes and major drug offenses.

From Jan. 1 through June 30 of this year, the ICE office in Phoenix had initiated 1,497 such cases, more than any other ICE office in the nation. The San Antonio office initiated the second-highest number, 997, and 96 percent of those cases were accepted for prosecution.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix, however, because of limited resour- ces, accepted less than half of the Phoenix cases, 659, according to ICE records.

Nationwide, ICE has initiated 9,954 cases through June 30; 6,462 were accepted for prosecution.

Koehler, the assistant U.S. attorney in Phoenix, said the office can't keep up with all the cases, despite the addition of four prosecutors over the past year. As a result, the office focuses on the worst offenders, including deported immigrants with violent criminal histories and illegal immigrants who have re-entered multiple times.

"In a world of limited resources, you always have to prioritize your targets," Koehler said.

Illegal immigrants who aren't prosecuted are deported again. Koehler acknowledged that there is a chance some will return and commit more crimes.

"I think that there is always a class of people that is hard to deter from committing further crime," he said.