Our elected officials LOVE drunks!!!! Well really the love the money they steal from them when they drive. The 4,000 people busted during the holidays for DUI will bring these elected officials a minimum of $8 million in cold hard cash with a minimum DUI fine of $2,000. Cops love drunks too. They make lots of overtime helping their masters rob money from people who had a beer or two and then drive. Sadly the DUI laws are almost all about raising revenue for our government masters and have next to nothing to do with safety. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2014/11/25/arizona-holiday-dui-enforcement/70109484/ Arizona leaders tout holiday DUI enforcement Aubrey McCleve, The Republic | azcentral.com 8:46 p.m. MST November 25, 2014 An average of about 4,000 drivers in Arizona have been arrested for drunken driving in the holidays for the past several years, and a host of politicians and police leaders came together on Tuesday with a simple message as the season approaches: Get a designated driver. The theme has been a constant message for several years from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, the state agency that provides funding for task forces that operate throughout Arizona, and officials believe the message is paying off. The number of sober designated drivers that police contact increased by 28 percent in a recent three-year period even as the total number of drivers contacted dropped by about 10 percent, according to data from the Office of Highway Safety. Gov.-elect Doug Ducey echoed the sentiment when he took to a podium on the Capitol Lawn surrounded by law enforcement officials from around the state. The men and women who enforce the law are the reason Arizona is one of the toughest states in the nation on eliminating drunk driving, he said. "I want people to enjoy themselves this holiday season, but be responsible," Ducey said. "Make the right choice to not drink and drive." Police arrested nearly 600 drivers on DUI charges during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2012, among more than 4,000 suspected drunken drivers picked up during the entire holiday season. Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Robert Halliday said the number increased to nearly 4,400 drivers in the 2013 holiday season, which stretches from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, partially due to an increase in officers participating in the DUI task forces.
Phoenix government gives free rent to 1,835 families????
Wow the government of Phoenix, Arizona uses our tax dollars to provide 1,835 dirt cheep homes for poor people.
Who says American hasn't turned into a socialist country!!!!!
On the other hand even if Phoenix gives dirt cheep housing to thousands of poor people I think it is outrageous that they micro-manage these people lives and tell them what they can and can't do in the homes they give them.
What's next will the royal rules of the city of Phoenix require that these folks hang a photo of Mayor Greg Stanton and Jesus in the home???
I suspect the real reason the city of Phoenix provides dirt cheep housing to 1,835 families, is because the Mayor and Phoenix city council realizes that they get 1,835 votes from these people when it comes time for re-election.
That's the same reason the Mayor and Phoenix city council has a tendency to shovel pay raises to the Phoenix cops. Because at election time they can get 3,000+ votes from the piggies in exchange for raising police pay.
Yes, I agree smoking sucks. But having your life micro-managed by a government nanny sucks more.
Phoenix officials want to stop smoking in public housing
Betty Reid, The Republic | azcentral.com 8:57 a.m. MST November 26, 2014
Phoenix housing officials want the City Council to extinguish smoking in public housing over concerns about damage to property and health ailments caused by secondhand smoke.
Phoenix Housing Department officials plan to add a smoke-free policy to 1,835 units by 2016. The initial projected cost — about $25,000 — will finance the construction of outdoor shaded smoking areas, said William Emerson, the housing department's deputy housing director.
"Our concern is primarily the health and safety of our current and future residents," Emerson said.
The nation's sixth-largest city is following national smoke-free trends, he said.
Smoking bans are common at restaurants, work sites, in airplanes and other public places.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development began to strongly encourage smoke-free policies for homes in 2009, according to a report prepared for the Neighborhood, Housing and Development subcommittee. The report indicates there are now 500 smoke-free policies at public housing units across the country, up from 12 in 2005.
A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October looked at the costs related to smoking in subsidized housing. Adopting a smoke-free policy in such units nationwide would save nearly $500 million per year, according to the study.
The study looked at secondhand smoke and its impact on health, the cost of cleaning apartments and smoke-related fires of units. The study also cited environmental studies that show secondhand smoke can infiltrate smoke-free units.
City housing officials said they are concerned about secondhand smoke because it may cause health issues for residents. Secondhand smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals that include nicotine, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, according to the subcommittee report.
City officials also raised concerns about the economic cost of smoking. When a smoker moves out of a unit, city workers spend more time to repair or renovate, such as replacing carpets or damaged counter tops and painting the walls, he said.
It takes workers up to 64 hours to clean out an apartment that formerly housed a smoker, compared with 19 hours of a smoke-free unit, city official said.
"In labor costs alone, the conservative figure for savings per year is about $6,000 per month, once the policy is fully implemented," Emerson said. "That savings will give us the ability to prepare more units more quickly and help get people housed in safe, sanitary and decent homes as soon as possible."
Phoenix's Housing Department surveyed residents at five senior/disabled sites in September 2013. They found 37 percent of residents said they smoke and about one-third wanted to stop smoking, while about 57 percent of the residents supported a smoke-free policy.
Emerson said the department plans to bring the proposal to the subcommittee in December.
I guess some cops consider DUI to be a job perk they have!!!! http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-cop-arrested-on-suspicion-of-dui-after-confrontation-with-suburban-officer-20141124-story.html Off-duty Chicago cop accused of firing at off-duty suburban officer after DUI stop By Chicago Tribune staff contact the reporter An off-duty Chicago police officer is under investigation after he was accused of firing several shots at an off-duty south suburban officer who tried to pull him over for drunken driving over the weekend, authorities said. The officer from Merrionette Park was not hit and the Chicago officer was taken into custody after the Sunday night confrontation, sources said. Charges were pending against the officer. The Chicago officer, assigned to the Morgan Park District, was stopped around 4:30 p.m. Sunday on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to a statement from Police News Affairs. The officer was driving with another off-duty officer in Merrionette Park when a police officer from the suburb, who was also off-duty, tried to pull them over, sources said. The Chicago officer took off and the Merrionette Park officer pursued him, the sources said. The pursuit ended in the 1900 block of West Pryor Avenue, a block north of the Morgan Park District station, sources said. The Chicago officer got out of his car and went after the Merrionette Park officer, firing several shots, the sources said. The Chicago officer was arrested by Chicago police nearby, sources said. The News Affairs statement did not contain details of the incident but acknowledged "there are also reports the officer discharged a weapon and that is currently under investigation.” “If the allegations are true, the actions and behavior demonstrated by this officer are beyond unacceptable, have absolutely no place in our department, and he will be separated from CPD,” the statement said. The Chicago officer has been stripped of his police powers while the incident is being investigated, according to the statement. Merrionette Park police were not available for comment.
Most police shootings don't end with prosecutions I suspect this is because prosecutors don't like to charge cops who are their buddies with crimes. And of course when a cop investigates the crimes of a fellow cop who is his best buddy it's almost certain he will find his buddy did nothing wrong. Even if there isn't enough criminal evidence to send these crooked cops to prison, you would certainly suspect there is enough civil evidence to fire the cops from their jobs. But sadly that never happens. Probably for the same reason the cops are not charged with crimes. http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Most-police-shootings-don-t-end-with-prosecutions-5915874.php Most police shootings don't end with prosecutions By ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press Updated 9:29 am, Tuesday, November 25, 2014 WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri grand jury's decision to spare police officer Darren Wilson from criminal charges is the latest in a long line of police shooting investigations that show the latitude afforded law enforcement in using deadly force. The question for the panel that decided the case was never whether Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, but rather whether the Aug. 9 killing constituted a crime. In declining to indict Wilson, the grand jury followed laws and court precedents to reach a conclusion that is far more the norm than the exception. "For a cop to be indicted and especially to be convicted later of a crime in these kinds of situations is very, very unusual," said Chuck Drago, a police practices consultant and former police chief in Oviedo, Florida. States and police departments have developed their own policies that generally permit officers to use force when they reasonably fear imminent physical harm. The Supreme Court shaped the national legal standards that govern the use of force, holding in a 1989 decision that the use of force must be evaluated through the "perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight," Since then, the court system has more often than not sided with police in shooting investigations, with prosecutors and grand jurors reluctant to second-guess their decisions. Many of the cases that don't result in charges involve armed suspects shot during confrontations with police. But even an officer who repeatedly shoots an unarmed person, as was the case in Ferguson, may avoid prosecution in cases where he reasonably believed himself to be at bodily risk. "A police officer is not like a normal citizen who discharges their weapon. There is a presumption that somebody who is a peace officer, and is thereby authorized to use lethal force, used it correctly," said Lori Lightfoot, a Chicago lawyer who used to investigate police shootings for the police department there. But even though police are legally empowered to use deadly force when appropriate, Lightfoot said an officer's perception of danger can be strongly influenced by the race of a suspect, particularly in a community like Ferguson, where an overwhelmingly white department patrols a majority-black city. "Take any environment you live in — if there's not diversity in your workplace, that is a void in your experience," she said. The Ferguson shooting followed a skirmish that began when Wilson told Brown and a friend to move from the street onto the sidewalk. Wilson told jurors that he backed his vehicle up in front of Brown and his friend, but that as he tried to open the door, Brown slammed it shut, according to testimony released after the decision. The officer said he pushed Brown with the door and Brown hit him in the face. Wilson said Brown grabbed the gun, and that he felt the need to pull it because he was concerned another punch could "knock me out or worse." The Justice Department is continuing to investigate the shooting for evidence of a potential civil rights violation, and federal investigators are relying on the same evidence and witness statements as the grand jury. But they face a higher burden of proof to establish whether Wilson willfully deprived Brown of his civil rights. That standard has been tough to satisfy in past high-profile shootings. Federal prosecutors, for example, declined this year to charge officers who fatally shot an unarmed woman with a baby in her back seat after a high-speed car chase from the White House to the U.S. Capitol. It's hard to know how often police use force. A federal Bureau of Justice Statistics study found that an estimated 1.4 percent of the nearly 60,000 U.S. residents who reported having contact with police in 2008 said the officers used or threatened to use force against them. Some cases, of courses, do result in criminal charges. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, police officer was indicted in January on a voluntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man who wrecked his vehicle and knocked on the front door of a home seeking help. Thinking incorrectly that the man was trying to break into her home, the woman who answered called police. Three officers responded and one repeatedly shot the unarmed victim, authorities say. But far more often officers aren't prosecuted. A grand jury in Ohio, for instance, declined to indict a police officer who in August shot a man carrying an air rifle inside a Wal-Mart. And in May, an Alabama grand jury declined to indict an officer who shot and wounded an Air Force airman he pulled over on the highway. The Opelika police chief said the officer shot the man after he got out of his car based on a perceived threat. Geoffrey Alpert, a University of South Carolina criminologist, said only a "small tip" of police shootings are considered so outrageous as to merit criminal charges. An absence of prosecution, he said, does not mean that an officer did a good job, didn't make a mistake or should not face a wrongful-death lawsuit. But criminal charges are a different burden. "He may not do (his job) well, and he may have made a mistake, but it's not like he woke up in the morning and said, 'I'm going to go out and kill someone,'" Alpert said. ____ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
I don't really condone violence like this but what do people do when they are oppressed, jailed, robbed and murdered by the government? Everybody has their breaking point and it's events like Ferguson that trigger those breaking points. At the Federal level according to Federal Bureau of Prison statistics 51% of the people are in prison for victimless drug war crimes. At the state levels according to Reason Magazine two thirds, that's 66% of the people in state prisons are their for victimless drug crimes. And Black's take the brunt of being thrown in prison for those victimless drug war crimes. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Late-night-looters-trash-Oakland-stores-5915959.php Late-night looters trash Oakland stores By Vivian Ho, Jill Tucker and Kevin Fagan Updated 9:08 am, Tuesday, November 25, 2014 As Monday night’s demonstrations over the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown dribbled into Tuesday morning, a hard core of remaining people in Oakland turned into opportunists as they looted two downtown businesses of booze, coffee beans and dog food. The evening’s protests had started out peacefully in cities throughout Northern California, but in Oakland several demonstrators clashed with police early on — and then it got ugly around midnight. A couple of hundred protesters lit a bonfire in the middle of Broadway as the Starbucks store on Eighth Street was trashed and looted of equipment and bags of coffee beans. Thieves then smashed into the nearby Smart & Final and ran away with booze bottles, snacks, 12-packs of beer and bags of dog food. A phalanx of police in helmets with shields ordered the crowd to disperse, but the protesters refused to move, yelling obscenities and tossing bottles of alcohol at the officers. The officers fired flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas, forcing back the mob, which ignited new bonfires as it retreated. Most of the protesters left the scene after the clash, but a remaining 50 retreated to Telegraph and Broadway and lit a fire. They remained there past 1 a.m., many drinking booze looted from Smart & Final while police kept an eye on them from about a block away. Vivian Ho, Jill Tucker and Kevin Fagan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: kfagan@sfchronicle.com
F*ck Jenny A. Durkan. The truth of the matter is government prosecutors seem to be more concerned with covering up the crimes of the crooked cops they work with then sending crooked cops to prison. http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/11/24/as-a-federal-prosecutor-i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-convict-officers-like-darren-wilson/?hpid=z3 As a federal prosecutor, I know how hard it is to charge officers like Darren Wilson By Jenny Durkan November 24 at 9:36 PM Jenny A. Durkan was United States Attorney in Western Washington for five years, until October 2014. She served on Attorney General Holder’s Advisory Committee and served on the Civil Rights Subcommittee. Officer Darren Wilson will not face criminal charges for shooting and killing Michael Brown, according to a just-released decision by a grand jury. It’s a controversial ruling, one that seems almost certain to fracture that community and the country. I know firsthand how difficult it is to prosecute police officers. In 2010, I was the chief federal prosecutor in Seattle. That year, there were a number of high profile incidents involving use of force by Seattle Police officers. Many were caught on video (including one that showed a gang unit cop yelling he was going to “kick the f ***ing Mexican piss” out of a prone and unarmed suspect), and the images weren’t pretty. Things reached fever pitch when Seattle police officer Ian Birk shot and killed John T. Williams, an unarmed Native American woodcarver. Williams was walking on a downtown Seattle street, tool in hand. As he crossed the street in front of a police car, the officer got out, followed Williams and ordered him to drop his knife. Just seven seconds later, when Williams failed to comply, the officer shot him multiple times. Later, that officer testified he felt threatened. Like the shooting of Michael Brown, this case went to local and state authorities for review of possible criminal charges. In January 2011, a local inquest jury found that the officer was not in danger, and that Williams (who had hearing impairments) did not have adequate time to drop his knife. But a majority of jurors also found that the officer did believe Williams was a threat. They made this seemingly contradictory ruling because the state sets a very high legal burden for prosecuting police. Under state law, the prosecutor must prove an officer acted with malice and without a good faith belief the shooting was justified. There was insufficient evidence to meet that standard, so the local state prosecutor determined state charges could not be brought. Many in the community protested the decision and called on federal authorities to act. My office joined the DOJ Civil Rights Division to conduct two investigations: a criminal civil rights probe, and a separate broader look at whether the police were systematically using force in an unconstitutional way. (This is happening right now in Ferguson too.) After looking at the facts, we concluded that we couldn’t bring criminal civil rights charges. Federal law sets a very high bar, and essentially requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that an officer intended to deprive a person of his civil rights. Evidence that an officer feared for his life or acted according to training could defeat such a case. It is exceedingly difficult to prove such specific motivation. On the one hand, this is okay — we want police to be able to make split second decisions necessary to protect us. But we also want to ensure that deadly force is used only where necessary. We spent a difficult day meeting with the victim’s family, law enforcement and community groups to explain the decision. But broad and enduring change was still possible. Even where individual criminal cases cannot be brought against an officer, a system that fosters unconstitutional policing can be corrected. We reviewed voluminous documents and data, conducted dozens of interviews and meetings with both community members and law enforcement. Eventually, our other investigation concluded the Seattle Police Department had a pattern of using unconstitutional force and found troubling evidence that it acted with racial bias. Months of acrimony followed. We engaged police and political leaders, and consulted with national experts on all aspects of policing. This type of broad outreach is challenging but essential. Involving cops in the solution is particularly important. Opposition was stiff at times. Political leaders were bitterly divided. Even after agreement was reached and a consent decree entered, pockets of resistance remained. But under threat of litigation, the city finally agreed to a broad consent decree entered in federal court. The order required wholesale changes in how and when police used force, how they were trained and how they will be held accountable. The process of remaking the department began. Now, every aspect of reform must be reviewed and approved by the federal judge and his appointed monitor. This ensures independence, helps insulate the process from political and budgetary pressures, and increases public trust and confidence. New policies and training on using force, dealing with mentally ill and biased policing were developed. A Community Police Commission, comprised of a broad cross section of community members and police officers, was created to oversee the changes and foster positive dialogue. The parties are in the process of agreeing to and measuring outcomes. One significant benefit already is that there is formalized collaboration with the mental health provider community, and all dispatchers and officers have received training on crisis intervention and how to deal with people in crisis. Today both the city and the department have new leaders who have embraced reforms. Years of work remain to implement the new policies and truly change the culture. But all parties-community, police, elected leaders and the DOJ-are building the type of department the city needs and wants. These are the lasting changes that are possible in any city, including Ferguson.
Candice Anderson framed for negligent homicide Sadly the police and prosecutors seem more concerned with getting convictions then with getting justice. And this is also the problem with the "plea bargain" system. I suspect Candice Anderson took the plea bargain because if she plead innocent to the crime, but was convicted she would have been sent to prison with a draconian sentence that would have kept her in prison for most of her remaining life. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/business/woman-cleared-in-death-caused-by-gms-faulty-ignition-switch.html?_r=0 Woman Cleared in Death Tied to G.M.’s Faulty Ignition Switch By REBECCA R. RUIZNOV. 24, 2014 Nearly a decade ago, Rhonda Erickson’s son died in a car accident. It is now known his is one of the 13 deaths tied to General Motors’ ignition switch malfunction. Candice Anderson received the bittersweet news Monday in a Texas courtroom, fighting back tears, and her arm around the mother of the boyfriend she had felt responsible for killing in a car crash 10 years ago. The judge cleared Ms. Anderson in the death of the boyfriend, Gene Mikale Erickson, even though she had pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in the case years ago. Ms. Anderson, 21 at the time of the crash, was driving her car when she inexplicably lost control and crashed into a tree. Mr. Erickson, her passenger, died at the scene, and Ms. Anderson has been racked with guilt ever since. In getting her record cleared, Ms. Anderson benefited from an extraordinary — and long delayed — admission by General Motors, which on Monday for the first time publicly linked Mr. Erickson’s death to an ignition switch defect in millions of its small cars. “It’s overwhelming; it’s a range of emotions,” Ms. Anderson said in a telephone interview after the hearing. “I’m elated. Things are upside down. Or, really, right-side up.” Ms. Anderson’s Saturn Ion was among the cars equipped by G.M. with the defective switch, which can cause a loss of power, disabling power brakes, power steering and airbags. At least 35 deaths have been linked to the defect, which went unreported by G.M. for more than a decade. In May 2007, five months before Ms. Anderson entered her guilty plea, G.M. had conducted an internal review of the crash and quietly ruled its car was to blame, but never let Ms. Anderson or local law enforcement officials know. After the crash on Nov. 15, 2004, Ms. Anderson’s parents liquidated their 401(k) to retain a lawyer to defend her. While a deal with prosecutors spared her jail time, she was on probation for five years and paid more than $10,000 in fines and restitution. She also suffered serious injuries in the accident, including a lacerated liver. But the guilt surrounding her own survival and her boyfriend’s death caused her more enduring pain, she said. When the hearing was over on Monday, Ms. Anderson, her family, and Mr. Erickson’s mother, Rhonda, went together for the first time to visit Mr. Erickson’s grave. His headstone had been put up just last week, after his mother had struggled for years with the thought of purchasing one for her only child. Ms. Anderson placed a bouquet of red roses on the grave after withdrawing a single one from the bunch. She said she handed the single rose to Ms. Erickson. “This will change so many things,” Ms. Anderson said in the telephone interview. On Monday, James R. Cain, a spokesman for G.M., said in a statement: “We have taken a neutral position on Ms. Anderson’s case. It is appropriate for the court to determine the legal status of Ms. Anderson.” The automaker’s public acknowledgment linking Ms. Anderson’s crash to the defective ignition switch came in a letter from G.M.’s lawyers that was submitted by her lawyers to the district judge in Van Zandt County, Tex. Until this year, she wrestled with questions about her role in Mr. Erickson’s death. The police trooper who investigated the accident had deduced that Ms. Anderson was intoxicated before her drug test results came back. His police report referred to the seemingly inexplicable circumstances of the accident, her history of recreational drug use, “and Anderson’s behavior at the scene,” which was disoriented and emotional. G.M. did not disclose the switch’s role when federal safety regulators asked about the cause of the crash in a so-called death inquiry. Instead, in June 2007, the automaker wrote to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it had not assessed the cause of the crash when, in fact, it had: A G.M. engineer had found just a month earlier that power to the vehicle had most likely shut off. The district attorney who prosecuted Ms. Anderson, Leslie Poynter Dixon, and the police trooper who investigated the accident had both said that if the ignition-switch defect had been publicly known at the time of the crash, certain details of the accident — like the lack of skid marks or evasive action — would have been seen differently. “At the time, unbeknownst to Ms. Anderson or my office, there were issues regarding her 2004 Saturn Ion,” Ms. Poynter Dixon wrote in a letter in support of Ms. Anderson in July. “Had I known at the time that G.M. knew of these issues and has since admitted to such, I do not believe the grand jury would have indicted her for intoxication manslaughter.” In May, The New York Times reported that General Motors considered Mr. Erickson a victim of its faulty ignition switch. Ms. Anderson learned of her accident’s inclusion in G.M.’s tally after Mr. Erickson’s mother sought confirmation from federal regulators at the request of The Times. After Ms. Anderson’s story was first reported, her lawyer, Robert Hilliard, and federal lawmakers called on Mary T. Barra, G.M.’s chief executive, to support a pardon. At a congressional hearing in July, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, called Ms. Anderson’s indictment “a perversion of the justice process,” and asked Ms. Barra and Michael P. Millikin, G.M.’s top lawyer, to contact Gov. Rick Perry of Texas to urge a pardon for Ms. Anderson. Both declined although they offered to submit “evidence to support” Ms. Anderson’s exoneration. On Monday, Mr. Blumenthal praised the ruling. “Her plight demonstrates just how far the consequences of General Motors’ concealment go,” he said, “hurting not just direct victims of defective cars but also those who were blamed for the accidents even when G.M. knew full well what the cause had been.” Ms. Anderson said she still had not heard from G.M. directly. “I don’t expect I ever will,” she said. Ms. Anderson said she would accept a payment from the automaker’s victim compensation program run by Kenneth R. Feinberg. “My plan is to take the compensation and take this clearing of my record and move on with my life.” Mr. Cain said that Mr. Feinberg’s compensation program “is set up to evaluate claims without consideration of contributory negligence.” Having long worked as a home health aide and currently in pursuit of a nursing degree, Ms. Anderson said she had suffered professionally from being a convicted criminal. To be accepted to nursing school, she had to petition the Texas Board of Nursing and pay for a psychiatric examination to prove her mental stability. With her criminal record, she would have been barred from at-home caregiving and hospice work, and she had been worried about finding full-time work after graduation. “Who wants someone taking care of their mother if they have homicide on their record?” she said. Beyond its practical effects on her work, Ms. Anderson said her cleared record would significantly affect her life in other ways. She said that someday she would tell the story of her exoneration to her daughters, now 4 and 6. “My heart is going to be a lot lighter to be able to tell them, ‘This is what happened, this horrible thing. And it wasn’t Mommy’s fault.’ ”
Here in Arizona our racist government masters treat Latinos with the same respect they treat Blacks in Ferguson. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/11/24/brewer-book-scrutiny-immigration-suit/70057974/ Gov. Brewer's book gets scrutiny in immigration suit Associated Press 3:56 p.m. MST November 24, 2014 PHOENIX — A book by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer that provides behind-the-scenes details of her handling of the state's 2010 landmark immigration law is facing scrutiny in a legal challenge of the contentious statute. Lawyers seeking to overturn surviving parts of the law have subpoenaed all documents used by the governor in writing the 2011 book that included her administration's attempts to avoid being branded racists over the crackdown on illegal immigration. The most contentious section of the law, SB1070, required that police, while enforcing other laws, question people's immigration status if they are suspected of being in the country illegally. The 2010 law elevated Brewer, who signed the measure into law and became its chief defender, to the national political stage. Her book is called "Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border." Justin Cox, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who is part of the team challenging the law, said the content of the Brewer documents is unknown but might provide insight into the passage of the law. "What was she told, what role did her office have, and what was her understanding of what SB1070 would do?" Cox asked. Brewer spokesman Andrew Wilder declined to comment on the subpoena. The subpoena is one of several issued by the law's challengers as they sought letters, emails and memos between lawmakers and advocates for tougher immigration enforcement to see why proponents of the law believed it needed to be passed. The lawyers also are seeking documents to back up their claim that the law was passed with discriminatory intent. Former state Sen. Russell Pearce, the Legislature's chief advocate for the law, was ordered in September to comply with a subpoena to turn over his emails and documents about the law. Cox said the subpoena for Brewer's book-related documents was issued after she declined to provide them through a records request. Cox said Brewer's lawyers made the meritless argument that she was part of the lawsuit only in her official capacity and that the records in question were kept solely in her personal capacity. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law's contentious requirement that police, while enforcing other laws, must question people's immigration status if they are suspected of being in the country illegally. But the courts threw out several other sections, including a requirement that immigrants carry registration papers and a ban on immigrants soliciting work in a public place. Much of Brewer's book is devoted to defending the law. She said her administration was aware early on that the state would face an outcry and allegations of racism in response to the law's passage and responded by making what they thought were important changes to minimize those concerns. Brewer wrote that Arizona's illegal immigration crisis had been intensifying as the state became an attractive gateway for drug and immigrant smuggling. Brewer said momentum for an additional state response grew when an Arizona rancher was fatally shot about 20 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border in March 2010, when SB1070 was working its way through the Legislature.
New FDA rules will put calorie counts on menus, displays Don't these government nannies have any REAL problems to solve??? This will just drive up the cost of food by requiring business to spend a lot of money testing and calculating the amount of calories in all the stuff they sell. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/25/restaurants-menus-calories-fda-labeling-rules/70089558/ New FDA rules will put calorie counts on menus, displays Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press 9:35 a.m. MST November 25, 2014 WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers will soon know how many calories they are eating when ordering off the menu at chain restaurants, picking up prepared foods at supermarkets and even eating a tub of popcorn at the movie theater. The Food and Drug Administration announced long-delayed calorie labeling rules Tuesday, requiring establishments that sell prepared foods and have 20 or more locations to post the calorie content of food "clearly and conspicuously" on their menus, menu boards and displays. Companies will have until November 2015 to comply. The regulations will also apply to convenience stores, bakeries, coffee shops, pizza delivery, amusement parks and vending machines. The idea is that people may pass on that bacon double cheeseburger if they know it has hundreds of calories — and, in turn, restaurants may make their foods healthier to keep calorie counts down. Beverages are included in the rules, and alcohol will be labeled if drinks are listed on the menu. "Americans eat and drink about one-third of their calories away from home and people today expect clear information about the products they consume," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said. The effort is just one way Americans can combat obesity, she added. The menus and menu boards will tell diners that a 2,000-calorie diet is used as the basis for daily nutrition, noting that individual calorie needs may vary. Additional nutritional information beyond calories, including sodium, fats, sugar and other items, must be available upon request. The rules deal a blow to the grocery and convenience store industries, which have lobbied hard to be left out since the menu labels became law in 2010 as a part of the health care overhaul.
Who says the police are not racists??? "the chances of a young black male being killed by police are 21 times greater than a young white male" http://www.azcentral.com/story/ejmontini/2014/11/24/ferguson-darren-wilson-missouri-michael-brown-pastor-traci-blackmon-grand-jury/19485111/ Would I care more about Ferguson if my son was black? EJ Montini, columnist | azcentral.com 5:04 p.m. MST November 24, 2014 For the second Monday in a row I received a call from a reader identifying herself as "the concerned mother of an African-American son." Last week she phoned in to ask why the newspaper – and me in particular – have not "paid enough attention to the ongoing controversy in Missouri." This week she asked if I'd seen the news reports about the 12-year-old boy in Cleveland who was shot by police over the weekend. I had. The story has made national news. Tamir Rice was shot while in the playground area of a recreation center in Cleveland. Police said when they ordered Rice to raise his hands he reached into his waistband for what reports described as an "airsoft"-type replica gun — a BB-gun that resembles a semi-automatic pistol. It did not have an orange safety indicator on the muzzle. "Do you understand now what I was talking about last week?" the reader said to me. "It's scary being the parent of a young black male." According to an investigation last month by ProPublica, the independent non-profit news organization, the chances of a young black male being killed by police are 21 times greater than a young white male. That's part of what has brought near constant tension and unrest to Ferguson, Mo., since a white police officer shot to death the unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. That state's governor declared a state of emergency, which permits him to activate the Missouri National Guard, in anticipation of protests following an expected a grand jury decision on whether to indict the officer. Last week, the Phoenix mother of a young black son wanted to know if the reason I haven't written much of anything about Ferguson has to do with the fact that I'm white. Back in August the Pew Research Center did a survey and found that roughly 80 percent of African Americans said the shooting in Ferguson and subsequent unrest raised important questions about race in America. Only 37 percent of whites agreed. I'd like to think that race didn't matter to me, that it's more a question of geography than of skin color. Missouri is a long way from here. The caller wondered if I would feel the same way if a police officer in Phoenix had done what Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson had done. That would make it more of a local story, I said. "But this problem isn't just in Missouri," she said. "It's everywhere. I've seen it here with my own son, with his cousins, with many young black men." On Sunday, Missouri Pastor Traci Blackmon told her congregation at Christ the King United Church of Christ that no matter what the grand jury does, "The same schools will remain, the same economic depravity will remain, the same rates of incarceration will remain and the same racial profiling will remain." Last week, the woman on the phone asked if I had a son. I do. She asked Monday if he was doing okay. I said he was. She wondered if I thought the media would do more reporting about the dangers young black males face after the tension in Ferguson ends. "No disrespect," she said, "But I bet you would if your sons looked like mine."
The good thing about the private sector is that when crooked or incompetent employees piss away the stockholders money like drunken sailors the business will go out of business and the losses of the stockholders will be limited. Sadly that ain't the case when crooked or incompetent government employees piss away the taxpayers money. Instead of going bankrupt like a private business, government entities raise taxes and screw the taxpayers forever. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/editorial/2014/11/24/arizona-pension-va-scandals/70059624/ This is why public employees shouldn't get bonuses Editorial board, The Republic | azcentral.com 4:47 p.m. MST November 24, 2014 Our View: Some of the state's biggest public-sector scandals involve bonus payments to employees. The state's pension system for public-safety personnel did not commit a crime when calculating employee bonuses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. For a nearly $8 billion retirement system in the midst of a slow-motion spiral toward insolvency, that constitutes some rare good news. But while the managers of the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System appear not to have done anything illegal, the case against public entities doling out bonuses to employees in the first place remains strong. Four of PSPRS's top analysts quit the system last year, alleging that the value of some real-estate assets had been artificially enhanced to meet an employee bonus threshold. The claims appeared sufficiently serious that the U.S. Attorney's Office convened a grand jury in January to look into the matter. Controversy over high five-figure guaranteed bonuses being paid to PSPRS employees kicked off a long-running debate over compensation — a debate that eventually forced the pension system's chief administrator, Jim Hacking, into retirement. Once instituted, bonus systems can become goals unto themselves, entirely apart from the mission of the agency. And often to the detriment of the agency. The nation's most notorious bonus-payment system right now involves another public entity, the Department of Veterans Affairs. A zealous commitment to reaching performance metrics that would trigger bonuses for VA hospital executives was at the heart of the widespread practice of falsifying appointment records. Top management at 38 VA hospitals investigated this year for having created two sets of appointment books "earned" over $380,000 in bonuses in 2013. Those administrators included Sharon Helman, fired Monday as director of the Phoenix VA hospital. Now rescinded, Helman's 2013 bonus was $8,500. Once instituted, agency directors invariably defend bonus payments to the death. Hacking defied the will of his board. Assistant U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Gina Farrisee told Congress at the height of the VA storm that bonuses were "vital." Even a lack of money fails to dampen enthusiasms for dispensing bonuses. PSPRS is the worst-performing public-employee pension system in the state. Yet it rewarded managers for their performance. The feds are no better: Even as top officials for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were explaining away the Obama administration's slow response to the growing threat of the Ebola virus as a lack of funding, they were paying out substantial bonuses to their top health officials. Despite Great Recession wage constraints, the CDC found a way to pay out $25 million in bonuses since 2007. Lacking a profit-seeking bottom line, public agencies can get downright artistic when creating performance objectives that, they believe, will help attract and keep talented employees. Paying out bonuses has too many pitfalls for those agencies. It's a practice that must stop.
Imagine if the unarmed Brown had been White and a Black cop in Scottsdale had gunned him down for stealing a few cigars. The tone of the debate would have been different. Sadly Linda Valdez doesn't seem to remember Scottsdale pig James Peters who has murdered 6 people so far!!!! I believe this murdering Scottsdale Police Officer has retired and is collecting retirement benefits of around $4,500 a month. And of course our tax dollars are allowing this criminal to lead a nice life, when he really belongs in prison. And remember the reason the Founders gave us the Second Amendment is because of pigs Scottsdale Police Officer James Peters and Ferguson pig Darren Wilson. http://www.azcentral.com/story/lindavaldez/2014/11/24/ferguson-decision-on-michael-brown-killing-is-wrong/70070342/ Ferguson: A punch to the gut Linda Valdez, columnist | azcentral.com 8:52 p.m. MST November 24, 2014 The Ferguson decision calls for emotion. Sorrow. Anger. Frustration. But few are surprised -- and that's the problem. The St. Louis County grand jury decision that White police officer Darren Wilson will not face any charges for firing six shots into unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown and killing him is like a punch to the gut. It hurts. The Ferguson grand jury's decision inspires no confidence. The message to police is clear: Do what you will on the streets. Imagine if the unarmed Brown had been White and a Black cop in Scottsdale had gunned him down for stealing a few cigars. The tone of the debate would have been different. There would have been a presumption that this was just an innocent teenager doing the kind of dumb stuff teenagers do. There would have been hard questions at the highest levels about why the cop didn't use a Taser or shot to wound, not kill. But Brown did not get the benefit of the doubt that August night. Nor do other Black kids get a break. Over the weekend, a rookie police officer in Cleveland fatally shot a 12-year-old Black child on a playground. The boy, Tamir Rice, was brandishing a fake gun. Once again, it was not shoot to wound. It wasn't pull out the pepper spray or Taser to de-escalate the violence. It was shoot to kill the Black kid. Let's face it people: The fact that we have a Black man in the White House does not mean we have achieved a post-racial society. There's a lot more work to do. The grand jury in the Ferguson case made that work harder and more important.
If your a pig lover don't worry. If and that's if the cop is ever charged with a crime it will probably get a slap on the wrist at most. And if you a pig lover remember this murdering piggy will almost certainly get a long FULLY PAID vacation, paid with our tax dollars. If you are angry about this, remember, that's what the Founder's gave us the 2nd Amendment. Of course if you are in New York, the Second Amendment has pretty much been declared null and void. The royal rulers of New York State and New York City certainly don't want to let the people have a fair fight against the police terrorists that keep them in power. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/2014/11/24/new-york-police-shooting-homicide/19489919/ New York City police shooting ruled a homicide Associated Press 11:29 a.m. MST November 24, 2014 NEW YORK — The New York City medical examiner ruled Monday that the police killing of an unarmed man in a dark public housing stairwell was a homicide, and politicians planned to meet with prosecutors later in the day to discuss the findings. The medical examiner's office said its finding that Akai Gurley's death "resulted in full or in part from the actions of another person or persons," a gunshot wound to the torso, "does not imply any statement about intent or culpability." "... The evaluation of the legal implications of this classification is a function of the district attorney and the criminal justice system," the medical examiner said in a statement. Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson has called the shooting "deeply troubling" and said it warrants "an immediate, fair and thorough investigation." His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. City Councilwoman Inez Barron and Assemblyman-elect Charles Barron planned a news conference Monday afternoon after meeting with prosecutors. Police Commissioner William Bratton previously called the shooting Thursday in Brooklyn's gritty East New York neighborhood an apparent accident that claimed a "totally innocent" life. On Saturday evening, Barron organized a protest march of about 200 people from the shooting scene to the police department office that patrols housing developments. Earlier Saturday, stunned relatives looked on as the Rev. Al Sharpton and public officials demanded a full investigation. "We're not demonizing the police," Sharpton said, but "this young man should not be dead." Gurley's death comes at a sensitive time in New York. On Staten Island, a grand jury is weighing whether to bring criminal charges against another officer in a chokehold death. City police often conduct "vertical patrols" inside public housing by going from roofs down staircases that sometimes are havens for crime. Bratton has said the patrols are needed, and the development where Gurley was shot had recently seen a shooting, robberies and assaults. Officer Peter Liang and his partner, both of whom are new to the force, were patrolling a pitch-dark stairwell with flashlights late Thursday, police said. Police said the officers walked down the stairs onto an eighth-floor landing. Gurley and his girlfriend opened a stairwell door one floor down after giving up on waiting for an elevator. Police said Liang, patrolling with his gun drawn, fired without a word and apparently by accident, hitting Gurley from a distance of about 10 feet. Liang, 26, has been placed on modified duty. Under standard policy, police internal affairs investigators won't be able to question him until prosecutors have decided whether to file criminal charges. Mayor Bill de Blasio met with some of Gurley's relatives Friday evening. His office declined to comment on the medical examiner's findings.
Don't these pigs have any real criminals to hunt down??? Let's say Monica Jones is guilty as charged to all the crimes she is charged with. Who cares!!!! It's a victimless crime and didn't hunt anybody. Why don't these pigs go hunt down REAL criminals that hurt people. Like robbers and rapists. Not some harmless hooker who didn't hurt anybody. Also this is another one of my rants on "You think your going to get a fair trial? Don't make me laugh!!!" From the article it certainly sounds like their is a good chance the cops are committing perjury and lying about what happened. Oops, I am sorry, cops NEVER commit perjury. When a cop lies in court to railroad an innocent person it's called "testilying", not perjury. Well at least that's the lame *ss excuse the cops want us to believe. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/11/24/phoenix-transgender-activist-monica-jones-appeal-abrk/70049046/ Phoenix transgender activist continues prostitution appeal Jennifer Soules, The Republic | azcentral.com 6:04 p.m. MST November 24, 2014 Monica Jones, the Phoenix transgender woman convicted in April for manifesting prostitution, never had a chance for a fair trial, her attorney argued Monday morning as part of Jones' appeal. Jones' attorney, Jean-Jacques Cabou, argued that his client had been convicted in a trial full of errors, where the only witnesses who testified were Jones and the arresting officer. Jones was arrested in May 2013 after accepting a ride from an undercover officer during a prostitution-related sting operation conducted by the Phoenix Police Department. The officer and Jones both agreed that she accepted a ride from the officer, but the two disagreed on several key factors, such as who initiated the ride and who instigated sexual contact. Cabou also argued that prosecutors in the April trial in Phoenix Municipal Court preemptively discussed Jones' punishment before she was convicted. The discussion discredited Jones' testimony before she had the opportunity to take the stand and diminished the presumption of innocence she should have enjoyed, Cabou said. In his rebuttal, Assistant City Prosecutor Gary Shupe said Jones was aware of the potential punishment for the crime based on a previous prostitution conviction. Shupe said the discussion in the trial about Jones' prior conviction did not equate to talking about her punishment before the verdict was delivered. In order to violate the Phoenix ordinance, which outlaws the intent to buy or sell sex, a person must have attempted to engage a passer-by in conversation, stop cars by waving at them, inquire whether someone is a law enforcement officer or request that someone touch his or her genitals. Though the appeal hinges on whether Jones received a fair trial in Phoenix Municipal Court, her attorney also dedicated a good chunk of his argument Monday to discrediting the Phoenix prostitution ordinance Jones was convicted of violating. The ordinance violates fundamental free-speech protections such as the freedom to ask someone if they are a police officer, Cabou said, which should not be considered enough probable cause for an arrest. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Crane McClennen raised some questions and observations of his own once Cabou dove into his free speech argument. "It's one thing to hail down a police officer for help with a lost dog or something, it's another thing to grab that officer's genitals," McClennen said. Cabou also said the ordinance gives law enforcement the chance to profile and unfairly target those in marginalized communities. "(The ordinance) basically means that we now have a law against looking wrong or suspicious," Cabou said. Jones' case has captured local and national attention. Monday's court room was standing room only after a group of local supporters came to hear the argument for appeal. Laverne Cox, a transgender woman known for her role on the Netflix series "Orange is the New Black," also came to Phoenix in August to support Jones. Laverne Cox — a transgender woman and LGBT-rights advocate who's been nominated for an Emmy for her role on the Netflix series "Orange is the New Black" — was in Phoenix on Tuesday to support Monica Jones. Jones, a full-time student at Arizona State University, said she is glad her case is giving her a platform to continue her activism, but the time and attention has started to affect her schooling. "There's some good, I get to speak about these issues and sex-worker issues, but it also affects my schooling," Jones said. "It makes me uncomfortable in a place I should be comfortable."
Crooked, racist cops are only half of the problem in this mess. The other half is our crooked elected officials. Our mayors, our city council members, county supervisors, members of the state legislators, the attorney general and the governor. Those elected criminals routinely refuse to fire crooked cops, and sign contracts with the police unions that make it just about impossible to fire crooked, incompetent police terrorists. And yes, this is BRIBERY. In exchange for letting the pigs do what ever they want our elected officials get the votes from the cops and police unions. In the city of Phoenix there are 3,000+ cops that work for the city of Phoenix. That might not sound like huge number. But when you have elections with small turnouts the 3,000+ votes the police unions can easily swing an election. And cops don't vote because they are patriotic and want big government. Cops show up and vote when it means more money in their wallets. Most people don't know it but in most city government the POLICE are the NUMBER ONE EXPENSE of the city. In Phoenix about 40% of the budget goes to the POLICE. The next 20% of the Phoenix budget goes to the fire department. The gives the cops and firemen combined 60% of the Phoenix budget. And those figures are good ball park figures that most city governments across the countries spend on their cops and firemen. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/24/ferguson-grand-jury-decision/19493141/ Violence, arrests in Ferguson, St. Louis after no indictment of officer Jim Salter and David A. Lieb, Associated Press 7:05 a.m. MST November 25, 2014 FERGUSON, Mo. — Chaos returned to the streets of Ferguson after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer in the death of Michael Brown — a decision that enraged protesters who set fire to buildings and cars and looted businesses in the area where the unarmed, black 18-year-old was fatally shot. Smoke billowed from some businesses Tuesday morning and shattered glass covered the sidewalks in front of others, but the streets in Ferguson were mostly clear. Monday night's destruction appeared to be much worse than protests after August's shootings, with more than a dozen businesses badly damaged or destroyed. Authorities reported hearing hundreds of gunshots, which for a time prevented fire crews from fighting the flames. There were 61 arrests in Ferguson overnight, many for burglary and trespassing, St. Louis County Police spokesman Brian Schellman said. There were 21 arrests in St. Louis, where protesters broke some store windows along South Grand Avenue, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said. Jon Belmar, chief of the St. Louis County police, said that unless his agency could bring in 10,000 officers, "I don't think we can prevent folks who really are intent on destroying a community." The grand jury's decision means that Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, will not face any state criminal charges for killing Brown, whose death inflamed deep racial tensions between many black Americans and police. Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said the jury of nine whites and three blacks met on 25 separate days over three months, hearing more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses, including three medical examiners and experts on blood, toxicology and firearms. "They are the only people that have heard and examined every witness and every piece of evidence," he said, adding that the jurors "poured their hearts and soul into this process." In the first flash of unrest after the grand jury announcement, Belmar said he told officers to back off, suggesting they handle the situation as if it were a festival or baseball game. But the situation quickly "spun out of control," as protesters looted businesses and set fire to numerous vehicles, including at least two police cars. Officers eventually lobbed tear gas from inside armored vehicles to disperse crowds. As McCulloch read his statement, Michael Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, sat atop a vehicle listening to a broadcast of the announcement. When she heard the decision, she burst into tears and began screaming before being whisked away by supporters. The crowd with her erupted in anger, converging on the barricade where police in riot gear were standing. They pushed down the barricade and began pelting police with objects, including a bullhorn. Officers stood their ground. Speaking for nearly 45 minutes, a defensive McCulloch repeatedly cited what he said were inconsistencies and erroneous witness accounts. When asked by a reporter whether any of the accounts amount to perjury, he said, "I think they truly believe that's what they saw, but they didn't." The prosecutor also was critical of the media, saying "the most significant challenge" for his office was a "24-hour news cycle and an insatiable appetite for something — for anything — to talk about." McCulloch never mentioned that Brown was unarmed when he was killed. Brown's family released a statement saying they were "profoundly disappointed" but asked that the public "channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen." Shortly after the announcement, authorities released more than 1,000 pages of grand jury documents, including Wilson's testimony. Wilson told jurors that he initially encountered Brown and a friend walking in a street and, when he told them to move to a sidewalk, Brown responded with an expletive. Wilson then noticed that Brown had a handful of cigars, "and that's when it clicked for me," he said, referring to a radio report minutes earlier of a robbery at a nearby convenience store. Wilson said he asked a dispatcher to send additional police, and then backed his vehicle up in front of Brown and his friend. As he tried to open the door, Wilson said Brown slammed it back shut. The officer said he pushed Brown with the door and Brown hit him in the face. Wilson told grand jurors he was thinking: "What do I do not to get beaten inside my car." "I drew my gun," Wilson told the grand jury. "I said, 'Get back or I'm going to shoot you.' "He immediately grabs my gun and says, 'You are too much of a pussy to shoot me,'" Wilson told grand jurors. He said Brown grabbed the gun with his right hand, twisted it and "digs it into my hip." Asked why he felt the need to pull his gun, Wilson told grand jurors he was concerned another punch to his face could "knock me out or worse." Anthony Grimes kneels on a rain-soaked street as he Anthony Grimes kneels on a rain-soaked street as he blocks traffic with other protesters Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in St. Louis.(Photo: David Goldman/AP) After shots were fired in the vehicle, Brown fled and Wilson gave chase. At some point, Brown turned around to face the officer. Witness accounts were conflicted about whether Brown walked, stumbled or charged back toward Wilson before he was fatally wounded, McCulloch said. There were also differing accounts of how or whether Brown's hands were raised. His body fell about 153 feet from Wilson's vehicle. Thousands of people rallied — mostly peacefully — in other U.S. cities on Monday night, and President Barack Obama appealed for calm and understanding, pleading with both protesters and police to show restraint. "We are a nation built on the rule of law, so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury's to make," Obama said. He said it was understandable that some Americans would be angered, but echoed Brown's parents in calling for peaceful protests. About 10 St. Louis-bound flights were diverted or canceled Monday night because of concern about gunfire being aimed into the sky, a Lambert-St. Louis International Airport spokesman said, but the restrictions expired at 3:30 a.m. The Justice Department is conducting a separate investigation into possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges, but investigators would need to satisfy a rigorous standard of proof in order to mount a prosecution. The department also has launched a broad probe into the Ferguson Police Department, looking for patterns of discrimination. Regardless of the outcome of those investigations, Brown's family could also file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Wilson. The Aug. 9 shooting heightened tensions in the predominantly black suburb that is patrolled by an overwhelmingly white police force. As Brown's body lay for hours in the center of a residential street, an angry crowd of onlookers gathered. Rioting and looting occurred the following night, and police responded with armored vehicles and tear gas. Protests continued for weeks — often peacefully, but sometimes turning violent, with demonstrators throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails and police firing smoke canisters, tear gas and rubber bullets. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon briefly summoned the National Guard. Ron Johnson, the Missouri State Highway Patrol captain who oversaw Ferguson security during the summer protests, said the community must take some responsibility for the looting that took place Monday night. There were about 25 fires set overnight, and 10 cars burned at a dealership, Ferguson Assistant Fire Chief Steve Fair told local media. A pizza shop, beauty supply store and two auto parts stores were among those burned. "Those are dreams," Johnson said. "Those are small-business owners, and we've torn those dreams away."
10 formas antiguas de castigo y tortura
I saw this article in TeleGuiaEspanol but their website is screwed up so I googled the title to the article to find it on another website.
When I was reading this I was thinking of that Chandler Pig Ariel Werther who falsely arrested me on Oct 17.
If hell freezes over and she were to be convicted of a crime these would be some nice punishments for her. If the court let me pick the punishment I would pick number 10 which is aserradura.
¡Impactante! 10 formas antiguas de castigo y tortura
En las épocas del nacimiento de la humanidad, los castigos para los criminales eran crueles y sanguinarios, sobre todo en la Edad Media
Estephanie Gutiérrez | 13 de Noviembre de 2014
En la cultura de la antigüedad, no había mejor castigo que la ley del talión, “ojo por ojo, diente por diente”. Los criminales no eran castigados como se hace en la actualidad, ahora cuando un delincuente comete un agravio, hay diferentes penas o castigos, seguramente el más radical, sea la pena de muerte que se aplica en algunos países, pero lo más común radica en las penas corporales como lo son la privación de la libertad.
Sin embargo, de acuerdo con el sitio ojocientifico.com, en un momento de la vida de nuestros antepasados, la mejor forma de corregir la conducta de una persona que cometió un delito, era llevarlo a un castigo corporal de dimensiones ¡horrorosas! Se tienen registrados castigos que hoy violarían todas las convenciones de Derechos Humanos, pero que antes eran de lo más común.
En ese sentido, también es necesario mencionar que la forma de impartir justicia era radicalmente distinta, pues los juicios que hacían las personas estaban basados en otro tipo de concepciones, como por ejemplo, aquellos que se pensaba que practicaban la magia negra. Según el delito que se cometiera, era la forma en la que se pagarían los pecados.
En De10.mx te presentamos los castigos más crueles que se aplicaban en esos tiempos. Te dejarán con la boca abierta…
Aplastamiento
Aquel que cometiera un delito era condenado a esta forma de morir tan cruel. El castigado era aplastado por un elefante o bien, por objetos de mucho peso, como una roca grande o un metal pesado.
Empalamiento
En un solo golpe, el supuesto criminal era penetrado por el recto o la vagina hasta la boca por una estaca. Se dice que sus orígenes se remontan a Mesopotamia y en Babilonia, donde el Rey Darío I mató a más de 2 mil habitantes de esta forma.
Rueda de Catalina
Una muerte lenta y dolorosa en la cual el prisionero era colocado en forma de cruz sobre una rueda con cuchillas afiladas, a fin de que al reo se le rompieran todos los huesos del cuerpo, pero nunca se tocara la cabeza. Se utilizaba en la Edad Media.
Seppuku
Mejor conocido como Harakiri, consistía en el suicidio de los guerreros Samurai, en la cual el castigado se hacía dos cortes en el abdomen en forma de cruz, lo que podía llevar al desentrañamiento. Era una forma de morir antes de caer en manos del enemigo.
Desollamiento
El castigo consistía en arrancar la piel del condenado, aún con vida, para después colgarla en lugares públicos, a manera de que la gente viera como terminaban aquellos que hacía el mal. En algún momento se le aplicó a quienes eran acusados de brujería.
Crucifixión
Desde los antiguos romanos, que se encargaron de ejecutar y torturar a los supuestos criminales, esta forma de castigo era de las más crueles. Los reos eran clavados de pies y manos hasta desangrarse.
Hervidos
Usada en China, era una de las muertes más crueles, en las cual el acusado era vertido en una olla de agua hirviendo o en aceite con alquitrán. Se tiene conocimiento de que en Inglaterra esta era una forma de castigo legal.
Ling Chi
Rebanados, era como morían estos criminales. De los métodos más utilizados en China, donde las personas eran descuartizadas, pero a través de pequeños cortes, mientras estaban drogados con opio, a fin de que pudieran ver su propia ejecución.
Hoguera
Típico de las caricaturas. La persona era atada a un palo y bajo de ella se encendía maderas para que lentamente muriera quemada. Debido al significado del fuego como purificador en la religión, estas muertes estaban relacionadas a la brujería.
Aserradura
El reo era colgado de una maquinaria especial, quedando abajo su cabeza, para después ser cortada con una sierra, desde la ingle. La víctima estaba consciente de su ejecución con un dolor interminable.
¡Apenas se puede creer!, sacerdotes posan desnudos para calendario
I am not gay, but I thought some of you gay folks might like this. Same for you atheists.
Most of us atheists think the Bible's hate toward gays is just a silly superstition like the rest of the stuff in the Bible. So in general us atheists don't have any problems with gay folks that many Christians, Jews, and Muslims do. Remember the Old Testament is shared by all three religions. And a bigger chunk of the hate in the Bible is found in the Old Testament.
(Here is a translation provided by Google.)
You can hardly believe !, priests pose nude for calendar
Orthodox priests, seeking to eradicate discrimination against homosexuals in Russia.
The Orthodox Church in Russia, conducted a controversial calendar that some of its priests posed suggestively.
Some of the clergy appear naked and others with very little clothing, in order to challenge the repression of the church in this country and support the gay community.
According to Orthodox-calendar, with this publication intended to combat negative influences that have stigmatized this doctrine.
"With this we aim to encourage believers and non-believers to reflect on the state in which the company is currently" can be read on the website.
¡Apenas se puede creer!, sacerdotes posan desnudos para calendario
Los curas ortodoxos, buscan erradicar la discriminación hacia las personas homosexuales en Rusia.
La Iglesia Ortodoxa en Rusia, llevó a cabo un polémico calendario en el que algunos de sus sacerdotes posaron de manera sugerente.
Algunos de los clérigos aparecen desnudos y otros con muy poca ropa, con el propósito de cuestionar la represión que sufre la iglesia de este país y apoyar a la comunidad gay.
De acuerdo con Orthodox-calendar, con esta publicación pretenden combatir las influencias negativas que han estigmatizado a esta doctrina.
"Con esto pretendemos animar a los creyentes y los no creyentes para reflexionar sobre el estado en el que se encuentra la sociedad actualmente", se puede leer en el sitio web.
U.P. prosecutor's 'diatribe' about marijuana ruins case
U.P. prosecutor's 'diatribe' about marijuana ruins case
You think your going to get a fair trial??? Don't make me laugh!!!!
I suspect that nut jobs like Alger County prosecutor Karen Bahrman are in just about every city, county, state and Federal court in the nation and will do everything they can to use the heavy hand of government to force their personal beliefs on you.
U.P. prosecutor's 'diatribe' about marijuana ruins case
Associated Press 5:18 p.m. EST November 23, 2014
MUNISING, Mich. – The evidence seemed solid in a marijuana case, but a "personal diatribe" against Michigan's medical marijuana law by an Upper Peninsula prosecutor spoiled the conviction, the state appeals court said. In a 3-0 decision, the court granted a new trial to Paul Heminger, who was convicted of growing nearly two dozen pot plants in Alger County. During her closing argument, Alger County prosecutor Karen Bahrman criticized the medical marijuana law and attacked the credibility of a local group, the Alger Hemp Coalition, which she said has a "vision for the country where everybody can walk around stoned." "They do nothing to support the government services they want, and have nothing but criticism for the government services they don't want," Bahrman told the jury. "We're trespassers and tramplers of their rights right up until they need us to protect them from the violence that they attract to the community." Heminger had a medical marijuana card, but there was evidence that he was growing an excessive amount, possibly to sell or use, the appeals court said. Nonetheless, his right to a fair trial last year was violated by the prosecutor's "unfounded, irrelevant and inflammatory statements," the court said in an opinion released Friday. "The prosecutor's closing argument was clearly and thoroughly improper," the court said. "The prosecutor embarks on a political commentary, and a personal diatribe discrediting the (law) as a whole. … She calls the act 'meaningless,' and suggests that those suffering from chronic pain are simply cheating the system." Bahrman defended her remarks when reached for comment Sunday. She said she was surprised by the decision and might ask the Michigan Supreme Court to look at the case. "It's the first time I've been reversed in 30 years," Bahrman said. Heminger was sentenced to six months in jail. Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap
Longest-serving wrongfully convicted inmate in California set to be freed Will the cops that framed Michael Ray Hanline and caused him to spend 36 years in prison be punished???? Don't make me laugh, of course they won't be punished!!!! And if they do they will get a slap on the wrist at most!!! Remember folks America is the land of the Free. Well at least that's the line our government masters give us. http://touch.latimes.com/#section/1780/article/p2p-82067877/ Longest-serving wrongfully convicted inmate in California set to be freed Christine Mai-Duc, Amanda Covarrubias November 24, 2014, 10:22 a.m. A wrongfully convicted man who has spent 36 years behind bars is expected to be released Monday in Ventura because DNA evidence did not match him, and a key witness was found to be high on drugs when she testified against him. Michael Ray Hanline, 68, who is scheduled to appear in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Donald D. Coleman, is the longest-serving wrongfully convicted inmate in California. "It's been a roller coaster," his wife, Sandee Hanline, 64, said outside the courtroom Monday morning. "I'm wonderful," she said. "I prayed that this day would come." Hanline was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1980, two years after the shooting death of Ventura resident J.T. McGarry, also known as Mike Mathers. But DNA evidence collected at the crime scene does not match Hanline's or that of his alleged accomplice, according to court documents. Several sealed police reports also were uncovered that cast doubt on testimony by Hanline's then-girlfriend, Mary Bischoff, who was granted immunity and was a key witness during the trial. The police reports could have been used to diminish Bischoff's credibility, or to suggest Hanline could have been framed for the slaying, but were not disclosed to his defense attorneys at the time. Prosecutors stated in court documents filed two weeks ago that interviews with several people over the last few months suggest other individuals had motives and the means to kill McGarry. The interviews revealed that witnesses had been threatened and discouraged from cooperating with prosecutors, the documents said. McGarry disappeared on Nov. 10, 1978, and his body was found two days later off Highway 33 in Ojai with two .38-caliber gunshot wounds. Bischoff testified she had complained that McGarry still had thousands of dollars she and the victim had skimmed from motorcycle swap meets. She said Hanline told her there was a contract out on McGarry and that Hanline would "blow his brains out." Bischoff also said she had seen Hanline leave home with a .38-caliber gun the night of the killing, and that he had returned wet and muddy. Hanline said he had been home all night working on motorcycles, leaving only to get beer. Bischoff testified she had been smoking pot laced with PCP and had used cocaine the night of the slaying. She was also under the influence of drugs during the trial, according to court documents, and the judge had to adjourn court as a result. At the time, prosecutors also presented as evidence that some of McGarry's belongings had been found in a stolen van that Bischoff, Hanline and his alleged accomplice, Dennis "Bo" Messer, had been driving. Police said the trio used McGarry's credit card to pay for a hotel room on their way to San Francisco. Messer was never charged because of a lack of evidence. A federal judge recommended in 2010 that Hanline's conviction be set aside, and that he be retried. But a U.S. District Court judge refused that recommendation. Last week, a Ventura County Superior Court judge set aside the conviction and sentence. While prosecutors agree Hanline should be released because of flaws during the trial, they said last week they were not ready to drop the case. "The conviction integrity process has not concluded that Hanline is factually innocent," the district attorney's office said in a statement. Prosecutors "will continue to evaluate the evidence to determine how to proceed." Alex Simpson, an attorney with the California Innocence Project, which has worked on the case since 1999, said Hanline was "in shock" when he heard the news. "I think it still hasn't really sunk in yet," Simpson said. "What we're talking about is just an unbelievably profound change." For breaking news, contact @cmaiduc and amcovarrubias.
Federal officials issue new code of conduct for police highway seizures Sounds like a new code of conduct for Mafia members: "Federal drug enforcement officials have issued a new code of conduct for highway police across ... The code is voluntary" Except these guys have guns and badges and pretend to protect and server, while they rob, loot and terrorize. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2014/11/21/federal-officials-issue-new-conduct-rules-for-police-highway-seizures/?tid=hpModule_14fd66a0-9199-11e2-bdea-e32ad90da239&hpid=z14 Federal officials issue new code of conduct for police highway seizures By Robert O'Harrow Jr. November 21 Federal drug enforcement officials have issued a new code of conduct for highway police across the country intended to help curb the number of questionable civil seizures of cash and property from motorists. Senior officials in the federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program said they are doing so to remind local and state police about the need to honor Constitutional values and the civil rights of motorists. The code is voluntary. The code emphasizes the importance of traffic safety and the restrained use of an aggressive enforcement technique known as “highway interdiction,” which often involves large numbers of traffic stops by officers looking for drugs, illicit cash and other contraband. The code, a series of bullet points, was issued last month to hundreds of officials at the national conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Orlando. “Emphasize interdiction programs are NOT purposed for enhancing agency budgets,” the document says. “Underscore forfeited ill-gotten proceeds be spent prudently in accordance with applicable statutes, sound policies and regulations.” HIDTA operates as a program within the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Formed during the drug wars in the late 1980s, it provides financial assistance and coordination for local, state, federal and tribal law enforcement agencies. There are 28 active HIDTA operations nationwide. Leaders of the program have been considering questions about highway interdiction and the development of a new code for several years. They moved forward with their “21st Century Interdiction Code of Conduct” after a recent Washington Post investigation found that local and state police had seized more than $2.5 billion in cash from motorists and others since Sept. 11, 2001, without warrants or indictments. In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, an aggressive brand of policing called “highway interdiction,” which involves authorities seizing money and property during traffic stops, has grown in popularity. Thousands of people not charged with crimes are left fighting legal battles to regain their money. (Gabe Silverman/The Washington Post) Those seizures were made through an asset forfeiture program at the Justice Departmentthat allows local police to take cash and property under federal civil law without proving a crime has occurred. The program, Equitable Sharing, allows the local agencies to keep up to 80 percent of the proceeds. Many of the seizures were conducted by officers trained in highway interdiction. HIDTA officials said the technique is important to the fight drug trafficking and other crime. “It’s a legitimate and very effective tool,” said Kurt Schmid, director of the HIDTA office in Chicago. But Schmid and others said some officers may be using the technique to pad local police budgets through forfeited proceeds rather than pursuing criminal cases or focusing on traffic safety. “We felt the need to stake out another position here. It’s not all about ‘policing for profit,’” said Jack Killoran, director of the HIDTA office in Atlanta. “This is the product of a very robust conversation.” The ten-point code is written as a pledge. It says that “members of the Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) community” recognize they must adhere to the “highest standards of integrity and ethical principals in the performance of traffic safety enforcement activities.” It describes highway interdiction is an “ancillary endeavor” The code also addresses the use of informal intelligence networks to share unofficial reports about suspect drivers sometimes without evidence of a crime.Thousands of officers have tapped into these systems in recent years. But they have been controversial among some police. Schmid, Killoran and others worried that police using the intelligence networks may be unknowingly violating their departments’ rules or the laws governing the sharing of personal and law enforcement sensitive information. “Potentially, these officers who were filing these reports, they were violating the law,” Schmid said. The code says that information sharing must be consistent with local, state and federal laws and that personal data must be “lawfully obtained, shared, appropriately stored and available for disclosure/discovery” in criminal cases. Robert O’Harrow Jr. is a reporter on the investigative unit of The Washington Post. He writes about law enforcement, national security, federal contracting and the financial world.
Sorry Leon Ceniceros the American government was NEVER a Judeo-Christian government. While many of the American colonies WERE Judeo-Christian theocracies and continued to be Judeo-Christian states after the American nation was formed, the American government was NEVER a Judeo-Christian government. The Founders didn't want the American government force any religious ideas on the American states that created it and that's why the wrote the First Amendment. Many of the American states continued to be Christian theocracies until the 14th Amendment was passed, which meant that the state governments also had to obey the 1st Amendment and cease mixing religion and government. Even if I am an atheist, I certainly don't have anything against religious people, but religion belongs in the private sector, not in government. http://eastvalleytribune.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article_ed7762a4-71eb-11e4-b4e7-eb9b6f6cab21.html Letter: Schools to axe religious holidays? Posted: Sunday, November 23, 2014 3:00 pm Letter to the Editor Well, can you blame them if they don’t want to be sued by Baha’is, Buddhists, Hindus, pagans, Shintoists, Sikhs and Jains, etc., for not allowing their public-school students to observe their religious holidays? “Diversity” has become the progressive/liberal/socialist/Democrat mantra. Our liberal local and federal judges, appellate courts, and four Supreme Court justices no longer consider America as a Judeo-Christian nation, even though America’s Founding Fathers and successive administrations until the 1960s thought so. So from now on, don’t expect your kindergarten, grammar school, middle school and high school to have Christmas pageants or Easter pageants. Charter schools and religious schools will be the only education venues offering these old-fashioned, American religious celebrations. Individual rights are now the “law of the land”. The Montgomery County Board of Education in Maryland saw the handwriting on the wall. If they “dared” to mention Christmas or Easter as the reason for school holidays, then they would have to offer all students school holidays for spring equinox, the autumn equinox, the winter solstice and other pagan religious holidays if just one pagan student was enrolled in the school district. Accordingly if “one” Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu, Shintoist, Sikh or Jain student demanded equal recognition and an all-student holiday designation, then the school year would be about two weeks long. Welcome to the new “minority-controlled” American democracy. Leon Ceniceros Mesa
Let me get this straight!!!! Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is going to sue the GM for ethics violations??? Yea, that's the same Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne who was on his way to having a lunch time affair with his mistress Carmen Chenal and turns a simple fender bender into a hit and run accident to cover up the affair is filing an ethics lawsuit against GM. Yea, the same Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne who is paying Carmen Chenal $108,000 a year for a job which she isn't qualified so he can have lunch time sex marathons with her is suing GM for ethics violations??? Yea, the same Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne who tried to flush Prop 203, or Arizona's Medical Marijuana Act down the toilet by filing a frivolous lawsuit in Federal court with his buddy Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. http://eastvalleytribune.com/arizona/politics/article_3e969f6c-719a-11e4-ad01-2b21d05b130d.html Horne files suit against GM Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Service Tom Horne Posted: Friday, November 21, 2014 9:45 am By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services Claiming consumers here were misled, Attorney General Tom Horne has filed a $3 billion lawsuit against General Motors alleging it sold vehicles to Arizonans the company knew were unsafe. “Manufacturers of any product, from toys to automobiles, must make and sell products that are, above all else, safe to use,” Horne said in the complaint filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, the first one filed by a state against the auto giant. And he said manufacturers are required to tell the truth about the safety of their products. “When a safety defect does occur, manufacturers must promptly initiate some form of recall to address the problem,” he said. There have been some recalls — Horne says belatedly — of GM vehicles because of ignition problems. But Horne said federal regulators found an “astounding” number of other “concealed defects,” ranging from airbags and seat belts to brakes and electronic stability control. Those defects, Horne said, affected more than 27 million GM vehicles, including “hundreds of thousands in Arizona.” He said that includes not just those made after the company emerged from bankruptcy in 2009 but older vehicles with serious defects, and Horne said the reborn company was aware of the problems, making it liable for the problems. “New GM was not born innocent,” he said. “For example, current CEO Mary Barra, while head of product development, was informed in 2011 of a safety defect in the electronic power steering of several models,” the lawsuit says. “Despite 4,800 consumer complaints and more than 30,000 warranty repairs, GM waited until 2014 to disclose this defect.” The lawsuit, based on Arizona’s Consumer Fraud Act, asks a judge to force GM to surrender any profits made from selling defective vehicle. And it seeks a separate fine of $10,000 for each one sold in Arizona. How many there are is unclear. The lawsuit does not list a number. But there are reports that about 300,000 of the 27 million vehicles recalled by GM so far were sold in Arizona. At $10,000 per violation, that would translate out to $3 billion — minus any contingency fee which would be paid to private law firms who brought the case to Horne and have agreed to do the legwork for the state. Horne said it made sense to work with these firms as they already have filed class-action claims on behalf of buyers nationwide. He said they already have developed many of the details necessary to pursue the case. A copy of the contingency fee contract was not immediately available. But state law caps such fees on a sliding scale, starting at 25 percent of the first $10 million recovered, dropping to 5 percent of anything in excess of $25 million. And Rob Carey, a former assistant attorney general whose firm is handling the outside lawsuit, said he agreed to take less than that, though he did not have the specific figure at hand. GM spokesman James Cain said the company has reviewed the 130-page complaint. “It mischaracterized the facts, the performance of our vehicles and our work to ensure the safety of our customers,” he said. “We intend to vigorously defend the case.” The lawsuit lists a series of accidents across the nation in which people were killed or injured, allegedly due to the defects in the vehicles that were not recalled. But it also complains of an injury of a different kind to car buyers here, even if they have had no problems. For example, it says 2011 and 2010 Chevrolet Camaros are worth about $2,000 less when measured against the value of comparable vehicles. Similar losses in value are cited for other GM products. Horne acknowledged that he is having Arizona go it alone, versus what has been the normal practice of joining with other states when bringing these kinds of actions against a manufacturer or an industry. But he said he thought it was important to pursue the matter. There may be a financial benefit. “It might help solve that $300 million a year education problem,”’ he said, citing a court ruling saying Arizona has to reset state aid to schools to where it should have been if lawmakers had complied with a 2000 voter-approved mandate to adjust that figure annually to account for inflation. On the other side of the equation, Horne said there’s no cost or risk to the state or its taxpayers. “There’s no burden on the department because the outside lawyers are handling it,” he said. Those outside lawyers have a history with Arizona. Both Carey and Steve Berman were intimately involved with Arizona’s lawsuit two decades ago against the tobacco industry. It resulted in a $368 billion nationwide deal, with Arizona getting $3.2 billion over 25 years. Follow Howard Fischer on Twitter at @azcapmedia.
Drivers in Coconino County can now get tickets for using cellphones This ain't about safety any more then those photo radar bandits are. This is all about raising revenue for our government masters under the guise of safety. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2014/11/23/arizona-coconino-country-cellphone-ordinance-brk/19462779/ Drivers in Coconino County can now get tickets for using cellphones Cities can opt out of the ban or enforce only some parts if they choose. Kaila White and Charly Edsitty, The Republic | 12 News | azcentral.com 6:37 a.m. MST November 24, 2014 Valley residents driving north into Coconino County can now be cited and fined for using their cellphones without a hands-free device. Coconino County began issuing citations Saturday to drivers suspected of being distracted by a cellphone or any other handheld device, the first enforcement of an ordinance passed by the county's Board of Supervisors in April. Drivers caught texting or talking on a cellphone without using a hands-free device could face fines between $100 and $250. Municipalities within Coconino, which at 18,661 square miles is the second largest county in the contiguous 48 states, are allowed to opt out of the ordinance. Flagstaff did not adopt the full ban, instead just banning texting while driving. Sedona, Page and Fredonia adopted the county's entire ordinance, said Nathan Gonzalez, spokesman for Coconino County. Sedona police will issue only verbal warnings to drivers until February, when they will start issuing tickets. Because there is no statewide law regulating cellphones while driving, Department of Public Safety officers patrolling highways in the county will provide education — not citations — to drivers who are stopped and thought to be distracted. Those who try to sneak in a quick text while at a stop light or stop sign should know the ban also applies when the car is temporarily stopped. The ban doesn't apply in emergency calls to police or fire departments, or to a hospital, doctor's office or ambulance service; if the driver is on private property; or if the driver has pulled over on the road and parked the car. Sending or reading a text takes a driver's eyes off the road for 5 seconds, and at 55 mph, that's equivalent to driving the length of a football field, according to Distraction.gov, a U.S. government website for distracted driving. Enforcement will be up to the discretion of the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, which will also look for violations as part of collision investigations. "It's just through questioning, and if they tell us, 'I was using my cellphone,' or, 'I was on my cellphone and I dropped it,' for example, then we'll just investigate it that way," said Sgt. Michael Sifling.
So us White folks are going to teach family values to Indians??? Yea, the same White folks that did their best to exterminate all the Indians in America and almost succeeded. If the American government hadn't murdered the Indians and stole their land, and forced them to live on reservations the Indians wouldn't be having the problems they have today. Again government is the CAUSE of the problem, not the solution to the problem. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/18/tribes-need-help-halting-violence-kids-group-says/19237565/ Tribes need help halting violence to kids, group says Paul Giblin, The Republic | azcentral.com 9 p.m. MST November 18, 2014 The White House should create an office to coordinate a sweeping list of recommended actions to limit American Indian and Alaska Native children's exposure to violence, according to a report released by a federal advisory committee Tuesday. Changes are needed because the vast majority of American Indian and Alaska Native children live in communities with "alarmingly high" rates of poverty, homelessness, drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault and other social ills, according to the committee. "This is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed," committee co-chairman and former U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said during a teleconference with reporters. The 13-member Advisory Committee on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence presented its findings in Washington after hearing testimony at four public hearings, including a Feb. 11 session that focused on juvenile justice at the Talking Stick Resort on the Salt River Reservation. The committee found that American Indian and Alaska Native children suffer exposure to violence at rates higher than those for children of all other races. It also found that those children suffer post-traumatic stress disorder at rates similar to military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. American Indian and Alaska Native children face unprecedented challenges, Attorney General Eric Holder said. "We must understand these impacts well so we can pursue policies that bring meaningful change," he said in a statement. The panel's 31 recommendations are intended to serve as a blueprint to prevent children's exposure to violence and to reduce the negative effects on children among the 556 federally recognized tribes, according to the group's report. In committee, the group recommended empowering tribes to take greater control in legal matters involving violence against children, increasing funding for programs that assist in those efforts, and bolstering coordination among federal agencies and tribes. U.S. authorities generally have jurisdiction for crimes committed against American Indian children on tribal lands, but too often federal authorities have competing demands, Dorgan said. The report's impact was difficult to assess Tuesday. Implementing the recommendations will require substantial investment and new appropriations, but the committee did not provide an estimate of the initial or ongoing costs of its proposals. The White House has provided no assurances of following through on any of the proposals, and the political climate in Washington following the November midterm elections adds uncertainty. But policy makers have a moral obligation to act despite the cost, Dorgan said. The committee's 258-page report, "Ending Violence So Children Can Thrive," offers no specific recommendation about transparency and accountability related to the proposed programs. The committee was empaneled by the Attorney General's Office last year. In addition to the Arizona hearing, the group conducted sessions in Bismarck, N.D.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Anchorage, Alaska. More than 70 experts and 60 community members testified during the hearings on topics ranging from domestic violence to gang violence to child sex trafficking. Experts suggest 31 ways to help reduce American Indian children's exposure to violence. Group says White House should create a new office to coordinate fragmented efforts. Efforts will require "substantial investment," but group offers no cost estimates. Committee recommendations The Advisory Committee on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence offered 31 recommendations under five broad headings. Here's a selection: 1. Build a strong foundation The White House should form a permanent, fully staffed Native American Affairs Office. Congress should restore tribal jurisdiction over crimes against children on Indian lands. Congress should direct sufficient funds to bring tribal criminal and civil-justice systems into parity with other agencies. 2. Promote well-being for youths at home The U.S. and tribes should identify best practices for child welfare and produce an annual report that's available to tribes. Feds should increase access to behavioral-health and substance-abuse services. 3. Promote well-being for youths in the community The White House and Congress should consult with tribes to develop and fund youth-based after-school programs that are culturally based and trauma informed. 4. Create a juvenile justice system focused on prevention, treatment and healing Federal, tribal and state justice systems should use detention sparingly. Facilities should be close to home and provide individually tailored services. 5. Empower Alaska tribes The Department of Justice and the Department of Interior should provide funding for Alaska tribes to develop court systems. Source: Advisory Committee on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence report
Translation - I love it when the government steals money from other people and gives it to me to help me pay my bills!!!! Of course if the government would quit mucking with the medical care industry we would almost certainly have much better and cheaper medical care. If that was true leaches like Arlene Davidson might be able to actually pay for their own medical care instead of using the government to force the rest of us to pay for their medical care. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/letters/2014/11/21/affordable-care-act-easy/19340099/ What would people like me do without Obamacare? Arlene Davidson 5:04 p.m. MST November 21, 2014 I signed up for health-care insurance through the healthcare.gov website. No problems or issues; it was easy and a relief to get coverage. I'm an early retiree. I'm not old enough for Medicare and could not get regular health insurance because I've had cancer. I was turned down even though doctors said my chance of recurrence was zero and I'm healthy (just finished a triathlon). What do people like me do if not for the Affordable Care Act? Risk losing all our hard-earned savings by not being insured and hoping we don't get sick? Why are the Republicans so bent on reversing the ACA? We are the only developed country in the world that does not provide access to basic health-care services to its citizens. Costs too much? Research concludes it costs far more to not provide health care to all. Check the outcomes; we are far from being a healthy country when compared to those developed nations. Our Republican representatives should support the ACA. Affordable health care for all should be an American right. — Arlene Davidson, Phoenix
Kyrsten Sinema supports the military industrial complex and the police state
When I first met Kyrsten Sinema she was an anti-war protester. I met her at the one of the first anti-war meetings after the American Empire started bombing Afghanistan. That was at the University Presbyterian Church on College & Alameda in Tempe.
Sadly it looks like Kyrsten Sinema had sold us out and now supports the military industrial complex along with the police state.
Kyrsten Sinema is also a big fan of the "War on Drugs", she is a hypocrite who claims to support decriminalizing marijuana. Kyrsten Sinema when she was a member of the Arizona Legislator she tried to slap a 300% tax on medical marijuana for the police unions which have always supported her.
Kyrsten Sinema is also a gun grabber who wants to flush the Second Amendment down the toilet.
Kyrsten Sinema is not our friend. Kyrsten Sinema is a tyrants who needs to be booted out of office.
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema 9:15 a.m. MST November 24, 2014
Rep. Sinema: We have a responsibility to support military personnel transitioning to civilian life.
November is Military Family Month, an opportunity to recognize military families for their service to our country and to reaffirm our commitment to supporting service members and their loved ones.
I understand the unique challenges military families face. My older brother is a retired Marine and my younger brother is on active duty in the Navy. Military families endure long separations; constant worry about the safety of their loved ones; and increased responsibilities while service members defend our country and protect our freedom.
Through all this and more, military families persevere.
Military families should not face these challenges alone. Providing these families with the care and support they deserve should be our top priority.
To honor their sacrifices, we should ensure that military family members have opportunities to develop skills and succeed in today's economy. Education is critical to achieving the American dream, and every military family member who wants to pursue an education should have the opportunity.
For example, Congress passed and the president signed into law our bipartisan legislation requiring public colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition to veterans and dependents, regardless of their home state. I passed a similar law while in the Arizona Legislature and was proud to make this tuition benefit a national policy.
Military families should have access to vital services like child care and housing assistance. Too often military families are left without the support they need. Paulette from Tempe faced foreclosure after tragically losing her husband, a Vietnam veteran. Our office successfully worked with her to expedite survivor benefits that enabled Paulette to keep her home. Military families should not face these challenges, which is why I cosponsored the Military Family Home Protection Act to better protect military families from losing their homes by strengthening foreclosure protections.
We have a responsibility to support military personnel transitioning to civilian life. Enabling transitioning soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to find jobs is one of the best ways to provide that support. I am proud to cosponsor the Troop Talent Act, bipartisan legislation to assist returning service members in leveraging their military training and skills to obtain certifications and licenses needed for civilian employment. This common-sense bill makes it easier for transitioning service members or members of the reserve component, like those in the Arizona National Guard, to translate their skills into civilian jobs. By doing so, we support military families, grow our economy, and strengthen our nation.
We still have much more work to do.
Providing military families with the support they deserve requires sustained local, national, and community-level efforts, and it takes more than the work done by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. It involves leveraging community providers to increase awareness among military families about available resources while they serve and as they transition to civilian life. It takes companies like Intel in Chandler hiring military veterans and military family members, who have a tremendous work ethic and extraordinary skills that will benefit our communities. It means we must work together to ensure that all military families get the support they deserve.
This month reminds us of the sacrifices military families make every day. This month and every month, we share the responsibility of supporting them. To military families in Arizona and across our country, thank you; we stand with you.
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat, represents Arizona's Congressional District 9 in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Iran releases woman who tried to attend men's volleyball game When it comes to screwing up the world religion comes in a close second to government. And of course this is a great reason NOT to mix government and religion http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/world/2014/11/23/iran-releases-british-iranian-woman-volleyball-game/19462267/ Iran releases woman who tried to attend men's volleyball game Associated Press 6:14 p.m. MST November 23, 2014 TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian authorities released a British-Iranian woman on bail on Sunday, the semi-official ISNA news agency said. The report quoted Sousan Moshtaghian, mother of Ghoncheh Ghavami, as saying a judge released her daughter on nearly $30,000 bail ahead of an appeal. "My daughter has insisted in the initial court that she is not guilty," said Moshtaghian. "We are hopeful that she will be acquitted in the appeal court." Ghavami was detained in June after trying to attend a men's volleyball match between Iran and Italy, in defiance of a push by hard-liners to enact full gender segregation. The case highlighted limitations placed on women inside Iran and efforts by hard-line authorities to enforce strict interpretations of Islamic norms despite a policy of greater openness being pursued by moderate President Hassan Rouhani. The mother said Ghavami will be free until an appeals court rules on her case. She confirmed that an initial ruling had sentenced Ghavami to a year in prison for "propagating against the ruling system." She said the family plans to hire a new lawyer for the appeal. The judiciary has said her case is linked to opposition work, not a volleyball match. Britain had raised concerns about Ghoncheh Ghavami's trial. She is a graduate of the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies and had been volunteering to help street kids in Iran for a few months, her brother has said. Women are usually banned from attending male-only matches in Iran, however earlier this month sports officials said they have reconsidered the limits and women will be allowed to attend the matches in the future. Ghavami tried to enter the stadium with other women to protest the ban, according to Amnesty International. Female photographers inside the complex were also ordered to leave, though none were arrested. Ghavami was held along with the other protesters for a few hours before being released. She was detained again a few days later. Amnesty said she had been held in solitary confinement for much of her time at Tehran's Evin prison.
F*ck the pumpkin flavored chili spice marijuana!!!! I will stick with the old fashioned kind :) http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/24/merry-marijuana-pot-sellers-woo-holiday-shoppers/19471513/ Merry marijuana: Pot sellers woo holiday shoppers Associated Press 12:05 a.m. MST November 24, 2014 DENVER — That's not mistletoe. From new marijuana strains for the holidays to gift sets and pot-and-pumpkin pies, the burgeoning marijuana industry in Colorado is scrambling to get a piece of the holiday shopping dollar. Dispensaries in many states have been offering holiday specials for medical customers for years — but this first season of open-to-all-adults marijuana sales in some states means pot shops are using more of the tricks used by traditional retailers to attract holiday shoppers. Here's a look at how the new recreational marijuana industry is trying to attract holiday shoppers. OLD-FASHIONED DOORBUSTERS Traditional retailers sell some items below cost to drive traffic and attract sales. Recreational marijuana retailers are doing the same. The Grass Station in Denver is selling an ounce of marijuana for $50 — about a fifth of the cost of the next-cheapest strain at the Colorado dispensary — to the first 16 customers in line Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That works out to less than $1 a joint for the ambitious early-rising pot shopper. Owner Ryan Fox says his Black Friday pot is decent quality, and says he's selling below cost to attract attention and pick up some new customers. As Colorado dispensaries approach a year of being able to sell weed to all adults over 21, not just card-carrying medical patients, Fox says retailers have to do more than just sell pot to get public attention. Pot shops are using old and new media to tout the sales. One dispensary is taking out a full-page "Happy Danksgiving" ad in The Denver Post and is inviting shoppers to text a code for extra savings. VISIONS OF SUGAR PLUMS Sweets and marijuana seem to go together like hot chocolate and marshmallows. Many dispensaries this time of year resemble a Starbucks at the mall, with holiday spices and festive music in the air. One of the state's largest edible-pot makers, Sweet Grass Kitchen, debuted a new miniature pumpkin pie that delivers about as much punch as a medium-sized joint. The pie joins holiday-spiced teas, minty pot confections and cannabis-infused honey oil for those who want to bake their own pot goodies at home. Even some edibles makers that specialize in savory foods, not sweets, are putting out some sugary items for the holidays. "It just tastes too good, we had to do it," Better Baked owner Deloise Vaden said of her company's holiday line of cannabis-infused sweet-potato and pumpkin pies. HOLIDAY STRAINS Some shops are angling for high-end holiday shoppers, not an increase in foot traffic. Colorado Harvest and Evergreen Apothecary timed the release of some top-shelf strains of potent pot for the holiday season. Spokeswoman Ann Dickerson says they're "sort of like the best bourbon or Scotch that will be competing on quality, rather than price." GIFT WRAPPING What holiday shopper doesn't appreciate free gift wrapping? Or a gift set ready to pop under the tree? The Growing Kitchen is making $49.99 gift sets for both the medical and recreational pot user. The sets include the edible-pot maker's new Mighty Mint cookie, a pot-infused confection new for the holiday shopping season, along with marijuana-infused salves for muscles sore from the ski slopes. Other dispensaries are offering free gift totes and stockings with purchases. GIFT CARDS For the shopper who wants to give pot but doesn't know how the recipient likes to get high, Colorado's 300 or so recreational dispensaries so far have been able to issue only handwritten gift certificates. That's because banking regulations prohibit major credit cards companies from being able to back marijuana-related gift cards the way they do for other retailers. Just this month, a Colorado company started offering pot shops a branded gift card they can sell just like other retailers. The cards are in eight Denver dispensaries so far, and coming soon will be loyalty cards similar to grocery-store loyalty cards that track purchases and can be used to suggest sales or new products to frequent shoppers. CANNAGIFTS FOR THE MAIL Just because marijuana can't legally leave Colorado doesn't mean dispensaries don't have items for out-of-state friends and family. Some dispensaries are highlighting some non-cannabis gift items — things like T-shirts, rolling papers and lotions made with legal herbs. The sets are for shoppers who want to give a taste of Colorado's new marijuana industry without breaking federal law by mailing it or taking it out of state. ___ Kristen Wyatt can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/APkristenwyatt
Last time I checked, tires were organic. Tires are made out of oil which is usually made from dead dinosaurs. Tires are mostly carbon which is the definition of organic. "[Colin] Williams [a spokesman for the Rural/Metro Corp] said the air quality should not pose a significant health risk because the material that's burning is organic, unlike, say, a tire fire that produces noxious fumes" http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/southwest-valley/2014/11/22/debris-fire-near-el-mirage-brk/19434087/ Mulch fire in West Valley to burn for days D.S. Woodfill, Yihyun Jeong and Kaila White, The Republic | azcentral.com 6:59 a.m. MST November 24, 2014 A massive mulch fire near El Mirage that is expected to burn for days settled and blanketed the West Valley with smoke Sunday, officials said. The fire, which started at about 9 p.m. Saturday, has burned 20 acres of a mulch pile estimated to be about 25 acres and 250 feet deep near Dysart Road and the Butler Drive alignment on county land, according to officials. "It's going to burn for days," said Colin Williams, a spokesman for the Rural/Metro Corp. which is the lead fire agency on the blaze. "It's going to create a ton of smoke." The property owner, who owns a significant amount of farmland north of Luke Air Force Base, had been in a three-year process of collecting organic branches and materials to grind up for composting, Williams said. Their intention was to use the compost on their field, instead of liquid fertilizer. "Obviously this is a large financial loss for them. But their major concern is for the firefighters and we appreciate that kind gesture," Williams said. Firefighters from multiple communities responded to a debris fire near El Mirage Saturday night. Due to the enormous size and heat of the fire, water won't be effective in putting out the flames, Williams said. "It would be like putting out a campfire with a squirt gun. It wouldn't work." The strategy is to let the fire burn out and to monitor the flames, Williams said. Officials worked with the property owner Sunday morning to create fire breaks using a tractor, to prevent the blaze from spreading to unburned materials. That smoke was going straight up in the atmosphere late Saturday night, but Williams said that as the air became calmer, the heat and smoke from the fire settled low to the ground, causing smoke to spread throughout the West Valley. Williams said the air quality should not pose a significant health risk because the material that's burning is organic, unlike, say, a tire fire that produces noxious fumes. "These mulch fires are very problematic," said Mark Shaffer, communications director for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. "There's been a number of them in the West Valley in recent years." Mulch fires get extremely hot, produce a lot of smoke and are difficult to put out, he said. The department hadn't issued a high pollution advisory or a health watch as of Sunday evening because it wasn't affecting air conditions Valley-wide, but they recommend that "a person who is very young or old or has respiratory problems should probably stay in with the windows closed in areas being impacted the most in the West Valley," he said. Air quality in El Mirage was rated "good" Sunday evening on the Maricopa County Department of Air Quality's data map. Officials at Luke Air Force Base could not comment on if the smoke will affect flight operations because there is no flight activity on Sundays. Personnel from Avondale, El Mirage, Glendale, Phoenix, Sun City, Surprise and Tolleson fire departments responded to the fire. El Mirage officials said the fire was not burning near any homes or cars.
When I first read the article of the 12 year old Ohio child murdered by a cop I kinda sorta suspected the kid would be Black. Now we have a photo of the child and he is Black. Hey, I am not psychic. But you don't have to be a psychic to know that a huge number of cops are racist *ssholes who murder and kill Blacks. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/24/ohio-boy-shot-by-police/19475931/ Dad of boy fatally shot by officers questions police Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY 8:08 a.m. MST November 24, 2014 The father of a 12-year-old boy fatally shot by police after wielding a replica gun questioned Sunday why police did not use a stun gun to subdue him. Tamir Rice was shot in the torso in the playground area of a recreation center in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon. He died in a hospital Sunday morning. His father, Gregory Henderson, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer:"Why not taze him? You shot him twice, not once, and at the end of the day you all don't shoot for the legs, you shoot for the upper body." Henderson told reporters over the weekend that his son was a "respectful" young man who minded his elders. He said that he couldn't comprehend that his son would not follow police orders, theCleveland Plain Dealer reported. "Who would've thought he would go so soon?" Henderson told WKYC. "He had his whole life ahead (of him). To be 12 years old, he doesn't know what he's doing. Police they know what they're doing." "(He's) my superhero," he added. "He liked to play basketball. He's very artistic, he's a smart, young child. He's 12 years old. He was just big for his size. He uses his manners. He's not disrespectful. He respects his mom, he treats his mom as the queen." Kerby Williams, who lives nearby, told the station: "I went to church today and I said a prayer for him and, as soon as I come home, he's dead." Rice's friends and family brought posters, candles and teddy bears to the scene Sunday, WKYC reported. Cleveland police said they shot Rice after he reached into his waistband for the gun, which didn't have the orange safety indicator usually found on the muzzle. It was later determined to be an "airsoft"-type replica gun — a BB-gun that resembles a semi-automatic pistol. Police said officers were responding to a 911 call in which a man said a juvenile was scaring people with a gun that probably was fake. Deputy Chief Ed Tomba said one officer fired twice after the boy pulled the fake weapon from his waistband, but had not pointed it at police. The boy did not make any verbal threats, but grabbed the replica handgun after being told to raise his hands, Tomba said. Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, said the officers were not told the caller thought the gun might be fake. He said an officer taking a Taser out when they believe there could be a person with a gun puts the officer at risk, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. The two officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure. The shooting comes amid a continued nationwide focus on police incidents, including the ongoing grand jury investigation in Ferguson, Mo., and the fatal shooting of a Florida policeman during a house fire outside Tallahassee on Saturday. State Rep. Alicia Reece of Cincinnati announced Sunday she will introduce legislation to require all BB guns, air rifles and airsoft guns sold in Ohio to be brightly colored or have prominent fluorescent strips. Reece, president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, said she is introducing the bill in response to the fatal shootings of Rice and John Crawford III, 22. Crawford was fatally shot by police on Aug. 5 after a man called 911 to report that Crawford was carrying a gun in a suburban Dayton Walmart store. Police said they believed the air rifle Crawford had picked up was a real rifle and that he didn't respond to commands to drop it. A special grand jury concluded police officers' actions were justified. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the shooting. Contributing: Wale Aliyu, WKYC; John Bacon, USA TODAY; Associated Press
Lost IRS emails found???? Destroyed IRS emails found???
Lost IRS emails found???? Destroyed IRS emails found???
The only thing that surprises me about this the the government crooks didn't destroy them to cover up their crimes.
'Lost' Lois Lerner Emails Found Despite 'No Backup' Claims. IRS Has No Comment
Robert W. Wood Contributor
11/22/2014 @ 8:30PM
If you are an American taxpayer, the idea that your political (or other?) views could impact your taxes is pretty frightening. When you consider the power to tax—which includes the power to destroy—the mere suggestion of targeting is abhorrent. It’s one reason all the denials–including President Obama’s ‘no smidgen of corruption’ remark to Fox News in February–inflame rather than quell debate.
First, there was no targeting by the IRS. Then there was, but only by those rogue IRS employees down in Cincinnati. Then, there was a spontaneous uprising from a youtube video (oops sorry, wrong lie scandal). There was confusion about how to apply the tax law, but not political, and not from above. Then, top IRS Official Lois Lerner refused to testify.
IRS Commissioner Miller seemed defiant too and was sacked. Then, there was a year-long Congressional investigation before the IRS finally admitted the 2009-2011 Lois Lerner’s emails ‘disappeared.’ Then, the backups didn’t work were recycled. Then, the new IRS Commissioner said the IRS needs a bigger tech budget.
Now, not the IRS but the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has found the 30,000 missing lost destroyed emails. They aren’t sorted yet, and who knows what they will reveal. Numerous IRS officials testified that the backup tapes were recycled and the emails were gone. Turns out they were misinformed mislead mistaken. It isn’t only Congress that was asked over and over to buy the IRS “we have nothing” mantra. The IRS has said it in court too.
But now, the Inspector General discovered the potential emails among 744 disaster recovery tapes, finding up to 30,000 of Lois Lerner’s emails from the key 2009 to 2011 period. They could reveal nothing, or they could be smoking guns. But all taxpayers should care since transparency and integrity are key to our system.
The IRS audits, sends bills, imposes penalties, files liens and levies. Yet incredibly, most of the money the IRS collects is self-assessed. We all fill out tax returns and voluntarily send in money. Part of the reason we comply may be fear that we’ll be viewed as willful, risking jail if we don’t. Yet how much we believe in the system is critical to making it work.
What do most people think of the IRS these days? I don’t mean your personal feelings when you get a letter from the IRS, even one via certified mail foretelling something serious. Or a knock on the door from the IRS with badges, maybe even guns. Anyone who has been through any of that knows it is unsettling even if you come out fine.
The fairness of the tax system and its administration is far more important than any one audit or tax dispute. And how people behave is likely to influenced by how this drama plays out. Despite being held in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify, Ms. Lerner has not been prosecuted. Scholars debate whether her refusal is constitutionally protected.
Yet after her long silence, in an exclusive interview with Politico, Ms. Lerner said she did nothing wrong and she considers herself the victim. She bristled at any suggestion she had anything to do with destroying emails, switching to texts to avoid being traced, letting her own liberal views influence her treatment of tea party a_holes, etc. Perhaps she will be vindicated and truly did nothing wrong.
Perhaps, but American taxpayers deserve an explanation. So do thousands of dedicated IRS employees. The vast bulk of them are doing their best and helping not hurting the system. Their position is undermined by the awful bumbling and worse the IRS scandal over the last 18 months has revealed. Some of the public may not be able to get past the apparent stonewalling. Some of the public may wonder if they would get a pass from the IRS if their hard drive ate their tax records.
But any way you look at it, the tax system suffers badly. Some taxpayers take their distrust to the courts, as with True the Vote’s lawsuit against the IRS. And NetJets has asserted that the IRS “wiped clean a number of computer hard drives containing e-mails and other electronic documents that the government was required to produce.” Some taxpayers may not go to court, but may fudge their taxes, figuring the system is not fair anyway.
We need fairness and faith in the tax system restored. Perhaps we’re now one step closer to it.
You can reach me at Wood@WoodLLP.com. This discussion is not intended as legal advice, and cannot be relied upon for any purpose without the services of a qualified professional.
Remember never call the cops on ANYONE unless you are willing to see the cops murder the people that you reported. The police tell us that they protect us from bad guys, but that is BS. The police are trained to treat us as bad guys, and trained to kill us. Just like the cops who murdered this 12 year old. F*ck the Police. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/23/boy-with-fake-gun-dies-after-shot-by-ohio-officer/19445985/ Boy with fake gun dies after shot by Ohio officer Associated Press 11:10 a.m. MST November 23, 2014 CLEVELAND — A 12-year-old boy brandishing what turned out to be a replica gun died Sunday after he was shot by a Cleveland police officer responding to a 911 call about a person waving a gun in a park. Deputy Chief Ed Tomba said the officer fired twice after the boy pulled the fake weapon — which was lacking the orange safety indicator usually on the muzzle — from his waistband. The boy did not make any verbal threats toward the officer or point the gun, but reached into his waistband and grabbed it after being told to raise his hands, Tomba said. "That's when the officer fired," he said. Police said the weapon was an "airsoft" type replica gun that resembled a semi-automatic pistol. The orange safety indicator had been removed, police said. A man who called 911 told dispatchers before police arrived that the boy was on a swing set and pointing a pistol that was "probably fake" and scaring everyone. The caller said the boy was pulling the gun in and out of his pants. "I don't know if it's real or not," the caller said. Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, said the officers were not told the caller thought the gun might be fake. The officer called to the park saw the pistol sitting on a table, and watched the boy grab it and put it in his waistband, Follmer said. The hospital where the boy died and an attorney for his family would not release his name on Sunday. Attorney Timothy Kucharski said the boy went to the park with friends Saturday afternoon, but he did not know the details of what led to the shooting. "I don't want to make a rush to judgment," he said. He said he wants to talk to witnesses and get more facts. "We're ultimately going to find out what happened," Kucharski said.