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Here is another article on how the government goons in the CIA, NSA and Homeland Security tried to strong arm Yahoo into giving Uncle Sam our private data. As I said before this is one reason we need the 2nd Amendment, to protect our 4th Amendment rights. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/us-threatened-massive-fine-to-force-yahoo-to-release-data/2014/09/11/38a7f69e-39e8-11e4-9c9f-ebb47272e40e_story.html?hpid=z1 U.S. threatened massive fine to force Yahoo to release data By Craig Timberg September 11 at 9:16 PM The U.S. government threatened to fine Yahoo $250,000 a day in 2008 if it failed to comply with a broad demand to hand over user communications — a request the company believed was unconstitutional — according to court documents unsealed Thursday that illuminate how federal officials forced American tech companies to participate in the National Security Agency’s controversial PRISM program. The documents, roughly 1,500 pages worth, outline a secret and ultimately unsuccessful legal battle by Yahoo to resist the government’s demands. The company’s loss required Yahoo to become one of the first to begin providing information to PRISM, a program that gave the NSA extensive access to records of online communications by users of Yahoo and other U.S.-based technology firms. The ruling by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review became a key moment in the development of PRISM, helping government officials to convince other Silicon Valley companies that unprecedented data demands had been tested in the courts and found constitutionally sound. Eventually, most major U.S. tech companies, including Google, Facebook, Apple and AOL, complied. Microsoft had joined earlier, before the ruling, NSA documents have shown. A version of the court ruling had been released in 2009 but was so heavily redacted that observers were unable to discern which company was involved, what the stakes were and how the court had wrestled with many of the issues involved. “We already knew that this was a very, very important decision by the FISA Court of Review, but we could only guess at why,” said Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at American University. PRISM was first revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden last year, prompting intense backlash and a wrenching national debate over allegations of overreach in government surveillance. Documents made it clear that the program allowed the NSA to order U.S.-based tech companies to turn over e-mails and other communications to or from foreign targets without search warrants for each of those targets. Other NSA programs gave even more wide-ranging access to personal information of people worldwide, by collecting data directly from fiber-optic connections. In the aftermath of the revelations, the companies have struggled to defend themselves against accusations that they were willing participants in government surveillance programs — an allegation that has been particularly damaging to the reputations of these companies overseas, including in lucrative markets in Europe. Yahoo, which endured heavy criticism after The Washington Post and Britain’s Guardian newspaper used Snowden’s documents to reveal the existence of PRISM last year, was legally bound from revealing its efforts in attempting to resist government pressure. The New York Times first reported Yahoo’s role in the case in June 2013, a week after the initial PRISM revelations. Both the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, an appellate court, ordered declassification of the case last year, amid a broad effort to make public the legal reasoning behind NSA programs that had stirred national and international anger. Judge William C. Bryson, presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, ordered the documents from the legal battle unsealed Thursday. Documents from the case in the lower court have not been released. Yahoo hailed the decision in a Tumblr post Thursday afternoon. “The released documents underscore how we had to fight every step of the way to challenge the U.S. Government’s surveillance efforts,” Ron Bell, the company’s general counsel, wrote in the post. The Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence published their own Tumblr post Thursday evening offering a detailed description of the court proceedings and posting several related documents. It noted that both the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the appeals court sided with the government on the main questions at issue, and added that a subsequent law added more protections, making it “even more protective of the Fourth Amendment rights of U.S. persons than the statute upheld by the [appeals court] as constitutional.” At issue in the original court case was a recently passed law, the Protect America Act of 2007, that allowed the government to collect data for significant foreign intelligence purposes on targets “reasonably believed” to be outside of the United States. Individual search warrants were not required for each target. That law has lapsed but became the foundation for the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which created the legal authority for some of the NSA programs later revealed by Snowden. The order requiring data from Yahoo came in 2007, soon after the Protect America Act passed. It set off alarms at the company because it sidestepped the traditional requirement that each target be subject to court review before surveillance could begin. The order also went beyond “metadata” — records of communications but not their actual content — to include the full e-mails. A government filing from February 2008 described the order to Yahoo as including “certain types of communications while those communications are in transmission.” It also made clear that while this was intended to target people outside the United States, there inevitably would be “incidental collection” of the communications of Americans. The government promised “stringent minimization procedures to protect the privacy interests of United States persons.” Rather than immediately comply with the sweeping order, Yahoo sued. Central to the case was whether the Protect America Act overstepped constitutional bounds, particularly the Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures without a warrant. An early Yahoo filing said the case was “of tremendous national importance. The issues at stake in this litigation are the most serious issues that this Nation faces today — to what extent must the privacy rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution yield to protect our national security.” The appeals court, however, ruled that the government had put in place adequate safeguards to avoid constitutional violations. “We caution that our decision does not constitute an endorsement of broad-based, indiscriminate executive power,” the court wrote on Aug. 22, 2008. “Rather, our decision recognizes that where the government has instituted several layers of serviceable safeguards to protect individuals against unwarranted harms and to minimize incidental intrusions, its efforts to protect national security should not be frustrated by the courts. This is such a case.” The government threatened Yahoo with the $250,000-a-day fine after the company had lost an initial round before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court but was still pursuing an appeal. Faced with the fine, Yahoo began complying with the legal order as it continued with the appeal, which it lost several months later. Stewart Baker, a former NSA general counsel and Bush administration Department of Homeland Security official, said it’s not unusual for courts to order compliance with rulings while appeals continue before higher courts. “I’m always astonished how people are willing to abstract these decisions from the actual stakes,” Baker said. “We’re talking about trying to gather information about people who are trying to kill us and who will succeed if we don’t have robust information about their activities.” The American Civil Liberties Union applauded Thursday’s move to release the documents but said it was long overdue. “The public can’t understand what a law means if it doesn’t know how the courts are interpreting that law,” said Patrick Toomey, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project. Carol D. Leonnig and Julie Tate contributed to this report. Follow The Post’s tech blog, The Switch, where technology and policy connect.
$680k for a house? In Ajo? A lot of people will say the government employees that build these houses were stupid morons. That's probably wrong. They were probably very smart elected officials where were trading government pork for bribes, oops I mean campaign contributions. Or perhaps they were just low paid government bureaucrats who were doing that the smart elected officials were telling them to do. http://www.azcentral.com/story/laurieroberts/2014/09/11/customs-and-border-protection-government-waste-ajo/15479351/ $680k for a house? In Ajo? Laurie Roberts, columnist | azcentral.com 5:05 p.m. MST September 11, 2014 Attention: U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If you're looking for any more housing for your employees, I'd be happy to offer up my humble abode. For the low, low price of $5 million, you can acquire a well-used home that has survived two children, several dogs and one unfortunate incident when I backed the car out of the garage without first opening the garage door. The carpet needs replacing, the tile has seen better days and the bathrooms….well, I'm told that 25-year-old slightly rusting fixtures are all the rage. OK, so maybe it's worth $6 million. I'm sure you government geniuses will want to scoop up this multi-million-dollar showplace. Quite sure, in fact, after reading an audit released today by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General. It concludes that U.S. Customs and Border Protection wasted millions of dollars and violated all the requisite rules and laws as it built housing in 2012 for its employees who work the Lukeville border crossing and the Ajo Border Patrol station. In Ajo, the average house costs $86,500 and plenty were available on the market. So, naturally, the Customs and Border Patrol whizzes built 21 two-and three-bedroom houses that were either 1,276 or 1,570 square feet. Cost per house: $680,000. CBP also spent $2.4 million to buy 20 mobile homes. That's $109k per mobile home. The audit says they (read: WE) paid nearly triple what the land was worth for the houses and bypassed controls meant to prevent such wholesale flushing of taxpayers' money. Many of the houses and mobile homes have remained empty because the rental rates are high compared with what border agents can get on the local market, the audit said. No word as yet on whether they were outfitted with any of those $640 Department of Defense toilet seats.
Don't these pigs have any REAL criminals to hunt down? You know robbers, rapists and criminals who hurt people. Not harmless old men who look at dirty pictures. While these guys are probably dirty old men who are perverts, they are not accused of raping or hurting anybody. They are simply accused of possessing dirty pictures. The title of the Arizona law on this is very misleading. "Sexual exploitation of minors" doesn't mean raping children, it simply means possession of dirty pictures of children. I think the penalties are very, very draconian. 10 years in prison for EACH dirty picture. It is really a good use of our tax dollars to throw these perverts in prison for the rest of their lives for the victimless crime of looking at dirty pictures???? http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/09/11/two-men-arrested-phoenix-child-pornography-sting/15487713/ Two men arrested in Phoenix child pornography sting Maribel Castillo, 8:02 p.m. MST September 11, 2014 Two men were arrested during a child-pornography sting on Wednesday in Phoenix, according to officials. Detectives from the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force responded to two homes in the Phoenix area to crack down on activities involving the sexual exploitation of minors, according to the Phoenix Police Department. Andres M. Pena, 33, was reportedly arrested by detectives at about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 1500 block of W. Saint John Road, according to a police statement. Detectives found several items of child pornography in Pena's home, including images and videos, police say. Seven hours later, detectives later arrested David J. Ray, 55, at a business in the 1300 block of N. Third Street, the statement said. Detectives served a search warrant and found images and videos of children being sexually abused on Ray's personal and work computers, according to police. Both Pena and Ray were booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, the statement said. If anyone has any information concerning these crimes Phoenix police encourages calling the Internet Crimes Against Children Detail at 623-466-1828, Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish.
Say you kicked an *sshole cop in the head just for fun. You would probably end up doing a few years in prison. What happens when a sadistic cop kicks a civilian in the head just for fun. Well nothing, except a slap on the wrist 90 day suspension. The article didn't say if the crooked, sadistic cop was being paid during his 90 day suspension, something that frequently happens when police are punished for their crimes. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/11/denver-deputy-taekwondo-suspension/15452785/ Deputy's taekwondo kick gets him suspended Associated Press 10:57 a.m. MST September 11, 2014 DENVER — A Denver sheriff's deputy caught on video provoking a fight with an inmate by using a taekwondo kick has been suspended for 90 days. The Denver Post reported Wednesday (http://dpo.st/1rJgHdC ) it obtained a disciplinary letter saying Roberto Roena received his suspension July 29 for the April 2013 fight with inmate John Cardenas. Investigators determined Roena provoked the fight after Cardenas taunted him. Roena is seen throwing a fully extended sidekick toward the inmate's head before putting him in a headlock. After the fight, Roena wrote in a mandatory report that Cardenas was the aggressor and he threw the kick to defend himself. But investigators said in the letter the inmate did not initially pose a threat. Attempts by the Post to reach Roena's attorney were unsuccessful. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_26506262/denver-deputy-suspended-taekwondo-moves-inmate Denver deputy suspended for taekwondo moves on jail inmate By Noelle Phillips The Denver Post Posted: 09/10/2014 01:01:30 PM MDT | Updated: a day ago Denver deputy uses taekwondo moves on inmate A Denver Sheriff's deputy has been suspended 90 days for using taekwondo kicks and punches on an inmate after provoking a fight. (Provided by the Denver Sheriff's Office) Sep 10: Too much paperwork, not enough oversight at Denver jail, monitor says Sep 9: Two Denver Sheriff's deputies fired in jail inmate abuse cases Sep 6: Themes emerge as Denver residents talk about sheriff reform Sep 4: Denver inmate abuse case brings up old questions about deputy conduct A Denver sheriff's deputy who provoked a fight with an inmate by using taekwondo kicks and punches has been suspended for 90 days. Deputy Roberto Roena received his suspension July 29 for the fight that occurred in April 2013, according to his disciplinary letter obtained by The Denver Post. Roena was punished for using excessive force and making inaccurate and misleading statements about the incident, the letter said. The 15 months it took to discipline Roena supports a common complaint that it takes too long for deputies to be punished after they break a department policy. A recent Post analysis of disciplinary records from January 2012 to mid-July 2014 found that it takes longer than 10 months for the typical case to be adjudicated. Sheriff's department internal investigators determined that Roena had provoked a fight with inmate John Cardenas, who had a reputation as a violent inmate. According to Roena's disciplinary letter, Cardenas was angry because he and other inmates were told they only had a 30-minute break outside their cells rather than an hour. Cardenas had been making threats, but the deputies guarding the cell appeared to ignore him and had left a sliding security door open. Roena, a 15-year department veteran, was on court duty the day of the fight but had gone to a cell block at the Downtown Detention Center to visit other deputies. He spoke to the other deputies about his fitness and exercise routine, which included martial arts. Roena was a taekwondo instructor and, in 2012, had been invited to Cuba to teach a class on the martial art, the disciplinary letter said. Roena set down a drink and performed a taekwondo sidekick into the air, according to video footage. Cardenas taunted Roena, telling him "that isn't a kick," the disciplinary letter said. Roena then turned toward the inmate, raised his hands into a fighting position and lifted his foot in a partially extended kick, according to the letter and video footage. The inmate extended his hands through an open door in what appeared to be an attempt to counter the deputy's moves. The fight escalated as Roena threw a fully extended sidekick toward the inmate's head. The two briefly separated and began grappling. The fight spilled through the open door and into the hallway as Roena put the inmate in a headlock, according to the letter and video. The two hit the ground, and other deputies rushed to help Roena. After the fight, Roena wrote in a mandatory use-of-force report that Cardenas was the aggressor. Roena said he responded with defensive tactics, including the side kick, to protect himself. However, the video told a different story, the letter said. "At the time of the initial interaction, inmate Cardenas posed no objectively reasonable threat to Deputy Roena's safety," the letter said. "It was only after Deputy Roena's poor decision to engage inmate Cardenas that inmate Cardenas demonstrated potentially physically aggressive behavior." If Roena had felt threatened, he could have closed the sliding door or asked the four other deputies in the area for help, the letter said. Efforts to reach Roena's attorney were unsuccessful. In a meeting with sheriff's department leaders, Roena said it was a mistake to demonstrate martial arts techniques in the detention center, the letter said. "You said this incident was an unfortunate circumstance that resulted from mistakes that you made at work," the letter said. "You apologized for your mistakes, for the incident happening, and explained that you did not intend for the incident to happen and did not act out of malice." A string of excessive-force cases led Mayor Michael Hancock this summer to launch a massive effort to reform the sheriff's department. In July, the city was forced to pay out the largest lawsuit settlement in its history after it agreed to award $3.25 million to former inmate Jamal Hunter for abuses he suffered in the jail. On Tuesday, the department fired a deputy who was filmed as he grabbed Hunter by the neck and shoved him onto a cell bunk. A second deputy who punched and kicked an inmate during the booking process at the downtown jail also was fired. Roena's case is the latest to surface. He had no prior disciplinary issues at the department but received a strong warning that further misconduct would be dealt with "harshly and severely." "The Department has a great concern regarding your ability to act responsibly and to conduct yourself appropriately as a Denver Sheriff Department Deputy," the letter said.
Yahoo says gov't threatened $250,000 a day fine Feds, NSA, CIA doing the best they can to flush our 4th Amendment rights down the toilet!!!! This is a perfect example of why we must have our Second Amendment rights!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/11/yahoo-says-government-threatened-250000-a-day-fine/15490491/ Yahoo says gov't threatened $250,000 a day fine Associated Press 7:47 p.m. MST September 11, 2014 WASHINGTON — Yahoo said Thursday the government threatened to fine the company $250,000 a day if it did not comply with demands to go along with an expansion of U.S. surveillance by surrendering online information, a step the company regarded as unconstitutional. The outlines of Yahoo's secret and ultimately unsuccessful court fight against government surveillance emerged when a federal judge ordered the unsealing of some material about Yahoo's court challenge. In a statement, Yahoo said the government amended a law to demand user information from online services, prompting a challenge in 2007 during the George W. Bush administration. "Our challenge, and a later appeal in the case, did not succeed," Yahoo general counsel Ron Bell said in a statement. The new material about the case underscores "how we had to fight every step of the way to challenge the U.S. government's surveillance efforts," Bell added. "At one point, the U.S. government threatened the imposition of $250,000 in fines per day if we refused to comply." Bell said the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court upheld the predecessor to Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. Section 702 refers to the program called PRISM, which gave the government access to online communications by users of Yahoo. Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden disclosed the program last year. Yahoo said it is committed to protecting users' data and that it will continue to contest requests and laws that it considers unlawful, unclear or overly broad. "We consider this an important win for transparency, and hope that these records help promote informed discussion about the relationship between privacy, due process and intelligence gathering," said Bell. The newly released documents show that the Bush administration was taking a hard line and was miffed that Yahoo had even been allowed to get into court with its complaint. In sum, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court erred in permitting Yahoo to challenge the directives, said a court brief signed by then-U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Yahoo was arguing that what the Bush administration was doing violated the Fourth Amendment rights of customers of Yahoo. "The government has conducted warrantless foreign intelligence surveillance for decades, and such surveillance has been upheld under the Fourth Amendment by every appellate court to decide the question," Mukasey wrote. "The government's implementation of the Protect America Act is consistent with decades of past practice and adequately protects the privacy of U.S. persons," said Mukasey. In its court papers, Yahoo urged that the government be reined in. Yahoo requested that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review reverse the lower court's judgment and find that "the surveillance authorized by the directives is not 'otherwise lawful,'" wrote Marc Zwillinger, a lawyer representing the Internet service provider. Yahoo lost the battle in the surveillance review court. In a statement Thursday night, the Obama administration said it is "even more protective" of the rights of U.S. citizens than the law upheld by the review court. The American Civil Liberties Union said the case shows the need for more openness about government surveillance. "The secrecy that surrounds these court proceedings prevents the public from understanding our surveillance laws," said ACLU staff attorney Patrick Toomey. "Today's release only underscores the need for basic structural reforms to bring transparency to the NSA's surveillance activities
This is a good example of government waste. The government of Tucson wants to waste millions of our tax dollars and have a mail processing plant in Tucson, just so their mail can have a Tucson postmark on it, instead of Phoenix postmark. If you ask me the purpose of the US Post Office is to provide the cheapest possible mail service. Personally I think the US Post Office should allow the private sector to compete with it and deliver mail. Currently per Federal law it is illegal for the private sector to deliver mail unless they either 1) deliver the mail for FREE, or 2) charge three times the rate that the US Post Office charges. Despite that handicap UPS or United Parcel Service and FedEx or Federal Express still kick ass when it comes to delivering the mail faster then the US government!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2014/09/11/tucson-mail-sorting-center-set-close-april/15494335/ Tucson mail-sorting center set to close in April Paul Giblin, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:24 p.m. MST September 11, 2014 The U.S. Postal Service plans to close what's left of its Tucson mail-processing operation next year, nicking the city's civic pride and potentially slowing mail from businesses and government agencies that depend on timely mail delivery. Last year, the Postal Service closed its Tucson letter-processing operations as part of a nationwide effort to consolidate operations in the era of Twitter, Skype, e-mail and electronic bill payments. Since February 2013, letters and other pieces of magazine-size flat mail sent from southern Arizona have been trucked to Phoenix to be scanned, sorted and canceled by machines that process 35,000 pieces of mail an hour. As a result, mail from Tucson and southern Arizona now bear Phoenix cancellation marks. Postal Service officials plan to close the Tucson packaging-processing operation on April 18, spokesman Peter Hass said. At that time, packages, just like letters, will be transferred to Phoenix to be sorted, then transferred to their intended destinations, even if those destinations are back in Tucson. The remaining 259 employees at the Tucson processing center will be offered other positions in the Postal Service, Hass said. Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild called it "outrageous" that some Tucson mail already bears Phoenix postmarks. Tucson leaders are working with U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., and other federal officials to persuade Postal Service officials to reverse, or at least explain, their decision, Rothschild said. The move lacks geographic sense, the mayor said. Eastern states that are the size of a couple of Arizona counties have multiple mail-processing centers. He expects the closure to extend delivery times for mail routed through Phoenix. "That's obviously a concern. That should be a concern for the whole state, in terms of the state's economy," Rothschild said. Hass declined to discuss why Postal Service executives chose to close the Tucson facility in particular, but said some concessions have to be made. "The Postal Service needs to find ways to reduce its cost to become more efficient in the face of the changing nature of the public's use of the mail," Hass said. "We're seeing Americans' mailing habits change. We have much less mail volume than we did previously." National standards for mail-delivery times are scheduled to relax starting in January 2015 as part of the Postal Service's efforts to consolidate processing facilities and reduce expenses, Hass said. First-class letter deliveries will slide from the current one- to three-day standard to a two- to three-day standard. Magazine deliveries will change from a two- to nine-day standard to a three- to nine- day standard. Bulk mail will retain its three- to 10-day standard. Package deliveries will remain at two to eight days and priority packages will stay at one to three days. Tucson business-mail customers still will be able to drop off bulk mail at the main Tucson Post Office, at 1501 S. Cherrybell Stravenue, even after the mail-processing center at the location closes, Hass said. The retail components of the post office also will remain open. The volume of mail nationwide has decreased by more than 23 percent in the past decade as communication has gone more digital. The Postal Service processed 206.1 billion pieces of mail overall, including 97.9 billion pieces of first-class mail, as recently as 2004. That fell to 158.4 billion pieces overall and 65.8 billion pieces of first- class by last year. The Tucson mail-processing facility is one of 82 nationwide that the Postal Service plans to close next year. The move is expected to produce $750 million in annual savings nationwide. The Postal Service closed 141 facilities in 2012 and 2013, which resulted in $865 million in annual savings. The final change should go unnoticed by most customers, Hass said. In fact, detail-obsessed stamp collectors and perhaps brides-to-be may be among the few people who are nostalgic about cancellation marks, he said. For those select few, Tucson cancellation marks are still available on letters for customers who ask clerks at Tucson post offices to cancel their mail by hand, Hass said. Since packages rarely are adorned with traditional stamps, they rarely get marked with traditional stamp-cancellation marks anyway. Bob Davis, chairman of the Postal History Foundation, a postal museum and post office in Tucson, said he doubts more than a few people even noticed the disappearance of the Tucson cancellation from letters last year. The switch in package handling is unlikely to cause ripples, he said. Private shipping services such as FedEx and UPS have used national sorting centers for decades without issue. "It's just a more efficient way of doing things. It's nice that maybe the post office is thinking about doing things efficiently," Davis said. However, Davis counts himself among the select few who care about cancellation marks. He takes all his mail to the post office to be hand-canceled with the Tucson mark. Large-volume mail customers like University of Arizona have prepaid in-house postage meters, so their mail, such as college acceptance letters, still bear Tucson cancellations, Hass said. By the numbers U.S. Postal Service mail deliveries have declined for the past decade. The number of mail pieces handled by the agency nationally has decreased by more than 23 percent since 2004. • 2004: 206.1 billion pieces of mail delivered, 97.9 billion first-class. • 2007: 212.2 billion pieces of mail, 95.9 billion first-class. • 2010: 170.9 billion pieces of mail, 77.6 billion first-class. • 2013: 158.4 billion pieces of mail, 65. 8 billion first-class. Source: U.S. Postal Service ON THE BEAT Paul Giblin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who covers federal agencies and the military. How to reach him paul.giblin@arizonarepublic.com Phone: 602-444-8228 Twitter:@PaulGiblinAriz
While I am an atheist I certainly think it is wrong for the government to discriminate against people for their religious beliefs or single out people for persecution based on their religion. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/09/12/aclu-islamic-groups-protest-anti-terror-training/15496071/ ACLU, Islamic groups protest anti-terror training Michael Kiefer, The Republic | azcentral.com 9:58 p.m. MST September 11, 2014 The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, along with several Muslim community leaders, wrote a letter this week to Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery to protest a training session purporting to tell the truth about Muslim terrorist groups. Montgomery's office is sponsoring the event next week. The session, titled "Understanding the Threat," is to be presented by a disgraced former FBI agent named John Guandolo, who focuses on the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas and their supposed infiltration into the United States. "He's got a hateful message," said Dan Pochoda, legal director of the ACLU of Arizona. "It's so symbolically wrong because it's a message of hate and racism." But Montgomery countered by saying, "It's apparent to me that the training is mischaracterized." Montgomery said he had heard of the program and had sent people to see it and determine if it was appropriate for law-enforcement officials in Arizona. "I'm comfortable with the training they're going to get," he said. Montgomery also said that he had already talked to local Muslim groups about the training session. But the session has been canceled in other parts of the country, including Kansas, after strong protests, particularly by Muslim groups. The organization Understanding the Threat states in its mission that it "provides threat- focused strategic and operational consultation, training and education for federal, state and local leadership and agencies in government, the private sector and for private citizens." Its main premise is that the Muslim Brotherhood wants to "overthrow the United States of America and reduce the American people under the tyranny of Islamic law." Founder Guandolo made headlines in 2009 when he resigned from the FBI after it was revealed that he had an affair with a confidential source in a political-corruption case he was investigating. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, describes Guandolo as a "former FBI agent who has made a living calling out high-ranking government officials as secret plants working for the Muslim Brotherhood." Guandolo could not be reached for comment immediately. The training event is scheduled for next Friday at a Hilton Hotel in Tempe. "Topics to be covered include the threats posed to our local communities by Hamas, Hezbollah and Sharia Law," according to the invitation sent out by the County Attorney's Office. Wednesday's letter of protest, authored by Pochoda and signed by six Muslim community leaders, said, "The use of anti-Muslim trainers and materials is highly offensive, disparages the faith of millions of Americans, and inevitably leads to biased policing that targets individuals and communities based on religion and ethnicity, and not on criminal acts or evidence of wrongdoing." Imraan Siddiqi, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Arizona, called Guandolo an "Islamophobe." "There's no problem with doing anti-terrorism training, but this individual has a bias," said Siddiqi, who also signed the letter. "He's creating a false correlation between being a Muslim and being prone to violence. "If you were to say that about any other religious group, it would be unacceptable."
VA rips ad by Sinema on vet's suicide When U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema was a member of the Arizona legislator she tried to slap a 300% tax on medical marijuana which would have slapped a $900 and ounce tax on pot and raised the price of medical marijuana from $300 to $1,200 at medical marijuana dispensaries. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/09/12/va-rips-ad-sinema-vets-suicide/15494861/ VA rips ad by Sinema on vet's suicide Rebekah L. Sanders and Dennis Wagner, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:52 p.m. MST September 11, 2014 A campaign ad for U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema that focuses on a Phoenix veteran's suicide has prompted a Veterans Affairs official to defend the agency's actions in the case, an e-mail obtained by The Arizona Republic shows. Sinema's Republican opponent in the competitive 9th District race, retired Air Force officer Wendy Rogers, has also criticized the ad. Sinema's campaign says the TV spot accurately portrays the VA's failure to care for veterans and the congresswoman's fight for reform. The freshman Democrat is running for re-election in a swing district based in Phoenix and Tempe. Sinema appears in the minute-long ad with Howard and Jean Somers, whose combat-veteran son Daniel took his life last summer after seeking mental-health assistance from the Phoenix VA Health Care System. The Republic wrote about the international reaction to Daniel's suicide note, posted online by his family, that detailed his service-related anguish and difficulty obtaining care. "During my first deployment, I was made to participate in things ... War crimes, crimes against humanity," Somers wrote in his note. "Then, the same government has turned around and abandoned me." "Is it any wonder that the latest figures show 22 veterans killing themselves each day?" he asked. Sinema describes in the ad an episode Daniel related to his wife in which he sought help at the VA hospital. Somers' parents later shared the story in congressional testimony. "(VA staffers) told him they didn't have any beds to check him in," Sinema says in the ad. "They told him he could lay down on the floor in the corner, and when he felt better he could drive himself home. Of course, shortly thereafter he committed suicide." Daniel's parents then appear, saying they believe Sinema takes the VA crisis personally and wants to reform the agency in a bipartisan way. Photos of Sinema and her brothers in the military flash across the screen. "I've got a big brother who's a Marine, and my little brother is active duty," Sinema continues. "I want to make sure veterans are treated the way that I would expect my brother to be treated." A top VA official pushed back against the ad. In a Sept. 4 e-mail to Phoenix VA staffers, acting Director Glenn Costie disputed the ad's characterization of VA care for Somers, though he did not explicitly name Sinema or Somers. The agency confirmed the e-mail's authenticity to The Republic. "Phoenix staff, I want to pass on the rest of the story concerning the campaign ad being shown in our area regarding a Veteran who hurt himself," Costie wrote. "I think it is important that we fill in some of the gaps of information from the ad." Costie said Somers was using a private health-care provider at the time of his death and that records showed nothing unusual while he was under VA care. "It appears the Veteran was getting his care in the private sector after May 2009. … He committed suicide on or about June 10, 2013," Costie wrote. "Several reviews of the Veteran's records have found that there were no unusual variations in care while the VA was the Veteran's healthcare provider." By sending the e-mail, Costie revealed information about Somers' case that VA officials have declined to provide to The Republic over months of requests, citing patient privacy and ongoing investigations. Sinema's campaign manager Michelle Davidson criticized the VA for claiming it had no role in Somers' death. "It is offensive for the VA to claim they bear no responsibility for Sgt. Somers' death simply because he was not under VA care at the time of his suicide," she said in a statement. "Sgt. Somers was seeking care from the private sector, but that was only because he was unable to get the care he needed at the Phoenix VA." Davidson said that Somers was passed between VA doctors and staffers, often unaware of whom he would see next, and his requests for care, drug changes and private counseling were ignored. The Somers family, whose son lived in Sinema's district, contacted her shortly after his death. Sinema intervened to secure VA benefits for Somers' wife and introduced legislation in October with Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Tim Murphy to overhaul regulations to help veterans. The Classified Veterans Access to Care Act would allow veterans whose military work is classified to receive one-on-one counseling. Somers couldn't talk about his experiences in the VA's group settings because they involved classified information. The House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday added the legislation to another bill and passed it. The next step would be a full House vote. In addition, Sinema has spoken on the House floor to raise awareness about veteran suicide and organized a resource fair for veterans seeking care. "We chose to highlight (the Somerses') story in our campaign because it is a powerful example of how the VA has failed our nation's bravest individuals and their families," Davidson said. Phoenix VA spokesman Michael McAleer said the agency would not respond to Sinema's comments. "We decline to participate in a political discussion. It would not be appropriate," McAleer said. Rogers, the Republican candidate in the 9th District, describes Sinema's campaign ad as "vile." She says the incumbent hasn't done enough for veterans and is reaping political gain from their suffering. Rogers served in the Air Force for 20 years and was among the branch's first 100 female pilots. "I find it sickening that Kyrsten Sinema would air such an ad. It is revolting that she would attempt to exploit a soldier's suicide for her own political gain," Rogers said in a statement. Dr. Sam Foote, a top VA doctor and whistle-blower, alleged 40 veterans died while awaiting care. The VA Inspector General said in a recent report that no veteran deaths could be found attributable to delayed care. However, independent medical experts interviewed by The Republic believe the VA used an unattainable standard to downplay the deaths. The Republic has also reported on the hospital's pattern of falsifying records and delaying care so long that veterans turned to private providers. It has also explored the rise in veteran suicides. Rogers' campaign manager said she quickly took action on the crisis. "Rogers was the first to call for system administrators and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign, and she also urged the adoption of several policy proposals to help get the VA back on the right track," Martin Mastro said in a statement. Though Rogers did offer policy proposals and called early on for the local VA leader Sharon Helman to resign, she wasn't the first to urge Shinseki's resignation. She also waited more than a week to make a public statement about VA death allegations, while Sinema called for answers immediately after The Republic broke the news of the crisis. As evidence that her Democratic opponent isn't sincere, Rogers pointed to Sinema's apology in May for sending a fundraising e-mail that cited the VA crisis. Sinema's e-mail asked supporters to sign a petition calling for an investigation of the Phoenix VA, while soliciting contributions for her re-election campaign. Her campaign manager said the e-mail was a mistake by a campaign vendor and promised to make a donation to a veterans group. Rogers called Sinema's fundraising plea "absolutely disgusting." Sinema has drawn heat on military issues before. In her first run for Congress in 2012, opponents criticized Sinema's past anti-war activism and comments about closing Luke Air Force Base. She countered that as a state lawmaker she sponsored bills helping veteran spouses find jobs and giving veterans in-state tuition. Howard and Jean Somers say they never intended to get into a political fight. Instead they hope to support politicians on both sides of the aisle that they feel have worked for veterans. They noted politicians other than Sinema who have shown great concern over the crisis: Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Republican House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller of Florida and Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona. They donated $2,000 to Sinema and $1,750 to Kirkpatrick this year. The Somerses do not explicitly ask people to vote for Sinema in the ad. They simply say that she has made veterans issues a priority. "We have tried to stay out of the fray," Howard Somers told The Republic. "We wanted people to know how responsive (her office has) been and how much we feel she has done for the veteran community." ON THE BEAT Rebekah L. Sanders covers Arizona's U.S. House delegation, congressional campaigns and national politics. In the general election she'll cover key House races. How to reach her rebekah.sanders@arizonarepublic.com Phone: 602-444-8096 Twitter: @RebekahLSanders ON THE BEAT Dennis Wagner has been a beat reporter, columnist and investigative journalist at The Arizona Republic for 31 years. He focuses on watchdog stories involving public money, corruption and misconduct. His April story about a Phoenix VA whistle-blower's allegations ignited the national VA furor. How to reach him dennis.wagner@arizonarepublic.com Phone: 602-444-8874 Twitter: @azrover
Here is an article in the Phoenix New Times on University of Arizona Doctor Sue Sisley who was fired for political reasons for talking about marijuana. When you think of the U of A you usually think of Tucson, but Dr Sue Sisley worked at the U of A medical school in Phoenix. http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2014/09/weeded_out_how_u_of_a_fired_pot-researcher_sue_sisley_after_a_state_senator.php
D.A finds six officers justified in firing 29 shots to kill unarmed suspect Did you really think anything else would happen???? This is also perfect example of how drugs don't kill people but rather the laws against drugs kills people. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_26508159/six-officers-cleared-sunnyvale-hobees-shooting Sunnyvale: D.A finds six officers justified in firing 29 shots to kill unarmed suspect By Alia Wilson awilson@community-newspapers.com Posted: 09/11/2014 08:36:18 AM PDT Six Santa Clara County peace officers lawfully shot an unarmed, suspected drug dealer during an undercover operation outside of Hobee's last year, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. Officers shot and killed Juan Ruelas, 34 of Sunnyvale, outside the W. Ahwanee Avenue restaurant on Sept. 4, 2013. An undercover officer was set to buy a pound of methamphetamine for $10,000 from, who had sold methamphetamine five times before to an undercover officer. Ruelas allegedly threatened the officer, saying he had a gun, before making a fatal movement that prompted the shooting. The supervising deputy district attorney who authored the D.A.'s report on the shooting concluded that the fact that Ruelas was unarmed at the time of the shooting "does not negate a legal justification for the shooting as long as officers honestly believed he posed an imminent threat of death or great bodily injury to them or others." The day of the shooting, Ruelas was sitting in his truck when he handed over the drugs, the office reported. After the transaction, the undercover officer, Detective Travis Niesen, gave the coded arrest signal and stalled, waiting for the backup officers to arrest him. According to the report, Ruelas told the officer, "I got a gun, don't do anything stupid." In return, hoping the arrest team would hear, the undercover detective said, "Dude, why did you bring a gun?" It was at that point that Ruelas reached with his left hand toward his waist. Out of fear that he was about to be shot, the officer pulled his gun and fired, the District Attorney's Office reported. Santa Clara Police Sgt. Greg Hill, Santa Clara Police Detectives Cory Morgan, Justin Mead and Jake Thompson, and Santa Clara County Deputy Sheriff Tyler Fernandes responded and opened fire, hitting Ruelas 29 times. An autopsy showed Ruelas was intoxicated on amphetamine and methamphetamine at the time. Ruelas' family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in May, saying police shot an unarmed man without justification. The lawsuit is still pending. The District Attorney's Office investigates all fatal law enforcement encounters to determine if the lethal force was legal.
Chicago City Council doesn't want it to be easy to investigate themselves for alleged crimes!!! Hey, there is one set of standards for our royal govenrment rulers and a second set of standards for us serfs!!!! "the office would not be able to start investigations into aldermen based on anonymous complaints" http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/chi-chicago-city-council-backs-watchdog-swap-with-a-string-attached-20140910-story.html Chicago City Council backs watchdog swap --- with a string attached By Hal Dardick, Bill Ruthhart contact the reporters More than two-thirds of the Chicago City Council is on board with a plan to give the city’s top watchdog the power to investigate aldermen — with at least one string attached. Inspector General Joseph Ferguson would get the same powers he now has to look at allegations of wrongdoing in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration, except the office would not be able to start investigations into aldermen based on anonymous complaints. The proposal had the mayor and several aldermen lauding the long-stalled reform. While some aldermen said Ferguson had agreed to the plan, the inspector general was noticeably silent Wednesday. The proposal is still being reviewed and Ferguson will have no comment “at this time,” a spokeswoman said. In addition, some council members said they were not sure all 35 aldermen who sponsored the measure would stick with it, making its final form and fate uncertain. Two of the council’s most influential aldermen — Finance Committee Chairman Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, and Budget Committee Chairman Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th — did not sign on as sponsors. The City Council scrambled to act a little more than a month after aldermen overwhelmingly decided against giving Legislative Inspector General Faisal Khan the ability to initiate his own investigations into council members’ campaign finances. That decision was pushed by 40th Ward Ald. Patrick O’Connor, the mayor’s council floor leader, as Khan’s office had begun investigating him, the Tribune reported. “Why is it coming to a head now? Frankly, I think it’s because of the actions back in July when the City Council worked to deprive this legislative inspector general of the investigative authority he needs,” said Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd. “The press called foul, as they should have, and I think some of my colleagues are looking to gain some political cover.” Emanuel listed reform initiatives, including a proposal made Wednesday to extend Ferguson’s authority to the Public Building Commission, that he said “set a clear and unambiguous message and tone.” “It’s not about whether you have an inspector general anymore,” Emanuel said, noting decades of resistance to the concept. “That used to be the culture of the City Council. It’s which office (will investigate aldermen), and that’s a dramatic change from past history in the city.” Under the proposal, the inspector general would have to have a signed complaint to investigate aldermen or Ferguson could initiate any investigation he deemed appropriate by signing his own complaint, aldermen said. Ferguson, however, would be allowed to start investigations of aldermanic staff based on anonymous complaints. Despite the limitations, Ferguson would have more authority to investigate aldermen than Khan, who must get a signed and sworn complaint and approval from the Board of Ethics to proceed. Khan also must notify the alderman that he is being investigated. Ferguson would need no prior approval and does not have to notify the alderman, according to the ordinance. The proposed ordinance also would give Ferguson a guaranteed minimum level of funding, the authority to hire his own staff without Human Resources Department approval and probe city lobbyists and people seeking council contracts. The plan was enough to ward off an attempt by several aldermen who are members of the Progressive Caucus to force a vote on their own proposals for strengthening the powers of the inspector general. What remains uncertain is what happens to Khan’s office should this measure become law. Under the new proposal, the authority for Khan’s office would be removed from city code, and he would be required to turn over his files and case summaries to Ferguson. But the current legislative inspector general ordinance says Khan can only be removed “for cause” — meaning some kind of misconduct during his four-year term, which ends in November 2015. “Doors still open: Until a law says otherwise, the office of the legislative inspector general will continue operation to fulfill its mandate — investigating allegations of misconduct by aldermen and their staff,” Khan said in a statement. Khan recently told the Tribune editorial board that he has referred potential criminal violations by aldermen to county, state and federal prosecutors. He also said he would “look forward to” a power shift from his office to Ferguson’s — if Ferguson got the same authority over the council as he does the rest of City Hall. hdardick@tribune.com bruthhart@tribune.com
Keeping kids safe my *ss. It's just a lame *ss excuse to allow the cops to arrest anybody under 18 without the required "probable cause" or "reasonable suspicion". And of course the way for the cops to shake the parents down for a $500 fine. Last time I read the US Bill of Rights there wasn't a word it it about these rights applying only to people 18 or older. But of course don't expect the Supreme Court to agree with on that. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/chi-emanuel-wants-city-curfew-to-apply-until-18th-birthday-20140910-story.html Emanuel wants city curfew to apply until 18th birthday By John Byrne, Hal Dardick contact the reporters Laws and LegislationRahm EmanuelHousing and Urban PlanningChicago City HallDaniel SolisWalter Burnett, Jr. Chicago teens would be subject to the city’s nighttime curfew laws until their 18th birthdays — a year longer than they currently are — in a move Mayor Rahm Emanuel says is all about keeping kids safe. The mayor on Wednesday introduced an ordinance to the City Council that would increase the age of people the city curfew applies to from 16 to 17. City Council lauds Jackie Robinson West team City Council lauds Jackie Robinson West team John Byrne “The goal... is to make sure kids even on school nights and during the weekends are home at safe hours, and that parents have a responsibility to make sure that they are indoors,” Emanuel said after the council meeting. “There’s not one of us that haven’t heard stories over the years where you’re wondering why kids at these ages are out at hours when they should be in bed sleeping.” In many of those cases, the existing curfew rules already apply. And some question how much good it will do to raise the curfew age. Ald. Daniel Solis, 25th, wondered whether police officers struggling to deal with Chicago’s violent crime have enough time to inspect thousands more potential curfew violators. “We don’t have the police manpower to check on everybody’s age,” said Solis, who also applauded the idea as a way to give police “another tool” to deal with kids they find hanging around outside late at night. “But it could be something, if the circumstance requires it, that’s something else the police could use.” Currently, Chicago teens ages 12 to 16 are required to be inside by 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday until 6 a.m. the following day. The night curfew is 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Those same hours would apply to 17-year-olds under Emanuel’s proposal. cComments Parents? Any responsibility here? cynicRFT2 at 10:15 AM September 11, 2014 Add a comment See all comments 28 There are exceptions for cases when children are with parents or guardians, taking part in a supervised youth activity or running an errand for a parent or guardian. Children also can be out past curfew if they are in their own yard or a next-door neighbor's yard. Emanuel said he brought forward the ordinance in response to a law passed by state lawmakers that raised the age of “juveniles” for criminal justice purposes by a year to include people age 17. It’s not the first time the mayor has shifted the curfew earlier in the name of child safety. For kids under 12, the weeknight curfew is 8:30 p.m. and the weekend curfew 9 p.m. thanks to a 2011 Emanuel move to lower the time those younger Chicagoans have to be indoors. At the time, some aldermen wondered whether the city had enough police to enforce that mayoral plan. If police believe a child has violated a curfew, a parent or guardian can be cited for not exercising “sufficient control” of the minor. A citation requires a hearing, and a fine of up to $500 can be imposed. In other City Council action Wednesday: *Emanuel and several aldermen introduced an ordinance that supporters said will help preserve single-room-occupancy and residential hotel housing in Chicago by requiring developers who want to convert those relatively inexpensive rentals into market rate housing to either keep 20 percent of the property's units for very low-income residents or pay a “preservation fee” to the city. Sponsoring Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., 27th, acknowledged that developers have in the past simply cut checks to the city in order to put in expensive apartments or condos in buildings in gentrifying neighborhoods rather than maintaining affordable housing. But he said Emanuel wants to stop low-income residents from getting pushed out of areas like Uptown. “Not only do I not want to see that happen and continue to happen, the mayor’s office and the city of Chicago, we don’t want to see that happen. We all believe in development without displacement,” Burnett said at a City Hall news conference with supporters of the SRO plan. “We don’t just want money. We want housing for people in the city of Chicago.” *Several aldermen also introduced a plan that would give the City Council greater financial oversight of the Chicago Housing Authority, following a think tank’s report this summer that said the agency built up savings of $432 million by 2012 by issuing an average of 13,534 fewer housing vouchers than it could have each year from 2008 to 2012. Emanuel’s office did not respond to questions about where the mayor stands on giving aldermen more oversight authority of the CHA. jebyrne@tribune.com hdardick@tribune.com
Sadly Emperor Obama is just a clone of Emperor Bush. They are both war mongers. The only difference between Emperor Obama and Emperor Bush is that one is a Democrat and the other is a Republican. Nada mas!!! Obama is also a big time supporter of the American police state just like George W. Bush!! Sadly H. L. Mencken was right with his quote of: "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/action-against-islamic-state-is-a-legacy-issue-for-president-obama/2014/09/10/63c964b2-3906-11e4-9c9f-ebb47272e40e_story.html?hpid=z1 Action against Islamic State is a ‘legacy issue’ for President Obama By David Nakamura September 10 at 10:20 PM Nearly six years into a presidency devoted to ending U.S. wars in the Muslim world, President Obama faced the nation Wednesday night to explain why he has decided to engage in a new one. Obama did not describe his authorization of direct military action to defeat the Islamic State terror group as a conventional war. To the contrary, in a prime-time address from the White House, he sharply contrasted his use of targeted but limited American force with the large-scale air-and-ground invasions launched by his predecessor, George W. Bush. “This effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said, casting the strategy as a “counterterrorism campaign” similar to U.S. intervention in Somalia and Yemen. “It is consistent with the approach I outlined earlier this year: to use force against anyone who threatens America’s core interests, but to mobilize partners wherever possible.” But make no mistake: Obama’s escalation of airstrikes and the use of U.S. personnel to help “degrade and destroy” the extremist Sunni group represents a major setback for a commander in chief whose early international appeal was built on a pledge to remove the United States from “permanent war footing.” “How did this group that came in determined to remedy the Bush administration’s overreach . . . end up embroiled in a far more open-ended conflict that has just as far-reaching consequences?” said Rosa Brooks, a former Obama administration official who served at the Pentagon from 2009 to 2011. “This is a legacy issue for him.” Senior advisers have repeatedly said that the unexpected course of the Arab Spring greatly limited their ability to shape events in countries such as Syria. But whatever the source of unrest, it is clear that Obama was either naive to promise a new chapter in post-9/11 foreign policy, or simply failed to deliver on that vision. The night before Obama planned to visit the Pentagon on the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, his task was to reconcile the concerns of a public weary of war but, polls show, increasingly supportive of military action to stem the threat of the Islamic State. Already, the Pentagon has carried out 154 airstrikes on Islamic State forces in Iraq over the past month. The president has pledged not to send combat troops to the fight, but 1,043 U.S. service personnel are supporting the effort in Iraq and 475 more are on the way — three years after Obama withdrew the final U.S. troops and declared an end to the war there. “You are the first class to graduate since 9/11 who may not be sent into combat in Iraq or Afghanistan,” Obama told West Point graduates during a commencement speech in May that aimed to define his foreign policy as one that employs lethal force in strategic ways but avoids drawn-out campaigns on foreign soil. Obama has announced that all but a residual force of 9,800 U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan after this year. Obama’s challenge in persuading the American public to support his strategy against the Islamic State group has less to do with how many troops are in the fight than answering the question, “What are the strategic objectives of the United States?” said Tamara Cofman Wittes, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution who worked at the State Department from 2009 to 2012. “You can say ‘no boots on the ground,’ but that does not really solve their anxiety,” she said. “They want to know what defines the end of our engagement.” The president and his advisers have acknowledged in meetings with congressional leaders and foreign policy experts that the campaign to defeat the Islamic State will take years and will probably extend, in one form or another, beyond the day Obama leaves office in January 2017. President Obama said the U.S. will work with a "broad coalition" of foreign partners to combat the Islamic State in his public address on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014. (The Associated Press) It is not a legacy the president expected to leave. Less than a year after taking office, Obama delivered an address in Oslo as he accepted a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded for what the prize committee called “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people.” The president spoke about the search, among philosophers and statesmen, for the terms that would define a “just war” — but concluded that such a conflict was “rarely observed.” “I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war,” Obama said. “What I do know is that . . . it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace.” Since then, Obama — to the deep dismay of civil liberties advocates — has attempted to redefine how to use U.S. military might to take the fight to the enemy. His counterterrorism strategy, with its reliance on the lethal force of unmanned Predator drones and secret administration terrorist kill lists, has limited casualties to U.S. troops while outraging those who expected him to depart more fully from the tactics of his predecessor. White House aides point to successes — most famously, the Navy SEALs raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011 and, this month, a Pentagon airstrike that killed a high-level leader of an al-Qaeda-linked group in Somalia. “The thinking about how to deal effectively with [the Islamic State] is informed by our experience with al-Qaeda in the [Afghanistan-Pakistan] region,” said Michèle Flournoy, who was undersecretary of defense for policy from 2009 to 2012. “There were a lot of lessons learned and best practices of how to prosecute a long-term counterterrorism campaign to degrade and defeat senior leadership.” In cases where the president has chosen to employ more sustained force, such as his intervention in Libya in 2011 with U.S. airstrikes that helped oust dictator Moammar Gaddafi, he has attempted to abide by a set of principles, aides say. They include building an international coalition and training and supporting local troops as the primary fighting forces on the ground. Obama has been criticized by Republican hawks for “leading from behind.” The descent into chaos in Libya since Gaddafi was killed in 2011 and the broader failure of the Arab Spring to advance democracy in the Middle East and North Africa have also dampened White House claims of progress. For the president, the desire not to rush headlong into sustained conflict has been captured in a West Wing mantra used by Obama and his aides: “Don’t do stupid stuff.” That mind-set can be seen in Obama’s deliberate response to the Russia-backed incursion of rebel forces in eastern Ukraine, in which the administration has sought to lead a coalition that has applied economic sanctions against Russia without supplying lethal military weapons to Ukraine’s ruling government. “This is American leadership. This is American strength,” Obama said at West Point in May, referring to international sanctions that opened channels for negotiations with Iran over that country’s nuclear program. Still, Obama’s ambivalence over how to deal with the threats emanating from Syria has been on full display for months. A year ago to the day, Obama addressed the nation in prime time to make the case for targeted airstrikes against Bashar al-Assad’s regime after evidence emerged that the Syrian president had crossed Obama’s “red line” and used chemical weapons against civilians in his country’s civil war. Even though Obama had concluded that strikes were necessary, at the last moment he changed his mind about ordering the military to act. Instead, he used his speech to request formal congressional support, which never came. On Wednesday night, he returned to TV, this time to tell the American public that the time has come — whether Congress likes it or not — to send U.S. warplanes into battle once again. Related: Obama: ‘Broad coalition’ to fight Islamic State Officials say Islamic State not an immediate threat to U.S. Does Obama have the legal authority to strike in Syria? The Fix: Five takeaways from Obama’s speech
If the editorial board at the Arizona Republic really gave a krap about the Arizona Governor's election they would be demanding that ALL the candidates running for governor including the 3rd party candidates be included in the televised Arizona governor debates. But the Arizona Republic seems to only support the status quo and wants you to vote for either the Demapublican guy, or the Repubicrat guy who are running for the office. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/editorial/2014/09/09/ducey-duval-debate-economy/15357411/ Why you should care about tonight's governor debate Editorial board, The Republic | azcentral.com 8:08 a.m. MST September 10, 2014 Our View: One ring rules them all, Frodo - the economy. Voters must decide which candidate has the better plan. Maybe we should appoint a benevolent dictator and be done with all this election nonsense. After all, elections aren't popular. The primary got a rousing ho-hum from "the people." The official turnout was just over 27 percent, according Secretary of State Ken Bennett. That was down 3 percentage points from four years ago — the last off-presidential election. Well, folks, there's no such thing as a benevolent dictator. So, let's try to stir up a little more enthusiasm before the general election. To have a government of the people, the people have to vote. Start by giving up the really dumb excuses for not voting. Particularly the one about how "it doesn't make any difference because the candidates are all the same." There are stark choices in high-profile races. The 900-pound enchilada is the governor's race. This is a study in contrasts and a choice between solid candidates. Democrat Fred DuVal and Republican Doug Ducey have very different ideas about the role of government. If you simply decide based on party, you may miss important nuances. Tonight, you have a chance to hear the two candidates for Arizona's highest-profile job as they debate the state's central issue. That's right. The economy. This is the one ring that rules them all, Frodo. The one issue that determines what the state can do about education, infrastructure, tax reform, health care, child welfare, public safety and just about everything else. The economy is as important to the state as your job is to you and your family. Arizona's economy needs to produce, attract or retain high-paying jobs. Our economy needs to be robust enough to sustain a healthy middle class, provide a route out of poverty for those at the bottom and encourage entrepreneurship. Who has the better plan? You get to decide. Then, you get to vote. It starts tonight with a chance to hear the guys who want to be your governor. Pay attention. But don't stop there. Voters need to dig deeper than the 30-second spots they'll see on TV. If you do that, you will want to vote in November. In the 1st and 2nd Congressional districts, for example, voters will choose between incumbent Democratic House members Ann Kirkpatrick and Ron Barber and their respective GOP opponents, Andy Tobin and Martha McSally. These are big-deal races with the national parties and a lot of independent groups expressing keen interest — and spending real money — on the outcome. On the state level, candidates for secretary of state (Democrat Terry Goddard vs. Republican Michele Reagan) and attorney general (Democrat Felecia Rotellini vs. Republican Mark Brnovich) bring very different philosophies, experiences and vision. Find out how they think. Make a choice. It's your state. Look. This only works if you participate in our grand democracy, which is the worst form of government, as Winston Churchill pointed out, except for all the others that have been tried. GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE WHEN: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10. TV: Special edition of the "Arizona Nightly News" (12 News). INTERNET: Live-streamed on azcentral.com. SOCIAL MEDIA: Join the conversation with the hashtag #azgov.
You can always count on the government shaking you down for taxes. But don't count on the government providing services for that tax money. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/letters/2014/09/10/poor-planning-by-cities-arizona-feds-led-to-flooding-disasters/15373689/ Poor planning by cities, state, feds led to flooding disasters in Valley Pete June 9:42 p.m. MST September 9, 2014 The recent storms have demonstrated the pathetic planning and engineering of not only many of the local municipalities, but also state and federal highway authorities. Granted, there was a lot of rain. However, that should be taken into consideration when building roads and subdivisions. Many homeowners should be looking for legal recourse against negligent development practices allowed by cities over the years. And those people who lost their cars on Interstate 10 ... how can we have an interstate highway that can't handle a few inches of rain over a several-hour period? Forget about the 100-year flood argument. That is required consideration when planning any of these projects. I'm not a lawyer and my home is high and dry. I just feel badly for those who have been hit a number times recently because of poor planning by so many people. Just sayin'. —Pete June, Peoria
You can always count on being screwed by the court system. The people framed by the police aren't the only ones screwed by the criminal injustice system. Also I suspect the measly $12 a day pay jurors get paid is a violation of the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution which forbids slavery. But don't count on that problem being address. The US Supreme Court ruled that the military draft wasn't slavery years ago. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/letters/2014/09/11/jury-duty-a-hassle-when-courts-waste-our-time/15433149/ Jury duty a hassle when courts waste our time Suzie Campbell 12:39 a.m. MST September 11, 2014 I set my alarm to get up Monday morning at 5:30 a.m. so I could be down at the Superior Court at 8 a.m. for possible jury duty. By 9 a.m., there were at least 500 people sitting in the jury assembly room waiting for something to happen. At 10:30 a.m., a judge told us to go home; we wouldn't be needed. Because of the rain, some court reporters, bailiffs, etc., couldn't make it in. Oh, really? How is it that all of us were able to show up? What a waste of time. They have no respect for people's time except their own. If I wouldn't have shown up, I would have never heard the end of it. —Suzie Campbell, Phoenix
Translation - they are whining about losing their high paying, fun but useless government jobs or perhaps government contracts. Personally I think space exploration is fantastic and really cool. But I also think it should be paid by people in the private sector who love space exploration, not the government. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/09/10/scientists-lament-cuts-planetary-exploration/15415715/ Scientists lament cuts in planetary exploration Ledyard King , Gannett Washington Bureau 4 p.m. MST September 10, 2014 WASHINGTON — Budget cuts and competing priorities are hurting NASA's ability to explore other planets, leading scientists and advocates told House lawmakers Wednesday. Arizona State University science professor Jim Bell, president of the Planetary Society, wistfully spoke of today's "golden age" of planetary science. Robotic missions recently found methane lakes on Saturn's moon Titan, discovered plumes of water vapor erupting from Jupiter's moon Europa, and delivered the rover Curiosity to explore Mars' rocky surface. Later this month, the Maven probe will enter the Martian orbit to record data on its atmosphere, and Rosetta will try landing on a comet — a first — as part of a joint venture with the European Space Agency. "It's the funding trajectory looking forward that is concerning," Bell told members of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. "And that's where we believe there's (a) crisis for planetary exploration. The consistent stream of publicly exciting, scientifically compelling missions that we've all come to expect from NASA is coming to an end, largely because of proposed cuts to planetary science." Funding for planetary science, defined mainly as non-human exploration of planets and other astral bodies, averaged about $1.5 billion a year until 2012, Bell said. Then, as across-the-board cuts to the federal budget kicked in, average funding dropped to about $1.3 billion. The effects of a money squeeze won't be obvious right away because it takes years for a mission to move from planning to launch. But it will be apparent in future years, he said. During the 2000s, NASA launched one mission a year. Only four are planned through 2020. That did not sit well with GOP Rep. Steve Palazzo of Mississippi, who chairs the panel's Space Subcommittee. He questioned why the Obama administration proposed a NASA budget that cuts planetary science while boosting money for the agency's Earth science program. "There are 13 other agencies throughout the federal government that currently fund over $2.5 billion in climate science research, but only one agency does space exploration and space science," Palazzo said. In recent years, Congress has boosted funding for planetary science. Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said the agency was waiting to see what funding Congress will approve this year as it decides what to do with new missions on the books. "Our plan is to keep our new missions on track to the best of our ability and as the budget will allow," he told lawmakers. Experts cautioned that cutting money for robotic missions won't just mean fewer breathtaking photos of celestial phenomena. It also will hinder deep-space missions by astronauts who rely on the data unearthed by probes and rovers to do important scout work. "Planetary science missions help lay the groundwork for manned missions," said GOP Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, who chairs the full committee. "If the administration does not support planetary science, how can they claim to have serious interest in human space exploration?"
The only thing odd about this case is the crooked cops were charged with a crime. But don't worry if its like other cases of police brutality the charges will be dropped and the cops will get at most a tiny slap on the wrist. And as always the cops will get a paid vacation out of it. I bet it must be great fun for a sadistic cop to have some fun beating the living sh*t out of somebody he hates and then get a 3 month paid vacation out of it. For the rest of us it just illustrates that our government is corrupt and out of control. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/10/indianapolis-officers-bar-fight/15416403/ 2 Indianapolis officers charged with bar beating Associated Press 4:13 p.m. MST September 10, 2014 INDIANAPOLIS — Two Indianapolis police officers who were off duty at a bar drinking shots with a pregnant bartender beat up a patron who began arguing with the woman, an affidavit released Wednesday said. John Serban and Michael Reiger face felony battery charges over the Aug. 7 incident, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said. According to the probable cause affidavit, 29-year-old patron Bradford Bohanon was put in a chokehold, kicked and had his face ground into the pavement outside the bar, and the officers went back inside afterward and resumed drinking. Serban, a 16-year police veteran, and Reiger, a 15-year veteran, were arrested without incident Tuesday. A news release from the department said both officers have been suspended without pay pending termination. "This is a disappointing day for the Police Department and the Department of Public Safety," Public Safety Director Troy Riggs said at a news conference Wednesday. The affidavit said Serban, 40, and Reiger, 46, were drinking cinnamon whiskey shots with a pregnant bartender along with beer at Mikie's Pub on Indianapolis' south side when Serban became annoyed at patron Bradford Bohanon, who was getting loud, cursing and getting belligerent with the bartender, the probable cause affidavit said. A videotape of the incident showed the bartender and Bohanon having a disagreement — she had asked Bohanon to leave — when Serban went behind the bar and placed his badge in front of Bohanon's face, according to the affidavit. However, Bohanon, believing the badge was fake, threw it to the ground before the melee broke out, the affidavit said. Serban placed Bohanon in a chokehold and the three men tumbled into tables, the affidavit said. The videotape showed Reiger then dragged Bohanon facedown by his legs across the bar and out the door while Serban continued punching him, according to the affidavit. A doorman told investigators he tried to intervene in the fight, only to get punched in the face by Serban. He later saw Serban grind his foot in Bohanon's face while it was on the pavement, "like you're putting out a cigarette," according to the affidavit. "For trained police officers to react and overreact in this way, it's unacceptable," Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry told WRTV-TV. Published phone numbers could not be found for Reiger, Serban and Bohanon. According to the affidavit, a server at the bar said Reiger approached her once he was back inside after the beating and said, "What happens here, stays here, right?" The officers did not seek medical help for Bohanon or call an on-duty officer or supervisor to come to the scene, the affidavit said. Bohanon suffered scrapes, a boot mark on his head, knots on the back of his head and wounds to his legs, stomach and eye sockets, the affidavit said. He was treated at a hospital in Indianapolis.
This is one reason I am skeptical of the "global warming" claims. If you talk to meteorologists they will tell you that over the billions of years of the earths existence it has been both much hotter and much colder then it is now based on geological evidence. Should we believe them??? Personally I think a lot of the dire predictions by global warming folks are just lame excuses for the government to give the same folks money to prevent the global warming. Maybe global warming exists and is caused by humans, maybe it doesn't. But I am skeptic of any claims that say global warming is coming and the only way to stop it is to give the person who made the claim millions of dollars in government money. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2014/09/11/12news-130-years-too-short-to-establish-weather-patterns/15420789/ 130 years too short to establish weather patterns Weather information from the 12 News weather team. James Quinones, 12 News | azcentral.com 6:03 a.m. MST September 11, 2014 If only the dinosaurs had kept records, we might have a better grasp on forecasting the weather around the world today I often smile to myself when I hear a report about a record-high temperature, or another meteorologist talking about the most rain an area has received since records have been kept. The reason is that most places in the U.S. have only been keeping records since the late 1880s. In the scheme of things, that is such a small amount of time to try to establish regional weather patterns. Modern meteorology is in its infancy. The Swedes only came up with the concept and foundation of the term "cold front" in 1920. If we really want to find out the weather pattern in Phoenix, we would have to go so much further back than 1880. One hundred thirty years is not nearly enough time to figure out where we might be headed. We'd need something like 130,000 years of history to give a better idea of what the true record high or record low has been, or the most rain we have seen in Phoenix in one day. Thousands of years of past data might be able to help us determine whether current changes in climate have everything to do with an overall pattern or the possibility of human intervention. We are able to look at ice cores and other types of geologic evidence to try to develop an idea of what the weather used to be like thousands of years ago. But the bottom line is, we did not have the National Weather Service to keep daily records with modern gauges back then. If only the dinosaurs had kept records, we might have a better grasp on forecasting the weather around the world today. Instead, the mystery will unravel and scientists will continue their quest for evidence past and present as to what is happening with our weather and where we might be headed in the future. Destination forecast In Flagstaff this weekend, the forecast calls for a mix of clouds and sunshine with high temperatures climbing to the mid 70s. Expect scattered showers throughout the weekend. And don't forget your jacket, because it will be chilly at night and in the mornings On this day in Arizona weather history On Sept. 11, 1976, Arizona was hit with the remains of Hurricane Kathleen as it moved across Baja and into southern California near El Centro. With its circulation still intact, tropical storm winds produced considerable damage in Yuma. Sustained winds exceeded 50 mph, and there were gusts as high as 76 mph in Yuma. One man was killed as a 75-foot palm tree crashed onto his mobile home. Severe flooding also occurred in Mohave County.
Translation - Vote for me and I will give you free stuff!!! Well at least that's the message I think Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is trying to give us. Which means why buy expensive flood insurance if Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton will give it to you for free??? Sadly this is how government usually operates. It gives special interest groups free stuff in exchange for votes from the special interest groups members. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/09/10/phoenix-mayor-city-county-must-prevent-future-floods/15374447/ Phoenix mayor: city, county must prevent future floods D.S. Woodfill, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:33 a.m. MST September 10, 2014 City officials say they must reconsider everything from flood control to building codes after Monday's historic flooding that swept into scores of homes in south Phoenix. For many of those homeowners, it was the second time in a month that floodwaters breached the natural washes and canals north of South Mountain and surged into homes. A major storm that officials deemed a 100-year event struck on Aug. 12. Some homeowners who had already renovated were faced with having to do it all again. "It's always a good time to be thinking about having the best codes possible, the best infrastructure, the best flood control possible," Mayor Greg Stanton told reporters on Tuesday. "I think once we get through this initial assessment period ... it will be incumbent upon all of us here to look at all of those things (and) work with Maricopa County Flood Control, the state Department of Emergency Management and say, 'How can we improve? What can we do better? What can we do to minimize the impact'?" The admission came as officials were beginning the recovery process from Monday's storms, cleaning up streets and assessing damage to public infrastructure and homes. Besides city workers, crew members from Salt River Project, which owns several canals that breached in south Phoenix, worked to clear roads and restore driveways with dump trucks and backhoes on Tuesday. They expect the work to take up to two weeks. Kevin Kalkbrenner, Phoenix Fire Department's assistant chief and emergency-management coordinator, said preliminary estimates of the damage to city infrastructure is $1 million. That figure came from department heads around the city, but the actual cost will likely rise significantly. Water runs through Indian Bend Wash at McDonald Drive in Scottsdale a day after a massive storm deluged the Valley Sept. 8. (Photo: Dave Seibert/The Republic) "I would say $2 million wouldn't surprise me," he said. Some of that damage was at the light rail at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and flooding in some city buildings. The city was still assessing how many homeowners sustained flood damage. Officials appealed for volunteers from businesses and churches to help homeowners hit by flooding. "Maybe you're a contractor or small business that has the skill set to help people repair damage," Stanton said."Maybe you're a church group that has a large number of volunteers ... with big hearts that want to help people. Anybody out there who wants to be helpful and supportive of people who have suffered over the last few days, please contact the recovery information center." The city will open two such centers, where flooding victims can seek aid and get information on resources and services available to them. The city's recovery information centers will open at 8 a.m. Thursday at the Travis L. Williams Family Services Center, 4732 S. Central Avenue, and the Pecos Community Center, 17010 S 48th St. in Ahwatukee Foothills, which was also impacted by flooding. The U.S. Small Business Administration meanwhile has already opened two centers to distribute low-interest disaster-recovery loans to residents and businesses affected by the storms. One center is also at the Travis Williams Center and the other is at the Daisy Mountain Fire Station at 43814 N. New River Road in New River. Both centers are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Garth MacDonald, an SBA spokesman, said loans are available with interest as low as 2.063 percent for homeowners and 4 percent for business owners. The city already established a storm- recovery hotline at 602-534-2222. Much of Korina Pedregon's belongings were in the front yard of her home at Ardmore Road and 27th Avenue on Tuesday. It was a mixture of things she and her family were throwing away and things that they tried to save from the flood. She said response from the city had been slow after the first floods in August. Since then, she said life in her neighborhood has become unbearable. Trash that washed in during the storm lingers in the neighborhood and mosquitoes, flies and fire ants are a problem. To make things worse, Pedregon said she suspects several septic tanks backed up in the first flood and that sewage water had invaded their homes. Stephanie Romero, a city spokeswoman, said Tuesday that, because of the widespread nature of the damage, she did not immediately know what remediation efforts were being conducted in Pedregon's neighborhood. Pedregon said mold had started growing in the walls of her house. Pedregon said she and her neighbors have received assistance from the American Red Cross but have been mostly on their own. Ramona Torres, who lives across the street with her daughter and grandchildren, also has mold in her walls. "This is the way we live now," she said, gesturing to her gutted walls and the floor of her home that was still covered in a layer of dirt. Torres said the family had pulled out much of the drywall in the house that was damaged when the rainwaters started flowing under her front door again. "I cry a lot."
The title of this article is probably an inside joke because Sheriff Joe treats the dogs he cares for better than the humans in his Maricopa County Gulag. If we are going to lock people up in prisons we should at least provide them with good medical services. Sadly two thirds of the people in American prisons are there for victimless drug war crimes. That statistic came from Reason Magazine. At the Federal level 51% of the people in Federal prisons are there for victimless drug war crimes. That statistic comes from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. I think the title is a inside joke by Montini because Sheriff Joe treats the dogs in his care better than the humans in his jail. http://www.azcentral.com/story/ejmontini/2014/09/10/green-acre-animal-abuse-sheriff-joe-arpao-aclu-arizona-prisons-lawsuit/15399755/ Reasons why we should treat prison inmates like dogs EJ Montini, columnist | azcentral.com 12:07 p.m. MST September 10, 2014 If there is any justice left in this world the state of Arizona will begin treating its prison inmates like dogs. Two cases working their way through the system prove the state's contractual responsibility to do this, the legal justification for it, and our unquestioned, absolute moral obligation. The cases are nearly identical except for the fact that one involves humans and one involves, well, dogs. The canine case you're familiar with. Maricopa County sheriff's detectives investigated the deaths of 20 animals at the Green Acre Dog Boarding facility near Gilbert, and recommended felony and misdemeanor charges against owners and caretakers. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said Wednesday his office will take a few weeks to decide whether to prosecute. It's a matter of custodial neglect. Once a kennel owner agrees to house the dog and to care for it he or she has a legal obligation to do so, barring some unforeseen accident. (Which is what the owners claim.) The same is true in a state prison. Very few of the inmates we send to the penitentiary receive the death penalty. And even if they are the state is obligated to take care of them until the sentence is carried out. In 2012 a lawsuit was filed alleging that the DOC has not done that, to a horrifying degree. This week the plaintiffs in the case, who are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project, the ACLU of Arizona, the Prison Law Office, Jones Day, Perkins Coie LLP and the Arizona Center for Disability Law, released some of the reports they have to back up their case. One of their experts, Dr. Rober Cohen, claimed that many inmates who were said to die of natural causes actually had received "grossly deficient" medical care. A press release from the group says an inmate dies each week in Arizona prisons because of such neglect. To which the first reader to leave a message about this on my voicemail will say: "So what?" I understand the sentiment. I have heard it again and again over the years. The argument goes that if a convict does something bad enough to send him to prison then anything that happens to him while behind bars is no one's fault but his own. Whereas as the dogs who were confined at Green Acre were innocent victims. I get the rationale. But it's wrong. When we send someone to prison we are accepting responsibility not only for that person's incarceration but for his or her well-being. The punishment we hand out is confinement, not medical neglect that can lead to death. The state tried to have the lawsuit tossed and failed. The case is scheduled for trial in October. In a written statement a while back Department of Corrections officials said, "The allegations are not accurate, and the Department of Corrections looks forward to vigorously challenging them and presenting our case at trial." We'll see. Some of the examples of inmates suffering from inadequately treated illnesses like cancer are gruesome. We're better than that. At least we should be. If we don't treat human beings at least as well as we treat canines then our justice system has gone to the dogs.
Another Sheriff Joe Arpaio publicity stunt costs us big bucks!!! Isn't this the guy that Kathy of Phoenix NORML is good buddies with???? http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/09/10/mcso-pink-underwear-case-settlement/15402055/ MCSO settles suit in death of ex-inmate Kelsey Hess, The Republic | azcentral.com 11:13 p.m. MST September 10, 2014 On its face, the case involving a Maricopa County inmate whose family sued Sheriff Joe Arpaio was like many of the others that have colored Arpaio's 21 years in office: the inmate appeared impaired or mentally ill when he was brought to jail by a local police agency. He resisted the commands of detention officers who then engaged him in a fight. And he recounted the experience in horrific detail to family members who sought justice through the court system when he died. Although the case of 36-year-old resident Eric Vogel shared many of those characteristics, it had one key difference in the eyes of sheriff's officials: Vogel died nearly three weeks later. He suffered a fatal heart attack at his home hours after he ran away from a Phoenix police officer who was investigating a minor car accident. Vogel's family claimed the abuse he suffered at the hands of sheriff's detention officers — some of which came when he was stripped and forced into jail-issued pink underwear — fueled a mistrust of law enforcement that prompted Vogel to run from the Phoenix police officer who was investigating a car crash involving Vogel's mother. We settled because it was in the best interest of taxpayers. The family filed a lawsuit in 2002 accusing Arpaio's detention officers and jail administrators of deliberate indifference to his medical condition and cruel and unusual punishment for the way officers forced Vogel into the pink underwear. The case wended through state and federal court systems for more than a decade before coming to an end Wednesday morning when the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors agreed to pay $240,000 to Vogel's family. "We settled because it was in the best interest of taxpayers," said Cari Gerchick, a Maricopa County spokeswoman. The ties between Vogel's death on Dec.8, 2001, and his treatment in jail weeks earlier might seem distant, but Joel Robbins, an attorney representing Vogel's family, said there was a definite link between the way detention officer's treated Vogel and his decision to run from police when he was confronted with the possibility of returning to jail. "The initial triggering problem is the agony he went through, which was forcibly being stripped naked (in jail), while he believed he was being raped, while he's screaming he's being raped," Robbins said. "As a taxpayer, I want my detention officers to understand that sometimes people mentally can't tell what's happening to them in jail. That created a real stress on him. When he believed he was going to be handcuffed and taken to the jail, he ran and died of a heart attack." Vogel was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a Phoenix police officer and was taken to jail in November 2001. He immediately began showing signs of distress, telling detention officers they were going to rape him, court records say. When officers had Vogel strip and put on the sheriff's standard-issue pink underwear a day later, Vogel believed his fears were about to be confirmed, according to a complaint his family filed in U.S. District Court. Vogel told his family that he resisted the officers' attempts to strip him and put on the pink underwear and that the officers "slammed him to the ground and tried to handcuff him," the complaint says. After Vogel was released, he went to live with his mother, court records say, but the events left him traumatized. He was riding in a car with his mother when she was involved in the wreck, and the presence of police officers at that scene rekindled those fears, his family says. The following morning, Vogel was found dead in his room from what the Medical Examiner's Office determined was a heart attack. "Essentially, Mr. Vogel died of a heart attack caused by the stress and intense trauma triggered by the November 12, 2001 beating at the County Jail," the complaint says. The lawsuit, filed by Vogel's mother and taken over by his sister after his mother died, moved through state and federal courts for more than a decade. A federal jury ruled in favor of the Sheriff's Office in February 2010, but a federal appeals court reversed the decision in December. Jack MacIntyre, a director with the Sheriff's Office, said he thought judges erred in overturning the verdict because that decision was based in part on testimony from Vogel's sister that concerned his state of mind when he fled from Phoenix police, and there were questions about whether she could prove they had that conversation. Regardless, MacIntyre said, Vogel was running from Phoenix police before he suffered his heart attack, not the Sheriff's Office. "I don't think the Sheriff's Office did anything wrong nor were they liable," MacIntyre said. "Sometimes, business decisions are made and I think that's what (county) Risk Management did." Inmates who are taken to Maricopa County jails undergo a more strenuous screening now than in 2001, which could help correctional health workers identify mentally ill inmates and steer them toward physicians and psychiatrists, but Robbins said little has changed in the way detention officers deal with inmates. Vogel's family fought through the courts for more than a decade in the hopes that the case would force some fundamental change in the agency, Robbins said. "We're happy it was resolved and we hope that the Sheriff's Office, rather than spending money like this in the future, changes the way they do business," Robbins said. "Sometimes, it's better to bring medication to the mentally ill person than to try to force the mentally ill person to do things they just can't do. This is not like some kind of highly technical requirement that no one would understand. This is just basic common sense and human decency." The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Emperor Obama to bomb Syria!!! If you are a member of the military industrial complex you will love this because it means you wallet will be a lot fatter from the American government bombing, murdering and killing innocent women and children in Syria. Of course for the rest of us Americans it will mean Emperor Obama is forcing us to find his murders in Syria. Don't you feel great when your tax dollars are used to murder people!!!! Just joking!!! Constitution, f*ck the Constitution!!!! Well at least that's how Emperor Obama seems to feel about requiring Congress to declare war and the President to wage war. Hey, Emperor Obama is above the Constitution, just like Emperor Bush was. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/09/10/obama-us-expand-airstrikes-islamic-state/15419747/ Obama orders airstrikes in Syria for first time Associated Press 9:36 p.m. MST September 10, 2014 WASHINGTON — Opening a new military front in the Middle East, President Barack Obama authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria for the first time Wednesday night, along with expanded strikes in Iraq as part of "a steady, relentless effort" to root out Islamic State extremists and their spreading reign of terror. "We will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are," Obama declared in a prime-time address to the nation from the White House. "This is a core principle of my presidency: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven." Obama announced that he was dispatching nearly 500 more U.S. troops to Iraq to assist that country's besieged security forces, bringing the total number of American forces sent there this summer to more than 1,500. He also urged Congress anew to authorize a program to train and arm Syrian rebels who are fighting both the Islamic State militants and Syrian President Bashar Assad. Obama's plans amounted to a striking shift for a president who rose to political prominence in part because of his early opposition to the Iraq war. While in office, he has steadfastly sought to wind down American military campaigns in the Middle East and avoid new wars — particularly in Syria, a country where the chaos of an intractable civil war has given the Islamic State space to thrive and move freely across the border with Iraq. Iraqi immigrants from El Mirage and members of the Yazidi community from Northern Iraq, are anxious to hear what President Obama and his administration plan to do to mitigate ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria. Speaking on the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Obama's plans were also an admission that years of American-led war in the Middle East have not quelled the terror threat emanating from the region. Obama insisted he was not returning U.S. combat troops to the Middle East. Even so, he acknowledged that "any time we take military action, there are risks involved, especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions." "But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil," he added. The president's announcements follow a summer of deliberation at the White House over how to respond to the violent Islamic State militants. While administration officials have said they are not aware of a credible threat of a potential attack by the militants in the U.S., they say the group poses risks to Americans and interests across the Middle East. Officials are also concerned about the prospect that Westerners, including Americans, who have joined the militant group could return to their home countries to launch attacks. In recent weeks, the militants have released videos depicting the beheading of two American journalists in Syria. The violent images appear to have had an impact on a formerly war-weary public, with multiple polls in recent days showing that the majority of Americans support airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria. The U.S. began launching limited airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq earlier this summer at the request of that country's former prime minister. But Obama vowed that he would not commit the U.S. to a deeper military campaign until Iraq formed a new government that allowed greater participation from all sects, a step Iraqi leaders took Tuesday. Officials said Obama plans to proceed with both the broader airstrikes in Iraq and the strikes in Syria without seeking new authorization from Congress. Instead, he is to act under a use-of-force authorization Congress passed in the days after 9/11 to give President George W. Bush the ability to go after those who perpetrated the terror attacks. Obama has previously called for that authorization to be repealed, but he has also used it as support for strikes against terror targets in Yemen and Somalia. Obama compared the new U.S. mission in Iraq and Syria to the actions in Yemen and Somalia, campaigns that have gone on for years. "This counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground," he said. Obama is seeking authorization from Congress for a Pentagon-led effort to train and arm more moderate elements of the Syrian opposition. Even before his remarks, congressional leaders were grappling with whether to support that request and if so, how to get such a measure through the fractured legislature before the November elections. The White House wants Congress to include the authorization in a temporary funding measure lawmakers are expected to vote on before adjourning later this month. Republicans have made no commitment to support the request and the House GOP has so far not included the measure in the funding legislation. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Nevada Democrat might opt to seek separate legislation. While the CIA currently runs a small program to arm the rebels, the new version would be more robust. Obama asked Congress earlier this year to approve a $500 million program to expand the effort and put it under Pentagon control, but the request stalled on Capitol Hill. Some of Obama's own advisers, including former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, pressed him to arm the rebels early in their fight against Assad. But Obama resisted, arguing that there was too much uncertainty about the composition of the rebel forces. He also expressed concern about adding more firepower to an already bloody civil war. The White House announced Wednesday that it was also providing $25 million in immediate military assistance to the Iraqi government as part of efforts to combat the Islamic State. The Treasury Department will also step up efforts to undermine the Islamic State group's finances. David Cohen, Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, wrote in a blog post that the U.S. would be working with other countries, especially Gulf states, to cut off the group's external funding networks and its access to the global financial system. The U.S. has been pressing allies in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere to help with efforts to degrade the terror group. France's foreign minister said Wednesday that his country was ready to take part in airstrikes against extremist fighters in Iraq if needed. And the German government announced that it was sending assault rifles, ammunition, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles to Kurdish forces in Iraq fighting, breaking with Berlin's previous reluctance to send weapons into conflicts. Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling to Saudi Arabia and Jordan this week. He first made a stop in Baghdad to meet with Iraq's new leaders and pledge U.S. support for eliminating the extremist group.
Glendale taxpayers continue to get screwed so members of Glendale City Council can hob nob with professional sports stars!!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/glendale/2014/09/11/glendale-million-short-first-year-coyotes-deal/15432487/ Glendale $1 million short in first year of Coyotes deal Peter Corbett, The Republic | azcentral.com 11:10 p.m. MST September 10, 2014 Glendale spent $1 million more than expected in the first year of a 15-year agreement with the Arizona Coyotes after parking and concert revenue at the city's arena fell short of projections. The city, burdened by its sports-facility deals, paid the Coyotes $13.5 million in fiscal 2014 to manage the arena and keep the team in Glendale. But hockey and other arena events generated only $5.8 million in revenue for Glendale, about $1 million less than projected. Overall, the city spent $8.1 million on the arena management deal, including some capital improvements to the arena. Part of the money includes proceeds from naming rights for the arena, and on Wednesday the Coyotes formally changed the name of their venue to the Gila River Arena, from Jobing.com Arena. The change means about $600,000 for the city, but that won't be counted in the initial period of the management agreement. And, that money accounts for significantly less than the two main income sources: events and parking. In the first year of the deal, Glendale had expected 23 concerts and other non-hockey events at the arena, but only eight were staged. The city gets ticket surcharges and parking revenue from concerts and other events. AZCENTRAL Arizona Coyotes' home now officially Gila River Arena RELATED: Coyotes deal with Glendale will come up short IceArizona, the Coyotes management entity, hit its hockey attendance goals in its first year of ownership but did not fill the arena with enough events, said Anthony LeBlanc, team president and CEO. IceArizona hired Global Spectrum to manage the arena and book entertainment. "We need to see more events in the building," he said. "We explained that to (Global Spectrum). But it was not entirely their fault. The building has been through four years of bankruptcy and it takes a while to regain the trust of the booking companies." Former Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes filed for bankruptcy protection for the team in 2009. The NHL acquired the franchise and managed it until last summer when LeBlanc and three others bought the team. Glendale's controversial deal with IceArizona carries a heavy cost for the city — $225 million over 15 years. But the City Council narrowly approved it in July 2013 to keep the Coyotes from leaving and losing more than 40 home games per season for the arena. A year after the deal was signed, Glendale is getting its first look at how it is playing out. A shortage of shows and cheaper nearby parking options cut into the arena revenue. "Now is the time to start delivering on non-hockey events," Tom Duensing, Glendale financial services director, said as IceArizona prepares for its second season of team ownership. Glendale also will audit the Coyotes' hockey revenue for the first year, a $45,000 outside review that it expects to start later this month and complete by the end of October. The ability to perform an audit was part of the agreement between the city and IceArizona. "This is the first year of a complex agreement," Duensing said. "We want to make sure the revenues are accurate. I have no doubt they will be." Duensing said that the city absorbed the $1 million shortage in its general fund with other cost savings and additional revenue it received. City pays arena debt In addition to a $15 million annual management fee — an amount prorated the first year — Glendale must pay $8.5 million in arena debt this fiscal year, escalating to $11 million in 2017. The arena will be paid off in 2033 when it will be 30 years old. Glendale City Council member Norma Alvarez, who voted against the deal 14 months ago, has consistently criticized the agreement and pushed for it to be renegotiated with more revenue for Glendale. The Coyotes have an option to end the agreement with Glendale and move the team after the 2017-18 season if its cumulative losses exceed $50 million. LeBlanc said the team has no intention of using the so-called "out clause." "We didn't get into this for short-term revenue," he said. "We said it would take three years to achieve profitability and we're ahead of schedule." Wednesday's name change should help that. The new name is part of an enhanced sponsorship deal with the Gila River Casinos that is worth roughly $30 million to the Coyotes, LeBlanc said. The Glendale City Council approved the new arena name Tuesday. Key revenue sources Still, the Coyotes lost parking revenue to the Arizona Cardinals, who opened lesser-priced lots at the nearby University of Phoenix Stadium, and at Westgate Entertainment District, the shopping center adjacent to the arena. In the fiscal year ending June 30, Glendale's parking revenue was $922,672, about $1.2 million short of projections. The ticket surcharge revenue from non-hockey events came in $1.4 million short of the city's projections. Glendale tapped into a supplemental ticket surcharge fund that generated nearly $890,000 to cut its losses on parking and the non-hockey revenue and collected higher-than-expected sales-tax revenue, Duensing said. Last month, Jobing.com Arena hosted Justin Timberlake, Marc Anthony and Ed Sheeran in well-attended shows. Other popular concerts coming up this year include Katy Perry, the Eagles and Judas Priest. Monty Jones Jr., Global Spectrum general manager, said he tries to book a wide range of shows with varying staging from 2,500 to 19,000 seats. "We're trekking along to have a great year," he said, with more show announcements coming for the winter and next spring. The Coyotes preseason starts Sept. 22 against the Los Angeles Kings and the puck drops on the regular season Oct. 9 against the Winnipeg Jets. Both are home games. Glendale's arena deal The city approved a 15-year agreement with the Arizona Coyotes in July 2013 that will pay the team to manage the arena. Here are some highlights of the deal's first year, which was prorated because it did not go into effect until August: • The city paid a $13.5 million arena management fee to IceArizona, the Coyotes management entity. • Glendale received $5.8 million in arena revenue. • Beginning in the second year of the agreement, Glendale will receive $600,000 annually in naming-rights fees for nine years under a new sponsorship deal with Gila River Casinos. Meet our team Peter Corbett covers Glendale government and sports-related issues in the city for The Republic and azcentral.com. He has been with The Republic since 1992 and was involved in coverage of Super Bowl XXX in Tempe and Super Bowl XLII in Glendale. How to reach him peter.corbett@arizonarepublic.com. Phone: 602-444-6912 Twitter:@PeterCorbett1
Interesting the governors debate was sponsored by Arizona government entities, and perhaps Federal government entities, but third party candidates were excluded!!!! "The debate was sponsored by Salt River Project, Arizona State University ..." Of course ASU is an Arizona government entity. I am not sure if SRP or the Salt River Project is an Arizona government entity, a Federal government entity, an Arizona or Federal corporation or some weird hybrid government entity. But if the Arizona government is going to sponsor these debates for the office of Arizona governor they should not exclude 3rd party candidates and independents. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/09/10/ducey-duval-arizona-gubernatorial-debate/15427273/ Ducey, DuVal draw sharp contrasts in debate Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:44 p.m. MST September 10, 2014 Republican Doug Ducey and Democrat Fred DuVal offered sharply contrasting plans to fix the state budget, create jobs and fund public education, in their first face-to-face exchanges of the general-election campaign for Arizona governor. Wearing nearly identical dark-blue shirts and burgundy ties, the candidates met Wednesday night on stage at the Chandler Center for the Arts before a crowd of several hundred. The debate was sponsored by Salt River Project, Arizona State University, Chandler Chamber of Commerce and East Valley Partnership. DuVal and Ducey politely criticized each others' proposals and resumes and sparred over same-sex marriage, Common Core educational standards, and the breadth of their bases of support. The two, who were seated on high stools for the one-hour event, rarely made eye contact. Each candidate decisively won his party's gubernatorial nomination in August. DuVal, a former White House staffer under President Bill Clinton and a former Board of Regents chairman, faced no competition on the primary ballot, while Ducey, the state treasurer and former Cold Stone Creamery CEO, beat back five rivals with a business- and immigration-centric platform that resonated with the Republican base. Recent polls had the candidates in a dead heat. Q&A: Ducey and DuVal on the economy As governor, Ducey says he would recruit companies from California and Illinois, eliminate unnecessary regulations and eventually do away with the state'spersonal and corporate income taxes by reforming the tax code. The income taxes account for nearly half of the $9 billion that flows into state coffers each year. DuVal's criticism of that plan as unrealistic in light of a projected state deficit yielded one of the more memorable lines of the night, as the Democrat referred to Ducey's plan as "tooth-fairy math." "The notion that you could, on top of the budget deficit … that you could withdraw 40 percent of state budget and still fund health care, Corrections … is tooth-fairy math," DuVal said. "You've got to make decisions. I'd like to cure cancer and promise everyone balmy summers, but you've got to be candid about where we're headed." Ducey said remaking a disjointed tax code "so it looks like someone actually wrote it" would likely require two terms as the state's chief executive. DuVal's economic plan would call for Cabinet members to find new ways to create jobs, cut regulations and work with colleges and universities as well as businesses to prepare students for the global workforce. DuVal stressed that funding and improving the state's education system is key to improving its economy. But Ducey, early in the debate, called into question DuVal's record as a member of the Board of Regents, which oversees the state's three universities. Ducey said DuVal supported "record-high tuition increases, record-high spending and record-high borrowing." While DuVal was on the board, the Legislature cut state funding to universities by $428 million, or about 50 percent of their per-student money. DuVal voted "yes" on tuition increases each year during his time on the board. As board chairman, in 2011, he proposed a one-year freeze on tuition rates for the following year, saying the pace of increases was unsustainable. DuVal countered that when faced with deep cuts approved by a Republican-controlled Legislature, he had done what he could. "His team broke it," DuVal said of Ducey, "I fixed it." DuVal repeatedly accused Ducey of planning to undermine schools because he wants to appeal a ruling that would direct an extra $317 million a year to the public and charter K-12 system. In August, a Superior Court judge issued a judgment in a long-standing lawsuit challenging school funding, requiring the state to boost funding to the schools by $317 million this fiscal year and in following years. The courts had already determined that the state shorted the public-school system during the Great Recession by not fully covering inflation costs required under the voter-approved Proposition 301. Ducey said he wants to appeal the judge's decision because it would buy time for state officials to come up with cost-saving reforms to K-12. He said he would make the first payment "once the appeal is exhausted." DuVal said he wants to make the first payment immediately and would use the state's rainy-day fund and find excess money through government reforms. "We've got to begin making this investment now," he said. On Arizona's College and Career Ready Standards, commonly referred to as Common Core, Ducey said he opposes the standards, saying they've been tied to "mediocrity." While he supports higher educational goals for students, he said the standards are not viable. The candidates were asked if they would allow Gilbert Public Schools opt out of the standards. On Tuesday, the schools' governing board passed a resolution decrying the standards and passed a resolution that calls on the governor and the state superintendent of public instruction to reconsider the state's participation in the standards. Asked if he would let Gilbert Public Schools opt out of the standards, Ducey replied, "Why would I mandate to a school board what they should do." DuVal said he supports the education standards but did not say whether he would allow a district to opt out. Both Ducey and DuVal said they would veto a bill such as Senate Bill 1062, this year's religious freedom bill which drew nationwide criticism as a way to legalize discrimination. DuVal pointed out he urged Gov. Jan Brewer to veto the bill before the firestorm grew. DuVal also said he supports same-sex marriage. Ducey said he favors "traditional marriage" but added that the issue isn't one that will be decided by the state's 23rd governor. The candidates are expected to debate four more times before the Nov. 4 general election. Republic reporter Mary Jo Pitzl contributed to this article. ON THE BEAT Yvonne Wingett Sanchez covers the Governor's Office, and state politics with an emphasis on accountability of state officials. She is leading The Republic's coverage of the race for Arizona governor. How to reach her yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com Phone: 602-444-4712 Twitter: @yvonnewingett
http://news.yahoo.com/ferguson-fallout-police-really-12-000-bayonets-205500524.html Ferguson fallout: Do the police really need 12,000 bayonets? Christian Science Monitor By Anna Mulrine September 9, 2014 4:55 PM Texas police departments own 73 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles. The state’s National Guard has six. That startling fact was one of many to emerge Tuesday from a congressional hearing into the armed police response to demonstrators in Ferguson, Mo., protesting the Aug. 9 shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a police officer. At issue was whether local police departments need the sort of heavy-duty equipment provided to them – for free – by the Pentagon. Senators also questioned whether the Pentagon also should be providing training along with the military-grade hardware. Recommended: Are you smarter than a US Marine? Take the recruitment quiz The Pentagon program, known as 1033, came to national attention in the wake of the Ferguson protests, when camouflage-clad police turned up in heavy armored vehicles, aiming high-powered assault rifles at unarmed citizens. The people who took to the streets to mourn and question the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, “did not deserve to be treated like enemy combatants,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) of Missouri, who spearheaded the hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Nor was the über-armed reaction, which turned Ferguson into a “war zone,” complete with camouflage, tear gas, and laser sites on assault rifles, she added, “compatible with the peaceful exercise of first amendment rights.” It was a hearing replete with bipartisan agreement. Sen. Tom Coburn (R) of Oklahoma said that he, too, viewed the police response in Ferguson as treading “on dangerous ground in undermining the very principles that built this country.” In fact, it’s hard to see the difference, he added, between the Pentagon’s arming of police forces and standing militias. Into this rare bipartisan accord stepped Alan Estevez, the Pentagon’s principal deputy undersecretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics, who had the unfortunate task of attempting to put the senators’ indignation in context in his testimony before the committee. Mr. Estevez pointed out that, through its 1033 program, the Pentagon had provided the Ferguson Police Department with a total of two Humvees, one generator, and one cargo trailer. He stressed that the Department of Defense “does not push equipment on any police force.” In total, the Pentagon has doled out more than $5.1 billion worth of property to police departments since 1990, which has included everything from file cabinets, medical kits, and tools, as well as heavy armored vehicles and weaponry, he said. The key problem with the program, Estevez readily conceded, is that the Pentagon “does not have the expertise in police force functions, and cannot assess how equipment is used in the mission of an individual law-enforcement agency.” This concession, and others, did not earn him the favor of lawmakers, however. Senator McCaskill pointed out that through the 1033 program, Texas police departments have 12 times the number of MRAPs than the state’s National Guard. Similarly, in Florida, local law enforcement has received 45 MRAPs. That state’s National Guard has zero. “Does that fact make you uncomfortable?” she asked Estevez. “I believe the Guard will be allocated the force structure they need,” he replied, adding that the police departments get the “older” vehicles, “not the best MRAPs.” Those, the Pentagon keeps for itself, he noted helpfully. Senator Coburn questioned why police departments would be given mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles in the first place. “An MRAP is a truck,” Estevez argued. “It is not an offensive weapon.” Senator Coburn begged to differ, and wondered, too, whether it was a good idea for police to be provided with 30-caliber weapons, which shoot bullets with a three-centimeter diameter. “That’s this big – that’s the size of a shell,” Coburn said, making a circle with his hand in front of his eye. Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky was, for his part, particularly puzzled about why 12,000 bayonets have been made available to police departments, and asked Estevez for his thoughts on the matter. “I cannot answer what use bayonets would be,” Estevez said. “I can answer it for you,” Senator Paul said. “None.”
US Air Force - F*ck that First Amendment thing about freedom of religion!!!! http://news.yahoo.com/atheist-must-swear-god-leave-us-air-force-232153866.html Atheist must swear to God -- or leave US Air Force AFP Washington (AFP) - The US Air Force has told a sergeant he will have to leave the military unless he agrees to take an oath with the phrase "so help me God," officials said Tuesday. In the latest religious controversy to roil the air force, the atheist airman last month was denied his request to re-enlist because of his refusal to swear to God -- and he is now poised to take the military to court, his lawyer said. "We have not received word from the Air Force regarding our letter. It has not indicated a willingness to settle out of court," said Monica Miller, an attorney for the American Humanist Association, which has taken up the service member's case. With the deadline for re-enlisting expiring in November, the technical sergeant at Creech Air Force base in Nevada -- whose name has not been released -- will be forced to sue the government in a federal court, Miller told AFP. In the past, an airman could opt for an alternative phrase and omit the words "so help me God," but the US Air Force changed its policy in October 2013. The other branches of the American military do not require the reference to God and make the phrase optional. "This is the only branch to my knowledge that's actually requiring everyone in all instances to use the religious language," Miller said. The requirement violates the US Constitution, which bars religious tests to hold office or other positions, Miller said of the case, which was first reported by the Air Force Times. "The government cannot compel a nonbeliever to take an oath that affirms the existence of a supreme being," she said. The sergeant's service expires in November and he has until then to re-enlist and take the oath, said US Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek. In the meantime, "a written legal opinion is being requested" from the Pentagon's top lawyer, she said. The air force has been plagued by controversy for years over religion and the role of Christian evangelists. The US Air Force Academy in Colorado faced accusations several years ago that evangelical Christians exerted a dominating influence over the institution. But attempts to counter the perceived bias in the service have sparked criticism from Christian activist groups, who allege a new rule stifles the religious expression of troops. The disputed rule bars commanders from promoting their religious convictions to their subordinates. Advocates of the policy say it protects troops who worry their careers could be jeopardized if they do not take part in their superior's Christian activities.
Jesus, Bernie Goetz was not only entrapment, it was outright fraud on the part of the police. "Goetz, 65, said he repeatedly offered simply to give the pot to a woman he didn't realize was an undercover officer, but she insisted on paying." http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-bernie-goetz-marijuana-case-dismissed-142521506.html Marijuana case vs. Bernie Goetz dismissed Associated Press By COLLEEN LONG and JENNIFER PELTZ 2 hours ago NEW YORK (AP) — A low-level marijuana case against 1980s subway shooter Bernie Goetz has been dismissed after a judge concluded the clock ran out for trying it. Goetz was busted in December on charges he sold $30 worth of marijuana to an undercover officer he'd been flirting with in Union Square park. He was offered a plea deal involving 10 days of community service. Goetz rejected it for a host of reasons, saying he felt coerced into taking the money from the undercover officer and that police are too aggressive nowadays. "If I had accepted the prosecutor's offer, it would have meant I was a convicted drug seller," he said Wednesday. "If I were to get arrested after a year or two on some other baloney offense, then I'm a repeat offender." His lawyer, Danielle Iredale, had asked a judge to dismiss the case for lack of a speedy trial. Under New York law, his type of misdemeanor case can be tossed out if prosecutors aren't ready for trial within 90 days after the case starts. But the rules surrounding allowable delays are complicated and often disputed between prosecutors and defense lawyers. On Wednesday, Judge Laurie Peterson concluded that prosecutors missed the window by 14 days. The district attorney's office had no comment. Goetz, 65, said he repeatedly offered simply to give the pot to a woman he didn't realize was an undercover officer, but she insisted on paying. Then, another officer plainclothes approached and "tried to get me to punch him," speaking aggressively and coming within two feet of him before backing off, Goetz said, adding that he hadn't initially realized the man was an officer. He said the case was a waste of government resources, arguing that prosecutors in general shouldn't pursue low-level marijuana cases. "I think an individual in this instance is under an obligation to throw as much sand in the mechanism as they can," he said. In 1984, Goetz was branded the "subway vigilante" when he shot four black teens with an illegal handgun on a No. 2 train in Manhattan. At least one had a screwdriver, and they were asking him for $5. Goetz said it was self-defense and the youths intended to mug him. One of the teens was paralyzed. The shooting brought to the surface long-smoldering urban issues of race, crime and quality of life. It also thrust Goetz, a white self-employed electronics expert, into the role of spokesman for what some considered a justified form of vigilantism. Goetz was cleared of attempted murder charges and spent 250 days in jail in 1987 for a weapons conviction in the case. Returning to the headlines didn't seem to bother Goetz. Speaking with reporters after his various court dates, the onetime mayoral candidate aired his views on instant runoff voting, vegetarianism, an ongoing debate over the future of the city's carriage horses, and the policing of New York today, compared to the high-crime era when he first became a household name.
Don't expect any results, but you can always complain about how f*cked up government is to one of these Arizona government ombudsman. On the public records side they are absolutely worthless!!!! Even if they find that the government refused to obey your request for public records they can do absolutely nothing. Well other then send a letter to the governor's office saying that government agency XYZ refused to honor your request for public records. Yea, like that will force the XYZ government agency to honor your request for public records. I suspect the only reason this agency was created was to give you the impression that government works for you. Yea, sure!!! But anyhow if you have lots of time to waste, and don't mind punishing yourself send one of these bureaucrats an email at: ombuds@azoca.gov http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/09/10/arizonans-can-file-state-agency-complaints-ombudsman/15374683/ Arizonans can file state agency complaints to ombudsman Michelle Ye Hee Lee, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:36 p.m. MST September 9, 2014 Arizona taxpayers have a resource in the state Ombudsman-Citizens' Aide Office, one of five offices in the country that investigate complaints about administrative problems with state agencies, boards and commissions. In 2013, the office responded to more than 4,800 complaints. The office also helps Arizonans with public-access and public-records issues. The eight-person office reports to the state Legislature. Meet Dennis Wells, your state ombudsman-citizens' aide. Question: What is the role of the Ombudsman-Citizens' Aide Office? Answer: This office is complaint-driven by the citizens of Arizona. When citizens have a problem with a state agency, we offer free, confidential services to them, to listen to their complaint. We're not necessarily an advocate ... but we do get to the facts. If we do find that the citizen's complaint is valid, we will go to the agency and report to them what our findings are. Oftentimes, though, we'll find the agency has acted in accordance with state statute and rule. But we also find where the agency has made mistakes. One of the most important things we provide is a place for people to go, to help them navigate state government ... and how state government interfaces with federal, local and other levels of government. A hidden service that we provide the citizens is ... we help to avoid a substantial quantity of litigation that might be coming against the state of Arizona. That, obviously, helps to save taxpayers' dollars for all of us, and make government more efficient. Q: How did you come to this job in 2012? A: I began my public career as a county supervisor in Flagstaff, and I served in that capacity for 18 years. ... I came to the job at age 25, and at the time, I was one of the youngest people elected to that job. It was just a real opportunity to learn about solving constituent problems. In those days, a lot of the problems were rural problems: For instance, rural roads in need of repair, and perhaps the road department wasn't moving it up in the priority list. I'd go out in the field and check and try to get something done. Through my career, I've been able to interface with the citizens many, many, many thousands of times. (Then) I was appointed to the (Arizona State) Land Department as the deputy state land commissioner. That was another opportunity to listen to constituents and help solve their complaints. ... (Then) I was a city manager in Williams for eight years — there I was, in municipal government. ... When I (applied) to become ombudsman, what really helped me to rise to the top was that I had several levels of government experience, all dealing with handling citizens' complaints from various angles: county, state and municipal. Q: What do you like most about being the state ombudsman? A: This is by far the most interesting job I have ever had. ... There's such an enormous variety of situations that come across our desk on a daily basis. Department of Child Safety (formerly Child Protective Services) is big chunk of what we do, all the way to ADOT (Arizona Department of Transportation), Department of Health Services, all the state agencies that are out there, and all the boards and commissions — some 1,300 in total. It's such an opportunity to learn about all of state government and to help people at every level. Q: What is the best way for the public to reach you or your staff? A: Our preference is by e-mail or phone. Our system is set up to capture e-mail inquiries most efficiently, and people can utilize the website. ... We welcome people's questions and contact with us. We take walk-ins, as well. (Complainants' personal information) is confidential. How to contact the Arizona Ombudsman-Citizens' Aide: • Phone —602-277-7292 or 800-872-2879. • Fax — 602-277-7312. • E-mail — ombuds@azoca.gov. • Website — azleg.gov/ombudsman. • Mail — Arizona Ombudsman-Citizens' Aide, 3737 N. Seventh St., Suite 209, Phoenix AZ 85014.
Arizona Governor's Debate tonight!!!! As usual the 3rd party candidates are excluded from the governor's debate tonight!!!! J.L. Mealer, Americans Elect, Barry Hess Libertarian, Carey Dolego Write-In, Jay Johnson Write-In, Diana-Elizabeth Kennedy Write-in, Alice Novoa Write-In and Curtis Woolsey Write-In have all been excluded from the televised debate tonight!!!! How are we supposed to pick the RIGHT person for the job if we can't hear all their view points!!!! Of course that question is for those of you who think the system works. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Here in Arizona we have been doing the same thing over and over since 1914 and always get crooks in office. I certainly don't expect things to change this time. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/2014/09/02/arizona-governor-forum-economy/14993679/ Ducey, DuVal: First square off is next week The Republic | azcentral.com 5:02 p.m. MST September 2, 2014 Debate: How will gubernatorial candidates Doug Ducey and Fred DuVal improve Arizona's economy? Find out Sept. 10! It's the first major gubernatorial debate of the general election season. And it couldn't be on a more important topic for voters: The economy. What ideas do Republican Doug Ducey and Democrat Fred DuVal have to improve Arizona's jobs outlook? Find out! WHEN: 6 p.m. Sept. 10 TV: To be presented on a Special Edition of 12 News' Arizona Nightly News program. INTERNET: Live-streamed on azcentral.com. SOCIAL MEDIA: What would you ask the candidates? Join the conversation on Twitter with the #azgov hashtag. SPONSORS: SRP, Arizona State University, Chandler Chamber of Commerce and East Valley Partnership. VENUE: For information on attending this debate at the Chandler Center for the Arts, contact the East Valley Partnership online at www.EVP-AZ.org or call 480-834-8335 ext. 201.
Watchdog: VA managers lied to investigators about delays Will these government criminals be punished??? Now that's a silly question!!!! The answer is almost certainly of course NOT!!! But if they are the punishment will almost certainly be a slap on the wrist!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/politics/2014/09/09/watchdog-va-managers-lied-delays/15334159/ Watchdog: VA managers lied to investigators about delays VA Secretary Robert McDonald says VA will focus on veterans. Matthew Daly, Associated Press 9:54 a.m. MST September 9, 2014 WASHINGTON — Managers at more than a dozen Veterans Affairs medical facilities lied to investigators about scheduling practices and other issues, the department's inspector general said Tuesday. Richard Griffin, the VA's acting inspector general, said his office is investigating allegations of wrongdoing at 93 VA sites across the country, including 12 reports that have been completed and submitted to the VA for review. "The rest are very much active," Griffin told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Griffin's office has been investigating VA sites across the country following reports of widespread delays in care that forced veterans in need of medical care to wait months for appointments at VA hospital and clinics. Investigators have said efforts to cover up or hide the delays were systemic throughout the agency's network of nearly 1,000 hospitals and clinics. While incomplete, Griffin provided the panel with a snapshot of the results so far. Managers at 13 facilities lied to investigators about scheduling problems and other issues, he said, and officials at 42 of the 93 sites engaged in manipulation of scheduling, including 19 sites where appointments were cancelled and then rescheduled for the same day to meet on-time performance goals. Sixteen facilities used paper waiting lists for patients instead of an electronic waiting list as required, Griffin said. Griffin was testifying on an investigative report by his office on delays in patient care at the troubled Phoenix veterans' hospital, where a whistleblower first exposed long delays and falsified waiting lists. A resulting scandal led to the ouster of former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki last spring. The Aug. 26 report said workers at a Phoenix VA hospital falsified waiting lists while their supervisors looked the other way or even directed it, resulting in chronic delays for veterans seeking care. The inspector general's office identified 40 patients who died while awaiting appointments in Phoenix, but the report said officials could not "conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the deaths of these veterans." Investigators identified 28 patients who experienced "clinically significant delays in care" that negatively affected the patients, Griffin said. Of those patients, six died, he said. In addition, the report identified 17 patients who received poor care that was not related to delays or scheduling problems, Griffin said. Of those patients, 14 died. Three high-ranking officials at the Phoenix facility have been placed on leave while they appeal a department decision to fire them. Griffin said the report by his office provides the VA with "a major impetus to re-examine the entire process of setting performance expectations for its leaders and managers" throughout the system. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald called the report troubling and said the agency has begun working on remedies recommended by the report. "I sincerely apologize to all veterans who experienced unacceptable delays in receiving care at the Phoenix facility, and across the country," McDonald said Tuesday. "We at VA are committed to fixing the problems and consistently providing the high quality care our veterans have earned and deserve in order to improve their health and well-being." The VA has reached out to all veterans on official and unofficial waiting lists at the Phoenix hospital, McDonald said. The Phoenix hospital has hired 53 additional full-time employees in recent months as officials move to address a patient backlog that resulted in chronic delays for veterans seeking care, McDonald said. Officials completed nearly 150,000 appointments at the hospital in May, June and July, McDonald said, a significant increase over previous years. In all, the VA has reached out to more than 266,000 veterans nationwide to get them off waiting lists and into clinics, McDonald said. McDonald on Monday unveiled what he called a three-point plan to rebuild trust among veterans, improve service delivery and set a course for the agency's long-term future. The plan should be implemented by Veterans Day, Nov. 11, he said. The former Procter & Gamble CEO also said he wants to make the VA less formal, starting with his own title. "Call me Bob," not Mr. Secretary, he said. He gave his cellphone number to a roomful of reporters as a sign of his intent to open up what he called the VA's closed culture, which he said has made it difficult to root out problems at the agency's far-flung local and regional offices. ——— Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC
Will AG Tom Horne be charged with stealing $300,000 from Arizona??? Look I'm not a psychic, but you don't need to be to make predictions on stuff that involves government criminals. The answer is probably not. And if he is they will cut him a special deal and he will get at most a slap on the wrist. Just for the record Attorney General Tom Horne is one of the jerks who filed a frivolous lawsuit in Federal Court trying to shut down Prop 203 or Arizona's Medical Marijuana Act. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/09/09/commission-director-horne-campaign-used-300k-state-time/15356943/ Commission director: Horne campaign used $300K of state time Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Republic | azcentral.com 7:24 p.m. MST September 9, 2014 Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne improperly used $312,239.78 worth of state employees' time and office space on his reelection campaign, the executive director of the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission alleges. Tom Collins concluded that Horne's campaign was by August 2013 setting up parallel structures in his campaign and official office, "where the responsibilities of campaign staff reflected the Executive Office of the Attorney General's Office," according to records provided by a former Horne staffer under subpoena. "There were seamless operations between the AGO Executive Office and the Horne campaign at the highest levels including management, strategy, technology, communications, field work, and fundraising," Collins wrote. READ: Statement of reasons Collins gave examples of the alleged parallel campaign-office organizations in a report released Tuesday: The campaign's manager, Margaret Dugan, was Horne's chief of staff. The campaign's chief strategist was Brett Mecum worked as the office's legislative liaison. Kathleen Winn, director of community outreach for the office, was Horne's field organizer. Debra Scordato, Horne's attorney general secretary, was in charge of scheduling and financial documents. Garrett Archer, a policy adviser, worked as a campaign "master of dark arts" and was responsible for technology. Collins' report, distributed to Clean Elections Commission members, will be discussed at the commission's meeting Thursday. Horne can appeal any decision by the commission, Collins said. Sarah Beattie, a former Horne constituent services staffer, worked as a fundraiser for Horne until last spring, when she resigned and filed a complaint with elections officials and claimed Horne and top staff were using attorney general resources to run for re-election. Horne and staffers have denied the allegations by Beattie and said it was the employees' right to volunteer on the campaign and any campaign work done during state work hours was performed while on break. Horne has said only minor "water-cooler talk" about his campaign occurred within the halls of the state's prosecutorial office in downtown Phoenix. Horne did not respond directly to Collins' report but his spokeswoman, said Collins made the "irresponsible" findings "without interviewing one person mentioned in the complaint." "I and the others who have first-hand knowledge of the 'alleged facts' would relish the opportunity to show in detail how baseless the charges in this proposed finding are," Stephanie Grisham wrote in a statement. "Eleven witnesses gave statements showing that the charges were false. Collins chose to believe one and disbelieve 11. This is utterly irrational. He is clearly seeking relevancy for his office." Grisham wrote in her statement that Horne's staffers "have stated numerous times that they worked more than 40 hours per week for the state, and volunteered for Horne on their own time. "The fact that people who work with AG Horne on a daily basis, and saw his work on behalf of Arizona, wanted to see him re-elected because of his good work, is a positive, not a negative." Collins' report said Horne provided no evidence to refute Beattie's allegations. And, he pointed out there is no proof that campaign work was done during state breaks. Collins wrote that evidence shows "Mr. Horne and his employees freely used the Executive Office suite as the base of operations for these campaign activities during regular work hours." According to Collins' report: Dugan's staff time for Horne's campaign amounted to $83,698; Mecum's staff time for Horne campaign amounted to $46,666.67; Scordato's staff time for Horne campaign amounted to $24,818.18; Winn's staff time for Horne campaign amounted to $68,693.33; Archer's time for Horne campaign amounted to $40,000; and Beattie's time for Horne campaign amounted to $23,250. In addition, Collins determined the pro-rated rent on the attorney general's executive suite, starting from August 2013 through spring of 2014, was $25,113.60. Collins continued, "There were seamless operations between the AGO Executive Office and the Horne campaign at the highest levels including management, strategy, technology, communications, field work, and fundraising." Grisham wrote in her statement that Horne's staffers "have stated numerous times that they worked more than 40 hours per week for the state, and volunteered for Horne on their own time. "The fact that people who work with AG Horne on a daily basis, and saw his work on behalf of Arizona, wanted to see him re-elected because of his good work, is a positive, not a negative." Collins' report said Horne provided no evidence to refute Beattie's allegations. And, he pointed out there is no proof that campaign work was done during state breaks. Collins wrote that evidence shows "Mr. Horne and his employees freely used the Executive Office suite as the base of operations for these campaign activities during regular work hours." According to Collins' report: Dugan's staff time for Horne's campaign amounted to $83,698; Mecum's staff time for Horne campaign amounted to $46,666.67; Scordato's staff time for Horne campaign amounted to $24,818.18; Winn's staff time for Horne campaign amounted to $68,693.33; Archer's time for Horne campaign amounted to $40,000; and Beattie's time for Horne campaign amounted to $23,250. In addition, Collins determined the pro-rated rent on the attorney general's executive suite, starting from August 2013 through spring of 2014, was $25,113.60. Follow the reporter on Twitter @yvonnewingett
F*ck the Constitution - Looks like Emperor Obama is going to declare war on the ISIS, whoever or whatever they are!!!! Screw that little Constitutional thingy about Congress declaring war and the President waging it. On the other hand if you are a member of the military industrial complex you will have to thank Emperor Obama, any new wars mean lots of cold hard cash in your wallet. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/09/09/obama-authority-militant-campaign-isis/15353993/ Obama says he has authority for militant campaign President Obama briefs Congress on his plan to destroy the ISIS militant army. Associated Press 4:14 p.m. MST September 9, 2014 WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama has told congressional leaders he has the authority he needs to take the action against the Islamic State militants that he will outline Wednesday night. Obama discussed his plans with congressional leaders Tuesday. Following the meeting, the White House said Obama still welcomes action by Congress that would "aid the overall effort" and demonstrate to the world that the United States is united in defeating the threat from the Islamic State. There has been no consensus in Congress on whether Obama should seek congressional approval for his plans. But some lawmakers suggested Tuesday that a vote was unlikely. |