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Most of this stuff has been emailed. I don't seem to send it out again
only re-mail the stuff from Aug 2 to Aug 10
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/12/ohio-inmate-death-penalty-suffered/13960499/ Anesthesiologist: Condemned inmate suffered Associated Press 1:27 p.m. MST August 12, 2014 COLUMBUS, Ohio — A condemned Ohio inmate put to death during a prolonged execution experienced pain and suffering before he lost consciousness, an anesthesiologist working for the family of the inmate determined in a report released Tuesday. Neither of the drugs used to execute Dennis McGuire on Jan. 16 can be relied on to produce a rapid loss of consciousness and death, according to the affidavit by Dr. Kent Diveley of Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. A higher dose of the sedative used by Ohio is needed to render someone unconsciousness, Diveley said, while the painkiller used by the state causes eventual death from lack of oxygen but couldn't be depended on to produce unconsciousness, he said. "It is possible that when this combination of drugs is used for lethal injection there will be a delay of several minutes before the inmate loses consciousness preceding death," Diveley said. He said apparent straining gestures by McGuire represented "conscious voluntary actions." "They exemplify true pain and suffering in the several minutes before he lost consciousness," the affidavit said. "To a degree of medical certainty this was not a humane execution." A federal civil rights lawsuit filed by McGuire's adult children alleges McGuire "suffered needless pain and suffering" during his execution. McGuire snorted and gasped several times during the 26 minutes — the longest of any Ohio execution — it took him to die. Diveley was hired by lawyers for the family to study the execution. It's common for expert witnesses to be paid for their work. Attorney Jon Paul Rion declined to say how much Diveley received. Other anesthesiologists have offered differing views on what McGuire might have experienced, with some calling his repeated snorting and gasping a typical reaction to those two drugs — both commonly used in hospitals — during surgery. The state prisons agency declined comment, as is typical when it's sued. On April 28, the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction concluded there was no evidence that McGuire "experienced any pain, distress or anxiety." Nevertheless, "to allay any remaining concerns," the prisons agency also announced it was boosting the dosages of the two drugs used to execute McGuire for future executions. Those changes would appear to address Diveley's concerns about dosage amounts. Concerns have grown about the two drugs used by Ohio — midazolam, the sedative, and hydromorphone, the painkiller — because of McGuire's execution and a nearly two-hour execution last month in Arizona using the same drugs. A federal judge on Monday extended a moratorium on executions in Ohio until Jan. 15 while debate continues about the state's procedure. Ohio has not been able to obtain supplies of its first choice, compounded pentobarbital, a drug used successfully by Missouri and Texas in several recent executions. McGuire was executed for the 1989 rape and stabbing death of Joy Stewart, 22, a recently married pregnant woman in western Ohio.
You think your going to get a fair trial??? Don't make me laugh!!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/08/13/calls-sway-jurors-brothers-murder-trial/13989353/ 911 calls sway jurors in brothers' Phoenix murder trial Michael Kiefer, The Republic | azcentral.com 9:21 a.m. MST August 13, 2014 A set of 911 tapes that a prosecutor tried to withhold from a grand jury proved instrumental in helping acquit two brothers who had been indicted on charges of murder and aggravated assault in a 2007 gang shootout. On Tuesday after listening to the tapes in detail, a Maricopa County Superior Court jury came back with six not-guilty and six deadlocked verdicts against Jonathon Mena Cobian, 27, and his half-brother John Mitchell Mena, 25. In the early days of the case, a deputy Maricopa County attorney tried to prevent a grand jury from hearing the tapes, even after being ordered by a judge to play them, resulting in a finding of prosecutorial misconduct. The case unfolded in June 2007, when the two men faced a carload of known gangsters in the front yard of their mother's house in west Phoenix. By the time the brothers stopped shooting, three people were dead and three were gravely wounded. Cobian and Mena claimed self-defense. They were charged with murder, and their fate depended on two 911 calls that Cobian made on that day. RELATED: The gray area of courtroom conduct Agustin Hernandez, 17, Miguel Rodriguez, 20, and Alejandro Hernandez, 18, were killed in the shootout. Cynthia Hernandez, who was in her 30s, and her teenage daughter Alyssa Hernandez were wounded, as was another teen, Jorge Rodriguez. Two other teens, Cyndi Holguin and Apolinar Rodriguez, were uninjured. The brothers claimed the victims, who they knew by their gang names — Sleepy, Smiley, Scrappy, Psycho, Joker — had attacked them. The encounter was the second that day between Cobian and several of the gang members. They had confronted and fought with Cobian earlier at his mother's house, looking for Mena, who had quit the gang. They said they would come back, and they made good on the threat. Prosecutors maintained that the carload was on its way to the lake to go swimming. During her closing argument, prosecutor Keli Luther said that one of the dead gang members, Miguel Rodriguez, had come to share the good news with "his best friend," Mena, that he was going to join the Marines. Cobian, she said, was afraid that Mena, who was on probation for another offense, would start running with the gang again. "They pulled guns on a carload of innocent people," Luther said. The jury did not buy the argument. "There was so much 'he said, she said' and so little evidence," said juror Epaul Fischer of Phoenix. "The majority (of jurors) thought the prosecutors had not proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt." But Fischer said that they had played the 911 calls in the jury room, stopping every few seconds to discuss what they heard. Most of the jurors voted for not guilty on all counts, Fischer said. Whether the County Attorney's Office decides to retry the hung counts hasn't been decided, spokesman Jerry Cobb said. Step outside According to testimony and court records, on June 15, 2007, Cobian was visiting his mother at her house in west Phoenix when a teen he knew as Smiley came to the door looking for Mena. Cobian said he wasn't home, but the teen asked him to step outside. Several of the teens then attacked Cobian, punching at him and throwing beer bottles. Miguel Rodriguez punched Cobian in the face, and Cobian knocked him to the ground. According to Cobian, they said they would be back to kill all of them. Cobian and Mena's 10-year-old brother called police. He told the 911 operator there were gangsters attacking his brother and he knew they had participated in a drive-by shooting. In fact, Agustin Hernandez, Apolinar Rodriguez and Alejandro Hernandez had been arrested the prior October at 51st Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix. The 911 operator asked to speak with Cobian, who calmly described what had happened and stayed on the line until the police arrived. Cobian asked the operator what he could do to protect himself. The operator told him to ask the police officer when he arrived. The officer told him he would be within his rights to have a firearm. Cobian went to his grandmother's house to retrieve his shotgun and an AK-47. Then, he went to the mall to pick up Mena and returned to their mother's house. The gangsters pulled up to the house in a Kia Sorrento just as the brothers drove into the driveway. Cobian held the AK-47, Mena the shotgun. Cobian warned them not to advance and fired a warning shot. Then, all hell broke loose. Miguel Rodriguez got out of the front passenger side of the car and approached the brothers with his hand out. Prosecutor Luther described it as a handshake, as did one of the witnesses, Cyndi Holguin, who said during her testimony that she had been in the back seat of the car, admittedly smoking marijuana. Someone shouted, "You f--ked up, homey," though both sides denied it was them. Jorge Rodriguez got out of the driver's seat. Agustin Hernandez also got out, and the two approached the brothers. Apolinar Rodriguez, who was in the back hutch area of the Kia, later told police that his brother Miguel wasn't afraid of guns. Cobian fired, killing Miguel and Agustin and seriously wounding Jorge. When the back passenger side door of the car opened, he fired, killing Alejandro and wounding Cynthia Hernandez and her daughter Alyssa. Apolinar dived over the back seat, climbed over the women slumped on the backseat and out the back driver's side door. Cyndi Holguin went out the same door. Mena closed his eyes and pulled the trigger of the shotgun. The brothers retreated inside. Cobian called 911 again. "I just shot someone!" he shouted. "They were attacking me! ... You have to call an ambulance, please!" The 911 operator pressed him for details. "Ma'am, you really need to call an ambulance," Cobian said. He told the operator that the gang members had been there earlier. "I have the police report in my pocket." Cobian was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder and several aggravated assault and weapons charges. Mena was charged with aggravated assault and weapons charges. Cobian's attorney, John Canby, was able to get the indictments sent back to the grand jury three times because the original prosecutor, Eric Basta, did not play the 911 tapes for the grand jury, even after being ordered to do so. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge found that Basta committed prosecutorial misconduct and threw out the indictment. But the County Attorney's Office still insisted that the deaths were first-degree murder and, instead of going back to the grand jury, chose to have a preliminary hearing in front of a judge, who ruled there was not enough probable cause to go forward with first-degree murder. So, prosecutors had to settle for second-degree. Basta then attempted to preclude information about the gang members' past experiences with police. He was ordered to turn it over, then did so without revealing contact information, arguing that the gangsters were protected by victim's-rights statutes. The Arizona Court of Appeals did not agree, and prosecutors had to turn it over. The trial began in late April. In his opening argument for the defense, Canby merely played recordings of the two 911 calls. The jury deliberated for two days and came back with a verdict Tuesday afternoon. "The prosecutors were basing their case on the anger issue," Fischer said, "and there just wasn't any in that first call." Cobian and Mena embraced each other in the courtroom, tears running down their cheeks. "You're going home," defense attorney Mike Terribile said.
Tom Horne - I'm not a crook - Reminds me of Nixon!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/08/13/horne-judge-denies-request-restraining-order/14005097/ Judge denies Horne's request for restraining order Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Republic | azcentral.com 12:22 p.m. MST August 13, 2014 A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has denied Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne's request to stop the Maricopa County Attorney Office's investigation into him. Horne sought the restraining order last month and argued that County Attorney Bill Montgomery and his office should be barred from continuing its investigation into alleged election-law violations because Montgomery, who has called for Horne to resign and is supporting his Republican primary challenger, has a conflict of interest. Horne's attorney argues the case should be sent to a different law-enforcement agency. Judge Mark Brain in an Aug. 11 ruling wrote that Horne's "notion that Mr. Montgomery's office will do his unspoken bidding is entirely unconvincing as a basis to disqualify the entire office from a mere investigation and grand jury proceeding." Brain continued, "The court will not indulge a presumption that the investigators and employees the Maricopa County Attorneys' Office will act unethically based on a mere allegation that they know what Mr. Montgomery wants, nor that a grand jury will ignore its responsibilities in evaluating any potential charges." "The court accepts as a given that prosecuting attorneys typically do not think much of ordinary people who they believe have committed crimes, and think even less of elected officials who they believe have done so," Brain wrote. "From the facts presented, it is apparent that Mr. Montgomery does not think much of Plaintiff Horne. But one could presumably disqualify a number of investigating agencies if that argument were good enough." The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has been investigating Horne for several weeks, tied to allegations by a former Horne staffer that he and his top staff illegally worked on his re-election campaign using the resources of the Arizona Attorney General's Office. Montgomery is screened off from the investigation. Horne denies the allegations. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office as a practice does not confirm or deny the existence of ongoing investigations.
I saw an article in La Voz, which is published by the Arizona Republic that said Joseph R. Wood received 15 times the dosage of poison that the great state of Arizona usually gives to people when it murders them. I had not seen any articles that mentioned he was given 15 times the normal dosage in the English language newspapers. I couldn't find the article in La Voz but I found these articles in other newspapers. I have included articles in both English and Spanish here. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/01/joseph-wood-15-injections-arizona-execution_n_5643254.html Joseph Wood Received 15 Injections Of Untested Drug Cocktail During Arizona Execution AP | By ASTRID GALVAN Posted: 08/01/2014 8:30 pm EDT TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — During the nearly two hours it took for an Arizona death row inmate to die last week, executioners injected him with 15 times the amount of a sedative and a painkiller that they originally intended to use, according to documents released Friday. Records released to Joseph Rudolph Wood's attorneys show he was administered midazolam and hydromorphone in 50-milligram increments 15 times between 1:53 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., for a total of 750 milligrams of each drug. He was pronounced dead at 3:49 p.m. after gasping more than 600 times while he lay on the table. Arizona's execution protocol calls for 50 milligrams of each drug, although some states use as much as 500 milligrams of midazolam in their execution procedures. "Those are pretty staggering amounts of medication. They did not shortchange in the dose," said Karen Sibert, a longtime anesthesiologist and spokeswoman for the California Society of Anesthesiologists. Sibert, an associate professor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said patients who are sedated before a surgery typically receive no more than 2 milligrams each of midazolam and hydromorphone. "It would be rare that I would use more than 2 milligrams even for a lengthy surgery," Sibert said. "If that is accurate, that is absolutely a lethal dose." Wood's attorney, Dale Baich, said the dosage details show why an independent investigation of Wood's execution by a nongovernmental authority is necessary. "The Arizona execution protocol explicitly states that a prisoner will be executed using 50 milligrams of hydromorphone and 50 milligrams of midazolam," he said in a written statement. "The execution logs released today by the Arizona Department of Corrections shows that the experimental drug protocol did not work as promised. Instead of the one dose as required under the protocol, ADC injected 15 separate doses of the drug combination, resulting in the most prolonged execution in recent memory." Wood's July 23 execution renewed debate over the death penalty and the efficacy of lethal injection. It was the third execution to go awry in the U.S. this year. An Ohio inmate gasped in similar fashion for nearly 30 minutes in January. An Oklahoma inmate died of a heart attack in April, minutes after prison officials halted his execution because the drugs weren't being administered properly. States have refused to reveal details about their lethal injection procedures, such as which pharmacies are supplying the drugs and who is administering them, because of concerns over harassment. Wood had filed several appeals that were denied by the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that he and the public have a right to those details. Such demands for greater transparency have become a new legal tactic in death penalty cases. Arizona officials say Wood, who was convicted of a 1989 double-murder, never suffered and was completely sedated, but his attorney called it a "horrifically botched execution" that should have taken 10 minutes. Gov. Jan Brewer ordered a review of the state's execution process, saying she's concerned by how long it took for the drug protocol to kill Wood. The Arizona Department of Corrections said Friday it is seeking an outside investigator for the independent inquiry. "I am committed to a thorough, transparent and comprehensive review process," director Charles Ryan said in a news release. "This will be an authoritative review to ensure that fact-based conclusions are reached regarding every aspect of this procedure, including the length of time it took for the execution to be lawfully completed." Wood, convicted of killing ex-girlfriend Debbie Dietz and her father, Gene Dietz, in Tucson, took gasps for air for more than 90 minutes after officials administered the drugs. His attorneys attempted to stop the execution after it was clear he was taking too long to die, but their efforts were not successful. Ryan, the corrections chief, has denied that the execution was botched. "Despite the attention given to this execution, the level of transparency and openness regarding executions is consistent with established and long-standing Department of Corrections policy," Ryan said. "As director, I am committed to a full, complete and transparent account of the events of inmate Wood's execution." ___ Follow Astrid Galvan at https://twitter.com/astridgalvan . http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/01/arizona-inmate-injected-15-times-records-show/13498865/ 2-hour execution required 15 injections, records show Michael Kiefer, The Arizona Republic 11:07 p.m. EDT August 1, 2014 PHOENIX — It was supposed to take just 50 milligrams each of the drugs midazolam and hydromorphone to kill Arizona death row inmate Joseph Wood. And according to the Arizona Department of Corrections execution protocol, if the inmate is still conscious after three minutes, the director of the department can authorize a second dose. But during his execution July 23, Wood was injected with 15 doses over a two hour period before he was finally pronounced dead, according to official logs of the execution that were released Friday. So instead of 50 milligrams of each drug, Wood was injected with 750 milligrams of each drug in injections that were administered in about three- to 10-minute intervals. Ariz. officials deny execution was botched Wood's lawyers say that the number of doses is further proof that the execution was botched. The Department of Corrections says the logs show Woods was sedated throughout the nearly two-hour execution and felt no pain. The debate over whether Wood's execution was botched has played out in the international media, and called into question whether lethal injection will remain a viable form of capital punishment. "The records provided today show that Director (Charles) Ryan, continually conferred with the IV team, and directed additional Midazolam and Hydromorphone to be administered ensuring the inmate remained deeply sedated throughout the process, and did not endure pain," according to an official statement issued by the Corrections Department. Wood's attorney, Dale Baich, called the statement "an acknowledgment that the protocol did not work as designed, and it was a failed experiment." AP_Arizona_Execution_Drugs A fence surrounds the state prison in Florence, Ariz., where the execution of Joseph Rudolph Wood took place on July 23.(Photo: AP) According to the Department Of Corrections statement, Ryan has initiated an independent review of the execution. "I am committed to a thorough, transparent and comprehensive review process," he is quoted as saying in the press release. "This will be an authoritative review to ensure that fact-based conclusions are reached regarding every aspect of this procedure, including the length of time it took for the execution to be lawfully completed." The official release did not say who would conduct the independent review, but stated unequivocally that "the length of the procedure and the amount of drugs administered comply with the department's mandate under state law." The execution protocol does not specify how long executions should take. Assistant Arizona Attorney General Jeff Zick said that Ryan has "got a legal duty to carry out an execution, but there's no time limit set out for the execution." Zick said, however, that the review would consider the time question as well as the effectiveness of the protocol. USATODAY Reporter describes gruesome scene of Ariz. execution Baich countered that the department was making foregone conclusions that the execution was not botched. "This is why an independent investigation by a non-governmental authority is necessary," Baich said. Wood, 55, was sentenced to death twice for the 1989 murders of his estranged girlfriend, Debra Dietz, and her father, Eugene, in Tucson. His attorneys had filed motions for injunctions because the Corrections Department would not reveal information about where it obtained its supply of midazolam and hydromorphone or about the executioners' medical qualifications. Friday's press release also revealed that the execution team included a licensed medical doctor, a detail that the Corrections Department had refused to provide before the execution. But the major question in the motion for stay of execution was the drug midazolam, which has been part of three other executions since last October in which the dying inmates seemed to gasp for air and take longer to die than with other drugs used in lethal injection. During one execution in Oklahoma in April, the prisoner writhed and agonized before dying of a heart attack. The Arizona Department of Corrections, however, insisted the drug would work effectively and argued all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court that the execution should go forward without turning over the information the lawyers requested. But the execution did not go as planned. Instead of the usual 10 minutes or so that it takes for death by lethal injection, Wood took nearly two hours to die and gulped for air with a loud snoring sound for an hour and a half of that time. The logs released Friday show that on July 23, the IV lines to deliver the drugs into Wood's body were set in his arms by 1:47 p.m. and the drugs were first injected at 1:52. At 1:57, the "IV team leader verified the inmate is sedated." The logs released Friday show that the second 50 milligram doses of midazolam and hydromorphone were injected at 2:08. The next came at 2:13 Then 2:26. Then 2:34, and so on until they had administered 15 doses. Woods was finally pronounced dead at 3:49. http://peru21.pe/mundo/estados-unidos-arizona-inyeccion-letal-joseph-wood-2194399 EEUU: El reo Joseph Wood recibió 15 veces la inyección letal Sábado 02 de agosto del 2014 | 12:41 El condenado a muerte Joseph Wood, ejecutado en Arizona (Estados Unidos) el 23 de julio en un procedimiento inusualmente largo de casi dos horas, recibió 15 veces la dosis normal de dos productos, según sus abogados. “El protocolo de ejecución en Arizona estipula que el preso debe ser ejecutado con 50 miligramos de hidromorfona y midazolam. Pero el informe de ejecución que divulgó este viernes el Departamento penitenciario de Arizona (ADC) muestra que este protocolo experimental no funcionó como debiera”, subrayó en un comunicado Dale Baich, un abogado del condenado. “En lugar de recibir una dosis como lo requiere el protocolo, la ADC inyectó 15 dosis de esta mezcla de drogas, lo que alargó la ejecución convirtiéndola en la más larga de la historia reciente”, añadió Baich. Este pidió una investigación independiente llevada a cabo por una organización no gubernamental. La ejecución de Joseph Wood, de 55 años, condenado por el doble asesinato de su exnovia y del padre de esta en 1989, había durado 117 minutos, en lugar de la decena de minutos habituales. El condenado “jadeó”, “gruñó”, “se sofocó e intentó respirar durante una hora y 40 minutos”, informó Dale Baich luego de la ejecución. El director de la ADC Charles Ryan, quien supervisó personalmente esta controvertida ejecución, declaró en la edición sabatina del New York Times que era favorable que se realice una investigación. Según él, la acumulación de dosis anestésicos buscaba garantizar que el “detenido se mantuviera profundamente sedado durante el procedimiento y no sufriera”. Perplejo, el médico anestesista Joel Zivot, consultado por el mismo diario, explicó que una vez que el cuerpo recibe una dosis suficiente de anestésicos, “no importa si se le da a la persona 500 dosis adicionales o 5 millones; no serán más eficaces”, subrayó. La agonía sin precedentes de Joseph Wood reavivó en Estados Unidos la polémica sobre la inyección letal como método de ejecución. http://www.vanguardia.com.mx/josephrudolphwoodejecutadoenarizonarecibio15vecesladosisindicada-2129986.html Joseph Rudolph Wood, ejecutado en Arizona recibió 15 veces la dosis indicada Los encargados de la ejecución le inyectaron 15 veces la cantidad de sedante y analgésico que se proponían usar originalmente; la ejecución de Wood el 23 de julio renovó el debate sobre la pena de muerte Arizona.- Durante las casi dos horas que tardó en morir en Arizona un condenado a muerte la semana pasada, los encargados de la ejecución le inyectaron 15 veces la cantidad de sedante y analgésico que se proponían usar originalmente. Según documentos difundidos, los registros entregados a los abogados de Joseph Rudolph Wood indican que se le administraron midazolam e hydromorphone en incrementos de 50 miligramos 15 veces entre la 1:53 p.m. y las 3:45 p.m., para un total de 750 miligramos de cada droga. Se comprobó su muerte a las 3:49 p.m. después de jadear más de 600 veces mientras yacía sobre la mesa de la ejecución. El protocolo de ejecución de Arizona dispone 50 miligramos de cada droga, aunque algunos estados usan hasta 500 miligramos de midazolam. "Son cantidades asombrosas de medicación", afirmó Karen Sibert, anestesista y vocera de la Sociedad de Anestesistas de California. Sibert, profesora adjunta en el Centro Médico Cedars-Sinai, dijo que los pacientes que son sedados antes de una operación quirúrgica reciben regularmente no más de 2 miligramos de cada uno de esos dos fármacos. "Sería raro que yo usara más de 2 miligramos aun para una operación prolongada", dijo Sibert. "Si es la cifra referida, es absolutamente una dosis letal". El abogado de Wood, Dale Baich, dijo que la dosis revela por qué es necesaria una investigación independiente sobre la ejecución de Wood por parte de una autoridad no gubernamental. "El protocolo de ejecución de Arizona estipula explícitamente que el prisionero será ejecutado utilizando 50 miligramos de hydromorphone y 50 miligramos de midazolam", dijo en una declaración escrita. "Los registros de la ejecución difundidos hoy por el Departamento Correccional de Arizona (DCA) indican que el protocolo de drogas experimentales no funcionó como prometía. En vez de una dosis como requiere el protocolo, el DCA inyectó 15 dosis separadas de la combinación de drogas, lo que resultó en la ejecución más prolongada de que se tiene memoria". La ejecución de Woods el 23 de julio renovó el debate sobre la pena de muerte y la eficacia de la inyección letal. Fue la tercera ejecución trabajosa en Estados Unidos en lo que va del año. Un condenado en Ohio jadeó durante casi 30 minutos en enero. Otro en Oklahoma murió de un ataque cardíaco en abril, minutos después que las autoridades correccionales pararon la ejecución porque las drogas no eran administradas adecuadamente. http://www.okspanishnews.com/index.php/en/noticia/detalle/1942 Ejecutado en Arizona recibe 15 veces la dosis indicada Durante las casi dos horas que tardó en morir en Arizona un condenado a muerte la semana pasada, los encargados de la ejecución le inyectaron 15 veces la cantidad de sedante y analgésico que se proponían usar originalmente. Según documentos difundidos el viernes, los registros entregados a los abogados de Joseph Rudolph Wood indican que se le administraron midazolam e hydromorphone en incrementos de 50 miligramos 15 veces entre la 1:53 p.m. y las 3:45 p.m., para un total de 750 miligramos de cada droga. Se comprobó su muerte a las 3:49 p.m. después de jadear más de 600 veces mientras yacía sobre la mesa de la ejecución. El protocolo de ejecución de Arizona dispone 50 miligramos de cada droga, aunque algunos estados usan hasta 500 miligramos de midazolam. "Son cantidades asombrosas de medicación", afirmó Karen Sibert, anestesista y vocera de la Sociedad de Anestesistas de California. Sibert, profesora adjunta en el Centro Médico Cedars-Sinai, dijo que los pacientes que son sedados antes de una operación quirúrgica reciben regularmente no más de 2 miligramos de cada uno de esos dos fármacos. "Sería raro que yo usara más de 2 miligramos aun para una operación prolongada", dijo Sibert. "Si es la cifra referida, es absolutamente una dosis letal". El abogado de Wood, Dale Baich, dijo que la dosis revela por qué es necesaria una investigación independiente sobre la ejecución de Wood por parte de una autoridad no gubernamental. "El protocolo de ejecución de Arizona estipula explícitamente que el prisionero será ejecutado utilizando 50 miligramos de hydromorphone y 50 miligramos de midazolam", dijo en una declaración escrita. "Los registros de la ejecución difundidos hoy por el Departamento Correccional de Arizona (DCA) indican que el protocolo de drogas experimentales no funcionó como prometía. En vez de una dosis como requiere el protocolo, el DCA inyectó 15 dosis separadas de la combinación de drogas, lo que resultó en la ejecución más prolongada de que se tiene memoria". La ejecución de Woods el 23 de julio renovó el debate sobre la pena de muerte y la eficacia de la inyección letal. Fue la tercera ejecución trabajosa en Estados Unidos en lo que va del año. Un condenado en Ohio jadeó durante casi 30 minutos en enero. Otro en Oklahoma murió de un ataque cardíaco en abril, minutos después que las autoridades correccionales pararon la ejecución porque las drogas no eran administradas adecuadamente. Federal watchdog site needs a watchdog We are always told that we need government to protect us from "bad guys". Of course the real problem is who is going to protect us from "bad guys" in government??? All you have to do is read a few of the thousands of articles I have posted and realized that our government masters don't protect us from themselves. The police routinely rob, murder and rape the people they "pretend" to protect. When our elected officials get caught committing crimes that would put us serfs in prison for years, they routinely get a slap on the wrist, if that much for their crimes. Our government masters routinely flush the Constitution down the toilet, and the best explanation they give us is the Constitution doesn't mean what it says. Sadly, government is the "problem", not the solution to the "problem". http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/editorial/2014/08/10/federal-watchdog-site-suffers-missing-data/13879099/ Federal watchdog site needs a watchdog Editorial board, The Republic | azcentral.com 7:24 a.m. MST August 11, 2014 Our View: USASpending.gov is a great idea that needs to get better. Much better. It would be easy to make fun of a federal accountability website that didn't account for more than $619 billion. Too easy. But that doesn't mean USASpending.gov gets a pass for the failings that are detailed in a new Government Accountability Office report. The website is a good idea that needs to get better. Much better. If you've never heard of the website, that counts as another problem. It can't be a public resource if the public doesn't know about it. Authorized by Congress in 2006 as a tool to track government spending, it was launched the next year. The site was touted as part of "a common-sense vision of government transparency and accessibility" by one of its congressional sponsors: Sen. Barack Obama. Fast forward. The GAO found that the Executive Office of the President failed to report $247 million in assistance programs it funded in 2012. White House officials said they thought the Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for reporting that spending. Oops. Meanwhile, HHS failed to report $544 billion of its own spending. Double oops. Throw on a few more billion here and there, and you get a promise of accountability that falls short. Under the law, government agencies are supposed to report contracts and grants. The website is searchable and yields some interesting tidbits. For example: In fiscal 2013, Raytheon and Boeing were the top federal contractors in Arizona, pulling in $4.4 billion and $2.4 billion from Uncle Sam, respectively. That same year, the private University of Phoenix Inc. got $768 million worth of aid for students in the form of Pell Grants. Arizona State University pulled in $97 million. There's a lot researchers and interested citizens can do with statistics like that. Having them in an easy-to-find, easy-to-use form is a real public service and a powerful tool to hold government accountable. That is, if you can believe the numbers. The figures in these examples came from the website for 2013. The GAO report, based on 2012 figures, found that only 2 to 7 percent of the data it reviewed was "fully consistent with agencies' records." So who knows? To be fair, after the GAO informed agencies of the missing data, catch-up reports were filed. The GAO was not aiming to provide ammunition for the "government can't do anything right" crowd. This wasn't about gotcha. It was about monitoring performance and making recommendations on how to make them work better. That's why it's a mistake to just mock this website for its (many) problems. The goal of using technology to put information about government spending in the hands of the governed needs to be nurtured and perfected. This is especially important now, as the administration is implementing last year's Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, which will increase the data available to the public. The GAO is recommending that the Office of Management and Budget, which oversees USASpending.gov, do more to clarify how and what agencies are supposed to report, and provide more oversight. It will take time to make this work right, but the intent is worthy of the Founding Fathers. If the reverse had been true and this teenager had been suspected of shooting a cop, you can bet the police would have released his name. Well in addition to demonizing him and making him look guilty. Of course police murders get special treatment. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/12/teen-shot-police-protests/13958463/ Police won't name cop who shot teen, cite threats Associated Press 11:58 a.m. MST August 12, 2014 FERGUSON, Mo. — The police chief in a St. Louis suburb where a police officer fatally shot an unarmed black teenager said he's holding off on publicly identifying the officer because of death threats. Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson said he planned to release the officer's name on Tuesday but changed course after threats were called into the police department and City Hall, and posted on social media. The officer was placed on administrative leave Saturday after fatally shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown. "If we come out and say, 'it was this officer,' then he immediately becomes a target," Jackson said. "We're taking the threats seriously." Jackson didn't disclose specifics of the threats, but he said the decision came after a stream of death threats against the officer and other officers. The case has stoked racial tension, protests and looting in Ferguson, a predominantly black city with roughly 21,000 residents. Despite calls for calm from Brown's family and civil rights leaders, crowds turned violent for two nights. A large crowd that gathered throughout Monday at the site of a burned-out convenience store turned rowdy at nightfall, with people throwing rocks at police, Jackson said. Officers used tear gas and shot "beanbag rounds" meant to stun them. There were at least five arrests but no reports of looting, St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman said. The night before, nearly three dozen people were arrested following a candlelight vigil as crowds burned stores, vandalized vehicles, assaulted reporters and taunted officers. "People are tired. They have reached the end of their rope," Ruth Latchison Nichols said after a crowded town meeting Monday night hosted by the NAACP. "Enough is enough. This is a state of emergency." By early Tuesday, the streets were once again calm. A handful of police officers sat in patrol cars near the burned out gas station, vastly outnumbered by news crews putting together their early reports in Ferguson, which is nearly 70 percent black. National NAACP President Cornell William Brooks implored residents to "turn your anger into action" while condemning the violent response to Brown's death. The organization hosted a community forum Monday that drew hundreds of people. "To sneak around under the cover of darkness, to steal, to loot, to burn down your neighborhood — this does not require courage," he said. "Courage is when you strive for justice." "Martin Luther King did not live and die so that we may steal and lie in the middle of the night," he added. Witnesses have said that Brown had his hands raised when the unidentified officer approached with his weapon drawn and repeatedly fired. Authorities have been vague about what led the officer to open fire, saying only that the shooting — which is being investigated by St. Louis County police — was preceded by a scuffle of some kind with a man in which the officer's weapon discharged inside a patrol car. Brown's parents, who planned to drop their son off at a technical college Monday, have been among those calling for calm. His family also is asking for people to come forward with information or videos related to the shooting. Police have said there is no security or police video of the incident. Investigators have also refused to disclose the race of the officer. But witness Phillip Walker said he was on the porch of an apartment complex overlooking the scene when he heard a shot, and saw a white officer with Brown on the street. Brown "was giving up in the sense of raising his arms and being subdued," Walker told The Associated Press. The officer "had his gun raised and started shooting the individual in the chest multiple times," Walker said, adding that the officer then "stood over him and shot him" after the victim fell wounded. Dorian Johnson offered a similar account, telling KMOV-TV that he and Brown were walking home from a convenience store when a police officer told them to get out of the street and onto the sidewalk. Johnson said they kept walking, which caused the officer to confront them from his car and again after getting out of the vehicle. "We wasn't causing harm to nobody," Johnson said. "We had no weapons on us at all." Johnson said the first time the officer fired, he and Brown got scared and ran away. "He shot again, and once my friend felt that shot, he turned around and put his hands in the air, and he started to get down. But the officer still approached with his weapon drawn and fired several more shots," Johnson said. Walker said he did not see a scuffle or the circumstances that preceded the first gunshot. "I don't want to sugarcoat it," said the family's attorney, Benjamin Crump. "(Brown) was executed in broad daylight." Crump also represented relatives of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old fatally shot by a Florida neighborhood watch organizer who was later acquitted of murder charges. You can die from water poisoning!!!! I guess that means water or good old H2O is almost as deadly as marijuana!!!!! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/12/player-drinking-water-death/13959745/ High-school player dies after overhydrating Associated Press 12:06 p.m. MST August 12, 2014 DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia high school football player is dead after drinking too much fluid during practice. Relatives of 17-year-old Zyrees Oliver had him removed from life support early Monday in a hospital in Marietta. He had no brain activity. Oliver was declared dead a short time later. Oliver played football at Douglas County High School west of Atlanta. Relatives say the youth complained of cramping during football practice on Tuesday. Aunt Tammy Chavis says the teen drank two gallons of water and two more gallons of Gatorade. Oliver's mother picked him up because he couldn't drive, and he later collapsed at home and was taken to the hospital by helicopter. Relatives say doctors told them Oliver suffered massive swelling around the brain from over-hydration. The coroner says an autopsy is planned. An odd article about Libertarians in the Washington Post!!!! I went to the Libertarian National Convention in 1998 in Washington D.C. and the Washington Post didn't even say a word about it in their newspaper. The other major newspaper in Washington D.C. did run an article. I think that paper is the Washington Time. Now the Washington Post seems to be bitching an moaning that there aren't any Libertarians in the news complaining about this police murder in Missouri. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/08/13/why-arent-libertarians-talking-about-ferguson/?hpid=z3 Why aren’t libertarians talking about Ferguson? By Paul Waldman August 13 at 12:14 PM The shooting death by police of Ferguson, MO teenager Michael Brown, and what has happened in the aftermath, has been blanketing the news for the past few days. It’s a story about race, but it’s also become a story about the power of the state and how it’s wielded, and against whom. So my question is this: Where are the libertarians? Libertarians are, after all, supposed to be having their moment, as a cover story in last week’s New York Times Magazine put it. The foundation of libertarianism is skepticism toward government and a belief in individual freedom. There aren’t many freedoms more fundamental than the freedom to walk to your grandmother’s apartment, as Brown was doing, without getting shot by a representative of the government. So you might have thought that libertarians would be all over the media raising pointed questions about the misuse of police power. You would also have thought that libertarians would be using the police reaction to the protests over Brown’s killing as a case study in the needless and dangerous militarization of the police. Like many police forces around the country, the one in Ferguson is bristling with military equipment, which they brought out to confront protesters. Though we’re talking about a town with 21,000 residents and a police force with 53 officers, they apparently have acquired the means to repel an invasion by any commando teams that decide to invade Ferguson. Driving up in their armored vehicles and decked out in gear appropriate to a Marine patrol in Helmand province, the police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and wooden pellets against protesters, including some who were standing in their own back yards. But there has been a near-total silence from prominent libertarians on this issue. Senator Rand Paul, right now America’s most prominent libertarian (yes, I know, some don’t consider him a real libertarian), hasn’t said anything about the case — no public comments, no news releases, nothing on Twitter, nothing on Facebook. I contacted his office just to make sure that I hadn’t missed anything, and a press staffer told me they have no statement at this time. I also called the office of Rep. Justin Amash, known as the purest libertarian in the House, and got the same answer: he hasn’t said anything about it, and they have no statement to make. How about mustachioed libertarian TV personality John Stossel? Just a couple of weeks ago he was writing about the militarization of the police. He hasn’t said a peep about Ferguson. You can find articles about Ferguson on the website of Reason, the libertarian magazine. But the politicians and conservative media figures who claim to be the most fervent advocates of individual freedom and to care the most about misuse of government power have been silent. One might be tempted to conclude they believe that when somebody’s grandson has to pay taxes on their inheritance, it’s a horrifying injustice that demands redress, but when somebody else’s grandson gets shot walking down the street, that’s just how things go sometimes. I am kind of surprised because none of these indictments were in the Arizona Republic. And again, how do governments spell revenue - Photo Radar Bandits!!!!! http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/544/article/p2p-81075238/ Former red light camera CEO indicted, federal probe expands By David Kidwell, Tribune reporter 12:48 pm, August 13, 2014 The ex-CEO of Redflex Traffic Systems and the former head of Chicago's red light camera program were indicted today on conspiracy charges in an expansion of the federal investigation into an alleged $2 million bribery scheme. Prosecutors accused the former CEO, Karen Finley, of agreeing to enrich former city manager John Bills in exchange for his help securing the Chicago contract and growing it into the largest red light camera program in the nation. Bills was charged with bribery in a May criminal complaint. Bills' longtime friend Martin O'Malley, who was hired by Redflex as a Chicago consultant, was also indicted Wednesday on a charge that he served as the bagman for some $2 million in Redflex payments, much of it intended for Bills. Finley, 54, of Cave Creek, Ariz., was indicted on nine counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, three counts of bribery and three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery. Bills, 53, of Chicago, was indicted on nine counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, three counts of bribery, three counts of filing a false income tax return, one count of conspiracy to commit extortion and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. O'Malley, 73, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Bills and O'Malley have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Finley's attorney, Mike Kimerer, said Wednesday his client intends to plead not guilty to all charges when she appears in Chicago for her arraignment. The date has not been set. The Tribune first disclosed the questionable relationship between Bills and Redflex in the fall of 2012, revealing a scandal that has shaken the foundation of the company and its Australian parent, Redflex Holdings Ltd. Finley was among six top Redflex executives jettisoned amid the scandal. Bills' attorney has said his client is being squeezed by federal authorities to cooperate against Redflex and others. In their press release announcing the indictment, federal prosecutors said the investigation was continuing. "When public officials peddle influence for profit, the consequences are severe, and when corporate executives enable that corruption, the same rule applies. We will attack alleged public corruption from every angle," Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said in the press release. The indictment represents the first charges against Finley and O'Malley in what prosecutors describe as a 10-year conspiracy that began in 2002, when Redflex officials came to City Hall seeking to win a fledgling contract to install automated traffic cameras. Prosecutors have alleged that Bills, the former transportation official who managed the Redflex red light contract until 2011, coached Redflex officials in a series of clandestine meetings and helped arrange their selection. In return, they allege, Bills received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash spent on a vacation home, a boat and a Mercedes convertible, along with dozens of trips and a condominium near the company's Arizona headquarters. The Tribune reported earlier this year that federal authorities are working with the cooperation of fired Redflex Executive Vice President Aaron Rosenberg, who acknowledged he was cooperating with authorities in a civil defamation lawsuit against the company. Rosenberg accused Redflex of doling out bribes and gifts at "dozens of municipalities" in 14 states and said he was made a "scapegoat" to cover up the long-standing practice after the Tribune began asking questions about the Chicago contract. Rosenberg has alleged that Bills hinted he was open to bribes soon after Rosenberg approached him about Redflex being considered for Chicago's trial program. Prosecutors allege that Finley and Rosenberg, who is identified only as "Individual A" in the indictment, met with Bills in 2003 at the John Hancock Center to plan strategy on how to steer business to the company. The Tribune described that meeting, held at the swanky Signature Room restaurant, in a February story. Years later, Bills, working through O'Malley, gave Finley and Rosenberg "the opportunity to draft documents that Bills was to use to advantage Redflex in obtaining" subsequent contracts, the indictment alleged. Prosecutors also alleged that Finley cautioned Rosenberg, who is identified only as "Individual A" to avoid putting his discussions with Bills' friend O'Malley in writing. She also indicated she was deleting emails about the conspiracy to obtain Chicago business, according to the indictment. Prosecutors alleged that Redflex worked to support Bills even after he left the city, when Bills "made it known" to Rosenberg and other Redflex employees "that he wanted a job with Redflex. According to the indictment, Finley and others from Redflex arranged for Bills to get a job with "Nonprofit Corporation A, which was funded by Redflex." The Tribune has previously reported that upon retiring, Bills landed a job as a consultant with longtime Chicago political adviser Greg Goldner, who owns Resolute Consulting. Goldner was paid by Redflex to establish the Traffic Safety Coalition, which campaigns for automated traffic camera programs around the country. So the government says the 1st Amendment is null and void when it comes to objects smaller then 20 inches???? "government regulations prevent selling images with resolution finer than would be needed for an object of about 20 inches" http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_26330436/high-res-image-satellite-launched-from-california-can High-res image satellite launched from California can capture objects size of dinner plate Associated Press Posted: 08/13/2014 01:52:22 PM PDT VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) -- A satellite designed to produce high-resolution images of Earth from space has been successfully launched from a military base on California's Central Coast. The commercial satellite known as Worldview-3 was sent into space atop an Atlas 5 rocket on a clear day Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Worldview-3 belongs to Colorado-based DigitalGlobe and was built by Ball Aerospace. Lockheed Martin and the United Launch Alliance are also partners in the project. DigitalGlobe says the satellite will be able to capture images of objects as small as 1 foot across, but government regulations prevent selling images with resolution finer than would be needed for an object of about 20 inches. Vice President for Technology Neal Anderson said during a launch webcast that the satellite can shoot a picture of home plate at a baseball stadium. If you can't compete in the free market, you can always use government to put your competitors out of business!!!!! Our government masters tell us they are "public servants", but the only people they usually serve is the special interest groups that helped them get into power. And sadly the people that get screwed with this so called "good government" are us consumers. The folks that run medical marijuana dispensaries seem to be taking this path too and attempting to get government monopolies on growing and selling us marijuana. So they can screw the consumers with $300+ and ounce marijuana. Of course if the government wasn't giving these dispensaries a monopoly on growing and selling marijuana, pot wouldn't cost any more then tomatoes or potatoes and you could buy a pound of weed for $3, not $4,800, which is what a pound of weed costs at the $300 and ounce price. Sadly there seems to be a lot of evidence that NORML is attempting to help the medical marijuana dispensaries get this government monopoly on growing and selling marijuana to the public http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/cab-companies-unite-against-uber-and-other-ride-share-services/2014/08/10/11b23d52-1e3f-11e4-82f9-2cd6fa8da5c4_story.html?tid=hpModule_13097a0c-868e-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394&hpid=z11 Cab companies unite against Uber and other ride-share services The rapid rise of ride-share services, led by the multibillion-dollar Uber, has galvanized the Washington region’s taxi industry in an unprecedented spirit of cooperation. In Maryland, for example, companies that have long been at odds over fares in southern Prince George’s County have come together to protest Uber. In Northern Virginia, an alliance has emerged between Alexandria taxi drivers and a cab company owner to not only fight the services, but also work on modernizing their fleet. Cabdrivers are joining labor unions, labor organizers and cab companies are lobbying jointly, and rival taxi executives are sharing notes and filing complaints and lawsuits. Collectively they are resisting an industry that they say threatens their livelihoods and the well-being of consumers. “We are usually at each other’s throats,” said attorney John Lally, who represents the interests of cab companies in Prince George’s and has joined with competitor Veolia Transportation to lobby for regulation of ride-sharing. “You know, the old saying is, ‘The enemy of my enemy can be my friend.’ ” The exponential growth of Uber, Lyft and SideCar — which through technology connect ride-seekers with private car owners looking to earn extra cash — threatens a taxi industry that critics say has been slow to modernize and keep up in a technology-driven era. The San Francisco-based start-ups say they are expanding transportation options. Washington taxi drivers park their cars on Pennsylvania Avenue to protest ride-sharing services. The onslaught of services such as Uber and Lyft has fostered a new spirit of cooperation in the taxi industry. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images) Cabdrivers say the new services have an unfair advantage because, in most cases, they are allowed to operate free of the rules, regulations and licensing requirements of traditional taxis. “This has caused us to form an alliance to make those guys play by the same rules that we have to play by,” Lally said. The loose alliance has had some success. Last week, a Maryland commission ruled that Uber must abide by state regulations and apply for a permit to continue operations in the state. The action came in response to a complaint filed by Veolia. The same day, however, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) announced that the commonwealth had reached an agreement to allow Uber and Lyft authority to operate there, reversing a cease-and-desist order and easing tensions between the companies and Virginia officials. “We are disappointed that (Virginia) gave these folks temporary authority, but it is not open entry. There are things they have to do to comply,” said Dwight Kines, a Veolia spokesman. The company has a large taxi fleet in Baltimore; it also operates Washington Flyer airport services and Envirocab in Arlington County. “We are not trying to put Uber or anybody out of business — they are going to be around. Their technology is good, there is no doubt about it, but there is a reason for regulation,” he said, and it should apply to all. In the District, cabbies have an ally in the city’s taxi regulatory body, whose leader has maintained that Uber and ride-sharing services are operating illegally in the city. The D.C. Taxicab Commission recently proposed rules requiring Uber, Lyft and SideCar to buy insurance, put drivers through background checks and force them to have their vehicles inspected. The D.C. Council, however, has been more welcoming of ride-sharing, but union leaders say pressure has at least led the council to postpone signing legislation they say would give the private sedan industry a free pass. The council is expected to vote on the proposal after the summer recess, giving taxi allies time to advocate through lawmakers, mayoral candidates and regulators. Down the road Taxi drivers know their future is in peril. Their struggles predate Uber, some say, citing battles with cab companies, stressful working conditions and low wages. The most pressing need, they say, is to modernize to stay competitive with ride-share services. And they have sought refuge and strength in organizing. “The old way to do business needs to change,” said Becaye Traore, 48, a Montgomery County cabbie who helped organize fellow drivers to join the National Taxi Workers Alliance this month. And while competition from ride-sharing services is a problem, he said, the main fight for drivers remains “to better ourselves to make sure that we have better living wages.” In joining, they say, they have the support of a union that has dealt with ride-share challenges in New York, where the union represents about 18,000 taxi drivers, and where Uber has adjusted to a different business structure, operating as a commercial carrier, meaning drivers are commercially licensed and their vehicles are registered with the state. “There is a lot of vulnerability and anger that drivers feel over the ride-share program,” said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the alliance. “It definitely has brought an urgency to the organizing.” That urgency is seen, she said, in the union’s growth over the past year. In addition to a longtime affiliate in Philadelphia, the union recently added a charter in Austin, plus Montgomery, which has about 1,000 cabbies. It also is organizing in Prince George’s and Chicago. Desai said she hopes for successes in the Washington suburbs similar to those in the New York area, where Lyft recently was forced to delay a launch. Lyft’s refusal to comply with city and state regulations prompted the state to issue a temporary restraining order. The Uber challenge, said Desai, has energized cabbies nationwide who, as independent contractors, struggle with low wages, no benefits and long hours. The average annual income for a cabbie in the United States is $22,820, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union membership in the District also has grown, going from about 1,000 when D.C. cabbies affiliated with the Teamsters last October to more than 2,000. Alexandria and Arlington cabdrivers have been working with the Tenants and Workers United, and have made headway in negotiations with cab companies about new technology to be competitive with ride-sharing services. Protests and lawsuits Uber also has inspired cabbies in the Washington region — and around the world — to take to the streets in protest, urging government officials to level the playing field. Others have taken the fight to court, including seven Northern Virginia cab companies that filed a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft last month, arguing that the services were operating without the required licenses and permits. “These companies are basically stealing work from drivers who are doing everything completely legal,” Teamsters organizer Joel Wood said. For D.C. cabbies, he said, the battle is about the unfair advantage they say ride-share operators have because they are not required to follow the traditional cab rules. An overhaul of the District’s taxicab system meant that cabbies had to update their cars with new paint and credit card machines. “We are not afraid of competition, but we want fair competition,” Wood said. Cabbies and their allies say they understand they need to develop modern hailing methods and speedier dispatch systems to remain competitive. Some cab companies say they are working on technology similar to Uber’s to make dispatching faster and more efficient, while others say they have long used similar digital platforms, including the taxi-hailing app Curb. The industry also is working to educate consumers. It inspired the national “Who’s Driving You?” campaign, by the Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association, which tracks insurance alerts issued in 20 states and the District warning passengers about inadequate insurance coverage among ride-sharing companies. As the taxi industry comes together to face new competition, some say they hope the cooperation can extend to address the larger issues the industry faces, such as improving working conditions for drivers. “We have always had illegal pickups and it’s always been an economic issue for drivers, especially in times of recession, but now multibillion-dollar companies are orchestrating these illegal pickups,” Desai said. “Politically it has felt like a lost cause, but at the heart of it is an economic fight, and the workers are fighting it.” Remember when the LA pigs beat the living sh*t out of Rodney King??? Back then the LAPD told us that it was an isolated incident and that it would never happen again. Of course now days, it's almost a daily incident when somebody video tapes racist, corrupt or sadistic police officers beating the living sh*t out of somebody with no justifiable reason. The police no longer say it's an isolated incident that will never happen again. The cops usually just give us laughable excuses on why the beating was justified, and a lot of time the piggies just refuse to comment on the beatings. http://touch.latimes.com/#section/600/article/p2p-81053059/ Woman repeatedly punched by CHP officer says she feared for her life By Joseph Serna August 11, 2014, 6:37 a.m. A woman who was punched repeatedly by a California Highway Patrol officer beside a Los Angeles freeway spoke out for the first time over the weekend, telling reporters she thought the officer was trying to kill her. Marlene Pinnock, 51, said she feared for her life and wanted the officer involved the July 1 incident fired. The incident on the side of the 10 Freeway near the La Brea exit was caught on video. “I couldn’t believe he just threw me down and started beating me down and treating me ugly,” Pinnock told KTLA. “The video footage helped prove that what I’m saying is the truth, and I’m really grateful for that.” The CHP has launched its own investigation into the incident and CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow has told reporters that his office has contacted the local U.S. attorney's office, the Los Angeles Police Department and the L.A. County district attorney's office. Separately, the U.S. Justice Department is reviewing a request by civil rights leaders and Pinnock’s attorney, Caree Harper, for an independent investigation into the CHP officer. Pinnock has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the officer and Farrow, alleging that the officer used excessive force. "I was scared for my life because I didn’t know when he was going stop beating me," Pinnock told the Associated Press. In the lawsuit, Pinnock alleges that the officer "was bamming me in my temples with all the strength he had." The officer was identified in the lawsuit as Daniel Andrew, although the CHP has not confirmed his identity. A CHP officer, in documents related to the incident, noted that Pinnock was “talking to herself” and tried to walk into traffic on the freeway, according to a report obtained by the Los Angeles Times. The officer made the comments in an application he submitted in support of putting the woman on a 72-hour hold for mental evaluation. The officer wrote that he was called to the eastbound lanes of the 10 Freeway after a report of a pedestrian walking on the roadway near the La Brea exit. “The subject began telling me ‘I want to walk home’ and called me ‘the devil,’” he wrote. “The subject then tried to walk into traffic lanes.” Pinnock was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and was receiving treatment until last week. Her attorneys have declined to say why she was on the freeway that evening or provide more information about her mental health, but Harper said there was no indication she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time. “We understand there is a curiosity about her mental state as to how she arrived on the freeway,” she said. “But our curiosity now is about how Officer Andrew arrived to beat her so many times.” The officer involved has been removed from the field and assigned to an administrative job, the CHP said. Times staff writers Richard Winton and Kate Mather contributed to this report. For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna Kindergartner is a sex offender? Really? I am amazed that the government bureaucrats in our government schools, aka "public schools" every find time to teach the kids anything. They seem to be more interested in micro-managing their lives with silly rules. Last but not least look at the 2nd article and you will see that drug violations are the number 3 cause of disciplinary actions in our government schools. Again, don't these government bureaucrats ever have time to educate the children??? http://www.azcentral.com/story/laurieroberts/2014/08/12/kindergartener-disciplined-for-sexual-misconduct/13922243/ Kindergartner is a sex offender? Really? Laurie Roberts, columnist | azcentral.com 5 a.m. MST August 12, 2014 As we begin another school year, it is reassuring to know that Arizona's educators are on the prowl, ever on the lookout for sexual predators who may be lurking among our children. The perverts, the flashers, the five years olds … Wait … what? It seems a five-year-old Surprise boy was on the playground last spring when suddenly he pulled his pants down. The kid was hauled to the office and forced to sign a form that essentially labeled him a budding sex fiend. The good news? Apparently, kindergarteners in the Dysart Unified School District are capable of reading disciplinary referral forms and even signing their names. The bad news? Apparently, the people who run the school district are morons. Dysart officials told The Republic that administrators were just following school policy, which says the act of pulling down one's pants is sexual misconduct. It doesn't matter if you're a kindergartner or a high school senior, whether you're pulling down your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles underpants or your Hollister boxer-briefs. Or why you might be doing it. "There are standards of conduct that are inappropriate on a school campus regardless of the grade level of the student," Dysart Assistant Jim Dean told The Republic's Jackee Coe. "Exposing oneself is never going to be appropriate in any school situation." Well, clearly. But I'm wondering who seems more exposed here. According to the little boy's mother, her son was on the playground at Ashton Ranch Elementary School on April 15 when another kid told him to pull down his pants or else it would be done for him. So the boy complied. A teacher witnessed the depantsing and hauled the kindergartner to the assistant principal's office wherein the boy was advised in writing that he had committed sexual misconduct. He was asked to sign a form stating that he'd been told of the complaint against him and had had the opportunity to tell his side of the story. His mother didn't find out what was happening until later. It seems district policy doesn't require that parents be present when you label their five year old a sex offender and mete out punishment – in this case, a one-day lunch suspension. District officials wouldn't discuss the case but told Coe the district has a uniform policy and that administrators consider individual circumstances before imposing discipline. If that's the case, then I'm wondering why they wouldn't consider this a teachable moment rather than an opportunity to penalize a five year old with a record of sexual misconduct – one designed by district policy to follow him through high school. It took the mother hiring an attorney to get the sexual-misconduct referral out of the boys' school file. I realize that school districts love their zero-tolerance policies – the ones that allow administrators to employ zero brain cells as they banish outdated concepts like common sense. It's how a 13-year-old Chandler boy found himself suspended a few years ago when he drew a picture of a laser gun. (The picture, we were told, "absolutely was considered a threat.") And now, sexual misconduct by a kindergartner. "There are," we are told, "standards of conduct that are inappropriate on a school campus," Like, say, the standard of conduct that allows educators to label a five year old a sex offender? Somebody's been caught with their pants down, all right. But it isn't the kindergartner. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/surprise/2014/07/31/surprise-kindergartners-discipline-raises-questions/13429631/ Surprise kindergartner's discipline raises questions Jackee Coe, The Republic | azcentral.com 10 a.m. MST August 11, 2014 An angry Surprise mother has raised questions about discipline appropriate for young children after a school gave her kindergarten son a sexual-misconduct referral when he pulled his pants down on the playground. The mother said that her son is too young to understand what sexual misconduct means and that he pulled down his pants, exposing himself, not out of sexual intent but because he was intimidated by another student. She said her son was asked to sign the referral form, which was to stay in his student record while he is a student in the Dysart Unified School District. The boy was given a one-day lunch detention, the mother said. Dysart Assistant Superintendent Jim Dean said that administrators followed policy, which categorizes the act of pulling one's pants down as sexual misconduct, and that the boy's signature was not an admission of guilt but an acknowledgment that he had received due process. An attorney for the boy's mother said he later worked out a confidential agreement with the district that removed the sexual-misconduct categorization from the boy's record. Tashia Abry, assistant research professor at Arizona State University's T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, said the incident raises serious questions. "Is it really fair to characterize this behavior in this context, in this circumstance, as sexual misconduct?" Abry said. "That's a question worth asking and that we should be asking ourselves, because this is a child's school record, and it's not something to be taken lightly." The question is difficult for experts to answer. Though clearly defined codes of conduct and consequences are important, many younger children, especially kindergartners, may not understand, said Mary Anne Duggan, an assistant research professor at the School of Social and Family Dynamics. "Children live in a very concrete world at that age," Duggan said. "I don't know how much they could understand of any of that." A label could be detrimental to a child who still is developing a sense of self, because the child could internalize it, Duggan said. Instead, administrators should focus on the behavior when talking with a child to help the child understand that the action was bad, but that it doesn't make the child bad. "Kids do things, and they just need (to be) put back on the right path ... rather than adults using adult words with kids that don't even really apply," Duggan said. School districts are required to report certain behavior infractions, as defined by state and federal standards, to the Arizona Department of Education, including indecent exposure or public sexual indecency. For indecent exposure, the standard stipulates the person is "reckless" about whether the other person present would be offended or alarmed. There were 535 such reported incidents in the 2010-11 school year, 624 in 2011-12 and 717 in 2012-13, according to department data. But after receiving a call from a parent who said her 5-year-old was disciplined for indecent exposure, officials are concerned those numbers are overstated. "It appears that, like the parent that called us, there could be other situations where young children were given a violation of indecent exposure, (but) when you read this definition, it's really not possible," said Jean Ajamie, Education Department director of school safety and prevention. The department plans to analyze the data and determine whether training is necessary to educate schools on how to properly report incidents in accordance with the state and federal standards, she said. Districts have the authority to expand a violation definition in their policies and impose discipline as they see fit, but following state standards when reporting data to the state is paramount to compiling uniform data, Ajamie said. When it comes to discipline, Abry said, clearly defined policies help teachers and administrators enforce rules more readily because there is a prescribed course for them to follow. "It can promote consistency and transparency," she said. Most Valley districts have such policies. The policies have a discipline matrix that defines the various behavior-infraction categories and outlines a range of consequences. The policies vary in the number of infraction categories, specific definitions, range of consequences and how they are applied across grades. Several districts have "sexual misconduct" or "sexual offenses" categories that include public display of affection, indecent exposure, sexual abuse and sexual conduct with a minor. Others have separate categories for specific sexual offenses. Dysart's policy is uniform for all students to ensure that expectations are clear to parents and students and ensure a safe environment, Dean said. "There are standards of conduct that are inappropriate on a school campus regardless of the grade level of the student," he said. "Exposing oneself is never going to be appropriate in any school situation." Despite the uniformity, Dean said, administrators thoroughly investigate each incident and consider individual circumstances, including age, before making discipline decisions. Depending on the district, consequences for an infraction in one of the sexual categories could range from a conference with the student to short-term suspension and up to expulsion for more serious infractions. A range of consequences adds to the flexibility administrators have to handle each incident, said Helen Hollands, a Mesa Public Schools spokeswoman. That flexibility is key with younger students, because they often make mistakes, said Jim Cummings, a Glendale Elementary School District spokesman. "They're kids, and they need to learn," he said, "and when they do make mistakes, you can use those as teaching moments to teach them the difference between right and wrong, to teach them good behavior from bad behavior." Uniform discipline policies stem from the rise of zero-tolerance policies in the 1990s, said Doug Ward, director of the public-safety leadership division at Johns Hopkins University's School of Education. Those policies originally focused on drugs, alcohol and weapons in schools as people became more fearful of crime in the 1980s and '90s, but schools soon started including other behaviors, including bullying and sexual harassment, he said. Child sexual-abuse scandals with organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church also fueled fear and prompted the criminal-justice system to implement tougher penalties for sex crimes, Ward said. Schools, which reflect society, soon followed suit. "People felt the need to protect children even more," Ward said. "A lot of laws were enacted, and I think schools responded with a zero tolerance of sexual crimes and activities." Although people convicted of sexual crimes are required to register as sex offenders and often carry the societal stigma that comes with it, Ward said, students who are disciplined for sexual infractions likely will not face the same stigma, because school records are protected. Top 10 discipline infractions statewide School districts are required to report certain behavior infractions to the Arizona Department of Education. Here are the top 10 most commonly reported* infractions across the state during the 2010-11 through 2012-13 school years. 10. Non-sexual harassment, 6,184. 9. Endangerment, 6,225. 8. Sexual harassment, 6,719. 7. Dangerous items, 7,519. 6. Vandalism of school property, 7,623. 5. Bullying, 14,989. 4. Threat or intimidation, 18,565. 3. Drug violation, 19,391. 2. Assault, 20,302. 1. Fighting, 42,133. *The data are self-reported based on local school policies and procedures, and the Arizona Department of Education does not have a validation strategy in place to ensure accuracy, so the data only give an idea of what is happening at a state level. Source: Arizona Department of Education |