President Obama finally and quietly accepted his “transparency” award from the open government community this week — in a closed, undisclosed meeting at the White House on Monday.
The secret presentation happened almost two weeks after the White House inexplicably postponed the ceremony, which was expected to be open to the press pool.
According to beefy action film star Steven Seagal's former "boss," Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand, Seagal is not "on loan" from Jefferson Parish, as Seagal asserted recently after a massive MCSO raid on a home in Laveen, where one -- count him, one -- suspect was nabbed for his alleged involvement in raising roosters for the purposes of cockfighting.You guys deserve every particle of embarrassment this guy's association brings you. I wish you joy of it - and then that you burst into flames.
Indeed, according to Sheriff Normand, who once played host to Seagal's A&E reality series Steven Seagal: Lawman, the tough-guy Akido master resigned rather than face an internal affairs investigation by the JPSO into allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault raised in a 2010 lawsuit by an ex-employee.
PHOENIX -- Sheriff Joe Arpaio rolled out the tanks to take down a man suspected of cockfighting.But sleep tight, citizens! Our brave protectors have proven themselves so concerned for the chickens' standard of living that they immediately relieved them of their lives.
West Valley residents in the neighborhood are crying foul after armored vehicles, including a tank, rolled into their neighborhood to make the bust.
Neighbor Debra Ross was so worried she called 911 and went outside where a nearby home had its windows blown out, was crawling with dozens of SWAT members in full gear, armored vehicles and a bomb robot.
“When the tank came in and pushed the wall over and you see what's in there, and all it is, is a bunch of chickens,” Ross said.
Thousands of dollars in damages were made to the property and 115 birds were euthanized on the spot.And a wonderful time was had by all. Except the neighbors. And the unarmed, inoffensive guy the cops arrested. And the chickens, I suppose.
Seriously, the news media has always had the attention span of a hyperactive Pekingese in desperate need of a Ritalin MilkBone, but it's more noticeable at some times than others, and lately it's been very... hey! Let's go ride our bikes!
BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — The Pentagon says the United States has launched a missile strike on Libyan air defenses.
American warplanes, ships and submarines prepared to launch a furious assault on Libya's limited air defenses Saturday, clearing the way for European and other planes to enforce a no-fly zone designed to ground Moammar Gadahfi's air force and cripple his ability to inflict further violence on rebels, U.S. officials said.
Hours after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton attended an international conference in Paris that endorsed military action against Gadhafi, the U.S. was poised to kick off its attacks on Libyan air defense missile and radar sites along the Mediterranean coast to protect no-fly zone pilots from the threat of getting shot down.
I spent every single second of this movie wishing I'd joined the Marine Corps, and being ashamed of myself that I did not. And that's a good thing.Yeah, I had the same reaction when Will Smith punched out that alien in Independence Day. "Welcome to Earth!" Ba-dang! Marines are awesome when they're fighting movie aliens! It chokes me up, man.
A lot of libertarians are strict non-interventionists. I’m not. When you are a human rights violator, I think that your shit needs to be blown up, and we’ve got the bombs. Qadhafi is certainly a human rights violator.I don't know who he's calling "we." I don't admit to having any bombs at all. But I suppose he's talking about Obama and the military. So how's that been working out so far?
To make the point, the AFL-CIO is planning a series of nationwide events on April 4, the 43rd anniversary of the day the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated after speaking in Memphis, Tenn., on behalf of striking black garbage collectors. The message: King's cause, and that of angry schoolteachers in Madison, are one.Now having too many government workers making too much of other people's money is the moral equivalent of equal rights for oppressed races? Are you, like, frickin' crazy?
"April 4 [is] the day on which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life for the cause of public collective bargaining," Trumka said in another speech, in Washington, on Wednesday. And on the AFL-CIO blog, there is this notice: "Join us to make April 4, 2011, a day to stand in solidarity with working people in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and dozens of other states where well-funded, right-wing corporate politicians are trying to take away the rights Dr. King gave his life for."
Jokes about the effort, and the liberal history of the region, abound. "The official state license plate would read: Baja Arizona: Your Welfare Is Our Business," wrote Roger Yohem, a columnist for "Inside Tucson Business. "The official state gun would be the Hasbro Super-Soaker."See, what has always bothered me about the whole concept of states and nations is that there actually IS a law - or a whole bunch of laws - somewhere that says you're stuck with association with this arbitrary group of people, even though you personally may have nothing in common with them at all. That probably makes a lot of sense to whoever's in charge at the moment, but it never made sense to me. So far as I'm concerned, I am the sovereign nation of Joel. Get off my lawn.
Sure, snubbies live up to a lot of their selling points (It's small! It's light! It'll fit in your purse!) but no one ever seems to tell women what it feels like to shoot one. So let me say it right now...That's pretty much always been my take on it. The lighter the pistol the heavier the recoil, all other factors being equal. I've never understood why lightweight revolvers with heavy triggers and lousy sights are so commonly offered as the best choice for new shooters who are likely to have issues with recoil and the hand strength it takes to keep a light revolver on target while you drag a DA trigger through what it needs to do its thing. You still hear the same bad advice year after year, but I'd have thought a bunch of experienced shooters would consider it so obvious it barely even needed to be said.
It sucks.
A lightweight .38 snubnosed revolver is quite possibly the worst choice for a potential new gunchick because, you know what? Practicing with one enough to actually be able to hit your target is the opposite of fun. The recoil hurts, your hand goes numb, and if the trigger is heavy, JMB help you...your finger will be sore and red long after your trip to the range. You'll be tempted to give up and let your "best gun for a woman" collect dust in a drawer somewhere.
3. To ensure that the president does not focus unduly on your war, schedule it while he is preoccupied with other matters: a Motown concert, a conference on bullying, his golf game, and finalizing his Final Four picks.Call me a contrarian, but I kinda wish Obama would play more golf and do less important stuff. I never really understood why a revolution in Libya or an earthquake in Japan was an automatic clarion call for the American president to change clothes in a phone booth and swing into action. It's been a long time since I read the constitution, so maybe it's in there somewhere and I just forgot.
On Jan. 5, police were searching for Stamps’ stepson, Joseph Bushfan, when they served a warrant on Stamps’ home. Bushfan was arrested outside the home, allegedly carrying crack cocaine and money.So they already had their guy. There was no reason for a paramilitary raid on the house or its occupants.
Officers then hit the home, throwing a stun grenade and ordering everyone inside to put their hands up and lie on the floor, the report statesBut they were already dressed for a party, so why not? Who's gonna stop them?
Stamps, a grandfather of 12, had obeyed and was lying in the hallway when Duncan attempted to cuff and frisk him.The victim was non-aggressive, already "subdued," and wasn't a suspect in the first place.
“As he stepped to his left, (Duncan) lost his balance and began to fall over backwards,” the report states. “Officer Duncan realized that his right foot was off the floor and the tactical equipment that he was wearing was making his movements very awkward.The highly-trained "only one" couldn't walk and wear body armor at the same time. Yeah, this is the guy I want kicking in doors.
Officer Duncan removed his left hand from his rifle, which was pointing down towards the ground and put his left arm out to try and catch himself. As he did so, he heard a shot.Heard a shot? HEARD A SHOT?
Duncan will not face charges.Or, undoubtedly, any other penalty whatever. Poor, poor victim. The cop, that is. Imagine the mental stress he already suffers.
The mayor and police chief of a tiny New Mexico border town best known for a raid by Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa nearly a century ago were among 11 people accused Thursday of participating in a ring alleged to have illegally sent firearms to Mexico.
A federal indictment said the defendants have engaged in a conspiracy _ based in Columbus, N.M. _ to buy firearms since January 2010. Law enforcement officers executed search warrants Thursday at the Columbus Police Department, a gun shop and eight homes.
The undersigned groups would like your company to publicly oppose Governor Walker’s efforts to virtually eliminate collective bargaining for public employees in Wisconsin. While we appreciate that you may need some time to consider this request, we ask for your response by March 17. In the event that you do not respond to this request by that date, we will assume that you stand with Governor Walker and against the teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, and other dedicated public employees who serve our communities.
In the event that you cannot support this effort to save collective bargaining, please be advised that the undersigned will publicly and formally boycott the goods and services provided by your company. However, if you join us, we willdo everything in our power to publicly celebrate your partnership in the fight to preserve the right of public employees to be heard at the bargaining table.
Despite the .gov wrapping as much of the west coast in Nerf padding as possible in preparation for Gaia's predicted aquatic love tap, the forces of Natural Selection managed a small victory.
Apparently, hearing that the tsunami was approaching and people should get away from low-lying coastal areas, some dude grabbed his camera, went to the the mouth of the Klamath river, and waded right out into the gaping maw of Charles Darwin.Though I did wonder if yesterday's tsunami warning in California would produce anything more dramatic than a tsunami warning, this time it wasn't a false alarm. But according to the linked news site there would have been no fatalities at all up and down the coast if not for the efforts of Mr. Extinction here...
Good work!
The fatality was reported in northern California's Del Norte County, where a 25-year-old man was declared dead Friday afternoon after being swept out to sea off a beach while trying to photograph the tsunami's arrival, said Joey Young, a spokesman for the county's emergency operations center.What can you even say?
Beheading your wife because she was about to divorce you ain't the way to "counter negative... images of Muslims", sparky...- JayG
Senator Chuck Grassley today said that he did not have confidence that the Justice Department Inspector General’s office could produce a report that the public would view as frank and unbiased in its investigation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) policy of letting guns “walk” along the Southwest border—a policy that may have contributed to the death of a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent.
16 (2) A person who photographs, video records, or otherwiseAnd I figured, there's gotta be a story behind this. The first provision makes simple trespass a first degree felony; the second, quoted above, makes snapping at pic (whether or not trespassing, as far as I can tell) a first degree felony. For the record, though I'm hardly a legal scholar, I think that's thirty years in slam. For taking a picture? Of a farm? C'mon.
17 produces images or pictorial records, digital or otherwise, at
18 or of a farm or other property where legitimate agriculture
19 operations are being conducted without the written consent of
20 the owner, or an authorized representative of the owner, commits
21 a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
22 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, Florida Statutes.
Simpson, president of Simpson Farms near Dade City, said the law would prevent people from posing as farmworkers so that they can secretly film agricultural operations.Ah ha! So what we have here is a connected meat baron who got burned by PETA, and bought himself a senator or two to put a stop to their nefarious goin's on. Well, okay then. I suspect (again, I speak without personal knowledge) that with the right feeding up and aging, PETA activists would make excellent steak. But that's a pretty damned sweeping law, and there's this thing called "unintended consequences..."
He said he could not name an instance in which that happened. But animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Animal Freedom display undercover videos on their web sites to make their case that livestock farming and meat consumption are cruel.
Simpson said he doesn't think that "innocent" roadside photography would be prosecuted even if the bill is passed as introduced.I dunno, Mr. Simpson. You're a farmer - of sorts - and you haven't shown much common sense so far. You don't think cops would love yet another class of soft targets to get their arrest numbers up? Because I think they would. People are already afraid of snapping pictures of trains and power stations, and you just paid for a law that makes a felon of anybody holding a camera within sight of a barn.
"Farmers are a common-sense people," he said. "A tourist who stops and takes a picture of cows -- I would not imagine any farmer in the state of Florida that cares about that at all."
Several agents said the bigger problem was not in Mexico, but shortfalls in staffing and gun laws in the U.S., which had prevented the ATF from adequately monitoring multiple sales of semiautomatic rifles to suspicious buyers.Um...Didn't Project Gunwalker originally come to light because an FFL called you guys about just that scenario and you told him to go ahead and sell them? Because I seem to remember something like that...
"We have roughly the same amount of people we had when they founded us in 1972," one agent said.
He said Congress and the Obama administration had refused to support the ATF's proposal to require federally licensed gun sellers to report multiple sales of long-barreled rifles, as they were with handguns, to a single buyer.
"Can someone tell me how I can find out if Joe Blow just bought 50 guns at a gun store? If they do, I'll be happy to sit outside the door and ask him why he bought them. But otherwise, I won't know until they start showing up at crime scenes," the agent said.
Deguerin says the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms asked Carter's Country to complete transactions, even when sales people strongly suspected the weapons were headed to Mexican drug gangs.But giving the feds more money and power will fix it THIS time, yessiree. You betcha.
"They were told to go through with what they considered to be questionable sales. They were told to go through with sales of three or more assault rifles at the same time or five or more 9 millimeter guns at the same time or a young Hispanic male paying in cash. It's all profiling, but they went through with it," said Deguerin.
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama approved Monday the resumption of military trials for detainees at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ending a two-year ban.Ya think? Guess I can let out that breath I've been holding since he got sworn in, huh?
It was the latest acknowledgement that the detention facility Obama had vowed to shut down within a year of taking office will remain open for some time to come.
On Monday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-N.Y.) and Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano encouraging her to fully implement our national ID law, the REAL ID Act of 2005.
Public Information Officers:
Please make every effort for the next two weeks to maximize coverage of ATF operations/enforcement actions/arrests at the local and regional level. Given the negative coverage by CBS Evening News last week and upcoming events this week, the bureau should look for every opportunity to push coverage of good stories. Fortunately, the CBS story has not sparked any follow up coverage by mainstream media and seems to have fizzled.
[...]
This week (To 3/1/2011), Attorney General Holder testifies on the Hill and likely will get questions about the allegations in the story. Also (The 3/3/2011), Mexico President Calderon will visit the White House and likely will testify on the Hill. He will probably draw attention to the lack of political support for demand letter 3 and Project Gunrunner.
ATF needs to proactively push positive stories this week, in an effort to preempt some negative reporting, or at minimum, lessen the coverage of such stories in the news cycle by replacing them with good stories about ATF. The more time we spend highlighting the great work of the agents through press releases and various media outreaches in the coming days and weeks, the better off we will be.
[...]
Thank you,
Scot
Scot L. Thomasson
Chief ATF Public Affairs Division
Washington, DC
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming on Wednesday became the fourth state to allow citizens to carry concealed guns without a permit, with Gov. Matt Mead signing a bill into law as several other states considered similar action.Cool! That was quick.
The law allows state citizens legally entitled to own guns to carry them concealed starting in July. The guns still wouldn't be allowed in schools, bars and government buildings.
