So, here we are, once again, freaked out about a hurricane and New Orleans.
Is it time yet to say "fuck that town" and abandon it? Once the hurricane crap is over, send in the Army Corps of Engineers, plow it under, bust the levees, and turn it into the giant swamp that it wants to be.
If nothing else, it gets Ray Nagin out of office...
Scorpion stings girl shopping for watermelons12-year-old was at a West Virginia Wal-Mart when she was stung
updated 1 hour, 42 minutes ago
BARBOURSVILLE, West Virginia - One young shopper at a Wal-Mart in West Virginia had to watch out for more than falling prices.
A 12-year-old girl picking up a seedless watermelon from a bin was stung Sunday by a tan, inch-long scorpion that had apparently stowed away in a shipment from Mexico.
Megan Templeton, of Barboursville, was taken to the hospital as a precaution but later released. Her father, William Templeton, said the pain was a little worse than a bee sting.
He initially did not believe his daughter when she said she had been stung by a scorpion, but then he saw the it scurry underneath a box. It was captured by Wal-Mart employees.
Most of the nearly 2,000 kinds of scorpions are not dangerous to humans.
Richard Coyle, senior director of international affairs for Wal-Mart, said store employees believe the problem was with a single shipment of watermelons.
"We are very concerned," he said. "This is a very rare incident. When I spoke with the store manager, she said in her 17 years she had never heard of something like this."
You know, the one thing I really don't understand about this is - who the fuck is growing the produce in Mexico? I thought they were all on this side of the border, growing it here.
Experts: YouTube not to blame for attack videoEight teens face charges for the beating video that was posted online
updated 3:23 p.m. PT, Fri., April. 11, 2008
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Eight Florida teenagers charged with beating another teen so they could post the "animalistic" attack on YouTube got exactly what they had wanted — worldwide exposure.
But that doesn't mean YouTube or any other media company should get the blame, legally or ethically, for the attack, media experts said Friday.
In fact, they have a duty to share the video, said Kelly McBride, the ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute journalism think tank in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"The fact that the video was shot because they were seeking publicity was secondary," McBride said. "A crime was committed in our community, and if there's a videotape of it, I want some information. That video was incredibly revealing. It told more truth about what happened than any other form of reporting could have told."
The teenagers have been arrested on charges that they beat the teen so they could make a video of the attack to post online. One of the girls struck the 16-year-old victim on the head several times and then slammed her head into a wall, knocking her unconscious, according to an arrest report.
"It's absolutely an animalistic attack," Sheriff Grady Judd said earlier this week. "They lured her into the home for the express purpose of filming the attack and posting it on the Internet."
Court hearing
On Friday, a judge set bail for each of the defendants at $30,000 during the teens' first court appearance. Prosecutors said seven of the girls will be tried as adults in the March 30 attack in Lakeland, Fla. They face charges of kidnapping, battery and witness tampering.
It's not clear who posted the video on the Internet. But the Polk County sheriff's office released a clip that has been widely circulating online and on television, including The Associated Press' video network.
Those who blame YouTube or news organizations should blame themselves first, said Steve Jones, a communications professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"The public is culpable as well because they are paying attention," he said. "There is no medium that forces them to pay attention."
CNN spokeswoman Barbara Levin said the cable news network has tried to place the video in the proper context.
"In reporting the story, we have gone to great lengths to explain that these young women face severe consequences for their actions, and in fact may be facing harsher sentencing because the videotape provides evidence of the nature of the attacks," she said in a statement.
No YouTube comment
YouTube, owned by Google Inc., declined to comment on the video, but said its general policies call for the removal of clips that show someone getting "hurt, attacked or humiliated."
From a legal standpoint, YouTube and other online service providers are largely exempt from liability because of a 1996 anti-pornography law. One provision says Internet service providers are not considered publishers simply because they retransmit information provided by their users or other sources.
Federal courts have applied that broadly to cover not just Internet access providers, but also video-sharing sites, message boards and other online services.
Even without that provision, there doesn't appear to be anything illegal about the video, said John Morris, senior counsel with the Center for Democracy and Technology, a civil-liberties group in Washington, D.C.
"There is no legal reason this video cannot be shown. It is obviously distasteful, abhorrent what the teenagers did to the victim, but it doesn't really make sense (to ask), 'Should YouTube have taken it down?'" Morris said.
Even if there were a claim of illegality, he said, the courts should be the ones deciding, not YouTube.
"Many of those assertions are really very difficult, legal determinations that YouTube has no ability to make," Morris said. "Really, YouTube is not in a position to be a traffic cop."
Damn fucking straight, MySpace and YouTube aren't to blame for some dipshit teenage girls savage assault.
I can't say I expect more from our society, though, when you have dumb cunts like "Dr. Phil" paying the bail for the ringleader of this attack.
Why can't Phil McGraw be the victim of a random drive-by?
Teens Arrested for Video AttackLast Update: 4/8/2008 4:44:51 PM
Author: Donald BuckindailLakeland, Florida - The victim's father is furious with internet companies that post the videos.
Patrick says “I'm very upset with these internet companies as far as I'm concerned MySpace is the anti-Christ for children."
Trash talking on a MySpace page is what led to this beat down according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. But the victim's mother says it wasn't her daughter who bad-mouthed the girls on the social networking page. It was someone else.
Talisa says "Well we knew that someone had hacked into her My Space because she made us aware of it."
The videotaped fight released on Monday afternoon by the Polk County Sheriff's office was just one of five fights filmed over a period of 30 minutes. At one point the victim's head is slammed into a bedroom wall and she's knocked unconscious. The girls accused of taping it seem to enjoy it. You can hear them on tape cheering each other on and begging the victim to “fight back!”
The fight happened on March 30th at 6124 West Calendar Court in Lakeland. The victim was spending time at a friend's house during spring break last week but that friend is now charged with attacking her.
Sheriff Grady Judd spoke about a portion on the tape where one girl said, “There's only 17 seconds left. Make it good. That is animalistic behavior. It's pack mentality. They lured her there to beat her."
When the victim tried to leave you can see one of the attacker's blocking her from leaving.
Officials say the girls planned to post the video on the internet for all to see. Talisa says “This MySpace, You Tube. It's just gone too far and what's it's doing to our kids it's just too much."
Polk County Sheriff's office says when the attack was over, three of the suspects forced the victim into a vehicle and took her to another location where they let her go. They told her not to call law enforcement or she would be beaten even worse.
Talisa and Patrick say their daughter is now having nightmares and doesn't want to go back to high school. They say she still has a lot of healing to do both emotionally and physically.
Patrick says "When I saw my daughter in the emergency room I didn't recognize my own daughter. It was that bad."
The six girls accused in the beating are between the ages of 14 and 17. Two males, aged 16 and 18, are accused of being look-outs during the beating. They live on the same street.
Friends and family members say they did nothing wrong but did give the girls a ride home after they gave up some gas money.
The victim is out of the hospital and back at home. Her parents say they're worried about permanent damage to her ear and her eye.
Meanwhile her father says it's likely that the 11th grader will never return to public school they'll home school her instead.
6 p.m. Story
Lakeland, Florida - The Polk County Sheriff's office released the video of a teenage girl who, as Sheriff Grady Judd puts it, was "lured so her friends could beat her."
The video shows what Judd says is the second of five beatings the 16-year-old received from people she knew. The attackers say they were upset with so-called "trash talk" the victim posted on her MySpace page, and they say they wanted to post their own video of the beating on MySpace and YouTube.
The sheriff says the victim was first beaten unconscious in a bedroom. When she awoke, she was on a couch in the living room, where the screaming and beatings continued.
"It is disgusting that the attackers find it funny and want to post something on the Internet showing someone nearly beaten to death," says the victim's mother.
Sheriff Judd is calling it one of the most disturbing videos he has seen in a long time and he hopes all those arrested will be tried as adults. They face charges ranging from felony battery, false imprisonment to kidnapping. The sheriff says the attackers "were relentless."
Even though those involved could face prison time, Judd says the teens showed no remorse after their arrests.
"When they were in a holding cell, they were all laughing," Judd says. "One of the teens arrested, who is a cheerleader, asked, 'Does this mean I'm going to miss cheerleading practice tomorrow?' The others were cutting up and said, 'It looks like we won't be going to the beach this weekend.'"
While the attackers can laugh off the incident, the victim's mother certainly can't.
"You never think it will happen to your family," she says. "To have this happen and see it... is hard to bear."
Click here to read a statement released by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. (PDF)
Mike Deeson, Tampa Bay's 10 News
Holy shit, where does one even start with this?
First, don't shit talk people unless you're willing to put up with the consequences. "Oh, my MySpace was hacked!" Great excuse.
By no means should that excuse what happened, but, God DAMN, fuckers, keep your fucking mouth shut, unles you're willing to back it up. I can't even begin to count how many little fucking punk-ass bitches try to step up and talk some shit when we've been out and about over the last few years, and invariably, they puss out when confronted. These fuckers are lucky they're living in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, and not someplace where running your yap will get you shot.
Carrying on...
MySpace and YouTube haven't "gone too far" and they aren't doing anything to anyone's kids. This "Talisa" needs to have her ass beat for trying to place the blame on anyone but the attackers and their parenting.
MySpace has been around for something like five years, and YouTube for about three.
In those years, of all the individuals that I'm acquainted (family, friends, etc.)with in a similar age category of the attackers of this article, not a single one of them has done anything such as this.
Further, events like these are isolated incidences - there's not some huge "MySpace Video Beatdown Wave" surging across the nation.
You want to blame someone? Blame the parents of these people for raising violent felons. Or, better yet, blame the fucking attackers themselves.
You want to stop shit like this from happening? When the victim recovers, you let her choose five friends, give them all some Louisville Sluggers, and let them work over each of the six attackers, one at a time, while the others are forced to watch, knowing that they're turn is coming up.
They say that violence begets violence. Yeah, well. Violence also begets a legal slap on the wrist, which begets further violence.
An-eye-for-an-eye works. It's the simplest legal system there is, and it used to work in this country pretty damned well, until we let the liberals have their way.
Now, with that all said, yeah, I agree with the mother, it IS disgusting that these vermin find shit like this funny, and want to post it on the Internet.
MySpace and YouTube, upon notification of their hosting of an illegal video depicting a felony crime, should, as a socially responsible organization, remove that video - but depicting them as the at-fault party here, especially when allowing the local news channel to host the video, and likely air it on TV over and over again, is a complete load of horseshit.
Deny the thugs their fifteen minutes of fame, but don't even start to try to blame innocent third parties for the assault.
Long article. You've been warned.
Was School Strip-Search Legal?Case Pits Students' Privacy Rights vs. Need to Keep Drugs, Weapons Out of Schools
By REYNOLDS HOLDING
ABC News Law & Justice Unit
March 28, 2008A student strip-searched for drugs when she was in eighth grade took her case to a federal appeals court on Wednesday, arguing through a lawyer that school officials had violated her constitutional rights by overzealously enforcing a strict policy against alcohol, narcotics – and, in her case, Ibuprofen.
Savana Redding says she was "confused" and "ashamed" after the officials in Safford, Ariz., suspected her in 2003 of giving other students prescription Ibuprofen pills and ordered her to expose her breasts and pelvic area during a search in the school nurse's office. She denied having any pills, and none were found. Her mother later filed on her behalf a federal lawsuit claiming the search was unreasonable and therefore illegal.
"A strip search, particularly of an adolescent, is a grave invasion of privacy and should be reserved for emergency situations," Andrew Petersen, one of Redding's lawyers, said in a written statement. "The misguided actions of these school officials must not become the status quo in our nation's schools."
"When it comes to drugs and weapons," Matthew Wright said, "school districts just can't take the chance of not going forward and being sure."
The case is one of dozens that have recently challenged public schools on where to draw the line between the privacy rights of students and the need to keep drugs and violence out of the classroom. Courts have generally upheld school strip searches only when they were necessary to avoid a severe health or safety threat. But laws banning or strictly limiting such searches exist in seven states: California, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wisconsin, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Wednesday's argument was the third round in a legal fight that has been going on since 2004. On March 15, 2005, a U.S. district judge ruled in favor of the school district without a trial. Last year, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld that ruling by a vote of 2-1. In January, the full court of appeals agreed to review the case, and it heard oral arguments Wednesday. A decision is not expected for at least several months.
According to court documents, the dispute started in October 2003, when a student at Safford Middle School in Safford, Ariz., told the vice principal that Redding, then 13, and her friends were bringing drugs to school. A week later, the student showed the vice principal a pill that he said was from Redding's friend. The pill turned out to be prescription-strength Ibuprofen.
A recently adopted school policy prohibited all drugs on school grounds, including any "prescription or over-the-counter drug" like Ibuprofen, except when specifically permitted by the school. The vice principal asked Redding's friend about the pill, and she said Redding had given it to her.
The vice principal then hauled Redding out of class for questioning. After she denied knowing anything about the pills, he asked if she would agree to be searched, and she said she would. The vice principal looked in her backpack, found nothing and then sent her to the nurse's office.
"I was just like, did I do something wrong?" Redding recalls. "I was thinking, if I don't do this [go to the nurse's office], they're going to think that I did do something wrong, and I'll get into more trouble."
While the nurse watched, a female secretary had Redding strip to her underwear, pull her bra to the side and her panties out at the crotch and expose her breasts and pelvic area. After no pills appeared, Redding got dressed.
Redding says she didn't return to class but sat in the vice principal's office and called her mother to pick her up. She was afraid to tell her mom on the phone what had happened, she recalls, because "the secretary was listening" and "I was like really ashamed, like it was my fault." A friend later spilled the beans about the search, and Redding says her mom "was more mad than I was. I felt really stupid."
The incident was so humiliating that Redding says she couldn't return to school for months. "Everyone knew what had happened, and they were talking about me," she recalls. "I got really nervous, developed ulcers and started puking."
Eventually, Redding transferred to another school, and today, at age 17, she is still trying to make up for lost time at what she describes as an alternative high school.
"I remember how much I enjoyed school," she says. "I won all kinds of certificates, I was on the honor roll, I was doing pretty good. And I had never been in trouble before."
"I would have felt better if they had called my mom" before doing the strip search, she says.
Wright, the lawyer for the school district, says the school's strict drug policy is still in effect. He is not aware of any specific rules on strip searches but stresses the duty of schools "to closely supervise students and provide a safe environment." As for the strip search of Redding, he says it was based on "reasonable grounds."
"Remember," he says, "this was prescription strength Ibuprofen."
OH NOES, NOT PRESCRIPTION-STRENGTH IBUPROFEN! ONE TABLET HAS THE POWER OF FOUR OVER-THE-COUNTER IBUPROFEN! IBUPROFEN ABUSE HAS BEEN LINKED TO DECREASED HEADACHES AND REDUCED INFLAMMATION!!! BAN IT FOR THE CHILDREN!
How the fuck does a school get off "banning" an OTC drug that a child can purchase, and what kind of fucking mental midget lawyer does this district have?
Further, where does a school get off thinking that it has the authority to physically search a student, and go as far as a strip-search? This whole district needs a house-cleaning.
T-Shirts Create Stir Between Rival SchoolsPOSTED: 6:46 am PDT April 2, 2008
UPDATED: 7:00 am PDT April 2, 2008BEAVERTON, Ore. -- T-shirts worn by a group of Beaverton High School students at a recent basketball game have created a stir amongst students.
Beaverton and Jesuit high schools have had a long-standing rivalry, but some students and administrators say the T-shirts highlight Jesuit stereotypes. The T-shirts read:
"Cost of recruiting… $30,000"
"Paying off the refs… $1,000"
"Driving Daddy's Beamer… $78,500"
"Not going to Jesuit… priceless"It prompted Jesuit officials to make a complaint to Beaverton administrators. School officials called the shirt inappropriate and distracting.
Students at Beaverton said it was all in good fun.
"It's just a high school rivalry," said Daniel Koszalka, a Beaverton senior. "There's nothing that really came out of it, nothing really happened, no violence, no profanity, so they just need to get over it."
But Jesuit students said the T-shirts crossed the line.
"The student body is well aware of the stereotypes we have in Oregon and having them thrown in our face is never really fun," said Jake Gardner, a Jesuit senior. "We deal with it, but having them amplified like that is never fun."
Jesuit officials said their complaint wasn't a formal complaint. Beaverton administrators said they weren't aware of the shirt before it was printed.
Waugh waugh, boo hoo. Shut the fuck up, Jesuit fags. Go drown your sorrows in a $20 latte.
"...having them thrown in our face is never really fun."
Give me a fucking break - you little rich kiddies with your hardship-free lives are just ACHING for something to bitch about. Sit the fuck down, Poindexters.
Oh, and Beaverton administration: What exactly do you think you would have been able to do if you were aware of the shirt before it was printed? Do you really believe you have any power or authority over a private person getting shirts printed?
Paper: Skit featured student playing Obama in blackfaceFARGO, North Dakota (AP) -- North Dakota State University is investigating complaints about a campus skit in which a white student in blackface portrayed Barack Obama receiving a lap dance.
The same skit, part of a charity fundraiser held at a campus theater, also featured a depiction of cowboys having sex with each other, witnesses told The Forum newspaper, which first reported the backlash Friday.
"We're trying to find out the right approaches for accountability, but at the same time try to heal wounds that have occurred and allow the campus to move ahead," Janna Stoskopf, NDSU's dean of students, told The Associated Press on Friday.
The March 18 skit involving the NDSU Saddle and Sirloin Club was performed at the Mr. NDSU Pageant, which raises money for diabetes research. People who attended it said a pageant contestant from Saddle and Sirloin dressed as a woman from the Internet video "I Got a Crush on Obama" and performed a strip tease for another student who was wearing dark makeup and an afro wig.
In the background, two male students dressed as cowboys simulated anal sex while holding an Obama sign that one student ripped at the conclusion of the 30-second performance, the Forum reported.
"That seems to be consistent with what's been described to me," Stoskopf said.
The Obama campaign had no comment Friday. Obama is to speak at North Dakota Democrats' state convention in Grand Forks next week.
NDSU President Joseph Chapman was not immediately available for comment, and messages left by the AP for Russell Danielson, adviser of the Saddle and Sirloin Club, and Malika Carter, an NDSU assistant director of multicultural student services, were not immediately returned.
Stoskopf said she expected the investigation could take until May 9, the end of the school year.
"One of the issues here is how do we balance what our policies and expectations about behavior are with the issue of freedom of speech," Stoskopf said. "Where does all of that get us?"
NDSU has 10,403 undergraduates. The student body is 92 percent white, while 1.5 percent identify themselves as black or African-American.
Are we serious? There are wounds that need healing?
If someone was offended, perhaps they shouldn't join the club, or contribute to their fundraiser. I'm betting that nobody was forcing them to.
If people want to be idiots, let them.
Idiocy allows us to identify who we want to associate with, and who we don't. Funny how that works, huh?
'NORMAL LIFE' ESCAPES PALESTINIAN MILITANTPosted: Friday, March 21, 2008 3:02 PM
By Lawahez Jabari, NBC News ProducerBETHLEHEM, West Bank – Ahmed Balboul hoped that renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians might save his life. But as a senior figure in Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a violent militia affiliated with Fatah, Balboul had a number on his head – he had been wanted by the Israelis since 2000 because they believe he was responsible for the deaths of Israeli citizens.
In one of his last interviews with NBC News, Balboul disavowed violence and expressed his support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. "I want to live a normal life. I am not hiding anymore. We will give a chance for peace," he said to NBC News this past December.
Despite his support for the peace process and his hopes for an amnesty agreement with the Israelis, Balboul’s number came up. On March 12, he and three other Palestinian militants were shot and killed while riding in a car in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
According to Palestinian security officials, the others killed include the commander of Islamic Jihad in the Bethlehem area, Mohammed Shehadeh, and two others who were also members of Islamic Jihad.
According to the Israeli Army, the border police force identified a number of armed Palestinians inside a car and opened fire. Many human rights groups have called the killings "extra-judicial" because there were no arrests or trial. The Israeli Army said that three rifles were found in the car, and that all four had been involved in attacks against Israeli civilians.
The Israeli raid on the Palestinian militants came at an embarrassing time for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the head of Fatah, who has been trying to tighten his grip on the security situation in the West Bank by getting a number of Palestinian militants off of Israel’s wanted list and enrolled in the local security forces.
According to Palestinian security officials, 418 gunmen from Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade have received amnesty from Israel and an additional 230 are going through the amnesty process in the West Bank. Palestinians say that the four militants who were killed had been hoping to be included in that amnesty agreement with Israel, but Israel had refused their requests.
Israel strongly defended the killings as a legitimate response to terrorist acts. "Yesterday, in Bethlehem, we again proved that the state of Israel will continue to hunt and to strike any murderer who has Jewish blood on his hands," said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. "It is unimportant how much time has elapsed. Israel’s long arm will reach him."
Israel’s defense was little comfort to the thousands of Palestinians who gathered to attend prayers and funerals for the four militants last week.
Sana, Balboul’s wife, said that he had expressed hope about the future and the potential for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, even saying to her recently, "One day we will go to Jericho," referring to the West Bank city currently occupied by the Israelis.
Instead, he is yet another casualty in the ongoing conflict, leaving behind Sana, three children, but still no peace.
Wow.
And we give a shit that this slime murderer got what's coming to him? Fuck him, fuck the family that supported him.
Oh, tears of pity, he left behind his wife and three children! No, the tragedy!
What about the lives HE took, or directed others to take?
Regardless of the formation of Israel pissing off shitbags who weren't even around when it happened (like this scum), the fact of the matter is, it's done and over with - Israel isn't going anywhere, the Jews aren't going anywhere, and it's time to shut the fuck up and move on.
Of course, this loser is all for moving on, now the he's done murdering people, and decides he wants to live his live with his wife and children. Well, too little, too late.
Funny how he disavows violence, but is hanging out with other terrorists, with weapons in their car.
The Palestinians better hurry the fuck up and realize that if they don't clean up their act, it's just a matter of time before they're exterminated by the Israelis. Unlike the race-traitor Jews occupying the U.S. Senate and Congress, Israeli Jews are fed-up with this shit, and they're not going to sit around and take it.
The sooner, the better, if you ask me. The Middle East hasn't seen the full might of the Israeli war machine, and they're going to shit their pants when they do.
Airline defends response after in-flight deathRelative claimed faulty gear; American said flight crew ‘acted admirably’
NEW YORK - American Airlines defended its staff as professional and its equipment as sound Monday after a swift review of a passenger's in-flight death, despite her family's claims that the crew ignored her pleas until it was too late.
Carine Desir, 44, was pronounced dead Friday on a nearly full Haiti-to-New York flight by a pediatrician who said he tried to use the plane's defibrillator on her as she faded, but her pulse was already too weak for it to work.
Doctors, nurses stepped in
The doctor, Joel Shulkin, was one of several medical professionals who stepped in after flight attendants asked if any were on board. Shulkin said through his attorney, Justin Nadeau, that two emergency medical technicians performed CPR on Desir, a diabetic.
Sitting in the 10th row, four rows back from first class, Desir had complained of not feeling well and being very thirsty after she ate a meal on the flight home from Port-au-Prince to John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to Antonio Oliver, a cousin who was traveling with her and her brother. A flight attendant brought water to her, he said.
A few minutes later, Desir, herself a nurse, said she was having trouble breathing and asked for oxygen, Oliver said. "Don't let me die," he recalled her saying.
But a flight attendant twice refused her request, Oliver said.
Airline spokesman Charley Wilson said Desir's cousin flagged down a flight attendant and said Desir had diabetes and needed oxygen. "The flight attendant responded, 'OK, but we usually don't need to treat diabetes with oxygen, but let me check anyway and get back to you,'" Wilson said.
The employee spoke with another flight attendant, and both went to Desir within three minutes, according to Wilson.
"By that time the situation was worsening, and they immediately began administering oxygen," he said.
Flight attendants are trained not to automatically give oxygen to every passenger who requests it but instead use airline criteria to judge when it's needed, said Leslie Mayo, a spokeswoman for the union representing American's attendants.
There were 12 oxygen tanks on the plane and the crew checked them before the flight took off to make sure they were working, Wilson said. He said at least two were used on Desir.
"Each tank worked properly. I cannot speculate as to why a second tank was used," he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires commercial flights to carry no fewer than two oxygen dispensers. The main goal of the rule is to have oxygen available in case there is a rapid cabin decompression, but it can also be used for other emergencies. It is up to the airlines to maintain the canisters.
Oliver said other passengers — the 267-seat Airbus A300 was carrying 263, the airline said — aboard Flight 896 became agitated over the situation, and the flight attendant tried to administer oxygen from a portable tank and mask, but the tank was empty. Shulkin could not confirm whether the oxygen was flowing, his attorney said.
"It was working, and the defibrillator was applied as well," Wilson said.
An automated external defibrillator delivers an electric shock to try to restore a normal heart rhythm if a particular type of irregular heart beat is detected. The machines cannot help in all cases.
Wilson and Shulkin said the defibrillator indicated Desir's heartbeat was too weak for the unit to work. Shulkin declined to provide additional detail, out of concern for Desir's family.
Oliver said he asked for the plane to "land right away so I can get her to a hospital," and the pilot agreed to divert to Miami, 45 minutes away. But during that time Desir collapsed and died, Oliver said.
"Her last words were, 'I cannot breathe,'" he said.
Flight crew ‘acted admirably’
Wilson said three flight attendants helped Desir, but "stepped back" after doctors and nurses on the flight began to help her.
"Our crew acted very admirably. They did what they were trained to do, and the equipment was working," he said.
Desir was pronounced dead by Shulkin, and the flight continued to New York without stopping. Desir's body was moved to the floor of the first-class section and covered with a blanket, Oliver said.
With Desir's body near the front bulkhead, all passengers left the plane through an exit behind the first-class section. Her body was then removed, Wilson said.
Desir died of complications from heart disease and diabetes, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office.
FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette said the agency's Federal Air Surgeon's office plans to discuss Desir's death with officials at Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp.
You know, I just can't help but be disgusted at what is the inevitable prelude to a lawsuit from the money-whore family against the airlines.
Heart disease and diabetes? What the fuck was this bitch doing in Haiti?
She should have been carrying her own oxygen, if this is how she normally treated her illness.
God DAMN, the comments from the family drive me nearly apoplectic.
New business rubs neighbors the wrong wayBy Alex Paul
Albany Democrat-Herald
A business that opened Wednesday at 919 Ninth Ave. S.E. in Albany has neighboring owners upset and city officials perplexed as to its legality.Pussycats Private Adult Entertainment had its first customer on Wednesday and two more by noon on Thursday, according to the shop’s 20-year-old manager, who would identify herself only as Gemini. For $60 nn $30 for the shop and a minimum $30 tip for the entertainer — a customer can purchase a half-hour lap dance.
The interior of the shop is painted hot pink. Entertainment occurs in a nearby small room illuminated by a black light. There is a small couch, a table and a corner cabinet.
There is room in the shop for only one show at a time.
According to Gemini, touching is allowed, but not where body parts could be covered by lingerie or a bikini. A handwritten sign on the front door advertised for models 18 or older.
Gemini said she has been employed in this type of business for about 18 months, previously in the Portland area. Similar clubs are in Salem, she said.
“It’s classier than stripping,” she said. “The clientele act more like gentlemen. They’re not just interested in seeing 36-24-36. They want a connection. Some just want someone to talk to.”
The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that nude dancing is protected as freedom of expression under the Oregon constitution.
Carmen Keyser has owned the Mirror Image Hair and Nail Salon next door for nine years.
“I’m not happy about this one bit,” Keyser said. “I hope they’re shut down immediately.”
Keyser said she and other nearby shop owners asked construction crew members what type of business was going in there but were never told until a lighted sign was installed over the front door on New Year’s Day.
Cindy Lowrance and her husband, Chris Whittaker, have owned nearby PermaGrafix Tattoos for three years.
“I’m embarrassed that our customers nn who include teachers and nurses nn will have to see that shop,” Lowrance said. “I’m worried about the kinds of people who will hang out around there.”
Property owner Michael Fredette lives in Washington state. Messages left on his answering machine were not returned in time for this story.
City is checking on new businessCapt. Eric Carter of the Albany Police Department said an officer visited the operation on Wednesday.
“They’re not serving alcohol and to our knowledge, sexual acts between people aren’t taking place,” Carter said. “We are looking into it concerning building codes and licensing.”
Assistant Building Official Melanie Adams said city staff, including the city attorney’s office, and representatives from the police department planned to meet today to investigate.
“We are going to coordinate our efforts and arrange for an inspection. We know the property owner is concerned about this situation.”
Inspectors require improvements at PussycatsBy Alex Paul
Albany Democrat-HeraldPussycats Private Adult Entertainment, which opened Wednesday at 919 Ninth Ave. S.E., can remain open as long as the owners make some building and electrical system improvements, city officials said Friday afternoon.
Neighboring business owners had objected to the new business, which provides lap dances and other services starting at $60 per half-hour.
Pussycats is owned by Ben Cunningham, who also runs a business by the same name in Salem.
Staff from several city departments met Friday morning to address complaints they had received.
“Some people may have been confused about our municipal code, thinking it might prohibit this type of activity — nude dancing or exotic dancing — but that only applies to places that serve alcohol. This place does not serve alcohol,” explained city spokeswoman Marilyn Smith.
Smith said the city is bound by a state Supreme Court ruling that nude dancing is a constitutionally protected form of free expression.
After Friday’s staff meeting, a code compliance inspector, building inspector and deputy fire marshal visited the shop and conducted an inspection.
“We knew they had done some kind of construction work over the weekend and hadn’t gotten any permits,” Smith said. “We needed to know if what they did was OK.”
Smith said the inspectors found some electrical problems, including overloaded outlets, no emergency lighting for the exits and no exit signs.
“There was also some abandoned plumbing from a previous use that had not been properly capped,” Smith said. “They did put in some new non load-bearing walls. They needed permits for that. The building department will require some structural, plumbing and possibly some mechanical permits.”
Smith said it isn’t unusual for people to undertake construction projects and then get permits once the city learns about the activity. Although it isn’t the preferred method, at least the city can inspect the work for safety, she said.
The owners were given 24 hours to obtain a licensed electrician and make immediate repairs, Smith said.
Smith said state law also requires posting of a sign warning minors they are not allowed on the premises.
“Temporarily, they put up a handwritten sign and we provided them with the correct ORS numbers to put on it,” Smith said. “They will have to get a permanent sign.”
A sandwich board advertising the shop’s opening, which had sat between the sidewalk and Ninth Ave., has been moved, Smith said.
“It has to be closer to their shop or at least 10 feet from the street right-of-way,” Smith said.
People with questions can contact Smith at 917-7507.
This shit is HILARIOUS!
Fuck that dumb cunt, Carmen Keyser. Albany has far too many "Hair & Nail" shops. We need to put a $5000/month tax on every last place that cuts hair or does nails in the city of Albany, or shut them all down.
Oh, wait, you don't like the idea of that? THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU STUPID WHORE.
And don't get me started on the tattoo parlor - this is the last business on earth that should be complaining about embarassment. I've seen the lowlife dregs that go in and out of that shit-pit. Every last one of them should be sterilized before they can breed, and if any of them have had children, said children should be put in a bag with a large rock, and chucked in the Willamette before they can breed.
I love the response from the city - if they'd go to this level of code enforcement with EVERY business in Albany, things might actually get done - but, no, they don't.
Downtown is a shit-heap of sandwich-board signs and tackiness, but nothing is done. I quite seriously doubt the fuck-ton of Mexican restaurants, or any of the little bodegas that cater to that clientele receive the level of scrutiny as the sex parlour does.
Title says it.
Thanks to all, past and present.
HO HO HO!
‘Dog’ Chapman’s son sold taped call to tabloidTV bounty hunter uses N-word repeatedly in in phone conversation
updated 6:45 p.m. PT, Thurs., Nov. 1, 2007
HONOLULU - Television bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman's private phone conversation, in which he used the N-word repeatedly, was taped and sold to The National Enquirer by his son, Chapman's lawyer said Thursday.
Attorney Brook Hart told The Associated Press that Chapman's son, Tucker, sent the recording to the tabloid for "a lot of money."
"I guess because of whatever level of anger he had of his father, he felt the need to express it in that manner," Hart said.
Tucker Chapman could not immediately be reached for comment. No one answered the telephone at a Honolulu number listed under his name.
Chapman, star of A&E's hit reality series "Dog the Bounty Hunter," apologized Wednesday, shortly after the Enquirer posted on its Web site a 5-minute clip of the conversation in which he uses the N-word in reference to Tucker's girlfriend.
Chapman used the slur six times in the first 45 seconds of the clip, which has damaged his reputation and jeopardized his career as a TV bounty hunter.
A&E has suspended production of the series, saying the network takes the matter very seriously.
"When the inquiry is concluded, we will take appropriate action," A&E spokesman Michael Feeney said in a statement Thursday.
The show, in its fifth season and one of A&E's top-rated programs, has not been canceled.
A telephone message left after hours for David Perel, the Enquirer's editor-in-chief, was not immediately returned. But earlier in the day, Perel declined to say how the tape was obtained, adding that it didn't matter because all that matters is what's on the tape.
In the conversation, Chapman urges Tucker to break up with his girlfriend. He also expresses concern about the girlfriend trying to tape and go public about the TV star's use of the N-word.
In a statement, the 54-year-old Chapman said he has "utmost respect and aloha for black people who have suffered so much due to racial discrimination and acts of hatred.
"I did not mean to add yet another slap in the face to an entire race of people who have brought so many gifts to this world," he said. "I am ashamed of myself and I pledge to do whatever I can to repair this damage I have caused."
Hart said his client is not a racist and vowed never to use the word again.
"I have never seen anything that suggests he judges people by the color of their skin or racial background or anything but on their character," he said. "Duane lost his composure and made very, very inapprorpiate remarks, for which he truly regrets."
Chapman said he was "disappointed in his choice of a friend, not due to her race, but her character. However, I should have never used that term."
Chapman said he is meeting with his spiritual adviser, Rev. Tim Storey, and hopes to meet with other black leaders.
"I know that all of my fans are deeply disappointed in me, as well, as I have tried to be a model for doing the right thing," he said. "I did not do the right thing this time, and hope you will forgive me."
Civil-rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton is among the leaders Chapman contacted. In a letter Thursday to the bounty hunter, Sharpton wrote that as a minister, he would be inclined to meet "despite the racist and grotesque things I heard you say."
Sharpton said he would be willing to meet while traveling to promote a Nov. 16 march in Washington against hate crimes and racial attacks, but would not rearrange his road trip to do so.
"Be assured that I will not sanitize the kind of hate language that leads to the hate action that has left so many people vulnerable in America today," Sharpton wrote.
Sharpton noted he hadn't called for action by A&E, but will not call against it, either.
The TV series follows Chapman and his tattooed crew as they track down bail jumpers in Hawaii and other states.
The Honolulu-based bounty hunter first grabbed headlines for apprehending serial rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster in Mexico in 2003.
This is so damned awesome.
I've always known Chapman to be a piece of shit, but his fans and defenders (read "apologists") are always quick to point out what a good person he is, and how he helps people.
He's a convicted murderer, fuckers! And he's a racist fucktard to boot.
Am I the only one who doesn't give a rat's ass less if some stupid fucking 'roided up wanna-be wrestler offed his wife and retarded kid, and then did himself in?
Why the fuck is "wrestling" even still in the spotlight? It's the 21st century, and this stupid shit is still popular.
What a goddamned joke.
I love that this fucked up what accounts for "plot" in the WWE, though. Stupid fucking commercials over the last week have trumpeted how Vince McMahon was carbombed, and how the FBI was "looking into it".
Well, this dipshit goes crazynuts, and fucked all that up, and now McMahon had to come out of the closet to media whore.
HAR!
One ray of hope - our libtarded Congress and Senate will likely launch a special investigation and attempt to regulate this bullshit (once again, overstepping their bounds). With any luck, it'll be off the air soon.
Gun scare closes LBCCBy Carrie Petersen and Alex Paul
Albany Democrat-HeraldNo weapon found; campus to remain closed today
Linn-Benton Community College was locked down this morning and then closed after a report that a man wearing a trenchcoat on campus might have guns.
Officers located the man with the trenchcoat and found he didn’t have any weapons, Albany Police Capt. Eric Carter said.
The campus will remain closed the rest of the day and all activities scheduled for today have been canceled. The Business Awards Dinner will be rescheduled. Any activities on the Albany campus for Saturday and Sunday will occur as scheduled. The Corvallis Benton Center, Lebanon Center and Sweet Home Center are open for business as usual today.
Police found the man, a 27-year-old student, in the gym in a yoga class. The man cooperated with police and spoke with detectives, Carter said.
Police were still doing follow up work this afternoon and had not released the student’s name.
A student called police at 8:46 a.m. after several students saw a man who appeared to be concealing something under his trenchcoat.
Albany police, Linn County sheriff’s deputies and Oregon State Police responded. They set up a perimeter around the campus and searched the buildings.
Students arriving at the south-end parking lot shortly after 9 a.m. were told by police and campus security that the school was in lockdown and to stay in their vehicles.
The parking lot at the northeast corner of the campus was closed at Ellingson Road. An incident command center was set up in that parking lot.
Students were evacuated starting shortly after 10 a.m. as officers secured buildings. The campus was closed for the day.
One of the students leaving the buildings, Kristie Allen of Brownsville, said that she had been in a writing class when a police officer and school staff member came into the room and said the school was being evacuated. She said that the students were told to go to the parking lot in an orderly fashion and that everyone remained calm.
Student body president J.J. Quinlivan said he was in a conference room in Takena Hall when he was notified of the evacuation. He said students with vehicles parked in the northeast lot were told to walk from the south side of the building on the sidewalk along Highway 99E to get to their vehicles.
What you don't see here are the earlier versions of the story, with comments from associated dipshits.
Someone saw a guy in a long coat. He was a dirty hippy type, and didn't meet someone's idea of the norm, so they called in a false complaint about seeing a gun.
Thanks to our fearmongering media, long coat = dangerous killer, so we've got to go apeshit.
This shit is a joke.
The complainants in this incident need to be charged with filing a false report, and billed for the response of all involved agencies, at a minimum.
Everyone praises the response of the involved agencies, and the school, and all the students, but this is ridiculous. This type of "cry wolf" shit is what makes people lax in their response when a REAL incident does happen.
There's already been a bomb threat on this school in the past few weeks. Another couple calls, and when the real thing happens, the police response is going to be a single cruiser, because "we always get bogus calls out here, so we're just going to show the colors and leave."
Morons.
So, yeah, the shooting at Virginia Tech.
All the gun laws, and all the prohibitions on bringing a gun onto campus did ever-so-much good, didn't they?
When are the idiots in charge going to learn that criminals aren't going to obey the rules, and that the police aren't our bodyguards?
Time and time again, it's been proven that we're the only ones that can reliably defend ourselves with any regularity, yet time and time again, our most basic civil right is stripped away from us.
Someone needs to pay for this crime. The administration of the school is just the start. Someone needs to hold the politicians who violated the Constitution of the United States of America responsible, as well.
Simply terminating their employment is too good for them, but we're not the barbarians. The barbarians and their enablers need to be stopped.
You want an enemies list? Top this one6 teens charged with homicide conspiracy after list is found with 300 names
Updated: 9:24 p.m. PT Jan 25, 2007
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Six girls at a rural high school were charged with homicide conspiracy after their principal found a list of 300 names and officials discovered online postings suggesting they kill people, authorities said Thursday.
School officials said the list, discovered in a classroom trash can, mostly named students and faculty members but also included Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and the Energizer bunny.
Sequatchie County High School Principal Tommy Layne said that he initially considered it a joke, but that authorities then found the ninth-graders' online MySpace pages and postings that included the word "kill."
"In general terms, it was like, 'Let's kill these people,'" Dunlap Police Chief Clint Huth said. He declined to provide the specific wording on the posting, which has been removed.
"I am not saying we thwarted a shooting incident or an act of violence," Huth said. "On the other hand, had this gone unchecked, down the road it could have grown into something a whole lot more serious than a list of names."
There was no evidence that the girls had weapons or that an attack had been imminent, Huth said.
The girls, ages 14 and 15, were charged with conspiracy to commit criminal homicide late Wednesday and taken to a juvenile facility. A juvenile court detention hearing was set Friday in Dunlap, about 40 miles northwest of Chattanooga.
Layne said he learned about the list Tuesday when a "young man came in with his grandmother and said his name was on the list."
No club or group was involved, said Layne, who described the girls as friends. The school has more than 600 students.
Sophomore Lakyn Ledford stayed home Thursday after learning that student-athletes were on the list.
"I was very scared, my friends were scared, that's a scary thing, it can really happen," she told WTVC-TV.
Jesus Christ.
Kids will be kids, and lately, kids will be stupid kids (considering any 14 or 15 year old should know that if something like this gets found, they're going to get hammered) - but give me a goddamned break.
THE ENERGIZER FUCKING BUNNY?
Gosh, yes, let's not take any chances! We've got to assume that this list is serious!
Fucking morons.
I honestly can't tell who's more of a moron, though - the girls who made the list, the school district, the police department or "Sophomore Lakyn Ledford".
I mean, seriously. The girls were arrested on Wednesday, and housed in a facility on Thursday, and this dumb cunt is oh-so-worried that she has to stay home?
"I was very scared, my friends were scared, that's a scary thing, it can really happen," she told WTVC-TV.
"I was scared that my friends were scared that I'd get scared at scary things and then they'd be scared of me being scared of them scaring the scary things that scare us! It could happen! Really!"
Let me guess, Lakyn - you're not going to be an English major, are you? Hurry up, sweetheart, and hike that cheerleader skirt over your head, you need to start poopin' out the babies now, and get you summa dat welfares, because a diploma and a job that doesn't entail dollar bills in your panties, they're just not in your future.
Idiots, that is.
Rights group: Saddam verdict ‘questionable'U.S.-based Human Rights Watch says Iraqi court was ill-equipped for case
Updated: 5:10 a.m. PT Nov 20, 2006
NEW YORK - Human Rights Watch said Monday that the trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was not carried out fairly, calling the verdict “questionable” and saying the Iraqi court was not equipped to handle such a complex case.
The 97-page report, based on observation of the trial and interviews with court officials, lawyers and other key parties in the tribunal, found “serious procedural flaws” in the Iraqi High Tribunal’s handling of the trial.
On Nov. 5, the court sentenced Saddam and two other senior members of his regime to death by hanging for ordering the execution of nearly 150 Shiite Muslims from the Iraqi city of Dujail following a 1982 attempt on Saddam’s life.
The Iraqi court was created in 2003 after the U.S. invasion to prosecute cases of human rights violations in Iraq.
The U.S.-based rights group said the court had shortcomings in the timely disclosure of incriminating evidence, that the defendants were not allowed to properly confront witnesses, and that the judges at times did not maintain an impartial demeanor.
“The court’s conduct, as documented in this report, reflects a basic lack of understanding of fundamental fair trial principles, and how to uphold them in the conduct of a relatively complex trial,” the report said. “The result is a trial that did not meet key fair trial standards. Under such circumstances, the soundness of the verdict is questionable.”
Death penalty ‘indefensible’
The group, which is against the death penalty in general, also said the death sentence against Saddam is “an inherently cruel and inhumane punishment,” and “in the wake of an unfair trial is indefensible.”
An appeals court is expected to rule on the verdict and death sentence by mid-January. Saddam’s defense team must present an appeal to a higher, nine-judge panel by Dec. 5.
Last week, Saddam’s lawyer complained that the court was ignoring his requests for documents to appeal the guilty verdict. There was no immediate comment from Iraqi court officials.
“The verdict against President Saddam Hussein is purely political and all the conditions of a fair trial — as stipulated under international law — have been gravely violated, including the right to appeal the verdict in a court of cassation,” Saddam’s chief lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi said in a written statement.
A death sentence against Saddam is inherently cruel and inhumane?!
What the fuck?!
So, a lot of people are up in arms over the recent University of Oregon/Oklahoma University game that resulted in an Oregon win - some say because of shitty calls made against Oklahoma.
For some source material, see here:
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2006/09/20/news/opinion/4edit01.txt
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2006/09/20/news/local/4aaa03controversy.txt
One of the bones of contention seems to be about the spirit of fair play - whether or not Oregon players who should have had a call on them should have stepped forward and claimed their penalty, resulting in a win for Oklahoma.
Overall, I agree.
It's been posited that since bad calls or missed calls negatively effect a team all the time, that things balance out, and that's how the game goes, and Oregon should keep their win.
While that's an obvious statement of fact, it's not the morally right answer.
Even for someone with "flexible" morals such as myself, I can see that.
However, I can also see reality, and that reality is, if the University of Oregon were to take the high road on this (and all other games), then they'd never have a winning season. The net result is that the entire football program would suffer, because if you're not a "good" team, then sponsors disappear, as does attendance at games. No money for the team means no team.
Beyond that, let's talk about the spirit of the game.
Our buddy, Hasso Hering, is at the forefront of the "fair play" brigade, yet completely ignores a comment by Stoops, the Oklahoma coach.
Stoops hypothesized that Oklahoma could have won the game had they receid the ball, because, with a little more than a minute remaining, could have ran out the clock.
Tell me, when did a procedural tactic like this become "fair play" ??
If we're going to question the morals of the Oregon coach for accepting a victory based on a bad call, why aren't we questioning the morals of the Oklahoma coach who would disrespect sportsmanship in such a way?
Hell, I don't even know why I care, since I don't even watch football, or care for it that much.
Mom: Teen Accused in School Plot BulliedBy ROBERT IMRIE
Associated Press Writer
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- The mother of a teenager arrested in a foiled Columbine-style plot to bomb and shoot students at a high school said the boys were victims of bullying and harassment at school.Elizabeth Sturtz, 48, the mother of 17-year-old Shawn Sturtz, said Saturday that bullies often called her 300-pound son, who had a learning disability, fat and stupid, so she understands how her son could have been angry.
Her comments came as authorities announced the arrest of a third teen.
Sturtz said despite the taunting she saw nothing in her son's past or recent behavior showing he would plot a Columbine-like attack on the school.
"They were pushed to the limit. They couldn't handle it anymore," she told The Associated Press in an interview in her home.
Police arrested Sturtz and William Cornell, also 17, on Thursday, and Bradley P. Netwal, 18, on Friday, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit homicide and arson. District Attorney John Zakowski said he planned to file charges against them Thursday.
Investigators said the teens planned to set off bombs near bathrooms, light exits on fire and shoot people who they didn't like at East High School.
Elizabeth Sturtz said Cornell, like her son, weighed 300 pounds and both were subject to bullying at least in part because of their weight. She blamed herself for not doing more to help her son.
"I don't know what to do to help him," she said.Cornell's lawyer, Shane Brabazon, did not immediately return telephone messages left at his home and office Saturday evening.
Police found out about the plot from a student who alerted an associate principal. A detective said Friday that one boy wanted to carry out the plan Thursday but the other talked him out of it.
Investigators said Netwal was a former student at the school and a friend who participated in the planning. All three were being held in the Brown County Jail.
Court Commissioner Jane Sequin ordered Sturtz and Cornell jailed on $500,000 bond Friday. Netwal was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday.
East High School Principal Ed Dorff said the student who came forward to alert authorities to the plan asked school officials to maintain the student's anonymity.
Green Bay Police Capt. Karl Fleury said the case remains under investigation. "We are taking it where it leads us."
Police Detective Tom Molitor testified at a hearing Friday that the 17-year-olds told police they had been plotting the massacre for several years. Besides the bombs near bathrooms, they planned to light the exits on fire with jelled gasoline so no one could escape, he said.
However, Sturtz's mother said her son and Cornell did not become close friends until last year so they could not have plotted for years.
Police found nine rifles and shotguns, a handgun, about 20 "crudely made" explosive devices, camouflage clothing, gas masks, two-way radios and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at Cornell's house, Police Capt. Lisa Sterr said. She said Cornell had made several of the improvised explosive devices about two months ago.
At Sturtz's home, they found knives and ammunition, Sterr said.
The two teens had long been fascinated by the April 1999 Columbine massacre in Littleton, Colo., in which two students armed with guns, knives and bombs killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves, Sterr said.
Sturtz's mother said her son was kicked out of the school last year for bringing a knife because he felt he needed protection. He was assigned to an alternative school for the last part of the year. She said she called the principal and social workers to alert them to her son being bullied but no one ever called back.
"He didn't want to go to school because of the kids and he knew the teachers wouldn't do anything because we tried last year," the mother said.
Public schools Superintendent Daniel Nerad said he did not know the specifics of the teen's situation but said the school district has made stopping bullying a priority.
The mother said her son liked to watch television and play video games and used to work busing tables at a local ballroom. He had trouble reading, she said.
No one answered the door Saturday at Cornell's home and no phone number could be found for Netwal.
So, because this fat dipshit and his friends were picked on in school, they decided to bomb it and murder people?
Give me a goddamned break.
I attended public school. I was a fat computer nerd. I shunned sports and other social activities, preferring to associate with the few unpopular nerds like myself.
I was constantly tormented for being overweight, for wearing glasses, for not dressing hip, etc.
Did I bomb and shoot up South Albany High School?
Nope.
These kids problems aren't due to being bullied - they're due to them being mentally defective.
Attempted murder should have the same penalty as murder, and these little fuckers are guilty of attempted murder, pure and simple.
Fry 'em all.
The sad part of this, at least for myself and others with the same hobby, is that some dipshit politician somewhere is going to attempt to use this incident for further attempts at gun control.
Had we put worthless pieces of shit like Kip Kinkel to death for this, and if we actually punished murderers in this country, people might think twice before pulling (or attempting to pull) crap like this.
Here's a bit of advice to fellow nerds out there who are tired of being bullied: put up with it for a few more years. Let these dipshits have their fun.
Soon, you'll be employed with a nice fat income, and these morons will be bagging your groceries, or pumping your gas.
Let the "hot" girls who make fun of you do it. Looks aren't everything, and soon, these ditzy blonde clones will be in their late twenties, and still making you your morning coffee at a million different little coffee stands.
You want revenge? Get it on them by being successful while they fail in life.
I'm not a perfect person, and I realize that.
Call me an asshole, but I take pleasure in bumping into the assholes and bitches I went to school with when I buy my groceries, when I fill up my gas tank, when I get coffee, when I get my tires changed.
Call it karma, call it what you will - whatever it is, it has a way of righting things. Those that think they're hot shit in school usually find out they aren't. Those that they pick on usually end up being their employer.
Man dies from I-5 shootoutBy Jennifer Moody
Albany Democrat-HeraldThe driver involved in Friday’s shootout with Oregon State Police troopers on Interstate 5 near Millersburg has died of his wounds.
Lt. Gregg Hastings said the 26-year-old man died early Saturday at Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis.
Hastings said investigators have tentatively identified the man and spoken with one family member, but they were not releasing his name or any further details Saturday.
“At this time he does not appear to be an Oregon resident,” he said.
The shootout happened about 12:45 p.m. on the shoulder of the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Millersburg. Northbound lanes were closed for about seven hours after the shooting.
Trooper Russell Decker, 33, and Senior Trooper Huff Meyr, 40, pulled over a small black car with New Jersey plates occupied by only the driver, a man. The troopers went in prepared for a “high-risk” traffic stop, which means weapons drawn.
On Saturday the state police were not yet giving details of how the shooting unfolded. A witness told a Portland TV station the man got out of the car and fired at a trooper as he was walking back to his patrol car with some documents.
Decker was shot three times, once in the left foot. His body armor stopped the other two rounds, Hastings said. He was treated at Samaritan Albany General Hospital on Friday and released.
The shooter was shot “multiple times” and was taken from the freeway by helicopter and flown to Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis.
The man was reportedly hit in a leg, the groin and abdomen, according to KATU-TV in Portland. The OSP would not say Saturday which of the officers had fired, or whether both did.
Both troopers are now on “modified duty status,” which is standard procedure in a shooting, Hastings said. “They will return to work when they’re ready and able to do that.”
Three separate armed robberies or attempted robberies had been reported between 10:45 and 11:05 a.m. at an interstate rest area north of Sutherlin.
“There are some similarities police are looking at,” Hastings said. “No firm connection at this time, but it’s something we’re looking at.”
The car used by the shooter does not appear to have been stolen, Hastings said.
OSP, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and the Linn County District Attorney’s office are taking part in the investigation of the shooting.
Hastings said OSP will talk with the DA’s office later this week before any new information is released.
And, today, he's identified:
Freeway shooter identified as man from MarylandBy Carrie Petersen
Albany Democrat-HeraldThe driver fatally wounded in Friday’s shootout with state police on the freeway near Albany has been identified.
State police said today he was John Paul Tolliver, 26, who most recently had lived in a boarding house in Maryland and also had lived in New Jersey.
He drove a car with New Jersey plates.
Two troopers stopped him in the northbound lanes of I-5 shortly after noon on Friday. A witness said the driver got out of his car and fired at a trooper who was walking back to his cruiser with some papers.
Return fire hit Tolliver multiple times, and he died at the Corvallis hospital early Saturday.
His body is at McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis. There, his hometown was listed as Mitchville, Md.
The northbound freeway was closed for about seven hours after the shooting, and state police spokesman Gregg Hastings said today the lengthy closure was necessary so that investigators could gather evidence.
Hastings said evidence was spread throughout both lanes and potentially in the median. Investigators and reconstructionists had to photograph and document evidence as well as take measurements.
Another reason for closing both lanes was for the safety of everyone working at the scene, Hastings said.
“We understand totally that it can be frustrating for drivers and we try to move as quickly as we can without compromising the investigation,” he said. “There’s just things we can’t rush. It would be wrong to do that.”
Traffic was detoured off I-5 but moved slowly. The Oregon Department of Transportation worked with law enforcement to direct traffic. However, Hastings said the state police staffing levels were exhausted, even with personnel coming from Springfield and Salem.
The two Albany-area troopers who were involved in the incident — Russell Decker, 33, and Huff Meyr, 40 — are now on “modified duty status,” which is standard following a shooting. The troopers are not on active patrol, but they can come in and work on reports if they feel well enough, Hastings explained.
Glad the Troopers are OK.
I only wish that there would have been more Staters on scene to bust all the fucking rubberneckers.
On our way back from Salem, later Friday evening, the scene was opened up, traffic was clear, both directions, both lanes.
Now, keeping in mind that this happened in the northbound lanes, and the southbound lanes were never blocked or stopped, you'd think traffic would flow fine, heading south.
Oh nooooo.
At 9pm, the only thing left from the incident was a State road crew truck with it's amber flashers on, cleaning up some left over crap. On the northbound side of the freeway. Off the road.
Southbound traffic?
15 miles per hour.
I fucking hate rubberneckers. I honked at three different cars to get a fucking move on, and *I* got flipped off.
Assholes.
So, yesterday, we almost got stuck on the freeway - fortunately, I own a wanna-be offroad vehicle, so it was easy to get turned around. :)
As we were on our way up to Salem, we found that the freeway was closed down due to a shooting during a traffic stop.
Here's the story:
Police investigate I-5 shooting; northbound lanes closed between Albany and SalemBy Jennifer Moody
Albany Democrat-HeraldNorthbound lanes of Interstate 5 between Albany and Salem remained closed early Friday evening, with no estimated reopening time, as police continued to investigate a shooting on the freeway.
Traffic also was slowed for several miles in the southbound lanes after a pickup and travel trailer collided near milepost 245 at about 2:30 p.m. Injuries were involved but police did not yet have details.
An Oregon State Police officer was involved in the shooting, which took place at about 12:45 p.m. in the Millersburg area, according to OSP. The suspect, a man, was taken from the freeway by a Life Flight helicopter and was in critical condition, Lt. Gregg Hastings said.
“That name has not been released, nor have we positively identified who that is,” Hastings said.
State Trooper Russell Decker, 33, was wounded at the scene. He was taken to Samaritan Albany General Hospital, where he was treated and released, Hastings said.
Hastings said Decker and Senior Trooper Huff Meyr, 40, pulled over the suspect, who was driving alone, about milepost 232. The troopers went in prepared for a “high risk” traffic stop, which means weapons drawn, but Hastings said it wasn’t clear yet why.
“We still haven’t interviewed our officers to see what that was about,” he said.
Meyr was not injured. A third trooper, Hastings said, arrived at some point but it’s not yet clear when.
An armed robbery had been reported earlier in the day at an interstate rest area, which Hastings said was somewhere in Douglas County. “We haven’t made any connection,” he said.
OSP, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and the Linn County District Attorney’s office are investigating the shooting. Witnesses reported stop-and-go traffic southbound from Portland to Albany, although other causes may have been involved.
Earlier Friday afternoon, officers worked behind yellow crime tape stretched across the northbound lanes of the freeway.
At 1:30 p.m., drivers, who had been stopped for almost an hour, stood watching from behind the tape as police and fire crews worked at the scene.
Medics assisted Decker, whose hat and shoe were on the side of the freeway.
Farther up the road, medics were helping a person lying near the driver’s door of a state police patrol car on the east side of the freeway.
In front of the trooper’s patrol car, a black Toyota Corolla with a New Jersey license plate sat with its back window broken out.
Traffic was detoured around Century Drive.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office and Albany police and fire departments responded to the incident.
Carrie Petersen contributed to this story.
Loads of fun!
Today's follow-up:
Shootout on I-5By Jennifer MOody
Albany Democrat-HeraldOregon State Police are investigating an exchange of gunfire on Interstate 5 near Millersburg on Friday that wounded a state trooper and left another man in critical condition.
Northbound lanes were closed for about seven hours after the shooting, which happened at about 12:45 p.m. near the Millersburg exit.
State police spokesman Gregg Hastings said Trooper Russell Decker, 33, and Senior Trooper Huff Meyr, 40, pulled over a small black car occupied by only the driver, a man. The troopers went in prepared for a “high-risk” traffic stop, which means weapons drawn, but Hastings said it wasn’t yet clear why.
That’s when gunfire erupted, but police did not say exactly what happened.The man police pulled over was shot “multiple times” and was taken from the freeway by a Life Flight helicopter to Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis. He was still in critical condition late Friday.
The man was reportedly hit in the leg, groin and abdomen, according to KATU-TV in Portland.
Decker was shot three times, once in the left foot. His protective vest stopped the other two rounds, Hastings said. He was taken to Samaritan Albany General Hospital, where he was treated and released.
KATU reported a witness saw the trooper walking back to his patrol car with some documents when the stopped driver got out and started shooting. The witness saw the trooper fall down hard on the freeway embankment.
Mario Rivera saw the entire incident from the cab of his semi-trailer truck as he approached during the gunfire.
“It was a little nerve-racking,” Rivera told KGW-TV in Portland. “It’s not every day you see somebody shooting at a police officer.”
Decker is a four-and-a-half-year OSP veteran assigned at the Albany office. He transferred from Pendleton about 18 months ago.
Hastings said he did not yet have information on which of the officers had fired, or whether both did.
Senior Trooper Meyr was not injured.
A third trooper, Hastings said, arrived at some point.
Three separate armed robberies or attempted robberies had been reported between 10:45 and 11:05 a.m. at an interstate rest area north of Sutherlin, but “we haven’t made any connection,” Hastings said.
OSP, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and the Linn County District Attorney’s office were all involved in the investigation of the shooting.
At about 1:30 p.m., officers worked behind yellow crime tape stretched across the northbound lanes of the freeway.
Drivers, who had been stopped for almost an hour, stood watching from behind the tape as police and fire crews worked at the scene.
Medics assisted Trooper Decker, whose hat, shirt and one shoe were on the side of the freeway.
Farther up the road, medics were attending to the wounded driver, who was lying near the driver’s door of a state police patrol car on the east side of the freeway.
In front of the trooper’s patrol car, a black Toyota Corolla with a New Jersey license plate sat with its back window broken or shot out.
Traffic was detoured around on Century Drive.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office and Albany police and fire departments also responded to the incident.
Traffic also was slowed for several miles in the southbound lanes after a pickup and travel trailer collided north of Jefferson around 2:30 p.m. Injuries were involved but police did not have details.
Reporter Carrie Petersen and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
Seriously - when the cops have you stopped, and they have their guns out, why do you get out and start shooting them? Why don't you just drive?
Criminals these days are just stupid. Most all cops have body armor anymore, which means it's not likely you're going to kill them - especially when there's more of them than you!
I hope this dipshit does everyone a favor and dies, before he uses up too much money spent trying to save his worthless life.
Ka-boom.
Robbery suspect shot to deathPolice say Albany officer fires after Rachel Soto, sitting in a car, draws a weapon
By Carrie Petersen
Albany Democrat-HeraldRachel Lea Soto, 32, who was wanted for three armed robberies that occurred last week, was shot and killed by Albany police early this morning.
At about 1:45 a.m, Officer Dezi Meza saw a parked car with two people inside in the 3800 block of Mountain View Drive Southeast and stopped to investigate, according to police.
Meza and two other officers were in the area on an unrelated call trying to locate someone, Police Capt. Eric Carter said. All three officers stopped and were outside their patrol cars when Soto was shot.
As Meza approached the parked car, he recognized Soto in the back seat and drew his service weapon. Soto drew a loaded handgun and Meza fired a single round through the closed car window, Carter said.
Albany medics responded and pronounced Soto dead at the scene. Her body was left at the scene to “maintain the integrity of the crime scene,” Carter said.
A man, whose name has not been released, was sitting in the front seat of the car.
He ran but was detained by police a short distance away, Carter said. The man has been interviewed by Oregon State Police, but he has not been charged.
Soto and the man didn’t live in the neighborhood. Carter said, “At this point in time, I don’t know what they were doing.”
Meza, a five-year veteran of the Albany Police Department, has been placed on paid administrative leave, routine following a traumatic incident.
Oregon State Police and the Linn County District Attorney’s office are investigating the shooting.
The last fatal shooting by Albany police was in 1998, when an officer shot a man who was reportedly trying to kill himself and came at police pointing a sawed-off shotgun.
Since then, Carter said, the only time an officer has shot at a person was earlier this year when an officer fired a shot at a pickup being accelerated toward the officer. No one was injured.
Police had been looking for Soto since July 10, when they identified her as the person who robbed a convenience store and a motel while armed with a handgun in Albany. They said she was to be considered “armed and dangerous.”
Two days later, Corvallis police said they were also looking for Soto as the suspect in an armed robbery, also on July 10, at the Hallmark store in Corvallis.
Since 1995, Soto had been convicted in Linn County Circuit Court of possession of a controlled substance, theft , resisting arrest, recklessly endangering another, attempting to elude police, and forgery, according to computer records at the courthouse.
She had pending charges of first-degree criminal mistreatment and third-degree assault, to which she had pleaded not guilty. She had also been issued failure-to-appear warrants on those charges.
In 2005, Soto appeared in court in support of Joshua Burks after he was charged with attempted murder in connection with a fatal shooting in December 2004. She had identified herself as Burks’ girlfriend at the time and she posted his bail. Burks’ case is still pending.
People who knew Soto as a kid in Linn County have remembered her this past week as a bright student and a cheerleader.
Police have said her mother lives in Sweet Home.
Go, APD!
Why is it that these low-life losers are always smiling for their mugshots? It's not funny, you stupid motherfuckers - YOU GOT CAUGHT.
Druggie, serial criminal, armed robber, the list goes on.
But that wasn't enough, apparently, so Junior Miss Einstein has to go and pull a gun on a cop - and not just any cop, but A COP THAT HAD ALREADY DRAWN DOWN ON HER!!
Utterly fucking brilliant.
Kudos to Officer Dezi Meza.
If you're interested, here's all the back-story links:
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2006/07/11/news/top_story/news01.txt
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2006/07/12/news/local/news03.txt
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2006/07/13/news/local/news05.txt
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2006/07/20/news/top_story/news01.txt
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2006/07/20/news/local/news02.txt
(Added 07/21)
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2006/07/21/news/local/news02.txt
Boo-fucking-hoo.
Employees want to keep psychiatric hospital in SalemSALEM (AP) — If the Oregon State Hospital closes down, the city of Salem is the ideal location for its replacement, workers from the existing facility told a state panel.
Plans call for replacing the 123-year-old hospital with four new facilities: a 620-bed hospital in the North Willamette Valley, a 360-bed hospital south of Linn County and two 16-bed residential facilities east of the Cascades.
On Monday, workers and union officials told a state committee developing criteria for siting the new buildings that Salem is the logical place to put the largest hospital.
Randy Davis, a mental health technician in the hospital’s forensic psychiatric program, said surplus state land in southeast Salem provides a good location and the city has a long history as Oregon’s center for prisons and mental hospitals.
“We already have a community that is accepting of large institutions,’’ he said.
City Manager Bob Wells added that Salem residents would be less likely than people in other cities to complain about a new psychiatric hospital going up in their backyards.
“We are the backyard currently,’’ Wells said.
Others noted that workers trained to care for the mentally ill already live in the area.
State-hired consultants told the panel of state lawmakers and administrators that Oregon should seize a prime opportunity to revamp its entire mental health system. Besides building new facilities to replace the crumbling state hospital, consultants said the state must expand community-based housing and mental health services.
Plans call for the 2007 Legislature to select sites for two new hospitals in Western Oregon and two smaller facilities east of the Cascades.
Hospital critics warned against spending $324 million for new psychiatric facilities.
“We’re kidding ourselves if we think we can do quality care in institutions,’’ said Beckie Child, a mental health advocate and critic of state hospital care and conditions.
Child said most patients who leave the state hospital look back with regret on their time there. She told the panel to upgrade community-based services aimed at keeping people out of hospital settings.
“We have been forgotten, demeaned, dehumanized and degraded for too long,’’ she said.
I'm all for jobs in Salem - especially when they're already there, and Salem's unemployment rate is just not that great (THANKS, SUMCO!!).
I do think that the highly visible prisons and loony-bin smack in the middle of town are somewhat unattractive, considering that it IS our State Capitol.
Dropping stuff down in southeast Salem doesn't sound like that bad of an idea. Mill Creek is already over there, as well as one of the other prisons, down off of Mission.
However, that's not really the point of this post today.
The biggest point is to mock the master of the obvious, Beckie Child.
Beckie, I'm pretty sure that most everyone who's ever been mentally adjudicated doesn't look back fondly and remember those times.
"Ha, yeah, remember, back in the day, when I freaked the fuck out, and tried to EAT you? Good times, buddy, good times!"
I'm sorry, but I don't want crazynuts running free, outside of a hospital specifically designed to not only to keep them safe, but keep the rest of the populace safe from them.
Where would you suggest we put these people? In nice happy residential neighborhoods, where they're free to go crazy on little kids?
Seriously, lady.
...for assholes.
Arrested mom targets police and fire officialsJanuary 24, 2006
STAMFORD, Conn. --A woman who was arrested after her toddler son was accidentally locked in her car on a hot summer day has notified the city she intends to sue police and fire officials, claiming she was defamed.
Silverstein, 43, was arrested after she allegedly refused to let rescuers break the window to free him. She was charged with reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor.
Her attorney, Matthew Maddox said Silverstein should not have been arrested after the July 25 incident. Maddox said police and fire officials should take the blame for any delay or difficulties extracting the boy.
Thomas Cassone, director of legal affairs, said he will investigate.
"It's a serious charge when you're charging the people who respond to save your child who you've locked in the car, that they've basically lied about her," he said.
Police and fire officials have said Silverstein did not want firefighters to break the window of her 1999 Audi to extract her son, telling them she would drive to her home to get a spare key.
What this is about is a panicked mother calling 911, then being blamed for an inadequate and failed 911 response," Maddox said.
"I think someone early on, within moments of the 911 call, someone arbitrarily decided this would be a classist story about someone worried about an Audi's glass before her son's health. It's outrageous," Maddox said.
Maddox filed notice last week with the Stamford city clerk that Silverstein intends to sue the Police Department and the Turn of River Fire Department.
Maddox says statements by members of the departments to the media defamed Silverstein.
Turn of River Fire Chief Ray Whitbread said he "certainly would believe our men acted properly."
"I have no question about that. But I'd rather not get into detail about making any statement about the incident," he said.
Police recordings of the call indicate Silverstein said that if the dispatcher sent police to watch her child, she could go home and get another key.
The dispatcher told Silverstein that firefighters would break into the car, but Silverstein said she didn't want her window smashed.
"Would you rather your child died?" the dispatcher asked.
Firefighters broke the window and the 23-month-old boy was taken to Stamford Hospital, where he was treated and released.
I'm not even going to point out the obvious horseshit from this dumb cunt. You know how to read.
Maybe we'll get lucky, and she'll get painful ovarian cysts...
Following up from a couple years ago:
Judge lifts suspension in Kendra James shootingPORTLAND (AP) — An arbitrator has lifted the suspension of a police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black motorist during a traffic stop, ruling that the department never conducted a full investigation into the shooting.
Officer Scott McCollister was suspended for 5 1/2 months following the shooting of 21-year-old Kendra James in May 2003. The shooting created an outcry among many Portland residents.
“My finding is based on my conclusions that the failure to conduct an IAD (Internal Affairs) investigation led to a fatal gap in the information available to the Chief on which to base his decision,’’ wrote arbitrator John C. Truesdale in a 44-page opinion released Thursday.
Truesdale ordered the city to pay McCollister’s lost wages and expunge the suspension from his record.
Chief Derrick Foxworth, who was an assistant chief when McCollister was disciplined and had recommended firing him, said he would abide by the arbitrator’s decision.
The Portland Police Association challenged the suspension. McCollister returned to work in February 2004.
“It was our point from the start that not only did the discipline process move too quickly, but had they looked carefully at the facts, they would have decided McCollister acted in good faith and did what was necessary to defend himself,’’ said Robert King, president of the police union.
McCollister fatally shot James on May 5, 2003, as she tried to drive away from a traffic stop.
McCollister told investigators that most of his body was in the car when he tried to remove James from the driver’s seat. When she put the car into drive, he instinctively fired to save his life, he maintained.
Police Chief Mark Kroeker and former Mayor Vera Katz, then police commissioner, disciplined McCollister for unsatisfactory performance, effective Sept. 2, 2003.
Kroeker was forced to resign and Foxworth replaced him.
“One cannot doubt that Chief Kroeker was striving to make a conscientious decision while swept up in a maelstrom of swirling public opinion,’’ the arbitrator wrote. “But the fact remains that he did not have the ‘full realm of every conceivable shred of information and investigative summaries that are out there’ that he asserted he thought he had.’’
Kroeker testified during the arbitration hearings that he did not think there was a need for a full internal affairs investigation because the shooting had been investigated thoroughly.
The sad part of this is, he got the suspension expunged and back wages paid due to a loophole, instead of recognizing that he did the right thing.
That dumb crackhead bitch tried to kill him with her vehicle, and he shot her. Good shoot, case closed.
Instead, the libtards in Portland - specifically, the black libtards in Portland, and their white toadies - go apeshit, because a white cop killed a black woman.
Nevermind that she was a wanted criminal. Nevermind that she was a cracked-out prostitute. Nevermind that she TRIED TO KILL THE OFFICER.
This is what former Chief Mark Kroeker resigned over, and why Derrick Cocksworth is now Chief.
Those two fucking assbags, rather than backing up their officer after the FBI clears him of criminal culpability, and a jury rules him not guilty, continue to "stand behind their decision" to keep him suspended without pay.
Cocksworth reccomended that McCollister be fired over this incident. Why? Because he's black, and he feels compelled to play to the black population of Portland, rather than do his fucking job and stand up for his officer, instead of a crackhead.
Portland's "Black Community" is one of the biggest group of racists in the state - but this gets overlooked because only whites can be racist in this bullshit blue-state libtard PC environment.
I hope this guy turns around and sues the police department now for misconduct.
Hey, you wanna know the biggest, most corrupt police agency in the state of Oregon?
Yep - the Portland Police Bureau!
Police BlotterFrom the newspaper The State (Columbia, S.C., 11-14-05), regarding fugitive Rodney Dane Higginbotham, wanted for criminal domestic violence: "Alleged Crime: Police said Higginbotham argued with his wife because she had not cooked anything. When she began cooking, he started making spaghetti while eating crackers and squeeze cheese. They argued, and he squeezed cheese on the kitchen floor. She squeezed the cheese on his truck, and he squeezed the cheese in her hair before fleeing in his truck. The wife said she washed her hair before the officer arrived to take her complaint." [The State, 11-14-05]
Wanted for what? Assault? No, he didn't do that. Battery? Nope, not that either. Theft? Nope. Murder? Nope. Arson, Robbery, Burglary, Fraud, Extortion?
Nope.
Criminal. Domestic. Violence.
FOR SQUEEZING FUCKING CHEESE IN HIS WIFE'S HAIR?!
You know, the liberals do have a multi-pronged assault on marriage, and a lot of these new domestic violence laws enacted over the last several years are one of those prongs.
"Domestic Violence" has been defined down to something as minimal as shouting at your spouse/fiance/girlfriend during a fight - that's mental abuse! It generates an "atmosphere of intimidation", and so therefore, the shouter is guilt of domestic violence.
Don't believe it? Our judicial system is so fucked up these days, that domestic violence can be construed as slamming the door in anger, because, again, that generates an "atmosphere of intimidation".
(On a side note, in 1996, an amendment by Lautenberg to the 1968 Gun Control Act made it illegal for anyone EVER convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor to own a firearm. A FUCKING MISDEMEANOR - THAT'S THE DOOR SLAM, OR THE SHOUTING.)
I have a pretty decent investment in my firearms. It's a hobby that I avidly enjoy, and one that I refuse to give up.
In 2000, according to the CDC National Vital Statistic System, 2,355,005 couples were married, across the 50 states.
In that same year, 957,200 couples were divorced - and that's not counting divorces in California, Colorado, Indiana or Lousiana, because these 4 states fail to keep track of, or report, divorces.
Per a completely unscientific survey of my observation of friends, family, and co-workers who have gone through a divorce, it's predominantly the wife that either initiates the divorce, or a behavior of the wife's (such as infidelity) that causes the husband to initiate the divorce.
Given the number of marriages these days that end in divorce, or how easy it is to get hammered for domestic violence, is it any wonder that I don't want to get married?
I'm not a violent person.
That's not to say that I wouldn't fight back if assaulted, but I don't provoke fights. I don't go around looking to get into a fight.
I sure as hell would never, EVER, physically or "mentally" abuse a girlfriend or spouse.
That's not to say I won't get angry about things. That's not to say that I won't slam a door, or throw something at the wall, or shout.
That shit happens. Couples get in fights. Tempers flare, people get angry, and they fight.
That's not domestic violence. That's not mental abuse.
All it takes is a psychotic bitch who's already cheating on her husband to claim "he yells at me all the time, I'm afraid of him, yesterday, he through a plate at the wall near me!" to get a domestic violence charge, and boom, I'm a criminal.
Hell, it doesn't even require that. All it requires is some fucking squeeze-cheese.
Tears Of Blood Called Miracle By Catholic FaithfulPOSTED: 3:05 pm EST November 22, 2005
UPDATED: 3:19 pm EST November 22, 2005Mysterious tears of blood that have appeared on a statue of the Virgin Mary at a church in California are being called a miracle by Catholic faithful, according to a Local 6 News report.
Hundreds of people have gathered at a small Vietnamese church in Sacramento after reports circulated that the statue was crying tears of blood.
Local 6 News showed video of apparent tears of blood streaming down the face of the statue at the Catholic Martyrs Church.
Church officials have contacted the Catholic Diocese in hopes an investigation will be launched.
Many at the church are so certain the tears are real, they were seen crying themselves.
Ky Truong, who does maintenance at the church, said he saw the tears rolling down the statue Sunday.
Officials at the church said they have tried to wipe away the liquid but they continue to return, according to the report.
That's like, Stigmata creepy.
Five accused in kidnapping death of former Fort Lewis soldierSEAN ROBINSON; The News Tribune
Published: November 19th, 2005 02:30 AMChristopher Jerry owed Michael Antonio Jordan too much money for too long.
For that, federal prosecutors say, Jerry was kidnapped, beaten and murdered near a Fort Lewis gate on Aug. 31.His death on Army ground has prompted rare federal charges of first-degree murder against two men, along with other charges against two others. A teenager faces Pierce County charges, and a sixth person is still being sought.
Jerry, a former soldier assigned to the 2/3 Infantry Division, Charlie Company, was killed two weeks after his discharge from the military, less than a month after turning 22. He died with no money, no shoes and with bullet holes in his head.
Before his death, he begged his assailants not to kill him, court documents say.
Wednesday, prosecutors indicted Jordan, a soldier from Jerry’s former unit, on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit the crime. Lakewood resident Thomas Evans Dunigan, aka “Lil One,” faces the same charges.
Court documents say Jordan and Dunigan devised the plan to kill Jerry, aided by four accomplices. Prosecutors also indicted two Pierce County residents, Jacob Ray Gardner and Apryl Joy Beach, charging both with being accessories after the fact and with providing false statements to investigators.
A fifth individual, Lawrence Raymond Robinson, faces a kidnapping charge in Pierce County. Robinson turned 17 this week, but prosecutors are trying him as an adult. Robinson is in custody in California, awaiting extradition, said Kent Liu, a Pierce County prosecutor assigned to the Tacoma branch of the U.S. Attorney’s office.
The sixth assailant’s name does not appear in court documents. Charging papers say he fired the shots that killed Jerry. U.S. Attorney Greg Gruber would not comment on the assailant’s identity or whereabouts.
Charging documents cite multiple taped accounts of interviews with the people prosecutors say were involved in the conspiracy. The documents give this account:
Jerry borrowed $1,500 from Jordan, his roommate, to retrieve Jerry’s Ford Explorer from a towing yard. Jerry didn’t pay the money back, instead spending it on strippers and drugs.
On Aug. 30, with help from Gardner and Beach, Jordan tricked Jerry into driving to Fox Island, telling him they were going to a party. Instead, Jordan, with Gardner and Robinson coming along, lured Jerry to a remote wooded area.
When Jerry got out of the car, Jordan attacked him, kicking and punching him. Jerry was tied up, his wallet stolen. Jordan found Jerry’s bank card, and demanded the PIN to the account. Jerry gave it.
Jerry was tied up, forced into the back of the car, then covered with piles of clothes. The group drove to Gig Harbor. Jordan tried to use the bank card, but Jerry had no money – his balance was negative.
From there, documents say, Jordan drove the Explorer to Dunigan’s house in Lakewood. Along the way, Jerry struggled. Gardner hit him in the head and told him to be quiet.
Gardner told investigators that after the party arrived at Dunigan’s house, Dunigan told Jordan they couldn’t let Jerry go.
“I know,” Jordan reportedly replied.
The group piled back into the Explorer, joined by another vehicle driven by Dunigan. Gardner told investigators that before the groups left, he saw Dunigan place an assault-style rifle in the Explorer.
Jordan drove toward Fort Lewis. During the ride, Gardner said he heard Jerry begging Jordan not to kill him.
“That’s up to Thomas,” Jordan said.
Near a darkened ammunition supply gate at the base, Jordan pulled over. He opened the cargo door of the Explorer. Jerry, who had partially freed himself, broke away and ran toward the gate. Jordan tackled him at the fence and held him down.
Dunigan grabbed the rifle out of the Explorer and tried to load it. It was jammed.
At that point, an unidentified man – the one prosecutors will not discuss – shouldered his way forward, pushing Dunigan out of the way. He held a revolver.
Saying, “I’ve got this,” or “I’ll do it,” the man fired several shots into Jerry’s head and neck.
The parties left. Gardner and Jordan rifled Jerry’s car, taking the stereo. They abandoned the vehicle in North Tacoma. Gardner also admitted burning some of Jerry’s clothes and a duffel bag a few weeks later.
Arraignments on the federal charges are scheduled for Friday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.
Sean Robinson: 253-597-8486
Props, yet again, to another non-yellow journalist for getting his terminology right, and not calling it an assault rifle.
I'm sure this will be another vehicle for anti-gun idiots, but that's not where I want to go with this right now.
Why does this shit happen?
It's happening more and more lately, with greater frequency.
I'll tell you why.
You watch the punishments. Not one of these fuckers will be executed.
Punishments for crime these days aren't an effective deterrent. We have effective punishments defined in our laws, but we don't use them.
"An eye for an eye" is a deterrent.
Police have at least five, maybe six people involved in this in custody.
Execute all of them. I don't care how you do it, but end their lives. Remove their morally corrupt and evil lives from existence.
As we have contiunally pussied out on punishments over time, criminals have gotten more and more brazen, to the point that people are murdered with alarming frequency, because they know that if they even get sentenced to death, it'll be 20+ years before they're terminated.
That's what's wrong with our society. Violence is not punished. Whiny liberals are afraid of any kind of physical or capital punishment, and have successfully lobbied for it's virtual eradication.
People aren't flogged anymore. Hard labor is a thing of the past. Executions are getting more and more infrequent.
As a result, society is decaying.
And the liberals are laughing with glee.
States want smoking warnings on DVDsLOS ANGELES (AP) — With a new study showing that exposure to on-screen smoking prompts many American adolescents to light up, attorneys general from 32 states including Oregon want Hollywood to slap anti-smoking admonitions on all new DVDs.
They signed a letter sent this week to 10 movie studios asking executives to add anti-smoking public service announcements to all home-viewing releases that depict smoking.
Oregon AG Hardy Myers was one of the signers.
“Hollywood needs to become a full-fledged partner in the effort to combat youth smoking,” Myers said.
“We’re urging (studios) to do more,’’ said Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr., author of the letter.
“The industry’s leaders are responsible Americans,’’ he said, “and I’m sure they’re just as concerned about the health of their children as the doctors are.’’
The attorneys general suggest that studios include a public service announcement with all upcoming DVDs. A spot has already been developed by several organizations for theatrical use beginning in January.
Kori Bernards, a spokeswoman for the Motion Picture Association of America, said studios will consider the request individually.
“There’s no collective decision at this point,’’ she said, pointing out that MPAA ratings already indicate whether a movie depicts underage smoking.
Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School concluded that exposure to smoking in movies is a “primary risk factor’’ in determining whether kids will take up the habit.
The study, released Nov. 7, looked at 6,522 adolescents and found that 38 of every 100 who tried smoking did so because of their exposure to smoking in movies. The more on-screen smoking that kids see, the more likely they are to light up, the study found, regardless of where they live or whether their parents or peers smoke.
Bernards pointed to a study published in August by the American College of Chest Physicians that shows villains do more on-screen smoking than heroes.
“We in the industry recognize that this is a serious health problem,’’ Bernards said. “Filmmakers have to have some creative rights to depict human behaviors because that’s what movies are about.’’
This isn’t the first time movie studios have heard from state prosecutors on the smoking issue. The National Association of Attorneys General adopted a resolution in 1998 asking the entertainment industry to limit tobacco use in films.
Members also met with studio heads and former MPAA President Jack Valenti in 2003 to discuss the impact of on-screen smoking on young movie watchers.
It's already outrageous that private establishments are being told how to run their businesses.
Now, we get some trumped-up BS study that 38 out of 100 kids start smoking because they see it in movies, so they want to require anti-smoking messages in movies.
They've already tried to limit smoking in movies - this is another attempt.
It's a slippery slope, much like the anti-gun legislation. A little bit here, a little bit there - that makes it easier to pass a full-on restriction later.
This shit infuriates me - and I'm not even what could be considered a smoker!
Yet more time wasted by our great AG, Hardly Matters.
This guy needs to hurry up and retire.
Police armed with TasersBy Carrie Petersen
Albany Democrat-HeraldFor the first time, Albany police displayed a Taser to keep a suspect in compliance with officers’ orders early this morning.
Four members of the Albany Police Department are trained and authorized to carry Tasers. Others at the department will begin training in December.
“You’re going to start seeing them,” said Police Capt. Jeff Hinrichs. “We’re going to start utilizing them.”
A Taser is a hand-held weapon that delivers a jolt of electricity through wires.
The department is hopeful that the display of Tasers will encourage compliance and reduce injuries to suspects and officers.
Police responded to a domestic disturbance about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday on the 100 block of Onyx Street N.E. A man allegedly knocked over a computer, and punched and choked his girlfriend, according to a police report.
The man left the residence in another person’s mini-van and drove to the Linn County Jail, where he turned himself in on a warrant for contempt of court, according to the report.
Police came to the jail and charged Shawn Shore, 33, of Albany with fourth-degree assault, strangulation and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Shore was released from the jail with the condition that he not have contact with his girlfriend or visit the residence.
The girlfriend left and returned about 4 a.m. this morning to the residence, where she found Shore.
Police responded to the residence again. Because of concerns over Shore’s allegedly recent violent behavior, an officer pointed a Taser at Shore while Shore was arrested.
He was told that if he used any violent action, the officer would use the Taser on him, according to the report.
Shore offered no resistance. He was charged with violating a release agreement and taken to the jail.
I honestly don't know how I feel about this. I've seen too many videos (some even distributed by Taser International themselves!) that show repeated compliance refusals, after being juiced 5, 6, 7 times.
Too many people seem to have virtually instantaneous recovery after being juiced, and for suspects that are under the influence of some controlled substance, even multiple tasings don't seem to produce the desired response.
Beyond that, I think the potential negative medical effects of these devices need a lot more research.
I'm also a big fan of lethal force - if the suspect refuses to comply, and is a danger to the LEO or to oth
