Website and automated forms processes, Copyright
2007, Matthew August LeFande.
All
rights reserved. No claim to original government forms
Website and automated forms processes, Copyright
2007, Matthew August LeFande.
All
rights reserved. No claim to original government forms
The 51st State and the 2nd Amendment
Yesterday at 2:58 p.m. the House of Representatives passed the "District of Columbia Personal Protection Act." Floor debate was stunning, often managing to simultaneously defy the rules of logic and of constitutional law.
The bill up for consideration was H.R. 3193, which mandates the repeal of D.C.'s ban on handguns and semiautomatic weapons, along with current gun registration requirements.
As debate began, D.C. shadow representative Eleanor Holmes Norton manned one corner of the ring, looking belligerent. She marshaled out a crack team of opponents to the bill who, together, crafted the following line of reasoning. (Things might get bumpy somewhere around Point 4, but stick with it):
(1) The Constitution guarantees representation for every citizen.
(2) D.C. should therefore have voting representation in Congress. The current situation is "unacceptable because it is unconstitutional."
(3) OK, we know the reason D.C. citizens don't have voting representation in Congress is because that's how it was set up in the Constitution. But that part of it is wrong--after all, the Constitution is a living document.
(4) What? H.R. 3193 is about the right to bear arms? Oh, well in that case, said the on-message Julia Carson of Indiana, "it is ironic that this bill proposes to implement constitutional rights to the District of Columbia" when D.C. "doesn't even have representation in this body."
(5) Also, this whole "Constitution" thing is a little suspect anyway. After all, one Illinois representative noted, "my ancestors were enslaved" when it was written.
(6) D.C. citizens shouldn't have legal guns and should not be able to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms because the D.C. city council says so.
(7) But D.C. residents should have the representation in Congress, because the Constitution says so.
District of Colombia shadow senator Paul Strauss later added that the debate over the legislation headed "a bill to restore second amendment rights to the District of Columbia" actually "had very little to do with gun policy." He was at least half right.
Matching the Norton naysayers blow for blow was the team assembled by the bill's sponsor, Indiana representative Mark Souder. This group drew from the bill's 299 cosponsors, 44 of whom were Democrats. Souder's Shooters argued that:
(1) The Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, so D.C.ers should be able to bear arms.
(2) Also, a lot of law-abiding people would like to be able to scare off the numerous criminals swarming around D.C. streets with their own personal, legal handgun.
(3) D.C. has been the murder capital of the country 14 out of the last 15 years, and the homicide rate is 8 times greater than the national average.
(4) Sorry, what's that? D.C. statehood? Who came up with that hare-brained idea? We're not going to talk about that.
(5) In conclusion, all the bad guys have guns anyway, we might as well let the good guys have guns, too. Plus, the Constitution says so.
Meanwhile, the noon to 2:00 protest shift from DC Vote set up shop on Independence Ave. A chat with executive director Ilir Zherka yielded another perspective on the bill:
(1) D.C. should have voting representation. (1a) By the way, we would like to distance ourselves from those "D.C. statehood" people, though it just so happens that we agree with them on this gun thing. And there is a Million Mom-mom over there. She agrees with us, too.
(2) However, we must insist that we get "VOTING RIGHTS, NOT GUN RIGHTS." Also, we would like passing motorists to "HONK FOR NO GUNS."
(3) We have powerful friends, including failed presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich, who "came out and gave us a hearty cheer," and Eleanor Holmes Norton, who can't actually vote in Congress. In addition, we have the backing of Rep. James Moran of Virginia, who earlier wondered aloud if Congress was "insane" and then missed his chance to speak on the floor when he came running into the chamber wheezing just as debate time expired.
(4) If the bill becomes law, Zherka concluded, we face a future in which "kids" and "the blind" will be able to "walk the streets with AK-47s" or "sit on the porch in Northeast and shoot a squirrel."
(5) None of those things would happen, you see, if D.C. had voting representation in Congress.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/702lowwc.asp
posted by Matthew LeFande 10:21 AM
matt@lefande.com
Cop Steroid Scandal, Street Crimes Unit May Be Disbanded
The commander of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office elite Street Crimes Unit resigned Monday, and sources say Sheriff Harry Lee will disband the unit Tuesday.
The unit has faced serious problems in the past few months, and now it appears Lee will reassign the remaining deputies.
The announcement is expected at a 3 p.m. news conference, called just one month after information comes just a month after Lee spoke openly about a steroid investigation in the division.
"One person started talking and the cards started to tumble," Lee said.
The problems occurred under the watch of former commander Maj. Henry Saacks.
The steroid investigation began in May 2003 after Deputy Kevin Guillot was accused of using the drugs. At the time, however, narcotics detectives couldn't prove the accusation.
"With the information we had, we had to close the investigation at that time," Lee said.
But in March 2004, the investigation was reopened when detectives said they received an anonymous letter saying that Guillot and two others -- deputies Phillip Desalvo and Darren Desalvo were boasting about using steroids.
According to Lee, a subsequent investigation revealed that there was a cover up during the initial probe of Guillot. Lee said Deputy Roy Spizale, Sgt. Mark Ceravolo and Lt. Richard Robinson allegedly conspired to remove steroids from Guilott's vehicle so he would be cleared.
In addition, Lee said a spin-off investigation revealed that Deputy Darren Desalvo, who was implicated in the anonymous letter, tipped off a drug suspect that she was under investigation.
All of the officers either resigned, were reassigned, or were arrested.
http://www.theneworleanschannel.com/news/3770191/detail.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 3:10 PM
matt@lefande.com
Laser injures Delta pilot's eye
A pilot flying a Delta Air Lines jet was injured by a laser that illuminated the cockpit of the aircraft as it approached Salt Lake City International Airport last week, U.S. officials said.
The plane's two pilots reported that the Boeing 737 had been five miles from the airport when they saw a laser beam inside the cockpit, said officials familiar with government reports of the Sept. 22 incident. The flight, which originated in Dallas, landed without further incident at about 9:30 p.m. local time.
A short while later, however, the first officer felt a stinging sensation in one eye. A doctor who examined the pilot determined that he had suffered a burned retina from exposure to a laser device, the officials said.
Military personnel also have suffered eye damage from laser illumination.
In one case, Naval Lt. Cmdr. Jack Daly and Canadian helicopter pilot Capt. Pat Barnes suffered eye injuries hours after an aerial surveillance mission to photograph a Russian merchant ship that had been shadowing the ballistic-missile submarine USS Ohio in Washington state's Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The Navy recently turned down an appeal from the Defense Department inspector general to award Cmdr. Daly a Purple Heart for the incident. Cmdr. Daly, who retired from the service last year, continues to suffer eye pain and deteriorating vision.
During congressional testimony in 1999, he warned of laser threats to pilots.
"Numerous documented cases regarding the use of lasers against aircraft, civilians and military personnel exist, as well as does an all-too-lengthy list of the injuries that have resulted from the accidental and intentional misuse of these devices," Cmdr. Daly told a House Armed Services subcommittee.
He noted that incidents of lasers being directed at commercial airliners during takeoff and landings have raised fears that "this in fact may be a new form of terrorism."
"Lasers are easily obtainable and can be self-manufactured weapons in the terrorist arsenal, which essentially can effect a soft-kill solution and leave virtually no detectable evidence," he said.
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040928-111356-3924r.htm
posted by Matthew LeFande 9:37 AM
matt@lefande.com
Bid to Lift Gun Bans Infuriates Williams
An angry Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) accused members of Congress yesterday of hypocrisy and abuse of power as the U.S. House of Representatives prepared to vote today on a bill repealing virtually all of the District's gun laws.
Chopping at a lectern on Capitol Hill, Williams said his nearly annual trips to defend the interests of 600,000 residents against the whims of a Congress with no voting District representative had "gotten old." City leaders, he said, had "better things to do with our time" than beg lawmakers to show restraint.
The comments by Williams, who was joined at the news conference by D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey and School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey, were last-ditch efforts to fend off passage of the D.C. Personal Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Mark Edward Souder (R-Ind.) and 227 other lawmakers.
Although passage in the House is all but certain, advocates of the repeal acknowledge that Senate approval is unlikely.
Williams, Ramsey, Janey and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) walked into the office of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) yesterday afternoon seeking an impromptu meeting but left after waiting 20 minutes. Norton said DeLay later told her he was tied up but would call Williams.
"The homes of this city will be safer when its law-abiding citizens are on an equal footing with its violent criminals," DeLay said on the House floor earlier. "Washington residents are American citizens and therefore deserve the same right to bear arms to defend themselves as much as anyone else."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58095-2004Sep28.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:51 AM
matt@lefande.com
The True Liberal Agenda: Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal's death sentence for gunning down Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner in 1981 has made him an idol to many extreme leftists.
Now they are calling upon Kerry to continue the clueless deitification of this murderer. Of course, Kerry has Mumia's hearty endorsement.
http://dailykos.com/story/2004/9/27/223327/286
http://www.danielfaulkner.com
posted by Matthew LeFande 6:15 PM
matt@lefande.com
Judge: Ford Can Refuse to Sell Cars to Police Suing Company
Ford Motor Co. can refuse to sell police cars to Florida law enforcement agencies that join a lawsuit against the auto maker over fuel tank fires, a judge has ruled.
Circuit Judge G. Robert Barron denied Okaloosa County Sheriff Charlie Morris' request that he order Ford to resume selling cars to his department Monday. Ford has refused to sell any more Crown Victoria Police Interceptors to Morris since July 2003, a year after he sued.
The suit claims the full-size, V-8 powered, four-door sedans have exploded in flames when struck from behind at high speed because of poor design, in some cases killing police officers.
Barron last month granted class-action status, permitting hundreds of Florida law enforcement agencies to join the lawsuit. No deadline for potential plaintiffs to join or opt out has been set.
With Barron's ruling in hand, Ford also will refuse to sell the cars to any other agency that participates in the suit, said company lawyer David Cannella.
"It's fundamentally illogical for Sheriff Morris to, on one hand, sue us and, on the other hand, seek the court to order (Ford) to sell him more vehicles," Cannella said.
Barron said case law establishes a company's right to refuse to do business with any customer.
One of Morris' attorneys, Don Barrett, has said the sheriff firmly believes the Police Interceptors are defective but he wants to buy new ones to replace aging cars because seeking other vehicles would be more costly.
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGBR6KF6OZD.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 5:37 PM
matt@lefande.com
Judge: D.C. Police Chief Can be Held Liable for Mass Arrests
A federal judge has ruled that D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey and his assistant could be held personally liable for the mass arrest of 400 protesters at a downtown park two years ago.
The arrests occurred at Pershing Park during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington.
The judge's ruling concludes that Assistant Chief Peter Newsham made the arrests without giving an order for protesters to disperse. The judge said Ramsey was at the park at the time and had been briefed by Newsham.
The ruling came in two lawsuits filed by protesters against D.C. and the police department.
The judge ruled Mayor Tony Williams couldn't be held liable because he didn't participate in the arrests.
http://www.wtop.com/?sid=283326&nid=25
posted by Matthew LeFande 11:18 AM
matt@lefande.com
Al Qaeda seeks tie to local gangs
A top al Qaeda lieutenant has met with leaders of a violent Salvadoran criminal gang with roots in Mexico and the United States including a stronghold in the Washington area in an effort by the terrorist network to seek help infiltrating the U.S.-Mexico border, law enforcement authorities said.
Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, a key al Qaeda cell leader for whom the U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward, was spotted in July in Honduras meeting with leaders of El Salvador's notorious Mara Salvatrucha gang, which immigration officials said has smuggled hundreds of Central and South Americans mostly gang members into the United States
The Salvadoran gang, known to law enforcement authorities as MS-13 because many members identify themselves with tattoos of the number 13, is thought to have established a major smuggling center in Matamoros, Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas, from where it has arranged to bring illegal aliens from countries other than Mexico into the United States.
Authorities said al Qaeda terrorists hope to take advantage of a lack of detention space within the Department of Homeland Security that has forced immigration officials to release non-Mexican illegal aliens back into the United States, rather than return them to their home countries.
Less than 15 percent of those released appear for immigration hearings. Nearly 60,000 illegal aliens designated as other-than-Mexican, or OTMs, were detained last year along the U.S.-Mexico border.
El Shukrijumah, born in Saudi Arabia but thought to be a Yemen national, was spotted in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in July, having crossed the border illegally from Nicaragua after a stay in Panama. U.S. authorities said al Qaeda operatives have been in Tegucigalpa planning attacks against British, Spanish and U.S. embassies.
Known to carry passports from Saudi Arabia, Trinidad, Guyana and Canada, El Shukrijumah had sought meetings with the Mara Salvatrucha gang leaders who control alien-smuggling routes through Mexico and into the United States.
El Shukrijumah, 29, who authorities said was in Canada last year looking for nuclear material for a so-called "dirty bomb" and reportedly has family members in Guyana, was named in a March 2003 material-witness arrest warrant by federal prosecutors in Northern Virginia, where U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty said he is sought in connection with potential terrorist threats against the United States.
A former southern Florida resident and pilot thought to have helped plan the September 11 attacks, El Shukrijumah was among seven suspected al Qaeda operatives identified in May by Attorney General John Ashcroft as being involved in plans to strike new targets in the United States.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040928-123346-3928r.htm
posted by Matthew LeFande 9:30 AM
matt@lefande.com
Activists Say DUI Roadblocks Discriminate Against Those Without Licenses
LEFT COAST: Oakland police officers have stopped setting up roadblocks to check whether drivers are under the influence because of a rash of complaints from the Latino community and City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente.
The checkpoints, which allow officers to demand licenses and proof of insurance, are an effective way to get drunken drivers off Oakland's streets, city leaders agree. But the checks also have ensnared dozens of illegal immigrants who are not licensed to drive yet otherwise obey the law.
"These checkpoints make people's lives miserable, not make them safer," said Jesus Rodriguez of Oakland Community Organizations, which filed most of the complaints about the checkpoints. "I've watched while the police have towed away cars (full) of groceries, leaving children crying on the sidewalk."
The complaints and pressure from De La Fuente, who represents the largely Latino Glenview-Fruitvale district and plans to run for mayor in 2006, prompted police Chief Richard L. Word to order his officers to hold off on any more DUI checkpoints while new guidelines are drafted.
"The checkpoints are a great tool for law enforcement," Word said. "We'll develop a better focus on drug hot spots and stopping sideshows."
However, the month-long moratorium on checkpoints has outraged Councilmember Larry Reid (Elmhurst-East Oakland), who calls the change a threat to public safety.
"It is absolutely insane to stop these checkpoints," Reid said. "I would not want to explain to a mother why we stopped doing these checkpoints when we know they work and her son or daughter was killed."
http://www.kcbs.com/pages/kcbs/news/news_story.nsp?story_id=57647619&ID=kcbs&scategory=Computers
posted by Matthew LeFande 8:21 AM
matt@lefande.com
Critics say intersection cameras cause accidents
As Philadelphia prepares to install monitoring cameras at some city intersections, officials say they're not worried about studies that suggest the surveillance may lead to more accidents.
Two studies in recent years show an increase in the number of drivers who slam on the brakes after seeing the cameras at intersections, causing drivers behind them to slam into them.
Critics cite the studies to argue against putting up cameras in Philadelphia to discourage motorists from running red lights.
"What the cameras do is they change reasonable behavior into unreasonable behavior," said Greg Mauz, spokesman for the National Motorists Association, a group seeking a ban on red-light cameras.
The rate of rear-end collisions at intersections with monitoring cameras in San Diego increased by 37 percent after the cameras were installed, a 2002 study commissioned by that city showed.
A 2001 study commissioned by officials in Charlotte, N.C., showed rear-end crashes rose 16 percent over three years after cameras were installed there in 1998.
But city traffic officials and others say the danger of rear-enders caused by the lights is outweighed by the larger bang-ups that the monitoring cameras can prevent.
"Would you rather somebody bump you in the rear, or would you rather somebody enter your driver's compartment at 40 miles per hour? That's a no-brainer," said Maury Hannigan, a vice president of Affiliated Computer Services, a bidder to install the Philadelphia system. A company is expected to be announced this week.
Lon Anderson, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, supports the cameras when used for safety reasons and not as a way for municipalities to collect revenue. However, he said the flash of the cameras often contributes to fender-benders.
"People see these strobes go off and realize they have just run a light, and they slam on the brakes," he said.
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2004/09/27/build/nation/50-intersection-cameras.inc
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:55 AM
matt@lefande.com
MoveOn: Bush to Blame For 'Extreme' Hurricane Season
Attempting to take political advantage of the devastating hurricanes that have hit Florida and the southeastern section of the United States in the past few weeks, liberal political action group MoveOn.org is saying that President George W. Bush is to blame for "making extreme weather stronger."
In an e-mail to supporters, MoveOn.org rhetorically asks "why such extreme weather" has taken place with Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan causing billions of dollars in property damage and loss of life.
"Scientists agree that global warming makes sea levels rise and makes storms stronger, because temperature shifts disrupt the normal balance," MoveOn.org explained. "Warmer water makes more violent hurricanes."
The group added that insurance companies such as Swiss Re and Munich Re say "global warming is causing more losses."
Ridiculing President George W. Bush for "handing out emergency aid" in Florida while doing "nothing to reduce global warming," MoveOn.org contends that the president has "done a lot to make the problem worse" and has caused the massive hurricanes to form.
Asking its members to write letters to the editor of their local newspapers, MoveOn.org offers key "talking points, sample letters, and a tool to find your local paper."
MoveOn.org points the finger at Bush, saying that he has "helped the oil companies drill more, and the big polluters pollute more, at every opportunity" while he "has done nothing to stop global warming pollution, which is making extreme weather stronger."
http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/newswire/news2004/0904/092304-moveon.htm
posted by Matthew LeFande 2:14 PM
matt@lefande.com
Cut me off at the knees
Video of dump truck testing new barrier: truck = 65,000 lbs, speed = 50 mph, kinetic energy = 5.5 MILLION ft. lbs, stopped in two feet.
http://grab.orsm.net//update20040923/vehciclebarrier.wmv
posted by Matthew LeFande 12:40 PM
matt@lefande.com
Promotion denied, cop sues
A Hanover policeman has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the police chief and township, alleging that he was bypassed for promotion to sergeant because he ticketed the chief's friend for drunken driving.
The suit also contends that the officer was falsely suspected as "the driving force" behind the police union's request for test score records of sergeant candidates.
Yanovak contends that discord started in December 2000, when he arrested a personal friend of Gallagher, who then was a captain, for driving while intoxicated. Gallagher became acting chief in September 2003 and officially was named police chief in May. The lawsuit says that Gallagher made "a derogatory comment" about the arrest and in October 2002 unfairly recommended Yanovak for remedial drunken driving detection training. The recommendation later was withdrawn.
In April 2003, testing of patrolmen for promotion to sergeant was announced and Yanovak applied, along with 10 others. Initially, the police department said that the six officers with the highest scores on written and oral exams would be eligible for promotion. The department then changed the directives to allow the department to promote from among the top 10 candidates.
Yanovak believes that the change in procedure prevented candidates who the chief wanted for the position from being eliminated, the lawsuit said.
The complaint stated that Yanovak received the best score on written and oral exams and then was given a 10-minute interview of subjective questions on Sept. 4, 2003, with Gallagher, another captain and two lieutenants, for which he received a low score of 60 percent. Gallagher also departed from past procedures by adding in other promotional criteria, such as college credits and an essay.
Yanovak was ranked sixth out of 10 candidates, and the township committee then offered interviews to the top five. Errors in scoring were detected, and Yanovak was found to have ranked fifth. The township committee allegedly then rearranged procedures and interviewed the top seven candidates, the lawsuit said.
In the end, Yanovak was not offered a sergeant's position; two other officers received promotions.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news7-hanover.htm
posted by Matthew LeFande 10:25 AM
matt@lefande.com
Foreign writing in magazine grounds Midwest flight
A Midwest Airlines flight from Milwaukee to San Francisco was canceled Sunday night after a passenger discovered Arabic-type handwriting inside an in-flight magazine.
The 7:25 p.m. flight carrying 118 passengers and five crew members had already pulled away from the gate at Mitchell International Airport when a passenger flipping through the Midwest Airlines magazine tucked in the seat pocket saw the writing and told a flight crew member.
The writing, which was scribbled on a page of the magazine, turned out to be Farsi, the Iranian language, said Midwest spokeswoman Carol Skornicka.
Before the plane took off, the flight crew decided to take a closer look at the writing. The plane returned to the gate, and passengers were taken off the plane.
Security authorities were notified; all of the luggage was checked and the aircraft was inspected. Nothing was found.
"When you have individuals who can't read a foreign language and assume some scribbles on something is a terrorist message, there's something clearly wrong with the direction the country is going," said Janan Najeeb, director of the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/sep04/260507.asp
posted by Matthew LeFande 9:41 AM
matt@lefande.com
House GOP Proposes to Repeal D.C. Gun Bans (washingtonpost.com)
A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives is supporting legislation that would repeal virtually all of the District's gun restrictions, targeting one of the nation's most stringent handgun bans while the presidential candidates are battling over gun limits.
Rep. Mark Edward Souder (R-Ind.) said House Republican leaders have promised him a vote before the Nov. 2 election on his proposed D.C. Personal Protection Act, which would end a ban on handguns in the nation's capital; remove a prohibition against semiautomatic weapons; lift registration requirements for ammunition and other firearms; and cancel criminal penalties for possessing unregistered firearms and carrying a handgun in one's home or workplace.
Souder's bill also would deny the District's elected officials "authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms." The legislation has 228 co-sponsors, more than enough to clear the 435-member House.
Soude said his proposal is based on the Second Amendment's guarantee of gun rights. "This is a constitutional issue, not a home rule question," Souder said. "The fact is, we didn't allow the District to have home rule on the selling of slaves, either."
Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), the Democratic presidential nominee, appeared yesterday at the Thurgood Marshall Center in the District with Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) to criticize President Bush for allowing the federal assault weapons ban to expire Sunday night, despite his 2000 campaign pledge to support it.
After praising Kerry for "the courage of your leadership" to extend the ban, Norton said, "I have just learned that the House will shortly schedule an up-or-down vote to repeal all our local gun safety laws. . . . President Bush, who promised to support an effective assault weapons ban four years ago, would apparently allow the unlawful purchase and use of such weapons even in the nation's capital."
The profoundly clueless Norton said that repealing the District's gun laws would worsen violence in the city, where 13 children have been killed by gunfire this year. She also cited the 2002 sniper attacks that killed 10 people in the region.
Souder drew the opposite conclusion from the city's history of violent crime. The District's homicide rate climbed 200 percent from 1976 to 2001, while the national rate grew 12 percent, Souder said. "No one can argue this law's effectiveness," he said. "For the 14th time in 15 years, they have the murder capital of the world title. At some point you say, 'This isn't working.' "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18935-2004Sep13.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:32 AM
matt@lefande.com
Violent crime drops
The Bureau of Justice Statistics' victims survey also found violent and property crime rates nationally remained at their lowest levels in 30 years, he said.
"With violent crime stabilized at its lowest level since 1973, Americans across our nation are safer and have the freedom to live their lives without fear of becoming victims of crime," Ashcroft said.
The bureau report "found that only 7 percent of all violent crimes in 2003 were committed with a firearm, a decrease from 11 percent in 1993, and that the per capita rate of non-lethal firearm violence was only 1.9 per 1,000 persons, a two-thirds reduction over 10 years."
The report also indicated during 2002 and 2003 there was an 11 percent drop in rapes and a 27 percent drop in sexual assaults from the previous two years.
Robberies were down 21 percent and aggravated assaults were down 20 percent.
Unless, of course, you live in places like DC or Maryland where it is unlawful for ordinary citizens to carry a firearm and crime remains out of control.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040912-094939-7548r.htm
posted by Matthew LeFande 10:49 AM
matt@lefande.com
Fraternal Order of Police Endorses Bush
The Fraternal Order of Police today announced the organization's endorsement of President George W. Bush in his reelection effort.
For a candidate to receive the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police, he must receive a two-third majority of the National Board, which comprises one Trustee from each of the organization's State Lodges. President Bush received the unanimous endorsement of the National Board.
National FOP President Chuck Canterbury described numerous important regulatory and legislative victories that were achieved by the Fraternal Order of Police with the help of the President and his Administration. His cited three of the most important as the passage of the "Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act," the most significant expansion of the Public Safety Officers' Benefit program in a generation; the enactment of the "Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act," which exempts active and retired law enforcement officers from State and local prohibitions on the carrying of concealed firearms; and the adoption of new regulations giving law enforcement officers, firefighters, and paramedics stronger overtime protections.
"In just four short years, President Bush and his Administration have enacted some of the most beneficial changes to American law enforcement in the past five decades," Canterbury said.
The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States, with more than 318,000 members.
http://www.grandlodgefop.org/press/pr040910.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:42 PM
matt@lefande.com
Foundation Condemns ABC News Fraud in Report on Sunset of 'Assault Weapons' Law
The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) today called on ABC News anchor Peter Jennings and correspondent Bill Redeker to admit the network distorted fact during a report on the end of the so-called "assault weapons" ban that aired Wednesday evening, Sept. 8.
During that segment, video footage from the North Hollywood bank robbery shootout in March 1997 showed the robbers firing full-automatic weapons, suggesting that this type of firearm will be legal when the ban expires at midnight Sept. 13. These guns had been illegally modified, yet ABC News left the impression that such rifles will be available to the general public.
"Such firearms were illegal prior to the ban, and will be illegal after it sunsets, and ABC knows it," said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. "ABC's research on this story was either incredibly poor or deliberately distorted. There is no other explanation. It's the same distorted reporting we saw in 1994, prior to the ban, in which the press faked footage in an attempt to portray ammunition from these guns as explosively lethal.
Reporter Redeker made an issue out of certain cosmetic features that were affected by the ban, specifically folding stocks and flash suppressors. He lamented that folding stocks make these rifles more "concealable" and the flash suppressor makes it harder to spot a shooter at night.
"These cosmetic features have nothing to do with how a particular firearm functions," Gottlieb stressed, "or how lethal it might be. That is why the 1994 ban -- which only affected the appearance of these guns, not their operation -- was nonsense to begin with.
"Rather than explain the law, or note federal studies that have determined this ban, as well as other gun control laws, were ineffective in reducing crime, ABC News sensationalized, and as a result fictionalized, what this ban did and what will result from the law's sunset," Gottlieb concluded. "That's not simply irresponsible reporting. It's journalistic fraud, and ABC News, Jennings and Redeker should apologize for it."
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usnw/20040909/pl_usnw/second_amendment_foundation_condemns_abc_news_fraud_in_report_on_sunset_of__assault_weapons__law201_xml
posted by Matthew LeFande 9:16 AM
matt@lefande.com
Hippie Terrorists Bitch Over Use of Pepper Spray-Soaked Cotton Swabs
On three separate occasions in a three-week span in the fall of 1997, Humboldt County police officers reasonably dealt with militant trustfund anarchists without beating them senseless.
On all three occasions, the junior terrorists - who ranged in age from 16 to 40 years-old - locked their arms in metal pipes to participate in a protest of logging practices.
One by one, police officers took the heads of each demonstrator and inserted cotton swabs saturated with pepper spray into their eyes. In two of the cases, officers also sprayed the substance directly into their eyes at close range.
The eight public nuisances filed a civil rights lawsuit against Humboldt County later that month. In connection with the suit, police video-tapes of the pepper spraying were released to the public.
If only these terrorists' mothers had used something other than television and Ritalin to raise their kids...
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/09/08/1422252
posted by Matthew LeFande 11:24 AM
matt@lefande.com
Deputy Killed in Freak Accident
An accident Monday morning killed a Newton County, IN sheriff's deputy. Indiana State Police say 18-year-old Brandi Sisson had swerved to miss a deer. She went off the road and hit a power pole. Sisson was not hurt and went home to call police.
Police say 27-year old Craig Blann went to investigate the crash. While at the scene, Deputy Blann accidentally came in contact with downed power lines. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It appears to be a freak thing, just an accident, said Sgt. Brian Olehy of the Indiana State Police. He came into down power lines for some reason we will probably never know.
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2266825&nav=0Ra7QdWz
posted by Matthew LeFande 8:28 AM
matt@lefande.com
News report from Iraq: militants still in control of media
Click it, it's worth it.
http://www.ianpugh.com/temp/iraqnews.wmv
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:47 PM
matt@lefande.com
Youth held for offering drugs at police party
A German teenager set himself up for an easy arrest when he offered to sell marijuana to guests at a party full of off-duty policeman, police from the northern town of Eschwege say.
"He told people at the party he had cannabis if they wanted to smoke something a bit stronger," said a police spokesman on Tuesday.
A pair of police officers celebrating the birthday of a colleague led the man to an area away from the festivities before making the arrest.
"Police have a private life too. The poor guy picked the wrong customers that night," the spokesman added.
The 17-year-old and two friends had crashed the party at a sports club on Friday night. He was not identified.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20040907/od_uk_nm/oukoe_odd_germany_drugs
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:34 PM
matt@lefande.com
Illnois cop drives with no license after DUI
Berwyn police officials say they are investigating how long a first-year officer has been driving to work on a revoked driver's license after a DUI conviction earlier this year.
Daniel A. McGuffey, 25, a former auxiliary officer hired full time in January, was in uniform when he left the Berwyn police station at 6:18 a.m. Thursday and entered his sport-utility vehicle in plain view of at least one on-duty Berwyn police officer.
Despite having no legal driving privileges since his license was revoked July 24, McGuffey drove almost 3 miles to his house in Forest View.
Secretary of state officials said McGuffey should not be on the road at all."
"He has no privilege to drive right now," said Beth Kaufman, a Chicago-based spokeswoman for the secretary of state's office. "Currently, he is revoked and he should not be driving."
Ronald Volanti, deputy director of public safety for the Berwyn Police Department, said he was aware of McGuffey's DUI conviction. He also said department officials have been helping McGuffey, who is still a probationary police officer, to apply for a restricted driving permit from the secretary of state's office.
A restricted driving permit, which can be issued only by the secretary of state's office, would allow McGuffey to legally drive to and from work as well as operate a squad car during his regular shift hours, Berwyn police and state officials said.
After McGuffey's license was revoked for one year, Berwyn police officials moved him to a desk job while his application for a permit is being processed, Volanti said.
State officials approved a permit for McGuffey on Aug. 23 and received the last of his paperwork Tuesday.
"At this point, it's not even issued yet," said Jay Mesi, deputy director of administrative hearings for the secretary of state's office. "Until it's issued, he has nothing to drive on."
McGuffey declined to comment when reached at his home last week. He referred questions to his attorney, who also declined to comment.
Court records show that McGuffey pleaded no contest in May to an August 2003 DUI arrest in Siren, Wis.
Siren Police Chief Christopher Sybers said McGuffey was pulled over after failing to stop at a stop sign and swerving along a divided four-lane highway. He recorded .19 on a Breathalyzer test--then almost twice the legal limit in Wisconsin, Sybers said.
At the time of his arrest, McGuffey was employed as an auxiliary police officer in Berwyn.
A background check conducted when McGuffey was promoted to full-time duty in January did not find any information about the August 2003 arrest, Volanti said.
Until McGuffey's license was revoked in July, his work assignments included patrolling Berwyn in a squad car, Volanti said.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0409060081sep06,1,802257.story?coll=chi-newslocal-hed: "
Login required, username: Newslinks, password: Newslinks.
posted by Matthew LeFande 9:06 AM
matt@lefande.com
5th Phoenix cop shot in a week
For the fifth time in six days, a Phoenix police officer was gunned down Thursday, shot three times during a routine traffic stop.
Officer Matt Morgan is expected to survive the shooting which came less than two hours before police gathered for a memorial visitation for Officer Jason Wolfe, who was killed with Officer Eric White in a gun battle Saturday night. Funeral services for Wolfe are today and White will be buried Saturday.
Morgan radioed dispatch at 3:15 p.m. that he was pulling over a vehicle at Seventh Avenue and Buckeye Road. The vehicle, a Nissan, had plates that belonged on a Saturn. Morgan's radio then went quiet for 30 to 45 seconds, said Commander Kim Humphrey.
During that time, Morgan exchanged fire with the driver who had taken aim at him. The driver, who was not identified, was shot in the abdomen and possibly the hip. A passenger in the car fled, but police found him Thursday night and are treating him as a witness, not a suspect, said Sgt. Randy Force, a Phoenix police spokesman.
Morgan was shot three times, in the right leg and left shoulder and in his protective vest. The vest likely saved Morgan's life. He was conscious and talking at the hospital.
"It's just a state of shock," said Detective Bryan Chapman. "Officers are wondering when it's going to stop and if it's going to stop."
Officers Wolfe and White were killed Saturday night during a gun battle with a suicidal suspect. Douglas M. Tatar had shot a man over a $100 bet, then opened fire on officers when they kicked in the door of his apartment. Officer Chris Parese also was wounded in that shooting. He was treated and released from a hospital Saturday night.
On Wednesday night, Officer Scott Johnson, a member of the department's tactical team, was shot in the chest by a man barricaded inside his home with his 4-year-old son. Johnson's protective vest stopped the bullet.
"As resilient as we all are, this is taking a heavy toll," said Jake Jacobsen, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association. "This is taxing our resources and our resolve right now."
Still, Jacobsen said, police are a family, and they will rally around each other. The shootings are a reminder for officers to be even more cautious of their surroundings and to make sure that everyone has adequate back up.
"You won't find 1 percent of our people without a vest on right now. It does weigh heavy with these guys," Jacobsen said. "Nothing's taken for granted anymore."
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0902officerdown-ON.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 8:34 AM
matt@lefande.com
Audit finds big auction losses
The District has lost more than $1 million in the last 27 months by selling surplus emergency equipment at a fraction of its value, according to an inspector general's audit report released yesterday.
In the most egregious case, a 1993 surplus fire engine sold at an April 2003 auction for $25, though Internet dealers valued similar models at $125,000, according to the report issued by interim Inspector General Austin A. Anderson.
The report also stated that from April 2002 to September 2003 the city's Personal Property Division, which is under the Office of Contracting and Procurement, sold 11 fire engines at public auctions for $3,125.
However, Internet dealers valued similar equipment at $497,200.
The engines sold at the auctions for an average price of $284.
"Overall, [the Personal Property Division's] ineffective management of excess property has led to the auction of valuable District property at 'bargain basement' prices and loss of needed income for the District," the report stated. The report does not call for any employees to be punished.
The story was the same for surplus ambulances.
From February 2002 to September 2003, the city auctioned 38 ambulances for $121,900. The amount is about one-tenth of the $1.2 million the vehicles were valued at by Internet dealers.
According to the report, new fire engines can cost more than $200,000, and new ambulances can cost more than $60,000. The report states that used emergency vehicles can attract significant sums of money from small departments nationwide that employ secondhand vehicles or from departments that buy used equipment for parts.
Auditors reduced Internet dealers' prices by 25 percent to account for any disparity between the estimated price and the actual selling price, but still concluded the city lost $1,159,875 over the 27-month review period.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20040902-102819-3332r.htm
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:50 AM
matt@lefande.com
The true threat of terror
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57866-2004Sep2.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:24 AM
matt@lefande.com
