Bikers Of America, Know Your Rights!

SUPPORT THE BOYCOTT on the LA CALENDAR MOTORCYCLE SHOW!!

2012-02-01T00:59:00.000-08:00

Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 10:00am until Monday, July 23, 2012 at 5:00am

Description

Please support our BOYCOTT by clicking "Attending"...and getting involved as we extend this boycott to the sponsors of this event as well.

Once again the LA Calendar Motorcycle Show is gearing up for their event.

This is the policy directly taken from their website be...fore they deleted it (but they have NOT rescinded the policy!) :

***********
Are Club Colors Allowed?
The LA Calendar Show is held on Private Property at the Private Calabasas Country Club, part of the Beverly Hills County Club Group. The Country Club and the Show have the right to deny admission to anyone.

Acceptable Spectator Clothing allowed at our discretion does include law abiding sportbike and touring club jackets, vests and shirts with patches, and motorcycle brand apparel.

Please leave Hard Core / Outlaw Biker Club Jackets and Offensive Shirts at home or you may not be admitted. No weapons of any type allowed with full personal body pat-down and metal scan search before admission.

Full On Site Enforcement by Private Armed Security.

First and foremost.. SHAME ON RUSS BROWN FOR HIS INVOLVEMENT!!

The organizers have once AGAIN chosen a location that is not allowing certain (unspecified) MCs to wear their club vests. They continue to push the responsibility for the policy off on the venue just like they did last year and years before. It is NOT the venue creating this policy. It is the Producers of this event that do NOT want Motorcycle Clubs present at their event. It is the PRODUCERS that choose to deny our constitutional right to speak our minds, associate with whom we choose AND express ourselves in a manner we so choose.

“Offensive Shirts” – What is “offensive”? Can I wear a Christian shirt? What if it offends a Jewish person? Can I wear my Human Rights Campaign shirt? What if offends a pro-Prop 8 person? Maybe I want to wear a Pro-Life shirt!? I am sure to piss off and offend a few Pro-choice people! Will all slogans be read and judged by the same person?

Who will this person be that is given the right to sit in judgement of my freedom of expression?

“Hard Core” – What is “Hard Core”? Hard core vs soft core… in porn soft core means it is just an illusion of sex. No genitals or penetration is shown.. you just THINK you are seeing sex.

So it stands to reason that “Hard Core” in the biker terms means REAL MCs? As in no true MC cuts will be allowed? You can have the “Lone Wolf No Club” or “Black Label Society” type vests or maybe even the Harley Owners Group vests… but those MCs that have lived and died this lifestyle and fought for our rights as bikers..they will not be allowed to wear their cuts. Those same MCs that have an overwhelming majority of military veterans that have fought for our Country, will not be allowed to wear their colors. What about clubs with menacing names that just sound like they are ‘hard core’?

Who will be the judge of this and what are their credentials?

“Outlaw” – WHO determines which clubs are outlaw? Who determines the definition of “Law abiding”?

To what degree can members of any given club break the law before the organizers determine that the club is an “outlaw” club? I have seen entire clubs pulled over and cited by law enforcement more than one time. Speeding is breaking the law. Riding without insurance is breaking the law. What about stunting?

For the love of GOD can these people stop pussyfooting around and grow a set? If they have something to say, then just get it out and say it! Set clear definitions of what is allowed and what is not. This vague setting of rules is passive aggressive at best. They want plausible deniability if an issue comes up and the ability to make on the spot decisions in a discriminatory manner.

Last year the Producers blamed their policy on the Queen Mary and the Long Beach Police Department. Members of the biker community voiced their outrage and dispelled the blatant LIES being told by the Producers.

When that didn’t work, the Producers talked about incidents that happened DECADES ago between clubs. They said when “biker gangs’ (their words) can behave at events and not shoot each other then maybe they will change their policy. BIKER GANGS?? Excuse me Mr Producer… MOTORCYCLE CLUBS ARE NOT GANGS!

Then the Producers attempted to elicit the sympathy ticket sales by saying this was an event to help stir the economy. That vendors and those employed by those vendors depended on attendees.

Their last and most pathetic attempt to deflect the bad publicity they were getting was to threaten those protesting the event with “copyright infringement”. The event photo had been used with a red circle and line through it. Thanks to the current SOPA defeat this is more clear than ever before a scare tactic on behalf of the Producers. It is fair use and they are going to have to just deal with it!

The biker community put a BOYCOTT in effect for 2011. The event had a minimal turnout last year. It still wasn’t enough to get the Producer’s attention. This year they had the ability to find a venue that would allow MC colors. They did not do a thing to address this issue over the last year. Yet another slap in the face to the biker community that should NOT be tolerated.

There is not one viable reason to attend the LA Calendar Motorcycle Show. They do not have the quantity OR quality of vendors that the other shows have. They discriminate against bikers on every level, unlike other shows. They are rude, unresponsive and have ignored issues brought to them as if what the community wants does not matter.

We ask that you join us in NOT attending this event!

Speak with your throttles and go elsewhere!

Alternative events are welcome to be posted here!

BOYCOTT THE LA CALENDAR MOTORCYCLE SHOW! (Click on ATTENDING)

INVITE EVERYONE TO THIS PAGE! SPEAK UP!!! See More

“THE BIKERS OF AMERICA, THE PHIL and BILL SHOW”

2012-02-01T00:58:00.001-08:00

.
“THE BIKERS OF AMERICA, THE PHIL and BILL SHOW”,
Live! goes live at 6pm PAC, 9:00pm EST every Tuesday & Thursday
on BlogTalk Radio. Check us out!

And do not forget, if you want to call in live and speak with the host, be sure to dial (347)826-7753. You will be placed into the caller queue where you will still be able to hear the show while you are on hold.

If you miss this above event you can listen to the archive anytime by clicking on the same link below.
Enjoy the show,

www.blogtalkradio.com/bikersofamerica.

Two ways to listen on Tuesday & Thursday
1. Call in: (347) 826-7753 ... Listen live right from your phone!

2. Stream us live on your computer:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bikersofamerica.

NOW ON TUESDAY`S and THURSDAY`S
SHOWS ARE ARCHIVED FOR LISTENING - DOWNLOADING, ANYTIME - / AT YOUR CONVENIENCE FREE OF CHARGE!
ALSO WERE GOING TO BE ON TUESDAY`S AND THURSDAY`S, SAME TIME JUST
ADDING A SHOW TO THE WEEK. SO PLEASE TUNE IN AND SUPPORT US.......
Screwdriver And BILL
THANK YOU
"IF YOU VIOLATE OUR BIKER RIGHTS... YOU BETTER WATCH OUT FOR OUR BIKER LEFTS!"
Hits Like a bored and stroked big V-twin is the hardcore biker right’s talk show that will shift the thoughts and minds of all! Screwdriver is a member of Bikers of Lesser Tolerance, which is a "No Compromise" philosophy that rights cannot ever be negotiated and the west coast Representative of B.A.D (Bikers Against Discrimination)and Bill Kennedy of Kennedy’s Custom Cycles!!! Join us each week as we give you straight talk on what is happening to Bikers on the Left Coast along with what YOU can do to join the cause! Tune in and check us out!!!!

Screwdriver and Bill are hosting “THE BIKERS OF AMERICA, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS” show every Thursday at 9 pm Est/ 6 pm Pac. We invite you to participate by clicking the web address
Here is the Show guide
www.blogtalkradio.com/bikersofamerica. or by calling #347-826-7753 and follow the prompts.
and the Blog can be reached at
bikersofamerica.blogspot.com

Screwdriver at Countermeasures Division (strokerz383@gmail.com). Please note that this e-mail address is being protected from spambots so you will need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The next “THE BIKERS OF AMERICA (THE PHIL and BILL SHOW)” will be on Tuesday
FEB /2/ 2011 at 6pm Pacific and 9pm Eastern. AS Well As Thursday FEB/ 7 / 2011 night`s 6pm Pacific and 9pm Eastern. We will be featuring different topics Guests from around the World. Bikers Rights, News off the wire and B.O.L.T updates from across the country.

Other potential topics –
• How Bill and I have been involved with over the years;
• The unconstitutional roadside checkpoints;
• The motorcycle only checkpoints;
• The Helmet Law’s Unconstitutional Enforcement;
• Legislation and Politics;
• The Veterans Groups,
• The V.A. Hospitals, and
• Helping Our Brothers and Sisters when asked.

Participation Options: Our show is flexible so we can either control the topic or we will be happy to turn the podium to you. Should you wish to hold the podium, please email me, Screwdriver at Countermeasures Division (strokerz383@gmail.com). Please note that this e-mail address is being protected from spambots so you will need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Let’s Not Forget:

The BikerLowDown Radio Show hosted by Hammerin Hank and The Crew. Call in at 347-237-4874 on Wednesdays at 8pm Est or 5pm Pac at http://www.bikerlowdown.com./ or Hermis Wednesdays at 9 pm Est or 6 pm Pac, www. HERMISLIVE.com.

For broader communication, since these shows are open to the public, please pass this email along to your family and/or friends, who you know are interested in Motorcyclist Rights. Remember the bottom-line; we all have a sincere involvement with knowing, sharing, and/or enhancing our understanding about our rights as members of the biker community so I am asking for you, family, and friends to support the above two (3) shows.

Thank you, in advance, for your anticipated support and participation in these important discussions.

Philip (aka Screwdriver)
BOLT of California
(760) 207-2965 or strokerz383@gmail.com
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For more information about Bikers Of A Lesser Tolerance, please visit http://boltusa.org/ or for California Rights information see http://www.boltofca.com/

Sweden - Witness intimidation on the rise at Swedish trials

2012-02-01T00:58:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
thelocal.se

Threats and attempts to scare off both crime victims as well as witnesses of said crimes have become more common in Sweden, and most victims are young.

From 1999 to 2006, reports of threats in connection with court cases increased by 70 percent.
Since then, the rising trend has continued.
Last year 5,835 police reports were filed, up almost nine percent from 2010's figure. Roughly half of those reports involve youths between 15 and 25 years old, according to a study conducted by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brottsförebyggande rådet - Brå).
"It's a threat against the rule of law," chief prosecutor Jörgen Lindberg of the Swedish Prosecution Authority's development centre in Malmö told news agency TT, commenting on the growing difficulties in convincing people to reveal what they've seen and heard.
According to Brå researcher Johanna Skinnari, attempts to influence witnesses and victims range from violence and threats to more subtle measures, such as wearing a motorcycle gang's vest in the courtroom, or staring aggressively at the witness.
Apart from the clear connection to criminal youths, threats and violence were common in trials of organized crime and relationship violence.
Skinnari warns that general feeling of discomfort in court cases can lead to self-censorship, stopping potential witnesses from participating.
Nearly all threats against witnesses turn out to be empty, and it is exceptionally rare for witnesses to get hurt.
"It's important that we shatter this myth that it's dangerous to testify. Some are just scared because they don't feel at home in the trial process, and are unfamiliar with the language and the environment, said Skinnari to TT.

TT/The Local/cg (news@thelocal.se)

Annelise - Babe of the Week..

2012-02-01T00:57:00.002-08:00

Annelise Marie,
Residence - Fort Collins, Colorado
Current Vocation: Student, model, cocktail at 100 Octane
Relationship Status: SingleAge: 22
Hair Colour: Blonde Eye Colour: Green
Height: 5'8"Weight: 125
Measurements: Chest 34c Waist 24 Hip 34
One of Annelise's favorite things to do is model. A majority of her time when not in school is spent going to different shoots or events. She has a bit of a problem spending the money from the shoots on shoes. She has over 100 shoes in her closet, her weakness is high heels. her favorite movie is Legally Blonde, she owns the DVD and also has it recorded on DVR. Her favorite sport is tennis, as she was all area throughout highschool, and even went undefeated her freshman year. Annelise's favorite team is the Broncos, she has to support her state. She is a Tebow fan. Traveling the world would be a dream of hers, shooting in exciting new locations. She has a vast experience in the modeling world from print, to fashion shows, but her specialty is working events. She is often working at a different event each weekend. Her favorite season is the summer where she can wear shorts and layout in the warm Colorado sun. +She is currently at CSU in Colorado getting a Business Marketing dergree and excited to see what happens when she graduates in May.
Interview Questions:
1.) What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Creatively I love looking through different magazines or online for modeling pictures. It gives me ideas of shoots I would like to do. Thats how I came up with the laying on the floor shot with the clothes next to me.

2.) What turns you off? Cockyness, also is someone is lazy. I'm a hard worker & dont like if I'm dating a guy who lies and calls in sick when he isn't. Jealously too, shows your insecure, a little is good but not a lot.

3.) What sound or noise do you love?The ocean. Also when my little puppy drives to howl at firetrucks, I love that i think its so cute!

4.) What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Photography, or designing clothes or jewelry.

5.) What is your favorite curse word? I try not to curse, but ass would have to be mine.
Photographers, Don Hales, Dana Penington, John Miller, headshot with no makeup by heather davis
http://www.facebook.com/annelisemariemodel
https://twitter.com/#!/annelisejr

Knife Laws in California: Is It Legal Carry One?

2012-02-01T00:57:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
FOR THOSE OF US HERE IN O`SIDE CA, IT VARIES FORM CITY TO CITY,TOWN TO TOWN COUNTY ALSO....
Oceanside California Knife Laws

SECTION FIVE: DEALING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT WHEN PACKIN' STEEL
First thing: don't get nervous. If you've read this, you're not going to be breaking any knife laws. California's knife laws are actually pretty decent, better than most states (even the shall-issue gun permit ones). If you're nervous, the cop will read that, and he won't know what to think - but the conversation WILL go downhill.
If you're walking past a cop with a legally concealed knife, DO NOT "pat the knife" to make sure the concealment is still effective. That's the number one way cops spot people packing guns illegally. They'll think that's what you're doing. The resulting conversation won't be pleasant.
If there's any chance at all that the guy is gonna search you, politely declare that you're carrying a "pocketknife legal under state law". Got that? Tell him where it is on you, let him take control of it. DO NOT SCARE THE DUDE WITH THE BADGE AND GUN. Don't reach for nuthin' unless he tells you to do so. At all times, act like this is just a normal business transaction.
So what if he/she thinks your piece(s) is/are illegal?
You explain that California knife law has changed a bunch of times starting in 1997 and twice more that you know of, so you're not terribly surprised there's confusion. Calmly explain as much of the relevant Penal Codes as you can recall...if you're into big folders, PC653k and the bit in 12020 about "not readily available if concealed in the closed position" is a start. If he ain't buying, calmly ask for a supervisor.
If he wants to confiscate your cutlery, ASK FOR A RECEIPT. If he says anything about "that'll mean you'll get a ticket too, and/or an arrest", stand your ground and calmly ask for a receipt. He's bluffing because he wants your knife. Sorry if any cops reading this are offended, but it happens - I've met enough people it's happened to to be a believer, although it hasn't happened to me. If he just plain takes it without a receipt, get his badge number and/or car number (if the latter is all you can get, record the TIME). If it was a city or county cop, make a THEFT complaint in detail with your nearest California Highway Patrol station (they investigate local wrongdoing). If it was CHP, hmmm...complain to the CHP supervisors maybe, or the Sheriff, but for God's sake don't let 'em off clean.
IF YOU HAD TO THREATEN AN ASSAILANT WITH A DRAWN BLADE:
You have two choices: get the hell out of there ASAP and travel far and fast, because odds are, crooks that get chased off by an armed citizen love to file a "he threatened me" complaint and bust YOU. Bug out. NOTE: we're talking about a situation in which you haven't committed a crime, and since no actual violence occurred neither did anybody else. So "fleeing the scene" rules don't really apply. And you also don't want the SOB coming back with reinforcements and/or heavy artillery. Time to go!
If that's not possible, because the crook knows where you are or who you are (or have your car's license plate number), jump on 911 and report an attempted crime, pronto. There are too many lazy cops that just believe the first complaint. Make yours first. You'll probably have one major advantage: the crook will have a violent record and you won't.
IF YOU HAD TO ACTUALLY DRAW BLOOD IN DEFENSE:
When the cops show up, there are only three things you should say: I was in fear of my life, I'm too shaken up to talk, I want a lawyer. (If there are witnesses you know of, point them out to the cops and tell the cops to talk to them.)
Bernie Goetz didn't do that. He was furious at the four attempted muggers, he made that anger plain in a long discussion down at the station, and he ended up getting charged with murder and attempted murder when it was absolutely clear-cut self defense.
When a cop gets involved in a shooting, they understand that immediately afterwards, he's too shaken to explain clearly what happened. So most departments give him 24 hours to settle down before talking to him. But if you're involved in lethal force, some will take advantage of your rattled state to pry garbled statements out of you. You HAVE the right to remain silent. Use it.
I'm assuming here that if you drew or used steel, you had a damned good reason. That's a subject for a much more detailed (not to mention PROFESSIONAL) treatment - see Introduction for some reference works.

Oceanside City Code 20. 10

Sec. 20.10 – Weapons - Possession in Public - Prohibited

No person shall be or appear in any street, alley, sidewalk, parkway or any public place or place open to public view while carrying upon his person, or having in his immediate possession, any dangerous or deadly weapon. This section shall not be construed to duplicate prohibitions of California state statute, or to prohibit the possession of weapons expressly authorized by California state statute.

Knife Laws in California: Is It Legal Carry One?

For my first Bailing Wiring Column, I was asked to write about knife laws in California. After researching the law, I certainly understood why some confusion exists as to what is legal to carry and what isn’t: there are over a dozen statutes on the subject, as well as numerous municipal codes, and inconsistent court decisions that further muddy the water. This article is intended to shed some light on the rules and inconsistencies in California knife laws.

Of course, I wouldn't be a very good attorney without giving a few caveats before I begin. First, remember that carrying any weapon, even one that’s legal, can cause you a lot of grief with law enforcement. Cops routinely write tickets and make arrests for things they incorrectly think is illegal. Being found “not guilty” will not make up for the time and aggravation of getting arrested and missing work -- not to mention the cost of hiring an attorney. Also, this article only covers California law. State laws can vary greatly, and taking a knife that is legal in California over state lines may get you into trouble with federal laws or laws of other states. Local ordinances may also impact the legality of your knife.

With those warnings out of the way, California laws covering switchblades, daggers, and disguised blades are discussed below. For those of you with a short attention span, here is the summary:

In California, the following are illegal: (1) Any knife with a blade of 2" or longer, that can be opened with a button or the flick of your wrist; (2) concealed possession of any "dirk" or "dagger," i.e., any stabbing device with a fixed blade, regardless of blade length; (3) possession or sale of any disguised blades, i.e., cane swords, writing pen knives, lipstick knives, etc., or any knife that is undetectable to metal detectors; (4) possession of a knife with a blade longer than 2 1/2" on any school grounds; (5) possession of a fixed-blade knife with a blade longer than 2 1/2" on any college or university grounds; and (6) flashing or waiving any knife or weapon in a threatening manner. Also, certain municipalities have their own laws that may affect the legality of carrying a knife. In Los Angeles, for example, it's illegal to openly carry any knife with a blade longer than 3".

Each of the above issues is discusses in greater detail below.

Switchblades - Penal Code § 653k

Switchblades and other spring-loaded knives are generally illegal in California. Included in the legal definition of switchblade is "[any] knife having the appearance of a pocketknife and includes a spring-blade knife, snap-blade knife, gravity knife or any other similar type knife, the blade or blades of which are two or more inches in length and which can be released automatically by a flick of a button, pressure on the handle, flip of the wrist or other mechanical device, or is released by the weight of the blade or by any type of mechanism whatsoever." The statute expressly excludes pocket knives that can be opened with one hand by pushing the blade open with one's thumb, as long as

the knife "has a detent or other mechanism that provides resistance that must be overcome in opening the blade, or that biases the blade back toward its closed position."

The statute further states that it is unlawful to : (1) to possess a switchblade in a vehicle, (2) to carry a switchblade anywhere upon one's person, or (3) to transfer or attempt to sell a switchblade to another person. In the 2009 case of People v. S.C., the Court of Appeals held that possession of a switchblade in a person's pocket, boot, etc., is unlawful, even if even if in one's own home. In other words, it’s illegal to have a switchblade with a 2" or longer blade – period.

It should also be noted that a pocketknife that was legal when manufactured, but is broken or modified so that it will open freely, is a switchblade within the meaning of the statute. For example, in the 2008 case of People v. Angel R., the Court of Appeals examined a conviction over a pocketknife that, as originally manufactured, had a hole in the back of the blade that prevented it from flicking open. The trial court found, however, that the knife had been modified or damaged, and the resistance mechanism did not function so that the knife would open with a flick of the wrist. Despite the original design of the knife, the Court of Appeals upheld the conviction.

Concealed Knives, Dirks, and Daggers - Penal Code § 12020

In California, it is illegal for any person to carry concealed, certain knives, legally described as "dirks" and "daggers," i.e., any fixed-blade knife or stabbing weapon. Pursuant to the statute, it is illegal to carry concealed upon one's person any fixed-blade knife. This does not include a legal (non-switchblade) pocketknife, as long as that knife is closed. Carrying a knife in an openly-worn sheath is not concealment within the meaning of the statute. As discussed below, however, this law may be impacted by local ordinances.

Cane Swords and other Disguised Blades - Penal Code § 20200 et seq

Any knife or blade that is disguised so as to not look like a weapon is also illegal in California. This includes, cane swords, belt-buckle knives, lipstick case knives, air gauge knives, writing pen knives, etc. Blades that are undetectable to metal detectors (e.g., ceramic blades) are also illegal.

Possession of Knives on School Grounds - Penal Code § 626.10

It is illegal for any person to bring or possess "any dirk, dagger, ice pick, knife having a blade longer than 2 1/2 inches, folding knife with a blade that locks into place, [or] razor with an unguarded blade . . . upon the grounds of, or within, any public or private school providing instruction in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12 . . ." The law with regard to college campuses is similar, but less restrictive. Subsection (b) of the statute provides that it is illegal for any person to bring or possess "any dirk, dagger, ice pick, or knife having a fixed blade longer than 2 1/2 inches upon the grounds of, or within, any [college or university]."

Brandishing Knives - Penal Code § 417

In California, it is illegal to brandish any deadly weapon, including knives. The law states that it is unlawful for any person to "draw or exhibit any deadly weapon . . . in a rude, angry, or threatening manner, or . . . to unlawfully use a deadly weapon." This does not include use of such a weapon in self defense.

Local Ordinances - Here's Where the Law Gets Messy

If the laws above seem confusing, as the saying goes, "you ain't seen nothin' yet." Local ordinances vary from city to city, and county to county. Worse, California courts have been inconsistent in ruling on the enforceability of these local laws.

For example, in the City of Los Angeles, it is illegal to publicly carry, in plain view, any knife, dirk or dagger having a blade 3" or more in length, any ice pick or similar sharp tool, any straight-edge razor or any razor blade fitted to a handle. (There are certain exceptions, such as where the knife is for use in a "lawful occupation, for lawful recreational purposes, or as a recognized religious practice.") The County of Los Angeles has a similar rule, which makes it illegal to openly carry, in public, "any knife having a blade of three inches or more in length; any spring-blade, switch-blade or snap-blade knife; any knife any blade of which is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device; any ice pick or similar sharp stabbing tool; any straight-edge razor or any razor blade fitted to a handle." In other words, it is illegal in Los Angeles County to openly carry any knife with a blade of 3" or longer.

It gets worse. Los Angeles Code section 55.01 also makes it illegal to carry any weapon concealed on one's person. As such, in Los Angeles, you can't openly carry a blade over 3", but you can't carry such a weapon concealed, either.

Interestingly, the Courts have held that the Los Angeles law forbidding carrying a concealed weapon is invalid. In the 1968 case of People v. Bass, a man was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed folding knife. The Court of Appeals overturned the conviction, holding that the Los Angeles law conflicted with the state law, and was therefore invalid. Nonetheless, the Los Angeles law is still on the books.

What is even more interesting is that other, more recent cases completely contradict the decision in People v. Bass. In the 1985 case of People v. Gerardoi, the defendant was charged with violating a local law of the City of Commerce that is nearly identical to the Los Angeles local law prohibiting carrying blades over 3". On appeal, the defendant cited the Bass case, arguing that the city code was invalid. The Gerardoi court rejected the holding of Bass, and found that the city code was valid.

Where does all this information leave us? The short answer is, in a mess. There are certainly things that are illegal: any switchblade with a blade 2" or longer, or concealed possession of any knife with a fixed blade. Other knives may or may not be legal,

depending on how and where you carry them, and where you are in California. The best this to do is to check local ordinances before deciding to carry a knife or any other weapon in California. Better yet, think twice before carrying a knife. As you know, some cops look for any excuse to hassle bikers.

Ride safe, and stay legal. If either of these fail, call me!

ABOUT SY NAZIF, ESQ.

Sy Nazif is a life-long motorcyclist and an attorney who specializes in biker’s rights and representing motorcycle accident victims in California. He is a graduate of the esteemed University of California Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, and has worked with AIM, NCOM, and the COC. He later founded RiderzLaw.com and began his own firm, which is quickly becoming one of the leading motorcycle rights and injury firms in the state.

sy@riderzlaw.com

1-888-5-RIDERZ

This article is written for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Sec. 20.10 – Weapons - Possession in Public - Prohibited

Oceanside California Knife Laws. As always I am not a lawyer and these videos are strictly for informational Purposes only if you need legal Advice Seek out A Criminal Lawyer. As always read and keep a copy of all pertaining knife laws for yourself, practice stating them so you sound confident and intelligent, you're your best advocate. Stopping the process at the initial contact is better than wining a court case after lots of legal action.

BEND,OR - Books needed for prison donation.......

2012-02-01T00:57:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Gorilla Gospel Motorcycle Club is collecting new and used books, which will be delivered to the Oregon prison system for inmates.
The club consists of "sinners and ex-convicts" who ride and share fellowship together, according to a press release. Books will be collected through February at Westside Church locations and Urban Pointe Dance Center in Bend, and delivered to prisons March 1.
Contact: 541-410-5143 or http://www.bikernews.net/index.cfm/art/Books-needed-for-prison-donation/d/news/p/read/newsid/www.gorillagospel.com.

VA: Will reversing motorcycle law be dangerous?

2012-02-01T00:56:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Mark Holmberg
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wtvr-will-reversing-motorcycle-law-be-dangerous-20120130,0,7615999.story
Will reversing motorcycle law be dangerous?

January 30, 2012 Some proposed laws aimed at improving motorist safety – making texting and driving a primary offense, for example – have been shot down in the Virginia General Assembly.
But alive and well is the proposed repeal of a 40-plus year-old law that makes it against the law for two motorcyclists to ride side-by-side in the same lane. Virginia is just one of two states in the U.S. with such a law on the books.
The proposal, sponsored by 26th District Delegate Tony Wilt and 18th District Delegate Michael Webert, sailed through the transportation committee and, overwhelmingly, through the House.
The law is an old one, probably sparked by the menacing motorcycle gangs of the 60s.
“1968. We assume it had to do with motorcycle gangs,” said motorcycling lobbyist Jim Cannon. “We don’t have institutional memory going back that far to tell us why it was enacted.”
Cannon, with the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists, said 48 other states either don’t ban the practice, or have specific laws allowing it. There’s no indication those states have more crashes or problems related to two-abreast riding.
“It’s a solution looking for a problem - there’s no problem there,” Cannon said.
He said riders are told in safety classes to pull up side-by-side at stoplights, but they can be breaking the law getting into and out of that formation.
Many motorcyclists pull up side-by-side to communicate. You see police officers on motorcycles doing that, particularly in motorcades. Bicyclists can ride side-by-side.
But 74th District Delegate Joe Morrissey thinks reversing the law will cause injuries and deaths.
Low-speed, two-abreast riding is one thing, Morrissey said. But motorcyclists riding that way at highway speeds can’t guess what the other rider will do if there’s an animal, road debris or even just a pothole to dodge. “I love motorcycle riding,” Morrissey said. “I’ve been doing it since I was 13-years-old. But that’s just a bad (proposal).”
Instead of the menacing motorcycle gangs of yesteryear, now there are clubs. Motorcycle registrations have shot up during the past decade. Many frequently ride in large groups for fund-raisers like Teddy Bear Runs or to raise awareness, such as the massive Rolling Thunder tribute in Washington DC for missing or imprisoned soldiers. It would be great to ride in those two-deep legally.
Yes, there’s no doubt riding motorcycles is one of the most dangerous things you can do. You’re about 35 times more likely to die in a crash than if you were in a car. And about 8 times as likely to be injured.
Speaking of cars . . . two-thirds of motorcycle crashes are caused by people in cars who don’t see the riders. Two abreast may even help visibility.
And since motorcycles generally have one headlight, riding abreast can help illuminate dark roads.
Motorcyclists have to have a heightened sense of awareness while riding. Our lives are on the line. Most of us who ride abreast will do so carefully. No, it’s not something for the new or casual rider. Know your limits and know the person next to you.
But if you’re really worried about those of us riding on two wheels, don’t fret about repealing this law.
Instead, please watch more carefully for us. That would eliminate about 3,000 of the 4,500 or so motorcycle fatalities every year.
That’s my take. Please share yours on WTVR.com, or on my WTVR CBS-6 Facebook page.

US - Changes in wake of troubled arms trafficking probe

2012-02-01T00:56:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
PETE YOST,
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is tightening procedures for responding to information requests from Congress in the aftermath of a troubled arms trafficking investigation.

In Operation Fast and Furious, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed hundreds of weapons to flow across the border into Mexico.

The Justice Department told three congressional committees in a letter Friday night that it has improved coordination between agents and their managers in carrying out arms trafficking investigations.

Attorney General Eric Holder probably will face questions about the changes when he testifies Thursday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. That committee has been investigating the department's mistakes in the probe since early last year.

In a letter last February to Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the department said that ATF had not authorized the sale of assault weapons to a straw purchaser and that the agency makes every effort to intercept weapons that have been purchased illegally.

Yet in Operation Fast and Furious, both statements turned out to be incorrect because the ATF office in Phoenix, Ariz., had undertaken a risky tactic known as "gun-walking" in an unsuccessful effort to track small-time illicit gun buyers to the heads of major arms trafficking networks.

Many of the guns wound up at crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S., including the scene of a killing near Nogales, Ariz., where U.S. border agent Brian Terry was slain. Two guns connected to Fast and Furious were found at the scene of Terry's murder.

Some ATF agents with direct knowledge of what had gone on with Operation Fast and Furious were talking to Grassley's office. In contrast, the Justice Department was relying on information from top ATF officials in Washington and the U.S. attorney in Phoenix, who all incorrectly denied that ATF was allowing weapons purchases by "straw" buyers to transport guns into Mexico.

In the letter to Congress on Friday night, Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the department must solicit information directly from employees with detailed personal knowledge of the subject matter at issue and consult records relevant to the inquiry if such records are available.

"Recognize that, in some instances, the employees with the most relevant information may already have made protected disclosures on the subject to Congress or others," the letter said.

The department emphasized its commitment to protecting the rights of whistleblowers, but added that the Whistleblower Protection Act does not bar the department from seeking relevant information directly from employees who have made protected disclosures.

Doing so, the letter said, is necessary "to ensure the accuracy and completeness" of information provided to Congress.

The ATF has expanded the opportunities for employees to raise work-related concerns and stressed the need for supervisory level officials to be receptive to those concerns, Cole's letter adds. In other changes, the ATF:

—told all of its agents that they must take all reasonable steps to prevent a firearm's criminal misuse and that early intervention may be necessary to prevent trafficking.

—has improved coordination between field agents and headquarters personnel in Washington.

—engaged in training for agents in Arizona and New Mexico with a renewed emphasis on intercepting illicit weapons shipments.

—is giving agents a direct line of communication to the agency's second-in-command.

CALIFORNIA - Watso And Dead Man Testify

2012-02-01T00:55:00.002-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

agingrebel.com
Much of the government’s case against Christopher Ablett during the last two days has focused on the testimony of two friends – one alive and one dead. Federal prosecutors are trying Ablett for racketeering and the murder of Frisco Hells Angels President Mark Guardado in September 2008.
The dead witness was a motorcycle mechanic named George Jimenez. Jimenez also participated in an unsuccessful, 2010, reality television show called “The Prospect” “about a group of bikers who are competing amongst each other to join a motorcycle club. As prospects they have to prove to them selves and to the club that they are worth it.” Jimenez played the “Vice-President of the Raging Raptors MC.”
Jimenez spotted Ablett lingering outside the Dirty Thieves bar the night Guardado died. He helped Ablett pick up his motorcycle after a minor crash caused the bike’s fuel supply to shut off. And, he kept Ablett near the bar by not telling him how to turn the gas back on.
Jimenez gave several statements about that night to authorities and a federal grand jury and transcripts of those statements were read to jurors both Friday and Monday.
Watso
Jimenez knew some real bikers, as well as imaginary ones so the night Guardado died he called his friend Samuel Thunder Sun Watso (photo above.) Watso’s father, who goes only by watso (it is an Algonquin Wabanaki name and he spells it all lower case) is the owner of Axis 101, a motorcycle shop in South San Francisco.
Samuel Watso is young enough to have left few tracks in life. He usually refers to himself as either Thunder Watso or Thunder S. Watso. He has been a member of a rock band and he states his current occupation as “bouncer.” Watso testified Friday that he called Mark Guardado and said “There are Mongols down on Treat. You better watch yourself.” That call brought Guardado to Ablett.
Watso was accompanied by a lawyer when he testified. He denied witnessing the fight and explained that he was at another bar three blocks away on 24th Street when the fight occurred. Phone records indicated that Watso and Jimenez had at least five conversations within eight minutes before Ablett and Guardado fought.

The Gun

The government still doesn’t have the gun that killed Guardado. So last week they began to introduce evidence that demonstrates that Ablett may have owned that gun. That evidence includes: “One fired copper bullet jacket and six apparent lead bullet fragments;” “Ammunition Analysis Report and Notes;” “Receipt from Wal-Mart for .357 magnum ammunition and Winchester 38;” “Winchester 38 special ammunition;” and a “Handgun holster.”
The firearms evidence was seized from the home Ablett shared with his parents and from his motorcycle.

The Confidential Informant

Monday, Judge Richard Seeborg also refused to disclose “the identity of a confidential informant” who had discussed Guardado’s death with FBI Agents in the days after the murder. Ablett’s lawyers thought the man might have information that would prove their client innocent.
Seeborg interviewed the informant behind closed doors last Friday. Seeborg “determined, on the basis of the examination, thatno further disclosure is required.” Then he directed that the “record of that hearing…be filed under seal.”

CALL TO ACTION! Help Us UNDO NDAA By Petitioning Your State Supreme Court For A Protective Writ of Habeus Corpus Like This One

2012-02-01T00:55:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
CALL TO ACTION!
NO MORE LEFT. NO MORE RIGHT. TIME TO UNITE. STAND AND FIGHT!
Help us UNDO NDAA by Petitioning your State Supreme Court for a Protective Writ of Habeus Corpus like this one:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/petition-to-supreme-court-of-alaska-to-block-ndaa-/
( or alternatively http://tinyurl.com/undo-ndaa )
You do not have to be a lawyer to file this petition, but attorneys are certainly welcome to step up!
Img: http://veritasvirtualvengeance.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/undo_ndaa.jpg
Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFaGz8blpPI
Tag: #ndaa, #patriotact, #fascism, #ows, #worldwarweb, #vvvpr
Key: ndaa, national defense authorization act, ndaa 2012, national defense authorization act of 2012, patriot act, usa patriot act, seditious conspiracy, bush, obama, fascism, corporate fascism, ows, occupy wall street, world war web, vvv pr

Headline: NYPD, Feds Testing Gun-Scanning Technology, But Civil Liberties Groups Up In Arms

2012-02-01T00:55:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Submitted by cbaus on Tue, 01/24/2012 - 07:00.

New York City's CBS News affiliate is reporting on a new technology that could detect weapons on someone as they walk down the street.
From the article:

Police, along with the U.S. Department of Defense, are researching new technology in a scanner placed on police vehicles that can detect concealed weapons.
"You could use it at a specific event. You could use it at a shooting-prone location," NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez on Tuesday.
It's called Terahertz Imaging Detection. It measures the energy radiating from a body up to 16 feet away, and can detect anything blocking it, like a gun.
"I think it's good. People will be safer and it will be a safer environment," Jessica Ramos said.
"I think it's all about invading people's lives more and more and more," Antonio Gabriel added.
Police Commissioner Kelly said the scanner would only be used in reasonably suspicious circumstances and could cut down on the number of stop-and-frisks on the street.

But according to the article, even civil liberties groups known for ignoring the Second Amendment are raising a red flag.
The New York Civil Liberties Union's Donna Lieberman is quoted as saying that "it's worrisome. It implicates privacy, the right to walk down the street without being subjected to a virtual pat-down by the Police Department when you're doing nothing wrong."

FLORIDA - Florida Senate Bill 1754..

2012-02-01T00:54:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Myself and others are against the Florida Senate Bill 1754 because of the way it is written.
This bill Does Nothing For The Victim.
The bill should be written that the victim and or their family receive the money or at least it is put into a fund that will help victims.
The State of Florida Should Not Profit From the Injury and or Death of its Residents.
Like all the bills that Abate has been involved in passing it makes money for the State of Florida. Of course when that happens it is followed by a large amount of money in the form of a safety grant to Abate.
People are already asking what percentage Abate is going to get from this.

http://www.cyclefish.com/BikerNews/blog/1761/
ABATE of FL's Stiffer Penalties Bill Passes 1st Committee

Motorcycle News Tallahassee, FL January 27, 2012 - ABATE of Florida, Inc.'s Stiffer Penalties Bill, Senate Bill 1754, has passed it's first committee today. The Senate Transportation Committee passed the Bill with 7 yes votes and zero no votes. Doc, ABATE of Florida's Lobbiest, spoke before the committee during the hearing and said there no negative comments.
The next committee for the Bill will be the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. We can use everyone's help to contact the members of this committee to urge them to pass this Bill. The committee's Chair, Sen. Greg Evers (850-487-5000), is the Sponsor of our Bill. Other members are:
Sen. Charlie Dean Vice Chair (850) 487-5017 Sen. Mike Bennett (850) 487-5078 Sen. Alan Hays (850) 487-5014 Sen. Gwen Margolis (850) 487-5121 Sen. Chris Smith (850) 487-5112 Any questions regarding this Bill should be directed to ABATE of Florida, Inc.'s State Legislative Trustee, Darrin "Scribe" Brooks at statelegislative@abateflorida.com .
Past ABATE of Florida, Inc. Press Releases may be found here: www.abateflorida.com/pr . ###
To sign up for future mailings from ABATE of Florida, Inc., click here: http://abateflorida.com/#signup
David "Lockdown" Rich Public Relations Trustee ABATE of Florida, Inc. statepr@abateflorida.com http://www.abateflorida.com/

Graffiti Philosophy

2012-01-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

Graffiti Philosophy

Jan 15, 2012

This is a video illustrating the political/social commentary of public graffiti.
It starts out juxtaposing Bush with Obama -- essentially one just took the kleptocratic baton from the other without missing a beat. Then it touches on the downtrodden and disenfranchised. It then moves into the mass media propaganda machine, then mindless consumerism, our oil addiction, empire's oil-centric/exploitive foreign policy, the corporate driven military industrial complex, the environmental consequences of fossil fuels, and then the evolution (fate) of man.

The soundtrack that accompanies the video is claimed to be an unreleased song by NIN entitled "It All Fades".

Thanks to Abby Martin for posting my video at her important website:
http://www.mediaroots.org/
Essay on the video : http://www.mediaroots.org/political-art-graffiti-philosophy.php

AUSTRALIA - SA to bolster anti-bikie laws within weeks(+video)

2012-01-31T00:59:00.002-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
abc.net.au
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-30/one-wounded-one-dead-in-sa-bikie-shooting/3801316

South Australian Attorney-General John Rau says tough new anti-association legislation to target bikie gangs will be introduced to State Parliament within weeks.

Mr Rau says the fatal shooting of gang member Giovanni Focarelli and the wounding of his father Vincenzo on Sunday night again show why tough legislation is needed.
There was a successful High Court challenge against current laws and Mr Rau says it has taken some time to draft another bill, but it is now ready.
"We need to be very careful about the exact provisions that we put into the Parliament because we don't want to be going down the High Court track again," he said.
"I'm confident that whatever we put into the Parliament will be ultimately litigated by the people that it affects because they've got resources to do so and it's in their interest to do so.
"What we need to ensure is that it doesn't fail the High Court test."
Mr Rau concedes planned legal changes probably would not have prevented Sunday night's fatal shooting at Dry Creek, in the northern suburbs.
"I don't think anybody can say that a rogue individual who is prepared to operate outside the law for reasons that we still don't entirely understand can be prevented in advance by any legislation," he said.
The minister says the Government will legislate to give police more powers to monitor bikie groups and seize their weapons and assets.

Bullet in skull

Vincenzo Focarelli remains in the Royal Adelaide Hospital under police watch, as he recovers from four gunshot wounds. He is to have further surgery on his injuries and has one of the bullets lodged in his skull.
He is refusing to give police any information about the slaying of his 22-year-old son Giovanni.
South Australian Police Commissioner Mal Hyde says the number of motorcycle gang members is falling and many are already facing charges.
"When you look at the three groups that are really high profile at the moment - the Comancheros, the Finks and also the Hells Angels - combined there's about 122 members of those groups and 63 are facing charges, so over 50 per cent," he said.
Mr Hyde is keen that courts impose tougher sentences on cases of bikie violence.
But SA's Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras disagrees with that view.
"You have to look at it case by case and if it really is a real stand-out poor decision then we have the option of entering an appeal or seeking leave to appeal against a decision and getting it increased but, I must say, I don't know that that is the real problem," he said.
Mr Pallaras says the SA Government should outlaw and disband motorcycle gangs and Mr Rau says the Government has taken that view on board.
"He raised a number of issues which included, from memory, an issue about the actual making illegal of an organisation and membership of an organisation and in principle many of ideas, I think, have merit," Mr Rau said.
"The practicalities of how we actually implement them are things that we have been looking at."

South Australian bikie laws

In May 2008, South Australia passed what then-premier Mike Rann proclaimed as 'the world's toughest anti-bikie laws', with the introduction of the Serious and Organised Crime (Control) Act 2008. The Act came into effect on September 4 2008.
Mr Rann cited the following as highlights of the Act:

Gang members who engage in acts of violence that threaten and intimidate the public will be guilty of serious offences and will find it harder to get bail;
Police will be able to prohibit members of a bikie gang from attending a place, event or area where this would pose a serious threat to the public;
The old law of consorting will be replaced with a new law of criminal association that prohibits telephone calls as well as meetings in the flesh;
Stalking a person with the intention of intimidating a victim, witness, court official, police officer or public servant will become a serious offence;
It will be easier for police to secure orders to dismantle fortifications protecting gang clubrooms;
New offences of violent disorder (maximum penalty of 2 years' jail); riot (7 years, 10 years where aggravated); affray (3 years, 5 years where aggravated) and stalking of public officials by outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) members (7 years).
The Attorney-General may declare an organisation an outlaw organisation if satisfied that members of the organisation associate for the purpose of organising, planning, facilitating, supporting or engaging in serious criminal activity and the organisation represents a risk to public safety and order.
The Attorney-General is not required to provide any grounds or reasons for a declaration or decision, nor is criminal intelligence information provided by the Commissioner of Police to be disclosed.

Information sourced from the Australian Institute of Criminology

Another try

Family First MP Dennis Hood says his party tried without success back in 2008 to prevent SA courts from giving suspended sentences for an offender's second serious offence.
Mr Hood plans to reintroduce the legislation in light of the comments from the Police Commissioner on current sentencing.

Audio: Attorney-General John Rau on new plans to toughen anti-bikie laws (ABC News)

"If the Government looks at the bill and says it's not really what we want we want to amend it here and there I'm very open to that and I'd look forward to those discussions so we can come up with something that really works," he said.

Audio: DPP Stephen Pallaras on anti-bikie laws (ABC News)

Law Society president Ralph Bonig is upset Mr Hyde is blaming lenient court sentences for rising bikie violence.
"This is not the first time the Police Commissioner has criticised sentences imposed by our courts. This is nothing more than a populist attack on an easy target, which the statistics show is unjustified," he said.

Video: Police want tougher courts (7pm TV News SA)

CANADA - Jeffrey Lynds death investigation continues...

2012-01-31T00:59:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
CBC News
Hells Angels enforcer was awaiting trial on murder charges....

Police continue to investigate the death of Jeffrey Albert Lynds, once the highest-ranking Hells Angel in Nova Scotia, in a prison cell last week.
CBC News has confirmed that Lynds was found dead Friday in a prison in the Montreal area. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
Lynds was a member of the Halifax chapter of the Hells Angels and later joined the biker gang's elite Nomad enforcement group. He was facing two counts of first-degree murder when he died.
Lynds was accused of killing a hit man and a bystander outside a McDonald's restaurant in Montreal in January 2009. He was arrested in Truro, N.S., in May 2010.
Lynds was also connected to several murder cases in Nova Scotia.
According to documents filed in court in 2010, police believe that Lynds killed Randy Mersereau, who disappeared in October 1999 during a biker gang war.
Lynds co-operated with police following his arrest and became a key figure in several ongoing cases.
A spokesperson for Nova Scotia's public prosecution service said they don't believe Lynds' death will affect those cases, but they are assessing the situation.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/01/30/ns-jeffrey-lynds-hells-angels.html

USA - Healing soldiers, one dog at a time.. Kudos to Mr Stovroff for starting this program, and a BIG THANK YOU to Mr. Stovroff for his service to our country. Our vets deserve nothing but the best. The unconditional love that a dog gives is one of the most precious gifts in the world...

2012-01-31T00:59:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
By Mary Murray
NBC News
Boca Raton, Fla.

Joseph Jones, Jr., a Vietnam War veteran, spends some quality time with guide dog Bruce, at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center in Florida.

Irwin Stovroff is a true American hero – not only for what he did 70 years ago, but for what he accomplishes today.
During World War II, the 20-year-old airman was on his 35th bombing mission when the enemy shot down his B-24 Liberator over German-occupied France.
In Stovroff's home a photo hanging on the wall shows the exact moment his plane nosedived to the ground, billowing smoke. In the picture, taken by an airman flying in another bomber, tiny white dots depict the 10 crewmen who parachuted to the ground.
He remembers being scared and "cursing Hitler all the way down."
Landing right behind enemy lines, Stovroff and his crew were immediately captured by German forces. "This was one time I really did not think I was going to make it," he said.
He believes quick thinking helped save him. Stovroff said he threw away the dog tags that identified him as Jewish, and spent the next year in a Nazi POW camp before being freed by Russian forces. Upon returning to the U.S., Stovroff earned the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, and eventually, the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Knowing first-hand the horrors of war, the 89-year-old is now on a new mission -- helping wounded soldiers.
Tune in Monday, Jan. 30, for Chelsea Clinton's report on Vets Helping Heroes, tonight on NBC “Nightly News."

After learning that the federal government has no program to match injured soldiers with service dogs, Stovroff started a charity in 2007 called Vets Helping Heroes. Since then, he’s raised $3 million to supply vets with seeing-eye and therapy dogs.
"I really recognize what a dog can mean, what a dog can do for somebody," he told NBC’s “Nightly News.” "The dog is a true lifesaver."
The highly trained service dog, Stovroff said, can give the wounded warrior "mobility, independence and a companionship that he can't get from any other way."
Lt. Col. Kathy Champion served with distinction for 27 years and commanded a special combat unit in Iraq. After, returning home, she went blind from a mysterious virus she contracted in Iraq that attacked her spinal cord. At first, Champion shut herself off from family and friends.
"I became a hermit in my own house," she said. "I quit school. I quit my job. I quit being social. I didn't want to talk to anybody. I stopped answering phone calls from my son and daughter. I didn't tell anybody what was wrong. I didn't want anyone to know I wasn't the soldier I had been."
Concerned friends forced her out of her shell and she applied for a service dog from Southeastern Guide Dogs, one of the country's leading training facilities.
Stovroff’s charity donated thousands of dollars to sponsor the dog, and Champion spent 26 days living and training with "Angel" at the facility's Florida campus. She described it as a "life-changing" event.

These cute puppies are in training and will eventually become service dogs for disabled veterans. NBC's Chelsea Clinton has the story on NBC "Nightly News with Brian Williams."

"She has granted me back the life that I felt was taken from me," the army veteran said about her yellow Labrador retriever.
Last year, Champion and Angel hiked the Grand Canyon. "She has taught me to trust," Champion said.
Stovroff also raised the funds to give retired Master Sgt. Mark Gwathmey a lifeline named "Larry."
After three tours of combat duty in Iraq, Gwathmey was constantly exposed to mortar fire and Improvised Explosive Devices that left the soldier with serious medical problems, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a brain injury and severe seizures. Some days the seizures lasted up to eight hours.

"There were times he couldn't walk, couldn't talk. He didn't know who he was, who I was," his wife, Carolyn Gwathmey, recalled.
Life, she said, was so "dark and miserable" she feared her husband would take his own life. "As much love and support his family gave him, it wasn't enough," she said.
Larry not only gave her husband back his life, she said, but also saved his life.
"Larry gave him whatever humans couldn't," Carolyn said.
It’s much more than companionship. Larry can sense when Gwathmey will have a seizure, even hours before it happens, and the dog alerts the family and stands guard over Gwathmey, Carolyn said.
"If Mark tries to stand up, Larry gently forces him back on to the bed," she said.
This degree of training, however, does not come cheap. Costs to train a Southeastern Guide Dog can run as high as $70,000.
Dr. Michael Silverman from the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center argues that the value of a service dogs is priceless. He's speaking in particular about one loveable black lab named Bruce who roams the hospital halls and visits with World War II and Vietnam War veterans.
Even so, Bruce possesses a very special quality, so Stovroff sponsored him for another service career: Bruce is a hugger, all 62 pounds of him. He likes to lay his head on a patient's bed or on the patient's legs if the person is in a wheelchair. Bruce is also trained to give a proper hug, gently placing his paws on a patient's shoulders. At the moment, he's also learning how to give his paw for a more traditional handshake.
"Bruce has a calming effect with his unconditional, non-judgmental love. Patients become less agitated when Bruce is around. They look forward to his visits. He adds to the spirit of the day. He especially helps our vets who are a little afraid to interact with other people," Dr. Silverman said.
The use of therapy dogs to help soldiers heal both the visible and invisible wounds of war is not a new technique, he added. "The American Red Cross, after World War II, used pets in convalescent homes, to help our troops. So, this relationship goes back many, many years and it's a win-win."
Stovroff says every returning soldier in need of a service dog should be provided with one. And while he lobbies for federal funding for canine therapy, he's continuing to make a difference in the lives of more than 80 newly-wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. He calls his program "The Gift of Life."
"America needs to do more for the troops," Stovroff said. "It's our turn to fight for them."

AUSTRALIA - Editorial: Words are not enough to subdue bikies..

2012-01-31T00:58:00.004-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
adelaidenow.com.au

"WE will continue to work to ensure these people are eradicated from our community."
Those are the words of Premier Jay Weatherill yesterday as he tried to give South Australians assurances that the latest outbreak of bikie violence in this state will not be tolerated.
Strong, fighting, words indeed. But they seem to be just the same rhetoric that was spouted a decade ago by his predecessor Mike Rann when it became evident that the growth of outlaw motorcycle gangs in this state, indeed across the nation, was becoming a significant law and order problem.
What has occurred since war was declared on these gangs is that the Government has been unable to live up to its rhetoric despite the best efforts of the SA Police.
To the public at large, it appears these bikie gangs go largely unhindered, thumbing their collective noses at the law - safe in the knowledge that their code of silence, the equivalent of the Mafia's Omerta, will prevent any successful prosecution of their lawless activities.
Despite threats of bulldozing bikie fortresses, crackdowns on bikie runs and attempts to gather intelligence on their activities, these gangs operate independently of the law. They have demonstrated almost with unmitigated arrogance that they have no intention of abiding by the law.
Even fathers whose sons have been shot refuse to co-operate with the police. The fear of reprisals is ever present.
The police are doing their best with the resources available to them within the law. However, the recent spate of violence - including a shooting in a crowded restaurant - should be making the alarm bells ring even louder than before.
This escalation can only lead the public to wonder just how long it will be before what are, in essence, disputes between gang members or between gangs, result in some poor, unfortunate civilians being caught in the crossfire.
There seems to be no easy answer to combating these gangs. Even the full force of the FBI in the United States has failed to make a dent in their activities over there.
In South Australia, we cannot continue to countenance the growing threat to public safety posed by these people. Governments of all political persuasions appear to be fully committed to combating the threats being posed to law and order but the strategy is fragmented by state boundaries.
Harsher penalties at a state level have not made the inroads expected. Perhaps the time has come for the Commonwealth to step in and come up with a national strategy which is going to drive these gangs out of business.
It is worth remembering that one of the world's most infamous of criminals - Al Capone - was brought to heel not on criminal charges but for tax evasion.

AUSTRALIA - Police want Bandidos member Ricky Steven Chapman, 22, banned from Surfers Paradise after two violent nightclub incidents in three weeks...

2012-01-31T00:58:00.003-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
POLICE are trying to ban a bikie from Surfers Paradise after two violent nightclub incidents in three weeks. Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gxxg member Ricky Steven Chapman, 22, faced Southport Magistrates Court today charged with behaving in a disorderly manner in licensed premises, public nuisance and breaching Supreme Court bail.
The charges stem from alleged incidents in Surfers Paradise on January 21.
Court documents allege a drunken Chapman was with Bandidos associates at the Bourbon Bar in Orchid Ave about 2am when he began pushing patrons around "in an aggressive manner".
Bouncers warned him to stop but he was evicted after he "manhandled" patrons.
Later that morning, he allegedly confronted the off-duty bouncer who had evicted him and abused and threatened him.
Police allege Chapman and other Bandidos also forced their way into Blush nightclub on December 30 last year seeking out a rival Rebels bikie gxxg member after an earlier incident at strip club Hollywood Showgirls.
Police say Chapman has used "intimidation and threats of violence" against bouncers and should be banned from Surfers to maintain public order and safety.
The case was adjourned until March 16.
Police agreed to bail but only on condition Chapman not go into central Surfers Paradise except to report to police.
He was already on Supreme Court bail over serious drug charges.
Chapman lived in Surfers Paradise but outside the party precinct police want him banned from.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/police-want-bandidos-member-ricky-steven-chapman-22-banned-from-surfers-paradise-after-two-violent-nightclub-incidents-in-three-weeks/story-e6freoof-1226257177268

Netherlands - Dutch government gets tough with 'outlaw bikers'...

2012-01-31T00:58:00.002-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

The Dutch government has announced its plans to put an end to the criminal activities of motorbike clubs. So-called ‘outlaw bikers’ are allegedly involved in trafficking drugs and weapons, intimidation and attempted murders. But the lawyer of one of the two largest biker clubs in the Netherlands is astonished by the allegations.Justice and Security Minister Ivo Opstelten warns that Hells Angels and members of the Moluccan biker club Satudarah should not think they are invincible. In recent years there have been more than 40 criminal investigations into the Hells Angels and Satudarah. But so far, this has been to little or no avail, as cases are seldom prosecuted, partly because the authorities fail to communicate with each other.
That's a thing of the past from now on, says Minister Opstelten :
“All mayors, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the fraud squad and other government agencies have joined forces to fight evil on the same level. It's an integrated approach. This is what we do with outlaw bikers in our country. This way we will prevent them from continuing their evil practices.”
The tougher approach should make it more difficult for the clubs to hold meetings and build a club house. Mr Opstelten: “We will not tolerate no go areas where people can ignore national rules and values.” Priority will also be given to confiscating the proceeds of crime.
Tough language
Erik Thomas, lawyer for Satudarah, is horrified by what he calls the minister’s tough language. He thinks the minister should take more care with his accusations:
“Lots of accusations have been voiced. Honestly I have to say, I was astonished when I heard the minister say: 'We have to tackle the evil'. The language is out of proportion; the term ‘outlaw bikers’ was used. If I look at my clients from the last 22 years, I don't recognise the image that the justice minister is trying to portray. As if Satudarah, and probably also the Hells Angels, have an octopus-like influence on the Netherlands."
The law-abiding versus the underworld
And indeed, the minister does think that the motorcycle clubs are extending their tentacles still further. With the new offensive, he wants to prevent them having an ever-increasing grip on society:
"There should be no occurences of intimidation, there should be no intertwining of crime with the law-abiding world. The government should ensure that that sort of thing does not occur. The government will show its face here and will prevent these things happening."
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/dutch-government-gets-tough-outlaw-bikers

US - The Caging of America...

2012-01-31T00:58:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
by Adam Gopnik
The Caging of America,
Why do we lock up so many people?

Six million people are under correctional supervision in the U.S.—more than were in Stalin’s gulags. Photograph by Steve Liss.

A prison is a trap for catching time. Good reporting appears often about the inner life of the American prison, but the catch is that American prison life is mostly undramatic—the reported stories fail to grab us, because, for the most part, nothing happens. One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich is all you need to know about Ivan Denisovich, because the idea that anyone could live for a minute in such circumstances seems impossible; one day in the life of an American prison means much less, because the force of it is that one day typically stretches out for decades. It isn’t the horror of the time at hand but the unimaginable sameness of the time ahead that makes prisons unendurable for their inmates. The inmates on death row in Texas are called men in “timeless time,” because they alone aren’t serving time: they aren’t waiting out five years or a decade or a lifetime. The basic reality of American prisons is not that of the lock and key but that of the lock and clock.

That’s why no one who has been inside a prison, if only for a day, can ever forget the feeling. Time stops. A note of attenuated panic, of watchful paranoia—anxiety and boredom and fear mixed into a kind of enveloping fog, covering the guards as much as the guarded. “Sometimes I think this whole world is one big prison yard, / Some of us are prisoners, some of us are guards,” Dylan sings, and while it isn’t strictly true—just ask the prisoners—it contains a truth: the guards are doing time, too. As a smart man once wrote after being locked up, the thing about jail is that there are bars on the windows and they won’t let you out. This simple truth governs all the others. What prisoners try to convey to the free is how the presence of time as something being done to you, instead of something you do things with, alters the mind at every moment. For American prisoners, huge numbers of whom are serving sentences much longer than those given for similar crimes anywhere else in the civilized world—Texas alone has sentenced more than four hundred teen-agers to life imprisonment—time becomes in every sense this thing you serve.

For most privileged, professional people, the experience of confinement is a mere brush, encountered after a kid’s arrest, say. For a great many poor people in America, particularly poor black men, prison is a destination that braids through an ordinary life, much as high school and college do for rich white ones. More than half of all black men without a high-school diploma go to prison at some time in their lives. Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today—perhaps the fundamental fact, as slavery was the fundamental fact of 1850. In truth, there are more black men in the grip of the criminal-justice system—in prison, on probation, or on parole—than were in slavery then. Over all, there are now more people under “correctional supervision” in America—more than six million—than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height. That city of the confined and the controlled, Lockuptown, is now the second largest in the United States.

The accelerating rate of incarceration over the past few decades is just as startling as the number of people jailed: in 1980, there were about two hundred and twenty people incarcerated for every hundred thousand Americans; by 2010, the number had more than tripled, to seven hundred and thirty-one. No other country even approaches that. In the past two decades, the money that states spend on prisons has risen at six times the rate of spending on higher education. Ours is, bottom to top, a “carceral state,” in the flat verdict of Conrad Black, the former conservative press lord and newly minted reformer, who right now finds himself imprisoned in Florida, thereby adding a new twist to an old joke: A conservative is a liberal who’s been mugged; a liberal is a conservative who’s been indicted; and a passionate prison reformer is a conservative who’s in one.

The scale and the brutality of our prisons are the moral scandal of American life. Every day, at least fifty thousand men—a full house at Yankee Stadium—wake in solitary confinement, often in “supermax” prisons or prison wings, in which men are locked in small cells, where they see no one, cannot freely read and write, and are allowed out just once a day for an hour’s solo “exercise.” (Lock yourself in your bathroom and then imagine you have to stay there for the next ten years, and you will have some sense of the experience.) Prison rape is so endemic—more than seventy thousand prisoners are raped each year—that it is routinely held out as a threat, part of the punishment to be expected. The subject is standard fodder for comedy, and an uncoöperative suspect being threatened with rape in prison is now represented, every night on television, as an ordinary and rather lovable bit of policing. The normalization of prison rape—like eighteenth-century japery about watching men struggle as they die on the gallows—will surely strike our descendants as chillingly sadistic, incomprehensible on the part of people who thought themselves civilized. Though we avoid looking directly at prisons, they seep obliquely into our fashions and manners. Wealthy white teen-agers in baggy jeans and laceless shoes and multiple tattoos show, unconsciously, the reality of incarceration that acts as a hidden foundation for the country.

TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY, FOLLOW THE LINK,
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2012/01/30/120130crat_atlarge_gopnik#ixzz1ktmkMSbL

AUSTRALIA - Police say anti-bikie laws are our best weapon....

2012-01-31T00:57:00.005-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
THE Crime Gangs Task Force and the State Government's controversial anti-bikie laws are still the best weapons available to police, Commissioner Mal Hyde said yesterday.
He said barring orders, public-safety orders, as well as higher penalties for drug trafficking and firearm offences had still worked to the point where more than 100 of 274 bikie members were facing charges.
"Before the legislation was brought in there was about 250 members of the various clubs. That dropped down to just under 200," Mr Hyde said.
"If you look at the Finks motorcycle group in particular, there are currently 52 members to our knowledge and 30 of them are facing charges and nine of them are in prison.
"When you look at the three groups that are really the high profile at the moment - the Comancheros, the Finks and also the Hells Angels, combined there's about 122 members of those groups and 63 are facing charges."
But Mr Hyde said "patchy" court sentences were hindering police efforts to lock bikies away.
In recent years:
FINKS member Dylan Jessen was fined $2000 in January over a brawl.
THE Supreme Court increased jail terms for three Finks members over a 2009 assault.
REBELS bikies Jamie Richard Mills and Giovanni Licastro were jailed in November 2010 for shooting at a Waymouth St nightclub in October 2009.
SENIOR Finks member William John Davis was jailed for 6½ years in June 2010 for hiding rifles and ammunition in his home's walls.
FORMER Hells Angel George Petropoulos received a suspended jail term in 2008 for theft and extortion.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/police-say-anti-bikie-laws-are-our-best-weapon/story-e6frea6u-1226257754672

AUSTRALIA - OMCG member and associate charged with driving offences - Strike Force Raptor

2012-01-31T00:57:00.004-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
An alleged member of the Comanchero Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG) and an alleged associate of the same group have been detected by Strike Force Raptor officers for driving offences.
Officers from the Gangs Squad’s Strike Force Raptor were patrolling the Milperra area, in Sydney's south-west, on Friday 27 January 2012 when they stopped a motorcycle about 10.15pm.
The rider, an alleged member of the Comanchero OMCG, was subjected to a roadside breath test, returning a positive result.
He was placed under arrest and taken to Bankstown Police Station where he returned a breath analysis of 0.106.
The 51-year-old Marrickville man’s licence was suspended and he was issued a court attendance notice for the offence of drive with middle-range PCA to face Bankstown Local Court on 7 March 2012.
About 10.40pm, officers stopped a car at Milperra, with a check of the driver’s licence revealing he was suspended from driving.
As a result, the 20-year-old Fairfield East man, who is alleged to be an associate of the Comanchero OMCG, was issued a court attendance notice for the offence of drive whilst suspended. He is due to face Blacktown Local Court on 21 March 2012
http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/latest_releases?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGd3d3LmViaXoucG9saWNlLm5zdy5nb3YuYXUlMkZtZWRpYSUyRjIxMjgwLmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D

Police swarm dealership after tension rises between biker clubs..

2012-01-31T00:57:00.003-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

Liam Migdail-Smith

Reading Eagle

Police officers from across Berks County swarmed to Classic Harley-Davidson in Bern Township on Sunday to stop an argument between two motorcycle gangs from escalating into a 100-person brawl, investigators said.
Initial reports indicated that a fight was starting inside the dealership at 983 James Drive, possibly involving baseball bats.
But the two groups backed off before the argument turned physical, police said. Officers were called about 12:15 p.m., and the bikers cleared out by 1 p.m., authorities said.
No one was charged or injured.
The area around the dealership was teeming with state troopers and police from all over the county. The bikers stood in groups as officers walked around, some with shotguns drawn.
A manager at Classic Harley-Davidson declined to comment.
Bern police gave this account:
Officers were called for reports of a fight starting between the two gangs, which totaled about 100 riders. The dispute did not turn into a fight. Police were not sure what the disagreement was about or how it started.
A total of about 30 to 40 police officers and state troopers responded.
Police declined to identify the gangs. However, several bikers were wearing jackets emblazoned with "Wheels of Soul," a Philadelphia-based gang.
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=362301

Contact Liam Migdail-Smith: 610-371-5022 or lsmith@readingeagle.com.

Actually yes, ignorance of the law is an excuse...

2012-01-31T00:57:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
COMMENT,
This is one of the few articles I can actually agree with. The amount of laws passed in a legislative session are ridiculous. However, there are hundreds of laws repealed as well, but if you don’t actually follow the session you will never hear about it. Thank you for a welcome break from Man Child and Boy Blunders endeavors to antagonize police. It is a like a welcome commercial break. The problems start at the top, because lobbyist run this country, and as a result votes mean nothing.
There are countless laws. Literally.

Maybe not in the mathematical sense – it is technically possible to count the laws in existence, but based on a colloquial and general use of the term “countless” it is not really feasible for someone to count every law. Just this year, 40,000 laws were passed and are set to go into effect. On the other hand, we rarely hear news about laws being repealed.
At this rate, if it is a monumental task to even count the laws, certainly, one can never know all the laws. And then – even if one knows generally of many laws, it is further impossible to understand the laws with requisite detail so as to ensure compliance.
Yet, people are told over and over by police, prosecutors, and the justice system that “ignorance of the law is no excuse.”
To all the police, prosecutors, asshole judges, and other groveling subjects who insist on the “rule of law” – actually, yes, ignorance is an excuse. Perhaps one would be viewed as disingenuous when claiming he or she did not know murder, theft, or rape was against the law. However, when 40,000 laws are passed each year, each with possibly hundreds of pages of details, it is a perfectly legitimate excuse to claim one is ignorant of said laws.
This is especially the case because most laws do not prevent murder, theft, or rape, which of course are the most obvious and justified prohibitions. Personal violations and property violations – that’s 2 laws. Total. It’s reasonable to throw in a few more for different degrees of personal violations (e.g. 2nd degree murder, voluntary and/or involuntary manslaughter, assault and battery), and different types of theft or property violations (e.g. fraud, embezzlement, petty theft, larceny, robbery, trespassing). That might get us to 15, and for the most part, that’s the bulk of the law that is reasonable or necessary. So where did the other 40,000 per year come from?
They are almost all useless or repetitive. They come from lobbyists, power-hungry politicians who want to appear to be “doing something” and from idiots who do not understand the meaning of statistical significance. One freak tragedy happens, and suddenly the relatives of the victim are lobbying, protesting, and demanding their local sleazeball politician to “do something” about any act, behavior, or substance remotely related to the tragedy, despite the fact that those acts, behaviors or substances are completely safe and hurt no one 99.99 percent of the time. I can almost guarantee you that if someone happened to run out of their house, slip on a banana peel, smash their face into a fence and die, that a committee of concerned citizens and responsive politicians will form to demand the death penalty upon people who litter banana peels, or to throw people in jail for running out of their houses.
If you visit this fun website by a couple of lawbreakers blogging their criminal activity, you will learn that it is illegal to peel an orange in a hotel in Los Angeles. It is illegal to fish while wearing pajamas in Chicago, IL. Playing an instrument with the intention of luring someone into a store is illegal in Indian Wells, CA. It is illegal in Globe, AZ to play cards with an Indian. Drinking a beer from a bucket is illegal in St. Louis, MO. Sleeping on a refrigerator is illegal in Pittsburgh.
I haven not personally verified the existence of these laws, but I can tell you with fair certainty about a multitude of other absurd laws that do exist. For instance, Alabama only legalized interracial marriage in 2000. Altruistic war veteran Antonio Buehler learned recently that spitting on a police officer is a third degree felony in Texas. When he observed an officer abusing a woman, he stopped to take pictures, and was attacked by police and arrested. Videos taken do not show him spitting police, but nevertheless, police accused him of doing so and charged him with harassment of a public official, a third degree felony (as a side note, spitting on a regular person would not nearly rise to a felony, because regular people aren’t gods, like the police are).
In yet another display of legal absurdity, a marine biologist faces 20 years in prison for violating an obscure federal environmental law. Nancy Black was in her research boat when killer whales attacked and killed a gray whale calf. Blubber floated to the surface, and the killer whales were getting ready to feed. Ms. Black threaded ropes through some blubber and lowered a camera under water. She has been indicted by a federal grand jury for violating the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act (more here).
In many cities, it is de facto illegal to feed the homeless. And of course, in most states in America, due to the rise of the “Resisting Arrest” charge, people literally can be arrested for doing absolutely nothing.
Above all, the most important element to note is that “ignorance of the law is no excuse” only applies to the peons of America. It does not apply to prosecutors, judges, police, or other powerful people. Police have qualified immunity for various actions they take on the job. Prosecutors have even greater immunity. The Supreme Court held in Imbler v. Pachtman that absolute immunity of public prosecutors is “based on the policy of protecting the judicial process.” Thus, prosecutors face no recourse for even the most malicious of actions – knowingly using falsified evidence.
The Supreme Court is currently considering the issue of whether there is a Constitutional right to “not be framed.” (Yes, the system is that evil – they actually have to debate whether there is a “right not to be framed”). Judges also have absolute civil immunity, so if the Supreme Court decides there is no Constitutional right “not to be framed” they will not be held accountable, and all anyone can do about it is cry. (Read more about all these immunities here).
Next time you hear anyone talk about “the rule of law” or “ignorance of the law is no excuse” it’s worth pondering what exactly that means. In the context of America, it inevitably means oppression and arbitrary results from a system that operates off an extensive, random mire of nonsensical dictates decreed by tyrants.

U.S. - The Caging of America....

2012-01-31T00:55:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
The Caging of America

New Yorker, by Adam Gopnik:

A prison is a trap for catching time. Good reporting appears often about the inner life of the American prison, but the catch is that American prison life is mostly undramatic—the reported stories fail to grab us, because, for the most part, nothing happens. One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich is all you need to know about Ivan Denisovich, because the idea that anyone could live for a minute in such circumstances seems impossible; one day in the life of an American prison means much less, because the force of it is that one day typically stretches out for decades. It isn’t the horror of the time at hand but the unimaginable sameness of the time ahead that makes prisons unendurable for their inmates. The inmates on death row in Texas are called men in “timeless time,” because they alone aren’t serving time: they aren’t waiting out five years or a decade or a lifetime. The basic reality of American prisons is not that of the lock and key but that of the lock and clock.

For most privileged, professional people, the experience of confinement is a mere brush, encountered after a kid’s arrest, say. For a great many poor people in America, particularly poor black men, prison is a destination that braids through an ordinary life, much as high school and college do for rich white ones. More than half of all black men without a high-school diploma go to prison at some time in their lives. Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today—perhaps the fundamental fact, as slavery was the fundamental fact of 1850. In truth, there are more black men in the grip of the criminal-justice system—in prison, on probation, or on parole—than were in slavery then. Over all, there are now more people under “correctional supervision” in America—more than six million—than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height. That city of the confined and the controlled, Lockuptown, is now the second largest in the United States.

ILLINOIS - “HB0930 is a "No Profiling" bill to stop motorcycle only check points.

2012-01-31T00:53:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

“HB0930 is a "No Profiling" bill to stop motorcycle only check points. It is a Shell Bill, no real content, and has a short description of Criminal Law Tech to be amended to include the no profiling at a later date”

Bob Myers

State Legislative Coordinator

ABATE of Illinois, Inc.

BOB MYERS

LEGISLATIVE COORDINATOR

ABATE OF ILLINOIS

# 618-885-5769

Cell# 618-917-4919

bobkat63@frontiernet.net

bobmabate@yahoo.com

http://www.mendotareporter.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=6101&page=77 Kleckner honored by ABATE of Illinois

Posted: Tuesday, Jan 24th, 2012 BY: Staff

Dan Kleckner, left, accepts the Rich Neb Award from Mike Myers, state coordinator of ABATE of Illinois, Inc., at the state seminar on Jan. 21. (Photo contributed)

ABATE Starved Rock Chapter member, Dan Kleckner, received the “Rich Neb Award” on Jan. 21 at the 2012 ABATE of Illinois, Inc. state seminar. This award is ABATE of Illinois’ highest honor for outstanding contributions to motorcycling.
Requirements for the Rich Neb Award are sacrifice, success, sincerity, continuity and organization. These qualities are measured by a person’s character, contribution to motorcyclists’ rights, commitment to motorcycling, ability to work with others and length of service. This award is not given annually but by merit, and it is not given posthumously.
The mission of ABATE of Illinois is to preserve the universal right to a safe, unrestricted motorcycling environment, and to propose and advocate actions that can be taken by elected officials to protect and conserve the natural resources of the state of Illinois, and ensure through professional management that sustainable use, recreational opportunities and enjoyment of these resources is available for this and future generations.

http://www.thejournal-news.net/articles/2012/01/30/opinion/letters/letter02.txt
Sharing Information On Cycles And Red Lights

Dear Editor:
I am a high school senior and American citizen who will be of age to vote in March. I wish to encourage everyone to register and exercise that right to vote.
I also want to speak to the public about a new law that came into effect this January.
People say, "did you hear about that law allowing bikers to run red lights?"
I want to clear up what this law is, why it was created, and how it affects everyone. I also want to share information and thank ABATE (A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education) of Illinois for their political efforts.
This new law does not allow motorcycles to run red lights. It allows a motorcycle to proceed through a light that has not changed to green after sitting 120 seconds and it is safe to proceed. Have you sat in traffic and wondered why that motorcycle waited and eventually ran a red light? Some motorcycles do not trigger traffic signals. To maintain the flow of traffic this law is important.

The work of ABATE also affects the public through education. If you are a driver or passenger in a car or motorcycle, you could be sharing the road with someone who completed a motorcycle awareness program. In these high school presentations students are educated about looking out for motorcycles, realizing blind spots, texting, other driving distractions and topics that help to make new drivers safer. This program is accomplished through volunteer time from ABATE members.
ABATE is the organization that has helped to keep Illinois one of the three remaining states that are totally helmet free. The members believe wearing a helmet should be a choice. I believe citizens are losing basic rights. Motorcycle rights organizations along with other groups are protecting basic rights.
Farmers with four wheelers should look at the rights ABATE has protected and educate yourselves on how legislation has tried to put limits on riding on your own property. How many farmers know there has been legislation proposed to regulate dust? Would you like more information to show support or become involved in ABATE? Please visit www.abate-il.org.
Reed Best
Shelbyville

Nude Nuns with Big Guns (Blu-ray)

2012-01-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

dvdtalk.com

OFF THE WIRE

I've been walking around with this Blu-ray disc for, like, four days now, and I still crack up every time I look at that artwork. Great tagline. Even better title. In the running for Cover of the Year. Uh, too bad about the movie, though.

In this grueling economy, even the Catholic Church has gotta start thinking about alternative revenue streams if they want to keep the lights on. This one church on the outskirts of the desert has come up with a pretty clever scheme: cocaine. They've got the perfect cover. All those nuns they've got make for a pretty ideal workforce. They even have all the right connections courtesy of the Los Muertos biker gang. 'sjust that Sister Sarah (Asun Ortega) decides she wants to wet her beak a little (I guess? this point's not really made clear). Holding out on the Los Muertos gets most of her sisters slaughtered, and Sarah herself gets passed around by the gang as a doped-up cum dumpster. Turns out a

[click on the thumbnail to enlarge]

lotta guys will pay a lotta money to fuck a nun. Doesn't last for too long, though. Sister Sarah gets some new marching orders directly from the big man Himself, and she strikes down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempted to poison and destroy her sisters. In other words...? Nude nuns with big guns!

Nude Nuns with Big Guns has its heart in the right place...or as right a place as a gloriously sleazy flick with a title like that can have it, I guess. In the first few minutes alone, you get a shameless ripoff of the Planet Terror theme from Grindhouse, a roomful of nuns wearing habits and nothin' else cutting up coke, and stylized freeze-frame cards straight outta The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The idea of a broad who's pumped full of heroin and forced into prostitution is right out of the Thriller: A Cruel Picture playbook, all the way down to her gun-toting revenge. That's not even getting to the bad-ass biker gang, the Taxi Driver-inspired climax, or the fact that the flick's incapable of going more than a couple of minutes without a nude scene or a rape. Seriously, I can't think of the last movie I've seen outside of Cinemax After Dark with this much nudity, and not that I'm even a little bit into rape or anything, but I think Nude Nuns with Big Guns is some kind of record holder there too. I mean, most vintage exploitation flicks might have a cacklingly brilliant title and really great poster art, but there'd be maybe six or seven minutes of good stuff surrounded by seventy-something minutes of complete boredom. Nude Nuns with Big Guns doesn't just deliver just about everything you'd expect out of that title; it never stops delivering, so you're lookin' at an hour and a half straight of sex, drugs, and big-ass guns.

...and yet I'm sitting here scowling right now. See, the problem is that Nude Nuns with Big Guns is a title in search of a movie. It doesn't feel like anyone on either side of the camera is really having any fun, and even with all the tits and gunplay that get heaped on, it just feels

[click on the thumbnail to enlarge]

so...workmanlike. The best sight gags -- a half-battalion of more-or-less nude nuns cutting drugs a la American Gangster; Sarah lugging around a Tommy gun -- bookend the movie. There are only a couple of real rampages. Otherwise, someone will just pull out a pistol, and there'll be a tiny digital bullet hole that someone painted on a PC in his bedroom. I was hoping for something a lot more demented and splattery, and instead I got cigarette burns. Nude Nuns with Big Guns doesn't give me much of a reason to give a shit about Sister Sarah. All vengeance; no character and no charisma or anything. The badniks are mostly routine, including head honcho Chavo (David Castro). Only Xango Henry as über-ripped Los Muertos right-hand-man Kickstand makes much of an impression. There's not much of a sense of style...just whatever they're sloppily trying to ape from more worthwhile movies, and the overreliance on digital zooms in particular gets really old, really quickly. It kind of reeks of I-torrented-Final-Cut-Pro-and-kind-of-know-how-to-work-a-camera-so-let's-make-a-movie! I mean, there's low-budget, there's even-lower-budget, and then there's this. Even with all the nudity and lesbianism and stuff, Nude Nuns with Big Guns gets to be kinda tedious, especially the sheer what-the-fuck volume of long, long rape scenes.

Maybe right about now you're thinking that I'm completely missing the point. It's called Nude Nuns with Big Guns, after all. Who gives a shit about craftsmanship or characterization or what-the-fuck-ever in a movie paying homage to the 42nd St. crowd? Are there nekkid nuns packing heat: yes or no? I waltzed into Nude Nuns with Big Guns expecting something deliriously over-the-top like last year's super-brilliant Hobo with a Shotgun, and instead I wound up with something a lot closer to...he types with a shudder...Hell Ride. The whole thing is kind of joyless and repetitive. It plays like a cover band that can barely string together a couple of power chords, and yet they hit the studio and record a screeching medley of a bunch of their favorite songs anyway. Wow, so I kind of ran that into the ground. A sense of humor every once in a while pokes its heads out of the ground but dives back in to make room for more rape. Despite all the shit that's going on, the pacing winds up feeling choppy and wildly uneven anyway. There might be a twenty or thirty minute short here, but it really shouldn't have been dragged out to an hour and a half. I guess I'm just about done here, so I'll sum it up with this. Nude Nuns with Big Guns: amazing title; borderline-unwatchable movie.
Video

I don't really go for that distractingly digital look that Nude Nuns with Big Guns opts for, but on the strictly technical end of things or whatever, this Blu-ray disc does pretty well for itself. The image is consistently crisp and clear and all that. The palette alternates between heavily stylized and blandly sunbaked, and it comes through about as well as it can. Despite an anemic-and-then-some bitrate -- its AVC encode and lossless audio don't even break the 15 gig mark -- I couldn't spot any hiccups in the compression. I did spot a couple instances of posterization, such as when Sister Bleedin'-Like-a-Stuck-Pig Sarah starts wobbling in and out of consciousness, but that's not really worth griping about. Totally okay for what it is.
Audio

Nude Nuns with Big Guns is packing a 16-bit, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, and it's...yeah, kind of a mess. For one, the volume's really low, especially compared to the stuff that blares over the main menu. The

[click on the thumbnail to enlarge]

recording of the dialogue is really sloppy, sometimes getting completely drowned out, sometimes coming across as distant and hollow, and other times seeming kinda harsh and edgy. None of the sound effects pack much of a wallop...just really flat, as if it's just whatever happened to be captured on the set with little in the way of post-production sweetening. Neither the surrounds nor the subwoofer make their presence known all that much. A couple notches above pumping this through the tinny little speakers built into your TV, I guess, but not much more than that.
No dubs or alternate mixes this time around. Subtitles are limited to English (SDH) and Spanish.

AUSTRALIA - Bounty on renegade Comanchero Focarelli(+video)

2012-01-30T20:03:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
There is a bounty on the head of Vincenzo Focarelli and whoever kills him will become the next leader of the Comancheros' South Australia chapter, according to a media report. Underworld sources say the bikie has been posing as boss of the outlaw motorcycle gang's state chapter but in fact was kicked out of the gang for siphoning off drug profits, Adelaide Now reports. Focarelli survived a f... MORE

CHECK THIS OUT!! AZ'S BEING SUED BY OBAMA!!

2012-01-30T18:53:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Check this out! Our own president is suing Arizona and siding with foreign governments against the US!
The president of the United States is suing Arizona!!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/tsH8xvjTAlo CHECK THIS OUT!

AUSTRALIA - First direct arrests in Sydney shootings..

2012-01-30T00:59:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
smh.com.au
Police have charged the first people over more than a dozen shootings that have plagued Sydney in a month and frightened witnesses not to come forward.
Police were called to Denman Avenue, Wiley Park, in Sydney's southwest, about 3.20am (AEDT) on Sunday after reports of an argument in the street.
Witnesses said a shouting match in the street drew a verbal response from a neighbour before a single gunshot struck rang out.
Police say the people in the street then entered a vehicle that sped away.
"My information is that we actually had reports of people fighting in the street followed by the sound of a firearm," Assistant Commissioner Frank Mennilli told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.
Officers recovered a shell casing in the street but police would not confirm the bullet struck a residence.
A short time later officers on patrol intercepted a Nissan Pulsar on the M5 motorway near Bankstown, and arrested a young man and woman after allegedly discovering a loaded 9mm Glock 27 pistol in the vehicle.
The 25-year-old man was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm in a public place and illegally possessing a firearm.
Police charged the 23-year-old woman with concealing a serious offence and being an accessory after the fact.
Both were refused bail and ordered to appear at Burwood Local Court on Monday.
"We believe we have the firearm and the offender who was responsible," Mr Mennilli said.
The man was well known to police but detectives have not linked the incident to the more than 12 shootings in January.
Police also have charged a 21-year-old man over a shooting on Thursday, when an 18-year-old man arrived at Auburn Hospital with a gunshot wound to his back.
At the time the victim refused to speak to police.
Police arrested the older man on Sunday afternoon and charged him with shooting with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and over three outstanding warrants.
He was refused bail and will appear in Burwood Local Court on Monday.
Police have also arrested a 40-year-old woman after a young man was shot twice in the leg outside his family's home at Guildford.
She was charged with two counts of possessing and supplying drugs and had her car confiscated for forensic examination.
Police launched Operation Spartan in mid-January, when nine shootings took place in eight days.
Before Sunday, a wall of silence by witnesses and victims has prevented police from making any direct arrests into the shootings.
Operation Spartan has therefore targeted more than 150 people police believe may be linked to the shootings.
Search warrants and other police activity have led to 70 people being arrested, 200 charges being laid and more than 12 firearms being seized.
"They will resort to violence, they'll resort to use a firearm whether it be domestic related, criminal activity or drug related," Mr Mennilli said.
Opposition Leader John Robertson reiterated his call for more police resources to be dedicated to quell the violence, tougher laws to deal with organised criminal gangs and cash rewards for information.

Canada - SPEARFISH, SD - Spearfish Police Prep For Hells Angels Convention..

2012-01-30T00:59:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Derek Olson
keloland.com
Every summer the Hells Angels hold "USA Run," which is the group's national convention. This year's run could happen in Spearfish. And, spearfish police are already preparing.
A week and a half before this year's motorcycle rally, members of the group will converge 20 miles west in Spearfish.
"We're expecting between 500 and 600 club members," Spearfish Police Chief Pat Rotert said.
From July 25 to 29, the Hells Angels will hold their annual convention in the northern hills town. Police there are wasting no time in making sure that they're ready.
"We're meeting regularly with our law enforcement resources, our own agency, Lawrence County Sheriff's Department, Division of Criminal Investigations and several federal agencies to put things in place to where we're the most prepared to deal with whatever issues might come up come the time in July when they are here," Rotert said.
"The Hells Angels are nothing new to this area, it's nothing new to the rally or to the Black Hills or Spearfish," Spearfish Police Lt. Boyd Dean said.
"Police here in Spearfish say that they've encountered members of the Hells Angels before and that they haven't posed any major problems for the area. Still, they plan on taking extra steps to keep the community safe," Standup.
"We'll have two-man cars at that time, plus we'll have assistance from the South Dakota Highway Patrol, local sheriff's departments, DCI and the federal agencies also," Dean said.
Because even though the Angels call themselves a motorcycle club, police here have no question as to what they really are, a gang.
"Clubs like the Hells Angels refer to themselves as the one-percenters for a reason, because they feel they are part of that one-percent that is truly an outlaw biker gang. They embrace that. They admit it. They wear it on their vests," Rotert said.
Regardless, the hope here is that all goes well and that there are no issues.
"If we have no issues during it and we were prepared for larger issues, that would be great," Rotert said.
Police are also talking with other communities where the Hells Angels have held their convention in prior years, to see what worked there and what didn't.
VIDEO

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AUSTRALIA - Focarelli silent on SA bikie shooting..

2012-01-30T00:58:00.002-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
smh.com.au
Liza Kappelle

AAP
The leader of the Comancheros outlaw bikie gang is refusing to co-operate with police after surviving another attempt on his life, a shooting that also killed his son.
Vincenzo Focarelli is in hospital with gunshot wounds and refusing to tell police who shot him and killed his 22-year-old son, Giovanni, on Sunday night at Dry Creek, in Adelaide's northwest.
It was the fourth attempt on Vincenzo Focarelli's life.
He was shot in the leg in December and was also the target of a failed bomb attack by two men linked to the Hells Angels who both died when the device exploded early.
He reportedly taunted his rivals on Facebook a day after surviving the third attempt on his life - including boasting that he had nine lives.
He can be seen dancing in a YouTube clip that appears to be promoting life in the Comancheros gang in Adelaide.
Detective Superintendent Grant Moyle says police will do everything they can to prevent retaliation.
"I would suggest it was a very planned, targeted attempt on his life," he told reporters in an overnight press conference.
"It is a concern to us that retribution might take place, but we will do what we can to talk sense into these people.
"He has declined to provide us any information that might assist us in identifying the offender.
"That is a difficulty we face in these particular cases.
"The people that do know information are often reluctant to assist the investigation."
South Australian Police Minister Jennifer Rankine is being briefed on the shooting by Police Commissioner Mal Hyde.
She says police are doing their best to deal with the scourge of outlaw gangs and SA has very tough anti-bikie laws.
"Hundreds of them have been arrested and charged. Hundreds of their associates have been arrested and charged," she told ABC Radio.
"The frustration is these people have absolutely no regard for the law or, it would appear, for their safety or the safety of the community."
Police are doorknocking an area near Flame Avenue in Dry Creek where they believe the Focarellis were shot.
Vince Focarelli, who is believed to have been wounded up to four times, apparently bundled his son into a car and drove it towards the city, waving a police car down in suburban Prospect.
Giovanni was dead by the time an ambulance crew arrived.
The 22-year-old had also been attacked before and had refused to co-operate with police investigating his attempted murder.
Part of Prospect Rd was cordoned off overnight while police examined the Focarellis' car.
About half an hour after the shooting a group of people arrived and had to be restrained by police from entering the crime scene.
News Ltd said one woman had to be tackled by three officers.

AUSTRALIA - Chopper tells Troy, 'have my kidney'...

2012-01-30T00:58:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

Linda Parri
perthnow.com.au

GANGLAND identity Mark "Chopper" Read has come out in support of notorious biker Troy Mercanti, saying he deserves to go on the donor list for a new kidney and would even give him his own kidney.
Following a rampage through suburban Duncraig last week, Mercanti came close to death on Wednesday due to kidney failure caused by years of alcohol, drug and steroid abuse
"I'd give him one of my kidneys, but I've got cirrhosis of the liver and I've got hepatitis C," Read said. "He can have my kidney if he wants it, but he wouldn't have long to live."
Read said Mercanti deserved a new kidney.
"Has hasn't killed anybody," he said. "If there's a spare kidney around and he's the right blood group then why shouldn't he get it?"
Despite needing a new liver himself, Read has refused to go on the donor list.
"I don't want to go and sit next to seven and 10-year-old kids," said the father of two.
"But I'm not gonna tell someone they can't go on the fing donor list. It was my decision not to go on the donor list, but it's not his."
Read said everyone should have a choice."They gave that heroin girl a new liver and she used heroin and died," Read said, referring to Perth drug addict Claire Murray.
"Everyone's entitled to go on the fing donor list. Everyone. The fact that I'm not on it is my fing decision."
Read, who is reported to have only a year to live, said he did not know his life expectancy.
"Fed if I f---ing know. I couldn't give a sht anyway. I'm 57 years old I've got cirrhosis of the liver and I've got hepatitis C," he said.
"I don't know when I'm gonna fucking drop. I don't even bother thinking about it.
"But if Mercanti wants to live another day why shouldn't he?"
Read said he would be visiting Perth, early this year, to fulfil public-speaking engagements.

AUSTRALIA - Comanchero member Giovanni Focarelli shot dead as club president father Vince survives fourth attempt, to kill him.....

2012-01-30T00:58:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Thomas Conlin, Derek Pedley
dailytelegraph.com.au

Giovanni Focarelli was found dead in this Ford Falcon sedan on Prospect Rd, Prospect. Picture: Bianca De Marchi Source: AdelaideNow

Giovanni Focarelli, right, with father Vince outside the Adelaide Magistrates Court on January 12 this year. Source: The Advertiser

Anguished friends and family at the scene of the shooting on Prospect Rd. Picture: Bianca De Marchi Source: The Advertiser

COMANCHERO bikie gang member Giovanni Focarelli has been shot dead and his father, club president Vince, has survived a fourth attempt on his life.

Police at the scene confirmed that Giovanni's body was in the back seat of a car on Prospect Rd, just outside Prospect Village Shopping Centre in Adelaide.
An SA ambulance spokeswoman said that a man with multiple gunshot wounds had been taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital.
She said he was in stable condition and walking when ambulance crews arrived at the scene.
Police confirmed the man was Vince Focarelli who has been the target of previous three assassination attempts.
Ten police vehicles sealed off Prospect Rd within minutes of the first reports about 9pm.
A blue sedan with West Australian registration plates was parked on Prospect Rd outside the shopping centre and Giovanni's body was inside. The cars headlights and hazard lights were on.

Maine Bill Targeting Gangs Raises Civil Liberties Concerns..

2012-01-30T00:57:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Tom Porter
mpbn.net

Maine - They quote the FBI's 2011 gang threat assessment, which has been temporarily removed from the bureau's website. A call to the FBI to ask about the source of the numbers was not returned by airtime. Nevertheless, Republican Rep. Amy Volk of Scarborough told public hearing today that Maine should be worried. "When we hear the term criminal street gang we think of Boston, but more likely we think of New York or East LA where nearly every kid either belongs to a gang or knows someone else who does," said Volk, who's the lead sponsor of LD 1707 -- An Act to Define, Prevent and Suppress Gang Activity in the State of Maine.
Most people probably don't associate the predominantly rural state of Maine with street gang activity. But, according to some legislators and law enforcement officials, there may now be as many as 4,000 active gang members here in Maine. And Maine lawmakers are taking notice.
They quote the FBI's 2011 gang threat assessment, which has been temporarily removed from the bureau's website. A call to the FBI to ask about the source of the numbers was not returned by airtime. Nevertheless, Republican Rep. Amy Volk of Scarborough told public hearing today that Maine should be worried.
"When we hear the term criminal street gang we think of Boston, but more likely we think of New York or East LA where nearly every kid either belongs to a gang or knows someone else who does," said Volk, who's the lead sponsor of LD 1707 -- An Act to Define, Prevent and Suppress Gang Activity in the State of Maine.
"The thing is, gangs are not content to stay in one geographic area," Volk said. "When there is pressure on criminals in a given area their natural instinct is to seek out a place to operate where there is less pressure, where they may be able to fly under radar, so to speak."
Places like Maine, which according to Eric Berry, is an appealing destination for out-of-state gang members. "Gang members already see Maine as a lucrative drug market, " he said. "On top of that, the fact that there isn't any legislation right now that deals with their type of activity here in the state, this is a place where people want to come."
Berry is president of the Maine Gang Task Force. He's also a corrections officer at Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. He says the FBI report claims more than 30 percent of crimes in Maine are gang-related. "The market is so lucrative that they can get 5 to 10 times the value on the drugs that they're selling up here in this state, than they can back down in New York or Boston. For them it makes it more than a good idea to come up here and do business."

Proponents of LD 1707 want Maine to follow the example of New Hampshire, which passed anti-gang legislation in 2008. The controversial bill requires courts to impose enhanced sentences on gang members and to make it a crime to solicit children to join a street gang.
"Too harsh," say civil liberties and prisoners rights advocates. They say the measure does not tackle the root cause of the problem.
"To say that this legislation is problematic is a monumental understatement," said Sarah Moon, who is with the Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, or M-PAC. "Our members are deeply concerned with any law that incarcerates adults or minors for asking, 'Will you join my street gang?' There are volumes of research data that show 'enhanced sentencing, and upgraded crime classification including but not limited to new crimes and mandatory sentences, do not deter crime.'"
She's concerned the law could lead to unfair targeting to racial minorities, given that much of the publicity around possible gang activity in Maine focuses on Asian, Sudanese and Somali populations. And proponents are taking such criticism into account. They've amended the bill to focus less on penalties and more on creation of a statewide system to share information on gang members who've been convicted.
Eric Berry says this will help ensure law enforcement agencies are all on the same page. "You're going to have to be convicted of the crime anyway. Once you're convicted, once you did the activity, that information should be able to be presented to a judge, by a prosecutor, by police officers, this is what it's about," Berry said. "It's not just that this person was selling drugs in this neighborhood, this person is a member of a criminal organization."
Berry says the amendment would also help prevent people from being wrongly identified as gang members. "It also protects people from being subjected to misidentification and that type of thing when you have this type of gang identification criteria," he said.
He says such gang identification processes have been used by many other states for years. "Gangs are not the 4-H Club, they're not the Boy Scouts," Berry said. "In fact on a personal level I've actually reached and contacted the president of the United Bikers as an example. These groups are doing Toys for Tots and stuff like that. This is not about them, they're not doing criminal activity."
Such reassurances are not good enough for Eric Fuller, who chairs the Maine motorcyclists Political Action Committee. He's concerned that some law-abiding motocycle clubs may be wrongly identified as criminal biker gangs. "Just because a person wears an insignia, that is still free speech in the United States," Fuller said.
Even with the amendment, Fuller says the bill raises real concerns over First Amendment rights.
http://www.mpbn.net/News/MaineNewsArchive/tabid/181/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3475/ItemId/20013/Default.aspx

The Power of the American Biker Culture..Bikers are not 2nd Class Citizens!

2012-01-30T00:57:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Hammerin Hank,
Hank McGrath,
FreeOnePercenter.com… Home of B.A.D.

Bikers are not 2nd Class Citizens!

We start the 2012 New Year with a reflection of past year(s)…

B.A.D. spent over 5 years fighting discrimination against bikers -

sometimes in the shadows, sometimes in disguise, sometimes in the limelight…

depending on the strategy.

We watched media sources spin against a 1%ER Biker in favor of a local crack dealer – like Barabas over Jesus -(thank God there wasn’t a lynchmob and a level-headed jury found him not guilty)- B.A.D. took over the local, public media like activists and with the help of many local clubs created a positive campaign of the American Biker Culture for the public to see on tv, hear on the radio and read in the newspapers…in support of that bikers case…

Went under cover as a reporter (with Carmella Brown) to investigate and document the discrimination ofa town against the Sons of SAM MC (vets and supporters of vets, being compelled into a restriction zone for their club…COULD ONLY BE outside of the town line…based upon the town people’s own general words: “you know how those bikers are…” and “it scares me to know they just come back from serving in the war. Can you imagine if one has a flashback”!).

B.A.D. proposed the town hold “sensitivity training” for staff and public regarding the American Biker Culture, the 1%ER culture, the patch wearer and supporter – Ya know,like the kind most agencies and groups had to experience in the 1970′s and 80′s to teach them to assimilate the african american into their society without further discrimination…or in the late 1800′s to accept the Irish as equal citizens…

We publically spoke out on the issue of bias and discrimination against Hells Angels by NYS State Fair Security and NYS State Police in a complete, out-of-the-manual Martial Law -”police state” fashion…in absolute violation of the bikers civil & constitutional rights…to be compelled to shed their colors and deny their honor, integrity, culture, brotherhood and family – WHICH THEY HONORABLY REFUSED TO DO! Think about it – who wouldnt enjoy approaching a cop in public and tell him he has to TAKE OFF his colors, shed his patch,lets even frisk him to make sure he is not carrying something that would endanger the public! And if he refuses, take him out of the public’s eye and start grilling him as to whether he is a ”known associate” of the commissioner, Governor or half a dozen other power action figures who manipulate and control our lives and extort from the citizens…Be real, how many citizens from all walks of life stiffen up in a vehicle when they see a cop car?! Every body in every car at the same time thinks the same cop is looking at them! And how about the way we watch them at that moment… seemingly without being seen as the cops pass…our eyes slowly watching thru the back of our heads…Now, that kind of effect on people is truly unhealthy, unjust intimidation. You only feel good or relieved when they stop somebody else…It buys every citizen a chance to get the hell outta the area! To me, its all about being the ultimate patch wearer. Its that simple. The State Police simply want to be the only ones wearing patches. I mean, if the boy scouts came out with a real decent, bad-assed looking patch they might start feeling the heat,too! Thats how stupid and silly this form of strategically targeted bias and discrimination IS being performed by the NYS Police against citizen-taxpaying-bikers within the American Biker Culture.

We witnessed unjust traffic stops and convictions acrossed the state based solely upon the “behind the door” harassment initiatives propagated by hidden officials with no balls, just hidden agendas against IN YOUR FACE 1%ER bikers and supporters who live and work and pay their fair share and raise a family in this greedy state of affairs.

We witnessed unjust and even criminal motorcycle confiscations by NYS DMV – one of which is a B.A.D. member, Mike Willig, who later fought them and kicked their asses back to their confiscation caves in the capital.

We witnessed a well-to-do Port Jefferson,NY attempt to ban motorcycles and “unsightly motorcylists” from their town and village and within 24 hours with the help of Long Island ABATE, Biker Low Down, Chuck DeCost, Hermis Yanis Jr., Carmella Brown of NY Rider and a host of others – B.A.D. shut down the legal proceedings that would have passed the law and they permanently discarded the proposition!

We witnessed establishments, courts and police jurisdictions lie, fabricate and unjustly manipulate a conviction of two innocent brothers, Tyler & Peeps, of the Highwaymen MC NY. B.A.D., with the help of former NY attorney Warren Redlich and Steve, Pres. of Highwaymen MC NY, obtained a donation of a complete set of new law books to the cause of Tyler & Peeps and bikers acrossed the state – creating the first American BIKER LAW LIBRARY (soon to be announced) in New York State. Lets face it, you usually only get that kind of access when you get arrested or convicted…and even then its only for a half hour or so…Then its “LOCK IN”…Imagine what you could do with YOUR OWN FREE ACCESS TO LAW RESOURCES!!??!! I used to use pages to roll joints…

We witnessed public discrimination and bias against the 1%ER biker culture and supporters BY THE OWNERSHIP OF THE AMERICADE (directly against NY Rider mag owner Carmella Brown & Lisa Petrocelli who were not allowed in as press or media because that kind of rag and that part of the culture the rag reflects is not to the Americades liking). B.A.D. sent a letter ordering that they cease and desist such discriminatory treatment of those in the American Biker Culture.

We witnessed malicious media propaganda by NYS Police directed against Hells Angels and other 1%ER clubs simply because they attend the Harley Rendezvous! The State Police called the bikers “criminal enterprises”. I responded with a scathing article revealing how the State Police and the Governor could be seen as a “Criminal enterprise” (with evidence technician committing suicide while being investigated for falsifying evidence for many years, or the Governor using State Police to spy on political rivals and a host of other factual tidbits investigative reporters like me have the uncanny ability to obtain…). Of course, days after that article hit the newspapers I was given my walking papers as a local Albany newspaper reporter!

Still to hip you to something, the authority use whats called the “Conflict Theory” which was created by Karl Marx. “Conflict theory deduces civilization as a fight for authority linking groups that are struggling for limited means”. Marx believed there existed two categories of people: capitalist and working class. Now, of course, we all know that the capitalists with the money can afford to make the laws which are INTENDED to limit the ability of certain power groups to elevate onto the capitalists equal level or to challenge their proceeds! Police are used to restrain, harass and unjustly hinder the natural entrepreneur growth of certain social groups and do so through propaganda, illicit procedures and unjust abuse of powers.They create a conflict that otherwise does not exist between social groups like bikers and other citizen cultures, but, instead exists between those in power(rich and political) and those who naturally have power (1%ER bikers and supporters). Look,the rich legally sell drugs,guns,prostitutes, slaves,they are even bookies and promote gambling,YOU NAME IT! They have the power to create the laws to protect themselves and make what they do legal. To perpetuate their livelihood they need to create a conflict IN SOCIETY, and thereby choose particular groups and cultures in society to defame and accuse that the rich themselves are afraid of… No complete group or culture in society is completely guilty because of the alleged acts of one or two. We all know that! But, why does that NOT apply to those in the American Biker Culture or bikers worldwide? Its simple - the bikers naturally have power that can achieve independence FROM the norms and dregs of society created by those rich and in control…the propaganda? Ah, how about a patch,colors,a loud machine…a tattoo and then accuse them of doing what YOU are actually doing! That’s the “conflict theory”.

The list goes on in cases acrossed the country that B.A.D. has worked on…from unjust shootings and killings by police of bikers to the loss of jobs because one wears a patch – much of which B.A.D. does goes unknown even to many bikers in the American Biker Culture. That’s because of our purpose for existence – the principle of B.A.D. is to NOT intertwine with the culture or be assimilated by its righteous comradery and brotherhood, but to study it deeply, accept it as an integral part of our American History, respect its reality and then to not be afraid to initiate campaigns to fight for equal balance of the law(s), defend against inequality of citizenship,bring to the sensible publics eye THE BIKERS RIGHT TO EXIST without compromise to what they believe in!

In such cases as this – it is healthy to fight. Things are NOT easy…thats whats so righteous about the fight for biker rights – They are REAL, the culture is REAL, the violations are REAL,OBVIOUS AND BLANTANTLY COMMITTED UNJUSTLY! I get a hard on when I am frustrated over rights, turns me on…when you fight for rights you have to be turned on about it all.

Like when a commissioner of Human Rights told me “well, if the biker clubs were gay or all women or black clubs maybe you could win your fight for a change in the NYS human rights laws to protect cultures”. My dick got hard!

Or when a higher up in the “No Rules Riders” told me I could not start an all biker press/reporter riding group called “McUrbanExplorers” because I am using Mc in my name. That REALLY turned me on ALLL OVER as I went on a complete email and phone campaign threatening everyone and their mother because, ya see, I am olde Irish, a celt. Mc Grath is my name, it means ”Leader(Mc) of Valley(Grath)”. My registered business in NYS is McUrbanExplorers, as well. I could see if it was Explorers MC…but, no, this idiot was telling an irishman he cant be Irish! And that was an alleged biker acting like that…To end that story, the Pres. of the riding group sided with me as did everyone else across the world (No Rules Riders is worldwide) and the individual left the riding group administration rather than be wrong…So, now I got some fool running around not liking me because I have an Irish name. Point is, discrimination comes from any angle…from society, from other bikers who pretend they are better citizens because they are not 1%ER’S, from agents of the law who take emmotional and mental issue with citizen independence and power, even my ole lady tried to use my fighting for biker rights in court as proof I am

dangerous and should be treated differently as we battled over custody of my 2 year old “breed ‘em out” daughter recently. I have to report an interesting fact to the case; The judge asked me how would I care for the baby? Besides presenting other factors (home,car,support,etc.) I took a shot in the dark and said “Your honor, I fight for these people because they have HONOR, they ARE suffering bias and discrimination and if anything ever happened to me they would help to care for my daughter, and I mean hundreds of ‘em!”…Thanx to that presentation, my motions and the research help of long time biker rights advocate and Honorary B.A.D. member, Paul Cote in MA., I won custody! Now, the point there is that no premise for discrimination is absolute, is law, is legal – as long as you are aware of your right to exist and your right as a citizen to associate with others. If you for a moment believe in your head that by exisiting within the biker culture you are doing something bad and wrong and illegal – well then, you weaken the fold, stumble the advancement in struggle, betray the truth…The American Biker Culture has been in existence for well over 50 years with several generations of members…its not going anywhere regardless what theory or conflict power-groups create to fend off competition in capitalist america!

NEW HAMPSHIRE - Don’t Stop Recording: Meet James Brown...

2012-01-30T00:56:00.003-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
copblock.org

By Ian Freeman, blogger at FreeKeene.com:
Back in 2010, on a visit to the NH Attorney Genital’s office, we met “investigator” Dick Tracy. More recently, Copblock’s Ademo and I were in the area so we dropped in again with some more questions, this time meeting “investigator” James Brown. Neither man was interested in speaking on the record and Brown attempted to intimidate us into not recording. We did not stop. Here’s what happened:

Remember, it is supposed to be your right to record government bureaucrats in public places. Though, we know they don’t care about what your rights are, so there’s always a chance you could be aggressed against and caged. Sometimes it can be scary when they threaten you, but if you have backup also willing to not back down, your odds of walking away without being caged increase.
Just say NO – to demands you quit recording them.

UNITED STATES - Quick Facts: 26 Signs that the United States is being turned into a giant prison...

2012-01-30T00:56:00.002-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Face it America – life as you know it, democracy as you’ve believed you’ve had.. is dying. Wake up. Realize that it’s all down hill from here. There is no hope left for a ‘better tomorrow’.

Quick Facts: 26 Signs that the United States is being turned into a giant prison - Death Rattle Spor

http://www.deathrattlesports.com/

If you live in the United States of America, you live in a giant prison where liberty and freedom are slowly being strangled to death. The following are 26 signs that the United States of America is being turned into a giant prison….

Written by: pjwalker911

presstv.ir | Nov 30, 2011
If you live in the United States of America, you live in a giant prison where liberty and freedom are slowly being strangled to death. The following are 26 signs that the United States of America is being turned into a giant prison….
#1 A new bill that is going through the U.S. Senate would allow the U.S. military to arrest American citizens and hold them indefinitely without trial.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham is a big supporter of the bill, and he says that it would “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield.”
The new law would explicitly authorize the federal government to indefinitely imprison without charge or trial American citizens and others picked up inside and outside the United States.
#2 U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman is asking Google to install a “terrorist button” on all Blogger.com blogs so that readers can easily flag “terrorist content” for authorities.
#3 Most Americans have no idea how sophisticated the “Big Brother” prison grid has become. For example, in Washington D.C. the movements of every single car are tracked using automated license plate readers (ALPRs).
More than 250 cameras in the District and its suburbs scan license plates in real time, helping police pinpoint stolen cars and fleeing killers. But the program quietly has expanded beyond what anyone had imagined even a few years ago.
#4 In some American schools, RFID chips are now being used to monitor the attendance and movements of children while they are at school.
#5 In the United States today, police are trained to respond to even the smallest crimes with extreme physical force. For example, one grandfather in Arizona was recently filmed laying unconscious in a pool of his own blood after police rammed his head into the floor inside a Wal-Mart on Black Friday night. It was thought that he was shoplifting, but it turns out that he says that he was just trying to tuck a video game away so other crazed shoppers would not grab it out of his hands.
#6 Did you know that the government actually sets up fake cell phone towers that can intercept your cell phone calls?
#7 U.S. border agents are allowed by law to search any laptop being brought into the United States without even needing any reason to do so.
#8 In the United States of America, everyone is a “potential terrorist”. According to FBI Director Robert Mueller, “homegrown terrorists” represent as big a threat to American national security as al-Qaeda does.
#9 Most Americans are not that concerned about the Patriot Act, but that might change if they understood that the federal government has a “secret interpretation” of what the Patriot Act really means. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden says that the U.S. government interprets the Patriot Act much more “broadly” than the general public does…. “
We’re getting to a gap between what the public thinks the law says and what the American government secretly thinks the law says.”
#10 The FBI is now admittedly recording Internet talk radio programs all over the United States. The FBI has awarded a $524,927 contract to a Virginia company to record as much radio news and talk programming as it can find on the Internet.
#11 The federal government has decided that what you and I share with one another on Facebook and on Twitter could be a threat to national security. According to a recent Associated Press article, the Department of Homeland Security will soon be “gleaning information from sites such as Twitter and Facebook for law enforcement purposes”.
#12 What you say on your cell phone is never private. The truth is that that the FBI can demand to see your cell phone data whenever it wants. In addition, according to CNET News the FBI can remotely activate the microphone on your cell phone and listen to whatever you are saying….
#13 In some areas of the country, law enforcement authorities are pulling data out of cell phones for no reason whatsoever. According to the ACLU, state police in Michigan are now using “extraction devices” to download data from the cell phones of motorists that they pull over. This is taking place even if the motorists that are pulled over are not accused of doing anything wrong.
#14 The federal government has become so paranoid that they have been putting GPS tracking devices on the vehicles of thousands of people that have not even been charged with committing any crimes.
The Justice Department has said that law enforcement agents employ GPS as a crime-fighting tool with “great frequency,” and GPS retailers have said that they’ve sold thousands of the devices to the feds.
#15 New high-tech street lights that are being funded by the federal government and that are being installed all over the nation can also be used as surveillance cameras, can be used by the DHS to make “security announcements” and can even be used to record personal conversations.
#16 If you choose to protest in the streets of America today, there is a good chance that you will be brutalized. All over the United States law enforcement authorities have been spraying pepper spray directly into the faces of unarmed protesters in recent weeks.
#17 In many areas of the United States today, you will be arrested if you do not produce proper identification for the police. In the old days, “your papers please” was a phrase that was used to use to mock the tyranny of Nazi Germany. But now all of us are being required to be able to produce “our papers” for law enforcement authorities at any time.
#18 The federal government has decided to invest a significant amount of time, money and energy raiding organic farms.
#19 It is an absolute disgrace that all of us (including grandmothers and young children) must either go through body scanners that reveal the intimate details of our naked bodies or endure “enhanced pat-downs” during which our genitals will be touched before we are allowed to get on an airplane.
#20 Invasive TSA security techniques are not just for airports anymore. Now, TSA “VIPR teams” are actively conducting random inspections at bus stations and on interstate highways all over the United States. TSA “VIPR teams” now conduct approximately 8,000 “unannounced security screenings” a year at subway stations, bus terminals, ports and highway rest stops.
#21 More than a million hotel television sets all over America are now broadcasting propaganda messages from the Department of Homeland Security promoting the “See Something, Say Something” campaign. In essence, the federal government wants all of us to become “informants” and to start spying on one another constantly.
#22 Certain “types” of American citizens are being labeled as potential threats in official U.S. government documents. An unclassified Department of Homeland Security report published a couple years ago claims that a belief in Bible prophecy “could motivate extremist individuals and groups to stockpile food, ammunition and weapons.” The report goes on to state that such people are potentially dangerous.
#23 Back on February 20, 2009, the State of Missouri issued a report entitled “MIAC Strategic Report: The Modern Militia Movement”. That report warned that the following types of people may be potential terrorists….
*anti-abortion activists
*those that are against illegal immigration
*those that consider “the New World Order” to be a threat
*those that have a negative view of the United Nations
#24 As I have written about previously, a very disturbing document that Oath Keepers has obtained shows that the FBI is now instructing store owners to report many new forms of “suspicious activity” to them. According to the document, “suspicious activity” now includes the following….
*paying with cash
*missing a hand or fingers
*”strange odors”
*making “extreme religious statements”
*”radical theology”
*purchasing weatherproofed ammunition or match containers
*purchasing meals ready to eat
*purchasing night vision devices, night flashlights or gas masks
#25 Soon you may get labeled as a “potential terrorist” if you are just feeling a little nervous. A new “pre-crime” technology system that is currently being tested by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will soon be in use all over the nation. It is called “Future Attribute Screening Technology” (FAST), and it is very frightening. It monitors breathing patterns, eye movements, blink rate and alterations in body heat, which are used to assess an individual’s likelihood to commit a crime.
#26 The truth is that nobody puts more people into prison than America does. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and the largest total prison population on the entire globe. endoftheamericandream.com

You may have noticed that most Harley-Davidson’s have a small bell hanging from bottom of the frame. No it doesn’t mean that rider is a fairy. The reason they have the bell is because of the Legend of the Bell. Read the story below.

2012-01-30T00:56:00.001-08:00

THE LEGEND OF THE BELL*

As we all know, life has many mysteries that have no apparent solutions. One of these is Evil Road Spirits. They are little gremlins that live on your bike. They love to ride. They're also responsiblefor most of your bike's problems. Sometimes your turn signals refuse to work, or the battery goes dead.

Road Spirits can't live in the presence of a bell. They get trapped in the hallow of the bell. Among other things, their hearing is supersensitive. The constant ring of the bell and the confined space drives them insane. They lose their grip and eventually fall to the roadway. (Have you ever wondered how potholes are formed?) The bell has served its purpose.

If you have picked up a bell of your own, the magic will work. But if your bell was given to you, the power has been doubled, and you know that somewhere you have a special friend helping to look after you.

So, if you have a friend that doesn't have a bell, why not be the person to give them one? It's a nice feeling for the recipient to know you personally cared. The, plus a good preventive maintenance program by the bike's owner, will help eliminate the Evil Road Spirits.

CALIFORNIA - Map of Bay Area on Facebook offends some residents

2012-01-30T00:56:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
ktvu.com

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA —

A map of the Bay Area that was making the rounds on Facebook Friday was garnering serious criticism from local residents even though it appeared to be meant as a joke.
The map, described as being a "parody," shows cities and sections of the Bay Area labeled by negative generalizations. For example, east Contra Costa was labeled as “Child Molesters," "White Trash," and "Meth Labs.” Oakland was called a "State Park." San Francisco was divided into “Tourists," "Asia," "Hippies," and "Gay Town U.S.A.” Richmond was labeled with "More Oakland," and Berkeley gets its usual left-leaning credits with “Tree Huggers," "Vegans," "Recycled Nuts," and "Asian Students.”
Some of the parents watching youth soccer Friday night in Pittsburg said they weren't amused. One San Ramon resident noted that the area was called "Hell" on the map.
"It's a parody, offensive parody," said Bay Area resident Peter deLowe, who added that he deleted the e-mailed map after seeing it.
A Castro Valley man chuckled at how his East Bay city takes its knocks, as it was referred to on the map as “Biker Gangs" and "Meth Labs.”
Bay Area bridges were emblazoned with "Parking," and the water surrounding the Golden Gate Bridge labeled, morbidly, as "Dead Bodies". The Delta was characterized as "Sewer'.
For one father, the map offered a teachable moment. Alfonso Rojas said in the ten years he's lived in Pittsburg he's seen the city improve, so he didn't appreciate the stereotypical slam.
"My kids growing up here, I'm happy to be in Pittsburg, and I don't think the map is the thing. The map is just wrong," said Rojas.
The creator of the map was unknown Friday. There was also a similar map on the Internet of the entire United States with similar characterizations, which was titled the “Redneck Simplified Map.”

VIDEO

http://www.ktvu.com/videos/news/pittsburg-facebook-map-parodying-the-bay-area-has/vFtgy/

CALIFORNIA - EXCLUSIVE: Gang bust gives rare glimpse of Mexican Mafia's grip on North County

2012-01-30T00:55:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

BRANDON LOWREY blowrey@nctimes.com

A federal indictment of 119 San Diego County gang members, including a Mexican Mafia boss arrested in a pre-dawn raid of his San Marcos home, portrays a sprawling, well-organized criminal network that ran drug dealing on the streets of North County and even extended inside the Vista jail.
Rudy Espudo, 39, controlled Latino gangs in North County and demanded "taxes" from drug dealers and gang members as tribute to "La Eme" ---- Spanish for "The M" and a nickname for the Mexican Mafia, according to the indictment.
Authorities also said that gang members smuggled drugs into the county-run Vista Detention Center and sold them for the Mexican Mafia, punished opponents and relayed orders with ease to and from the outside.
The indictment, which contains prosecutors' reasons for arresting and charging 51 North County gang members, describes the money-driven politics and inner workings of several local Latino gangs.
Some of the gangs have rivalries, but their leaders all obey and make payments to La Eme, a relatively small and powerful cabal of about 200 people spread out over several states.
They operate in state prisons and county jails. In the Vista jail, they smuggled drugs and conducted gang business, the indictment said.
On North County streets, the mafia and gangs under its control, or "surenos," also shook down drug dealers and robbers, demanding a share of their ill-gotten gains, according to the indictment.
Sureno, Spanish for "southerner," is a term that describes a gang member who is loyal to the Mexican Mafia but not a member.
Law enforcement agencies involved in the raids have declined to give details about the criminal organization beyond those in the indictment. They have also refused to release photos of any of the arrested.
Several of those arrested were expected to appear next week in federal court.
Paying 'taxes'
The indictment is replete with discussions about "taxes" or "rent" paid to Espudo.
In some cases, Espudo's associates were demanding monthly tribute from local gangs: the Westside and Diablos of Escondido, Varrio San Marcos and Varrio Fallbrook Locos. The gangs, like anyone else, were reminded and threatened about due dates and assessed late fees for tardy payments.
On Jan. 15, 2011, the Westside gang fell $2,000 behind on payments, the indictment says. A sureno in Vista jail told the then-leader of the Westside gang, also in jail at the time, that Espudo was going to put a "green light" on Westside ---- the Mexican Mafia's blessing and encouragement to attack the gang's members, according to the indictment.
He said Westside gang members arrested from Dec. 25, 2010, onward would be attacked in jail.
The sureno told the Westside leader "to smuggle drugs into the facility and (the sureno) would oversee their distribution in order to fulfill the Westside gang's tax payment," the indictment says.
On Feb. 4, the sureno notified a Westside member that the green light had been lifted.
Authorities say that on Aug. 23, 2011, Gregorio Puebla, a sureno, laid down La Eme's law for a drug dealer. He told her she would "have to pay taxes. ... It doesn't matter if it's your (expletive). You're slinging in the city, anyone slinging in the city has to pay taxes ... whether you like it or not," the indictment says.
"If you get caught lying, you know, or try to dodge, dodge that kind of (expletive), you're going to get into some serious (expletive)," the indictment says.
Typically, "serious" trouble involved being beaten and robbed, the indictment says.
Jails under mafia control
The document hints at one of the most troubling aspects of the Mexican Mafia, described in North County Times interviews with gang experts and current and former gang members: Juvenile hall, jails and prisons don't hinder its criminal operations.
In fact, La Eme counts on them.
The Mexican Mafia formed within the California Department of Corrections in the late 1950s, and uses the institutions to educate and indoctrinate its members and foot soldiers.
La Eme also doesn't tend to include Mexican citizens, typically preferring Chicanos (Mexican-Americans), and is fiercely anti-black. In state prisons, it has alliances with white supremacist groups.
Espudo appears to be a product of La Eme's system.
He was born and raised in Escondido and joined the Diablos street gang about the age of 11, according to a former friend.
Before long, Espudo was arrested as a juvenile. That's when his true education most likely began.
"Their grammar school is juvenile hall," said Richard Valdemar, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's gang investigator who spent much of his 30-year career investigating the Mexican Mafia.
"Their high school is jail, and prison is their college. They graduate sophisticated in criminal behavior ---- they come out thoroughly brainwashed, physically fit, clever manipulators of the system."
In juvenile halls ---- institutions run by the California Youth Authority ---- street gang allegiances remain strong. Kids belonging to rival Latino gangs carry their rivalries with them and fight one another while in custody.
Management by obscurity
Most of the kids know little or nothing about the Mexican Mafia, Valdemar said, and probably are oblivious to the fact that their gangs kick drugs and money up to a La Eme boss, and current and former gang members.
Any adult who is arrested and put behind bars in San Diego County will spend time in a county jail. Those convicted of serious or violent crimes are eventually sent to state prison.
In county jail, individual street gang affiliations begin to soften as racial solidarity becomes more important. Latino gangs band together in alliance against black gangs.
This is where the Mexican Mafia's influence begins to take hold. Inmates learn that even their gangs answer to someone higher, and the most dedicated could be named a sureno ---- a foot soldier of the Mexican Mafia, Valdemar said.
Surenos retain their street gang affiliations but pledge their true loyalty to La Eme, he said. Once the surenos get out of jail, they impose La Eme's rules on their own gangs.
Those gangs become known as sureno gangs, loyal to La Eme. The most trusted members become associates of the Mexican Mafia, and some rise to become candidates for membership, the highest rank in the Mexican Mafia, he said.
It's a democratic organization. There is no official hierarchy among its members, or "carnales," and major decisions, such as inducting a new member, require a vote, according to the indictment and Valdemar.
In prison, the real laws are written by La Eme. Some mafia members or associates serving long sentences claim a prison and rule it from within.
Latinos must ask the mafia boss's permission to fight one another and must follow any orders he hands down ---- whether it's smuggling drugs, relaying messages or killing another inmate.
'Crazy' from early age
Espudo, known as "Crazy" or "Crazyboy," had risen to power through this system. He was a carnal, the indictment said.
He wasn't physically imposing; he wore glasses, but even as a teen, was known for his willingness for violence, according to someone familiar with him who asked not to be named.
In June 1996, when he was 24, Espudo and another gang member used a gun to carjack a person who was passing out fliers for a high school's anti-gang event at Washington Park, according to past North County Times reports.
Espudo accepted a plea deal: He pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of having a prior assault conviction.
In return, prosecutors dropped charges of robbery, evading a police officer with reckless driving, receiving stolen property, possessing a concealable firearm and resisting a police officer ---- crimes that would have doubled his sentence if he were convicted at trial.
He was sentenced to more than a decade in prison. It was not clear when he was released, but he had been a carnal in Escondido for two to three years after his release, according to the source familiar with Espudo.
Still, older gang members tend to be wiser, more deliberate and more motivated by cash than blood lust, gang experts have told the North County Times.
Espudo appeared to reflect that.
Low profile in North County
He lived in relatively quiet neighborhoods not associated with gang activity ---- an apartment on Nordahl Road in San Marcos, not far from Walmart and Costco, and a condo in the Cape Concord neighborhood on Escondido's east side, a cozy area with an active homeowners association.
On Aug. 15, he ordered his associates to remove graffiti from a tree near his home. And, in a move that seemed contrary to gang life in general, he ordered gang members in San Marcos and Escondido to stop tagging entirely about a month later.
Valdemar said this probably wasn't a benevolent act.
Mexican Mafia members have also been known to order an end to drive-by shootings. But it isn't just to be nice, he said.
The aim is to lower the gangs' profiles and to prevent intergang violence that doesn't result in profit. Tagging wars between rival gangs can lead to intergang conflict and violence, which Espudo was probably trying to stop in order to focus on making money, Valedmar said.
Violence amid power vacuum?
Espudo was being held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego, a federal prison, and is scheduled to appear in federal court at 9 a.m. Monday, said U.S. Attorney spokeswoman Debra Hartman.
Valdemar said the indictments and arrests represented impressive work by law enforcement agencies.
"It'll take a while for the Mexican Mafia to get back in place after this," he said. "I would say it would be several months before they find themselves a leader again and try to reorganize the group."
While the arrest was a good thing, it's a mixed blessing, Valdemar said ---- it leaves a power vacuum.
The Latino gangs and unaffiliated thugs and drug dealers might clash over territory until another Mexican Mafia member rises to power to take charge of North County's criminal activity once more.

Call staff writer Brandon Lowrey at 760-740-3517 or follow him on Twitter @NCTLowrey.
Read more: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/exclusive-gang-bust-gives-rare-glimpse-of-mexican-mafia-s/article_cedea095-3c04-58ef-9479-83271b971789.html#ixzz1ksA0qwT8

|
EDITORIAL: A threat in our midst..

By North County Times and The Californian opinion staff

Law enforcement teams executing warrants in three investigations Wednesday have made, in our estimation, the biggest strike ever against a growing criminal threat in San Diego County.
After 18 months of investigation, federal, state and local officers ---- including the North County Regional Gang Task Force ---- arrested countywide more than 100 suspects linked to Latino street gangs, including two men authorities said were members of "La Eme," for "M," the 13th letter of the alphabet, otherwise known as the Mexican Mafia.
The North County piece, dubbed "Operation Notorious County," resulted in eight indictments and other criminal complaints charging 51 people, including many from Escondido. One of the indictments charged 40 defendants with racketeering involving the commission of attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, money laundering and drug trafficking.
For this work, we thank these officers and investigators and wish them good luck in speedy and effective prosecutions of those arrested.
No longer are North County gangs ---- in this case, specifically gangs in Escondido, San Marcos and Fallbrook ---- merely misguided, home-grown social gangs, young men pursuing their macho act. La Eme's presence changes the threat and means the drug violence of California prisons and Mexican drug cartels is in our midst.
The chief change is that the Mexican Mafia, which is reportedly only about 200 strong, is organized as a criminal syndicate, with bosses exacting taxes or tribute from sycophant lesser gangs on pain of violence, including threats of murder.
Consider this allegation from the indictment: At the direction of Mexican Mafia member and Escondido resident Rudy Espudo, aka "Crazy," members of the city's Westside gang (which reportedly claims the city's core, bounded by Interstate 15, Juniper, Grand Avenue and Felicita as its territory) were ordered to pay "taxes" monthly for the right to sell drugs. When gang members failed to pay a $2,000 tax bill promptly, they were "green-lighted." That means as Westsiders, if they were caught out on the street or in the Vista jail, they were to be beaten and robbed as punishment.
How was the "green light" lifted? By gang members smuggling heroin to inmates inside the Vista jail. The indictment quotes a gang member signaling success: "They say everything is okay; they send their hello to yourself and the camarada to send all our love those from the West Side."
This Mexican Mafia and its spread into our midst is a disease, one that must be rooted out if we are to retain our reasonably safe communities.
Read more: http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/editorial-a-threat-in-our-midst/article_4716caa6-009c-5a10-b872-4ad5e060373a.html#ixzz1ksAicOL4

Just Say “NO!!” 4th & 14th Amendments....

2012-01-30T00:47:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
CopBlock.org

14th amendment, 4th amendment, Augusta maine, augusta police, cheif gregoire, Kidnapping, maine, peter coloutier, police, Police State, private property, probable cause, rights, trespassing

Patrol Officer Peter Cloutier of Augusta, Maine Police Department knowingly, willfully, and intentionally violated my civil and common law rights as guaranteed by the 4th and 14th Amendments, as well as criminally trespassing on my private home through the use of intimidation, force, coercion and threat of kidnapping and bodily injury.
After Officer Cloutier and his partner left my property (and with their tails stuck prominently between their legs), I sent the following email to Officer Cloutier’s Chief of Police, Robert Gregoire, who then forwarded it to Deputy Chief Jared Mills for an Internal Affairs investigation which was commenced January 19, 2012, verbatim:

Dear Chief Gregoire, and all other interested persons reading this lawful notice:
Attached you will find a raw, unedited, genuine electronic audio recording of your agent, Peter Cloutier’s, unlawful interactions with myself last night under the guise of him responding to a service call placed by my neighbor, Jack Hagop Alahverdian, the basis of which and the outcome of said conversation is very clearly explained on the .mp3 recording attached to this message.
I am sending this email communication to notify you, Chief Robert Gregoire, that your agent, Peter Cloutier, did blatantly violate my civil rights last night at 7:37pm, January 18, 2011, and did trespass on my private property and threateningly forced his way into my private dwelling without permission or license to enter.
Peter CLoutier did, without license or my permission, put his hand on my entrance screen door and opened the door and held it wide open, under the pretense of needing to ‘see me’, although his partner did not articulate having any difficulty ‘seeing me’ through the screen in my door, despite my private porch and my private internal entry being adequately lighted.
Upon Peter Cloutier unlawfully opening the door to and trespassing upon my private dwelling, he then proceeded to try to intimidate me through the use of force, coercion and threat of kidnapping to try to coerce me into allowing him into my private home, clearly under duress and coercion and threat of violence and bodily harm.
I did not at any time give Peter Cloutier permission to physically enter my dwelling at any time.
Peter Cloutier physically entered my private dwelling without license or permission to enter for the purpose of unlawfully violating my civil rights as enumerated and guaranteed by the 4th and 14th Amendments, which I am sure you are well aware do clearly describe the prohibition against unlawful search and seizure, my civil rights to receive EQUAL PROTECTION under the COMMON and STATUTORY LAWS, and my civil unalienable and inalienable right to be free from illegal deprivation of life, liberty or property within the boundaries of my personal physical body and private home.
Peter CLoutier did threaten to kidnap me if I did not allow him to unlawfully enter and search my private home.
I did not at any time give Peter Cloutier permission to enter my home, touch my physical body which he did in fact do with his upper chest with the intention of intimidating me into surrendering to his unlawful violation of my civil rights as enumerated by the 4th amendment of our Bill of Rights.
Peter Cloutier clearly and emphatically denied that he is subject to the lawful prohibitions against illegal search and seizure and he did in fact violate my civil rights to receive equal protection under the common laws as evidenced by him specifically and clearly verbally denying that HE DOES NOT NEED my permission to enter my private dwelling, obviously and blatantly in contradiction to the restrictions enumerated by the 4th and 14th Amendments and being confirmed by HIS immediate physical withdrawal from my property and his failure to return with a search warrant, as he blatantly threatened while he and his partner left my property.
You will be able to experience for yourself the interactions between me and your agents through your immediate review of the attached .mp3 audio file taken at 7:37pm on January 18, 2011 while I stood at all times on the internal side of the threshold to my dwelling place.
Peter Cloutier physically crossed the threshold to my private dwelling by the unlawful use of force, intimidation and threat of kidnapping and bodily harm, in direct violation of my civil rights under the 4th and 14th Amendments to the Bill of Rights.
My private exterior dwelling porch, exterior stairs and front entry door are now posted with “PRIVATE PROPERTY – NO TRESPASSING” signs, which were specifically placed after your agents removed themselves from my private porch. All of your officers and agents are now subject to a $5,000.00 penalty for EACH PERSON and for EACH OCCURRENCE of any and all forms of trespassing upon my private property, including my private exterior stairs, porch, interior entry, and all interior spaces, also including my physical body, and my Toyota Celica which sits in my driveway.
Your agents DO NOT HAVE MY PERMISSION to enter or seize my private property WITHOUT A PROPER SEARCH WARRANT, PROBABLE CAUSE, AND LAWFUL DUE PROCESS.
You have been lawfully notified.
All events of physical trespass by any and all of your agents will be subject, PER PERSON, PER OCCURRENCE, to a $5,000.00 penalty, payable in $1.00 denominations of .999 silver coinage within 7 days of each violation.
Conduct yourselves accordingly.
Gina T.
Recorded Interaction with Police
UPDATE: Link to Gina’s 1hr long conversation with Internal Affairs, http://mortalsage.org/storage/Audio/Fr33dum/V0125140107.mp3

Send your stories about police abuse, police issues or suggestions on improving police tactics to CopBlock.org, via the submission tab.

AUSTRALIA - Push to ban bikie after club incidents

2012-01-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
goldcoast.com.au

POLICE are trying to ban a bikie from Surfers Paradise after what they describe as two violent nightclub incidents in three weeks.
Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang member Ricky Steven Chapman, 22, faced Southport Magistrates Court today charged with behaving in a disorderly manner in licensed premises, public nuisance and breaching Supreme Court bail.
Court documents allege a drunken Chapman was with Bandidos associates at the Bourbon Bar in Orchid Ave about 2am on January 21 when he began pushing patrons around "in an aggressive manner", The Courier-Mail reports.
Bouncers warned him to stop but he was evicted after he "manhandled" patrons.
Later that morning, he allegedly confronted the off-duty bouncer who had evicted him and abused and threatened him.

2012-01-29T14:18:00.001-08:00

Judiciary committee hears about gangs, including vets

Faithful members of the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club may be a little surprised to find themselves on a list of “security threat groups” offered by the Department of Corrections to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Whether the aging vets at the local watering hole constitute a gang comes down to a definition from the Department of Justice.
...
According to information offered to the Senate Judiciary Committee, a gang designation is appropriate for a group three or more people with a common identifying sign, symbol or name who individually or collectively engage in criminal activity which creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

Sen. Alice Nitka wasn’t so sure that the retirees of the motorcycle club in Windsor are a menace to society.

Why shouldn’t the club be lumped in with the home-grown Chittenden County White Boys or “Anybody Can Get It” (commonly-known as ACG-137 according to the department), or maybe even the Bloods and the Crips?

If all it takes for a “gang” to make the list is for a few members of a group to commit a crime, Sen. Jeanette White asked, will the Boys and Girls Club be next?

Photography Is Not Confusing!

2012-01-29T09:54:00.000-08:00

Photography Is Not Confusing!

Posted on January 26, 2012. Tags: clay county sheriff, deputy krow, expectation of privacy, Filming police, fl, honoryouroath, krow, record public officials, rights

I was on my way home from work when I noticed some police activity. So I stopped and got out my camera. It wasn’t long after I started recording that I drew the undivided attention of Deputy Krow of the Clay County Sheriff’s office. Deputy Krow seems to be genuinely puzzled by the concept of a citizen recording public officials performing their jobs. Deputy Krow demands some ID and I decline. At that point, in Deputy Krow’s mind, I have committed CONTEMPT OF COP! Deputy Krow provides us with some hilarious content! Enjoy.
HONORYOUROATH

FOX bows to presidential power...

2012-01-29T09:12:00.001-08:00

FOX is already cowering down to the President.
In response to President Obama's complaint that FOX News doesn't show enough Black and Hispanic people on their network ,
FOX has announced that they will now air " America 's Most Wanted" TWICE a week.

South Dakota - Hells Angels involved in stabbing convicted..........

2012-01-29T00:59:00.003-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

Amanda Friar Meade County Times-Tribune staff

Two members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club were convicted Thursday of assault in connection with a stabbing at last summer's Sturgis motorcycle rally.
Mark Allen Duclos, 48, of Fairbanks, Alaska, was convicted of aggravated assault, a felony, and George James Caruso, 57 of Shirley, Mass., was convicted of simple assault, a misdemeanor.
Duclos is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21 and Caruso on March 5.
According to police, members of the Hells Angels and the Mongols Motorcycle Club were involved in an altercation that led to a stabbing near the Hells Angels clubhouse on Third Street in Sturgis on Aug. 10.
Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/communities/sturgis/hells-angels-involved-in-stabbing-convicted/article_19349bc4-4962-11e1-8fee-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1knk2RwrP

LITCHFIELD - Campbell trial wraps up: Prosecution uses Lagasse’s portrait to appeal to jurors..

2012-01-29T00:59:00.002-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
RICKY CAMPBELL
Register Citizen Staff
Roland Lagasse was killed on June 27, 2008 by a bullet that penetrated his chest, traveled through his heart and lungs, and lodged itself near his spinal column.
Lagasse’s face, however, was in Litchfield Superior Court Thursday. State Prosecutor David Shepack produced a framed photograph of Lagasse during his closing argument, and the man’s face was visible to the 12 jurors — reminding them why they were called to serve.
Lagasse’s alleged killer, Kevin Campbell, and his defense attorneys have no control over what happens next in the now-three week trial, as the jury began deliberations around 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. State prosecutors are hoping to put Campbell behind bars for shooting his friend outside the Forbidden Motorcycle Club.
Closing arguments concluded right before 1 p.m. All the evidence, testimonies, causation and emotion was poured into more than two hours of debate between Shepack and Public Defender Chris Cosgrove.
Shepack began his portion with a brief statement of thanking jurors and then let the 2008 recording of witness Jennifer Valdarama Mercado’s frantic 911 call set the stage.
“The evidence shows that through [Campbell’s] actions, words and thoughts that he, in fact, intentionally, rather than accidentally, killed Roland Lagasse,” Shepack said. “These were friends. He testified that [a fist fight] was out of character for Roland, yet he testifies that when Roland is on the ground dying, he walks away.
“He doesn’t say, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it,’” Shepack added.
Arguing intent to kill or severely injure, science of the gun and hoping to save himself, Shepack said Campbell murdered Lagasse and followed the act with no sense of remorse or apologetics.
The state prosecutor belted into Campbell’s testimony, saying it was “fabricated” and designed after hearing the scientific evidence behind the gunshot.
Shepack even briefly reminded the jury that Campbell’s own brother, allegedly the man Lagasse fought with before his death, failed to testify during the trial.
“[Campbell] demonstrated that this was intentional not accidental,” Shepack said. “That is why he walked away to make arrangements for his cat — because he knew he wasn’t going home that night.”
Judge James P. Ginocchio denied Shepack the opportunity to show Lagasse’s photo during his initial argument because of a complaint by defender Cosgrove. Shepack later set up the picture following Cosgrove’s closing argument.
“These guys were friends and they were very close, which makes this tragedy all the worse,” Cosgrove said during his opening statement. “[Campbell] didn’t intend to kill him. He didn’t even intend to shoot him… Kevin saw what had happened to his brother and could reasonably assume the same thing was going to happen to him.”
According to the defense’s testimony, Lagasse was “in a rage” over a motorcycle vest patch. He struck Campbell’s brother and knocked him to the ground, followed by a few kicks to the side. He then knelt down on one knee to hit him “about 10” more times.
Campbell, 57, is 5 feet 9 inches and weighed just over 120 pounds at the time.
Due to a motorcycle accident, the former Vietnam-era Marine and canvas shop owner Campbell has a prosthetic leg and a lame left wrist.
Cosgrove continued through his argument, saying Forbidden club member Eugene Thebarge’s testimony was designed to benefit him and his criminal history in the Litchfield judicial district that Shepack oversees. According to Cosgrove, Thebarge and Lagasse created “a conspiracy” against the Campbell brothers.
The science put into evidence, Cosgrove told jurors, “fits perfectly with what Kevin Campbell tells you.”
“It’s perfectly consistent,” he added.
“[Campbell]’s telling the truth and he’s consistent with what he said in the first trial and in this trial,” Cosgrove said “Was it his conscious objective to kill Roland Lagasse? Of course not... These guys were friends.”
Campbell’s self-defense testimony earlier in the trial described Lagasse as “hovering” over him, as Campbell pulled out his .38 Smith and Wesson revolver and it accidentally went off. While Shepack argued the 10 1/4 pounds needed to be applied to the trigger was not feasible outside of intentional, Cosgrove said, “We don’t have to prove self-defense for you. The prosecution has to disprove self-defense.”
“You’re going to conclude that this man is not guilty,” Cosgrove said. “And that’s the only logical conclusion.”
The jury is expected to continue deliberations throughout the day Friday. Meanwhile, those left behind from Lagasse’s life will be waiting their decision.
“There are people in this room who are relatives of Rollie,” Cosgrove told jurors. “What happened was terrible. It was a tragedy.
“But Kevin Campbell was part of Roland’s family too. His extended family.”
Reach Ricky Campbell by e-mail at rcampbell@registercitizen.com, on Twitter @rickycampbellRC, or by phone at (860) 489-3121 x343. Follow us online at registercitizen.com and on Twitter @RegisterCitizen.

Missouri - St. Louis - Thomas Bailey, Maurice Thomas and Rasheed Brandon plead guilty to racketeering..

2012-01-29T00:59:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
ksdk.com

St. Louis (KSDK) - Two Chicago-area men and a Denver man pleaded guilty this week to federal racketeering conspiracy charges, U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan said Friday.
A federal grand jury indicted 41-year-old Thomas Bailey, 32-year-old Maurice Thomas and 33-year-old Rasheed Brandon in June 2011.
According to court documents, the three men confirmed their association with the Wheels of Soul Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. Bailey and Thomas also admitted to trafficking crack cocaine within the gang. Bailey also acknowledged that he agreed to the killing of an insubordinate member of the Chicago Westside Chapter of the Wheels of Soul and confessed his involvement in a conspiracy to murder rival motorcycle club members in East St. Louis in January 2011.
The motorcycle gang claims chapters in more than 20 states, including Illinois. Investigations into the gang began in 2009 following an armed robbery and murder in St. Louis by members of the gang's St. Louis chapter. Past charges to members of the gang across chapters include multiple murders, attempted murders, conspiracies to commit murder, kidnapping and trafficking in firearms.
Sentencing for Bailey and Thomas is set for April 11, while Brandon's sentencing date is slated for April 24. All three men face up to 20 years in prison.

Australia - State anxious to introduce 'usable' anti-bikie gang laws....

2012-01-29T00:59:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Anna Patty
stmarysstar.com.au
"We are going ahead with amendments to try to make sure that the anti-bikie legislation is usable and won't be the subject of being overruled by the High Court" ... the Attorney-General, Greg Smith. Photo: Rob Homer.

THE state government will introduce legislation targeting bikie gangs as it tries to combat a recent series of serious crimes and drive-by shootings.
The reforms come after the previous Labor administration introduced similar laws, which were then struck out by federal judges.

''We are going ahead with amendments to try to make sure that the anti-bikie legislation is usable and won't be … overruled by the High Court,'' the Attorney-General, Greg Smith, said.

''But we are doing much more than that. For a start we are going to move into other serious offences to cover gang activity. We are looking at a number of ways of improving police powers in relation to serious criminals.

There have been more than 50 drive-by shootings since the state election last year - 14 of those this year.

Legislation proposed by former Labor premier Nathan Rees sought to make it an offence to form or be part of a gang with criminal intent, but the High Court ruled against the legislation as it would have allowed for groups to be banned without any public reasoning.

Mr Smith has ruled out giving the police further powers - such as the Crime Commission's powers to compel people to give evidence or face jail - but said he would look at strengthening consorting offences in the NSW Crimes Act. ''We may be having a look at that to improve the powers of police to deal with people who thumb their noses at them,'' he said.

''We are not going to go over the top … We don't believe in creating more crimes when the current offences are sufficient.''

Mr Smith said he would not back down on his long-term plans to introduce tougher penalties for serious violence and sexual offences while showing more leniency for less serious ones.

In opposition, Mr Smith vowed to ''end the law and order auction'' which had filled prisons, saying he would focus on improving opportunities for the rehabilitation of people with drug, alcohol and mental illness problems.

''We felt there were better ways than just putting them into full-time custody because they kept coming out and they kept getting worse because they would be corrupted by the system,'' he said.

Mr Smith said he would introduce harsher penalties for people guilty of serious violent sexual offences and the ''buffoons that are going around at the moment shooting up houses''.

He is in the process of making an application to the NSW Supreme Court for a guideline judgment on sexual assault of minors.

''I am concerned there may be a difference between the level of sentencing for those offences compared to adult sexual assault matters. I [will be giving] instructions for another guideline judgment to be applied for dealing with aspects of child sexual assault.''

Mr Smith has also asked the Law Reform Commission to review sentencing laws and is concerned about judges ''double dipping'' and inconsistent parole periods.

''Any link between sentencing and drive-by shooting is a furphy,'' he said. ''This is something I have been talking about for years. We want to be smart on crime, we don't just want to be knee-jerkers.''

CANADA - Alleged biker hitman dies in cell..

2012-01-29T00:58:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
MICHAEL GORMAN
KELLY SHIERS

thechronicleherald.ca

Jeffrey Albert Lynds (Handout)

The man police believe killed the gangster who helped set up the now-defunct Halifax Hells Angels is dead.

The body of Jeffrey Albert Lynds was discovered in a Montreal jail cell, where the 43-year-old was on trial for a 2010 double murder in Quebec.

It is believed that the former member of the elite Hells Angels group the Nomads, committed suicide.

Police would not confirm the identity, but Sgt. Claude Denis of the Surete du Quebec told thechronicleherald.ca that a 43-year old man was found dead in his cell at Riviere des Prairies Detention Centre.

"He was found without life inside the (cell). We do not have any violence mark on the victim."

Sources told the Montreal Gazette the deceased is Lynds.

Denis said police were called to Riviere des Pariries detention centre just after noon Friday. An autopsy is scheduled on Monday.

A former member of the Halifax Hells Angels, Lynds was named in court documents as the killer of Randy Mersereau whose body was discovered in a wooded lot in North River, outside Truro, in Dec. 2010.

He was never charged in Mersereau's death.

After cofounding the Halifax chapter of the outlaw biker gang, Mersereau left in the 1990s to set up his own drug operation.

He disappeared Oct. 31,1999, not long after a bomb exploded at a used-car dealership in Bible Hill that injured several people. Mersereau is believed to have been the target of that Sept. 23 bombing.

A year later, in Sept. 2000, Randy's brother, Kirk Mersereau, 48, and Kirk's common-law wife Nancy Christensen, 47, were also shot dead in their rural Hants County home.

In their book, The Road to Hell: How the Biker Gangs are Conquering Canada, journalists William Marsden and Julian Sher write that Kirk put a $50,000 bounty on the head of anyone connected to his brother's murder.

Police have charged Dean David Whynott of Truro Heights and Gerald MacCabe of Salmon River both with being an accessory after the fact in Randy Mersereau's murder.

Court documents filed in connection with MacCabe's case point to Lynds as Randy's killer. News reports in 2010 said Lynds admitted shooting Randy five times with a handgun provided by the Hells Angels.

Lynd's nephew, 34-year-old Curtis Blair Lynds, was charged with accessory after the fact in Randy Mersereau's death, and first-degree murder in the deaths of Kirk Mersereau and Christensen.

Leslie Douglas Greenwood, 41, is also accused of first-degree murder in the deaths of the couple.

Curtis Lynds and Greenwood are in jail, awaiting court appearances.

Michael John Lawrence, 37, from Windsor has already pleaded guilty - and is serving a life sentence - for shooting the couple, as well as Charles Maddison, a man who offered him a drive and whose truck he stole before committing the double homicide.

Jeffrey Lynds was picked up during a series of raids that targeted the Halifax Hells Angels chapter in 2001 and was eventually sentenced to three years in jail.

In Montreal, Lynds was accused in the shooting deaths of two men, Kirk Murray and Anthony Onesi, as they sat inside a car at a McDonald's parking lot in Jan. 2010. He was also facing charges in the Feb. 2010 shooting of another Quebec man, Mark Stewart.

USA - Vets make prison gang list..

2012-01-29T00:58:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
In accordance with the following statement Law Enforcement should be declared a Gang....

According to information offered to the Senate Judiciary Committee, a gang designation is appropriate for a group three or more people with a common identifying sign, symbol or name who individually or collectively engage in criminal activity which creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
this is the full article:

Judiciary committee hears about gangs, including vets..

Faithful members of the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club may be a little surprised to find themselves on a list of “security threat groups” offered by the Department of Corrections to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Whether the aging vets at the local watering hole constitute a gang comes down to a definition from the Department of Justice.

According to information offered to the Senate Judiciary Committee, a gang designation is appropriate for a group three or more people with a common identifying sign, symbol or name who individually or collectively engage in criminal activity which creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
Sen. Alice Nitka wasn’t so sure that the retirees of the motorcycle club in Windsor are a menace to society.
Why shouldn’t the club be lumped in with the home-grown Chittenden County White Boys or “Anybody Can Get It” (commonly-known as ACG-137 according to the department), or maybe even the Bloods and the Crips?
If all it takes for a “gang” to make the list is for a few members of a group to commit a crime, Sen. Jeanette White asked, will the Boys and Girls Club be next?

NEVEDA - Biker bar arsonist wants out....

2012-01-29T00:55:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
By Sally Voth --
svoth@nvdaily.com
Man convicted of burning down Bad Water Bill's asks to be released into house arrest
HARRISONBURG -- The man who burned down a Strasburg biker bar eight years ago is asking to be let out of prison early.
William Wardell Welebir, a one-time Front Royal resident, says he and his wife have both suffered strokes, and asks U.S. District Judge Samuel G. Wilson in a letter from prison to release him to home confinement, according to online court records.
Welebir was sentenced in May 2010 to five years in prison for the arson of Bad Water Bill's Bar B-Q-Barn.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Mott convinced jurors Welebir burned downed the bar/restaurant so he would be accepted by the Pagans Motorcycle Club. The gxxg was upset that the Titans Motorcycle Club, which is a support club for the Pagans' rivals the Hell's Angels, was having a show at Bad Water Bill's later on the day of the fire, he said.
Bad Water Bill's also figured prominently as a favored haunt of the Warlocks Motorcycle Club in an investigation into that group.
Welebir's letter, filed Wednesday, according to online court records, stated he has had a stroke and been in a wheelchair for almost a year. It says his wife has also had a stroke and is now legally blind.
Welebir writes that he has been in special housing for a good portion of his prison time because he has been assaulted more than once. Additionally, he hasn't had any discipline problems, his letter says.
"Due to my failing health, which I have sought, and am receiving help for, as well as my age, there is no chance I would re-offend, nor engage in any criminal lifestyle or associate with anyone who does," it says.

The letter asks that Wilson agree to Welebir's early release into house arrest with close supervision. This would allow him to collect disability, which would help him pay restitution, it says.
Welebir was ordered to pay Bad Water Bill's owner Mary Fisher $25,600 in restitution.
He asks the judge for mercy.
"Please, your honor, I know that this is an unusual request, but you have the power to grant it, and I have seen the error of my ways," his letter says.
On Friday, Mott said he hadn't yet seen the letter, but would review it and consult with the probation office before deciding on a position to take.

http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2012/01/biker-bar-arsonist-wants-out.php

CALIFORNIA - Police officer shot, killed by fellow officer trying to arrest him.

2012-01-29T00:55:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Msnbc.com

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A Santa Maria police officer was shot and killed Saturday by a fellow officer who was trying to arrest him for suspected sexual misconduct with a minor, the Santa Maria Times reported.
The slain officer was on duty when police tried to take him into custody early Saturday, the Santa Maria Police Department said in a press release.
The suspect officer allegedly drew his weapon and fired. "In response, one officer on scene fired at the suspect officer hitting him once," officials said in a news release, according to the Times.
The wounded officer was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The name of the slain officer was not released. Authorities said he was being investigated on an allegation of sexual misconduct against a minor.

St. Louis hosting 1st big parade on Iraq War's end.....

2012-01-29T00:44:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
By JIM SALTER

Army Maj. Rich Radford looked around at the tens of thousands of people waving American flags and cheering, and was moved that so many people had braved a cold January wind Saturday in St. Louis to honor people like him: Iraq War veterans.

The parade, borne out of a simple conversation between two St. Louis friends a month ago, was the first big welcome-home in the U.S. for veterans of the war since the last troops were withdrawn from Iraq in December.

"It's not necessarily overdue, it's just the right thing," said Radford, a 23-year Army veteran who walked in the parade alongside his 8-year-old daughter, Aimee, and 12-year-old son, Warren.

Radford was among about 600 veterans, many dressed in camouflage, who walked along downtown streets lined with rows of people clapping and holding signs with messages including "Welcome Home" and "Thanks to our Service Men and Women." Some of the war-tested troops wiped away tears as they acknowledged the support from a crowd that organizers estimated reached 100,000 people.

Fire trucks with aerial ladders hoisted huge American flags in three different places along the route, with politicians, marching bands — even the Budweiser Clydesdale horses — joining in. But the large crowd was clearly there to salute men and women in the military, and people cheered wildly as groups of veterans walked by.

That was the hope of organizers Craig Schneider and Tom Appelbaum. Neither man has served in the military but they came up with the idea after noticing there had been little fanfare for returning Iraq War veterans aside from gatherings at airports and military bases. There were no ticker-tape parades or large public celebrations.

Appelbaum, an attorney, and Schneider, a school district technical coordinator, decided something needed to be done. So they sought donations, launched a Facebook page, met with the mayor and mapped a route. The grassroots effort resulted in a huge turnout despite raising only about $35,000 and limited marketing. More than half of the money raised came from the Anheuser-Busch brewing company and the Mayflower moving company, which both have St. Louis ties.

The marketing included using a photo of Radford being welcomed home from his second tour in Iraq by his then-6-year-old daughter. The girl had reached up, grabbed his hand and said, "I missed you, daddy." Radford's sister caught the moment with her cellphone camera, and the image graced T-shirts and posters for the parade.

Veterans came from around the country, and more than 100 entries — including marching bands, motorcycle groups and military units — signed up ahead of the event, Appelbaum said.

Schneider said he was amazed how everyone, from city officials to military organizations to the media, embraced the parade.

"It was an idea that nobody said no to," he said. "America was ready for this."

All that effort by her hometown was especially touching for Gayla Gibson, a 38-year-old Air Force master sergeant who said she spent four months in Iraq — seeing "amputations, broken bones, severe burns from IEDs (improvised explosive devices)" — as a medical technician in 2003.

"I think it's great when people come out to support those who gave their lives and put their lives on the line for this country," Gibson said.

With 91,000 troops still fighting in Afghanistan, many Iraq veterans could be redeployed — suggesting to some that it's premature to celebrate their homecoming. In New York, for example, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently said there would be no city parade for Iraq War veterans in the foreseeable future because of objections voiced by military officials.

But in St. Louis, there was clearly a mood to thank the troops with something big, even among those opposed to the war.

"Most of us were not in favor of the war in Iraq, but the soldiers who fought did the right thing and we support them," said 72-year-old Susan Cunningham, who attended the parade with the Missouri Progressive Action Group. "I'm glad the war is over and I'm glad they're home."

Don Lange, 60, of nearby Sullivan, held his granddaughter along the parade route. His daughter was a military interrogator in Iraq.

"This is something everyplace should do," Lange said as he watched the parade.

Several veterans of the Vietnam War turned out to show support for the younger troops. Among them was Don Jackson, 63, of Edwardsville, Illinois, who said he was thrilled to see the parade honoring Iraq War veterans like his son, Kevin, who joined him at the parade. The 33-year-old Air Force staff sergeant said he'd lost track of how many times he had been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a flying mechanic.

"I hope this snowballs," he said of the parade. "I hope it goes all across the country. I only wish my friends who I served with were here to see this."

Looking at all the people around him in camouflage, 29-year-old veteran Matt Wood said he felt honored. He served a year in Iraq with the Illinois National Guard.

"It's extremely humbling, it's amazing, to be part of something like this with all of these people who served their country with such honor," he said.

Illusion Motorsports - " Premiere motorcycle customizing shop of Orange County California "

2012-01-29T00:30:00.000-08:00

ATTN, IF YOU CALL RUSTY OR T-ROD, MENTION YOU READ IT HERE ON THE BLOG
THANK YOU,
Philip aka Screwdriver

Illusion Motorsports The place to go to in the Orange County area when you want your bike pimped out. A one stop shop that does it all for a fair price and in a timely manner.

One of the cleanest and best organized shops anywhere.

As an EPA/CARB certified motorcycle manufacturer we can build or sell you a bike that is legal in California or all 50 states. Need financing? No problem, if you qualify.

Business hours 8-5 Mon-Fri. Pick-up and delivery available.

* PARTS * FABRICATION * PAINT * ELECTRICAL * TUNE UPS * SERVICE on custom and OEM motorcycles * CUSTOMIZING * NEW OR USED MOTORCYCLES * COLLISION REPAIR

714-894-1942 office
714-894-1922 fax
714-262-2370 alternate
14726 goldenwest Street #F Westminster, Ca. 92683
illusionoc@gmail.com email

NEW JERSEY - Police to Provide Security at Westboro Baptist Church's Protest of Clark Military Funeral

2012-01-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Deborah Bell
clark.patch.com

Mayor Sal Bonaccorso acknowledges right to protest, says police will be on hand in case of emergency.

The Westboro Baptist Church protesters plan to be outside St. Agnes Church in Clark Monday, holding up signs at the funeral of Marine Cpl. Kevin Reinhard. The signs declare his death in Afghanistan as a sign of God's judgment on America.
In Sam Phelps-Roper's view, he and his fellow parishioners at Westboro are doing God's work.
The deaths of soldiers oversees, they believe, is because various states in the country have legalized homosexual marriage, he said.
Homosexuals, Phelps-Roper said, "are the lowest rung on the ladder of depravity. You set it up on a pedestal and call it holy. [Americans] fornicate with everything that moves, God hates those things. This nation is awash in idolatry in all its forms."
It doesn't seem readily apparent what that has to do with the death of Cpl. Reinhard. The 25-year-old Marine, a Colonia resident, was killed along with five other soldiers in a January 19 helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso said he spoke with Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac and both municipalities are coordinating their police efforts.
"We will have the police at St. Agnes. The protesters will be 500 ft. away from the church. They won't even be visible," Bonaccorso said. "Three to five of them won't be a problem."
McCormac could not be reached for comment.
"They have a right to express their speech, whether we agree with it or not. We will follow all the rules," Bonaccorso said. "But this is a hero who gave his life for his country. I don't need them upsetting anybody."
In Phelps-Roper's opinion, soldiers are dying because God wants it that way.
"This foolish nation thinks they can do a thing that is called an abomination. We can focus on chasing Arabs in caves, God sits in heaven and laughs, and sends children home in body bags," he said.
Phelps-Roper is the grandson of Westboro founder Fred Phelps. The church, which has been labeled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, has approximately 80 members and is based in Kansas.
They fly all over the country, Phelps-Roper said, to protest at the funerals of soldiers killed in war.
But not all soldiers, according to Phelps-Roper.
"We get to as many as we can where there is a public spectacle. If it's a private funeral and they aren't having a public service, insisting that God is blessing America when clearly he is not, we don't go," he said.
On the township website, Woodbridge residents who wish to honor Cpl. Reinhard are urged to "line both sides of Inman Avenue" after the funeral mass at St. Agnes Church in Clark. Cpl. Reinhard will be buried at St. Gertrude's Cemetery in Colonia.
But the township's gesture isn't what caught the Westboro Baptist Church's attention.
Phelps-Roper said the church is responding to information found at the Patriot Guard forum, a motorcycle club that attend funerals of soliders, firefighters, and police, but only after being invited by family members.
The Patriot Guard began in 2005, to provide a response to the activities of the Westboro group. They block the group from having to be seen by mourners at funerals, and they rev their motorcycles to drown out the Westboro protests.
Whatever fallen hero the Patriot Guard wishes to honor is where the Westboro clan will be, Phelps-Roper said.
"We've been to hundreds of [funerals]. We aren't trying to get into anyone's face. We protest thousands of feet if not miles away. We leave when the funeral starts. We don't invade the funerals or cemeteries," he said, pointing out that his church's members consider themselves to be law-abiding citizens.
There was no mention of how far away the Westboro protesters will be placed from the church, which is the only place Phelps-Roper plans on picketing.
The Patriot Guard may easily overwhelm the Westboro group, though. Phelps-Roper said that only "three to five" protesters from the church will show up to protest in Clark.

Information about the wake and funeral of Cpl. Kevin Reinhard can be found in his obituary.

Welcome to the Road Guardians Compound in Big Bend Wisconsin.

2012-01-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

We are open for business & can install parts that we sell
Subscribe to our Calendar of Events to get notices of RG hosted Classes, Tues Open House info and other RG hosted events that benefit bikers!
RG Compound Pics

The Road Guardians compound is the home of Accident Scene Management, Inc. a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to reducing injuries and fatalities to motorcyclists. Road Guardians is a membership program of ASMI that supports the organization while rewarding those who support us! In addition to housing ASMI, the RG Compound is a full service retail business with a clubhouse feel. Our showroom is convertable and can be made into a lounge, classroom or retail storefront. We have a full kitchen, large array of beverages, a sewing area for patches and minor repairs, a garage for installations and upgrades of your bike. We encourage the motorcycling community to be involved through educational classes, networking, and joining us in our Tuesday night Open House/Bike Night Year Round. $5.00 plates of food that include dessert make this a treat and an evening you will want to re-visit time and time again. Shop on line or stop down in person.

Our staff is eager to serve you!

S87w23110 Wynn Dr
Big Bend, WI 53103(262) 706-3278

Email: Info at RGCompound.com

AUSTRALIA - Man shot in the leg as gunfire erupts yet again in Bolton St in Guildford

2012-01-28T00:59:00.004-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
SYDNEY'S spate of shootings claimed another victim last night, with a man shot in the leg after an altercation in front of a house.As many as seven shots were fired outside the Bolton St, Guildford house about 10.30pm, The Daily Telegraph reported.
A 24-year-old man shot in the leg was treated by paramedics at the scene and rushed to Westmead Hospital.
Neighbour Hala Khalil, 30, said she thought the shots were fireworks because of Australia Day.
Then we heard someone screaming 'my leg, my leg, my leg'," she said.
"I said to my kids 'go back, I think there's been a shooting'. (The shooter) was on foot."
At first, they thought it was fireworks, but then they heard someone screaming "My leg, my leg, my leg".
"I said to my kids go back, I think there's been a shooting."
She said: "We ran to the window and that's when we saw everyone running towards the direction of the house across the road.
"Everyone was running out of their house and I heard someone on the phone saying, 'There's been a shooting, there's been a shooting' I think they were contacting the police."
She told her children to get back to the lounge room, and they stayed inside until they saw police arrive.
"People ran out of the house across the road and people ran out of that house there (neighbouring house) that got shot at," she said.
She said the shooting upset his family and reduced his children to tears.

"My children started crying, they were petrified, they were saying 'take us out of here, take us out of here'.
"I could heard him screaming at the top of his lungs.
"There were about 15 people, I think they carried him to the veranda."
Police cordoned off the western Sydney street last night as they investigated the shooting.
Meanwhile, a tough approach to smash the silence surrounding the recent drive-by shootings seems to be working, with the victim of an earlier incident yesterday happy to co-operate with police.
One of the owners of Supertan Tanning Studio and Solarium - which was sprayed with 15 shots from a 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol at 2am yesterday - is helping police with their inquiries.
It was the second time the Rockdale salon had been shot up and is believed to be the result of a local dispute and not linked to recent shootings in southwest Sydney. It marked the first shooting for nine days.
The "wall of silence" surrounding the shootings appears to be cracking after investigators were given the powers of the NSW Crime Commission to jail witnesses or victims who did not answer questions from police.
Two witnesses have been subpoenaed to appear at the commission.
Strike Force Spartan was set up to investigate the 50 or so drive-bys in southwestern Sydney.
In nearly all of the recent shootings, witnesses and victims have refused to talk to investigators.
Yesterday's attack on the Rockdale salon came after at least nine shots shattered the front window of the solarium in July 2008. It was linked to a dispute between the Hells Angels and the Comanchero bikie gxxgs.
Detective Inspector Gary Ballard said the investigation would include whether the shootings were linked.
http://www.news.com.au/national/drive-by-victim-talks-to-police/story-e6frfkvr-1226254836871

CANADA - Sturgis North catches eye of Vernon RCMP

2012-01-28T00:59:00.003-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Sturgis North catches eye of Vernon RCMP
The return of a popular motorcycle rally and music festival in the North Okanagan has caught the eye of RCMP.
Last summer, 40,000 bikers, including some with gxxg affiliations, descended on Salmon Arm for Sturgis North.
The first Sturgis North event is believed to have lost money and divided residents in the small community.
This July, the promoter wants to move the event to the Motoplex Speedway in Spallumcheen.
If the location is confirmed for Sturgis North, Vernon RCMP spokesman Gord Molendyk says police hope to learn some lessons from last year.
Molendyk says RCMP will speak with organizers to determine what issues may arise.
http://www.vancouversun.com/cars/Sturgis+North+catches+Vernon+RCMP/6062005/story.html

CANADA - Hells Angels likely to attend huge motorcycle and music festival near Vernon

2012-01-28T00:59:00.002-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

Hells Angels likely to attend huge motorcycle and music festival near Vernon..

Ray Sasseville, the White Rock-based promoter of the event, which has been moved to a site about 20 kilometres outside of Vernon, confirmed the Angels will be at the Motoplex Speedway in Spallumcheen between July 18-22. Last year the event was held in Salmon Arm
“I believe they’re going to have a few booths there,” Sasseville said Thursday.
The notorious biker gxxg also sold merchandise at the Salmon Arm event last year amid a significant police presence.
The large crowd alone will require some extra police surveillance of this year’s Sturgis festival.
But because the event hasn’t been officially confirmed, spokesman Gord Molendyk of the Vernon-North Okangan RCMP couldn’t give a police perspective.
“We’re monitoring it like everyone else,” said Molendyk. “There will be planning, of course.”
Sasseville said he had a written agreement to hold the festival but it was still being finalized.
He said there were no problems with the Hell’s Angels at the last Sturgis event, which he said attracted about 35,000 to 40,000 people, and he’s not anticipating any concerns this year.
“I spent over $300,000 on security last year,” he said. “Everybody behaved themselves.”
A bigger concern for Sasseville is paying off more than $200,000 in debts left from last year’s event.
His planned move to a facility with power and infrastructure — like fencing and stands that seat about 7,500 — will improve his bottom line and pay off the debts from Salmon Arm.
“That for me is going to be difference between profit and loss,” he said.
Sasseville revealed that the bands playing the festival include Edgar Winter, Nick Gilder and Sweeney Todd, The Stampders and The Guess Who.
Tickets for the event will go on sale in about two weeks.
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Hells+Angels+likely+attend+huge+motorcycle+music+festival+near+Vernon/6057918/story.html

AUSTRALIA - Gun victims won't talk to cops, THEY DONT HAVE TOO!!!

2012-01-28T00:59:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

A recent spate of shootings across Perth may reflect a deeper problem with organised crime in WA, Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan says.
There have been at least seven high-profile shootings in Perth this month, including three this week. And two murders in the past five months have involved firearms: the repeated shooting of Hamersley father and convicted drug dealer Mite Naumovski in late September and the driveway shooting death of 21-year-old student Jeremiah Iskander in Wanneroo last month.
Victims and witnesses in most of the cases have refused to help police.
"All these incidents are a concern and not just because there are individual people getting hurt but because it indicates there are broader organised crime issues and the reason we know that is because victims and witnesses are unco-operative," Mr O'Callaghan said.
Typically in the bikie world and other parts of the organised crime world, witnesses and victims will not co-operate."
In one incident this month, a 31-year-old man arrived at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital with a gunshot wound to the face. He told detectives he would not co-operate.
This week, two men were charged over unrelated shootings at Belmont and Singleton.
The Singleton incident, which left a 31-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the hand, led detectives to uncover a cache of guns, silencers, explosives, ammunition and other weapons.
Police figures show 641 guns were stolen from January 2010 to mid-November 2011 in 198 separate thefts.
More than half the thefts involved multiple firearms being stolen, including the theft of 79 paintball guns from a Carabooda skirmish centre in June 2010.
From January 2010 to mid-November, 78 unsecured firearms were stolen.
Mr O'Callaghan said he believed most of the guns used in recent shootings were unlicensed.
"There is movement of things like drugs and firearms across Australia by organised crime gangs," Mr O'Callaghan said.
"A lot of bikies are behind these movements.
"Our job is to make sure we keep disruptive pressure on these people so they can't keep on doing these things."
Mr O'Callaghan said there was always a possibility, however remote, that an innocent bystander could be shot.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/12744111/gun-victims-won-t-talk-to-cops/

PETITION TO SUPREME COURT OF ALASKA TO BLOCK NDAA INDEFINITE DETENTION PROVIDES MODEL FOR CITIZENS OF ALL STATES..

2012-01-28T00:58:00.004-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
27 January 2012 | Big Lake, Alaska

PETITION TO SUPREME COURT OF ALASKA TO BLOCK NDAA INDEFINITE DETENTION PROVIDES MODEL FOR CITIZENS OF ALL STATES
Summary: While the mainstream media blackout keeps millions of Americans clueless about the consequences of NDAA 2012 and Constitutional Rights groups do little more than milk the issue, in Alaska one bold patriot is taking action.
A Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus was filed with the Supreme Court of the State of Alaska on 20 December 2011 and accepted by the Clerk of Appellate Courts on 10 January 2012 in response to the "indefinite detention without trial of American citizens" provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA 2012) by Ms. Anna M. Riezinger-von Reitz and other unnamed Petitioners:
http://alaskapatriotnews.ning.com/profile/AnnavonReitz
Assigned case number S14542, the Petition with its accompanying Addendum cites 16 specific grounds and calls upon the Court to issue the protective preemptive Writ and to refer over twenty named criminal charges including Seditious Conspiracy against the members of Congress who voted in favor of the USA Patriot Act and NDAA 2012. Ground 16 of the Petition exposes a long and well-documented history of federal government fraud and notes that America has been kept in a constant "state of emergency" for almost 80 years. Copies of the Petition and Addendum, an accompanying Notice of Dereliction of Duty filed with state officers, and a concise summary of the grounds for petition are available here:
Petition filed with the court:
http://tinyurl.com/7958p6o
Addendum filed with the court:
http://tinyurl.com/85vy9wu
Notice of Dereliction of Duty filed simultaneously with state officers:
http://tinyurl.com/78hrxk5
Grounds summary:
http://tinyurl.com/7aejm2a
Alaskan petitioner and freedom fighter Anna von Reiz now calls for at least 49 more patriots to step up and file similar petitions for Hawaii and the Lower 48 states. She researched, drafted and filed her petition without the assistance of a lawyer, and encourages attorneys as well as other concerned citizens across America to build on her work and follow her lead. To facilitate that action, she has provided this fill-in-the-blank template for use as a model:
http://tinyurl.com/6ntbtjv
Americans willing to take action to defeat NDAA 2012 and restore their Bill of Rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution that have questions about the petition preparation and filing process can submit them to Anna von Reitz via email to VVV Public Relations at "vvvpr@vvvpr.com". They can also join the nationwide NDAA protests scheduled for Friday, 3 February:
http://tinyurl.com/ndaa-protests
Anna von Reitz via VVV PR ( http://vvvpr.com/ | @vvvpr )
###
Img: http://tinyurl.com/8xfsb5h
Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFaGz8blpPI
Tag: #ndaa, #patriotact, #fascism, #ows, #worldwarweb, #vvvpr
Key: ndaa, national defense authorization act, ndaa 2012, national defense authorization act of 2012, patriot act, usa patriot act, seditious conspiracy, bush, obama, fascism, corporate fascism, ows, occupy wall street, world war web, vvv pr
Src: VVV Public Relations | Miami Florida | 877-919-5351 | http://veritasvirtualvengeance.com/ | vvvpr@vvvpr.com

AUSTRALIA - Finks bikie pleads guilty to drug charges..

2012-01-28T00:58:00.003-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
A FINKS bikie, who took to the internet to boast of his underworld lifestyle, unintentionally supplied more than $90,000-worth of MDMA and speed to an undercover police officer, a court has been told.
Darren James Watson today pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Brisbane to two counts of trafficking and six counts of supplying a dangerous drug and possession of a Mercedes-Benz motorcycle police said was used as part of the offending.
Watson, also known as Tama Lewis, was arrested in October, 2009, after a covert Australian Crime Commission investigation Operation Creed into the Finks motorcycle and the drug trade.
The 27-year-old, dubbed the `MySpace bikie', also pleaded guilty to five charges of the Commonwealth offence of failing to answer questions at a specially-convened ACC hearing in November, 2009.
A public face of the outlaw motorcycle group prior to his arrest, Watson bragged about his role in the organisation.
He claimed on social networking site MySpace to earn $250,000 a year as a stand-over man, with the slogan "Don't play games with the ref, remember I make the rules."
Prosecutor Sarah Dennis said the trafficking charges related to methamphetamines and MDMA over two separate periods.
The first, between late 2005 to June 2007, came to light after a drug addict, who purchased an estimated $110,000 from Watson, turned police informant.
The supply charges and second trafficking count relate to Watson's activities during Operation Creed from December 2008 to October 2009.
During the latter trafficking period Watson supplied, both directly and indirectly through associates, an undercover policeman about 314 grams of methamphetamines and 989 grams of MDMA which came at a cost of about $90,600.
"This is a serious course of offending," Ms Dennis said.
"There was little co-operation in the administration of justice."
Commonwealth prosecutor Justin Williams told Justice Martin Daubney when asked about criminal activity he and his associates had engaged in at the ACC hearing, Watson refused to answer and he should be jailed for six months.
Defence barrister Anthony Kimmins said his client exaggerated his involvement the drug trade during conversations with the undercover officer in an effort to `big-note himself'.
He said the poor drug purity about eight per cent for the ecstasy and 26 per cent for the MDMA - was an indication he was not high in the drug syndicate.
"He might well have been charges with false pretences," Mr Kimmins said.
"It is clear he is nowhere near the primary source of the drugs."
He also said the amount of drugs alleged to have been trafficked in the earlier period was unreliable given the source of the intelligence.
Mr Kimmins said the prosecution's recommendation of a 10 to 12 year sentence was out of range and nine years was appropriate.
Justice Daubney said he needed to consider the sentence and adjourned until February 1.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2012/01/27/385795_crime-and-court-news.html

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SLASHES STAFF IN WOUNDED WARRIOR CARE OFFICE... WHAT THE FUCK , PRESIDENT OBAMA?

2012-01-28T00:58:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

January 16, 2012
Pg. 8
DoD Slashes Staff In Wounded Warrior Care Office
Contractors also helped oversee transition assistance program
By Karen Jowers
... Defense officials have cut 44 contractor positions -- about 40 percent of the staff -- in the Pentagon's Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy in recent months, which sources say will affect programs for wounded warriors as well as all troops and spouses leaving the military for civilian life.
The cuts have reduced by half the contract staff that developed curriculum and provided initial training for wounded warrior recovery care coordinators, said Defense Department sources and others familiar with the programs who spoke to Military Times on condition of anonymity.
Those coordinators are hired by the services to advocate for wounded warriors and their families and help them develop plans for their recovery in conjunction with their health care providers.
All 15 contract staff members involved in transition assistance policy also were cut, sources said, leaving two federal employees.
Several programs that had been under development also have been axed, including a new interactive Virtual Transition Assistance Program website.
Defense officials insist the cuts will not affect current programs or those who are served by them.
"The impact of these adjustments has been carefully scrutinized... and risk mitigation has been applied to ensure that the wounded warrior community and others will not be adversely impacted," said Cynthia Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
Smith said that after the cuts, the WWCTP office's remaining staff includes 47 contractors, 16 full-time government employees and one Defense Fellow working on wounded warrior programs. DoD plans to hire two more full-time government employees.
Some of the cuts were necessary because the Health and Human Services Department terminated a contract, said Philip Burdette, principal director of the WWCTP office. That contract, which expired Nov. 30, was the vehicle DoD used to provide a number of services, he said.
"We triaged the critical efforts, and found efficiencies where we could," he said. "We made sure we bridged the critical services."
That includes money for Marine Corps recovery care coordinators. "We made sure they stayed in the community," he said. "We couldn't allow [the end of the HHS contract] to affect wounded warrior care for Marines."
For other programs that are deemed necessary, he said, officials are starting the process of securing long-term contracts.
He said his office has continued training recovery care coordinators, citing a December effort to train 21 coordinators.
However, a source familiar with the office's work said funds for that training had been in the pipeline before the HHS contract ended, and it is unclear where money to train future recovery care coordinators will come from.
"For each recovery care coordinator who won't be trained, 30 service members and their family members will not have the services they need," another source said.
The 15 contract staffers involved in transition assistance policy were cut Nov. 29, one day after President Obama signed the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which, among other things, requires DoD to substantially improve its transition assistance and make it mandatory for most troops.
Burdette said the contract workers were let go because their work was finished. That work involved researching and making recommendations for the future of DoD's transition assistance efforts as part of a presidential initiative.
But sources said some of those workers also were involved in an effort to transform the program to "a life-cycle model," to start preparing troops for civilian life well before they separate, rather than just as they are getting out.
Burdette said cuts were made in areas that he determined were no longer needed, such as a budget tool developed several years ago "that was not as useful" as officials had hoped. Other examples he cited were studies and administrative support.
But sources said Burdette also c anceled the planned September forcewide launch of a new Virtual Transition Assistance Program website, which was to replace the TurboTAP website. VTAP was envisioned as a tool to let troops download personalized information about schools and job openings, among other things. Veterans would be able to apply for jobs directly through the site.
Defense officials had spent nearly $4 million to develop VTAP. It had been endorsed by John Campbell, deputy assistant secretary in the WWCTP office, who had approved another $1 million for the program early last year, sources said.
Burdette said his office has made arrangements to continue DoD's current TurboTAP website for transitioning troops, as well as the National Resource Directory website, designed to connect wounded warriors, their families and caregivers to resources that support their recovery and rehabilitation.
He also said some of the major elements of the proposed VTAP site are available through other venues. For example, he noted that connecting veterans with jobs is a capability of the current Veterans Job Bank in the National Resource Directory.
"That was a cornerstone of what Virtual TAP was intended to be," he said. "The aspirational elements [of the VTAP project] are there." But sources said the Veterans Job Bank falls short of what separating service members need.
One source said that initiative is still in beta testing, and officials have identified at least 50 issues which must be addressed. Even if it is fixed, the source said, it will not have the capability to do what the VTAP website was expected to do.
Sources said Burdette set the cuts in motion in response to direction from Cliff Stanley, former undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, who resigned in late October amid multiple complaints to the DoD inspector general, some filed by staffers in the WWCTP office.
In an Aug. 17 email to staff members, a copy of which was obtained by Military Times, Burdette wrote: "We did what [Stanley] wanted, took a hard look, shelved important projects and saved real money. I want full credit for that." Burdette declined to comment on the email.

Is this the beginning of mandating "high visibility" protective gear for all of us?

2012-01-28T00:57:00.001-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
By: Justin Creech
Staff writer
Is this the beginning of mandating "high visibility" protective gear for all of us?

http://www2.belvoireagle.com/news/2012/jan/26/motorcyclists-must-wear-personal-protective-equipm-ar-1641966/ Motorcyclists must wear personal protective equipment Retro-reflective vests keep riders safe

Fort Belvoir residents and civilians who operate or ride a motorcycle on the installation must be in full-compliance with Fort Belvoir Regulation 190-5 while on the installation.
The regulation states that Soldiers will wear proper eye protection, full-fingered gloves, long trousers, long sleeved shirt or jacket. A high-visibility safety vest or jacket that is fluorescent in color (orange, yellow, green or pink), with retro-reflective qualities that can be seen from the front, sides, and rear, must be worn at all times.
Civilians who come on post must wear the same protective clothing specified for Soldiers when operating or riding a motorcycle, trikes or moped on Army installations or while on government business off the installation.
Active-duty or civilian operators, or riders not in full-compliance with FB 190-5 will be turned away at all entry gates.
"Soldiers and civilians coming on post have to be in full-compliance or they will not be allowed on the installation," said Timothy Wolfe, Fort Belvoir chief of police.
FB 190-5 should not be confused with safety regulation 385-10 which says riders are encouraged to select personal protective equipment (PPE) that incorporates fluorescent colors and retro-reflective material.
In April 2009, Department of Defense Instruction 6055.4 changed the language of safety regulation 385-10 from must wear to highly encouraged.
When two regulations or policies are in conflict the most stringent is always applied.
"In the safety world, the most stringent regulation is the regulation that you have to follow," said Susan Roeder, Director, Installation Safety Office.
Even though safety regulation 385-10 discouraged Commanders from adding PPE requirements at the local level, it does not prevent them from doing so.
"General (Michael) Linington has given all of the Garrison Commanders under the Military District of Washington the authority to run their installations the way they see fit," said Wolfe. "After talking with Dave Parchman, the Directorate of Emergency Services Director, and with the Judge Advocate General, Colonel John Strycula, Fort Belvoir garrison commander, has mandated that we are going to leave FB 190-5, as is. Colonel Strycula is responsible for the safety and security for all the Soldiers, Families and visitors on the installation."
Riders who choose not to follow the regulation can be given a ticket if a Belvoir officer sees them riding on post with out any of the specified PPE’s.
"First off, you’re going to be turned away at the gate if you’re not in full compliance," said Wolfe. "But, if you get on post and a police officer sees you he is going to stop you and give you a summons. If you continue to disregard the garrison commander’s policies he can suspend your privilege to drive on this installation."
Fort Belvoir law enforcement will not hesitate to rescind anyone’s driving privileges if they deem it necessary.
"Numerous tickets will get me to go up to the DES director and say ‘Look, this person has gotten three or four summons for the same violation,’" said Wolfe. "He’s not complying with the directives set forth by the garrison commander it’s time to suspend his privilege to drive on the installation."
The regulation extends to Belvoir police officers as well while they are on duty.
"Even our police on motorcycles have to wear the retro-reflective vests or jackets," said Wolfe. "Everybody has to follow the same rules."

This is a fun quiz. Listed below are 10 direct quotes. You have to guess which American politician said it. Your four choices are:

2012-01-28T00:57:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Former Alaska Governor     Sarah Palin
Former VP                             Dan Quayle
President                               Barack Obama
Former President                 George W. Bush

Ready? Here we go!
Who said it?

1) "Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel"
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

2) "I've now been in 57 states I think one left to go."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

3) "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes, and I see many of them in the audience here today.
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

4) "What they'll say is, 'Well it costs too much money,' but you know what? It would cost, about. It it would cost about the same as what we would spend. It. Over the course of 10 years it would cost what it would costs us. (nervous laugh) All right. Okay. We're going to do it. It would cost us about the same as it would cost for about hold on one second.   I can't hear myself. But I'm glad you're fired up, though. I'm glad."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

5) "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

(6) "I bowled a 129. It's like - it was like the Special Olympics, or something."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

7) "Of the many responsibilities granted to a president by our Constitution, few are more serious or more consequential than selecting a Supreme Court justice. The members of our highest court are granted life tenure, often serving long after the presidents who appointed them. And they are charged with the vital task of applying principles put to paper more than 20 centuries ago to some of the most difficult questions of our time."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

8) "Everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma, they end up taking up a hospital bed, it costs, when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early and they got some treatment, and a, a breathalyzer, or inhalator, not a breathalyzer. I haven't had much sleep in the last 48 hours.
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

9) "It was interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of I don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

10) "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush

This was a trick quiz. All of the correct answers are the same person. Each of these quotes are directly from President Barack Obama. And now you know why he brings his teleprompter with him everywhere he goes even when talking to a 6th grade class. And some members of the media continue to insist he is "The smartest man ever elected to the Presidency".   Yeah Right.   Send it to all your family and friends!

Los Angeles Co., CA - Section 8 settlement details

2012-01-28T00:52:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
M. Dilworth
theavtimes.com

The Community Action League (seen here at a press conference in December) is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, which prompted the proposed settlement.
LANCASTER/ PALMDALE – Deputies can no longer ride along on Section 8 compliance checks, law enforcement can no longer know which homes are Section 8 homes, and there will be no extra Section 8 housing investigators for Lancaster and Palmdale. This according to the details of a proposed settlement agreement approved late Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The settlement is the County’s response to a federal lawsuit against the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, which claims Black and Latino families using Section 8 housing vouchers are victims of constant, unbearable harassment at the hands of housing authority investigators, sheriff’s deputies and local politicians. Read the complaint here.
The County is not named in the lawsuit, but only because County officials agreed to negotiate in good faith before the lawsuit was brought forth, according to plaintiff attorney Maria Palomares.
“We sent demand letters to the County, the city of Lancaster, and the city of Palmdale before we actually filed the lawsuit,” said Palomares. “The Housing Authority and the Sheriff’s Department, both represented by the County, came to us and said ‘we would like to talk to see how we can resolve this,’ and we’ve been in ongoing discussions since then.”
She said they were not able to achieve the same dialog with the cities.
“The City of Lancaster created the Section 8 Commission and tried to use their business license as a way to limit the number of Section 8 tenants that were coming into the City,” Palomares said. “So for their actions, this lawsuit is still very much alive and moving forward.”
The County’s proposed settlement does not affect the racial discrimination lawsuit against Lancaster and Palmdale. The settlement must be approved by the federal court, which Palomares anticipates will happen within the next two weeks.
“It’s rare that a judge would ever disapprove a settlement,” she said. “We really look forward to it being approved by the judge so it can go into effect and there can be oversight by the judicial court. That way this would be more than just words on paper. The cities can start to heal and welcome Black and Latino families.”
The settlement was approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Michael Antonovich opposed. The settlement agreement includes the following provisions:
The County will not fund additional investigators. Currently, there are three housing investigators responsible for ensuring Section 8 compliance in Los Angeles County. Since 2005, Lancaster and Palmdale have had agreements with the County, which provide for additional housing investigators in the Antelope Valley. These investigators were employed by the County Housing Authority but paid for out of City and Fifth District funds. The County previously suspended these agreements in the wake of the lawsuit, and now they will stop altogether. The County Housing Authority cannot enter into any agreements with the cities of Lancaster or Palmdale for additional housing investigators for least three years.
Section 8 participants cannot be identified. The Housing Authority agreed not to provide identifying information about Section 8 participants (i.e. a Section 8 participant’s or landlord’s name or address) to any public entities outside of HUD. This means law enforcement will no longer know which homes are Section 8 homes.
Deputies cannot accompany housing investigators in conducting Section 8 compliance checks. Except in cases where the investigator documents a legitimate threat to his or her safety, deputies will not be allowed on Section 8 compliance checks. If the investigator documents a threat to safety, the investigator must get approval from senior Housing Authority officials and the local Sheriff’s station’s watch commander to allow for a deputy to go on a compliance check. In those cases, no more than one deputy will be assigned to the housing compliance check and the deputy must remain outside the home unless given separate consent to enter.
Housing investigators cannot terminate Section 8 in the field. New investigations protocol will be developed, which will no longer allow housing investigators to issue proposed Section 8 terminations in the field. Rather, the housing investigator’s report will be reviewed by an analyst, and only the analyst may recommend termination, which must then be approved by a senior Housing Authority officer.
There will be a hotline for Section 8 recipients to report discrimination. The Housing Authority will publicize a hotline number that Section 8 recipients can call to report incidents of racial or ethnic discrimination. This number will directly connect callers to attorneys in the Section 8 lawsuit. The Housing Authority must also provide all Section 8 participants with notice at least twice a year that the purpose of the Section 8 program is to enable participants to choose to live where they wish.
News of the settlement agreement was met with jubilation from community groups involved in the lawsuit and outrage from at least one City leader.
“The agreement sends a strong message that the Antelope Valley is one community and everyone belongs here,” said V. Jesse Smith, of the Community Action League.
The Community Action League and the NAACP, both plaintiffs in the lawsuit, will hold a press conference Thursday to discuss community reaction to the settlement.
In contrast, Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris called the proposed settlement outrageous. Read more here.

Sometime secrets make the best fertilizer..........

2012-01-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

Record Keepers
by
Theresa Chaze

She halted beneath the weather worn sign that had once read "Ferrari's Market". She stood erect, watching the crowd of policemen hiding behind their autos; some had their revolvers drawn. Beyond them, Kaleva’s thrill seekers gawked from the schoolyard, not realizing the distance capacity of the old woman’s bullets. Slowly she descended, each wooden stop creaking under her weight. The Sheriff dashed across the payment and dragged her behind the barricade.

"What did she say, Shawna? When is she giving up?"

Shawna stared up into his brown eyes and he shifted his gaze from the harshness he saw. "She isn’t."

Angrily, he grabbed her shoulders. "You were supposta make this easy--so no one else would get hurt! Instead you just wasted valuable time."

"You didn’t get exactly what you expected. You thought it would be easy to steal Agnes's land. She eighty-three. Helpless. Or so you thought."

"Agnes is senile!"

Deliberately she reached up and bent back his index fingers, forcing him to relinquish his grip. "It’s a little late to whine. You bribed, blackmailed or whatever to have Agnes committed and become her legal guardian. You started the war. But she’ll fire the last shot."

"She’s just an old lady!”

"A woman with a rifle and a grudge in her heart."

"Those apartments are very important to the community. You can’t expect us to let a run down--"

"How much are you willing to pay for the land? Your life maybe? Another deputy?"

Shawna purposely pushed past him and walked into the crowd, a path clearing before her. "I’ll call the State Police! They won’t be so nice! We need those apartments!"

She continued to walk in the opposite direction.

*********************

Anna Lynne Mckenzie watched from the safety of her hotel room. Leaning against the headboard, she listened to the familiar heckling of the crowd. She had expected some controversy over the planned destruction of the historical sites, but an elderly woman holding off the sheriff and his deputies for two days, while the town sat in the peanut gallery, wasn’t what anyone would expect to find in small town USA.

Closing the window, Anna could almost convince herself that this was a normal shoot. Usually Anna liked taking pictures for the Michigan Historical Society, but most of her assignments had been restorations not mass destructions.

Kaleva was notorious for negating its past. Two years earlier, the Catholic Rectory celebrated its centennial; several months later, it was condemned and torn down. The year after, the school beside it caught fire and was destroyed. The blame was placed on four grade school boys. But after reading the reports, Anna knew the four-story structure constructed mostly of brick and marble could not have turned into an inferno within a few hours just from careless children playing in the basement. With the land cleared, the church officials built their badly wanted, but little needed community center and two more historical sites vanished.

Anna believed the town was trying to erase it heritage by razing the buildings from its prosperous era. At one time, Kaleva had been billed as the "city with more millionaires per capita than any other in the United States". Millions had bee made from the vast forests of Michigan and the Kaleva River, which transported the logs to Lake Michigan. Lumber barons created mansions, wealth and fierce pride, while stripping and corrupting the land; then following the receding tree line, they vanished, leaving those that remained embarrassed and resentful.

She considered photographing the farce below, representing Agnes Ferrara as the eighth monuments Kaleva set out to destroy. In a way it was true. The Ferrara family was one of the founding members of the town. The store was the first in area and had been the center for many years. But gradually the center of power shifted, but the store remained mostly unchanged.

Looking out the window, she realized that this was a no win situation.

*************************

To read the rest of the short story it's going to cost you 1.00 if you buy it from my site at http://www.theresachaze.com/ or 2.00 if you buy the Kindle..

Please share link with those who like reading a good mystery.

Described as a woman who has the courage to play with dragons, Theresa Chaze has gone where fools and angels fear to tread and has flourished. To read the treatment of her military series, Operation Home Base and excerpts of her screenplays go to her site at http://www.theresachaze.com/
Courage isn't the lack of fear, but the ability to set it aside and focus on what is truly important

Canada - Hells Angels at Okanagan biker rally raises concerns..

2012-01-27T00:59:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
cbc.ca

The first annual Sturgis North festival in Salmon Arm drew as many as 40,000 bikers to the Shuswap in August, 2011. The event is moving to the North Okanagan in 2012. (Contributed by: sturgisnorth.com)

Sturgis North heads south6:12

A B.C. event promoter wants to bring thousands of bikers, including the Hells Angels, to a motorcycle rally in the North Okanagan this July.
Sturgis North brought as many as 40,000 bikers to Salmon Arm, B.C., last summer.
This year promoter Ray Sasseville expects the motorcycle rally and rock festival will draw even more people, and is moving it to the Motoplex Speedway race track near Vernon.
"I will make it successful. The motorcycle community is very strong," said Sasseville.
Members of the Hells Angels bike gang were at the five-day festival last summer, some of them selling their branded merchandise.
And members are welcome to return, said Sasseville.
"They are part of the motorcycle community and we don't want to be segregating," said Sasseville.

Vernon mayor concerned with biker gang presence

Vernon mayor Rob Sawatzky said he's surprised to learn Sturgis North is moving to a venue on the outskirts of his city and has concerns about the presence of the notorious biker gang.
"My understanding, and I could be wrong, is that Hells Angels are an established criminal organization. So that would lead most people to have some concern," said Sawatzky.
Sawatzky said he's not against the festival in itself, as long as everyone rolling through his community behaves.
"If they're law abiding citizens, we'd be happy to have them and welcome them. But if they are troublemakers and if they break the law that would be troublesome and worrisome," said Sawatzky.
Last year's Sturgis North festival lost money; Sasseville currently owes more than $200,000 to creditors in Salmon Arm.
He says the new venue and better facilities will lower his overhead costs, and ultimately make him enough money to pay off those bills.

US - Group adds POW-MIA flags at some county facilities....

2012-01-27T00:58:00.003-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
A local veterans group has set out to “change the face of Marion County” by putting a face to the 83,433 soldiers still missing since World War II.

The black and white POW-MIA flag, with a silhouette framed by barbed wire and a guard tower and the words “You Are Not Forgotten,” will be posted over 70 county buildings by the Rolling Thunder Inc. Florida Chapter 6 to keep the plight of POWs-MIAs in the public eye. Twelve flags already have been posted in private ceremonies.
On Wednesday, more than 200 people, including a former World War II POW, gathered to hoist one of the 58 remaining flags at the Marion County Animal Services complex on Baseline Road during a more public event.
“It would have made a difference,” said Carmel Whetzel, 88, knowing the plight of POWs was a concern with the public when he was captured, escaped and was recaptured by German forces during World War II.
“Two fellow soldiers were shot after escape attempts,” he told the crowd.
Whetzel, who received a Purple Heart for injuries he received prior to his capture, said typical meals in captivity were a “cup of tea, a cup of rutabaga soup and one loaf of bread for six men” for the day.
Rolling Thunder State Director Jim “Moe” Moyer, who served in the Vietnam War, said the flags were dedicated to three local veterans as well as 57 Florida POW-MIAs from the Vietnam War.
“These flags are dedicated to (Medal of Honor recipient) Hammett Bowen Jr., Korean War POW Cornelius DuBose of Marion County and Whetzel, as well as all POWs,” Moyer said as Rolling Thunder Chapter 6 president Kathryn McLaughlin held up posters showing American soldiers Sgt. Ahmed Qusai Al Taie, taken prisoner in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2006, and Private Bowe R. Bergdahl, taken prisoner in Afghanistan in 2009.
McLaughlin and her sister Valerie Taylor headed the effort to add the POW-MIA flags to flagstaffs already flying the American flag at county sites, including 30 fire stations, recycling centers and other facilities. Chapter members praised the assistance of Jeffrey Askew, Marion County Veterans Service Officer, and the Board of County Commissioners, for allowing the flags to be flown. Commissioner Stan McClain accepted a plaque thanking the board for their backing.
The flags were donated by Rolling Thunder and the group made a two-year commitment to maintain them. Should they need renewing, some citizens have offered to help, such as Roger Knechtel, 71.
“Forgetting the POWs/MIAs is a national tragedy and crime. We need to keep up the awareness,” Knechtel said.
In a moving segment of the program, David Reeve, a retired Air Force Master Sgt., led a detail of veterans in setting up a missing man table.
“The table is set for one and the chair is empty because our comrade is missing,” Reeve said, stressing the word “remember” with each item added to the setting.
In the setting, a white tablecloth represented pure intentions of a soldier for his country, salt signified tears and a rose stood for blood.
“We’re enjoying the sweetness of liberty while POWs endure the agony of internment,” said Reeve, of the U.S. Military Vets motorcycle club.
Other members of his club, members from Florida Rolling Thunder Chapters 3, 6, 7 and 8, and Chapter 7 from South Carolina, as well as a student color guard from Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary School, also participated in Wednesday’s event.
Hammett Bowen students D’Angelo Rodriguez, Juliana Oyola and Kaley Wallace read essays.
“This is a chance to express my feelings about the soldiers,” D’Angelo said. “My Dad, uncle and grandfather were in the service.”
Kaley said the event was very important because some didn’t return and people often “thank my Dad for his service.”
Juliana said it is important for people to “know about” the POWs.
Garry Johnson, 61, who lost his right leg after “stepping on a booby trap” during the Vietnam War, was in the audience.
“We need this reminder,” Johnson said as he left the event in his wheelchair....
http://www.ocala.com/article/20120125/ARTICLES/120129780

VIRGINIA - bill advances to ban motorcycles-only checkpoints...

2012-01-27T00:58:00.002-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
http://hamptonroads.com/2012/01/va-bill-advances-ban-motorcyclesonly-checkpoints Va. bill advances to ban motorcycles-only checkpoints

By Bill Sizemore The Virginian-Pilot © January 26, 2012 RICHMOND
Motorcycle riders sometimes draw special attention from the law enforcement community, and they’re fighting back.
Last spring, for instance, in connection with the annual Virginia Beach Bike Classic, city police set up a motorcycles-only checkpoint that resulted in some riders being ticketed for such offenses as wearing improper helmets, according to Matt Danielson, counsel to the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists.
The police dispute Danielson’s account of the roadblock.
Arlington County police conducted a similar operation last year targeting the annual Rolling Thunder ride to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Danielson said.
It may not happen again.
Legislation moving through the Virginia House of Delegates at the bikers’ behest would make motorcycles-only checkpoints illegal. The measure, HB187, submitted by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, was approved unanimously Wednesday morning by a House subcommittee.
“We’re not opposed to checkpoints. They’re a useful public safety tool,” Danielson said. “We just don’t want to be singled out.”
Officer Jimmy Barnes, a Virginia Beach police spokesman, denied that motorcyclists were singled out during last year’s rally.
“We did have a checkpoint, but every car was stopped, not just motorcycles,” he said. “We don’t do that. That’s not our practice, and we will never do that.”
He was unable to provide a breakdown of how many tickets were issued to motorcyclists and car drivers.

Search: Cops: 4-year-old boy pulls out pot at snack time..........

2012-01-27T00:57:00.003-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Bruce Baker
4-year-old boy offers pot (marijuana) at snack time: Report
Conn. - Police say a 4-year-old boy offered nine bags of pot to students at snack time. Reportedly, the marijuana at Hanover Elementary School student was brought in by a special needs child. Meriden police are investigating how the drugs got in the child's possession.
Tuesday, police officers in Meriden, Connecticut were called to Hanover Elementary School by officials, who reported the illegal drugs in the child's possession. Upon arrival, police met with school staff and the four-year-old boy who offered nine bags of pot to fellow students during snack time.
According to the Huffington Post, the marijuana was neatly wrapped in nine separate bags. Police believe it had been prepared for sale or distribution.
Because the student is a special needs child, apparently he was not aware what the substance was and what he was doing. Thankfully no other students witnessed the incident, and no one was exposed to the illegal marijuana. Hanover school officials say the incident is "extremely unfortunate" and "isolated."
"At 4-years-old, someone gave it to him, or he took it, not knowing what it was," said Arthur Werley, teacher at Hanover Elementary School.
Now police investigators are turning their attention to the source of the marijuana, and who may have been preparing it for sale or distribution. Apparently, this is not a child's matter; someone who knows right from wrong is likely responsible for the pot being in the 4-year-old boy’s possession at snack time.
"What's so disheartening is this is really an adult issue and problem and adult behavior put a student at risk," said Meriden schools Superintendent Mark Benigni.
Because a child is involved in this criminal matter, the Department of Children and Families is looking into the incident as well. Undoubtedly, questions are being raised regarding the home care of the child and his personal welfare.
What do you think about the 4-year-old boy who bought nine bags of pot to snack time?

Can a Police Officer Enter a Home Without a Warrant?

2012-01-27T00:57:00.002-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Can a Police Officer Enter a Home Without a Warrant?

Read more: Can a Police Officer Enter a Home Without a Warrant? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7466805_can-officer-enter-home-warrant_.html#ixzz1kXF5XQ00

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Convicted felon running for Lincoln Co. Sheriff

2012-01-27T00:57:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Zack Harold
dailymail.com
Former Lincoln County Assessor and convicted felon Jerry Weaver is again running for public office.
Weaver, 62, of Hamlin, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to buy votes in 2005, landing him in federal prison for a year. He is now running for sheriff.
"I'm not proud of my past, but it's there. I can't change it. I made a mistake. I've apologized to the people of Lincoln County more than once," he said.
Weaver confessed to receiving money from then-county Circuit Clerk Greg Stowers to buy votes. He said he received $500 to $5,000 from Stowers in every election from 1990 to 2004.
He spent one year in a federal penitentiary in Ashland, Ky., and was on probation for three years following his release.
Weaver currently works as a real estate appraiser for Lincoln. This is his first run for public office since being convicted. He filed to enter the sheriff's race Jan. 9.
He said his administrative background would help him do a good job as sheriff, since the sheriff's department manages all county tax collections. He said he'd also try to crack down on rampant prescription drug abuse in the county.
Weaver may already be breaking state law, however.
According to the state Constitution, people "under conviction of treason, felony or bribery in an election" cannot run for public office.
Weaver can run still and even be elected sheriff, however, if no one challenges his candidacy in court.
Dave Nichols, elections manager for the Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, said neither Lincoln's county clerk nor the Secretary of State's office could remove Weaver from the ballot.
"Someone would have to file suit in Circuit Court," Nichols said.
And, though he is a convicted felon, Weaver could carry a firearm while on the job.
According to U.S. Code, felon gun restrictions don't apply to the "transportation, shipment, receipt, possession or importation" of guns or ammunition for use by the United States, any department or agency of the federal government, any state or any subdivision of a state.
U.S. District Attorney Booth Goodwin said that exception would likely apply if Weaver were elected sheriff.
"He wouldn't be able to possess a firearm at his home, but if he possesses it at the office or in his official capacity, this exception may apply," Goodwin said.
If the exception did not apply, Goodwin said the law could have interesting consequences on Lincoln's sheriff's department.
Goodwin said federal gun possession law also includes a "bodyguard statute," which prohibits any person employed by felon from carrying firearm. U.S. attorneys have previously used the statute to charge several members of the Pagan motorcycle gang with felony gun crimes.
If Weaver were elected sheriff, his deputies would be considered his employees and, therefore, could not carry weapons.
West Virginia law may still prevent Weaver from packing heat.
Article Seven of state code Chapter 61 says anyone "convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year" cannot carry a firearm. Weaver faced five years in prison for his crime.
Violating the state gun law could result in a misdemeanor charge.
Weaver says he probably won't carry a gun if he is elected. He said being sheriff is a mostly administrative position, and that deputies handle law enforcement.
"Most of the sheriffs I know, they never carried a weapon. I don't think that's the biggest part of being sheriff, carrying a gun," he said. "You've got your road deputies to take care of traffic stops and stuff like that."
Weaver is currently the only sheriff's candidate in Lincoln County with prior experience in elected office. He was county assessor for 25 years before being convicted.
Term limit restrictions prevent current sheriff Jerry Bowman from running for re-election.
Jessie Mullins, 65, of Hamlin, is making his first-ever run for public office. He has served as a sheriff's auxiliary deputy for four years and is president of Lincoln's Crime Watch.
"I think we need something done about all the drug sales. I see all this stuff going on and don't have the authority to do anything about it," he said.
Mullins, a retired vocational school teacher for Kanawha County Schools, estimates 80 percent of crime in his county is drug-related.
Harold Ken Farley, 61, of Yawkey, was a Lincoln deputy sheriff from 1981 to 1985 but now works as a coal truck driver.
"I liked dealing with people; I liked helping people," he said. "I'd like to think I could make a difference in the county."
Farley said there's not enough law enforcement in the county.
"We need to get more deputies on the road," he said.
Rick Saul, 55, of Sumerco, is a retired Teamster.
"This is all new to me. Honestly, it's neighbors, family and friends (who) talked me into it. I decided to try it and see what happens," he said.
All the candidates are Democrats.
Mullins, Farley and Saul all declined to comment on Weaver's felony conviction.
Weaver said he doesn't think the conviction will hurt his chances in the sheriff's race.
"I think everyone is aware in Lincoln County," he said. "It's nothing that I've tried to hide, nothing I could hide if I wanted to. I paid my debt to society.
"I feel comfortable putting my fate in the hands of the voters of Lincoln County."

Va. bill would ban motorcycles-only checkpoints. "FREE COUNTRY" my ass. I dont care what the US SUPREME COURT says, the founding fathers are turning over in their graves at the thought of FREE AMERICANS being stopped and harassed without probable cause no matter what their form of transportation.Your papers please...

2012-01-27T00:56:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Bill Sizemore
hamptonroads.com

By Bill Sizemore
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 25, 2012

RICHMOND
Motorcycle riders sometimes draw special attention from the law enforcement community, and they’re fighting back.
Last spring, for instance, in connection with the annual Virginia Beach Bike Classic, city police set up a motorcycles-only checkpoint that resulted in some riders being ticketed for such offenses as wearing improper helmets, according to Matt Danielson, counsel to the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists.
The police dispute Danielson’s account of the roadblock.
Arlington County police conducted a similar operation last year targeting the annual Rolling Thunder ride to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Danielson said.
It may not happen again.
Legislation moving through the Virginia House of Delegates at the bikers’ behest would make motorcycles-only checkpoints illegal. The measure, HB187, submitted by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, was approved unanimously this morning by a House subcommittee.
“We’re not opposed to checkpoints. They’re a useful public safety tool,” Danielson said. “We just don’t want to be singled out.”
Officer Jimmy Barnes, a Virginia Beach police spokesman, denied that motorcyclists were singled out during last year’s rally.
“We did have a checkpoint, but every car was stopped, not just motorcycles,” he said. “We don’t do that. That’s not our practice, and we will never do that.”
He was unable to provide a breakdown of how many tickets were issued to motorcyclists and car drivers.

Made in the USA.............

2012-01-27T00:55:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

HELLO ALL ! ! ! I think it’s time we all started REALLY supporting our
OWN country in whatever way we can, DON’T YOU ? ? ?
I DIDN'T KNOW HALLMARK CARDS WERE MADE IN CHINA ! That is also why I
don't buy cards at Hallmark anymore , They are made in China and are
more expensive! I buy them at Dollar Tree - 50 cents or $1.00 each and
made in USA !

Yesterday I was in Wal Mart looking for a wastebasket. I found some
made in China for $6.99. I didn't want to pay that much so I asked the
lady if they had any others. She took me to another department and they
had some at 2.50 made in USA . They are just as good. Same as a
kitchen rug I needed. I had to look, but I found some made in theUSA -
what a concept! - and they were 3.00 cheaper .
We are being brainwashed to believe that everything that comes from
China andMexico is cheaper . Not so .

One Light Bulb at a Time... I was in Lowe's the other day and just out
of curiosity, I looked at the hose attachments . They were all made in
China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it
I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA .
Start looking, people . . ...In our current economic situation, every
little thing we buy or do affects someone else - most often, their
job. I have been looking at the blenders available on the
Internet. Kitchen Aid is MADE IN the US . Top of my list already ...
My grandson likes Hershey's candy . I noticed, though, that it is now
marked "made in Mexico . " I don't buy it anymore .
My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico ... now I have
switched to Crest . You have to read the labels on everything.
This past weekend I was at Kroger . . . I needed 60W light bulbs and
Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to
the GE brand I normally buy -- was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday
Value ." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared them: they
were the same except for the price . . . the GE bulbs cost more than
the Everyday Value brand, but the thing that surprised me the most was
that that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made
in - you guessed it - the USA at a company in Cleveland, Ohio.

It's way past time to start finding and buying products you use every
day that are made right here.

So, on to the next aisle: Bounce Dryer Sheets... yep, you guessed
it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value
brand cost less, and was MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and
the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using
for years, at almost half the price .

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for
everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA -
the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address
book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a
time! Stop buying from overseas companies - you're sending the jobs
there . (We should have awakened a decade ago....)

Let's get with the program and help our fellow Americans keep their
jobs and create more jobs here in the USA .

I passed this on .. .. . will you?

Bartow, Fla., to Board of Directors

2012-01-27T00:53:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
Jan. 25, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: James Holter
Phone: (614) 856-1900, ext. 1280
E-mail: jholter@ama-cycle.org

American Motorcyclist Association welcomes Ken Ford of Bartow, Fla., to Board of Directors

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is pleased to announce that Ken Ford, a 27-year AMA member from Bartow, Fla., has been elected the member representative on the AMA Board of Directors from the Southeast region. Ford fills the seat previously held by Charles Goman.
"The AMA Board of Directors thanks Charles Goman for his years of service to the AMA," said AMA Board of Directors Chairman Stan Simpson. "We are looking forward to Ken's contributions in the years to come. The members of the Southeast Region will be well represented by Ken's range of experience and years of passion."
Ford, a senior executive at a Fortune 50 company for 17 years, is an active off-road, dual-sport, adventure and sport-touring rider. He is a 32-year member of the Florida Trail Riders and former president of the AMA-chartered club. He is also a member of Sunrunners M/C, Dixie Dual Sport and the Concours Owners Group, where he is the current executive director. An environmental engineer by education, Ford has been riding for more than 50 years.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to help the AMA move forward," Ford said. "As a longtime motorcyclist and a member of several motorcycling organizations, I hope I have something to give to the organization."
Ford, whose riding background is rooted in trail riding, dual-sport riding and off-road racing, said that he is particularly concerned with the loss of access to public land.
"Responsible off-road riders have a right to access public land," Ford said. "The lobbying effort of the AMA is key to protecting our future as motorcyclists, and one that I can help with. My professional experience includes working with governmental bodies with regard to environmental regulations, and I hope to bring some of that experience to the AMA Board."
Ford currently rides a Kawasaki KLR650, a Suzuki DRZ400 a Triumph Tiger 800XC and a Kawasaki Concours. Ken's wife, Marcia, rides a Kawasaki Versys.
Ford's term on the AMA Board of Directors expires in February 2015.
The next AMA Board of Directors meeting is Feb. 18 in Indianapolis.

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life, and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world's largest motorcycling rights organization, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists' interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations, and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition and motorcycle recreational events than any other organization in the world. AMA members receive money-saving discounts from dozens of well-known suppliers of motorcycle services, gear and apparel, bike rental, transport, hotel stays and more. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, the AMA preserves the heritage of motorcycling for future generations. For more information, please visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com.

WIREMILITARY: Discharged with low disability ratings, vets win health care for life

2012-01-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE

By MICHAEL DOYLE

McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON ---- Chris Crotte left Sacramento for the Army. Seven years later, he left the Army in pain.
Now, the 31-year-old La Entrada High School graduate and Iraq War veteran stands to benefit from a recently approved class-action settlement. Crotte, along with other shell-shocked former combatants, will be getting aid that once was out of reach.
"It can definitely be beneficial," said Crotte, who's now studying auto mechanics and living in West Sacramento. "Getting medical care would be good."
After three years of legal maneuvering, a federal judge in late December quietly approved the settlement that covers Crotte and about 2,100 other veterans who've been medically discharged since 2002 with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Under the settlement, one of several similar efforts now under way, affected veterans discharged with PTSD will get better benefits, including lifetime health care and post-exchange privileges. The affected veterans had been discharged with disability ratings that were too low to receive such benefits.
Anthony Koller, for one, is an Army veteran who lives in Little Elm, Texas, about 50 miles north of Fort Worth. He survived 14 months in Iraq before being discharged with PTSD. His initial low disability rating, though, left the married father of three adrift.
"We live on a month-to-month basis," Koller said in a court declaration.
Under the recently approved class-action settlement, Koller's family will receive health care under TriCare and he can apply for special compensation payments, among other benefits.
Crotte was medically discharged with PTSD in April 2008 after two tours in Iraq as a forward observer with the 17th Field Artillery Brigade. His back, he said, was "messed up." He slept poorly. His mind was jumpy. Officials marked him as only 10 percent disabled, and cut him loose.
"I got out, and hit the road," Crotte said. "I constantly bounced around; I was moving from state to state for a while."
From December 2002 to October 2008, the military medically discharged about 4,300 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines with PTSD and disability ratings below 50 percent.
The military services, veterans advocates charged in court, were "engaged in a transparent effort to purge their ranks" and cut costs.
Under congressional pressure in 2008, the Defense Department agreed to grant 50 percent disability ratings to those diagnosed with PTSD in the future. That policy change, though, came too late for some.
"The individual service branches have done nothing to address their mistreatment of potentially thousands of veterans they already have abandoned," Washington-based attorney Brad Fagg wrote in the lawsuit, originally filed in December 2008.
Joining with the National Veterans Legal Services Program, the attorneys wrangled several heart-rending plaintiffs for their case.
Crotte opted in to the lawsuit later, though he said he currently had no idea of what he could expect, and when. He's been, like many, a relatively passive participant in the complicated world of class-action law.
"They sent me a letter," Crotte said, "and I filled it out."
The settlement provides lifetime disability retirement benefits to 1,029 veterans with PTSD who'd been denied aid previously. An additional 1,066 will have their disability benefits increased.
Another 2,200 potentially affected veterans didn't opt in to the class-action lawsuit, though they might take individual legal action.
"Nothing suggests that the settlement negotiations were anything but cooperative, fair and transparent," U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge George W. Miller wrote.
Separately, the Defense Department has created the Physical Disability Board of Review, which is empowered to revise the status of veterans who were medically discharged with less than 30 percent disability ratings from Sept. 11, 2001, through Dec. 31, 2009. While the class-action lawsuit was limited to PTSD cases, the special review board can examine any type of medical discharge.
Potentially, 74,374 medically discharged veterans are eligible to apply. So far, only about 3,200 have done so.
Read more: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/military/military-discharged-with-low-disability-ratings-vets-win-health-care/article_e6390140-11a6-52c1-ab76-d4a1e65605bc.html#ixzz1kdE7FGQr

SAN DIEGO REGION - CHP to target distracted teen drivers Friday..

2012-01-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

OFF THE WIRE
A special traffic enforcement effort is planned Friday throughout Southern California to catch distracted teen drivers, the California Highway Patrol announced.The enforcement effort will target people under the age of 18 because statistics show their inexperience behind the wheel and tendency to take risks make them more likely than older drivers to get in crashes, CHP officials said.Here are some of the things officers said people under 18 are forbidden by law to do while they're driving:---- Talk on a cell phone, even using a hands-free device.
---- Send, write or read text messages.
---- Violate any restrictions on the back of a provisional license while the restrictions apply to the driver.Call staff writer Morgan Cook at 760-739-6675.