Sunday morning…..

Got started off after a long night. Finished my final paper for my class on Collection Management. Got the draft next to me and after a few checks should be ready to turn it. For the first time I’m not pulling it out my ass with less than an hour to go before I’m late. I’m not used to this!

Got the morning started with some excellent Community Coffee, a shot of 1865 Bourbon in it (medicinal purposed only) and Saturday Night Live is back for it’s 39th Season. Great opening, really love it shows the problem of Obamacare with comedy. I wish the rest of the media would publish that with more seriousness.


Speaking of propaganda, I read the Houston Chronicle and even for that rag, this was bad. Granted, a lot of the articles they have in here are from other sources, but come on:

Southern states move to tighten voting laws
MIAMI — Emboldened by the Supreme Court decision that struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act in June, a growing number of Republican-led states are moving aggressively to tighten voting rules. Lawsuits by the Obama administration and voting rights activists say those efforts disproportionately affect minorities.

At least five Southern states, no longer required to ask Washington’s permission before changing election procedures, are adopting strict voter identification laws or toughening existing requirements.

Got it. Having to show an ID is strict. Having to show an ID to get your Obamaphone while talking on your iPhone is not a problem.

Also, the "heart of the Voting Rights Act." The fact they cannot use demographic data from 1970, that reviews of voting districts should show who is actually there, not who was there in the 1960s, that's really racist. Pathetic.

Texas officials are battling the U.S. Justice Department to put in place a voter ID law that a federal court has ruled was discriminatory. In North Carolina, the GOP-controlled Legislature scaled back early voting and ended a pre-registration program for students.

Got it. It’s discriminatory to not allow people to register on voting day or allow them to vote a month ahead of election. We all know the purpose it to allow people to vote as different people at differ location’s. The dead rise all month. And for some read son they all vote as Democrats. I wonder if there is a pattern?

Nowhere is the debate more heated than in Florida, where the chaotic recount in the disputed 2000 presidential race took place.

x
Yes, it’s disputed because the Florida Supreme Court stuck it’s nose into it and tried to rewrite Florida election law after the election had already been decided. Gotta give these leftist this, they don’t take their toys and walk home after they loose an election. They fight to the bitter end.

Now my favorite.

Florida election officials are set to resume an effort to remove noncitizens from the state’s voting rolls. A purge last year ended in embarrassment after hundreds of American citizens, most of whom were black or Hispanic, were asked to prove their citizenship or risk losing their right to vote.

Hey morons, if the are not citizens, they cannot vote.

Next was on the front page. Here is the Chron showing it’s still boot licking the regieme of B Hussein and being a propaganda piece for Obamacare. From the front page.

What the new health care law means to you
Enrollment opens Tuesday. Here are answers to the most frequent questions

Right. The fact your employer’s insurance company has stopped issuing policies in your state, the new policies are 2-3 times more expensive, no, that don’t affect you.

…Q: I’ve heard that states were supposed to expand Medicaid coverage under this law and that Texas did not. How does that affect who can buy insurance?
A: You’re right. When Congress approved the law, it was believed that most states would expand Medicaid coverage for the poor. The federal government offered states billions of dollars to pay for the expansion. However, some states, like Texas, opted out of the expansion because of objections to expanding the Medicaid program. That left many low-income people ineligible for coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Q: Who will be left out because Texas did not expand Medicaid?
A: Individuals who will not receive expanded Medicaid coverage earn roughly between $11,500 and about $15,870. Families of four earn between an estimated $23,500 and $31,800.

For some reason this leaves out the fact the “billions of dollars to pay for” Medicaid expansion is only temporary and the states that agree with it are going to be stuck with the full bill in a few years. Then again they are probably booking on the transition to single payer to relieve them of these cost.

Here is a classic:

…Q: What’s the penalty if I do not sign up?
A: The individual penalty will be 1 percent of a person’s income or $95 — whichever is higher. The penalty will grow to 2.5 percent of income or $695 per adult by 2016. The penalty for a child will be half that of an adult. The penalty will be due at the time of the 2014 federal income tax filing.
Q: If I’m low-income and don’t qualify for Medicaid, yet I still can’t afford to buy insurance on the exchange, am I going to be penalized if I don’t buy it?
A: No.

But you will have a penalty of 1 percent of a person’s income….

What a waste of electrons.

Well, at least my class finished. Final checks on my paper, uploaded it, DONE A LAST! DONE A LAST! THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, DONE A LAST!

Football, Texans are giving me a heart attack but hopefully they still pull this out. And Chicago got its ass handed to itself. Gotta love it. Saints tomorrow which means I'll be dead on Tuesday afternoon. But hey, it's football….some sacrafices must be made.

Hope you have a great week.

PS: Thanks Texans...

Officer Down

Police Officer Rodney Wayne Jones
Detroit Michigan Police Department
End of Watch: Saturday, September 14, 2013
Age: 49
Tour: 28 years

Police Officer Rodney Jones died while representing the Detroit Police Department during a police motorcycle training and skills competition event at the annual Bikes on the Bricks in Flint, Michigan.

He was performing maneuvers on his department motorcycle on the 400 block of South Saginaw Street when he suddenly stopped it and fell to the ground. He was immediately treated by nearby paramedics and transferred to Hurley Medical Center, where he passed away.

Officer Jones had served with the Detroit Police Department for 28 years. He is survived by his wife and son.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Some more hope coming from the Republican Party

One of the problems the Republican Party has is the RINO's running it have no idea how to use technology. John McCain didn't use Twitter until this year. Enough said. Give this to Democrats, they know how to organize.

Now the usual suspects are screaming about Ted Cruz using an age old technique called a fillibuster. However, Cruz knows how to use other things. From of all things The New York Times.

Thanks to the Digital Revolution, a Conservative Uprising Can Rally Its Troops

WASHINGTON — Ask conservatives what went wrong for them the last time the government shut down, and many of them will bring up the cover of The Daily News of New York from Nov. 16, 1995.

Under the block-lettered headline “Cry Baby,” it showed a cartoon of Newt Gingrich, then speaker of the Republican-led House, in tears, clutching a bottle and wearing nothing but a cloth diaper.

Back then, Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News Channel was a year from its debut, Andrew Breitbart was a lowly assistant at E! Online, and The Drudge Report was an obscure gossip and news digest sent by e-mail — to the lucky few who had e-mail.

But today, a fervent group of conservatives — bloggers, pundits, activists and even members of Congress — is harnessing the power of the Internet, determined to tell the story of the current budget showdown on its terms.

Even if their version of events does not help change popular perceptions enough to give Republicans the upper hand when it comes to public opinion, their efforts are, at a minimum, helping to stoke energy on the right that is invigorating the party’s base.

“This time the energy is being fueled by a lot of forces that did not exist back then,” said Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax, the conservative magazine, Web site and publisher. Its “ObamaCare Survival Guide,” a New York Times best seller, has sold a half-million copies, he said.

“There’s this new conservative media constellation, and that’s playing into this,” he said.

In this telling of current events, the antagonists are the Republicans standing in the way of Senator Ted Cruz, the Texan who has crusaded this week to kill President Obama’s health care overhaul. Republican Party divisions are presented as a superficial distraction from the real issue at hand: the ruin the economy will suffer once the law goes into effect. And the only repercussion for the party worth discussing is not how much political damage the Republicans will sustain, but how the Tea Party giant has been awakened in this fight.

Democrats usually get more credit for their social media expertise, thanks in large part to the successful tactics of Mr. Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns. But conservatives’ use of blogs and, increasingly, Twitter to drive their messages and spur online protests have been a major factor in Mr. Cruz’s movement.

Few Republicans have been more savvy about the media game than Mr. Cruz, who hit the phones almost immediately after his 21-hour marathon speech ended Wednesday. One of his first calls was to Rush Limbaugh’s radio program. Glenn Beck would come later, as would a conference call with conservative bloggers. There were two Fox News interviews.

On Thursday afternoon, as he and Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, were planning their next steps, Mr. Cruz joined a group of demonstrators in an unrelated cause who knelt in prayer outside the White House. A reporter from the Christian Broadcast Network blogged about it.

Mr. Cruz and Mr. Lee’s strategy was to force a procedural delay that would push a pivotal vote on the budget bill back to Friday so they could give their online movement as much time as possible to pressure their Senate colleagues. This led to an angry confrontation on the Senate floor on Thursday after Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee accused Mr. Cruz of turning the vote into a publicity stunt.

“My friends have sent e-mails around the world and turned this into a show,” complained Mr. Corker, who said his office had been inundated with calls.

With the help of groups like FreedomWorks and the Tea Party Patriots, Mr. Cruz and Mr. Lee urged their followers to besiege Senate Republicans like Mr. Corker, John McCain of Arizona and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, with phone calls and Twitter messages. “Melt their mention,” was the way FreedomWorks characterized its online assault — a reference to the “mention” feature on Twitter where users can inform one another what has been posted about them.

Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots, said she owned a PalmPilot — then a cutting-edge device — during the 1995-96 shutdowns. In those days, she said, conservatives felt more disconnected from one another, their voices more muffled.

Now, “people don’t feel like they’re alone,” she said. “You feel like you’ve got allies with you and your voice isn’t just in the wilderness.”

A case in point was how the Corker-Cruz exchange was reported in the conservative news media. By the decorous standards of the Senate, it was a heated confrontation, but hardly a knockout. Yet RedState, the blog and newsletter published by the conservative activist and pundit Erick Erickson, declared Mr. Cruz the uncontested winner, saying in essence that he had devoured Mr. Corker’s liver, Hannibal Lecter-style. “I think I saw some fava beans and a fine Chianti on Cruz’s desk after he was finished,” Mr. Erickson wrote.

In many news accounts, Mr. Cruz has been portrayed as the aggressor, battling his party’s leaders as they urged him to stand down from what has ended up being a losing battle, just as they had warned.

But an article on Breitbart.com, one of the most popular conservative Web sites, succinctly captured the competing story line: “McCain Decries the G.O.P. Civil War He Started.”

The senators who voted with Mr. Cruz to prevent the budget bill from moving forward were hailed as “heroes” in many comments posted online — a far different take from the more conventional reports that they were a rebellious bunch.

Many Republicans have accused Mr. Cruz and his allies of exploiting the raw emotions of conservatives on the political fringe. And it is impossible to know how long the enthusiasm for their campaign will last. On Friday, there were two lone Tea Party protesters near the steps that lead into the Senate chamber. One was waving a yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag.

They were feeding off the week’s momentum, trying to summon the spirit that propelled the Tea Party to power in the House in 2010.

“This is what it feels like to take on Washington,” Mr. Lee said Friday in a speech from the Senate floor. “Those of you who’ve been involved in this effort should feel proud and energized.”

I rarely say this but NY Times, this is an excellent article. You actually showed how the Republican Party leadership is divorced from its base and divorced from contemporary political tactics. One of the first acts Reagan in 1980 did was purge the leadership of the campaign committees so they would support more conservative candidates. Hopefully a conservative Republican president will purge the party leadership soon enough...like January 2017.

Officer Down

Police Officer Jamie Buenting
Rockwell City Iowa Police Department
End of Watch: Friday, September 13, 2013
Age: 37
Tour: 12 years
Badge # 13-24

Police Officer Jamie Buenting was shot and killed during a standoff at a home on Pleasant Street at approximately 1:40 am.

Officers had responded to the home approximately four hours earlier after receiving a report that a man wanted for felony domestic assault was at the location. The man refused to exit the home when officers arrived and barricade himself inside. The subject fired a single shot at approximately 1:40 am and struck Officer Buenting, killing him.

The subject remained barricaded inside his home until surrendering at approximately 5:30 am. He was charged with first degree murder.

Officer Buenting had served with the 4-officer Rockwell City Police Department for eight years and had served in law enforcement for a total of 12 years. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

You may find a pattern here.....

New York, New Jersey, etc used to be the industrial heartland of this country, where people made money. Not anymore.

I found this article about why doctors are leaving New Jersey and you will be shocked why:

New Jersey’s Disappearing Doctors

New Jersey is experiencing a shortage of doctors. In fact, it’s projected that by 2020 the state will be about 3,000 primary care physicians short of what is needed to give optimal health care.

So why are doctors fleeing the Garden State?

According to Deborah Briggs, the President and CEO of the Council of Teaching Hospitals, New Jersey loses nearly 70% of the doctors it educates to other states. This is well below the national average of a 48% retention rate.

In other words, in 2013 New Jersey only kept about 34% of the doctors who were educated and trained in the state.

The Council of Teaching Hospitals and a nationwide study done by Merritt Hawkins, says New Jersey is just not competitive when it comes to keeping doctors in state.

The top five reasons for physicians leaving are:

Better salary offered outside of New Jersey

Cost of living in New Jersey

Better job/practice opportunities in desired locations outside of New Jersey

Taxes in New Jersey

Affordable Housing

...The room was filled with 40 or so doctors who also added malpractice insurance issues to the list, explaining that it’s just too expensive to start a practice here.

Malpractice reform has greatly helped Texas retain doctors by limiting putative damages to 250K while while not limiting actual damages. Lawyers hate that but it makes doctors want to stay.

Now granted, MD's are in high demand (that will only get worse) and other areas offer higher salaries and there is a high cost of living. But of all the things listed, is anyone specific to the practice of medicine? A mechanic can take his skills and get a job in Texas where housing is less than half that of the NE corridor, there is no state income tax and you don't have to pay 11 dollars on a toll road for five miles (sticker shock from a vacation a few years ago).

But again, I wonder if the powers that be in the area would look at this list and say maybe that's why people are leaving the NE and moving west and south. If you make it too damned high (like the the rent) to live there, people will move. And moving they are.

Officer Down

Deputy Sheriff David E. Allford
Okfuskee County Oklahoma Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Age: 37
Tour: 13 years

Deputy Sheriff David Allford was killed in a single vehicle crash while responding to backup a state trooper who was dealing with a combative subject.

He was traveling on I-40, near mile marker 218, when one of the tires on his Chevy Tahoe patrol vehicle suffered a blowout. The blowout caused the patrol vehicle to overturn twice. Deputy Allford was ejected from the vehicle and suffered fatal injuries.

Deputy Allford was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office for 13 years. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Geopolitical Weekly: Geopolitical Journey: The U.S.-European Relationship, Then and Now, September 24, 2013

By George Friedman

I am writing this from Greece, having spent the past week in Europe and having moved among various capitals. Most discussions I've had in my travels concern U.S. President Barack Obama's failure to move decisively against Syria and how Russian President Vladimir Putin outmatched him. Of course, the Syrian intervention had many aspects, and one of the most important ones, which was not fully examined, was what it told us about the state of U.S.-European relations and of relations among European countries. This is perhaps the most important question on the table.

We have spoken of the Russians, but for all the flash in their Syria performance, they are economically and militarily weak -- something they would change if they had the means to do so. It is Europe, taken as a whole, that is the competitor for the United States. Its economy is still slightly larger than the United States', and its military is weak, though unlike Russia this is partly by design.

The U.S.-European relationship helped shape the 20th century. American intervention helped win World War I, and American involvement in Europe during World War II helped ensure an allied victory. The Cold War was a transatlantic enterprise, resulting in the withdrawal of Soviet forces from the European Peninsula. The question now is: What will the relationship be between these two great economic entities, which together account for roughly 50 percent of the world's gross domestic product, in the 21st century? That question towers over all others globally.

A Fluid Concept

The events surrounding the Syria intervention, which never materialized, hint at the answer to this question. The Syrian crisis began not with the United States claiming that action must be taken against al Assad's use of chemical weapons but with calls to arms from the United Kingdom, France and Turkey. The United States was rather reluctant, but ultimately it joined these and several other European countries. Only then did the Europeans' opinions diverge. In the United Kingdom, the parliament voted against intervention. In Turkey, the government favored intervention on a much larger scale than the United States wanted. And in France, which actually had the ability to lend a hand, the president favored intervention but faced a less enthusiastic parliament.

Most important to note was the division of Europe. Each country crafted its own response -- or lack of response -- to the Syrian crisis. The most interesting position was taken by Germany, which was unwilling to participate and until quite late unwilling to endorse participation. I've talked about the fragmentation of Europe. Nothing is more striking than the foreign policy split between France and Germany not only on Syria but on Mali and Libya as well. One of the central drivers behind the creation of the European Union and its post-war precursors was the need to bind France and Germany economically. French and German divergence was the root of European wars. It had to be avoided at all costs.

Yet that divergence has returned. Their differences have not manifested as virulently as they did before 1945, but still, it can no longer be said that their foreign policies are synchronized. In fact, the three major powers on the European Peninsula currently are pursuing very different foreign policies. The United Kingdom is moving in its own direction, limiting its involvement in Europe and trying to find its own course between Europe and the United States. France is focused to the south, on the Mediterranean and Africa. Germany is trying to preserve the trade zone and is looking east at Russia.

Nothing has ruptured in Europe, but then Europe as a concept has always been fluid. The European Union is a free trade zone that excludes some European countries. It is a monetary union that excludes some members of the free trade zone. It has a parliament but leaves defense and foreign policy prerogatives to sovereign nation-states. It has not become more organized since 1945; in some fundamental ways, it has become less organized. Where previously there were only geographical divisions, now there are also conceptual divisions.

Differences between the United States and Europe were made clear in the Syrian crisis. Had President Obama chosen to intervene, he could have acted in Syria as he saw fit -- he didn't necessarily need congressional approval but sought it anyway. Europe could not act because there really isn't a singular European foreign or defense policy. But more important, no individual European nation has the ability by itself to conduct an air attack on Syria. As Libya showed, France and Italy could not execute a sustained air campaign. They needed the United States.

Cowboys and Naifs

Here in Europe, Obama is criticized for his handling of the Syria intervention. There is also a general belief that Putin's foreign policy is a failure. But I am old enough to remember that Europeans have always thought of U.S. presidents as either naive, as they did with Jimmy Carter, or as cowboys, as they did with Lyndon Johnson, and held them in contempt in either case. (Richard Nixon's being honored by the French is an interesting exception.) After some irrational exuberance from the European left, Obama has now been deemed naive, just as George W. Bush was deemed a cowboy.

Europeans obsess much more over U.S. presidents than Americans obsess over European leaders. They have strong opinions, most of them negative, about whomever is in office. My response to such criticism has always been a tricky one. Imagine the fine sophisticates of 1914 and 1939 with nuclear weapons. Do you think the ones responsible for entering two horrible wars could have resisted using nuclear weapons? It is the good fortune of Europe that when leaders were wont to use nuclear weapons, the Europeans didn't have their fingers on the launch buttons.

These weapons were controlled by American cowboys and fools and by Russian "conspirators" -- the European vision of all Russian leaders. Amid profound differences and distrust, U.S. and Soviet leaders managed to avoid the worst. Given their track record, Europe's leaders might have plunged the world further into disaster. The Europeans think well of the sophistication of their diplomacy. I have never understood why they feel that way.

We saw this in Syria. First, Europe was all over the place. Then the coalition that coaxed the Americans in fell apart, leaving the United States virtually alone. When Obama went back to his original position, they decided that he had been outfoxed by the Russians. Had he attacked, he would have been dismissed as another cowboy. Whichever way it had gone, and whatever role Europe played in it, it would have been the Americans that simply didn't understand one thing or another.

The sentiment differs throughout Europe. The British were indifferent to the entire matter; they were far more interested in what the Federal Reserve would say. The Eastern Europeans, feeling the pressure of the Russians -- both in reality and in their nightmares -- can't imagine why the Americans would let this happen to them. A friendly diplomat from the Caucasus told me that he wondered if the Americans weren't aware they were in a showdown with the Russians.

The American view of Europe is a combination of indifference and bafflement. Europe has not mattered all that much to the United States since the end of the Cold War. Since the first Gulf War, what has mattered is the Muslim world, with various levels of intensity. Europe was seen as a prosperous backwater, or as I once put it in 1991, all of Europe became Scandinavia. It was quite prosperous, a pleasure to visit, but not the place in which history was being made.

When Americans can be bothered to think of Europe, they think of it as a continent with strong opinions of what others should do but with little inclination to do something itself. As an American diplomat told me, "I always go to Paris if I want to be told what America should do." The American perception of Europe is that it is unhelpful and irritating but ultimately weak and therefore harmless. The Europeans are obsessed with the U.S. president because, fool or cowboy or both, he is extraordinarily powerful. The Americans are indifferent to the Europeans not because they don't have sophisticated leaders but because ultimately their policies matter more to each other than they do to the United States. Americans think little of Europe and then really don't understand what happens there. It's not clear to me that Europeans get it either.

But the most profound rift between the Americans and Europeans, however, is not perception or attitude. It is the notion of singularity, and many of the strange impressions or profound indifferences between the two stem from this notion. For example, a friend pointed out that he spoke four languages but Americans seem unable to learn one. I pointed out that if he took a weekend trip he would need to speak four languages. Citizens of the United States don't need to learn four languages to drive 3,000 miles. The dialogue between the United States and Europe is a dialogue between a single entity and the tower of Babel.

The United States is a unified country with unified economic, foreign and defense policies. Europe never fully came together; in fact, for the past five years it has been disintegrating. Division, as well as a fascinating pride in that division, is one of Europe's defining characteristics. Unity, as well as fascinating convictions that everything is coming apart, is one of the United States' defining characteristics.

Obsession and Fear

Europe's past is magnificent, and its magnificence can be seen on the streets of any European capital. Its past haunts and frightens it. Its future is not defined, but its present is characterized by a denial and a distance from its past. U.S. history is much shallower. Americans build shopping malls on top of hallowed battlefields and tear down buildings after 20 years. The United States is a country of amnesia. It is obsessed with its future, and Europe is paralyzed by its past.

Whenever I visit Europe -- and I was born in Europe -- I am struck by how profoundly different the two places are. I am struck at how the United States is disliked and held in contempt by Europeans. I am also struck at how little Americans notice or care.

There is talk of the transatlantic relationship. It is not gone, nor even frayed. Europeans come to the United States and Americans go to Europe and both take pleasure in the other. But the connection is thin. Where once we made wars together, we now take vacations. It is hard to build a Syria policy on that framework, let alone a North Atlantic strategy.

Geopolitical Journey: The U.S.-European Relationship, Then and Now is republished with permission of Stratfor.

Officer Down

Trooper Paul Butterfield
Michigan State Police
End of Watch: Monday, September 9, 2013
Bio & Incident Details
Age: 43
Tour: 14 years
Badge # 1190

Trooper Paul Butterfield was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on Custer Road, near Townline Road, in Mason County, at approximately 6:20 pm.

A few minutes after radioing in the stop, a citizen called 911 to report a trooper had been shot. Responding units located Trooper Butterfield on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was flown to Munson Medical Center where he succumbed to his wounds while in surgery.

Using a vehicle description provided by Trooper Butterfield as he stopped the vehicle, investigators were able to identify a suspect and located him, along with a female accomplice, at a convenience store in a neighboring county approximately two hours later. Officers exchanged gunfire with him as they made contact, wounding the male subject before taking them both into custody.

Trooper Butterfield was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Michigan State Police for 14 years. He is survived by his fiancee and his father.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

I thought science would question things....

I heard about this on Limbaugh today I heard how Popular Science was comments on stories. You can read the whole story but here is the pertinent part.

Why We're Shutting Off Our Comments | Popular Science

Why We're Shutting Off Our Comments
Starting today, PopularScience.com will no longer accept comments on new articles. Here's why.

Comments can be bad for science. That's why, here at PopularScience.com, we're shutting them off.

...Even a fractious minority wields enough power to skew a reader's perception of a story.

A politically motivated, decades-long war on expertise has eroded the popular consensus on a wide variety of scientifically validated topics. Everything, from evolution to the origins of climate change, is mistakenly up for grabs again. Scientific certainty is just another thing for two people to "debate" on television. And because comments sections tend to be a grotesque reflection of the media culture surrounding them, the cynical work of undermining bedrock scientific doctrine is now being done beneath our own stories, within a website devoted to championing science.

There are plenty of other ways to talk back to us, and to each other: through Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, livechats, email, and more. We also plan to open the comments section on select articles that lend themselves to vigorous and intelligent discussion. We hope you'll chime in with your brightest thoughts. Don't do it for us. Do it for science.

Consensus has nothing to do with the accuracy of science. Even peer reviewed beliefs can be wrong. But you must never stop questioning, unless there is no real discussion. Those items are generally called Laws of Science, such as the Law of Gravity. To look at this let's have a definition of what we're talking about:

LAW

1) An empirical generalization; a statement of a biological principle that appears to be without exception at the time it is made, and has become consolidated by repeated successful testing; rule (Lincoln et al., 1990)

2) A theoretical principle deduced from particular facts, applicable to a defined group or class of phenomena, and expressible by a statement that a particular phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions be present (Oxford English Dictionary as quoted in Futuyma, 1979).

3) A set of observed regularities expressed in a concise verbal or mathematical statement. (Krimsley, 1995).

THEORY

1) The grandest synthesis of a large and important body of information about some related group of natural phenomena (Moore, 1984)

2) A body of knowledge and explanatory concepts that seek to increase our understanding ("explain") a major phenomenon of nature (Moore, 1984).

3) A scientifically accepted general principle supported by a substantial body of evidence offered to provide an explanation of observed facts and as a basis for future discussion or investigation (Lincoln et al., 1990).

4) 1. The abstract principles of a science as distinguished from basic or applied science. 2. A reasonable explanation or assumption advanced to explain a natural phenomenon but lacking confirming proof (Steen, 1971). [NB: I don't like this one but I include it to show you that even in "Science dictionaries" there is variation in definitions which leads to confusion].

5) A scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation or account of a group of facts or phenomena; a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment, and is propounded or accepted as accounting for the known facts; a statement of what are held to be the general laws, principles or causes of something known or observed. (Oxford English Dictionary, 1961; [emphasis added]).

6) An explanation for an observation or series of observations that is substantiated by a considerable body of evidence (Krimsley, 1995).

And let us say what this woman is really talking about: Global Cooling, err Global Warming, oh Climate Change, yea, Man Made Global Climate Change.  So there is no legitimate question of this fraud where every moron out there is saying?  Right!  There has not been any cooling in 15 years, the Arctic Ice has been growing, the people who area really pushing this are making a killing on it, etc.  So yes, we need to question it.  And Popular Science, you're just a joke of a magazine if you can't stand being challenged in your political beliefs.

Officer Down

Deputy Sheriff Michael Neal Freeman
Harrison County Texas Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: Sunday, September 8, 2013
Age: 61
Tour: 28 years
Cause: Vehicle pursuit
Incident Date: 6/28/2007

Deputy Sheriff Mike Freeman succumbed to injuries sustained in a vehicle pursuit on June 28th, 2007.

He was responding to assist other units who were pursuing a vehicle on I-20, near FM 2199. The vehicle was driving at approximately 100 mph when it struck the rear of Deputy Freeman's patrol car, pushing it into oncoming traffic. Two vehicles struck the patrol car, critically injuring Deputy Freeman and two citizens.

Deputy Freeman suffered severe head and neck injuries. His condition worsened and he was left bedridden and on a ventilator until succumbing to complications from the injuries on September 8th, 2013.

Deputy Freeman had served in law enforcement for 28 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Some good people in Detroit...

Handled a turd in Detroit. This would really help me with scene management.

From the news:
Fox 2 News Headlines

They Are Tying Criminals to Trees in Detroit

Detroit is notorious for its police officers taking too long to respond to calls. So citizens decided to tie an alleged robber to a tree.

One week ago, some neighbors and a construction crew spotted a young man breaking into cars near Joy and Birwood early in the morning. They say he was stealing the batteries and cutting cables.

When they approached him, they say the suspect took off down Birwood with one of the batteries.

The witnesses ran after him and eventually caught up to the suspect, apprehended him, and proceeded to tie him to a tree while they waited for police to get there.

To the men at the shop, thank you for handling this piece of s#$%. Hopefully the word gets around town to stay off your place.

Military Intelligence put about right....

Thank you Marc C for the poster!

Life goes on….

Been a long week. I finished up Phase One of Sergeant Field Training and all goes well. I have started Phase II and I’m dealing with great people, it’s the night shift. I hate night shift. I guess the reason is I could never get used to it. I would do two weeks on nights and then the Army would have me for a few days. Then I’d have to get back on day.

Thursday was one long ass day. After getting off at 700am I checked into court and fortunately was able to take a nap in the officers down room. I get told just after lunch I will have a trial for a speeding ticket. After three hours with that I get a conviction. And nine hours of overtime. I drive home, take a long shower, dinner and I take the next night off. Called in to my station and told them after 17 straight hours there was no way I would make it through the night and they agreed. How the hell I made it to 1000pm I still don’t know. With the exception of a three-hour nap I was up 32 hours. But I slept the sleep of the dead until 900am Friday.

Did get to have a great lunch with Beth to celebrate her 30 days of not smoking and then spent a few hours looking at possible lots to buy for a future home. We know this place is a good for us now bit big for retirement. But it will be paid off long time before we retire so it will make a great rental property.

God help us all, got all the kids over here. Adele turned 14 and we had the family dinner on Friday night and it was great to get out with everyone. Everything was great but the weather. Rained all night. Not that I’m really objecting, we needed the water but it could have waited one day! ☺

Then the real fun was upon Beth and I. We have six teenage girls upstairs for the night. Adele’s party is a sleepover and tomorrow we get to feed them all breakfast. That is always fun. Elmer has a lot of fun begging people for bacon.

Some good news on our favorite dog. He seems to be putting on some weight. After we came home from a week long vacation he looked emaciated. He probably didn’t eat much at he boarder because he missed the family. But we’ve been feeding him like a horse and he is looking fuller.

After two almost heart attacks last week, I hope for a more certain end of the game tomorrow with the Saints and the Texans. A couple of days ago I made a bet with an old friend who is a life long Bears fan. Dinner on whoever’s team drops from undefeated first. Looking at the schedule of both New Orleans and Chicago I’ll give it a better than 50/50 chance that our bet will be decided when New Orleans goes to the Windy City on October 6. Hopefully the Saints make it alive from the airport to the stadium. I see 13 people got shot in one drive by in the Windy City. Damned that gun control works!

And on the good side, one more assignment in my 3rd class for the masters degree. Barring a major oh s%^&, next Sunday I’ll be one quarter of the way done. Thank God. With a little luck it will be finished by this time next year.

To celebrate I’m outside with Beth smoking an excellent Monte Cristo Cabinet Selection and enjoying it with some great scotch. Bugs are alive but not that bad. Beth has told me a lot of things taste different now without the smoking. She tried a puff of the cigar (granted, this is a Robusto not a medium cigar) and it was overpowering. But she has gone down to the 14mg patches and is slowing weaning herself off the nicotine. In another month she’ll be off the patches and only using the eCigs to keep up with a smoking habit.

And good to know I can still start something on my blog with some comments. I really like it when one of the "Anon" commentators calls be out for "...losing all objectivity." Yo moron, I'm not objective, don't claim to be. If you want to be lied to about being objective, look up PBS.

Well, here’s to a great week starting off with a fantastic Sunday of football. Hope you are enjoying this time as well as I. Night all

Officer Down

Corporal Van Perry
Carthage Mississippi Police Department
End of Watch: Thursday, September 5, 2013
Age: 49
Tour: 15 years
Badge # 7
Incident Date: 8/28/2013

Corporal Van Perry suffered a heart attack shortly after arresting a shoplifting suspect on August 28th, 2013.

He had transported the suspect to the police station and began to interview him when he suddenly collapsed. The suspect then alerted other personnel. Corporal Perry was transported to a local hospital before being flown to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He remained there until passing away on September 5th, 2013.

Corporal Perry had served with the Carthage Police Department for 15 years. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.

Corporal Perry's father, Chief Deputy Willie Perry, of the Leake County Sheriff's Office, was killed in the line of duty on July 29th, 2001, when he was struck by a vehicle while conducting a roadside checkpoint.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

The term human is not appropriate for this version of life...

A few years ago I testified in a trail of a defendant who raped an infant. Most of the witnesses were on the stand longer than it took the jury to sentence him to life in prison. He can thank God a federal law keeps him in segregated population. In general population he's a dead man in less time than the jury took.

This is not a human being, this is an animal. Hopefully he will be put down like the rabid animal he is. It would be better if he were hanged in the public square, but that's not allowed anymore.

Matthew Flugence claimed 6-year-old Ahlittia North seduced him before he killed her

Matthew Flugence, 20, was ordered held in jail without bond on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of 6-year-old Ahlittia North. His brother, Russell Flugence, 21, right, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of failing to report a felony. He allegedly has confessed his younger brother admitted he killed Ahlittia, and yet did not report it. 

Booked with one of Jefferson Parish's most heinous child slayings, Matthew Flugence allegedly confessed to a detective that 6-year-old Ahlittia North seduced him behind a row of Harvey apartment buildings, spreading out a blanket on the ground and enticing him into having intercourse.

"In his words, the little girl, she wanted to have sex with him," Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Detective Travis Eserman testified Wednesday during a preliminary examination.

The detective said Flugence told him he had sex with the girl on July 14, the day she was killed. "That's when he snapped," Eserman testified. Flugence stabbed her four times and watched her fall to the blanket writhing in pain, Eserman testified.

"He said he just watched her die," Eserman testified, adding that Flugence carried on with his day. "He goes to a family birthday party," the detective testified.

Two days later, following a wide search of Harvey's Woodmere subdivision, deputies found her body. She had been wrapped in a blanket and put inside a garbage bag, then dumped in a residential trash bin that was rolled out to the curb on Destrehan Avenue near where she lived.
The autopsy revealed that North had been stabbed twice in the lower abdomen and twice in the neck, Eserman testified.

After hearing the testimony, Magistrate Commissioner Patricia Joyce of the 24th Judicial District Court ruled that the Sheriff's Office has sufficient evidence to continue holding Flugence in jail on a charge of first-degree murder. She also denied a request by Flugence's attorneys for a bond for their client.

Flugence also is held on a charge of sexual battery, for allegedly touching a 10-year-old girl's genitals in April or May of 2012. Sheriff's Office Detective Ronald David Ray testified Wednesday that the girl, who is related to Flugence, disclosed the incident on July 14. Ahlittia also had family ties to Flugence: His uncle was her stepfather, authorities have said.

...Flugence gave four recorded statements, the last of which was his admission to stabbing Ahlittia, Eserman testified. In the statements, Flugence appeared to concede to an array of details. For instance, explaining why bullet casings were found near Ahlittia's blood, Flugence allegedly claimed he shot the girl, Eserman testified. However there's no evidence she was shot.

"In his first statement, he says he shot her," Eserman testified. "Then he goes into, 'I don't know how she was hurt. There was just blood.'"
Of the weapon he allegedly used to stab the child, "He described it as a sword at one point. And he advised it was a pocket knife," Eserman testified...

You can read the rest if you want but this extracts give you the main point. Hopefully my old hometown does what my new hometown would certainly do. I could say this is what happens when you degrade the roll of parents till they are nothing but "baby momma" and "baby daddy", that every failure is excused as a lack of funding for one government program or another. It's too late for the girl. We're can't bring her back, but hopefully she will rest a little easier.

Officer Down

Sergeant Derek Johnson
Draper Utah Police Department
End of Watch: Sunday, September 1, 2013
Age: 32
Tour: 8 years
Badge # 8

Sergeant Derek Johnson was shot and killed when he stopped to check on a vehicle parked on the side of South Fort Street shortly before 6:00 am.

A male subject in the vehicle immediately opened fire on Sergeant Johnson, shooting him before he was able to exit his patrol car. Despite being mortally wounded, Sergeant Johnson was able to radio a distress call. Responding units and medical personnel performed CPR until a helicopter arrived to transport him to Intermountain Medical Center, where he succumbed to his wounds.

The male subject also shot a female acquaintance inside of their vehicle before shooting himself. Both were transported to a local hospital in critical condition. The two were transients, with criminal records, who were living out of the vehicle.

Sergeant Johnson had served with the Draper Police Department for eight years. He is survived by his wife and 7-year-old son.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Security Weekly: Preventive Security and the Washington Navy Yard Attack , September 19, 2013

By Paul Floyd

Much of the investigation into the deadly Sept. 16 shooting at the Washington Navy Yard will focus on the background of shooter Aaron Alexis to uncover any missed red flags that could have prevented the attack.

Alexis brought at least one firearm onto the post, which serves as a home for the chief of naval operations and various other command headquarters throughout the Navy and Marine Corps, and opened fire, ultimately wounding eight and killing 12 before being shot down by responding security personnel. The death toll makes this incident the second-deadliest military installation shooting in U.S. history after the Fort Hood shooting perpetrated by U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan in 2009.

In a city overlaid with multiple law enforcement agencies and overlapping jurisdictions, the FBI quickly assumed the lead in the investigation, taking the case away from the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service. This suggests terrorism was suspected and has not been entirely ruled out, even though initial evidence points to this being a case of workplace violence coupled with mental illness; much effort will be expended to determine if Alexis was influenced by or acted under the direction of another person and whether others assisted him.

Preventive and Screening Security

Preventive security, such as security clearances and background checks, are only small pieces of the overall security framework that must be in place to prevent these types of attacks. In general, this can be broken down into three categories: preventive and screening security measures that filter and flag potential issues; security procedures and infrastructure that identify and contain an immediate security threat while alerting security personnel; and reactionary procedures to protect those within the facility while enabling follow-on forces to close in on and deal with the threat. Implementing all three effectively requires significant funds, training and constant updates. While ideally this would prevent all attacks, in reality no system is perfect given limited resources and human fallibility.

Alexis was a former naval reservist as well as an IT subcontractor for HP Enterprise Services, a job that gave him access to any facility to which he was assigned. To get the job, he would have needed a Secret-level clearance, which requires a background check. A Secret clearance can be gained via national agency checks, through an investigation into employment and residential history, criminal records and credit reports that looks for major red flags such as illegal drug use, previously revoked clearances or severe financial irregularities or indebtedness. This level of clearance also involves very limited street work, such as field interviews of family members and friends. This constitutes the bulk of the preventive security and screening that most people undergo to obtain a Secret-level clearance. As we have written, the system that allots clearances has many flaws. At its base, the system is very formulaic and rigid. It only catches indicators if they are divulged by the prospective employee or are documented by law enforcement. Security clearances are also not updated often enough to catch sudden changes in behavior, and the sheer volume of requests for clearances and clearance updates -- which number in the tens of thousands annually -- pushes many of the agencies and/or subcontractors conducting these investigations into doing the absolute minimum to keep up with demand.

Alexis received his Secret clearance during his years as a naval reservist from 2007 to 2011. This level of clearance lasts for 10 years before an update investigation is carried out. His clearance remained active after he left the military and applied to work at HP, where another security contractor ran a cursory background check using only public records -- which are often incomplete. This background check apparently did not uncover or bring proper attention to Alexis' series of firearms-related incidents, including arrests, which should have prompted a deeper investigation.

Alexis also reportedly was receiving treatment for possible mental illness at Veterans Affairs hospitals. If such treatment had come to light, it could have disqualified him from holding a clearance. But medical confidentiality laws usually protect this type of information. Disclosing it would require hospital personnel to notify the appropriate authorities, something that usually can only be done if the patient makes a direct, credible threat against himself or others, or if a mental health official were to declare him mentally incompetent.

In the end, thick layers of bureaucracy allowed Alexis to slip through the system.

Security Procedures and Infrastructure

Most military bases are softer targets than they initially appear. Their perimeter security infrastructure and procedures are designed to deter or catch people completely unrelated to the post from gaining access. This is usually done through perimeter fences and controlled access gates that use a combination of identification by a military common access card -- a standard government identification card shared by all federal and military personnel -- and vehicle screening. The thoroughness of these checks is determined by the force protection level and can be adjusted accordingly to perceived threats. Installations on the post that are sensitive will have redundant and sometimes additional layers of security.

Both the Washington Navy Yard shooting and the Fort Hood shooting demonstrate two shortcomings in these security procedures. The security checks are vulnerable to people already cleared to be in the system and on the post. As a contractor, Alexis had a common access card and it would have been perfectly normal to have him moving throughout the base as an IT professional. It would be unusual for anyone to have his person or equipment searched, so concealing a firearm would not have been difficult. His freedom of movement allowed him ample opportunity to do preoperational surveillance.

Furthermore, most bases or specific installations on these bases are not designed to withstand a direct assault from an armed assailant. Security desks, checkpoints or kiosks staffed by a handful of lightly armed security personnel are very common for individual buildings or gates. This makes them vulnerable to an attacker who can produce proper identification before suddenly opening fire. In gaining access to the Washington Navy Yard, Alexis was able to easily drive through gate security due to his common access card. With that same card he was able to gain access to his targeted building and quickly kill the initial security guard controlling access.

Facilities must be purpose-built from the ground up to be secure against direct assaults. Certain embassies located in high-threat regions of the world meet this standard. Usually this involves several concentric layers of security, ballistic barriers for security personnel and mantrap architecture that immediately restricts the movement of intruders in case of an alarm. Bases in the United States were simply not built with this in mind, and it would be prohibitively expensive to harden every single one. Moreover, these bases have several thousand employees and residents, and are in essence small cities unto themselves. Creating security procedures akin to hardened embassy security would place unrealistic restrictions on the thousands of personnel who flow in and out of the base each day.

Reaction Procedures

The last part of general security is the reaction to these incidents, where each second is critical. The Washington Navy Yard shooting reaction was the most successful of the three general categories of security. The ongoing threat of active shooters in the United States has led to a slow and steady revolution in how law enforcement, military and civilians responding to these situations are trained to react. It has become common for most municipalities and government installations to have specially designated active shooter response teams at the ready.

Lower-level initial responders are now being taught to aggressively close with and engage active shooters or at least isolate them from as many victims as possible (as opposed to setting up broad perimeters and waiting on higher-end units to arrive while attackers rampage). Additionally, government programs, workplaces and schools are teaching their employees and students how to respond to shootings as non-combatants with the Run, Hide, Fight technique or something comparable. At the Washington Navy Yard, it took armed personnel less than eight minutes to engage Alexis after he fired the first shot.

Major U.S. cities have established protocols to cope with sudden attacks. They focus resources such as additional law enforcement and military along with medical personnel that can contain and isolate the affected area while treating casualties. In the wake of the Washington Navy Yard shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing, we have also seen greater protection of key infrastructure and potential follow-on attack sites (in case there are multiple teams of attackers). Some good examples of such places are airports, bridges and nearby schools. Cities also communicate to citizens to shelter in place in an effort to deny attackers more victims and provide freedom of movement for responders.

Successfully protecting any given facility requires a balanced approach to security. Too much reliance on any one approach will ultimately prove unsuccessful. It is also simply impossible to secure all potential soft targets completely, since resources are limited and convenience and practical functioning must be balanced against security concerns. As the investigation proceeds, specific shortcomings will be identified and realistic solutions will hopefully be applied across the board. But there is no panacea that will stop all security threats, especially if the attacker is a current or previous employee. Ultimately it is still the citizen who is the last line of defense against tragedies such as the Washington Navy Yard shooting.

Preventive Security and the Washington Navy Yard Attack Copyright STRATFOR.COM

Officer Down

 

Police Officer Jason Schneider
Baltimore County Maryland Police Department
Age: 36
Tour: 13 years
Badge # 4581

Police Officer Jason Schneider was shot and killed while serving a search warrant at a home on Roberts Avenue, in Catonsville, at approximately 5:00 a.m.

Officer Schneider was part of the tactical team that had entered the house in search of a juvenile subject wanted in relation to a shooting the previous week. The entry team encountered four subjects inside the home who attempted to flee. Officer Schneider was pursuing a subject towards the rear of the house when another subject attacked him and opened fire, striking him several times.

Despite being mortally wounded, Officer Schneider returned fire and killed the subject.

Two juveniles, including the subject they were originally searching for, were later charged with weapons violations.

Officer Schneider was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Baltimore County Police Department for 13 years. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh.

A great commentary on police.

Cops get lots on comments on the Internet or in the press, generally bad. You arrived too late on a call where someone else kept you because they didn't think you were paying attention to the fact their kid was not doing his homework. And then someone said you were driving too fast. Or you should not write a ticket but "go after real crooks..." Or when we're holding a scene with an active shooter, we're rude when we say "Get the hell out of here before you get killed!' or words to that effect. Not to say we don't sometimes deserve it. We're human and can make mistakes.

That being said, this is a great article on the cops who responded to the Washington DC Navy Yard shooter this week.

The Cops Amaze Me | Bob Lonsberry

The cops amaze me.

Some days I honestly don’t know how they do it.

Like yesterday, at the Navy Yard.

We know about the bad guy, we know about his military record and his criminal record. And we know what he did.

But we don’t know much about how he came to stop doing what he was doing.

We don’t know much about how they took him down.

But what we do know is impressive.

Which gets back to the cops.

Yesterday morning about 8:20, the first 9-1-1 call came in of trouble in Building 197. Moments later, an alert was broadcast and officers began speeding toward the Navy Yard from across the District of Columbia.

Regular patrol officers.

Some from schools, some from speed-enforcement details, all from the first hour a new shift and a new week. Old, young, male, female, black, white. They just came. Primarily from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Park Police.

Officers whose lives were going from zero to 60 in the blink of an eye. Officers who went from the sleepy good morning of a Monday dawn to the real-world battlefield of an active shooter.

They began to arrive almost immediately.

And quickly formed up into an assault team.

They didn’t wait for the SWAT team. They didn’t stand back and wait for the armored personnel carrier. They formed up and went in.

Specifically, seven minutes after the first call, an ad hoc team of park police and district police with AR-15s ran into the building in their patrol uniforms.

They ran to the sound of the gunfire.

They closed with the enemy, and engaged him, and killed him.

And by every account some 10 minutes after the first word of trouble had breathed across the police radio, regular patrol officers had killed the gunman and ended his assault.

He fought the law, and the law won.

It’s impossible to calculate how many lives that saved. It’s impossible to calculate how much expertise that took.

It’s impossible to grasp the mindset of readiness that must permeate the men and women of law enforcement. Without notice, the police can be thrown into life-and-death situations where every second and every decision counts.

And sometimes, like yesterday, they must operate in an environment that is heartbreaking and troubling. The responding officers at the Navy Yard ran past the dead and dying, their blood pooling where they lay, in order to press their attack against a monster.

And that was just yesterday.

Every day it is different, every call it is different. Sometimes they are comforting heartbroken children, other times they are knocking on the door to inform someone of the death of a relative. Sometimes they are spat upon, other times they are vomited upon. They are hated and loved, cursed and praised, sometimes on the same call.

They see the carnage of the highways, the sorrow of abused and neglected children, the collapse of a battered wife. They talk the despondent off bridges, they catch the drunk drivers, they try to mediate family and neighbor disputes.

And half the time they do it while being cussed by one group or another. Maybe it’s the neighborhood people. Maybe it’s the pastors. Maybe it’s an activist with a cell-phone video.

The politicians trash them, the residents trash them, the police brass trashes them. They’re ready to lay down their lives for strangers, but heaven help them if anybody thinks they were impolite to a citizen. Heaven help them if they disrespected somebody’s culture.

They fight crime all day, every day, and usually it is a pretty low-key affair. Until there’s a glint of sunlight or a stumbling drunk or a dispatch on the radio.

That’s when it’s Superman time.

That’s when the next 10 minutes of your life are going to be some of the most important in your life.

Like yesterday at the Navy Yard.

Across a big city, the routine of the morning worked its way out. Until there was a cry for help, and the sirens began to roar, and a crew of men and women from at least a couple of departments ran toward the danger.

And killed it.

Before he could kill anybody else.

The cops amaze me.

Thank you Mr. Lonsberry for you kind comments. And to the men and women who handled the shooting in DC, great job!

Thanks to Darren at RotLC for this link.

Officer Down

Trooper William P. Keane
New York State Police
End of Watch: Friday, August 23, 2013
Age: 56
Tour: 26 years
Badge # 4216

Trooper William Keane suffered a fatal heart attack while officially representing the New York State Police in the North American Inspectors Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Trooper Keane had been participating in the timed commercial vehicle inspection events when he began to feel ill. He was transported to a local hospital when his conditioned worsened but passed away a short time later.

Trooper Keane was a U.S. Navy veteran. He had served with the New York State Police for 26 years and was assigned to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit in Troop A. He is survived by his wife, seven children, and six grandchildren.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

An example of why you don't rush to judgement...

In fifteen years on the street one of the things that really drives me nuts is when I'm conducting an on site investigation (e.g. traffic stop, on street stop, etc) people not involved with this want to just come up close and interfere. Forgive me, but don't come close. I don't know who the hell you are, I don't know if you are a friend of the guy I've stopped and intend to assault me to help him. You wanna video tape me, fine. I'm on public street, it's fair game. However, I will stop you from getting close enough to interfere with my investigation or threaten me.

That being said, I saw this and reviewed the video. What I have seen I cannot fault the officer. He has three people on the ground and is surrounded by potential hostiles. He was asking for back up and did eventually put the man in his car and put the woman in the the truck bed. I would like to know what happened before this video started...and why did Mr Tatkowski decide he had to get out of the car and start swearing at the officer. Again, it's up to Washington Township to investigate the incident, but I don't see, from this video, what he did wrong.

Washington Twp., TPS officer put on paid leave

A Washington Township police officer is on administrative leave after a videotaped traffic stop was posted online and went viral.

Officer Eric Hart is being paid while on leave, Washington Township police Chief Christopher Kaiser said. Officer Hart has worked part-time for the department for about two years.

“He’s not in trouble, but to keep things aboveboard, we put him on administrative leave until an internal investigation is fully complete,” the chief said. “I’m not saying he did anything wrong, but we’re trying to show we’re not trying to sweep this under the rug or cover it up.”

In the four-minute, 50-second video, a woman shouts at Officer Hart that he is harassing people. The woman, who screams and shouts throughout the encounter, also claims Officer Hart smashed her cell phone when she tried to call 911.

In a police report, Officer Hart wrote he was working Sunday afternoon when he stopped a vehicle...in Raintree Village, for having an “altered” license registration sticker.

During the stop, a man, later identified as Aaron Tatkowski, who was in another vehicle, stopped and got out of his truck, and reportedly told Officer Hart, “I’m [expletive] sick of you cops. I’m [expletive] sick of you harassing people for no reason.”

Officer Hart wrote in the report that he ordered Mr. Tatkowski to get back; when he allegedly refused, the officer said he pointed his stun gun at Mr. Tatkowski, who yelled for spectators to videotape the encounter. The passenger from the first vehicle, Cassandra Meyers, got out of the vehicle and approached the officer, who had Mr. Tatkowski handcuffed on the ground.

The officer wrote he had his gun out and pointed through open vehicle doors.

Ms. Meyers was also put on the ground and struggled with the officer until she was handcuffed, the report states.

A witness called 911 to request a Toledo police crew for an “officer in distress.” Toward the end of the video, Officer Hart approaches the man, takes his phone, and tosses it aside, saying Toledo police are on the way.

Officer Hart then told the spectators to leave — in the report, he writes that ordering them to leave is for their safety.

“You don’t need witnesses?” asked one witness.

“It’s on camera, what does it matter?” Officer Hart responds...

...Officer Hart also works for Toledo Public Schools as a school resource officer. On Tuesday, administrators put Officer Hart on paid administrative leave pending Washington’s Township inquiry, said Patty Mazur, district spokesman. She said Officer Hart has worked for TPS about 20 months.

Mr. Tatkowski, 40, was charged with misconduct at an emergency, obstructing official business, and resisting arrest. He was arraigned Monday in Toledo Municipal Court, pleaded not guilty, and was released from the Lucas County jail on his own recognizance.

Ms. Meyers, 21, was arrested and booked into the Lucas County jail Sunday night for obstructing official business, tampering with evidence, fictitious plates, and a tax payment warrant....

Officer Down

Police Officer Ivorie Klusmann
DeKalb County Georgia Police Department
End of Watch: Saturday, August 10, 2013
Age: 31
Tour: 10 months
Badge # 3184

Police Officer Ivorie Klusmann was killed in a single vehicle crash while responding to backup another officer at approximately 2:45 am.

He had been involved in a pursuit earlier in the evening that had been called off in compliance with the department's pursuit policy. Another officer requested backup after spotting a vehicle matching the wanted vehicle's description. Officer Klusmann was responding to the assistance call when his patrol car left the roadway and struck a tree near the intersection of DeKalb Medical Parkway and Heritage Park Trail.

Officer Klusmann had served with the DeKalb County Police Department for only 10 months and was assigned to the East Precinct. Officer Klusmann is survived by his two children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Lurch again gets his ass spanked again....

And it's even better news.

A judge has set the execution date of a man that is accused of killing a Houston police officer.

Edgar Tamayo was convicted of killing HPD Officer Guy Gaddis back in 1994.

Authorities said while in the back of squad car, Tamayo took out a hidden gun and shot Officer Gaddis in the back.

No News2 Houston, it's not "authorities said...." It is "he was found guilty by a jury of...." Please get this straight.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (The Haughtily French looking Massachusetts Democrat, who by the way, served in Vietnam) had sent a letter to the judge asking him not to set an execution date because Tamayo is a Mexican citizen, but the judge on Tuesday set Tamayo’s execution for January 22, 2014.

Sorry Johnny, but he was also convicted by American citizens of violating Texas law, Capital Murder. And in Texas, we execute capital murderers. We have a special space in our dim view for cop killers. Now we know he's just one of those undocumented workers who has come here to commit the crimes Americans just don't do anymore, so we will treat him like an American. So he will rot in hell. Unlike the trial, there is no appeal from his next judge whom he will met soon after 600pm on January 22.

RIP Officer Gaddis.

This is almost as bad as having Hollywood idiots testifying in front of Congress...

Sybrina Fulton has suffered the greatest loss a human can.  She has buried a child.  However, she has no real expertise in law.   The again, Little Dick Durbin is not interested in law but good video.

TRAYVON MARTIN'S MOTHER TO TESTIFY IN SENATE ON 'STAND YOUR GROUND' LAWS 

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, announced on Thursday that a central witness in the September 17 Senate hearing targeting “Stand Your Ground” laws will be Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother.

Another witness will be Lucia McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, who was shot and killed in 2012 at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida.
Other witnesses scheduled to appear include: William Meggs, State Attorney, Second Judicial Circuit, Tallahassee, Fla.; Ronald Sullivan, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Criminal Justice Institute, Harvard Law School; John Lott, President, Crime Prevention Research Center; and Ilya Shapiro, Senior Fellow, CATO Institute
Trayvon Martin’s mother is being asked to testify in the hearing even though George Zimmerman, who shot her son, waived his right to use Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” laws in his own defense.

So again, what can she input into a meeting covering, supposedly, Stand Your Ground?

What's going on in the World Today 130916

WOLVERINES!!!!!!

Darryl Bates: [he and the other Wolverines are gathering food, weapons and survival equipment from Robert Morris's father's store] And grab some toilet paper; I ain't gonna use no leaves.

Re-education Film Narrator: [at what once was the Calumet, Colorado Drive-in Theater] America is a whorehouse... where the revolutionary ideals of your forefathers... are corrupted and sold in alleys by vendors of capitalism...

Personal Comment:  Sounds like a typical college class!

Matt Eckert: [after their flight from Calumet, Jed is fixing the radiator on his pickup-truck] Did you get it?
Jed Eckert: Yeah, I got it. Only thing is, we got one problem: we don't have any water.
Matt Eckert: How about pissing in it?
Jed Eckert: That's a good idea. Get up here. [laughs]
Danny: How do you know it'll work?
Jed Eckert: How old are you, kid?
Danny: Fifteen. And the name's Danny, not "kid."
Jed Eckert: Well, when you grow up... then you'll know these things, Danny. Now get up here and piss in the radiator.

Radio Free America Announcer: It's 11:59 on Radio Free America; this is Uncle Sam, with music, and the truth until dawn. Right now I've got a few words for some of our brothers and sisters in the occupied zone: "the chair is against the wall, the chair is against the wall", "john has a long mustache, john has a long mustache". It's twelve o'clock, American, another day closer to victory. And for all of you out there, on, or behind the line, this is your song.
[the Battle Hymn of the Republic begins to play]

Erica: You American?
Col. Andy Tanner: Red-blooded.
Erica: What's the capital of Texas?
Col. Andy Tanner: Houston.
Erica: Wrong, commie! It's Austin!

Erica: [closing narration] I never saw the Eckert Brothers again. In time, this war - like every other war - ended. But I never forgot. And I come to this place often, when no one else does. [we see "Partisan Rock," with its memorial plaque, which she reads for us]
"... In the early days of World War 3, guerillas - mostly children - placed the names of their lost upon this rock. They fought here alone and gave up their lives, so that this nation should not perish from the earth."

Been in a mood to watch that movie. The real one from 1984, not the crap remake.

HYPERLINKS MAY REQUIRE AN EMAIL:

USA

The Future of U.S. Space Strategy

September 12, Softpedia – (International) Anonymous supporter pleads guilty to launching DDoS attack against Koch. A hacker pleaded guilty to supporting a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack led by the hacker group Anonymous against the Web site of Koch Industries in February 2011.

September 5, Los Angeles Daily News – (California) Police looking to recover Porsche find alleged credit card fraud ring. Police in Los Angeles uncovered what is believed to be a major credit card fraud operation after they raided a residence on an unrelated warrant. Police found around 6,000 credit cards as well as encoding machinery and arrested one suspect when he returned to the residence.

September 11, Associated Press – (California) Eight Armenian Power gang members plead guilty to fraud, other charges. Eight members of the Armenian Power gang pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to participating in a scheme that used skimming devices to obtain debit card information from customers at 99 Cents Only stores and then making fraudulent transactions that stole more than $2 million from victims' bank accounts.

September 12, Reuters – (Hawaii) Hawaii warns swimmers molasses spill could draw sharks. The Hawaii Department of Health increased the number of cleanup crews to remove hundreds of fish after a 1,400 ton molasses spill September 9 and warned swimmers, snorkelers, and surfers to stay out of the water as the spill has attracted sharks, barracuda, and eel.

AFRICA

Libya's Troubles Maintaining Central Control

Egypt: Security Forces Reportedly Storm Town South Of Cairo September 16, 2013

Egyptian troops and police forces stormed into Dalga, a town about 300 kilometers (190 miles) south of Cairo, early Sept. 16 and took control of the town after clashes with militants, two rights activists said, AP reported. The town has a population of 120,000, of which 20,000 are Christian.

ASIA

Taiwan: A Party Dismissal Bodes Ill for the Kuomintang

India's Search for Greater Food Security

India's New Grain Bill and the Geopolitics of Rice

North Korea: Daughter Of Security Official Reportedly Defects September 16, 2013

The daughter of a senior North Korean security official escaped to South Korea, a rare defection by a member of the country's elite, a South Korea-based activist said Sept. 16, AFP reported. The 19-year-old escapee, identified by the last name Han, is the daughter of an official in the Ministry of Public Security, the rights activist, who reportedly helped her escape, said.

Japan's Nuclear Troubles Could Derail its Economic Plans

Looming Shutdown for Japan's Nuclear Power

Japan: Last Operational Nuclear Reactor Is Shutting Down September 15, 2013

Japan is shutting down its last operational nuclear reactor, located at the Ohi plant, for scheduled maintenance, BBC reported Sept. 15. The reactor will stop generating electricity early Sept. 16. With its nuclear plants idle, Japan will be forced to continue relying on expensive energy imports, which, combined with rising electricity prices in Japan, could threaten Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans for an economic revival.

India: New Delhi Successfully Test-Fires Agni-V Missile September 15, 2013

India successfully test-fired the Agni-V, the country's longest-range nuclear-capable missile, for the second time in less than 1.5 years on Sept. 15, Indian Defense Ministry sources said, IANS reported. The missile was launched from a site in Bhadrak, roughly 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Bhubaneswar.

EUROPE

Poland: Tens Of Thousands Protest In Warsaw September 14, 2013

Tens of thousands of Polish labor union members rallied in Warsaw on Sept. 14 in protest of the government labor and wage policies, AP reported. Some union member threw smoke grenades during the march. The rally was the last of four days of protests, and organizers estimated that more than 100,000 people had participated.

Spain: Catalonia's Independence Bid, One Year Later

MEXICO/LATIN AMERICA

Mexico: Energy Sector Drives Tax Reform

Colombia bar stampede deaths in Bogota after police raid

Panic broke out after tear gas was reportedly released inside the crammed venue

Six people were killed and five injured in a stampede triggered when police raided a crowded bar in the Colombian capital Bogota, officials say.

Officers were called to the venue after reports of a brawl.

Chaos broke out after some form of gas was released and patrons tried to leave the premises, authorities say.

Witnesses accused police of causing the deaths by throwing tear gas and using excessive force. A federal probe has been launched into the incident.

More than 180 people were crammed into the small bar, according to local media reports.

Officials confirmed five men and one woman were killed during the stampede.

"There must be an investigation as to how this gas came to be inside this place and that's why the attorney general's office is involved," Bogota Police Chief Luis Eduardo Martinez said.

Two officers have reportedly been suspended as part of the case.

'Like animals'
Mayor Gustavo Petro has strongly criticised the police team's tactics.

"It cannot be that a police intervention kills more people than if they had not intervened," he wrote in a post on Twitter....

AFGHANISTAN

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

CHINA

In China, an Opportunity for More Progress in Shale Gas Extraction

Japan and China's Escalating Island Dispute

Maldives: Benefitting from Chinese-Indian Competition

NightWatch For the night of 8 September 2013

Japan-China: Japan's Defense Ministry said Sunday two Chinese H-6 bombers flew a round trip from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean without violating Japanese airspace the same day after overflying waters between Okinawa and adjacent islands.

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter aircraft, the ministry said. It was the first time the ministry has made an announcement after confirming the passing of Chinese bombers through the Ryukyu Islands off the southwest coast of Japan.

IRAN

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

IRAQ

Iraq: At Least 11 Killed In Suicide Attack September 14, 2013

A suicide attack at a funeral held by members of the Shabak minority in the northern town of Baashiqah, near Mosul, killed at least 11 people and wounded at least 13 others, hospital and police officials said, AP and AFP reported. Though near-daily attacks in Iraq seem likely to continue, the country's overall stability does not yet seem at risk.

ISRAEL

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

RUSSIA

The Future of Russian Space Strategy

Russia and Economic Shifts in the Caucasus

Russia Tries to Crack China's Natural Gas Market

The Other U.S.-Russia Proxy Battle

SYRIA

Syria: Homs Prison Riot Suppressed September 9, 2013

Syrian regime forces put down an uprising Sept. 9 at a prison in Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, AFP reported. The riot reportedly occurred after authorities tried to move prisoners to facilities that could be targeted in U.S.-led military strikes.

MIDDLE EAST GENERAL

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

MISC

Geopolitical Calendar: Week of Sept. 16, 2013

September 12, Softpedia – (International) Researchers find third variant of OS X Tibet malware. Intego researchers identified a third variant of the "Tibet" malware for OS X, dubbed OSX/Tibet.C. The new variant is distributed via a Java applet hosted on Web sites and uses several recently-patched Java vulnerabilities to attempt to install a backdoor on a victim's system.

September 6, Help Net Security – (International) Massive spike of Tor users caused by Mevade botnet. Researchers at Fox-IT found evidence that a recent spike in users of The Onion Router (TOR) anonymity network was due to a botnet known as Mevade.A, which may also go by the names “Sefnit” or “SBC.”

September 5, Help Net Security – (International) Obad Android trojan distributed via mobile botnets. The operators of the Obad mobile botnet have begun using four distribution methods to spread malware to mobile devices, including through a newmethod, dissemination via mobile botnet created by using another form of malware.

Except where noted courtesy STRATFOR.COM