Officer Down

Investigator Warren Lewis Nash County NC Sheriff's Office
EOW: Thursday, June 9, 2011
Age: 31
Tour of Duty: 9 years

Investigator Warren Lewis was shot and killed while serving a murder warrant with the Eastern North Carolina Fugitive Task Force at approximately 7:00 pm.

Investigator Lewis, along with members of the United States Marshals Service, went to a residence on West Lenoir Avenue in Kinston to serve a warrant in connection with a murder investigation. They were conducting a search of the residence when Investigator Lewis was shot and killed.

Five suspects, including three who were wanted in connection with the original murder warrant, were arrested at the location after a 30 minute

Investigator Lewis had served with the Nash County Sheriff's Office for nine years and was a sworn Deputy United States Marshal assigned to the Eastern North Carolina Fugitive Task Force. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We’ll Continue 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. 

This is B Hussein Obama...

From Townhall.com

Geopolitical Weekly: The Palestinian Move June 7th, 2011

By George Friedman

A former head of Mossad, Meir Dagan, has publicly criticized the current Israeli government for a lack of flexibility, judgment and foresight, calling it “reckless and irresponsible” in the handling of Israel’s foreign and security policies. In various recent interviews and speeches, he has made it clear that he regards the decision to ignore the 2002 Saudi proposal for a peace settlement on the pre-1967 lines as a mistake and the focus on Iran as a diversion from the real issue — the likely recognition of an independent Palestinian state by a large segment of the international community, something Dagan considers a greater threat.

What is important in Dagan’s statements is that, having been head of Mossad from 2002 to 2010, he is not considered in any way to be ideologically inclined toward accommodation. When Dagan was selected by Ariel Sharon to be head of Mossad, Sharon told him that he wanted a Mossad with “a knife between its teeth.” There were charges that he was too aggressive, but rarely were there charges that he was too soft. Dagan was as much a member of the Israeli governing establishment as anyone. Therefore, his statements, and the statements of some other senior figures, represent a split not so much within Israel but within the Israeli national security establishment, which has been seen as being as hard-line as the Likud.

In addition, over the weekend, when pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the Golan Heights tried to force their way into Israeli-held territory, Israeli troops opened fire. Eleven protesters were killed in the Golan, and six were killed in a separate but similar protest in the West Bank. The demonstrations, like the Nakba-day protests, were clearly intended by the Syrians to redirect anti-government protests to some other issue. They were also meant to be a provocation, and the government in Damascus undoubtedly hoped that the Israelis would open fire. Dagan’s statements seem to point at this paradox. There are two factions that want an extremely aggressive Israeli security policy: the Israeli right and countries and militant proxies like Hamas that are actively hostile to Israel. The issue is which benefits more.

3 Strategic Phases

Last week we discussed Israeli strategy. This week I want us to consider Palestinian strategy and to try to understand how the Palestinians will respond to the current situation. There have been three strategies on Palestine. The first was from before the founding of Israel until 1967. In this period, the primary focus was not on the creation of a Palestinian state but on the destruction of Israel by existing Arab nation-states and the absorption of the territory into those states.

Just a few years before 1967, the Palestine Liberation Army (PLO) came into existence, and after Israel’s victory in the June 1967 war, the Arab nations began to change their stance from simply the destruction of Israel and absorption of the territories into existing nation-states to the creation of an independent Palestinian state. The PLO strategy at this time was a dual track divided between political and paramilitary operations and included terrorist attacks in both Israel and Europe. The political track tried to position the PLO as being open to a negotiated state, while the terrorist track tried to make the PLO seem extremely dangerous in order to motivate other nations, particularly European nations, to pressure Israel on the political track.

The weakness of this strategy was that the political track lost credibility as the terrorist track became bound up with late Cold-War intrigues involving European terrorist groups like Italy’s Red Brigade or Germany’s Red Army Faction. Their networks ranged from the Irish Republican Army to the Basque terrorist group ETA to Soviet bloc intelligence services. The PLO was seen as a threat to Europe on many levels as well as a threat to the Arab royal houses that they tried to undermine.

For the Palestinians, the most significant loss was the decision by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to shift from the Soviet alliance and make peace with Israel. This isolated the Palestinian movement from any significant regional support and made it dependent on the Soviets. With the Cold War winding down, the PLO became an orphan, losing its sponsorship from the Soviets as it had lost Jordanian and Egyptian support in the 1970s. Two main tendencies developed during this second phase. The first was the emergence of Hamas, a radically new sort of Palestinian movement since it was neither secular nor socialist but religious. The second was the rise of the internal insurrection, or intifada, which, coupled with suicide bombings and rocket fire from Gaza as well as from Hezbollah in Lebanon, was designed to increase the cost of insurrection to the Israelis while generating support for the Palestinians.

Ultimately, the split between Hamas and Fatah, the dominant faction of the PLO that had morphed into the Palestinian National Authority, was the most significant aspect of the third strategic phase. Essentially, the Palestinians were simultaneously waging a civil war with each other while trying to organize resistance to Israel. This is not as odd as it appears. The Palestinians had always fought one another while they fought common enemies, and revolutionary organizations are frequently split. But the Hamas-Fatah split undermined the credibility of the resistance in two ways. First, there were times in which one or the other faction was prepared to share intelligence with the Israelis to gain an advantage over the other. Second, and more important, the Palestinians had no coherent goal, nor did anyone have the ability to negotiate on their behalf. Should Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas engage in negotiations with Israel he could not deliver Hamas, so the whole point of negotiations was limited. Indeed, negotiations were likely to weaken the Palestinians by exacerbating intra-communal tensions.

Post Cold-War Weakness

One of the significant problems the Palestinians had always had was the hostility of the Arab world to their cause, a matter insufficiently discussed. The Egyptians spent this period opposed to Hamas as a threat to their regime. They participated in blockading Gaza. The Jordanians hated Fatah, having long memories about the Black September rising in 1970 that almost destroyed the Hashemite regime. Having a population that is still predominantly Palestinian, the Hashemites fear the consequences of a Palestinian state. The Syrians have never been happy with the concept of an independent Palestinian state because they retain residual claims to all former Syrian provinces, including Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. When they invaded Lebanon in 1976, they were supporting Maronite Christians and trying to destroy the PLO. Finally, the constant attempts by Fatah and the PLO to overthrow the royal houses of Arabia — all of which failed — created massive mistrust between a number of Arab regimes and the fledgling Palestinian movement.

Therefore, the strategic position of the Palestinians has been extremely weak since the end of the Cold War. They have been able to put stress on Israel but not come anywhere close to endangering its survival or even forcing policies to change. Indeed, their actions tended to make Israel even more rigid. This did not displease the Palestinians as an outcome. The more rigid the Israelis were, the more intrusive they would be in the Palestinian community and the more both Fatah and Hamas could rely on Palestinian support for their policies. In a sense, the greatest threat to the Palestinian movement has always been the Palestinians losing interest in a Palestinian state in favor of increased economic wellbeing. The ability to force Israel to take aggressive measures increased public loyalty to each of the two groups. During a time of inherent civil conflict between the two, provoking Israel became a means of assuring support in the civil war.

From Israel’s point of view, so long as the suicide bombings were disrupted and Gaza was contained, they were in an extraordinarily secure position. The Arab states were indifferent or hostile (beyond public proclamations and donations that frequently wound up in European bank accounts); the United States was not prepared to press Israel more than formally; and the Europeans were not prepared to take any meaningful action because of the United States and the Arab countries. The Israelis had a problem but not one that ultimately threatened them. Even Iran’s attempt to meddle was of little consequence. Hezbollah was as much concerned with Lebanese politics as it was with fighting Israel, and Hamas would take money from anyone. In the end, Hamas did not want to become an Iranian pawn, and Fatah knew that Iran could be the end of it.

In a sense, the Palestinians have been in checkmate since the fall of the Soviet Union. They were divided, holding on to their public, dealing with a hostile Arab world and, except for the suicide bombings that frightened but did not weaken Israel, they had no levers to change the game. The Israeli view was that the status quo, which required no fundamental shifts of concessions, was satisfactory.

A New 4th Phase?

As we have said many times, the Arab Spring is a myth. Where there have been revolutions they have not been democratic, and where they have appeared democratic they have not been in any way mass movements capable of changing regimes. But what they have been in the past is not necessarily what they will be in the future. Certainly, this round has bought little democratic change, and I don’t think there will be much. But I can make assumptions that the Israeli government can’t afford to make.

One does not have to believe in the Arab Spring to see evolutions in which countries like Egypt change their positions on the Palestinians, as evidenced by Egypt’s decision to open the Rafah border crossing. In Egypt, as in other Arab countries, the Palestinian cause is popular. A government that would make no real concessions to its public could afford to make this concession, which costs the regime little and is an easy way to appease the crowds. With the exception of Jordan, which really does have to fear a Palestinian state, countries that were hostile to the Palestinians could be more supportive and states that had been minimally supportive could increase their support.

This is precisely what the Palestinians want, and the reason that Hamas and Fatah have signed a grudging agreement for unity. They see the risings in the Arab world as a historic opportunity to break out of the third phase into a new fourth phase. The ability to connect the Palestinian cause with regime preservation in the Arab world represents a remarkable opportunity. So Egypt could, at the same time, be repressive domestically — and even maintain the treaty with Israel — while dramatically increasing support for the Palestinians.

In doing that, two things happen: First, Europeans, who are important trading partners for Israel, might be prepared to support a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders in order to maintain relations in the Arab and Islamic world on an issue that is really of low cost to them. Second, the United States, fighting wars in the Islamic world and needing the support of intelligence services of Muslim states and stability in these countries, could support a peace treaty based on 1967 borders.

The key strategy that the Palestinians have adopted is that of provocation. The 2010 flotilla from Turkey presented a model: select an action that from the outside seems benign but will be perceived by the Israelis as threatening; orchestrate the event in a way that will maximize the chances for an Israeli action that will be seen as brutal; shape a narrative that makes the provocation seem benign; and use this narrative to undermine international support for the Israelis.

Given the rigid structure of Israeli policy, this strategy essentially puts the Palestinians or other groups in control of the Israeli response. The Palestinians understand Israeli limits, which are not dynamic and are predictable, and can trigger them at will. The more skillful they are, the more it will appear that they are the victims. And the conversation can shift from this particular action by Israel to the broader question of the Israeli occupation. With unrest in the Arab world, shifting evaluations of the situation in the West and a strategy that manages international perceptions and controls the tempo and type of events, the Palestinians have the opportunity to break out of the third phase.

Their deepest problem, of course, is the split between Hamas and Fatah, which merely has been papered over by their agreement. Essentially, Fatah supports a two-state solution and Hamas opposes it. And so long as Hamas opposes it, there can be no settlement. But Hamas, as part of this strategy, will do everything it can — aside from abandoning its position — to make it appear flexible on it. This will further build pressure on Israel.

How much pressure Israel can stand is something that will be found out and something Dagan warned about. But Israel has a superb countermove: accept some variation of the 1967 borders and force Hamas either to break with its principles and lose its support to an emergent group or openly blow apart the process. In other words, the Israelis can also pursue a strategy of provocation, in this case by giving the Palestinians what they want and betting that they will reject it. Of course, the problem with this strategy is that the Palestinians might accept the deal, with Hamas secretly intending to resume the war from a better position.

Israel’s bet has three possible outcomes. One is to hold the current position and be constantly manipulated into actions that isolate Israel. The second is to accept the concept of the 1967 borders and bet on the Palestinians rejecting it as they did with Bill Clinton. The third outcome, a dangerous one, is for the Palestinians to accept the deal and then double-cross the Israelis. But then if that happens, Israel has the alternative to return to the old borders.

In the end, this is not about the Israelis or the Palestinians. It is about the Palestinian relationship with the Arabs and Israel’s relationship with Europe and the United States. The Israelis want to isolate the Palestinians, and the Palestinians are trying to isolate the Israelis. At the moment, the Palestinians are doing better at this than the Israelis. The argument going on in Israel (and not with the peace movement) is how to respond. Benjamin Netanyahu wants to wait it out. Dagan is saying the risks are too high.

But on the Palestinian side, the real crisis will occur should Dagan win the debate. The center of gravity of Palestinian weakness is the inability to form a united front around the position that Israel has a right to exist. Some say it, some hint it and others reject it. An interesting gamble is to give the Palestinians what the Americans and Europeans are suggesting — modified 1967 borders. For Israel, the question is whether the risk of holding the present position is greater than the risk of a dramatic shift. For the Palestinians, the question is what they will do if there is a dramatic shift. The Palestinian dilemma is the more intense and interesting one — and an interesting opportunity for Israel.

The Palestinian Move is republished with permission of STRATFOR.

What's going on in the World Today 110608

 HYPERLINKS MAY REQUIRE AN EMAIL:  
 

USA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
 
EUROPE

Europe: A Shifting Battleground, Part 1 | STRATFOR

NATO: Agreement Reached On Base Closures June 8, 2011

NATO ministers came to an agreement on June 8 to close some of the 11 bases NATO has in Europe, a NATO statement said, Reuters reported. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that the closures would make NATO more flexible and more affordable. Some headquarters will close and others will move or change their role, Rasmussen said without providing details of which bases would close. Reforms proposed by Rasmussen sought to lower the amount NATO bases to seven from 11. Unnamed NATO sources have said Rasmussen’s reforms proposed closing one of each of the land, air and naval bases and one joint-force command. The naval bases are in Italy and Britain and the air bases in Turkey and Germany. The NATO reforms will also reduce the number of agencies carrying out specific projects from 14 to four, three which will be located in Belgium and one in Luxembourg.
 
ASIA

Vietnam's China Dilemma Amid Maritime Disputes | STRATFOR

U.S.: South Korea Leads First Joint Drill June 8, 2011

South Korean and U.S. forces performed the first joint drill led by South Korea on June 8, Xinhua reported. During the four-day drill, more than 800 South Korean troops from its tank battalion and two U.S. squadrons conducted mobile and free-fighting training at the Mugeonri military training field north of Seoul. The South Korean military is scheduled to take over its wartime operational control from the United States in 2015.

RUSSIA

Russia's Concern in a Post-U.S. Afghanistan | STRATFOR

Russia: Arctic Deal With Norway RatifiedJune 7, 2011

Russia and Norway’s foreign ministers ratified a deal June 7 to divide their shares of the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean, The Voice of Russia reported. Any future disputes about Arctic territories will be considered by the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the deal marks the end of a moratorium on developing oil and gas deposits and opens possibilities for cooperation between the countries.

Russia: Air Drills With NATO Begin June 7, 2011

The first stage of the Russia-NATO joint drills called Vigilant Skies 2011 are under way over Poland, The Voice of Russia reported June 7. Polish and Russian air force pilots are participating. The drills are part of the Air Space Cooperation Initiative of the Russia-NATO Council and address militant attacks using civilian aircraft.
 
Russia: S-300 Missile Defense System Deployed For Duty June 6, 2011

A Russian Central Military District air defense unit armed with S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems deployed to a new positioning area with a mission to prevent unauthorized flights and airspace violations along the Russian border within the air defense sector, Central Military Districts said in a released reported, Interfax-AVN reported June 6. The unit will operate S-300 road-mobile launchers.
IRAN

U.S.: Iranian Submarine Confirmed In Red Sea June 7, 2011

A U.S. Defense Department spokesman confirmed the deployment of an Iranian submarine to the Red Sea on June 7 but told reporters that the Pentagon is not concerned by the deployment, Bloomberg reported.

 Dispatch: Iranian Submarines in the Red Sea | STRATFOR

IRAQ

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
 
ISRAEL

Agenda: With George Friedman on Israel's Future | STRATFOR

Israel: Authorities Open Gaza Crossing For Aid Deliveries June 6, 2011

Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom crossing on June 6 to allow approximately 300 truckloads of aid into Gaza and will allow limited quantities of natural gas to be pumped through the same crossing, Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said, Maan reported. Israeli authorities allowed 182 truckloads of goods and aid and 134,770 kilos of natural gas into Gaza on June 5, Fattouh said.
 
AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan Weekly War Update: The U.S. Drawdown and UAV Strikes in Pakistan | STRATFOR

MIDDLE EAST

Dispatch: Tactical Breakdown of the Saleh Assassination Attempt | STRATFOR

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Mexico Security Memo: Casino Attacks in Monterrey | STRATFOR
 
Above the Tearline: Mexico, Car Bombs and True VBIEDs | STRATFOR

Guatemala: Authorities Intercept Plan To Kill Prosecutors June 7, 2011

Notebooks seized from suspected members of the Los Zetas drug cartel arrested in the Guatemalan city of Coban, Alta Verapaz department, indicated that the cartel planned to kill seven prosecutors from the attorney general’s office, Prensa Libre reported June 7. Los Zetas reportedly planned to kill the officials because they were investigating the group and had ordered arrests, drug seizures and house raids during the state of siege in Alta Verapaz from December 2010 to February 2011.

MISC

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
 

 
Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com
 

 

Please tell me we're not in a police state yet

In the west we got rid of debters prisons in the 1800s for multiple reasons. It's illogical to prevent a person from making money to settle debt by imprisoning him. It's more costly to the people with prison expenses. But I guess the biggest reason is it's damned wrong. If you go into debt with a party and cannot make it there are civil actions (lawsuits, etc) to handle the matter.

But thanks to the Department of Education it seems we've brought back a historical anachronism. From Stockton CA (where else but California...well maybe New York...or Chicago) you gotta see this.

STOCKTON, CA - Kenneth Wright does not have a criminal record and he had no reason to believe a S.W.A.T team would be breaking down his door at 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

"I look out of my window and I see 15 police officers," Wright said.

Wright came downstairs in his boxer shorts as a S.W.A.T team barged through his front door. Wright said an officer grabbed him by the neck and led him outside on his front lawn.

"He had his knee on my back and I had no idea why they were there," Wright said.

According to Wright, officers also woke his three young children ages 3, 7, and 11 and put them in a Stockton police patrol car with him. Officers then searched his house.

As it turned out, the person law enforcement was looking for was not there - Wright's estranged wife.

"They put me in handcuffs in that hot patrol car for six hours, traumatizing my kids," Wright said.

Wright said he later went to the mayor and Stockton Police Department, but the City of Stockton had nothing to do with Wright's search warrant.

The U.S. Department of Education issued the search and called in the S.W.A.T for his wife's defaulted student loans.

"They busted down my door for this," Wright said. "It wasn't even me."

According to the Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General, the case can't be discussed publicly until it is closed, but a spokesperson did confirm that the department did issue the search warrant at Wright's home.

The Office of the Inspector General has a law enforcement branch of federal agents that carry out search warrants and investigations.

Stockton Police Department said it was asked by federal agents to provide one officer and one patrol car just for a police presence when carrying out the search warrant....

OK, am I the only person who is shocked our Department of Education (a waste of cash if ever there was) has a SWAT team and can use actions more appropriate for a murder suspect than for a person in default for student loans. And once they get this person what do they do with them...put them in prison? For what? This is not a criminal matter but a civil matter. BTY, remember that the regime of B Hussein Obama federalized the student loan industry...so as of last year all student loans are debts to the feds...the guys with this SWAT team. Now if Bank of American had a student loan in default and requested DoE take enforcement actions like this, the ACLU would be screaming. Now I hear nothing (no surprise).

I'm praying this man has a good lawyer...if there a legal fund out there I will put donate money. His rights have been violated in more ways than can be counted and he needs to compensated. But more than that I want this SWAT team disassembled and whoever authorized it's existance impaled (figurative, not literally). Who the hell thought you could raid a man's house and arrest him for a late student loan. I'm recalling some words, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated,...".

BTY Chief of Police for Stockton, if this report is true you should have had nothing to do with it. This is an abuse of people's rights if every there was.

Outrages like this make me recall the words of Reagan,

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

The Father of the Year wants to be Big Daddy of New York NY...

This is too good for the Republicans. First Anthony Weiner takes all the heat off of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now it looks like little Alec "You're a rude thoughtless pig!" Baldwin wants to be mayor of the Big Apple.

NOTE: Adult language on this one.

POLITICAL SMART ALEC Baldwin sees Weiner’s implosion as opportunity for him in 2013

Alec Baldwin is mulling a run for mayor of New York City now that kinky Congressman Anthony Weiner appears to have sexted himself out of the 2013 race.

The “30 Rock” star, who has long talked about running for political office, believes Weinergate has shaken up the field of candidates enough that he might have a chance to win, a friend of the actor told The Daily.

“Alec said, ‘Hey, maybe this changes the race. The dynamics have shifted,’ ” said Baldwin’s pal.

“The Democrats need a high-profile candidate, and Alec can fill that bill.”

Baldwin, a die-hard Democrat originally from Massapequa, a suburb on Long Island, N.Y., has said 2012 will be his last year on “30 Rock,” which would free him up for a 2013 mayoral run.

...Meanwhile, Baldwin probably won’t be able to run for Weiner’s congressional seat representing parts of Brooklyn and Queens, even if he wanted to. As a result of the last census, New York State is expected to lose two seats.

“They’ll take one Republican district upstate, and one Democratic district in the city,” said one political operative. “Weiner can say goodbye to his seat.”

Baldwin, 53, famous for his liberal politics, has been talking about the possibility of running for office since the ’90s.

“Is this something that I want to do? Yes,” Baldwin said in a 1997 New York magazine cover story on his political ambitions. But he said it didn’t seem like the right time.

“The men and women that run the world are in their 50s. It takes time to build that kind of thing. I’m 39.”

Fast-forward 11 years. In a 2008 interview on “60 Minutes,” Baldwin mused about being in his 50s and said it was possible that politics would be his second act.

“There’s no age limit on running for office, to a degree,” he said. It’s “something I might do, one day.”

...“I do believe that people want to believe that someone who deeply cares about the middle class … would like to seek public office,” Baldwin said.

All I can say is please, please Alex run. If you get the nomination and loose to a Republican, even a Rockefeller one New York may be able to make some progress. You win, oh well you will be entertaining. Otherwise you and Weiner will be the family picture for the Democrats. This is a gift from Heaven for the Republicans!

New York, New York........or maybe LA

Or San Francisco...

But never in Texas.

An illegal alien turd stabs a cop in the head with a six inch dagger, is sentenced to 20 years for attempted murder of a police officer (in Texas it would have been at least 40) and now the piece of human excrement is suing the officer he tried to kill.

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Tuesday, June 7th 2011

The surreal scene in Brooklyn Federal Court played out as part of a $40 million suit Hugo Hernandez has filed against the victim, Angel Cruz, and three other officers.

He claims the cops used excessive force and broke his ankle while trying to subdue him after he stabbed Cruz in the temple with a 6-inch dagger.

Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who is representing himself, told the jury in his opening statement that he committed a "terrible act of violence against a fellow human being, and I am profoundly sorry."

Representing himself...I recall the great saying a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client...and an idiot for attorney.

Just as on the night of the March 2007 attack, Cruz's heroism in the face of insanity shone through Monday.

"I remember him striking me across the head. ... I remember seeing him standing there with a knife in his hand ready to attack me again," Cruz said.

Cruz - who had stopped Hernandez for smoking - said he does not recall firing five shots from his service weapon, hitting him four times. With blood gushing from his head, he chased the assailant down a flight of stairs and held him on the platform floor.

"I guess it was pure adrenaline," he said, "and the feeling that I'm not going to let him get away with assaulting a New York City police officer."

Cruz spent two weeks in intensive care and received speech and physical therapy before returning to full duty.

...Hernandez, who has a history of hearing voices commanding him to kill, pleaded guilty and is serving 20 years.

His suit accuses Cruz, Sgt. James McNamara and Officers Victor Lopez and Christopher Balleara of punching and kicking him, pulling his hair, spitting in his face and twisting his right ankle until it snapped.

In any sane state this case would have been thrown out upon filing...but this is New York, a once great city. Hopefully the jury doesn't take long in slapping this out of the park.

Officer Down

Deputy Sheriff Keith Bellar
Dickson County Tennessee Sheriff's Department,
End of Watch: Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tour of Duty: 6 years

Deputy Keith Bellar succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day when he stopped to help at what he believed to be a car accident in Dickson.

A Dickson 911 dispatcher had just completed her shift when her estranged husband began following her. As the vehicles traveled on West Walnut Street the husband ran the wife off the road. Deputy Bellar witnessed the crash but was not aware it involved a domestic dispute.

When he stopped at the scene the husband immediately opened fire on him, striking him in the head before he was able to exit his patrol car. The man then committed suicide.

Deputy Bellar was flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he succumbed to his wound the next day.

Deputy Bellar had served with the Dickson County Sheriff's Office for six years. He is survived by his wife and 6-month-old son.

Rest in Peace Bro…We’ll Continue 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 cop's fired for doing his duty...

I remember this day very well.

A little after 500pm the word came over the radio "shots fired...officer down..." I know one of the officers who was injured on that day. Responding were over 100 officers, mostly Houston PD but also Harris Country Sheriff, Metro Transit Authority, even a Port of Houston PD and this mess was not cleared up until 330am the next morning with the suspect dead (thanks) and both officers injured but home.

Now Rice University has fired one of its officers because the man responded to the call. I love the story about the students may have been endangered by one officer of three on campus not being there. Unlike the University of Houston which resides in the middle of da hood, Rice is in one of the most exclusive areas in the city.

Hopefully this man gets his job back with an apology...but I wonder why a bit. If this is how they treat him when when helps on an officer down call does he really want to work there......

Fellow lawmen fight for fired Rice police officer .

by Kevin Reece / KHOU 11 News

HOUSTON – Fellow lawmen were fighting Monday to help a Rice University police officer get his job back after he was fired for responding to an off-campus "officer down" call.

Officer David Sedmak’s trouble began when he heard a radio call on May 7 about a shooting at a downtown Houston Greyhound station.

After learning that an officer had been shot, Sedmak left the campus – two minutes away from the scene – and rushed to the scene to help.

Two HPD officers were wounded by the gunman outside the Greyhound station. Other officers took cover behind the Rice officer’s car, so they wouldn’t get shot, too.

But while those officers said Sedmak was a hero, Rice University fired him for dereliction of duty.

Rice, a private university, doesn’t have to answer to a police officers’ union. But those officers made their case anyway in a press conference Monday morning.

"We think he should be commended for this, and definitely not terminated," Officer Ray Hunt said.

The Houston Police Officers Union and several other law enforcement agencies showed up in support of Sedmak and even gave him a $2,500 check to help pay his mortgage.

"David Sedmak is a hero for what he did. Going to the aid of a fellow officer – two fellow officers. And for him to be treated by Rice University the way that he has is unconscionable," Kevin Lawrence of the Texas Municipal Police Association said.

Sedmak, a former Galveston police officer, took the job at Rice three years ago so his kids would have a chance to go there for college.

"Quite frankly, I couldn’t believe that after being in law enforcement for nearly 17 years, I was being relieved of my duty for running to assist another officer," Sedmak said.

After the press conference, Rice University issued a statement similar to what they’ve said before about the incident.

The university said Sedmak left his post when only two other officers were on duty and failed to notify his supervisor of his whereabouts for nearly an hour.

Rice said his absence could have put students or the campus in danger....

"In all instances, Rice officers are required to promptly notify the RUPD dispatcher of their location and the situation, and they have portable radios and mobile radios in their police vehicles for that purpose. All radio transmissions are recorded, logged and monitored by the Rice police sergeant on duty. This enables the sergeant to monitor the situation to ensure that the officer is safe when responding to calls off campus, and also to ensure that enough officers are on duty on campus to protect the safety of our students and employees," the Rice statement read.

Sedmak said he alerted his supervisors by radio.

I think we can make an exception to this Rice U...there were multiple officers down at the location and a lot of confusion. Backing up a shot officer is not a termination offense.

If I hear of a legal defense fund or other such thing I will update this post.

Great news from San Antonio...

I recently posted on the murder of SGT. Kenneth Vann outside of San Antonio...well looks like they got the bastard.

Suspect arrested in killing of Bexar County deputy
ASSOCIATED PRESS June 5, 2011

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio-area man was arrested Sunday on a capital murder warrant in the slaying a week before of a Bexar County sheriff's deputy, authorities said.

Federal and local officials arrested Mark Anthony Gonzales at his family's mobile home 15 miles south of San Antonio around 4 p.m. Sunday, after FBI agents swarmed the property and ordered him and his wife to exit the home, according to a sheriff's office statement.

...Gonzales and his wife were being questioned by detectives Sunday night and neither had been booked into Bexar County Jail, Deputy Chief Dale Bennett said. Neither had an attorney, he said.

"Everyone is really relieved because everyone's been really tense," Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz told reporters Sunday evening.

Gonzales' arrest came two days after sheriff's Sgt. Kenneth Vann was buried with full military and sheriff's office honors after his ambush-style slaying while he was stopped at an east San Antonio intersection May 28.

Investigators had been looking for a blue pickup truck that had been seen pulling up to Vann's patrol car at the time of the shooting. Authorities say a truck matching the description of the suspect vehicle was found registered to Gonzales at a San Antonio body shop. Investigators suspect an automatic weapon found at the Gonzales home fired the deadly shot, according to the sheriff's office statement.

Investigators had said shortly after the slaying a week ago that they did not believe Vann was specifically targeted, but that the killer may have been looking for a law enforcement officer to kill. Authorities had not established a motive as of Sunday night.

SGT Vann, hopefully you rest easier now....God be with you and your family...

A new cop show

For the most part I don't really care for recent cop tv shows. There is willing suspension of disbelief, but when The Closer has the deputy chief of the second largest city in the country actually investigating crimes, as opposed to doing those things chiefs do, i.e. beg the state/feds for money, defend the city against race accusations from the local race baiting poverty pimps (or if you lucky, you can get the Justice Brothers themselves, Al and Jesse), etc when I really can't take it. I loved Adam 12, earlier episodes of Law and Order and NYPD Blue. Of course the most accurate of all TV shows is Barney Miller. Every office has a Fish or Wojo!

Fish....Law Man

Now from PoliceOne we have a new cop show....Bloodsauce: Blood or BBQ?

Need we say more....WeinerGate and Obama

Officer Down




Special Agent Timothy S. Briggs
Federal Bureau of Investigation
End of Watch: Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Age: 46
Tour of Duty: 14 years

Special Agent Timothy Briggs suffered a fatal heart attack while participating in the FBI's physical fitness program in London, Kentucky.

He and another agent were jogging near the FBI's London Resident Agency when he suddenly collapsed. The other agent, a bystander, and EMTs performed CPR on Agent Briggs but were unable to resuscitate him.

Special Agent Briggs had served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 14 years.  

Rest in Peace Bro…We’ll Continue 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. 

 

Officer Down




Police Officer Robert V. Oswain
New York City Police Department
End of Watch: Saturday, May 15, 2010
Age: 42
Tour of Duty: 10 years

Police Officer Robert Oswain died from illnesses he contracted while inhaling toxic materials as he participated in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Officer Oswain had served with the New York City Police Department for 10 years and was assigned to the 47th Precinct in the Bronx.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed two of four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City. After the impact of the first plane, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved.

As the evacuation continued, the first tower unexpectedly collapsed due as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The second tower collapsed a short time later. 71 law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site.

A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash.

The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon.

The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.

On September 9, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.

The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill, and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.

On May 1, 2011 members of the United States military conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was hiding. During the raid, they shot and killed bin Laden.
  

Rest in Peace Bro…We’ll Continue 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. 

 

Now this is a public servant!

I’ve often posted on my distain of public servants i.e. leaches that cannot make an honest dollar in the private sector or do the real work needed by the public (law enforcement, fire, military, teachers, etc). Washington DC is filled with them.

This is a real public servant...no more comment is needed.

'I thought I was going to die... so I tried to kill as many as I could': Hero Gurkha receives bravery medal from the Queen

Proud: Queen Elizabeth presents the 31-year-old 

Gurkha with his medal at Buckingham Palace

during an Investiture Ceremony

Corporal Dipprasad Pun defeated more than 30 Taliban fighters single-handedly used the tripod of his machine gun to beat away a militant after running out of ammunition. A Gurkha soldier who single-handedly defeated more than 30 Taliban fighters has been awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by the Queen.

Corporal Dipprasad Pun, 31, described how he was spurred on by the belief that he was going to die and so had nothing to lose in taking on the attackers who overran his checkpoint in Afghanistan.

His gallantry award is second only to the Victoria Cross - the highest honour for bravery in the face of the enemy.

Cpl Pun, from the 1st Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles, was presented with the CGC during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, during which a number of other soldiers were recognised for their bravery.

Speaking after receiving the honour from the Queen, the Gurkha said: 'I'm very excited and happy to here in the Palace to receive the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. This will be a great memory for the future.'

The soldier fired more than 400 rounds, launched 17 grenades and detonated a mine to thwart the Taliban assault on his checkpoint near Babaji in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, last September.

At one point, after exhausting all his ammunition, he had to use the tripod of his machine gun to beat away a militant who was climbing the walls of the compound.

After the ceremony, Cpl Pun was congratulated by investiture guests who queued up to shake his hand.

Speaking about the actions which earned him the CGC, he said: 'At that time I wasn't worried, there wasn't any choice but to fight. The Taliban were all around the checkpoint, I was alone.

'I had so many of them around me that I thought I was definitely going to die so I thought I'd kill as many of them as I could before they killed me.

'That incident happened in the middle of my tour and after that I thought nobody can kill us now - when we met the enemy I wasn't scared.

'I thought the Taliban did not have the capacity to fight with us.'

Cpl Pun, an acting sergeant during his Afghan deployment, was on sentry duty at the time of the attack when he heard a clinking noise outside the small base.

At first he thought it might be a donkey or a cow, but when he went to investigate he found two insurgents digging a trench to lay an improvised explosive device (IED) at the checkpoint's front gate.

He realised that he was completely surrounded and that the Taliban were about to launch a well-planned attempt to overrun the compound.

The enemy opened fire from all sides, destroying the sentry position where the soldier had been on duty minutes before.

Defending the base from the roof, the Gurkha remained under continuous attack from rocket-propelled grenades and AK47s for more than a quarter of an hour.

Most of the militants were about 50ft away from him, but at one point he turned around to see a 'huge' Taliban fighter looming over him.

The soldier picked up his machine gun and fired a long burst at the man until he fell off the roof.

When another insurgent tried to climb up to his position, the Gurkha attempted to shoot him with his SA80 rifle. But it did not work, either because it had jammed or because the magazine was empty.

He first grabbed a sandbag but it had not been tied up and the contents fell to the floor.

Then he seized the metal tripod of his machine gun and threw it at the approaching Taliban militant, shouting in Nepali 'Marchu talai' ('I will kill you') and knocking him down.

Two insurgents were still attacking by the time the heroic Gurkha had used up all his ammunition, but he set off a Claymore mine to repel them.

At this point his company commander, Major Shaun Chandler, arrived at the checkpoint, slapped him on the back and asked if he was OK.

In total he fired off 250 general purpose machine gun rounds, 180 SA80 rounds, six phosphorous grenades, six normal grenades, five underslung grenade launcher rounds and one Claymore mine.

The only weapon he did not use was the traditional Kukri knife carried by Gurkhas because he did not have his with him at the time.

The married soldier, whose father and grandfather were also Gurkhas, is originally from the village of Bima in western Nepal but now lives in Ashford, Kent.

His medal citation said he saved the lives of three comrades at the checkpoint at that time and prevented the position being overrun.

It read: 'Pun could never know how many enemies were attempting to overcome his position, but he sought them out from all angles despite the danger, consistently moving towards them to reach the best position of attack.'

The article goes on for a bit, but this speaks for him. Well done Cpl Pun. We are better off for men like you.

The New York Times shows it's objectivity again

I remember an episode of All in the Family where Archie said to a member of the KKK "I'm as American as you, I'm against everything that's right!" Kinda like the headline from the dean of American newspapers, the New York Puke, err Times.

In Alabama, a Harsh Bill for Residents Here Illegally
By JULIA PRESTON

Now Ms Preston, is enforcing the law “harsh” in your mind? I guess so (or it’s so in the mind’s of your editors who approved this). Forgive me Ms Preston but in the minds of many in flyover country this is called things like the rule of law and fair play. You want to come to this county, come on in the front door, play by the rules, learn the language, assimilate. But I guess that’s a concept foreign to a rag that was once a great paper.

Alabama has passed a sweeping bill to crack down on illegal immigrants that both supporters and opponents call the toughest of its kind in the country, going well beyond a law Arizona passed last year that caused a furor there.

The measure was passed by large margins in the Alabama Senate and the House, both Republican-controlled, in votes on Thursday. Governor Robert Bentley, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill into law.

“Alabama is now the new No. 1 state for immigration enforcement,” said Kris Kobach, a constitutional lawyer who is secretary of state in Kansas. He has helped write many state bills to curtail illegal immigration, including Alabama’s.

“This bill invites discrimination into every aspect of the lives of people in Alabama,” said Cecillia Wang, director of the immigrants’ rights project of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has brought legal challenges against several state immigration-control laws. Calling Alabama’s bill “outrageous and blatantly unconstitutional,” Ms. Wang said, “We will take action if the governor signs it.”

The Alabama bill includes a provision similar to one that stirred controversy in Arizona, authorizing state and local police officers to ask about the immigration status of anyone they stop based on a “reasonable suspicion” the person is an illegal immigrant. Federal courts have suspended most of that Arizona law.

Alabama’s bill goes beyond Arizona’s. It bars illegal immigrants from enrolling in any public college after high school. It obliges public schools to determine the immigration status of all students, requiring parents of foreign-born students to report the immigration status of their children.

The bill requires Alabama’s public schools to publish figures on the number of immigrants — both legal and illegal — who are enrolled and on any costs associated with the education of illegal immigrant children.

The bill, known as H.B. 56, also makes it a crime to knowingly rent housing to an illegal immigrant. It bars businesses from taking tax deductions on wages paid to unauthorized immigrants.

“This is a jobs-creation bill for Americans,” said Representative Micky Hammon, a Republican who was a chief sponsor of the bill. “We really want to prevent illegal immigrants from coming to Alabama and to prevent those who are here from putting down roots,” he said.

The Alabama bill comes at the end of a legislative season when many states wrestled with immigration crackdown proposals. Measures focusing only on enforcement failed in 16 states, according to a tally by the National Immigration Forum in Washington, a group opposing such laws.

...The bill requires all Alabama employers to use a federal system, E-Verify, to confirm the legal status of all workers. The measure also makes it a state crime for an immigrant to fail to carry a document proving legal status, and makes it a crime for anyone to transport an illegal immigrant.

Maybe you are more like Archie than you think Ms Preston. What the hell...he's a better image for the city that your paper.

OK...never thought of stealing these until I watched Extreme Couponing

I have to say we have taken the coupon inserts from a for sale house two doors down. Yes, they aren’t used...but lady, come on, this is ridiculus. And I’ve seen Extreme Couponing before and they have never stolen people’s coupons.

Frugality’s spread leads to coupon thievery

BOISE, Idaho — Value-conscious shoppers are snapping up newspaper inserts and heading to local retailers to get hot deals and cut spending for their households.

But last month, after staffers noticed all the ads from an Idaho Statesman newspaper rack had been taken from a stack of Sunday papers — without being paid for — Don Waters, sales manager for single- copy sales, set up a stakeout at a Boise restaurant.

The stakeout revealed a woman systematically taking all of the pre-printed advertisements and coupons from the box. She had paid for a single paper.

“She said people just throw them away,” Waters said.

He told her that her actions amounted to theft, and the St atesman filed a police report. The value of coupons in a Sunday edition ranges from $300 to $1,000, Statesman circulation director Frank Peak said.

Peak ties the rise in coupon interest and newspaper theft to the show Extreme Couponing, which started airing this year on the cable channel TLC.

Two well-known national couponing bloggers hail from the Boise area: A Thrifty Mom and Fabulessly Frugal.

Fabulessly Frugal co-owner Cathy Yoder, whose blog is favored by thrift-minded shoppers in the Northwest, Texas, California and New York, said couponers shouldn’t learn their ethics from the TLC program.

Yoder said she has heard stories from people who drive around taking newspapers from driveways. She decries extreme couponers who clear store shelves.

“I think there were people who did it beforehand, but it’s been heightened,” Yoder said. “People think they have to keep up with the Extreme Couponing thing. It’s not normal, it is not reality. They just did it for the show, for the hype. It is obnoxious.”

Officer Down




Police Officer Frank M. Bolusi
New York City Police Department
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Age: 49
Tour of Duty: 17 years

Police Officer Frank Bolusi died from illnesses he contracted while inhaling toxic materials as he participated in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Officer Bolusi had served with the New York City Police Department for 17 years and was assigned to the Staten Island Housing Unit.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed two of four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City. After the impact of the first plane, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved.

As the evacuation continued, the first tower unexpectedly collapsed due as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The second tower collapsed a short time later. 71 law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site.

A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash.

The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon.

The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.

On September 9, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.

The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill, and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.

On May 1, 2011 members of the United States military conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was hiding. During the raid, they shot and killed bin Laden.  

Rest in Peace Bro…We’ll Continue 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. 

 

We can only hope....

Can't verify it but it's not printed in a rag like the The New York Times.  But if it's true, like the Edwards indictment...couldn't have happened to a better guy...

Did a pork-coated bullet kill Bin Laden? Yes, says firm who claim its pig fat gun oil is bought by U.S. military personnel 

Yes, if one rather shady website, that peddles gun oil containing liquefied pig fat, is to be believed.

The makers of Silver Bullet Gun Oil claim it contains 13 per cent USDA liquefied pig fat thus making the product 'a highly effective counter-Islamic terrorist force multiplier.'

The apparent owner of the gun oil site, who goes by the name 'The Midnight Rider,' explains how the pig fat will transfer onto anything the bullet strikes.

This 'effectively denies entry to Allah's paradise to an Islamo-fascist terrorist,' Rider adds...

...In Islam consumption of pork is forbidden, but the Quran also states that if one is forced to consume the meat then they are guiltless and therefore not disqualified from paradise.

The website also notes its customers include members of the U.S. military.

'Thousands of bottles of Silver Bullet Gun Oil have been distributed since July of 2004 by its creator to members of ALL U.S. Military branches,' it claims.

A promotional YouTube video for the oil shows a picture of Bin Laden and the claim: 'Killed with a weapon using Silver Bullet Gun Oil'...

Hey class little Johnny is being oppressed by the man

If anything I might give the adult driver ticket...but this is ridiculus.

10-year-old boy gets ticket for not wearing seat belt properly

Leander official says officer made mistake. Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN 

ROUND ROCK — On his way home Tuesday from Jim Plain Elementary School in Leander, fourth-grader Marshall May, sitting in the passenger seat of the family minivan, was ticketed for not wearing his seat belt properly.

Problem is, Texas law says a person must be at least 15 years old to commit such an offense. If a child isn't properly secured by a seat belt, the adult in the car would be at fault, according to the law. But Marshall's aunt, Ashley Arredondo, 19, who was driving, didn't receive a ticket.

"I was really scared, I could tell you that," Marshall said Thursday. "I didn't know what to do.

"He made me sign my signature, but I don't have a signature because I'm 10 years old."

Instead, Marshall printed his full name...

...Marshall was in the passenger seat when he decided to stick his head out the window for some air, he said. As he stretched, the seat belt slipped up toward his neck and shoulder area, he said.

That's when the police officer pulled over the minivan driven by Arredondo.

After a brief discussion, the officer ticketed Marshall.

"He said: 'You were wearing your seat belt incorrectly. Sorry, but click it or ticket,'" Marshall said.

Police said the boy wasn't properly wearing the belt because it wasn't covering the top of his chest, said Marshall's stepmother, Kristy May.

"I thought it was a joke until I saw the actual ticket," said Marshall's father, Gabriel May. "I didn't think there was any gravity to it whatsoever."

Gabriel May said he's not sure whether the incident will lead to a court visit, but he said he'd show up if necessary.

"I will, because I'm a law-abiding citizen," he said. "I think they should drop it."

Officer Down

 

Trooper Ellen Engelhardt
Massachusetts State Police
EOW: Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Age: 58
Tour of Duty: 23 years
Date of Incident: Saturday, July 26, 2003

Trooper Ellen Engelhardt succumbed to injuries sustained eight years earlier when her patrol car was struck by a drunk driver on Route 25 in Wareham.

Trooper Engelhardt was parked on the shoulder of the road when the drunk driver struck the rear or her vehicle at nearly 90 mph. Her injuries left her in a vegetative state and she was unable to speak or communicate.

The driver was sentenced to only 2 1/2 years in prison.

Trooper Engelhardt had served with the Massachusetts State Police for 23 years. She is survived by her daughter.

Rest in Peace Sis…We’ll Continue 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 COP'S Funeral

It's something in the back of the head of every cop as they go through the day.  Will this be me at some point in the future.  Will I not make it to the great pension I was promised.

I sit here in Champion Forest Baptist Church and they have started the pictures.  There are two massive screens on which they are showing pictures of Officer Will through his life.  Depressing is they just put up the ultrasound of his son, Kevin Scott Will Jr.  If it takes a while for the two to meet I know his dad is looking down with pride.

Two things stuck me over the service.  One, the Houston PD chaplain said he was an actual hero.  The last thing he did before being hit by the suspect was push a hit and run complainant out of the way, saving the man's life.  The other thing that struck me was what Will's mother said of her son, "he finished strong..."

I recall the words of General Patton on men like this, "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."

The service took a little over a hour then around another half hour to get the officers organized. The troopers, officers, constables move out, form up and the casket is brought forth.  Headed out I hit the men's room and as expected there is a line.  Now waiting I see two gentlemen in suits pass everyone and hit the facilities quick...then it hit me.  They were family members.  As I was leaving I saw  Officer Will's son being escorted by one of the ministers.  Yes I think he needs to get up there in front of us.

Fly Over Missing Man Formation

We give one last salute, then a 21 gun salute (still kinda weird with shotguns instead of rifles), the flyover with the helos.  After that the flag is handed over to the next of kin.  A loud speaker calls out his unit numbers three times, then announces he is "Off duty...badge number 7597 is retired..."

The Chief of Police handing the flag over...one duty I  would not wish on my worse enemy.

RIP Officer Will...and God be with your family at this time.

What's going on in the World Today 110601

 HYPERLINKS MAY REQUIRE AN EMAIL:  
 

USA

U.S.: Cyberattacks Constitute Acts Of War - Pentagon May 31, 2011

The Pentagon on May 31 adopted a new strategy that will classify major cyberattacks as acts of war, meaning the United States for the first time can respond to such acts with traditional military force, The Wall Street Journal and AFP reported. The Pentagon’s first formal cyber strategy concludes that the Laws of Armed Conflict apply to cyberspace, according to three defense officials who have read the document.
 
U.S. Naval Update Map: June 1, 2011 | STRATFOR
EUROPE

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
 
ASIA

Russia: MiG-29K Jets Delivered To Indian Navy May 31, 2011

The Russian MiG Aircraft Corporation has delivered five MiG-29K fighter jets to the Indian navy, to join four others, which India will use for the new “Black Panthers” squadron, Press Trust of India reported May 31. The jets will be deployed on the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier, under re-fit in Russia.

China Political Memo: Building Resentment over Land Seizures | STRATFOR

China's Response to Spreading Protests in Inner Mongolia | STRATFOR

RUSSIA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
 
IRAN

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
 
IRAQ

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
 
ISRAEL

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
 
AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan: Russia Will Help Train Afghan Pilots June 1, 2011

The Russian government will provide ground support and training for Afghan military transport helicopters, DPA reported June 1, citing an interview in Kommersant magazine with Viacheslav Dzerkalin, vice director of Russia’s Federal Service of Military Trade and Cooperation. A government fund will pay for Russian technicians to maintain 31 Mi-17 helicopters and train Afghan pilots and crew, and for spare parts and upgrades.

Afghanistan Weekly War Update: Attacks in Herat and Taloqan | STRATFOR

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia: 16 Nuclear Reactors To Be Built - Energy OfficialJune 1, 2011

Saudi Arabia plans to build 16 civilian nuclear reactors that cost 300 billion riyals ($80 billion) in the next 20 years, an energy official said June 1 at the Gulf Environment Forum in Jeddah, AFP reported. According to the official, the reactors will be used to generate electricity and desalinate sea water. The first two reactors will be completed in 10 years, the official said, adding that two reactors will be completed each year after. All 16 will be completed by 2030, he said.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Colombia: FARC Member Captured In Venezuela June 1, 2011

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said June 1 that a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) general staff member, Guillermo Torres (aka Julian Conrado), had been captured on May 30 in Venezuela with the cooperation of Venezuelan authorities, W Radio and AP reported. The United States had offered a $2.5 million reward for his capture. Santos said that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had informed his government that Torres would be sent to Colombia.
 
Mexico Security Memo: The Battle for Acapulco | STRATFOR

MISC

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
 

 
Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com
 

Those borders are really secure Janet

A few weeks ago I posted on how that idiot HS Secretary said our borders had never been more secure. Well that doesn't square with what's happening in Houston.

I posted on how Houston PD lost Officer Keith Will to an illegal alien who had been deported before.

A Look into the Past of Suspected DWI Cop Killer
ISIAH CAREY

...Prosecutors say the man responsible for hitting and killing the 38 year old cop was also illegal .

He's 26-year-old Johoan Rodriguez. He's charged with intoxication manslaughter of a peace officer, evading arrest, and possession of cocaine.

Investigators say officer Will was investigating an accident on north loop east early Sunday morning. That's when police say Rodriguez - three times the legal limit of drunk - ran through a road block. Prosecutors say officer Will was struck and killed...However, Will was able to save another person from Rodriguez's car.

FOX 26 News obtained federal court recorders dating back to 2005. They show Rodriguez was deported once but claimed he was from Houston and even had a Texas drivers license. He eventually pleaded guilty to entering the country illegally and paid a $10 fine. It's not clear if he was once again deported...

...Sources say Rodriguez has been in and out of the country since a small child. His MySpace page reflects a man cops call disturbed. He refers to women as the b word and gives instructions on how to get rid of a gun used in a crime....

A Look into the Past of Suspected DWI Cop Killer: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

Well, there is some good news. It has been determined that the turd who killed Officer will was in the country illegally and was deported twice. But ICE has put a hold on him so if Harris County doesn't handle him ICE will.....deport him. Ain't this great...let's let these idiots from Washington handle our health care, energy and education.

Now let's see...has there been other problems with illegals in Houston:

Officer Henry Canales was killed by...an illegal alien.

Officer Rodney Johnson was killed by...and illegal alien

Officer Rick Salter was shot in the face, almost killed and disabled for life by...an illegal alien.

I don't question there are many who cross the border illegally who are assets to America. They come here, learn the language, work, raise their family right, often supporting family members in another country. But in case the idiots in DC, the state capital, California, New Mexico, etc the countries south of the border are using our wide open borders to clean out their criminal element. Additionally the fact illegals come up to America for work, send money back to Mexico etc make it less urgent for real social reforms in these banana republics. There is no reason Mexico cannot handle it's own people. The country has fertile fields, two major ports, minerals. But use of these assets is stopped by a corrupt society and inept government. So they will keep sending their people north...and the Democrats will welcome them with open arms. More votes.

I really pray we can get some leaders who secure our borders, end the sanctuary cites, deport the illegals and bring us to some sanity. Again, looking at the leadership of this country I don't have much hope...

Former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle to be released from jail.....

I would not want to be working around the Bay Area right now...the usual suspects will be screaming, protesting, etc....

Former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle to be released from jail soon - San Jose Mercury News

By Paul T. Rosynsky Oakland Tribune

OAKLAND -- A year after facing a lifetime in prison for killing an unarmed BART passenger, former transit police Officer Johannes Mehserle will be released from jail in a couple of weeks.
With credits for time served and the leniency of a Los Angeles County judge, Mehserle will be set free after serving 11 months of a two-year sentence issued after the 29-year-old was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the killing of Hayward resident Oscar Grant III.
Mehserle's release from Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail, most likely in the middle of June, should not come as a surprise because the date was determined when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry declined last year to issue a harsher penalty.

For Grant's family, the release is a bitter reminder of the tragedy that occurred in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2009, and how, in their minds, the criminal justice system failed. "We really don't feel like there has been accountability for his actions," said Cephus Johnson, Grant's uncle and a family spokesman. "We were totally let down by the judicial system."

For Mehserle, being freed from jail offers a chance to begin anew but not in the profession he had chosen when he became a BART police officer more than three years ago. And while Mehserle's release closes a chapter in the highly publicized saga, the story of Grant's death and its implications will continue for years as both a federal civil suit and an appeal of Mehserle's conviction remain active in the courts....

I'll agree two years is far too little for killing a man. Hopefully the idiots (the local Al Sharpton's and Jesse Jackson's) will try and keep the peace.