Confederate Yankee
October 06, 2011
Could Obama Administration Officials Face Life in Prison or Death Penalty Charges for Gunwalker?
Allegations are that the Obama Administration had gun-walking operations in at least 10 cities in 5 states, including the Midwest and East Coast states. The operations were not feeding weapons just to cartels, but street gangs, contributing to the murder of an unknown (for now) number of American citizens, in addition to hundreds of deaths in Mexico.
If we take Operation Fast and Furious (2,020) guns and assume it was one of the larger operations, and from that assume an average operation provided half that amount (1,010), we're looking at an estimate of 10,100 guns.
If we assume OFF was a representative sample of the number of guns an average Obama Administration gun-walking program distributed, we're looking at 20,200 guns given to criminals, enough to arm a U.S. Army division.
It seems reasonable to assume that our President, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Attorney General were responsible for contributing to what U.S. code defines as
international terrorism, and what could very much fit the
definition of treason.
Our President and members of his Cabinet have committed the most serious criminal crimes in American political history, and could face the rest of their lives behind bars or execution for it.
Do you understand yet why they will fight this tooth and nail? The people will do anything to save their own necks, and have already demonstrated that your lives mean nothing to them.
Is this sinking in yet?
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
11:46 AM
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They don't need to fight this tooth and nail. There is no superior legal authority that can hold them accountable. Even if they admit they did it, they will get away with it. no one in the government is going to jail because of this with the possible exception of any whistle-blowers. The most likely thing is that the Dems will lose the White house ans Senate in the next elections and then will only have another month to loot the treasury on the way out. No one in office is even going to suggest impeaching America's first black president. The press doesn't care as much about this as they care about protecting Obama, so they aren't going to mention it except as an example about how easy it is for criminals to get guns from America.
Like all crimes committed by elected Democrats, this will just go away.
Posted by: Professor Hale at October 06, 2011 12:02 PM (PDTch)
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I am watching the PBS show "Prohibition". Even though this deals with drugs and not alcohol, it stems from the same thing and what people don't realize is that drug access was stopped along with alcohol. The result has been the same, people will try to get the product and will use violence at all ends. How do you stop this? You allow people to have freedom once again. You allow them to obtain what drugs they think they need and eliminate the government except for assuring quality. Until that happens, things will only get worse. If you think you live in a free society, consider this, I use alcohol to finish furniture products. That alcohol has poisons inserted in it by our government that will kill you, the reason, so that the government can control the product and collect tax. Is that a free society??
Posted by: david7134 at October 06, 2011 01:57 PM (lS9kx)
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"Could Obama Administration Officials Face Life in Prison or Death Penalty Charges for Gunwalker?"
No.
Posted by: Kevin at October 06, 2011 05:51 PM (8wwlf)
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We can hope.
We can hope that someone will decide that the folks who write the laws and execute our government are not above the law.
It would go a long way towards building trust in our government if they DID stand trial. I doubt it will ever happen, but I dream of the day when President Obama, Holder, and the rest who planned and executed this set of crimes stand trial, are convicted, and jailed, and then extradited and tried in Mexico and Honduras, or perhaps the ICC and then serve out the rest of their natural lives in a Mexican or Honduran jail.
Might even help reign in our various graft-ridden politicians across the rest of our government as well.
And I'd like a pony too. Perhaps the leprechaun can bring it to me.
Orion
Posted by: Orion at October 06, 2011 08:43 PM (lD7QZ)
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"We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
Causes one to ask how many of those damned things walked North.
Posted by: Ran at October 06, 2011 08:51 PM (xSeWe)
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Not to digress from the topic at hand but doesn't it seem these "capitalist" protests that are going on are part of Obama's larger campaign strategy. He's even acknowledged them now, providing them a legitimate voice. If I'm off please let me know.
Posted by: Chris at October 06, 2011 10:01 PM (sM+ds)
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If you read the WHOLE item at the link, you note that the Bush Administration started this stuff.
So the question: how many idiots can be found to run the country?
Posted by: dad29 at October 07, 2011 08:19 AM (ARZIQ)
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Bush's related investigations did not let guns 'walk'. They actually resulted in prosecutions. They did not kill Mexicans or American border guards.
Posted by: red at October 07, 2011 05:42 PM (FLvk4)
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the answer is no
it is virtually impossible to hold democrats responsible,
unless they are stupid enough to film or photgraph themselves and then there is no way for thier handmaids in the media to run defense for them.
Posted by: rumcrook at October 08, 2011 03:31 PM (60WiD)
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Just another attempt to show that criminals can buy guns from a gun shop.
Crimes committed with these guns will "prove" that guns are the cause of all crime.
Posted by: harleycowboy at October 11, 2011 10:55 AM (wSTfB)
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October 05, 2011
Quick Takes, October 5, 2011
ITEM: They WHAT?! The Holder Justice Department has filed criminal charges against Continental Oil and six other oil companies hard at work in North Dakota. Their vile crime? Killing 28 birds which were not endangered species. Harold Hamm, owner of Continental thinks the Obamites are harassing oil producers. I think he's right. Go here to read the entire story (much more than just birds), which will make you, hopping, screaming mad. These people really are trying to harm America. What other explanation is possible?
ITEM: When You Look In The Dictionary Under "Class," You Find Her Picture. My co-blogger, Brigid, recently teamed up with another stunning woman to take a friend suffering from cancer to the Indianapolis Symphony. If you want to see what class and kindness are all about,
visit her blog here and
here.
ITEM: Even Hollywood Couldn't Come Up With This One: A star soccer player is made a kicker on the high school football team and kicks a personal record 31 yard field goal that wins the game. The hometown crowd goes wild! On top of that, they're crowned homecoming royalty at halftime. What's the catch? She's a girl. Is that cool or what?
Drop by Fox news for the story. It will put a smile on your face.
ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Media Manufactured News Division: By now, most people have heard that Texas Governor Rick Perry is a racist. The evidence is, according to the Lamestream Media, damning. It appears that around two decades ago, he and his father leased some land for hunting and somewhere on that land, carved into a flat rock, was the place name that had the prefix "nigger." Some people who hunted on the land with the Perrys apparently saw it. Perry's father not only painted over the rock, he lay it face down on the ground. I don't know about you, but I'm shocked, shocked(!) that the media would pull a stunt like this, particularly against a Republican. Interestingly, a great many Texans of the black persuasion are coming to Perry's defense.
Go here for the story. This sounds suspiciously like Democrat and Media desperation, doesn't it? Discuss.
ITEM: Pigs Are Rocketing Into Space and Hell Has Frozen Over! Yes, gentle readers, Barack Obama has admitted that Americans are not better off than they were four years ago!
Go here for a story about something you never imagined you might see. What's his angle for this particular con?
ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Lying, Sleazy Politician Division: Here's the quote:
“'No I don’t,' the president said when asked directly if he regretted the $535 billion federal loan guarantee in 2009. 'Because if you look at the overall portfolio of loan guarantees that had been provided, overall it’s doing well. And what we always understood is that not every single business is going to succeed in clean energy.'…
'[The loan] went through the regular review process and people felt like this was a good bet,' he added."
Mr. Obama is speaking of the spectacularly failed solar panel maker, Solyndra. The twist is that virtually every day, new evidence surfaces to indicate that Mr. Obama was directly told—many times by many people—that Solyndra was milliseconds from bankruptcy and he approved the loan guarantee anyway. I'm shocked, shocked(!) to learn that Mr. Obama would do such a thing and would lie about it! Shocked!
Hey, he's the President! Who you gonna believe? Him or your own lyin' eyes and ears?
But wait, there's more! That's right ladies and gentlemen, not only can you throw half a billion down the toilet, you can up the ante with another half billion, but hurry before the company goes bankrupt before they can cash the second check! Call now and we'll double our offer!
Head to Powerline if you really feel the need to be angry today.
ITEM: Department of Blazing Irony: After the Supreme Court vacated gun control laws in DC and Chicago, politicians and the usual gun control weenies predicted mass slaughter and blood running in the streets. In both cities, precisely the opposite happened.
Fox News is virtually the only news outlet covering the story. In all of my years in police work, it was absolutely clear that criminals feared armed citizens far more than they feared the police and would go far out of their way to avoid them. But of course I know this because I was open to common sense and reality. Neither has anything to do with the gun control agenda. Discuss.
ITEM: How Is Barack Obama Bad For Business? Let Me Count The Ways. A bad paraphrase of Shakespeare, but Rick Moran writes an interesting article on a former Obama supporter whose financial self-interest has apparently induced a formerly unnoticed degree of rationality.
Drop by the American Thinker to read the brief but informative article.
ITEM: She's Getting Away With Murder! So goes the thinking of some in the Amanda Knox case in Italy. If you'd like to read a brief but definitive article on the reality of this case,
John Hinderaker at PowerLine is your man. For the record, I agree entirely with his conclusions. Be glad that Knox is free and once again on American soil.
ITEM: While Fools And Charlatans Demonize Business and Businessmen, men and women immeasurably their betters change the world. Steve Jobs, the co-founder and CEO of Apple Computer, who died Wednesday was just such a man. Jobs' contributions to humankind are real and indisputable and will be remembered and lauded long after the political twits that denigrated those like him and tried to cripple their companies will have faded into well-deserved obscurity.
Godspeed Steve. Requiescat in pacem.
ITEM: Preaching To The Choir: I suspect that most people reading this have been enjoying
Chris Muir's Day By Day for quite awhile. If not, you owe it to yourself to visit daily. It's one of the smartest, most entertaining toons in the business. My day is certainly not complete without it. Do yourself a favor. Don't you deserve it?
ITEM: Whoda Thunk It? Who could have imagined that the Obama Administration would set its sights on destroying the domestic guitar industry? With its recent raid on Gibson, it is doing just that. Of course, for Marxists, it's all about control and power. The lives of individuals mean nothing and businesses fare no better. Their value lies only in their utility to the state.
Go here for a Fox New article about how Mr. Obama is spreading out to destroy portions of American productivity unimaginable only months ago.
ITEM: Louis Renault Award: Spitting On The Rule Of Law Division. Rep. Paul Gosar (R. AZ) is less than thrilled with the Obama Administration, saying that is is "showing an intentional, wanton disregard for the law," relating to Gunwalker. I'm shocked, shocked (!) that anyone could think that the most transparent and ethical administration in history would even think of violating any law! Cough! Choke! Gag! Whew! Even I can't take that much sarcasm!
Go here for the story.
ITEM: Superior Temperament Department: Oh yeah, the Obamites are supposed to be the epitome of cool, unless, of course, they think you're not praising them sufficiently. See what happens when a reporter dare question them.
It's not pretty.
ITEM: Media Integrity Department: In a related story, it now appears that CBS is pulling an Obama—probably for Obama—and putting Sharyl Attkisson, its reporter working on Gunwalker, under wraps. Hard to be believe, isn't it? Nah. I don't think so either.
Here's the story. Haven’t these people learned anything from Rathergate?
ITEM: Hating "Firefly" is Un-American! Well, I think so anyway. So does FIRE.
Go here to see lefty academics getting what's coming to them. Heh-heh.
ITEM: So How's That HopenChange Workin' Out For Ya? In the greenie world, not so well. For an investment of a mere $200 million of our money, the Obama Administration has managed to reduce the workforce at one green company by 100 to 150 employees. Oh dear. Now they're not creating a miniscule number of jobs at millions each,
they're actually spending millions each to lose jobs! That's what Progressivism is all about: Progress!
ITEM: What Would It Be Like to be deaf for 29 years, and suddenly, to hear?
Visit this moving video to find out. If you don't feel joy at this one, you do not—as Rick Perry said—have a heart.
And with that heart-warming story, I must bid you a fond farewell for now and encourage you, once again, to stop by for another edition of Quick Takes next week!
Posted by: MikeM at
09:11 PM
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The reason that criminals fear armed civilians more than police is that the civilians are less likely to get in trouble for shooting a criminal than a police officer. A civilian has a lower threshhold than the police do for discharging a firearm. That, a priori, makes the civilian more dangerous.
The crook knows that the cop will issue a warning allowing the crook to surrender and put his trust in the courts -- risking freedom, not life. The civilian, particularly in his own home is not under that liability.
Criminals are rational beings.
Posted by: Mark L at October 06, 2011 02:02 AM (Md1Xr)
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Ah, Mike, I hate to break it to you, but if your "How Is Barack Obama Bad For Business? Let Me Count The Ways" is attempting to paraphrase "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." then you're paraphrasing Elizabeth Barrett Browning, not Shakespeare.
And you an English teacher!
Posted by: Stoutcat at October 06, 2011 07:45 AM (kKdtK)
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According to Vanderboegh at Sipsey, CBS has got Atkisson not doing interviews so she can focus on developing the story, and it sounds like he believes that. Since he's been so spot on with the rest of this story before it became widespread, I'm inclined to believe him.
Posted by: LC Scotty at October 06, 2011 08:34 AM (wjLYn)
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So all I have to do to get a date with Brigid is get cancer? That girl sets the bar pretty high.
Posted by: Professor Hale at October 06, 2011 08:41 AM (PDTch)
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@ Prof Hale: But it would almost certainly be worth it. A Browncoat that cooks the stuff she talks about... I'll be in my bunk.
Posted by: LC Scotty at October 06, 2011 12:32 PM (wjLYn)
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Dear Stoutcat:
Mea Culpa. It was indeed Browning and not Shakespeare. That's what I get for trying to blog and grade Shakespeare essays more or less simultaneously.
Being a teacher of English certainly doesn't make me perfect, but it does make me more aware of my errors.
Thanks for the catch! I've updated the post.
Posted by: Mike Mc at October 06, 2011 05:35 PM (/SIbp)
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Round and Round
I owe Mike a big thanks for keeping up with the posting here at CY, as I've been preoccupied between a bad ear infection with vertigo and keeping up with Gunwalker. Check out my feed on Pajamas Media, where I've been updating on the Administration's gun-walking fiasco.
It's getting uglier by the day.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
10:30 AM
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I don't see how it can get much uglier without pitchforks and melted tar getting involved. Bottom line: There haven't been any prosecutions and there won't be. Party loyalty is more important that upholding the clear law. No one is going to jail over this. No special prosecutors will be appointed. Congressional hearings won't vote to impeach anyone.
Posted by: Professor Hale at October 05, 2011 12:02 PM (m7EhJ)
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OT
just logged on and saw in the margin an advertisement for rosie o'donnell's new tv show.
i know you don't have anything to do with that.
i just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
Posted by: louielouie at October 05, 2011 01:34 PM (22kup)
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October 04, 2011
Guns, Irony and Prosperity
Time for a bit of heresy: In a way, I almost hope Barack Obama is reelected. Now I've done it. I know if he is reelected America is in deep trouble, Marianas Trench-deep trouble from which we may never escape, but I speak entirely selfishly. Mr. Obama has arguably been the greatest producer of political topics and satire for bloggers in American history. I have no doubt that Bill Clinton might have been in the running, particularly where steamy content and sexually oriented cheap and easy puns are concerned, but it wasn't until after he left office—literally with White House silverware and furnishings—that the blogosphere really took off as a true alternative to the Lamestream Media. We have Dan Rather to thank for that, which is a delicious morsel of irony in and of itself.
Allow me to clarify my heresy: I'll do all I can to defeat Mr. Obama and to overturn virtually everything he did. However, it is entirely reasonable to assert that the "most transparent Administration in history" has been a particularly rich source of hypocrisy, self-parody, outrage, and above all, irony. A prime example is the fact that Mr. Obama is arguably the greatest gun salesman of all time. A slightly less hilarious and tasty counterpart is that in destroying America's economy, he is driving America's gunmakers out of their traditional, coastal, elite environments into the welcoming arms of the bumpkins of Flyover Country, thus further impoverishing his base. Self-defeating irony doesn't get a lot better than that.
An August 9, 2011 story in the New York Times (I said this was ironic!) by Timothy Williams makes clear two trends: Firearms makers in the Northeast and California are considering moving away from the anti-gun, anti-business climates of their traditional, even historic home bases, and midwestern and southern states are competing to be their new homes. Considering the economy and the Obama Administration's never-ending anti-business policies and regulations, even New York Senator Chuck Schumer—one of the most anti-gun senators in American history—is getting on the bandwagon:
"In New York, Senator Charles E. Schumer issued a news release in May praising Remington after it agreed to move a factory from Maine, bringing with it 40 to 50 jobs.
The release made no mention of Senator Schumer’s record supporting gun control. Instead, it said Mr. Schumer had 'led the effort in Congress to repeal the law that limited competition for small arms contracts, so that Remington can now compete for small arms contracts with the Department of Defense.'”
Life doesn't get much more ironic than that.
Posted by: MikeM at
09:06 PM
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I wonder if the RNC is in support of your hope. Considering the candidates they are offering up (and the ones the establishment is destroying) they may be wanting Obama for another 4 years, too.
Posted by: Chris at October 04, 2011 11:31 PM (Wn45d)
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Didn't Barrett do the Electric Boogaloo out of Illinois as well?
Posted by: Jerry at October 05, 2011 06:45 AM (IpU2t)
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Great article, I do appreciate the irony that the one industry gaining strength under Obama is firearms.
Small quibble... "...a law would ban assault rifles..." Do you mean it would define and ban certain semi-auto rifles as assault weapons?
As I understand it, the definition of assault rifle to be an infantry rifle capable of select fire from semi-auto to full or burst fire. Therefore new such weapons already prohibited under federal law.
Posted by: styrgwillidar at October 05, 2011 08:51 AM (FzhYM)
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No, there's nothing ironic about what Schumer said, nor even anything inconsistent. Schumer isn't against guns, he's against you and me having guns. In Schumertopia, cops and soldiers and VIP security details would have lots and lots of guns. Schumer sees nothing the least bit evil about "small arms contracts with the Department of Defense."
Posted by: Joel at October 05, 2011 10:19 AM (0Fejt)
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i support, even embrace, your irony. i live in oklahoma. may i remind you, that oklahoma is the only state, still in the union, that hussein did not carry a single county/parish. the only state. with that said, i have often contemplated telling those whom i know voted for hussein in '08, that i will vote for him in '12. the reason, i don't want their children to grow up in the same america i did. i want their children to grow up in a third world country.
embrace the irony!!
Posted by: louielouie at October 05, 2011 01:48 PM (22kup)
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Dear Styrgwillidar:
The weapons being discussed are nothing more than semi-automatic rifles in the AR-15 class. Anti-gun zealots have long practiced the deception of tricking the public into thinking that anything that looks black and scary is an automatic weapon. They long for the imposition of another "assault weapon" ban.
A true assault rifle has these characteristics:
(1) Shoulder Fired
(2) Gas operated
(3) Detachable box magazine
(4) Firing an intermediate cartridge
(5) Capable of semiautomatic and fully automatic fire
You are correct in asserting that fully automatic weapons are not generally available in every corner guns hop. Citizens can own them, but the federal vetting process is time consuming, expensive and most annoying.
Thanks for your comments!
Posted by: Mike Mc at October 05, 2011 07:07 PM (/SIbp)
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Until The Produce Evidence I'm Calling Bullsh*t: AP Spins for Obama About Operation Wide Receiver
I don't buy any of this:
The federal government under the Bush administration ran an operation that allowed hundreds of guns to be transferred to suspected arms traffickers — the same tactic that congressional Republicans have criticized President Barack Obama's administration for using, two federal law enforcement officials said Tuesday.
...
When Bush, a Republican, was president, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Tucson, Ariz., used a similar enforcement tactic in a program it called Operation Wide Receiver. The fact that there were two such ATF investigations years apart in separate administrations raises the possibility that agents in still other cases may have allowed guns to "walk."
It's damn funny the Associated Press sources Wide Receiver to Bush, when in October of 2010 Obama's minions at the DOJ were passing memos indicating that Wide Receiver
was still sealed, and mentioned in a current context along with Fast and Furious and a third unnamed operation.
I would love for AP's Pete Yost to explain who in the Obama Administration told him that Wide Receiver was walking guns in the Bush years. I'm not saying Wide Receiver didn't exist in 2006 or 2007, I'm just not buying the gun-walking angle.
This reeks of political gamesmanship, and I'm not buying the word of anonymous embattled DOJ officials who haven't produced the first bits of evidence to support their claims.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
06:35 PM
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I wouldn't put it past BATFE to have been doing gun-walking in the Bush years. No matter what Bush was not really one of us.
Posted by: Chris at October 04, 2011 11:37 PM (Wn45d)
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No, I could see BATFE selling guns to US citizens and then busting them, but not allowing them to walk. You know, really push the straw buyer angle by trying to have one or two gun shops get a reputation as lax in following the straw buyer rules to try and get them. Remember, the whistleblowers were motivated by how 'out of the box' stupid and extraordinary letting the guns walk aspect was.
Posted by: styrgwillidar at October 05, 2011 08:55 AM (NmR1a)
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Even if true: since Joe Stalin caused death by starvation to several million Ukrainians, it would be perfectly alright for the obama admin to do the same?
IF the Bush admin walked guns to criminals, it was stupid. The first one make a particularly stupid move may have had no precedent to review for results. The second one to make the same particularly stupid move doesn't have that excuse.
"Bush did it too." What a stupid defense.
Posted by: CFM at October 05, 2011 08:05 PM (Xg+CI)
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October 03, 2011
A Letter From The Teacher: How Hard-Working Are Teachers?
Anytown High School, Any State, USA
To: Mr. McClintock
From: Mr. English Teacher
Re: How Hard-Working Are Teachers?
Dear Mr. McClintock:
I'm glad you appreciate my newest monthly parent newsletter. I've always thought it's important to keep parents aware of what we're doing. I'm one of those teachers that love to have parents visit my classroom, yet it is an incredibly rare experience. I know that most parents work during the day, but I can still hope. Regarding your other questions, that was indeed my car you saw parked in front of the school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights, and most of the day on Saturday too. I was there because I was grading papers, making copies, making lesson plans and in general, preparing for the kids. That's pretty much my usual weekly schedule during the school year.
May I suggest you read this short post from one of my favorite bloggers, Bookworm? She writes about
how hard teachers work. Her observations were occasioned by a recent comment by Mr. Obama, who was no doubt trying to boost the fortunes of his union allies:
"Teachers are the men and women who might be working harder than just about anyone these days."
As Bookworm observes, I'm not sure that's terribly accurate. In fact, particularly regarding education, I'm pretty sure it's not, at least not as a general, all-inclusive proposition. I'll have to be careful here, as I risk insulting just about everybody one way or another. Let me start by telling you about my principles and schedule.
During the school year, my students and my obligation to them is absolutely my first priority. My wife—also a teacher—feels the same way. I hate missing school for any reason and often attend while sick as long as I'm probably not contagious and am at least reasonably functional. I think I've missed three days due to illness in the last decade, and I've taken only two personal days in the same period.
Posted by: MikeM at
11:08 PM
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I am NOT a teacher.
I pay for my own health insurance and enjoy no benefits whatsoever. I am self-employed.
As I finished my work day at about 11:44 p.m. tonight, after working most of the weekend, and battling a chest cold the whole time, and not having had a vacation of ANY kind -- summer, Christmas, spring break -- for over two years.
I guess this post is hitting me at the wrong time.
I'm glad there are hard working teachers inthe world, but at least teachers get the joy of molding lives, and thank you notes, and teacher gifts once in a while. Some professions are not so encouraging.
I guess we all have different blessings and challenges.
My resistance comes only from having to witness pleas for higher teacher pay or for more funding for schools year after year after year.
Getting tired of it.
The rest of us, including taxpayers, could use a break too. It isn't easy for anyone.
Good luck to hard-working teachers anyway. Just lok around you, please, and consider what other working adults are going through!
Posted by: Maria at October 04, 2011 02:10 AM (L7jFY)
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same here, Maria. Teachers are always complaining about too much work for too little pay and no recognition, when most kids that leave our schools are barely litterate, lack a basic understanding of even simple math and science, etc. etc. while the curiculum is being cut to allow more "self study" (as if that ever works with riotous (pre)teens) in lue of classroom teaching (with overview, if any, being provided by non-teaching staff who're there more to prevent major injuries during fights than anything else).
Sure, there are good teachers and if the writer is as he states he is he's one of them.
But they're a drop in the ocean of mediocrity that's our public education system, a system that (across the western world) is failing in producing kids who can function in society (it pained me to be able to calculate the cost of my shopping in the supermarket faster than the cashier could scan the goods into her cash register, but by now it's got so bad the cash register tells them not just how much change to give but exactly which coins and bills to take out of the labelled trays because otherwise they can't comprehend what to do...).
Posted by: JTW at October 04, 2011 02:27 AM (oU0J/)
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JTW: Comments on the mediocrity of the educational system should not contain the following errors:
"Same here..."--that's a capital S to start your writing. And you could have actually written a sentence, "I agree with you Maria."
My favorite, "...barely literate..." Literate has two t's, but they aren't neighbors.
Two "etc" are simply not necessary.
"Curriculum" (a word you could have cheated on as it was used in the blog post several times) DOES have two r's and they ARE neighbors.
"In lieu", it's a French word we've appropriated. There's a necessary "i" to ensure it sounds like a French word.
Sentence structure to start your second paragraph indicates you're writing in a flow-of-consciousness form. That really should have been edited before hitting submit.
In fact the entire second paragraph is marked as two sentences. You really should learn about the other punctuation marks (and capitalization) to be able to break those comma-laden run-on sentences into cogent, single-thought-carrying ones.
Have a nice day.
Posted by: Anon at October 04, 2011 07:26 AM (M3fDa)
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I come from a large family. My father, mother, aunts and uncles, and most of my cousins were/are teachers. They all worked hard. Not a lazy or irresponsible one among them.
But that's not the point.
In other professions (law, medicine, science, finance and accounting, etc.,) practitioners are judged by their competence. Hospital interns who who prescribe the wrong therapies, scientists who do not publish, accountants who make mistakes, are culled from the herd.
If teachers want to be judged (i.e., paid) on their hard work and not their merits, then do not call them professionals. They are laborers, just like farmers, assembly-line workers, field-hands, and waiters.
And there is nothing wrong with good, honest labor. But don't write an essay talking about how hard you work and expect to get kudos. If teachers want to be regarded as professionals, then let's look at the outcome of their teaching.
Cheers,
Posted by: Michael at October 04, 2011 09:32 AM (2Ifen)
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Sadly, the decline of student test scores and the constant requests for more money for our schools have worn the public down. Teachers have become the 'easy targets' to blame for our public educational system failing to educate our children. Some historic perspective is needed to understand this sad state of our schools.
Prior to the formation of Department of Education being elevated and removed from what was called Health, Education & Welfare (HEW), States set their own standards for teachers, etc. Once D of E was formed it began on the journey, as all 'departments' do, to justify their existence in the bureaucracy. Regulations were pumped out at an amazing speed. The most damaging, to education, of those regulations were the ones that began to set 'standards' and 'educational requirements' for teachers. Perhaps they were well meaning, but they had the opposite effect on our educational system.
Federal money poured into colleges and universities so that they, in turn, could develop 'Schools of Education'. These schools eventually began spewing out 'Degrees of Education' that became the only acceptable standard for teachers. Both the D of E in D.C. and the schools of education throughout the country enjoyed large sums of taxpayer money to spend on the most extravagant things. There was no way to stop this mushrooming bureaucracy, either on the Federal or State level. Who among us would deny money to help educate our children?
Sadly, school 'administrators' became the Holy Grail for teachers. Administrators' salaries were far above the average teacher and the work load was far less. Thus, the flood-gates were opened for colleges and universities to produce a whole new class of 'educrats'. With no shortage of Federal and State money for educational grants and loans, degrees for school administrators became the 'hot topic'! There simply was no stopping the bureaucratic ball that was rolling downhill.
Today we have a system that works for few. There is an enormous level of administrators, in all the public school systems, soaking up mountains of taxpayer dollars, that justify their jobs by 'supervising teachers' and clogging everyone's inbox with new rules and requirements for what 'should' and 'should not' be done, said or taught in a classroom. Teachers are left with precious little time to 'teach' as they are constantly trying to keep up with the administrative drivel.
The teacher who received a degree in his/her major; English, Math, Science, etc., no longer exists. Today the degree must be in "Education". Those degrees were produced by the formation of a massive Department of Education which has spent, or directed states to spend, billions of taxpayer dollars. The result is a tragedy to a once good, not perfect, educational system. A system where our children knew the names and locations of countries around the world, knew that a 'verb' was a part of our language and could count to 100 by 10's.
Posted by: carol at October 04, 2011 12:51 PM (eC04Q)
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No comments about the American education system found here today. But, I do have a comment for Anon.
Anon: There is nothing more irritating to moi then to see pissants focus on grammar and nothing else. It comes across as being arrogant, elitist, and condescending.
I understood what JTW said. JTW appears to be commenting in a more conversational mode. I don't think he/she was worried about "THE ENGLISH TEACHER" grading his/her comments. We are in a free flow of ideas and comments world.
I would bet that JTW has vast knowledge about a subject that you are but a neophyte. I would also bet that he/she would not be as cheeky about it as you were toward him/her.
Enough said. I hope you get the point, but I do have some doubts!
Posted by: mixitup at October 04, 2011 01:33 PM (0aEjA)
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I think this applies to K-12 teachers in many places. However, when you look at the pay at some of the community colleges and universities you'll be shocked. I know of one comm college in Nor Cal where some of the top teachers make a boatload of money...and even get paid for doing union business!!!
There are some public workers who have all the equipment, vehilces etc they need to work and others who, often because of poor management have to actually buy stuff just to do the job.
I now of many police departments where the cops have to buy their own guns etc.
Posted by: CI Roller at October 04, 2011 02:09 PM (TdZ9h)
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Mixitup,
I agree that often a good message can be lost because of poor grammar. This is all the more reason to use good grammar.
And one thing that's more arrogant than commenting on poor grammar, is chastising people who comment on poor grammar.
(I wonder how arrogant it is to criticize someone who chastises people who comment on poor grammar?)
Posted by: Walt at October 04, 2011 07:04 PM (AC8Cb)
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Everyone:
Thanks for your comments! Wonderful stuff! By the way, may I offer a bit of advice that might come in handy some day? The fastest and most effective way to end any conversation is to look sincerely into the eyes of the person from whose presence you wish to flee and say: "You know, what you just said has the most fascinating grammatical possibilities. Let's discuss them!"
Far be it from me to criticize anyone who criticizes anyone who criticizes anyone who criticizes anyone who is critical of anyone who criticizes the grammar of anyone else. you know, what I just wrote has fascinating grammatical possibilities...
Posted by: Mike Mc at October 04, 2011 07:15 PM (TbLuz)
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I was a public school teacher for five years, and yes most work very hard. But that's not the issue. They could work twice as hard and still not be effective. My beef is not with the classroom teachers, but the system and the way it disables real education.
Posted by: Kdaunt at October 04, 2011 07:17 PM (rmxwS)
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Teachers work hard -- and parents are still irritated with them. What you realize when you speak to the teachers is that, with some notable exceptions, the problem isn't the teacher at all, it's the system. As you've noted, teachers end up spending (or wasting) a lot of time on stuff that has nothing to do with teaching.
In California, where my students attend public school, the amount of PC stuff on the curriculum is ridiculous. There are "green days" (which I think is hooey) and (social outreach days" (which I think is something more properly reserved for the parents and their values) and bonding days (which I think are for recess and after school).
By the time the teachers have finished with all the required un-learning activities, and have done all the federally and state required tests, there is relatively little time left for teaching. So parents are frustrated and feel the teachers aren't doing their job. At the end of day, it's a no-win for students, teachers and parents, which makes you wonder who's really benefiting from all this insanity.
By the way, thank you so much for your really nice reference to me. I hope you and your readers appreciate that I wasn't trying to denigrate teachers in my post. In today's American, everyone works really hard, so I was simply irritated by Obama's fatuous pandering -- and teachers happened to be the ones he was pandering to on that day.
Posted by: Bookworm at October 04, 2011 09:19 PM (xl63K)
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Mike, you make some very good points. And I think your commentary should give us all some food for thought on what teachers actually do vs what administrators and/or the gov't think is more important. *Hint - I don't think the actual learning is as important to the gov't as it should be . . .
Interestingly, a couple of days ago an article was published in the Wall Street Journal.
Here's the link to the entire article - from his blog. I think you and all the CY readers might be interested in his commentary. He too makes some excellent points regarding education.
http://www.frantarkenton.com/component/content/article/54/327-reimagining-american-education
And his follow-up blog post:
http://www.frantarkenton.com/component/content/article/54/331-rewarding-excellence-in-america
Posted by: Nina at October 05, 2011 10:15 AM (+sUsX)
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Thomas Sowell has pointed out in a couple of his books that over 80% of teachers come from the BOTTOM QUINTILE of their undergrad graduating classes.
Posted by: Sharpshooter at October 05, 2011 12:01 PM (5k+a1)
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Dear Nina:
Thanks for your kind comments. I read the Tarkenton articles as well. I have no difficulty with holding anyone accountable for the quality of their work. There are, however, huge problems in education in this regard. Doing it effectively in unionized districts is impossible. Elsewhere, teachers are increasingly judged by their fealty to the latest, utterly useless educational fad rather than their effectiveness as a teacher. We must be careful indeed about that for which we ask. We might get it and end up with classroom full of bottom-kissing mediocrities while truly capable people not inclined to suffer fools gladly are run off.
Thanks for commenting!
Dear Sharpshooter:
You know, I've often seen that statistic, and many like it. All I can say is that my observations of the intellect and work of actual teachers do not well agree. I've worked in three states and never seen a school where that stat is remotely correct.
I've also noticed that in the real world, competent principals don't give a boatload of dead rats for a high GPA. They're more concerned with tangible and observable factors such as practical knowledge and day to day reliability and performance. And of course, I know a great many people with very high GPAs I wouldn't trust to walk my dog while a great many folks with average academic records are very high performers.
Interesting stat, but I've not seen it reflected in the real world. Can it actually be possible that 80% of all teachers are truly below average, even far below average? Perhaps in Detroit or similar bastions of liberalism, but again, I doubt that in the real world.
Thanks for your comment!
Posted by: Mike Mc at October 05, 2011 07:18 PM (/SIbp)
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Mike, you're welcome. And I agree - there are most certainly concerns to be had. The unionized environment, following the latest and greatest, and more. Yes, we must be careful about what we ask for.
However, what I believe we SHOULD ask for is for each school district, each administrator, each principal, and each teacher to aim higher for the students. There are great teachers out there. My daughter is blessed to have had those great teachers. I was blessed (or cursed) to have some outstanding teachers who started in one-room school houses (4 of whom taught my dad and his brothers - see the curse? LOL)
The thing is - many have forgotten that education is not just getting by. Education should be a part and parcel of aiming high and setting high standards and a high bar of accountability. High standards for the students, for themselves, and then high accountability.
What I find sad is that somehow our education, and now I see it in the business world seems to be one that is more interested in a token effort rather than reaching as high and as far as possible.
Education and success should never be easy. Yet somehow it seems we've come to that. And I don't like it.
Thanks,
Posted by: Nina at October 05, 2011 10:00 PM (+sUsX)
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October 02, 2011
Barack Obama: Anti-Terror Warrior?
I was discussing the recent death of Jihadist Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born Al-Qaeda honcho, in a CIA directed Predator drone attack, with an acquaintance. My acquaintance is a fellow I've known for several years who, while not a flaming Marxist, still thinks Barack Obama is slicker than sliced bread, though he is beginning to admit that perhaps a bit of mold is starting to form on the loaf (or is that the loafer?) He's obviously seeking reasons to maintain that old, tingle-up-the-leg, glistening pecs, Obama is a god fervor, and was going on about Mr. Obama's manly mojo in authorizing the strike on Osama Bin Laden and now, the vile and deranged al-Awlaki. To his way of thinking, this—and the fact that Guantanamo Bay is still open for business—is proof positive that Mr. Obama is a genuine, fire-breathing anti-terrorist all-American warrior for truth, justice and the American way. Oh yes: he was also exercised that al-Awlaki, an American citizen, was not given a proper civilian trial before being executed. Irony challenged, my acquaintance.
As to Awlaki's citizenship, the facts are clear. Awlaki was an American citizen, but a citizen who took up arms against America. We know this because he explicitly told us, many times, that he was at war with America. We know that he was a top enemy commander and that he was directly involved in the planning and execution of attacks against America, American interests and Americans, attacks resulting in American deaths, the Fort Hood attack being only a single example.
Arguably, this would make Awlaki guilty of treason, and if captured, he could be tried for that offense. However, capture and trial were not required for one very powerful and well understood—legally speaking—reason: we are at war.
It is hard for most Americans to understand this simple fact: we are at war and have been since at least the first attack on the World Trade Center on Feb. 26, 1993 and probably since the Islamic takeover of Iran in late 1979. Because most Americans have to make no sacrifice, because the ongoing war does not disrupt or directly affect their lives in any way, the very concept of war seems a matter of semantics, a debating topic, not a deadly, personal or national reality. We will almost certainly be at war for a generation or more. We may not consider ourselves to be at war with our Islamist enemy, but he does not share our peaceful convictions.
In war, our declared enemies may be killed whenever and wherever they are found. This simple fact does not change because of the nationality of the enemy. This too is a well-settled fact of law. There are no clear demarcation lines on a worldwide battlefield. Americans have, in past wars, gone over to the side of America's enemies and have as a result become indistinguishable from any other enemy soldier or leader. We have killed them when necessary and captured them when possible. When captured they were tried by military commissions.
Posted by: MikeM at
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1
Yes, but....
We now have a precedent: when a President declares someone to be 'an enemy' that President can summarily take them out.
Al-Awakkeee (whatever) was a clear-cut case.
But who's next?
Posted by: dad29 at October 03, 2011 12:03 PM (ARZIQ)
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Which begs the question...
Is Bin Laden really dead? Or is he in his own personal hell somewhere being pumped for that info...
Of course he could then be buried at sea, preferably tied in a burlap sack with lots of pig entrails and dropped from about 30,000 feet...
Posted by: Dan Maloney at October 03, 2011 03:51 PM (33Et6)
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Exactly what benefit is there to being an American citizen? You are compelled to pay income tax? In Texas, if you are not a citizen and not supposed to be in the country, then you get breads on schooling and college not available to an American citizen. Now we have a situation were the president can declare he does not like you and bang, you are dead. The problem that we have is this stupid "war on terror". What in the world does that mean? In this case we should have asked Yemen to produce the terrorist. If they didn't. Then take out the friggen country. I think people would get the message then and we would not have to go around the globe looking for every cockroach under every stone. That is the job of a country and a government, to police its borders or risk war.
Posted by: david7134 at October 04, 2011 01:53 PM (dccG2)
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"we are at war and have been since at least the first attack on the World Trade Center on Feb. 26, 1993 and probably since the Islamic takeover of Iran in late 1979"
Not to pick nits, but I would place the first Islamic attack on America as, October 11, 1784, when Islamic pirates seized the brigantine Betsey.
Posted by: Mark E at October 04, 2011 05:58 PM (Jgijy)
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Dear Mark E:
Indeed. Oh, for a President like Thomas Jefferson! That was a man that knew how to "negotiate" with Islamic pirates. Arrrrrrrrr!
Posted by: Mike Mc at October 04, 2011 07:17 PM (TbLuz)
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Was thinking: back during WWII, weren't there people born here of German parents who returned to Germany to fight for the Reich? I don't believe there was any question about, since they were fighting for the enemy, their being killed; so, aside from all the yelling, what's the difference between them and this?
I realize the 'specifically find him and kill him' is different, but aside from that?
Posted by: Firehand at October 05, 2011 07:10 PM (XlGhV)
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Firehand:
Good point indeed. The issue, in WWII and now, is simple: Are we at war? Check. Are they enemy combatants? Check. They can be killed whenever and wherever they are found? Check.
Whether some people think we're being mean to people that would gladly saw off the heads of our children for posting on YouTube with a dull, rusty knife is another matter entirely.
Thanks for your comment!
Posted by: Mike Mc at October 05, 2011 09:26 PM (/SIbp)
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September 30, 2011
The Literature Corner: A Day Off
Dear Readers: As I noted when I began the Literature Corner awhile back, I couldn't promise a piece every week. I'm taking Saturday off to give everyone a bit more time with the two new Jose Guerena pieces.
Thanks, and with any luck, I'll see you back here next Saturday for another piece!
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September 29, 2011
The Guerena Shooting, Analysis 5.2
NOTE: This update concludes the analysis of the interview of Sgt. Krygier. I also include a summary analysis of updates 5 and 5.2, provide a working theory of the case, and add some final thoughts.
THE INTERVIEW CONTINUES:
KC: At his point in the transcript, the Detectives focus on what is obviously their developing narrative:
Farmer: “Okay. So let’s move back to the, to the briefing that you got real quick.
Krygier: “All Right.”
Farmer: “Um, you said that, you said that, uh, you were, you were briefed that the, the bad buy had involvements with home invasions, uh, narcotic and, and human smuggling, and those types of activities.”
Krygier: “Not necessarily human smuggling.”
Farmer: “Okay.”
Krygier: “But, uh, specifically a home invasion, uh, specifically a double homicide and specifically that he was, he would, uh.”
Tzystuck: “He’s with the cartel.”
Krygier: “Yeah, yeah.”
Farmer: “Drug, drug rips and stuff like that.”
Tzystuck: “Okay.”
Farmer: “And his involvement in the cartel.”
Krygier: “Uh-huh (yes).”
Farmer: “Is, are firearms and, and body armor and those types of things, things that you know through your, your training and experience to be involved in, in, you know, uh…”
Krygier: “The drug trade.”
Farmer: “…yes.”
Krygier: “Yes.”
Farmer: “Okay.”
Krygier: “Yes.”
Posted by: MikeM at
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I hope they eat shit and live with unbearable shame for the rest of thier lives.
Posted by: rumcrook at September 30, 2011 12:57 AM (60WiD)
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I remember talking to a Tucson area customs guy. One of the things that a Tucson mid-level drug trafficking organization does is drive pickups full of bales of marijuana across the border at night and (if necessary) through ICE/BP/police roadblocks. It turns out that bales of MJ are actually pretty effective at stopping bullets. He figured they made good money if 1/3 made it, but he estimated that it was more like 75% that made it.
Posted by: Kevin at September 30, 2011 02:06 AM (mOTeh)
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They didn't bring the SWAT team because they thought he was dangerous.
They brought it because they thought he wasn't dangerous and it would be fun.
Posted by: Phelps at September 30, 2011 11:21 AM (ACp4b)
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What a Class A F-up!!! There was no discussion in the interview as to why the last shooter jumped on the back of one of the crouched SWATs to empty his pistol into the house in a seemingly "Hey! I want some TOO!" response.
This is why cops are losing the trust of the people. I think I've said on these boards if I were to see a uniformed cop in a bad situation, I'd probably do an about face and walk the other way. Getting too hard to tell the bad guys apart. If I saw a bunch of cops headed to my front door, the last thing I would do is open it.
Posted by: Col Bat Guano at September 30, 2011 01:02 PM (kM9uV)
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So, how did Guerena know he was "under attack?" He knew because his wife told him they were under attack.
And you admit that the police were in uniform, sounded sirens, activated red and blue flashing lights, and knocked and announced, 7 seconds worth.
You also state that to know it was the police, they would have to have looked out the front window.
So, which window of the house did Vanessa look out? Were there other police officers or deputies station outside other parts of the house?
I think no. Therefore, the only way that Vanessa could know that the house "was under attack" would to have looked out the front window.
Therefore she saw the police. Therefore she either set up her husband or she is lying.
Therefore, despite any failures on the part of the police, it is either Jose Guerena's fault he is dead or Vanessa Guerena's fault.
It is abundently clear though that the Guerena's knew it was the police and they decided to resist.
It also seems that Jose spent an inordinate amount of time from when the police first appeared to hiding his family in a closet and arming himself.
How much time was if from when the police sounded sirens to when they broke open the door? 20 seconds?
It is also clear that you have no idea what was in Jose's mind, as he is dead. There is no basis for your conclusion that had he come to the door to comply with the orders that he would have been shot. That is baseless specuation and defamatory.
It is clear from the record that the police shot because they saw him armed.
I do concur with your view of the questioning. It is clear that the questions are deliberately leading and suggestive. I have seen similar and it is the reason that ouside agencies or internal affairs units should conduct such investigations.
It is clear though that you are not subjecting Vanessa's statement to the same detail and attention that you are applying to the detectives investigating the shooting and the answers from the officers involved.
You would do well to be a more discerning about Vanessa's statements to the press and subject it to the same attention to detail and the problems created by her statements.
In the end, all hangs on what Vanessa says she saw. Which, by the way, does not fit the facts that even you admit to.
Fact: Vanessa says she was awake and up at the time the warrant was served.
Fact: Vanessa says she looked out a window and saw armed men attacking her house.
Fact: Vanessa says she awoke her husband and told him the house was under attack by armed men.
Fact: The police sounded a siren and activated emergency lights before approaching the house.
Fact: The police were uniformed and identified with "POLICE" on the front and back of their raid vests.
Fact: The police knocked and announced, then waited 7 seconds to effect entry.
Those are the pertinant facts. It is not relevant that the supervisor of the raid did not properly assign and control the entry team.
It is not relevant that there was no proper stack.
You need to deal with the important facts, not the minutia that is not quite relevant to the issue of whether the Guerena's knew it was the police.
They have a problem of execution, but not one of justification.
The SWAT team needs more training and better supervision, but that does not explain Vanessa Guerena's strange tale.
Posted by: Federale at October 03, 2011 11:22 AM (NAlbk)
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I'm glad you're keeping up with this. It seemed like it might be fading because of jobs reports, but then "Gunwalker" and "Fast and Furious" came to light as well.
There needs to be a sea of change in the entire perception police departments and the political class that directs them of armed citizens, and citizens recording them during the course of duty.
Posted by: Some Sock Puppet at October 03, 2011 08:33 PM (aKKaj)
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Gunwalker Analysis: Where Walsh was Wrong
Via Instapundit comes a NY Post op-ed by Micheal Walsh that excoriates the Obama Adminstration's murderous gun-walking plot, but I think he draws an incorrect conclusion.
...calling "Fast and Furious" a cockamamie operation gone wrong just isn't going to cut it anymore.
There are two possible explanations. The first is that the anti-gun Obama administration deliberately wanted American guns planted in Mexico in order to demonize American firearms dealers and gun owners. The operation was manufacturing "evidence" for the president's false claim that we're to blame for the appalling levels of Mexican drug-war violence.
If this is true, then Holder & Co. have got to go -- and the trail needs to be followed no matter where it leads. For the federal government to seek to frame its own citizens is unconscionable.
A second notion is that the CIA was behind the whole thing, which accounts for all the desperate wagon-circling. Under this theory, the Agency feared the los Zetas drug cartel was becoming too powerful and might even mount a coup against the Mexican government. So some 2,000 weapons costing more than $1.25 million were deliberately channeled to the rival Sinaloa cartel, which operates along the American border, to keep the Zetas in check.
Of course, there's a third explanation -- that both scenarios are true, and that those in charge of Fast and Furious saw an opportunity to shoot two birds with one Romanian-made AK Draco pistol.
After months of following and writing about developments int his case, the only scenario that makes sense is the first one, that the Obama Administration provided weapons to the Sinaloa cartel in order to frame American gun owners and American gun dealers and support the President's oft-repeated "90-percent lie." Obama has been trying to undermine the Second Amendment since his days as a director of the Joyce Foundation doling out grants to anti-gun groups and subverting Second Amendment scholarship by gaming law reviews. It is utterly consistent with his radical views and training.
The second option and third options, that the Sinaloas were armed to counteract the Zetas, simply doesn't make sense.
If up-gunning the Sinaloa cartel to counteract the Zetas was the goal, the State Department would not have been arming the Zetas with
military weapons, nor would there have been any reason to
arm domestic criminal gangs in Indiana.
It would have been far cheaper and more effective to arm the Sinaloa cartel with untraceable automatic weapons from the black market.
No, the goal of the various Gunwalker plots is very clear. Elected officeholders and political appointees in the Obama Administration tried to frame American citizens in order to create the political opportunity to subvert the Bill of Rights. It will be up to a special prosecutor to determine the correct charges for such an heinous act, and determine if the actions of this corrupt government constitute an act worthy of a RICO prosecution, a prosecution for international terrorism as U.S. code seems to suggest, hundreds of counts of accessory to murder, arms export violations, or perhaps even treason.
No wonder the Obama Administration is fighting this investigation like their lives depend on it.
It very well may.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
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In addition to the NYT CNN has finally gotten their CRACK investigative team on the story... it garnered about 10 minutes on AC360 last night.
Posted by: Maureen at September 29, 2011 11:06 AM (/hia0)
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Since comments on Choi are closed. I post this because the homosexual activists are now demanding transexuals be allowed to enlist. It is only "fair."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/28/after-demise-of-dont-ask-activists-call-for-end-to/
So, do transexuals have the same rights as homosexuals to enlist?
Posted by: Federale at September 29, 2011 04:10 PM (NAlbk)
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I'm thinking walls and blindfolds might be in order here. The more that is learned the uglier it gets.
Posted by: Larry at September 29, 2011 09:15 PM (yh0zB)
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September 28, 2011
Quick Takes, September 29, 2011
ITEM: Ah, The Ironic Humor Of It All! Go here to Legal Insurrection for a link review of the follies and berserkery of the last year in the People's Republic of Wisconsin.
ITEM: Oh Yeah, He's All About Job Creation:
Go here for one of the most bizarre articles I've seen in a long time. It's tempting to think it an Onion satire. CEO Peter Schiff explains how he was fined and punished by the Federal Government for the vile crime of hiring too many employees. I'm not kidding. We're living in a Twilight Zone rerun, aren't we? C'mon, you can tell me! I'm pretty sure I saw Rod Serling…
ITEM: Well, I Thought It Was Kind Of Cute…for about the first 15 seconds. Then I agreed that this is indeed
the worst car commercial of all time. Talk about a car only an Italian could love…sheesh. These folks own Chrysler, by the way. Admit it: It's a uniquely ugly car. Discuss.
ITEM: Gibson Update: If you're in the Nashville area, there is a rally and concert to support Gibson coming up on October 8. Gibson, as you'll recall, is the iconic guitar maker recently raided by the Feds who were apparently enforcing the laws of the nation of India. Let's hope they don't start enforcing the laws of Obama's home planet. Lord only knows what they'd be seizing then.
Go here for information.
ITEM: The Newest Obama Stimulus Couldn't Be A Cynical Lie, Could It?
Go here to see what Keith Hennessey thinks. Bet you can't guess what I think. Discuss. Extra credit for the most creative swearing (not in print, please, this is an "ears only" event).
ITEM: So That's Why They Do It! That's right! Women are promiscuous to prevent inbreeding! I've always been a bit surprised at the bad rap promiscuous men have received. After all, they have to be promiscuous with somebody, presumably, female somebodies. Oh well.
Stop by the Mail Online to see naked feet, and to read the story,
ITEM: By 2014, All American Kids Will, By Federal Law, Be Above Average! That's the mandate of No Child Left Behind, the bizarre genetic anomaly resulting from the union of George W. Bush and Teddy "the Submariner" Kennedy. But now comes Mr. Obama offering relief from NCLB in exchange for—wait for it—overweening government control of every facet of education by Executive Branch mandate! Who could have believed such a thing possible! After all, Mr. Obama is a class warrior for the middle class. He just said so he himself, so it must be true. Then again, if my grandmother had wheels, she could be a wagon.
Go here for the story.
ITEM: Oh Dear. Imagine an American President standing before the United Nations and telling them just what they are—a passel of cowardly liars. The nearest we've come in recent years was George W. Bush telling those unworthies that they needed to step up or become irrelevant.
Go here to read the speech of a real statesman. A shame he can't be our president.
ITEM: Too Big To Fail? Guess which enormously wealthy and powerful organization is in big trouble these days? The United Auto Workers, part owners of General Motors and Chrysler. Can you imagine the federal government bailing out a union? Oh, that's what it did when it nationalized GM and Chrysler? Well, yeah, but let's not pick nits. I mean if the union itself goes bankrupt, can you imagine the Obama Administration using taxpayer dollars to rescue it? Yeah, so can I.
Go here for the story.
ITEM: So, It's All About Fairness? According to Charles Krauthammer, that's what motivates Mr. Obama's economic policies, such as they are. Rest assured that Mr. Obama's idea of fairness is not your idea of fairness.
An interesting article indeed.
ITEM: Louis Renault Award, I Can Pay Dead People Division. Yes gentle readers, our very own federal family—er, I mean the daddy part of the federal family, of course—is paying at least $120 million per year to federal retirees. Well, that doesn't sound so bad, you say. Only $120 million? In Obama terms, that's chicken feed! Normally, I'd agree with you, except the money is being paid to dead people. I'm shocked, shocked! Who could imagine the federal government being so incompetent?! Oh. You could? OK then. Anyway,
go here, but take your blood pressure meds so you don't end up receiving federal payments after your demise. On the other hand, the dead always vote Democrat, so why shouldn't they get a bit of the boodle like all of the other pals of Mr. Obama and his merry thugs and thugettes?
ITEM: What?! Our Federal Officials and Scientists Lying? Never! Never! Well, OK. Pretty much always, then.
Visit the Examiner for a great article about a federal judge taking such sanctimonious bureaucrats to task for lying and general poopy-facedness. You gotta love it. Maybe there still is some justice in the world after all.
ITEM: In A Rational World: Glug, Glug… Oh my. The Iranians are announcing their plans to send their naval vessels into American waters. Considering their plans to produce electromagnetic pulse weapons launched from ships—they have no missile platforms capable of otherwise reaching America—any rational president might ensure that these smarmy, uniformed jihadists sleep with the fishes. Of course, Mr. Obama will instead reach out the hand of understanding and smart diplomacy. Arrrr. Where are pirates when you really need them?
Go here for the story, but take your blood pressure meds first.
ITEM: Oh Goodie! Department: Guess which country now has short range cruise missles? That's right, our good friends and perpetual negotiating partners, Iran! And of course, they're issuing the usual threats, lunatic claims, rancid rhetoric…sigh.
Go here for the story.
ITEM: Australians Go Gonzo! Australia announced that it will soon allow women to serve in all front-line combat forces, including special forces.
Interesting indeed. Any woman that can meet SAS standards will be OK by me. Discuss.
ITEM: Coming To An Airport Near You: Shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles, courtesy of our friends the Russians via Libya. That's right gentle readers, some 20,00 missiles are apparently missing from Libyan warehouses, warehouses guarded by our "rebel" allies who now seem to be, well, you know, kind of…jihadists. Ooops. More smart diplomacy.
Go here for the article, and reconsider those travel plans.
BACKGROUND: Under Bill Clinton, the human intelligence capabilities of the CIA were all but destroyed. It has never recovered, leaving us at a severe disadvantage around the world. Another accomplishment of your friends, the Democrats, making the world safe for anyone that hates America and Americans.
ITEM: Your Gangster Government At Work, #2897: When Barack Obama nationalized 2/3 of the car industry, I immediately rid myself of my Dodge truck and car and have been the happy, satisfied owner of a Ford Fiesta and Escape since. I wondered how long it would take for the thugs in the White House, lead by the Thug-in-Chief, to stop by Ford headquarters and say "Nice little car company youse got dere. Be a shame was anyting to happen to it."
I don't have to wonder any longer. Neither do you.
I seldom waste any emotional energy on politicians and functionaries that should be in jail, but this one really, really annoys me.
ITEM: What Should You Avoid In Men/Women? The Frisky (I just love the name of that blog!)
has a concise article—with pictures!
ITEM: What's Your Gripe? He Promised To Create Jobs! Uh, but these 230,000 jobs are at the EPA, will cost 21 billion or so, and will be used to essentially shut down the economy and return us all to an 1800's standard of living. No, I'm not kidding. Put the dog outside and secure breakable objects
before reading this one. Bonus: Notice the look on the face of the EPA administrator in the photo that accompanies the link. Notice the kindness and concern for the common man exuding from the page? Me neither.
ITEM: Oh, This Is Good!
The Telegraph tells us about Germany's response to Mr. Obama's ideas for dealing with the EU's debt problems.
"I don't understand how anyone in the European Commission can have such a stupid idea. The result would be to endanger the AAA sovereign debt ratings of other member states. It makes no sense," the German Finance Minister said.
Yet another triumph for Obamanomics and Smart Diplomacy.
ITEM:
But He's The Most Brilliant Human Who Has Ever Lived! And so is everyone who works for him. OK, so they can't tell Colorado from Wyoming, but those are both sparsely populated backwaters in flyover country where the natives are all inbred and vote for Republicans, so what do they care?
ITEM: OK, So Mr. Obama Is A Marxist Weenie, but what, exactly, is wrong with his latest "jobs" bill? Richard Epstein explains
in eloquent detail here. I mean, of course, what's wrong other than creating no jobs, bankrupting us even more and faster, being a steaming basket of particularly smelly lies, that sort of thing.
ITEM: So Establishing New Jobs At About $20 Million Each Isn't A Good Thing? Good grief. The Department Of Energy under Dr. Steven Chu, the man who wants Americans to pay $10 a gallon or more for gas, recently approved a billion in federal loan guarantees for two green projects, which will create a whopping 52-55 permanent jobs! Well, at least they won't be absolutely federal jobs, just mostly federal jobs. That's about the best we can expect these days.
Investor's Business Daily has the dirge.
ITEM: Louis Renault Award: Lying, Cheating Federal Bureaucrats Division.
According to the good folks at Hot Air, the EPA, in pushing its lunatic greenhouse gas endangerment finding, ignored science and its own procedures. I'm shocked, shocked! It also seems that even the EPA has admitted that the regulations, which would essentially destroy the economy, will have no effect on the climate. I'm doubly shocked, shocked!
ITEM: He's Kidding, Right? Because if he's not, Barack Obama is far, far more delusional than I imagined. About what am I speaking? In a recent interview, Mr. Obama, the most over-exposed President in the history of the Republic, thinks that his problem is not his policies, but that he has not read his teleprompter at us nearly enough.
Go here for the lunacy, but have an air sickness bag close at hand.
ITEM: Why Doesn't Anything Like This Happen Where I Live? Yes, it's the "Undie Run!" In, of all places, Salt Lake City. Apparently some locals ran in their underwear to encourage their Mormon state to, as one participant put it "loosen up." Well, OK. I guess that's as good a reason as any.
Go here for the video.
And with those lovely images (some of these people look pretty good almost naked!), I must wish you a sad goodbye and once again urge you to drop by next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes!
Posted by: MikeM at
10:36 PM
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Worst car commercial of all times? Kia hamsters. The robots should have just blown them away. THAT would have been a good car ad!
Posted by: Larry at September 29, 2011 09:25 PM (yh0zB)
2
re: dead feds still getting paid. it isn't the dead people getting paid. It is their decendents, still cashing the checks and never reporting the deaths to the government. If they did, the checks would stop coming, and they wouldn't want that. The US army notices a while ago that its own retirees who moved to the philipenes seemed to live forever.
Posted by: Professor Hale at September 30, 2011 08:52 AM (PDTch)
3
"... the human intelligence capabilities of the CIA were all but destroyed."
An ongoing idiocy. What tipped it over the edge here was Noriega/Panama, and an ibtesified cry of "we should not pay criminals" for information about criminals. A similar campaign is proposing that no mre medical research should be done by other than computer studies, claiming that we already know all we need to. So why do we still have colds and cancer?
Posted by: John A at September 30, 2011 11:23 AM (PyoGR)
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Raleigh Television Station Doctors Perdue Quote Via Selective Editing
From our imagined betters at WRAL-TV:
"I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover," Perdue said.
"The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines," she continued. "You want people who don't worry about the next election."
Perdue's support of tyranny was edited by WRAL to make it more palatable.
Here is the full quote:
"You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election."
I bolded the very important sentence that WRAL edited out that shows just how serious our state's governor is in her call to usurp the power of the people to hold elected officials accountable.
Why, it's almost like the media is protecting her...
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
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Ignoring the Scandal of the century
If circumstantial evidence, political speeches, and talking points from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and President Bush all suggested that the solitary goal of a gunwalking conspiracy was to put American weapons in the hands of criminals in hopes they would commit violent crimes in order to undermine the Constitution and Bill of Rights … the Washington Post columnists would call for impeachment and criminal prosecution each day.
But the outrage of the media is very selective indeed, as I explore in my latest Gunwalker post at Pajamas Media.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
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Can we play one more "what if" game? Suppose these weapons' provenance had not been traced, and instead hundreds of murders had been committed using hated assault weapons just south of our border, or worse, against our own agents. What would the MSM coverage now be? There could be a scandal in waiting (or scandal helper) if the MSM is determined to have been writing this story prior to the narrative having been swiped by the revelations of the nature of Gunwalker. You're doing the Lord's work here -- keep it up!
Posted by: Brian at September 28, 2011 01:24 PM (Ggtdl)
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New Audio: Perdue Was Dead Serious About Cancelling Elections
Listen to the audio yourself.
"You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election."
The bolded text is mine. The treasonous sentiment is owned entirely by a governor that should be rode out of Raleigh on a high-speed rail.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
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As I said on your other post, if the problem is that the current elected officials can't get their job done, then suspend elections and replace the politicians with citizens randomly selected by a jury draft type system.
The problem in the elections is the gerrymandering and party control/allegiance vice allegiance to the constitution. Something the governor's comment makes very clear about at least some of our elected representatives.
Posted by: styrgwillidar at September 28, 2011 12:20 PM (IrbU4)
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You can smell the defeat
Posted by: Neo at September 28, 2011 01:41 PM (e8kgV)
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Whenever a Democrat/Liberal says something either incredibly stupid or incredibly bigoted and gets caught at it, they always try to laugh it off as a joke, and usually try to blame the person who caught them into the bargain. "OMG, you ignorant wingers, can't you tell a JOKE when you hear one, ha ha ha!"
Posted by: Robert at September 28, 2011 01:51 PM (9qQDZ)
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I think it would be a good idea to suspend elections. This would push us to revolution, which is were we are headed and might as well go ahead and get it over with.
Posted by: david7134 at September 28, 2011 03:48 PM (lS9kx)
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Trial Balloons for Tyranny?
North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue's dead-serious suggestion suspend elections wasn't an isolated incident.
Only days ago, former Obama OMB director, Citigroup executive, and current Council on Foreign Relations fellow Peter Orszag published an article in The New Republic entitled "T
oo Much of a Good Thing: Why we need less democracy."
It is stunning to hear any politician so openly discuss the throttling of democracy and the open suspension of our Constitutional rights. To hear two politicians beholden to the same political party and president make the same suggestion, within days of one another, is no accident.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
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Lets compromise. Let the current congress serve 4 years, but hold the presidential and senatorial elections as planned.
Posted by: Tregonsee at September 28, 2011 10:08 AM (ParxH)
2
I find it hard to believe that anyone is seriously considering suspending any election. That said it is consistent with the general theme whenever the left doesn't get their way electorally.
The country has become ungovernable or too big for one person to lead etc...You hear it from Tom Friedman and others who point to how China can make things happen because they aren't limited by "too much democracy" etc...
I view this as excuse making more than anything. Their ideas have failed but instead of examining why the public hasn't embraced their ideas or why they have failed it is far easier to blame "too much democracy" or "partisanship".
Trust me, once a Republican President proposes something the left doesn't like, the "voice of the people" will once again be discovered as sacred and the only guiding principle worthy of merit...
At this point to fear that Democrats are serious about any of this should be left in the fever swamps where they belong.
It is of no more merit than the 2008 Ohio/Diebold voting machine conspiracy and we would be wise to avoid any topic that would give the right the appearance of being just as crazy as our opponents...
Posted by: Mick Kraut at September 28, 2011 10:20 AM (rpijn)
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I'm for suspending elections if and only if we replace them with a jury draft type system. Get the parties out of it, get the corruption of donations for the next re-election out of it (I mean really, the US is circling the drain and Obama is spending more time raising campaign money for his party than anything else!) get career politicians who owe their status/career to supporting their party out of it. Let average american folks who understand how to pay their bills and balance their checkbooks take a whack at it. They can't possibly be worse at it than the professionals. And they'll want to go home and leave you alone in 4 years when the next draft class comes in.
Posted by: styrgwillidar at September 28, 2011 10:27 AM (NmR1a)
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With respect to a well-intentioned idea, styrgwillidar, if you think the way people game the system to get out of jury duty is impressive, wait until you see how they (especially the Left, or as I call them, 'Enemy-Americans') game the system to get onto 'House duty' and thus gain power.
Posted by: Mike James at September 28, 2011 11:22 AM (FMUMi)
Posted by: Phelps at September 28, 2011 02:12 PM (ECrna)
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September 27, 2011
Gunwalker And The Law
The nice folks over at Gun Values Board have asked me to contribute now and then. My latest article for them regarding why Gunwalker cannot possibly be a legitimate law enforcement operation and why any legitimate law enforcement officer would know that, is now up
Posted by: MikeM at
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The Guerena Case, Analysis 5
Since the last update (#4) posted on June 19 there have been relatively few sensational developments. Those seeking the first four articles should visit our Guerena archive by taking this link, or simply by visiting the archive in the right hand column of the Confederate Yankee home page. In addition, a PDF of the police interview of Sgt. Krygier, the Pima County SWAT team supervisor involved in the Guerena assault is available here.
It has been my goal in this series to provide far more in-depth analysis than has been done elsewhere on the Net or in the traditional media. This is the first of a two part update which will hopefully provide greater insight into Jose Guerena's death.
WHAT'S NEW:
An Arizona Star
article of August 5th noted that three (now four+) months after Jose Guerena's May 5th death, there have been no arrests related to the "mid-level drug ring" to which Sheriff Dupnik and his public relations officers claimed Guerena belonged after his death at the hands of Dupnik's SWAT team. No drugs, illegal items, or anything remotely related to crime was found in Guerena's home, however, according to Pima County authorities, "stolen cars, drugs, cash and weapons were found in another one of the four houses raided that May 5 morning…"
Sheriff Dupnik told the AZ Star that no arrests have been made because they are working on a "much bigger" homicide investigation. Dupnik said: "We could go out and make some arrests today, and we could've made some arrests some time ago, but we have two different investigations going on and the homicide is a priority, and we don't want to turn off the flow of certain information."
Regular readers will recall that Dupnik is referring to the March 2010 murders of Manuel and Cynthia Orozco. Cynthia was the daughter of Jose Celaya who owned one of the homes searched by Pima Co. on May 5. Sheriff Dupnik has suggested that Jose was, in some vague way, involved in the deaths of Manuel and Cynthia and has claimed that he was the enforcer for the drug ring involving several of his relatives. Dupnik is apparently still claiming that some of the people whose homes were searched are in some unspecified way still tied to the killings. Dupnik told the AZ Star: "This is extremely complicated and we need to be extremely careful about how we deal with certain issues. The drug case is very complicated because there are so many people involved."
The AZ Star noted: "For now, Dupnik said, detectives will continue working on the homicide case. It could take thousands more hours' work before any arrests are made, he said."
ANALYSIS:
Posted by: MikeM at
08:56 PM
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A video of a bear falling from a tree onto a trampoline, a dog driving a car and a goat that can 'talk' all go viral and thousands post cute little comments on the web about them.
A combat Marine is killed by an out of control SWAT Team, with no reason to even BE at his home, and there is silence.
Where is the outrage? Where are those people who sport the yellow ribbons on their cars that say "Support Our Troops"?
Jose's death is an indication of a far deeper problem for all Americans. It is the acceptance, without question, the death of an innocent fellow human being. The price for this lack of caring is a far greater danger to our republic than a bad economy or unemployment. The good economy will slowly return. Who will return Jose to his family?
Posted by: carol at September 28, 2011 01:22 PM (eC04Q)
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yes it could take thousands of hours before we are ready, maybe be even hundreds of thousands of hours... just put it out of your pretty little head... I sheriff dumbprick will get back to you when the time is ready to strike!
Posted by: rumcrook at September 28, 2011 05:45 PM (60WiD)
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Mike, in light of Carol's comment above, are you the only one following this story in depth? Absolutely amazing. The time has come from this and my own experiences with police officers, if I were to observe an officer in trouble I will probably turn around and walk the other way. Too difficult to determine who are the bad guys nowadaze.
Posted by: Col Bat Guano at September 29, 2011 09:15 AM (cJNNp)
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@ Col - Sorry to answer for Mike, but yes, Mike is the only one following this story. There were a few articles in the national/local news, however, they emphasized the 'bad guy theme' that the PCSD was putting out and quickly went off the radar. The public seems only to be able to read headlines and the PCSD knows this. Thus, the Sheriff threw out lots of 'mud' against Jose and knew that it would stick because no one reads anything in depth....at least not the general public. Now, the PCSD is just waiting for a settlement to be made with Venessa (Jose's wife) and the Sheriff's Dept. knows that will end the publicity.
A combat Marine was allowed to bleed out after being shot 22 times by a totally incompetent SWAT team, and no one noticed. He was left on the battlefield by his brothers. We should all be ashamed.
Posted by: carol at September 29, 2011 10:51 AM (eC04Q)
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Carol:
Add to that silence that the State & Federal authorities refused to investigate. Back in the day, Detectives called those things clues.
Posted by: Buck Turgidson at September 29, 2011 11:19 AM (2QOpc)
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You seem to be forgetting the little wifey claimed to the press that she saw the men approaching her house and told her husband it was a home invasion.
The video shows that the police were wearing standard OD uniforms with "Police" embazoned on their raid vests.
The police sounded a siren and activated their flashing lights before they knocked and announced.
Therefore it is clear that little wifey is either lying or set up her husband.
If she had truely looked outside, especailly since she was, as she stated, up and awake, then she would have seen, and heard, it was the police.
What more likely happened is that little wifey warned her husband that 5-0 was here and he decided, unwisely, to fight.
Your theory of rogue cops does not fit with the statements from little wifey. They just don't mesh.
Your theories just don't work with the facts.
In fact, his decision to fight the cops probably meant that he had mens reas, guilty intent, or, more likely, a guilty conscience, perhaps about drug dealing or murders. An innocent man does not shoot it out with the cops.
So, little wifey either lied to hubby in order to get him killed, or did not, and he decided to fight the cops. Or she is just lying about the excuse. Which causes more questions, such as why lie to the press about seeing a gang of home invaders? What is she hiding?
Posted by: Federale at September 29, 2011 04:07 PM (NAlbk)
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Anyone who would use the words, "little wifey" deserves no response. Just sad.
Posted by: carol at September 29, 2011 04:34 PM (eC04Q)
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carol:
What's sad is your 'reason' for not responding to Federale. That's no better that the "silence" ones.
Seriously, has anyone on this board with 'special knowledge' contacted any of the several investigative government entities that could oversee Dupnik and his Office? Anyone??
Posted by: Buck Turgidson at September 29, 2011 06:55 PM (2QOpc)
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Buck, Sorry, but the whole thing was way too offensive to dignify a response. I am glad, however, to answer your question.
Once the ruling was made by the Pima Cty Attorney there was no where to go. She is basically the person that is over Dupnik. Of course there can be many civil suits filed by the family, and they will probably do so. But those will not really touch the core of the problem. The only way in which Dupnik and others can be held accountable would be at the federal level. It would not surprise me to learn that the family files a case that Jose's civil rights were violated. That would bring in the federal government to review the findings, including those of the County Attorney. That said, politics could play a big part in that situation.
It is all very difficult, but I suspect that only a very bright spotlight of public opinion and outcry will bring real justice to this case.
Posted by: carol at September 30, 2011 12:23 AM (eC04Q)
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I presented facts and Carol was unable to respond. Please, Carol, if that is your real name, explain Mrs. Guerena's statements to the press. If she saw the police approaching, please explain how she mistook police in standard uniform and "Police" emblazoned on their chests, for "home invaders?"
Why, when she was up and awake, tell her husband there were home invaders? Did she not hear the sirens and see the flashing lights? Did she not hear the police pound on the door and announce "Police, Search warrant?"
You and Mike just can't deal with facts. Either here or with Eric "the drug fiend" Scott.
Posted by: Federale at September 30, 2011 11:07 PM (7xqyd)
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Dear Federale:
I suggest you read Update 5.2. As always, I'll leave it to our wise readers to decide who is best able to read and understand the facts, who is factually challenged, and whose inferences drawn from the facts make sense.
Posted by: Mike Mc at October 01, 2011 10:31 AM (TbLuz)
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I ditto Mike.
The end:-)
Posted by: carol at October 01, 2011 04:16 PM (eC04Q)
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A worthy comeback carol!
Explains much......
Posted by: Buck Turgidson at October 02, 2011 02:25 PM (2QOpc)
Posted by: carol at October 03, 2011 12:24 AM (eC04Q)
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I did and still no response to Vanessa Guerena's strange and obviously fictional statement to the press.
I note that Carol won't address facts, but only my use of "little wifey."
Facts are hard things and I understand why the important facts are being ignored.
Oh, and Carol, the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, nor the local US Attorney's Office, don't make their decisions based on whether or not a person files a civil claim. They make their decisions independant of any civil claim. Nor do they come in and supervise or review the decision of the Pinal County Attorney's Office.
Posted by: Federale at October 03, 2011 11:32 AM (NAlbk)
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Good News: When It's Time to Hang Tyrants, I Won't Have Far To Drive
I'll only have to go just up the road to the NC Governor's mansion, where they conveniently have some very nice oaks suitable for the kind of partisan zealot that would like to suspend elections in 2012.
"You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election."
Those were the words in support of tyranny uttered by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue to the Cary Rotary Club today.
Perdue's spokesperson is trying to write this off as hyperbole, but there was nothing in her delivery, nor in the context of her statements that suggested her words were anything but exactly what they appear to be.
North Carolina Republicans
took control of the state legislature in 2010, the first time they've had control since 1898, and have created a powerful redistricting map that threatens to overturn the Democrat's dominance in state politics through a century's worth of gerrymandering.
Coincidentally, 1898 is infamous in North Carolina for another reason; the
1898 Wilmington Insurrection, in which the North Carolina Democratic Party and the Ku Klux Klan overthrew the Republican government of Wilmington, NC, killing dozens to perhaps as many as a hundred in the process. The Democratic governor Daniel Lindsay Russell effectively supported the violence, as did President William McKinley, who did nothing to bring the insurrectionists to justice. Josephus Daniels, editor of the Raleigh
News and Observer (appropriately enough, the same news organ that brings us Perdue's comments) also was a champion of the insurrection, infamously the only successful coup d'etat in American history.
Is Perdue serious? Considering the history of North Carolina Democrats supporting tyranny and the destruction of the electoral process, it would be foolish to consider anything otherwise.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
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Further pursuit of such a notion would, perhaps, be imprudent.
Posted by: ChuckNC at September 27, 2011 06:20 PM (pO9yl)
2
i have often advocated suspending elections of congress. without an election the house of representatives can not be seated. as well as 1/3 of the senate. suspending an election 2 years hence would have the effect of 2/3 of the senate not being seated.
about that time, we the people, will have the mess the dipshits in deecee have created straightened out.
when elections are held, they will have their marching orders. instead of the other way around.
somewhere in the preceding, you'll get my opinion of government.
Posted by: louielouie at September 27, 2011 10:32 PM (22kup)
3
Josephus Daniels would go on to become Secretary of the Navy in the Wilson Administration (the most racist in American history), where he would gain the "distinction" of being the man who segregated the United States Navy. Before Daniels the Navy was the most integrated service. Afterwards it was the most segregated, and had problems reclaiming its tradition of integration well into the 1960s.
Posted by: Mark L at September 28, 2011 07:53 AM (Z2OIC)
4
Orszag made similar remarks a couple of days ago.
Coincidence?
Posted by: dad29 at September 28, 2011 09:33 AM (ARZIQ)
5
Good line and posted. I didn't know you were in the Old North State.
Posted by: BrockTownsend at September 28, 2011 03:36 PM (djsNR)
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This is the Way the World Ends...
The world will not end with delusional self-indulgent B.S. like man-made global warming. It is far more likely that all but the least observant of us will miss it when a massive solar flare like AR1302 casts us back into the Dark Ages.
Very few would die as a direct result of a solar flare's massive electromagnetic blast, but the partial or full collapse of our electrical grid, most forms of machine-based transportation, and collapse of computer-controlled water treatment and pumping stations means that the vast majority of us would succumb to starvation and disease within the first three months.
Overnight, the Amish would become the most technologically-advanced population in the United States and one of the only sectors of our technology-driven society not directly affected. Not that they would last very long. Their desperate and starving neighbors would most likely overrun and pillage the pacifist community within weeks, meaning that Mormons and preppers may be the only subsets of society to survive.
I'm just full of sunshine and rainbows today, aren't I?
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at
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Am I the only one who has noticed the survivalist/prepper shibboleth?
Posted by: Phelps at September 27, 2011 03:21 PM (ECrna)
2
Then there's Iran (and perhaps others) who'd love to do the EMP thing.
Sunshine and rainbows ain't gonna get it.
Discuss.
Posted by: ChuckNC at September 27, 2011 05:03 PM (pO9yl)
3
I suspeect our military satellites, like the laptops they issue, are largely protected. And not just because of possible warfare - the military reads history, and remembers losing telegraphy back in the 1850s due to a solar flare.
Civilian wares are less protected, a flare of such size is too improbable during any given period to spend money on - sort of like putting a flood-protection levee around the top 100 feet of Mount Washington. Now, I think the level of protection should be much greater, perhaps on the level of the dikes in Holland...
Posted by: John A at September 27, 2011 06:12 PM (PyoGR)
4
99% of scientist agree that solar flares are secondary to human produced CO2. There is not reason to question the data as you and everyone else are too stupid to understand numbers and higher math. Only climate scientist can understand such complex thoughts.
Posted by: david7134 at September 27, 2011 06:21 PM (NEwEk)
5
David7134,
You seem to be missing the tag on your post.
Posted by: Junk Science Skeptic at September 27, 2011 09:03 PM (Fnr44)
6
Let's try this a different way:
David7134,
You seem to be missing the (sarcasm) tag at the end of your post.
Posted by: Junk Science Skeptic at September 27, 2011 09:06 PM (Fnr44)
7
junk,
I realize I made a mistake. I forgot that in the world we live in people would actually consider that a factual statement.
Posted by: david7134 at September 28, 2011 03:50 PM (lS9kx)
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September 26, 2011
A Letter From The Teacher: The Transformative Power Of ARRRRRR!
Anytown High School, Any State, USA
To: Mrs. Williams
From: Mr. English Teacher
Re: The Transformative Power of ARRRRRRRR!
Dear Mrs. Williams:
I very much appreciate your attention to my monthly newsletter. I'll be glad to explain why we talk like pirates and why that's a wise thing to do in English Class.
International Talk Like A Pirate Day is September 19. I'll let
Dave Barry explain the origins of the occasion because it was through this column that I first heard of it. I immediately thought it would be a fun and useful activity at the beginning of the school year and in the near-decade since, has proved to be just that.
Each of my seven classes has its own unique personality made of the personalities of all of the students. But every year I have one or two classes of kids who, as a class, are tentative and reserved. Of course, many kids are reluctant to perform, to stand before a class to read or act out a play. How to cure kids of their fears, to encourage them to participate, is always one of the most vexing problems any teacher faces.
In addition, the state mandates a long list of standards we must teach each year. Among them are grammar, drama, public speaking and various kinds of writing. Surprisingly, talking like pirates—and our preparation for it--fulfills all of these requirements and more. But I'll explain what we do before I tell you of the extraordinary results.
During the first week of school I tell the kids of Talk Like A Pirate Day and tell them that we'll all be talking like pirates. Some look confused, some are delighted, but it builds anticipation in all. The day before Talk Like A Pirate Day I explain the concept and show them a DVD I made with a principal. First we have a normal conversation:
Posted by: MikeM at
10:54 PM
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My daughter would have a Beatnik Cafe day at the end of her poetry block to help her 7th graders get involved with their own poetry. It was enjoyable enough that other teachers would come in during their off periods to participate. It was one of the hits of the year. I'm not sure what she did to transform the room beyond little light except on the "stage" and bongos.
Posted by: STW at September 27, 2011 09:09 AM (Y/jfK)
2
Oh, how blessed are the children who have such wonderful teachers!!! If only we could get rid of the over-paid 'administrators' and give that pay to teachers. They deserve to be paid 'top dollar' for the wonderful gift of learning that they give to children.
To all the money that is wasted on nonsense in our school systems, I say...ARRRRRRRR;-)
Posted by: carol at September 30, 2011 10:53 PM (eC04Q)
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