Memphis, Etc

1000 words...

2012-01-26T10:30:00.003-06:00

An excellent "painting" making the Internet rounds. That's the Constitution Obama's standing on. Notice the carefully placed positions of the presidents. There is some really subtle yet striking politcal commentary here.

Weekend Random Fire - Bahamas edition

2012-01-15T10:14:00.001-06:00

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Well, the three day weekend beckons, so here I am for a few days in the Islands, where it is …well, not much warmer than Memphis at the moment, but with a promise of at least 70 or so today. It has come to my attention the WiFi here has been substantially upgraded, but I plan to ignore the Internet after this morning anyway…

Well, Denver and Tim Tebow were beaten handily, and the Tebow bashers are out in full force. You just don’t get it, do you people? It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. In football, life, or anything else. THAT was God’s message in Tim Tebow.

The Marines and the Pee Heard Around the World…sigh…Look, I know all about the emotions, the adrenaline, the stress, the trauma. War IS Hell, and I get all that. But what they did was wrong. Making a video was even more wrong. We have now given our enemies a huge propaganda victory and potentially put the lives of thousands of other soldiers and maybe even civilians in danger. But I DO have a question. When the doings at Abu Ghraib came to light, you would think from the Democrats’ indignation that President Bush himself was actually in the prison torturing those poor enemy combatants. After all, it was his responsibility because he was Commander in Chief…so I’m now waiting for those same democrats to hold Obama personally responsible for the pee incident. I mean, it’s only fair, right?

The Iranians and the US Navy continue to flip each other off in the Gulf. This seems headed for war, but probably spearheaded by Israel, since Obama is still playing his game of “Stop that…or I might say “Stop that” again!

And finally, It is Dr. Martin Luther King weekend. I wrote a post about it back in 2008. I see, sadly, no reason to post anything different.

http://memphisetc.blogspot.com/2008/01/is-dream-dead.html
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Elvis!

2012-01-08T14:28:00.002-06:00

147 gold records. More than any other artist or group, living or dead.

Whoever is in second place has something like 60.

Over 1 Billion records sold.

Yes, he really was that good.

A Christmas story

2011-12-22T11:54:00.004-06:00

The previous post was going to be my last before the holidays, but this is worth sharing.

I don’t work in a marked car any more, nor do I wear a uniform or have anything resembling regulation hairstyle. But I’m still a cop, so when the disturbance call went out, I realized were the closest, so my partner and I headed to the restaurant.

The guy didn’t look like a bum, but he was drunk, and he was angry – at the entire world, it seemed. The restaurant had had enough of him and wanted him gone. It’s common knowledge that one should never try to reason with a drunk person, but I tried anyway. A trip to jail wasn’t in my plans. But this guy seemed determined to do anything he could to NOT cooperate, so off he went. He had no ID and wouldn’t tell us who he was. On the way, we were verbally assaulted with an impressive range of insults, but then he fell silent. A few minutes later, he was crying. All we could make out was that “he had lost his family”, and “it wasn’t that way”. We couldn’t get anything more from him. We left him at jail. Those types of arrests bring me no joy whatsoever. I went home not in the jolliest of moods.

A few hours later, a uniformed patrol officer from my agency listened to an all too common Christmas story:

It had started with a misunderstanding. A name on Facebook that belonged to a college girlfriend. It escalated to a full blown argument. Finally, in a fit of rage, he walked out, leaving his wife and kids and the well-to-do decorated home for the streets. They didn’t know where he was, but in the intervening hours the wife had determined he name on the screen was innocent and this was all a huge mistake. She and the kids were frantic, but the officer couldn’t help her, since her husband was an adult and had left on his own. This officer, too, left the scene with less than a feeling of satisfaction with the way that call had gone. They seemed like really nice people. An hour or so later during a meal break, the officer related the story to a co-worker.

It just so happened the second officer was working overtime and not normally on that shift. She had been on duty the previous shift, and is a friend of mine. After dinner, she hit the streets again. But the story bothered her, and she had a hunch. She had heard all my radio traffic earlier in the evening. The hunch got so strong she called me at 4 in the morning to get a description of the man and the booking number. I asked why. She said” I have a hunch. I will let you know”.

By now you’ve guessed the rest of the story. The man may have eventually sobered up and told the jail staff who he was, or perhaps not. But in any case, the family went to get him, I made a couple of phone calls to the judge, and perhaps with a little divine intervention, a family will have a Merry Christmas after all.

A miracle? Oh, I don’t know, but there was a pretty improbable set of coincidences. An officer who cared enough to follow up on a hunch, and who just happened to be working overtime that night…and who knew me, and had heard the radio traffic.

I prefer to believe it was.

Merry Christmas, all!

And That's What Christmas is All About...

2011-12-16T08:15:00.003-06:00

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Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone!

Weekend Random Fire

2011-12-10T13:14:00.002-06:00

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It’s Christmas! I hope you are having a great Christmas season.

Recently back from filling in for a friend in his band out in north Texas. 8 shows, and fun crowds. It was a blast, although I did fall back into the musician’s habit of going back to the hotel after the shows popping pills and hanging out with women…ok, the pills were ibuprofen and the girls was my wife. What can I tell ya?

Speaking of music, my favorite band of all time put on the usual spectacular show at the FedEx Forum Thursday night. I have not missed a Trans-Siberian Orchestra show in a decade now. Christmas tunes in arena rock arrangements, lasers, pyrotechnics…what’s not to like?

MPD officer Normal Benjamin pleas guilty to all charges. He’s facing 8 years but can apply for probation. Murder for hire, lying, etc…if he gets probation it will be a travesty.

The US lost a recon drone to Iran. Trust me on this one…it’s a lot worse than the Pentagon is making it out to be. Our most advanced technology is on that drone, and although the Iranians won’t be able to figure it out, I’d bet you every cent in my bank account Chinese engineers are already all over the drone like bees on honey.

It looks like even the San Francisco mayor got tired of the filth of the Occupy Wall Street encampments and had SFPD raid the camp. When SF boots you out…

And finally, a great story about the deputies of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office rallying around one of their own who’s fighting cancer.

http://www.wmctv.com/story/16230619/deputies-come-together-to-support-comrade-battling-cancer

Have a great weekend!
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December 7th, 1941

2011-12-07T09:34:00.002-06:00

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There will be no more blogging today. There is too much fun for me and my son to be had out in the snowy woods.

Thank you to all the WWII service members worldwide for helping preserve our freedom to make a trip to the woods possible. God bless you all.

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Innocent Until Someone Says You're Not...

2011-11-30T08:01:00.004-06:00

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Well, it looks like Herman Cain is done. With the emergence of another woman, this time one who alleged a 13-year affair with the married presidential candidate, I suspect his goose is ready for the platter.

I have no idea if this woman’s story is true. She has somewhat of a shady past including threatening defamation suits against others. But she supposedly produced a lot of text messages and phone calls logs from a number that turned out to be Cain’s private cell phone. On the surface, that’s pretty damning evidence, but Google “caller ID spoofing” and you will see it’s not incontrovertible evidence.

Only Cain’s cell phone provider could verify that data, and since it’s not a criminal investigation they don’t have to.

But that isn’t what bothers me. This is:

Are unproven accusations "proof" enough to destroy careers in today’s world?

Think about this: In the last few weeks, we have seen a bloodbath at Penn State, the Syracuse head basketball coach has been fired, and Herman Cain’s political career has pretty much been destroyed.

As far as I know, not one single allegation in any of these cases has been proven.

IF they are true, I will be at the head of the line calling for the maximum punishment.

But, what happened to “innocent until proven guilty”?

Look, sexual harassment and especially child abuse are serious misconduct. But people are taking the attitude that an accusation , especially from more than one person, must be true. I had a someone tell me in all earnesty women never lie about sexual harassment.

Anyone follow the Justin Bieber case? In case you didn’t, out of nowhere some woman appeared claiming her child was a product of a backstage 30 second encounter with the young pop star and she demanded a DNA paternity test. Bieber agreed to the test immediately, and also mentioned the fact he is never alone backstage. The woman who was 19 at the time, also seemed to forget that by claiming an encounter with Beiber who was 16, she admitted statutory rape even in California.

She dropped her lawsuit and went away in a mighty big hurry. She also seems a bit reluctant now to provide her baby’s DNA sample for comparison.

So, either Herman Cain has been lying through his teeth and deserves absolutely no further consideration from me as a candidate for this nation’s highest office, OR the Democrat’s reprehensible racist plot to ruin him has succeeded.

Doesn’t anyone else care which it really is?

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UC Berkeley Police Open Letter to Students, Regents

2011-11-28T15:36:00.003-06:00

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“To the University Administration and Regents: Please don't ask us to enforce your policies then refuse to stand by us when we do. Your students, your faculty and your police – we need you to provide real leadership.”

The UC police association has penned an open letter that you really need to read. The quote above is but one of the many points made in this letter. Here are some more snippets.

It was not our decision to engage campus protesters on November 9th. We are now faced with “managing” the results of years of poor budget planning. Please know we are not your enemy. A video clip gone viral does not depict the full story or the facts leading up to an actual incident.

Multiple dispersal requests were given in the days and hours before the tent removal operation. Not caught on most videos were scenes of protesters hitting, pushing, grabbing officers' batons, fighting back with backpacks and skateboards.

The UC Berkeley Police Officers' Association supports a full investigation of the events that took place on November 9th, as well as a full review of University policing policies.

Police officers and innocent citizens everywhere are being injured, and in some instances, killed. In the back of every police officer's mind is this: How can I control this incident so it does not escalate into a seriously violent, potentially life-threatening event for all involved?

While students were calling the protest “non-violent,” the events on November 9th were anything but nonviolent. In previous student Occupy protests, protesters hit police officers with chairs, bricks, spitting, and using homemade plywood shields as weapons – with documented injuries to officers. At a moment's notice, the November 9th protest at UC Berkeley could have turned even more violent than it did, much like the Occupy protests in neighboring Oakland.

Please understand that by no means are we interested in making excuses. We are only hoping that you will understand and consider the frustrations we experience daily as public safety officers sworn to uphold the law. It is our job to keep protests from escalating into violent events where lives could be endangered. We sincerely ask for your help in doing this.

http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_19424596?source=pkg

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The Top 3 UC Davis Pepper Spray Myths Dispelled

2011-11-28T11:28:00.003-06:00

Ya know, it seems I find myself lately trying to get people to actually accept the facts in the UCD pepper spray incident rather than debating the actual incident.

Myth 1:

The protesters were not blocking public passage. The photo below shows them linked across a public sidewalk. It can’t be any clearer.

Myth 2: the protesters were not surrounding the police.

They admitted it:

http://www.therightscoop.com/uc-davis-occupy-protester-admits-they-provoked-police-in-pepper-spray-incident/

we had encircled them and they were trying to leave and they were trying to clear a path. And so we sat down, linked arms and said that if they wanted to clear the path they would have to go through us.

Myth 3; the minimum distance for a pepper spray cone dispenser is 6 feet.

Wrong. It’s 3 feet.

http://www.defense-technology.com/pdfs/specs/MK-2_Aerosol%20Projector%20Rev%2012_10.pdf

UC Davis Pepper Spray: The Truth Comes Out

2011-11-26T10:59:00.005-06:00

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It has been astounding to me the misinformation and outright lies being spread over the internet and the mainstream media about the UCD pepper spray story.

I have been having a running argument with a commenter of the CA forums who was adamant that the officers sprayed the protesters for “over 4 minutes, repeatedly”.

The only problem with that statement is that it never happened.

When I challenged him to provide a link to that video, he modified his statement to two minutes. Still wrong. Every video out there shows the actual pepper spraying to be over in roughly 10 seconds. Not only that, as the protesters began to unlock arms and the other officers moved in, the officer quit spraying.

But the truth has come out. It always does. Take a look at this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MGagKL_tvS8

It shows the officers calmly explain to each and every protestor on the sidewalk what will happen if they do not stop blocking the sidewalk.

But here’s what really interests me; In the above clip, I also hear a chant (at :46) of “ If you let them go, we will let you leave”. Are we then to assume that the crowd is telling the police that if they do NOT let the protesters go, the crowd will not let the police leave?

That’s a threat. So much for peaceful protesting.

That was confirmed by one of the protesters herself. Here’s an interview from Elli Pearson:

http://www.therightscoop.com/uc-davis-occupy-protester-admits-they-provoked-police-in-pepper-spray-incident/

Here is what she said:

Well we were protesting together and the riot cops came at us and we linked arms and sat down peacefully to protest their presence on our campus. And then at one point they were – we had encircled them and they were trying to leave and they were trying to clear a path. And so we sat down, linked arms and said that if they wanted to clear the path they would have to go through us. But we were on the ground, you know, heads down and all I could see was people telling me to cover my head, protect myself and put my head down. And the next thing I know we were pepper-sprayed.

So, to recap:

The protesters admit they encircled the officers, and there is a not-so-implied threat against the officers.

Once the review commission sees these two pieces of video, this is over.

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The UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident

2011-11-21T20:08:00.013-06:00

By now you’ve probably seen the video. A University of California / Davis campus police officer spraying OWS protesters with a big can of pepper spray.

If not, here is a link to a pretty fair-minded story including the video and some still shots.

http://www.businessinsider.com/uc-davis-pepper-spray-video-2011-11-b

The video has become a rallying cry for the Occupy movement. The Officers are suspended, the Police Chief put on leave, and the UC Chancellor has apologized. Investigations abound.

But what, exactly, did the officers do wrong?

The bane of police officers everywhere in the 21st century is that most anything they do is likely to be videotaped. From an officer accountability standpoint, that’s a great thing. Video has caught a lot of officers doing things they shouldn’t have been doing. I love that. On the other side of the coin, one has to understand that police officers have the means, necessity, and authority to use force in certain circumstances, and ANY use of force by the police looks bad on video. It is truly a double edged sword.

So, what did the UC officers do wrong?

Bear in mind this post is NOT about whether the order to disperse the protesters should have been given. I don’t have the facts leading up to the order, and personally I like the way Mayor Wharton is handling the Occupy Memphis group; As long as they are non-disruptive they can stay in Civic Plaza until the snow (or their own trash) gets a foot deep. The issue here is did the officers do anything wrong in the way they removed the protesters from the area?

Use of force policies at law enforcement agencies around the country are pretty similar. That is because they are based on case law and many, many use of force studies resulting in “best practices”. They all follow a “Force Continuum” that specifies in pretty specific detail when officers are allowed to use what type of force. Let’s take a look at that.

Generally, police are trained in the follow an increasing level of use of force. Note that an officer is allowed to use one step above the level used against him or her, and need not go through the entire series in order if there are exigent circumstances. Common sense dictates that if a bad guy pulls a gun on an officer, testing each of the use of force steps before shooting back probably would not result in a positive outcome for the officer.

So, here we go:

Officer presence: The mere fact an officer is present will make a certain number of citizens stop anything they may be doing afoul of the law.

Verbal commands: This one is common sense. A law enforcement officer shouldn’t try to make someone do something until he or she ASKS the subject to do it, or perhaps asks, then commands. The accepted informal verbiage is “Ask, Tell, Make”.

Now, here is where it gets interesting.

Next comes open hand control – those techniques like arm locks and such that force pain compliance of a subject. This is where the officer goes “hands-on” with any number of techniques.

Next in line is chemical agent (pepper spray). BUT…

Many agencies are allowing or even requiring that the “open hand control” and “chemical spray” steps be reversed. Why? Simple; Pepper spray has a proven track record of being less injurious to subjects than hands-on tactics. Keep that in mind because it will be important later.

The last and most violent are impact weapons (the baton), and lastly deadly force.

When speaking about batons, I am not discussing the riot / crowd control techniques that you see officers using to push back crowds. The use of force from impact weapons I am discussing are baton strikes which will most certainly result in injury, sometimes permanent. It is not to be used lightly.

So with that background, let’s look at what the UCD officers did.

From the video and still shots in the link above, it seems clear the officers explained to the protestors what was going to happen if they did not move. Also presumably, the police were acting under orders from their superiors, and the order to disperse was lawful.

So, the UCD police have now exhausted the officer presence and verbal commands in the use of force continuum.

Now, let me take you through the mindset of your humble 15 year veteran officer blogger who is putting himself in the UCD officer’s shoes.

I have asked the protesters to please get up and leave…that the order has been given for them to disperse. They politely refuse. I then tell them that it’s really not a request, and we’d all feel better if they left on their own, because the next step will be the application of pepper spray. I tell them from experience it’s not fun. I explain to them that I am now ordering them to leave the area and that we will remove them by force if necessary, but I’d much rather this go easily than someone get hurt doing it the hard way. They still refuse.

At this point there are two alternatives open to me. Open hand control techniques and pepper spray. I have observed that the protesters are in an arm lock. I recall from training and actual experience that these folks use arm locks because they work, and “soft” physical control techniques aren’t going to be effective. Make no mistake…I am quite capable of breaking the young men and women’s arm locks on each other, but the techniques required will more than likely result in broken bones or other serious injuries. That is not something I want to do. It is also within the realm of possibility all the officers present could have mustered enough brute force to drag the whole arm-locked group away, but that also risks some pretty serious injury and besides, where would we go with them?

Pepper spray, on the other hand, is effective, easily used, and will not result in any permanent injury to the protesters or bystanders. 45 minutes afterwards the protesters will be pretty pissed off, but they will be physically fine. Not only that, policy allows and maybe even encourages that instead of physical force.

Therefore, the protestors get sprayed after a warning.

Remember, folks. I am NOT debating if the University should have ordered the protesters removed. The issue is if the officers did anything wrong.

By policy, and common sense, no. They did not. I would bet a small fortune that the many use of force experts around the country will agree.

Not only that, once the decision was made to remove the protesters, they HAD to be removed. The police are charged with enforcing the law, and to fail in that would have undermined the rule of law.

However, in California, there’s a caveat. There is a 2002 9th Circuit court ruling that may specifically address the issue of peaceful, passively resisting protesters and the use of pepper spray. This ruling is specific to California and might be applicable in this case. However, some use of force experst have already reviewed the video and say at least some of the protesters were actively resisting, which would make this particular decision inapplicable.

WMC-TV has another good story on the subject.

http://www.wmctv.com/story/16084918/outcry-after-calif-police-pepper-spray-students

So, what happens next? I have no idea how this will shake out, but in a just world, the officers and the police chief get reinstated with back pay. Whoever gave the order explains why they gave it, and the public passes judgment on that.

But if the officers and the Chief are punished for carrying out a lawful order per policy and with as little injury as possible, I will have a problem with that.

Wow. Just Wow.

2011-11-20T21:41:00.001-06:00

Midnight Quick Hits

2011-11-20T00:40:00.000-06:00

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As I get in from the last law enforcement shift for a while (so I can go play music), I see the Commercial Appeal has three “moonbat-bait” stories all ready for their Sunday morning readers.

A hit piece on Herman Cain

A story highlighting the income “chasm’ in Memphis

And a Wendi Thomas piece on gays.

The CA is certainly looking for Web hits today!

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OWS and The Enemy Within

2011-11-15T16:57:00.001-06:00

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The Occupy Wall Street movement implosion has begun.

A suicide in Vermont. A shooting death in Oakland. Rampant drug use, sexual assaults, and sanitation problems abound.

On one hand the protesters say "The homeless are with us" We take care of them”. Then they blame the homeless for the crime problems. Fights. Disease. The list goes on.

Today, a judge upheld the NYC government clearing Zuccotti Park to clean it, AND prohibiting tents, sleeping bags, and tarps from being brought back into the park.

The judge stated the protestor’s “First Amendment rights don't entitle them to camp out indefinitely”.

Wow. Déjà vu. Perhaps here? On this very blog?

The First Amendment does NOT guarantee you the right to speak anywhere, any time. The NYC lesson in what the Constitution REALLY says will be repeated in cities all over this fair land in the coming weeks.

As I predicted, the charges against those arrested in Nashville a few weeks ago were dropped, but it was not for First Amendment reasons. Here’s another prediction:

The Occupy Nashville lawsuit against the Haslam administration alleging civil rights violations will never see a courtroom. The ON folks know they will lose.

Just like today.

“We have met the enemy, and he is us”

-Pogo
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....Newt?

2011-11-11T11:17:00.004-06:00

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When the 2012 GOP process began in earnest I made the following comment to a friend.

“It’s a shame Newt Gingrich is dismissed by almost everyone. He’s by far the most qualified to hold the office”.

Now, months later…

Do I dare hope?

With the self destruction of Rick Perry and the endless racist attacks on Herman Cain, it appears Newt is rising in the polls.

Gingrich is a history professor and author. He seems to really understand at a base level what this country is all about. His speeches and web site are full of specific, targeted plans for this country and I agree with almost every one of them.

Yeah, I know about the global warming ad, but his explanations so far have been sufficient for me.

Newt Gingrich is by FAR the most qualified person of either party to be president. He also has what is becoming apparent every other GOP hopeful lacks: An ability to communicate his ideas effectively.

If you remember, the Contract with America in 1994 did a lot of good for this country. Not all of it was implemented, mostly because of tight votes and Clinton vetoes, but the parts that were implemented seemed to work like Newt said they would.

And finally, he’s the only one I have a balanced trust in on both domestic and foreign policy. I don’t think Cain or Romney has enough foreign policy knowledge to be really effective on the world stage. They both would be better than Obama, but…

The recent polls are showing Newt moving from an also-ran to solid 3rd place. He’s also within striking distance of a head to head victory over Obama in Florida.

As an aside note, Both Romney and Cain, were either of them to become the nominee – could do a lot worse than picking Newt for a running mate.

And here’s another thought: It may be that the Democratic attack machine is doing Newt a huge favor by making the America people sick of the sexual allegations and mudslinging. Everyone knows about Newt’s past missteps. But they are in the past and I doubt the American people will really give a crap when the Dems try to rehash it.

So, I’m cautiously dusting off my Newt bumper sticker, just in case.

Besides, a one-on-one debate between Gingrich and Obama would be really, really fun to watch.

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Weekday Random Fire

2011-11-09T08:04:00.005-06:00

Posting from the deck this beautiful morning. Yesterday, I was admiring the brilliant fall colors around the place. Last night, it looked like the wind was going to blow all the leaves off the trees, and then start on the branches…but much color survived out in my neck of the woods.

Looking forward to a fun week, now that I am getting over the first round of my twice-a year sinus junk. The next one should be hitting around late February. I am NOT a good patient. Bless my family for their patience. I dislike being unable to get outside, work out, and the like. I’m not a mean patient, mind you... just go sit in a corner and sulk.

I am also hitting the guitar strings pretty hard. I am an occasional fill-in guitarist for a friend’s band, playing out in the north Texas, southern Oklahoma area. My buddy is looking at his second round of hand surgery, so I’ve got a temporary gig in a couple of weeks. And, yes, as cheesy as it is, we’ve added “Whole Lotta Shakin” to the set for the Oklahoma shows, just in case. SO, this week will be filled with reacquainting myself with the set list and making sure I don’t embarrass myself on stage.

I note that if it turns out these Cain women are plants egged on by the political machine, it shows the ugly racist side of the Democratic party pretty effectively…if anyone will stop to think about that. The Dems are so steeped in racial stereotypes they believe the electorate will be sickened by the thought of a black man messing with a white woman. It will be no coincidence all of the accusers are white. Deep down in places they don’t want you to know about, that’s how some Democrats think…the vilest of racism.

Right now, the facts aren’t in, but I’m quite suspicious. One accuser, Karen Kraushaar, actually works for Obama, and has a history of filing these type of complaints. To date there are no corroborating witnesses, but plenty of conflicting stories. Yesterday Cain held a news conference at which he gave his strongest denial yet, saying the allegations were completely false. I was impressed with his performance at that news conference.

Now, he damn sure better be telling the truth or he’s finished.

Initiative 26, Mississippi’s “personhood” law which would have defined life as beginning at the moment of conception, failed last night by a pretty good margin.

The law was overly vague and opened up a lot of room for abuse and malicious prosecution and huge unintended consequences…so - although make no mistake, I support the general idea behind the law -this one was poorly written and I am glad it failed. Oddly enough, the language in the proposal was written by a Democrat, Atty General Jim Hood…who said he supported the measure, and maybe he did. But it also might be that he did a good job of writing the bill so the outcome would be exactly what he wanted.

And finally...Ole Miss had a dismal football season, so the coach and AD are both out pronto. Easy, isn’t it?

Memphis, are you watching this?

Occupy Nashville and The First Amendment

2011-11-05T17:11:00.000-05:00

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This Occupy Nashville brouhaha is getting on my nerves. There is SO much misinformation out there it’s pathetic.

To recap: Governor Bill Haslam got a few complaints about some criminal activity and unsanitary conditions at Legislative Plaza in Nashville where the occupy Nashville folks are camping. So, he cooks up an executive order of sorts making a new ordinance that there was a curfew in effect from 10PM to 6 AM on the Plaza. His folks put of notices and in about 12 hours the Tennessee Highway Patrol started arresting people.

The response from the ON folks and the local libs was “You’re violating our First Amendment rights”. Well, that’s what they say when the miss the bus, their cereal is soggy or it rains on them, so that’s predictable.

Wrong, but predictable.

Without getting our tie dyed panties in a wad, let’s look at this incident from a calm, logical and legal point of view, shall we?

First off, were Haslam’s actions politically motivated? Probably. He saw the opportunity, based on the complaints, to get the ON folks off the Plaza, so he took it.

He was wrong on a couple of counts. It appears he did not follow the proper procedure on enacting new laws or ordinances. Next, he gave the protesters only 24 hours “official” notice but began arresting them about 12 hours later. Both were too short. New laws have to be promulgated, or formally announced or declared before being enforced. In Tennessee, laws take effect in either January or July, depending on when they are enacted. That’s usually several months of promulgation time.

So, the nights of the arrests, a local Judicial Commissioner refused to sign the arrest warrants for the protesters on those grounds. That was a wise move. The THP then issued citations to everyone arrested. Those will probably get thrown out for the same reason.

Notice here nothing has been said about a Constitutional violation. There isn’t any.

Now, all things being done properly, Can Haslam actually restrict the Occupy protesters from legislative Plaza?

He sure can. But there are consequences.

There is ample precedent, starting with a SCOTUS decision waaaay back in WWII called Cox v. New Hampshire. It concerned parades and was more of a freedom of religion issue, but it established a precedent that the First Amendment was not absolute. There have been many other court cases that built upon that precedent.

The fact is the government can, under certain conditions, limit the time, place, and manner of free speech. So, given the proper avenues the State Of Tennessee can, for any number of reasons that exist right now on the Plaza, kick the Occupy protesters off, and arrest them if they won’t go.

Just not right now.

To stand challenge, any new law enacted by Tennessee should include plenty of notification before the law takes effect. After that, ANY protest group that happens to choose Legislative Plaza as a location must be treated the same way. There is also the matter of citizens cutting across the Plaza leaving the TN Performing Arts Center at night. Either wording of the law will have to exclude them (which is iffy) or they will also have to be subject to the same laws.

Here’s a great, non-legalese explanation of the issue:

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Time,+Place,+and+Manner+Restrictions

SO, all you protestors arguing that Haslam's actions were politically motivated and he did not follow due process? Right on.

Those of you screaming that you can camp out at the Plaza and they can't ever do anything about it. Wrong.

An the protesters know that, too, hence a recent letter delivered to the Governor’s office from Occupy Nashville offering to “start anew’.

But it probably doesn’t matter. I just looked at the “Occupy Wall Street” movement’s official Swiss Time.

It says 14:59.

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OWS Goes Wrong(er)

2011-10-26T10:39:00.003-05:00

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I tried. I really did. Even though I would have bet the farm that this would happen, I gave the occupy groups the benefit of the doubt.

But the rocks and bottles got thrown. I knew it would happen. It was only a matter of time.

Despite cities and law enforcement agencies all over the country trying to be reasonable, it has gotten out of hand.

Oakland, California has apparently had enough.

Sunday, the mayor issued the following statement:

Many Oaklanders support the goals of the national Occupy Wall Street movement. We maintained daily communication with the protesters in Oakland.

However, over the last week it was apparent that neither the demonstrators nor the City could maintain safe or sanitary conditions, or control the ongoing vandalism. Frank Ogawa Plaza will continue to be open as a free speech area from 6 am to 10 pm.

We want to thank the police, fire, public works and other employees who worked over the last week to peacefully close the encampment. We also thank the majority of the protestors who peacefully complied with city officials.

So, Oakland police cleared the park. It went well according to reports, with little or no problems…until the Occupy Oakland folk decided the law didn’t really apply to them any more, so they called in reinforcements over Facebook and Twitter and attempted to reoccupy the park. The police intercepted the group, and a standoff ensued. Again, it was peaceful until the protesters began throwing rocks and bottles.

Guess what? All bets are off at that point. We, the police, will then use whatever non-lethal tools we have at our disposal to (A) defend ourselves and (B) restore the peace (which YOU breached, by the way), and (C) use our democratically granted authority to enforce democratically enacted laws.

The Oakland protesters were attempting to take over a public park for their exclusive use. The City of Oakland rightly responded to that breach of law. The protesters’ rights end where the other citizens of Oakland’s rights begin.

In Atlanta, the Po-Po cleared Woodruff Park and arrested just over 50 OWS folks. They warned the protesters not to come back to the park, and so far the Atlanta folks seem a bit smarter than the Oakland folks.

We shall see.

By the way, for those of you whining about Free Speech and civil rights violations, go take a class or something. No one has tried to stifle anything the OWS people have to say.

The protesters said the police used tear gas and flash-bangs, like the mean ol’ police should have just asked nicely. They did. You ignored that. So, they brought out the toys.

Tear gas works, because it hurts. Any officer around here who is authorized to deploy tear gas knows exactly how it feels, because part of the training is in the infamous “gas house”. Flash bangs work, too. But any discomfort is only temporary. Would you rather feel a riot baton?

My guidelines for compliance are to make sure I am about to give a lawful order, then (1) Ask, (2) Tell, (3) Make. I don’t repeat any of those. You get one request, then one command if you do not respond to my request. If you then choose to ignore the command, the feces does then impact the fan.

I will describe exactly that chain of events in my report, and the courts will uphold my use of force.

Here in Memphis, a small crowd of Occupy Memphis protesters are apparently still sitting in Civic Center Plaza, presumably behaving since there hasn’t been anything on the news about them. I hope it stays that way.

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2011-10-22T10:35:00.003-05:00

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A funny side note: For those of you who follow the antics of our CA comment forums’ dysfunctional pediatrician, check out this comment thread:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/22/sleeves-courage-up/?comments_id=1294042

Anyhow...

This morning’s hat tip goes to an officer who shall remain anonymous, but who told me in the middle of a chilly operation yesterday morning she was wondering how long the Occupy folks would take before they began fighting amongst themselves and became the image of the very government they protest. She referenced George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”.

Well, today, I find THIS. Trouble in Utopia…Quite interesting reading.

One comment from one of the Occupiers speaks volumes:

“This is its own city. Within every city there are people who freeload, who make people’s lives miserable. "

Wow. Conservatives are routinely excoriated in political forums by liberals for saying that very thing about society.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/10/occupy_animal_farm_the_organiz.html?mid=twitter_DailyIntel

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WARNING! Geek Post Alert: Audio Quality in the Digital Age

2011-10-21T12:42:00.004-05:00

Very rarely do I put on the engineering hat in this blog, but this may be of general interest. I’m writing this in between a very relaxing morning in the home studio and the prospect of bailing hay this afternoon.

Where have all the audiophiles gone? I mean, the people who really appreciate good quality audio, both in music and movies. I’ve even run into some fellow musicians who record in mp3. Not good.

My son had an awakening last night. He was busy on the computer converting music so he could put it on his phone. He was using mp3. Most people who have any knowledge of digital audio don’t realize that just because mp3 is so common it’s NOT by far the best format to use for digital music. I asked him if he ever thought about the audio quality of his music. Nope. It occurred to me in this world of quick, easy downloadable music the average person doesn’t either. That’s a shame, because the difference can be stunning.

Well then. We then turned on the media room’s high end system and I performed a little demonstration. I played him the same song as a WAV format and again as the mp3 he was about to load onto his phone. He could hear the improved audio quality with the WAV file. THEN I let him hear the same song encoding using a recording studio format. He’s now a convert.

For those of you who do not know enough about audio to know that there are several different formats to use. Here’s a quick primer.

Audio (sound) can be converted into a digital file your iPod or computer can recognize in any number of different ways, or formats. Some convert the files to digital data exactly as it sees the audio. This is called uncompressed. However, to save space, some formats such as mp3 compress, or mathematically simplify the digitized waveform. This throws out some of the audio information to make the file smaller. That’s really not good. Sampling rate (how many times per second the format looks at the audio waveform and converts it to a digital number) is also important, but if I went into that if your eyes aren’t already glazed over they would be. With qualifications, a faster sampling rate is usually better, but let’s leave it at that.

While the mp3 is popular because a longer length of audio can be fit into a smaller file, the audio quality is sadly lacking. The best consumer audio quality comes from a high sampling rate PCM, but some home players and portable devices won’t support that format, and it is memory intensive. Next is the .WAV format. Good sound quality and can be easily converted to mp3 if you need to save space. Most consumers never know what really good audio sounds like, because they’ve never heard it.

My advice? Since hard drives are cheap now, buy a big one and save ALL of your audio as WAV files. If you need to convert to a smaller size format, fine, but never convert your base file. An mp3 converted back to WAV does NOT recover ANY of the audio quality lost in the original conversion.

After all that, if you're sitting in front of the computer softly babbling gibberish, no worries..I'll be back to bashing the moonbats tomorrow.

Debate musings

2011-10-19T09:29:00.002-05:00

Well, we arrived in the midst of a mild but buzz killing tropical disturbance, and after a couple of wet days the decision was made to abandon the Islands and visit Mouse World. So, after spending more money than I had planned, and riding every rollercoaster in central Florida, it’s back to the grind of semi-retirement :)

But it WAS fun.

You know, I can get our “inside” dog to do anything. Even stuff that he wouldn’t do normally. Even dangerous stuff. All it takes is the promise of food.

I can’t help but liken him to politicians at times.

Offer them a TV camera and they’ll do stupid stuff…even go on a CNN debate where it was a foregone conclusion Anderson Cooper was going to try his level best to foment some sort of antics to embarrass the candidates…if they can be embarrassed.

Rick Perry and Mitt Romney gladly obliged. Herman Cain owes them both a hearty handshake.

I was listening to the debate in the car on XM. As the Perry-Romney playground feud heated up, I found myself thinking “I hope this looks better on TV than it sounds”. It didn’t.

In this Jerry Springer world we live in, that mess may have resonated with some voters, but not me. It simply made Herman Cain look more presidential.

IF Cain can adequately explain his 9-9-9 tax plan AND if it’s really workable (I’ve heard both sides) AND he can come up with some solid foreign policy, I’m in. I started off a Rick Perry fan, but his performance in the debates and his stance on immigration isn’t winning him any more points for me.

Of course, I will heartily support the GOP nominee. In reality, it’s a shame Newt Gingrich has so much baggage and has that tendency to have RINO seizures…he’s clearly the most intelligent person in the pack.

Any of the current three frontrunners is better than Obama.

Bimini bound - Fast and Furiously

2011-10-08T08:29:00.003-05:00

I am going to tick off the “99%” protesting Wall Street and spend the next week or so looking at something like this…away from any internet access of any consequence. So, food for thought for the next week:

Fast and Furious is beginning to more and more Nixonesque, if you know what I mean.

For those of you who have just returned from Mars…or don’t pay attention beyond the carefully controlled headlines:

“Fast and Furious” is a codenamed operation by the U.S. government which involved allowing automatic weapons to be sold to known arms traffickers. The intra agency lingo is “letting guns walk”. The tactic is designed (at least on paper) to track small arms dealers so they would lead the ATF to the major movers.

What most of you probably don’t know is that a similar operation was performed under the Bush administration called Operation Wide Receiver. WR concluded about 2007. Nothing ever came of the operations. No charges, No arrests.

Walking guns has long been against ATF policy and there was in fact a 2006 investigation. The Obama administration has brought charges against several players in Wide Receiver. Some have plead guilty. Others await hearings.

So for, so good, right? Welllll…..

Now we all know the Obama administration is walking guns as well.

Operation Fast and Furious came to light when some of the walking guns were used in a shooting in which Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed.

So, if you’re following, the Obama administration is prosecuting Bush era operatives for doing exactly what Obama’s DOJ is doing RIGHT NOW.

The basic premise of the operation is sound. Law enforcement does that all the time…except as a rule don’t allow the guns, drugs, etc to be actually used to kill other law enforcement officers or anyone else. The Obama DOJ obviously lost control of where the weapons were going. Obviously some of them were turning up inside the US, and were used to kill an American citizen and law enforcement officer. Nor did the ATF bother to tell Mexican authorities…you know, the ones getting shot up and left on the side of the road…that thousands of weapons were crossing the border from the US by their hand.

The ATF Operations director for Mexico said in a house oversight committee meeting he didn’t’ know ATF agents on the US side were following gun traffickers. The ATF was keeping info from its OWN PEOPLE who obviously had a need to know.

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/oct/01/jose-de-la-isla-fast-and-furious-needs-full/

Heck, the NRA even wants answers:

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/guns/nra-fast-furious-gun-operation-bigger-watergate

Forbes weighs in:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2011/09/28/fast-and-furious-just-might-be-president-obamas-watergate/

And on and on.

Rush Limbaugh thinks the Obama administration is trying to stir up anti-gun sentiment in order to enact stricter gun laws. Maybe, but that’s irrelevant.

It certainly appears US law was broken on several fronts.

Now it appear Eric Holder, the US Attorney General, may have lied to Congress as to “what did he know and when did he know it?” to the House Judiciary Committee on Fast and Furious.

The GOP is calling for an independent counsel (if there is such a thing anymore) to investigate.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/04/house-republicans-to-request-special-counsel-to-probe-holder-on-fast-and/

And there needs to be one. This stinks.

If the US department of Justice Did in fact botch this operation ( and it sure looks like it) and Agent Terry was killed as a result of that screw-up, AND Holder knew about the operation long before he said under oath he knew AND Obama green lighted the whole thin in violation of policy and probably US law, this just might BE Obama’s Watergate.

This story has legs, and the truth will come out. The question now is does Obama have the what it takes to appoint a special counsel? Was and is he complicit in this?

Yeah. What he said!

2011-10-04T08:16:00.002-05:00

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This week’s Quote of the Week goes to BET founder Robert Johnson concerning Obama’s “Hate The Rich” campaign:

“You don't get people to like you by attacking them or demeaning their success. You know, I grew up in a family of 10 kids, first one to go to college, and I've earned my success. I've earned my right to fly private if I choose to do so.

And by attacking me it is not going to convince me that I should take a bigger hit because I happen to be wealthy.”

"I didn't go in to business to create a public policy success for either party, Republican or Democrat. I went in business to create jobs and opportunity, create opportunity, create value for myself and my investors. And that's what the president should be praising, not demagoguing us simply because Warren Buffet says he pays more than his secretary.”

Right on! Link to the video here.

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Protesters vs. NYPD

2011-10-02T09:06:00.005-05:00

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Yesterday in NYC, demonstrators from the Occupy Wall Street protests tried to cross the Brooklyn Bridge. Instead of using the walkway, many chose to use the road.

About 700 found themselves in handcuffs.

Ands so comes the usual “false arrest” blather from the ACLU and the protesters.

I support the right of folks to protest. I really do. But I get tired of these groups going out and violating the law then getting their panties all in a wad when they get popped.

To claim false arrest in situations like these usually requires willing suspension of common sense and knowledge of the law.

Quotes in color are from this article in the NY Times.

According to news reports, the protesters began walking across the bridge using the elevated walkways meant for pedestrians.

So far, so good.

Then, as the demonstration grew, many of the group took to the roadways, impeding vehicular traffic. Some of the protesters said the police never said the roadway was off limits. Huh? Do we need to tell everyone not to walk in the roadway? It’s worth noting that in the prior marches, the group had stayed on the sidewalks…and there were few arrests.

But this time, about 20 or so of the protesters led a march onto the road chanting “take the Bridge”. While many of the protesters say they weren’t even warned, Christopher T. Dunn of the New York Civil Liberties Union, who accompanied the march They were met by a handful of high-level police supervisors, who blocked the way and announced repeatedly through bullhorns that the marchers were blocking the roadway and that if they continued to do so, they would be subject to arrest.

Sounds like they were warned. It also sounds like NYPD did not arrest anyone in the back of the group who might not have heard the warnings.

Etan Ben-Ami, 56, a psychotherapist from Brooklyn who was up on the walkway, said that the police seemed to make a conscious decision to allow the protesters to claim the road. “They weren’t pushed back,” he said. “It seemed that they moved at the same time.”

Mr. Ben-Ami said he left the walkway and joined the crowd on the road. “It seemed completely permitted,” he said. “There wasn’t a single policeman saying ‘don’t do this’.”

He added: “We thought they were escorting us because they wanted us to be safe.” He left the bridge when he saw officers unrolling the nets as they prepared to make arrests.

Again, do you really need to be told not to walk in the middle of a roadway?

From a tactical standpoint, NYPD did a great job. I would have dome the same thing. A good officer uses location and timing to his or her advantage, even choosing the time and location to make the arrest. It sure looks like the NYPD did some tactical preplanning to get the protesters into the correct area to be arrested.

There are many times police see that someone is breaking the law, but allow the action to continue as long as no one is endangered in order to mold the situation into a tactical advantage for the officers to act. This sure seems like one of those times.

Oh, and another thing; There are some protesters who think it is a political statement to willingly go out and get yourself arrested. Well, ok. But I also think persons who do that should be fined an amount of money equal to the cost of resources expended by the local criminal justice system to help you make your political statement.

If you wish to protest, I believe that is a explicit right in this country. But one has to remember that the protest must be peaceful, not harm other persons or property, and not infringe upon the rights of others.

So…if you want to march, go for it. If you need the streets, get a parade permit. If not, as long as you peacefully interact with others using the same sidewalks, more power to you. But when you begin impeding traffic, trespassing, blocking other’s freedom to move about, and in extreme cases begin destroying property, then the police can and will move in. It is also wise to remember that the police can and will use some of their tools such as pepper spray to control a crowd that is obvously outnumbering them. That is all good and proper and has been upheld in a Supreme Court case. Your common sense should tell you that if you choose to violate the law there may be consequences, and if you choose to associate yourself with others who are violating the law you may be caught up in any enforcement actions.

It’s pretty simple…so don’t go getting yourself arrested then begin blathering about the injustice of it all. You claim to be smart. Show it.

And kudos to NYPD for doing it right.
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Raising Cain!

2011-09-30T08:56:00.002-05:00

Update: The Dem mantra against Herman Cain is taking shape...

I have to admit it. Media moonbat Jeanine Garafolo is quicker on the uptake that I am…at least this time. After Herman Cain’s straw poll win in Florida, I was musing on how the Democrats will come up with a way to make supporting Cain racist, in keeping with the mantra that everything conservatives do is racist. I figured it may take a little while, but lo and behold it wasn’t 24 hours before Garafolo, on Keith Olbermann’s show on some network I never heard of, said that conservatives are supporting Cain to MASK their inherent racism. In retrospect it was the easiest thing to say, and lacks the creativity I was expecting, but it WAS quick. Of course those GOP’ers who don’t support Cain are not doing so because they are racist.

See, I’m just making sure we’re all on the same page with the Dem talking points on Cain. If you don’t support him, it’s obviously because you’re racist. On the other hand if you DO support Cain, you’re…um, racist. Everybody got that?

I was pleasantly surprise by Herman Cain’s showing in Florida. I still think he’s got a long, rough road to even have a chance of getting the GOP nomination, but I’m impressed.

Personally, I think Cain’s the guy to get the economy back on track. But I would like to see more of his views on foreign policy before I get completely on the bandwagon.

But I have to admit there is a part of me that wants Cain to obtain the presidency for one reason and one reason only…so we can give the moonbats all sorts of hell every time they dare criticize Herman Cain. Wouldn’t that be fun? In the media, on comment forums, everywhere: Every single criticism on President Cain would be met with immediate and venomous accusations of blatant racism, no matter how legitimate the criticism.

We could have a field day!
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Trygers

2011-09-24T14:54:00.002-05:00

I bleed Tiger Blue. No, really. I’m a two-time graduate from the University of Memphis and I love that school.

But I’m tired of crying Tiger Blue tears every football season. I lead the “Let’s just give Porter a chance” bandwagon after last season. I looked forward to this season. I still have faith in Tiger football.

But not much.

Another week, another blowout. Did I expect the U of M to beat SMU? Of course not, but I would have liked to see something besides a lot to a big goose egg.

The Tigers beat Austin Peay last week, and as I said in last week’s random fire, I’m happy for the kids…but it just gave Shirley Raines and RC Johnson another excuse to sit on their hands. Where’s the tipping point? How many more straws before the camel’s back snaps?

I’m a relatively hefty Tiger booster dollar-wise but nothing on the order of say, a Fred Smith…and it’s going to take boosters with the monetary weight of Fred Smith to demand changes in the Tiger football program. Why they aren’t doing it, I have no idea, but today’s game had less fans than many area high school games, and it’s only going to get worse.

Truth? I think Tommy West was right. Tiger football will never amount to anything until the school gets financially behind the program. Tommy West and a budget and we’d be winning this year.

The First EVER M, Etc. caption contest!

2011-09-22T14:45:00.006-05:00

Don’t know if I have enough readers for this to work, but here goes:

The Rules:

No profanity or blatant crudity. Use symbols if you must.

Your caption is assumed to be attributed to Obama unless you preface it.

Your prize for the best caption: A deep sense of satisfaction.

I’ll start:

Photographer: “OK, all incompetent world leaders, please raise your hand.

Lady to the left above: “WTH?”

"O" Crap!

2011-09-21T11:08:00.003-05:00

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Wow.

How bad can polls get for O?

There’s a new Marist- McClatchy poll that finds, among other things, Obama can now see Sarah Palin over his shoulder. Palin has moved to within 5 points of Obama.

Link to the Miami-Herald story here.

Dude, that’s bad news for you.

I’m a Sarah Palin fan….just not a Sarah Palin for President fan. Sarah is a great speaker, a great conservative spokesperson, and a great motivator. Plus, she’s hot.

I just don’t think she’d be a good president. Neither do the rest of the GOP voters according to most polls. She still runs far behind the frontrunners for the GOP nomination.

I don’t think this poll is about Sarah Palin at all. It’s about Obama. She isn’t gaining. He’s losing big time.

A new McClatchy-Marist poll finds that Obama looks increasingly vulnerable in next year's election, with a majority of voters believing he'll lose to any Republican, a solid plurality saying they'll definitely vote against him and most potential Republican challengers gaining on him.

I think this is solid evidence of an “anybody but Obama” movement gaining real steam in the US.

By a margin of 49 percent to 36 percent, voters said they definitely plan to vote against Obama, according to the poll. Independents by 53 percent to 28 percent said they definitely plan to vote against him.

With that sentiment permeating the electorate a little more than a year before the general election, most Americans think Obama won't win a second term.

By 52 percent to 38 percent, voters think he'll lose to the Republican nominee, whoever that is. Even among Democrats, 31 percent think the Republican nominee will win.

Ouch.

But then the poll says this:

While most of the Republicans have gained on Obama, he still leads all of the announced candidates.

Why is that? If a plurality of Americans will definitely vote against Obama, why isn’t the GOP leading in any head to head matchups?

I think the answer is simple. The American people got suckered into the hype and hope and change. They want to know who the GOP nominee is before committing. Unless the GOP picks a complete loser (and there aren’t any COMPLETE losers in the field), the independents are ours, and thus the election.

That’s a good thing. It will force the GOP to choose the best and strongest candidate. IF it’s a sure thing anybody can beat Obama, then the GOP just might choose…anybody. That would be bad.

A year out, the 2012 Presidential Election is the GOP’s to lose. And it will take some effort to do that.

Thank God. We need to stop this train wreck now.

Plus, Obama's dismal performance has provided a huge amount of material for spine tingling ads like this:

Football on Duty = 2 days suspension?

2011-09-20T15:11:00.001-05:00

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Most good officers know the urban public doesn’t trust us. So, many of us will take time to stop and talk to the kids, maybe share a joke or play a little catch. A little gesture now can mean a lot later in life for a young child.

Apparently in the NYPD it can also get officers disciplined.

The New York Daily News is reporting 4 NYPD officers are being disciplined by the department for getting involved in a 4th of July game of football at a Bronx housing project.

Two of the four took the discipline of 2 days off, but Officers Catherine Guzman and Mariana Diaz are fighting the rap:

"I don't think throwing a football to a 7-year-old boy is misconduct," said Officer Catherine Guzman, a 17-year veteran of the force. "It was the Fourth of July, it was 96 degrees out and we were interacting with the community.

Exactly…so when the time comes for that 7 year old to make some street choices, he just might remember the acts of kindness and friendship from the two lady officers…and make the right choice. Or if that 7 year old needs help later in life he doesn’t dismiss the police out of hand as a source of that help.

Why is this EVEN a controversy?

Diaz said she's taking a stand on principle.

"There's a lot of negativity toward police," she said. "I want kids in the community to look at us in a positive way."

Right on! Here’s to both officers. Keep fighting the good fight!
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Weekend Random Fire

2011-09-18T20:26:00.002-05:00

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Short and sweet. I'm tired...

* Another Millington Air Show has come and gone. No major issues. I have to tell you that I truly enjoy working major events undercover, as I am spared endless requests as to where the nearest Porta Potty is and the public assuming I am a walking information booth. A lot of different agencies worked very well together. It was fun.

* Planned Parenthood is O.U.T. as the contracted family planning service for Shelby County. Faith-based Christ Community Health Services won the bid. Yesss!!!!

* The football Tigers won one. I’m glad for the kids, but we all know this gives RC / Raines an excuse to continue to do absolutely nothing to fix the underlying problem.

* And finally, the Commercial Appeal has announced they are rolling out their paid online subscription service. Good luck with that.

The TV news webmasters are happy!

Have a good week, all!

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It's Air Show weekend!

2011-09-15T08:29:00.001-05:00

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The Millington Air Show is the weekend!

Yeah, I know they are calling it the Memphis Air show, but it’s in Millington, at the Millington Regional Jetport.

It’s a good time. You should go for a couple of reasons.

The first, of course is to see the many ground and air exhibits, including the Blue Angels.

Next, if you’re any type of law enforcement fan, you can see absolutely every type of local, state, and federal officer you care to see. There are more agencies involved in this than any other event around. Mobile command posts, fancy LE toys, the works.

Plus, there will be plenty of officers there you won’t see, or at least you won’t recognize as officers.

Like me.

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Thoughts on 9/11

2011-09-11T09:42:00.004-05:00

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The stated goal of the 9/11 terrorists was, among other things, to destroy the America way of life.

Perhaps they succeeded, at least partially.

Who am I to say something like that? Well, other than an being an American Citizen, I spent a number of days at the Pentagon recovering sensitive material from the rubble, right alongside the rescue teams (some from Memphis) pulling out victims. I think I've earned the right to speak on it.

One of Ronald Reagan’s strategies to defeat the Soviet Union during the Cold War was to force them to expend massive amounts of money to counter the American military might. The result was a Soviet Union which collapsed under its own economic and political weight.

I have to wonder if the Muslim terrorists studied that strategy. It sure seems like it.

That, plus our warped sense of political correctness was used against us.

The results of 9/11?

Other than the 3000 dead in the WTC and Pentagon bombings, there are thousands more Americans dead in two wars directly caused by 9/11.

Were the wars justified? I believe they were. But in the age of political correctness, we are now entering year 11 of two wars that should not have lasted as many months, or possibly even as many weeks, We are the United States Of America. When we go to war it should be brutal, short, and victorious. That’s what makes it a thing to be avoided, and used as a last resort.

The US military is (or used to be, anyway), trained to destroy and kill, and they are very good at it. If that’s not what you want done, don’t go to war.

But political correctness has allowed us to fight “nice” wars for almost a decade, at a staggering cost.

We have a huge new TSA, and a huge new FEMA and a huge new DHS, all of which come with a huge price tag. Does it all work? Well, we haven’t had an attack since 9/11/01so maybe the answer is yes, but there’s no proof our existing agencies would have not stopped any subsequent terror threats.

We are now hyper sensitive to the demands of the Muslims in our country, even though the “good” ones are strangely silent and there are still plenty of “bad” ones around that openly call for the destruction of our society.

There’s a fight about building a mosque at ground zero. Why? Some Americans are outraged by that, and I understand. What I don’t understand is why, if they truly want to be part of our country, do the Muslims involved in this project keep pushing to build it? Don’t they realize how strikingly gracious of them it would be to say ‘We understand your feelings, and in the spirit of cooperating we will not build the mosque”?

It would go a long way with me. As it is, they give a lot of credence to those who say it’s a symbol of victory for them.

So what DID the attacks on 9/11 do?

They weaken our country economically, morally, spiritually, and politically.

Radical Islam hasn't won the war, but they may have won this battle.

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The Racial Bandwagon is Now Boarding!

2011-09-09T09:41:00.011-05:00

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Maybe there’s something in the water, but this Sgt. Benjamin circus is getting out of hand. It’s even affecting our media and politicians.

To recap:

Last Saturday, MPD Sgt Norman Benjamin said a Hispanic male shot him during a robbery attempt. Benjamin was in plain clothes in a department vehicle. He was critically wounded. MPD officers and others responded at once, risking their lives to look for the Hispanic subject. Many days and the use of a lot of law enforcement resources followed as the search for the subject continued.

The following Monday, MPD brass announced that Martha Mote, a white female, had been charged with the shooting, and that Benjamin had lied about the shooting, which was actually the result of a domestic dispute involving Benjamin, his estranged wife, his mistress, fiancé, and an underage niece of Mote.

However, yesterday charges were dropped against Mote when the investigation revealed Benjamin had shot himself.

You getting all this, Jerry Springer?

Now in any sane, reasonable city, Benjamin will be fired, charged, convicted, and sent to jail on a number of charges ranging from filing a false police report to whatever comes out of the investigation of the underage niece. He will certainly never be a police officer again, and the officers who put their lives on the line for this idiot have a few choice words for him. Based on his record, the guy should not have been an officer in any case.

So no one’s defending the officer. Everyone have that? NO ONE is defending this officer.
So what else could happen? Hey, this is Memphis. Leave it to the media to create a racial firestorm. Here’s how:

Let’s overlook the fact that Benjamin had to have a fairly convincing argument, even if it was a lie.

Let’s overlook the fact that Benjamin was in the heart a Hispanic neighborhood.

Let’s overlook the fact that Benjamin knew the other officers responding to the scene would know that.

Heck, let’s even overlook the fact he was in the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant!

No, according to the media, their shills, and even our esteemed Memphis mayor, Benjamin falsified a report about a Hispanic assailant solely because he was a bigot who hated Hispanics.

Yep, that's the story being promoted out there.

It began with the Commercial Appeal and the usual posts by the usual shills.

Then, the Commercial Appeal's Wendi Thomas, who never misses out on an opportunity to race-bait, offered a commentary that would make the most batty of moonbats green with envy, quoting such experts on race relations as the chairman of the Art Department at the University of Memphis. It appears from the article, Ms. Thomas would have liked to regal her readers with horrible stories of the widespread harassment of Hispanic males by the Memphis police as they searched for the suspect…only that didn’t happen, and even the editor of La Raza Memphis said he hadn’t heard of any incidents. I’m sure Wendi was most disappointed.

Next to jump on the bandwagon is none other than AC Wharton, Memphis mayor. In a bizarre interview on WPTY 24 TV last night, Mayor Wharton said he wanted to pursue hate crime charges against Benjamin.

Say what?

Wharton says: "The idea was, who would be a likely suspect," he explains to abc24.com. "Playing on race and ethnicity? For an officer of the law, it is despicable. For anybody to do that, it is utterly despicable."

"I think it's a gross abuse," says Wharton, "to unleash the power of a police department against some individual group. I'm willing to bet in the hours after the shooting that there was a Hispanic in that vicinity with dark clothes and long hair."

Well, no ****, Mr. Mayor. There probably WAS one in the vicinity. That makes for a good lie then, does it not? Which was a pretty good sole motivation for naming a Hispanic suspect, right?

Yes, it is despicable. But yes, a Hispanic WAS a likely suspect based on everything I stated above.

Even Director Armstrong has put himself and his department in a bit of a box. Armstrong said this:

"This was an isolated incident," he tells abc24.com. "It is something that puts the Hispanic community in a negative light. If any blame is made, it should be put on Sgt. Benjamin."

That’s exactly right. And you know what? The Hispanic community understood that until the media started the drumbeat that they should be insulted as an ethic group.

Now, both Wharton and Armstrong are going to meet with the Hispanic community to apologize. Apologize for what? No one in the MPD other than Benjamin did anything against the Hispanic community. Armstrong said so, and he was right. If you want to apologize for Benjamin’s choice of assailants while he was in a Hispanic community in front of a Mexican restaurant, Ok. But it makes you look a little foolish.

But then, political correctness run amok makes many look foolish.

But here’s the scary part.

Wharton says if there is not a hate crime law already on the books he can use against Benjamin, he will pursue it with the State Legislature.

No he won’t, because he can’t. AC Wharton is a lawyer. He knows better than that. This is just political grandstanding and it is making you look dumb, Mr. mayor.

Let’s take the hate crime charge first:

To have a hate crime, you must have (a) a crime committed, (b) a victim, and (c) a motivation that fits the definition of a hate crime.

My question to AC Wharton is (a) what criminal offense, and (b) who is the victim?

If I reallllly stretch, I can see a federal hate crime charge with society as the victim concerning the filing of a false report...and being shot down immediately by any marginally competent defense attorney.

I don’t know what offense Benjamin will be ultimately charged with, but filing a false police report is the only clear cut charge at this time. It doesn’t appear that there were ultimately any victims of a crime other than possibly the underage female. Personally, I hope there are some felony charges the DA’s office can come up with that will stick, so Benjamin will be in the slammer for a while.

But as far as the racial thing, well, sometimes idiots are just idiots, names are made up because of locations, and people do stupid stuff that is NOT brought about by bigotry, racism, or any other "isms" or "phobias” Sometimes, a duck is just a duck.

Unless one has an agenda, of course.

So what does that leave?

I’ll tell you.

It leaves a very bad soon to be ex-cop who violated the public trust, the law, and should have never been a police officer. It leaves the media trying to cultivate racial discord in the Hispanic community. It leaves a mayor exposed for running his mouth in a simple political grandstanding move to pander to a segment of the population, both of which are doing much more harm to police relations to the Hispanic community that one nutcase cop.

Which brings me to the following:

If the media is successful in stirring the racial unrest pot in the Hispanic community and violence erupts, does anyone think AC will be on the news calling for Inciting to Riot charges against the Commercial Appeal and TV news outlets?

That’s a real crime, AC.

Oh, and what if the Hispanic community takes your words to heart, Mr. Mayor, and files a class action suit against the MPD and City of Memphis based on YOUR TACIT ADMISSION?

Oops.

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MPD Sgt Benjamin and the race baiting moonbats

2011-09-05T23:52:00.001-05:00

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Sgt Benjamin. You DO realize you put a lot of officers at risk who believed your story without a moment’s hesitation and went flying through the streets trying to catch your mythical Hispanic male…right?

You DO realize that a huge amount of manpower and taxpayer money was used to try and located your mythical Hispanic, right?

You DO realize that this officer and a lot of others want to see you fired, indicted, and put under the jail, right?

Ok, Good.

Now, to all you idiots out there trying to turn this into some sort of racial movement:

Give it a rest.

Sgt Benjamin may be a lot of things, but give the bigotry thing a rest. It was Summer and Avon, for heaven’s sake. If there WAS going to be a random crime committed there, it would most likely be a Hispanic to do it. Benjamin knew that. Some of you idiots trying to turn this into a racial thing need your own motives examined. You are at least a bad as he is, and he’s pretty bad.

Stop it.

Banned by the CA (and other musings)

2011-09-04T20:34:00.001-05:00

I kind of feel like the boyfriend following the woman around the house saying; “But baby, this time I REALLY mean it!”

So, no promises, but I really do intend to start blogging again.

This latest motivation came about really due to the end of a busy and somewhat traumatic summer, including but not limited to:

Losing a couple of law enforcement friends.

An abbreviated family summer due to some search and rescue missions

Dealing with an elderly family member’s mental decline and movement into a rest home.

And finally getting banned from the Commercial Appeal comment forum, where I have spent way too much time playing with the moonbats. I did, however, have a heck of a good time driving some of the local liberals nuts, including a local pediatrician with some serious personal issues.

I really wish I could reveal the name, if nothing else as a public service to the parents of all Mid-South children, but breaking the law is really not my thing. However, I have been told that a whole lot of people know who this clown is. In fact, anyone perusing the CA comment forums on guns, gays, politics, Muslims or religion can probably figure it out. I see a professional career in the early self-demolition phase…but to each his own.

In any case, I met a lot of good folks on the CA forums as well. But, when you find yourself arguing with others who are not mentally capable of understanding the argument…it’s a waste of time.

So, then; A number of things have transpired over the past few months. Hopefully I can take a swing at them all over the next few weeks:

The release of the West Memphis Three

The current GOP field of presidential contenders, and the abject fear that most of them put into the Dems, given Obama's horrid performance of late.

And…Former law enforcement officer turned author Terry Shultz has written a book about the tragedy on Shannon street back in 1983 when MPD officer Bobby Hester was killed. Any of my readers still around (grin) will remember I covered that incident at length.

http://memphisetc.blogspot.com/2008/01/shannon-street-25-years-later.html

Here is the website:
http://www.shannonstreet.com/

I was also honored to see that my 2008 blog entry on Shannon street: 25 years later was included in Mr. Shultz’s links page.

I have to admit I have not read the book. Yet. Although it’s been out for some time now, my son highjacked my Kindle and I have been too cheap/lazy/busy to buy another, and I’m NOT taking anything away from a 13 year old that keeps him away from video games. But I do intend on reading it and will share some thoughts here.

Judging by the hit counter there are more folks than I expected who still visit Memphis, Etc. from time to time to see if I’m still around.

Thanks, and I am.

Federal jury finds Erik Sammis, partner not liable

2011-04-23T10:21:00.003-05:00

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A federal jury has found West Memphis police officers are NOT liable for the shooting death of 12-year old DeAunta Farrow. It was a quick trial.

Here’s the story from the Commercial Appeal.

KAIT-TV in Jonesboro has more details

I blogged about this in detail at the time.

Part 1

Part 2

It is interesting to note that several different law enforcement agencies investigated this case. None found any improper conduct be Officers Sammis or Evans. AL $harpton attended the funeral of the little boy and made it into a media circus. Now that the family will not be getting any money, I seriously doubt Al will have anything more to do with the case..

The Farrow family’s attorney was Javier Bailey, who took time off from not being a lawyer any more to represent the family. Apparently Bailey has not been suspended from practicing law in Arkansas.

The family can appeal.
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Headlines

2011-03-05T18:15:00.002-06:00

Matt Drudge's arrangement of the headlines today says it all:

UK 'to send team of spies' to help oust Gadhafi...
British Army readies for mission at 24 hours' notice...
Obama goes golfing...

Sigh.

Honor

2011-03-04T16:07:00.000-06:00

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I’m not a Mormon. I don’t know a lot about the religion, however I have known a few Mormons in my life and without exception they are honest as the day is long, and just all around good people. And, it seems in a world of moral relativism, they still know what honor and rules are.

This post isn’t about an argument for or against premarital sex. Nor is it an argument about any faith. What is IS…is a huge kudos for Brigham Young University in their decision to stand by the suspension of star basketball player Brandon Davies from the Top ranked (number 3) BYU team following his breaking of the BYU honor code, supposedly dealing with premarital sex.

So, it’s a strange concept to you in this day and age. Maybe you think it’s prudish, picky, or maybe your one of those who think sports figures don’t have to play by the rules. Whatever.

What I like about this story is that BYU doesn’t’ give a hoot what the rest of the world thinks. Not only that, they refuse to water down, backpedal, or look the other way just because people are questioning the suspension or because Davies is a star. Not only that, BYU was badly beaten in the very next game without Davies.

I say “so what?”, and I applaud the university for not watering down an honor code because the rest of the world thinks it's archaic. We need more honor in this day and age.

Story here.

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Obama: A Fumble For The Win.

2011-02-15T12:11:00.002-06:00

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As I watch the media and the administration try to spin the events in Egypt into a stunning victory of Obama, I can’t help but think of the following analogy:

The red and blue football teams are playing for the title. The score is tied with only a few seconds left. The red quarterback mishandles the snap, and without being touched by anyone, fumbles the ball. The ball pops up in the air, and lands on the turf. It takes one or two lucky bounces away from the opposing players. The clock runs out. The ball bounces into the hands of the red team’s tight end, who tucks it and heads up the sidelines. He gets a great block from a teammate, and the last blue team player with a chance slips on the turf. The red team tight end scrambles into the end zone for the win.

According to the Democrat’s twisted logic, the MVP award for the game should go to…the red quarterback, for the brilliant last second touchdown play.
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The Star Mangled Banner and other Bowl musings

2011-02-07T07:42:00.003-06:00

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Update: The UK Mail is reporting Christina Aguilera's botched lyrics to the National Anthem were the same mistakes found (but since corrected) on...Wikipedia. Unreal.

Many years ago in my youth, I worked as a sound technician for some of the major venues around the south. I’m still an amateur musician, playing here and there, filling in for friends in bar bands and such.

So I feel for the Black Eyed Peas. The press is skewering them, and maybe rightly so, but most of the debacle of a halftime show I heard should be laid upon the shoulders (and ears) of the sound tech who did the mix for the broadcast networks. What’s worse, the Peas may have sounded great…to themselves, so a rude awakening awaits them when or if they listen to the playback. The monitor mix (what the band hears in their stage monitors, or nowadays in the earpieces) is completely separate from what the audience hears, so it may have been the monitor mix was fine, and the Peas may have had no clue what they sounded like to the world.

Even Slash got buried in the canned backing track…and the Axl imitation by Fergie should have been buried even further.

As for Christina Aguilera botching the words to the National Anthem…well, what can you say?

I have a suggestion for the next Super Bowl. I think the committee should turn to the country music world for the pregame and halftime entertainment. Country songs and their arrangements lend themselves much better to good sounding live performances, and there is a lot less electronic effects and sweetening to contend with in the frantic setup to the halftime show.

Plus, I’ll guarantee most country artists know the words to the National Anthem.

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Truth in Surrender

2011-02-01T18:36:00.003-06:00

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One can get dizzy following the threats, taunts, legal and legislative maneuvers, and outright juvenilism (if that’s not a word I just made it one) between the city and county school systems over the surrender of the Memphis City School charter. Perhaps I see things too simplistically here, but I would have a clear-cut plan were I David Pickler. Sure, the legal wrangling can continue, but assuming the surrender is inevitable, I’d issue a press release telling it like it is. Here’s what I would say.

In order for the residents to make an informed decision at the polls in the upcoming vote, I feel it is only fair to enumerate exactly what the citizens of Memphis cam expect should the vote confirm MCS’s decision to surrender the city school charter.

Voters should be clear that this is NOT, despite the media spin, a “merger”. Legally, the entity known as Memphis City Schools will cease to exist. Therefore, should that come to pass, Shelby County Schools will take the following positions:

Upon the effective date of the charter surrender, every single position in the current Memphis City Schools system will be eliminated. This means that as of midnight on the effective date all current MCS employees will be unemployed and required to apply for jobs at SCS. All seniority will be null and void and there is no guarantee of employment or return to a similar position with SCS.

SCS does not recognize the Memphis Education Association or any of its parent or subsidiary organizations. Any contracts negotiated with MEA are null and void.

The Shelby County School board as it is currently constituted was duly elected by the people of Shelby County. The SCS board has no plans to offer any representation to former city school districts until such time as elections are held. By that time SCS will have determined the number and makeup of the new board.

Effective with the new school year, former MCS students will be held to the same behavioral and academic standards as the county schools. The MCS Security Division will be dissolved, and Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies with zero-tolerance orders will be placed in each former Memphis City School.

The per pupil expenditures will be brought down to a level concurrent with the county. The savings will be used to increase salaries for newly hired teachers who meet SCS qualifications.

Social promotions will not be allowed. Underperforming schools will gladly be turned over to the state.

All schools will immediately become neighborhood schools, with bus service reduced to a minimum and only to ease any overcrowding. Students maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA will be given preferential treatment as to which school they wish to attend.

If the SCS will just lay it out they way out ought to be, then the citizens of Memphis can make an informed decision. Pretty simple, really. Feel free, Mr. Pickler.

What? You say that would require guts? Well, yes. It would.
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Yeah, I'm still here.

2011-01-31T20:24:00.000-06:00

Training class. Talk to ya in a few days.

Weekend random fire

2011-01-23T12:06:00.000-06:00

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Ah, The “Ghost” of Daniel Cummings!

No, Cummings isn’t dead. He’s still in the pokey for the killing of Ole Miss police officer Robert Langley. The Ole Miss students, however, don’t seem to remember that.

Steve Cohen gets taken apart on national TV by Anderson Cooper, who drags up several of Cohen’s idiotic statements (KKK without robes, etc). Cohen tries to backpedal, then gets mad and stands by his idiocy. The far left backs him up. The GOP couldn’t’ BUY this PR at any price. Maybe the state ought to reconsider that HCP.

So now, after surrendering the Memphis City Schools charter, the residents of Memphis are already whining about “equal representation” on the new board. My advice is for the SCS board to remind them of the definition of “surrender”. I’m developing some thoughts about that.

Have a good Sunday.

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The Stupidity Trifecta

2011-01-19T20:20:00.002-06:00

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For those of you who do not live near our fair city and might not be aware of the uh, “news” Memphis has made in the past few days, this is an advisement to put down any beverage you might have in your possession.

First of all, there was a news article about the 90 teens at Frayser High School who are or have recently been pregnant. It went viral.

Read all about it here…from the Chicago Tribune.

Then in a stunning display of northern elitism, a supposed doctor, Janet Taylor, opined on the Today Show that the high number of pregnancies may be due to the fact that "Reportedly, there is no OBGYN in that county". This from a doctor. Another instant YouTube moment.

To clinch the stupidity trifecta, our good friend and quasi-moonbat Representative Steve Cohen who made news and a spot in this blog by declaring that since the political vitriol was so inflammatory from the likes of the GOP and Sarah Paling he now felt the need to carry a weapon, carried on the proud tradition of liberal decency and civility by comparing the GOP to Nazis.

Read all about THAT Here…from CBS News.

This is the part of the post where I offer some opinion on the topic.

But I can’t think of anything. I mean, what’s there to say? The only thing that would make this any more embarrassing for this city would be if Obama decided to chime into local affairs like he did in the Skip "I'll see your momma on the porch" Gates arrest up in Cambridge.

Of course, if Clinton was still in office, the news of 90 pregnant girls just 150 miles east of Little Rock might generate a hastily arranged presidential overseas trip...or perhaps a "fact finding" trip to The Buff - I mean Bluff City.

Besides, I need to take a trip out to the outhouse and draw some well water on the way back. Right, Doc?
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Witness for the Defense

2011-01-18T08:36:00.004-06:00

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I am now convinced Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik may well show up at the very top of the witness list for the insanity defense of Jared Loughner.

The New York Times has done a fairly thorough piece on what made Loughner tick. Among the tidbits is the fact that Loughner hated George Bush. I’m surprised the NYT let that slip by…but anyway, the Dem playbook of blaming the right has been so utterly destroyed it’s not worth mentioning any more.

No, what’s more interesting are the following quotes from Dupnik on Page 2:

“There’s no doubt in my mind that the whole trial will be about did he know right from wrong,” the sheriff said. “We’ll have 15 psychiatrists saying yes. We’ll have 15 psychiatrists saying no. What do I say? I think he’s mentally disturbed.”

Disturbed enough to be found guilty but insane?

“I majored in psychology at the university,” Sheriff Dupnik answered. “Based on what I’ve seen, he is psychotic, he has serious problems with reality, and I think he’s delusional. Does he meet the legal test of guilty but insane? I don’t know.”

If I’m a defense attorney, I’m licking my lips over this one. Not only did the Sheriff offer an opinion, he backed it up with statements that supported the fact it’s not just an uninformed opinion!

Here are the questions I would ask Dupnik:

Did you make the statements above?

Sheriff, how long have you been a law enforcement officer? (His bio says over 50 years)

In that time, how many mentally disturbed individuals have you come in contact with? (Trust me, it will be a lot)

Can you verify you have a psychology degree?

So your statement that you believe Mr. Loughner is mentally disturbed is an opinion based on your long experience with mentally disturbed individuals and your training in psychology?

Oops.

That’s what happens when you let politics get in the way of professionalism. No one is begrudging Sheriff Dupnik his opinion. He just needs to know when to keep it to himself.

Now, do I think Loughner is crazy? Yep, but there are two points to this. Law enforcement is supposed to be unbiased in the big equation. Dupnik’s opinions also might tip the balance and get the defense a change of venue. I was vilified when I suggested that in a newspaper forum, but now it looks like the change of venue to San Diego is a real possibility.

The other is the neat little box Sheriff has put the left in. If ol’ Jared is crazy, then the argument that Sarah Palin, et al were somehow responsible is deflated even more. To score the huge political victory the left was hoping for in this would require Loughner to be judged sane, knowing right from wrong, but carrying out actions based on talk-radio, “targets” on maps, etc.

One of the sub plots is the possibility of the death penalty for the Federal crime of killing Federal Judge Roll. What will the libs think of that?

I know there are some legal types who read this blog from time to time. What say you?
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Holiday Weekend Random Fire

2011-01-16T11:38:00.007-06:00

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Breaking news…apparently Sarah Palin is now provoking death threats against the TEA party from the normally civil and docile left!

I almost titled this "MLK Weekend Random Fire", but I'm sure I would be accused of inciting violence or something...

Man, what a night. Payday was Friday, it’s a holiday weekend, and NFL playoffs were on. Add beer and other various forms of alcohol and any veteran officer will tell you that spells trouble. You’d be hard pressed to convince me the Memphis-Shelby county area was not the Domestic Violence capital of the world last night. Everyone was fighting...at least those who were not out driving drunk.

Anyway, some random thoughts for the long weekend.

I’m done with the “Blame the Right” thing concerning the Tucson shootings. It’s backfiring on them. Good. Enough already. In synopsis:

Paul Krugman takes the lead in jumping to the (wrong) conclusion:

“We don’t have proof yet that this was political, but the odds are that it was”

Wrong.

The famous Palin “crosshairs map” turned out to be surveyors’ symbols.

Wrong again.

The left blaming talk radio (any odds on THIS Sheriff's re-election?)

A friend of the shooter debunking that claim that it was political at all.

The even marginally intelligent on the left are realizing this “blame the right” line is going very badly for them. The rest, well…carry on.

I have given up trying to follow the Memphis City Schools consolidation / merger/ surrender/ nevermind / give us money storyline because it’s so convoluted. The other night Channels 3 and 5 both ran top stories on the issue that gave completely conflicting accounts.

Saw the Tigers – Marshall game. Dare we hope it’s coming together?

My hopes for Dixie representation in the Super Bowl didn’t just fade away…they were unceremoniously crushed as the Packers routed the Falcons. Ouch. I suppose I will now throw my support behind Green Bay, if only to watch them win it all without Brett “I’ll show you mine” Farve. That would be OK.

The left is going nuts over the TEA Party “demands” of the new Tennessee GOP controlled government. Not that I agree with every single thing on their list, but in the words of a famous but incompetent president: “We won”.

In Franklin, Bradley Vaughn held a smart phone for ransom. Apparently the only thing smart about this caper WAS the phone. Link HERE.

Ahhh, dumb criminals. That’s what makes being the Po-po so much fun.

And finally, in all seriousness on this holiday weekend, I ask you: Do you think Martin Luther King Jr would be proud of Obama, liberal Democrats and their policies, and the African-America people today?

Food for thought from The Iowa Republican.

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Drive by blogging

2011-01-14T09:09:00.001-06:00

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No time today, but I do find myself wondering...

If Cam Newton DOES get drafted by the NFL will he have to take a pay cut?

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Outlaw Cohen

2011-01-12T08:56:00.004-06:00

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U.S representative Steve Cohen’s announcement that he will pursue a Handgun Carry Permit is tears-streaming-down-my-face funny on so many levels, none of them really having to do with Cohen.

Cohen is not alone in his sentiments, as several lawmakers have said precisely the same thing, and although I disagree with Cohen on a myriad of issues and find him quite the political panderer, his gun rights stance (at least publicly) has been somewhat responsible. He is also a past (mid 1970’s) legal advisor for the Memphis Police, and therefore presumably has a viewpoint of self defense a bit more grounded in reality than the average anti-gun liberal.

But by announcing on TV that he will be carrying, Cohen made a couple of miscalculations… one political, one tactical.

First off, a well-trained armed individual knows you don’t ever advertise the fact. In a self defense situation, surprise is key. The bad guy’s last thoughts should always be ‘Oh, crap! He’s got a g---“. Therefore, it is bad tactical form to tell the world that you are armed.

By the way, the same thing goes for those who make a statement by openly carrying. That just tells the bad guy who to shoot first and makes a gun grab all the more likely. I vividly remember one of those macho types in a local Home Depot a couple of years ago. A large .45 openly strapped to his waist, he was busily putting his items on the checkout counter, while his weapon stuck out from his hip invitingly. I really thought about reaching over the intervening 2 feet and pulling it out of his holster, both to make a point and to take a look at it. It looked expensive.

Anyway, I digress…

No, the hilarity of this comes from the reaction of some of Cohen’s blind followers who are also rabid anti-gun nuts. The reactions range from sticking their head firmly in the sand, to disbelief, to a response not unlike a person finding their significant other in the back seat of a car with someone else.

The other question is, of course, is Steve sincere or is this another grandstand play to highlight the dangers posed by the eeeeevil right wing Sarah Palin and talk radio?

Well, the way I see it, if Cohen now feels the need to carry a gun, then he is still allowed to do so, despite the attempts of his party to prohibit that, and the efforts of the GOP and
conservatives to preserve that right. So I say go for it, and while you’re at it, take note of the irony.

However, one must ask how much Steve Cohen’s highly inflammatory rhetoric against the TEA party and his recent jumping on the “blame Plain, Limbaugh and the right” bandwagon created the atmosphere in which he now feels he must arm himself?

I wonder how many other anti-GUN Dems are packing or maybe Steve will have a change of heart (at least publicly) after a little bit of polling?

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"Climate Change"

2011-01-11T06:52:00.006-06:00

Yet another update:

The Arizona Republic echoes my sentiments about Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik:

"Opinions: Pima County Sheriff should remember duty"

Update: I posted this morning before I had a chance to peruse the news and comments across the nation. Now that I have, I should note that the backpedaling has begun in earnest with such comments as ‘Well, we really are not suggesting Palin had anything to do with this shooting”, etc).

It’s amazing that since the left has no moral compass how their core views can change in a heartbeat. Especially when they realize this latest stunt is backfiring badly.

With each new piece of actual fact concerning the shooter, The wheels seem to be coming of the left’s “right-wing talk radio Sarah-Palin induced” train the left has been riding concerning the Giffords shootings.

The left’s attempt to paint the so called “climate of hate” as coming from the right is backfiring badly, simply because every thinking person knows that’s a huge lie.

I’ve been hoping someone with more blogging experience and better resources would put it out there for all to see. Michelle Malkin has done so in spectacular fashion.

Click here for the story. It’s not pretty.

Did Channel 5 cover for Steve Cohen?

2011-01-10T11:05:00.008-06:00

Ok, I just can’t let this go…

The killing of two West Memphis police officers was kind of a big news item last summer. So, in Sunday night’s WMC-TV interview with Steve Cohen on the Arizona shootings, I was a little surprised to hear Steve call the two law enforcement victims “sheriff’s deputies”

Cohen was spouting his usual political crap, jumping headfirst on the “Blame Palin” bandwagon when he made the gaffe, so although I noted it, I just let it go. Steve’s not one to worry about facts, or a couple of officers who weren’t even in his district. There are a lot of half truths and outright lies, plus speculation based on wild internet reporting in Steve’s’ comments, but being a cop, I noticed. I was at that funeral.

But it was really the WMC-TV web story that caught my attention. They changed Cohen’s words, but left them in quotes.

What Steve said:

We saw what happened in West Memphis when they took action and killed two of our Sheriff’s deputies”

What Channel 5 SAID Steve said:

"We saw what happened in West Memphis when they took action and killed two of our police officers," said Cohen.

Now why would Channel 5 do that? If they wanted to correct his mistake, they should have removed the quotes, or used (sic) or any number of other journalistic methods to make the story accurate.

Was it an attempt to cover for Cohen? Only the reporter or editors at WMC-TV can answer that one.

The screen shot of the misquote was taken at 11 Monday morning:

The interview can be seen here.

A little thing? Maybe, unless you are passing yourself off as a news organization.

Life is too short...

2011-01-10T07:51:00.003-06:00

...to spend today inside blogging. As promised, the "Currier and Ives" shot in our back woods.

Enjoy the snow days, kids (and childlike adults) !

Weekend Random Fire

2011-01-09T13:48:00.002-06:00

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While the Memphis area is in full panic mode due to the incoming White Death, we out here in the sticks have already checked the generator, put up a little extra firewood, and fueled the 4-wheelers in anticipation of waking up to a Currier and Ives scene looking out over the back acreage and the rest of the day filled with riding the trails. But in the meantime, some random thoughts for the wintry weekend.

An update to my post on Javier Bailey. It looks like the state has nixed the deal for the Counselor, because he missed the very first installment of his fines. WREG has the story.

Prayers for the families of Gabrielle Giffords and the other Arizona victims. Predictably, the race is on to see who can politicize this the best (or worst). So far, the left is winning handily, but sadly the right chose not to take the high road either. I am happy to see that the two most prominent members of both the right and the left (Speaker Boehner and President Obama) have issued well thought out non-partisan statements. Hope it lasts. By the way, to the Pima county sheriff: You’re entitled to your opinion, but you’re an idiot for making that public statement. Any further bloodshed just might be on your shoulders’. You need some remedial training.

Got an idea from a seriously unhinged but amusing left wing moonbat on a post I shall call “Racism Goggles’ which is an offshoot of my post on the racism of Midtown Memphis. Will work on that between intervals of playing in the snow. My post on Midtown seems to have generated some interest, mostly approving.

Also have some ideas on how to derail the schools system mess in Memphis and Shelby County. Will post on that later, but I think the Memphis teachers’ union is finally seeing the light here, and they’ve realized it has an accompanying train whistle.

Kudos to the authors of the Defense Authorization Act for 2011. It forced Obama to sign the bill which also contains language to prohibit suspects held at Gitmo from being brought to the US for trial.

Sadly, the police line of duty death rate of about 1 per day continues into 2011. The latest: a Baltimore officer and civilian.

And finally, I’m beginning to think my marriage is not normal. Another sermon today on the hidden problems within the marriage and how to fix them. My wife and I talked it over. We don’t’ have any hidden issues. We’re starting to think there’s something wrong with us.

Enjoy the snow.

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See ya, Bailey!

2011-01-06T00:24:00.007-06:00

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Well, I've done it now. Mentioning this little blog in a couple of comment forums has gotten me quite a few hits and some e-mails. I suppose I should start posting regularly again.

However, I have recently switched to a new schedule and am doing some quite different type of police work nowadays, so I may actually have more time. Surveillance is cool, if sometimes boring.

Hat tip to Main Street Journal for noting the Midtown post.

So, Javier Bailey’s chickennnnzzzzz…have come home to roooost!

You will recall I was pretty hard on racist shyster - I mean, Memphis attorney Javier Bailey in this 2008 post recounting the Shannon Street incident.

This is the same Bailey that tried to dredge up the Shannon Street killing of Officer Bobby Hester after 25 years and smear a good officer who gave his life in performance of his duty.

Here’s what I said back in January of 2008:

Lo, and Behold, that attorney is Javier Bailey, the same racist shyster who represented the Farrow family in the West Memphis case. The same Javier Bailey who has had multiple censures from the Tennessee Bar, and the same scumbag upon which Erik Sammis filed a formal complaint for false statements….the same Bailey who seems to have manufactured evidence in the West Memphis case and who has teamed up with a racist Arkansas judge to try and get the case before a Grand Jury. One of my commenters observed that “Bailey, like Sharpton and Jackson can find racism where ever it appears profitable.”

Well, it’s that same Bailey who is getting out of law “to spend more time at home and going to spend more time doing things that I've always wanted to do, but not had time to do."

Still making stuff up, Counselor? How about ‘I’m getting out of law trying to stay one step ahead of the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility and before I get suspended for years”?

After 2 public censures and 5 previous suspensions from the state, it was rumored this one was going to be a big one. Bailey has agreed to the suspension rather than face a Board hearing.

Erik Sammis got the last word: "If there's an agreement made, that tells me he's pled guilty to items in my complaint"

Yep. Pretty much.

Sammis is still set to face a civil trial brought by the Farrow family in March. No word on how this will affect that trial.

For those interested, here is my examination of the Farrow Case from a few years ago.

http://memphisetc.blogspot.com/2007/11/deauntae-farrow-part-one.html

http://memphisetc.blogspot.com/2007/11/deaunta-farrow-part-2.html

Prosecute bad cops? You bet.

Drag good cops and their families through the mud, throwing race cards all over the place for the dollars? Nope.

Something about a screen door comes to mind, Counselor.

Midtown Memphis- The left’s little racist secret

2011-01-05T09:10:00.008-06:00

There was an article on the new census recently in the Commercial Appeal. It was mostly about the fact that black residents having the wherewithal to move out of the inner city do so just as the whites do, but there was a little tidbit in there that caught my attention. Some areas of unincorporated and suburban Shelby County have a higher percentage of blacks than midtown Memphis.

But some of us knew that. It’s the liberal’s little secret, and it’s quite interesting what one will find there: The liberal enclave known as Midtown Memphis is almost all white.

Now, the term “midtown” is only partly related to the location. There are areas in the middle of Memphis that cannot be called “midtown”. Midtown Memphis is a collection of large, old, and very pretty homes in roughly the area bordered by Central, North Parkway, Highland, and I-240. It is home to a now nearly abandoned area known as Overton Square that was a great 70s and early 80s hangout, and the Cooper-Young district which is a thriving quirky little collection of specialty shops and great restaurants.

Midtown is upscale, very nice, and full of history. It is overwhelmingly liberal. It’s also lily-white. In the Central gardens area, the new census shows that this area in a city that is 60% black, is about 96% white.

Midtown is home to several “progressive” churches, and the University Club of Memphis. Midtown is also home to the majority of the Memphis gay community…as long as they are white. By the way, the UCM is universally know as the “All-White University Club” and has been the target of civil rights groups in the past. Here is a quick excerpt from the web site concerning membership:

“Each potential member must have attended an accredited university or state college for at least two years. Each prospective member must be proposed, endorsed, and recommended by current members.”

The reader should also note that there ARE in fact blacks in midtown Memphis, but they tend to live in a clearly defined area. The transition from the “historic” districts to the “rest” of midtown is stunning.

A perusal of the area church websites looks like a snowstorm. In fact, on several of the midtown church websites, including what may be the most prominent one, a huge historic church on a major thoroughfare, you will not find a non-white anywhere on the website, the staff included.

The midtown residents have fought several times against attempts to bring large chain type grocery stores and other retailers to the area, even stating that it would bring the wrong type of clientele to Midtown. What type would that be?

But wait. In this very blog I have fully supported the right of clubs and other private organizations such as churches to allow or deny whomever they wish. My philosophy is clear and has been stated on this blog several times. Equality should be demanded in the public and governmental arena, but all white, all black, all gay, all Korean- under 6 foot tall exclusive clubs and organizations are just fine with me.

So what’s my point?

It’s the hypocrisy, of course.

A liberal hunkered down in an exclusive, all-white neighborhood is a bastion of tolerance and goodness, while a family moving to the suburbs to escape the crime and corruption that is Memphis is racist.

Several midtown churches are as white as Bellevue Baptist, but BBC regularly gets lambasted by the left for being racist.

Midtown is home to the area’s largest gay population as well. Most gays are liberal and it follows that they would be attracted to this community, but there is also no love lost between gays and blacks because of the black church’s stance on homosexuality.

So here’s a question: What are the libs going to call the black families moving to the suburbs to escape the crime and corruption of Memphis?

Many on the left want you believe all the goodness and light they preach. What they don’t want you to know is what they practice, and the real tolerance and cooperation between the races happens with the working class people of this country.

2010-12-23T09:25:00.001-06:00

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Happy Jesus' Birthday, everyone!

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Consolidation, Part Too

2010-11-13T11:05:00.002-06:00

As the days rolled on towards the election, Rebuild Government continued their media blitz. The opposition groups kept up the heat, and it became clear there was one thing Rebuild Government absolutely would not do: Spell out exactly what the tax and efficiency savings this new Metro government would realize. After hemming and hawing for several weeks, RG came out with the talking point “We will not be able to really quantify the savings until the plan is in place” – or, in less words – “Trust Us”.

The Charter was already in serious trouble in the county. What I don’t think RG foresaw was the opposition from the citizens of the City of Memphis. Many black leaders began speaking out about the charter, saying it would “dilute the black vote and leadership”…in other words “We’ve got to protect our phony baloney jobs, gentlemen!”

From there it snowballed. Black leaders, unions, the Democratic Party, all began coming out against it. Al $harpton made the trip – all against consolation of Memphis and Shelby county. Who’d a thunk THAT?

Faced with a sinking ship, Rebuild Government did what ever liberal group on the losing side of an election does…they just did it pre-election. They field a lawsuit.

The RG lawsuit challenged the state law that required any consolidation vote be approved by a majority of the voters in Memphis as well as a separate approval by a majority of voters in the unincorporated non-Memphis area and the suburban cities. A virtually identical case in New York State had gone all the way to SCOTUS and the voting rules upheld.

Then Rebuild Government went to Phase II of their plan. They played the race card.

“Yes, but these are blacks who are being disfranchised, so the SCOTUS decision shouldn’t apply”

The suit asked that the votes be counted as a combined total for Memphis and Non-Memphis voters. The court case is still pending, but the defendants have filed a motion to dismiss on grounds that the case is now moot. Here’s why:

Voting results to consolidate Memphis and Shelby County governments:

Non-Memphis residents:

For 13633 15.04 %
Against 76988 84.96 %

Memphis residents:

For 67941 50.83 %
Against 65733 49.17 %

And the results for the Rebuild Government combined “one person – one vote” theory?

Total county wide:

For 81574 or 36.7%
Against 142721 or 63.3 %

Oopsie.

2010-11-08T09:58:00.000-06:00

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For those of you not in the Memphis Metro area, we had an interesting bit of drama this election season. Several times over the past 30 years, a measure to consolidate Memphis and Shelby County governments, combine the fire and police forces, and erase all city limit boundaries of Memphis has been on the ballot. Each time, it has been soundly defeated by the non-Memphis population. Tennessee state law requires that the measure be approved by separate votes of the residents within the City of Memphis and the rest of the county not residing in Memphis. This second group includes the residents of the suburban cities.

This time around, there emerged a group called “Rebuild Government” RG painted itself as a wonderful organization which only had the best interests of all Shelby Countians at heart. The Metro Charter Commission produced a wonderful Charter, which RG then began promoting in the months preceding the election. Predictably, there were a couple of anti-consolidation groups which sprang up to oppose the metro Charter. Save Shelby County and Save Shelby Now.

The opposing groups’ talking point could be summed up pretty succinctly:

Rebuild Government: Save money, eliminate duplication, more efficiency, more ethical government, and we will all sing Kumbayah together. Besides, you out in the county are nothing but racists because you don’t want to consolidate with a majority black city.

The Anti consolidation folks responded by pointing out Memphis’ crime, corruption, horrid waste in government (the City of Memphis along with the FBI had just uncovered an alleged massive scam going on within the city General Services Division. The investigation is ongoing) and basically told Memphis to get its own house in order before there was any talk about consolidation. They also asked Rebuild Government to lay out the specifics of any savings.

Rebuild Government evolved into a VERY well funded purely political propaganda machine for the new Charter, spending huge sums of money and dodging every question about just who the backers were. It later turned out there were three or four of Memphis’ top businessmen involved in the organization.

So it’s a slam dunk – A well funded liberal group running hundreds of TV, radio, newspaper, and billboard ads showing all of us rednecks out in the county how we could save on taxes, have better government, and grow as a thriving metropolitan area.

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the ballot box.

That story coming soon. But I’ll give you a hint. What do liberal groups do when they think they are losing an argument? How about offer rhetoric but no substance, and/or file a lawsuit? Some of Memphis’ union workers and Al $harpton are also involved, but not the way you think. Stay tuned.

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Why California's Prop 19 Failed

2010-11-05T12:37:00.001-05:00

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Hey, dudes, hop in! We’re going to vote!

Oh, wait. Where is it?

I forgot…huh?

Oh look! Taco Bell…hungry, man.

Ummm…were we going someplace?

Zzzzzzzz.

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Election musings

2010-11-04T16:56:00.006-05:00

So, I have been following the universally hilarious attempts to spin the elections away from anything other than a total rout of the Democrats on The Commercial Appeal comment boards. It has been quite entertaining – and enlightening to see just how many completely delusional liberals there are out there. Heck, even Obambi knows it. He called it a shellacking.

Lets’ examine a few of the talking points:

“It wasn’t as bad as everyone predicted.”

No, it was worse. The GOP gains in the House are of historic proportions.

“The GOP didn’t take the Senate, so it means nothing”

Oh, it means a lot. First and foremost, it means there are now some serious checks and balances on this clown factory of an administration. It means disastrous bills such as Cap and Trade are DOA. It also prevents Obama from ramming any more unwanted and unpopular legislation down the throats of the American people. It means no more stimulus bills, and it means no amnesty for illegal aliens.

What it does mean is that Obama can still veto legislation. But we knew he would do that all along, so to make any meaningful gains in the Senate the GOP would have had to pick up a filibuster proof majority. No one actually thought that would happen.

“The TEA party candidates ruined a Senate majority”

Mathematically, maybe. But who knows if the GOP candidate would have lost by an even greater margin? That’s just anti-TEA party propaganda. The majority of the TP candidates won. The high profile ones did not.

Here’s the reality of the Senate:

There are almost twice the amount of Democrat senators up for re-election in 2012 as there are GOP senators. Those Dem senators saw what happened to their buddies who voted for health care and some of Obama’s other debacles.

I suspect it will be fairly easy to get more than a couple of Dem senators to vote with the GOP as long as the legislation in question isn’t something too outlandish. With the polls constantly showing Obamacare as a negative, it may even be possible to get a veto-proof majority on that one. Maybe. In any case, the slim majority the Dems have in the Senate won’t hold – or if it does, there will be another rout in 2012, leaving the House, Senate and very possibly the Presidency in GOP hands. You can bet those Democrats up for reelection in 2012 are looking over their shoulder.

“Obamacare will not be repealed.”

Probably not until Obama is gone in 2012, unless the above veto proof majority actually happens. But that doesn’t really matter. The House can defund or otherwise hamstring Obamacare until it is for all practical purposes dead. The desired result – Obamacare dead – will be achieved.

The challenge of the GOP / TEA folks is going to be to actually make something happen. There will always be a percentage of wimps in any political group. Some of the newly elected may well get cold feet and become RINOS, or the TEA party equivalent. But I don’t think it’s going to be very many of them, and the soon-to-be new leadership seems to recognize that danger and is already acting on it.

Now to the huge red elephant in the room: The GOP picked up a ton of governorships. In Tennessee, the GOP is firmly in control of the Governor’s mansion and the entire legislature. I am almost rubbing my hands at what that means for Tennessee, but that’s another topic. The Big Red Elephant is redistricting. A whole lot of states controlled by a whole lot of GOPers are going to have a field day with redistricting and undoing the gerrymandering the Dems did back a decade ago. Yes, there will be some lawsuits, but the overall result is going to be a much harder road for the Dems in 2012.

But then, if the new right leaning face of government is Washington sticks to conservative principles and turns the economy, spending, and general BS of this administration around, none of that will matter. Barack Obama will have presided over the destruction of his party for the foreseeable future.

THAT makes me smile.

It's Election Eve...

2010-11-01T16:38:00.000-05:00

…and I have never been so ready for the people of these United States to put a stop to this Bulls**t in Washington as I am tonight.

Today's "What the World Really Thinks" edition

2010-09-17T10:20:00.003-05:00

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From Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s version of USA Today:

"Obama has underestimated the frustration in the country and the power of the Tea Party movement, which gives the prevailing disillusionment a platform and a voice. It is by far the most vibrant political force in America. Obama's left-of-center coalition, which got young people and intellectuals involved and which appealed to a majority of women, blacks and Latinos, has evaporated into nothing."

"The new right, though, is on the rise. It sets the agenda. America is facing a shift to the right. The Republicans have already marched in this direction of their own accord, regardless how many Tea Party reactionaries get a seat and a voice in Congress in November. The Democrats and the president have been put totally on the defensive. From now on they will only be able to react, rather than act."

It's amazing what you can find away from American "Journalism", eh?

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Burning and Building

2010-09-08T19:56:00.004-05:00

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So Pastor Terry Jones down in Gainesville (Imam Rauf up in NYC) wants to burn a Koran (build a mosque at Ground Zero).

Well, let’s analyze that.

First, Does he have a right to do so? Well, The Constitution of this great country says yes, under freedom of expression and freedom of speech. It is also legal, assuming he gets the proper burning (building) permits and other local minor stuff.

The question of whether he should is a bit more complex. I say he shouldn’t. Why? Well, because he’s a fraud of a pastor a long way removed from Jesus ( an Islamic with ties to terror group supporters and shady financial dealings), but that’s not the point.

The point is he will seriously offend a whole lot of Muslims who just LOVE to be offended, and we're ill equipped to deal with it. And it offends, um...Muslims (Americans) who do in fact renounce Islamic extremism (who were deeply affected by 9/11).

And I suppose there is some truth to the Obama administration’s position that it may endanger our troops overseas, although since the Islamic looneys over there would kill any American at the first opportunity anyway I’m not sure that’s a factor. Plus, there are a lot of non-Muslims not too thrilled with it, either.

So, what we have here is someone who has the legal right via the freedom of this country to perform an act, but a pretty good percentage of this country think it’s a bad thing because it is patently offensive to a lot of people.

The left is making the most of this, trying to tie Pastor Jones to everyone from George Bush to the TEA party…but I have to join them in a universal condemnation of this act.

Wait…

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If a picture is worth 1000 words....

2010-08-30T07:21:00.003-05:00

THIS speaks volumes.

The most *snort* powerful *giggle* leader in the *heehee* free...world!

WHERE MY CHEESE ???!

2010-08-12T14:44:00.003-05:00

30,000 people turning out for an application to get on the list to apply for Section 8 housing in Georgia. Man, the Obama administration must be drooling to see all this on TV. Government Dependency on parade!

As typical democrats, they decide to riot when things are not going their way…

30,000…That’s 75% of the TOTAL population of this town.

Police showed up in riot gear, and calmed things down.

Here’s the story, along with the usual lib media slant.

But, hey, I’m a cop, and I have to offer some advice for the East Point Police…You guys went about clearing that crowd all wrong. A show of force isn’t the answer.

I offer the following sample PA announcement to clear the crowd immediately:

“Attention. This is the East Point Police. There has been a misunderstanding. This is NOT free housing. You will be required to actually work. You know, a JOB.”

Instant exodus. The ones who stay are really trying to make a life for themselves and know what’s involved…they’ll be at the front of the line as they should be.

You’re welcome.

Waaaaaahhhh!

2010-08-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

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Let’s say you’re a candidate for, oh, Sheriff. You lost the race along with ALL of the other Democrats in EVERY county wide race.

What to do, what to do?

Well, if you’re a Democrat, you begin whining, crying “It’s not FAIR”, and saying the election was rigged.

…and so goes Randy Wade, the losing candidate for Shelby County Sheriff.

Story here.

And to think THIS man could have been out top law enforcer. Jeez.

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GOP gets out the vote - and the broom in Shelby County

2010-08-05T23:44:00.004-05:00

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Wow. If this was a microcosm of November, the Democrats are in deep, deep, doodoo.

There were many party primary races, but in every head to head match-up in heavily Democratic Shelby County, the GOP won…sometimes by a much larger margin than anyone thought.

In what was supposed to be a hotly contested race, Sheriff Mark Luttrell easily beat interim Shelby County Mayor Joe Ford. In a closer but still surprising win, GOP candidate Bill Oldham beats Steve Cohen’s butt-ki, I mean right hand man Randy Wade for the Sheriff’s office being vacated by now mayor elect Luttrell.

Here are the results of the county wide races:

County Mayor
(R) M. Luttrell- 57.8%
(D) J. Ford- 41.6%

Sheriff
(R) B. Oldham- 51.9%
(D) R. Wade- 48.1%

County Clerk
(R) W. Mashburn- 54.8%
(D) C. Maclin- 45.0%

County Register
(R) T. Leatherwood- 58.4%
(D) C. Thompson- 41.6%

County Trustee
(R) D. Lenoir- 49.3%
(D) R. Newman- 46.4%

Circuit Court Clerk
(R) J. Moore- 55.4%
(D) R. Dixon- 44.6%

Criminal Court Clerk
(R) K. Key- 48.7%
(D) M. Johnican- 45.7%

Juvenile Court Clerk
(R) J. Touliatos- 51.4%
(D) S. Wilbun- 43.9%

Probate Court Clerk
(R) P. Boyd- 52.1%
(D) S. Becton- 47.9%

Yep. A GOP sweep.

I just can’t WAIT for November!

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Heh.

2010-08-05T07:44:00.001-05:00

Moonbats getting more rabid.

2010-07-26T10:19:00.004-05:00

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With each Obama misstep, with each failure of his policies, with each new revelation that the Administration has no clue what they are doing, with each new prediction by conservatives of the consequences of Obama’s ideology coming true…

The left is becoming more unhinged. I just finished perusing The Commercial Appeal and the comments by some on the left. Wow. There are some commenters on there who really should be sought out and given free room and board at MMHI for a few weeks. Posters by the name of jimmy108, JimMaynard, MCSTHOMASPAINE, and desertego to name a few.

It’s clear the left is becoming quite unbalanced. I am a bit worried what will happen after the November election. I’m wondering if the local law enforcement agencies have a Moonbat Response Operational Plan?

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Shelby County Sheriff's Race 2010

2010-07-22T22:36:00.002-05:00

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After 8 years of Mark Luttrell, Shelby County citizens get to elect a new Sheriff.

From a citizen’s standpoint, I suppose it looks like Mark has done a great job. He’s fixed the jail, achieved accreditation of both the jail and the SCSO (although CALEA accreditation seems to be able to be had for the cost of the stickers on the cars. Once SCSO and MPD got theirs, I started noticing CALEA stickers on just about every agency between here and wherever we went on vacation). He’s apparently held the line on spending. Overall, Mark’s been a good public servant and steward of the people’s money.

But has he been a good Sheriff? Well, that depends on who you ask. To me, Luttrell seems to have softened the SCSO a bit, making it more politically correct, and, in my way of thinking, less effective. He has also managed to piss off a whole lot of deputies who see him as practicing union busting tactics. But crime in Shelby County is still down, and the Lutrell administration has made HUGE strides in data drive policing and field equipment. SCSO is now paperless in the patrol cars for the most part. I can tell you from experience that is a huge efficiency multiplier for any officer. Computers rock!

And therein lies the convolutions of the current race for Sheriff.

The candidates are Bill Oldham, Luttrell’s chief deputy and former interim director of MPD, and Randy Wade, former deputy Chief and perennial candidate, having lost to Luttrell 8 years ago.

Both the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the Memphis Police Association have endorsed Randy Wade. In fact, the DSA has never endorsed anyone. This is a first for them.

Problem: The officers are voting their pocketbook and out of dislike of Luttrell’s dealings with them, and Oldham’s paying the price. The question is: Is the man best for the officers the best man for the citizens?

In this case, I think Oldham is being unfairly targeted. Yes, he was Luttrell’s second in command…on paper, anyway. From what I have been able to gather, the real decisions in the SO are being made by Harvey Kennedy, the SCSO CAO, and thus a bean counter. Apparently Oldham is out of the loop. So, if that’s the case, the officers’ guilt by association stance with Oldham may be misplaced.

If true, that’s a shame. Bill Oldham is an experienced law enforcement veteran, and from what I hear a great guy.

Randy Wade is also a former deputy and Navy veteran, with wide support among the officers. However, he has been out of the SO for about 9 years now, and I can attest there is a lot different about LE these days. Wade has campaigned on alternatives to jail for non-violent offenders (yep, he’s the Democrat) and early youth intervention.

Oldham’s campaign slogan is “Continuing the Progress”, which is pretty self explanatory.

My take:

Bill Oldham has the ability to continue the good administrative practices of Luttrell, but also has the street experience to relate to what the officer on the street is going through. I don’t believe Oldham has been given the opportunity to perform the Chief Deputy functions, and I think let loose he would combine the best of administrative excellence and law enforcement experience.

Randy Wade knows the business as well, but I don’t think he can provide the best of both worlds that Bill Oldham can.

Bottom line:

Randy Wade would make a good Sheriff. Bill Oldham would make an excellent one.

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Hello???

2010-07-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

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Did you ever attempt to start a project…say cleaning out the garage…and just stood there and stared, not knowing where to start because there was just SO MUCH STUFF to do?
That’s how I’ve felt about this blog lately. I have settled down to post something a few times, but just didn’t know where to start.

Obama. Gross incompetence. Blunder after blunder

Korea. Iran. China. The Gulf. The NAACP. Every time I think the left can’t get any more out there, they do. Freaking unreal.

Locally, the heart wrenching deaths of two West Memphis Police officers, Bob Paudert and Bill Evans. The TN governor’s race. The Shelby Count Sheriff’s race.

The list goes on and on.

Where to start? There’s just so much going on.

But, I need to either make the effort or kill this blog entirely.

Ok, once more into the breech…if anyone’s still with me.

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1000 words...

2010-04-30T11:35:00.003-05:00

Here' s a picture of the United States power structure all together at the service for Dorothy Height, a civil rights activist.

Obama crying, Michelle bored, Pelosi laughing, and Biden asleep.

That just pretty much sums things up with this adminstration, doesn't it?

Liberals Allow Guns in Tennessee Bars

2010-04-12T08:03:00.002-05:00

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Yep, you read correctly. Other titles I considered were “The Law of Unintended Consequences” or “Be Careful What You Wish For”.

Last year, the Tennessee state legislature passed a law allowing persons with a Handgun Carry Permit to bring their weapons into restaurants that also served alcohol provided they were not consuming alcohol themselves.

There were several good reasons for this law. First, a weapon is safest on the person of a trained, licensed operator. Plus, the current law forced armed persons to leave their weapons in their vehicles while in the restaurants, thus opening them up to theft. There have also been many assaults and robberies in parking lots, which make a gun locked in a car pretty worthless for self defense. More than 2/3rd of the US has realized this and have similar laws.

Well, as you could imagine, the moonbats went berserk. The newspaper comment boards were filled with dire predictions of “carnage”, "blood in the streets”, and “shootouts” in your local Chili’s. Never mind over 38 other states have this law with virtually zero increase in gun violence. The Republican members of the legislature were labeled “backwoods rednecks” and worse, despite the fact that the law had overwhelming support, enough that Governor Bredesen (D) vetoed the bill only to have it overridden immediately.

The media was fully in the liberal bed with this story, calling it the “guns in bars” law even though the law specifically forbade guns in “pure bars” or those establishments that made less than 50% of their profits from food sales.

Now, we all know such silly little institutions such as proper lawmaking procedure mean nothing to the libs, so they promptly found an activist judge to overturn a law properly created by the legislature. Nashville Judge Claudia Bonnyman ruled the law “unconstitutionally vague”, In her decision, the judge called the law “fraught with ambiguity”

Well, alrighty, then!

Faced with a liberal activist judge fraught with stupidity, the TN state lawmakers are now in the process of passing a new bill. You know, one that removes all “ambiguity” from the definition of where HCP holders can take their weapon. The new law states HCP holders can bring weapons into ANY establishments which serve alcohol…even bars.

Ooooops!

Now, the reality of the situation is most “pure bar” owners are going to opt out of the law and post signs prohibiting carry (which is allowed by the new law), thus making sure bars remain places where only bad guys have guns, but the reaction of the liberals over this new law has been hilarious.

Their vilification of the GOP lawmakers over this new law has been in full bore, but some of the more cognizant libs have realized they did this, and the reaction has been a little muted.

Liberals: If they weren’t so dangerous they’d be a funny side-show!

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Hey, Kentucky Wildcats...

2010-03-27T22:01:00.001-05:00

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BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Ok, I'm done now.

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Damn the Facts! This MUST be Racist!

2010-03-13T18:19:00.004-06:00

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Once again I am amazed at the sheer number of legal and law enforcement experts there are in Memphis and Shelby County. They appear from everywhere any time an officer is involved in a shooting, especially if it’s a white officer and the criminal thug - Uh, I mean the innocent victim of the racist police - is black. Hang on for the ride. Here we go:

Last Thursday, a detective from the Bartlett Police Department (a Memphis suburb) shot and killed (with one shot – Good shooting, Detective!) one Malcolm Shaw, a convicted drug dealer with a long arrest history. The shooting happened as BPD was serving a search warrant for *gasp* drugs on Shaw at his north Memphis home. When no one would answer the door, BPD forced entry and was confronted by Shaw, who came from a back room and pointed a pistol at the entry team.

After Shaw was shot, BPD had to call Memphis police for backup to control the crowd that had gathered in the street. Bear in mind this was at 10:30 on a weekday in a neighborhood where everyone was at home at that time. Draw your own conclusions there.

As I followed this story, I made the mistake of listening to the TV news interview the neighbors, and the even bigger mistake of perusing the comments section of the Commercial Appeal. That leads to two observations. One, the general public has no clue about police work, and Two, I see no evidence some of these people have the intelligence to make it through a single day of life.

I’ll take the common comments and replace them with, well, what happens in the real world.

The Bartlett Police had no business in Memphis serving a warrant, either legally or jurisdictionally.

Wrong. Cross jurisdictional police work happens all the time. If BPD was in possession of a warrant signed by a Shelby County judge (and they were), then the raid, BPD participation in the raid, and the legality of the raid are all fine. BPD did NOT have to have any other agency’s officer with them.

Bartlett was obligated to call MPD or Shelby County Sheriff’s Office prior to the service of the search warrant.

Nope. It’s good practice, but not legally required. BPD called MPD 6 minutes before the shooting. Some of the “experts” are sure this isn’t enough time, but one poster (apparently a cop), noted that any more advanced notice than that would have given the bad cops in MPD time to tip off the bad guy. Well, considering two MPD officers were recently indicted for doing just that (tipping off local nightclubs to raids) that’s not so far fetched. Besides, 6 minutes on an entry team is an eternity.

The officer did not have authority to force entry.

Huh? Repeat after me: Search Warrant. It was a warrant for the house, not the man. If no one’s home, or no one answers the door, down goes the door. Legally. if the warrant was for a person, and that person wasn’t home, different story, But search warrant? No problem.

After the shooting, MPD spokespersons stated Bartlett police had followed proper protocol in notifying MPD of the operation. There is a letter of agreement amongst departments in Shelby County outlining notification procedures. It’s a courtesy (and as I said, good practice) to do so. One of the main reasons is to prevent another UC officer from another agency being in the vicinity when the warrant is served. Now, MPD Director Godwin is trying to cover his butt by saying there was not ENOUGH notification, but that’s just Larry Godwin…

Fact: Officers from Bartlett PD served a perfectly valid and legal search warrant on a house in Memphis. They notified MPD 6 minute before they made entry. Whether that’s long enough is, I suppose, debatable, but they DID notify MPD. The dispatch tapes prove that.

Fact: The police most certainly have the authority to force entry into your home, my home, and anywhere else they have a valid warrant.

Fact: A thug pulled a weapon on a highly trained law enforcement officer. There are consequences for such an action. Mr. Shaw experienced those consequences firsthand.

Fact: The officer was white. The thug was black. Big freaking deal. That changes absolutely nothing about the legality of the warrant, BPD’s presence, or the shooting.

Here’s the link to the story, which even features a picture of Mr. Shaw’s front porch, complete with a stolen street sign.

TTH's Post- Super Bowl analysis

2010-02-07T20:49:00.001-06:00

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Congratulations...does this mean you'll finally stop bitching about Katrina?

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Moonbat principal goes…well, moonbat over 2-inch toy gun

2010-02-04T10:57:00.001-06:00

This has got to be read to be believed…I think the telling sentence here is the “Straight A’s to NRA” comment.

THESE PEOPLE ARE RUNNING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS!

Karma, The Female Dog

2010-01-27T07:38:00.002-06:00

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You know, I might even feel sorry for Obie this week if his implosion wasn’t so (A) funny and (B) good for the country. I mean, if Obama wasn’t such a narcissistic arrogant idiot, the guy might feel like some kind if Anti-Midas. Everything he touches has turned to crap. Three elections, climate change, the Olympics, and now basketball.

Yesterday, Obama calls (then) #1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats and their head traitor- I mean coach John Calipari, thanking them for a “Hoops for Haiti” fundraiser program last week. Last night, the Wildcats were beaten by unranked South Carolina. I mean, the guy can’t buy a break. I am, however, reaching deep for some sympathy for Coach Calipari….ummm….wait. Maybe…nope, not there. Sorry, Cal.

But it’s clear America is turning into a bunch of racists by the droves. Think about it. Following liberal logic (snicker) as we have been told, anyone who does not bow down to The Messiah and agree with absolutely everything BarryO does is a flaming racist. There cannot be any other explanation. Ergo, America is turning into a bunch of racists, as evidenced by the recent polls and elections.

As further proof, it’s originating in those bastions of redneck, ignorant white trash racists southern states…like Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Heck, Indonesia is even considering taking down the statue they put up. Racists.

In other news, a new poll shows Americans aren’t buying Obie’s State of The Union speech even before the teleprompters roll. Among the highlights we can expect: a freeze on federal spending…after running up the largest deficit in human history. Well, that one’s easy. Pretty simple to freeze spending when you’ve spent it all dry. Except for the 8 billion he’s going to spend on a light rail system. Yeah that will create jobs…for Germany and Japan. You see, we have no bullet trains in the US, so we’ll have to go to other countries for the engineering and construction expertise…and except for the 4 billon for education. Hey has anybody (especially in Memphis) noticed the more money we throw at education, the worse the students perform?

So for this week, an old saying comes to mind… Something about Karma being a bitch.

Me, I’m looking forward to having the SOTU. Got the popcorn, chips and salsa. Should be great entertainment.

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OK, so it's very cool...

2010-01-19T21:15:00.000-06:00

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As I sit here watching Keith Olbermann literally stumble over himself at a loss for words, I can't help but think the next American Revolution has begun. Yes, the spin has already started...Coakley ran a poor campaign, it was all about the economy, ad nauseum. But the facts remain, well, facts.

Massachusetts has a Republican senator for the first time in a very long time. In a sky blue state. With The One Who is Now Irrelevant personally campaigning for her.

The left will spin this, but if they are honest with themselves, this little top won't spin.

With apologies to Mickey D's...I'm lovin' it!

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What can Brown do for us?

2010-01-18T16:14:00.003-06:00

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Ya know, I never thought I’d be all tingly about a Massachusetts senate race…but crap, look what’s happening.

As a reality check, do I think Brown is going to win? Well, I suppose it’s possible, but I just can’t get myself that far into believing it.

The Real Clear Politics poll data shows spreads anywhere from Brown up by 15 to Coakley up by 30. However, and this is a big one…all of the recent polls show Brown with a pretty good lead.

In short, who knows?

But it would be really cool.

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Head Scratcher of The Week

2010-01-16T22:18:00.001-06:00

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I have never met Cindy Sheehan, and I am sorry for the loss of her son in the Middle East, but I have a few observations:

Somebody needs to get Cindy off the cheeba.

Someone needs to take her aside and tell her that she was simply a tool of the left and she was discarded when she no longer suited their purposes, and no one really cares what she thinks, even her false “friends”

But most importantly, someone needs to tell her Dick Cheney isn’t VP any more.

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Random Fire - Haiti

2010-01-15T07:36:00.004-06:00

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A horrible tragedy, without a doubt. Some observations in no particular order:

For some reason, it really bothered me to see Brian Williams in his tropical outfit, tanned and healthy, brandishing his bottle of clean water on live TV with everything that was going on around him.

The behavior of the Haitians, with food riots, gangs roaming the streets, and such, seems to be a surprise to the media. Why? It happened at Katrina.

While I have heard the story of Haiti’s pact with the devil, a fair number of theologians have not been able to find any evidence of a pact with the devil. So, I have no idea if one exists, but Pat Robertson was an idiot for saying what he did.

Update: Not to be outdone, Danny Glover has said something even dumber.

The world’s response has been, as I always knew it would, exceptional.

Obama’s response to the disasters, though delayed by 72 hours, has been proper. There could have probably been more lives saved if he hadn’t waited three days. That seems to be a habit with this guy. Taking time to think about things can be good…unless people are dying in the process.

There will be inevitable comparisons with Bush’s response to Katrina. There are stark differences. By law, Bush had to wait until the governor of Louisiana asked for help. She did not for what are now known to be political reasons. Obama was able to respond without anyone’s permission, plus Haiti was already asking for help.

Plus, the U.S military could not be deployed in Louisiana for peacekeeping or law enforcement. They can, have, and should be in Haiti. That’s a ton of resources Bush did not have.

The Urban Search and Rescue Teams from California and Virginia are on-site, with the Memphis / Shelby County team on standby. Top notch teams, and they are badly needed. One wonders why TNTF-1 isn’t mobilized.

Despite all the politically correct babble you have heard on TV that the U.S. is not running Haiti…the U.S. is running Haiti….and that’s as it should be. We’re the only ones who can.

And, despite all they tell you, this can happen here…

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Obama on The Job

2010-01-02T13:24:00.002-06:00

As terrorists plot to destroy this county, it is comforting to know the president is meeting with his top advisors to root out these nefarious thugs wherever they may be.

And the manhunt continues…..

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T01:19:00.002-06:00

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Welcome to 2010: the year we take back our government and our country!

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Lessons (not) learned from NWA Flight 253

2009-12-28T17:54:00.002-06:00

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1. Despite the touchy, feely, “Hopenchange Apology World Tour”, there are STILL extremists out here who want to kill as many Americans (or foreigners that happen to be coming to America, or in the vicinity of Americans) as possible. Imagine that!

2. Despite Obama’s magnanimous declaration that we are not at war with Islam, since 9/11 100% of the terrorists trying to kill the aforementioned Americans have been uh, Muslim. Gee.

3. Political correctness, either in strategic and tactical defense of this country or a beat officer trying to keep crime down in his area, fails miserably and will kill this country if allowed to continue. Did you notice Yahoo News wouldn’t spell out Nigeria? How stupid do these people get?

4. Those dismissing this as just another wannabe jihadist might want to consider that had the detonator not malfunctioned on Christmas Day, the amount and type of explosive aboard the Amsterdam – Detroit flight was more than enough to rupture the fuselage of the plane in flight.

One of the stupidest comments I have seen in the local paper’s comment section and on various talk shows is one “thanking Obama for protecting us..."

News Flash! A terrorist got on a US bound US owned airliner with high explosives. If not for a device failure and passengers (one in particular) subduing the subject, DHS would be picking up the pieces of its shattered credibility along with plane and body parts in a Michigan field. Fact is, the US security apparatus failed on multiple levels:

A. The bomber was identified by his own father as having radical tendencies, and we did nothing.
B. The information was passed up the chain to Washington, and again we did nothing.

C. The TSA failed to detect high explosives passing through the security checkpoint.

And (D) even if this guy was NOT on a no-fly list, him getting on a US bound airliner on Christmas Day SHOULD have sent up at least one or two red flags.

I have a predication. It’s not much of a stretch, since we have full and complete evidence that the US Army failed to stop the Ft. Hood shooter due to an unwillingness to accuse Muslims of anything more than jaywalking lest one be called a racist…a favorite tactic of the left nowadays…anyway, when the truth comes out (and it won’t if Obama’s peeps have anything to do with it), we’ll find that this wasn’t given the proper attention because again, someone didn’t want to be called racist, or profiling, or whatever.

It is now standard procedure in the law enforcement community and national security circles to risk potentially thousands of American lives before risking being called racist or anti-Muslim.

Several posters on the various news sites have asked “What’s it going to take for us to stop this politically correct nonsense?”

The answer is simple. 9/11 is the new standard by which the liberals will judge every terrorist attack under the Obama administration (and there will be more). Anything less than the carnage witnessed at the WTC will be judged a success by Obama in protecting the American people. It will take no less than a mushroom cloud over a major American city to shock these people back into reality.

…if even then.

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Lefty Media Freudian Slip of The Year 2009

2009-12-27T21:18:00.001-06:00

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Coming in just under the wire for 2009, this from a cable news report concerning the attempted terrorist attack on a Delta plane:

“Obama officials say they knew of the man’s radical views, but did not have enough intelligence to act”

Truer words never spoken!
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Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T16:06:00.005-06:00

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Well, a flurry of pre Christmas activity is over now, including an outstanding Trans Siberian Orchestra show at the FedEx forum

May you and yours have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the clip!

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The Lie of The Tiger Part, Too

2009-12-04T08:15:00.003-06:00

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Why is it some guys are so blind to the possible consequences of their actions? Why would a guy risk everything Tiger Woods has?

It appears my initial call on the cause of the accident is pretty accurate, and now Tiger has alleged mistresses coming out of the woodwork. Probably not all of them are real, but one’s enough.

This one really ticked me off, and I guess it’s because Tiger Woods was (past tense is intentional) such a great role model. I have one more thing to say about this them I’ll let it be.

Like I said before, God was pretty wise writing those Commandments, and there always seem to be consequences for violating them. But I will defend Tiger on one point. The media has no right to demand all the sordid details of Tiger’s family troubles. As he stated on his web site, he will be dealing with these out of the public eye. That’s as it should be.

Trust is hard to earn, easy to lose, and almost impossioble to rebuild.

Tiger has a lot of family work ahead of him.

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The Lie of The Tiger

2009-11-30T18:23:00.002-06:00

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OK, I know I’m letting the blog languish a bit again, but when a title like the one above pops into my head, it’s just begging for a post to go with it.

If you happen to be near a cop at the moment, turn to him or her and ask the following question: “If you get a call at 2:20 in the morning that someone has pulled out of their driveway, hit a fire hydrant...then a tree, what’s comes to your mind?”

I guarantee the first word out of the officer’s mouth will be “alcohol”. The second will most probably be “a domestic disturbance”. Now, let’s put you in the shoes of the detectives following up on said case. According to the preliminary reports and TMZ, the gossip site which seems to have a very solid inside line to this case, alcohol does not seem to be a factor. So, why would one leave his or her house at a high rate of speed after a domestic altercation and do it recklessly enough to crash the vehicle into various objects? Well, there are two possibilities: anger or fear. Now, let’s add to the mix the victim in the case has scratch marks which appear inconsistent with the accident. Add a golf club supposedly wielded by the wife to “rescue” the defendant, and you have an intriguing case. How to clear it all up? Easy! Let’s just go ask the victim what happened. After all, it’s just a traffic accident, right?

Well, not so fast. It seems the “victim” isn’t talking. Neither is his wife. Hmmmm. Now, police officers can’t use rumor as fact or probable cause, but there’s this story (again from TMZ) that ‘ol Tiger’s wife wasn’t rescuing him with the golf club, she was trying to make par with Mr. Woods’ head due to an argument about his dalliances with another woman…one who TMZ names.

Admissible evidence? Of course not, but we’d better get the facts on this and stop all this media hysteria. But once again, Mr. Victim isn’t talking. Not only that, he puts out a statement that he is not talking to the police because he doesn’t have to. Next a newly hired lawyer enters the picture, making the same statement. Lawyered up already? Wow.

Curiouser and curiouser, eh?

As I write this, there is a story that the Florida Highway Patrol is trying to get a search warrant to investigate the medical records at the hospital where Tiger went to see if they can learn more about the supposed scratch marks. There are some crying foul on this, but it is entirely appropriate. Multimillionaire sports stars cannot beat on their spouses (or vice versa) any more than Bubba and Cyndi at the trailer park can. The case should be investigated.

But I have a suggestion for the FHP regarding the accident itself. So Mr. Tiger won’t talk. Fine. As for the accident, use the available evidence. Present Mr. Tiger with his citation for failure to maintain control, striking a fixed object (twice), leaving marked lanes of traffic, and any other applicable charges. Include with that a notice of apparent liability for the damage to the hydrant and city water system, the tree, and any associated cleanup costs. Let Mr. Tiger ‘splain it all to the judge.

The fact is, IMHO, if the truth comes out Ms. Tiger is going to jail.

Ya know, God really knew what he was talking about when he forbid that adultery thingie. Nothing good ever comes out of cheating.

A complete and utter jackass...

2009-11-06T21:58:00.000-06:00

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http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/A-Disconnected-President.html

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Halloween insanity

2009-10-17T16:53:00.002-05:00

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Update: I’ve been trying to buy one of these for the last 24 hours. They are sold out everywhere. People are buying them up like hotcakes…only not from Target. Can you say “backfire”?

Ok, so a California immigrants right group is all upset that Target is selling a Halloween costume depicting an illegal alien in an orange jumpsuit, holding a “Green Card”. The jumpsuit says “illegal alien” on the front.

The complaint is the usual stuff…the costume is offensive to immigrants, insensitive, racist, etc, etc.

Here’s a picture of the costume.

Now, y’all tell me just WHO is offended by this? I suspect there are some Men In Black who would really like to interview them.

But seriously, this is obviously a misunderstanding and no one would take this seriously, right? Wrong. Target is pulling the costume.

Barry: Hopenchange! IOC: Get lost.

2009-10-02T23:43:00.001-05:00

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How many of you have ever seen a guy in a white lab coat selling perfume at the cosmetics counter at Macy’s? Why not?

Maybe it’s because he’d have a hard time selling stuff he doesn’t use and doesn’t have credibility about…or maybe he can’t sell it because he doesn’t believe in it.

That’s why Barack Obama failed to get Chicago past the opening round of the IOC 2016 Olympics selection. He doesn’t believe in America. It was all about the money, political payback for his Chicago cronies, Obama’s own personal gain and IT SHOWED. Add that to a healthy does of misplaced ego, and you have all the ingredients of a screw-up.

His presentation was all about how America needed the Olympics. Why, we have people needing JOBS in Chicago! Michelle’s grandfather loved the Olympics (???), and above all, America is entitled to have these games…after all it’s all about HOPE, and CHANGE. I didn’t hear much about how America is the greatest country on earth and has so much to offer the people of the world and the Olympic Games.

OK, look. Rio was a natural, and I think the IOC made a good choice. But the real story here is Obama’s credibility with the world. Despite what the media would have you believe, it ain’t there, folks. The rock star image isn’t working. Why? Because running the free world is a serious thing, and the worlds leaders have already seen Barry doesn’t’ have what it takes.

Hey, when the FRENCH think the American President is weak,. We got us a problem, no?

Great lead-up to the Iran talks, Obama. I bet Imanutjob is laughing his tail off about now.

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Flash Forward

2009-10-01T20:15:00.001-05:00

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I think I may have a new favorite TV show. The plot of Flash Forward is fairly straightforward. The entire population of Earth blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. Everyone at the same time…and everyone has a different vision of themselves but all occurring on the same day in the future.

The plot itself is genius, as it opens up endless possible subplots, each as personal as the individual's visions. For instance, one character saw nothing, so he has assumed that he will die by the date in question.

The storyline so far centers around an FBI office attempting to discover what happened and why.

I’m especially interested in the subplot of the lead character and his wife. She saw herself with another man, and even though they have been honest about discussing the vision, the mere fact of the vision is sowing seeds of mistrust and is seemingly headed toward a self-fulfilling vision.

This series has endless scientific, philosophical, psychological, theological, etc possibilities. I hope the rest of the season is as good as the first two episodes.

But if you want to check it out, I would think it’s almost imperative you watch the first two episodes first.

www.abc.go.com/flashforward

Say WHAT?

2009-09-25T18:01:00.004-05:00

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Ok, this is a new one even on me, and I thought I had heard it all:

From a conference on slavery reparations at which U.S. Rep Steve Cohen, in full pander mode, attended :

(National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N'COBRA) chairwoman Njere) Alghance said it was time for Cohen to "go back to the table" and rectify the vestiges of what she called "post-slavery traumatic stress syndrome," manifested in high diabetes and hypertension rates among African Americans.

"post-slavery traumatic stress syndrome," ?

Lady, are you out of your cotton-pic… er, ever-loving MIND?

Just how low will some people grovel for a handout in this country?

Look, I am all for reparations, and I am not ashamed to say it. If anyone can find ANY former slave still living in the United States I will lead the charge to give him or her a sincere apology and monetary and land reparations.

What, may I ask , are the symptoms PSTSS (perhaps “pissed” for short ???

This country is headed straight for the loony farm. Get a good seat while they are still available.

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Oh, No He DIDN'T....

2009-09-22T22:23:00.002-05:00

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What you see here is not Photoshopped, although I sincerely wish it was. The Dalai Lama arrived in Memphis today and was greeted by Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery with…a fist bump.

Welcome to the ghetto. Holy jeez.

Doo Doo Doot Doot Dooo....

2009-08-21T08:09:00.001-05:00

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I have to admit I have been a bit disappointed in RNC Chiarman Michael Steele…but he DID come out with this yesterday, daring Democrats to pass the health care debacle bill:

"You want it done? Pass the bill," Steele said. "But they know it's poisonous and they know the American people will not tolerate it. They're scrambling now and they're beginning to turn on each other because they've got a big problem, a political one, and they can't solve it."

Ooooo. Them’s fightin’ words, right? Well, maybe not. DNC spokeswimp Derrick Plummer offered this stinging comeback:

"I would just encourage (Steele) to encourage members of his party to work with the president so the 46 million Americans who are without health insurance have access to quality affordable health care that ensures choice and brings down cost,"

You can be sure when the Dems push bipartisanship they are in big trouble. Otherwise, they’d just give the finger to the GOP and the American people and do what they damn well please.

I’m lovin’ it, and I’m not talking about Mickey D’s.

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Little Willie Willie Won't Go Home

2009-08-14T11:44:00.005-05:00

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Ok, so Memphis Mayor Willie “nutcase” Herenton finally retires last month. The Election Commission sets a special election for October. Guess who pulls a petition to run in the special election?

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Town Hall meetings

2009-08-08T09:08:00.001-05:00

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Scheduled health care town halls with Democrats.

Go.

Make your voice heard!

http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/demtownhall.pdf

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"It is starting"

2009-08-04T17:09:00.003-05:00

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It is starting. Open mockery of Barack Obama, as disillusionment sets in with the man, his policies, and the phony image of a race-healing, brilliant, scholarly, middle-of-the-roader.

Thomas Lifson at American Thinker on the image of Obama as The Joker appearing in Los Angeles and now Atlanta.

Spread the word.

Memphis, Etc

1000 words...

Weekend Random Fire - Bahamas edition

Elvis!

A Christmas story

And That's What Christmas is All About...

Weekend Random Fire

December 7th, 1941

More UC Davis Video Surfaces

Innocent Until Someone Says You're Not...

UC Berkeley Police Open Letter to Students, Regents

The Top 3 UC Davis Pepper Spray Myths Dispelled

UC Davis Pepper Spray: The Truth Comes Out

The UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident

Wow. Just Wow.

Midnight Quick Hits

OWS and The Enemy Within

....Newt?

Weekday Random Fire

Occupy Nashville and The First Amendment

OWS Goes Wrong(er)

WARNING! Geek Post Alert: Audio Quality in the Digital Age

Debate musings

Bimini bound - Fast and Furiously

Yeah. What he said!

Protesters vs. NYPD

Raising Cain!

Trygers

The First EVER M, Etc. caption contest!

"O" Crap!

Football on Duty = 2 days suspension?

Weekend Random Fire

It's Air Show weekend!

Thoughts on 9/11

The Racial Bandwagon is Now Boarding!

MPD Sgt Benjamin and the race baiting moonbats

Banned by the CA (and other musings)

Federal jury finds Erik Sammis, partner not liable

Headlines

Honor

Obama: A Fumble For The Win.

The Star Mangled Banner and other Bowl musings

Truth in Surrender

Yeah, I'm still here.

Weekend random fire

The Stupidity Trifecta

Witness for the Defense

Holiday Weekend Random Fire

Drive by blogging

Outlaw Cohen

"Climate Change"

Did Channel 5 cover for Steve Cohen?

Life is too short...

Weekend Random Fire

See ya, Bailey!

Midtown Memphis- The left’s little racist secret

Consolidation, Part Too

Why California's Prop 19 Failed

Election musings

It's Election Eve...

Today's "What the World Really Thinks" edition

Burning and Building

If a picture is worth 1000 words....

WHERE MY CHEESE ???!

Waaaaaahhhh!

GOP gets out the vote - and the broom in Shelby County

Heh.

Moonbats getting more rabid.

Shelby County Sheriff's Race 2010

Hello???

1000 words...

Liberals Allow Guns in Tennessee Bars

Hey, Kentucky Wildcats...

Damn the Facts! This MUST be Racist!

TTH's Post- Super Bowl analysis

Moonbat principal goes…well, moonbat over 2-inch toy gun

Karma, The Female Dog

OK, so it's very cool...

What can Brown do for us?

Head Scratcher of The Week