The New Doctor Who-Matt Smith

I am waiting, experiencing both excitement and dread, for the new Doctor played by Matt Smith episodes to come out.  One one hand another episode/year of the doctor is always a good one regardless of the actor (I even liked Colin Baker) but on the other hand David Tennant's turn at the Doctor challenged even my Tom Baker love.

I had decided to do a post about how going away from David Tennant and Russell T Davies might actually be a good move because it seems like this incarnation of Doctor Who was running out of steam with a plot pattern that was being recycled multiple times.  This plot of unstoppable and relatively unseen alien beings taking over a human and then using their newly gained body to kill the rest of the humans around, with a different plot device used each time to keep the humans trapped in a small finite space where they run and run and run, till the doctor, with a degree of personal sacrifice, saves most of everyone..(See: The Uniquiet Dead, 42, Silence in the Library, Forest of the Dead, The Waters of Mars,).

But I have realized that most of my media posts lean to the negative so, I changed my mind and decided to list my favorite episodes of the David Tennant era as a way to help pass the torch from him to Smith.  If you care, enjoy and if you don't just wait for my next post I promise it will be back to my to two major themes of faith and law enforcement.

In no particular order:

The Girl in the Fireplace: I was genuinely moved-it began and supported the first reoccurring theme that the Doctor is alone and lonely  and the second reoccurring theme of this Doctor that saving the world/universe is only accomplished with some great personal sacrifice.

Gridlock: Good Premise, Good threat, Good ending...and like all good Doctor Who Episodes not everything is explained

Blink:  A rare Doctor Who episode that breaks the unwritten over-riding rules of a Doctor Who episode without running out of steam with its premise.  The Pulp Fiction of the Doctor Who world.  The end is the beginning or is it really the end?

Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead:  The best of everything that is Doctor Who, killer premise-literally, has what all the best DW episodes have-the Doctor running in an enclosed space with a threat that he can not overcome physically in any way, thus he has to improvise on the fly, there is also a lot of well timed misdirection, a duality in both plot and setting that is finally brought together into what I guess you would call a mono-ality, a number a cool and unexpected plot twists and easily has the best ending of any DW episode I have seen...ever.  "Now and then, every once in a very long while..." (and I really do not like Donna as a companion yet even she has a real and proper role).

Here is the hope for the future...of these four, three (The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink and the two parter Silence in the Library and the Forest of the Dead) were written by Steven Moffat who is taking over for Russell T Davies.


(The following was an early show with meaning)
Jeremiah 43:9
"While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes.

New Police Interceptor

My first assigned squad was a mid 90's Chevy Caprice Squad with a ZR1 Vette engine.  It was big.  It was fast.  It used a lot of gas and as long as you did not have to turn or stop quickly it was perfect.  The only squad I have driven that came anywhere close was the Dodge Charger with the Hemi V8 but that was only a week long test drive.

As time has gone by the squads have slowly gotten smaller and slower till I am wedged into my seat pushed between the door and the laptop computer watching bicyclists pass me by.

The following article is about the new police interceptor from Ford using the Taurus package (which I believe is the renamed old Ford 500 but I could be mistaken).  If everything that is stated is included into the package that actually makes it into our police parking lot it seems like a major upgrade from what is available to agencies from Ford for the last decade.

Article Link

2012 Ford Police Interceptor: The Crown Vic's Robocop Replacement

 Fords Crown Victoria-based police interceptor will finally end production late next year. This is its replacement — the 2012 Ford Police Interceptor. Other than the movie Robocop, it's the first time Ford's Taurus has served as a purpose-built patrol car.

Ford first introduced its police package in 1950 and today the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is the industry leader. The automaker's dominated the streets to the point that over the last five years, Ford's controlled more than 70% of the patrol cars sold. Obviously police fleets are an important segment. Unfortunately, the Crown Vic's Panther-platform's getting a little long in the tooth — it hasn't seen a redesign in over 15 years. The replacement? An all-new Police Interceptor built off the Ford Taurus platform that will be produced at Ford's Chicago, Ill. assembly The new Police Interceptor sedan will obviously offer two powertrain options in order to be competitive with the upcoming Chevy Caprice PPV. The first'll be a standard engine with a 3.5-liter V6 Duratec engine producing more than the Crown Vic's current anemic V8 and more than the standard Taurus V6 — over 263 HP. But it's the second powertrain that police officers'll be pining for — a twin turbo Ecoboost 3.5-liter V6 delivering 365 HP and 350 lb-ft of torque. That's the same engine found in the new 2010 Ford Taurus SHO and it gives Ford a performance boost over the new GM patrol car — the Chevy Caprice PPV — that'll be hitting the streets at about the same time as the new Police Interceptor.

There's also an optional AWD system for the members of the Fargo police department and any other P.D.'s with need of more-than-front-wheel drivetrain police cruisers.

And oh, that interior. We're told by police forces who've already seen the vehicle that nearly 90% of the interior's been redesigned specifically for police. Ford's done little things — like installing the slimline shifter on the column to free up more console area. The instrument panel includes a horseshoe shape for aftermarket equipment installations. It even appears they've thoughtfully provided standard 9" spacing between the passenger and driver — just like the Crown Vic — so agencies can transfer existing aftermarket equipment to their new Police Interceptor. Ford's also supposedly redesigned the doors to make them open 71 degrees. That's not quite as good as the Carbon Motors concept's suicide doors, but not too shabby — and better than the Caprice PPV it'll really be in competition with.

We can also see that there's a 220 amp alternator to provide officers with all the power they'll need for computers, lights and the like — and we're told by suppliers there's a flexible conduit inside the headliner for ease of wiring aftermarket equipment. Lastly, don't forget the anti-stab plate in the back of the front seats — for your protection from shiv-equipped baddies in the back seat.

But that's the near-term future. The long-term future reportedly include a second Police Interceptor that'll be available as a "utility version" built on the same platform. Yup, a Ford Flex-based Interceptor.

But, we are wondering if the Taurus being used as a Police Interceptor is just one more step in the eventual evolution of Detroit police officers into Robocop. Probably not, but somehow that's all we'll be thinking if we see this mean-looking patrol car pulling us over.

Firefly Thunderbolt Watch

I just picked up a Firefly Thunderbolt Watch through a friend of mine that is a throw back-the classic traveling salesman.  It has led's embedded into the watch so that one push and it illuminates low level blue to read the watch but the second push turns on the orange LEDs that work like a flashlight.  It is rechargeable and all you have to do is lay it on its stand and it will recharge no cords etc.

This is a law enforcement friendly tool.  The reason I decided to buy it was to have a last resort flashlight with me at all times on my wrist and...well...to also tell me the time.  The last time we were out late in the morning working, my flashlight up-and-dried-out (LED's do not dim so you never really know when they are going to go out on you) leaving me to run through a couple of places in the dark-not a good tactical position-and then perform some searches borrowing other guys lights.  If I had this watch then it would have saved a lot of hassle.  I think for any Officer that works after the sun goes down this would be a good way to go.  Just a thought.

Three Floyds Alpha King

A couple of buddies and I ran over to the Three Floyds Brewery on a Saturday.  First, we went on the brewery tour and I discovered that beer crafting is both easier and harder than I thought at the same time (and I came to this dichotomy before we started drinking) .  Second, we went to the little pub attached to the brewery and had a couple of beers that you can not get anywhere else and ate and ate and ate (Scotch Eggs, Mussels, fried chicken skin and my sandwich was a pastrami and beef tongue).

Their beer Alpha King is easily the best beer I have had in a long long time.  It runs against my IPA love but it is what a beer should always be about, sharp hoppy beginning, citric middle and crisp end, with clean limited aftertaste.  Brewed in limited batches and hard to find, it is worth the search to have a few and if you go to the brewery I will meet you there! 

3Floyds Link

Mosab Hassan Yousef, The Green Prince

I was listening to the BBC World Service News Hour and they had a lengthy interview with Mosab Yousef, who revealed himself to be the green prince.  After his arrest and subsequent release he became an informant for Israeli's version of the CIA.  He has since become a Christian and moved to the United States, and in fully embracing American culture has, of course, written a book which I will be getting.  It all started when a tourist gave him a Bible.

Mosab was able to turn against his homeland, his friends, his family, his initial religious affiliation, his initial political philosophy, his wealth and his power base.  Wow, even though I believe what he did was not only courageous and correct, I am not sure I could have over come all these obstacles that was between Yousef and the right thing.  Is he a hero or a deeply flawed human being that was able to throw off his loyalties and turn his back to all he has known.  I will let you decide.  I am leaning toward hero but need a lot more research on this matter.

 

Newspaper Write up.

 
Revealed: 'Green Prince' who betrayed Hamas
Israeli informer who provided intelligence to Shin Bet for more than 10 years is son of jailed Palestinian leader
By Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem

The son of a Hamas leader in the West Bank has told an Israeli newspaper that he was the "Green Prince", a key informer who provided Israel's intelligence services with crucial information for more than a decade.

Mosab Hassan Yousef, 32, is the son of Hassan Yousef, a founder of Hamas in the West Bank who is serving a six-year prison sentence in Israel. His intelligence is said to have helped Israel's Shin Bet intelligence service to prevent dozens of suicide bombings and led to the arrest of top Palestinian leaders. "So many people owe him their life and don't even know it," his former handler told Haaretz. "People who did a lot less were awarded the Israel Security Prize."

The claims were dismissed by Hamas as a "Zionist ruse", but independent analysts in the West Bank said they were plausible. If widely believed, they would deal another blow to the prestige of Hamas, already reeling from the assassination of an armed wing leader in Dubai last month, apparently by Israeli agents. Dubai police say a Hamas member facilitated the killing, and Hamas has been at pains to deny there was a security breach.

Mr Yousef, who now lives in California, has gone public with his claims ahead of the publication of a memoir, Son of Hamas. "I wish I were in Gaza now," he said. "I would put on an army uniform and join Israel's special forces in order to liberate Gilad Shalit." He was persuaded to work as the "Green Prince" – a nickname derived from the colour of the Palestinian flag and his own status as the son of a key Hamas figure – in 1996, while he was in an Israeli prison.

Throughout the early years of the second Palestinian uprising that broke out in 2000, he was considered the agency's best source inside Hamas, and contributed to the arrests of the suicide bombing mastermind Abdallah Barghouthi, now serving 67 life sentences, and the firebrand Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi, according to the newspaper.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/revealed-green-prince-who-betrayed-hamas-1909932.html

Random Thoughts - John Carpenter

I am on Netflix and was sent John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars.  Despite being an incredibly bad movie (you know there is a problem when all the director/writer of the movie/screenplay can talk about is the score he created with the help of aging rock stars) it seems that Carpenter was being just lazy.

Take his remake of The Thing (great movie) and turn the snow to sand, the prevailing color white for the color red, the transmission source from blood to sand, keep the formless aliens and also keep the sense of isolation and desperation and you come out with Ghost of Mars...well once you add in bad acting, bad script and crappy sets aaaaaaaannnnnddddd lets add a dash of the clothing ascetic from Escape of New York.
  
He simply ripped himself off and let us down.  This, from the man that gave two of my all time favorite movies: Escape from New York and The Thing.  Why would you phone it in when you are going to spend all the time and energy being the director, script writer and composer, wouldn't be simpler to attach yourself to another low budget project where you only spend 30 shooting days with the movie?  I don't know, it's just a random thought.

PS:  My daughter says he looks like Yoda.

Jesus Vicente Zambada Niebla

The Mexican Cartel Drug Wars rarely touch the Midwest where I live, in any significant way other than their products are consumed and injected on our streets and byways.   However, when I ran across an article about jesus vicente zambada niebla being in federal custody in our local paper I thought it was cool but not earth shattering till I did some research. He really popped up.  I have a rule, in hard news the more outlets propagate a story the more significant it becomes in my mind.  Here is a list and a couple lines from that day from the different news sources that I encountered, starting from Chicago where he ended up and then pulling out.  30 is a big fish for a change.

1.  Son of Mexican drug kingpin pleads not guilty in US court

(AFP) – 2 days ago

CHICAGO — A leading Mexican drug figure suspected of plotting attacks on government buildings in the United States and Mexico pleaded not guilty in a US court Tuesday to trafficking charges.

Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla is the son of one of Mexico's top drug lords, Sinaloa cartel chief Ismael "el Mayo" Zambada-Garcia, and led its operations, logistics and security, Mexican officials said following his March arrest.

Shackled at the ankles and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, Zambada-Niebla stood quietly with his hands clasped behind his back as his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf and an interpreter translated the brief proceedings.

First Link

2.  Mexico to Chicago: Cartel leader extradited (Chicago Examiner)

In what has been heralded as a significant step forward in the war on drugs, a high ranking member of the Sinaloan drug cartel has been extradited to Chicago from Mexico. Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla is described as a second generation cartel leader that was responsible for the import of over $50,000,000.00 worth of Cocaine into the United States with Chicago being the hub of the operation.

Second Link

3. Alleged Sinaloa drug cartel leader denies Chicago charges (Chicago Sun Times)

A man described by authorities as a high-ranking leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel pleaded not guilty today in federal court in Chicago to wide-spread drug conspiracy charges that accuse him and others of bringing massive amounts of cocaine and heroin in to Chicago.

Third Link

4. Alleged Mexican cartel figure pleads not guilty (The Washington Post)

By MIKE ROBINSONThe Associated Press
Tuesday, February 23, 2010; 3:51 PM
CHICAGO -- A man accused of being one of the leaders of a powerful Mexican drug cartel pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he conspired to import and sell large amounts of cocaine and heroin in the United States.

4th Link

5. Mexico: Alleged "narco-junior" Vicente Zambada extradited to the U.S. (Los Angeles Times)

Vicente Zambada, son of one of Mexico's top drug kingpins and allegedly a major operator in his own right, was extradited Thursday to the United States, where he will stand trial on federal trafficking charges, authorities in both countries said.

Zambada, 34, was flown to Chicago and will be arraigned on Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo.

5th Link

Ok you get the idea

2 Kings 15:9

He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Hit with a Cold Again!

I usually get sick twice a year at most.  But this is the third one this winter and this is also the first year I did not get my flu shots.  Well lesson learned.

Psalm 38:3

Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin.

Lyrical personal credo

I am not really sure how I stumbled on Ricky Skagg's and the Kentucky Thunder Album Live at the Charleston Music Hall.  I am not a bluegrass aficionado and at the time I was not following any Christian musicians.  But I found this album and specifically the song "A Simple Life".  It really struck home and has become my unofficial theme song slash personal credo.  My wife knows it and both of my children can sing it word for word because I played it so many times since I discovered it.  I find myself getting bogged down in all the disappointments, stresses and distractions of modern life and this song helps remind me that the truly important things are not complicated and worth focus.  I easily take to heart every line.  Enjoy and start to live the Simple Life. (I think you can just listen to the music and ignore the picture-mentally put yours in).

Larry Norman

I was at a dinner party last night and the conversation turned to Christian Rockers.  We went through the current ones that we have recently gone to see in concert (Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, Newsboys).  One of the couples was from one generation removed from my wife and I and they started talking about the Christian Rock groups that they used to go see back in the 70's and 80's (mainly the Jesus People movement).  That spurred my memory back to the first Christian Rocker that I really hooked into.  Back in the (yes Rich I am aware that is not a proper sentence and this one is not also) easly 80's I was complaining to my youth pastor Dave Barber that the reason that I did not like any of the current Christian groups (Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, Michael W Smith) was because they were lame, sugar coated, pop songs that never delt with the real world.  Dave then pulled out a Larry Norman album  that had the song Why Don't you look to Jesus.  I was blown away.  These lyrics in a "Christian Song?!?"   I immediately became a fan and played the h-e-double hocky sticks out of that tape.   Here is a live performance of this song, worth a listen.


Well I eventually moved on and forgot about Larry and his ass-kicking for Jesus till last night and of course as usual with my timing he has shed this life for the next about a year and change ago, so I will not have the opportunity to see him live.  But man that guy was on the street, playing for the whores, tell'n them about Jesus.  How cool is that!

This is what Larry wrote the day before he died.

In a message he wrote on Saturday, Feb 23, the day before he passed away, Norman said:

"I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home. I won't be here much longer. I can't do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help. My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be funeral information posted on my website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.”
“Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye."


A Brief Bio of Larry


Feb. 25th, 2008, Salem, Oregon - Larry Norman, the singer, songwriter, and producer known as the "father of Christian rock music," died of heart failure on Sunday (Feb. 24) in his Salem, Oregon home. He was 60.

Norman was an eccentric visionary whose songs drew controversy from both the conservative religious establishment and the secular music press for his lyrical mix of radical religious, political, and social themes. His 1969 solo album Upon This Rock was the first Christian rock record, and his milestone 1972 release Only Visiting This Planet is considered one of the best albums in the genre. His music was an influence on such diverse artists as U2, John Mellencamp, and the Pixies.

"Larry was my door into the music business and he was the most Christlike person I ever met," former Pixies singer Frank Black said Monday upon hearing of Norman's passing.

Norman was born on April 8, 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas. At the age of 3 he relocated to San Francisco, California with his family and in the mid-'50s became fascinated with the music of Elvis Presley. During this time he also frequently accompanied his father on Christian missions to prisons and hospitals. At the age of nine, Larry began writing and performing original rock and roll songs at school, experimenting and incorporating a spiritual message into his music. In 1959 he performed on Ted Mack's syndicated television show The Original Amateur Hour on CBS. Upon moving to San Jose, California, he began recording for Capitol Records with his band People! in 1966 and for the next 2 years performed concerts supporting The Doors, The Who, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix, among others. People! scored a Billboard Chart hit in 1968 with a cover of The Zombies’ song “I Love You.” Norman left the band the day People!’s debut album was released.

His solo albums recorded in the 1970s on his own independent label Solid Rock, and the albums of other artists he discovered and produced, laid the foundation for what would eventually become the Christian rock music industry, a genre which largely shunned him and his music. According to Portland news/radio station KXL, Norman's early social positions caused a stir among many conservative Christians. His views against racism and poverty caused him to receive multiple death threats in the 1970s. A widespread ban on Norman's music, which is largely still in effect today, existed in Christian stores. This ban was due not only to Norman's social positions, but his preferred company as well. Said Norman in a separate interview, "The churches weren’t going to accept me looking like a street person with long hair and faded jeans. They did not like the music I was recording. And I had no desire to preach the gospel to the converted."

Time Magazine once called Norman “the most significant artist in his field.” Over 300 cover versions of his songs have been recorded by artists such as Petula Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Black, and Cliff Richard. His songs have also been recorded by contemporary Christian artists like DC Talk, Rebecca St. James, and Audio Adrenaline. He performed for The White House, twice - and in Moscow at the 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium. He headlined venues like The Hollywood Bowl, The Sydney Opera House, The Palladium and London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall, which he sold out six times, once filling it twice on the same day. In the last 40 years Norman has released nearly 100 solo albums.

In 2001 Norman was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame alongside Elvis Presley. At the time of his death he was working on an album with Frank Black and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, which will be released later this year.

For everyone who loves Christian Rock this is your founder.  RIP Larry till I see you when I see the Lord face to face and your with him.

Geese Really? Didn't occur to you that it may go bad?

If you have read this blog for any length of time I am almost always a Police apologist and supporter, primarily because I am one and secondly, the information used to criticize  an Officer's conduct is usually either wrong or demonstrates a gross lack of understanding of our profession.

However the following story is an exception to my stance.  While this Sergeant is 1) stupid 2) a disgrace 3) morally bankrupt 4) should be locked away for at least 20 years...it is..... 5) really funny.


Charges: Cop using squad car to deliver pot

February 2, 2010

By MATT HANLEY mhanley@stmedianetwork.com

An Earlville police sergeant who lives in North Aurora is facing multiple felony charges after he allegedly made a marijuana delivery while on duty.

Sgt. Sergio Fuentes, 41, was charged with felonies possession of a controlled substance and official misconduct, according to the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team.

On Friday, Fuentes delivered marijuana to a person who was working with the narcotics team, police said. Fuentes was on duty at the time of the alleged delivery and drove his Earlville squad car to the delivery.

Fuentes was arrested a short time later at the Earlville police station.

After the arrest, officers found more marijuana in Fuentes' personal car, then recovered another illegal drug -- Clonazepam, a muscle relaxer -- during a search of his squad car, police said.

According to the Earlville Mayor Mike Hall, Fuentes has been suspended without pay. At the advice of the city's attorneys, Fuentes' medical benefits remain in place for the time being, Hall said.

Hall said Fuentes had been with the department several years and was generally thought to be doing a good job. He hurt his knee on the job and had been out on workman's compensation, returning a few months ago.

"As a city, obviously we're very disappointed," Hall said Monday. "We're shocked. The state's attorney and those people are handing this. We'll obviously cooperate in any way we can."

Official misconduct carries a possible sentence of up to five years. If convicted of possession of marijuana, Fuentes could be sentenced to up to three years.

The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team consists of police departments from LaSalle, Bureau and Putnam counties.

Psalm 14:1

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

More Silliness

Meet Hello Kitty Superman, Hello Kitty Armored Personal Carrier, Hello Kitty Rifle, Hello Kitty 1911 and finally Hello Kitty Airliner.  After this I promise no more Hello Kitty anything...ever...ever again.  Going to need insulin just looking at these pictures.

Just Something to Lighten the Mood

Meet the Hello Kitty Darth Vader there is hope for humanity yet.

Genesis 21:6

Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me."

More Cartel Violence

Non-serial killer, sensation /gruesome homicide is used primarily as warning, punishment and to build fear. The murders is Mexico are getting more and more ghastly because a simple multiple homicide does not garnish the attention desired by the cartel in question. Thus over time they get more brutal, more torturous and more macabre in order to rise about the other piles of rotting bodies. Here is another example from a growing and troubling trend. A sign of the future for America if we ever let the cartels truly set up their power base on our soil.


Mexico man's face skinned and stitched onto a soccer ball in Sinaloa in threat to Juarez drug cartel
By Soraya Roberts

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, January 9th 2010, 5:54 PM

In a new incident of grisly drug war violence, a man's face was skinned and stitched onto a soccer ball as a threat to members of Mexico's Juarez drug cartel.

The unknown assailants cut up the body of Hugo Hernandez into seven pieces and left him on a street in the northern city of Los Mochis, a spokesman for Sinaloa prosecutors, Martin Robles, told the Associated Press.

Hernandez's torso was found in a plastic container in a separate location from another box that contained his arms, legs and skull. The macabre soccer ball was discovered a plastic bag near Los Mochis' City Hall in Sinaloa.

The gruesome discovery included a note, which read, "Happy New Year, because this will be your last."

Hernandez, 26, was kidnapped from Sonora on Jan. 2 and taken to the neigboring state of Sinaloa. The motive for his abduction remains unclear but Sonora is known for its marijuana farms, Robles said.

Sinaloa state is the hometown of the bosses from four of the six major drug cartels in Mexico.

While tortures and beheadings have become a familiar sight since President Felipe Calderon started his crackdown on drugs three years ago, Hernandez's murder was particularly grisly.
More than 15,000 people have been killed in the drug war, many of them in the border cities of Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana. At least 17 journalists have been killed since 1992 after reporting on the local drug community, which has spurred some of the country's newspapers to stop covering violence to avoid more deaths.

Members of the cartels often torture and mutilate their victims in order to intimidate the people who threaten them.

With News Wire Services.

Drug War

I am often asked if I think that law enforcement ever has any meaningful successes when dealing with the distribution and sale of illicit narcotics.  I usually say we have a limited affect, primarily due to the copious amounts of drugs coming in and the huge profits being made.

I need to reevaluate this position.  We are having a profound effect when viewed with the drug war going on in Mexico.  Mexico is in danger of becoming a failed state due to the cartel's (Los Zetas, Gulf, Sinaloa Cartel) influences in all aspects of Mexican life.  While we are not stopping drug violence nor stemming the flow of drugs into this country or the currency from the sales from flowing out, what we are doing is keeping the drug organizations from becoming the single biggest bastion of power in American society.  It’s a nice starting point.

Case in point 
At Arturo Beltrán Leyva (ABL) grave a head just showed up to make a point.  Since severed heads are becoming the norm they decided to engage in some Feng shui and balance the floral arrangement by placing one in his ear.  Don't ever forget it really is a war.

Dangerous Job

Few people know and understand the risks of high level illicit narcotics investigations that are not on the job or fresh from the job. One of the interesting/scary issues that an officer or agent run into while participating in this kind of investigation is with the criminal him/herself. Since these individuals are at the top or near the top of their organizations they tend to be self driven people of a higher intelligence than the average criminal you would meet on the street. As a result they have the ability to plan and execute operations on law enforcement similar in nature to what law enforcement operates on the criminal. As a result they present an increased threat to the personal safety to the officers, their families and associates, case in point from Chicago Breaking News Website.

Link: http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/01/2-men-accusing-of-plotting-prosecutors-death.html


2 men accused of plotting to kill prosecutor, federal agent

January 19, 2010 7:13 PM

Already accused of using the name of a professor at Northwestern University to buy chemicals to make Ecstasy, Frank Caira allegedly asked a friend to help get him out of trouble by paying someone to kill a federal prosecutor and a drug agent on his case.
Federal authorities today said the two men tried to hire a gang member with a murder conviction in his background to do the job. But when they didn't pay him the cocaine they'd promised, the gang member allegedly passed information about the plot to his defense lawyer, who in turn called the FBI.

Caira, 39, of Downers Grove, was charged with solicitation of murder, along with Jack Mann, 41, of Naperville. Both remained in custody today.

Court records show Caira was charged in the drug case in December 2008, while working as a research technologist at Northwestern. He allegedly used the name of a professor to order chemicals and equipment used in Ecstasy production and was facing 14 years in prison.

It was Mann who allegedly reached out to the gang member on Caira's behalf, promising four kilograms of cocaine. The gang member later told authorities he wasn't planning on doing the hit anyway, and was only going to steal two kilograms he hoped to get as a down payment.

But that would have been news to Mann, who allegedly passed the names of the intended victims to the "hitman." By Dec. 27, the gang member had agreed to cooperate with authorities, and allegedly taped a conversation he had with Mann, who was complaining that Caira hadn't agreed to put up anything before the job was done.

"Now he's gonna play me for a (expletive,)" Mann allegedly was recorded saying, later adding, "No, (expletive), my time's worth money. If you want Jack Mann, you're gonna (expletive) pay."

Mann's attorney, Michael Petro, said his client would likely challenge his detention at a later time. Petro said Mann is a "respected member of the community."

Attorneys for Caira could not immediately be reached for comment. Assistant U.S. attorneys from the Northern District of Indiana were handling the case Tuesday after prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago recused themselves to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.

Angie Leventis Lourgos contributed.
--Jeff Coen

Psalm 141:10  Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

There are still thinkers and game changers out there!

 I was reading my wife's Food Network Magazine (No really its her's) and found a brief blurb about Jailhouse Fire Hot Sauce.  The ingredients are grown by prisoners at the Hillsborough County Jail in Tampa as part of the jails horticultural program.  There are three varieties: Original, Smoke and Super-Hot No Escape.

I have heard from many people fresh from incarceration that their jail time was a waste of time because they had nothing to do, so when they got out they just jumped back into the life and crime they understood.  This jail at least offers both the opportunity to learn a new skill, demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit and give them something to do as the time clicks by.

A excellent program that is doing good for those in the jail, for us on the outside and for them that will be returning back to us.

Link: http://www.jailhousefire.org/

What little we really know

I ran into an article the other day that spoke about a newly discovered species of Strawberry crab off the coast of Taiwan.  They had located two that were forced to the surface because of a tanker spill.  It just reminded me about how little we really know about the earth we live on.  There is still much to explore and things to learn before the human race can make any reasonable conclusions about this living ball hurtling through space.  We should be much more humble than we are.  Here is a list of some of the newly discovered living organisms in 2009.

 The world's smallest snake, known as Leptotyphlops carlae or the Barbados threadsnake.

The Tahina palm, or Tahina spectabilis, is a gigantic new species of palm represented by fewer than 100 specimens

Borneo's Phoebaeticus chani is considered the world's longest insect, with a body length of 14 inches

Satomi's pygmy seahorse, also
known as Hippocampus satomiae, is the smallest known seahorse with a standard length of 0.54 inches

The ghost slug, or Selenochlamys ysbryda, was found in Cardiff, Wales

Charrier coffee, also known as Coffea charrieriana, is the first known naturally caffeine-free coffee species found in Central Africa

Discovered a new species of giant rat in a remote rainforest in Papua New Guinea.

Botanists believe they have discovered one of the world's largest carnivorous plants in Southeast Asia.

Genesis 1:5

God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Real Serious Ramifications for Law Enforcement

This ruling was just brought to my attention.  If this is carried through to other rulings or is supported by the US Supreme court-an officers job just got much more dangerous and extremely complicated.

 Three things to note about this.  First every case that shocks the very foundations of law enforcement started with some ridiculous incident but then is applied to all situations that are not crazy or stupid.  The elements of the case while important should not be the focus what the new standard for the affirmative defense given to the charges  of Resisting an Officer/Obstructing an Officer etc.  Second the biggest concern for law enforcement is the statement of  a right to self defense if unlawful imminent use of force is about to be brought to bare.  So the officer comes to a burglary to residence in progress and confronts the burglar.  It is standard practice to have your weapon drawn till you can determine if the burglar is armed or not.  So as I am reaching for my firearm, the burglar sees this, pulls his firearm and shoots me, because he knew as a reasonable person it would not take deadly force to affect his arrest.  So now he has a new defense that was never available to anyone before.  Third, the most training I have ever received and will be continuing to receive is on Use of Force.  It is a extremely complicated concept that has to be applied in seconds in a dynamic situation.  What is reasonable use of force for the average man or woman without any training?  You can attack me because I did not give you the verbal order a forth time?  I need to order you to put down your weapon before I can draw mine?  Read the summary below and if you want a deeper treatment follow the link.  This is a very troubling development.  We ask enough from our officers but it seems that mind reading will now be taught in the police academy.

State v.Oliphant and the affect on Oregon law enforcement.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (Portland Metro) recently sent out a memo regarding a resisting case (State v. Oliphant) and the affect on Oregon law enforcement. In essence the ruling says:


"An arrestee may defend himself against a police officer's use or imminent use of force if the arrestee believes, as much as a reasonable person in his position would believe, that the officer's use or imminent use of force
exceeds the force reasonably necessary to make the arrest.  Oregon effectively is now the only state that gives a suspect charged with Resisting Arrest (ORS 162.315) an affirmative defense that they were
defending themselves against what they reasonably believed was an actual or imminent unlawful use of force by a Police Officer.  Accompanying charges including Assault on a Public Safety Officer will likely be
dismissed if the argument stands."


The full case can be viewed at the below link: 
 

http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/S056404.htm
 

There's drunk and then there's record setting drunk

I took it fairly easy this New Years Eve in the drinking department  Which I would like to say is the norm but sadly is not.  However that said I did have some success this year.  I digress,  while drinking an assortment of beers form the Chicago based Two Brothers Brewing Company, it got me thinking about what is the worlds record for being drunk and here it is:


Bulgarian's blood-alcohol level astounds doctors
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 4, 2005 | 3:07 PM ET
CBC News

Bulgarian doctors tested a man's blood-alcohol level five times before accepting it was 0.914 – nearly twice the amount considered to be life-threatening.

The 67-year-old man landed in hospital on Dec. 20 after a car knocked him off his feet in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, police and doctors said Tuesday.

A breath test indicated blood-alcohol levels so high that police thought their equipment was broken, because the man remained conscious and talked with them.

The head of Plovdiv police, Col. Angel Rangelov, said five separate lab tests taken the same day confirmed the man's blood-alcohol level of 0.914.

A blood-alcohol level of 0.55 is considered potentially fatal.

In comparison, the Bulgarian man's level was more than 11 times higher than the legal blood-alcohol limit for drivers in Canada, which is 0.08.

The man, who has not been identified, was reported to be in stable condition after being treated for head injuries.  

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Ok the average person successfully processes .015 b.a.c out of their system per hour so this fine gentleman had the equivalent of 60 beers in his system at one time! (article link: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2005/01/04/drunk-bulgarian-050104.html)

The picture is of my new favorite beer it is from the Surly Brewing Company out of Minnesota-called Furious-a fantastic beer which I promise I will never have more than six of at any one time but it is so good I probably will need help with that, well not really.  Enjoy.

http://www.surlybrewing.com/beers.php their web site.

Proverbs 31:6
Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish;