A quick thinking, quick acting concealed carrier reacted when a man posing as a police officer tried to steal his truck. According to KENS5, According to the San Antonio Police Department, Joshua McCann was in town to pick up a motorcycle from a local shop and haul it back to Michigan for a customer. But, […]
Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray used the anniversary of the Navy Yard Shooting to renew his calls for gun control, not just in DC (which already has the toughest laws in the nation), but for the entire country. Here are some of the comments Gray made during his speech. “For me, it’s a wound that […]
Moms Demand Action has suffered another setback in their effort to get more corporations to ban guns. Members of the group were asked to leave a Lansing, Michigan parking lot. According to local media reports, Kroger’s stance won’t stop Moms Demand Action’s ongoing protests at Kroger stores, however, said Linda Brundage, who heads the group’s […]
Apple has announced that their new version of iOS (their mobile operating system) will no lock out virtually everyone except the device’s owner, including the police. Previously, Apple’s software made it possible for Apple to bypass a device’s security and turn over information to authorities who possessed a search warrant. However, the new version of […]
We are seeing numerous media reports out of Australia about a foiled Muslim terror attack in the land down under. Over 800 police officers were involved in multiple pre-dawn raids which took down numerous islamic extremists who police say were plotting to behead Australian citizens in public executions.
Here is another one of our “Why I Carry” stories. These stories, unlike our defensive gun use stories, take a look at situations that may have turned out very differently if the victim(s) had been armed. These stories are the “other side of the coin” so to speak and serve as an important reminder as […]
The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History. Who said 'Give me Liberty , or give me Death'?"
She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Little Hodiaki, a bright foreign exchange student from Japan , who had his hand up: 'Patrick Henry, 1775' he said.
'Very good! 'Who said, 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?'
Again, no response except from Little Hodiaki, 'Abraham Lincoln, 1863'.
'Excellent!', said the teacher continuing, 'let's try one a bit More difficult.. .'Who said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?'
Once again, Hodiaki's was the only hand in the air and he said; 'John F. Kennedy, 1961'.
The teacher snapped at the class, 'Class, you should be ashamed of yourselves, Little Hodiaki isn't from this country and he knows more about our history than you do.
'She heard a loud whisper: 'F . . k the Japs,'
'Who said that? I want to know right now!' she angrily demanded.
Little Hodiaki put his hand up, 'General MacArthur, 1945.'
At that point, a student in the back said, 'I'm gonna puke.
'The teacher glares around and asks, 'All right!!! Now who said that!?'
Again, Little Hodiaki says, ' President George H.W. Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991.'
Now furious, another student yells, 'Oh yeah? Suck this!'
Little Hodiaki jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher, 'Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky, 1997!'
Now with almost mob hysteria someone said, 'You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you.'
Little Hodiaki frantically yells at the top of his voice, 'Michael Jackson to the child witnesses testifying against him, 2004.'
The teacher fainted.
As the class gathered around the teacher on the floor, someone said, 'Oh shit, We're screwed!'
Little Hodiaki said quietly, 'the American people, November 4, 2008.'
Remember those outrageously expensive red light camera tickets?
Remember the red light camera vendors who were out lobbying local politicians to use their third-party services to process tickets using a minor safety issue as a revenue enhancement scam – with most “red light” tickets be issued for right-hand turns without stopping. Additionally creating a real hazard of a rear-end collision when someone jams on the brakes to avoid a ticket.
Well it is about to get worse, much worse …
Under the guise of implementing a simplified non-criminal “good neighbor” ordinance policy, the Los Angeles City Council is about to screw all of the residents and visitors to the City of Los Angeles with a municipal scam designed to generate millions in revenue – revenue that will fund the underfunded public employee union pension funds and result in significant money being available for raises.
Here are some excerpts from the City Council Agenda …
The Los Angeles City Council adopted Ordinance No. 182610 on June 21, 2013, to establish an Administrative Citation Enforcement (ACE) Program along with direction that ACE be implemented initially as a pilot program (ACE Pilot Program) involving the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Department of Animal Services (DAS).
ACE is an alternative method of enforcement for violations of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. An administrative citation - a ticket - would be issued to a violator in place of a criminal citation or an arrest. The present citation process results in a criminal conviction with penalties that may include probation, fines, and jail.
An administrative citation, on the other hand, can be resolved through the payment of a fine and there is no resulting criminal record, probation, or threat of jail.
As discussed in further detail in the revenue section of this report, projections indicate that a program developed in partnership with a vendor would generate sufficient revenue to cover all program costs and likely generate fines in excess of operational costs beginning in the first year of operation.
Several local municipalities have recently conducted extensive competitive bid processes for the same purpose. The Office of the City Attorney proposes utilizing the results of those processes to select a vendor for an initial three-year contract. During this time, the City would refine the needs of the program and develop a Request for Proposals to serve as the basis for the next vendor selection and contract period.
Once selected, the vendor would be responsible for the entire citation process subsequent to a citation being issued. The vendor would log and track the citations; send notices to cited parties requesting payment within 20 days; accept payment via US Mail, telephone or web-based payment systems; provide scanned images of all citations for departmental reference; send second notices of payment due when necessary; transfer revenue to the City, segregated by department; and report regularly on enforcement activities.
ACE vendors are typically paid a flat fee of approximately $17-25 per processed citation.
Collection of delinquent citation fees would be handled by an outside vendor to be negotiated in the first year of the program.
It should be noted that vendors associated with processing and collection activities often are dis-incentivized to act fairly and use low-cost marginal personnel who are overworked and unlikely to offer any real form of customer assistance or relief. It should also be noted that many municipal red-light camera tickets were signed by sworn officers who committed perjury as they did not witness the actual act.
The SCAM explained …
For current violations, the City must actually act in accordance with law and the recipient of a violation notice forced to appear in court. This comes at a significant cost to the city in terms of time, effort, and money. A sworn officer needs to present evidence and the city needs to prove their case.
Now, with the simplified procedure the City need no longer prove its case – the burden of seeking a judicial review has been shifted to the alleged ordinance violator who must take time and/or pay for an attorney to contest the matter. The City is calculating that the fine will be cheaper than lost wages and attorney costs for the majority of those cited.
Since, the devil is in the details, what type of things are now subject to a $250 fine for the first offense, $500 for the second offense, and $1,000 for the third offense?
Attachment A-1 ACE PILOT PROGRAM - LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT -- SCHEDULE OF VIOLATIONS LOS ANGELES MUNICIPAL CODE (Law enforcement has discretion to cite as misdemeanor or under ACE)
41.27(c)
Drinking in public
41.27(d)
Possession of open container on posted ABC location
Audible advertising devices- food truck vendors 9PM to 7AM
115.02
Sound amplifying devices or loudspeaker on public property
116.01
Loud & unusual noise
Some of these offenses are extremely subjective and are likely to be influenced by the mood of the code enforcement officer. There is a good reason why the city wants to shift the burden of challenge and proof to a citizen – much like you a guilty until you prove yourself innocent instead of the rule of law that states a person is “innocent until proven guilty” by the state.
I have omitted Attachment A-2, ACE PILOT PROGRAM - ANIMAL SERVICES -- SCHEDULE OF VIOLATIONS -- LOS ANGELES MUNICIPAL CODE (Law enforcement has discretion to cite as misdemeanor or under ACE) that describes the offenses relating to animals and that is similarly extensive.
As you can see, the city has criminalized most of your daily living and depending on the whim (or financial incentive) of the code enforcement officer, we are about to be royally screwed.
BOHICA – Bend Over Here It Comes Again: Look at how the program is being sold in the media …
Los Angeles City Council approves ticketing nuisance violations
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved the concept of what began as “the good neighbor ordinance,” allowing officials to give out the equivalent of traffic tickets for nuisance infractions such as barking dogs, gas-powered leaf blowers and other quality-of-life issues.
Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Attorney Mike Feuer, said his office is continuing to work on the ordinances within the program, and it will be up to the city to hire new staff, develop a contract with a vendor to process citations and work with the Los Angeles Police Department and Animal Services on operational issues.
City officials estimated it would cost $577,000 to start the program and that it could bring in more than $2 million in revenue.
Officials said the program is designed to prevent minor quality-of-life issues from rising to the level of a misdemeanor crime. One example cited was loud parties where officers would be called out to a location two and three times before being able to see compliance. Issuing a citation could quiet a disturbance on the first call, they noted.
Under the program, citations of $250, $500 and $1,000 for the first, second and third offensewould be issued by officers. An administrative review process would be available to appeal the tickets.
Rather than act as representatives for their constituents, City Council members apparently are acting on behalf of the special interests (unions, vendors, etc) who contribute campaign funding, media attention, and voter support to their personal campaigns. It is in the best interests of Council members to insure that revenue flows into the city’s coffers to pay-off the public employee unions that supported their campaigns.
Los Angeles is about to become a city like Tijuana, Mexico, with the potential for small cash bribes to overlook small offenses being the rule rather than the exception. Considering the number of illegal aliens in Los Angeles that do not obey the law, do not provide identification, and simply throw away notices of violations – this legislation will affect the law-abiding public in a disproportionate manner.
Keep your eyes open and demand that you are kissed before you are screwed.
Dr. Saleh Saleh (middle) with his award winners Drs. James W. Davis, Jr. (left) and Darryl Y. Sue (right)
Dr. Saleh Saleh, as he was colloquially known, could be found roaming the halls of UCLA Hospital at odd hours – consulting on difficult cases with his own wide-ranging style of multi-disciplinary inquiry. Something I experienced first hand as we tried to save my mother using some of UCLA’s top physicians in their respective fields.
Unlike other specialists, Dr. Saleh Saleh did not believe in one-size fits all and conventional wisdom. He was unafraid to let his mind wander far and wide in seeking solutions to life’s major problems.
I had known of his reputation long before my mother was hospitalized, as my sister and her co-workers at UCLA Hospital used to speak of him in reverent tones when he saved another life by unraveling mysteries that remained opaque to other clinicians.
I had gotten into a pissing match with the Chief of Surgery over an issue regarding my mother’s treatment – something I backed with medical literature, but the doctor remained unwilling to order. I told him that I was going to approach Dr. Saleh Saleh and would he abide by his decision. His respect for Dr. Saleh Saleh was evident as he agreed without further discussion, and questioned how I managed to find the hospital’s top troubleshooter. Not so surprising considering my sister’s experience and that my mother’s primary care physician and world-class gerontologist, Dr.James Davis, Jr, was one of the recipients of the clinical teaching awards honoring Dr. Saleh Saleh.
I returned to the hospital the next morning at 7:30 a.m. when I ran into the Chief who was just arriving. We went to the chart area together and he noted that Dr. Saleh Saleh had “dropped by” at 3:20 a.m. and wrote notes agreeing with my request. We tried the new protocol, and unfortunately it did not work. Dr. Saleh Saleh dropped by to follow-up and suggested options – one of which led to an additional two months with my mother and a peaceful death. Having dealt with a large number of doctors, many arrogant assholes, it was readily apparent that this was an exceptional man as well as a doctor.
Here is the UCLA announcement …
Dr. Saleh Salehmoghaddam died on Sept. 11, in Los Angeles. He was 66. For more than 30 years, he served as an exceptionally devoted physician and teacher. In recognition of his skills as a clinician and educator, a clinical teaching award was established in 2009 in his name.
A native of Iraq, Salehmoghaddam completed his secondary education in Europe. He received a B.S. degree in pharmacy from Northern Ohio University, followed by graduate studies in pharmacology at McGill University in Canada, where he also received an M.D. degree in 1977. Salehmoghaddam then completed training in internal medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, a fellowship in clinical pharmacology at Vancouver General Hospital and chief residency in medicine at Shaughnessy Hospital in Vancouver.
He came to UCLA in 1981 for a fellowship in nephrology and joined the clinical voluntary faculty in 1984. He served as co-director of the Renal Transplant Service in 1985-86 and subsequently became a consultant nephrologist to the transplant and other services at the Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
“The consummate clinician with unfailing devotion to patient care and teaching, he could be found in the hospital at any hour of the day and night, always willing to be of help with a complicated case, and always ready to share his vast fund of knowledge and experience that extended far beyond his specialty of nephrology,” said Dr. Alan Fogelman, executive chair of the Department of Medicine, and Dr. Jonathan Hiatt, professor of surgery and vice dean for faculty, in an announcement of Salehmoghaddam’s death.
Salehmoghaddam was nominated for the Department of Medicine Housestaff Teaching Award almost every year and was selected as its recipient on multiple occasions. To reward excellence in clinical teaching, clinical care and scholarship, the Serge and Yvette Dadone Clinical Teaching Award in Honor of Saleh Salehmoghaddam, M.D. was established.
”It is indeed sad to know that Saleh has left us,” Fogelman and Hiatt said in their announcement. “We should be inspired by his example. We should aspire to the standard of excellence to which he held himself in the practice of medicine, and we should emulate the kind, warm, and generous spirit in which he treated everyone with whom he came into contact.”
A memorial service on campus will be planned for the near future.
I find it ironic that Dr. Saleh Saleh was born in Iraq, died on 9/11, and will be buried close to where both of my parents are buried. His life and teaching have inspired a number of outstanding clinicians who are not afraid to step outside their individual specialties and consider alternative drugs and protocols. I will remember him fondly every time I visit my parent’s graves.
Illegal immigrants are boycotting Arizona by the thousands, showing their outrage with Arizona 's controversial SB-1070 law by moving elsewhere.
In the small town of Guadalupe , AZ, south of Phoenix , Manuel Renaldo is one of those who is punishing Arizona by leaving. As he loaded his stolen car with his stolen belongings and family of ten, Renaldo told this reporter through an interpreter "It's a matter of principle; I refuse to be supported by a state that treats me like a criminal!"
The effects of the exodus are being felt by Arizona retailers, who are reporting dwindling sales of beer, spray paint, and ammunition. Also hit hard are the state hospitals, which have reported a dramatic decline in births and emergency room visits. Tattoo parlours are in a state of panic.
Renaldo told a reporter through an interpreter that he and his family are moving to Illinois, a democratic state with high taxes where hard-working people will support him and his family with dignity!
The former treasurer of Coahuila, during the Humberto Moreira governorship, Javier Villareal Hernandez, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy of money laundering in federal court in San Antonio, Texas.
He continued as treasurer for a short while in 2011, during the interim governorship of Governor Jorge Juan Torres-Lopez, who took the helm when Moreira resigned to become the national PRI president.
Torres was charged with money laundering and other financial crimes in the state of Texas
Among other Coahuila charges, Villareal is accused of being involved in falsifying documents to obtain loans on behalf of the State. Villareal, and the Moreira administration racked up a debt from around 200 million to 35 billion dollars in just five years.
From 2008, while serving as Coahuila's treasurer, Villarreal took out loans worth $246 million dollars in the state's name. He also is charged with receiving kickbacks for state contracts, and from a Coahuila coal mining company, a front for Los Zetas cartel. He funneled the funds into extensive Texas real estate holdings, and bank accounts in Bermuda and Texas, in the names of family members.
In October 2011, Villarreal Hernandez was arrested and admitted to a prison in the state capital of Saltillo proceeding an arrest warrant issued by the Second Judge of in Criminal Matters of the judicial district of Saltillo, for his alleged responsibility in the commission of offenses Using False Documents and to Fraud.
However, after posting bond, he fled, and was a fugitive in Mexico and Texas. In February
2012 he was arrested in Tyler Texas, with $67,000 dollars in cash but he was released after being taken to a U.S. Homeland Security facility, then he was on the run again.
Ultimately,he gave himself up in El Paso Texas in February, 2014. He was charged with money laundering of drug trafficking proceeds, bribery and fraud.
Today the 43 year old Villareal, plead guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and conspiring to transport stolen money in foreign commerce in the San Antonio case and guilty in another charge in Corpus Christi of conspiring to launder money.
Prosecutors dismissed one count of money laundering for the guilty plea of conspiracy of money laundering.
He could receive a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison on each of the money laundering counts and to five years on the money transporting charge.
U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez presided over the case, and has not yet set a sentencing date.
Astonishingly, former governor Humberto Moreira, is yet to be charged with any wrongdoing, although the scandal forced his resignation as chief of the PRI national presidency. His brother Ruben became the governor after Torres, and currently is the governor of Coahuila
The brothers suffered a fracture in their once close relationship, and no longer speak.
Humberto Moreira was named by Forbes Magazine as one of "The 10 Most Corrupt Mexicans in 2013". He was enraged at the infamous nod, and threatened to sue the magazine. As expected, his bluster amounted to nothing. (photo of the Ten is below)
Too bad. If he filed a civil suit against Forbes, he would not have a choice but to testify and answer some interesting questions about all the missing Coahuila funds during his governorship.
Salvador Alcala Gonzalez aka "El Chava" a prominent member of the Tijuana cartel and one of the most wanted criminals by the FBI was arrested in Mazatlan, Sinaloa by elements of the Mexican Army and Federal Police.
Mexican authorities arrested Alcala Gonzalez under an extradition warrant issued against him.
The Mexican National Security Commission informed of the capture of CAF´s cell leader and mentioned it was the result of intelligence work which followed Alcala over several cities in the northern pacific in Mexico in which he moved.
It was noted that at the moment of his arrest Alcala tried to bribe the authorities to no avail.
Salvador Alcala Gonzalez is wanted in the United States of America facing charges of conspiration to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine in the southern district of California.
In 2013, and as a result of the same investigation, Cesar Alfredo Meza Garcia aka "El Tachuelas" (former CAF cell leader) was deported to the US, Miguel Angel Bravo Peña and Jose Luis Casillas remain at large as of this writing.
In 2012 and 2013, Salvador Alcala tried several legal actions to stop his extradition order to no avail.
Alcala Gonzalez has already been taken to Altiplano´s Maximum Security Prison in Almoloya de Juarez, Estado de Mexico.
As reported by Uriradio, Alfonso "El Atlante" Lira Sotelo, a member of the Sinaloa Cartel was allegedly captured Tuesday, September 17 in Jalisco. "El Atlante" is reportedly in charge of retail drug sales in Tijuana, Tecate, and Playas de Rosarito, as well as trafficking to California.
Borderland Beat reporter J wrote in August in the article "Blood & White Gold in Tijuana" that "El Atlante" has been fighting against fellow Sinaloa Cartel member Alfredo "El Aquiles" Azarte for power in Tijuana and Rosarito, ignoring calls from leadership to keep the plaza calm. It is also worth noting that deelucky1 has said multiple times on the forum that "El Atlante" is currently aligned with Jose Antonio "El Tigre" Soto Gastelum and José Luis "El Güero Chompas" Mendoza Uriarte in the fight against "El Aquiles".
Cartels in Texas Seven Mexican cartels operating in Texas, representing the greatest threat the security of the state. (click chart to enlarge)
Criminal organizations smuggle drugs, people and are involved in the laundering of money, trafficking of weapons and stolen vehicles.
The Department of Public Safety Texas (DPS)identifies the Gulf Cartel (CDG), Sinaloa Federation, Juarez Cartel, La Familia Michoacana, the Beltran Leyva cartel, "Los Zetas" and the Knights Templar(Caballeros Templarios) operating in its territory.
The report states that Mexican mafias throughout the United States dominate the business of narcotics and human trafficking.
The analysis was presented by the DPS the Texan Congress after lawmakers requested the government provide a breakdown statistics of incidents on the border with Mexico and the criminal activity that has been recorded since the entry into force Operation Strong Safety (OSS), on 23 July.
The DPS prepared with declassified information board of Texas border security and report relevant incidents in the border, which are published on the website of the corporation for any citizen to consult them.
“The goal of this data-driven, multi-agency operation in high-threat areas for a sustained period of time is to deny Mexican cartels and their associates the ability to move drugs and people into Texas between the ports of entry, as well as reduce the power of these organizations, whose success depends on their ability to operate on both sides of the border,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “
At the request of the Texas Legislature, DPS is providing unclassified, detailed information about the trends that have been developing along the border for some time, as well as the current activity occurring in the OSS area of operation.”
Texas on June 23 deployed to its south border with Mexico, thousand troops.of the Texas state National Guard.
The action, aims to help the DPS to combat criminal activity in the region, by air, water and land.
Rick Perry, governor of Texas, said on July 21 that the initiative "is the result of the failure of the federal government to secure the border."
He stressed: "There can be no homeland security without border security and the Texans have paid a heavy price for the failure of the federal government. The action command will stop the crisis, multiplying our efforts to combat criminal cartel activity, trafficking in persons and criminals who threaten the safety of Texas and America."
Perry recalled that from 2008 to now, 203,000 undocumented criminal have been sent to Texas prisons for having committed more than 640,000 offenses in the state, including 3,000 killings and a 8000 sexual offenses.
Perry's office reported that strengthening border yielded immediate results. In the first three weeks of operation, the arrests of illegal immigrants resulted in 36 percent fewer seizures weekly.
The Safety Board, which compiled information throughl September 3, 2014, recognizes that the insecurity of the border with Mexico is the main factor in public vulnerability Texas.
Not specified was an analyzation of how each cartel operates.
The number of undocumented immigrants has declined significantly rescued in the state, with deployment on the border of the National Guard.
With the purpose of evading review road points, coyotes take their victims by off roads and ranches, and often abandon them. .
As an example, the board says Brooks County, near the border with Reynosa, where from 2011 to date have been found remains of 332 humans.
The cartels are big business in human smuggling, as going rates ranging from $2000 up to $20,000.
The chart below is of 2013, indicating areas of operation of each cartel, Templarios were not considered a factor in 2013. (Click image to enlarge)
In an interview with El Pais on Tuesday, former Mexican President Felipe Calderon concedes that he made mistakes in Mexico’s war on drugs. He admitted that 60,000 to 70,000 dead represented a lot of casualties in his war on drugs, which spanned from 2006 to 2012.
“Yes, that’s a lot. And each one weighs on me more than anything, but those homicides were committed by criminals that I was fighting against,” he said.
The National Commission on Human Rights has also alleged there was a sharp increase in torture and mistreatment complaints during that period. "It’s true that federal operations increased and that there were abuses. However, they were the exception, not the norm.
In all cases, the government took note and acted according to rule of law to bring to justice those responsible,” Calderon said.
Asked what part of his strategy he would have changed, Calderon said: “I would have started the changes a lot earlier, with greater force and more resources.” If he had done nothing, Mexico today would have been an open stage for organized crime, he argued.
Calderon referred to organized crime as a national sickness, which like a cancer patient, needs radical chemo-therapy like measures to cure. It leaves the patient in pain, but “it’s not the doctor’s fault.”
Moving forward, the ex-statesman said that now “I sleep better. I have less problems to think about.”
