Why Does Officer’s Safety Mean So Little to FOP Lodge 7 in Chicago?

Chicago, IL-While there is little in the way of union protection in Chicago, the cops have a bargaining agent of sorts. Currently cops pay dues for advocacy in labor matters to Lodge 7 of the Fraternal Order of Police. I have to question what the membership has gotten in return.

Years have gone by without a labor contract and when it was resolved somehow FOP has little to show in results. Chicago police officers are undermanned, outgunned, and demoralized as they’ve been reduced to whipping boys for the local African-American reverends and politicians.

Officers are endangered by firearm regulations that jeopardize their safety.

1. Incredible as it seems officers are only given 30 rounds of ammunition for practice per year. Aside from placing street cops at risk hostages and innocent bystanders are endangered over this intolerable policy.

2. Officers don’t have shotguns or carbines to deal with heavily armed street gangs. If the department won’t pay for the weapons at least they could let the cops buy and use their own.

3. If cops are injured on the job and placed on disability the department bars their right to carry a firearm for simple self-defense. Police officers arrest criminals and dismantle criminal organizations.

The criminals affected by law enforcement are entitled to bail, early release and other loopholes that allow them to roam the streets. It’s not uncommon for cops to be shopping, attending a movie or event and cross paths with the criminals they’ve arrested.

We know violent criminals carry guns despite all laws. We also know that cops by their very nature are slow to violate gun laws or department policy. The playing field here is not a level one.

Several officers have gotten behind Illinois legislation that would allow cops on Duty Disability or Workman’s Compensation status to continue carrying their guns so they can protect themselves and families.

FOP lodges, The Illinois Police Association and some other groups have endorsed this effort. Lodge 7 on the other hand apparently, feels little or no need to protect cops by supporting the bill.

Lodge 7 has a dismal track record in the last several years.

I’d advise Cops to discontinue paying dues to this poor excuse for a labor organization if they refuse protect the rank and file cops they claim to represent.

Perhaps it’s time to find or create a new labor advocate that does care about the safety and welfare of Chicago cops.

Cops are afraid to challenge anyone at Lodge 7 because they may arbitrarily deny representation for cops falsely accused of wrongdoing.

It’s Lodge 7 that Chicago cops must trust to protect their pensions that have been raided by the Daley/Burke rats.

I just can’t help but believe that Lodge 7 has shown more loyalty to the Daley/Burke rats than dues paying cops.

If the rank and file cops can’t obtain Lodge 7 leadership’s support on such a simple piece of officer safety legislation it’s time to submit that PAR (personnel action request) form to discontinue paying dues to this outfit.

Chicago’s Government Rules by Extortion

Chicago, IL—Chicago’s politicians and their appointed bureaucrats are dismayed by the decrease in traffic fine revenue.  The outgunned, undermanned, demoralized and endangered Chicago cops can’t protect Chicago’s citizens but city officials want cops to bring them bags of cash.

The Chicago Sun Times released internal city documents that detail the decrease in traffic fines and stepped up efforts to threaten the jobs of cops that seem reluctant to become full time revenue agents.

Traffic law and parking enforcement was never intended to become a tool of extortion but rather a way to reduce accidents and insure the orderly and unobstructed flow of traffic.  Instead it’s only about an out-of-control criminal municipality extortion racket.

Chicago’s politicians want to increase the amount of money forcibly taken from the unemployed along with thousands of people doing all they can to keep from losing their homes to foreclosure.

To be effective police need to be trusted by their community and simple cooperation is necessary. Turing cops into extortionists on a mission to take food from the mouths of citizens, is horrible public policy. The resentment of police over this kind enforcement of can easily endanger the very lives our cops.  

This style of enforcement keeps people from wanting to conduct any business within the city’s borders. This despicable attempt at governing drives productive people and their money out of Chicago and that can’t be good for anyone.

Chicago’s politicians want solutions for the fiscal crisis as long as it does not affect their own over-bloated budgets along with their own corrupt and wasteful ways.

Straight Talk About Self-Defense Shootings.

Chicago, IL—Tough times, political turmoil, and interrupted entitlements will invite predatory crimes particularly in large American cities.  Since the Supreme Court has applied the second Amendment to the states they really can’t prevent you from bearing or carrying arms.

Avoid conflict but if you can’t and must use deadly force remember the four most important words to tell police if they make contact with you, “I want a lawyer.”

Recover all weapons used against you for your lawyer. Weapons left at the scene will disappear otherwise. Don’t tamper with evidence. 

Anyone who thinks they can trust police and prosecutors to do the right thing if they cooperate is nuts. If you don’t think this is sound advice, bring it up with your lawyer.

The Subway Vigilante in New York was out of reach of police, prosecutors and lawyers for the thugs that he shot in self-defense.  Bernhard Goetz was doing just fine until he walked into a police station and told them what happened. That cost Goetz more than he ever dreamed. Learn from Goetz.

Take a few minutes to view this video

Angel of Death Exposes Men To AIDS

Darmstadt, Germany—She’s hot and sexy as she makes all the right moves with her successful pop band, No Angels. She is Nadja Benaissa who has confessed to authorities her unprotected sex, that has infected one man with AIDS and exposed several others.  

With this shocking international publicity, we may soon learn how many other men have been running to doctors to learn their fate.

AIDS virus stories have all but vanished from news headlines as expensive drug treatments have prolonged lives.  The disease is still very deadly and those infected are dangerous to others.

Benaissa became aware of her HIV positive diagnosis in 1999 and apparently chose to turn herself into a deadly weapon.  This genuine femne-fatal was truly an angel of death that had been victimizing men for at least a decade.

Benaissa is now on trial for causing grievous bodily harm in one instance and attempted grievous bodily harm on four additional counts.  Benaissa may receive a ten year prison term.

Various sympathetic AIDS activist groups have complained that Benaissa has somehow been treated unfairly by authorities.

Benaissa has expressed regret and repentance to a writer for Der Stern magazine but to those this Black Widow knowingly infected her remorse must ring hollow.

Hollywood Has Become A Film Wasteland

Hollywood, CA—They’ve spent millions making 3-D kids films, spectacular animated films and other assorted garbage. Then there are those unrealistic cop flops that distort reality in an attempt to invent action with pointless gratuitous violence.

The Death Wish and Dirty Harry franchise films had something today’s films lack, great writing that relate to the public’s frustrations with crime. Hollywood hates those films because of they are politically incorrect and may foster Conservative public policy by influencing voters.

There are a lot of great actors, writers, producers and directors in Hollywood that are not the bed mates or close family of and are simply ignored by the talent agents. It’s the talent agencies that decide what films will be made and who will be attached to the film’s food chain. It’s all about incest rather than talent.

The four largest talent agencies believe that their publicity machine can make nearly any clinker profitable. There is truth to that since half of the film’s budget is spent in advertising. That $20 million film only cost $10 million to produce and $10 million more to sell it to consumers. Like the Engineer from that play, Miss Siagon said, "In America you can sell shit and get thanks."

The problem is nearly everything produced today is crap. There are few exciting projects out there since the talent agencies are so mired in nepotism and corruption. The agencies will only green light films generated within their own stables since they get a generous cut of every, actor, director, producer, writer and cinematographer’s paycheck.

Getting a significant film produced outside of the agencies is damn near impossible. Finding a good film in a neighborhood theater is even more difficult.

In utter disgust I’ve only been watching old films, some made more than 50 years ago because they have what today’s films lack, substance.

I just finished watching Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird novel turned film with Gregory Peck, Brock Peters and some terrific child actors. The actors survived massive audition calls for the rolls. Today that would never happen.

As for that classic film there were no special effects, so expensive sets, just a great story brought to life with wonderful actors and their crew. It was a period piece so cars, costumes and props took some additional extra effort.

To Kill a Mockingbird is still earning money today, decades after it hit movie theaters a half century ago. Back then it was the studios that ran Hollywood rather than the talent agencies.

Okay folks give me the name of three films that you’d want to watch more than once, that was released in the last two years? I rest my case.

Politics , Assassination and the American Jury System

Washington, DC—The political climate in the USA is becoming red hot. Not since the Civil War has there been such division in this country. Today, Americans feel so betrayed by politicians that have turned against the Constitution they swore an oath to protect. That may soon be a very dangerous space for a politician to enter.

In America all political views expressed in thought and speech, are constitutionally protected.  Don’t confuse protected speech with actual deeds against our Constitution, form of government or way of life.  Creating law or government policy as a public official restricting American’s Constitutional rights can easily be considered Treason.  Stopping that notorious crime by any and all means including killing could be considered justifiable homicide.

I suspect that if any American citizen kills a wayward politician known for un-American activity as a public official, obtaining his murder conviction will not be easy.

Should an accused assassin’s motive for killing a politician be to stop Treason, guilty verdicts may be impossible to obtain.  That would be especially true in those Conservative regions of the country.

An assassin facing trial in one of the large Leftist run cities would most assuredly get convicted.  The same trial taking place in Conservative states would bring a mixed verdict at best.  There are too many Conservative Americans that would consider the assassination of many of our leaders a patriotic and necessary act because they recognize we are well on the road to Marxist tyranny.

Perhaps some wayward politicians might rethink their loyalty positions or simply resign. The days of Tea Party peaceful resistance may end soon.  That, as American patriots use the Second Amendment remedy our founding fathers gave Americans to deal with Traitors within our own government.  

Drew Peterson and his Antagonists

Bolingbrook, IL—The mystery of Stacy Peterson’s disappearance and the death of Kathleen Savio are no minor events that rocked this decent family community, Southwest of Chicago.

As a longtime cop and private investigator (40 years) I’ve learned of many amazing coincidences that have caused suspicion to scream at a suspect. Later I’d learn the real explanation and shake my head in disbelief.

They have one death, that of  Drew Peterson’s third wife Kathleen Savio that may or may not be a murder and the only evidence is a alleged hostility of her soon to be ex-husband, Drew Peterson.

To accuse Peterson you need to prove murder instead of an accident, and then you have to have evidence that it was Peterson who killed her. The friends and family of Kathleen Savio have been heartbroken and miss her terribly. Because she was in a somewhat nasty divorce sides are always taken and one family hates the other.

The truth is the friends and family of, Kathleen Savio don’t really care if it was an accident or murder or even if Drew Peterson has done anything evil at all. They simply hate Peterson and want him destroyed. That’s the simple law of human nature.

The same is true for Peterson’s fourth wife Stacy. But in this case there is no evidence of a murder. She has vanished and people want to assume she’s been murdered.

I’m not clairvoyant. I also know that Peterson knows enough about homicide and investigation to kill people and get away with it. But all the investigators in the world can only guess what happened to these two young women.

Hate has fueled these investigations and prosecution. That with a lot of political grandstanding by the, Will County State’s Attorney created a monster. Once journalists and other writers raised this case to a national news story cops, prosecutors and many others sought out their 15 minutes of fame.  Prosecutors have been leaking investigative tidbits like body searches and stuff taints judges and jurors along with public opinion.

Authors, journalists and bloggers like me love writing about this story and enjoy the attention or stories receive. Our criminal justice system is a hostage to publicity and that’s dead wrong.

Drew Peterson has been jailed on the most outrageously excessive bail in my memory at $20 million. They selectively prosecuted Peterson for the mere possession of the rifle he used as a member of the police SWAT team just because they could. They have changed the law to allow third party gossip as evidence despite the Bill of Rights so many have fought and died for.

If there was real and admissible evidence that Drew Peterson committed murder this story would not have grown legs. Peterson would have been arrested and convicted long ago. It’s really because there is little evidence and real mystery that keeps this tale of deceit, despair and doom in the spotlight.

Peterson deserves a fair trial and credit for a 30 year unblemished police career. Cops for the most part are lousy husbands. Too often our in-laws don’t like us just because our wives married a cop rather than a doctor or lawyer.

Too many of us are abysmal husbands but we don’t murder our wives just because we know how. Instead we try to move on when things don’t go well.

I will believe the evidence against Drew Peterson when I see it.

Self-Defense during a Civil Insurrection

Chicago, IL—The Obama Administration’s checks are about to bounce in a big way.  The use of paper currency backed by nothing is ready to explode any day.  Income taxes are either not being paid or the taxpayers have no income to tax.

The Marxist entitlement monster can’t survive under these circumstances. Obama’s checking account is hopelessly overdrawn and soon his account will be closed.  The entitlement addicted folks will take to the streets with looting, burning and worse.

No nation has ever peacefully survived this kind of a crisis without anarchy and chaos followed by martial law and a fascist controlled future. Before it’s all over you may have to engage military forces loyal to Socialists or Communists.

Unfunded police, jails, even courts are already a reality. There will be no protection for you and your family if you are incapable to take on this vital role. If you live in or near an entitlement addicted neighborhood you better find friends or relatives that will take you in somewhere like on a farm.  

I will give you a list of what arms and supplies you need for the average family.

Handguns are underpowered and have insufficient range for serious combat. You do need them for close in fighting.  Shotguns are really effective short range weapons with heavy shot or slugs. Rifles have much better range, penetration and effectiveness for shots beyond the 100 foot range.

The popular rifles and carbines including the AR-15/M-4/M-16 along with the AK-47 type rifles were good for Viet Nam jungle warfare.  These same rifles are inadequate for fighting on American soil. You’re better off with the M1 Garand or the M-14 rifles using those bigger .30 caliber cartridges that can easily penetrate automobiles and light body armor.  

For every person of suitable age and discretion a semi-automatic handgun in .357 Sig or .45 ACP in a belt or shoulder holster is needed.  No less that 750 rounds of ammunition should be available for each handgun.  Those smaller pistols and revolvers including the popular 9MM are just not effective enough for serious defense.

For a single family home the following defense weapons are needed:

1.    A 12 gauge shotgun either pump or semi-automatic with no less than 200 rounds.

2.    A thirty caliber semi-automatic rifle with no less than 1,000 rounds.

Fully automatic firearms waste too much ammunition and if you have them be sure that selector switch is on semi-automatic. Of course if you have an unlimited supply of ammunition that’s a completely different story.

If you have at least the basics I have covered it’s also nice to have those underpowered jungle weapons and perhaps a good scoped deer rifle for those long shots.  You can never have too much ammunition.

Training with the weapons I’ve discussed is absolutely imperative. 

You will need military style helmets but even a motorcycle crash helmet beats nothing along with some kind of body armor. First aid supplies beyond that camping kit are needed.  Get yourself an advanced field manual for Medical Corpsman.  Here is a site that has what you need. 

Here is a trick for sterile bandages. Sterile dressings are very expansive.  Instead have a bunch of laundered white wash clothes and diapers.  Wet the material, wring it out and place in the microwave oven for three minutes. Let them cool and apply them with lots of pressure if there is bleeding.  

If you are expecting street fighting in your area you can expect your utilities to be interrupted.  Water, electricity, natural gas along with heating and cooling may end.  You need big bottles, jars and buckets for drinking water to fill as the situation deteriorates.  You must keep a lot of non-perishable food, propane tanks and fireplace wood on your property.   

First let me say always avoid firing shots from your home trying to defend it from a hostile group. Your home will soon be burned to the ground because your home is no Alamo.  Engage enemy forces from the distance.

The rules of engagement are different in an insurrection in that there are no rules.   You must shoot to kill your adversaries before they have a chance to kill you.  Firing warning shots is a stupid a move as you could ever make.

If and when order is restored don’t share your war stories with authorities.  Don’t try and report anything at all and don’t answer questions, ever.  Be prepared to hide your weapons once order is restored.  Depending on just who has forced order, you may have to make war on them too.

Suicide as an Option to Disgrace and Poverty

Phoenix, AZ—I know too many people who are depressed and feeling hopeless about the economy. The most endangered are the middle-aged folks that are facing foreclosure, bankruptcy and destroyed retirement plans.

Joblessness, despair, aging and pride are all factors that have already caused an increase in suicide and suicide pacts. This is a sickening reality.

The artificial skyrocketing prices for homes and mortgages designed and pre-ordained for failure caused many overly optimistic Americans to buy homes beyond their means. Suddenly their homes are worth far less than they paid for them and those tricky mortgages came at Americans with a cruel vengeance.

The blame for this disaster can be shared by our Leftist politicians from both parties and the Federal Reserve System that allows banks to control government policy.

There is no possible way that taxpayers can eat this devastating loss. With no hope and no help too many Americans are choosing suicide.

Rather than surrender Americans need to take control of our country from the unelected and un-American Federal Reserve System.

The fight for freedom is never-ending and Americans need to use every possible option including the powers authorized under the Second Amendment remedy to protect our Constitution from the Socialists and Communists inside of our government.

Please if you’re really planning to kill yourself please, take as many Socialists and Communists politicians as you can with you! You at least will leave a heroic legacy behind.

The Illegal Alien Violent Crimewave Never Ends

East Texas—As the Socialists and Communists in our government obstruct enforcement of federal immigration laws the export of Crime, drugs, ignorance and poverty continues unchecked.  Obstructing justice used to be a serious crime. The Socialists and Communists I refer to also include politicians that wear the Republican Party label like George W. Bush and John McCain.

Americans are facing dangerous criminals everywhere and with the economy destroyed by bailouts and the non-stop printing of currency it can only get much worse.

Americans better be well trained and armed because soon they will have to fight for their very lives. The period of anarchy will be followed by frightened voters who will grant absolute power to the government. What’s next is our worst nightmare as the Communists in our government unleash criminals like the two creeps in the attached video to control Americans.

There is a simple and very nefarious reason traitors in our government want these thugs here.

Americans at some point will stop paying taxes either because they refuse or their earnings will stop cold.  Either way the government monster we’ve allowed to develop will begin to purge, and plunder the formerly productive Americans and their property or die. They will do this to maintain absolute power.  

A dire forecast you say? You’re absolutely right but it’s based on redundant historical examples. In fact I can’t find an example anywhere, where a nation resolved such a mess in a peaceful way.

Watch these to struggling and peaceable immigrants deal with a policeman on a routine traffic stop.

For my copper pals, you’re going to find numerous tactical errors by the Texas highway policeman who nearly lost his life. Please always follow your training because I hate copper funerals or writing stories about them.    

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Americans Have the Absolute Duty to Use Force and Violence to Protect Our Constitution

Washington, DC—When politicians place an anti-American agenda before the Constitution it sometimes takes decades for the Supreme Court to right those wrongs. We saw that in the case of unconstitutional gun bans in Chicago and Washington, DC.

Our founding fathers recognized that ballots and the Supreme Court may fail to stop forces seeking to overthrow our Constitution. They gave us the full responsibility along with the means to use force and violence to protect our way of life. They recognized that the threat to freedom could come from the inside as easily as from foreign forces.

Our own Communist and Socialist politicians have cavalierly and consistently violated the Thirteenth Amendment that outlawed slavery with their slim majority. Socialism cannot function without slavery.

It takes a lot more than a simple majority to change the Constitution these traitors have sworn to protect and defend. These Socialist thugs have no right to simply vote the Constitution away like they’ve been doing.

Our Constitution and form of government has been under a hostile attack by deceitful, millionaire politicians that deserve nothing less than hanging for their treason. It is the absolute responsibility of every loyal Americans to use the vehicle of the Second Amendment to purge the despots from our government before they complete their Socialist revolution.

If we let them complete their plans, as always a Socialist holocaust will begin as they assume absolute power. We have little choice but to use all means to remove the traitors in order to survive.

Sadly the time for loyal and brave Americans to act is long overdue. The un-American actions of the Obama Administration have greatly exceeded anything King George did that caused the colonists to take up arms for freedom. When it comes to our Constitution we can either defend it or lose it.

The Obama Administration and their Socialist supporters in Congress have ignored the majority as they have ignored and ridiculed millions of Americans that have peacefully demonstrated on the side of freedom.

Thankfully most of our military and police will never side with those seeking to destroy or Constitution. It’s very unlikely they will obey commands to open fire on or detain Americans defending America.

There is nothing wrong with and everything right about removing all Socialist revolutionaries from our government and soil. They need to be called to book, dragged through the streets, tried, convicted and be hanged for treason. Americans Have the Absolute Duty to Use Force and Violence to Protect Our Constitution.  That is the only American Way.   Freedom is never free.

Courts, Personal Injuries, the Jury System and those Insurance Companies…

Civilization requires some kind of justice system to right the wrongs that happen in society. If through simple negligence or recklessness we cause injury and damages, the law, courts and our juries fix responsibility.

When people are injured there are often damages that go far beyond medical bills. Unfortunately those causing the damage rarely reimburse those they injure without court intervention or the specter of it.  

To cover such unforeseen accidents we buy insurance.  Insurance companies don’t enjoy their huge profits because of their fairness or prompt payment of legitimate claims. They generally deny everything they can because they know cases most often take years to go to trial in most jurisdictions.

When a claim is made, the insurance company assigns their lawyer to represent the defendant in court.  It is somewhat of a conflict since their real master is not the defendant but his insurance company.  Should the case go to trial the jury is lead to believe the lawyer representing the defendant is his when in fact he the insurance company’s lawyer.

Insurance is the forbidden word in personal injury court trials. Insurance companies have horrible reputations and know that they are not popular with the average juror. If you hear that word during a trial the defense will always demand and get a mistrial. They want jurors to believe the defendant is paying out of his own pocket.  

Insurance companies exploit the fact that plaintiffs die, forget important facts or can no longer pursue their claims. Witnesses disappear, die, and forget what they saw or just decide they no longer want to cooperate. Claims simply go away when trials are delayed. Denying or putting off claims saves insurance companies billions. The delay game always helps insurance companies avoid responsibility.

Of course there are exaggerated claims or plaintiffs that think the hangnail they suffered is worth millions. That’s why we have the jury system.  The jurors protect the rights of the plaintiff to collect for their injuries and damages and stop fraudulent claims cold.

Those rare million dollar verdicts come as a result of deception, cover-ups or other misconduct by defendants or their lawyers in their efforts to avoid fair compensation.

Jurors have wide latitude in awarding more money than they’ve been asked to by a plaintiff. If a jury goes overboard with a verdict the judge will always reduce those verdicts.  Large verdicts always send strong messages to those insurance companies that try to further victimize plaintiffs.

When you get called for jury duty you must put your feet in the shoes of the plaintiff and defendant. That plaintiff or defendant could be you or someone you love.  Of course the defendant will never have to pay from their own pockets because that's why they had insurance.  Hear the case, take you position, stick to it and be proud. 

Remember whatever you award the plaintiff he will have to share as much as 50% with his lawyer.  Of course medical bills, expert witness fees along with significant costs must be paid by the plaintiff in addition to the percentage that goes to the lawyer.  

If the insurance company gets stuck with a generous jury award perhaps next time they will avoid a trial settling the claim in a fair and prompt manner.

Note:  I will follow up with criminal, juvenile and family law courts in future articles.  

Why Cameras in Courtrooms Are a Terrible Idea

Chicago, IL—In the Windy city where corruption in the courts has been a way of life, cameras have been precluded for at least 70 years. I’m not sure the camera prohibition is related to judicial corruption but the prohibition does have advantages that are conducive to fairness.

There are pictures of Al Capone inside a courtroom a 2600 S. California Avenue. There was movie and still pictures taken during the sensational Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murder trial also in that era. It was sometime later when cameras were eventually outlawed.

Transparency dictates open government and court proceedings be public except in rare cases and to protect juveniles. The public cannot be excluded from courtrooms unless they are witnesses that have not yet testified in the case before the court. That important prohibition is to prevent witnesses from influencing each other during trials or hearings.

The real harm with bringing cameras into courtrooms is when justice is reduced to cheap entertainment. The most horrific examples of televised trials gone wrong was the O.J Simpson murder trial and then later in the murder trial of Scott Peterson.

The Romans showcased crime and punishment in their coliseum. Blood thirsty crowds over-filled this venue for the shockingly ghoulish public slaughter of people whose crime was that of being Christian.

Adolph Hitler and his propaganda minister Josef Goebbels made sure that the People’s Court of The Third Reich was shown on newsreels in every movie house in Germany.

The German people could watch Nazi Judge Roland Frisler holding a show trial where he tried, convicted and sentenced 16 year-old boy scout, Helmuth Hübener to the guillotine. Young Hübener’s capital conviction was for daring to pass out anti-Hitler leaflets in Hamburg.

The Hübener lad was just one of 5,000 German men and women known to have been murdered under the color of law for resting National Socialism.

We must not let American courts degenerate into a most garish form of entertainment for the idle. We simply can't allow courts to be used for propaganda or to terrorize the population.

On the other hand the courts are public and should always remain open for the public to observe.

If there is a TV show I loathe more than any other in the history of television it’d the Judge Judy Show. Yes, her cases are of little consequence but none the less the show reduces our court to the status of a third rate circus.

As for the unbridled horror of the Helmuth Hübener story, a movie is being filmed in Germany right now with, Haley Joel Osment playing the lead character.

Reduce the Immigration Crisis by Ending the Drug War

Just a little pile of drug money found laying around…

Phoenix, AZ—Some Mexican drug cartel allegedly just put a $1 million bounty on Sheriff Joe’s head.  Somehow I don’t think they could be trusted to pay up if someone actually whacked that lawman with the TV camera fetish. This sounds more like a political campaign manager’s scheme than reality.

The failure of the Drug War has been nothing short of spectacular considering the endless billions of dollars wasted on it. The only benefit of the Drug War is that billions more in illicit profits enrich criminals both inside and outside of government.

Drug laws do nothing to curb use, addiction, or deaths.  People prone to addiction are in no way deterred by the laws and that the prohibition makes the drugs even more attractive. Those addicted pay handsomely for products that cost no more than tea or coffee to produce. Drug law enforcement only drives up the price and profits.

Those concerned about deaths from overdoses need to examine the thousands murdered every year over drug trafficking related events. The overdoses are miniscule in comparison.

The Drug War has caused the migration of the worst criminals south of our borders looking to profit through the artificially high price of drugs set by the Drug War.

We need to put all of the Drug Lords and Drug Czars out of business in a single day through legalization. The USA would no longer be a magnet for international criminals.

We need to avoid taxing, or in any way regulating drugs beyond protecting children and using zoning laws to keep drug blight away from populated areas. If we try to regulate the drugs we will just make more opportunities for criminals.

Chicago Cops Need the Right to Carry Shotguns or Carbines

Chicago, IL—There is a war going on in the Windy City and cops have been random targets. They are armed with their service pistols that are too often, underpowered 9MM semi-automatics. Adding insult to this is the department’s inadequate in-service training with the weapons. A mere 30 rounds per year for in-service training will do little more than guarantee more police funerals.

The officers should be able carry serviceable .12 gauge shotguns or a range of carbines both rifle and pistol caliber. Uniformity is not nearly as important as having sufficient weaponry to gain parity with the ghetto rats.

The department will not purchase the weapons but many cops have them already or have access to them. If the officers have them they should be allowed to bring them.

Every California police department regardless of size or location has had both a shotgun and carbine since the Bank of America shootout in North Hollywood more than a decade ago.

Officers should simply document their training and yearly practice with the weapons whether on private or department run ranges in a To/From memorandum. 

Many cops are military veterans that have extensive experience with the M-4/AR-15/M-16 family of rifles. That should be adequate.

Here is me with my shotgun of choice for police work, the M-3 HK/Benelli convertible pump/semi-automatic shotgun.  Attacking cops carrying these weapons maybe some ghetto rat’s last bad decision made on this earth.

Myths and Reality About People Who Carry Concealed weapons

There are lots of people in our world that are overly concerned about law-abiding people carrying guns for self-defense. Their concerns are real but they’re driven by simple ignorance.

Most people who never carry guns know little more about them other than what they learn watching television shows or movies. The gifted people working in special effects have given mere handguns incredible and even magical powers. This is aggravated by ignorant or deceitful journalists who inaccurately describe weapons involved in news stories. Remember, sensationalism and exaggeration is what sells books, movies, and newspapers.

People shot don’t instantly lose the ability to continue their assault and more than 60 percent of those shot with any weapon survive. A handgun is little more than a tool that may give you or a family member a way to escape from an unthinkable event alive. I equate carrying a handgun to wearing a seat belt while driving. It only provides limited protection.

If you understand the limitations that firearms have, then you will know only too well that it’s far batter to avoid violent conflicts whenever possible even while carrying a gun.

Here are some myths and reality about the law-abiding with guns.

1. Packing a gun does not make anyone smarter, braver, taller or meaner. It does provide a legitimate method of self-defense in a society where violent thugs commit horrible crimes every day.

2. Guns are dangerous and will discharge on their own. Modern defensive firearms are redundantly safe and it requires intentional effort or recklessness to injure anyone.

3. Law-abiding people with guns will simply use them on others out of anger. The key words here are, law-abiding. We all have tempers but what separates criminals from the law-abiding is the ability to control one’s behavior.

Most Americans have a deadly weapon under their control for extended periods every day. That weapon is the automobile. We all get angry at other drivers but very few of us use our 3,000 pound vehicles to intentionally kill or maim. Thankfully, road rage violence is rare when you consider the number of vehicles present and moving on our streets. We do know that criminals use cars as weapons.

Everyone has legal access to gasoline and matches but few use them to hurt others. Those that do are criminals.

The fact is criminal violence is but for very rare exceptions are acts committed by people who are well-known for that kind of behavior. They start young and those acts get the attention of family members and authorities. Too many of these people are allowed to exploit the revolving doors of our jails and are free to inflict plenty of horror on others.

There are lots of laws that prohibit these people from possession and unlawful use of arms that are simply unenforceable in a free society. Criminals by their very nature don’t care about any laws.

Only the law-abiding care about the prohibitions and laws established by civilized society.

Denying the law-abiding the means to self-defense only enables the dangerous people we have allowed to roam our streets to victimize the innocent.

Now, Cops May Have to Scoot After they Shoot!

Chicago, IL—I remember a strange case in 1976 where witnesses claim they saw a lone Chicago cop get out of his marked squad and engage an armed suspect in a gun fight. The offender died but the still unknown officer fled the scene. It was a justifiable shooting and the officer leaving and avoiding any and all investigation was no crime.

The department pulled out all the stops to find the officer who violated department policy by his flight. Perhaps the officer was off of his beat and maybe outside of his district. Some districts have little choice for meals and officers sometimes risk a suspension for a decent meal in a neighboring district. Maybe the officer was making a booty call during his lunch period? Where the cop came from is anyone’s guess.

One significant benefit of the officer’s flight was avoiding the old, Office of Professional Standards and a lots of paper related misery. The real benefit was the officer made no statement whatsoever which is his right as an American citizen. No zealous prosecutor would be presenting the officer’s own words to a jury had someone who did not observe the shooting decided the officer’s use of deadly force was not justified.

A real factor in determining whether to prosecute cops for murder and manslaughter surrounds eye witness statements. The problem is that often eye witnesses to police shooting are the offender or his friends, family or accomplices. Often jurors add up the witnesses for both sides and whoever has the highest number determines the verdict. Do you think that’s a little scary for white cops in an all Black neighborhood?

With the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals trashing the administrative rights concept protecting officers in the case of Officer William Cozzi, there is are no good reasons for cops to stick around after shooting dangerous suspects ever!

If officers can’t flee they need to refuse any statements without having a defense lawyer present. No lawyer in his right mind will let a cop say anything about a shooting. This may affect the prosecution of suspects but that’s just too bad. Cops can’t be expected to have fewer rights than criminals trying to kill them.

Most cops I know have zero ability to keep their mouths shut when under investigation. They are so pre-programmed to cooperate they never stop to read the Miranda warning they all carry. What’s worse they all keep on blabbing even after someone else reads it to them! That has to change.

I want all my cop friends to watch law professor James Duane’s lecture and learn how to redundantly repeat these four simple words to investigators investigating you, “I want a lawyer.”

When you finish Professor Duane’s video it’s time to watch a long time police investigator George Bruch of the Virginia Beach Police Department explain the reality of Professor Duane's message.

Government, Why Control Entitlement Fraud?

Chicago, IL--In order to collect food stamps, welfare, and those wildly popular cash cards the government won’t demand proof of legal residency or even positive identification of the recipients.

Fingerprinting and a little database management could prevent redundant payments, ineligible precipitants, and alike.  Our politicians can be counted upon to obstruct any effort to contain the fraud.

The direct deposit of funds into bank accounts allows those on the dole to live anywhere in the world as they collect from as many as 50 states.  Grab a few identities along the way and the sky is the limit! 

Around 1970 I learned a trick by a high rolling Chicago lady.  She had furs, jewels and bought a new car every year.  She complained about the cost of her facelift saying everyone was entitled to such elective medical procedures free of charge.   

The woman had at least a dozen names on a mailbox at an apartment where she did not even live. Like clockwork this woman went to the mailbox when the entitlement checks rolled in collecting them.

I learned later she created sham residences in Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana and pulled the same stunt in those states. She complained that her trips to get the checks and cashing them locally were exhausting and interfered with her winter travel to the Bahamas.

The woman spent a lot of time gathering and cashing checks she’d never have to deal with today. Those trips to the mailboxes are a thing of the past since electronic banking is here to stay. 

I dated the woman's daughter who was a student at a local university who went on to a free ride at a prestigious graduate school courtesy of mom's entitlements.

Unfortunately the woman died before the new banking technology made occupation easier than ever.