Sergio Oliva A Chicago Police Legend Has Passed Away

 Arnold Schwarzenegger seen here congratulating Sergio Oliva who just beat him for the Mr. Olympia Title.

Chicago, IL—In the early 1970’s a Cuban expatriate found employment as a physical fitness instructor for the Chicago Police Department.  He was a natural for the position but what he really wanted more than anything was to be a Chicago cop.

Sergio Oliva was beyond happy to live in free America where he competed in bodybuilding championships.  In 1969 he beat out a slightly more famous immigrant named Arnold Schwarzenegger for the title of Mr. Olympia.

Sergio had to work hard enough to learn how to read and write English as he prepared for the Chicago police civil service examination.  He passed however some say he got extra help from above on that one.  He entered the Chicago Police Academy at 720 West O’Brien Street on 26 April 1976.  

Sergio immediately had problems with both his kaki recruit uniform and later the regular police uniforms since there were no shirts available for someone of his size at any uniform store.  He had to have them custom made from scratch. His uniform allowance could not cover the cost.

Sergio was a gentle giant and soft spoken, good will ambassador who brought favorable attention to the department.  He worked in 024 Rogers Park District doing patrol.

Like most cops he had troubles in a marriage and was shot five times by his then wife Arleen Garrett.    His incredible muscle mass made him nearly bullet proof and he recovered quickly.  That marriage however did not survive.  

Sergio, 71passed  away yesterday apparently from kidney failure and I’m not yet sure of any arrangements.  I will try to keep you pasted.
UPDATE: Family and friends are invited to attend a wake scheduled for Monday, Nov. 19 at Barr Funeral Home, 6222 N. Broadway, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at St. Gertrude Catholic Church, 1420 W. Granville Ave. at 11 a.m.

Here Sergio is profiled in a video news story before he retired 10 years ago:

   

"Murder Suspect" John McAfee Needs Immediate Help and Advice

San Pedro, Belize—In this exotic nation there is a dangerous manhunt going on. They’re looking for software anti-virus genius John McAfee.  An American expatriate Gregory Faull was found shot to death here.  Police are calling this death a murder and have launched the desperate search for McAfee as their suspect.

There are several reports that McAfee has been involved with using various drug including bath salts.  Apparently he also likes firearms.  This may be a bad combination but this does not make him or anyone else a killer.   Those reports could also be a bunch of lies. 

McAfee needs a lawyer to arrange his surrender if he’s not able to escape and seek refuge somewhere that does not have an extradition treaty with Belize.  

Dead men can’t talk and suspects too often can’t wait to tell authorities excuses, lies or even the truth that gets used against them later.  McAfee must not discuss details or possible alibis with anyone.   He can't talk his way out.  

As badly as he needs a lawyer he needs an investigator on the ground interviewing every witness that may be later used to hurt or help him.

This is far from a lost cause.  McAfee needs to take the steps to clear his name immediately.   I don’t blame him or anyone for flight from authorities.  Generally police and prosecutors can’t be trusted to do the right thing. 

McAfee needs good PR assistance to help squelch rumors and get the helpful information out to shape public opinion.  

This criminal defense murder investigation was made for me.  I’d be on a plane in a heartbeat to work this case and get to the truth.

Carice van Houten Turns her Focus to Singing

Amsterdam, NL—The incredibly talented actress Carice van Houten is apparently at an impasse in her life whether to continue acting or to take on a singing career.   At this juncture she’s told several publications that she’s having more fun singing.  She’s about to give her first concert with Rufus Wainright later this month in this beautiful city of the Dutch Masters. 

Van Houten is a terrific actress that has not really gotten a solid foothold in the U.S.  The Paul Verhoeven film, Black Book showcased the actress’ beauty and many talents.  The problem was the film was mostly in Dutch and subtitled.  It did not get the kind of distribution and promotion it deserved.  Of course in Europe it was a genuine hit.  For me personally, it was the best film I’ve seen to date.

Van Houten was given the role of Nina Von Stauffenberg in the film Valkyrie starring Tom Cruiz.  Unfortunately Valkyrie’s producers and writers did not give enough tribute to van Houten’s character.  That brave woman was sent to a concentration camp for her resistance activities.

Another film was made that has yet to see daylight here is Jacky.  That’s a film staring Holly Hunter with Carice van Houten and her younger sister Jelka van Houten.   This film was shot in New Mexico.  Hopefully does eventually get some promotion and distribution. 

Van Houten recently visited L.A. and tweeted a picture that seemed to indicate she also took a road trip to Tucson, AZ.  I know she visited her agent in L.A. but the purpose rest of her trip was a mystery, at least to me.   I suspect she was looking for new projects here.  Her Hollywood agent at CAA has to do a much better job of promoting her. 

Hollywood is loaded with nepotism and corruption of every kind.   It too often takes more than great talent to get cast into any film with a significant budget.   I hope van Houten's trip went well because she is a terrific and bright star America needs.

Van Houten is a dedicated actress that will never settle for a second rate performance.  She may make what she does look easy but countless hours of blood, sweat and tears goes into everything she does.  Her hard work and dedication pays of in her finished product.

Van Houten’s first CD; See You On The Ice can be obtained from iTunes and Amazon.com.  I found it very enjoyable.  I expect there will be more music from Van Houten.  Hopefully it will not be at the expense of her absence on the silver screen.   

The Benghazi Cover-up is Now at Critical Mass.

Where is Paula Broadwell?  Is she in mortal danger tonight?

Washington, DC—By comparison Nixon’s Watergate scandal is small potatoes.  The Benghazi terror attack cover-up is far worse.  Today General David Petraeus resigned as director of the CIA in the nick of time to avoid giving sworn testimony before Congress on Monday.

We must remember that former President Bill Clinton is the modern standard for high-level adultery.  An intern, Monica Lewinski on company time, was servicing him as he conducted high-level business on the telephone in the Oval Office.  He was not forced to resign even after giving perjured testimony at a sworn deposition.  

The woman who knows all is Paula Broadwell and she is now far away from members of the press who are stalking her.   She is in extreme danger in my opinion.  They will either bribe anyone into silence or kill anyone they fear will blab. 

Paula Broadwell needs to be located and protected before something horrible happens

Victim’s Rights, Show Trials and American Courts

Former Congresswoman Gabby Gifforrds leaving the Tucson federal courthouse.

Tucson, AZ—Our American founding fathers never considered the need for what we call Victim’s Rights.  Anyone accused of a crime has real rights that must be protected.  This is obviously to prevent wrongful convictions.  It’s also to prevent government officials from targeting people for persecution for any number of nefarious reasons.

When we become victimized by a criminal act it is expected that we have a desire to exact revenge and show hatred against the offender.   The more serious the offense the more hate and anger is expressed by the victim and of course their family and friends.

We hold the accused to account in our criminal trials.  In a criminal trial a victim was never intended to be anything more than a witness.  Witnesses really don’t need any special rights of any kind.  Their job is to simply testify truthfully.

The victim is never allowed to apply any punishment.  I think is only natural that many victims want to experience throwing the switch on the electric chair and such.   There has never been justice for victims or any person.

Victims can only attempt to gain the power to punish the offender in a civil court.  If the offender has any assets they can be awarded to the victimized.  The problem here is most criminals have nothing and a victory in a civil court rings hollow.

Prosecutors seem to universally hate fair trials and the protections that guarantee them, because some of those accused are acquitted.   They want total control over the evidence and the punishment.  Prosecutors already have the ability to manipulate witness testimony through giving witnesses who are criminals, immunity from prosecution.  That lets them escape any responsibility for their own crimes. 

Prosecutors are now free to use the fragile emotional state of the victims as tools in court sentencing proceedings.  They have done this by obtaining court rule changes such as allowing for victim impact statements. 

Prosecutors love to mislead anyone and everyone that a successful prosecution and application of punishment bring closure to victims.  There is no closure but for the healing effects of time. 

Still prosecutors want to parade frightened, crying victims before the court to exact maximum penalties against the accused.  This charade has no real effect except to provide a garish public spectacle.  Judges are not supposed to be swayed by these actions.

Prosecutors are politicians and love this garbage to use in their future political campaigns.  Justice is perverted and twisted to aid political propaganda.

Yesterday in a Tucson Federal courthouse, prosecutors put on such a show.  A deranged mass killer was due to receive a maximum prison sentence that insured he’d never be released.  There was no trial because the accused pled guilty to his crimes.   That plea saved taxpayers untold millions in legal fees and court costs had this remained a death penalty case.

The plea and penalty was negotiated and the case closed for all practical purposes.  Still prosecutors summoned every victim to come into court to stare down the killer and to address him with their angry statements.   Then they watched him get sentenced  and taken away to Club Fed.

Victim impact statements are rarely delivered by accomplished public speakers.  Instead the victims nervously read writings from scraps of paper that were prepared in advance.  There are no happy endings in any criminal court for anyone, even an acquitted defendant. 

Victims will never get justice in any court.  The criminal acts that brought on the prosecution cannot be undone.  The victims can’t be made whole by any court ruling.  It that’s ever going to happen it will be in the hereafter if there is one.

We have turned most of our courts into entertainment arenas complete with live television and now streaming Internet video.  Our trial are show trials appealing to the lowest common denominator of humanity.    Our trials are not about justice anymore but rather showmanship and prosecutor’s political campaigns.

Adolph Hitler and his PR genius, Josef Goebbels was among the first to put their show trials before motion picture cameras.  The Nazis then brought their idea of justice to the masses that watched those trial highlights at their local movie theaters.  I ask, have we progressed beyond that? 

Trials should be public but cameras just don’t belong in our courtrooms.  If you want to see a trial all you need to do is visit your local courthouse.  

To My Readers

I seriously want to find employment in Germany, The Netherlands or Switzerland.  If I found employment I’d relocate in a heartbeat.  Anything in film making, journalism, tourism, firearms training, security and investigation would be just fine. 

I happen to speak German fairly well.  If any of my readers have any ideas for me please leave a comment.  Don’t worry I won’t publish them so leave me contact information.

I will continue my blog of course unless it somehow interferes.   

The Disaster of the 2012 Presidential Election is Reality

Washington, DC—Hope and change has become spite and revenge.   Obama will be settling scores with the Liberals that have abandoned his campaign or turned on him like Oprah.  Now Obama has nothing to lose.  It won’t be pretty.

Make no mistake I hate the outcome of this election.  Millions of votes were stolen simply because we can’t seem to require voters to actually identify themselves.  Americans serving in our armed forces have seen their votes entirely removed from the election through purposeful error.   Our elections have been rigged for decades by the political left.

This nation is divided into two groups productive slaves and non-productive slave owners.  The slaves can continue with their bondage or resist and break out.  

Will we begin see tax revolts, sabotage of government agencies, property and programs that victimize the slaves?  Just what kind of a backlash can we expect?  That remains to be seen.

The Tea Party showed little promise because they did nothing more than peaceful protest.  They took their name from The Boston Tea Party where angry citizens forcibly boarded the King’s ships destroying a vast quantity of valuable property.  That was in fact assault, battery, armed robbery, burglary, arson and destruction of property.   Before some group ever takes on the name of American patriots they should be prepared to deliver.  The Tea Party simply failed to live up to their name.

In the 1960s the Left used massive disobedience, bombing and murder to force our nation’s politicians to turn over millions of South Vietnamese citizens to the Communists.  They were all rounded up and taken to the Killing Fields of Pol Pot.  There were no Nuremberg style war crimes tribunals for the crimes of Communists against humanity.   In fact no Communist was ever brought to book for genocide or mass rape by the American government.

Mitt Romney had nothing different to offer America than Obama.  He was no Conservative or protector of our Constitution and Bill of Rights.   Romney ran with a label of a once great political party that’s been hijacked long ago.  No matter the outcome of yesterday’s election the American experiment seems to have run its course.

What remains to be seen if a small percentage of American patriots are willing to shed blood to rid us of the yoke of slavery.  Will they be brave enough to shut down liberty stealing government tyrannical outfits like the IRS, TSA and BATFE?   It would take terrific leadership, incredible sacrifice and real courage.   I just don’t see this happening.

The National Socialist Party of Germany was very popular for the first four or five years.  Adolph Hitler was even named our own, Time Magazine’s, Man of The Year.  

The Nazis became strong enough to defeat some two-dozen courageous internal attempts to kill their evil leader.  What finally brought the end to the Nazi Party was the combined massive efforts of the USA, USSR, France and the UK.  

World War Three is inevitable and we can count upon seeing it in our lifetimes.  We are a nation divided beyond any of our imagination’s today.  We are also over-populated.  Tyrannical governments and their wars have erased hundreds of millions of lives from this planet.  I may seem cynical but one thing for sure, what’s past is prologue.  This too will pass in human history.     

  

California, The Land of Dream Jobs!

Actual L.A. County Ballot Measure

Los Angeles, CA—In the not so Golden State they over-regulate everything to death.  You must first obtain a special license here just to clip your own toenails.

Now they want to regulate the forced use of condoms for porn films.  If this is put forward they will need a new army of Porn Film Inspectors with police powers.  I want this new job!  Perhaps I should supervise all of the, girl on girl productions. 

I view this is just one more example of why film makers have run away from California making films anywhere but L.A.

The Obama Administration Response To Hurricane Sandy is Appalling

Washington, DC—The Obama Administration has been mired in preparations and protocol for interning millions of American under the NDAA and other outrageous programs.  Dealing with a natural disaster was obviously just not a priority.  

The Obama Administration had a week’s warning and could have begun assembling massive amounts of drinking water, food and fuel for swift movement to any affected areas. 

Nothing began until well over eight million people had no power, drinking water, food, prescription drugs or communication from the outside world.   Only then were efforts made to locate and distribute emergency provisions.  Unforgivably and incredibly it was all too little and too late.

Obama came in for political campaign photo opportunities and quickly beat it back to battleground campaigning states.  The political Left gushed over the skinny Black President hugging the chubby White New Jersey Governor during their Love-In.  That did not produce any relief to the suffering millions far away from this spectacle.  Remember they can’t watch what’s going on television or the Internet in what’s left of their darkened, water-soaked homes.

Now we can count on a continued humanitarian and health crisis as the nation’s voters deal with the mighty slim-pick in’s at the polls Tuesday.

The Obama Administration get’s an F for their performance.  That’s well behind a long litany of other failures and missteps.

I somehow expect more treachery and tyranny to emanate from the Whitehouse especially if the election does not favor Obama.  Remember, no matter what happens at the polls, Obama will have his finger on the national trigger until he’s evicted from the Whitehouse in January. 

Social Media Pioneer Susan Murphy Milano Dead From Cancer

Susan Murphy Milano

Chicago, IL—Susan Murphy Milano was on a mission.  She was a rabid advocate for battered women.  This woman had to deal with her father, a decorated Chicago police detective murdering her mother and then taking his own life.  That life-changing event put her in a new direction as an outspoken anti-domestic violence advocate.

Murphy Milano lobbied for gun control and punitive domestic violence laws.  She became a master of Social Media with a blog and Internet radio program.  She also had limited success as a book author.

Rather than sit it out on the sidelines Murphy Milano was out making herself heard. I was very much at odds with her positions with respect to liberty and due process.

A few years ago Murphy Milano wanted to take me on publically with her Internet radio program. I’m a fierce and prolific debater on the opposite nearly every issue she advocated. 

I turned down her request for the wrong reasons.  I found her ideology revolting, repugnant and vile.  Now in hindsight, I should have taken her on.  I had solid confidence that I knew her issues better than she did.  

Let me be the first to admit that Murphy Milano’s positions were more popular with the general public than mine.  Hooking up with this woman for an Internet Cage-fight could have more than doubled my audience.   I could have been the one that every “true crime” buff would love to hate.   Murphy Milano was every bit as ferocious as Nancy Grace.

As for Murphy Milano’s father, I think that Murphy Milano never really took into account the mental health land mines facing cops.  Frankly a significant percentage of cops suffer from un-diagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

Cops are relentlessly abused from the day they enter police academies.  Cops have to find their own defense mechanisms to deal with this stuff without career ending professional help.   Frankly becoming a cop is a terrible career choice. That job and its known negative side effects are really what destroyed Murphy Milano’s family.    

I’m always into any self-promoting project that will insure me a comfortable retirement.  That’s not an easy road but it was the same road Murphy Milano was traveling.  I viewed us as two speeding freight trains playing chicken on a single track.  The thought was exciting and intriguing to me.

Rather than make an enemy of my foe, I wanted to capitalize on both of our passions as well-paid verbal gladiators.  The perfect vehicle for this debut was the Drew Peterson trial in Joliet Illinois.  I developed some interest in such having us explore and debate the public controversy exposed at this trial.  I knew that the trial would prove to be an emotional flash bomb for those wanting to know about the case.

Both Murphy Milano and I have been profiled various TV news programs.   Milano hired a publicist and was self-promoting her way to success.  It is at some point what all developing media personalities must do.

I had sparked interest in this cage-fight idea from CNN and at least one local Chicago TV affiliate.  I was also planning to use it to jointly promote our blogs.  I was also entertaining the idea of putting up a new multimedia website for our future Social Combat.  

I called Murphy Milano and she seemed to be very excited about the idea.  As I was pitching the idea to producers she suddenly became uncharacteristically elusive.  Soon her publicist informed me that Murphy Milano had other projects that would conflict moving forward with the plan.  I was royally pissed.  Imagine that!  She suddenly wouldn’t even talk to me personally about this.  

The real problem apparently was Murphy Milano suddenly having to fight for her life.   She was battling cancer without health insurance.  Anything else became far less important. 

Getting financial success though Social Media projects is a quest that proves to be elusive for most of our blogging peers.   Timing is everything and the Internet financial road is loaded with huge potholes.  That’s changing fast now but unfortunately not in time to help Murphy Milano.

I would have been thrilled to establish a persona with a political opposite with the fire and venom of a Murphy Milano.  Together we could have debated our way straight to the bank while keeping the burning issues alive for discussion.  Our debates during the Drew Peterson Trial would have been lively, entertaining and addictive. 

Susan Murphy Milano’s agenda was certainly never anything I’d embrace but her displayed passion, fire and courage was amazing.  She deserved to be heard but now she’s been silenced.

Cancer is an equal opportunity killer and destroyer of dreams.  In the end Murphy Milano never saw enough financial reward for her work to cover the high cost of health insurance.  We also know that the best insurance would have done little beyond making her final months more comfortable.

Most serious media can only exist through some form of commercial sponsorship.  Corporate America’s marketing departments have not kept pace with with the world’s shift from television and newspaper advertising to the new Social Media.  

Murphy Milano has left a void that should be filed with another dedicated fighter.  

  

  

Don’t Like the TSA? You Can Blame Obama and Bush too!

Bend over and spread your cheeks bitch!

Washington, DC—The TSA focus on potential terrorists has been shifted to harmless grandmas traveling with their grandchildren.  Americans by the millions are getting punished when they travel because of horrible public policy that supports only the illusion of security. 

Privacy, dignity and comfort have been stolen from traveling Americans.   Since 9/11 it has only been alert passengers that have stopped each and every threat, not the TSA!  The TSA can’t claim a single instance where they have prevented a serious security threat.

The TSA relentlessly brags how they get a few handguns or pocketknives from forgetful passengers.  Frankly the vast majority of those discovered with those weapons were lawfully carrying them until they forgot to double check before getting into in the security lines.  These people are simply no risk to anyone.

Not all Muslims are terrorists but virtually every terrorist is a Muslim.  In fact they are male, Muslims between the ages of 18 and 35.  Many of them were flying with passports from nations we are at war with right now!  Our Anglo grandmother’s get more scrutiny than the likely candidates that may actually need special attention.  Why do we allow people from unfriendly nations on our planes in the first place?

Two politically radical Muslims, his father and his stepfather raised Obama.   It’s understandable why his loyalty has been misplaced.  Accordingly he has let lawyer Janet Napolitano run wild with her air travel tyranny.  A career cop, not Napolitano, should have filled that Homeland Security position. 

The entire TSA program and the FAA system before it, was and is ineffective, and wasteful.   The program absolutely violates our Fourth Amendment Rights against unreasonable search and seizure.  The argument is that Americans don’t deserve the right to travel by air, train or even a bus!  That’s an outrageous argument. 

We should have simply trained and armed every pilot.  Additionally we could have recruited the nations certified and trained cops to fly while armed at a significant discount if they’d accept Air Marshall duties.  Cops are trained and vastly experienced to notice suspicious behavior.  Our TSA workers have no real education, training or skills and are barely qualified to work at the most menial of positions. 

Putting these TSA workers in police style uniforms complete with gold badges is an insult to every working cop in America.  It also attracts the most mentally unstable people seeking positions of authority over others.

The TSA workers have proven themselves to be rude, nasty, larcenous and downright dangerous.  They have moved vast quantities of narcotics and have been a part of the problem instead of a solution. Personally I fear the TSA far more that any terrorist.

The TSA needs to be eliminated and a real security program must replace it.  It’s a challenge that must be made to keep the peace in a free society.  Our skies can be kept safe for a fraction of the cost. 

Most importantly we could make flying fun again and revitalize the travel and tourism industry that the TSA has placed into bankruptcy.  It would translate into thousands of productive jobs.

How are airlines are protected begins and ends at the Whitehouse.  We need a president that has the courage to do the right thing when it comes to policing air travelers.  We must always remember we have fought wars to make sure we never had Nazi style checkpoints abusing travelers.  I guess we’ve forgotten about that.   

Pathetic TV News Coverage of Brookfield, WI Spa Shooting

Racliffe Haughton Google+

Brookfield, WI-Yesterday, Radcliffe Haughton, 45 went to the spa where his wife worked, gained entrance and began shooting women. 

This was a Sunday when the people responsible for the heavy lifting in the news business were home with their families.  TV stations keep only minimal crews working on the normally slow weekends. 

Local police put out a description of this Black male and his automobile complete with a license plate number.

Soon broadcasters were claiming that the police got the suspect’s race wrong in a misguided effort to shield the Haughton’s actual race from disclosure.  We can only guess what that was about.

TV stations began non-stop broadcasting and webcasting misinformation loaded with buzzwords and gibberish.  This while police were slowly entering offices looking for suspects and victims as they were yet unaware that their suspect lay dead in the building.

The media reporters and anchors suggested that there was a machine-gun or assault rifle used.  Of course they had no clue what those terms actually meant.  They used all kinds of modern police jargon lifted from television programs in a really lame attempt to sound like they knew what they were talking about.  

Later they claimed that police found one or more IEDs or improvised explosive devices.  The reporters suddenly became bomb experts explaining to the public what an IED is and how mechanical robots were being deployed.  The rub here was that nobody, no matter how educated could determine if these were bombs or not by mere observation. 

The reality was police saw an apparent propane tank and simply treated it like a suspected explosive device.  They called in the bomb squad to deal with the item that concerned them. Sensationalism was in overkill and of course the anti-gun rights lobby began to politicize the shooting.  In the end there were no bombs.

The media missed the opportunity to quickly examine court and numerous public records to learn about the suspect and his wife.  The only thing these broadcasters did was to never stop babbling.   They would have better served the public by letting the unfolding video roll silently as they released useful information.

The Milwaukee broadcast media demonstrated that they don’t know how to research public records.  They also never bothered to ask the police spokesmen to describe Houghton’s weapon.

As for useful information the broadcast media lagged far behind Twitter reports.   Granted most of the Twitter reports were unsubstantiated but many of them were solid leads to independently investigate and validate.

To learn about this story I opened and listened to police scanner channels, examined #Brookfieldshooting Twitter posts, and went into various available public records such as court, assessor and recorded documents.  I checked Facebook, and quickly found a disturbing picture of Haughton on his Piccasa and Google+ site.

I quickly learned about Haughton’s former addresses and the location of family members along with many more leads to find out additional information.

In fairness to the reporters and anchors local news long ago stopped being competitive.  Instead of enterprising journalism reporters and producers simply rely on the self-serving disinformation put out by government spokesmen.  The broadcast executives making decisions no longer seem care about their news product.

The days of local broadcast news are ending in a hurry.  The question is whether these media dinosaurs can adapt to a new world where virtually anyone gather and report news.  Right now anyone can simply use an iPhone or iPAd to broadcast whatever they wish on UStream as they post a tease with their link on Twitter.

Could the helicopter video shots be replaced by a small inexpensive drone supplemented by satellite photos of the scene?

Somehow I envision this scenario as the way breaking news will be covered in the near future.

When you think about it a well-equipped mobile team of three could absolutely own any breaking news story in the world.

Amsterdam is a Great City in a Terrific Nation

Amsterdam, NL—This city is probably one of the nicest places you can visit on earth. It’s a place where art and beauty is everywhere. It’s the home of The Dutch Masters, and a friendly society that welcomes visitors with pride. Flowers are everywhere weather permitting. Museums are also everywhere. 

This is a city to see by bicycle and taking a boat ride on the canals is always a treat here. The food is great and the nightlife is first class. 

The Dutch are known for their very Libertarian views on sex and cannabis. This European jewel not suffered for their attitude. This is an example of why our Drug War is such a grand waste. The sex trade in Amsterdam in legendary and you can see quite a show every night in the Red Light District. 

The Dutch have a thriving film industry, with a renowned film festival. Unfortunately I can’t speak Dutch but most everyone here not only speaks English but they do so rather well. 

The Dutch are a freedom loving lot and their brave efforts to resist the tyrannical Nazi occupation are legendary. Many Christian Dutch people lost their lives protecting Jews from persecution during the Third Reich. The Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam is dedicated to the efforts of the Dutch Underground and is a must see attraction as is the Anne Frank House. 

When in Europe Amsterdam and nearby places like The Hague will make you want to have a summer home here.

Murder Prosecutions and Criminal Defense Investigations

Murder cases may often be similar but no two are ever really alike.  Most murder defendants are found guilty.  Any person being put on trial stands an 80% chance of being convicted.

However some of the accused are actually innocent and getting their lives back is anything but easy.  The burden of proof is on the government but over-zealous cops and prosecutors too often lie and cheat to win guilty verdicts from unsuspecting jurors.  Framing someone is very easy to do for any competent homicide detective. Escaping a false conviction is always a life altering challenge.

If the case is not clear and the evidence is weak, that is where and when the prosecution chicanery goes into overdrive.  Cops hate getting sued and they know if a defendant gets convicted, any potential lawsuit would be dead.   That’s part of the motivation along with protecting their professional pride.  It’s ugly but a fact of life.

Murder cases are the ones that usually require the most work by defense lawyers and investigators.  Because of the incredibly high cost of a murder defense, public defenders get the bulk of these cases. 

The public defenders can either be horrible or very good lawyers.  A defendant is usually stuck with what he gets for a lawyer and simply does not have the ability to recognize legal blunders.  The defendant has to deal from a position of pure faith.

Public defender investigators are generally worthless, unmotivated and poorly paid.   Most private investigators over-rate themselves and pad their resumes more than the girls did their bras at my high school prom.   

Usually a good lawyer knows a reasonably decent PI.  Don’t let some plagiarized Internet website convince you to hire an investigator.  The bums see someone else’s attractive and professionally created website and simply copy and convert it to their own use.  Don’t be fooled.

You could have a great private lawyer but he could be handcuffed by budgetary problems that interfere with hiring needed experts and qualified investigators. Too many lawyers wait until they are desperate before they share their retainer with an investigator to track down needed evidence.

It may be best to pay your investigator separately to make sure he can do the work that needs to be done. 

If you’re rich and can hire the best you usually stand a much better chance. If you're poor that invites the unthinkable. 

If you barely have enough money to hire a private lawyer he really can't share any portion of his retainer with anyone else like an investigator or forensic and other expensive technical experts. 

Chances are good your lawyer will not have what he needs to win because of the failure to find witnesses that can impeach or at least challenge those presented by the prosecutor.

Multiple lawyers on a murder case sounds really good but it can be a recipe for a disaster.  Lawyers fight among themselves like cats and dogs.  They wind up working against each other just to prove a point. Any more than two good lawyers is usually a horrible idea.

Investigators are used to do background investigations on witnesses including contacting their friends, co-workers and enemies.  A proper investigation will uncover perjury, witness tampering and evidence tampering.  Investigators need to go through and analyze garbage.  They need to interview anyone and everyone possible and have an envelope with blank subpoenas handy.

If the investigator is lucky to be in a state that allows one party consent to conversation recording he needs to abuse that all he can.  Likewise placing GPS transmitters on people and automobiles to track their movements can lead defense investigators to the criminal activity of the prosecution witnesses.

Let’s say the motive for the murder is theft it’s often a prosecution witness that may be a more viable suspect if an investigator can document his nefarious activity.  If the motive for murder is to cover a sex-offense perhaps a prosecution witness’ unusual sexual liaisons can take focus off of the accused defendant.

There are a million little tricks that can be used to find the truth outside of the courtroom.  By the time the trial begins if there’s nothing discovered about the state’s witnesses the defense lawyer will be at their mercy.  Of course if there’s either no investigation or a limited one the defense lawyer may surely be defeated.

If the lawyer tells you that you don’t need an investigator on a really serious case watch out. 

Hollywood as the World’s Film Capital is Fading Fast

Hollywood, CA—California has gone Socialist over the last 30 or 40 years. The politicians here never found a tax or a way to waste or steal money they didn’t love. Every successful California business that could has left the not so Golden State or faced a shutdown over tax extortion and over-regulation. They have taken their jobs with them.

The serious jobs loss never even slowed down California’s incredibly corrupt politicians. Thankfully there’s no Berlin style Wall yet, to prevent the flight. Hardest hit by California’s pirate politicians is the film and entertainment industry. As the excessive taxes and other obstacles have impacted this once thriving industry production began running away.

Canada was first to offer a haven for filmmakers through tax breaks and subsidies. That nation learned very quickly that they get much more in return when they host a film production. California’s politicians are clearly too corrupt and stupid to learn from this. More and more once valuable office space is vacant even in prestige locations like inside Paramount Studios. Why stay in L.A. to make films?

I have a friend in L.A. that made a film at her home, driveway and front sidewalk. There were no security requirements, obstructed traffic or anything going on that concerned the city. Still they forced her to pay nearly $1,000.00 for a film permit and they made her pay for expensive liability insurance. It was like watching a police SWAT team dealing with a kid’s lemonade stand.

Now Europe and India has been rapidly taking over making great films. India protects their citizens with a nearly absolute embargo against foreign workers. Germany provides very generous subsidies along with great locations for filmmakers. 

Filmmaking is seeing unprecedented democratization because of technology changes that make filming an editing so much easier an inexpensive. Hollywood has been forced to compete with millions of filmmakers using YouTube and other social media sites.

Taken 2, A Crimefile News Film Review

Los Angeles, CA—Taken 2 has hit the theater screens like lightening!  This action thriller stars Liam Neeson.   There are plenty of action film stars like Stallone, Willis, Norris, Segal, and Schwarzenegger however the difference here is that Neeson can act!

The Taken franchise is a simple one that began with Neeson, playing a CIA operative, Bryan Mills learned that his pretty daughter Kim, Played by Maggie Grace is kidnapped by terrorists in Paris.  Mills hunts down the bad boys and sends them to their makers and saves Kim.

This time in Taken 2, Mills’ ex-wife Lenore, played by Dutch born actress Famke Janssen is taken in Istanbul Turkey.  Most men would pray for their ex-wives to be taken and in fact many have actually arranged to have that happen.  However Mills is the exception because he still carries a torch for the wife he made second class to his government adventures and lost.

Lenore saw her vacation plans ruined by her present husband and Mills invites her and their daughter Kim to Istanbul where he was wrapping up a post-retirement  assignment.  It’s no surprise when all Hell breaks loose.  The excitement, great visuals and intrigue are non-stop.

Neeson has lots of stunt doubles but for a 60 year-old man he’s in incredible shape.  Neeson’s role is as physically demanding as they get. 

I saw Taken 2 at an Imax monster screen theater and is was terrific.  The entire cast was believable in this improbable situation. The script penned by Luc Besson and Robert Kamen was wonderful and the director, Oliver Megaton pulled it off altogether making a sure-fire hit.

On a side note I got to spend a little time with Neeson at a screening of The Grey.  This was only the second time I saw him in person.  The other was nearly a decade ago when he played opposite Laura Linney in, The Crucible on Broadway.

There are two videos below.  One is the trailer and they other is from our meeting last Thursday night in West Hollywood.