Wow... ignore the intarwebz for a few days...

... and EVERYONE posts something good to read!

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First off, go read the new Perspectives. Start at Lawdog, then hit Ambulance Driver, and finish off with Babs. Have a hanky handy, this one's a tear-jerker.

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Ok... done crying? Time for something a lil' more light-hearted, over Boobs, Injuries, and Dr Pepper

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Sorry I haven't been posting as much lately: I've taken over the position of State Rep for BACA, and that has kept me hopping. And there's a REAL cool job opportunity in the works: we'll see how it goes.

Have you actually studied your religion?

You know, I once had a conversation with someone convinced that Christ was "Christian". No matter WHAT I said, this person was adamant that Jesus Christ fllowed the teachings of that great man, ummm... Jesus Christ. Because Christianity was the oldest religion on Earth, don't ya know. I thought that ignorance was the ultimate in bliss.

I was wrong.

Via LabRat at Atomic Nerds, get this clip:



My gawds... how does this woman come up with this?I assume she's a Christian herself: did she NOT study her Bible any better than an irritated Satanist with an agenda?

This is the problem with WAY to many "religious folks": they don't actually study what they're claiming to practice.

Here's a newsflash for anyone that didn't know: Jesus was a Jew living in the Mid East many centuries after the Greeks had their heyday. Yes, he was a Jew: in fact, he was a Rabbi. And there was a LOT of history that predated his birth (hence the whole "BC" thing).

I'm frelling WICCAN, and I know these things. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over?

I just had to...

Got this via the Squeaky Wheel:

Everyone,

I am asking a favor…

Teresa is my supervisor at TBI. She is the type of person who always does for others. She constantly gives to her co-workers, employees, and family members and rarely takes anything in return. She loves her Harley and her brother finally convinced her to enter a contest they are having for women who ride. The prize is a trip to Bike Week in Daytona. She needs this trip more than anyone I know and she definately [sic] deserves it. Watch her video and please vote for her (the winner is chosen by those who go to the site and view the video) then pass this on to anyone you know. You can vote everyday but it closes on Dec. 10th.

Please go to this link http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/Events/Daytona/2008/womens_ride.jsp?locale=en_US and put your vote in for Teresa Weston.

Thank you,

[name redacted]

Folks, she kinda got to me too. Click the link, and give her a vote: let's see if we can't make her able to give her brother this gift!

Comments from yesterday...

After yesterday's post, there was a comment or two. I thought I'd address them openly, where everyone (all three of ya) sees 'em...

Mark said:

We can save the need for a trial, just lock those two up with the hard lifers and let it be known what they did to that poor child. there is no level of hell low enough for these two.

I agree... there IS no level of Hell low enough. The saddest part is, there are LOADS of people who pull shit like this, and get away with it. Yet there are people who just give a (much deserved) spanking, and have their kids yanked away.

The big question (and it's all over our criminal justice system), is how do we balance between the two extremes?

Asphyxiated Emancipation said:

I just look at that little face, and I see my own daughter....
This is why I want to start a BACA chapter where I live, to try and keep these things from happening...
I read stuff like this, and I alternate between soul wrenching sadness, and white hot rage.

I know how you feel, bro. It's even more fun when you're there, trying to help these kids: what you hear makes you SERIOUSLY want to hurt someone, and you have to hide it completely. Showing anger in front of a child, gets interpreted by said child as them being the cause. So you swallow your anger, smile while you're with 'em, and rant at your chapter's designated therapist* for awhile...

The part that hurts the most though, is knowing that there was NOTHING that you could have done to save this one. She was so young, living with her abuser, and it happened that fast. I do NOT like being powerless, but we are in these cases.



*some Chapters use an actual therapist, some will call a member from another Chapter. With us, my mom-in-law takes care of our sanity. Gotta admit, my mom-in-law rocks (and has kept me from going out "hunting" more than once)

Something lighter after yesterday...

Caught this via Hammer. For those wondering what to get me for Christmas... ;)

Evil...

People sometimes ask me "Why do you do what you do with BACA?". I usually answer "For the kids, to see the smiles when they realize they are safe.

That isn't always the truth. Sometimes, something else spurs me to renew my commitment to BACA. The Article:

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- The stepfather of a 2-year-old girl lost control and beat her to death because she wouldn't say "please" and "yes sir," an attorney for the girl's mother said Wednesday.

A body found last month in Galveston Bay is believed to be that of the little girl, Riley Ann Sawyers, though DNA tests are pending.

Her mother, Kimberly Dawn Trenor, and stepfather, Royce Clyde Zeigler II, were arrested Saturday.

Trenor's attorney, Tommy Stickler Jr., also said Wednesday that Trenor is pregnant.

According to court documents, Trenor, 19, told police she and her husband killed the girl in July and hid her body in a shed before dumping it in the bay.

Stickler said Zeigler, 24, was overwhelmed by his sudden fatherhood and didn't know what behavior to expect from a toddler. Trenor moved with her daughter from Mentor, Ohio, to Texas in June to be with Zeigler, whom she met online.

Zeigler wanted his wife to spank Riley with a belt when she failed to say things like "please" and "yes sir" or "no sir," Stickler said Wednesday. Zeigler didn't believe Trenor was doing it, however, because the 2-year-old's behavior wasn't changing.

The fatal beating happened after Zeigler stayed home from work to make sure his wife was following his discipline plan, Stickler said.

In her statement to Galveston authorities, Trenor said the girl was beaten with leather belts, had her head held underwater in a bathtub and then was thrown across a room, her head slamming into a tile floor.

Although the affidavit said the couple abused Riley over a four- to six-hour period, Stickler said it wasn't a continuous event. Instead, Zeigler grew increasingly enraged as he spanked Riley and she kept forgetting to do things the way he wanted.

"There was never an intention to beat Riley to death," he said.

At one point, Trenor wanted to call an ambulance but Zeigler wouldn't let her, saying they would both be arrested if officials saw her injuries, Stickler said. Instead, Riley was given some over-the-counter pain medication.

When Riley later stopped breathing, Zeigler performed CPR on her tiny body, Stickler said.

Neal Davis III, Zeigler's attorney, said Trenor's story isn't believable.

"She is placing all the blame on Royce, but I think that once the facts come to light, once the timeline's established and the evidence is combed through ... I think her credibility is gonna become a big issue," Davis said.

Trenor and Ziegler were arrested after investigators spent weeks trying to identify the girl they dubbed "Baby Grace," whose body was found in a plastic box floating in Galveston Bay. Riley's paternal grandmother in Ohio had called police, thinking a sketch of the dead child might have been the granddaughter she hadn't seen in months.

Trenor and Zeigler remained jailed Wednesday on charges of injury to a child and tampering with evidence. Bail was set at $350,000 each.

so... the next time I'm talking about what my brothers and sisters do, and you feel the urge to ask "why?", here's your answer. Because I can't read something like this, and NOT do something to help another child avoid dying.

The Promised Float pics

Ok, as promised: pics of the float that had me running around like a lunatic:

First off, the finished float in the garage (and before it started frelling SNOWING)...



Next, a rather dark shot of the float as we staged:



Here's the bigger kids, in the back of the truck. Obviously, I've blocked out faces for confidentiality:


And the other side of the float, with the kids aboard:



We had members around the float on bike (in the SNOW!), and a supporter in front of everything with our banner.

This lil' exercise finalized that I'm replacing the grips on my bike: they're basically sponges, which meant they were VERY wet during the parade. Which meant that I pretty much had a frostbitten left hand by the end of it. Despite that (and all the running to pull it all together), it was fun. The kids had a blast, and we showed ourselves as part of the community...

Hopefully, the 4th of July parade will be easier...

A Call to Action

Ok... I know the three of you like AD and all. He's been writing a novel, and publishing it a chapter at a time. Unfortunately, he posted the last one on 27 October.

I know he's a busy man, but this just ain't nice. He's got LOADS of us just hanging there!

So... I'd like to make a modest proposal. We need to find a pink gorilla (a suit would be perfect, but a small stuffed animal would work fine). Then someone needs to get an address on AD, and get the thing delivered (with a card signed "From the fans of Star of Life").

What do y'all think? Might he get the message? >:)

Ya know... some things just SHOULDN'T be tried against the power of Google...




If you're looking for this on Google, maybe you should just give up. All the "hotter" you're going to get is Rosie & her daughters...

HT to Stingray

Sorry for the absence...

Life has been... hectic. Short version(s):

-We're working on having a float in the Thanksgiving Parade here in Manty: this is our second year. Last year's float, due to poor planning and execution, literally fell apart at the last minute... resulting in the Chapter marching. This year, by gawd, thing's will go better (I'll post pics Thursday or Friday). So far, I've covered the trailer with batting ("snow"), created two "white glue and glitter" signs (one thanking the company that donated the truck and trailer, and one reading "riding in a winter wonderland"), mounted signs over the wheel wells... I REALLY hope there's more of us next year to work on this...

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-I broke down and bought an iPod. Used, on Evilbay. Got all excited, and spent a few days transferring CDs over to the hard drive in anticipation. Thing arrived on Monday: I plugged it in and... nothing.

ok... dig around on the web, and find a piece of software that I might need. load it and... nothing.

Reboot the computer (it HAD asked if I wanted to reboot). And...

Blue Screen of Death

Several hours later, after breaking down and reloading Winders, I was back up (not totally: I'm STILL reloading software). And a couple friends offered to help with the iCrap.

Nada... nothing... zip. Seller claims it was working before he sent it, so I'm saying "died in shipping". And of course, he hasn't responded since I sent the email saying "No dude: it dead". We'll see how THAT pans out...

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-Ahh yes... BACA news. Having some trouble getting certain folks to get back in touch with me, so we can get a count for our Holiday Party and State BoD Meeting. This one has me pulling my hair out: communication has always been a problem in this state, everybody agrees that it's been a problem, but nobody wants to work on correcting it...

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-Squeeker took me to see the Crucible last weekend. Staged by the local college. VERY well done! just wish I could actually get out to see more stage productions...

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With all that, on top of our normal extra helping of drama, has been kinda keeping me away from here. i promise I'll try to do better...

Oh... Heller. The USSC has agreed to hear the case. I'm half joyful (there hasn't ever really been a clear USSC ruling on the Second Amendment), and half terrified (they could totally screw us over). But at least they're gonna finally (maybe) make a ruling on the damned Amendment's meaning!

Some authors...

So... everyone hooked on Star of Life yet? Ya are? Good!

So... do we have to get AD a pink gorilla suit, to convince him he needs to update occasionally?

Knock-Knock

A post over by Wyatt, as well as a thread on the High Road, got me to thinkin'. And, as you all know, that's NEVER a good thing...

Now, this is gonna ramble a bit. But don't worry, we'll get there...

We seem to be having an issue in our society with something called a "no-knock warrant". This is where the police show up at a house where wrongdoers supposedly are, announce "WE"RE HERE!", then bust the door in and preform a "dynamic entry". The main issues I'm talking about here are two:

1)Cops get shot while doing this

2)Sometimes, the police get a wrong address, resulting in an innocent citizen getting scared silly/hurt/killed

Sound like a good battle-plan to ANYONE? Add in that, in many cases, the reason a no-knock is used is to "preserve evidence"...

Isn't there a better way?

Creating the problem in issue one are the "insubstantial" dangers of police work: lil' things like IA, tort lawyers, and political-minded superiors (not to mention trigger-happy bad guys). Quite often, officers conducting a raid have the question bouncing in the back of their head "is it (legally) safe for me to shoot?"... sometimes while being shot at. And all of the above-mentioned (as well as news reporters and John Q Citizen) are going to second-guess whatever decision Officer Friendly makes while under fire.

Usually, the question ("Was deadly force necessary in this situation?") will be self-answered ("No... Officer Friendly should have come up with a different solution while the suspect was attempting to kill him."). This is not optimal (read: "This sucks the sweat off a dead man's balls!")...


With problem two, we have a whole 'nother ball of wax: places where no-knocks (with attendant "dynamic entry") are used, but the wrong address is arrived at. Compounding that are the would-be home invaders who will shout "POLICE!!!" while breaking down their victim's door. Let's address those as points A (wrong address) and B (goblins).

A) Wrong address. Rumor has it, the Baltimore PD has so many occassions of mistaken no-knocks, that the city has a crew whose job is to repair damage done during such mistaken raids. Wow...

Some are also familiar with the Atlanta case, where a mistaken no-knock resulted in the death of an innocent citizen, and was followed up by a police cover-up (and there are quite a few cases lying around that can be pointed to demonstrating the inherent danger in these raids to innocent citizens). Yes, the number of "bad" no knocks is a percentage of all no-knocks. But, if we applied the same "reliability requirements" to such warrants as we do to our defensive arms, such warrants would be an absolute last-line...

B) goblins. Bad guys pretending to be good guys. Lemmie set the stage:

It' early AM, and you've just been woken by something heavy breaking in your front door. You've taught yourself to grab your defensive tools (in this case, a handgun and flashlight), and assume a defensive position (say, kneeling beside the bed with your weapon aimed at the door). Folks come busting through said door: all you can really say is that there are lights, folks shouting, and man-shapes. What do you do? are they:

a)Police officers, conducting a no-knock warrant at your address (possibly based on bad intel)? Or

b)Bad guys preforming a home invasion, while impersonating officers?

some decision to face, huh?


So let's think about this again. We're going to have our police conduct actions that automatically put them at heightened risk, and have a track-record of having severe (sometimes deadly) mistakes, all to preserve evidence (that we might be able to save some other way)?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

When this gets discussed on internet fora, the world polarizes into two camps. Those (usually non-officers) who feel there's just too much blatant police power, and those (usually police) who feel that officers have too many restrictions, and that the few anecdotes of "bad raids" shouldn't be mentioned.

To an extent, both are right

To my mind, no-knocks have a VERY specific place: when someone's life is IMMEDIATELY in danger, and that's the only way to save them. At no other time does the risk (on all sides) justify their use. ESPECIALLY not simply for "the preservation of evidence"... we can come up with something better. By the same token...

Support the police in legal activities (this is kinda two-part). (CITIZENS) Don't automatically assume that the police are acting like latter-day SS, looking for Jews. And (POLICE): don't "cover" for illegal actions/sloppy work/mistakes. This "thin blue line" stuff? It creates an "Us v Them" atmosphere, which doesn't need to exist...

Of course, I have to ask: why ARE no-knocks still used (and being used more frequently)? And I think the answer can be found in the No-Knock to End All No-Knocks: Waco. Yep... there are a LOT of better ways these things could be handled. But those in positions of real authority want flash and splash. "Who cares if a few peons (uniformed or otherwise) get hurt? We'll show 'em all who's boss, by Gawd!"

And THAT idea scares the Hell out of me.

Cold Season

Ever'body's posting recipes, which is cool. But Cranky Professor posted something for colds, and there, I have the best...

Mom swore by this stuff. In fact, many of the girls I dated met Mom because of it: they'd come over to get dosed when they got sick...

This makes about 2 liters. You want to drink it as hot as you can, as fast as you can. If Mom was serving you, you'ld only get to stop to breathe...

Spiced Tea

1/2 tsp whole cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
3/4 tsp black tea
1 1/2 qts cold water (6 cups)
1 1/2 cups OJ
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cups sugar

In the first pot, bring water to a boil and remove from heat. Add cinnamon stick. Steep teabag w/ clove for 5 minutes. In a second pot, heat OJ, lemon juice, and sugar. Stir frequentally until sugar is dissolved. Add the contents of the juice mixture to the tea. Serve hot!!!!

I don't do political commentary here usually...

because, in all honesty, I suck at it when compared to others.

Oh, I'll get into a political discussion with someone, no problem: I used to spend a LOT of time at a coffee shop, doing just that (and managing to educate some kids as to what their rights actually ARE). But on here? Seems that, whatever I might want to say, others say it better (and quicker).

One such is Marko, the Munchkin Wrangler. And he hits another one out of the park here. So go give him a read...

Me? I'm gonna go back to reading Freehold...

A touch of perspective

I'll admit, I've been having a shitty couple of weeks (longer actually, but mostly just the last few weeks). While sitting here feeling sorry for myself, I took a read over at Support your Local Gunfighter...

Seems this past week has sucked for Wyatt: he lost a brother officer. Good news being that they caught the bastard that did it. Don't know if PA has the death penalty, but I hope they throw the proverbial book at this trash.

And Wyatt? If you're reading this, the ONLY "joke" that went through my mind about where this all happened is "Who would be stupid enough to rob the doughnut shop down the street from the police station?". And that was BEFORE I realized that an officer had lost his life in the process.

My sympathies, bro.

Via Matt G at Better and Better

Matt G is someone I admire: cop and dad, he does two of the toughest jobs out there. What I never realized was, his mom was in a similarly tough job... and sometimes writes about it.

So Matt links her. And I, being the type I am, check out her entry "Have You Hugged Your Kid Today?".

If you haven't read it yet, go read it now. This hits close to home for me, due to BACA. Which brings me to "Why hasn't Strings been posting?"

See... I've gotten a bit burnt out. Between the Neverending Jobhunt, the political issues in Cheeseland, and other assorted BS, I've been draggin'. Latest has been BACA: WAY too many folks that will say how great our organization is, and what a great idea, and then never show up. Or folks that are supposed to be members, but not fulfilling their obligations. And, this past weekend, people just flat-out missing the meeting.

I was ready to quit: hang up my colours and go do something else. What Matt's mom wrote there relit the fire.

Go... read it. Kids are our future. And, if things like this keep up, we don't HAVE one.

Goin' to Thailand (pt III: the Voyage Home)

Ok... I'll explain the delay some other time.

When I left off, we were on our way home (and I was considering being the first guy to swim the Pacific)...

So... back to the airport in Bangkok. First stop, customs... where we waited with dread while the folks in front of us got EVERYTHING torn apart, looking for contraband. The screeners there were so thorough, I was expecting a body-cavity search. Thankfully, we got lucky: after a cursory look at us, they waved all four of us past. Good thing... none of the screeners looked like my type...

Onto that modern device called the airliner. Thankfully, we managed to get Dad's remaining Valium away from him while we were in country, so he didn't foolishly do anything to spark Mom's homicidal side. Of course, being unable to smoke resulted in the three of us immediately having nic fits. Other than that, the flight was uneventful. Flew into Detroit without a hitch...

Yes, Detroit. For some reason, there are only certain International airports that work inbound from faraway places. I figured LAX, or maybe SEATAC... we got to land in a city whose claim to fame is "Where the Weak are Killed and Eaten". I felt VERY sorry for the foreign-born that were gonna be stuck with any kind of layover. Of course, we had some problems of our own...

See, Spoon is a reactive hypoglycemic. And, as we cleared customs, her blood-sugar decided now was a good time to seek bedrock.

We come through the customs station, and see a door to the outside world. Outside, where Mom Dad and I can deal with the withdrawl symptoms we're experiencing. We set Spoon in a chair ("Be back in a minute, and we'll find something to eat"), and head out...

BLISS! Nicotine FINALLY entering the system! YAY!

Ok... let's go get... wait a sec. Why is that door we came through mirrored on this side, and why won't it open?

Seems the exit doors after customs are one-way. And my (currently brain-dead*) wife is on the wrong side of them.

This should be an easy fix, right? Have some security schlub escort one of us back through, nab Spoon, and be on our way to a restaurant. To quote Bill Cosby: "RIIIIIGHT!".

Close to an hour of running around the airport, trying to get SOMEONE to understand that I need to get to my wife, and deal with her blood-sugar levels. FINALLY find a stupervisor that can bring us back to the other side of that door... only to find Spoon missing.

I came close to jail right then. I figured "justifiable homicide"... had someone walked us back right away, my wife wouldn't be wandering around without benefit of an IQ. I promised myself that, if she HAD truly disappeared, so would the stupervisor...

Mom and Dad head to the proper ramp, with the idea that MAYBE she would figure out where to go on her own. Me? I start wandering some of the various areas that she might have gone to. Thinking up new and worse tortures to visit on folks for coming between me and my wife. Then I hear the page, calling me to the ramp where Mom & Dad are...

Seems Spoon realized that her brain was shutting down, and dug out a power bar hidden in her bag. The mind re-engaged, and she went looking for us... while we were trying desperately to get back through the door to look for her. Mom thoguht it was funny: she always liked laughing at me when I got "needlessly upset".

Brat.

The connecting flight back to Milwaukee was also uneventful, although by this time, I just wanted to get home. I ALWAYS have this reaction: no matter how much fun the trip is, or how much I love the destination, the last couple hours of the return trip I ALWAYS get impatient to be home.

Through the airport, out to the car, and we're on our way home. Barring a stop for dinner, we drove through.

Couple days after getting back, Mom asks if we're ready to do it again. I just smile, and ask when she wants to leave... ;)

*For the record, I love my wife. And she's normally VERY intelligent. But when her blood-sugar tanks, you might as well remove her brain from her skull. No biggie, I'm the same way (although she gets bitchier than I do).

Oops

Heh... just noticed someone linking me, and I never even realized! Guess we'll have to add another one:

How about someone who breathes fire for fun. Even rumors that he might be trying to get into BACA (but I'm not sure how far that's gone yet). Check out Fjolnirsson, and let him know I sent ya! ;)

Results of input

Ok... thanks everyone for your input. I guess I'll kinda nudge spoon into settng up her own blog. Heck, I might even link her... :P Or maybe just let her guest post here occasionally (since I'm not sure how much she has to say at the moment)...

Thanks again for the input!

Goin' to Thailand! (pt II: Strangers in a Strange Land)

So anyway... we've arrived in Thailand. When I left off, Mom was ready to kill Dad; Dad wouldn't have been able to feel Mom killing him; Spoon was marveling in a foreign culture; and I... I was trying to stay awake...

Twenty-four hours in economy class is SERIOUS torture. Especially for a smoker. Had Mohamed Iwannadie tried hijacking our flight, I would've killed him (or helped, if he offered me a smoke). I gave consideration to swimming back...

We made it to the hotel in fairly good order, and Mom was mollified by those members of the staff on duty remembering her from previous visits. Into the rooms, into beds, and out like lights: jet-lag sucks.

The next morning, Mom went crazy: she wanted Spoon to see EVERYTHING in Thailand during that 17 day stay. I finally convinced her to slow down a bit by pointing out that running us into the ground wasn't helpful. I even pointed out that return journeys were possible (not realizing she would be gone in about a year).

We still managed to see several zoos (which are a REAL treat in Thailand, as you can often interact with the animals). Had to shake mom down after each: since you're actually interacting with the critters, mom kept trying to steal various beasties (especially the gibbons). Of course, since we all hate critters, we understood... ;)

Then there was the Royal Palace.

My first impression there was "poor muzzle discipline": the guard station at the front gate had 5 or so M60s on a table, pointing out at the crowd. Quick note: most of the Thai army equipment is 'Nam era US. Although the finish is pretty well worn off, *I* didn't want to help "test" them for functionality...

Beautiful architecture, though. And the guards are VERY professional. The average tourists, though, I could have done without...

What is it about being in a foreign land that makes so many become total idiots?

There were other sights of note (Mom would NOT allow Dad and I to take the trip to Angkor Wat: Dad's promised to take me there, if we ever get to visit him). Eventually, I'll post pics (have to find the damn things)...

We also met a VERY cool couple: James and Verity. British, with that touch of class that is all to seldom found anymore. Although James LOOKS like something a father would have nightmares about his daughter dating, he was an absolute gentleman. Spent a couple afternoons with the two of them in the pool, teaching young children the joys of pool-tag...

Unfortunately, all good things must come to and end. We headed back to Bangkok to retrace our flight, back to the land of death and taxes (I was STILL thinking of swimming home)...