Newsletter Text V717

Getting online has gotten increasingly difficult and expensive last four months. Worse, access is outside since most establishments are closed or limited to drive-thru operations. Lap tops are not designed to be used in such an environment. Extremely difficult to see the screen. Time for the readership to step up and provide assistance. TC 7-24-20

In response to the pandemic, government quickly imposed draconian restrictions making access to public wifi exceptionally difficult. Consequently, editions of this publication will be briefer and posted as regularly as possible until circumstances change. TC 3-20-20

Got guts? Tired of being lied to? Like an alternative source of information truly independent and free of government propaganda? Want this publication to continue? Send a donation to P.O. Box 151, Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609.

Brother dearest. ... Been awhile, hasn't it, Bro? A little antsy? Wondering when the next shoe is about to fall, that is, when you'll be fully exposed for the thieving son of a bitch you truly are? Patience. All in good time, good buddy. When I'm damned good and ready. Timing just right. After all, a son of a bitch who's stolen his father's estate needs to be fully exposed publicly for whom and what he is, don't you think? Indeed, a public service for your neighbors, professional associates, family, and friends, etc..

Conveniently, forget? Others need to protect themselves against a fraud who masquerades as both a teacher and a counselor, no? -- How the hell did you ever pass an MMPI some forty years ago to get hired? You're not stable. Have not been. ... Must have really been pissed off at the old man to rip off an estate, no? How much did you steal while he was alive and supposedly under your care?

How much did you bribe law enforcement to ignore a complaint I filed with them years before the old man died? How much did you bribe the prosecutor to ignore a complaint filed with her several years ago? How much? Use the old man's money to bribe the bitch? Her cohorts? Your law enforcement shysters? While there may indeed be no justice from a corrupt system, fortunately, I do have a way to publicly expose you for the goddamned thieving son of a bitch you truly are.

... Unlike our grandmother who scrubbed floors on her hands and knees during the Depression for peanuts, only to have what little she had stolen by her son, our uncle, another goddamned thieving son of a bitch just like you. Remember how, surprise, surprise, there was no life insurance when our grandfather died? Despite the fact our grandmother gave her thieving bastard son premium money year after goddamned year? Only, as the thieving son of a bitch he truly was, to have pocketed it. Again, just like you.

Remember when he booted her out of the house she had bought him when he had had enough of her? -- Despite the fact he had lied and promised she could stay the rest of her life? She had to climb two flights of stairs on an ulcerated leg to get to a bathroom he had never built for her at ground level as falsely promised. Nothing ever happened to the thieving son of a bitch as far as justice was concerned. Worse, he was never exposed publicly for the thieving son of a bitch he truly was.

Will be different for you, Bro. While you've bought off authorities, you will be publicly exposed. In great detail. In good time. When I'm damned good and ready. When exposure will do the maximum figurative damage to your goddamned sordid reputation. -- Just the truth, brother dearest, however. Just the truth.

Irony of ironies? When the thieving son of a bitch died, and our mother was finally informed he had passed, she cried for her brother, -- the bastard thief who stole from her mother. Sad, isn't it? Too bad she's not still alive to see you publicly exposed for the goddamned thieving son of a bitch you, yourself, truly are. As was he. Not in a court of law you've bought off, however. Right here.

In good time. Again, when I'm damned good and ready. Employing the very same tactics used against Amanda Wright of Wells Fargo. -- On steroids, however, since all dirty family laundry will be aired. All of it. No threat. A promise. Emails sent to your neighbors, friends, professional associates, businesses you deal with. Although an enormous amount of work, all doable courtesy of the Internet. Despite being some 1,800 miles away. -- Small world, isn't it, Bro? Enjoy the stolen loot, you son of a bitch. Forget? It's all you have.

Brother dearest. Save all the check stubs from the old man's accounts? Fraudulently sign any of them yourself? Think this material couldn't be obtained from the banks either through discovery or a criminal investigation? Still own the house on Condict Rd.? Any other properties besides this one and the old man's you stole with the help of your shyster bastard? Be interesting to see how far your assets extend and where. Think all that information isn't accessible? That I won't determinedly obtain it?

That not only an extensive Internet search will be conducted that will likely take months to complete? But an extensive background check as well? Think the Catholic high school you attended shouldn't be informed of the thievery of one of its graduates? Think the clerics there would be appalled at their failure to teach you right from wrong? How about both universities? Think neighbors in the old man's neighborhood won't be informed of your deception? Think they don't have a right to know?

Ever follow the advice of Dr. Bert Wiser, psychological statistics professor at MSU? That is, get treatment for your achingly debilitating instability? Is that why you wound up looting the old man? Or, is it simply a convenient excuse you'll use to defend the indefensible? Think this will end any time soon? That is, public exposure of you as a thieving son of a bitch? We're just getting started, Bro. Just getting started.

Don't like it? Tough shit. Sue me you thieving son of a bitch. Would use discovery to learn and post on this website all there is to know about you, your activities, predilections, business 'deals,' as well as all your financial transactions, etc.. All of it. Would certainly avoid the expense of an extensive background check on you, thieving brother dearest.

Even if you were successful in court, there is nothing for you to take, this remains, as well, a homesteading state where minimal assets are protected anyway. This site is hosted in an overseas country that doesn't particularly like government intrusion, remains not prone to cooperate. Besides, can always upload to another webhost in still yet another country. The possibilities are endless, Bro. Just takes willingness, effort, unshakable determination.

Even if I lost it all would be more than worth it to expose you for the goddamned thieving son of a bitch you truly are. Even if you bribed a goddamned nazi 'judge' to remove posted material, would not cooperate and be more than willing to rot in jail. Would certainly keep reposting it all no matter the cost and/or personal consequences every time it was taken down. Forget, you thieving son of a bitch? I never ever give up.

Since all I seek is your exposure for the thief you truly are, would all be worth it. For the sake of principle. All the work, financial cost, as well as the time I am about to dedicate to this effort, you deceptive, unstable, sick, thieving son of a bitch. Unlike you, I live on principle and have absolutely nothing to lose. You do. Will certainly take great pleasure and satisfaction in doing all I can to publicly expose you for whom and what you are.

To say nothing of placing enormous pressure on prosecutors you and your equally corrupt shyster son of a bitch apparently bribed. Don't like it? Again, tough shit. Chew harder. The public needs to know to protect itself. From you and your shyster bastard. People who live and travel in your circles as well. Including his. As a thief, you and he can't be trusted by anyone. You'll determinedly f--k them.

More than willing to provide this truly public service. People certainly need to know whom and what you are. What you have sadly become. You certainly weren't brought up to be a thieving son of a bitch. What happened? Where did you lose yourself, Bro? -- Never mind. ... Truly doesn't matter. Only your exposure.

Hey, Bro? Remember me? How soon they conveniently forget. ... Half asleep? -- Out to lunch? ... In your own perverse little world? That of a criminal? Wake up. Conveniently, gutlessly forget? Insanely believe you're someway, somehow off the hook? Think again. We're not done. You remain a thief who will be exposed for whom and what your are. What you certainly have become. No question about that. Patience, you thieving son of a bitch. Exposure is coming. Promise.

Think I don't have time? Truly believe the ongoing Presidential fiasco ends no matter who wins? The murderous decay in law enforcement gets resolved any time soon? Criminal Wells Fargo employees from local Kingsland bank manager Amanda S. Wright right up to and including CEO John Stumpf get prosecuted in the near future despite egregious criminal activity? Wouldn't hold my breath, would you?

Think I don't have time to handle all this and your public exposure for the estate-stealing criminal son of a bitch you've truly become? How could you steal from the old bastard, you incredibly sad sack of shit? Certainly weren't brought up to be a thief. What happened to you? Where'd you lose yourself?

No question, 2017 will be a most remarkable, defining year for you, Bro. Public exposure for the thieving piece of shit you've sadly become. It's on the way. Promise. Hope you sue. Nothing for you to take. Tough, isn't it? Certainly, makes me judgment proof. Will certainly, as well, take advantage of discovery. Publish every detail I can get my hands on. No matter the consequences. Only consideration? Prime directive? Your exposure for whom and what you are.

Readers? This not-so-brotherly piece of shit stole from our father. Manipulated the old man to line his pockets. Just like our uncle on my mother's side of the family did to my grandmother. Runs in the family. Our family. ... Right, Bro? This game now gets played my way, -- not yours, you son of a bitch. That is, no more U.S. Mail tag.

Anything sent by mail will be refused, returned unopened. Want contact? Email. libertyinperil@riseup.net. Quick. Easy. Better yet? A digital record. Permanent. Easily accessible. Easily uploaded to this site when and if it becomes necessary. The shyster bastard you hired to steal the estate shouldn't expect escape, either, from public exposure as the thieving piece of shit he, like you, truly both are. Unscrupulous thieves.

Sincerely hope that piece of crap sues as well. Nothing to take. Discovery again would be published no matter the personal cost. Nothing quite like public exposure, is there? Especially, when it is nothing but the truth and there is absolutely nothing to lose exposing two pieces of criminal shit for whom and what they are. Two pieces of gutless human excrement who looted an old man. ... Right, Bro?

There is no better disinfectant than sunlight, readers. Glaring sunlight. Dazzling brilliance. Amazing how the roaches run for cover. Equally pointedly, how vermin on two legs manage to so easily prey on the elderly courtesy of the out of control fascist police-state we now live in. While there'll never be any justice vis a vis this theft, there will be exposure to the brilliant light of day for both criminal perpetrators. Count on it, you not-so-brotherly criminal son of a bitch.

Hey, Bro? Hear of Old Sturbridge Village? Haven't? ... Not lying, are you, you thieving son of a bitch? You and your long-term companion EC conspire, bequeath some of the old man's loot to this museum? An achingly stingy gift of $250-$499, -- considering the size of the estate? The CEO and Board have any idea you stole it? Think they'd care? -- Just getting started, dearest, dearest Bro. ... Delusionally believe I haven't more than enough time, resources, determination to expose you for the thieving piece of crap you truly are? ... Under $500 back in 2013? Remarkably parsimonious with stolen money aren't you? What does it feel like to have gutlessly ripped off an incompetent old man? -- Dear old Dad. Certainly, look forward to digging much deeper into how you and your shyster lawyer managed to bamboozle and loot the old bastard. Back in the day, certainly wouldn't have fallen for your bullshit. Would have kicked your worthless, thieving ass out the door. Intend to expose it to the light of day. Indeed, a public service. Seatbelts on, you thieving son of a bitch. Tally ho!

... Brief aside, dear readers, for a most exceptional reason. -- Although infrequent, pressing ongoing personal business must come first on rare occasion. Hope you agree, moreover, find it entertaining, -- as this writer did crafting what follows. Principle trumps all. Remains prime mover, prime directive no matter what.

This pressing issue involves a family thief. A heartless predator preying on the elderly who must be held accountable, exposed to the light of day. Especially, since authorities failed to do their job. The following is part of that continuing effort to expose this piece of shit for whom and what he is:

Hey, Bro? Guess what? Me, again. Most determined pain in the ass. Miss me? An inconvenient, nagging hemorrhoid that simply won't go away no matter what. -- A pile with a smile that takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

... Delusionally think this most persistent nemesis of yours conveniently disappeared to parts unknown, vanished in thin air? To give a turd a break? Wake up. Not a chance, you thieving son of a bitch. ... When you insanely believe this writer's gone and you're finally in the clear, guess what, here I am, right in your face.

Despite what's going on across our formerly great country, always have more than enough time for personal business. That is, exposing you, Bro, to the glaring light of day. A pathetically greedy predator. Your target, who else, the elderly. Most defenseless, vulnerable, an easy fleece. -- Thought you'd steal from the surly old curmudgeon with impunity, no consequences?

Successfully escape accountability? Avoid detection, all responsibility? Blatant theft of an old man's estate? A little help from a bought and paid for hopelessly greedy unprincipled shyster? Supposed cake walk due to 1800 miles separation? No one to hold you accountable? Your feet to the fire? What could you possibly been thinking?

You've read this publication before. Know precisely who and what I am, what I do. Never give up. Never say die. Ignore all obstacles. Know full well Liberty In Peril modus operandi remains as relentlessly ferocious, blindingly intense as ever.

No punches pulled. No slack. No personal consideration. Certainly, not for a gutless son of a bitch, no more than a thieving predator. Looted target, guess who, dear old dad. Pitiful. Delusionally believe you had the booty coming? An entitlement? For having had to put up with his shit all those years? Wake up.

Hear of Historic Deerfield? Of course, you have, you lying son of a bitch. Forget? You're one of their not-so-generous 'benefactors.' ... With all the money stolen from our father's estate, only bequeath them a piss poor $40 bucks?

Unbelievable. An achingly tight, cheap, thieving, worthless piece of duplicitous crap. ... Write-off? Negligible. ... Feather in the cap? How? Delusionally believe your treachery would never see the light of day? What planet do you live on?

Board of Trustees Chair Anne K. Groves know full well you looted the estate? How about President Philip Zea? Think both don't have a right to know? How about Anne Lanning, Vice President For Museum Affairs? To say nothing of Susan Martinelli, Vice President For Business Affairs?

These officials are entitled to know precisely whom they're doing business with. A thief. Gutless phony. Blow-hard fraud. Hoity-toity dandy. Worse? An unprincipled thief who stole from his father. ... Glaring light of day sucks, doesn't it, Bro? No escaping the unvarnished truth, this most bitter reality. Not a chance.

Saddest of all? Back in the day, Hell would have frozen over before anyone would have have been able to rip off the craggy old bastard. Remember quite well how intent, determined he was not to be fleeced late in life by a sick son of a bitch like you.

A leech. Ironic, isn't it? Gutless rip off of an old man who couldn't adequately handle his affairs any longer. How do you sleep nights?

Fraud runs in the family, clearly. History repeating itself. Right in the footsteps of our grandmother's son, who callously ripped off his mother decades ago. Again, another achingly pathetic piece of human excrement. Just like you. Intend to lay it bare. Methodically. Painstakingly. In great detail. Living, breathing color.

For all to see. A public service. Exposure of the criminal piece of human excrement you truly are. For sustained public review. A goddamned thief. Pissed? Chagrined? Nonplused? Tough shit. Sue. Would certainly immediately post all discovery no matter the consequences.

All snail mail will be returned unopened. No phone tag. Got something to say? Email. Say it right here. On this website. In public. For the world to see. Will be posted in its entirety. No editing. Unlike you, this writer doesn't lie, cheat, steal. Honors his word. Intend to expose you precisely for whom and what you are.

Duplicitous predator who preyed on his own father. Blinding exposure to benefit the community. Have nothing to lose providing this public service, but you do. No better disinfectant than sunshine.

.. Think the old bastard not spinning in his grave? -- Old lady not doing the same? One thing for certain. Neither brought you up to be a goddamned thief. Yet, here we are. ... Until next time, Tally Ho!

... Hey, Sheriff? Is it true Llano County Attorney Becky Lange has advised you to stay out of the "Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764" fiasco? That right, Bill? Isn't that obstruction of justice? Also true your deputies have advised the Bolens to accept the status quo and not force the no-trespassing issue with Greene? If so, isn't that also obstruction and official oppression? When will you do your job, Bill? As an elected official, you answer to the public, forget? -- No honor? ... No honor at all? If the foregoing allegations are indeed true, didn't you swear an oath to uphold the law and Constitution? Why aren't you doing so? No guts?

Your deputy has been accused of abusing authority. What action have you taken other than ignore the complaint? Why aren't both Rodriguez and the County Attorney under criminal investigation? The County Attorney appears to be obstructing justice, accepting the word of Greene in lieu of two surveyor companies who strongly assert otherwise. Both the County Attorney and District Attorney have ignored complaints. Par for the course in Llano County, isn't it? Failed to do their jobs. No surprise there, right, Bill? Both receiving 'special consideration' up to and/or including a bribe from Greene? Regardless, clearly, no justice in Nazi Llano County. Bottom line? Desperate need for an outside criminal investigation. Conveniently, forget? This County is ruled by men, certainly not rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute criminal law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose only mandate would be to adjudicate such cases. Total independence. Until that happens, the criminal bastards who falsely believe they run and own this hell hole County will continue to do as they please.

Some salient quotes occurring later on in this edition vis a vis unfinished business County officials continue to ignore:

... "No justice. Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court that would adjudicate only these cases. Total independence. The only way to rein in these criminals, particularly the murderers in blue.

Sadly, the achingly clueless bastards in law enforcement don't need a legitimate reason to kill. Enjoy carte blanche to murder on the job. Nearly always, with impunity. ... Right, Sheriff? Sue the living shit out of the jackbooted motherf--kers, the department, and the city. Any officer engaged in, or threatening this kind of unnecessary violence needs to be criminally prosecuted. Not protected and coddled. Not put on paid leave, -- no more than a paid vacation. Not sent home without pay to catch up on his beauty sleep.

Firing is egregiously insufficient. How can the law enforcement community be trusted? No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than the criminal jackbooted bastards in law enforcement. ... Right, Sheriff? Madam County Attorney? "Sonny Boy?"

These are extremely dangerous times for our formerly great country. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming. -- As our legislators and other government officials figuratively 'fiddle while Rome burns.'

Not good enough. Nowhere near. Short of an unwanted dreaded second American revolution, only one way for these atrocities to end. Again, time for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate such cases. Total independence.

Local and state authorities are egregiously incapable of handling these cases. Tend to protect their own. ... Right, Sheriff? Goes with the territory, doesn't it, Bill? Precisely, why there is no faith or trust in your criminal jackbooted bastards. Local authorities here in Nazi Llano County have their heads figuratively, securely lodged so far up their clueless ass their eyeballs are turning inside out. Protect and coddle your clueless, out of control officers. Imagine that.

Unadulterated, blatant ongoing horse shit. ... Right, Bill? F--k these jackbooted bastards. Aren't worth a crap. Continually abrogate their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution. ... Right, Sheriff? Includes not only deputies, but the brass as well. No principles. No honor. Lying, conniving, abusive, murderous jackbooted thieving thugs. The American Civil Liberties Union needs to step up and represent the victims of abusive law enforcement.

To say nothing of innocent civilians all across our formerly great country who are victimized by abusive police. Need far better representation than a public defender. Forget? It's how the bastards in government line government coffers. All too often, looting the innocent. Those on the bottom of the food chain. ... Right, Sheriff?

No justice. The American Way. Nazi America. When is this shit finally going to end? All of it. Wake up, Sheriff. Again, where is dashcam video of the killing of Jeffrey Gray Wise, 52, of Austin by DPS and the Llano County Sheriff's Office? Two hundred sixty weeks, now. A goddamned disgrace.

Why are you still sitting on this information? What are you hiding, Sheriff? What is the identity of the officers who killed Wise? Too gutless to release this information to the public that pays your salary and that of your goons? Reportedly, there were three officers involved in the shooting. Who the hell are they?

When will the goddamned 'law' 'enforcement' community finally stop making excuses for engaging in outrageous criminal activity including blatant murder, violent assault, sexual assault, theft, drug trafficking, etc.? List can go on and on. Protecting its own no matter what it does or doesn't do? Convenient, isn't it, Sheriff? Again, no foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all branches and levels of government, -- including law enforcement.

Corruption within law enforcement remains an existential threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. So what else is new? ... Right, Bill? Same old duplicitous, aggressively stupid shit occurs right here in Nazi Llano County. ... Doesn't it, Sheriff?

Think it'll change any time soon? Don't hold your breath, readers. Not how things work in Nazi America, right, Sheriff? Highly reminiscent of how your goons operate though, isn't it, Bill? Forget? 'Stupid is as stupid does.' F--ked up is f--ked up no matter where, no matter how. Problem throughout all law enforcement.

Including right here in Nazi Llano County, right, Sheriff? Too many officers clearly have their heads securely lodged where the sun seldom shines. Egregious insanity continues to be perpetrated by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Ongoing issue. All over our formerly great country.

Not just in Dallas as in the Guyger case, but all over the nation. No end to it. Surprised? Why? In today's increasingly national socialist climate anything goes, right, Bill? Live in a de facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Certainly, a problem here in Nazi Llano County, isn't it, Sheriff? Your goons, however, aren't held accountable when they egregiously f--k up. Ever.

Precisely why you refuse to release information on your deputies to the long-suffering public? That is, employment history, criminal background, results of drug testing, etc.. ... Got to protect your criminal jackbooted thugs preying on the citizenry with virtual impunity, right, sir?

Equally pointedly, why hasn't Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 been held criminally accountable for egregious abuse of power involving denial of property rights to a Kingsland property owner? To say nothing of consequent resultant physical damage done to a motor home on that property. Why are you protecting this clueless son of a bitch, Sheriff?

Why hasn't he been prosecuted for official oppression? Where is financial compensation for the damage this jackbooted piece of human excrement is responsible for? Ferociously pointedly, why are the District Attorney and the County Attorney continuing to protect this jackbooted piece of shit? He and others like him present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

Equally to the point, why are your jackbooted pieces of human excrement refusing to enforce Berardi's property rights? Your goons have failed to take action against Theresa Ahrens when she tore down a no trespassing sign and barrier on Berardi's property. Have you, your goons, and/or Madam County Attorney been bribed by Johnny Greene?

Ahrens frequently drives all the way through Berardi's property. Coup de grace? When Berardi complained to Llano County Deputy Idle about the trespassing, the officer's response was insane. Said the Sheriff told him to tell Berardi since Ahrens believes she owns his property she can't be charged with trespassing. Perfect Catch-22, right, Sheriff? You're not fit for office, Bill. Bribed by Johnny Greene?

Why is Theresa Ahrens allowed by your goons to dictate what vehicles can and cannot be parked on Berardi's property? Ahrens claims she has proof the property belongs to her where the vehicle was parked. Has failed to produce it. Surveyors say otherwise. Back up Berardi. Yet, your jackbooted bastards refuse to enforce Berardi's property rights. Why? Somebody lining somebody's pockets, Sheriff?

Ms. Ahrens micro-mini portable 'house' is parked on an unused unmarked Llano County road. Imagine that. Madam County Attorney well-aware. Has done nothing. Shit squat. Egregiously ignored her oath of office. Someone bribing you, Becky? Lining your pockets, Counselor? Paying you not to sell the unused unmarked County road to Berardi? Doesn't the County want and need the sale money, to say nothing of the resultant tax income?

No question, County and State agencies remain determinedly, concertedly, achingly incapable of criminal investigation of their own. Precisely, why a new federal agency desperately needs to be created whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate only such cases. Total independence. Certainly, go a long, long way to cleaning up this cess pool County. Rein in the outrageously corrupt, abusive, achingly inept, self-serving assholes who run and own this hell hole.

Sheriff, you falsely claim the Kingsland County Commissioner has the authority to resolve this ongoing property rights issue. Clearly, doesn't. You, Madam County Attorney, and "Sonny Boy" are certainly an egregious impediment, continue to determinedly stonewall. Someone's pockets are being lined. Again, where's financial compensation for the damage Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 is directly responsible for to the Pace Arrow? Why hasn't he been prosecuted for this damage, to say nothing of infringement of Berardi's property rights? -- Just getting started, Sheriff. Far more to come.

-- You're not doing your jobs, Sheriff. You've got a loose vicious dog problem in Kingsland, Bill. When will you and the troops finally do something about this ongoing issue? Certainly, a recurring problem on Skyline, particularly on occasion at the intersection of Odessa. Pedestrians, runners, and cyclists are at risk. Too busy lining County coffers with bogus tickets?"

Wiley B. "Sonny" McAfee
District Attorney
33rd and 424th Judicial Districts
Llano, TX 78643

Re: Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

The enclosed emails were sent to the Llano County Attorney and Sheriff, respectively, vis a vis the above matter. Remain unanswered. The County Attorney appears to be protecting and defending the deputy at behest of Kingsland property owner Johnny Greene. May have received some consideration from Greene up to and including a bribe. Are the County Attorney, Greene, and the Deputy under criminal investigation? If not, why not?

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

Rebecca Lange, Llano County Attorney
Llano County Attorney's Office
Llano, Texas 78643

Re: Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

As you're well aware, we have an outrageously corrupt, abusive, achingly inept Llano County Sheriff's Office here in Nazi Llano County. Worse, you and your office aid and abet these SS jackbooted bastards in black. The issue at the moment is the same it's been the last six months.

How is it two surveyor companies, the Appraisal District, the Tax Office, the Precinct 3 Commissioner, even the goddamned Sheriff himself now states Kingsland resident James Berardi owns the lots in contention all these months?

Yet, you ludicrously assert that's not the County's legal position. It's not? Why not? You claim you're not a real estate expert. Rather than accept the advice of two surveyor companies, the Precinct 3 Commissioner, the Appraisal District, the Tax Office, and even the Sheriff himself, you've inexplicably chosen to follow the advice of property owner Johnny Greene, -- who conveniently happens to be reportedly in the oil industry.

Question to be asked. Could you have received any 'consideration' in return, -- up to and including a bribe? Only way to know for sure is for the District Attorney to conduct a criminal investigation. Apparently, there has been none. If not, why not?

Equally pointedly, why hasn't Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 been held criminally accountable for egregious abuse of power involving denial of property rights to this Kingsland property owner? To say nothing of consequent resultant physical damage done to a motor home on that property.

Our achingly useless, worthless, gutless Sheriff has ignored an email vis a vis the damage this jackbooted thug is responsible for. Interestingly, his fellow officers believe him to be an idiot. Yet, the Sheriff continued to defend this piece of human excrement until he realized this entire fiasco would not be swept under the carpet.

Rodriguez is indeed an idiot. Would you believe this piece of crap ordered the motor home to be moved on to an unmarked unused Llano County road? That motor home has indeed been moved back to where it was parked before Rodriguez forced it to be moved. Why hasn't the County paid for the cost of moving it back? To say nothing of the damage.

Equally pointedly, why is it the County has allowed Theresa Ahrens to park and live in her tiny cottage on that very same road? Why hasn't she been evicted by the County? Why was she assessed taxes on an adjacent improvement she doesn't own?

Why is it, Counselor, Johnny Greene is paying for the attorney retained by Ms. Ahrens? Is Greene attempting to make this all go away by bribery? Greene has also informed Berardi he is going to sue. For what? Has Greene lost his mind?

What about Wells who installed a $4500 septic system on a lot turns out he does not own as a result of Greene, an outrageously inept County, to say nothing of the Llano County Attorney who remains equally determinedly clueless?

How about Bolen who hasn't a pot to piss in, but was nonetheless f--ked over by Greene to say nothing of an egregiously inept County, to say nothing of you and your goddamned equally incompetent office?

None of this is going away, Counselor, -- any time soon. Will not be swept under the carpet as all the other crap going on in this hell hole County. Not a chance. Expect a full expose in this publication whether or not this outrageous fiasco finally gets resolved. Including full public exposure of both the Sheriff and his jackbooted thug.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

Bill Blackburn, Sheriff
Llano County Sheriff's Office
2001 N. State Hwy. 16 Suite A
Llano, Texas 78643

Archive and retain all reports vis a vis damage to the Pace Arrow resulting from egregious abuse of authority perpetrated by Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764, on the Berardi property in Kingsland on 8-16-17.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

Wake up, Sheriff. Again, where is dashcam video of the killing of Jeffrey Gray Wise, 52, of Austin by DPS and the Llano County Sheriff's Office? Two hundred sixty weeks, now. A goddamned disgrace. Why are you still sitting on this information? What are you hiding, Sheriff? What is the identity of the officers who killed Wise? Too gutless to release this information to the public that pays your salary and that of your goons? Reportedly, there were three officers involved in the shooting.

Who are they, Sheriff? Their past history? An ongoing investigation remains a lame bullshit excuse. How can you and your goons be trusted when you refuse to disclose information? Two hundred sixty weeks. Especially, your egregious failure to disclose the identity of the officers who pulled the trigger. To cover your sorry ass, Sheriff? Those of your thugs? The people have a right to know what happened, how it went down. You don't understand that, Sheriff? Sadly, clearly, you answer to no one. Including taxpayers. Especially, taxpayers.

Until you and your goons come clean, doubt will remain this was indeed a good shoot. The longer you drag your feet, the greater the doubt. Think not? Wake up. Your credibility has tanked. Isn't getting any better as this bullshit continues unabated. Two hundred sixty weeks. Still no identification of the officers involved ... Can't get your stories straight? In line? Discrepancy between LCSO and DPS? Wake up, Sheriff. The public no longer buys the bullshit. No longer trusts you. On this and many, many other issues. You have no credibility. Absolutely, none.

Readers, this is but one of about four other highly questionable killings by law enforcement in Llano County in the last decade or so. There was one within the City of Llano, another in a field near Fuzzy's Corner, Buchanan Dam, yet another in Point Tella, Buchanan Dam, still another in Tow. If there are any others I may have neglected to mention, kindly email.

It's time the public be fully informed. -- Know what we're dealing with here and how 'law' 'enforcement' operates in this hell hole County. If these jackbooted bastards are not reined in, the life lost could be many others courtesy of a law enforcement system that is no longer accountable to anyone. ... Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

The Sheriff seems to have no clue the people who pay him and his goons are entitled to know whom is killing whom and why. This shit always seems to be swept under the carpet. Ignored. The attitude of these jackbooted sons of bitches is trust us. They can't be. They've lied too many times. Refuse to be accountable to anyone. We live in a goddamned fascist police-state where law enforcement does as it pleases. Usually, with impunity. This has to change.

The Texas Rangers have become rubber stamp to atrocities committed by law enforcement. This also has to change. No one is holding law enforcement accountable any longer. No one. No one in state or federal government. This is precisely why Ferguson triggered such an uproar. There was no justice there. None here. None anywhere. Officers are abusive, corrupt, inept.

Falsely ticket and arrest the innocent to line County coffers. Court fees charged continue to be horrendous. -- Aren't taxpayers already looted to pay these costs? Aren't you not only double f--king those falsely accused, but taxpayers also hellaciously looted to pay the very same costs? Yet, the criminal bastards in power in Llano continue to pile on the fees. This is nothing more than goddamned bullshit. This money finds its way into the pockets of the corrupt, abusive bastards who falsely believe they run and own this hell hole.

Would you believe the last time the Sheriff's Office happened to be 'audited' during the Garrett regime, reportedly, auditors couldn't figure out what went where and why? Yet, surprise, surprise. Nothing was done. There has to be transparency. There is none. Why would these thieving bastards want any? ... Right, Sheriff? TL? How else could they so easily steal and loot with virtual impunity? Worse, this reinforces jackbooted power in this goddamned, godforsaken hell hole County.

The public has a right to know the histories of the Sheriff's goons. Clearly, the Sheriff doesn't think so. That is, where they came from. Why they left where they were. What is happening here is the Sheriff is using 'personnel matters' as a convenient excuse to deny the public access to the history of outrageously corrupt, abusive, inept officers who are no more than criminals themselves.

He's protecting his outrageously corrupt, abusive, inept jackbooted bastards. Worse, the standards imposed by sheriff's offices statewide with the exception of metropolitan counties are well below those of DPS and city police departments. Why? So the corruption, abuse, ineptness, and outright stealing can continue unabated? This has to change. ... Can't have that, can we? Sheriff? TL?

The public should understand Llano County authorities have it all sewn up. Did you know the Texas Attorney General does not have the authority to investigate and prosecute County authorities on his own? The District Attorney has to call for an investigation by the Texas Rangers. Then, the State can prosecute if it so chooses.

Consequently? Guess what? Nothing will happen. Nothing ever does. The goddamned corruption continues unabated until you, the public, pressure authorities. Precisely, why we all enjoy the 'best' government money can buy. Literally. Without question, the corrupt, abusive, inept sons of bitches are all bought and paid for. Firmly clamped to the taxpayer tit. Dependent on money looted from innocent citizens caught in their web. Phony fines and court costs cleverly designed to f--k the innocent and enrich the pieces of shit who falsely believe they run and own Llano County. Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

Interestingly, the former Sheriff and District Attorney were reportedly forced to retire after an outrageous scandal involving a drunk driving police officer from out of town. Including special treatment of the drunken son of a bitch that no other citizen caught doing the same would have been afforded. An honest, honorable Llano County Deputy suffered the consequences. Forget? Great officers do not last in this hell hole County. ... Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

With all ongoing abuse in this goddamned County, one thing remains for damned sure. We're just getting started, Sheriff. You will continue to be exposed for whom and what you and your corrupt, abusive, inept jackbooted bastards have become, truly are, not what you phonies purport to be, that is, how you continue to f--k over a public you've falsely sworn to protect and defend. -- Exposure, the only way short of an unwanted dreaded revolution to force desperately needed change in a goddamned fascist police-state. The Fourth Reich.

Have your jackbooted thugs been tested for steroids, Sheriff? If you've nothing to hide, Bill, release the results of all drug testing. 'Personnel matters?' Bullshit. Looted taxpayers have the right to know. They're footing the bill for all this goddamned corruption, abuse, ineptness. When will you and the boys end the shakedowns? Looting of the innocent to line County coffers? No honor at all?

Where are your swastika armbands, you fascist son of a bitch? You and your thugs remain out of uniform. Once again, Sheriff, and ad nauseum, did you and/or your goons pressure Schilling to exit the race? Did you steal the election? If so, an aggressively stupid, achingly gutless public gets what it truly deserves. One of the most corrupt, abusive, inept 'law' 'enforcement' agencies in our formerly great country.

While the business and church communities stood tall during the recent Kingsland flood catastrophe, there was one glaring exception. On 10-17-18, the Antlers Coffee Shop closed due to storm-related failure of the Kingsland water system. Patrons, however, are routinely allowed to get online outside even when the shop is closed.

A long-term coffee shop customer entered the hotel lobby to ask the desk clerk whether wifi was still up and running after the catastrophe. She said it was and told the patron he could get online inside the closed shop. She then asked him to have another regular customer who had just arrived outside to come in and get out of the cold as well.

Antlers co-proprietor Rick apparently quickly got wind of both customers, made quite a jackass of himself emulating the petulant narcissist currently occupying the Oval Office. Aggressive stupidity at a time the Kingsland business community is indeed suffering, can least afford it. Further proof positive of the old adage 'can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'

Why would, why should both customers put up with this? Think this hasn't happened to others?

Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.

Llano County DA "Sonny Boy" is in the news. Received an award. The DailyTrib reports:

"The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission recognized District Attorney Wiley “Sonny” McAfee on August 22 for his efforts in prosecuting natural and cultural resource violations as well as environmental crimes. The commission named the 33rd and 424th district attorney the 2019 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Prosecutor of the Year. McAfee serves Burnet, Llano, Blanco, and San Saba counties. Elected in November 2012 and taking office on January 1, 2013, he has been instrumental in a number of high-profile cases involving Texas game wardens and Texas State Park police officers."

The District Attorney has ignored a complaint filed earlier by this publication regarding special treatment accorded Texas oil man Johnny Greene by the Llano County Attorney and Sheriff vis a vis a property dispute involving a local banker, three other local property owners with homes encroaching on land they don't own, one of which is on an unused Llano County road. To say nothing of damage to a Pace Arrow motorhome on that property. All a result of egregious abuse of authority by Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764. The circumstances of this fiasco can be found above in each and every edition of this publication since this happened two and a half years ago. The Sheriff, the County Attorney, and the District Attorney have all determinedly, concertedly ignored this ongoing, unresolved fiasco raising one ferociously pointed question. How much were they bribed?

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

Last three months been getting online at the Kingsland HEB. Met quite a few readers at the picnic table. -- People I didn't personally know, but who came up and introduced themselves. Certainly, grateful for your concern, caring, and moral support. One of the Front End managers, Kevin, had granted permission to plug in and access HEB Customer wifi at the picnic table some three months ago. Someone in County government must have subsequently complained. Three months after the fact. LOL. Finally got the boot 6-27-20 from the achingly gutless Store Manager who couldn't, or wouldn't stand up to pressure from this asshole.

Pathetic, isn't it? LOL. Certainly, knew it was coming. Hard to believe it took three months. LOL. Apparently, the gutless Store Manager, Monty, sent out the second in command, Dan, to deliver the happy news. Spoke to him awhile, but sadly as expected, he had nothing substantive to say. Other than, "leave." LOL. Advised him to send out the clearly reluctant Store Manager who apparently wanted to avoid the encounter. Finally, came out. Imagine that.

Asked the Store Manager, Monty Young, for a business card. Remarkably, he had none. Couldn't be, could it? LOL. An HEB Store Manager with no business card? How is that possible? Unlimited corporate greed? Aryan arrogance of a privately-owned corporation? Or, was he simply lying? Informed him he'd indeed be front and center in this next edition.

Before getting into specific detail vis a vis my conversation with the Store Manager, it must be stated staff at the Kingsland HEB is second to none. Have known many of them for years. Work extremely well together as a team. Certainly, exceptionally customer-friendly. The problem with this store is not staff. Not even the Store Manager and Assistant Manager per se, -- who apparently, despite their denials, had been pressured by someone. It's the HEB corporate management suite at the root of most of the problems at this store.

The following salient issues were discussed with the Store Manager before I left. -- Interestingly, none of which he denied. LOL. Readers, have you noticed cheaper generic products are either continually out of stock or discontinued? Especially, after the store changed its product line weeks before the pandemic. Apparently, in an effort to emulate the Marble Falls store that caters to the Horseshoe Bay elite.

New larger shopping carts were brought in to the Kingsland store so shoppers would supposedly buy more product, increase store sales. Shelves are restocked 24 hrs. Staff was unhappy because aisles are too narrow for the larger carts. Makes it harder to stock shelves when the store is open. Not only that, makes it much more difficult for shoppers to navigate the narrow aisles.

Product pricing has steeply increased. They accomplish this both by directly raising prices, as well as in engaging in deception, that is, downsizing product. One recent glaring example is their generic bleach. For awhile, it was unavailable, out of stock. Then, it was downsized from three quarts to two. Price remained at $1. A 33% increase. Done deceptively. At a time when inflation is supposedly non-existent. What ever happened to the HCF quart and a half ice cream that sold for $1.99? Long since gone. Both aforementioned products had already been downsized once before. LOL. List can go on and on. Unbridled corporate greed.

As I reminded the Store Manager, Kingsland residents, for the most part, are poor, young, elderly, and/or disabled, etc. This store now caters to the rich who live on the lake and Sunrise Beach. Not sustainable. ... Especially, if the shit finally hits the fan vis a vis the Trump nazi, and/or a second shutdown occurs courtesy of the raging, poorly-handled, achingly mismanaged pandemic.

To store employees, all of whom I admire, consider personal friends, courageously provide your ongoing grievances to this publication. I will publish them while protecting your identity. If you won't stand up, nothing changes.

As I informed the Store Manager, the problem in Kingsland is the fact HEB has no substantive competition. What is desperately needed is a Walmart or other major corporation to rattle the cage of local HEB management as well as the corporate management suite. Until that occurs, nothing changes, shit happens. ... Right, Monty? Dan?

In the last two and a half weeks or so, three middle-aged women tripped and fell on the curb by the picnic table. Third time, 6-26-20. Took the Store Manager and Assistant Manager quite some time to exit the store and arrive with ice to quell the swelling of the woman who had fallen hard on her face. I subsequently asked Monty to consider painting the curb iridescent red or orange to avoid injury and a future lawsuit.

Responded couldn't be painted red since it wasn't a fire zone. Could certainly be painted orange or some other bright color. If management doesn't care about a lawsuit, where is its concern for the pain and suffering if a customer trips, falls, and suffers serious injury? ... Couldn't care less, Monty? -- Or, is it, shortsightedly, insurance will indeed take care of it? Wake up. Just a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured and sues the living shit out of HEB. Even if HEB prevails in court, it loses. Consider the cost of bad publicity.

To the credit of management, both the Store Manager and Assistant Manager return carts to the front of the store, sanitize them, and pick up trash. Recently, associates informed me the Store Manager wasn't happy about the performance of the Assistant Store Manager. LOL. Apparently, ole' Dan got too good at hiding in the store, shirking cart and other duties, etc. LOL. That's apparently changed. ... Trouble in paradise, boys? LOL. Itching to retire, Dan? LOL. Give me a break. Never a dull moment, -- at customer and staff expense.

Finally, to the motherf--ker in County government who likely complained, don't flatter yourself. Three months? What took so long you gutless piece of shit? LOL. No matter what, Liberty In Peril will remain up and running. Despite the fact it's been more than 21 years, just the very beginning. Far more to come. Far more County corruption, malfeasance, criminal activity to be followed up, and/or exposed. LOL. ... Bribed by Johnny Greene, Madam County Attorney?

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger

Before getting on with the usual fare, readers may wish to take time to read the following email exchange between Discount Electronics and this writer regarding its highly questionable business practices regarding refurbished lap tops:

Subject:    Re: Re: Your Discount Electronics Order Confirmation (#81644)
From:    libertyinperil@riseup.net
Date:    Wed, August 19, 2020 11:47 am
To:    "DiscountElectronics.com Customer Service" <internet@discountelectronics.com>
Priority:    Normal
Options:    View Full Header | View Printable Version | Download this as a file | Add to Address Book

'How long is this machine under warranty? Received the error message yesterday while booting up: "Alert! The AC Power Adapter wattage and type cannot be determined. The battery may not charge. The system will adjust the performance to match the power available."

'Talked to a local tech who told me I needed the original power supply that came with the Dell lap top, not a cheap foreign replacement. Can you provide any help with this? Since both batteries can't be recharged, I can't use this machine off the grid.'

'On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 1:14 PM <libertyinperil@riseup.net> wrote: Thanks for the quick reply. For your information, this machine has been a piece of crap. Not worth the money spent. Intend to fully inform my readership.'

'Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
formerly,
The Llano Ledger
libertyinperil.com'

'This is the first we've heard from you about any issues. You were welcome to contact us during the warranty period.'

'On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 1:34 PM <libertyinperil@riseup.net> wrote: That's bullshit. You replaced the battery forget? Usually, I don't piss and moan. Too busy fighting for your lost civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Been problems with the operating system I dealt personally with. Didn't complain. Dealt with a key that came off the keyboard. Another key that wasn't always making proper contact. The plastic finish on the surface of the lap top has grown sticky, apparently deteriorating. The problem that irritated me the most and is unacceptable is the latest issue with the goddamned power supply. The tech I spoke with told me this is a problem he encounters all the time with cheap Chinese knockoffs of the original. This machine was not cheap. You certainly could have afforded to do far better. Will see what my readers think, -- They're as tired of getting ripped off as I am. Business community lining its pockets by selling shit products. Nazi America. Bottomless greed.

'Beside the point. Discount Electronics knowingly sold a defective product. Knew that it was only a matter of time the power supply would fail. There's a principle involved here. One that I intend to make abundantly clear to my readers. While you can't seem to understand this, they will. Thanks for the additional fodder.'

Readers are advised there is a sticker on the back of the power supply stating: "Please remove this sticker." It cannot be easily removed. Will not peel off. Have hesitated to scrape it off since doing so might obliterate anything underneath it, -- if anything. It is not covering a vent and there is no technical reason that it be removed. Certainly, did not affect operation of the supply for the last year and four months I've had the machine.

"Two sheriff's deputies were injured and a man was killed after gunfire broke out outside the Salt Lake County sheriff's office in Utah Saturday. At about 10:30 a.m. shots broke out on the grass on the north side of the building, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The suspect, who authorities believe was a transient man in his 30s, died in the altercation and two officers were hospitalized with bullet wounds. The officers were doing a routine check of the grounds -- which includes the county jail and sheriff's office -- when they saw the man, who was armed, KSL reported. "We don't know if he was asleep or not, but something occurred to get their attention to go talk with him, and then it happened very quickly," Sheriff Rivera said. She did not say how the suspect died, but did confirm that the officers and the suspect exchanged gunfire. One officer was shot in the face and the other in the eye, Sheriff Rosie Rivera told reporters. The deputy who was shot in the eye was expected to undergo eye surgery Saturday. The other officer, who was grazed in the cheek, was expected to be released from the hospital Saturday. Both deputies are expected to survive, according to Rivera. Neither has been identified publicly."

"An Iowa police officer was killed while attempting to arrest a man who had previously assaulted another officer, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said. Sgt. Jim Smith, a 27-year veteran of the Iowa State Patrol, was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend Michael Thomas Lang, who had barricaded himself in his home in Grundy Center on Friday evening, the agency said Saturday. Stephan Bayens, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said in a press conference that Smith "died a hero" and "sacrificed himself protecting others." "Sgt. Jim Smith was a friend. Sgt. Jim Smith was a brother. Sgt. Jim Smith was a son. Sgt. Jim Smith was a husband. Sgt. Jim Smith was a dad. Sgt. Jim Smith was a protector of the innocent. Sgt. Jim Smith was a guardian of justice. Sgt. Jim Smith was a man of God," Bayens said. "Sgt. Jim Smith, and I'm going to keep saying his name until his sacrifice has been seared upon the hearts of anyone that can hear my voice."

"Police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Lang, who officers believe had been barred from driving, at 7:22 p.m. Friday, but Lang fled before pulling over, exiting his vehicle and assaulting a Grundy Center police officer. Lang disarmed the officer, took his Taser and radio and placed the officer in a chokehold while yelling "shoot me." A Grundy County deputy arrived at the scene and drew his firearm, while commanding Lang to put his hands up as Lang yelled "come get me" returning to his vehicle and leading officers on a chase until they lost sight of him. He was eventually spotted entering his home through the garage as his father arrived at the scene and told officers he had "multiple firearms inside the residence, including a .410 caliber shotgun." Law enforcement set up a perimeter around Lang's house and the surrounding area and announced themselves as they entered the home including declaring they would send in a K-9 unit. Smith was hit by gunfire as the entry team was searching the upstairs area of the house. As officers removed Smith's body from the house Lang was heard stating that he had shot Smith and desired to shoot more officers as he barricaded himself inside the house. The Iowa State Patrol tactical team attempted to enter the residence with an armored personnel carrier and exchanged gunfire with Lang, who was shot multiple times. He was ultimately taken into custody and transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in critical condition. Lang was charged with first-degree murder and held on $1 million cash bond. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced flags would be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the day of Smith's burial. "It's with deep sorrow that we recognize the loss of Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Jim Smith, a courageous hero who died in the line of duty," she said in a statement. "Sgt. Jim Smith was a loving husband, father of two and a pillar of the community. I along with the entire state of Iowa grieve for his family and friends as they try to cope with this devastating loss."

The following is extremely timely crowdsourced poetry heard on NPR recently. Stunning material, creatively edited, well-crafted, resulting in immense impact. NPR reports:

"April is National Poetry Month, a celebration of poets and poetry that's been in place for 25 years. Last month, as the U.S. grieved over attacks against Asian Americans, NPR's Morning Edition collected poems on how people grapple with the increased violence and discrimination. Over 500 listeners shared powerful, poignant poems — in the form of a list beginning with the word "today." They showcased fear, anger, empathy and motivation to make the world a better place. NPR's resident poet Kwame Alexander took lines from the submissions to create a community poem, "Today, I Am A Witness To Change." Contributors are credited at the bottom.

Today, I wake up tired
a tiredness that plagues me
soft grey hues, contrasting over a grieving landscape,
filled with many frigid hearts.

Today, I ache
I lay in the pre-dawn
Moonshadows on my window blinds
Contented kittens purring at my side.
On the radio, news of greater challenges
Challenges that require more than I can handle alone

An Asian-American died because of hate.
a child lost his mother.
Today we mourn
I cry and pray for the world.
I want the attacks to be called what they are: Terrorism.

Today I feel we need more than conversation
Let us take more than a moment of silence
Let us find our humanity
Let us remember
Let us take action

Today I hesitate
for the first time, I wonder if I should stay home and not walk the neighborhood.
it's not the weather or the virus — the day is beautiful
Today
I'm frozen
Terrified.
I cannot hide
This skin
This hair
These eyes.
I see the punch, punch, punch of a community at war.
Today I am a witness.
I rush past the jeering white boys that say I brought corona to America.
My soul is wary.

Today, a video call full of empty boxes
Stares at me, apprehensively.
Students locked behind a screen
Their hearts and minds
Severed
From one another.

Today, the headlines say March Madness
Today, I don't watch basketball.
The madness is in the streets.
In broad daylight.
On the concrete sidewalks of New York.
In the silence of bystanders.
It's in the textbooks. The classrooms. The family dinners. The lies we tell.

Today the rain falls
and falls
and falls
and falls.
a silent tear from a weeping woman.
Today, I will say their names
I will cancel class and try again tomorrow.

Today, a Chinese man travels back in time.
The hateful and racist words hurled at a lonely child emerges from buried memories
Today I offer a slice of my own wounded soul
to graft a love patch
A patchwork piece for a more perfect union

Today, I think about my best friend's Korean Mom,
if it was her kicked to the ground
in New York,
or punched in California,
or shot in Georgia.

Today I remember the idea
of America
as a melting pot
the past twelve years
looking over my shoulder
watching my back

The Steak and Shake waitress in 2006
Who outright refused to wait on me
Who threw the menu
In great disdain

The young woman in Alum Creek
Who was with her boyfriend
who Threw a stone at me
Because I was doing my Tai Chi
At the top of the 116 steps
That I loved to go up and down

I want to be somewhere
and nowhere at once
I cringe at our disunity
I stand back in awe of the never diminishing divisiveness
I cry for the misunderstood and those that misunderstand

Today I tell my youngest child that
when I was a child
I wished I was white
I was silent
I allowed people around me to mispronounce my name

Today the dragon bends
From western winds
Blown hot from valleys deep.
Scorched skies belie the spring.
Heads bowed. All weep.
Outside my window, the daughter bends to examine the fish in the pond,
slowly gliding out of their winter torpor. Her name means
celebration in Chinese. It also means blessing.

Today I remember the sacrifices of my grandmother
Her steely eyes that shed many tears
Her small, sinewy hands that clung to her children
Her diminutive feet that leapt over the ocean
Today, I will use her strength that courses through my veins.

Today I am witness to change
As I sit inside our bookstore,
arranging the carefully printed and bound
words of so many voices
I wonder who will welcome the truth

The Joy Luck Club
The Hungry Tide
Prairie Lotus
Pachinko
The Namesake

So many words
Each leaving an imprint
Like a grain of rice
Stockpiled and cataloged
knowledge gleaned, gathered
Empathy enhanced

Today I will ferry you across the troubled waters.
hold you close, in any way you crave.

Today, I think not only of the cold ignorance of man
but the small ember of warmth we transfer when we love.

Today, I will return to normal
Attending church
eating out
walking
being
because Today
we will persevere"

Readers are advised each stanza was alternately read by NPR's resident poet Kwame Alexander and Morning Edition's Rachel Martin with tremendous feeling, immense impact.

Marc Rivers and Reena Advani produced and edited the audio story. Casey Noenickx produced for the Web."

Some comic relief before getting on with this edition. The Associated Press reports:

"Police in eastern North Carolina say they’ve “arrested” a goat after they got a call reporting an attempted break-in. The Charlotte Observer reports that the incident occurred Tuesday in the college town of Greenville. The Animal Protective Services unit of the Greenville Police Department said in a statement that office[r]s arrived to find the goat hanging out around the windows of the house. The goat was taken to the city’s animal shelter but was soon picked up by his owner “to finish his sentence in house arrest,” police said."

In follow-up to last week's edition of this publication, The Associated Press reports:

"George Floyd died of a lack of oxygen from being pinned to the pavement with a knee on his neck, a medical expert testified at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial Thursday, emphatically rejecting the defense theory that Floyd’s drug use and underlying health problems were what killed him. “A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died,” said prosecution witness Dr. Martin Tobin, a lung and critical care specialist at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital and Loyola University’s medical school in Illinois. Using easy-to-understand language to explain medical concepts and even loosening his necktie to make a point, Tobin told the jury that Floyd’s breathing was severely constricted while Chauvin and two other officers held the 46-year-old Black man down on his stomach last May with his hands cuffed behind him and his face jammed against the ground. The lack of oxygen resulted in brain damage and caused his heart to stop, the witness said. Tobin, analyzing a graphic presentation of the three officers restraining Floyd for what prosecutors say was almost 9 1/2 minutes, testified that Chauvin’s knee was “virtually on the neck” for more than 90% of the time. He cited several other factors that he said also made it difficult for Floyd to breathe: officers lifting up on the suspect’s handcuffs, the hard surface of the street, his prone position, his turned head and a knee on his back. Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for 3 minutes, 2 seconds, after Floyd had “reached the point where there was not one ounce of oxygen left in the body,” Tobin said. As prosecutors repeatedly played a video clip of Floyd on the ground, Tobin pinpointed what he said was a change in the man’s face that told him Floyd was dead. That moment happened around five minutes after police began holding Floyd down. “At the beginning you can see he’s conscious, you can see slight flickering, and then it disappears,” Tobin said. He explained: “That’s the moment the life goes out of his body.”

"Defense attorney Eric Nelson has argued that the now-fired white officer did what he was trained to do and that Floyd’s death was caused by illegal drugs and underlying medical problems that included high blood pressure and heart disease. An autopsy found fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system. But Tobin said he analyzed Floyd’s respiration as seen on body-camera video and explained that while fentanyl typically cuts the rate of respiration by 40 percent, Floyd’s breathing was “right around normal” just before he lost consciousness. Similarly, he said people with severe heart disease have very high respiratory rates. Tobin also said the high blood level of carbon dioxide measured in the hospital emergency room can be explained by the fact that Floyd was not breathing for nearly 10 minutes before paramedics began artificial respiration, as opposed to his breathing being suppressed by fentanyl. A forensic toxicologist also testified Thursday that he tested blood drawn from Floyd at the hospital, as well as urine from his autopsy, and found a “very low” amount of methamphetamine. Daniel Isenschmid said fentanyl and a byproduct of its breakdown in the body were also found, but he didn’t immediately say how much was present. Earlier, Tobin explained that just because Floyd was talking and shown moving on video, it doesn’t mean he was breathing adequately. He said a leg movement seen in the video was involuntary. And he said a person can continue to speak until the airway narrows to 15%, after which “you are in deep trouble.” Officers can be heard on video telling Floyd that if he can talk, he can breathe. On cross-examination, Nelson pressed Tobin on that common misconception, pointing to earlier testimony that Minneapolis officers are trained that if people can speak, they can breathe. Nelson also suggested to Tobin that fentanyl in street drugs could affect people differently than legally obtained fentanyl. He asked, too, about methamphetamine, noting that there are few reasons for which it is legally prescribed. Tobin agreed that it would increase heart rate but said it would not affect respiratory rate. Tobin used simple language, with terms like “pump handle” and “bucket handle” to describe the act of breathing for the jury. He explained that when the airway narrows, breathing becomes “enormously more difficult” — like “breathing through a drinking straw.” At one point, the doctor loosened his tie and placed his hands on his own neck and the back of his head to demonstrate how the airway works, inviting the jurors to examine their own necks. Most of them did so, though the judge later told them they didn’t have to. The expert calculated that at times when Chauvin was in a near-vertical position, with his toes off the ground, half of Chauvin’s body weight with his gear included -- or 91.5 pounds -- was directly on Floyd’s neck. He said it appeared that Floyd was getting enough oxygen to keep his brain alive for about the first five minutes because he was still speaking. Tobin said that where Chauvin had his knee after the five-minute mark was not that important, because at that point Floyd had already experienced brain damage. Chauvin’s attorney has repeatedly shown the jury still images from the video that he said showed Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s shoulder blade, not his neck. But nearly all of those images were captured after the five-minute mark, according to the time stamps."

"Police accused of wrongdoing can usually count on the blue wall of silence — protection from fellow officers that includes everything from shutting off body cameras to refusing to cooperate with investigators. But that’s not the case with Derek Chauvin, with many colleagues quick to condemn his actions in George Floyd’s death, some even taking the stand against him."

"Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testified that Chauvin’s kneeling on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck was “in no way, shape or form” in line with department policy or training. Homicide detective Lt. Richard Zimmerman testified, “If your knee is on a person’s neck, that can kill him.” Chauvin’s former supervisor, retired Sgt. David Ploeger, testified that the force used on Floyd went on too long and should have ended when the Black man was handcuffed and stopped resisting. An inspector acquainted with Chauvin for two decades and an officer who said the defendant spent a day as her training officer took the witness stand as well. The criticism didn’t start at trial. Fourteen officers, including Zimmerman, signed an open letter last year saying Chauvin “failed as a human and stripped George Floyd of his dignity and life. This is not who we are.” It’s unclear whether officers are becoming more willing to call out a colleague, or if the extraordinary circumstances of this particular case are at play. While police agencies across the country have instituted reforms that promote more ethical behavior, some experts say the unblinking video of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd’s neck as the dying man pleads for air is the impetus for fellow officers to stand against Chauvin."

“I sincerely wish I could see a crumbling of the blue wall, but sadly I do not see that,” said Bill Hall, a former Justice Department mediator who handled brutality cases, and a political science adjunct professor at Webster University in Missouri. The damning police testimony — and the public criticism — against Chauvin is coming from the top of the department, not patrol officers. All 14 signers of the June letter were ranked as sergeant or higher. Hall said supervisory police officials have incentive to show the fault lies with the officer, not with their policies and procedures. Still, in June, the head of the Minneapolis police union, Lt. Bob Kroll, a usually militant defender of officers, agreed that Chauvin’s firing was warranted, calling what was shown on camera “horrific.” Meanwhile, the three other officers charged in Floyd’s death, fired soon after and facing their own trials in August, are likely to blame the far more senior Chauvin for what happened."

"The number of Chauvin’s Minneapolis colleagues who have turned on him is telling, said Rick Rosenfeld, a criminologist at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. “We don’t usually see a dozen or more police officers from the very same agency come out opposed to the actions taken by a police officer,” Rosenfeld said. It’s a far cry from the code of silence that has surrounded cases of police brutality and killings for so long in so many places — including Minneapolis. In 2017, Officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk Damond as she approached Noor’s squad car in the alley behind her home. Court testimony showed that an incident commander turned off her body camera when talking to Noor shortly after the shooting. Other officers told him not to say anything. Prosecutors told the court that about 20 police officers refused to talk to investigators and met with union officials to discuss withholding information. Noor was one of the rare officers to be convicted anyway. He is serving a 12½-year prison term. In another Minnesota case, former St. Anthony officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted in the July 2016 killing of Philando Castile. Fellow officers were in court throughout that trial supporting Yanez."

"Chauvin still has the legal support of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. The association’s legal defense fund is paying for his defense, and is obligated to do so because his years paying dues to his local union earned him the right to representation, said Brian Peters, executive director of the association. Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s attorney, is one of 12 attorneys for the MPPOA who take turns handling officer-involved cases."

"Some new programs seek to address the blue wall head-on. New Orleans police in 2015 implemented a program called Ethical Policing Is Courageous,” or EPIC. Training emphasizes peer intervention if an officer is doing something wrong such as committing an assault or planting evidence. The idea is that if one bystander officer intervenes, others will follow and the peer pressure will halt the bad act. New Orleans Chief of Detectives Paul Noel said Floyd’s death could have been prevented if Minneapolis police had a program like EPIC. “It would have taken just one officer to say, ‘hey, get off of him,’” Noel said. But John Kleinig, professor emeritus of criminology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at City University of New York, believes that in most cases, police officers will remain inclined toward actions that protect their wayward colleagues. “For the police, it’s not a simple matter of coverup,” Kleinig said. “There’s a moral impetus to the blue wall of silence. In other words, ‘we owe loyalty to each other.’”

That's a problem. A big problem. Officers owe loyalty to the law and U.S. Constitution. To their oaths of office. Not to criminal jackbooted bastards in blue in their ranks. No more complicated than that. Time for officers to wake up.

"The medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on George Floyd has taken the stand in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the fired Minneapolis officer charged in Floyd's death. Hennepin County medical examiner Dr. Andrew Baker is testifying about Floyd's cause of death. Baker's testimony comes after three medical experts testified for the prosecution that Floyd died of oxygen deprivation — not drugs, as the defense has suggested.

"The first witness to take the stand Friday was forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas, who testified for the prosecution. She said Floyd would not have died that day if he hadn't been restrained by the police, and explained that she was able to rule out a heart arrhythmia or fentanyl overdose as ca[u]se of death. "The actions of the law enforcement officers resulted in Mr. Floyd's death — specifically, those actions were subdual, restraint and neck compression," Thomas said. Thomas testified she was able to use the video of the fatal arrest to help her rule out other causes of death, including a heart arrhythmia and a fentanyl overdose, two causes the defense has suggested. Thomas said someone who died of a heart arrhythmia would typically experience a sudden death. She described an example of someone shoveling snow, clutching their chest and falling over fairly quickly. But in Floyd's case, she said, "There was nothing sudden about this death." She said she was also able to use the video to rule out a fentanyl overdose, during which someone would typically become sleepy and their breathing would gradually slow. Thomas said she "felt comfortable" ruling out both of those causes of death. Her testimony came a day after another medical expert, Dr. Martin Tobin, testified Floyd died from a low level of oxygen that damaged his brain and caused his heart to stop under the weight of officers pinning him down. Emergency physician and forensic medicine specialist Dr. Bill Smock took the stand Thursday and gave a similar opinion, saying Floyd died not of a drug overdose but because he had "no air left in his body."

"Describing his examination of Floyd's heart, Baker said he didn't find any damage, but found the heart was enlarged and several of his arteries to be "significantly narrowed" by plaque. When asked what he believed caused Floyd's death, he pointed to what he called "severe underlying heart disease" and said Floyd's heart already would require more oxygen than normal. He said in the context of an altercation or restraint, he said adrenaline would ask the heart to beat faster and the heart would require more oxygen. He said the law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression "was just more than Mr. Floyd could take by virtue of those heart conditions." "Mr. Floyd had no visible or microscopic previous damage to his heart muscle,” Dr. Andrew Baker, the medical examiner who conducted George Floyd's autopsy, testifies. Baker said he took a series of photographs as he conducted his autopsy on Floyd so other pathologists would be able to review his work. Baker identified hard copies of the autopsy photos, which were also passed to the jury to view. They were not displayed in court. Going through the photos, Baker described abrasions to Floyd's face he said would be "entirely consistent" with being pinned against the asphalt. He also pointed to photos of a bruise with scraping on Floyd's right shoulder and an abrasion on Floyd left shoulder, which he said was also consistent with Floyd being prone on asphalt. Baker noted damage to the skin on Floyd's hand which Baker said would be consistent with the hand banging into something."

"The medical examiner who performed an autopsy on George Floyd took the witness stand Friday in one of the most anticipated appearances of Derek Chauvin’s murder trial. Hennepin County Medical Examiner Andrew Baker ruled Floyd’s death last year a homicide and listed the cause as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.” Prosecutors have called up expert after expert who blamed police’s use of force, as they seek to show Floyd died of asphyxia when Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Lindsey Thomas, a consulting forensic pathologist in Minneapolis, testified Friday that Floyd’s death was “due to the activities of law enforcement officers,” specifically from the restraint and neck compression administered to the 46-year-old. “This was not a sudden death,” Thomas said.

Thomas said there was no evidence Floyd suffered a heart attack, echoing other experts called this week by the prosecution, and sarcastically rejected the defense’s reference to prone-position arrests by Canadian police.
Chauvin defense attorney Eric J. Nelson on Friday maintained his argument that Floyd died of a combination of factors by focusing on the condition of his heart.

"Baker told prosecutors Friday that no pill or pill fragments were found in Floyd’s stomach during his autopsy.

"Toward the end of her testimony Friday, Thomas said there was no evidence Floyd suffered a heart attack when he was detained by Chauvin and other officers outside Cup Foods. Throughout much of Nelson’s cross-examination of the forensic pathologist, Chauvin’s defense focused on Floyd’s heart and the conditions that, they argued, played a contributing factor in the 46-year-old’s death. But when prosecutors returned to ask Thomas a few more questions, she was clear that Floyd’s heart did not have a role in his passing. “Is there any evidence that Mr. Floyd suffered from a heart attack?” the prosecution asked. “No,” she replied. She confirmed to prosecutors that no injury was found in Floyd’s heart during the autopsy.

"Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell pushed back on the defense attorney’s use of a hypothetical to cast doubt on the police role in Floyd’s death. “You were asked a number of questions that were to the fact that if we take the police subdual restraint and neck compression out of this, what would you conclude?” Blackwell noted to Thomas, as the forensic pathologist sat at the witness stand. “Aren’t those questions a lot like asking Mrs. Lincoln: ‘If we take John John Wilkes Booth out of this...’" Defense attorney Eric Nelson interrupted with an objection and Blackwell was forced to reframe his question. “From your standpoint as a forensic pathologist and your analysis of manner and cause of death, would you ever approach an assessment, a manner and cause of death, by taking out of it the facts that you found relevant and highly pertinent to assessing [it]?” he asked. “No,” Thomas said. Blackwell pushed back on other seemingly incomparable scenarios that Nelson had asked Thomas about, including “a question about laying by the pool on my stomach in Florida.” “George Floyd was not laying by the pool on his stomach in Florida, was he?” Blackwell said."

"As the Twin Cities area reels from what appears to be the latest killing of a Black resident by a police officer, the murder trial of ex-Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin resumed on Monday. Cardiology expert Jonathan Rich testified that George Floyd showed no signs of heart problems, and that he did not die from a drug overdose. The defense for Chauvin, accused of killing Floyd after kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes before he died last May, countered that compliance might have saved Floyd’s life.

“After reviewing all of the facts and evidence of the case, I can state with a high degree of medical certainty that George Floyd did not die from a primary cardiac event, and he did not die from a drug overdose,” Rich told the court.

"Cardiologist Jonathan Rich and Nelson went back-and-forth during Monday afternoon’s testimony about whether Floyd would still be alive if he hadn’t encountered Chauvin that day. Rich was answering a line of questions surrounding whether Chauvin’s acts were the main cause of Floyd’s death or whether Floyd could have had preexisting health factors that contributed. “And if Mr. Floyd had simply gotten in the back seat of the squad car, do you think that he would have survived?” asked Nelson, Chauvin’s attorney, attempting to establish that Floyd’s noncompliance was to blame, rather than the ex-officer’s use of force. “So had he not been restrained in the way in which he was, I think he would have survived that day,” Rich answered. “I think he would have gone home or wherever he was going to go had he not been subjected to the prone and positional restraint that he was.” “So, in other words, if he had gotten in the squad car, he’d be alive,” Nelson asked. “I think my answer remains the same,” Rich replied. “Anything other than that scenario that he was subjected to, I have no reason to think, from a medical perspective, that he would not have survived.”

"Cardiologist Jonathan Rich told the court Monday that he was confident that Floyd did not die from a sudden heart attack or from a drug overdose. “After reviewing all of the facts and evidence of the case, I can state with a high degree of medical certainty that George Floyd did not die from a primary cardiac event, and he did not die from a drug overdose,” Rich told the court. Elaborating on his conclusion about drugs, Rich said even though a toxicology report showed the presence of the opiate fentanyl in Floyd’s blood, there was simply no evidence to suggest an overdose caused his death. “Number one, it appeared to me that Mr. Floyd, who was an acknowledged frequent chronic user of substances, particularly opiates, likely developed a high degree of tolerance,” he said. “But the second and just as important, maybe more important, was I didn’t see any of the signs of an opiate overdose when I reviewed the videos,” Rich added. When hospitals receive patients who have overdosed on opiates, “they are usually extremely lethargic, oftentimes nearly unarousable,” Rich said. When medical workers wake them up, he said, they often fall right back to sleep. When they are conscious, their speech is often slurred or they’re not talking; they feel dizzy; and they would have difficulty standing, Rich said. “I kind of saw the opposite with Mr. Floyd,” Rich said. “I saw that he was alert, he was awake, he was conversant. He was walking.”

"Rich told the court that even after Floyd lost consciousness beneath Chauvin’s knee, officers had the opportunity to take actions Rich believes “very likely” would have saved his life. “There was one moment in the video where I heard one of the officers saying, ‘I think he’s passing out,' ” Rich said on the witness stand Friday, describing the video of Floyd’s arrest and restraint on the pavement. “That would have been an opportunity to quickly relieve him from that position of not getting enough oxygen, perhaps turn him into a recovery position and allow him to start to expand his lungs again.” “When there were signs he was worsening, repositioning him, I think, very likely would have also saved his life,” Rich added. Asked whether Floyd would have lived had it not been for Chauvin’s restraint, which Rich and other experts have testified deprived Floyd of the oxygen he needed to survive, Rich said: “I believe he would have lived.”

"During motions on Monday that took place before the jury was called into the courtroom, Judge Peter A. Cahill confirmed that he expects closing arguments next Monday. That supports earlier speculation that Nelson, Chauvin’s attorney, won’t call nearly as many witnesses as the prosecution has. In denying a motion to sequester the jury in light of the police-involved shooting in Brooklyn Center on Sunday, Cahill said, “I don’t think that should heighten the jurors’ concern. I think it’s probably the same as it was before. They all have a concern that they expressed and were very honest about. “And so I’m not going to sequester them. We’ll sequester them on Monday, when we anticipate doing closings.”

"The judge in the George Floyd murder case refused a defense request to immediately sequester the jury Monday, the morning after the killing of a Black man during a traffic stop triggered unrest in a suburb just outside Minneapolis. The request came from the attorney for former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin. Defense attorney Eric Nelson argued that the jurors could be influenced by the prospect of what might happen as a result of their verdict. “Ultimately, your honor, the question becomes will the jury be competent to make a decision regardless of the potential outcome of their decision,” Nelson said. Judge Peter Cahill said he will not sequester the jury until next Monday, when he anticipates closing arguments will begin. He also denied a defense request to question jurors about what they might have seen about unrest following Sunday’s police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center. In the wake of the shooting, hundreds of protesters broke into about 20 businesses at a shopping center, jumped on police cars and hurled rocks and other objects at police in Brooklyn Center. Officers in riot gear fired gas and flash-bang grenades. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher argued against sequestering the Floyd jury, saying: “I don’t think that would be an effective remedy.” He also opposed questioning the jurors. “World events happen,” Schleicher said. “And we can’t have every single world event that might affect somebody’s attitude or emotional state or anything be the grounds to come back and re-voir dire all the jurors.” The judge had previously asked jurors to avoid news during the trial. The ruling came as the trial entered its third week, with the prosecution close to wrapping up its case and giving way to the start of the defense. Prosecutors built their case on searing witness accounts, experts condemning Chauvin’s use of a neck restraint, and medical authorities attributing Floyd’s death to a lack of oxygen. When testimony resumed Monday morning, Dr. Jonathan Rich, a cardiology expert from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, echoed earlier experts in saying that Floyd died of low oxygen levels from the way he was held down by police. He rejected defense theories that Floyd died of a drug overdose or a heart condition. Floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system and had high blood pressure and narrowing of the heart arteries, according to previous testimony. “It was the truly the prone restraint and positional restraints that led to his asphyxiation,” Rich said. In fact, the expert said, “Every indicator is that Mr. Floyd had actually an exceptionally strong heart.” Rich said he had reviewed Floyd’s autopsy report. He said that some narrowing of the arteries is extremely common, and that Floyd had a mildly thickened or mildly enlarged heart but that that would be normal in someone with high blood pressure. Corroborating other experts’ testimony, Rich said that Floyd was “restrained in a life-threatening manner,” noting among other things that he was facedown on the ground, a knee was on his neck, his hands were cuffed behind his back and being pushed upward, and a knee was on the lower half of his body. Rich said that as one officer noted on video that Floyd was passing out, police probably still could have saved his life if they had repositioned him so that his lungs could expand again. And once an officer noted that Floyd’s pulse had stopped, police still had a significant opportunity to save his life by administering CPR, he said. On cross-examination, Nelson tried to shift blame onto Floyd for struggling with police when they tried to put him in their car. The defense attorney asked Rich if Floyd would have survived if he had “simply gotten in the back seat of the squad car.” But Rich quickly quickly reiterated the death was caused by the officers’ actions: “Had he not been restrained in the way in which he was, I think he would have survived that day. I think he would have gone home, or wherever he was going to go.”

"The defense began its case Tuesday at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin, seizing on a 2019 confrontation between police and George Floyd in which Floyd suffered dangerously high blood pressure and confessed to heavy use of opioid painkillers. Chauvin lawyer Eric Nelson has argued that Floyd died last May because of his illegal drug use and underlying health problems, not because Chauvin pinned him to the pavement with his knee. Moments after the prosecution rested its case Tuesday following 11 days of testimony and a mountain of video evidence, the defense put on its first witness, a retired Minneapolis police officer who testified about a May 6, 2019, incident in which Floyd was arrested, a year before his fatal encounter with Chauvin. Scott Creighton said he drew his gun when Floyd, a passenger in a car, did not comply with orders to show his hands. Nelson played body-camera video that showed Creighton approaching on the passenger side, drawing his gun and pulling Floyd out. Chauvin’s lawyer twice asked questions aimed at getting the jury thinking about Floyd swallowing drugs, but Creighton said he did not see Floyd take anything. Another witness who responded to that call, now-retired paramedic Michelle Moseng, testified that Floyd told her he had been taking multiple opioids about every 20 minutes. “I asked him why and he said it was because he was addicted,” said Moseng, who described Floyd’s behavior as “elevated and agitated” before the judge struck that remark from the record. Moseng also said she recommended taking Floyd to the hospital based on his high blood pressure, which she measured at 216 over 160. On cross-examination, prosecutor Erin Eldridge got Moseng to testify that Floyd’s respiratory output, pulse, heart rate, EKG and heart rhythms were normal. Eldridge said Floyd was taken to the hospital and released two hours later. Eldridge also made a point of noting that officers gave Floyd contradictory commands, with Creighton telling him to put his hands on the dashboard and another officer telling him to put his hands on his head. She noted that another officer threatened to use a stun gun on him, while Floyd asked not to be shot or beaten up. Judge Peter Cahill cautioned jurors that the evidence from the earlier stop was only for the limited purpose of showing the effects that opioids might have had on Floyd -- and that they were not to use it to judge Floyd’s character."

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. Snowball's chance of that happening. Sadly, the 'judge' knew better. Allowed the damage. ... To protect Chauvin?

"Medical experts for the prosecution testified previously that Floyd died of lack of oxygen because his breathing was constricted as police held him down on his stomach, his hands cuffed behind his back, with Chauvin’s knee on or close to his neck for as much as 9 1/2 minutes. The prosecution experts rejected the notion that his drug use, high blood pressure or heart disease caused Floyd’s death. In fact, on Monday, Dr. Jonathan Rich, a cardiology expert from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, testified: “Every indicator is that Mr. Floyd had actually an exceptionally strong heart.”

"A third defense witness Tuesday, Shawanda Hill, who was in the SUV with Floyd before his ill-fated encounter with Chauvin, said that Floyd fell asleep at some point and seemed startled when he realized police were there. When he saw an officer at the window with a gun, Floyd “instantly grabbed the wheel and he was like, ‘Please, please, don’t kill me. Please, please, don’t shoot me. Don’t shoot me. What did I do? Just tell me what I did. Please, don’t kill. Please, don’t shoot me,’” Hill testified. Nelson also sought to bolster previous suggestions that the officers’ actions were influenced by what they perceived as a hostile crowd of bystanders shouting at Chauvin to get off Floyd’s neck. Minneapolis Park Police Officer Peter Chang, who helped out at the scene that day, testified that he saw a “crowd” growing across the street that “was becoming more loud and aggressive, a lot of yelling across the street.” “Did that cause you any concern?” asked Nelson, who played footage from Chang’s body camera, on which bystanders can be heard yelling and becoming increasingly frantic. “Concern for the officers’ safety, yes,” Chang replied."

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. What a crock of shit. The jackbooted bastards would have opened fire killing protesters. Sending others scurrying for cover.

"During the prosecution side of the case, the wrenching video of Floyd gasping for air was played for the jury along with other bystander footage and police body-camera video of the 46-year-old Black man’s slow-motion death after his arrest of suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 at a neighborhood market. Law enforcement experts and veteran Minneapolis police officials, including the police chief himself, testified that Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck was excessive and contrary to his training and departmental policy. Nelson hasn’t said whether Chauvin will take the stand. Testifying could open him up to devastating cross-examination but could also give the jury the opportunity to see any remorse or sympathy on the officer’s part."

"Derek Chauvin's murder trial kicked off Wednesday with Judge Peter Cahill quashing a subpoena for Morries Hall, who was in a car with George Floyd the day he died, to testify. Hall was in the car with Floyd before he was restrained on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hall has been identified during trial testimony as a suspected drug dealer from whom Floyd obtained narcotics. He said he wanted to invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid any incriminating testimony. "I'm fearful of criminal charges going forward. I have open charges that's not settled yet," Hall said Wednesday. Judge Cahill wanted to hear limited questions that he believed wouldn't incriminate Hall, but his lawyers argued any questions would jeopardize his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The defense wanted to hear about Floyd's behavior in the build up to his arrest, in their argument that drugs led to his death, more than Chauvin's knee on Floyd's neck. The prosecution in the high-profile trial rested its case Tuesday and the defense called several witnesses to the stand, including use-of-force expert Barry Vance Brodd, who said he felt Chauvin was "justified" in restraining Floyd."

"George Floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm problem due to his heart disease while being restrained by police, a retired forensic pathologist testified for the defense Wednesday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, contradicting several experts who said Floyd succumbed to a lack of oxygen."

"Dr. David Fowler, a former chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland and now a member of consulting firm, said the fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyd’s system, and possible carbon monoxide poisoning from auto exhaust, were contributing factors. He said Floyd’s heart disease included high blood pressure and narrowing of the arteries. “All of those combined to cause Mr. Floyd’s death,” he said on the second day of the defense case. Chauvin attorney Derek Nelson is trying to prove that the 19-year Minneapolis police veteran did what he was trained to do and that Floyd died because of his illegal drug use and underlying health problems. Prosecutors say Floyd died because Chauvin’s knee was pressed into Floyd’s neck or neck area for 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man lay pinned to the pavement on his stomach last May with his hands cuffed behind his back.

"Several top Minneapolis police officials, including the police chief, have testified that Chauvin used excessive force and violated his training. And a number of medical experts called by prosecutors have said Floyd died from a lack of oxygen because the way he was restrained restricted his breathing.

"The defense hasn’t said whether Chauvin will take the stand. Testifying could open him up to devastating cross-examination, with prosecutors replaying the video and forcing Chauvin, one freeze-frame moment at a time, to explain why he kept pressing down on Floyd. But taking the stand could also give the jury the opportunity to see and hear any remorse or sympathy Chauvin might feel. He would be able to take off the COVID-19 mask that he had to wear while seated at the defense table. The only time Chauvin has been heard publicly defending himself was when the jury listened to body-camera footage from the scene. After an ambulance had taken Floyd away, Chauvin told a bystander: “We gotta control this guy ’cause he’s a sizable guy ... and it looks like he’s probably on something.” Earlier Wednesday, Judge Peter Cahill turned down a defense request to acquit Chauvin, rejecting claims that prosecutors failed to prove Chauvin’s actions killed Floyd. Requests for an acquittal are routinely made midway through a trial and are usually denied."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve. Forfeiture of liberty. At the hands of outrageously corrupt and abusive government.

"A Black man died after being shot by police during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb, sparking violent protests that lasted into Monday as officers in riot gear clashed with demonstrators and the man’s mother called for calm. The man was identified by family as 20-year-old Daunte Wright, who died Sunday in a metropolitan area that was already on edge because of the trial of the first of four police officers charged in George Floyd’s death. The judge in that case refused Monday to sequester the jury after a defense attorney argued that the panel could be influenced by the prospect of what might happen as a result of their verdict. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tweeted that he was praying for Wright’s family “as our state mourns another life of a Black man taken by law enforcement.” Speaking before the unrest, Wright’s mother, Katie Wright, urged protesters to stay peaceful and focused on the loss of her son. “All the violence, if it keeps going, it’s only going to be about the violence. We need it to be about why my son got shot for no reason,” she said to a crowd near the shooting scene in Brooklyn Center, a city of about 30,000 people on the northwest border of Minneapolis. “We need to make sure it’s about him and not about smashing police cars, because that’s not going to bring my son back.”

That's right. It won't. What it will do is cause more of the same as our formerly great country continues to fall apart. Will encourage the criminal jackbooted bastards in law enforcement to commit additional murders, engage in more violence. It is a mistake to riot. A big mistake.

"Protesters who gathered near the scene waved flags and signs reading “Black Lives Matter.” Others walked peacefully with their hands held up. On one street, someone wrote in multi-colored chalk: “Justice for Daunte Wright.”

"Officers stopped a motorist shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday for an unspecified traffic violation, police said in a statement. Authorities planned to provide an update later Monday. Katie Wright said her son called her as he was getting pulled over. “All he did was have air fresheners in the car, and they told him to get out of the car,” Wright said. During the call, she said she heard scuffling and then someone saying “Daunte, don’t run” before the call ended. When she called back, her son’s girlfriend answered and said he had been shot."

It is always a mistake to run from the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Always. They use it to justify murder. Are hardly ever held accountable for these murders.

"After determining the driver had an outstanding warrant, police said they tried to arrest him. Then the driver reentered the vehicle, and an officer fired, striking him, police said. The vehicle traveled several blocks before striking another vehicle. Wright’s family offered a different account, with Katie Wright saying her son was shot before getting back into the car. A female passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the crash, authorities said. Katie Wright said that passenger was her son’s girlfriend. Court records show Wright was being sought after failing to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June. In that case, a statement of probable cause said police got a call about a man waving a gun who was later identified as Wright.” Shortly after the shooting, demonstrators began to gather, with some jumping atop police cars. Marchers also descended on the Brooklyn Center Police Department, where rocks and other objects were thrown at officers, authorities said. The protesters had largely dispersed by 1:15 a.m. Monday. President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting, and the White House has been in touch with the governor, mayor and local law enforcement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “We were incredibly saddened to hear about the loss of life at the hands of law enforcement in Minnesota yesterday,” she said."

When is the federal government finally going to do something about these continual murders by the jackbooted bastards in law enforcement?

"National Guard troops and law enforcement officers continued to guard the front of the police department on Monday morning. Police were erecting a concrete barrier as Minnesota State Patrol officers joined the line in front of the precinct. Several people and reporters watched from across the street as traffic returned to normal on the street where protesters were met with tear gas the night before. One man yelled at the officers using a megaphone as others flew Black Lives Matter flags. About 20 businesses were broken into at the city’s Shingle Creek shopping center, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said at a news conference. The National Guard was activated, and Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott announced a curfew that expired shortly before daybreak. Police said Brooklyn Center officers wear body cameras, which they believe were activated during the traffic stop. The department said it has asked the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate. The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer charged in Floyd’s death, continued Monday. Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck. Prosecutors say Floyd was pinned for 9 minutes, 29 seconds. More National Guard members and state law enforcement personnel were to be deployed around the Twin Cities and in Brooklyn Center in addition to teams already in place for Chauvin’s trial at the Hennepin County courthouse in Minneapolis, Harrington said. There was no visible increase in the already high security presence on Monday morning outside the courthouse, which was fortified ahead of Chauvin’s trial with tall fencing topped with barbed wire and coils of razor wire between the fences and concrete barriers. National Guard troops with military vehicles, sheriff’s deputies and county security guards continued to stand watch. Meanwhile, all Brooklyn Center students were to attend online classes Monday because school buildings were closed, Superintendent Carly Baker said."

"Police in the Minneapolis area clashed with protesters for a second night after authorities identified the officer who fatally shot a 20-year-old Black man during a traffic stop on Sunday as Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the force. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a statement late Monday that Potter had discharged her firearm Sunday afternoon during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center that resulted in the death of Daunte Wright. She has been placed on administration leave."

"Earlier Monday, authorities released a brief video clip of the incident from her body camera. During the press conference, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said Potter had accidentally shot Wright with her firearm and believed that she "had the intention" to deploy their Taser."

That's not credible. This is an officer with nearly three decades of experience. The feel of a Taser is not the same as that of her firearm. Both weapons are at different places on her uniform. Reportedly, the gun was on her right, Taser on her left. How do you make that kind of mistake?

"The officers pulled Wright over Sunday afternoon and discovered he was wanted on a misdemeanor warrant. In the footage released Monday, Wright appears to struggle with the arresting officer. Potter is then heard repeatedly saying "Taser" before discharging her weapon, firing a single bullet. She then curses. "I shot him," she is heard yelling."

"The parents of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by a white police officer in a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday, said they "can't accept" the notion that their son's killing was "a mistake." "I lost my son, he's never coming back," Daunte Wright's father, Aubrey Wright, told ABC News' Robin Roberts in an exclusive interview Tuesday on "Good Morning America." "I can't accept that -- a mistake, that doesn't even sound right," he added. "This officer has been on the force for 26 years. I can't accept that."

"Daunte Wright was driving in Brooklyn Center, about 10 miles northwest of Minneapolis, when he was stopped by police on Sunday afternoon. The officers initially pulled him over for an expired registration tag on his car but determined during the traffic stop that he had an outstanding gross misdemeanor warrant, according to Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon. As police attempted to take him into custody, Daunte Wright reentered the vehicle and one of the officers fired their weapon, striking him. The officer -- identified by authorities as Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department -- intended to deploy her Taser instead of her gun when she "accidentally" shot Daunte Wright, Gannon said. The car sped off, traveling several blocks before crashing into another vehicle. A female passenger in Daunte Wright's car sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the crash and was transported to a nearby hospital. The passengers in the other vehicle were not injured, according to Gannon. Officers and medical personnel "attempted life-saving measures" on Daunte Wright but he died at the scene, Gannon said.

"Daunte Wright's mother, Katie Wright, told ABC News that her son had called her during the traffic stop. She said he told her that police had pulled him over due to air fresheners hanging in his rear view mirror. She told him to take them down and to let her speak with police over the phone if they ask for his car insurance so she could give them the information. That's when she heard police ask her son to step out of the vehicle. "Daunte said, 'For what, am I in trouble?' I heard the phone getting put down pretty hard," Katie Wright said on "GMA" during Tuesday's exclusive interview. "And then I heard scuffling and the girl that was with him screaming, and I heard an officer ask for them to hang up the phone and then I didn't hear anything else." "I tried to call back three, four times and the girl that was with him answered the phone and she said that they shot him and he was lying in the driver's seat unresponsive," the mother recalled, with tears streaming down her face. "And then I heard an officer ask her to hang up the phone again and then after that, that's the last time I've seen my son. I haven't seen him since." She said she's unsure why the situation escalated. "I know my son was scared. He's afraid of the police, and I just seen and heard the fear in his voice," she added. "But I don't know why and it should have never escalated the way it did."

"The parents said they want to see "justice served" and the officer who shot their son "held accountable for everything that she's taken from us." Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott has said he "fully support[s] releasing the officer of her duties." "My position is that we cannot afford to make mistakes that lead to the loss of life of other people in our profession," Elliott told reporters Monday. A preliminary report released Monday by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Daunte Wright died from a gunshot wound to the chest and that his death was a homicide."

"Earlier Monday at a press conference, the Brooklyn Center Police Department released body camera footage of the fatal encounter. The police chief said Potter can be heard in the video warning Daunte Wright and her fellow officers that she will be deploying her Taser. "However, the officer drew their handgun instead of their Taser," Gannon told reporters. "It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser, but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet. This appears to me, from what I viewed and the officer's reaction and distress immediately after, that this was an accidental discharge that resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Wright." Potter can be heard in the video yelling, "Holy s---, I just shot him!"

"The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting."

"A source with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News that Potter was field training another officer at the time of the deadly shooting. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump -- who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and more -- is one of the lawyers representing the Wright family and said that fatal encounters between police and people of color will only stop "when we start treating each other all the same." "She was a training officer and so it's not about training, it's about implicit bias," Crump said on "GMA" during Tuesday's exclusive interview. "It's about giving the same respect and consideration to people of color that we give to white American citizens. We don't see these sort of things happening to white young people that we see happening over and over and over again to young, marginalized minorities." "They could have given him a ticket, given him a notice to show up. But just like in George Floyd -- they could have given him a ticket -- they used the most force when it comes to dealing with marginalized minorities," he added. "And we can't have these two Americas -- one where we treat Black Americans different from white Americans in policing."

Protest needs to be peaceful. Rioting grants the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue carte blanche to do as they please.

"As protesters massed for a second night of demonstrations over the police killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old unarmed Black man, authorities on Monday identified the shooter as Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter. Potter, 48, is a 26-year veteran and has served as her police union’s president, the Star Tribune reported. At an earlier news conference, where authorities played a nearly one-minute dash-cam recording of the fatal incident, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said it appears that Potter intended to fire her Taser but instead made an “accidental discharge” from her gun. Potter has been suspended pending the results of a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation, the agency said. On Monday, Brooklyn Center leaders dismissed the city manager, potentially giving Mayor Mike Elliot the ability to fire the chief or officers in the department."

"Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said he expects to complete a “thorough yet expedited” review of potential criminal charges in the case by no later than Wednesday, he told the Star Tribune. “I’m hoping Wednesday, but I want to have the opportunity to give my condolences to his family and explain to them my decision,” Orput said. The suburban city of about 30,000 residents has been rocked by Wright’s killing as the Minneapolis area watches the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer charged with murder after kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes. According to local media, Potter has retained attorney Earl Gray. Gray is also representing former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane, who has also been charged in Floyd’s death. Neither Potter nor Gray immediately responded to messages from The Washington Post as of early Tuesday. Potter joined the Brooklyn Center Police Department in 1995, according to her LinkedIn page. She was first licensed as a police officer in Minnesota at age 22 that same year, the Star Tribune reported. In 2019, she was elected president of the Brooklyn Center Police Officer’s Association, according to the group’s Facebook page. She was also a longtime member of the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association, where she served on its “casket team.” Potter, who is married to a former police officer and has two adult sons, most recently worked on the Brooklyn Center police’s negotiation team, the Star Tribune reported. She has been involved in one fatal police shooting in the past. In 2019, Potter was among the first to arrive at a home in the Minneapolis suburb after two officers fatally shot a mentally ill man six times after he allegedly lunged at them with a knife, according to a report released by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office last year. Once paramedics arrived, Potter ordered both of the officers to leave the house, sit in separate squad cars and deactivate their body cameras. As the union president at the time, she escorted one of the officers from the scene back to the police station and was later present when BCA investigators interviewed both officers, the report states. The officers were not charged in the fatal shooting after prosecutors found they acted with “reasonable fear” after first firing their Tasers."

Protected and coddled the sons of bitches. The man was mentally ill. They could have used their batons.

"On Monday, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Wright died of a gunshot wound to his chest and ruled his death a homicide. City officials on Monday clashed over whether Potter should be disciplined beyond her suspension as the BCA investigation continues, with Elliott, the mayor, saying the officer should be fired. Gannon and then-city manager Curt Boganey said they wanted to hear from the officer herself, citing due process. Boganey was fired later that day, giving Elliott the power to potentially fire the chief or officers on the force. “Let me be very clear: My position is that we cannot afford to make mistakes that lead to the loss of life of other people in our profession,” Elliott said at a news conference. “So I do fully support releasing the officer of her duties.”

"The pressure built Tuesday to fire the suburban Minneapolis police officer who killed a 20-year-old Black man during an altercation after a traffic stop, a shooting authorities said was a tragic mistake but that family members of Daunte Wright and others pointed to as yet the latest example of a broken criminal justice system. Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott called the shooting in his city “deeply tragic” and said the officer should be fired. Elliott, the city’s first Black mayor, announced Monday night that the City Council had fired the city manager and voted to give the mayor’s office “command authority” over the police force. “We’re going to do everything we can to ensure that justice is done and our communities are made whole,” Elliott said.

The advent of social media and body cameras has forced police departments to move much quickly than in the past, said Alex Piquero, chairman of the University of Miami’s sociology department. However, he said that before the Brooklyn Center Police Department fires the officer, it will likely review all evidence, including any other body camera footage and testimony from other officers, so that the dismissal is less vulnerable to any court challenge."

"Minnesota police officer Kim Potter resigned from her position Tuesday after shooting and killing Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, at a traffic stop on Sunday, officials in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, announced. Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, submitted her resignation effective immediately. In a letter to city officials, Potter wrote, "I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately."

"A Minnesota prosecutor said Wednesday that he will charge a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, igniting days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police. Kim Potter will be charged with second-degree manslaughter, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison."

"The announcement came a day after Potter resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department, where she had served for 26 years. Police Chief Tim Gannon also resigned Tuesday. Gannon had released Potter’s body camera video the day after the Sunday shooting. It showed her approaching Wright as he stood outside of his car as another officer was arresting him for an outstanding warrant. Police said he was pulled over for having expired registration tags. As Wright struggles with police, Potter is hearing shouting “I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” before firing a single shot from her handgun. Gannon has said he believed Potter mistakenly grabbed her gun when she was going for her Taser. However, protesters and Wright’s family members say there’s no excuse for the shooting and it shows how the justice system is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for expired car registration and ended up dead."

Besides that, it is not credible the officer mistakenly grabbed the gun. Reportedly, this officer wore the gun on her right side, Taser on her left. How do you make that kind of mistake?

Egregious failure of the criminal justice system. In follow-up to a case covered repeatedly here and elsewhere, NPR reports:

"A former Dallas police officer who was charged with capital murder for allegedly ordering three men to kill two people in 2017, was released after the charges against him were dropped."

"During a preliminary trial hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office said they do not have enough evidence or probable cause to move ahead with a case against Bryan Riser. "Where we stand as a district attorney's office right now today, we do not feel there's sufficient probable cause for this case," Dallas County prosecutor Jason Fine told the judge, a local CBS affiliate reported. Judge Audrey Moorehead agreed. The 36-year-old was arrested last month, years after he was first accused of orchestrating the murder of Albert Douglas, 61, and Lisa Saenz, 31, a woman who at one point lived with Riser's father. Saenz' body was found in a river on March 10, 2017, with multiple gunshot wounds. Douglas' body was never found but his family reported him missing in February 2017.

"In September 2017, three men were arrested and charged with the murder of Saenz. One of them later told authorities that Riser offered him $3,500 to kidnap and kill Douglas, according to a police affidavit, which he allegedly paid. Riser later approached the man again, offering to pay him $6,000 to kill Saenz, who he described as an 'informant.' That money was not paid before the man was arrested, the affidavit states."

"A police detective had initially testified in an affidavit that there was cell phone data linking Riser to the murders, but on the witness stand on Wednesday, the same officer admitted that statement was made in error."

How the hell does something like that happen? How? Is the following just bullshit? Or, is law enforcement that incompetent? Get this:

"If we get to a point in any case, no matter who the defendant is, no matter who the witnesses are, that we feel there is insufficient probable cause, we have to alert the defense and alert the court. We have to do something. We can't just sit by," Fine later added, according to the local NBC affiliate. Dallas police officials noted the investigation remains open and that new charges may be filed in the future."

"Following the judge's decision, Riser's attorney Toby Shook told reporters he wants an internal review of the process leading to his client's arrest. "I would hope this investigation comes under review and how this decision was made so quickly to arrest him, which triggered this whole thing," Shook said. A relieved Riser spoke to reporters on his way out of the Dallas County Jail. "This department I used to love and respect, they disrespected me and embarrassed me and my family. I was 100% innocent from the get go. I just want to go be with my family," he said. Riser's wife, Ebony Samuel-Riser, said, "The truth is finally coming out."

"She continued: "[Dallas Police Department] owes us an apology at this point."

"Dallas police officer was charged with plotting two murders. But a judge dropped the case after detective’s ‘error.’ Last month, Dallas police made a stunning allegation about one of their own — in 2017, they said, an officer had helped orchestrate two killings, paying hit men to kidnap and shoot the victims before dumping their bodies in a river. Cellphone data compiled by the FBI, they said, showed that Officer Bryan Riser had been near the site of both killings at the time. Now, police say that evidence was incorrect — an admission that came as a judge on Wednesday agreed with prosecutors to drop the charges, citing insufficient evidence."

How does something like this happen? None of it makes sense. Has to be far more to the story than this.

"Riser, who had been in custody since his arrest last month, walked out free later that day. “This department that I used to love, respect, they have disrespected me, they have embarrassed my family all over a make-believe lie,” Riser, 37, told a crowd of reporters gathered outside the courthouse and the jail."

"On Thursday, Dallas Police Chief Eddie García — who fired Riser last month after an internal probe — said he disagreed with the decision and vowed to continue the investigation. “I’m disappointed in yesterday’s ruling, there’s no question in my mind about that,” García said at a news conference. “We’re going to continue to thoroughly investigate this case, support the work that our detectives did.” Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot told The Washington Post in an email that the judge’s decision did not mean the case was closed. Toby Shook, an attorney representing Riser, said Wednesday’s hearing confirmed his client’s innocence."

“The Dallas Police Department has been investigating this case for several years,” Shook told The Post in an email. “After two hours of testimony from the lead detective it became very clear that there is no credible evidence to establish probable cause to charge Bryan Riser.”

Sorry, Counselor. Sounds like bullshit. Especially, considering the following:

"Dallas hit men kidnapped and killed two people, authorities said. A police officer allegedly hired them to do it. Riser, a 13-year-veteran, was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder on March 4 for allegedly ordering the killings of Liza Saenz, 31, and Albert Douglas, 61. He was fired on March 9 after an Internal Affairs investigation. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson (D) also formed a committee to investigate why Riser was allowed to remain on the force while detectives investigated him in both killings, WFAA reported. The case against Riser grew out of charges against three other men — Kevin Kidd, Emmanuel Kilpatrick and Jermon Simmons — in the killings of Saenz, whose body was found in the Trinity River in March 2017, and Douglas, whose body was never recovered. In August 2019, one of the three men incriminated Riser, according to a police affidavit. The man, who police declined to identify to protect his identity, said Riser, whom he knew from his youth, had offered him nearly $10,000 to carry out both kidnappings and killings. Last month, police said they had obtained Riser’s cellphone data from the FBI, which confirmed the officer was nearby both the killings. But on Tuesday, the Dallas police published an “updated” copy of the affidavit. Instead of placing him near the murders, the cellphone data only showed Riser near an area where the witness said he and Riser had “met to plan the kidnapping and murders.” At a Wednesday court hearing on the case, Detective Esteban Montenegro admitted he had made a mistake when typing the first version of the document. The line claiming that cellphone data put Riser near the scene of the crimes was “an error on my part,” he said. Despite his mistake, Montenegro argued there was still enough evidence to present the case to a grand jury. But prosecutors pushed back. “Where we stand as a district attorney’s office right now today, we do not feel there’s sufficient probable cause for this case,” Dallas County prosecutor Jason Fine told Criminal Court Judge Audrey Moorehead. Fine also revealed that prosecutors were first brought the case in December 2019, and said at the time there wasn’t enough evidence. Prosecutors said the same thing last month, Fine said — but police arrested Riser anyway."

Could it be prosecutors and the judge are protecting the officer? Especially, in light of the following:

"Shook said that the man incriminating Riser has “all the reason in the world to lie and to try to gain advantage by trying to implicate a police officer.”

Should have been up to a grand jury to decide. -- One not led by the nose by a Pied Piper Dallas County prosecutor. Then, up to a criminal jury to decide guilt or innocence if an indictment resulted.

No justice. Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court that would adjudicate only these cases. Total independence. The only way to rein in these criminals, particularly the murderers in blue.

"A Cleveland suburb has agreed to pay a couple $450,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit filed after a dashcam video recorded a white officer repeatedly punching a Black man during a routine traffic stop. Attorneys for the city of Euclid agreed to the settlement this week during talks with the attorney for Richard Hubbard and Yolimar Tirado, cleveland.com reported Wednesday. Euclid Law Director Kelley Sweeney declined to comment. The couple's attorney, Christopher McNeal, said he was “grateful these individuals will be compensated for [t]he pain and suffering that they went through.” The cellphone video of Hubbard's August 2017 arrest and beating by officer Michael Amiott went viral. Euclid police officials initially said Hubbard resisted arrest. The dashcam video shows Amiott opening the car door and Hubbard getting out. Within a second of Amiott ordering him to “face away,” Amiott grabs Hubbard’s arms and wrestles him to the ground as Tirado jumps out of the car and rushes over. Amiott is seen bashing Hubbard’s head against the pavement several times and then punching him in the head more than a dozen times as Hubbard tries to defend himself. Charges filed against Hubbard and Tirado were eventually dismissed. Euclid police had received previous reports about Amiott's behavior. He was fired by the city in October 2017. An arbitrator gave him his job back in October 2018."

Nazi justice. In a de facto fascist police-state. Democratic republic in name only. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

Egregious encroachment on the First Amendment by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. The Washington Post reports:

"He was arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest. Now, he’s warning others about Florida’s anti-riot proposal. As Black Lives Matter protests swept the nation last June in response to George Floyd’s death, some residents of Plant City, Fla., decided they, too, had had enough. Hundreds of people, including 30-year-old Vintwan Lee Brooks, marched on a local highway to decry racism and call for policing changes. As they were finishing up, a pickup truck with a Confederate flag pressed into the crowd. Demonstrators surrounded the driver and began shouting political slogans and expletives. Then someone yanked the flag off the truck and threw it on the ground. Others stomped on it and attempted to set it on fire. Police moved in, and Brooks, who is Black, was arrested and charged with inciting a riot and resisting a police officer."

"Authorities later dropped the rioting charge against Brooks. But his case exemplifies the legal peril that Florida residents could soon face under sweeping anti-protest legislation championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), which would make it easier for someone to be sent to prison for participating in a protest that becomes unruly.

Goddamned nazi justice in a de facto fascist police-state. Democratic republic in name only.

"The measure was approved last month by the state House of Representatives; a Senate committee is debating the bill Friday. Proud Boys and Black Lives Matter activists clashed in a Florida suburb. Only one side was charged."

"Under the proposal, a person who attends a protest that becomes violent can be charged with a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. The crime rises to a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, if 25 or more people are present at a disruptive event. The bill would also create stiff penalties for defacing or destroying a historical monument or flag, in effect providing protection to the symbols of Florida's Confederate heritage, experts say. Brooks and other Black Floridians say the legislation would silence their opposition to Confederate symbols while handing police even more power."

The criminal jackbooted bastards in blue are already egregiously out of control. Now, more?

“Freedom of speech and freedom to protest is what America was founded on,” said Brooks, who works in a Plant City seafood processing plant. “I should have a right to speak out about an era that subjugated me.”

"Florida’s legislation, referred to as House Bill 1, is part of a wave of Republican proposals to crack down on protesters."

"According to a database maintained by the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, state lawmakers have introduced 92 anti-protest bills since Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last May. Many of the bills include proposals that would make it a felony to block traffic, loosen the definitions of what constitutes a riot, and bolster civil immunity and stand-your-ground firearms laws when deadly force is used against rioters. "I call them kitchen-sink-type bills because they are throwing the kitchen sink at protesters, and many are written with vague language so police and prosecutors can use the language in targeted ways,” said Elly Page, a senior legal adviser to ICNL."

Raw nazism. Adolf and Benito? Likely, wildly cheering on their fiery perches.

"The language in many of the bills is nearly identical, Page said, though ICNL has not determined whether the text is coming from a central group or whether lawmakers are copying each other. Republicans have defended the laws as a necessary protection against violent agitators, and say they don’t target specific activists."

Like their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, Republicans are congenital liars. These clueless fascists present a direct threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

“We do not need to have Miami or Orlando or Jacksonville become Kenosha [Wis.] or Seattle or Portland,” Fla. Rep. Cord Byrd (R) said at a recent floor debate on the bill, referring to cities that saw violent Black Lives Matter protests last summer. “We have the ability to act now to say: You can peacefully assemble in Florida ... But you cannot harm other people. You cannot destroy their property. You cannot destroy their lives.”

What a lying son of a bitch. These outrageously unconstitutional bills target peaceful protesters with felonies for simply being present at a protest that turns violent. Raw nazism. Wake up, Representative. Your clueless head, figuratively, remains securely lodged up your national socialist, achingly fascist ass.

"The bill’s Democratic opponents, meanwhile, invoked the nation’s storied history of political dissent. “This bill muddies the waters in a very real way that will allow peaceful protesters to get swept up in arrests,” Florida Rep. Ben Diamond (D) said at the debate. Brooks says his own life in Plant City highlights why so many Black Florida residents are concerned about House Bill 1."

"Located 25 miles east of Tampa, Plant City was developed around a South Florida Railroad stop in the 1800s. It bills itself as the “winter strawberry capital of the world.” Like many areas of the South, Plant City was once mostly segregated. Well into the 20th Century, the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups held considerable sway there. In recent decades, as the outer suburbs of Tampa and Orlando began to stretch into town, race relations have improved. But Black Plant City residents, who make up about 14 percent of the population, say they still face discrimination. Black residents, for example, have long questioned why a Black female contestant has never been named “Strawberry Queen” at the annual Strawberry Festival. “There have been a lot of changes here, but there is still a lot of hidden racism and implicit bias,” said Kenny Griffin, 39, a Black community leader who grew up in Plant City. He said it was still common in the 1990s for his White high school classmates to threaten to “burn a cross” in his yard. “So when we saw what happened to George Floyd, we decided to march here, too,” he said."

"Brooks saw the June 2 march as an opportunity to stand up against the injustice he believes he faced as a teenager. In 2007, when Brooks was 17, police and prosecutors arrested Brooks and accused him of violating Florida's “RICO Act,” designed to combat organized crime. Brooks said he and about a dozen friends were charged with racketeering, which carried a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. At the time, Brooks was part of a loose-knit group of Black youths that called themselves the “Black Mob.” Brooks said he and his friends committed some crimes, including car thefts and burglaries. But he denies that his friends were operating as a gang or organized crime ring, and said that his lawyer at the time — a public defender — encouraged him to plead guilty “for something I was really innocent of.” “We were just kids who grew up together, and were not shooting people or killing people, but the Plant City police department decided to round us all up,” Brooks said. Racketeering “is a charge you give the Mafia or the Mob, not 16- or 17-year-old kids.” Both the Plant City Police and the Hillsborough County state’s attorney’s office declined to comment on those cases."

"A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, said at the time police and prosecutors in Florida were using the RICO statue to break up gangs accused of committing serious crimes that crossed jurisdictional boundaries. After he pleaded guilty to armed robbery and racketeering, Brooks was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He started reading books – sometimes more than a book a day – about Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and other civil rights leaders. “When you read their stories, you understand they came from a similar background as me, and I finally found someone I can relate to,” Brooks said. Brooks was released from prison in 2016 after serving 8 1/2 years of his sentence. After being rejected for most jobs because of his felony record, Brooks found a job stacking pallets of fish and shrimp at a seafood processing plant. He was eventually promoted to plant production manager."

"As he marched around Plant City during the demonstration, Brooks said he thought of childhood friends who remain in prison on 20-year sentences for violating Florida’s RICO Act. “We marched because we are facing injustices. Maybe things have died down from Jim Crow and hanging people on trees, but [racism] still affects us,” Brooks said. Hasani Jackson, a Black Plant City resident and middle-school teacher, described the protest as “full of young people, of all different cultures.” “Nothing like that ever happens here,” Jackson, 43, said. “I’ve never seen so many people in Plant City come out without fear.” But as the protest was winding down, a truck started following the demonstrators, who were marching on the highway with a police escort following behind."

The criminal jackbooted bastards in blue were clearly attempting to incite a riot:

"As the truck moved into the crowd, someone ripped off the Confederate flag, and demonstrators began stomping on it and “attempted to set it on fire,” Jackson said. Lt. Alfred Van Duyne, a spokesman for the Plant City Police Department, said officers had identified Brooks as the suspect who grabbed the flag, sparking a confrontation. Brooks denies this."

It is the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue following the truck who were deliberately attempting to incite a riot to 'justify' their abuse of power.

"Brooks’s attorney, Erin Hardister, noted that the Hillsborough County state’s attorney dropped the charge of inciting a riot, citing a lack of evidence against him. But Hardister said the incident — including the officers’ failure to also arrest the truck driver — demonstrates how “dangerous and unnecessary” House Bill 1 is and how easily it can be inequitably enforced. (The driver of the truck was not arrested because he fled the scene, Van Duyne said.) The bill states a person could be sentenced to five years in prison for causing at least $200 damage to a memorial — which includes a flag — or historic property, and up to 15 years in prison if they destroy them. Kara Gross, legislative director for the ACLU of Florida, said the anti-rioting provisions of the bill also mean someone like Brooks could find it far harder in the future to get a prosecutor to drop rioting charges because they will no longer have to prove someone “engaged in violent behavior.” “You just have to be present at a protest that turns violent,” Gross said."

Raw nazism. In a de facto fascist police-state. Democratic republic in name only. Direct, exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties embraced by nazis in the Republican Party.

"So, at least for now, Brooks said there will be one less person there the next time residents in Plant City decide to hold a racial justice protest. Brooks will be at home. “I don’t want to jeopardize everything,” he said. “I’ve worked too hard to put it all on the line.”

A raucous boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, you achingly clueless nazis in the Republican Party.

"A Black Army officer held at gunpoint during traffic stop was afraid to get out of his car. ‘You should be,’ police said."

"Caron Nazario had his arms raised in fear from the window of his newly purchased SUV when two police officers held the Army second lieutenant at gunpoint during a traffic stop in Windsor, Va. Nazario was confused as to why police were yelling for him to exit the car last December for not having a permanent rear license plate, according to a federal lawsuit filed this month. When Nazario told police on Dec. 5, 2020, that he was “honestly afraid to get out” of the car, the officer replied, “Yeah, you should be!”

Jackbooted bastard in blue. An exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"From there, body-cam footage shows police pepper-spraying, striking and handcuffing the 27-year-old, and using a slang term suggesting that he would face execution. The lawsuit claims police also threatened to end Nazario’s military career if he spoke out about the incident. “I’m serving this country, and this is how I’m treated?” said Nazario, according to body-cam video."

Jesus Christ. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms in our formerly great country. ... A raucous boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, Officer.

"Nazario, who is Black and Latino, filed a lawsuit this month against Windsor officers Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker over excessive force that the lieutenant claims was due to racial profiling. The federal lawsuit obtained by The Washington Post, which was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia on April 2, is seeking at least $1 million in damages and for the court to rule that Gutierrez and Crocker violated his constitutional rights, specifically the Fourth Amendment."

Nowhere near sufficient compensation. Nowhere near enough money to get the attention of aggrieved taxpayers to the ongoing abuse of power by law enforcement in our formerly great country.

“Short of people getting murdered, it’s the most egregious conduct I’ve seen on film by police,” Jonathan Arthur, Nazario’s attorney, said to The Post."

It's how the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue get their cookies off abusing power in a de facto fascist police-state. Democratic republic in name only.

"Neither Windsor Police Chief Rodney Riddle nor Mayor Glyn Willis immediately returned requests for comment Saturday. A town manager told the Virginian Pilot that Gutierrez and Crocker still work for the police department."

"The lawsuit comes as the nation continues to deal with incidents of excessive force involving police and people of color. The state of Virginia last year passed a slew of criminal justice changes that addressed policing. New laws took effect last month to limit the use of deadly force by police in Virginia, including a ban on certain dangerous policing tactics that have been a focal point of discussion during the trial of Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. The body-cam footage of Nazario’s incident went viral over the weekend, with his name trending on Twitter into Saturday. “These cameras captured footage of behavior consistent with a disgusting nationwide trend of law enforcement officers, who, believing they can operate with complete impunity, engage in unprofessional, discourteous, racially biased, dangerous and sometimes deadly abuses of authority,” the lawsuit says."

No question. The goddamned truth in a de facto fascist police-state, democratic republic in name only. We've lost ourselves.

"According to the complaint, Nazario, a health services administrations officer at the Virginia National Guard, was still in uniform when he was driving home on Dec. 5. His Chevrolet Tahoe was so new that the Department of Motor Vehicles hadn’t given Nazario new permanent plates, so he had cardboard temporary plates taped to the inside of the vehicle. Body-cam footage of the night shows that the temporary tags were visible on the car. Crocker initiated a traffic stop on Route 460 at around 6:30 p.m. due to Nazario lacking a rear license plate, not seeing the temporary plate in the car window, the lawsuit claims. He was soon joined by Gutierrez in Windsor, a small town about 30 miles west of Norfolk. Not wanting to pull over in the dark on a busy road, Nazario slowed down and pulled into a well-lit BP gas station, which took less than two minutes, Arthur said. By doing this maneuver, one that police later said “happens all the time,” Gutierrez told authorities that his training and experience indicated to him that Nazario was “almost certainly” a minority, according to the lawsuit. But that didn’t stop the officers from considering this a “felony traffic stop,” causing them to draw their weapons and demanding Nazario “obey” their order to get out of the car. Seeing that the situation had escalated, Nazario hit record on his phone and set it on the dashboard of his car. “What’s going on?” Nazario calmly asked the officers, not answering his question. “You’re fixin’ to ride the lightning, son,” Gutierrez said, according to Nazario’s cellphone video, invoking a colloquial term for execution by electrocution. The line was most famously referenced in the movie “The Green Mile,” a film about a Black man facing execution."

"Shortly after police refused to say why they had their guns drawn on Nazario, they pepper-sprayed him multiple times, according to video. “This is f----- up, this is f----- up,” Nazario said, adding that he was trying to breathe. “This is really messed up.”

"When a blinded Nazario struggled to take off his seat belt and exit the car, Gutierrez said to him, “You made this way more difficult than it had to be if you just complied!”

"Then, Nazario got out of the car and asked for their supervisor. In response, and out of the video’s field of view, Gutierrez delivered “knee strikes” to the Army officer’s legs, which knocked him to the ground, the lawsuit claims. Nazario’s attorney says the two officers proceeded to hit the lieutenant some more before handcuffing him. During the encounter, Gutierrez could be heard saying to Nazario on his body-worn camera, “I get it, the media spewing race relations between law enforcement and minorities, I get it.” According to the lawsuit, the officers threatened to destroy his military career if Nazario spoke out about the incident. Nazario was allegedly told by police that if he would “chill and let this go,” then the officers would not press baseless charges of their own against him and would release him, records show. In an incident report from Gutierrez that’s included in the lawsuit, the officer claimed that his decision to release Nazario without charges came from how he didn’t want the military to “take punitive actions against him.” “Being a military veteran, I did not want to see his career ruined over one erroneous decision,” Gutierrez wrote."

Jesus Christ. This Aryan arrogant jackbooted son of a bitch in blue is not only unfit, he's insane.

"In an interview Saturday, Arthur, Nazario’s attorney, said that his client seeking at least $1 million in damages is meant “to send message to officers that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.” Since the encounter with police, Nazario has had recurring nightmares and gets “freaked out” whenever he sees law enforcement, Arthur said. “It just blows my mind that two officers thought they could get away with it,” Arthur said. “He did everything right.”

No justice. Nowhere near. Worse? Nowhere near enough money to get the attention of looted taxpayers desperately needed to force an end to this abuse.

"Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Sunday he is directing Virginia State Police to investigate a traffic stop during which two police officers held an Army second lieutenant at gunpoint months ago in the southeast part of the state. Town officials said later that night that one officer was fired. Northam (D) said the incident — in which body-camera footage shows police pepper-spraying, striking and handcuffing Caron Nazario — “is disturbing and angered me.” Nazario, 27, who is Black and Latino, filed a lawsuit this month against Windsor officers Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker that alleges excessive force due to racial profiling. A Black Army officer held at gunpoint during traffic stop was afraid to get out of his car. ‘You should be,’ police said."

Nazi America. De facto fascist police-state. Founders? Spinning in their graves.

“Our Commonwealth has done important work on police reform, but we must keep working to ensure Virginians are safe during interactions with police, the enforcement of laws is fair and equitable, and people are held accountable,” Northam said in a statement. In a town statement Sunday night, officials said Windsor “acknowledges the unfortunate events that transpired.” It said an internal police investigation showed department policy wasn’t followed during the incident. “This resulted in disciplinary action, and department-wide requirements for additional training were implemented beginning in January and continue up to the present,” the statement said. “Since that time, Officer Gutierrez was also terminated from his employment.”

What about the other jackbooted officer involved? What happened to him? Still on the force?

"Nazario was driving a newly purchased SUV when the officers demanded he exit the car last December because he did not have a permanent rear license plate. When he told police that he was “honestly afraid to get out” of the car, one of the officers replied, “Yeah, you should be!” According to the complaint, Nazario, a health services administrations officer with the Virginia National Guard, was in uniform when he was driving home Dec. 5. Body-camera footage of the incident went viral over the weekend, with his name trending on Twitter."

Why did it take this long for the video to be released? Special treatment accorded the jackbooted thugs in blue?

"The federal lawsuit, obtained by The Washington Post, was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia on April 2. Nazario is seeking at least $1 million in damages and for the court to rule that Gutierrez and Crocker violated his constitutional rights, specifically the Fourth Amendment. The lawsuit claims police also threatened to end Nazario’s military career if he spoke out about the incident. The officers eventually released Nazario without charges. Nazario’s lawyer previously told The Post that he has had recurring nightmares since the incident. Windsor officials said late Sunday they will remain transparent during the investigation, adding that the town called for a state police investigation and supports a review of the officers’ actions. “The Town of Windsor prides itself in its small-town charm and the community-wide respect of its Police Department,” the statement said. “Due to this, we are saddened for events like this to cast our community in a negative light.”

"Windsor is a town of about 2,600 residents, located about 30 miles west of Norfolk."

"The attorney general of Virginia Mark Herring said he has launched a civil rights investigation into the small police department of Windsor after a Black Army officer filed a lawsuit accusing two of its officers of using excessive force during a December traffic stop. Herring told CNN during an interview Monday night that his Office of Civil Rights will be investigating whether there's been "a pattern of misconduct with these officers or broadly with the department as a whole." Early this month, Lt. Caron Nazario, a Black and Hispanic Army medic, filed a lawsuit accusing Windsor Police officers Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker of threatening his life, pepper spraying him and aiming their firearms at him during a traffic stop that was initiated over allegations his new SUV was missing license plates. Herring described the officers' conduct as "appalling," "dangerous" and "unacceptable."

"People of color continue to experience brutality and being pepper sprayed and even killed at the hands of law enforcement and it has got to stop," he said."

"Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Sunday directed the Virginia State Police to investigate the traffic stop, but Herring said it is important to have an independent and unaffiliated agency to also conduct an investigation to ensure accountability and the public trust."

Do whatever it takes to bring this abuse of authority to an end. Our country is growing increasingly unstable. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

"Herring's office sent a letter to the police department requesting personnel records for Gutierrez and Crocker as well as all use of force complaints concerning traffic stops or discriminatory treatment based on race, color or nationality over the past decade. The investigations were launched as Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax called for a full federal probe. "No person in Virginia or in this nation should be treated in such a manner -- much less a member of our armed forces serving our country," he said in a statement. "The fear expressed by Lt. Navarro is a fear that exists throughout Black and Brown communities based on a long, lived history of racism and brutality."

"The Windsor Police Department, located about 30 miles west of Norfolk, said Sunday that Gutierrez had been fired. The department on Monday also released the body camera footage of the traffic stop, showing the officers pulling their weapons on the SUV as it pulls over. According to the camera footage and the lawsuit that is seeking $1 million in damages, a uniformed Nazario repeatedly asks the officers "What's going on?" as the officers yell at him to exit his vehicle. Gutierrez tells Nazario that he is "fixing to ride the lightning, son," a reference to being executed by electric chair. Gutierrez then pepper sprays Nazario as he continues to ask why he has been pulled over. Before being released without charges, Nazario is interrogated by the police officers, which the lawsuit describes as "a thinly veiled attempt to get Lt. Nazario to agree to their attempt to reframe the events to obscure their culpability."

"Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston said he saw the footage and that Nazario "represented himself and our Army well through his calm professional response to the situation." He remarked that while he cannot comment on ongoing litigation, he can confirm Nazario is receiving support from leadership. "I'm very proud of him," he said."

"A police department in California has fired a longtime officer after investigating his ties to the Proud Boys, denouncing the far-right extremists that some call a hate group. The officer, Rick Fitzgerald, rallied with the Proud Boys in November at a pro-Trump demonstration that devolved into violence — captured in video clips that resurfaced last month as online sleuths dug into Fitzgerald’s history. Announcing Fitzgerald’s firing on Friday, Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said he disapproves of “any police officer” affiliating themselves with violent or hateful groups. “Such ideology, behavior and affiliations have no place in law enforcement and will not be tolerated within the ranks of the Fresno Police Department,” Balderrama said in a statement, without specifying exactly why Fitzgerald was ousted. “Public trust and accountability are paramount in our ability to fairly police this community." Police departments around the country are moving to root out officers with extremist ties, spurred by a pro-Trump mob’s rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Off-duty officers are charged in the insurrection. So are affiliates of the Proud Boys — a group that recently got a terrorist designation from the Canadian government and has a reputation for fomenting violence at political protests."

"Fitzgerald says he has been unfairly smeared after nearly two decades of good work on the police force. He said he rejects violence and racism. He also maintained he “never saw any sign of any kind of racism” during his year or so with the Proud Boys, though he said someone was once expelled from a chat after posting something “Nazi-related.” “If you have an organization, you do get some guys that are dummies and they’re going to do what they want to do,” he said. He told The Washington Post and other news outlets that he left the Proud Boys after the November rally, dismayed at other members’ actions. In a YouTube video from earlier this year, however, Fitzgerald encouraged people to join all kinds of far-right groups “I don’t care if it’s Proud Boys, Three Percenters, Patriot Prayer, Sons of ’76, get involved,” he urged in a video preserved by the Fresno Bee, wearing sunglasses and a “Sheepdog” cap. “We’re gonna be facing some dark times with Biden and Kamala-lalla up there doing God knows what.” He went on to promote his own small organization, the Sons of ’76, as a group of “gentleman combatants” — a phrase he told The Post was purely metaphorical. “Because we’re gentleman until it’s time to not be gentlemen, and then we gotta throw down and do what we gotta do when the time comes,” Fitzgerald said in the video."

"The Fresno Police said they launched an internal affairs investigation in mid-March, within hours of seeing allegations that Fitzgerald was affiliated with the Proud Boys. With a public uproar brewing, prosecutors in Fresno County said they would review cases involving the officer. “I will not tolerate any City of Fresno employee belonging to organizations that promote views of supremacy, racism, or criminal conduct,” Mayor Jerry Dyer said in a statement at the time. People had spotted Fitzgerald at dueling protests over a local theater’s sale to a church. The Proud Boys were there, though Fitzgerald said he did not join them — he wore his Sons of ’76 gear. Threading pictures on Twitter, someone found clips from another demonstration, a pro-Trump rally in downtown Sacramento in late November. Fitzgerald went wearing a “Sheepdog” tag and the Proud Boys’ customary yellow and black kilt. Video from the event captures Fitzgerald briefly grabbing and pulling a woman’s flag, which bore slogans such as “BLACK LIVES MATTER” and “LOVE IS LOVE.” The officer lets go within a few seconds, shortly before another man rips the flag from the woman’s hands. Fitzgerald said in an interview that he just did not want to get hit by the flagpole. Soon several people — including a man in a “Proud Boy” hat — punch and shove the woman, in a moment also filmed by the Sacramento Bee. The Bee reported at the time that police declared an unlawful assembly as the rally and counterprotest became a “brawl.” “I don’t hit girls,” Fitzgerald told The Post, calling others’ behavior at that rally “very distasteful.” Founded in 2016 by a former co-founder of Vice magazine, the Proud Boys often show up heavily armed to protests, raising fears of violent confrontations. The group’s leaders say they oppose racism, though the Southern Poverty Law Center calls Proud Boys a hate group whose “actions belie their disavowals of bigotry.” Some members joined the infamous 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. “Rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white-nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists,” the SPLC says. Fitzgerald said he was set to meet with his department on Monday and discuss the allegations against him for the first time. Then, he said, on Friday, he got a call: He was fired. In a statement, the Fresno Police Officers’ Association said it is looking into potential violations of Fitzgerald’s rights. The ex-officer was not given a hearing or the chance to “provide any statement in his own defense,” the union said. Asked Saturday if he will try to fight the firing, Fitzgerald said he will defer to his lawyer. The news came three days after a national civil rights group wrote to Fresno police urging Fitzgerald’s termination. The letter noted the police department’s policies against “notoriously disgraceful” and obviously “unbecoming” off-duty conduct."

"Fresno police spokesman Robert Beckwith declined to comment beyond the department’s recent news release and said he could not “confirm any facts of the investigation.” The police chief’s statement cited “legal constraints surrounding personnel matters” that limited the details they could share."

"Dyer said in a statement Friday that he is “pleased” Fitzgerald will no longer serve on city police and that “it is clear to me that there were egregious violations of department policy.” The firing came as law enforcement leaders take hard looks at their officers’ affiliations in the wake of the Capitol riots, trying to balance employees’ rights against key values and the trust of the community. The push extends to the military, too: In a memo released Friday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directed more screening for extremist behavior among recruits. National Sheriffs’ Association President David Mahoney told The Post early this year that he believes many law enforcement leaders underestimated the problem of extremism in their ranks. “We saw the anti-government, anti-equality and racist comments coming out during the Obama administration,” he said. “Shame on us for representing it as freedom of speech and for not recognizing it was chiseling away at our democracy.”

The following is appalling, -- but no longer surprising. In follow-up, The Washington Post reports:

"New charges in another incident have been filed against an off-duty Pentagon police officer who was earlier charged with murder in the shootings of two men in a parking lot, the Takoma Park police said on Saturday. Takoma Park police detectives have filed new charges against David Hall Dixon of first- and second-degree assault and use of a firearm in a felony or violent crime, the police said Saturday. They said the new charges were connected to a May 6 incident at the Takoma Overlook Condominiums. A video of that incident shows an assault with a long gun on a female victim, the Takoma Park police said Saturday. In an earlier release, the Takoma Park police said the video showed a shotgun being pointed."

"The Pentagon police officer charged with murder for allegedly killing two people in Maryland this week also pulled a shotgun on a homeless woman in his apartment lobby last year, police said. David Hall Dixon, a Pentagon Force Protection Agency officer, was charged with second-degree murder in the deaths of Dominique Williams, 32, and James Lionel Johnson, 38, in Takoma Park, police said Friday. He was off-duty at the time of the shooting, which took place shortly after 5 a.m. Wednesday, in the parking lot of the Takoma Overlook Condominiums, according to police. Footage from May 2020 obtained by ABC affiliate WJLA appears to show Dixon using a gun to confront a homeless woman who entered the lobby of his apartment building. Police confirmed that they reported to the apartment. Police said they were not aware of the video until Friday and stated that the clip showed Dixon “pointing a shotgun in the female's face.” Takoma Police announced in a Friday release they will file criminal charges against Dixon for allegedly assaulting the woman in the incident. Officials said Takoma Police were called to an apartment building to investigate a report of a homeless individual swinging sticks at people on May 6, and they interviewed Dixon upon arrival. Police said he told them a woman was blocking access to the building, and he told officers he went to his apartment to retrieve his pepper spray and concealed weapon. Police said there was evidence in the lobby that pepper spray had been deployed. Dixon didn't mention any use of a gun to officers, but said he pepper-sprayed the woman, according to authorities. Officers found the woman and confirmed that she'd been pepper-sprayed. They said she also appeared to be in a "mental crisis" and soon was transported for emergency evaluation. Following that incident, police contacted the Pentagon Protection Force Police to make them aware of the incident and Dixon's alleged use of force outside his jurisdiction. It was investigated by Pentagon Police. "A review of all body-worn camera footage related to the incident revealed at no time during the interview with officers or at anytime during our investigation did Mr. Dixon mention he deployed a shotgun against the involved female," a police statement said. Police said they were never made aware, by Dixon or anyone else, of his alleged use of the shotgun, nor was the department aware that video of the incident existed until Friday. In the Wednesday Takoma Park shooting, Dixon said that he thought he saw a car break-in and he "engaged the suspects who failed to follow his direction," according to police. He said he "discharged his weapon" when those suspects tried to flee, police added. However, in a Friday press conference, Chief of Police Antonio DeVaul said Dixon's descriptions of events were "inconsistent." "Our investigation revealed that Mr. Dixon's overview of events was inconsistent with the facts in the case," DeVaul said. "And that Mr. Dixon had no lawful or justifiable reason to shoot and kill Mr. Williams and Mr. Johnson."

"A former Boston police officer and union chief, charged with molesting multiple children, first faced child abuse allegations in the mid-1990s, according to a published report. Patrick Rose Sr., 66, a retired officer and the one-time president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, was initially charged last August when a father and his teenage daughter reported that the girl had been repeatedly molested by Rose from age 7 through 12. Within weeks, five more people came forward to accuse Rose of molesting them as children. The Boston Police Department in 1995 filed a criminal complaint against Rose for sexual assault on a 12-year-old child, The Boston Globe reported Sunday. The criminal complaint was eventually dropped, but an internal investigation concluded that Rose likely committed a crime. He was allowed to stay on the force, and was often sent to respond to cases involving children."

Goddamned incredible. How can this shit go on and the bastard isn't prosecuted?

"Boston police have refused to release records pertaining to the 1995 case and it remains unclear what, if any, disciplinary action was taken against Rose at that time. Rose pleaded not guilty to 33 total charges involving six alleged victims and is being held on $200,000 cash bail. “My client maintains his innocence to all of the charges that have been brought against him and he maintains his innocence to what was alleged to have transpired back in 1995,” his attorney, William J. Keefe, said. The Boston Police Department in a statement said it was legally prohibited from commenting “on the facts and circumstances of the 1995 investigation of these horrific allegations.” Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement she found it troubling that Boston police did not properly discipline Rose or restrict his access to children. “The allegations from decades ago are an example of how systems can fail people,” Rollins said."

Lack of transparency kills all trust in law enforcement. An ongoing investigation is no excuse.

"Acting Mayor Kim Janey is promising more transparency. “It is appalling that there was a documented history of alleged child sexual abuse, yet this individual was able to serve out his career as an officer and eventually become the head of the patrolmen’s union for several years,” she said in a statement. “Under no circumstance will crimes of this nature be tolerated under my administration, and we will not turn a blind eye to injustices as they arise.” Boston’s police department has a history of protecting officers from accountability, particularly if they are white, like Rose, said retired deputy superintendent Willie Bradley. “The police department’s refusal to actually deal with this issue is a direct contributor to what happened,” Bradley, who is Black and now a lecturer and professor at multiple area colleges, told The Boston Globe. “It would have been out there and people would have been aware of it, but they hid it.”

Think the following justice? ... Or, no more than special treatment for the jackbooted bastard? The Associated Press reports:

"The former police chief of Connecticut’s largest city was sentenced Monday to one year and one day in prison for rigging the hiring process that led to his appointment in 2018. A federal judge in Bridgeport handed down the punishment to Armando “A.J.” Perez, who rose through the ranks of Bridgeport police to lead the department over a nearly four-decade career there. He and the city’s former acting personnel director, David Dunn, resigned in September and pleaded guilty the following month to defrauding the city and making false statements to FBI agents in connection with the scheme. Prosecutors said Perez, 65, the first Hispanic chief of the department, received confidential information about the police chief’s examination stolen by Dunn, including the questions for an oral examination and the scoring guide for written essays. Perez, who was the acting chief at the time, also admitted that he had two officers complete his essays, passed the work off as his own and lied to federal authorities in an effort to cover up his actions."

"Perez ended up being ranked among the top three candidates for the police chief’s job and was appointed by Mayor Joe Ganim, who has been close to Perez for years. Ganim, who served seven years in prison for corruption during his first stint as mayor from 1991 to 2003, has denied wrongdoing in Perez’s appointment and has not been charged. Dunn is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday. Perez, dressed in a suit, tie and a mask in court, apologized to the city, his family and federal investigators for the crimes during the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Kari Dooley. “I accept responsibility. I am so sorry,” he said. “I spent all my life on the right side of the table and I betrayed myself. I should have said no. ... I did this to myself, your honor. I did this to myself. I betrayed myself and then I panicked.”

"Perez also was ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution to the city and perform 100 hours of community service after the prison sentence, which he will begin serving on May 24."

Think it's enough? Think he's truly contrite, -- and even if he was should that earn him a 'get out of jail free card?'

"In court documents before the sentencing, Perez had asked the judge to not send him to prison and sentence him instead to home confinement and probation. He said he has taken full responsibility, is now suffering financial hardship and is susceptible to serious complications from the coronavirus because of health problems including hypertension. He had faced up to two years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines."

Nowhere near good enough since as chief he was at the top of the law enforcement foodchain. Why should he get special treatment when the rest of the civilian population gets summarily hard f--ked in similar criminal circumstances?

"Federal prosecutors asked for a “meaningful” term of imprisonment, saying the crimes were serious and a message needed to be sent that corruption at the highest levels of city government carries significant consequences. The state attorney general’s office also has gone to court seeking to revoke Perez and Dunn’s city pensions under state corruption laws. Before the sentencing, Perez submitted numerous letters from supporters praising his good character and the good he has done for the city."

Laughable. True unbridled desperation. If it's good enough for civilians, it's good enough for former police chiefs.

"Dunn’s attorney, Frederick Paoletti, wrote in a sentencing recommendation that Dunn helped Perez because he believed Perez was the most qualified candidate for the chief’s job, but faced some difficulties in the hiring process. “David Dunn honestly thought that Perez would be at a marked disadvantage ... since English was Perez’s second language and because he lacked a college degree,” Paoletti wrote. Dunn also rationalized that helping Perez become chief would please Ganim’s administration, Paoletti wrote."

"‘One woman carried a ruler at FBI headquarters so she could smack James Hendricks’ hands when he reached for her legs and breasts. Another went home shaken after he tugged on her ear and kissed her cheek during a closed-door meeting. And when Hendricks went on to lead the FBI’s field office in Albany, New York, in 2018, colleagues described him as a “skilled predator” who leered at women in the workplace, touched them inappropriately and asked one to have sex in a conference room, according to a newly released federal report obtained by The Associated Press."

"Hendricks quietly retired last year as a special agent in charge after the Office of Inspector General — the Justice Department’s internal watchdog — concluded he sexually harassed eight female subordinates in one of the FBI’s most egregious known cases of sexual misconduct. Hendricks was among several senior FBI officials highlighted in an AP investigation last year that found a pattern of supervisors avoiding discipline — and retiring with full benefits — even after claims of sexual misconduct against them were substantiated."

"The FBI said it could not discuss Hendricks’ case but that it “maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and is committed to fostering a safe work environment where all of our employees are valued, protected and respected.”

Clearly, unmitigated bullshit. Zero credibility when there is no transparency. No woman should have to put up with this crap.

"Hendricks, 50, who now writes a law enforcement blog, did not respond to messages seeking comment. He told investigators his accusers had either misinterpreted his actions or exaggerated his behavior, and that he was not sexually attracted to them."

“It’s an ugly, ugly laundry list of things that were said, and that’s really hurtful to me and it really just disappoints me,” he was quoted as saying."

"The details of Hendricks’ sexual harassment — outlined in a 52-page report obtained under the Freedom of Information Act — have not previously been reported. The OIG blacked out Hendricks’ name in the report, but he was identified by law enforcement officials familiar with his case. Drawing on interviews with more than a dozen FBI officials, the report traces Hendricks’ harassment to his time at FBI headquarters, where he served as a section chief in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate. He was tapped in 2018 to lead the Albany field office, where he supervised more than 200 agents and other FBI employees. Six of his accusers were in Albany; two were in Washington. Some colleagues chalked up Hendricks’ behavior to his being a “Southern gentleman” — he served as a police officer in western Kentucky before joining the bureau in 1998 — but others said he routinely crossed the line, became “super giddy” around women and was “incapable of stopping himself” from harassing them."

If others knew this was going on, why didn't they act? Why remain gutlessly silent? What does this say about them?

"Co-workers told investigators he surrounded himself with a “harem” of attractive women, was fixated on high heels and breasts, and was known for gawking at female agents as they walked down the hallway. In office conversations that involved women, Hendricks would shift his “body posture and head angle to stare at their breasts and bodies in a manner that was calculated to avoid detection,” the OIG report says. Male and female agents alike told investigators they endured this “as a condition of simply interacting with their boss.”

"Even Hendricks’ male colleagues considered him “creepy” and one described how he simulated masturbation once when an attractive woman left the room. But like many female agents, they did not report him for fear of retaliation."

Jesus Christ. What does that say about these men other than they're gutless? Sure, one agent alone couldn't force change, but if his colleagues joined him, reported the behavior, hard to believe there wouldn't have been change.

"Hendricks once asked a female subordinate to sit in the passenger seat of a vehicle “so that I can play with that beautiful hair.” He later asked the same woman why she didn’t wear shorts to the office and she said “because that would be inappropriate.” The woman said she didn’t report Hendricks because all of her work required his approval and “she wanted to be successful in the office.” Another woman told investigators that Hendricks pressured her into having a sexual relationship, and that he had been known to be vindictive and “push out” people who crossed him. “He was in a powerful position,” the report says, “and she worried about what he would do if she did not respond to his advances.”

"FBI policy permits supervisors to pursue sexual relationships with subordinates but requires them be disclosed so management “may determine whether remedial action, such as reassignment, is necessary to prevent interference with the FBI’s mission.”

That's not good enough. Nowhere near. The mission is not the only consideration here. What about the women who had to put up with this piece of shit?

"The Office of Inspector General, however, said “the imbalance of power between superiors and subordinates could call into question the consensual nature of romantic or intimate relationships.”

You think? No question. What could this highly conservative 'revered' agency in law enforcement possibly been thinking?

Nazi justice in a de facto fascist police-state, democratic republic in name only. The following is appalling. CBS News reports:

"The police officer who shot Jacob Blake in Wisconsin and left him paralyzed last summer has returned to work, the Kenosha Police Department announced Tuesday, saying "he acted within the law."

Expect better in a de facto fascist police-state? This criminal jackbooted piece of shit in blue presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"In a statement, Kenosha police chief Daniel Miskinis said officer Rusten Sheskey returned from administrative leave on March 31. He said Sheskey will also not face any punishment, citing internal and external probes of his actions in the shooting. Sheskey is White and Blake is Black.

"Officer Sheskey was not charged with any wrong doing," he said. "He acted within the law and was consistent with training... Officer Sheskey was found to have been acting within policy and will not be subjected to discipline."

"Media Release pic.twitter.com/wdq5QaNNyk
— Kenosha Police Dept. (@KenoshaPolice) April 13, 2021

"Miskinis acknowledged that "some will not be pleased" with the decision to have Sheskey return, but "given the facts, the only lawful and appropriate decision was made."

You jackbooted fascist bastards protected and coddled one of your own. Nazi justice. A raucous boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, Chief. You're not fit to be in law enforcement. Nor is the piece of shit you're protecting.

"Sheskey was responding to a domestic dispute on August 23 when he fired his weapon seven times as Blake attempted to get inside an SUV. Investigators have said they found a knife inside the vehicle, but his family has denied that he was armed. Sheskey told investigators that he feared for his safety so he opened fire. A Wisconsin prosecutor declined to file criminal charges against Sheskey, saying he couldn't disprove the officer's contention that he acted in self-defense because he thought Blake would stab him."

A goddamned gutless coward in blue. None of this is credible. None of it. Forget? Blake was trying to get away from this piece of shit.

"Blake survived, but was left unable to walk. He filed a civil lawsuit against Sheskey last month, accusing him of excessive force. The lawsuit said Shaskey's actions were "undertaken with malice, willfulness, and reckless indifference to the rights" of Blake. The shooting sparked nationwide outrage in a year that saw intense scrutiny of systemic racism and how police officers treat Black Americans and communities of color. It happened three months after George Floyd died while being restrained by police officers in Minneapolis. The white officer charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd's killing is currently on trial."

"BREAKING: Maryland's Democratic-majority legislature on Saturday overrode Gov. Larry Hogan’s vetoes of three historic police accountability bills, becoming the first state in the nation to do away with its powerful Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights."

"Civilians will now have a role in — but not control of — the police disciplinary process. Other measures enacted by the legislature in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and other Black men in police custody include a statewide use-of-force policy and a law that would make some complaints about police conduct available for public review."

All of it should be available. Transparency is key to trust of law enforcement.

"The legislature also overrode Hogan’s veto of a bill allowing people sentenced to life in prison as juveniles to be eligible for parole. After months of racial-justice protests in Maryland and across the country, Democrats who control both chambers of the legislature in Annapolis had made enacting comprehensive police accountability legislation their top priority for the session that ends Monday."

No better time than the present to force desperately needed change. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

"Black lawmakers, in particular, spoke in stark and emotional terms of the need for change and how they and their loved ones have been mistreated by police. Critics of the new measures said they would hold officers to unfair standards and prevent police from safely doing their jobs."

Opposition remains a crock of shit. No substance. Police remain out of control.

"Maryland’s Democratic-controlled legislature on Saturday rejected Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of historic police accountability legislation, becoming the first state in the nation to do away with its powerful Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights."

About time. Long overdue. Needs to happen here in Texas. Highly unlikely since this state is run and owned by GOP national socialists, fascists.

"Hogan (R) had vetoed the measure on Friday night, along with other landmark police-accountability legislation passed by the General Assembly two days earlier. But Democratic legislative leaders, who hold veto-proof majorities in both chambers, had pledged to enact a robust police overhaul following the deaths of George Floyd and other unarmed Black men at the hands of police, and they vowed the vetoes would not stand."

Good for them. Too bad it will not happen any time soon here in Texas. -- About the only issue Republicans stand on that is useful to the masses is the Second Amendment.

"Under the measure enacted by the state Senate on Saturday afternoon, the bill of rights is replaced by a statute that creates a new procedure for disciplining officers accused of wrongdoing. Civilians will have a role in that process."

"Other police protections — such as a five-day waiting period before officers accused of wrongdoing must speak to investigators for internal investigations, and the scrubbing of police complaints after a certain period of time — also were eliminated. But provisions allowing police to participate in political activities and work at second jobs remain in place."

"Lawmakers were planning to complete their overrides of Hogan’s other vetoes — of a bill creating statewide use-of-force standards; and a change to the state’s public information act that would make some complaints against police available to the public — later Saturday afternoon. Each bill was hailed by criminal justice advocates as having the potential to make policing in Maryland fairer and more transparent, and to make it easier to identify police misconduct and discipline the officers found responsible."

Again, not only about time, but long overdue. Law doesn't go far enough. Every complaint needs to be publicly exposed. Every one of them.

"But Hogan wrote in a veto letter to Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) Friday night that the legislation “would undermine the goal that I believe we share of building transparent, accountable, and effective law enforcement institutions and instead further erode police morale, community relationships and public confidence.”

Direct opposite the case. -- In terms of police morale, long overdue. These bastards have largely been unaccountable to anyone. Needs to change here in Texas as well.

“This will result in great damage to police recruitment and retention, posing significant risks to public safety throughout our state,” the letter said. “Under these circumstances, I have no choice but to uphold my primary responsibility to keep Marylanders safe — especially those that live in vulnerable communities most impacted by violent crime — and veto these bills.”

What a crock of shit. Embraced by a clueless governor whose head, figuratively, is lodged securely up his ass. Change long overdue. Too many innocent, unarmed people have been murdered by these criminal jackbooted bastards.

"Hogan allowed the two other bills in the five-piece police accountability package to become law without his signature. One puts in place a process to return the Baltimore Police Department to local control for the first time since 1860. The other shifts the investigation of police-involved fatalities from local authorities to an independent unit in the state attorney general’s office and bans police departments from acquiring surplus military equipment. The House, which was in session Friday night when Hogan’s letter arrived, voted 95 to 42 to override the veto less than two hours later."

Did the right thing. Needs to happen here in Texas. Our citizens deserve no less.

“This is not anti-police legislation; this is equality and fairness legislation,” Del. Vanessa E. Atterbeary (D-Howard) said before the vote."

“This was painstakingly put together for Black and Brown folks in our state,” Atterbeary said, reciting the names of more than a half dozen Maryland residents who were killed in interactions with police. “It’s time for police officers who don’t follow the proper law to pay the consequences.”

No question. Needs to happen here in Texas as well. Republican nazis will fight it every step of the way. Clearly, these clueless bastards want and support a de facto fascist police-state.

"President Joe Biden, in his first gun control measures since taking office, announced a half-dozen executive actions Thursday aimed at addressing a proliferation of gun violence across the nation that he called an “epidemic and an international embarrassment.”

Then, pointedly, why aren't you doing something about the failed mental health system in our formerly great country, Mr. President? Total revamp required. -- Not a raucous hard dump on the Second Amendment, last best defense against corrupt, abusive government as intended by the Founders.

“The idea that we have so many people dying every single day from gun violence in America is a blemish on our character as a nation,” Biden said during remarks at the White House."

Empty, hollow rhetoric. Instead, further abrogation of a constitutional right:

"He announced he is tightening regulations for buyers of “ghost guns” — homemade firearms that usually are assembled from parts and often lack serial numbers used to trace them. Also, a proposed rule, expected within 60 days, will tighten regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces like the one used in Boulder, Colorado, in a shooting last month that left 10 dead. On Thursday, family members whose children were killed at the Sandy Hook, Connecticut, school massacre in 2012 and the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018 attended the hearing. Biden thanked them for attending, saying he understood it would remind them of the awful days when they got the calls. He assured them, “We’re absolutely determined to make change.”

That right, Joe? About the only issue Republicans have gotten right is the Second Amendment. Eager to see them re-take the White House, sir? Think that can't, won't happen?

"Biden’s Thursday announcement delivers on a pledge the president made last month to take what he termed immediate “common-sense steps” to address gun violence, after a series of mass shootings drew renewed attention to the issue. His announcement came the same day as yet another, this one in South Carolina, where five people were killed. Biden emphasized the scope of the problem: Between the mass killings in Atlanta massage businesses and the Colorado grocery store shooting last month, there were more than 850 additional shootings that killed 250 and injured 500 in the U.S., he said."

"Common sense?" To whom? Clueless Democrats gutlessly willing to abrogate a constitutional right? Wake up. Only way this problem can be solved is total revamp of the mental health system. Certainly, not by abrogating Second Amendment constitutional rights.

"But Thursday’s announcement underscores the limitations of Biden’s executive power to act on guns. His orders tighten regulations on homemade guns and provide more resources for gun-violence prevention but fall far short of the sweeping gun-control agenda he laid out on the campaign trail."

"Indeed, Biden again urged Congress to act, calling on the Senate to take up House-passed measures closing background check loopholes. He also said Congress should pass the Violence Against Women Act, eliminate legal exemptions for gun manufacturers and ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Biden said."

“This is not a partisan issue among the American people,” Biden insisted."

"While Biden asserted that he’s “willing to work with anyone to get it done,” gun control measures face slim prospects in an evenly divided Senate, where Republicans remain near-unified against most proposals."

Last best defense against corrupt and abusive government is the Second Amendment as intended by the Founders. Sadly, Democrats have no clue.

"President Joe Biden would like some divine help on his gun control agenda, but his ask might be surprising. And gun-makers warn the results could be dire for their industry. During remarks announcing new executive actions to curb gun violence Thursday, Biden took a detour as he imagined being able to ask God to immediately change one gun law, and it wasn't eliminating assault weapons or "bump stocks." He would have the almighty let people sue gun-makers. “This is the only outfit that is exempt from being sued. If I get one thing on my list — (if) the Lord came down and said, 'Joe, you get one of these' — give me that one," Biden said at a ceremony at the Rose Garden. "Most people don’t realize, the only industry in America, billion-dollar industry, that can’t be sued, exempt from being sued, are gun manufacturers,” Biden continued. Biden, who has spent years writing and fighting gun laws in Washington, is referring to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a 2005 law that largely shields firearm manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits when people use their products illegally, such as by shooting someone."

How are manufacturers responsible for the criminal actions of their purchasers? How? These manufacturers have no knowledge that their purchasers are going to use their products in a criminal manner. None.

“He wants to drive us out of business,” Mark Oliva, the director of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry trade group, said of Biden. “So it's a very scary proposition, and we take it very seriously.” The law is not as well known as some other hotly debated proposals like universal background checks or banning assault weapons. But the National Rifle Association called the PLCAA “the most significant piece of pro-gun legislation in 20 years" when the law passed and gun control advocates have been trying to repeal it since then. While many gun control advocates would still put universal background checks at the top of their agenda, repealing the PLCAA would be up there, too — though it admittedly faces a tougher climb in Congress, which is probably why Biden wanted supernatural help."

“The protections are unique in that they are defending the industry from the intended use of their product,” said David Pucino, senior staff attorney at the Giffords Law Center, which promotes gun control. “The industry knows that if the victims got their fair day in court, the industry would lose.”

Does this shyster delusionally believe the only use of firearms is to engage in criminal activity such as murder?

"This law was introduced in response to a flood of litigation seeking to use the courts to reduce guns after a prior attempt at legislation stalled out in Washington and many state capitals. “These outrageous lawsuits attempting to hold a law-abiding industry responsible for the acts of criminals are a threat to jobs and the economy (and) jeopardize the exercise of constitutionally protected freedoms,” the bill’s sponsor, then-Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican, said at the time."

"Craig succeeded in stopping the suits. Most litigation against the firearms industry is now dismissed, though the law provided for some exceptions, such as for gun defects or if there are violations of other state or federal laws by the manufacturers."

"The firearms industry and gun rights advocates, however, says the protections from litigation are not unique — but the opposition they face from anti-gun groups is. Biden was wrong, Oliva and fact checkers noted, in saying the firearms industry alone can't be sued. Other industries, such as pharmaceutical makers and airlines, have special immunity from some types of lawsuits, and the gun industry does not have complete impunity. “The gun industry absolutely can be sued,” said Oliva, of the trade industry group. “You just can't sue a gun-maker because someone criminally misused a gun. That would be like suing Ford because a drunk driver killed someone."

In follow-up to last week's edition of this publication, The Washington Post reports:

"The Biden administration again extended a federal moratorium on evictions last week, but conflicting court rulings on whether the ban is legal, plus the difficulty of rolling out nearly $50 billion in federal aid, mean the country’s reckoning with its eviction crisis may come sooner than expected. The year-old federal moratorium — which has now been extended through June 30 — has probably kept hundreds of thousands or millions of people from being evicted from their apartments and homes. More than 10 million Americans are behind on rent, according to Moody’s, easily topping the 7 million who lost their homes to foreclosure in the 2008 housing bust."

"Despite the unprecedented federal effort to protect tenants, landlords have been chipping away at the moratorium in court. Six lawsuits have made their way before federal judges — with three ruling in support of the ban and three calling it illegal. The opposition started when landlords in Texas sued in the fall, arguing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had overstepped its bounds in implementing the ban. Apartment owners argued in their complaint that they built and maintained apartment buildings “with the reasonable expectation that they would be legally permitted to realize the benefit of their bargain by collecting monthly rent from their tenants.” District Judge J. Campbell Barker agreed. “Although the COVID-19 pandemic persists, so does the Constitution,” he wrote."

The 'judge' clearly ignored the fact tenants primarily lost their jobs due to government efforts to combat the pandemic.

"The National Association of Home Builders joined Ohio landlords in another suit. The judge in that case, J. Philip Calabrese, also ruled against the ban, writing March 10 that “the CDC’s orders exceeded the statutory authority Congress gave the agency.”

Think so? If so, government failed to correct the problem. Failed to protect the public.

"Treasury Department officials have been armed with nearly $50 billion in emergency aid for renters who have fallen behind and are racing to distribute it through hundreds of state, local and tribal housing agencies, some of which have not created programs yet. The idea is to get the money to renters before courts nationwide begin processing evictions again. “We are running the Emergency Rental Assistance Program every day like we’re going to lose the moratorium tomorrow,” said a Treasury Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the program before any formal announcements. The moratorium was not overly controversial at first, and it has received bipartisan support from lawmakers. It was formed when President Donald Trump and Congress directed the CDC to create a form tenants can use to declare that they cannot pay rent because of the pandemic and that they have been unable to secure other housing. Filing the form generally halts eviction proceedings. But that was a year ago, which is a long time to go without collecting rent, especially for landlords who own smaller properties and are increasingly facing debts they cannot pay."

"This isn’t a concern for the vast majority of owners of high-end apartments catering to professionals, because their tenants can work from home and are far less likely to be unemployed. But it can amount to a financial catastrophe for companies housing low- and moderate-income workers, many of whom were laid off from service and tourism industries and have not been required to pay rent for a year. “Those who have fallen behind in their rent are among the most vulnerable members of society: more likely to be unemployed, with less income and less education,” experts from Moody’s wrote in January."

"As months of unpaid rent dragged on, landlords began filing suits nationwide asking judges to strike down the ban. Three have now ruled against it. The rulings in Texas and Ohio did not include injunctions removing the CDC’s ban, and the Justice Department is appealing. Dozens of state and local bans remain in place as well. But days after the Ohio judge’s order came a more concrete ruling against the moratorium, when District Judge Mark Norris in Tennessee ruled that extending the ban had been illegal. He issued an order saying the moratorium was “unenforceable in the Western District of Tennessee.” Advocates say this is the first ruling that may carry severe consequences for thousands of people. More than 19 percent of renters in Tennessee are behind on rent, according to Moody’s. Norris’s district includes Memphis, where landlords have filed more than 13,000 eviction notices in the past year, according to Princeton University’s Eviction Lab. Memphis may be a test case for what the impact will be when the moratorium expires nationwide with eviction filings piled up in courts. “Tenants in Western Tennessee are at immediate risk,” said Diane Yentel, president and chief executive of the National Low Income Housing Coalition."

Sadly, the shit is about to hit the fan for those least able to afford the pending f--king:

"Although the CDC ban remains in place, and other judges have upheld it, for Justice Department lawyers, it looks like an increasingly difficult game of whack-a-mole, with each adverse ruling chipping away at the moratorium’s protections. The National Association of Home Builders now argues that the CDC ban should not apply to any of its 1,700 or so members, some of whom own thousands of units. Tenants are already increasingly subject to the rules of their local jurisdictions, as some have halted eviction proceedings altogether while others allow landlords to file eviction papers or to complete evictions for reasons unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic. Landlords also are instituting very different policies from one another, as some are aggressively filing eviction notices against tenants even where local courts are not processing cases, said Jim Baker, an advocate. His group, the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, has reviewed thousands of eviction filings nationwide. “We have seen dramatically different polices from different landlords,” Baker said. He said some appear to be targeting apartment communities predominantly populated by racial minorities, a disparity the Eviction Lab documented. Baker also found a motion filed as part of an eviction case in Florida in which a landlord’s attorney cited a decision in West Texas, arguing that the CDC ban had been deemed “an unconstitutional overreach into the general police power retained by the states,” even though it did not include an injunction."

"Banning evictions is not the only strategy for preventing them. Some states and municipalities have provided subsidies to renters who have fallen behind, to prevent them from being evicted. These policies carry an additional benefit by putting money in landlords’ pockets, keeping smaller companies solvent and ideally making all landlords less eager to evict tenants. Bankruptcy filings among real estate companies have significantly increased over previous years. So tenants’ advocates and apartment company lobbyists alike celebrated when the federal government approved about $46.5 billion in emergency rental aid to be distributed to renters and landlords through hundreds of state, local and tribal housing agencies and organizations. But quickly and efficiently disbursing so much money is no straightforward task. Yentel said recently that only about half the states have created a program to do so. Some landlords have begun saying they won’t accept the money out of concern that too many strings are attached."

All this is certainly turning out to be a catastrophic problem that government needs to solve. ... If not, hear the rumble?

"The Treasury Department has not yet released data on the emergency rental aid program, one of a number of stimulus initiatives deploying unprecedented sums of money. The U.S. government approved trillions in aid. Many hard-hit families have yet to receive it."

Why haven't they? Government has known this would be a catastrophic problem for well over a year.

“I see progress and that is heartening, but that doesn’t get us to take our feet off the gas,” said the treasury official. Part of the effort is to assure landlords that they should participate in the program, regardless of how they feel about the moratorium, so they can collect unpaid rent. Landlords should also benefit from payments renters make after receiving money from Congress’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package. “Are there landlords that don’t want to take the money? I am sure there are. But we are really working hard to build that confidence among landlords so that they confidently come in and participate in this program,” the official added. If the money gets to the tenants and landlords who need it before the ban ends, the onslaught of evictions may be avoided. But given the legal rulings so far, no one can say when the ban will end."

Massive ongoing failure of government. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Too deaf to hear?

Over a hundred corporation CEOs and corporate leaders finally stand tall. The Washington Post reports:

"More than 100 chief executives and corporate leaders gathered online Saturday to discuss taking new action to combat the controversial state voting bills being considered across the country, including the one recently signed into law in Georgia. Executives from major airlines, retailers and manufacturers – plus at least one NFL owner – talked about potential ways to show they opposed the controversial legislation, including by halting donations to politicians who support the bills and even delaying investments in states that pass the restrictive measures, according to one of the organizers of the gathering, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale management professor. The meeting represents an aggressive dialing up of Corporate America’s advocacy against controversial voting measures nationwide, a sign that their opposition to the laws didn’t end with the fight against the measure passed last month in Georgia. It also came just days after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned that firms should “stay out of politics” – echoing a view shared by many conservative politicians and setting up potential further conflicts between Republican leaders and the heads of some of America’s largest firms. Earlier this month, former President Trump called for conservatives to boycott Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Citigroup, ViacomCBS, UPS, Major League Baseball and other companies after they opposed a new law in Georgia that critics say will make it more difficult for poorer voters and voters of color to cast ballots. The online call between corporate executives on Saturday "shows they are not intimidated by the flack. They are not going to be cowed,” Sonnenfeld said. “They felt very strongly that these voting restrictions are based on a flawed premise and are dangerous.” Representatives from companies such as Starbucks, Linkedin, Levi Strauss and Boston Consulting Group were included on the weekend’s Zoom call, Sonnenfeld said."

Needs to be far more of them. They shouldn't be cowed. Forget? They have the money politicians desperately crave.

"President Biden will withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan over the coming months, people familiar with the plans said, completing the military exit by the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that first drew the United States into its longest war. The decision, which Biden is expected to announce on Wednesday, will keep thousands of U.S. forces in the country beyond the May 1 exit deadline that the Trump administration negotiated last year with the Taliban, according to one person familiar with the matter, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe plans that are not yet public. While the Taliban has vowed to renew attacks on U.S. and NATO personnel if foreign troops are not out by the deadline, it is not clear if the militants will follow through with those threats given Biden’s plan for a phased withdrawal between now and September.

"Biden’s decision comes after an administration review of U.S. options in Afghanistan, where U.S.-midwived peace talks have failed to advance as hoped and the Taliban remains a potent force despite two decades of effort by the United States to defeat the militants and establish stable, democratic governance. The war has cost trillions of dollars in addition to the lives of more than 2,000 U.S. service members and at least 100,000 Afghan civilians."

"President Joe Biden has decided to leave American troops in Afghanistan beyond the May 1 deadline negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration, and has set the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks as the new goal, U.S. officials said Tuesday. Biden has been hinting for weeks that he was going to let the deadline lapse, and as the days went by it became clear that an orderly withdrawal of the remaining 2,500 troops would be difficult and was unlikely. U.S. officials provided details on Biden’s decision on condition of anonymity, speaking ahead of the announcement. It was first reported by The Washington Post. His decision risks retaliation by the Taliban on U.S. and Afghan forces, possibly escalating the 20-year war. And it will reignite political division over America’s involvement in what many have called the endless war. Setting the 9/11 date, however, underscores the reason that American troops were in Afghanistan to begin with — to prevent extremist groups from establishing a foothold in the country again that could be used to launch attacks against the U.S. In a February 2020 agreement with the administration of President Donald Trump, the Taliban agreed to halt attacks and hold peace talks with the Afghan government, in exchange for a U.S. commitment to a complete withdrawal by May 2021. Over the past year, U.S. military commanders and defense officials have said that attacks on U.S. troops have largely paused, but they say the Taliban have increased attacks on the Afghans. Commanders have argued that the Taliban have failed to meet the conditions of the peace agreement by continuing attacks on the Afghans and failing to totally cut ties with al-Qaida and other extremist groups. When Biden entered the White House in January, he was keenly aware of the looming deadline and had time to meet it if he had chosen to do so. He launched a review of the February 2020 agreement shortly after taking office, and has been consulting at length with his defense and military advisers as well as allies. In recent weeks, it became increasingly clear that he was leaning toward defying the deadline. “It’s going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline,” Biden said in late March. “Just in terms of tactical reasons, it’s hard to get those troops out.” Tellingly, he added, “And if we leave, we’re going to do so in a safe and orderly way.”

How many more U.S. troops need to die for nothing before our government finally smartens up?

"The Biden administration says it will go ahead with a big Trump administration sale of jet fighters and advanced armed drones to the United Arab Emirates, over objections from Democrats and some others that the Gulf country is fueling conflicts around the Middle East."

"The administration initially had paused some Trump-era arms sales to Gulf countries for review, including a $23 billion transfer of F-35 combat aircraft, M-Q9 drones and related weapons to the United Arab Emirates. U.S. officials argue that the nation benefits from having strong strategic partners with interoperable defense systems. The sales also benefit American arms manufacturers. The United States remains the world’s top arms exporter, with half of its sales between 2015 and 2019 going to the Middle East, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute."

That's a problem. A big problem. -- Whether those sales are to the Israeli aggressor or its surrounding enemies.

"A State Department official, speaking Wednesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the sale, said the U.S. would be working with the UAE in the years leading up to delivery to try to make sure the arms are used in accordance with human rights standards and the laws of war."

Good luck. Snowball's chance. Again, whether to the Israeli aggressor or its enemies.

"Opponents to the UAE arms deal accuse the Gulf nation of harmful interference in conflicts in the Middle East, including rights abuses as a combatant in the war in Yemen, and diverting weapons to militias in Yemen and Libya. Senate Democrats had tried and failed to muster support in the Senate for blocking the deal, announced by the Trump administration in its final months. Some arms-trade experts, including William Hartung of the Center for International Policy, had urged the Biden administration not to go ahead with the deal, saying it contradicted Biden’s pledge of a foreign policy in line with human rights and American values."

The effort to expose Wells Fargo egregious deceptive trade practices continues. Several years ago to determinedly apply renewed pressure on our truly worthless, egregiously self-serving Texas Attorney General, now Governor, an excoriating email was sent to the bastard. Copies of which were also passed on to both offending Wells Fargo officers. A copy was also sent to the Davis campaign and others at the time.

Voters did have a right to know as Attorney General, the GOP candidate for Governor apparently selectively investigated, or not, bona fide complaints filed by citizens against banks too big to fail. Possibly, Wells Fargo could have lined his pockets in some fashion. That has yet to be determined.

The bastard and his office, no matter what, failed to respond to the complaint originally snail mailed several years ago. This material, figuratively targeting Wells Fargo and the governor 'wannabe' now Governor, had been posted and can be found by scrolling all the way down and clicking on the links well below. ... Governor? Wells Fargo bribe you to look the other way?

Will continue to do all I can to publicly expose this to all, both in this publication and elsewhere. Have done precisely that with the following email sent to Matt Turner, Matt Turner Video Services, Marble Falls, TX. A copy of it was also sent to Wells Fargo officer Amanda Wright. She has, indeed, been promoted branch manager. Reverse Darwinism. Survival of the unfittest.

This young woman has indeed been rewarded by the Wells Fargo corporate management suite for engaging in criminal deceptive trade practices and her undying loyalty to her corporate masters. The process to update those already informed of this fiasco has finally been completed. This latest material can be found by clicking onWells Fargo Deceptive Trade Practices Salvo 240, 2-8-19 .

-- Despite the fact these businesses were, and are, being egregiously f--ked by these very same bastards. Tough, isn't it? Impossible to entertain any sympathy for cowardice, however. Especially in view of the fact this writer has placed himself in great jeopardy taking on these corrupt, abusive, inept criminal bastards. Alone.

Exactly, why you see no investigative material highly critical of these sons of bitches in other local rags. Sadly, cowardly, all advertising income immediately dries up. Consequently, the bastards continue their criminal chicanery with impunity. On a rampage. Thus, you get what you truly deserve. Always. Precisely, why this earlier name change to Liberty In Peril remains appropriate. -- Despite the fact this writer has not yet left the area. Ten years after originally intending to do so. Thirty years in this goddamned godforsaken hellhole.

This writer, then and now, remains primarily interested in state, federal, and international issues. Another reason for this publication name change. Despite the fact I stupidly cluelessly remain here, local issues must be addressed. Can't be ignored. That's where you come in dear readers. Have the courage to inform this writer of local abuse, corruption, ineptness you are aware of, have personally experienced.

... Information these criminal bastards do all they can to conceal, cover up. Otherwise, how can they effectively sustain the charade and intended result? Loot confiscation through a boot heel on the throat of the citizenry.

The only way, short of an unwanted dreaded second American revolution, to force badly-needed change is to expose all this to the light of day. These bastards are beginning to understand they have a problem. No question, the growing rage of those they've abused, looted, egregiously f--ked. It's time to stand up. Expose this corruption to glaring sunlight. Otherwise, as fools, cowards, you will remain under their thumb. From the loftiest business owner to those on the bottom of the food chain. Wake up. Grow a pair.

Still don't think that likely to happen. After all, you're bought and paid for. Owned. Not only by your government masters, but their masters. The corporate management suite. Your employers. Think not? Wake up. You're human chattel. Corporate-owned, bought and paid for. Precisely, why you cowardly, compliantly, literally bare your asses for corporate inspection by the company doctor. Willingly, compliantly, cowardly piss in a cup under employer supervision. To sit in front of a keyboard or stock shelves all day. You have no control of your lives. You're owned. Forget? For a measly salary, no job security, reduced to no benefits. At a time of record corporate profits and cash reserves.

Then, you gallingly complain about the oppression as you tolerate egregious theft of your labor. Not only by your corporate masters, but their bought and paid for government lackeys. Too cowardly to stand up, allow disclosure of your identity when you rightfully complain to this publication of being mercilessly f--ked. Some of you falsely arrested, criminally assaulted, bogusly fined for 'offenses' you did not commit. To line County coffers. Keep the peasants in line and under control. A fascist police-state. Nazi America.

Again, yet another reason why this publication is called Liberty In Peril. Most galling? Nothing changes if you fail to step up and challenge corrupt, abusive, inept authority. Too afraid, cowardly compliant to let the bastards know who you are. Did it ever occur to the cowards out there if the identity of the accuser is kept under wraps the bastards will falsely claim it's all made up by this publication? Thus, conveniently killing all credibility. Wake up.

Cowardice is unbecoming, unworthy of our formerly great country. Insult to injury? There are the hopelessly deranged who believe the chicanery reported here to be manufactured anyway. No matter the effort. No matter the research. No matter the proof. Wake up. This writer cannot do it alone. Snowball's chance in hell. Then again, cowardice, delusion is always amply, justly rewarded. Always. You continue to 'enjoy' the very best government money can buy. Literally.

Previous Newsletter
Next Newsletter
Back To Home Page
Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609
libertyinperil@protonmail.com

Liberty In Peril

... Formerly

The Llano Ledger