Newsletter Text V729

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 seventy two 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 seventy two 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 seventy two 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 seventy two 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.

"Antonio and Gladys Lozano, married for more than 58 years, died in bed together when their Miami Beach-area condo building was reduced to rubble last week. The thought of that provides some solace for their grandson Brian Lozano. To him, it was a fitting end to his grandparents' decades-long love story. "They couldn’t stand a moment without each other," he told NBC Miami. "I never saw them apart." Antonio, 83, and Gladys Lozano, 79, lived in unit 903 of the Champlain Towers South when the building suddenly collapsed about 1:30 a.m. June 24. They were a month away from their 59th wedding anniversary. The couple had always said that they didn't want one to die before the other, according to son Sergio Lozano, who lives in another Champlain condominium building. He had dinner with his parents just hours before the tragedy unfolded. He said he heard a loud noise the morning of the collapse, looked outside toward his parents' building and couldn't believe what he saw — or more precisely, what he didn't see. "I tell [my wife], ‘It’s not there.’ And she’s yelling, ‘What do you mean?’ ‘My parents' apartment is not there, it’s gone!’ and I just ran downstairs,” Sergio Lozano told WPLG. Brian Lozano said he is also heartened that his grandparents' bodies were among the first to be recovered. As of Friday morning, at least 20 victims have been confirmed dead and another 128 people remain unaccounted for, according to officials. “I’m finally at peace and I really hope for other families to finally get that sense of peace knowing that I got that sense of closure,” Brian Lozano said."

Search for meaning after catastrophe. Seatbelts on. The Associated Press reports:

"Gazing at the mountain of rubble that had buried her father, uncle and dozens of others, a 12-year-old girl moved away from her relatives, sat down by herself and pulled out her phone. She opened a collection of Psalms and began to pray. Elisheva Cohen’s moment of reflection at the site of the Florida condominium collapse captivated the Surfside mayor and led to an introduction to President Joe Biden, who asked to meet her Thursday when he arrived to console families affected by the disaster. For days, families were kept away from the collapse site, which had been deemed unsafe. Then earlier this week, relatives were taken there briefly. Some shouted the names of loved ones and friends, hoping to hear their cries for help. Others cried. Elisheva sat down alone, away from her mother and brother, and began to read prayers. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett soon noticed her. He knelt down beside her to ask if she was OK. “Yes” the girl told him. “And that really brought it home to me,” Burkett said. “She wasn’t crying. She was just lost. She didn’t know what to do, what to say, who to talk to.”

"Only six months ago, Elisheva celebrated her bat mitzvah with her mother and father, Brad Cohen, one of about 140 people missing under the rubble. The year that precedes the religious ceremony involves intensive study of Hebrew, the Bible and history. That night, Cohen was proud. His youngest daughter was growing up and reaffirming her Jewish identity. The night before the collapse, her mother sent a message to Cohen with a selfie taken by Elisheva in front of a mirror. She wore a pink T-shirt with a high ponytail. They were staying in separate homes. “Look how pretty,” the message read. She was wearing the same outfit the next morning, when her mother “frantically woke her up” to tell her about the collapse."

"For several days, Burkett shared Elisheva’s story far and wide. After Biden’s visit was announced, the girl’s mother, Soriya Cohen, bought her a new blue and white dress for the occasion. But the mother did not attend the meeting with Biden, saying she felt the president’s visit was a diversion from the search efforts. Elisheva went with another family member. The mayor said the most moving moment of Biden’s visit was when he shared Elisheva’s story with the president. “I wanted him to know and see the face of that little girl who is praying for her father across from the rubble,” he said. “He looked at me and said, ‘Would you please bring her to me right now?’” Police went to get Elisheva. Biden walked up to her and they hugged."

"Seventeen people, including police, were hurt when a large explosion rocked a Los Angeles neighborhood Wednesday evening as thousands of pounds of illegal fireworks were being seized, officials said. None of the injuries were life-threatening, police said. The blast happened about 7:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. E.T.) as the bomb squad was detonating some of the explosives in a vehicle with a containment vessel designed to withstand blasts. "This vessel should have been able to safely dispose of that material," LAPD Chief Michel Moore said Wednesday night. "And you saw the resulting damage, and the total catastrophic failure of that containment vehicle," Moore said. The blast destroyed the vehicle, overturned a nearby car and shattered windows in homes and businesses. Three people in the area suffered moderate injuries, and three others suffered minor injuries, officials said. One additional person was treated at the scene, but was not taken to a hospital. Nine LAPD officers and a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent also suffered minor injuries."

"Approximately 5,000 pounds of fireworks and explosives were found at a home in the Historic South-Central neighborhood Wednesday morning, police said. A 27-year-old man who has been arrested is accused of bringing the explosives in from out of state to resell for the July 4th weekend. He faces a charge of possession of a destructive device. He may face additional charges for child endangerment because his 10-year-old brother lives at the home, Moore said. The pyrotechnics were commercial-grade, but some were described as improvised explosive devices with simple fuses that were considered more unstable, Moore said. They were X-rayed and cut open by robots to assess, he said, and less than 10 pounds were detonated inside the bomb squad containment vessel, which is rated to withstand more material than that. "Something happened in that containment vehicle that should not have happened, and we don't know why," Moore said. "But we intend to find out why." Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a tweet that he had directed the LAPD to conduct a full investigation, "so we can better understand why this happened." Officials said it was fortunate no one was killed, and used the incident to highlight the danger of illegal fireworks, especially when people intent on selling them store the explosives in residential neighborhoods. The ATF will also investigate how the fireworks and explosives were acquired and transported to Los Angeles as well as the circumstances of the explosion, the police chief said."

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.

No justice. 'Judge' in bed with the murderous jackbooted bastard in blue. The Associated Press reports:

"The mother of a Black man fatally shot by a white former Nashville officer sobbed, screamed and knocked over a lectern Friday as she begged a judge not to accept a plea deal she says was struck in secret without her knowledge. Former officer Andrew Delke pleaded guilty to manslaughter over the death of Daniel Hambrick, 25, in 2018 as part of an agreement with prosecutors. The agreement was accepted by Judge Monte Watkins over objections from Hambrick’s family. Delke will serve a three-year prison sentence. As part of the agreement, he won’t pursue parole and appeal the case."

In most states, kill an officer even in self-defense, guess what? Get executed.

"At one point, the hearing turned volatile as Hambrick’s mother, Vickie, gave a lengthy statement as family members and others applauded and banged on the door in support. “I hate you,” Vickie Hambrick screamed over and over again, while also yelling out profanities. In a particularly chaotic moment, the mother knocked over the lectern and a computer monitor and family members rushed to her side. Delke and Judge Watkins were briefly ushered out of the courtroom. Delke was about to face trial for a first-degree murder charge, but on Thursday, his attorney announced he had agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter. “I hope this case can contribute positively about the much needed discussion about how police officers are trained and how we as a community want police officers to interact with citizens. I am deeply sorry for the harm my actions caused,” Delke said shortly after entering his plea."

Jesus Christ. Nazi justice in a de facto fascist police-state. The 'judge?' Unfit to sit on the bench. In bed with his jackbooted bastards in blue.

"A group of roughly two dozen protesters gathered outside the courthouse, chanting “no racist police” to show their opposition to Delke’s plea deal. Others wore shirts noting that police officers and white people receive lighter penalties for committing the same crimes as Black and brown people. Hambrick’s family said they were not contacted or consulted and did not know about the plea deal until after it was done."

Surprised? Why? No equal justice. The criminal jackbooted bastards in blue remain a protected class.

“I have contempt for this system. I have contempt for this plea. I have contempt for the (Fraternal Order of Police). And I have a special contempt for Andrew Delke. May you all rot in hell,” said attorney Joy Kimbrough, who read the statement as Vickie Hambrick wept behind her. Delke, 27, submitted his resignation Thursday, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Don Aaron said. Delke had been decommissioned, which means he had to turn over his gun but was able to work a desk job and still get paid."

"After COVID-19 delays and pretrial back-and-forth, jury selection was slated to start next week in the case. The trial was going to center on a handgun Hambrick was holding that Delke claims was pointed at him for a moment, which prosecutors dispute and video footage does not show."

"Prosecutors focused on surveillance footage that captured the shooting, in which Delke stops chasing and shoots the fleeing man. Defense attorneys have contended there was a 36-foot (11-meter) blindspot and plenty could have happened there. There were dozens of cameras, and defense attorneys contended that it was possible that more footage was caught of that blindspot, but wasn’t reviewed by investigators before it was automatically overwritten on the system. The month after the shooting, Funk released surveillance footage of the shooting publicly, sparking wider attention and outcry. Delke was charged in September 2018, and the shooting caused enough backlash that voters that November installed a community oversight board for Nashville’s police department."

"Convicting an officer for an on-duty death remains a tall order. Since 2005, there have been 143 nonfederal sworn law enforcement officers with arrest powers arrested for murder or manslaughter resulting from an on-duty shooting throughout the U.S., with only 45 convicted of a crime resulting from the on-duty shooting, according to a tally from Bowling Green State University criminal justice professor Philip Stinson. Delke’s attorneys argued the officer followed his training and Tennessee law in response to “an armed suspect who ignored repeated orders to drop his gun.” Funk argued Delke had other alternatives, adding that the officer could have stopped, sought cover and called for help."

"On the day of the shooting, Delke was in his patrol car as part of a juvenile-focused unit looking for stolen cars and known juvenile offenders. He followed a car despite learning it was not stolen and never saw the driver or determined how many people were inside, according to an arrest affidavit. The car didn’t pull over as it headed onto the interstate and Delke put on the sirens. He followed from a distance and lost track of the car for some time. Delke later pulled into a public housing complex and Hambrick was standing outside the car and began running. Delke chased Hambrick and yelled at him to stop, though the officer didn’t know Hambrick’s identity or if he was connected to the car he had been pursuing, the affidavit says. Hambrick wouldn’t drop a gun despite Delke’s instructions, the affidavit says. Delke “stopped, assumed a firing position, and aimed his service weapon,” firing four times, it says. One shot hit Hambrick’s back, another his torso and a third the back of his head. The fourth shot missed. Nashville’s Metro Council has approved a $2.25 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit by Hambrick’s family."

Nowhere near enough. Will do nothing to prevent the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue from murdering on the job, -- or nazi 'judges' in bed with these bastards from protecting and coddling them.

Never, ever, never run from an officer. In a de facto fascist police-state, grants the murderous jackbooted piece of shit the right to murder on the job.

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 bizarre incident unfolded Saturday morning in Wakefield, Massachusetts. According to local police: "during a motor vehicle stop, several heavily armed men claiming to be from a group that does not recognize our laws exited their vehicles and fled into the woodline" near Interstate Highway 95. The incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. when a state trooper came across a group of 8 to 10 people refueling on the side of the I-95 highway in Wakefield, a suburb of Boston. The group was dressed in military-style uniforms, carried tactical gear like body cameras and helmets and had long guns slung over their shoulders. They told officials they were on their way to Maine from Rhode Island for "training," Col. Christopher Mason said. Officials said they made two initial arrests and the rest of the group, which calls itself "Moorish American Arms," fled into a wooded area that is now surrounded by police. As a result, a stretch of I-95 was closed and shelter-in-place orders were set for people who live nearby."

"Police negotiators talked to those hiding in the woods throughout the early morning. "We're trying to successfully and peacefully resolve this," Mason said. As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday the "remaining suspects on highway" were taken into custody by MSP Special Tactical Operations Team, Massachusetts State Police said in an update. Officials had conducted searches of the two vehicles the suspects were in and the surrounding woods. "Two additional suspects were located in their vehicles, bringing the total number of those arrested to 11 (two initially on North Avenue and nine outside and inside the vehicles)," the MSP tweeted. The Wakefield Police Department said in an early morning statement: "Approximately 8 males fled into the woods carrying rifles and handguns and appear to be contained in the wooded area adjacent to the highway. No threats were made, but these men should be considered armed and dangerous." Massachusetts State Police, who are also on the scene, tweeted early Saturday: "We have several armed persons accounted for at this scene on Rt 95. They are refusing to comply with orders to provide their information and put down their weapons. We are asking residents of Wakefield and Reading to shelter in place at this time."

Apparently, one of the charges, failure to identify? Another, failure to put down their weapons when so ordered? Another, armed in public in a state with extremely repressive gun laws? No firearms license? None of this is clear.

"At around 6:40 a.m. ET, state police announced that two suspects were arrested by members of The Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council in Wakefield. Police took them into custody and transported them to one of their barracks. "The situation is ongoing w/remaining members of the group. We continue to work to resolve the situation peacefully," they tweeted. Police said a "heavy police presence" will remain in the area, and they are asking residents to lock their doors and stay home. No injuries or shots fired have been reported."

"Police in Wakefield, Mass., arrested 11 people Saturday after an hours-long standoff with a group of heavily armed men who fled into the woods near Interstate 95, sparking stay-at-home orders for nearby residents and a highway shutdown. According to the Wakefield Police Department, several men, carrying rifles and handguns fled into the woods off the highway around 1:30 a.m., after refusing to comply with orders during a motor vehicle stop. The men claim to belong to a group that “does not recognize our laws,” police said."

"Members of the group later said they were traveling from Rhode Island to Maine for “training.” “No threats were made, but these men should be considered armed and dangerous,” the department said in a statement. Two people were arrested initially before seven others were taken into custody around 10:30 a.m. The final two suspects were located in vehicles and arrested around 11 a.m., state police said."

"It was unclear what the group’s demands were, Massachusetts State Police Col. Christopher Mason said at a news conference. Mason said they were wearing camouflage jackets, bulletproof vests and body cameras. They carried long rifles, pistols or a combination, he said. “The self-professed leader wants it very much known that their ideology is not anti-government,” Mason said. He said the investigation will hopefully lead to a better understanding of what the group’s goals are, but “as a quick, down-and-dirty observation, their actions have had a significant impact on the motoring public — particularly given that this is a holiday weekend.” The shelter-in-place order, issued during the standoff for affected areas of Wakefield and nearby Reading, has since been lifted. Part of I-95 in the Wakefield area was shut down for several hours, leading to major traffic delays at the start of the holiday weekend. By late Saturday morning, I-95 had reopened."

"The standoff began around 2 a.m. when police noticed two cars pulled over on I-95 with hazard lights on after they had apparently run out of fuel, authorities said at a Saturday press briefing. Between eight to 10 men were clad in military-style gear with long guns and pistols, Mass State Police Col. Christopher Mason said. He added that they were headed to Maine from Rhode Island for “training.” The men refused to put down their weapons or comply with authorities’ orders, claiming to be from a group “that does not recognize our laws” before taking off into a wooded area, police said. Police said they used negotiators to interact with the other suspects. Mason said the “self-professed leader” of the group wanted it to be known that they are not antigovernment. “I think the investigation that follows from this interaction will provide us more insight into what their motivation, what their ideology is,” Mason said."

"In a video posted to social media Saturday morning, a man who did not give his name, but said he was from a group called Rise of the Moors, broadcast from Interstate 95 in Wakefield near exit 57. “We are not antigovernment. We are not anti-police, we are not sovereign citizens, we’re not Black identity extremists,” said the man who appeared to be wearing military-style equipment. “As specified multiple times to the police that we are abiding by the peaceful journey laws of the United States.”

"The website for the group says they are “Moorish Americans dedicated to educating new Moors and influencing our Elders.” Mason said he had no knowledge of the group, but it was not unusual for the state police to encounter people who have “sovereign citizen ideology,” although he did not know if the people involved in the Wakefield standoff was a part of that. “We train to those encounters,” Mason said. “We very much understand, I guess, the philosophy that underlies that mindset.”

"Residents in Wakefield and Reading near where the standoff is taking place have been asked to shelter in place. Wakefield police said in its statement that no threats had been made but the men were considered armed and dangerous."

Despite no threats, no gunfire, no violence, etc.? On a positive note, however, at least law enforcement did not gun them down. More on this as the story develops.

"State Police Col. Christopher Mason said Massachusetts law bans people from driving on the interstate with loaded or unloaded firearms. The men were not carrying gun licenses either, he said. “You can imagine 11 armed individuals standing with long guns slung on an interstate highway at 2 in the morning certainly raises concerns,” he said. “I understand that they have a different perspective on that. I appreciate that perspective. I disagree with that perspective.”

"The men appear to be adherents of the “Moorish Sovereign Citizens,” according to Mark Pitcavage, senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. Adherents assert based on conspiracy theories that they are part of a sovereign nation and are thus not subject to U.S. law. ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center have identified the Sovereign Citizens as an extremist movement. Self-identified adherents have been involved in numerous instances of violence in recent decades that are often targeted against government officials and police. In some other instances, they have engaged in gun violence with police after routine traffic stops.

"A video posted to social media Saturday morning showed a man broadcasting from I-95 near Wakefield, clad in what appeared to be tactical gear. “We are not anti-government. We are not anti-police, we are not sovereign citizens, we’re not Black identity extremists,” said the man, who did not give his name, but said he was from a group called Rise of the Moors. “As specified multiple times to the police that we are abiding by the peaceful journey laws of the United States federal courts.” The man said the group was on the side of the road early that morning when police approached. “We were afraid, so we got out with our arms,” the man said. Mason said state police negotiators talked to the group, “but there comes a time and a place where we have to demonstrate that we are serious.” Law enforcement used armored vehicles to tighten the perimeter and convey this message, he said. “It had its desired effect, and they were compliant very quickly,” he said."

Sounds like bullshit, Colonel. Forget? By your own admission, sir, took hours to resolve the fiasco. Regardless, remains hard to believe a heavily armed group would quickly surrender simply after law enforcement "used armored vehicles to tighten the perimeter." Not credible.

-- Sounds more like you grandstanding to self-servingly 'save face' after the group spent hours refusing orders, frustrating you and your troopers. Again, to the credit of law enforcement, however, your troopers did not gun them down. Certainly, a step in the right direction.

"Officers are awaiting warrants to search the vehicles, Mason said, and an undisclosed number of firearms have been seized."

"Eleven men arrested after an armed, nine-hour standoff with Massachusetts police have been identified and charged one day later on Sunday. The group describes itself as a militia called "The Rise of the Moors -- The Moorish American Arms," according to the Massachusetts State Police. Each man arrested this weekend was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, eight counts; unlawful possession of ammunition; use of body armor in commission of a crime; possession of a high capacity magazine; improper storage of firearms in a vehicle; and conspiracy to commit a crime. The group was spotted refueling its vehicles with the guns allegedly in plain sight. The men, who were dressed in military fatigues and body armor, were traveling from Rhode Island to Maine to participate in training exercises, the state agency said. They allegedly did not have licenses for the weapons. "You can imagine 11 armed individuals standing with long guns slung on an interstate highway at 2 in the morning certainly raises concerns and is not consistent with the firearms laws we have in Massachusetts," Massachusetts State Police Colonel Christopher Mason told reporters on Saturday. When officers approached the men, they claimed to belong to an organization that does not recognize U.S. laws. The standoff began when some of the men ran into the woods with their weapons. The incident shut down Interstate 95 for about six hours in both directions Saturday. After they were apprehended, eight of the men were identified. The ninth is 17, so his name was not released and two men refused to say who they are. Those identified are:

"Jahmal Tavon Sanders Latimer (also known as Jahmal Talib Abdullay Bey,) 29, of Providence, R.I.

"Aaron Lamont Johnson (also known as Tarrif Sharif Bey,) 29, of Detroit, Mich.

Having repeatedly traveled through Massachusetts decades ago, this writer was well aware of exceptionally repressive gun laws there. In fact, there were signs up at the state line so advising travelers. Precisely, why this group and its encounter with state police are of such great interest. More so, final outcome of charges.

Nazi justice in a de facto fascist police-state. In follow-up to a recent edition of this publication and elsewhere, ABC News reports:

"After her husband was shot when he entered a home he mistook for a temple, Lindsay Myeni is speaking out and demanding justice. Three Honolulu police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Lindani Myeni, an unarmed South African rugby player, will not face criminal charges, according to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney. Honolulu prosecuting attorney Steven S. Alm announced Wednesday that the officers were justified in using deadly force because Myeni, who is Black, refused to comply and attacked the officers. Alm did not name the officers involved in the shooting."

"Myeni, who had recently moved to Hawaii with his wife and two young children, was fatally shot on April 14 by Honolulu police who were responding to 911 calls after he apparently accidentally entered a neighbor's home. According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his widow, Lindsay Myeni, her husband may have confused the home he entered for a next-door public temple. Doorbell camera video obtained and made public by the Bickerton Law Group, which is representing the family of Lindani Myeni, shows Myeni arriving at a house, removing his shoes, entering the home and then quickly leaving after his presence confused the occupants. He repeatedly apologized in the video."

"Once officers arrived, Myeni repeatedly punched one of the officers who pointed a gun at him and told him to get on the ground, according to documents provided to ABC News by Alm's office. Alm said the other two officers attempted to stop Myeni by using a stun gun on him and tackling him to the ground before the first officer shot him once in the chest. Even after being shot in the chest, Alm said Myeni continued punching the officer before another police officer shot him three times, striking him in the torso and right thigh. It was only after the shooting that police can be heard identifying themselves on body camera video. Myeni was pronounced dead of multiple gunshot wounds. Alm said there was no evidence race played a role in the shooting."

"In a statement provided to ABC News, the Bickerton Law Group said the civil case is not affected by this decision and they will continue to move ahead. "In the civil case, we will address the central questions that Mr. Alm appears to have avoided completely," the statement said. "When you avoid addressing the very first wrongful act committed, your analysis of what comes afterwards should not be accepted by the public." Lawyers representing the family denounced Alm's decision, saying in a statement that he "did not address whether it was lawful for Mr. Myeni to defend himself from the unknown assailant with a gun. Without that analysis, the rest of his analysis can have no weight." "The big question was whether Mr. Myeni knew they were officers, and not a private security detail of the hysterical 911 caller standing behind them who had, just minutes before, falsely pretended to report a 'break in' to someone," the statement continued. "We know that Lindani said 'Who are you?' at least twice." The Bickerton Law Group said the civil suit will "definitely" address Mr. Alm's analysis and his "unsupported conclusion that, because of the 'lighting,' Mr. Myeni knew they were officers." "Mr. Alm did not explain why the officers all had to use flashlights if the lighting was so good, or why Officer #1 says repeatedly after the shooting 'I couldn't see him,' or why Mr. Myeni says, 'Who are you?'" said James Bickerton, one of the lawyers representing Myeni's widow. "Nor did Mr. Alm report doing any forensic tests to see what a person in Mr. Myeni's position would see if a 600 lumens tactical light is shone in their direction on a moonless night."

Nazi justice by a prosecutor determined to protect his criminal jackbooted bastards in blue.

"The city has not publicly identified the two officers who fired the fatal shots that resulted in Myeni's death, but Bickerton Law Group said they have identified the officers through an investigation. On Thursday, lawyers representing Myeni's widow filed papers to name the two officers who fired the fatal shots as additional defendants in the suit. "I just never thought, I would think of Honolulu as a bad place, as a dark place ... it's just full of love and aloha," Lindsay Myeni told ABC News in an interview last month. "To have this place be so dark, and to actually have this other side where our police are just like the rest of the mainland, it's like there's no safety, there's actually fear now."

"Surveillance video from the Sheffield Lake Police Department in Ohio shows the longtime chief printing a note reading “Ku Klux Klan” and placing it on a Black officer's raincoat, according to the city's mayor. Sheffield Lake Mayor Dennis Bring said he was made aware of the incident, which occurred last week, by the police union. Chief Anthony Campo was immediately placed on administrative leave pending a review of the video, Bring told NBC affiliate WKYC of Cleveland. "I said, 'I don't want to even hear about it," Bring said, describing his conversation with Campo. "I said, 'You've already have admitted to it.' And I said, 'You've got 10 minutes to get out of this office.' I said, 'I want your keys, badge and that’s it. Get out.' "

"Bring said he also met with the officer following the incident to apologize for Campo’s actions. "It took us 10 minutes to even talk to each other because we were both very emotional," he said. "And I apologized to him. We talked about the situation and he told me a little bit more. I was just flabbergasted. There's no one word to explain how disgusting this is." The footage, which was obtained by the news station, captured Campo standing at the department’s copier and placing the klan printout on the coat. The KKK was a secretive society organized in the South after the Civil War to assert white supremacy, often using violence."

The racist son of a bitch still hasn't smartened up. Remains hopelessly stupid, an idiot:

"Campo told WKYC in a phone interview that he retired shortly after being placed on leave. He added that what was meant to be part of an off-color joke is being “overblown” and he has great respect for the officer, whom he hired, according to the news station."

What a crock of shit. -- An exceptionally gifted comic opined decades ago, "Can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid." Truer words never spoken.

"Officials in Sheffield Lake, a city about 25 miles west of Cleveland, have not released the name of the officer involved. According to Bring, the officer is declining to speak and has retained a lawyer for possible action. Campo spent three decades on the police force and became chief eight years ago."

Step in the right direction. Think law enforcement throughout the country will follow suit? NBC News reports:

"Police response to mentally ill people is under scrutiny. Denver may offer way forward. The calls come into 911 every day: A homeless man is standing outside a liquor store screaming and acting aggressive. A woman is having a mental health crisis and says she can’t feel her body or face. A man who was escorted away by police 90 minutes ago has returned and is exposing himself and urinating on buildings. Instead of being routed to police, this type of call is handed over to STAR, short for Support Team Assistance Response, a year-old program that sends a social worker and paramedic to low-level emergency calls. Of the 1,351 calls STAR responded to over the last year, not one had to request backup from the Denver Police Department."

"STAR rolled out in June 2020 just as the nation convulsed with outrage over the death of George Floyd under the knee of then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin and protesters demanded sweeping police reform. Now, STAR is being expanded citywide, and other communities around the country are looking at it as a model for how to handle emergency calls involving unarmed mentally ill people in crisis."

"Inspired by a 3-decade-old program in Eugene, Oregon, STAR also launched at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic and its associated stressors were ramping up. Mental health-related calls in Denver rose 17 percent last year over the three-year average, according to a city report. "We try to let people feel heard about what’s going on that day, and oftentimes I’ll just ask, 'What would be helpful to you in this moment? How can we solve this problem today?'" said Carleigh Sailon, a licensed clinical social worker who staffs the STAR van. Like the call that came in on a blistering hot day in August. “A passerby had called about a woman who was sitting on a curb crying and drinking a beer, and she appeared to be in distress, and they thought she looked like she needed help,” Sailon said. It turned out the woman, who was unhoused, had been stranded in an unfamiliar part of the city. What she needed at the moment was a ride to a shelter. Sailon and the paramedic put her in the air conditioned van and gave her snacks and water. “She actually started crying,” Sailon said, “and she said, ‘I can’t believe there’s people who would just show up and give me a ride back where I needed to go.’”

Called compassion. Wisely, adequately, responding to a need without resorting to unnecessary force:

"The American Psychological Association said an estimated 20 percent of calls to police involve a mental health or substance abuse issue. A 2015 report by the Treatment Advocacy Center, a mental health advocacy group, reported that people with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter."

"Denver police receive 40 hours of training in crisis intervention compared to years of coursework for social workers. Sailon said STAR provides an important alternative to the one-size-fits-all approach. “Police can be triggering, and if people have had unfavorable interactions with law enforcement in the past, that can impact the way that things go,” she said. “The team is really able to sit with people in crisis and in uncomfortable moments and work towards a solution versus kind of hitting the alert button and needing backup all the time.”

"The 911 system does not send STAR to situations in which people are armed or violent. Denver’s 911 system fielded almost 6,400 calls from June 2020 to June 2021 that would have been STAR eligible. The team responded to an average of nine calls a day, or just under 3 percent of calls dispatched by 911 in a year across the city. The majority were for trespassing, welfare checks, mental health issues and substance abuse. “I certainly think that the moment, the movement, that we’re in right now is contributing to raising awareness across the country of alternative response,” said Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen. “If you can lighten your load on these low-level mental health calls, it frees up your officers to address areas they’re more equipped to address in the first place, like the violent crime issues we’re seeing across the country.” The year-old STAR program sends a social worker and paramedic to low-level emergency calls and has proven so effective in dealing with people in crisis that it is being expanded citywide. A report by Denver public safety found the STAR team — composed of Sailon, licensed clinical social worker Chris Richardson and a rotating crew of paramedics — was able to resolve the issues six minutes faster than police without acquiring the high costs that come with involving fire departments, emergency medical services and hospitals. The report also said 34 percent of STAR calls originated with DPD officers who showed up at a scene and asked the social worker and paramedic to take over."

“Our officers have bought into this,” Pazen said. “I hear police officers saying, ‘Hey, is a STAR van available? Can you have them respond?’ I have supervisors and officers saying, ‘When can we get more STAR vans? When can we get more coverage for STAR?’ and I share that with the other police departments and police chiefs that are inquiring about this.” More than 30 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada have inquired about the program, a police spokesman said. With $1.4 million already set aside and another $1 million requested, STAR is set to expand from one van to four, eventually covering 32 square miles seven days a week, 16 hours a day. Andrew Dameron, director of Denver 911, credits a long history of partnerships with nonprofit community groups for STAR's effectiveness. “The thing that will drive success for us more than anything else is, how many folks were we able to actually support in sustaining their mental health and recovery?” Dameron said. “It’s one thing to send the van to somebody who’s experiencing crisis, and then the van leaves and that person is maybe only slightly better off than when we started. "If we can use the van as a method to educate folks, put them in touch with a larger support structure, then they’ve got a much better chance for success.”

A step in the right direction. Anything that lowers the rate of officers abusing authority, engaging in unnecessary force, and murdering on the job is a good thing. Positive change.

Nothing quite like transparency, is there? Especially, when it's gone. NBC News reports:

"The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that charities cannot be compelled to tell state regulators the names of their biggest donors, a requirement that some charitable organizations said would chill contributions. The 6-3 ruling, which divided the justices along ideological lines, was a victory for conservative groups led by Americans for Prosperity, supported by the billionaire industrialist Charles Koch and his late brother, David. They said a disclosure requirement in California violated their First Amendment rights and exposed top donors to potential intimidation or attack. Along with the Thomas More Law Center, a conservative Christian legal organization, the Koch group challenged a state law requiring charities to file annual reports and include a copy of an IRS document listing the names and addresses of their top contributors. California said it gathered the information to help detect the use of charities in committing financial fraud. The filings are supposed to be kept confidential, but some of them ended up being posted online. Lawyers for the state said it tightened the rules for handling donor information, making it unlikely the data would leak in the future. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in Thursday's ruling that the law burdened donors' First Amendment rights and is not narrowly tailored to an important government interest. "We do not doubt that California has an important interest in preventing wrongdoing by charitable organizations," Roberts wrote, adding, "Such offenses cause serious social harms." "There is a dramatic mismatch, however, between the interest that the attorney general seeks to promote and the disclosure regime that he has implemented in service of that end," Roberts wrote, adding that there was little evidence the collection of donor information had advanced state investigation or enforcement efforts."

Forget? The 6-3 Republican nazi majority on the Court protects its own, that is, the top of the food chain. Justice? What's that?

"But in a dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the majority's decision "marks reporting and disclosure requirements with a bull’s-eye" going forward. "Regulated entities who wish to avoid their obligations can do so by vaguely waving toward First Amendment 'privacy concerns,'" she wrote, adding. "Neither precedent nor common sense supports such a result."

The hypocrisy of these fascist bastards on the Court is nothing short of stunning:

"In the past, the court said any concern about exposing political contributors is outweighed by the government's interest in enforcing campaign finance laws."

Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

A 6-3 Republican-owned achingly fascist U.S. Supreme Court shows its true colors. The Washington Post reports:

"The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld two Arizona voting restrictions that a lower court had said discriminated against minority voters, a ruling that suggests that it will be harder to challenge a spate of new laws passed by state legislatures in the aftermath of the 2020 election."

"Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion in the 6-to-3 ruling, with the court’s conservative majority in charge. The court’s liberals joined an opinion by Justice Elena Kagan protesting that the decision weakens the shield provided by the Voting Rights Act (VRA), first passed in 1965 to forbid laws that result in discrimination based on race. Both supporters and detractors of the decision said that it would probably strengthen the hand of state legislatures that say tighter voting laws are necessary to combat election fraud and that it would make it more difficult for challengers to eliminate laws they contend fall most heavily on minority voters."

At a time there is no substantive voter fraud. None. A ruse perpetrated by the Trump nazi and his fellow racist nazis in the Republican Party.

“I am deeply disappointed in today’s decision by the United States Supreme Court that undercuts the Voting Rights Act, and upholds what Justice Kagan called ‘a significant race-based disparity in voting opportunities,” President Biden said in a statement. “In a span of just eight years, the Court has now done severe damage to two of the most important provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — a law that took years of struggle and strife to secure.”

The following is simply not true. It is no more than granting the nazi element in the GOP the ability to exclude from voter rolls those they believe will not vote Republican nazi:

"Republicans said it was a victory for states and their ability to control and protect voting practices.” “Today is a win for election integrity safeguards in Arizona and across the country,” said Mark Brnovich, the state’s attorney general. “Fair elections are the cornerstone of our republic, and they start with rational laws that protect both the right to vote and the accuracy of the results.”

Absolute bullshit since there is no substantive voter fraud anywhere in our formerly great country. A ruse perpetrated by the Trump nazi and his fellow nazis in the GOP. No more than racist nazism imposed by Republicans since they apparently believe they cannot win elections without limiting the voter pool. Need to ensure voters vote Republican nazi.

"Liberal election law experts said the decision is part of a pattern in which the Supreme Court has systematically weakened legal protections for minority voters. “The conservative Supreme Court has taken away all the major available tools for going after voting restrictions,” said Richard Hasen, an election-law expert at the University of California at Irvine. “This at a time when some Republican states are passing new restrictive voting laws.” He said the court “makes it harder to prove intentional racial discrimination in passing a voting rule,” which is likely to affect the Biden Justice Department’s newly filed complaint about Georgia’s new voting laws.

"Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the decision underscores the need for Congress to enact new voting protections. “It is difficult to fathom that the U.S. Supreme Court, which is bound by both duty and the Constitution to administer equal justice under law, has done more to set voting rights back than any other actor in the last decade,” he said."

"The U.S. Supreme Court for all practical purposes rendered the landmark Voting Rights Act a dead letter on Thursday. The 6-3 vote was along ideological lines, with Justice Samuel Alito writing the decision for the conservative majority, and the liberals in angry dissent. At issue in the case were two Arizona laws. One banned the collection of absentee ballots by anyone other than a relative or caregiver, and the other threw out any ballots cast in the wrong precinct. A federal appeals court struck down both provisions, ruling that they had an unequal impact on minority voters and that there was no evidence of fraud that would have justified their use. But on Thursday, the Supreme Court reinstated the state laws, declaring that unequal impact on minorities in this context was relatively minor, that other states have similar laws and that states don't have to wait for fraud to occur before enacting laws to prevent it. Just because voting may be "inconvenient for some," Alito wrote, doesn't mean that access to voting is unequal. And he said that in evaluating what the Voting Rights Act requires, courts should look to what the voting rules were in 1982 when the relevant provision of the law was enacted. Back then, he observed, almost all voting was in person and on Election Day. And "the mere fact that there is some disparity in impact does not necessarily mean that a system is not equally open or that it does not give everyone an equal opportunity to vote. "

Expect better of a Republican nazi? What he fraudulently, falsely claims is simply not true. Direct opposite is the case and the nazi Justice is well aware of this. Partisanship, however, comes first. The existence of no substantive voter fraud in the 2020 election is proof positive what he and his fellow nazis call for is nothing more than voter suppression. Not only that, it is far more than an inconvenience to the impoverished and minorities vis a vis evisceration of the Voting Rights Act as well as making it far more difficult to vote at a time when there is no significant voter fraud anywhere in the United States. Sadly, what it is remains deliberate denial of the right to vote of anyone the Justice and his fellow Republican nazis believe won't vote Republican nazi, that is, won't goose step along. Traitorous, treasonous antithesis of what is supposed to be a democratic republic.

"Writing the dissent, Justice Elena Kagan accused the majority of "yet again" rewriting the Voting Right Act, a law, she noted, designed to bring about "the end of discrimination in voting." "Never before has a statute done more to advance the nation's highest ideals," she said. "Few laws are more vital in the current moment. Yet in the last decade this Court has treated no statute worse." The landmark law, widely hailed as the most effective piece of civil rights legislation in the nation's history, was reauthorized five times after its original passage in 1965, but for all practical purposes, all that is left of it now is the section banning vote dilution in redistricting, based on race. Eight years ago, the court by a 5-4 majority gutted the law's key provision, which until then required state and local governments with a history of racial discrimination in voting to get approval from the U.S. Justice Department for any changes in voting procedures. When that provision was struck down by the court in 2013, the only protections for voting rights that remained in the law were in Section 2. Though Section 2 has largely been used to prevent minority vote dilution in redistricting, importantly, it does bar voting procedures that "result in a denial or abridgment of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." So the Arizona case was viewed as particularly important because it was the first time the court dealt with a claim of vote denial under Section 2 and how to evaluate it."

"This Court has no right to remake Section 2," Kagan wrote in her dissent. "Maybe some think that vote suppression is a relic of history — and so the need for a potent Section 2 has come and gone. ... But Congress gets to make that call. Because it has not done so, this Court's duty is to apply the law as it is written. The law that confronted one of this country's most enduring wrongs; pledged to give every American, of every race, an equal chance to participate in our democracy; and now stands as the crucial tool to achieve that goal. That law, of all laws, deserves the sweep and power Congress gave it. That law, of all laws, should not be diminished by this Court."

"Arizona Republicans and the Republican National Committee argued that both laws were needed to prevent fraud. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that there was no record of fraud and that there was evidence these two provisions ended up denying many minorities the right to vote. The appeals court noted, for instance, that ballot collectors were needed in some large, rural and remote parts of the state. It pointed, for instance to the Navajo Nation, an area the size of West Virginia, where there are few post offices or postal routes, and where people without cars often have no way to send their ballots without collectors picking them up. The high court, however, rejected the lower court findings — and reaction to Thursday's opinion was along partisan lines."

A racist nazi Court that has determinedly lost itself. Embraced fascism. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"The U.S. Supreme Court decided a major case on voting rights that essentially gutted what's left of the Voting Rights Act."

... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. On this, and many, many other issues.

"The court upheld two Arizona laws — one of which banned the collection of absentee ballots by anyone other than a relative or caregiver, otherwise known as "ballot harvesting." the other threw out any ballots cast in the wrong precinct. "Obviously, the Supreme Court accepted our test and our reasoning and rejected the Democratic National Committee's attempt to micromanage state elections," Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said on NPR's All Things Considered on Thursday."

"The decision, though, was a blow to those who believe voting access is more important than rooting out fraud — and that's most Americans, the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found. Fifty-six percent said making sure that everyone who wants to vote can do so is a bigger concern than making sure that no one who is ineligible votes."

At a time when the Trump nazi and his fellow national socialists, fascists in the GOP have failed to provide any evidence of substantive voter fraud. A ruse perpetrated by the nazi element in our formerly great country. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"It very much narrows the path of challenging these many, many voter obstacles that states are instituting across the country," Debo Adegbile, an anti-discrimination attorney, told NPR's Nina Totenberg."

Clearly, the determined intention of the six Republican fascists on the U.S. Supreme Court:

"With a solidified 6-3 conservative court majority, the ideological lines upon which this decision was drawn, the direction of the court is clear. And the influence of former President Donald Trump's court appointees will likely last for a very long time. A year before the potentially consequential midterm elections — and two years before the presidential primaries begin in earnest — here are four things to watch for what's next for voting rights:

"1. Federal lawsuits against states. Many GOP-led states are enacting restrictive voting laws. The Biden Justice Department is already suing Georgia over the law there. "Our complaint alleges that recent changes to Georgia's election laws were enacted with the purpose of denying or abridging the right of Black Georgians to vote on account of their race or color, in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act," Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference last week. But Section 2 is exactly what was at issue in this week's Supreme Court case, and the court's conservatives clearly signaled which side of voting rights they are on. Reacting to the decision, Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley said, "The department remains strongly committed to challenging discriminatory election laws and will continue to use every legal tool available to protect all qualified Americans seeking to participate in the electoral process." He hinted, however, that there is only so much DOJ can do. "The department urges Congress to enact additional legislation to provide more effective protection for every American's right to vote," Coley added."

Hard to believe that will happen with Republican nazis doing all they can in the Senate to stonewall. Apparently, the fascist element in the GOP believes denying the right to vote to non-Republicans is the only way they can win elections. Sad, isn't it?

"2. (Lack of) congressional action. The Voting Rights Act had passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress and stayed that way for decades until the Supreme Court hollowed out a key section of it almost a decade ago. The court's narrow 5-4 majority in that case also pointed to Congress to fix it. But since that Supreme Court decision, there has been little movement toward a voting rights bill that can pass both the House and Senate. Last month, Senate Republicans filibustered a version that passed the Democrat-controlled House."

Expect better of the nazi element in the GOP? Why? Especially, since Democrats have proven achingly ineffective in challenging the nazi element. Only spurs the fascist bastards on.

"There are two voting rights bills — the broad For the People Act and the more narrow John Lewis Voting Rights Act, named for the late congressman and civil rights icon. Both are stalled."

Again, only way Republicans delusionally believe they can win elections. LOL.

"That has led to calls from many progressives and some civil rights groups to eliminate the procedure that requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. "We know that without congressional action, there is not nearly the scope of enforcement initiatives available to the president that we think are necessary," Wade Henderson, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, told NPR's Ayesha Rascoe. "For that reason, both bills must be passed in some form." Key Democratic senators, however, like Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, do not support eliminating the procedural step because they fear it will lead to even more partisanship. Eliminating it cannot pass without their support because of Democrats' narrow majority (that depends on the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Harris)."

Democrats remain gutless. Achingly ineffective in challenging the nazi element in the Republican Party. Pitiful. Pathetic. Not surprising, however. Both parties are not worth a shit for totally different reasons. Sad, isn't it?

"3. Lots of efforts in the states. As with many other controversial issues that are deadlocked in polarized Washington, most of the action is taking place in the states. Hundreds of bills have been introduced, and they overwhelmingly skew toward curtailing access."

Perpetrated by Republican nazis who have traitorously, treasonously, treacherously abrogated their falsely sworn oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution, rule of law.

"Already, 17 states enacted 28 new laws that restrict access, the most ever, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks legislation and advocates for more expansive voting laws. There was rare bipartisan agreement in Kentucky to expand voting access, but, largely, Republican-led states are looking to restrict voting access, while Democrat-led ones are trying to expand it."

"4. Biden's bully pulpit. President Biden condemned the Supreme Court decision, saying it would cause "severe damage" to voting rights. Cedric Richmond, a senior White House adviser, told NPR's Rascoe that the White House views this moment as the beginning of the fight."

"We're going to fight in the courts; we're going to fight in the streets," he said. "We're going to fight for fair voting. We're going to do that, but, at the same time, we want our groups and community leaders to also take the belt-and-suspenders approach of educating people on how to deal with these new laws. What do they mean? How do I still vote meaningfully?"

Empty talk. Hollow rhetoric. Meaningless, achingly ineffective mere 'words' when not followed by effective action.

"Richmond added that Biden is going to be using the bully pulpit and the power of the White House to try to bring civil rights groups, private companies and activists together to bring more attention to it. Activists say Biden should push to keep in place the safety measures that were enacted during the last election to protect unvaccinated people against COVID-19. Vice President Harris is the point person for the administration's efforts. The president himself will be taking the message on the road next week, hoping, in the words of another president, that change can come from outside Washington. But even when President Barack Obama tried that, on things like gun violence, it didn't work out so well. And big, sweeping change — that can only come from Congress."

How can that possibly happen when Democrats and the President remain achingly ineffective in challenging the nazi element in the Republican Party? Refuse to challenge filibuster rules in the Senate. Refuse to expand the number of justices on the Supreme Court, etc. List can go on and on.

Shit hits the fan. Trump Organization and its CFO. The Washington Post reports:

"Prosecutors charged the Trump Organization with a 15-year "scheme to defraud" the government and its chief financial officer with grand larceny and tax fraud in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday, describing what they said was a wide-ranging effort to hide income from tax authorities. In charging papers, prosecutors alleged that Allen Weisselberg, former president Donald Trump's longtime CFO, had avoided more than $900,000 in taxes by concealing the value of benefits he got from Trump's company — including a free apartment, free Mercedes-Benz cars, new furniture and tuition payments for his relatives. In internal records, the Trump Organization treated these benefits as part of Weisselberg's compensation, prosecutors said. But it did not report them to taxing authorities, allowing Weisselberg and the company to avoid taxes, the documents said. The indictment said that other, unnamed Trump Organization executives were given similar benefits. It also said that Weisselberg had orchestrated the scheme along with "others" at the company but did not name any of the others. Weisselberg was the only executive charged on Thursday. Weisselberg, who has worked for the Trump Organization since the 1970s, pleaded not guilty during a brief arraignment hearing that began about 2:20 p.m. He walked into the courtroom in a dark suit, surrounded by detectives and court officers. He did not respond to questions from reporters in the hallway outside. Weisselberg, 73, had surrendered at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office early Thursday, the morning after a grand jury filed indictments against him and the Trump Organization. He was released after the hearing, but he was required to surrender his passport after prosecutors said he was a "flight risk."

"An attorney for the Trump Organization also pleaded not guilty on the company's behalf. Prosecutors also charged a subsidiary called Trump Payroll Corp., which handles the company's benefits and payments to employees. In all, 15 criminal charges were filed against Weisselberg, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by The Washington Post. They included counts of conspiracy, criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records. In many of the counts, the two Trump entities were charged along with Weisselberg. Carey Dunne, a prosecutor with the District Attorney's Office, said in the hearing that the charges were related to an "off-the-books tax fraud scheme" that lasted for 15 years. He said that the scheme allowed Trump Organization executives to get "secret pay raises" while not paying proper taxes. "To put it bluntly, this was a sweeping and audacious illegal payment scheme," Dunne said. He rejected an allegation from the Trump Organization that the charges were part of a politically motivated effort to hurt Trump: "It's not about politics," Dunne said. Trump Organization attorney Alan Futerfas, in comments outside the courthouse, said cases such as Thursday's are always resolved "in a civil context" — not a criminal one. "We're all aware, all of you and all of us, are aware of the very significant financial crimes that have occurred by large financial institutions where this office did not take them on, did not prosecute, going back to the 2008 financial collapse of the United States," he said. An attorney for Weisselberg, Mary E. Mulligan, said only that her side disputes the facts of the case. Earlier, in a statement on Weisselberg's behalf, she said he would "fight these charges."

"Donald Trump’s company and its longtime finance chief were charged Thursday in what prosecutors called a “sweeping and audacious” tax fraud scheme in which the executive collected more than $1.7 million in off-the-books compensation, including apartment rent, car payments and school tuition. Trump himself was not charged, but prosecutors noted that he signed some of the compensation checks at the center of the alleged scheme. It is the first criminal case to come out New York authorities’ two-year investigation into the former president’s business dealings. According to the indictment unsealed Thursday, from 2005 through this year, the Trump Organization and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg cheated the state and city out of taxes by conspiring to pay senior executives, Weisselberg included, off the books, by way of lucrative fringe benefits and other means. Both Weisselberg and lawyers for the Trump Organization pleaded not guilty. Weisselberg was ordered to surrender his passport and released without bail. leaving the courthouse without comment. The 73-year-old Weisselberg has intimate knowledge of the Trump Organization’s financial dealings from nearly five decades at the company. And the charges against him could give prosecutors the means to pressure him to cooperate with the investigation and tell them what he knows.

"In announcing the grand jury indictment, Carey Dunne, the top prosecutor in the district attorney’s office, said; “Politics has no role in the jury chamber, and I can assure you it had no role here.” He outlined a 15-year scheme “orchestrated by the most senior executives” at the Trump Organization.

"According to the indictment, Weisselberg paid for rent on his Manhattan apartment with company checks and directed the company to pay for his utility bills and parking. The company also paid for private school tuition for Weisselberg’s grandchildren with checks bearing Trump’s signature, as well as for Mercedes-Benz cars driven by Weisselberg and his wife, and gave him cash to hand out tips around Christmas. Such perks were listed on internal Trump company documents as part of Weisselberg’s employee compensation but were not included on his W-2 forms or otherwise reported, and the company did not withhold taxes on their value, prosecutors said. Trump’s company also issued checks, at Weisselberg’s request, to pay for personal expenses and upgrades to his homes and an apartment used by one of his sons, such as new beds, flat-screen TVs, carpeting and furniture for his Florida residence, prosecutors said. Barry Weisselberg’s ex-wife, Jen Weisselberg, has been cooperating with investigators and given them reams of tax records and other documents. Two other Trump executives who were not identified by name also received substantial under-the-table compensation, including lodging and the payment of automobile leases, the indictment said. Weisselberg has a reputation as a man deeply devoted to Trump’s interest. So far, there is [no?] sign that the man regarded by Trump’s daughter Ivanka as a “fiercely loyal” deputy is about to turn on the former president."

"Lawyers and representatives for the Trump Organization dismissed the criminal charges against the company as prosecutorial overreach Thursday, but legal experts contacted by NBC News said the company and its chief financial officer are in serious legal jeopardy. "Obviously, prosecutors have to prove everything they say, but some of the things in the indictment — there's just no legal defense for it," said Daniel Shaviro, a professor of taxation at NYU Law. The 15-count indictment charges the company and longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg with scheming to defraud, tax fraud and falsifying records, while Weisselberg was also hit with a grand larceny charge. Prosecutors say he used his position to get out of paying taxes on $1.7 million in income. Both he and the company pleaded not guilty to all the charges. "After years of investigation and the collection of millions of documents and devoting the resources of dozens of prosecutors and outside consultants, this is all they have? In my 50 years of practice, I have never seen this office bring a case like this and, quite frankly, I am astonished," one of the Trump Organization's attorneys, Ron Fischetti, said in a statement."

"Shaviro said given the allegations laid out in the 24-page indictment, it would have been more astonishing if the Manhattan district attorney's office had looked the other way. "This is a lot clearer than I would have expected," he said, with prosecutors appearing to blow holes in the company's stance that Weisselberg enjoyed the same sort of fringe benefits that companies often reward to top executives. The company was "paying tuition for (Weisselberg's) grandson. That's kind of difficult to explain as a legitimate business expense," Shaviro said."

"Also damning is that the indictment said the company kept two sets of books — a private one that counted Weisselberg's apartment and cars as part of his $940,000-a-year compensation, and another that didn't, allowing him to pay taxes on less income. "I don't see how you don't charge this," Shaviro said. Beverly Moran, a law professor at Vanderbilt University, called the two sets of books "a red flag." "Not only is there hands-on involvement, there's clear knowledge" that this was compensation, Moran said. "He should know as CFO that compensation is taxable."

"Cono R. Namorato, a former assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's tax division during the Obama administration, said the indictment shows Weisselberg "knew what he was doing and knew it was wrong." "There are a lot of commenters out there from Trump's team saying that this is not a case DOJ would bring. This is a case I would have authorized," Namorato said. "He was clearly a tax-conscious and tax-motivated individual." He said that the "two sets of books is a classic indication of an overt act of evasion," and that prosecutors' claim that Weisselberg falsely claimed to be living in Long Island to avoid paying taxes in New York City looks almost like "a slam-dunk case." "There's no doubt they know where he was living," Namorato said."

"Glenn Kirschner, a legal analyst for NBC News and a former federal prosecutor, said the length of the scheme shows Weisselberg and others "were running a financially corrupt organization." He noted they did nothing to address the tax shortfall even when they knew they were being investigated. "The indictment says the scheme began in 2005, and they're charged through yesterday," Kirschner said. "They were scheming and defrauding right through yesterday." He predicted the case will lead to more indictments, and possibly the demise of the Trump Organization. "If the Trump Organization is convicted, banks will not loan it money," he said."

"The district attorney's office declined to comment on the indictment, saying it "relates to an active, ongoing investigation."

"Seemingly minor tax investigations have brought down companies in New York before. Twenty years ago, then-Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau filed tax evasion charges against Dennis Kozlowski, then the powerful chief executive of Tyco International, a high-flying conglomerate. Kozlowski was charged with evading state sales taxes on $13 million in fine art purchases by having empty boxes supposedly containing the artworks shipped to New Hampshire to avoid New York sales taxes. The amount of sales tax Kozlowski avoided in that case was $2 million."

"After that indictment, Kozlowski resigned as CEO and Tyco launched an investigation into his activities at the company. So did securities regulators and federal prosecutors who found that Kozlowski had received undisclosed low-interest or interest-free loans from the company and used the money for high living. Three years after the initial indictment on sales tax evasion, Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, his chief financial officer, were convicted of stealing $600 million from the company and sentenced to jail. Tyco was broken up and sold. Kirschner said a conviction could similarly spell the end for the Trump Organization. "That could be the death knell," he said. Vanderbilt's Moran was a little more skeptical, citing Trump's history of dealing with financial problems at the company. "The former president has shown being forced into bankruptcy doesn't mean the end of the company," she said."

"The Trump Organization wasted little time Thursday before denouncing the indictment of its longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg and condemning state authorities in New York for their “scorched earth attempt to harm” the corporation’s figurehead, former president Donald Trump. “This is not justice,” the company declared in a four-sentence unsigned statement after Weisselberg, 73, surrendered around dawn. “This is politics.”

"Former prosecutors and legal experts who have closely watched the investigation, a joint pursuit by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. (D) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), rejected Trump’s assertion that his company and close adviser are being pursued as part of a political vendetta. Authorities understand “the eyes of the world are on this prosecution, and one would think they would ... bend over backwards not to treat Trump differently,” said Thomas C. Rotko, who handled public corruption and fraud cases in the district attorney’s office. “It is absolutely vital,” New York University tax law professor Daniel N. Shaviro said, “to prosecute things like this with well-known people to show taxpayers that the law applies to everyone.”

"Still, the investigation’s political overtones are inescapable. Trump has seized on comments James made during her 2018 election campaign, when she called him an “illegitimate president” and vowed to investigate his family business. And in the run-up to Thursday’s indictment, Democrats appeared highly attuned to the possibility of political blowback. “I’m sure the NY DA and AG understand that, from an optics standpoint, the first charges they bring against the Trump Organization can’t be petty, rarely-prosecuted crimes. Don’t they?” David Axelrod, a former campaign strategist for President Barack Obama, tweeted Wednesday. Weisselberg is accused of participating in a 15-year tax fraud scheme involving more than $1.7 million in unreported compensation. He pleaded not guilty during a brief court appearance on Thursday. The grand jury indictment charges Weisselberg with grand larceny, a felony that can result in prison time, among other charges. The Trump Organization is charged with failing to report or pay taxes on benefits it provided to select employees. It, too, has pleaded not guilty. Trump himself has not been accused of a crime, and he warned in an op-ed published earlier this week that “having politically motivated prosecutors, people who actually got elected because they will ‘get Donald Trump,’ is a very dangerous thing for our Country.”

Walls are certainly beginning to close in on the top of the food chain for a change instead of the bottom and middle class. If Trump truly had nothing to hide, why fight so hard to prevent prosecutors from accessing his company records? Would have told them to have it. Knock themselves out.

"Speaking in court, Assistant District Attorney Carey Dunne sought to confront the criticism from Trump and others. “Politics,” he said, “has no role in the grand jury chamber, and I can assure your honor that it played no role here.” The investigation, Dunne added, has been “thorough, careful and proper.” James’s office did not directly address her prior comments about Trump, but in a statement said, “We will follow the facts and the law wherever they may lead.” The Trump Organization’s statement in response to the charges said that no other district attorney would “ever think” of bringing a criminal prosecution over employee benefits. Not so, countered Rotko. Small companies, including restaurants and family-owned businesses, are routinely charged criminally for state tax violations in New York, he said. Such cases over, say, unpaid sales tax often get resolved in civil proceedings but can be handled criminally depending on the amount of money involved and how pervasive and persistent the tax avoidance is. The charges unveiled Thursday may be the beginning of a broader and more serious criminal case targeting not only the former president’s business but other executives there, former prosecutors and legal experts said."

Not surprising, is it? Likely, to do all they can to discredit bullshit coming from Trump and his minions. -- While expanding the investigation and targets of the investigation.

"Authorities are hoping Weisselberg will testify against Trump to lessen his legal exposure. The indictment mentions, but does not name, two other employees who received free housing in New York City and car leases. The investigation dates back more than two years and the totality of evidence probably is not yet publicly known. For instance, investigators have also looked at whether the Trump Organization manipulated the value of properties in its real estate portfolio in a way that deceived lenders and tax authorities. “The more organized, the more pervasive and the more it was orchestrated by top management, the more justified the D.A. is in bringing this case against the organization,” said Rebecca Roiphe, a professor at New York Law School and former assistant district attorney in Manhattan. “I don’t think there is an effective legal argument that this is a political witch hunt, but I do think there could be an effective political argument if this is where the investigation stops.” Regardless of the former president’s political prominence and public perception, Roiphe added that if investigators uncover evidence of substantial accounting fraud, it is incumbent on authorities to pursue it. “I would definitely pursue the case, and it would have nothing to do with the identity of the person likely responsible,” she said, emphasizing that this case fits squarely within the purview of the district attorney’s office."

"Both investigations appear to have started with allegations from Trump’s former fixer and longtime lawyer Michael Cohen. James has said in court filings that her investigation was triggered by Cohen’s testimony to Congress, where he said Trump repeatedly exaggerated the value of his assets to mislead lenders and tax officials. Legal experts also noted that the investigation has dragged on, and required substantial resources, in part because Trump went to great lengths to try to block his longtime accounting firm from giving investigators years of his tax and business records. Although Trump did not prevail in two stops at the Supreme Court, he succeeded in delaying the investigation for 17 months while the case worked its way through the legal system."

If the bastard truly had nothing to hide, why do it? If innocent of wrongdoing, why not immediately grant access after telling them to go f--k themselves?

“Another company wouldn’t have gotten two days to challenge that subpoena, let alone two years,” said Daniel Alonso, who served as chief assistant district attorney under Vance but left the office before it began investigating Trump. The lengthy effort “was because Trump put in a lot of effort to try to frustrate at least that part of the inquiry.”

"After reviewing the 25-page indictment Thursday, Alonso called the case “more serious” than a routine state tax matter in that the Internal Revenue Service is also identified as a victim in the alleged scheme. “It’s not just untaxed fringe benefits,” Alonso said, “but a way to funnel off-the-books payments to Weisselberg, a favored executive.”

"The combined loss of more than $900,000 in local, state and federal taxes is significant, Alonso added, and allows prosecutors, if there is a conviction, to seek a state prison term of up to five to 15 years. Before seeking an indictment to charge a corporation, authorities would have had to consider several factors, including a requirement that prosecutors take into account companies and credit companies that cooperate and self-report misconduct. “Those factors,” Alonso said, “don’t seem to play in favor of the Trump Organization here.”

The question to be asked is simple. Why hasn't Trump been indicted? What are they waiting for? What are they so afraid of? Not just financial malfeasance, however, but deliberate traitorous, treasonous incitement of the January 6, 2021 insurrection.

"House Majority Whip James Clyburn says "if it comes to that" the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack will ask former President Donald Trump to testify, but would prefer not to call on a former president."

Why not? Who better to call than the kingpin of the insurrection? Why special treatment for a president or former president? In a democratic republic, no one is above the law. Including the top of the food chain.

"They should go wherever the facts lead," the South Carolina Democrat told CNN's "State of the Union." "I would not want to see a former president testify in such a situation as this, but if that's what it takes in order to get to the bottom of this."

Again, why not? Who better to provide information than the kingpin, the one who incited insurrection? Not only that, Trump remains a congenital liar. Truly think he'll truthfully testify under oath? If he fails to do so, certainly gives another opportunity to prosecute the lying son of a bitch.

"The House voted 222-190 on Wednesday to establish the committee to probe the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who serves as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, will chair the select committee, along with several other democrats and lone Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming."

Sadly, there were no other Republicans willing to hold their fuhrer accountable for his crimes.

"On Saturday, Trump held a rally in Florida where he called for more information about the death of Ashli Babbitt who was fatally shot during the Capitol riot."

The above certainly indicative of Trump's strategy, perverse belief, 'can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.'

"Separately, the former president gave his first public reaction to the recent criminal indictments against his company and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. Trump framed the charges as an ongoing political witch hunt that attacks “good people” for not paying taxes."

"On Thursday, the Trump Organization pleaded not guilty to charges that included tax fraud and falsifying business records. Weisselberg, 73, pleaded not guilty to grand larceny and tax fraud charges, among others, after prosecutors accused him of personally avoiding taxes on $1.7 million of his income."

Be interesting to see if Weisselberg winds up turning on his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, to save his ass.

Even out of power, the Trump nazi and his equally fascist followers present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"Congress is just beginning a new investigation into the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, but the movement behind it remains as active as ever. Former President Donald Trump is frequently repeating false claims of victory, plotting revenge against politicians who opposed his efforts to overturn the election, attacking key Republicans who refuse to back him up now and hinting at a return to power, either through another presidential run or some other means."

What 'other means?' Treasonous, traitorous overthrow of the United States government?

"There’s no legal avenue for Trump to reverse the 2020 results. But a half-dozen scholars who study democracy and election laws told NBC News they are increasingly worried that 2024 could be a repeat of 2020, only with a party further remade in the former president’s image and better equipped to sow disorder during the process and even potentially overturn the results."

Catastrophically, that would likely lead to the unthinkable, unwanted, that is, open warfare.

“Obviously the insurrection was horrific in its violence and assault on democracy, but it didn't disrupt the true winner of the election,” said Edward B. Foley, a professor at Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University who researches election law. “What you don’t want is it to have been a rehearsal.”

Precisely, why it is critical prosecutors get up off their ass and charge the Trump nazi for his financial crimes and incitement of insurrection at the very least.

"Nightmare scenarios include local or state officials refusing to certify votes, governors and state legislatures submitting electoral votes that disagree with each other or overrule the apparent vote counts, fights over the legitimacy of judges overseeing the process and the House and Senate disagreeing on the winner. A chaotic transition could create an opening for further violence, either from extremists attempting to disrupt the process again or mass unrest if the winner is viewed as illegitimate."

“We should not pretend these dangers are fantastical or that these are absurd hypotheticals,” Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine. “Given what we saw Trump actually do in 2020, these things are now within the realm of possibility and need to be legislated against and organized against so we have a fair election process going forward.” New and proposed laws in states like Georgia and Arizona have sought to wrest power from state and local election officials, some of whom played a role in resisting the former president’s demands last election."

Republicans who know better remain gutless, driven by partisanship not principle:

"Republicans face significant pressure from their base to make these types of systemic changes — and potentially go much further. Lee Drutman, a senior fellow at the New America foundation, released survey data last month that found 46 percent of Republicans supported empowering state legislatures to overturn election results in states President Joe Biden won, as Trump demanded they do in 2020."

“At a psychological level, there’s a sense that ‘we’re the legitimate Americans and the natural majority,’ and the only way the other side could win is through fraud,” Drutman said."

Ludicrously, the direct opposite is the truth. It is precisely what delusional Republicans are currently doing, -- despite the fact there was no significant voter fraud in the 2020 election.

"The Trump-led focus on identifying new ways to discredit, assert control over or ultimately throw out an unfavorable result by targeting the right bureaucratic choke points creates new risks."

"Some observers worry the party’s increased willingness to even entertain these scenarios could create perverse incentives in which state or local officials try to boost the odds of a poorly administered election that would give partisan leaders more flexibility to intervene. “Federal law contains an arcane provision that allows state legislatures, in certain circumstances, to directly appoint presidential electors after Election Day if there has been a ‘failed’ election,” Lisa Manheim, a professor at the University of Washington School of Law, said. “I worry about state legislatures trying to use errors in election administration — including errors the legislature itself has permitted or even facilitated — as a pretextual ground for triggering this provision.”

Think that can't, won't happen courtesy of insane, delusional Republican nazis?

"Critics argue that proposed state laws in places like Texas, for example, that would impose new criminal penalties on election administrators could discourage people from taking crucial positions, especially given the abuse directed toward these typically nondescript workers after the 2020 race. Hasen and other experts have called on Congress to pursue reforms to make it harder to challenge state results, clarify ambiguities in how disputes are mediated and require states to provide a clear paper trail for all ballots so disputes can be reviewed transparently by courts and independent observers. Most of these concerns are distinct from voting reform bills pursued by Democrats in Congress, which have been blocked by Republicans."

Sad it's come down to the above. Direct threat to a democratic republic by the nazi element in our formerly great country. Particularly, ironic? Hundreds of thousands of our best and brightest died fighting this nazi ideology. Second World War European Theater.

"If a state submits questionable results or there’s a disagreement between the state legislature and governor, it will be up to the House and Senate to sort it out. In the event they can’t agree on approving competing claims, however, the law defers to the governor. If a state cannot submit its electoral votes in time, the law also suggests a state legislature may step in later. In 2020, every governor and state legislature accepted the election results, but the midterms could reshuffle the landscape. Trump has sought to punish Republican incumbents like Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger with primary challenges. Trump has also lashed out at otherwise supportive Republican legislators in states like Wisconsin and Michigan who have affirmed the results."

All the more reason why prosecutors need to quickly hold Trump accountable for financial malfeasance and incitement of insurrection at the very least.

“The fact that it held in 2020 doesn't guarantee it will hold in 2024,” Omar Wasow, an assistant professor of politics at Princeton University, said. “You need ethical people in these jobs, and we’re seeing a lot of ethical people leaving in part because they've been threatened or attacked by partisans or because the level of vitriol they've been subject to is not worth the effort.”

Remains an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties perpetrated by the nazi element in the Republican Party.

"The United States would not be unique if it fell into a prolonged election dispute, but it would not necessarily be in good company. “Many other countries are going through problems of backsliding in democracy, but most of the countries going back are ones that were fragile,” Pippa Norris, a political scientist at Harvard University, said. One reason some scholars are wary of taking the strength of the current system for granted is that the U.S. has fallen into partial authoritarianism before. Until 1965, African Americans were excluded from voting in Southern states through a combination of legal barriers and threats of violence and economic retaliation. Americans are growing more fearful of presidential election losses as politics becomes a more all-encompassing part of their identity and the perceived consequences become more dire, leading some to contemplate drastic measures to prevent failure at any cost."

Should that happen, could and would likely lead to open warfare. There is no way Americans will accept Republican-imposed nazism.

"While Trump isn’t the only factor in this shift, his contributions are clear. In the run-up to the 2020 election, Trump baselessly warned that a Democratic president would “hurt the Bible, hurt God” and “shut your churches down, permanently” and said at a rally on Jan. 6 that “our country will be destroyed” if Biden’s victory was sealed. He has also for years weakened taboos about invoking political violence, a concern prominent Republicans raised long before the Capitol riot. "As long as we have this all-or-nothing binary style of politics, which makes it much easier to demonize and stereotype and fearmonger about the opposition," Drutman, the New America fellow, said, "we’re not going to get out of this."

... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Too deaf to hear? Or, too aggressively stupid and out to lunch.

"When former president Donald Trump weighed in on the criminal tax case against his business this weekend, some saw a tacit admission to the schemes the Trump Organization is accused of. “They go after good, hard-working people for not paying taxes on a company car,” Trump said Saturday night at a rally in Sarasota, Fla. “You didn’t pay tax on the car or a company apartment. You used an apartment because you need an apartment because you have to travel too far where your house is. You didn’t pay tax. Or education for your grandchildren. I don’t even know. Do you have to? Does anybody know the answer to that stuff?” It’s certainly valid to suggest Trump is granting that these violations might have indeed happened. Perhaps the better interpretation, though, is that Trump is mounting a defense: one of ignorance. (Okay, maybe this stuff happened, but we — or at least I — didn’t know it was illegal.) And knowledge of the tax law is vital to proving tax fraud. There is one massive problem with all of this, though. And that’s that Trump has spent years telling us he is, in fact, the world’s — and even history’s — foremost expert on the tax code. “By the way, just so you know, I know more formulas, I know more about tax abatements, I know more about taxes than any human being that God ever created,” Trump said in March 2016. “I know every form of tax — believe me — from the [value-added taxes] to the fair tax to — every single form of tax,” he said in August 2015. That same month, Trump claimed, “Look, nobody knows the tax code better than I do. Okay? I know it better. I’m the king of the tax code.”

How about that? LOL. -- Nothing quite like aggressive stupidity, is there? LOL.

"Trump added in May 2016: “I think nobody knows more about taxes than I do, maybe in the history of the world. Nobody knows more about taxes.” That same month: “Nobody knows more about taxes than I do — and income than I do.” And after the New York Times in October 2016 obtained a 1995 tax return that suggested Trump went to great lengths to avoid paying taxes, Trump tweeted: “I understand the tax laws better than almost anyone, which is why I’m the one who can truly fix them.” He added two days later: “I know how the tax code works better than anyone, and I am going to fix it so it is fair, and just, and works for you and your family.”

"At other points, Trump avoided placing himself in the No. 1 slot, but rather merely put himself in the rarefied air of the extreme few who truly understand the tax code. “I’ve been saying from the beginning of this campaign how ridiculous, complex and, yes, unfair the tax system is,” he said in Colorado the day after the Times’s report. “It is an unfair system, and so complex that very few people understand it. Fortunately, I understand it.” He added in the same speech: “My understanding of the tax code gave me a tremendous advantage over those who didn’t have a clue about it, including many of my competitors, who lost everything they had, never to be heard from again — never — they were never heard from again.” And this continued into his presidency, particularly when it came to the tax cuts the GOP passed. “I know more about the big bills … than any president that’s ever been in office,” he told the Times in December 2017. “Whether it’s health care and taxes. Especially taxes.”

"Trump also said in January 2016, “I use every single thing in the book. And I have great people.” That last one, in particular, now looms pretty large. Trump wasn’t just attesting to his own intricate knowledge of the finer points of the tax code, but also to the acumen of those surrounding him. The totality of his comments practically screams: We knew exactly what we were doing at all times, and I concerned myself with these matters greatly. That’s an extremely far cry from someone saying he didn’t even know they had to pay taxes on perks like apartments and company cars. That’s among the most basic bits of corporate tax knowledge one could have."

"And as we and many others have noted, prosecutors in the indictment suggest this was indeed rather deliberate and carefully laid out in the documents they have obtained. Essentially, prosecutors say, those documents show direct compensation for chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, who has been indicted along with the Trump Organization, was reduced in accordance with these indirect benefits."

Think the CFO may eventually turn on his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, to save his sorry ass?

“For certain years, the Trump Organization maintained internal spreadsheets that tracked the amounts it paid for Weisselberg’s rent, utility, and garage expenses,” the indictment says. “Simultaneously, the Trump Organization reduced the amount of direct compensation that Weisselberg received in the form of checks or direct deposits to account for the indirect compensation that he received in the form of payments of rent, utility bills, and garage expenses.”

"Trump’s past comments about his knowledge of the tax code, of course, are characteristically full of bluster. This is hardly the only thing he’s claimed to be the best or most knowledgeable about. Back in October 2016, after one of these same comments, I detailed 19 things Trump claimed he knew better than anyone else. (Among them: renewable energy, the military, debt, money and “the horrors of nuclear.”) But, to the extent the tax violations are indeed proved and the only defense left is to claim they were innocent mistakes, you can bet these past comments will factor into the case. And should the case ever ensnare Trump personally, he seems to be laying out a preemptive defense. It’s just a defense that bears no resemblance to pretty much everything he said before he found himself in legal hot water."

No kidding. LOL. Hat's off to Aaron Blake, Senior Reporter, for his masterful documentation and analysis. Truly breathtaking.

Time to wake up. Never allow another president to wage another meaningless, unwinnable war to line the pockets of the corporate management suite. NPR reports:

"With little fanfare, the last major U.S. military base in Afghanistan has been handed over to the Afghans. While the U.S. military is not calling the departure from Bagram Air Field a formal end to the U.S. war effort, it does reflect a presence that dwindled to a tiny remaining force. This comes as members of Congress and Afghan officials express concern about the future of the country, as the Taliban takes over large swaths of territory in the countryside and the prospect of an intensified civil war looms."

Bush determinedly failed to consider the consequences before deciding to invade a country that has not been conquered by invasion for centuries. Including, by the Soviets.

"The U.S. drawdown marks the end to the longest war in American history, one that has challenged successive administrations as the prospect of quagmire loomed and the initial furor of 9/11 faded."

That is not to say, however, that Bush could not have given the bastards quite a bloody nose by bombing the living shit out of the Taliban after the 9/11 attack. ... An attack we could have prevented had we not been asleep at the wheel.

"On an October afternoon 20 years ago, President George W. Bush announced the invasion of Afghanistan. "On my orders," Bush said from the White House, "the United States military has begun strikes against al-Qaida terrorists' training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan." He went on to say that the U.S. was joined in the invasion by "our staunch friend" Great Britain, then one by one listed others involved — Canada, Australia, Germany and France. In recent days, troops from those countries, along with Italy and Poland, quietly left Afghanistan with virtually no ceremony and only a few words from officials when they arrived home. "We have worked long and hard to stand here today," said Brig. Gen. Ansgar Meyer, the last commander of his country's contingent during a ceremony at an air base in northern Germany. "As your commander, I can say for you: 'Mission accomplished.' You have fulfilled your task."

"Whether any of the NATO or U.S. forces accomplished their mission is questionable."

"The Taliban forces are on the move across the country, surrounding district centers and threatening the approaches to Kabul itself. U.S. military officials say there's an even chance the capital will fall this year, while others say the country could fall in 12 months. The top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Scott Miller, is expected to formally depart in mid-July, after a ceremony with Afghan officials. Hundreds of U.S. troops will remain as a security force to protect the U.S. Embassy and Kabul airport. Miller held a brief press conference at his headquarters in Kabul, but reporters were kept away from U.S. bases, such as Bagram Air Field, one of the first places seized by U.S. troops some 20 years ago. Bagram itself was recently turned over to Afghan authorities. Both Miller and top Afghan official Abdullah Abdullah predicted a bleak future without U.S. and NATO forces. "The security situation is not good," Miller told reporters in his last press conference. "A civil war path is visualizable." "The truth is, today the survival, security and unity of Afghanistan is in danger," Abdullah said. "There is no better way than peace. With the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, the war has escalated."

Surprised? Why? How? Inevitable. History repeating itself. Yet, we never smarten up. Fail to consider ultimate consequences of ill-advised policy, achingly stupid decisions made by idiots in Washington:

"More than 2,400 American troops died in the war, and another 20,000 were injured. More than $1 trillion was spent on operations and training Afghan forces during those two decades. Tens of thousands of Afghans died in the fighting that still rages."

"American officials insist the U.S. is not abandoning Afghanistan, even though both combat troops and trainers are leaving. President Biden pledged a "sustained" partnership. And Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said a focus of support will be the Afghan air force. The U.S. will train Afghans and repair their equipment in another country in the Middle East, perhaps the United Arab Emirates. Some $3.3 billion will be slated to support the Afghan security forces, numbering some 300,000. More Black Hawk helicopters will be sent to Afghanistan, and officials say U.S. contractors may continue to maintain them, with contracts set up through the Afghan government. Without contract support, officials say, the fledgling Afghan air force could be grounded in as little as two months. When Biden announced that all U.S. forces would leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11, it caught many by surprise. The president's military advisers argued for keeping those 2,500 troops on the ground to pressure the Taliban to reduce violence and continue peace talks. Biden was adamant. "I have concluded that it's time to end America's longest war. It's time for American troops to come home," he said. Some are saying the abrupt withdrawal will only make matters worse. "Washington should have learned that lesson from the Obama administration's withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 — where U.S. forces were forced to return in 2014," said Brad Bowman, a defense analyst with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "Yet, the Biden administration is making the same mistake now in Afghanistan. President Biden is pursuing a timeline-based withdrawal that ignores continuing threats to American interests and the advice of commanders."

Clearly, the bullshit never ends. Nor the carnage and waste of taxpayer dollars.

"We should get out. But this is not the right way to do it," said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "Good on Biden as the first president to get us out. Bad on him to fumble this in a few critical ways." Rieckhoff said the Biden administration failed to have a plan ready to ensure the safety of the thousands of Afghans who worked with the Americans as interpreters. "Now countless will die," he said. Some already have died at the hands of the Taliban. The State Department is working on a plan to evacuate anywhere from 20,000 to more than 100,000 Afghans who worked for the United States. Depending on the security situation in Kabul, they could be moved to a country in the Middle East for the processing of special immigrant visas. Rieckhoff also said, "The moral injury and mental health impact of this withdrawal is huge." Many are wondering about the loss of friends, and those grievously wounded, asking what was the point of their sacrifice?"

Bush and his henchmen failed to consider any of this before the invasion. Clearly, couldn't have cared less.

"I'm hearing from a lot of docs and vets who are seeing a surge in need," he said, "and expecting a flood." Ten years ago, after completing a series on the Marine battalion 3/5 "Darkhorse," which had the highest casualty rate of a Marine unit in Afghanistan, an NPR reporter asked a senior officer: Was it all worth it? "That depends on how Afghanistan turns out," he replied."

Same question asked of Korea and Vietnam. Answer well-known. Massive failure. Both wars.

"While the Biden administration insists that the Taliban must reduce violence and peace talks must continue, some say that is unlikely now that the allied forces are gone."

More proof we still haven't smartened up, determinedly refuse to accept the truth of egregiously failed policy that could never have been successful no matter the cost in terms of lives lost, dollars wasted:

"The Afghan peace process is now dead as a doornail," says Jeffrey Stacey, a longtime U.N. consultant in Afghanistan. "With equal parts of tragedy and irony, it was killed by Joe Biden's decision to withdraw the bulk of U.S. forces prematurely, right as NATO and Afghan forces were in the course of applying sufficient battlefield pressure needed to compel the Taliban to make concessions at the peace negotiations table in (Qatar)." Talking with the Taliban was not the plan in 2001 when the U.S. swiftly overthrew the Taliban government, while its members sought refuge in Pakistan or went to ground in Afghanistan."

Think that truly happened all those years ago, that is, overthrow of the Taliban? If so, amazing how the Taliban somehow, some way resurrected itself from the dead, isn't it? Clearly, the bullshit, fallacy in our thinking and policy never seem to end:

"Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who recently passed away at 88, dismissed any notion of talking, insisting on arrest or death for Taliban and al-Qaida members. Meanwhile, President Bush pledged to help bring democracy to Afghanistan and an aid package that he likened to the Marshall Plan that helped rebuild Europe after World War II. And Bush said he expected the Taliban to return. "We expect cells of trained killers to try to regroup, to murder, create mayhem and try to undermine Afghanistan's efforts to build a lasting peace," he said. "We know this from not only intelligence but from the history of military conflict in Afghanistan. It's been one of initial success followed by long years of floundering and ultimate failure. We're not going to repeat that mistake."

Precisely, what ludicrously wound up happening. Aggressive stupidity at its very worst. What true "initial success?" Abject bullshit by the Bush nazi.

"That began the long war, with an increasing number of U.S. and NATO troops — as many as 150,000 — taking part as the Taliban not only regrouped but eventually gained more and more territory."

Again, the Taliban resurrected itself from the dead. Imagine that. Couldn't be, could it? Bullshit never ends. We can't seem to ever own up to egregious policy failure.

"Looking back, officials and military officers point to a number of problems that plagued the effort from the start. Corruption was rampant within the Afghan government at all levels, driving average Afghans into the arms of the Taliban. And the U.S. never dealt effectively with that corruption."

"Moreover, there was never sufficient faith in the Afghan government as well as divisions among the various political factions."

Why would there have been? Moreover, would have been abject insanity to have had any faith in the Afghan government.

"The U.S. Army's own field manual on counterinsurgency states that success is difficult without a strong local partner and with the existence of safe havens. The U.S. and NATO never had a true partner early on with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and the Taliban safe havens in Pakistan that continue to this day."

"Meanwhile, many average Afghans over time soured on an occupation by foreign forces."

"Back in 2011, an NPR team was embedded with a U.S. Army unit destroying roadside bombs north of Kandahar, the largest city in the country's south. A village elder, Said Gull, complained about the noise to Capt. Brant Auge, a West Point graduate from Mississippi. When asked what he thought about the Americans — whether they should stay or go home — Gull said that Afghans do not need the Taliban or the U.S. forces. He then turned to an Afghan officer standing next to Auge and said, "This man is my brother. He will fight for me and with me." With Auge, it is different, Gull said. "He is from a different religion. If he was my own religion, he would be my brother."

"The U.S. always had difficulties fielding an adequate Afghan security force amid the corruption, the incompetence of some Afghan military leaders and the high illiteracy rates of the rank-and-file forces. And key support from the U.S. and its allies — with airstrikes and artillery fire, as well as medical assistance — was crucial to success on the battlefield. "Afghan forces fighting side by side with U.S. and coalition forces that had fire support and Medevac support generally performed adequately," recalled retired Marine Lt. Gen. Larry Nicholson, who led forces in Helmand Province, in the south. "However those Afghan units who fought alone had many more problems and challenges. Morale is everything to a military unit, and where we saw honest and ethical Afghan military leaders who cared for their troops, we saw positive results," he said. "If the climate was rife with corruption and personal gain for the military leaders, the morale was terrible and thus so was the performance against the enemy."

"One Afghan officer who the Americans praise is Gen. Sami Sadat who was trained in both the U.S. and Great Britain and is leading Afghan forces in Helmand Province, where the Taliban are making gains in an area once controlled by Nicholson and his Marines after fierce fighting. The provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, has been threatened as is neighboring Kandahar Province. "Lashkar Gah and Kandahar cities are safe and we have enough forces and manpower and determination to defend it," Sadat said in a brief phone call from Helmand. "We are keeping the surrounding districts under government control and we plan to expand our security bubble." Whether the general can hold Helmand and whether the country descends into civil war is uncertain. But most analysts say what is certain is the violence will only get worse in the coming weeks and months."

If history over the last several centuries in Afghanistan is any indication, the war is lost.

"And as far as America's involvement? Much like the U.S. military mission in Vietnam, it will be debated and dissected in books and university courses for many years to come. "It is too soon to really understand what Afghanistan means for America, how we will remember it, what it's legacy will be," said Carter Malkasian, an adviser to the U.S. military in Afghanistan and a top Pentagon aide, whose latest book, The American War in Afghanistan: A History, was just released. "I am painfully aware of the suffering of the war, but I also think we should not forget how many of our servicemen and women dedicated themselves to protecting Americans at home and also tried to help the Afghans."

The legacy no different than the failed wars in Korea and Vietnam. Saddest of all? All these decades after the fact, we still can't own up to the truth.

Consider a most fitting follow-up to the above. It is precisely why the truly dedicated lives of our best and brightest shouldn't be wasted lining the pockets of the corporate management suite. NPR News reports:

"More than 11 years after a bullet grazed by his head in Afghanistan, destroying his eardrum and singeing the side of his face, Joe Hardebeck has been awarded the Purple Heart. But for a long time, the 33-year-old senior Navy corpsman's pride stood in the way. He hadn't really been shot or lost a limb. Hardebeck didn't believe he had been wounded badly enough to deserve the military's oldest award. Hardebeck is currently serving with the 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, an artillery unit at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. But his injuries for which he is being recognized took place in the spring of 2010 in Marjah, Afghanistan — one of the most dangerous cities in the country at the time. The Marines had been ambushed three or four times that day. Taliban fighters attacked with small arms fire from several hundred yards away, the Marines responded with their own barrage of bullets. Eventually the fighting would come to a stop, only to start up again a short while later after the Marines had become comfortable — but not complacent — with the quiet. It was Feb. 21, 2010, and the Taliban were battling to retain control of the city of Marjah, their last stronghold in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. They would not go quietly. Hardebeck, then a 22-year-old Navy hospital corpsman assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, was on his second combat deployment. And while his role, traditionally, was to save lives — not to take them — he was deemed a combatant until the situation dictated, seamlessly transitioning from rifleman to lifesaver in a heartbeat. Amid the quiet, Hardebeck leaned against a wall, scanning the horizon for indicators of the next attack. The Marines had taken cover behind a small building, bounding from one structure to the next as they advanced through rural farmland. Next came a deafening crack — a miniature explosion. A bullet bound for his head had missed, striking the wall mere inches away from his face. Hardebeck recoiled behind the wall after the impact peppered him with dirt and debris. "I think they're shooting at me," he told the Marines around him. Everyone laughed, as they always did, before they continued about their business, running and gunning in a country far from home. He didn't know it at the time, but the round had passed so close and at such great speed that the pressure ruptured his ear drum. Hardebeck said it even caused a minor burn along the side of his cheek. Shortly after, another Marine approached him and said, "You know you have blood coming out of your ear?" Simultaneously, an officer seized Hardebeck and hurried him along. A Marine across the way had been shot; they needed help."

"The thought of leaving his men to seek appropriate medical attention never crossed his mind. Hardebeck was the senior corpsman for his company, responsible for the oversight of about a dozen other "docs," men who looked to him for direction. Additionally, the Marines were his family. Had something happened to them while he was gone, he later explained, he would never forgive himself. And so, he stayed. Originally created by George Washington in 1782 as the Badge of Military Merit, the Purple Heart is presented to service members that are killed or wounded in combat. It's one award most don't want to pay their pound of flesh for. There have been more than 1.8 million recipients since its inception, but Hardebeck believes the number for those who qualify for the award is higher. A handful of his peers were also wounded, to some degree, while serving overseas. But many service members, like Hardebeck, who qualify for the Purple Heart keep their afflictions to themselves. "When something that we view as minor, whether it be a small abrasion, a cut, a perforated eardrum, something that didn't take us out of the fight, it's hard to, to accept the fact that, that it still rates a Purple Heart," Hardebeck said. "And that was where my mind went with all of that. It wasn't that I didn't think I should get it per se, but I didn't think I deserved it. I wasn't hurt enough." It wasn't until years later, in 2017, that a tragedy brought Hardebeck and some of the Marines from that deployment back together. And in typical Marine fashion, the men started swapping stories over beers, reminiscing about their time in Afghanistan and the events. About half the men at the table, Hardebeck recalled, had been wounded during the push for Marjah, many from shrapnel and rock following an improvised explosive device blast. And other than one hardened Marine, who had three Purple Hearts, nobody had submitted the paperwork. When their eyes turned to him, Hardebeck promised he would at least look into how to go about filing for the award. He spent the better part of a year gathering his records and contacting his previous commanders to vouch for him. At the end of 2017, his application was denied. But Hardebeck reapplied one year later, and with additional paperwork in his corner, his request was granted. Hardebeck was retroactively awarded the Purple Heart at Camp Pendleton on Thursday afternoon in a ceremony less than half an hour. His mother, Cheryl Redwine, said she got teary-eyed as she watched from the crowd. She sat with Hardebeck's two children and their mother, all of whom had flown in for the occasion. Following the ceremony, Hardebeck's fellow Marines and sailors descended upon him for hugs, handshakes and congratulations. Shortly after that, the crowd dispersed. "It's pretty surreal for me," Hardebeck said. "Part of me is glad that I took the advice of those who are close to me to push me to get the award, but I'm also glad that chapter of my life is over and I can move on. "It makes me think about everything I've gone through and where I've been since," he added. While Hardebeck was receiving his award, the U.S. handed over control of Bagram Airfield, one of the largest military installations in Afghanistan. After nearly 20 years, the American military is pulling its troops out of the country. His mind wanders into the past from time to time. The names of 11 fellow Marines who didn't make it home from Afghanistan often weigh heavy on him, some days a little heavier than others. But Hardebeck has learned to celebrate the lives of his fallen friends, living his best life for them. This weekend, that entails fireworks with his family. They'll spend Independence day together, watching the skies light up."

"Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, on Friday filed a claim seeking $20 million in damages from the federal government, alleging top figures in the Trump administration retaliated against him by sending him back to prison after he was furloughed last year. The claim states that government officials committed "false arrest, false imprisonment, abuse of process, wrongful confinement, and retaliation" against Cohen for, in large part, making critical statements about the former president and writing a book about his time working for Trump."

"Mr. Cohen was the personal attorney to the President of the United States and if he could be thrown in jail for desiring to write a critical book of the President one’s imagination need not go far before realizing that such unacceptable and constitutionally violative conduct could be directed at any of us," his attorney, Jeffrey Levine, said in a statement. "That is not hyperbole and not acceptable." Levine also said that Cohen plans to file a lawsuit related to violations of his First Amendment rights, and it will name former Attorney General Bill Barr and the head of the Bureau of Prisons, Michael Carvajal. Cohen's book, titled “Disloyal: A Memoir," was released in September 2020. In it, Cohen alleged that Trump worked with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election and that Trump worked to get close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and “his coterie of corrupt billionaire oligarchs,” among other misdeeds. Trump has repeatedly and consistently denied any collusion with Russia in the 2016 election."

"Cohen, 54, also described fearing for his life after his decision to testify against Trump and said that he believed the president wanted him dead. At one point, Cohen said, he contemplated suicide as death threats “had come by the hundreds.” He has been described in the past as Trump's "fixer," but turned on his former boss, calling him a "con man" and "a cheat" during dramatic testimony before Congress in 2019. Cohen was released from federal prison in May 2020. He was serving a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to what a federal judge called a "veritable smorgasbord" of criminal conduct, including making secret payments to women who said they'd had had affairs with Trump, lying to Congress about the president’s business dealings with Russia and failing to report millions of dollars in income. Cohen was initially set to be released from federal lockup in Otisville, New York, in November 2021. He had served just over a year of his sentence when he was released early. But Cohen was sent back to prison in July 2020 after refusing to sign a home confinement agreement barring him from publishing a book or speaking to the media. Cohen argued in his claim that his trip to meet probation officials at the federal courthouse in Manhattan that day in July was a trap. Law enforcement officials previously said Cohen, who had been released from prison because of coronavirus concerns, refused to sign the agreement prohibiting him from interacting with the media or writing a book. Cohen was presented eight conditions required for home confinement and became angered about the media gag rule, his former attorney and adviser Lanny Davis said at the time. Davis said Cohen was reluctant to sign because he had already completed his book while in prison."

"However, Cohen was later released in mid-July of last year after a federal judge ordered him freed, agreeing with Cohen's attorneys that he was wrongly sent back to prison after making public statements critical of Trump. "Accountability for these tyrannical, unconstitutional and retaliatory acts are necessary to uphold our forefathers intent for independence, democracy and the rule of law," Cohen's attorney said in a statement. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment."

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.

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Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609
libertyinperil@protonmail.com

Liberty In Peril

... Formerly

The Llano Ledger