Newsletter Text V810

Liberty In Peril

... Formerly

The Llano Ledger

Newsletter Text V810 ©2023 All Rights Reserved
February 10, 2023

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Publisher's Note: This publication receives no financial support through advertising. Although shaken down, looted, and abused by corrupt government, area businesses remain unwilling to stand up. Locals are too gutless to donate financially, cowardly fearing retribution. For this publication to survive, national readers need to contribute. Liberty In Peril is, has been, and will always remain beholden to NO ONE. -- Precisely why there is no financial assistance. ... From day of launch and certainly a no-brainer to this very day, firmly resolved to walk away first rather than compromise principle. -- To the chagrin of many and delight of few. T.C. (5-7-13).

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

No matter what, no matter where, this publication will remain up and running. For it to remain centered here, however, financial and/or material support must be provided. Status quo, unsustainable. Time to step up. Now.

5-25-18

... 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.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril

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? Three hundred fifty five 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?"

... Hey, Sheriff? Reportedly, promote Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 to Sergeant? If true, yet another classic example of survival of the unfittest in the law enforcement community. Readers are reminded this is the very same idiot, clueless asshole responsible for thousands of dollars of damage to the Pace Arrow as reported in each edition of this publication. Far more to Kingsland property owner James Berardi in a property dispute. -- A dispute engineered by Johnny Greene, apparently financed by a bribe to the former County Attorney, current District Attorney, and Sheriff. A federal investigation of Llano County government and the aforementioned allegedly corrupt and abusive bastards in this ongoing fiasco is desperately needed. Tim Chorney.

... Small sampling of what's to come in this edition. Read on.

The following email was sent to the District Attorney:

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

March 9, 2018

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

Counselor:

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

c. Liberty In Peril

*********************************

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

February 9, 2018

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

Counselor:

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

c. Liberty In Peril

*******************

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

August 23, 2017

Re: Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

Sheriff:

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

c. Liberty In Peril

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? Three hundred fifty five 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? Three hundred fifty five 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. Three hundred fifty five 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?

TC 10-19-18

Newsletter Text 810
February 10, 2023

Not all cops are racist jackbooted bastards in blue. The following is an inspiring example of this. Seatbelts on. NPR reports:

"Nine-year-old Bobbi Wilson may be in the fourth grade, but last month the Yale School of Public Health held a ceremony honoring the budding scientist's recent work. The university entered Bobbi's collection of 27 spotted lanternflies — an extremely invasive species that is harmful to trees and other plants — into the Peabody Museum of Natural History database. Bobbi was also presented with the title of "donor scientist" during the Jan. 20 ceremony. "We wanted to show her bravery and how inspiring she is, and we just want to make sure she continues to feel honored and loved by the Yale community," Ijeoma Opara, an assistant professor at the school, said in a statement. The accolades come just three months after Bobbi, who is Black, made headlines when former Caldwell city council member Gordon Lawshe, who is white, called local police on the girl."

Get this:

"On Oct. 22, Lawshe was home, and things in the mostly white neighborhood seemed copacetic. But looking at the tree-lined street, Lawshe saw something scary. Recognizing it was not an emergency per se, he called the police department dispatcher instead. "There's a little Black woman walking, spraying stuff on the sidewalks and trees on Elizabeth and Florence," Lawshe told the dispatcher, according to a call obtained by CNN. "I don't know what the hell she's doing. Scares me, though," Lawshe added."

Sad, isn't it?

"Outside, Bobbi, a petite child who wears pink-framed glasses, was doing her bit to comply with the state's Stomp it Out! campaign, which urges New Jersey residents to help eradicate the spotted lanternfly infestation. She'd learned about it at school and made her own version of an insect repellent she'd seen on TikTok. Making her way from tree to tree, Bobbi would spray the bugs, pluck them from the tree and drop them into a plastic bottle. Bobbi was still at it when an officer arrived, curious about what she was doing. Body camera footage shows officer Kevin O'Neill approach the child before her mother, Monique Joseph, intervenes. "Am I in trouble?" the small girl asks. "No," Joseph and O'Neill respond simultaneously. Joseph adds, "How many trees did you save?" O'Neill explains that he was responding to a call made by Lawshe. The information appears to baffle Joseph, who has said that she has lived across the street from the 71-year-old for eight years and that they are on friendly terms."

What could this guy possibly been thinking? He knows this woman and her daughter. Couldn't have gotten his gutless gluteus maximi out the door and curiously asked her what she was doing?

"Unable to shake the gnawing feeling that things could have easily escalated and ended in tragedy, as they have in other circumstances involving Black children and law enforcement, Joseph decided to address the issue head-on at a Caldwell city council meeting a few weeks later. During the meeting, Joseph and her 13-year-old daughter, Hayden Wilson, called the episode an instance of racial profiling. "She was not only doing something amazing for our environment — she was doing something that made her feel like a hero," Hayden said in her speech to the city council. "What Mr. Gordon Lawshe did to my sister was extremely offensive, traumatic and scarring towards my family. I can confidently assure you guys that she will never forget this," she added."

Hat's off to Officer O'Neill for standing tall. Doing the right thing.

"The outpouring of support for Bobbi and her love of science has been constant since the police stop hit the internet. She has received the Caldwell Environmental Commission's Sustainability Award for her contributions to improving the town's environment. At least one science writer has given Bobbi a collection of books and stickers to encourage her passion for learning. And there is the recognition from Yale. "Yale doesn't normally do anything like this. ... This is something unique to Bobbi," Opara, the Yale professor, said. She helped organize the recent ceremony and previously invited Bobbi and her sister to the campus to meet "other successful Black female scientists and to counter the horrible memories of that day."

Think this kid doesn't have quite a bright future ahead of her?

"Shortly after the police encounter, Joseph told CNN that her 9-year-old hasn't been the same. But at the ceremony, she expressed gratitude for the community that has rallied around the entire family. "You know, you hear about racism; you kind of experience it in your peripheral if you're lucky in your life. It doesn't come knocking on your door. That morning when it happened, my world stopped," Bobbi's mother said, according to the university. She added: "The whole community, the science community, got together and said, 'She's one of us and we're not going to let her lose her steam for STEM. We're going to support the family, we're going to support this girl."

No greater love. Seatbelts on. CBS News reports:

"A homeless mother left a note with her dog for whoever found her. An animal shelter reunited them. Animal shelters are used to taking in stray dogs, but this pup named Lilo came to McKamey Animal Center off the street - with an added surprise – a note. "We received a call from a Good Samaritan that there was a large dog running around a neighborhood and had a leash attached to it," said Lauren Mann, director of advancement at the Chattanooga-based shelter. "So, our animal protection team went out and picked her up as a stray and when they put her on the truck to bring her back to the center here is when we found the note."

Seatbelts on:

"Lilo was found with a leash and a note from her owner attached: "Please love me. My mom can't keep me and is homeless with two kids. She tried her best but can't get help - I cost too much for her. She really loves me and I'm a great dog." "It is one of the saddest things I've ever read," Mann told CBS News."

No kidding.

"The last line really hit us all here is: 'Please don't abuse me.' When you looked at Lilo, you could tell right away that she was very well cared for and definitely loved. That was definitely the truth." Unfortunately, many dogs dropped off at shelters don't come with notes. So, the staff was glad Lilo came with a clue about her family. "A shelter is not the same as a home so at the end of the day, we'd rather you keep your pet. And we're able to do anything we can to make sure that happens," Mann said. The shelter staff posted about Lilo on social media, hoping to connect with her owner. About 24 hours after posting their TikTok video explaining Lilo's story, they got a call from someone saying they were Lilo's mom. "Right away, just based off some of the things they shared with me – that only that person would know – it was pretty clear that it was her mom, so we asked her to come down to verify identity," Mann said. After being separated, Lilo and her family had a "wonderful reunion" at the animal center, Mann said. "It was very clear when Lilo entered the room that that was her family," Mann said. "Everyone was extremely happy, there was not a dry eye in the room. The kids were also just as excited, and emotional as everyone else."

With all the horrendous crap going on in the world, great to see a little desperately needed respite, isn't it?

"While centers like McKamey provide shelter for dogs, they also provide resources for families who love their pets, but might not be able to keep them due to cost. Mann said they'll give food and supplies to families struggling to pay for their pets' needs. They'll even help the family find a pet-friendly home. "For this family, we were working with some local agencies in town to help them find pet-friendly shelter," Mann said. "WIth other families, we've recently established a new fund called the MAC Cares fund, where we will be able to help families, whether that's paying for a pet deposit at an apartment complex ... providing food, resources, anything like that to try to keep them together. "The goal of animal shelters it to keep dogs like Lilo happy and safe - and sometimes that means going above and beyond to reunite them with the family that loves them."

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.

Follow-up to an horrendous case covered earlier here and elsewhere. ABC News reports:

"One year after the death of Amir Locke, a 22-year-old man shot and killed by Minneapolis police, attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms announced Friday during a news conference that they've filed a civil lawsuit."

Readers will recall:

"Locke was fatally shot in February 2022 by Minneapolis police officers executing a no-knock search warrant on the apartment he was in. "Our son didn't do anything wrong. It could have been anyone's son," Andre Locke, father of Amir, said to ABC News affiliate KTSP. "But it happened to be ours, and people don't understand how it feels until it actually happens to them."

Indeed.

"Locke was asleep on the couch when Minneapolis officers entered the residence. Officer Mark Hanneman shot Locke as he emerged from under a blanket holding a gun that he legally owned, according to his family. "If I did not use deadly force myself, I would likely be killed," Hanneman told investigators when describing that moment on the body camera footage."

Why the f--k were you jackbooted bastards assaulting that domicile with a no-knock warrant? What the f--k did you think would happen? Where the hell was the judgment of the idiot judge that issued the warrant? Such warrants amount to legalized murder.

"Prosecutors declined to file charges."

Gutless bastards. No surprise there.

"Everybody, not just in Minneapolis, but across the United States, who has paid attention to no-knock warrants knew that families like this would be standing here," Storms said at the news conference. "The City of Minneapolis knows that no-knock warrants are dangerous, and they knew that before Amir was killed." "If you look at the statistics that were from Minneapolis itself, in the four months preceding Amir's death, not a single no-knock warrant was executed on the home of a non-Hispanic White person. Almost all of them were in Black homes and why does that matter?" he continued. As a result of the shooting, the Minneapolis police department no longer allows for the application or practice of no-knock search warrants, the city's mayor Jacob Frey announced in April of last year. No-knock warrants have come under scrutiny, most prominently in the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor during a botched drug raid. "What happened to Amir on Feb. 2, 2022, was not the cause of a singular event. That was the result of a systemic pattern and practice that has been occurring in Minneapolis over time," Romanucci said."

A problem all across our formerly great country.

"This lawsuit announcement comes a day after multiple organizations held a vigil at the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda for the anniversary of Locke's death. "Y'all have forever changed the dynamic of a family. This has got to stop. Amir will be the face of banning no-knock warrants. He will not die in vain," Locke's mother, Karen Wells, said during the news conference. The Congressional Black Caucus will be pushing for police reform as well as President Joe Biden to make it a primary issue during his State of the Union address, Crump said."

The nazi element in the Republican Party strongly opposes such reform. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"The official complaint seeks compensatory, special and punitive damages. The complaint also requests an appointment of someone who can ensure the City of Minneapolis properly trains and supervises its police officers."

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.

In follow-up to the recent law enforcement murder of Tyre Nichols, The Associated Press reports:

"A Tennessee board on Friday suspended the emergency medical technician licenses of two former Memphis Fire Department employees for failing to render critical care to Tyre Nichols after he took a beating from police that ultimately killed him. The suspensions of EMT Robert Long and advanced EMT JaMichael Sandridge build on efforts by authorities to hold officers and other first responders accountable for the violence against Nichols, who was Black. Five Black officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other charges, and two more officers have been suspended. The Justice Department has opened a civil rights probe into the attack that was captured on video. Three fire department employees were fired after Nichols died. Former fire department Lt. Michelle Whitaker was the third employee let go, but her license was not considered for suspension Friday. The department has said she remained in the engine with the driver during the response to Nichols’ beating Jan. 7. He died Jan. 10. Emergency Medical Services Board member Jeff Beaman said during Friday’s emergency meeting that there may have been other licensed personnel on scene — including a supervisor — who could have prevented the situation that led to the death of Nichols. Beaman said he hopes the board addresses those in the future."

Needs to. Sooner rather than later.

"Matt Gibbs, an attorney for the state Department of Health, said the two suspensions were “not final disposition of this entire matter.” Board members watched 19 minutes of surveillance video that showed Long and Sandridge as they failed to care for Nichols, who couldn’t stay seated upright against the side of the vehicle, laying prone on the ground multiple times. They also considered an affidavit by the Memphis Fire Department’s EMS deputy chief. “The (state) Department (of Health) alleges that neither Mr. Sandridge nor Mr. Long engaged in emergency care and treatment to patient T.N., who was clearly in distress during the 19 minute period,” Gibbs said. Board member Sullivan Smith said it was “obvious to even a lay person” that Nichols “was in terrible distress and needed help.” “And they failed to provide that help,” Smith said. “They were his best shot, and they failed to help.” Fire Chief Gina Sweat has said the department received a call from police after someone was pepper-sprayed. When the workers arrived at 8:41 p.m., Nichols was handcuffed on the ground and slumped against a squad car, the statement said. Long and Sandridge, based on the nature of the call and information they were told by police, “failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols,” the statement said."

No excuse for such failure. None. Why haven't they already permanently lost their licenses? Cannot be trusted to do their duty in any jurisdiction anywhere. Precisely, why licensure needs to be denied nationwide.

"There was no immediate response to a voicemail seeking comment left at a number listed for Long. A person who answered a phone call to a number listed for Sandridge declined to comment on the board’s decision. An ambulance was called, and it arrived at 8:55 p.m., the statement said. An emergency unit cared for Nichols and left for a hospital with him at 9:08 p.m., which was 27 minutes after Long, Sandridge and Whitaker arrived, officials said. An investigation determined that all three violated multiple policies and protocols, the statement said, adding that “their actions or inactions on the scene that night do not meet the expectations of the Memphis Fire Department.”

Readers will recall:

"Nichols was beaten after police stopped him for what they said was a traffic violation. Video released after pressure from Nichols’ family shows officers holding him down and repeatedly punching, kicking and striking him with a baton as he screamed for his mother. Six of the officers involved were part of the so-called Scorpion unit, which targeted violent criminals in high-crime areas. Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said after the video’s release that the unit has been disbanded. The killing led to renewed public discussion of how police forces can treat Black citizens with excessive violence, regardless of the race of both the police officers and those being policed. At Nichols’ funeral on Wednesday, calls for reform and justice were interwoven with grief over the loss of a man remembered as a son, a sibling, a father and a passionate photographer and skateboarder."

The Associated Press reports:

"A sixth Memphis officer was fired Friday after an internal police investigation showed he violated multiple department policies in the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, including rules surrounding the deployment of a stun gun, officials said. Preston Hemphill had been suspended as he was investigated for his role in the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, who died in a hospital three days later. Five Memphis officers have already been fired and charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death. Nichols was beaten after police stopped him for what they said was a traffic violation. Video released after pressure from Nichols’ family shows officers holding him down and repeatedly punching, kicking and striking him with a baton as he screamed for his mother. The officers who have been fired and charged are Black, as was Nichols. Hemphill is white. One other officer has been suspended, but has not been identified. Hemphill was the third officer at the traffic stop that preceded the arrest but was not at the location where Nichols was beaten after he ran away. On body camera footage from the initial stop, Hemphill is heard saying that he used a stun gun against Nichols and declaring, “I hope they stomp his ass.” Along with breaking rules regarding the use of a stun gun, Hemphill was also fired for violations of personal conduct and truthfulness, police said in a statement. Police announced Hemphill’s suspension on Jan. 30, but they said Hemphill was actually suspended shortly after the arrest. Memphis police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph has said information about Hemphill’s suspension was not immediately released because Hemphill had not been fired. The department generally gives out information about an officer’s punishment only after a department investigation into misconduct ends, Rudolph said. After the suspension was announced, lawyers for Nichols’ family questioned why the department did not disclose Hemphill’s discipline earlier. “We have asked from the beginning that the Memphis Police Department be transparent with the family and the community — this news seems to indicate that they haven’t risen to the occasion,” attorneys Ben Crump and Anthony Romanucci said in a statement. “It certainly begs the question why the white officer involved in this brutal attack was shielded and protected from the public eye, and to date, from sufficient discipline and accountability.”

Lowering the hiring bar. The Associated Press reports:

"Beyond the beating, kicking, cursing and pepper spraying, the video of Tyre Nichols’ deadly arrest at the hands of young Memphis police officers is just as notable for what’s missing — any experienced supervisors showing up to stop them."

How about that?

"That points to a dangerous confluence of trends that Memphis’ police chief acknowledged have dogged the department as the city became one of the nation’s murder hotspots: a chronic shortage of officers, especially supervisors, increasing numbers of police quitting and a struggle to bring in qualified recruits."

Could it be a good cop who believes in the non-abusive rule of law and the U.S. Constitution courageously refuses to work in a corrupt and abusive police department?

Get this:

"Former Memphis police recruiters told The Associated Press of a growing desperation to fill hundreds of slots in recent years that drove the department to increase incentives and lower its standards."

Certainly, exacerbates the problem of abuse. Don't these jackasses understand this?

“They would allow just pretty much anybody to be a police officer because they just want these numbers,” said Alvin Davis, a former lieutenant in charge of recruiting before he retired last year out of frustration. “They’re not ready for it.”

The following is certainly a problem:

"The department offered new recruits $15,000 signing bonuses and $10,000 relocation allowances while phasing out requirements to have either college credits, military service or previous police work. All that’s now required is two years’ work experience — any work experience. The department also sought state waivers to hire applicants with criminal records. And the police academy even dropped timing requirements on physical fitness drills and removed running entirely because too many people were failing."

Jesus Christ. Can you believe it?

Gets worse. Get this:

“I asked them what made you want to be the police and they’ll be honest — they’ll tell you it’s strictly about the money,” Davis said, adding that many recruits would ask the minimum time they would actually have to serve to keep the bonus money. “It’s not a career for them like it was to us. It’s just a job.” Another former patrol officer-turned-recruiter who recently left the department told the AP that in addition to drawing from other law enforcement agencies and college campuses, recruits were increasingly coming from jobs at the McDonald’s and Dunkin’ drive-thrus. In one case, a stripper submitted an application. And even though she didn’t get hired, it reinforced the message that “anyone can get this job. You could have any type of experience and be the police.” “There were red flags,” said the former recruiter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel and hiring. “But we’re so far down the pyramid nobody really hears the little person.”

Gets even worse:

"Many young officers, before ever walking a beat with more experienced colleagues, found themselves thrust into specialized units like the now-disbanded SCORPION high-crime strike force involved in Nichols’ arrest. Their lack of experience was shocking to veterans, who said some young officers who transfer back to patrol don’t even know how to write a traffic ticket or respond to a domestic call. “They don’t know a felony from a misdemeanor,” Davis said. “They don’t even know right from wrong yet.”

Then we wonder why Nichols was murdered by these jackbooted bastards?

"Memphis police did not respond to requests for comment about their hiring standards."

Surprised? What could they say? Not possible to defend the indefensible. ... Right, Sheriff?

"Of the five SCORPION team officers now charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ Jan. 7 beating, two had only a couple of years on the force and none had more than six years’ experience. One of the officers, Emmitt Martin III, 30, a former tight end on the Bethel University football team, appeared to have had at least one arrest, according to files from the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, a state oversight agency. But the date and details of the case were blacked out."

How about that?

"The section for arrests in the agency’s file for another officer, Demetrius Haley, 30, who worked at a Shelby County Corrections facility before joining the force, was also redacted from the state records. Haley was sued for allegedly beating an inmate there, which he denied, and the case was dismissed because papers had not been properly served."

How about that?

“If you lower standards, you can predict that you’re going to have problems because we’re recruiting from the human race,” said Ronal Serpas, the former head of the police in Nashville and New Orleans and the Washington State Patrol. “There’s such a small number of people who want to do this and an infinitesimally smaller number of people we actually want doing this.”

That's exactly right. We desperately need good officers. A democratic republic cannot survive without them. Precisely, why when an officer does something courageous or of extreme benefit to the community it leads in this publication. Always.

"Memphis, in many ways, stands as a microcosm of the myriad crises facing American policing. Departments from Seattle to New Orleans are struggling to fill their ranks with qualified officers amid a national movement of mounting scrutiny and calls for reform in the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd."

Long overdue nationwide. Officers need to be far better trained. Better educated with at least a bachelor's degree, to be followed with a master's. Paid a starting salary of $100K. Considered professionals with the support they need and deserve. We'd need far fewer officers. Have far fewer incidents of egregious misconduct. Coupled with a livable wage mandated for the civilian population that would go a long, long way to reducing the overall level of crime.

"Boosting staffing was a major goal of Memphis police Director Cerelyn Davis when she took over in June 2021, with her department announcing it was aiming to increase staff from 2,100 to 2,500, close to the size of the force a decade ago. Instead, the police ranks have dropped to 1,939 officers — like the city, majority Black — even as the population has increased and the number of homicides topped 300 in each of the past two years. A big part of the reason for the dwindling ranks is that more than 1,350 officers either resigned or retired over the past decade — more than 300 in the last two years alone. In an interview with the AP last week, Davis said a lack of supervisors was a particular concern, noting that 125 new supervisor slots have been approved by the city but still not filled. Davis said the department is investigating, among other things, why a supervisor failed to respond to Nichols’ arrest despite department policy that requires a ranking officer when pepper spray or a stun gun has been deployed. “If that had happened somebody could have been there to intercept what happened,” Davis said."

There is still no excuse for this. The most senior officer should have been in charge. Should have been made abundantly clear to that officer his or her sorry ass would have been immediately jailed if not in compliance with department policy. Where are the provisions in the law for this?

“Culture eats policy for lunch in police departments,” she added. “If you don’t have the checks and balances you will have problems.”

Where's provision in the law for this? Immediate arrest of officers engaged in criminal activity?

"Longtime observers of the Memphis police say this is not the first moment of reckoning for a department with a history of civil rights abuses. After the 2015 death of Darrius Stewart, a 19-year-old Black man fatally shot by a white police officer, activists and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat, called on the U.S. Justice Department to conduct a “pattern or practice” investigation of civil rights violations in the department. Such inquiries often result in sweeping reforms, including staffing and training overhauls. Carlos Moore, an attorney for Stewart’s family, warned the Justice Department at the time of a deadly trend that preceded Stewart’s death. “There have been over 24 suspicious killings of civilians by officers of the Memphis Police Department since 2009,” he wrote in a 2015 letter obtained by AP, “and not one officer has been indicted for killing unarmed, largely Black young men.”

Where's provision in the law for this? Immediate arrest of officers engaged in criminal activity?

"The Justice Department decided not to open such an inquiry for reasons it didn’t explain at the time, and it declined to comment this week. “The Department of Justice missed a golden opportunity to properly investigate the Memphis Police Department,” Moore said in an interview. “It was just as corrupt then as it is now.”

Sadly, a problem throughout the entire country.

"Thaddeus Johnson, a former Memphis police officer who is now a criminal justice professor at Georgia State University, said the missed chance for federal intervention allowed the problems of the department — soaring crime, community distrust and chronic understaffing — to fester until they exploded. “A deadly brew came together,” he said. “But that same mixture is in many other places, too, where the bubble just hasn’t burst yet.”

Time for desperately needed change. Before too late.

The Associated Press reports:

"Documents released Tuesday provided a scathing account of what authorities called the “blatantly unprofessional” conduct of five officers involved in the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop last month — including new revelations about how one officer took and shared pictures of the bloodied victim. The officer, Demetrius Haley, stood over Nichols as he lay propped against a police car and took photographs, which Haley sent to other officers and a female acquaintance, according to documents released by the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission."

Clearly, how the jackbooted bastard gets his cookies off?

“Your on-duty conduct was unjustly, blatantly unprofessional and unbecoming for a sworn public servant,” the Memphis Police Department wrote in requesting that Haley and the other officers be decertified. Haley’s lawyer declined to comment, and lawyers for the other four officers either declined to comment or did not respond to requests from The Associated Press."

Surprised?

"The five officers — Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and Emmitt Martin III — have all been fired and charged with second-degree murder. The new documents offer the most detailed account to date of each officer’s actions. Another officer has also been fired and a seventh has been relieved of duty in connection with the latest police killing to prompt angry nationwide protests and an intense public conversation about how police officers treat Black residents. As many as 13 Memphis officers could end up being disciplined, officials said Tuesday. The newly released documents are part of a request by the Memphis Police Department that the five officers who have been charged with murder be decertified and prohibited from working in law enforcement again. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis signed each of the five requests to decertify the officers. Haley, who was driving an unmarked car and wore a black sweatshirt hoodie over his head, forced Nichols from his car using loud profanity, then sprayed him directly in the eyes with a chemical irritant spray, according to the statement. “You never told the driver the purpose of the vehicle stop or that he was under arrest,” it states."

Outrageous.

"Haley did not have his body camera on when he stopped Nichols but was on a phone call with someone who overheard the encounter. Nichols ran from the officers but was apprehended again a few blocks away. At that point, Haley kicked him in the torso as three other officers were handcuffing him. Other officers kicked Nichols in the face, punched him or struck him with a baton. According to footage captured on a utility pole camera, one of the officers appears to quickly take a photo of Nichols on his phone as flashlights are shined on him. “You and other officers were captured on body worn camera making multiple unprofessional comments, laughing, bragging about your involvement,” the decertification charges against Mills said. They added, “You admitted you did not provide immediate medical aid and walked away and decontaminated yourself from chemical irritant spray,” and further accused Mills of later failing to give Nichols’ mother an accurate account of what happened. Martin claimed Nichols tried to snatch the officer’s gun from his holster after another officer forced him out of the vehicle, with Martin helping by grabbing Nichols’ wrist. However, video evidence doesn’t corroborate the gun-grab claim, the documents said."

A liar.

"Audio from a body camera did not capture Nichols using profanity or making violent threats — instead, he appeared calm and polite in his comments to the officers. Martin, meanwhile, cussed at Nichols and threatened to knock him out as he commanded Nichols to put his arm behind his back. Martin also failed to disclose in a required form that he punched Nichols in the face and kicked him multiple times, and instead added in his later statement to investigators that he gave “body blows,” the documents said. Video showed Martin kicking Nichols repeatedly and punching him in the face five times while two officers held Nichols’ arms. Police deemed Martin’s oral and written statements deceitful, the charges said. A hearing officer wrote of Justin Smith: “You admitted you struck an unarmed and non-violent subject with a closed fist two to three times in the face because you and your partner were unable to handcuff him. ... You sprayed the subject with your chemical irritant spray and also held the individual’s arm while other officers kicked, punched and pepper sprayed him several times.”

Get this. It's appalling:

"In a letter from Smith included in his file, he defends his conduct, stating that Nichols was “violent and would not comply.”

A goddamned liar.

"Bean was accused of holding Nichols by one arm while another officer pepper sprayed and beat him with a baton. It also notes that his indifference to Nichols’ distress in the aftermath was reported by a civilian who took video of the incident. Nichols died three days after the beating. His family attended the State of the Union address Tuesday as guests of first lady Jill Biden."

Far more to come as information is made available on the Nichols murder.

How can there be trust when there is no transparency? NBC News reports:

"Last month’s killing of a nonbinary activist known as “Tortuguita,” who was shot during an occupation protest in Atlanta’s South River Forest, marked the first police killing of a demonstrator in the history of the U.S. environmental movement. Police entered the forest on Jan. 18 after months of tension with activists, who had camped out in the area. Tortuguita was shot and seven others were arrested. It was the second police raid that resulted in arrests in about a month’s time."

No body camera video:

"The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said Tortuguita shot and injured a state trooper before officers returned fire. No body camera footage of the shooting is available, according to the bureau."

A raid is conducted with no video? How is that possible? What does that tell you? How can the jackbooted bastards in law enforcement be trusted when there is zero transparency? Think they aren't covering their ass?

"Lawyers for the family of Tortuguita, whose full name is Manuel Esteban Páez Terán, are questioning the police account of the shooting and say the GBI has not answered the family's questions about the shooting. "We have contacted them through every channel we have available to us. We have gotten no response, no offer of sharing information with the family," said Jeff Filipovits, an Atlanta-area civil rights attorney, in an interview. "They want to know what happened to their child."

Get this:

"Occupation protests have been a staple of environmental activism for decades, but the one in Atlanta was different. Where police had often been intermediaries in previous protests, in Atlanta they acted as opponents whose own interest — a developmental project for a police complex — was a central part of the protest. “There’s a long history of law enforcement confronting direct-action environmentalist activists and those confrontations turning hostile,” said Keith Woodhouse, an assistant professor at Northwestern University who wrote a book about radical environmental activism. “The huge difference is that one of these activists was shot and killed, and that is, I think, unprecedented in the United States.” And in the modern protest era, more and more often environmentalists who might have once been narrowly focused or branched out from other movements are now in the middle of a far wider web of societal issues. “The issue of policing in the United States, the militarization of police forces, Black Lives Matter, all those issues are bound up with protection of this forest for these activists,” Woodhouse said."

Sadly:

"The conflict underlying “Cop City” has been simmering for about two years. The police training center, proposed by the Atlanta Police Foundation and City of Atlanta, would sit on 85 acres that make up part of the 3,500-acre South River Forest, just southeast of the Atlanta city limits. The training center includes a “mock cityscape,” burn buildings, a kennel for police animals, a “vehicle operations course” and a firing range about half a mile from the nearest neighborhoods, according to the foundation. Environmental groups lobbied against the construction of the training center, saying it would destroy tree canopy, harm habitat for amphibians and migratory birds, and make stormwater flooding more likely in surrounding areas. Some opponents see the training center as an exemplar of police militarization and have decried investments in policing."

More on all this as it becomes available.

More of the same. The jackbooted bastards in blue do as they please. No matter department regulations and policy, the law, and/or the U.S. Constitution. ABC News reports:

"Nearly 150 New York City police officers violated department rules during 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd, according to a new report issued Monday by the Civilian Complaint Review Board."

Surprised?

"The Board substantiated misconduct against 146 officers. Most of the violations involved excessive force, including improper use of batons and pepper spray. Other violations involved discourtesy or offensive language."

Sadly, how the jackbooted bastards get their cookies off abusing authority. ... Right, Sheriff?

"The report said there were hundreds more allegations the CCRB could not investigate because officers wore bands over their badge numbers or refused to be interviewed remotely."

How about that? Clearly, law enforcement cannot be trusted.

“The Black Lives Matter protests that occurred in the summer of 2020 were massive in scale, but not unprecedented in nature,” said interim CCRB chairwoman Arva Rice. “Given what is happening across the country regarding reproductive rights, immigration, affordable housing, and police brutality, people will continue to protest for their rights. It is key for New York to know how to best respond to protests, especially protests against police misconduct.”

Not surprisingly:

"The NYPD said the substantiated allegations amount to less than 15% of complaints. The department also objected to the way the CCRB characterized its response to the protests, including a failure to acknowledge that officers were working under sustained, dangerous conditions."

What a crock of shit. Why the hell would the jackbooted bastards in blue hide their badge numbers other than because they were engaging in criminal behavior?

“At the peak of the protests, there were more than 22,000 NYPD officers deployed in a single day, attempting to facilitate people’s rights to peaceful expression all while addressing acts of lawlessness including wide-scale rioting, mass chaos, violence, and destruction,” the NYPD said. The department continued, adding, “Officers were faced with perpetrators who were looting, setting fires, and destroying property. During this period, more than 400 uniformed members of the NYPD were injured, with over 250 of them hospitalized, and nearly 300 NYPD vehicles were vandalized, including several that were destroyed by arson from the throwing of Molotov cocktails.”

Even if all the above were true, does not excuse police engaging in criminal behavior and hiding their badge numbers. That activity and behavior is indicative of a fascist police-state, a democratic republic in name only.

in follow-up to an horrendous case covered earlier here and elsewhere, NBC News reports:

"Nearly a year after an off-duty cop was captured on video kneeling on the neck of a 12-year-old girl at a Wisconsin middle school, her family filed a lawsuit alleging the officer violated her constitutional rights. The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against officer Shawn Guetschow, the city of Kenosha and the Kenosha Unified School District Monday in U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin. The suit was filed by the father of the victim, Jerrel Perez, and the student, identified only as Jane Doe because she is a minor. In the March 4, 2022, incident at Lincoln Middle School, Guetschow, a Kenosha police officer who also worked as a security guard at the school, had broken up a fight between Jane Doe and another girl in her sixth grade class in the cafeteria, the lawsuit said. According to school surveillance footage of the incident, Guetschow fell on the ground with Jane Doe after separating the girls. He then pushed her head onto the floor of the cafeteria and put his knee on her neck for about half a minute before handcuffing her. The lawsuit alleged Guetschow used excessive force in arresting Doe, alleged the city of Kenosha and the Kenosha Unified School District did not provide him with any training regarding the security guard job, and thus failed to prevent the incident."

Matters not to the nazi element in law enforcement and prosecutors. ... Right, Sheriff? Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"NBC News reached out to the city of Kenosha for comment. Attorney Sam Hall, who is representing the Kenosha Unified School District and Officer Shawn Guetschow said in a statement that the district will “vigorously defend” itself and Guetschow in the civil litigation. Hall said that the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office notified the Kenosha County District Attorney last week that it will not pursue any charges against Guetschow."

Prosecutors clearly in bed with the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. ... Right, Sheriff?

"Meanwhile, the Kenosha Police Department said Guetschow was "not found to have violated anyone's civil rights."

Surprised?

"The suit said that Jane Doe, who had moved to Kenosha in 2021 with her father and siblings, was “acting in self-defense” and “upon provocation of threat of physical harm,” in getting into the fight with her peer. At the time of the fight, Guetschow and a school counselor were supervising the students, the suit said. The counselor advised him that she believed that Jane Doe and her peer were about to fight and both watched as the student approached Doe. By the time they reached the girls, the other student was hitting Doe, according to the lawsuit. In the scuffle, Guetschow fell and Doe fell with him. After the fall, he gripped Doe by her neck and put her on the ground in a prone position, the suit said. He “pushed his right knee into the back of Jane Doe’s neck while simultaneously pushing her head into the cafeteria floor,” and did not issue any instructions to her, it said. It’s not clear if the two had any communication as the video footage released by the district had no audio and both Geutschow and the student were wearing face masks. The suit said that Guetschow’s use of force constituted an unlawful chokehold. The use of a chokehold is prohibited by the Kenosha Police Department’s policy, except where deadly force is allowed — and only as a last resort. The suit said a responsible officer in Guetschow’s position “would not have believed that the use of a chokehold was reasonable and necessary.” Jane Doe, according to the filing, did not resist, was unable to breathe in the chokehold, and told Guetschow she couldn’t breathe. Still, he kept the pressure on her neck. Guetschow later told a Kenosha police officer that same day he thought one of the girls had punched him, the suit said. “Guetschow’s use of the chokehold against Jane Doe was motivated by malice and anger at his belief that he was punched.” the suit said."

An out of control jackbooted bastard in blue?

"Doe suffered physical injuries including a traumatic brain injury, cervical strain, and recurrent headaches, as well as emotional distress, mental trauma and anxiety, the filing said. She has had to seek counseling and change schools as a result of the incident. Guetschow had a reputation “for having a short temper,” the lawsuit said. Before his employment with the city of Kenosha and KUSD, he was employed by the Lake Geneva Police Department. In his final year of employment there, his field performance was marked as “unacceptable,” and he was described as “emotional, panicked, or loses their temper,” the suit said. NBC News has reached out to Lake Geneva police to confirm this account. The lawsuit said the city of Kenosha and KUSD insufficiently assessed his field performance with regard to his duties at Lincoln Middle School. Guetschow had resigned from his role with the school district the same month of the kneeling incident. Guetschow was placed on administrative leave by Kenosha police pending several investigations and returned to active duty status on Jan. 31, 2023, the department said."

Officer criminal behavior protected and coddled by the department and prosecutors.

"The lawsuit said that the incident occurred because of the Kenosha Police Department’s “failure to adequately supervise, discipline, and/or train its employees with regard to secondary employment as school security officers.” Further, the city of Kenosha was allegedly “aware” of Guetschow’s “short temper at the time of his hiring,” but he was still permitted to become a school security officer, the lawsuit said. The suit said that the incident violated Jane Doe’s constitutional rights and was “a foreseeable and likely consequence of hiring Guetschow and in failing to train” him in “interacting with children in a school setting.” The lawsuit also said that KUSD did not provide any training to off-duty police officers it employed and did not require off-duty officers to receive any training, and in failing to adequately train and supervise such officers, the district was “deliberately indifferent” to the rights of Jane Doe. The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial."

Not surprisingly, the department and prosecutors are defending the behavior of the officer.

More on this as it becomes available.

Partisan, party-line vote in U.S. House. Surprised? The Associated Press reports:

"The Republican-led House voted after raucous debate Thursday to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel comments, in a dramatic response to Democrats last session booting far-right GOP lawmakers over incendiary remarks."

What ever happened to the First Amendment Freedom of Speech? Why does the U.S. continue to support the Israeli aggressor no matter what it does to the Palestinians?

"House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to solidify Republicans to take action against the Somali-born Muslim in the new Congress although some GOP lawmakers had expressed reservations. Removal of lawmakers from House committees was essentially unprecedented until the Democratic ousters two years ago of hard-right Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona. The 218-211 vote, along party lines, came after a heated, voices-raised debate in which Democrats accused the GOP of going after Omar based on her race. Omar, who has apologized for 2019 remarks widely seen as antisemitic, defended herself on the House floor, asking if anyone was surprised she was being targeted. Democratic colleagues hugged her during the vote. “My voice will get louder and stronger, and my leadership will be celebrated around the world, as it has been,” Omar said in a closing speech."

Time to finally wake up. Clueless racist bullshit shamelessly coming from the nazi element in the Republican Party. The Democrats? No better. Have gutlessly failed to stand up to the nazi element in the Republican Party. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter:

"House Republicans focused on six statements she has made that “under the totality of the circumstances, disqualify her from serving on the Committee of Foreign Affairs,” said Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, the incoming chairman of the House Ethics Committee. “All members, both Republicans and Democrats alike who seek to serve on Foreign Affairs, should be held to the highest standard of conduct due to the international sensitivity and national security concerns under the jurisdiction of this committee,” Guest said. Republicans have clashed with Omar since she arrived in Congress, and former President Donald Trump frequently taunted her at his rallies in ways that appealed to his supporters. The resolution proposed by Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, a former official in the Trump administration, declared, “Omar’s comments have brought dishonor to the House of Representatives.”

... The nazi element in the Republican Party which continues to support and defend the Trump nazi hasn't? -- Not that Democrats are any better. Have failed to successfully combat the rising racist nazism 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.

"Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Omar has at times “made mistakes” and used antisemitic tropes that were condemned by House Democrats four years ago. But that’s not what Thursday’s vote was about, he said. “It’s about political revenge,” Jeffries said. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., went further, referring to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack as she called the GOP’s action part of one of the “disgusting legacies after 9/11, the targeting and racism against Muslim-Americans throughout the United States of America. And this is an extension of that legacy.” She added, “This is about targeting women of color.”

Racism runs rampant in the nazi element in the Republican Party. Democrats have yet to successfully challenge it. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"McCarthy denied the Republican decision to oust Omar was a tit-for-tat after the Greene and Gosar removals under Democrats, though he had warned in late 2021 that such a response might be expected if Republicans won back the House majority."

Sadly, McCarthy continues to emulate the Trump nazi. -- Trump, a congenital liar who wouldn't know truth if it figuratively bit him hard on the ass.

“This is nothing like the last Congress,” he said Thursday. He noted that Omar can remain on other panels, just not Foreign Affairs, after her anti-Israel comments."

Clearly, violation of the First Amendment Freedom of Speech. Racist nazism embraced by the nazi element in the Republican Party. Democrats should have courageously walked out before the vote. No matter the personal consequences. Should be as much a pain in the ass as possible. Have failed to courageously stand up to these GOP racist fascists.

"Omar is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. She is also the first to wear a hijab in the House chamber after floor rules were changed to allow members to wear head coverings for religious reasons. She quickly generated controversy after joining Congress in 2019 with a pair of tweets that suggested lawmakers who supported Israel were motivated by money. In the first, she criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” she wrote, invoking slang about $100 bills. Asked on Twitter who she thought was paying members of Congress to support Israel, Omar responded, “AIPAC!” Omar’s remarks sparked a public rebuke from then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats who made clear that she had overstepped. She soon apologized. “We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me about my identity,” Omar tweeted. “This is why I unequivocally apologize.” Also, in a May 2021 tweet, she made reference to Israel as “an apartheid state” over its treatment of Palestinians."

She's certainly quite right in that very last statement in the above quote. Sadly, so.

"Democrats rallied Thursday in a fiery defense of Omar and the experiences she brings to the Congress. “This clearly isn’t about what Ilhan Omar said as much as who she is — being a smart, outspoken Black woman of the Muslim faith is apparently the issue,” said Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis."

No question. Certainly a figurative thorn in the side of the racist nazi element in the Republican Party. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"Black, Latino and progressive lawmakers in particular spoke of her unique voice in the House and criticized Republicans for what they called a racist attack. “Racist gaslighting,” said Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo. A “revenge resolution,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chair of the progressive caucus. “It’s so painful to watch,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who joined Congress with Omar as the first two female Muslims elected to the House. “To Congresswoman Omar, I am so sorry that our country is failing you today through this chamber,” Tlaib said through tears. “You belong on that committee.”

Certainly, does. A clear voice that will challenge the racist nazism. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"In the weeks leading up to the vote, the chairman of the committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, argued for excluding Omar from the panel during a recent closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans. It’s just that her worldview of Israel is so diametrically opposed to the committee’s,” McCaul told reporters in describing his stance. “I don’t mind having differences of opinion, but this goes beyond that.”

That's called bullshit, Congressman. Blatant double talk. Talking out both sides your racist fascist ass.

"At the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the ouster, “It’s a political stunt.”

Quite right. It is. Democrats, however, are equally guilty of such bullshit. Worse? Have failed to courageously and successfully challenge the growing Republican nazism. So has Biden. Clearly, neither major political party is worth a crap.

U.S. shoots down Chinese balloon. The Associated Press reports:

"The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast on orders from President Joe Biden after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America, becoming the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing. Biden said he wanted the balloon downed on Wednesday, but was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground. The balloon was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the Atlantic coast. At about 2:40 p.m. EST, an F-22 fighter jet fired a missile at the balloon, puncturing it while it was about 6 nautical miles off the coast near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Pentagon officials said. Officials said the debris landed in 47 feet of water, shallower than they had expected. It was not immediately clear how long the recovery would take. The Navy is taking the lead, supported by the Coast Guard. “They successfully took it down and I want to compliment our aviators who did it,” Biden said after getting off Air Force One en route to Camp David."

Despite intense partisan Republican pressure all week long, Biden clearly followed advice of far cooler heads:

"In preparation for the operation, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily closed airspace over the Carolina coast, including the airports in Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The FAA rerouted air traffic from the area and warned of delays as a result of the flight restrictions. The FAA and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below the balloon as it reached the ocean. Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the giant deflated balloon descending like a ribbon toward the water. U.S. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation. Officials were aiming to time the operation so they could recover as much of the debris as possible before it sinks into the ocean. The Pentagon had previously estimated that any debris field would be substantial. The Coast Guard advised mariners to immediately leave the area because of U.S. military operations “that present a significant hazard.”

The Associated Press reports:

"Republican lawmakers on Sunday accused China of deliberately surveilling sensitive U.S. military sites with a suspected spy balloon and said the Biden administration had given Beijing an intelligence opening by not downing the balloon during its high-altitude drift through American airspace.

“Clearly this was an attempt by China to gather information, to defeat our command and control of our sensitive missile defense and nuclear weapon sites,” said the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, among the members of Congress on the Sunday news shows. “And that certainly is an urgency that this administration does not recognize.”

Think so, Congressman? That sure of yourself? Not willing to wait until the military recovers the debris and determines precisely what they've found? Not only that, you would not have followed military advice advising Biden not to risk shooting it down over land and killing someone on the ground? Despite the fact the Chinese could have gotten far better intelligence from a satellite? While Biden leaves a hell of a lot to be desired and has more than his share of issues, do you really think you goddamned Republicans are any better? Your judgment and support of the Trump nazi remain appalling.

"Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the full Senate will get a briefing next week on the balloon, including details about its surveillance capabilities, and that the administration is considering measures against the Chinese for “their brazen activities.” He said the GOP criticism was political and premature, and that the U.S. had “sent a clear message to China that this is not acceptable.” Biden issued the shootdown order but had wanted it to happen earlier, on Wednesday. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water, U.S. officials said. Military officials determined that bringing down the balloon over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground."

Wouldn't want to confuse the nazi element in the Republican Party with the truth, would you, Senator? LOL. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

Another member of the achingly partisan nazi element in the Republican Party, clearly, with a shoot first ask questions later mentality:

“The message they (the Chinese) were trying to send is what they believe internally, and that is that the United States is a once great superpower that’s hollowed out, that’s in decline,” said Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “And the message they’re trying to send the world is, ‘Look, these guys can’t even do anything about a balloon flying over U.S. airspace. How can you possibly count on them if something were to happen in the Indo-Pacific region?’”

Partisanship over principle. LOL. Wake up, Senator. Certainly, been in decline since election of the Trump nazi and his criminal activity while in office, sir. Not only that, failure of the nazi element in the Republican Party to convict the twice-impeached bastard and remove him from office. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter. -- While Biden leaves a hell of a lot to be desired and has more than his share of issues, do you really think you goddamned Republicans are any better? Your judgment and support of the Trump nazi remain appalling.

Yet, another hopelessly clueless GOP idiot:

"To Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who leads a new House committee on China, the message conveyed by Beijing is “look what we can do to you and get away with. Your corporations, your career politicians, they will come crawling back.”

Another clear example of partisanship over principle. LOL. A shoot first, ask questions later mentality. Again, while Biden leaves a hell of a lot to be desired and has more than his share of issues, do you really think you goddamned Republicans are any better? Your judgment and support of the Trump nazi remain appalling. Twice he was impeached. Twice you clueless fascist bastards failed to convict and remove him from office. During the Nixon fiasco a half century ago, Republicans stood tall. Courageously forced the resignation of a clearly corrupt and abusive Republican president. Sadly, failed to do so this time. Worse? Trump makes Nixon look like a choir boy in comparison. When did you lose yourselves? Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"The flight came to an end at about 2:39 p.m. EST Saturday, when an F-22 fighter jet fired a missile at the balloon, puncturing it while it was about 6 nautical miles off the coast near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, defense officials said. The debris landed in 47 feet of water, shallower than officials had expected, and it spread out over roughly 7 miles. Officials estimated the recovery efforts would be completed in a short time, not weeks. Defense officials who briefed reporters have said the U.S. was able to collect intelligence on the balloon as it flew over the country. They said the military concluded that the technology on the balloon didn’t give the Chinese significant intelligence beyond what it could already obtain from satellites, though the U.S. took steps to mitigate what information it could gather as it moved along."

NBC News reports:

"The suspected Chinese spy balloon that the U.S. shot down over the weekend was 200 feet tall, officials said Monday — or roughly four times the size of the Snoopy balloon at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command, told reporters in a briefing that the balloon that slowly made its way across the U.S. last week before being brought down on Saturday was also carrying a payload that was similar in size to a regional jetliner. The payload “probably weighs in excess of a couple thousand pounds,” VanHerck said."

Imagine the damage, personal injury, and death had it been shot down over a populated land mass.

"Republicans and some Democrats have criticized President Joe Biden for failing to bring down the balloon earlier, but VanHerck said in this instance size did matter. The height of the balloon — comparable to a 20-story building or over twice as tall as the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree — and the size of the payload were factors in the “decision-making process” to wait to shoot it down until it was over the Atlantic Ocean, he said. An F-22 Raptor fighter jet took the balloon down with a Sidewinder missile when it was about 6 miles off the coast, the Pentagon said. Pentagon officials said last week they didn't want to shoot the balloon down over the continental U.S. for fear the debris could cause civilian injuries or death and property damage. The balloon had been flying at about 60,000 feet — close to 12 miles. VanHerck said that another concern was that the balloon could have been carrying explosives “to detonate and destroy the balloon.”

Imagine the uproar had it been shot down over a populated land mass and had killed or injured someone.

"Military divers were in the water with robotic underwater equipment collecting debris Monday after weather conditions prevented diving Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, the debris field off of the South Carolina coast was about 1,500 square meters, or about 15 football fields by 15 football fields, the general said. "We are still in the recovery of this device, and still trying to gain more intelligence about it," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. VanHerck said the military took “maximum protective measures” to “prevent any intelligence collection” while the balloon flew across the United States. “We did not assess this balloon posed a significant collection hazard beyond what already exists in actionable technical means from the Chinese," he said, and officials believe they learned more by monitoring the balloon itself. It "gave us the opportunity to assess what they were actually doing, what kind of capabilities existed on the balloon, (and) what kind of transmission capabilities existed," VanHerck said. "We were able to get significant analysis throughout this process." The Chinese foreign ministry has acknowledged the balloon came from China but claimed on its website that it “is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes” and that had “deviated far from its planned course” because of strong winds and a lack of steering ability. Pentagon officials dismissed those claims as hot air; they maintain the balloon was clearly meant for surveillance. “It has the ability to maneuver,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters last week."

ABC News reports:

"Officials have said the debris field is approximately the size of 15 football fields by 15 football fields and that the balloon had propellers and a rudder. The Pentagon has said FBI experts were aboard recovery vessels and a senior government official has said pieces would be brought to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis. Previous Chinese surveillance balloon incidents that occurred during the Trump administration and early under the Biden administration were not spotted by NORAD at the time, Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, told reporters Monday. "We did not detect those threats. And that's a domain awareness gap that we have to figure out," VanHerck said. In Beijing Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning was asked that about a comment Monday from White House Security Council spokesman John Kirby that there was no plan to return the balloon fragments and equipment to China and whether China had made any demands. "What I can say is that this airship does not belong to the United States, but to China," Ning said. "The Chinese government will continue to resolutely safeguard its legitimate and legitimate rights and interests."

More insanity coming from the nazi element in the Republican Party. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter. Get this:

"On Capitol Hill Tuesday, House Republicans continued to blast President Joe Biden over his handling of the balloon incident ahead of his State of the Union address Tuesday night. "He really gave an order to shoot down a spy plane from China on Wednesday and it didn't happen till Saturday?" House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said. "Have you fired every single person that refused to obey the commander in chief?"

Wake up, Congressman. It was a balloon. Not a plane. From all reports to date, Biden followed the advice of the military to delay shooting that balloon down until over water to avoid property destruction, injury, and loss of life. Why are you and your colleagues deliberately distorting reality for nothing more than partisan purposes? Have you lost your mind, Congressman? While Biden and the Democrats leave much to be desired, the nazi element in the Republican Party is obliterating all credibility. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

More on all this as it becomes available.

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 .

The name of this publication was changed some fifteen years ago from The Llano Ledger to Liberty In Peril. The reason? Simple. Cowardly failure of this community to stand up to tyranny that has only exponentially worsened the last decade and a half. Clearly, demonstrated as well by the cowardly failure of businesses to financially support this publication. Either through advertising or other financial support. Too afraid doing so would enrage the bastards who run and own this hellhole County.

-- 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.

Tim Chorney

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
United States Of America

Cannot do it alone. Impossible. Not sustainable. This publication needs your financial and material support. Both. Time to step up.

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

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Tim Chorney, Publisher
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