Public Safety OR Police Safety?

This is part of the front page of the Eureka Reporter Sunday, September 13, 2008, edition that greats you. Handsome devil, isn't he?

The picture is captioned: Public Safety. The notation under the picture reads: "Sgt. Ron Sligh of the Arcata Police Department and his police service K-9, "Zari," have been working together since his first day on duty, Aug. 3. Zari is trained and certified in searching for subjects, both indoors and outdoors, and handler protection and suspect apprehension. Daniel Solomon/The Eureka Reporter

Read what Karen Wilkinson says in "Pooch On Patrol" below and you will readily see that Zari's primary purpose is to protect officer Sligh. There's nothing wrong with the police protecting themselves as they "serve" the community. Let's keep the facts straight and the "BS" to a minimum. I realize that's a big stretch for the folks at The Eureka Reporter. What Ginger Campbell is quoted to say, "For Arcata resident and APD volunteer Ginger Campbell, helping the department finance such costly dogs is a quest that benefits the community at large" is completely contradicted in the rest of the article. Unfortunately, there is a more insidious aspect of using dogs the same as there is in using a tazer. Notice: "They keep the violence level way down." "People are more likely to come out of a dark building if they know a dog will be let loose." "Zari just had to bark and the man gave up."

Public Safety is all about getting the "suspect" to validate or legitimize the police action thereby justify the use of such instruments of coercion. Who are these "suspect criminals" whose lives and persons are of so little value?

--Joe

Jungle Law Rules Supreme In Eurekaville

Democracy, as an instrument of government, is worthless when people become the law, and that, without any accountability. The Law of the Jungle becomes the defacto government. Those that rule are those with the POWER. Read for yourself who has the power in Humboldt County.

Judge tosses Douglas, Zanotti manslaughter charges
Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 08/27/2008 01:30:57 AM PDT

Judge throws out involuntary manslaughter case
By KAREN WILKINSON, The Eureka Reporter
Published: Aug 26 2008, 11:03 PM · Updated: Aug 27 2008, 12:06 AM

Everyone that sees "DISMISSED" knows in his or her heart that Humboldt County Superior Court Judge John Feeney legally granted every police officer in Humboldt County the licence to kill with impunity.

When "Feeney began Tuesday's hearing by saying he believed the grand jury indicted without sufficient probable cause to establish that the defendants had committed an illegal act or a lawful act in a criminally negligent manner" he superimposed his judgments over the findings of the people. He made the Grand Jury system a mockery. He also put this community on notice, you are all on your own when you can be gunned down on a mere "belief."

The most disgusting and disingenuous statement observed to date that defines the "police" attitude justifying this whole tragedy was a quote by "William Rapoport, who was representing Zanotti in the matter. '(This case has) destroyed a huge part of these men's lives for the last nine months, and it's time they go some relief. ... They've had a cloud hanging over their heads for no good reason other than someone's political aspirations.'" The report goes on to say: "Douglas and Zanotti were not immediately available for comment." I would guess not!

Not when this clown, Rapoport can dismiss life and law with such casual and calloused disregard.

ADDENDUM: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 :: Comments in The Eureka Reporter as reported by Karen Wilkinson. Note: "Attorney William Bragg, who along with William Rapaport and Greg Rael, represented Douglas and Zanotti, said he expected the dismissal, adding the case shouldn’t have been one in the first place. He cited overwhelming case evidence on the defense’s side and said Feeney made the decision based on the law." HOWEVER, Mr Greenson for The Times Standard quotes the Judge to say, "The court's sympathies are extended to the friends and family of Ms. Moore for her tragic death, but the court cannot find evidence of any criminal conduct by Chief Douglas or Lt. Zanotti." The Judge didn't quote "law." He acted on his opinion. Judges are NOT the law.

Karen Wilkenson continues: "The defense attorneys filed motions starting in June seeking to have the case dismissed. The motions stated Gallegos misrepresented the law to the grand jury and didn’t provide evidence that would have helped justify the men’s decisions in the standoff." Joe contends that if Mr. Gallegos "misrepresented the law to the grand jury and didn’t provide evidence" he did so deliberately; he's hardly that stupid, incompetent or politically motivated.

His concluding statement in The Eureka Reporter indicates that he has his priorities or legal responsibilities a bit sqewed. Note: "While he understands the support the former EPD leaders received from others in law enforcement, Gallegos said there’s also an obligation to Moore’s family. He hopes the judicial determination will bring closure to her family, the community and those involved." If his sworn Oath of Office means anything, his first priority is to the Law and then to the community. While it is a tragedy for the Moore family it is a bigger tragedy for the community. No "judicial determination" in and of itself "brings closure." JUSTICE brings closure!

--Joe

Security Sickness

Read the Sunday, August 3, Editorial in The Eureka Reporter carefully and see if you can find the flim-flam. The title is: "Creeping Internet regulation." To the casual reader you might conclude that the recent ruling by the FCC against the big telecom company, Comcast, was a subtle infringement or posed a serious infringement on Net Neutrality. You might . . .

Notice: "Ostensibly, Comcast did this to customers who often transferred large files because it was concerned that the files might contain illegally copied music or films." Comcast actually assaulted Net Neutrality causing the ruling, because someone, a rare few big downloaders "might" infringe upon them.

Joe recently read on a local blog, SoHum Parlance, the following advice (legal apparently) about search warrants under "Tooby Raids Imminent. Duck and Cover": "Many people who were caught up in last month's raids were innocent of any crime, but a search is justified under the law simply on the basis that there is reason to believe your home contains evidence of a crime." "Reason to believe, he says. Innocent people are legally persecuted, harmed and in some cases killed on a "belief" that "illegally," what? Yeah! What justifies that kind of wanton, rubber-stamp conduct by those empowered to protect the innocent? The same kind of psychotic paranoia that subordinates common sense and makes everyone complicit, security sickness. The kind of common sense that protects the innocent rather than deal with them as mere casualties of war.

Today, all that's needed is for someone to "believe" that you are involved in a "suspicious activity." Something as simple as taking or trying to take a couple of pictures and you will find yourself infected with a current strain of "security sickness." You can read about real "creeping regulation" here. The kind of "creep" that hits all freedom-loving and law-abiding Americans right where they live.

Don't you just love The Eureka Reporter's great snake oil?

ADDENDUM Monday, August 04, 2008

One of the more obvious symptoms of “Security Sickness” is, “If you believe that what you say in good-faith is true then you are NOT a liar.” Why the news media has no credibility or why you can’t trust the Eureka Reporter to print the facts. Or the Eureka Reporter’s facts speak for themselves when they use a quote from a corrupt Republican Dark Age Crusader (John Boehner, R-Ohio, the House minority leader) to justify their worthless opinions.

“FCC Rules Against Comcast For Blocking Web Access”

Read for yourself where Craig Aaron (Communications Director for Free Press) says, in part: "Well, this ruling that happened on Friday, which is really a landmark, a historic precedent, was the result of an incredible grassroots movement to draw attention to these issues of an open internet. . . ." You can read the rest of the interview here.

ADDENDUM: Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Another symptom of the disease: Mcain suggests military-style invasion modeled on the surge to control inner city crime. You think, when the sickness is full blown, we'll get "Iraq inner city" crime with car bombs, suicide bombers and rampant executions?

--Joe