Saturday, January 31, 2015

Visiting The Old Neighborhood - Was An Excellent Use of My Time Yesterday...

...when I made a trip to Glendale and Ridgewood, NY. First I stopped at Rudy's Bakery on Seneca Avenue but have to admit that was a waste of time. They wanted $3 apiece for Linzer tarts that I was going to buy but I just walked out the door probably never to return. That is unless she who must be adored wants them badly enough; yesterday I checked with her via a text msg and she told me to forget them at that price but today it seemed she wished I had bought some (they are heavenly delicious)..

My next stop was Queens Wines & Liquors on Myrtle Avenue. I picked up three bottles of Nurnberger Gluhwein for the wife. It's a German spiced wine and is pretty good, especially when you warm it up a bit on a chilly winter's night. It's too bad I had to pay about the top dollar I have ever seen asked for it but this is the only place I know of convenient to me to buy it. It was likewise for the bottle of Schladerer Kirschwasser, it was way too expensive but it was convenient at the moment so I got one bottle. It's for me and for whomever else will drink it with me. Schladerer Kirshwasser is absolutely the best commercially made hard spirit that has ever passed my lips.

Then I hit up Morscher's Pork Store on Catalpa Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens (part of NYC). This place is a pork lover's treasure chest. If you like smoked pork, pork deli meats and fresh pork - this is the place to get it. Of course, they have beef too (and I think even some lamb and chicken). They have everything you might want to go with your main dish of pork too like Light Lithuanian bread, dumpling mixes, Bowers mustard including horseradish mustard, various krauts, and lots of other European (German, Gottschee and Polish) delectables. They also have very courteous, genuinely nice, folks working there who are honest too. In fact, I handed the guy behind the counter $20 too much and he promptly told me I had given him the wrong amount when he told me the price was 'one hundred dollars and thirty eight' and I thought he had said $138.00. What he meant was $100.38. That was a big plus for me, it also is a plus for them as it assures I will be going back again and again when I get in that way, just as I have been doing for many years. (Now, I cannot wait for the wife to cook the schweinefleisch tomorrow, it's a fresh pork tenderloin roast - and I bought two of them, about 2.5 pounds more than she had wanted, to assure we could literally pig out.)

I made one more stop at a commercial establishment and that was at Zum Stammtisch Restaurant in Glendale. While there, I enjoyed a hefe-weissbier and a shot of kirschwasser. Then another bier followed by a huge portion of boiled beef under horseradish sauce that was accompanied by red kraut, two potato dumplings and my last bier. I was actually grateful that the bartender, Pat, did not think of bringing me the usual bread and butter before the entrée, there was so much food as it was that I could not finish it. It was so delicious that regardless of how much there was on my plate, I almost go it all down; I probably left only a mouthful or two at most behind. After that, I finished off what was left of my last bier and headed out but not toward home.

My next and last stop was at a dear friend's home in Glendale. I visited Joe Y and his mom and as a bonus for me his sister I-I-I was there (inside joke). We had a nice time just BS'ing and I cracked open the Kirschwasser for me and Joe. The ladies did not want a drop although Joe's mom tasted just about that much of it. Joe was about to open a bottle of Jack, but I insisted we have the kirschwasser and told him it reminded me much of the booze a friend's dad used to make. Joe had a shot and was duly impressed and agreed with me, it indeed tastes like the nectar that our friend's dad used to make and that he also insisted we imbibe back in our earlier years. Joe liked it so much he had three nice dollops of it. I had two small ones that I made sure to keep well below the amount I gave Joe. After all, I had to drive home and Joe was already home. Anyway, it was a nice time seeing Joe and his family, and it was a visit that was way overdue on my part.

In all, I had a great afternoon and evening in the old neighborhood. I look forward to my next visit there which I plan to make sooner than later.

All the best,
Glenn B

That's A Lot Of Bacon, Ribs & Sausage

A father and son team in North Carolina bagged a charging 700 pound plus feral hog (source). Just the thought of all that pork makes me hungry. I would have to not only buy a big chest type freezer to store it out in my garage, I'd still likely have to give an awful lot of it away.


I'd probably also have to do a good pants cleaning after being charged by a hog of that size.

All the best,
GB

On Nuking The Chinese


Which one of these two do you think had the better idea about nuking the Chinese. I love Chinese food and sometimes nuke it till it glows just to heat it up but I'll have to admit, I see some merits to the other idea.

All the best,
Glenn B

Politics Explained

Finally somebody explained politics to me
 
 
Right or left doesn't matter. It is really up or down in politics.
 
 
When top level people look down, they see only shit-heads;
When the bottom level people look up, they see only assholes.
You will Never see another Flow Chart that describes politics so clearly.
 
Once again, a hat tip and my thanks to Herr Rich M for this one.
 
All the best,
Glenn B

"Let There Be No Doubt...

Islam is part of America" were words spoken by the Great Appeaser, Barack Hussein Obama, and I must agree with him in as much as I believe it a cancer  on America that must be surgically excised without delay. He also said we are not at war with Islam and I could not disagree more.

Along those lines, here is a video that may help awaken even the most skeptical among you to the fact that Obama has it all wrong about Islam:


A hat tip to Herr Rich M for this one.

All the best,
Glenn B
 

A 100,000% Profit On A 5K Investment - Some Folks Have All The Luck



Salisbury Cathedral From The Meadows By John Constable
Someone bought the painting - Salisbury Cathedral From The Meadows by John Constable - at a Christies auction just over a year and a half ago.  That person paid $5,212 for it. This past Wednesday, the same painting, after having been professionally cleaned, sold at Sotherby's for 5.2 million dollars! Yes that is just about a 100,000 percent profit (source). As usual, the auction house will get a nice sized chunk of that sale price but the owner has to have pissed his pants in delight over that sale. I am guessing that the guy responsible for realizing it was an original by Constable, and that it had not been painted by the artist's fans as thought when sold at Christies, will be getting a nice bonus. Imagine though being the boob at Christies responsible for it selling at only just over 5K - that person could be cleaning toilets for a living in the near future if not already so (or may also get a consolation bonus from Sotherby's).

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, January 30, 2015

Romney Out Of The Running - Praise The Lord And Pass The Broccoli

Romney has announced that he will nor run for the presidency in the 2016 elections and while that is music to my ears (and to the ears of most conservatives and Libertarians) it alarms me that some of his support team for the 2012 election seem to be flocking to Jeb Bush (source).

So while I can say a heart felt thank you to Mitt Romney for being patriotic smart enough to realize he would lonely likely lose if he ran and thus for taking himself out of the race - I can only wish that Jeb Bush hates broccoli just like GWB and that the heavens above shower it down on any plans he has to run for the presidency. We don't need another RINO in the White House. Nor do we need another loser running for the presidency and thus one who could put Hillary into it! What we need is someone with much more libertarian and or conservative values and ideals and the balls to stand by them. 

All the best,
Glenn B

The Danes Are The Breasts At Slowing Down Speeders

Yes, without a doubt, Denmark may have come up with the best breast way to slow down speeders. I love it.

Alert, don't watch the embedded video if seeing a pair of naked breasts or three will offend your sense of prudishness. While the video does contain partial nudity, it is only R rated at best and really is not offensive as I see it. In fact, I rather enjoyed it and so will most manly men and lesbians and other breast connoisseurs.



All the best,
Glenn

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Oh Those Fembots - Gotta Love Em



I imagine there was some pretty decent recoil cushioning behind those barrels.

Later,
GB

Any Which Way But The Truth...

...is the way the Obama Administration seems to describe the Taliban. Not being able to bring themselves to classify the Taliban as terrorists, evidently because Obama and his minion made a deal to swap US Held Taliban prisoners for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (and they do not want to appear to have made a deal with terrorists), has got to be one of the most twisted compilations of balderdash (or bullshit) ever to have come out of any bureaucrats or politician's mouths. See:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/01/29/white-house-acknowledges-but-also-denies-that-taliban-are-terrorist-group/

Really folks, if you are even thinking of voting for another demoncrat for president in 2016, you should have your head examined and maybe you also should think about turning yourself in to your local priest or preacher for an exorcism!

All the best,
Glenn B

Philadelphia Police Respond Almost Faster Than A Speeding Bullet...

...to an apparent armed robbery attempt by a masked man. Whoever says it takes the police too long to get to crimes in progress must have never considered that it might be a donut shop being robbed.
 


All the best,
GB

Achtung Amerika


Tuesday, January 27, 2015

This Is Truly Disheartenting - We Were Becoming A Police State

After 32 years as a federal law enforcement agent, who was pretty gung ho in getting the bad guys (arresting the real ones based upon actual probable cause that never bent the rule of law), I am saddened each time I hear of yet another example of how we are more and more becoming the citizens of a police state. What makes me even sadder though is the realization that we are not becoming citizens of a police state any more. That makes me sad because the key word in that last sentence was becoming; the fact is - we are citizens of a police state right now, at least citizens of one in its initial stages.

There are no ifs ands or buts about it. If you do not think I am correct then watch this video and think about it again. There are many more examples of how the politicians, bureaucrats, courts and in fact many of the people of this once great nation have all supported the formation of a police state and now they have it.



A hat tip to Wirecutter for having posted this video in his blog. which is where I first saw it. It is too good not to have shared it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Religious Freedom Or Pure Balderdash

I am all for religious freedom when the issue truly is religion and not something like a religion tying to become a world ruling government like Islam. In that same light, I find it execrable when folks try to use religion to scam the system or merely to find away around rules & regulations (governmental or corporate) with which they disagree. Such, I believe, is the case with the guy who refused to submit to biometric hand scanning at his place of employment. He reportedly was forced to leave the company. As is rote in the USA, a lawsuit ensued. He was awarded $150,000 for religious discrimination. Why? Because he reportedly said he believed that using the biometric hand scanner would "...give him the mark of the beast..." or the mark of the anti-Christ (source).

I don't care what are or are not your religious beliefs but if that is not absolute bullshit then nothing is bullshit as I see it! Hand scanners don't give you the mark of the beast - being an evil, sinning, devil worshipping, no good mother fucker is much more likely what would do that. My guess is maybe the guy thinks he already has the mark and figured it would be seen in the hand scanner or maybe (and this is my more likely guess) that he had figured a way to scam some bucks but that is just conjecture on my part.

All the best,
GB

A Nice Neighbor...

...is my neighbor Peter. I went out to shovel at 0630 this morning and did our backyard patio and walkway. I only did that so the Chihuahuas could go out to pee and crap. Of course, at least one of them did it in the house anyway, she doesn't like snow at all. Anyway, after that, my back was aching. I figure why not ache, the snow probably was about 10-12 inches deep (maybe more but not less) even though I had shoveled that twice last night. Then about an hour and a half ago or so, I went out to shovel the side of the garage and in front of the house. I shoveled my way down the garage sidewalk and started on the driveway, what little of our tiny driveway was not covered by our three small cars parked in it (and parked partly on the lawn and garden as it really is a small driveway) and when I looked up I saw that our front sidewalk was already cleared. Our neighbor Peter had hit it with his snow-blower! I saw him still doing his driveway, went to thank him and after that he did my driveway too, the part that abuts directly with the street. That tiny bit, maybe 8'x4' would have taken me 45 minutes with that much snow and all the additional snow pushed and compacted into the mouth of the driveway by the snowplows. Good man that neighbor of ours. I owe him for that - maybe a gift certificate for $25 bucks of gas is in order - that should keep the snow-blower blowing for a couple of years, well maybe only a year if he keeps doing our sidewalk too.

By the way, the sow keeps falling. Must be at least another inch or two on the ground since he hit it with the snow-blower. 

All the best,
Glenn B

The Blizzard, Politicians Or The Media - Which Was The Biggest Blowhard

Ok, so far we have survived what NYC Mayor Bill Balderdash de Blasio dubbed as possibly the worst blizzard in New York City's history. He apparently was so certain that this would be the worst killer storm of NYC's history that as of 11PM last night he ordered the city to shut down all public transportation and banned people from driving on city streets and highways (source). NY State Governor Andrew Cackling Cuomo Granted, warned of catastrophic effects and banned driving in 13 of NY's counties (source) all in the greater NYC area and he ordered a $300 fine be imposed on anyone who violated that order. It's not just that these politicos have banned public transportation and driving, it is the rhetoric they have used in forewarning of the blizzard. To have listened to the two of them yesterday this was going to be a huge blizzard of the killer variety and probably the worst ever for the greater NYC area.

Granted there has been a fairly large amount of snowfall over the past 24 hours considering the areas hit. for the greater NYC area. It probably was a good idea to ban traffic overnight (the ban has already been lifted) but why shut down the subways? No one, not even the two nanny state NY politicians ever forewarned about this storm duplicating anything like the effects of Superstorm Sandy that hit the subways hard. So again, why close them down. Also, why close all NYC parks making it illegal for people to bring out the skis, snowboards, sleds, and whatever else to have fun with in the snow. Imagine that it was temporarily illegal to build a snowman in any NYC park! Why all the panic? I think it was only so these two idiots (along with Christie in NJ and the other jerk Malloy in CT) could look effective thus boosting their political clout. In other words, it was merely political correctness that led to all of the panic stricken rhetoric that came out of their mouths (note I am not saying that led to road closures as that was prudent, but in essence trying to panic the public was pure bullshit to boost their images as politicians of action).

If you doubt me, on that call about the doomsday type snowstorm rhetoric being little more than PC, then take a look at this report on the weather channel:

http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-juno-new-york-new-jersey-connecticut-impacts

Did you read it Balderdash de Blasio and Cuomo? It said that the storm was expected to be the 18th worst snowstorm in NYC's history - not the worst, if 15 inches fell on the city. Now it may have been worse, there is a good chance that more than 15 inches fell but it was nowhere nearly as bad as previous storms  remember here in this area (and I lived in NYC for decades and now live just outside it).  Yeah, it's true that NYC does not get many storms with over a foot of snow, only 27 since 1869, an average of about one every 5 years. Guess what though, the averages are deceiving. In fact, NYC has had nine snowstorms with more than 12 inches of snow since the year 2000 (or an average of one every two years within the last 15 years - so much or Global Warming). So why all of the extra hype over this one? It's because these two NY Nannies got hammered by the press and the public after a big storm hit the same area last year and they were caught unprepared.

New Yorkers though, the regular Joes and Janes, they are usually failry well prepared for storms like this. Yet this one caused higher anxiety levels than usual. For instance, one radio report I heard yesterday on 1010 WINS had a huge chain hardware store saying they had sold 5,000 shovels from a single store in one day! Reports were spewed hourly about New Yorkers doing last minute shopping in preparation for being snowed in. Sure, every time a big storm is predicted, people prepare a bit more in the day or two ahead of it but this one was different, this time the politician's, bureaucrat's and media hype almost stirred people into an anxiety fueled frenzy. As one New Yorker put it: “There’s just more anxiety,” Mr. Dutta said. “You’re anxious to get home, but so far, things are working out.” (source)

Of course, let's not forget the media.  Just heard Chris Clydesdale Christie, on a local ABC news show that the storm was not nearly as bad as had been expected. When a reporter in sum and substance questioned then why were there all of the preparations, road closures, driving bans and the like he said it was because the media kept saying the storm was going to be one of the worst in history. The media was gleefully reporting about how bad this storm was going to be. Did they forget that the weathermen rarely get it right? No they did not, but they don't care whether or not a prediction will be spot on or miss by miles - do they! What I think they care about is creating hype to help sell themselves.

Did you notice that the storm was nameless, at least until yesterday. Then it was suddenly named Juno! Again, it had no name until yesterday. Why name it? My guess is that they named it because they fell for the panic and because of pressure from the insurance industry. You see, after Superstorm Sandy, insurers here in the NE changed their rules about hurricane damage deductibles. No longer did a storm have to be a certain level hurricane to make a huge deductible kick in for homeowners and business owners. Oh no, now the storm only has to be a "named storm" to make those deductibles kick in. The amount of bullshit coming out of the mouths of bureaucrats, and politicians over this storm has been amazing.

I must admit though, I am grateful to the politicians and to the media for not giving Al Gore a platform from which to spew any further Global Warming edicts. Along those lines, I guess I should thank the blizzard too.

As for my opening question, I am going to say there was a tie for which was the biggest blowhard and that tie was between the politicians and the media. The blizzard came in a distant last in that regard. - at least so far and I say that because it's still snowing a bit but mind you - just a bit. 

All the best,
GB

 

Monday, January 26, 2015

Hunkering Down For A Day Or Two

Well, here I sit at my computer desk blogging away while the power is still with us. If the so called nor'easter of a blizzard actually becomes just as bad as they say it may, chances are the power lines will go down and we will be without any for at least a few to several days. Hopefully though, the lines will hold out and the power will stay on. At least I can keep the scaly critters warm by bringing them up into the living room where we have a gas fireplace. Needs power to light it up but supposedly will run on a battery as backup; I hope so in the event the power goes out. It's on right now set at low but the bitch of that is the thermostat is in the same room so the heat does not come on.

I am in the basement, usually the warmest room in the house (furnace is down here) and it's getting chilly down here. I can always set the thermostat to about 80 and warm up the rest of the house but then the living room will be baking with both the heat and fireplace on. I figured though that it's best to keep the fireplace on in case the power goes out and we cannot figure out how to hook up the backup battery. The battery can only be put into the unit when the power is out. Screwy as all hell that the battery cannot be in the unit at all times but that is what the wife said she read in the instructions, then again....

Anyway, it's pretty moronic that they did not make allowances for it to be turned on manually without any electricity at all. I would never have bought a gas fireplace with an electronic on and off and a remote control but my wife did the whole deal and good for her. She can crawl in there and put the battery into it if the power fails. Anyway, right now things are good but then the storm has not yet hit with the expected fury it is supposed to bring. Time will tell.

I do have some other stuff to help keep warm. A 12 pack of cider, 1.5 liters of Potato Vodka, a quart (or liter) of Sailor Jerry's Rum, 2 bottles of Golden Monkey Tripel Ale, a shitload of wine and whatever else is stashed away by my son. Should easily take us through tomorrow or the next day although I fear the ciders and ales may be gone before this night is out. Damn, I should have picked up at least a case when I got the 12 pack yesterday and I wish I had a couple more of those Golden Monkey ales but I drank a couple of what I had of them a few days back.

I don't know what the wife has stashed away to eat except for about half a leftover meatloaf from last night. When my son got home from work, he brought along some goodies from a local pizza place including a meatball hero for me. I ate half of it and stashed the rest for a post midnight snack. I figure to be pretty hungry after having shoveled two or three more times before I crawl into the sack for the night. I like to shovel the snow a bit at a time, instead of waiting until the snowfall stops, and plan on doing that tonight as long the wind is not whipping it right back onto my property. That way, it is easier on my back than doing it all at once. Not looking forward to the backache but the exercise will do me good. Doing a few inches at a time, instead of shoveling it all at once, the all at once being up to the 24 inches they suspect we may get, also helps prevent me from having the big chest bender.

Time to go check on the wife and kids, they went to the neighbors' house for some boozing goodness.

All the best,
Glenn B

Global Warming Going Berserk In The Northeast

Yes, here were are in the northeast USA as another nor'easter no doubt fanned by the winds of Global Warming bears down on us full force. The temperature where I live is shown as 24 degrees Fahrenheit right now - ever so globally warmed and toasty. In fact, with those winds fanned by all that warming, the wind chill factor has it feeling like 10 degrees out there right now. Man oh man is it ever so warm for this time of year! Did I forget to mention that the other Global Warming phenomenon is happening right now too? Yes, you guess it didn't you - there are several inches of snow on the ground already and that after several inches were shoveled away by me earlier and by my wife before that today AND many, many, many more inches of it are expected to pile up upon us over the next 24 hours. The mayor of NYC and the Governor of NYS have warned us that this my be one of the worst ever, if not the worst ever, snowstorm to hit this area. 

So, I just wanted to say thanks to Al Gore and all his scientific egg-headed cronies for all the nice weather because according to them - if it's hot it's because of Global Warming but if it's freezing cold and you are in the middle of a raging blizzard - well, that's due to Global Warming too except now they call it climate change. SCREW THEM, they are truly arsehats - nothing more and nothing less!

All the best,
Glenn B

Archery Like You Have Never Seen Before...

...and if you actually have seen someone shoot arrows like this before - well, all I can say is that it was a first for me. If that was all for real then this guy is friggin amazing!



Did you say (or at least think) WOW! I did. This guy could wipe out a few guys, close in, with guns before they knew what had hit them.

A Hat tip to Herr Rich M for that one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Didn't I Just Post About It Being Best To Keep Your Mouth Shut???

So why are the knuckleheads in various gun forums and blogs going on and on about how they are cashing in things like junker guns and cheap magazines for a profit at gun buy backs (and why am I writing about it, more on that later). Take for example the recent gun buy back run by the Central Coast Ceasefire Oregon and the Newport Police Department in Oregon (source). The magnanimous people (with taxpayer's money no doubt) were handing out gift cards and store credits, at of all places a store that reportedly sells guns. Anyone could apparently walk up to the buy back with a trunk load of old rusty junk guns and offload them there for a profit with no questions asked. It seems that a lot of gun owners did just that - got rid of their junk for gift cards. Not only were they giving money for guns, they also were buying so called "high capacity magazines" for $25 apiece - heck you can pick up brand new 30 round AK magazines for $14 apiece (and I would bet you could do better if you looked around some). Then you could sell them there for a profit of $11 each which would be pretty nice. I wish I had been in OR for that sale because I could have loaded up with magazines in advance just to sell them at a huge profit margin. I may have to keep my eyes and ears open to find out when the next one will take place there or anywhere. If I get enough advance warning, and they are still offering the same deal, I may be purchasing a hundred AK mags or so and making a profitable trip to the Beaver State or anywhere else they are doing it with no questions asked!

Chances are though, with all the yapping that has been going on about the gun buy back programs, specifically the ones at which gun owners stand to make a profit, so much so that it has made Fox news (and probably others), these programs will be shut down or modified so that a decent and law abiding gun owner won't be able to sell a thing there. I'm surprised that these gun buy backs are still being run at all considering the findings, as reported by Fox News, of the National Research Council in 2004. Those findings in essence stated that gun buy back programs are flawed in their logic and ineffective in practice because in part that “guns that are typically surrendered in gun buy-backs are those that are least likely to be used in criminal activities,”. They also went on to say: “In contrast, those who are either using guns to carry out crimes or as protection in the course of engaging in other illegal activities, such as drug selling, have actively acquired their guns and are unlikely to want to participate in such programs,". Dah, do ya think! It's obvious that the anti-gun groups, politicians, bureaucrats and police departments who run these things did not think one bit about it and had no problems wasting taxpayer's dollars and went right ahead and did just that probably because it was politically advantageous for them!

Now, I promised I would get back to explaining why I am writing about this after calling others knuckleheads for having done the same. The cat is already out of the bag; what those other folks did was to make national news and probably will result in ruining a good thing (well not ruining a good thing for the taxpayers but certainly for gun owners trying to turn a quick buck on clunkers). What I write now is of little consequence.  My blog, with all of its maybe 125 readers a day is not going to have much effect on gun buy back programs if any at all. What may happen though is that my one or two sometimes readers in OR may read about this. Then they may try to attend the next gun buy back out that way, showing up with a trunkful of old rusted AK mags or an armful of clunker guns that they can turn in for gift cards and then later use them to buy guns & ammo. That would be okay by me even if it is the taxpayer who winds up paying for their guns & ammo. Only In America Folks!

All the best,
Glenn B

Sometimes It's Better To Shut Up And Stay That Way

He is 94 years old and the IRS will not accept tax returns from him because they think he's kicked the bucket. So why is Siegfrid Meinstein complaining to the IRS about it? Sometimes folks, it is better to keep your mouth shut; after all I am sure he can use whatever money it is that he would have had to pay them. See:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/01/24/4-year-old-vet-cant-file-tax-return-because-irs-says-dead/?intcmp=latestnews

All the best,
GB

How Not To Act During A Traffic Stop

Is this just another case of a white police officer pulling over and then manhandling another innocent person because she is black? See: http://www.policeone.com/suspect-pursuit/articles/8175036-Video-SC-man-claims-to-be-cop-tries-to-stop-wifes-arrest-after-pursuit

Well, had there not been a video, with audio, recording of the incident, I imagine that Al Sharpton and his race baiting brigade would be marching to the steps of the courthouse in Charleston, SC already. The thing is though, there was video, with audio, and both the picture and sound are clear as crystal in showing us all how not to act during a traffic stop.

As can be seen and heard in the video, the officer pulls over a woman because he says she was speeding. He demands to see her license, registration and insurance card. He is well within the scope of his duties to do so and is well within the law. Not only that but he is also polite and speaks in a normal tone of voice that is not in any way threatening as he explains to her why she was stopped and then asks for the documents. He asked the woman, four times, for her driver's documents and then explains that he is a police officer and is lawfully asking for them. You cannot hear everything clearly that the woman says but after the officer states that he is lawfully asking for the documents she begins to protest that she was not speeding and she is getting loud enough for the audio to be picked up and recorded clearly. The officer then tells her that she is required by law to present those documents to him as she continues to protest saying she was not speeding. Can you guess what she says next?

She berates the cop as having "...nothing else better to do with your time than stop black people". You had to know that was coming, didn't you! It seems almost inevitable when a white cop stops a black person who is an asshole and yes folks this particular woman was an asshole, at least in my opinion, and it only gets worse from there on out. She continues to refuse to comply and the officer warns her that if she does not give him the documents, which he is now demanding, that she will be placed under arrest. It is obvious that had she complied from the get-go, she would probably only been given a ticket but she keeps refusing to comply and questioning the officer as why she has to produce her license, registration and insurance documents, and thus keeps making things worse. He informs her she is under arrest.

The officer walks around the car to the driver's side and apparently misses a glowing red danger sign. She has applied the brakes as the brake lights come on. To me that means she may be putting the car into gear. She refuses to follow his orders to get out of the car and he tries to open the door. Bad move that put him at very high risk but he does manage to get the door open from inside. All I could think, at that point, was why did he not resort to pepper spray and my only answers were that either he did not have any or that he had been sort brainwashed by recent 'racial events' so that he was fearful to do so.

Okay, so the door is open and then a tug of war begins as he tries to get her out. As the tug of war is going on she is screaming to someone that he is touching me (as will be seen later she apparently had managed to call her husband on the phone, and was probably already on the phone with him as the officer was walking around the car). Again, I found myself wondering where was his pepper spray? I also wondered, why wasn't he using his baton with a come-along hold to remove he from the vehicle but then unless he had a collapsible one on his belt I don't think he had a baton. Not all departments issue them and even when they do, not all officers carry them but one surely would have been helpful in that situation.

As for the tug of war, the cop isn't about to win it maybe because as will be seen later she is no small woman. In fact, as they tug, the woman decides to throw the car in gear and takes off. All I could think was that the cop was very lucky it was not just a few moments before when she sped off because his arms both had ben tangled up inside the car then and he likely would have been dragged along as she sped away. The officer is able to maintain composure and pursues her (note at that point the driver who had been trying to pass them did the right thing - he stopped and stayed stopped until the officer was able to get into his car and engage in the pursuit). The woman winds up pulling over in a parking lot. More officers are there when she is stopped.

The officers standoff, guns drawn, and unintelligible commands can be heard. At that point, an officer with his gun drawn, apparently pointing at the woman driver, is approached from his rear by a black male who says: "Excuse me officer..." Folks, thisis not the time to be walking up to a cop excusing yourself. The officer tells him to stop and to back-up. He tells the guy at least a few times to back-up but the guy does not, he stands there right behind the cop who has his weapon drawn. As another officer approaches, the black male says what sounded to me like: "My name is officer Logan with the Charleston Police Department...". They order him again to back up then yet a third officer approaches and two of the officers order him down on the ground as he repeatedly tells the officers that the woman is his wife. After about the third or fourth time of him saying "That's my wife" one of the officers tells him CONGRATULATIONS. I almost peed my pants I laughed so hard when I heard it.

I think he truly wanted to help with the situation. Yet, unless you want to get hurt, not following the commands of the officers, during a situation like that when they have guns drawn is a real dickhead of a boner. Add to that identifying yourself an a police officer when in fact you are not one and you just make things worse (the husband was subsequently arrested for impersonating a police officer among other charges). Then to admit the woman was your wife - oh Lordy! They cuff him and put him in a vehicle. Folks, it is not wise to walk up on officers in a situation like that, even with good intentions. That is especially so when you walk up on an officer who has his firearm out and apparently is the one trying to control the situation with voice commands. Of course, as can be seen in the video, they handled the guy well and if you are wondering why they cuffed him and put him in the car it was because he posed a potential threat and then did not follow the lawful orders of a police officer after being repeatedly told to back off. Had he backed off and once several feet back said something like: "Maybe I can help, that is my wife" it might have wound up being handled differently. But he did not comply and thus the cuffs.

After that you hear an officer commanding the woman to open the car door outside. Yes that is what the officer says, and yes he had already told her to put her hands out through the window, but I can tell you that could confuse anyone who was not a cop in that type of a situation. Regardless she was not going to comply because she was being, to put it nicely, extremely foolish an asshole. To the officer's credit he gets it right, after saying that once or twice, and tells her to put her hands out through the window to open the door with the outside door handle with her left hand (specific is good in cases like this). Good commands that time but she still does not comply and is screaming repeatedly "I didn't do anything".

That is the exact type of thing you should do during a traffic stop if you are being pulled over and really want to jack the cops adrenaline levels up to super-max and maybe get yourself shot. It is exactly what you do not want to do if you do not want to get shot or do not want to go to jail or do not want a speeding ticket and are hoping for a warning. You see, those cops are not merely wondering why she is not being compliant at that moment but also why she just elevated a speeding ticket (or warning) stop to an arrest situation and then resisted arrest and then fled almost taking the officer with her. Did she just commit another crime, maybe bank robbery, assault, kidnapping (is a victim in the trunk), murder, is she transporting drugs, does she have a weapon that she is holding and thus will not show her hands, is she suicidal or whatever. Lots of considerations for the cops to contemplate in the heat of a nasty scene being carried out by someone who got stopped for a ticket at most. So you can rest assured they are betting something else may be up and are each jacked up with a super shot of adrenaline.

Luckily for the woman, the cops remain relatively calm. They keep telling her to open the door and after a bit one tells her that should she not open the door and exit the car he will snatch her out of it. Finally that is just what the officer has to do. Even when she is out of the car she continues to be uncooperative and resists arrest. Yes, her struggling from side to side making it difficult for them to cuff her, her noncompliance in an arrest situation, is in fact resisting arrest. She does not make it easy for the officers to cuff her but they do and she still continues to claim she did nothing while yelling and screaming and arguing with the officers. At one point an officer tells her he is not arguing with her anymore and while I may have heard it wrong, it sure sounded to me like she screams back at him: "Why are you not arguing anymore..." How imbecilic can someone be!

So, if you want to get yourself arrested, do maybe half the crap she pulled and it's almost guaranteed to happen. If, on the other hand, you would like to avoid being ticketed, arrested, having your spouse arrested and maybe both of you winding up in jail - then try to avoid all the crazy shit that this woman decided to do. Maybe even speak respectfully to the officer and you may get off with just a warning. Even if you get a ticket, it's better than what she and her husband are facing.
 
My hat goes off to the officers who all acted with a great amount of restraint in dealing with that woman. Me, I probably would have hosed her down and let her sulk in the fumes awhile. It would have saved a whole lot of grief. As I said though, I am not faulting the officer for not doing so, for all I know the department may not issue OC spray or the officer may not carry it or thought it was uncalled for at the moment when I would have used it. Regardless, the officers did a good job. Now imagine being one of them who has to go out and stop another speeder with attitude, or respond to some junkie beating his ho, or have a call to a murder scene where a psycho-mother just killed her whole family and he has to arrest her, and any of that maybe ten minutes later. It's amazing that the police don't wind up committing more unlawful beatings is all I can say.

At hat tip and my thanks to Mike G for the article with the video.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, January 23, 2015

God Damn, Well I Declare, It's Been One Of Those Days

Tonight is a good night for a drunk of a magnitude I rarely achieve in drunkenness. It's just been one of those fucking days. Let's see, it went from: learning (from a doctor who was an obnoxious arrogant asshole) that if my PSA test from today turns out higher than the last one (as the last few have been progressively higher along with some other problems down south) then I'll be going in for a scoping of the urinary tract and a biopsy of the prostate - to getting home and greeting my wife with one of the nicest greetings I have given her in awhile to her replying to me like I was a sack of rancid flea infested and very wet pig shit - to receiving a bill in the mail (along with my son's old cell phone that had been sent in to ATT for warranty replacement) for $439 because they said the phone my son sent to them for warranty replacement was damaged or otherwise not under warranty!

Add to that the regular bullshit things one puts up with in a day and I popped my fucking cork and gave the wife a tirade and then broke the friggin laundry basket when I was cleaning up in the basement and almost broke the vacuum cleaner. The laundry basket a quick trip to the store to replace, well as quick as it could be in the middle of rush hour on a Friday fucking evening. Maybe it was not so much to replace the laundry basket as it was to get away from hearing my asshole darling mother-in-law saying "Oh mein gott, vas happened to dat"!

When I got back home, I finished off the remaining dozen or so Moonshine Cherries and whatever moonshine was in the jar with them. Then I realized I was a real arsehat for not stopping off to buy a jar of moonshine or Moonshine Cherries before going back home. After that had struck me, I cracked open a Golden Monkey Tripel and almost actually enjoyed it. I am just about ready to hit the second one. I think I have a total of three more in the fridge so that means I can catch a decent to excellent buzz off of them. Then there is the vodka or the Sailor Jerry Rum or the Guavaberry Liquor (it was a gift) or whatever my son has in stock. Yes, it looks like I will be hurting tomorrow.

Fuck Obama, it's all his fault. Okay maybe not all, but it's nice to have an asshole to blame (like he blamed Bush) even if facetiously.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thursday, January 22, 2015

A Shooting Lesson You Can Grab Hold Of

My friend Mike Mc C sent me this one. As Mike put it: "What a bummer! I’ve been shooting handguns for many, many years, and I had no idea that I’ve been doing it all wrong. Thanks to these guys for bringing my skills up to date." All I can say is ditto to that!



Well, I guess I can also add that the video gave me one hell of a long hard laugh.

All the best,
Glenn B
 

The Difference Between A President Who Fought For America...

... and who respected both sides in our government (no matter how well or poorly you think he did) as opposed to the one who is selling us out all because his main concern apparently is himself and being a ultra-leftist.

Watch the brief video here:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1601010493447143&fref=nf

A hat tip to Pete Q for that video.

All the best,
Glenn B

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

No Work Today...

...so I am going to go do some 'enjoyable' things with the rest of the daylight I have available today. First, I am off to the village offices to pay a parking ticket before I forget and they up the fine and make it much less than enjoyable Then I am off to spend money doing some food shopping, I always love playing bumper cars with other folks at Costco or the supermarket. Then I think I will be going to the gym in my most recently commenced attempt to shed some pounds and to get my triglycerides and blood pressure down. I started the work-out crap again last week after too long of a hiatus. However I look at it though, that's all better than working or dealing with identity theft and much of my last two days has been given to the later and one day to the former.

Who knows, I might even be able to squeeze in a range trip (something I really enjoy) although I think the likelihood of that to be minimal.

Later 4 U,
GB

Monday, January 19, 2015

So There I Was Checking My Free Credit Report Today,...

...as I do every year, through annualcreditreports.com when I noticed that that my credit history report from TransUnion had something in it that seemed a bit off. According to that report, I had run a credit history on myself last week. In reality, I had done no such thing.

So, I tried to log onto TransUnion to see what that was all about. I do not have a paid account with TransUnion but have a login after using them in the past and signing up for free to be able to view my free online credit report over the course of a 30 day period instead of just once on the day I ordered it through that free credit report deal. I don't even know if they do that any longer, that is if they allow access after the day you first view the report since I just print them as an XPS document nowadays and don't bother to look again online. Anyway, after I input my TransUnion login ID and password, I was asked to answer a secret question. I answered it five times, it rejected me five times even though there was only one possible answer for that question as far as I am concerned. So, I called them.

I explained my concerns and they asked for more info to verify my identity. They asked for my email address and I gave them both of mine and they said give us the one ending in .org. I have never had an email address ending in .org and told them that  they did not seem happy. They then asked more questions and finally when satisfied of my identity they checked my account. I was told that relative to last week, their records show that: the questionable credit history check was shown as having been done by me, that I supposedly had signed up for a TransUnion paid identity protection account, that they had charged my credit card ending in a certain four numbers for $19.50 for that new identity protection account and that everything else in that new account matched my actual information as far as they could tell. I was then told my identity had been stolen.

"Oh shit, what now" is what went through my mind and pretty much what I asked the TransUnion representative. He put me through to their fraud department and they put a fraud alert and a freeze on my TransUnion credit history. He also told me to contact Equifax and Experian and do likewise with them. Done. I also have changed several passwords for things like email, banking, and all that crap. Either later this evening or tomorrow in the morning, I will be contacting the local police department to file an identity theft report to cover mine arse.

I also wound up running the other two free credit reports from Equifax an Experian but only after I had confirmed that there was a problem through TransUnion. Usually, I run one report from each per year but not on the same day. I do one in January, another about 3-4 months later and the last some months after that. It was what I had set out to do today and luckily, I ran the TransUnion credit history report. I say luckily because neither of the other two showed the supposed self run credit check that was shown in the TransUnion credit history report for me. As it turns out, for right now, it looks like I nipped it in the bud. My current credit histories do not show any new mortgages in my name for 50 room mansions in the Ukraine, show no 20K charges at stripper joints in Manhattan, do not show any new Ferraris purchased under my name as far as I can tell. Of course, no new debt activity may show for a month or more after it was completed but I am hopeful that if it does show in the coming months that this time the two credit protection plans I have will catch it. Since they did not catch anything this time aroundthat has me feeling very doubtful about renewing my ProtectMyID account (that I got for free from Target stores last year due to a security breach but that expires soon) and has me wondering if the AllClearID account I got for free through Home Depot, that past fall and also due to a security breach, is worth its weight in air?

I was lucky today to run the credit report and realize something did not seem just right and must admit that I only thought of doing so after receiving a notice from the ProtectMyID account that another credit check on me had been run yesterday. That one was legitimate and expected. That email though got me to thinking it had been awhile before I ran my credit history so I went online to annualcreditreports.com to run a free one. I am happy I did so. I also happily recommend it to anyone who has any sort of credit.

All the best,
Glenn B


 

Sunday, January 18, 2015

More Suspicious Blog Activity From Ballseye's Boomers

Here I am at 0158 (as in very early in the morning) to tell you of my latest suspicious activity. I just got done cleaning the dishes and the rest of the mess I made to put together an apple pie and a cherry pie from scratch. The pies have another 15 to 20 minutes to go in the oven. I don't know if I can get much more American than apple pie but adding a cherry pie must have most certainly put me right at the top of bloggers whose bogs are suspicious to the Obama Administration. I mean, like I really mean, once the NSA and FBI intercept this post, they surely will almost immediately realize that I have encoded it with a secret message to Mesmerize the people of America into getting their heads out of their asses in time for the 2016 presidential elections so the Libertarians will win by a landslide and Hillary Clinton will be forever banished to lower Slobovia. I mean, like really I do man, what else could a blog post, written by me, about apple and cherry pies be other that something patriotically nefarious like that. Of course, if our government was of a less uber leftist ilk, like man a bit more on the freedom loving side, they might realize that this blog post is about just that - and that would be about apple and cherry pies. Pies that will be wolfed down for dessert after the ribs, mac & cheese, baked ziti, meatballs, deviled eggs and whatever else we stuff down our pie holes at my brother-in-law the younger's tomorrow while watching the NFL divisional championships. Pies that I had best get out of the oven before they burn to a crisp because it's almost 0215.

Later 4 U,
GB

Saturday, January 17, 2015

My Blog Is On The List

I guess when the government stooges come to round up the usual suspects, I may well be one of them. I received an email today from a fellow blogger who informed me of the following:
 
"Tried to view your blog from work today. Got this screen-blocking pop-up instead: 

The web site you are trying to reach has been blocked per Agency/Bureau Policy.

The website http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/ is currently categorized as: Suspicious"

  
He also commented, in his email:

 "Looks like they're watching you. Heh."
 
I can only figure that my blog being suspicious to the government is due to me linking to patriotic blogs like Wirecutter's (thanks Ken) because most assuredly there is nothing in any of my blog posts that could make them think so. I mean, how could a truly constitutional and law abiding administration see my blog as being anything less than a blog written by a well meaning, loyal, retired federal LEO and patriot who has the most sincere respect for this country and our Constitution?
 
Oh wait a minute, didn't I just outline almost exactly what the Obama Administration considers to be suspicious! Hell they probably have me on some sort of terrorist watch list. Fuck Obama and his leftist minion. God Bless America! Sorry for blaming you Ken ;>)

A hat tip and my thanks to the blogger who contacted me about this (I am not going to mention his name lest he somehow face reprisals at work).
 
All the best,
Glenn B 

Range Trip

Late this morning my son asked me, out of the blue, if I wanted to go to the range to sight in our Marlin XS7 rifle. That would be the one I bought at a Hessney Auction in October 2012. Imagine that, buying the rifle over two years ago but it had not yet been fired even once as of today at the time Brendan asked me to take it to the range. I truly am the Great Procrastinator!

Regardless of my slothfulness, we finally got it sighted in. maybe I should say we got it sighted in more or less. One reason for the 'more or less' qualifier is that we were at a 30 yard indoor range.So while we used a laser bore sighter to get it on paper and then I adjusted to get it in the black, it's still not really sighted in for the typical ranges at which it would be used. We plan to sight it in at 100 or 200 yards when it is warm enough to be comfortable range. Now there was one other reason that I have to say it was sighted in 'more or less' - the rings started to loosen up while shooting. I would have sworn I had them as tight as tight could be without breaking them but hey loosened up enough to the point that I decided not to waste any ammo shooting the rifle any more. I had all sorts of Allen wrenches and screw divers with me but needed a wrench to tighten this particular abomination of a set of rings and did not have one. Lesson learned. Anyway, we had fun while it lasted.

When shooting the 308 went belly up, we turned to another Marlin, our Marlin 25MN in 22WR. We both had some fun with that and then I had some fun getting in some shots with my Remington R1 1911. Being that we were at a local range, here in NY, Brendan could not shoot the pistol because he does not have a pistol license. Such in life in a leftist commie like state. Why he does not get his license is beyond me. As I was shooting the 1911, at 7 yards, one of the other shooters in the room told me that it was some great shooting. I hated to disagree but had to be honest and say I used to shoot better. I don't know if the small decline in my shooting skills is, in part, due to me getting older but I definitely think it has to do with me no longer getting free practice ammo from work (one of the few bad things about retirement). Add to that the current cost of ammo and the shortages of it in the recent past and I just don't get to the range as often as I used too. That, more than aging, is probably the greatest factor that has effected my shooting ability. I suppose anyone's skills could drop a bit due to those things. Still though, I will admit, it was a pretty nice group that I had just shot and that the other guy was a commenting about - certainly better than most shooters I have seen would do. Nope, not bragging, just more or less satisfied with how I shot today because regardless of age, ammo shortages, ammo prices, and fewer range trips, it's nice to know that papa's still got it.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Short Tale of Two Treasures

I was up in the loft of my garage today (yes it has a high roof) lugging my suitcase, from my Florida trip back up there. After getting the suitcase put away, I saw a box of things from days gone by. All of the items in the box were things I had in my office, at the at 6 WTC, on September 11, 2001. Luckily for me, I was not in the office that day, I was up in CT for a Glock Armorers Course that was left hurriedly, and thus uncompleted, so my cousin John, who was attending with me, and I could return to NY to lend assistance. (That is another story though and lest I digress for pages and pages, I will stick to the short tale of the two treasures.)

I decided, for whatever momentary impulse had struck me, to take a quick look through the box and inspect the contents. Considering that the box was not closed in anyway, I was lucky that everything looked just like it had when I put it in there. In fact, some things looked virtually as good as the day I first got them. Take for example one of the more fragile things in the box. It is a coffee mug from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson, AZ. I must have gotten that in the very late 1980s or the very early 1990s while on a trip to AZ with my wife and daughter. I used that cup regularly for both coffee and tea at first at home but later in my office. It was in my office on 9/11 and there it sat, before, during and after the moments of the actual attacks of the World Trade Center.


A short while later on that fateful day, it sat there before, during and after the collapse of 1 World Trade Center - which was immediately next to 6 World Trade Center. It was so close that much of the debris from the collapse landed on top of our building and caused a partial but devastating collapse of the then Custom House (and please note it is not Customs House). While the collapse was not total, it was indeed devastating. I saw it first hand a few days later and was inside the building (close to but not in my office) several times. There was debris such as huge pieces of concrete from upper floors all the way down at the lowest level basement but surprisingly enough there were areas just inches away from the destruction that were as if untouched except by dust. My cup apparently sat there, in my office untouched because it was returned to me, in pristine condition, more than a month later. I had a few guns and some other things there too that were also recovered but most of my personal belongings that I had therein were lost to me forever.

One of the other things that was recovered was my name plate that sat in its holder on my desk. It survived 9/11 along with the cup. Most of my belongings that were saved were in a locker of sorts, on the opposite side of a wall that was adjacent to my desk. That locker was less than a foot away from the desk but things inside of it were not even covered with much dust let alone smashed or otherwise destroyed - for instance the pistols I had therein were not at all damaged. I don't recall for sure if the cup was in the locker or on my desk but I figure it must have been in the locker or spared by a miracle of inches. I say that because the nameplate, that was definitely ion my desk, did not fare as well as the cup, not by a longshot. It did survive though but all bent out of shape from whatever landed on it. Yet, like the cup, it too is a treasure.

Yes, someone recovered the cup, the nameplate, my guns and some other personal items I got them back sooner or later. I was pretty amazed to get that stuff back considering the ppile of rubble that much of 6 WTC had become but I got them thanks to an honest person (or persons) looking out for me. I have treasured them both, along with other things even though stashed away in that box in the garage oft.

As far as the nameplate goes, I used to keep it out in the open, on a file cabinet next to my desk in my office, when I worked for Uncle Sam, because it was special - it was indeed a treasure. Then, upon retiring, it went into that box and wound up in the garage loft. I guess I kept it there, with that cup, these 3 plus years since I retired, because it is a reminder of something I was trying to forget. No, not the 9/11 attacks and all that but the fact that it went in to the box after I had to retire when I was almost dead from cancer. We were both twisted in a way but also both survivors of a terrible ordeal.

As you can see, the name plate is a bit worse for the wear having survived
9/11. I guess I am much the same, a bit worse for the wear having survived cancer.


 
 

 Finding it today may have been a fortuitous event for me. I've been in a bit of a rut lately and recently made a decision that I was going to climb out of it. Now it's not a new year's resolution, and truly just coincidence that it comes at this time of year, but I have definitely made a decision to do less work and do more leisurely things that I enjoy and to do them more often. Heck, I am retired and may as well have fun an not work as much as I have been doing these last couple of months. So, bringing that name plate out of the box and into the light while treasuring it again is a bit like me getting off of my plump lard-arse to do things like: hit the gym a few days a week, take the dogs for walks now and then, travel more, go to the range at least monthly, bake some pies and other delectables with more frequency, BBQ some now and again or just do more of whatever else I enjoy.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, January 16, 2015

Police Reportedly Use Mugshots As Targets...

...and I am just about at a loss for words to say how this makes me feel but believe me, it is not good at all. To say I am disgusted, by such behavior on the part of they who have sworn to uphold and or protect the Constitution and who supposedly are to uphold the law while serving us and protecting us, would be an understatement.

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2015/01/16/north-miami-beach-cops-shoot-at-mugshots-of-black-teens/

That a police department's snipers reportedly were using mugshots, of people they had previously arrested, as targets at a range where others could readily see what they were doing was not merely stupid but was blatantly arrogant. To make it even worse, the mugshots allegedly were all of black men which of course, in todays racially charged atmosphere, was not only piss poor judgment but was asking for trouble.

Not only does behavior like that perpetuate racism, the arrogance of the us against them mentality (the 'us' being the police and the 'them' being everyone else) but it also reeks of impropriety. It hints that the department involved, from their chief (who was apparently aware of the practice) down to whatever lowest level officers were using those targets (with whatever supervisors and range officers fell between those ranks) were possibly well on their way to criminality. It makes me wonder, though I doubt it, if summary executions were not far over the horizon. That said, I must ask: What could possibly drive the department to use those mugshots, of their own past prisoner? It is beyond the realm of logic and reason.

Yet, the chief of the department excuses it as them not violating any laws or policies! In fact, the chief was reported to have said that the technique is in wide use and the photographs are vital for facial recognition. One has to wonder - for facial recognition as related to what? Were they planning SWAT missions against the specific people in those mughsots? Otherwise why use them for facial recognition. Anyway, that is obvious BS because in any police departments facial recognition drill there would be (or should be) included other photographs of similar looking individuals who were not criminals or in other words which were 'no shoot' photos among the actual 'shoot targets' of the bad guys. Without the no shoot targets their is no facial recognition worth a darn that is getting done (unless of course you intend to actually only go out and shoot the guys specifically pictured on your targets).

Now, if you think I am wrong about what I just said, go to the linked article and watch the second video in it. It is of Chief Dennis explain why and how the muGshots were supposed to have been used as facial recognition targets. One persons mugshot in the photo array of six mugshots was to have been the target - YET ALL SIX  OF THE MUGSHOTS IN THE PHIOTO ARRAY SHOWN HAD BULLET HOLESIN THEM! It is painfully obvious that if his snipers shot all those holes into the targets, they were not using them for facial recognition unless of course the sniper(s) firing those shots were remarkably terrible at facial recognition and thus should not be qualified as snipers. Once again, I am brought to wonder were they planning summary executions, or were they being absolutely moronically stupid in using those targets. I am not giving them an out by saying maybe it was stupidity - well, maybe I am because either way, I think these buffoons should be severely disciplined and at least the chief should be stepping down as it out of the department (if not all of them).

The chief though was also quoted as saying this:

“Our policies were not violated,” “There is no discipline forthcoming from the individuals who were involved with this.” (source)

Their policies were not violated so no discipline is about to be doled out - is he trying to tell us that behavior that likely would get a civilian investigated and maybe arrested and charged with terroristic threats, or maybe with the civilian being placed into observation at the local looney bin and all his guns seized, is okay for the police to carry out without repercussions! Is he also trying to tell us that officers who use extremely bad judgment in the performance of their duties should not be disciplined at least with mandatory training on how to practice better judgment or is he trying to tell us to mind our own business and that the police department, and only the police department, will determine the practices and policies for officers to follow without the public having a say regardless of how irrational was any given police behavior. I think this man needs to turn in his badge and gun without delay if only because he is a liability to the department that hired him and to the community that pays his salary. In fact, I think that any law enforcement officer who endorses that type of behavior should hand in his or her badge and gun and then go to a shrinks office where his or her head can be pulled out of his or her asshole so it can be thoroughly examined.

Now mind you, I am not opposed to using actual photographs of people as targets, especially for sniper targets. That is when the sniper would be preparing to go out on an operation that would specifically target and individual or group of them. Say for instance the suspect in the not too long ago shooting of the state police officers in PA, or say of a dirtbag like Osama bin Laden, or of some other legally sought after individual who was considered armed and dangerous. To do what it seems they did in the North Miami PD though, I believe, is inexcusable and I think there should be several jobs openings in that department in the near future if what has been reported is true.

Is that anti-police? No it is not. It is anti bad law enforcement practices and it is anti-employment of arrogant morons working in law enforcement.

All the best,
Glenn B