Butt cocaine kills

Here is a KMBC story that is too bizarre for me:


A South Carolina man's brother died after police said he was forced to eat cocaine hidden in his brother's backside (butt).

Both brothers were taken into custody on allegations they had drugs in their car.

But police told Charleston, S.C., TV station WCIV there were additional drugs hidden in 23-year-old Deangelo Mitchell's backside (butt).

Officers said Deangelo Mitchell convinced his brother, 20-year-old Wayne Mitchell, to swallow the ounce of cocaine to hide the evidence. He died soon afterward.

"It's sickening," North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt told WCIV. "I got upset when I saw the thing. I was pretty shocked on it."

Deangelo Mitchell already bonded out of jail on the drug charge, but now police are looking for him again on charges of involuntary manslaughter.

Police struggle with false claims

 Overland Park, Kansas police were engaged in many days of searching for missing college student Aisha Khan, 19. Police now say she called and has been proclaimed "safe."  

Officer Brian Schnavel said that Khan was not abducted or held against her will and no criminal act occurred. How can the police know she is safe if she does not appear in person - a phone call is not enough. The police have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars looking for her, should the family pay the police department some compensation for the false claims? After all, police budgets are being cut back.

Republican Congress screws Americans

Republicans say cut the debt, yet increase budget costs again.
This time President Obama had requested a 1-year extension of middle-class citizen payroll tax cuts before the house holiday vacation. The house republicans wasted time in Congress. They went day-after-day discussing names for post offices and other buildings around the country. Some days they did not meet at all - just did an opening ceremony, then immediately recessed. The republicans spent days talking about religion in government and days talking about a wide array of other non-urgent issues. They purposefully left the payroll cut extension for the last days before the Christmas holiday, then they padded the payroll cut with other controversial issues, the Canada pipeline, hoping President Obama would reject it and the republicans could blame him for the financial hit across America. Wise to the republican tricks, President Obama said he would sign the bill. The Senate was not happy with the bill and passed a two month tax-cut extension. Now the incompetent house went to work to sock it to Americans by rejecting the Senate bill. The house claimed it would only pass a year-long payroll-cut extension (they could have done this in November), so republicans rejected the Senate bill and created a new one. Meanwhile, the senators went home for Christmas. So, no tax-cut extension and the republicans have caused everyone to have an automatic lower income beginning January 1st 2012.
Fear not, the republicans yell, we will do this in January, after we take our luxury holiday vacations. What the republicans fail to realize is not only will Americans have a lower income, but the government must spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps millions, in changing all of the accounting and payroll systems and notices for every employee. This is FINANCIAL WASTE caused by republicans playing stupid political games and failing to represent Americans - and American debt grows bigger.
We need a focused and competent Congress, not a bunch of Obama haters who will ruin every American for their selfish personal job goals. Yes, the republicans have jobs and could care less about the homeless and/or unemployed regular citizens. The republicans chant, if Obama supports it, we will fight it - regardless of what it is and the injury it will cause Americans, along with government excess, waste and fraud.
We voters must get these republican congressmen OUT in 2012, so we can save America and ensure our kids will be able to enjoy the American dream. Do you know that the US gives billions of dollars of financial aid to CHINA!! And from where does that money come from that we give regularly to China come????  CHINA!!!
Yes, America borrows the money from China, then gives billions back to China as aid - and American debt grows and Americans pay the loan and interest on the deficit. Maybe the republicans could schedule this topic on one of those many days that they get paid, but don't show up for work!!!
WE NEED A MUCH BETTER CONGRESS!!!!
STOP the repetitive TV sound bites, CUT HE DEFICIT and help AMERICANS!!!

Mit Romney...Corruption and FRAUD

I am shocked at the news that Mit Romney had 11 staffers pay $65 for their computer hard drives before he left the office of governor of Massachusetts. I also learned that he destroyed thousands of pages of documents before he left the state office. This is unimaginable!!!

After this news, Romney is definitely OUT!!!! Whomever took office after Romney had a right to see the papers and discussions that he would have to follow-up on after taking office.

The workers, who were not elected officials, had no right to have government information as their private property in their homes.

All I can see in this case is hiding of public information, corruption and fraud.

We need to take another look at Perry and other republican candidates. There are too many unethical people on the republican presidential candidate slate.

Rep Jeff Denham Leads The DC Fight Against Valley High Speed Rail

Rep Jeff  Denham Leads The DC Fight Against Valley High Speed Rail

Today congressional representative republican Jeff Denham led a 4 hour meeting in Washington, DC in his fight against high speed rail (HSR). As a state senator, Jeff Denham kept mass transit out of the central valley for the past ten years and, in his new position in Congress, he is determined to keep high speed rail out of the valley for the foreseeable future. Today many local leaders met in Washington, DC to discuss HSR. Denham argues HSR is too expensive and all the valley needs is a couple more lanes on highway 99. Denham has no clue as to the needs of the valley. HSR is needed for the students of UC Merced, for valley seniors and disabled (like our veterans) and for those looking to expand businesses and jobs.
Denham has decided to run for Congress in CD 10 (Turlock to Modesto) in 2012. We must get Denham out!!


Some of the issues I am most worried about include;
1) Funding - I believe the HSR will attract a lot of riders. But people will not use the HSR system if our elected officials have no confidence in it or they constantly talk about "it's too expensive to ride." We need to work out the riding costs so that poor valley residents can use the system and we need to elect people who can discuss all of the issues, but not drag the progressing project down, causing the valley to lose jobs, money, business, investors and an improved quality of life.
2) Excess costs - the costs are increasing on the project and we need to see who is being paid too much and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.
3) We need to keep the federal money spent in the US. If a lot of the federal funds are going into foreign pockets, then, I want to halt the project until we can get American vendors, specialists, etc. All of the materials must be made in the US, including the rail cars. I do not believe Americans will have confidence in  a China-made rail system.

There are other issues, but these are on the top of my list at this moment.

Gambler vs Slippery Dick

Romney screwed up in debate tonight by trying to force fellow candidate for president into $10,000 gambling wager over one of the presented issues. I don't think many people feel comfortable with the image of a big-time gambling president in charge of our money in the White House. Americans are looking for monetary common sense, fiscal conservatism, frugality, cut the waste, cut the spending, treat my tax money like royalty.

Romney also addressed sobriety and stability in defining why he is the best candidate for the Republicans. This comment was obviously a focusing point on Newt Gingrich's sordid past. When asked to describe how his childhood had influenced Gingrich as an adult, the speaker skipped over the issue and just mentioned his father was in the military and he moved around. Then, Gingrich referred to some of his shelter corporations which produce movies, books, and other things, headed, in name, by his wife and daughter.

Bachmann kept struggling for attention.

No real winners tonight. I would give negative points to Romney for gambling. I would give Gingrich the "Slippery Dick" award for skirting more interesting issues.

AAU ousts Robert Dodd accused of drugs,assault

Memphis, Tennessee , Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)
Two former basketball players allege Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) CEO and coach Robert “Bobby” Dodd assaulted and molested them as teens in hotel rooms, on road trips years ago, in the 1980s. Memphis police are investigating. The AAU is headquartered in Orlando, Florida
Robert “Bobby” Dodd age 63, has been CEO of AAU for over two decades and is a former YMCA director. It is said, Dodd was dismissed from the AAU in November 2011.

One accuser said, "Must have been 3 in the morning. I was dead asleep and I don't remember anything but waking up and he has his, he's trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. And I jumped up straight out of the bed and he's not there, but he's laying on the floor next to me down by the bed. And of course I was freaked out," he told ESPN.
Asked how Dodd could have entered the hotel room, West said, "He had a key. He always somehow had a key to whatever room I was in."
West said he tried to find ways to keep Dodd out of his hotel room when they were at out-of-town basketball tournaments.
"I was afraid to even fall asleep when he was around. And it got to where I would barricade my door, if I had a hotel room, I would take the table and chairs and I'd block it all against the door," he told ESPN. "And it got to where he couldn't assault me, but he would push his way in the room and then end up, I'd see, I wouldn't see him, I would hear him, he'd lay at the floor of the bed masturbating. And you just lay there horrified. But you don't know what to do. What, are you going to blow the lid off of this at 14 years? All you want to do is pretend it didn't happen and not address it at all. You want to hide and bury it."
Asked what evidence he has, West said, "I'm the evidence. I'm not trying to gain anything out of it. It's not like, 'Oh, wow, here, let me go on national TV and humiliate myself and possibly embarrass my family and stuff so I can tell everybody this deep, dark secret that I've had.' The guy shouldn't be around kids any more."
West said Dodd abused him or tried to abuse him six times.

Another accuser, whom ESPN did not identify, said Dodd gave him alcohol before taking him to a bedroom and touching him inappropriately.
"We were at his house and he provided us with some alcohol and, looking back on it now, I know for a fact that he put something in my, my drink that night, because the last thing that I can really remember was him carrying me into his bedroom and I can remember him, you know, touching me in ways that I, I didn't uh, I didn't want another man touching me," the accuser said.

It is not surprising that pedophiles go to where needy or confused kids are located - single parents, child care, schools, sports and correctional institutions. Pedophiles can often get the victims to keep quiet by providing the kids with drugs, alcohol, pornography or other things the kids do not want to discuss. All of society benefits when the victims can discuss the issues, seek counseling, and help get these pedophiles out of our systems and institutions.

The victims may deal with related issues for their entire lives. They may have problems with police and other authority figures. They may also become abusers and pedophiles. We need to identify those victims in need of psychological help.

Newt Gingrich: an ethical vacuum - Oliver Twist returns

Newt Gingrich defends his child education plan for poor children. Newt Gingrich stated he felt poor children grew up to be unemployed because they had no role models. Newt said the kids grew up in poverty because their parents had no jobs and the kids never learned what it was to go to work everyday. Newt said the poor kids needed to learn a work ethic and what it meant to go to work everyday. With this goal in mind, Newt Gingrich proposed that poor kids be put to work cleaning the floors and cleaning the bathrooms at schools...oh yeah, and painting the building.. HUH!!!!!
When the news media asked Newt if he was serious, Newt said he was. He said people are poor because they don't work, so the kids never see people going to work everyday and, hence, do not have a work ethic.
Newt is far out f touch with poor America? Poor is defined as people whose incomes fall below the US poverty level. There are many people who are employed, yet are poor. These are the working poor. They are only able to get hired to lower paying jobs. So, they go to work regularly, but barely make enough to pay their bills. For various reasons, they are stuck in poor neighborhoods. Often these people are younger adults, especially those with kids, and older adults who are disabled, ill or aged out of the job marketplace.
Children in the US are protected from hazardous material exposure which includes feces, and chemicals. Kids are also allotted shortened work days, so they can experience childhood. As an American citizen, I have some of my earned money taken every year by the government to get kids into schools daily and teach them about life and work. If the schools are not working, tear them down and send the kids elsewhere.
There are people who are poor financially, but are not poor in social conditions. So, many poor children grow up in great families and have the benefit of a healthy supportive environment. Newt did not grow up in poverty, but he was sodomized by a pedophile teacher as a youth, who he later married and with whom he fathered two children. Most would say Newt led a life of poverty in that he lived in a pedophile-based relationship for about 25 years and never learned regular American ethics, morals and mores.

Sandusky loose for holidays

After being charged by numerous past child associates of pedophilia, harassment and sodomy, Jerry Sandusky was finally arrested. The next day, he was able to post bail and was released to his home. The police in Pennsylvania say Sandusky will wear a monitor and was warned to stay away from kids and his accusers. So, Sandusky will wear an ankle monitor and be stuck in his house and basement, the place where he is accused of committing the illegal acts for many years in the first place. As I am informed, Sandusky's children are adopted and there are questions as to whether they were also victims. Will they be stuck in the house with DAD for Christmas??

Where is Sarah?

Real new winner for the Republicans may be Sarah Palen. Now, she is starting to look good and smart. And you thought she was out. I can see her negotiating in the Middle East now.

Can Newt Gingrich Defend Marriage?

Newt Gingrich and Donald Trump had a lot to talk about since each had been married three times. But only Newt Gingrich is running for president, so I will only talk about Newt. (Newt and Donald did decide Donald will hire 11 poor children to become "apprentii." Newt had previously said poor children should be janitors at their schools and mop floors and clean toilets.)

Newt Gingrich met his first wife, Jackie Battley, while he was still in high school. Battley was his geometry teacher, and seven years his senior. (According to Gingrich's second wife Marianne Ginther, the age difference was actually nine years--Gingrich was 16 when the student-teacher courtship began). Their secret relationship included nighttime dalliances in the back of a car. The pair married in 1962, and had two children before splitting in February 1980. (So, Battley would have been a pedophile.) According to Esquire, Gingrich served Battley with divorce papers while she was in the hospital recovering from uterine cancer.

Gingrich met Marianne Ginther, the 28-year-old daughter of an Ohio mayor, at a political fundraiser in 1980. They began a relationship while Gingrich was still married to his first wife; he told Ginther that they were in marital counseling and considering divorce. Ginther met Newt's family that summer, and they married in August 1981, six months after his divorce from Battley was finalized. "He asked me to marry him way too early," Ginther told Esquire. "And he wasn't divorced yet. I should have known there was a problem." Their marriage was over by 1999, after Ginther had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She was in Ohio visiting her mother for Mother's Day when Gingrich called, saying he needed to talk in person. She says she intuitively knew that he was having an affair (with his soon-to-be third wife, Callista Bisek).

Callista Bisek was working as a congressional aide when she met Gingrich. Gingrich and Callista married August 18, 2000. Callista was 34 and Gingrich was 57. Gingrich converted to Catholicism in March 2009 for his third wife. Along with his conversion, Newt formally requested that the Catholic Church nullify his marriage to Ginther.

Newt seems to burn out on his wives after 13 years and finds a new wife by 18 years into a marriage. With this pattern, Newt will be looking for a new wife by the time the 2012 elections roll around. I don't think this country can survive another Lewinsky situation dominating the news.

Can Newt really help with the Defense of Marriage platform issue? I don;t think so. With Newt, marriage is not a real serious thing.

Newt fraud - a criminal in the making?

Reporters reveal that Newt Gingrich shields his income by multiple corporations headed by his daughter and his wife. None of the income to these corporations are well-documented as to where the money is coming from, why it is being given, and how much is given. Newt Gingrich filed approximately $2.5 million of income, but did not include any of the $60,000 he claims he got per speech while influence-peddling his capital hill connections. The speech money went to one of his shielding corporations. Yet, Newt Gingrich states clearly in his speeches that he earned the speech money. Since Newt has a history of stealing public funds, including money meant for inner city minority kids and the congressional bank, Newt would be very dangerous with a lot of power and control in Washington, DC.
Who knows where Newt's daughter and his wife are sending these mysterious funds.
Newt wants to be president for Newt, not for middle-class or low-income Americans. Newt can't be trusted.

Newt Auditions For Donald Cronyism

Donald Trump will lead a panel for one of the Republican debates. It is like"The Apprentice." Who will Donald choose for the presidential job. And if Donald does not like any of the candidates and decides to become a third party candidate, does this mean the Republican candidates are "fired?"
If the Republican candidates are fired by Donald, can they come back and challenge the boss and king-pin decision-maker?
Others looking closely at Donald's hosting a debate are Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove, Chris Matthews, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Sherri Shepard. Could talk show hosts become the new political heavyweight debate moderators?
Some say celebrity hosts can increase political viewership and TV ratings, as it did for Dancing With the Stars? What's next? It can go as far as your imagination.

Merry Christmas God

An unhappy Republican stated he was even unhappier because President Obama did not mention "God" in his speech. Well statesmen today, may not because they realize they are the leader of many different people with different names for "God." I know many who are often speaking of God, yet they are committing crimes or bigoted or controlled by money and hate. It is not the mentioning of God that is important, it is your everyday actions to your spouse, family, and community. If the words are not explicitly spelled out, look between the lines and look at the actions and life of the speaker. I can not think of a better family role model than the Obama family. Living in front of the world is difficult and living a daily godly life is even harder.
I remember when President Obama stated he was ending the war in Iraq. President Bush started the war looking for weapons after 9/11, and after no weapons were found, he continued the war for profit. Now, President Obama stated he was going to stop the killing on both sides. After he said those words, thousands of troops and military families yelled "Thank God!"
A child asked, is President Obama God? I said, no, but sometimes God works through President Obama. This Christmas most of our troops will be spending Christmas in the good 'ole USA. I hope everyone will hang "Welcome Home Troops, the war is over - Thank you for your service" ribbons and signs outside their homes. (Now here is a job for some needy artists - I haven't seen any for sale.)
If you are unhappy with President Obama and Michelle, wait until you hear about Newt Gingrich. Hold on to your hats and cover the kid's eyes and ears. I guess Newt thought it was godly to discuss divorce with his wife as she recovered from cancer surgery in the hospital.
Anyway - Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Feliz Navidad - I can add more, but some people will never be happy. God Bless you, and Peace on Earth...and let it begin with me.

Children's hospital food is good

There is a lot of attention to the food in the hospital of children's hospitals. The complaints are, in summary, no real healthy entrees. Since I have worked in many hospitals, I can attest that all of the hospitals I worked in had a wide selection of healthy and less-healthy foods In the public cafeteria you will find salads, fruit, soups, vegetables, juices, milks, etc. In addition, you will almost always find fried chicken, pastas, pizza, hot dogs, rice, ice cream, sodas, etc. Some also have grills for burgers, much like a university cafeteria.
A hospital, like a university, is a world of its own. Some employees work double shifts or overnights and might need a "special snack" to keep the energy up in the wee hours. Students can relate to that. Many employees bring their own food and only come to the cafeteria for certain items. There were periods when I regularly worked 36 hour shifts without ever seeing the light of day - my meals varied with my stress.
Visitors come to hospitals for a brief visit or may find they "live" in the hospital, next to a patient for months. Many of the people who visit the public cafeteria do not want "healthy " food. Many have eaten elsewhere and just visit the cafeteria for a snack. They want sweets and sodas. Many use the cafeteria for meetings. Many people in hospitals are dying and really have no interest in spending their last days counting calories and avoiding yummy favorite foods.
The world of the hospital and the hospital cafeteria is very complex. In universities and hospitals, the cafeteria just wants to meet everybody's wants. Workers, and most patients, don't want limited menus because they can't order out.
Hospitals have improved greatly over the years. The quality of hospital cafeteria food is much better because a lot of people did complain or avoid the cafeteria. Today, most cafeterias are cheery, bright, well-decorated, clean with varied layouts and a wide food selection. If employees are unhappy, most cafeteria services will adapt. Just as universities can't run on salads, yogurt and water, hospitals can't either.
If you want to better understand the complexity of a children's hospital, volunteer to read to the kids or deliver presents to the children and listen to their stories. These are not ordinary kids.

Child Suicide?

Our schools must do a much better job in monitoring and screening students for mental health disorders and suicidal ideation. I was struck by a story from Milwaukee, Wisconsin yesterday where a 10-year-old boy was found unresponsive and the media reported it appeared "the child took his own life."
Hopefully, the coroner's office will find evidence of what happened. This is so sad and I will follow-up on any additional information that may be disclosed. Our children are suffering and we can help. We must do better and ensure that the kids are getting help.
I hope this is not another case of child abuse or bullying.

EU Recession

France and Germany are heading for the same financial solutions as the US - cut spending and raise taxes to reduce the deficit. Germany is in better shape than France. The weaker EU countries; Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy are heading into recession with Greece and Italy leading the way. For the expanded story, see;

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/in-depth/eurozone-third-quarter-gdp-suggests-bloc-is-sliding-into-recession/story-fnawdwo8-1226196247746

Drone gone

The Iranians say they have shot down and captured a US stealth drone. This drone, possibly a RQ-170, is super secret and can avoid detection.

The unmanned drone can scout the landscape for nuclear weapons. No pictures of the drone in Iranian hands or other evidence to prove the capture of the drone have emerged. Loss of the RQ-170 could leak secret technology to other countries, like China, which could have an opportunity to examine it closely.

The US did admit a drone went missing last week.

We will just have to wait for confirmation and, in the meantime, hope it's not the drone.

Know the state bike laws

As the central valley starts to incorporate bicycles and other non-gasoline vehicles into the community, it is important to know the state laws for riding a bike.

http://www.cityofmerced.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=7254

Fresno State WASTES one- and- a- half million dollars on coach

Pat Hill, coach for Fresno State football, was fired today. Pat Hill has been coaching at Fresno State for 15 years, but the university says season ticket sales are down over 40% with revenues down. The record for the team this year is reported as 4 - 9. Many had been demanding the university get rid of Pat Hill all season long. This will be a costly firing. Pat Hill has 2 years remaining on his contract and he is due 80% of his salary. Pat Hill will get around $650,00 a year for the next two years, plus benefits. In addition, the university will have to hire behind the coach to fill the position.
I feel the people who continued Hill on the last contract and offered him such a ridiculously huge salary should also be fired for mismanagement of university funds. I feel the students should also vote as to how much the next coach will be paid, after all, they are getting hit with tuition increases to pay these exorbitant salaries.

Madera California Seizes Private Property for Christmas

Eminent Domain for west Sixth Street in Madera. Madera just completed installing water meters costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now, the city council wants to tear up that same area and widen the street making West Fourth Street a 4 lane road, so cars can speed along. Madera City Council will have a hearing on Tuesday December 6, 2011 at 6:15 PM at 200 West Fourth Street about the land-snatching proceedings. All interested parties must be present, as this is the only hearing that will be held before the courts hand over the properties.

It is notable that the Madera city council has 2 bankers as members and this is reminiscent of the foreclosure snatching that has pulled the American economy down over the past 5 years.

Residents of the West Fourth Street area say if they can not stop the tearing up of their property, they want the area rezoned for professional offices or commercial C-1. The noise, traffic and accidents will increase. Family pets will be injured and killed by the fast-moving traffic. Air pollution will increase. Many people are fleeing Madera because the city has so many problems and the residents say at least they can make some income from their property once the city makes it less desirable for family residences if the area is appropriately rezoned.

Newt Gingrich a scoundrel and rogue

Newt Gingrich says he was paid $60,000 per speech. Even though he had been speaker of the House during the Clinton / Lewinsky years, and gained a lot of publicity (Newt was also having lots of sex with various Washington groupies), Newt is not worth $60,000 per speech. Newt was influence-peddling and lobbying for private investors. He even accepted a $500,000 credit from Tiffanys to get Tiffanys business inside the DC beltway. He can not be trusted with our money. Newt Gingrich will sell-out in a minute if he can make a buck. Newt had been caught many times in the 1990's lying to cover up his greed and financial abuse of public funds. Newt was caught taking money intended for inner-city youth, and converting it for his private enrichment. Newt was caught writing over $100,000 in fake checks to the congressional bank. No, Newt Gingrich is an untrustworthy liar and, at this time in history, could bring America to its knees by funneling money abroad. Finally, for anyone who knows me, I am a defender of women. I can not forgive Newt for asking his wife for a divorce as she laid in a hospital dying of cancer, so her could marry his mistress. Newt is not loyal or a supporter - he thinks only of himself. For Newt, to hell with the wife, kids and vows ("in sickness and in health").