Tuesday, March 3, 2015

SOME LIKE IT HOT . . . DON'T MISS A MINUTE OF MADNESS . . . FUEL YOUR FUN! FROM PITA PIT TO THE BERKELEY PIT, BUTTE AMERICA IS GEARING UP FOR THE LARGEST ST. PATRICK'S DAY CELEBRATION WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI! SHERIFF ANDY TAYLOR OF MAYBERRY, AS ROLE MODEL FOR MODERN DAY COPS . . . LOOKING AT HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDING--DON'T BE TOO HASTY TO FAIL TO LOOK AT WHAT AGENCIES ARE IN THE DHS: (1) TSA, TRANSIT SECURITY AUTHORITY; (2) ICE, IMMIGRATION, CUSTOMS & ENFORCEMENT; (3) BORDER PATROL . . . AND OTHERS, SOMEONE SAID, 30 OTHER AGENCIES? NOT SURE? IS THIS AN AREA WE CAN CUT? DON'T BUY THE EMOTIONAL ARGUMENTS, LOOK AT EVIDENCE, FACTS & STATISTICS--MAKE THEM JUSTIFY THEIR BUDGETS & EXISTENCE. THIS IS WHERE THE GOVERNMENT CAN LEARN FROM BIG BUSINESS, CUT DEAD WEIGHT! SHAKE UP THEIR TASTE BUDS! CHAMPION OF CHARACTER UNIVERSITY (MONTANA TECH), STOLE THEIR GREAT MOTTO!

This is Not Mayberry!  I Know, But Sheriff ANDY TAYLOR is a Picture Perfect Model of the Type of Emotional Intelligence Cities Should Want In Their Law Enforcement Officers!

The up side of being poisoned, and deathly ill, waking up to a goiter size bump, added to the rash on my neck, and the ligature marks around my neck, looking a bit, taken down by the whole thing, and accidentally or a serendipitous direction to another telling 48 Hours, True Crime TV, to an episode, adding leverage and power to the physician wife, using green bean seeds, to poison her husband, another murderess wife, was accused of poisoning her 23 year old, Marine husband, who dropped dead, after 10 days, of flu like symptoms, and others, finding arsenic in his heart and lungs--don't recall a goiter, ugly as hell . . . trying to make me not look like my picture, accompanying this blog, but I got the opportunity of sitting around, which I generally don't do, watching TV, to pass the miserable day.  My buddy here, at the Butte Rescue Mission, just happened to have a DVD of a series of The Andy Griffith Show, what a delight, and they made me take my mind off my weakened state, while I laughed my ass off.

One of the things that struck me, especially, after the events of the last 8 months, in American law enforcement, Ferguson, Missoula, New York, and the Montana State Legislature, including in police officers' training, and sad that they have to do this, seeing it should have been part of the training all the way along, lessons on the United States and Montana State Constitutions, and the Bill of Rights, with one Helena man, adding to the litany of courses he thought cops ought to have before becoming a public servant, was an in depth, psychological exam, to determine if the officer or candidate, is, in fact, of the temperament to deal with the stress and complexities of modern day law enforcement, when it struck me, that Sheriff Taylor, seemed to have all the character traits, that make up a good officer: (1) an understanding of the law; (2) knowledge of the people in his community, and a tolerance for their idiosyncrasies; (3) an appreciation and comraderey with his deputy, who is always testing his patients to be sure; (4) gives the offenders the courtesy of putting them on notice, when it is the first time he is enforcing an ordinance or lesser crime, that really doesn't need arrest and jail, but just a professional introduction of what the law is, and putting them on notice, that next time, they will be ticketed; (5) a respectful attitude for not only his job, with the mantra to serve and protect, but respect for all aspects of his job, both in and out of the jail or office and on the streets; (6)  a warm smile, calm listening skills, giving the alleged defendant the benefit of the doubt; and (7) using long suffering and patience, when dealing with youth, he knows are just misguided, or just don't get the law yet.

I know, I know, you could turn that back on me, and say, he was pretty good in Matlock too!  Yes, he played a good attorney too.  This is just a thought, and a replacement for an in depth psychological examination, as some people want.  Sheriff Taylor is someone who most of us grew up with, even years after the show was originally on, being shown as re-runs, over and over again . . . and maybe part of the appeal, is just that, he was a great role model, not only as a cop, but a father, and a nephew.  I don't think we can ever run too short on role models, that we are familiar with.  I know he is a fictional sheriff, but who cares, lots of us, have fictional role models, so just a suggestion!

St. Paddy's Day In Butte . . . Going to Be a Challenge for Any Cop

The green is starting to pop up all over the city, already, almost two and a half weeks before the party is to start . . . and that is because, the Irish in Butte, and their visitors, do not wait until March 17th, to start the party, they start it about the weekend before and carry it over to the next weekend, having a riotous time, from what I have heard.  The bus driver, a local boy, who grew up here, said people come from as far away as New York to party hardy with the rough riders and rough drinkers of Butte!  If all goes well, I will get to be here, like I wanted to be anyway, and check out the notorious Irish miners' celebrations!  For about a week, I am seeing green, three leaf clovers, hanging on signs and posts all over town . . . I don't know what they are for, but it might be a great idea, to cut people who are just trying to have a good time, some slack, and try starting your Sheriff Andy Taylor character traits!  I am sure that this would go over great with the out of town guests who, may make their impressions of the city, based on a very visible contingency of cops, believe it or not!

Someone said, that open container laws, are suspended for the day, or at least, within certain perameters!  I am not a drinker, but I know, that recently, at the Winterfest in Whitefish, several people who were visiting, in the early hours of the festivities, were completely turned off and angry at several big ass cops, strutting their stuff around the crowd, and checking people's coffee cups to see if they really contained alcohol!  In several letters to the editor of the Daily Inter Lake, people complained that these actions, while well intended, were totally unappreciated, especially, by people who were just carrying around their coffee cups . . . Police State, was the call!  Anyway, fun times around the corner, and citizens need to be kind to the cops, listen, and follow laws, but cops, in turn, need to relax a bit, and let everyone, within reason have a good time . . . good experiences turn into tourist dollars, new residents, and building your communities!  Try to get the big picture on this.  But is trying to rebuild it's Uptown, and outside money, sees a fun place to invest, and help the community, with such a rich history, grow, bringing back some of the former glory days, that were so abruptly stopped!

I just noticed a sparkly green, decorative, three leaf clover, hanging from the intersection . . . the parade sounds fun, and everyone is invited to join Butte in the festive day.  The fun thing about St. Patrick's Day, is you don't have to have gifts, a costume, and you can just show up and join the fun!  This is the destination for many throughout the state, and the nation is invited to see this cool place!  Check out the history, it will make you love the town even more!  I am eating and writing at the fun, bright, cool Pita Pit a locally owned and operated health sandwich place . . . fresh thinking, healthy eating!

Just a Couple of Comments on Funding DHS--Don't Allow Them to Use the Typical Government Mantra . . . Use it or Lose It!

UNNECESSARY ARMY OF TSA AGENTS

Several years ago, during all the controversy, over the TSA agents, their invasive body searches, scanning and full body scans, a client of mine, sent me to a shareholder's meeting in Reno, Nevada, an International Airport, but even so, I was shocked at the big ass number of TSA agents, just standing around doing nothing, so thick, that they were almost lining the walls of the airport, standing in Marine stances, so close, they were almost elbow to elbow, giving an alarming show of, for lack of a better term, growing police state!  I don't know of a citizen alive, who is not concerned about the lack of privacy, invasion of privacy at our airports now days, and to make it worse, to have an agent, every 5 ft, was even more disconcerting, and needless, aside from appearing to me, to be a blatant waste of tax payers' money, and so unnecessary.

I am not exactly sure, why there were such a show of force . . . maybe because the TSA was under attack from the press, and whatever, but we don't need that kind of security.  What are that many agents going to do anyway, if there is an attack, many are low paying jobs, without specialized training and would be more of a determent to real law enforcement, if there were to be a terrorist attack or event!  Anyway, as the scare of 9/11 is 14 years in the past, and yes, I am aware of the potential threat of ISIS, but really, we need to distinguish where the money can best be spent, and where it is just a waste and a painful reminder to the people, that the scream for national security has taken so many precious rights away . . . that, was completely unnecessary, poor policy, and over-reach!  Always, when determining if actions are warranted by the government, the standard policy should be, and has always been, the least intrusive methods to accomplish the intended goals!  Just some food for thought.

ICE . . . FAT PAY CHECKS, TURNING JOB OVER TO STATE/LOCAL COPS!

As militant, and vitriol, attitudes developed over immigration issues, what I saw from the legislation I was involved with, in Utah, back in about 2008, with an eye on new Arizona and Oklahoma laws, that brought the Department of Justice and Homeland Security, knowing on the doors of local legislators, who were willing to train, local and state cops, entering into memorandums of understandings, between state/local authorities and federal authorities, is that in exchange for training, law enforcement within the borders of these states, would then become almost acting arms of ICE, in enforcement strict and aggressive tactics, against Hispanic people, mandating racial profiling, that was deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, treating people of darker skin, many citizens, differently, that other citizens.

As the fervor grew, and the animosity, many police officers, sheriffs and highway patrol, were put in a position of actually, almost becoming, mini-ICE agents, being so tied up enforcement their laws, against alleged offenders and illegals, that the normal functions of the cops, locally and statewide, were put aside, trying to do all the federal cops jobs, dealing with immigration, drugs, fish and game issues, etc.  I am now seeing, many state and local cops, just say NO!  Serious crimes, like murder, assault, rape, battery, robbery, etc., were left, for the enticing carrots, offered by participation in federal programs, especially dealing with drug interdiction programs!  I attended a Internet or bloggers convention in Las Vegas a few years ago, where some of the attendees and speakers, like members of L.E.A.P., Law Enforcement Against Prohibition . . . of drugs, demonstrated the disastrous effects of a focus on, especially, marijuana, and all the grants, training, and other incentives to be involved in this effort, that has basically, not produced the results that were hoped for, and all the while, watching fellow officers, get their heads blown off for an ounce of marijuana, on a controlled wire buy!

Congress, needs to take some time, look closely at the programs of Homeland Security, and determine, distinguish, and decide, what worked and what didn't, then fund those programs, that seemed to net results that were positive and had a trend of continuing.  And while you are at it, Congress, take marijuana off the Schedule I, Controlled Substance List, being not in the same category with heroin and meth!  It is time to get a bit more sophisticated in our thinking, and take our budget pens out, and make some worthy changes, protecting both federal and state taxes.  Gone are the days, of unlimited budgets, without the intended results.  For some reason, it is so easy to cut, the poor, the elderly, the food stamp or welfare person, the vet . . . but, people, and many of them educated and have upward mobility and will recover and prosper, if their job is cut, are somehow, protected, and get a free right, straight into retirement, without a glitch, or the threat of being cut.  This is not way to run a country! 

You can't just give lip service to Less Government, More Jobs . . . and continue to let the government get completely out of control, without checks and balances, and not limits on their budgets, especially, when the words, national security, is attached to it!  We seem to through our brains out the window, and buy the bull shit, argument, based on irrational emotions, rather than hard core facts, on where the money is going, what are we getting for it, and is it worth continued funding?  Ask the hard questions, and make government entities, put up or shut up!  Republicans, in particularly, seem so enamored with big business, the job cutting hatchet men, like Mitt Romney, but these same people can't stomach a cut in the government!  Does that make sense?  There has to be accountability and production to justify any job, or the continence of any job.  People should not be allowed, to just wait out their retirement, without lifting a pen or hitting the computer keys . . . cut the lazy fuckers!

Weigh the Pluses and Minuses Of Allowing President Obama's Immigration Plan Go Through, Cutting the Necessity for ICE Agents . . . Looking at the Cost Benefits of Letting People Relax and Go For the American Dream!

I was taken back, the other night by President Obama's hometown or fireside meeting, when a young man, Hispanic, stood up and said, he had always dreamed of being in the American Military, and he signed up at age 17, having to get his mother to also sign.  He served faithfully, and got an honorable discharge, just to come back, and find that he had another war to fight, that of helping this same mother stay in the country! Take a look, at what the balance sheet is, ICE costs a lot of money, so we are just paying out . . . allowing 5 million work permits, results in a shit load of tax payers!  These are not easy for some of you to swallow, but swallow you must, if we are to take care of the problems and issues that we face in this country today!  Put your prejudices and preconceived notions aside, and make rational, critical decisions, that will benefit, the country as a whole . . . just remember, we were all emigrants at one time.

It is human nature, for people to get their little piece of Heaven, then want to prevent others, from getting a piece of the American dream too!  Just because, Mexico is close, doesn't mean that there are not horrendous human rights violations, corrupt drug cartels, and government and law enforcement entities who are just as corrupt, leaving these people with a choice of risking entrance, illegally into this country, with a hope of a better tomorrow, or stay where they know there is no, to little hope for change . . . what would you do for your children?  Do unto others as you would have done to you!  Nice starting place.

Congress, Stop Grandstanding and Get Something Done! 

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