I've been keeping up with this story for a while now for various reasons. Over the summer a teenager who had just gotten his license the day before decided to smoke pot and go for a drive. He wrecked into oncoming traffic, killing the 8months-pregnant driver of the car he hit and her unborn child. What an idiot. This is one of those classic "don't do drugs" commercials that I usually don't buy into. Ohio has changed the driving laws since I was a teenager, making it harder for 16 year olds to get a license without proper practice and training. But hundreds of them still get their licenses every week still. I personally did not get my license until I was in college, but had a ton of practice before I did officially get licensed. I think that made me a better driver.
But today the kid, Alex Manocchio, was not sentenced to jail for his actions. Instead he'll be attending an unlocked treatment center in Hamilton County. Why? I can only guess the judge took pity on him and hoped he'd turn around. But he took two lives due to reckless action. Shouldn't that hold stronger consequences? He will undoubtedly be haunted for a long time by the memory of it, if he actually has a memory of that day. She was only 22, barely six years older than he was. The whole situation makes me terribly sad.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Baby brain
So another one of the reasons I've been absent for awhile from this blog is that I've found a new community online. Not a replacement for this blog, mind you, but a baby website. There's a forum filled with other mothers expecting their wee one sometime next May. It's been really nice to sit and gab with all these ladies who are going through the exact same experiences that I am, at the same time as I am. It also means I won't be unloading my pregnancy woes onto you readers, who are undoubtedly here for some police related reason. Squirt is doing wonderfully. I'm feeling nice and fat these days, although the best is yet to come. We heard the heartbeat again last week, and we get the big ultrasound later in December. Yes, we'll try to peek to see if it's a boy or girl. But I won't be updating on Squirt much here, because I'm doing it nonstop at the baby bulletin boards.
One of the topics recently discussed on the forum was started by a woman who, over the long weekend, was witness to two separate incidents of children being left in the car unattended. One incident was an infant strapped in a seat; the other incident was a 2 and 4 year old. If I recall correctly, it seemed to her that both times the mother had ducked into a store for what could only be a quick reason, like a convenience store or something. The poster was pretty upset about it and wanted to know what other people's responses would have been. Now, none of these other women know my husband is a cop. I bring this up because up until now, it wasn't relative to the conversations. After all, hubby's occupation doesn't really affect round ligament pain, or how big our bellies are measuring this week. Well, I suppose if your husband was a chef it might...
Anyway, a few women replied that they would call the cops if they witnessed this occur. Several women had replied that circumstances were everything, they pointed out it *isn't* sweltering summer weather, they've done it before, they'll never do it, etc etc. But naturally I had to respond to those women who wanted to call the cops. I need to repeat here that we were all assuming these were short incidents, where a mother had gone in to pay for gas or get one item in a small convenience store. I simply replied that there's nothing illegal about it, and that a cop was likely not going to show up unless the child was in danger, i.e. hot summer weather, a long time since any attending adult was seen, or the car was not easily accessible by a parent. J said unless a child was left in the car for an hour or more, all he would do is talk to the parent about the risks. I can say I don't agree with leaving an infant in the car unattended. What if someone stole your car, or crashed into it, or who knows? I'm too paranoid, since I hear horror stories all the time. I don't know as there's anything wrong with leaving a sleeping three year old in the car, turned off and locked, while you run in the house to grab an extra sweater. But there were women who said they didn't care if it was only a minute, they'd call the cops immediately. I replied again that unless they were sitting in front of a police station, nobody would even be able to show up before the mother left! Naturally the response from one woman was that she'd report their license plate.
You have got to love the high expectations that cops are given sometimes. My favorite is when J used to get calls at his old job by parents who couldn't even be bothered to parent their children, and expected the police to make the kid go to school, or do his homework, or clean her room. I believe my last response on the forum was "They aren't going to do anything with a license plate number. I'm sorry if you don't agree with the law, but it's not illegal to leave your child in the car for a few minutes unattended. There are always laws people don't agree with." and left it at that.
One of the topics recently discussed on the forum was started by a woman who, over the long weekend, was witness to two separate incidents of children being left in the car unattended. One incident was an infant strapped in a seat; the other incident was a 2 and 4 year old. If I recall correctly, it seemed to her that both times the mother had ducked into a store for what could only be a quick reason, like a convenience store or something. The poster was pretty upset about it and wanted to know what other people's responses would have been. Now, none of these other women know my husband is a cop. I bring this up because up until now, it wasn't relative to the conversations. After all, hubby's occupation doesn't really affect round ligament pain, or how big our bellies are measuring this week. Well, I suppose if your husband was a chef it might...
Anyway, a few women replied that they would call the cops if they witnessed this occur. Several women had replied that circumstances were everything, they pointed out it *isn't* sweltering summer weather, they've done it before, they'll never do it, etc etc. But naturally I had to respond to those women who wanted to call the cops. I need to repeat here that we were all assuming these were short incidents, where a mother had gone in to pay for gas or get one item in a small convenience store. I simply replied that there's nothing illegal about it, and that a cop was likely not going to show up unless the child was in danger, i.e. hot summer weather, a long time since any attending adult was seen, or the car was not easily accessible by a parent. J said unless a child was left in the car for an hour or more, all he would do is talk to the parent about the risks. I can say I don't agree with leaving an infant in the car unattended. What if someone stole your car, or crashed into it, or who knows? I'm too paranoid, since I hear horror stories all the time. I don't know as there's anything wrong with leaving a sleeping three year old in the car, turned off and locked, while you run in the house to grab an extra sweater. But there were women who said they didn't care if it was only a minute, they'd call the cops immediately. I replied again that unless they were sitting in front of a police station, nobody would even be able to show up before the mother left! Naturally the response from one woman was that she'd report their license plate.
You have got to love the high expectations that cops are given sometimes. My favorite is when J used to get calls at his old job by parents who couldn't even be bothered to parent their children, and expected the police to make the kid go to school, or do his homework, or clean her room. I believe my last response on the forum was "They aren't going to do anything with a license plate number. I'm sorry if you don't agree with the law, but it's not illegal to leave your child in the car for a few minutes unattended. There are always laws people don't agree with." and left it at that.
NYPD shoot unarmed men
Uh oh. NYPD officers shoot at and kill some men outside a strip club. Not a lot of details are out, but what is in the media indicates that after the shooting was over, it was discovered that the men were unarmed. There's going to be a HUGE ruckus over this, I guarantee it.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Blogging update
Boy blogger is really pushing beta now, aren't they? If you have a blogger account, you'll know what I mean; once you log on they are almost not letting you go into your blog to post without being hounded about beta.
I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was good. We traveled, which is why I haven't updated a lot. Ours was another family holiday, but could have been much worse. Amazingly my entire family was able to peacefully coexist for a day and eat some awesome food. My great uncle did drop the n-bomb four or five times, to which I wasn't really sure how to respond. How *do* you respond to an old bigot, particularly when you aren't used to hearing those words in civilized conversation, nor are you comfortable with that? In college I had all sorts of training on that, but it's slipped out of my noggin. I do know it's not right to sit there and let it happen; the best thing you can do is let it be known you aren't comfortable with it and try to foster a more open attitude from people. But that's all I did. So did J, my little sister, and my mom, who were also visibly disturbed by his comments.
I came down with a horrific cold, and due to this little creature in my belly, I am not allowed to take anything but Tylenol and half doses of Sudafed. What you may not know is that Sudafed is one of the key ingredients for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Here in Ohio, Sudafed is quickly becoming a controlled substance, almost to the point of needing a prescription. Some stores put it behind the pharmacy counter. You aren't allowed to buy more than one or two packs. When J went to buy it for me, he had to show his license and everything. How ironic that it's one of the very few approved drugs for pregnancy? Meanwhile this cold has been running the FULL course on me, and I've been miserable. If the rhinovirus comes a knockin, TAKE YOUR DAMN DAYQUIL. And I don't want to hear any whining about it, because I'm now on day 5 of the cold, and I just have to keep coughing and wheezing.
While in Columbus we happened to be driving behind a car with the license plate "JK 007". Naturally we got to theorizing what it stood for. My guess was James Kahn or something very similar to Bond. J pointed out it was a woman driving the car, so I guessed Jamie. He then said if he was in a cruiser, he'd pull it up to see. Which begged the question of the frequency of such occurrences. He confessed it is pretty common to run personalized plates just for the heck of it, see what comes up. It made me remember that my mom's ex-husband, during his mid-life crisis, got SUPERMAN plates, and suddenly was getting pulled over ALL the time. So getting those fun plates to distinguish you from the crowd ALSO distinguishes you to the cops, so you'd better not be pulling anything stupid, cause you WILL get caught. Naturally my mom's ex had a number of tickets, and several times had his license suspended for various reasons, so his record wasn't exactly perfect.
Actually that just reminded me of the other day while driving to lunch, J and I were cut off by a guy with plates that were easy to remember, and we watched as the guy spun his tires and left marks all over the road, before pulling a donut in the intersection and almost hitting us for the second time. It was a matter of seconds for me to call the local PD and rattle off his plate. On the way home from lunch, we drove by his car again, parked in front of a ratty apartment building. Shocking.
Anyway, hope everyone else's extended weekend was awesome. Mine has been pretty good, because since the courts are closed, my hubby's home. As much as he bitches about court, I know he enjoys this silver lining. Hopefully he'll be at court for another month or two so we'll get Christmas and New Year's together, on EXTENDED weekends!! That'll be a first in who knows HOW long, because before he was a cop, he worked at Home Depot, and you don't get a lot of time off around the holidays in retail!
Today the weather is unseasonably warm in the Queen City, and provided I can breathe halfway normally, we'll be putting up our Christmas decorations. My cutoff for the holidays is Thanksgiving, and since it's passed, all hell breaks loose. J laughs at me because I am a Christmas fiend.
I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was good. We traveled, which is why I haven't updated a lot. Ours was another family holiday, but could have been much worse. Amazingly my entire family was able to peacefully coexist for a day and eat some awesome food. My great uncle did drop the n-bomb four or five times, to which I wasn't really sure how to respond. How *do* you respond to an old bigot, particularly when you aren't used to hearing those words in civilized conversation, nor are you comfortable with that? In college I had all sorts of training on that, but it's slipped out of my noggin. I do know it's not right to sit there and let it happen; the best thing you can do is let it be known you aren't comfortable with it and try to foster a more open attitude from people. But that's all I did. So did J, my little sister, and my mom, who were also visibly disturbed by his comments.
I came down with a horrific cold, and due to this little creature in my belly, I am not allowed to take anything but Tylenol and half doses of Sudafed. What you may not know is that Sudafed is one of the key ingredients for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Here in Ohio, Sudafed is quickly becoming a controlled substance, almost to the point of needing a prescription. Some stores put it behind the pharmacy counter. You aren't allowed to buy more than one or two packs. When J went to buy it for me, he had to show his license and everything. How ironic that it's one of the very few approved drugs for pregnancy? Meanwhile this cold has been running the FULL course on me, and I've been miserable. If the rhinovirus comes a knockin, TAKE YOUR DAMN DAYQUIL. And I don't want to hear any whining about it, because I'm now on day 5 of the cold, and I just have to keep coughing and wheezing.
While in Columbus we happened to be driving behind a car with the license plate "JK 007". Naturally we got to theorizing what it stood for. My guess was James Kahn or something very similar to Bond. J pointed out it was a woman driving the car, so I guessed Jamie. He then said if he was in a cruiser, he'd pull it up to see. Which begged the question of the frequency of such occurrences. He confessed it is pretty common to run personalized plates just for the heck of it, see what comes up. It made me remember that my mom's ex-husband, during his mid-life crisis, got SUPERMAN plates, and suddenly was getting pulled over ALL the time. So getting those fun plates to distinguish you from the crowd ALSO distinguishes you to the cops, so you'd better not be pulling anything stupid, cause you WILL get caught. Naturally my mom's ex had a number of tickets, and several times had his license suspended for various reasons, so his record wasn't exactly perfect.
Actually that just reminded me of the other day while driving to lunch, J and I were cut off by a guy with plates that were easy to remember, and we watched as the guy spun his tires and left marks all over the road, before pulling a donut in the intersection and almost hitting us for the second time. It was a matter of seconds for me to call the local PD and rattle off his plate. On the way home from lunch, we drove by his car again, parked in front of a ratty apartment building. Shocking.
Anyway, hope everyone else's extended weekend was awesome. Mine has been pretty good, because since the courts are closed, my hubby's home. As much as he bitches about court, I know he enjoys this silver lining. Hopefully he'll be at court for another month or two so we'll get Christmas and New Year's together, on EXTENDED weekends!! That'll be a first in who knows HOW long, because before he was a cop, he worked at Home Depot, and you don't get a lot of time off around the holidays in retail!
Today the weather is unseasonably warm in the Queen City, and provided I can breathe halfway normally, we'll be putting up our Christmas decorations. My cutoff for the holidays is Thanksgiving, and since it's passed, all hell breaks loose. J laughs at me because I am a Christmas fiend.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Bennie Hall wrap up
Bennie Hall will not face charges for shooting the person stealing his car.
For more details on this case, see this post and this post.
Witnesses AND forensic evidence indicate he was being driven toward, and had the right to defend himself. This was just released at 11:00 am EST today, so I've yet to see what the reactions are going to be. Either you won't hear a PEEP from the wailers, or the next thing they'll be claiming is that the witnesses lied and the forensic evidence was falsified. Heaven forbid you just accept it!
For more details on this case, see this post and this post.
Witnesses AND forensic evidence indicate he was being driven toward, and had the right to defend himself. This was just released at 11:00 am EST today, so I've yet to see what the reactions are going to be. Either you won't hear a PEEP from the wailers, or the next thing they'll be claiming is that the witnesses lied and the forensic evidence was falsified. Heaven forbid you just accept it!
Bible botherers bother me
Another study in homosexuality seems to disprove yet another bogus argument from the right wing, church crowd. One of the more prevalent arguments against gay marriage and civil rights is that it's "Not natural." or "Against God's plan." Well, it certainly is natural. And if you think it's against God's plan, that's a pretty rude comment against God, who created many, many species of the animal kingdom that exhibit homosexual behavior. It's not an exclusively human behavior, yet they'll argue that only humans have the free will to do what God didn't want them to do.
This Live Science article is exclusively about different species exhibiting gay behavior. What's interesting is that several of these animals also exhibit other 'perversions' such as oral or manual stimulation, as well as gay couples raising the young!! Guess when the gay people and gay supporters go to hell, we'll be joined by Noah's ark, too.
This Live Science article is exclusively about different species exhibiting gay behavior. What's interesting is that several of these animals also exhibit other 'perversions' such as oral or manual stimulation, as well as gay couples raising the young!! Guess when the gay people and gay supporters go to hell, we'll be joined by Noah's ark, too.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
My visitors
Ooh, I just checked my statcounter and saw some REALLY interesting locations that I'm being visited from...one repeat visitor (or visitors) from J's previous township station before he landed in court services. One visitor from a tiny town in Arizona that my dearest friend lived in, although now she's living in Maine. A visitor from the Bayern region of Germany, which is neat to me because large numbers of my ancestors are from that region.
The greatest part is I haven't even UPDATED in a number of days, and I'm still getting way more traffic than I expected! How strange.
The greatest part is I haven't even UPDATED in a number of days, and I'm still getting way more traffic than I expected! How strange.
Politicians and their bull****
So the last week has been a little busy in this city I live in. In my previous post I discussed this a little, about the mayor and his lackeys, along with several idiotic members of our city council pulling their crap with the budget of the city, and not hiring more cops/firemen, and not bothering to rehire the cops/firemen that they laid off when they claimed to not have any money. Now they've got a boatload of extra money, and the forecast is looking quite green.
Today I got a call from one of the other wives whose husband got laid off, wanting to know if I had copies of the letters they received when they were first notified "officially" of their layoffs. One of the few councilmen with half a brain (ha ha, it's a councilwoman no less. No wonder she's got a brain) is looking for this letter. The mayor is holding his ground that he didn't layoff the three cops, that they resigned of their own free will. This is complete and utter bullshit, and makes me very angry. I want to know what he thought those letters were? Why on earth did he have to send them letters if they were going to be able to keep their jobs? What his sorry ass would have done in their shoes? Wait for the layoffs to get new jobs? You've got to be kidding me. Unfortunately I do not have the letters any longer. We threw them away when we washed our hands of this damn city. I wish we'd moved then, but we're kind of lazy and anxious about the whole house-selling process.
I think the councilwoman is going to call the mayor out, although I'm not sure what good it's going to do. I'm probably going to go down to the meeting, which isn't the best idea. Why? Because I'm going to get pretty pissed off and stand up, putting my face on camera and in the public eye, and let loose on them. It's never good for my blood pressure or stress level when I do that, and I've got a wee one to think about now, since those vital signs directly affect her (or him).
J will never want this job back, nor will the other two officers who left and found BETTER jobs. But it's the principle of the matter. And the fact that the city is sitting on its ass, waiting for new police applicants to come to it. I can't say as I'd want to get a job here, with the asinine way they run things. I'm not sure what's in their budget, the police department OR the fire department. I don't hear the scuttle from the civil service commission, as to what tests they're running. Maybe I'll know more after tonight. Stay tuned.
Today I got a call from one of the other wives whose husband got laid off, wanting to know if I had copies of the letters they received when they were first notified "officially" of their layoffs. One of the few councilmen with half a brain (ha ha, it's a councilwoman no less. No wonder she's got a brain) is looking for this letter. The mayor is holding his ground that he didn't layoff the three cops, that they resigned of their own free will. This is complete and utter bullshit, and makes me very angry. I want to know what he thought those letters were? Why on earth did he have to send them letters if they were going to be able to keep their jobs? What his sorry ass would have done in their shoes? Wait for the layoffs to get new jobs? You've got to be kidding me. Unfortunately I do not have the letters any longer. We threw them away when we washed our hands of this damn city. I wish we'd moved then, but we're kind of lazy and anxious about the whole house-selling process.
I think the councilwoman is going to call the mayor out, although I'm not sure what good it's going to do. I'm probably going to go down to the meeting, which isn't the best idea. Why? Because I'm going to get pretty pissed off and stand up, putting my face on camera and in the public eye, and let loose on them. It's never good for my blood pressure or stress level when I do that, and I've got a wee one to think about now, since those vital signs directly affect her (or him).
J will never want this job back, nor will the other two officers who left and found BETTER jobs. But it's the principle of the matter. And the fact that the city is sitting on its ass, waiting for new police applicants to come to it. I can't say as I'd want to get a job here, with the asinine way they run things. I'm not sure what's in their budget, the police department OR the fire department. I don't hear the scuttle from the civil service commission, as to what tests they're running. Maybe I'll know more after tonight. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Why we need cops
This is yet another 'incident' that happened far too close to my house. This has been happening quite a lot this year; people getting attacked, beaten, shot, you name it. The area is just far enough away that I wouldn't have walked the dogs to it, but I could. Man was beaten and shot, and the suspect was trying to force him into the trunk of the car.
One of the council representatives keeps a number of citizens in the loop for council meetings by emailing the minutes and heated discussions. I receive her emails weekly, and appreciate them. It's really helpful when you don't have the opportunity to go to the meetings. One of the more recent meetings involved a budget surplus, and a number of citizens got upset because we recently passed an emergency tax levy to save three police officers, four firemen, and one service garage person. Granted, the tax levy wasn't specifically dedicated for those purposes, but the town understood that those 8 jobs were going to be eliminated because the city had been spending its surpluses every year without a long term plan. That's what happens when you elect your neighbors, uncles, or buddies to council and as mayor without them having any real qualifications. My husband was one of those whose job was on the line. Despite passing the levy, and despite having greater than expected income every year, the city still got rid of those 8 jobs. Fortunately, the three policemen all found other jobs before losing their positions here. Anyway, citizens are upset because the city now has been receiving plenty of income and has yet to recreate those positions.
But they will sit on their fat asses and whine and complain when there's a shoot-out at the gas station, or people are shot literally on the city's front door. They have cut the police department down to 12 men, plus the chief. With three shifts, seven days a week. I think you can do the math, but just in case: that's four men per shift. The off/on days at that department are 6 on, 2 off. That means if EVERYBODY is at work, that is two people on duty, three if they're lucky. That's not accounting for sick days, vacation, comp time, etc. Yet council wants to cut the departments down to bare bones, and then expects one of those cops to sit on the main street, writing tickets all day long.
WTF?
One of the council representatives keeps a number of citizens in the loop for council meetings by emailing the minutes and heated discussions. I receive her emails weekly, and appreciate them. It's really helpful when you don't have the opportunity to go to the meetings. One of the more recent meetings involved a budget surplus, and a number of citizens got upset because we recently passed an emergency tax levy to save three police officers, four firemen, and one service garage person. Granted, the tax levy wasn't specifically dedicated for those purposes, but the town understood that those 8 jobs were going to be eliminated because the city had been spending its surpluses every year without a long term plan. That's what happens when you elect your neighbors, uncles, or buddies to council and as mayor without them having any real qualifications. My husband was one of those whose job was on the line. Despite passing the levy, and despite having greater than expected income every year, the city still got rid of those 8 jobs. Fortunately, the three policemen all found other jobs before losing their positions here. Anyway, citizens are upset because the city now has been receiving plenty of income and has yet to recreate those positions.
But they will sit on their fat asses and whine and complain when there's a shoot-out at the gas station, or people are shot literally on the city's front door. They have cut the police department down to 12 men, plus the chief. With three shifts, seven days a week. I think you can do the math, but just in case: that's four men per shift. The off/on days at that department are 6 on, 2 off. That means if EVERYBODY is at work, that is two people on duty, three if they're lucky. That's not accounting for sick days, vacation, comp time, etc. Yet council wants to cut the departments down to bare bones, and then expects one of those cops to sit on the main street, writing tickets all day long.
WTF?
Cop Killer
Percy Wilson killed Cincinnati Police Officer Melvin Henze in 1979. He was found guilty, and sentenced to 22 - life. He's trying to get out on parole. Bastard. He was denied parole in 2002. State parole board again said no this week. There's that, at least. Let him rot in prison!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Veteran's day
So Sunday we went to the Bengals game. In honor of Veteran's day, Paul Brown Stadium hosted several firemen from 'Fort Pitt', FDNY's Ladder 18. They also had several men from each branch of the armed services, and they rolled out a monstrously huge flag, probably 100 x 50 feet. A woman sang the National Anthem, and two F-18s from Virginia Beach flew overhead at the end of the song. I cried.
Paul Brown Stadium holds over 65,900 seated fans. It was amazingly silent.
Thank you to every man or woman who puts themselves on the line to protect me and my country, domestically or internationally. We wouldn't be here without you.
Paul Brown Stadium holds over 65,900 seated fans. It was amazingly silent.
Thank you to every man or woman who puts themselves on the line to protect me and my country, domestically or internationally. We wouldn't be here without you.
Friday, November 10, 2006
The bean
I think I'm going to repost it once a week or once every two weeks or something, since it only changes on Fridays. One of the preggo forums I visit has all these snarky women who refer to girls as 'cheeseburger crotch" because of this 'tracker'...anyway, there you go :)
Thursday, November 09, 2006
More voting results
Just as I think it's ridiculous to blame the entire Republican party on the misguided ways of some of its members (ahem TomFoley ahem), I also think it's patently ridiculous to be wailing and crying that the Democratic party is sending the country straight to hell, especially since they now have a slightly larger control of our government's legislature. For over 200 years this country has been operating on a largely bipartisan basis, and the control has always swung back and forth between parties. I was not at a voting age when the Republicans took control of Congress, and I can't say as I had a huge interest in it at the time, but was there this much crying and teeth-gnashing then? Get over it! Start whining when the country is run by people with pitchforks and horns. In the meantime, let's hope something good will come of this regime change!
In the meantime, I forgot to mention that there was a measure on our ballot to pass a sales tax increase of a quarter of a percent, in order to build the funds necessary to build a new jail. I've probably blogged in the past about the horrendous overcrowding of jailspace here, not just in Hamilton County. Prisoners are let go in order to make space for other prisoners. J makes routine prisoner transports to other counties because there just isn't enough space. So they have to send prisoners to other jails, sometimes 5 and 6 counties away, where there is space. Doesn't anybody realize we're paying for that? That we're paying more in the long run than we would to build the new jails necessary? The greatly ironic thing is that it was a REPUBLICAN who proposed this tax increase. Ha! So poo on all you who swear that Republicans cut taxes, and all Democrats do is raise taxes!
Unfortunately, the measure failed. Also, the Republican candidate strongly supporting it, Phil Heimlich, was running for re-election and lost. The guy that beat him, David Pepper, previously ran for mayor of Cincinnati. I guess he's so anxious to make a change in the city that he doesn't care what position he's running for. I am told David Pepper also supported the tax increase, but Phil Heimlich has a record of supporting LEOs and the system. Hopefully they will continue to work on new ways of supporting the construction of another jail. I'm really not comfortable with the idea of someone being convicted of a class 1 felony and being let go, simply because there's too many class 5 felons crowding up the jail.
(Note: currently I don't believe they will let felonies go, only misdemeanors. I'm being a little exaggerative here)
In the meantime, I forgot to mention that there was a measure on our ballot to pass a sales tax increase of a quarter of a percent, in order to build the funds necessary to build a new jail. I've probably blogged in the past about the horrendous overcrowding of jailspace here, not just in Hamilton County. Prisoners are let go in order to make space for other prisoners. J makes routine prisoner transports to other counties because there just isn't enough space. So they have to send prisoners to other jails, sometimes 5 and 6 counties away, where there is space. Doesn't anybody realize we're paying for that? That we're paying more in the long run than we would to build the new jails necessary? The greatly ironic thing is that it was a REPUBLICAN who proposed this tax increase. Ha! So poo on all you who swear that Republicans cut taxes, and all Democrats do is raise taxes!
Unfortunately, the measure failed. Also, the Republican candidate strongly supporting it, Phil Heimlich, was running for re-election and lost. The guy that beat him, David Pepper, previously ran for mayor of Cincinnati. I guess he's so anxious to make a change in the city that he doesn't care what position he's running for. I am told David Pepper also supported the tax increase, but Phil Heimlich has a record of supporting LEOs and the system. Hopefully they will continue to work on new ways of supporting the construction of another jail. I'm really not comfortable with the idea of someone being convicted of a class 1 felony and being let go, simply because there's too many class 5 felons crowding up the jail.
(Note: currently I don't believe they will let felonies go, only misdemeanors. I'm being a little exaggerative here)
I see you...
So I love statcounter. It's awesome. I sort of feel like I'm spying on visitors, but then I realize it's not entirely accurate as far as where people linked to my site from, how long they visited, or where they're located. Heck, when I visit from work, it shows my location as four states away from where I actually am.
Noticed a visitor from Gainesville, at U of F who stumbled upon my blog after doing a google search to ask if cops shoot laser from behind.
The answer is no. They don't shoot laser from in front of you either.
They just psychically know when you are speeding. The laser is just the proof they need to show you when you ask to see it.
**UPDATE**
Speaking of statcounter, one of the neatest tools is the ability to see on a map where people are visiting from. As I said above, it's not the most accurate thing in the world. But today I saw a visitor from Pompano Beach. As you can see on this map, it's right near Weston. I got a little sad because a former friend of mine lives (lived?) in Weston.
***end update***
Noticed a visitor from Gainesville, at U of F who stumbled upon my blog after doing a google search to ask if cops shoot laser from behind.
The answer is no. They don't shoot laser from in front of you either.
They just psychically know when you are speeding. The laser is just the proof they need to show you when you ask to see it.
**UPDATE**
Speaking of statcounter, one of the neatest tools is the ability to see on a map where people are visiting from. As I said above, it's not the most accurate thing in the world. But today I saw a visitor from Pompano Beach. As you can see on this map, it's right near Weston. I got a little sad because a former friend of mine lives (lived?) in Weston.***end update***
The vest
I've blogged before about the necessity for cops to wear the vests they are given (most places) along with their uniform. I still strongly believe they should be mandatory. I know lots of departments don't require it, it's just strongly suggested you wear it. Right. It won't save you any more than a seatbelt. (Please recognize the HEAVY sarcasm here)
Yesterday J was scarfing his lunch, and threw the last bite of coney down in an effort to attend to someone who'd just walked in the courthouse. He
either didn't chew enough, or it went down the wrong way, or something. He started choking. Lt happened to be nearby, attempted to do the heimlich. In case you don't know how to do the heimlich, you have to perform sharp, upward thrusts immediately below the sternum. Tactical vests cover this very area, as it's where most of your vital organs are located. J said he ended up getting one or two blows to his stomach, but it may have been enough to help him cough out the stuck item.Although I'm very concerned that we may have to teach J how to chew his food all over again, it kind of made me wonder if that old joke about the hillbillies performing that "there 'hind lick' maneuver" didn't have some merit.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Ohio Smoking Ban
Pub owner whines that business may be lost due to smoking ban.
Um, people aren't going to just *stop* going out because they can't smoke in most public places anymore. Otherwise business would have been lost by all those non-smokers *NOT* going out! Plus it's not like those smokers have anywhere else to go to spend their money so they can smoke. Do you think they're all going to be crowding tobacco stores??
Quit yer whining. The article also says the pub owner is saying goodbye to employee health benefits. Wait, wait. Your insurance company is willing to cover you when you allow your employees to work in an unhealthy environment, but now it won't when you are allowing them to BREATHE? That makes NO sense.
I'm personally tickled pink that I can go out now to restaurants and pubs and not come home smelling like an ashtray.
Um, people aren't going to just *stop* going out because they can't smoke in most public places anymore. Otherwise business would have been lost by all those non-smokers *NOT* going out! Plus it's not like those smokers have anywhere else to go to spend their money so they can smoke. Do you think they're all going to be crowding tobacco stores??
Quit yer whining. The article also says the pub owner is saying goodbye to employee health benefits. Wait, wait. Your insurance company is willing to cover you when you allow your employees to work in an unhealthy environment, but now it won't when you are allowing them to BREATHE? That makes NO sense.
I'm personally tickled pink that I can go out now to restaurants and pubs and not come home smelling like an ashtray.
The vote was rocked
Well it looks like the Democrats successfully overturned the power ratio in the House, and possibly in the Senate. It's still a little early so I'm not sure if that's 100% yet. So the people wanted a change, and the people got a change. Now we'll see if the change is for the better. Only time will tell.
In other election news, I'm super happy to report that issue 4, the Ohio Constitutional amendment to force-allow smoking in many public places has FAILED, and issue 5, the law proposed to ban smoking in most public places has PASSED!!! WOO HOO!!! You can find more about it here: SmokeFreeOhio. One of my favorite 'dissenting arguments' against issue 5 was that gov't shouldn't control people's behavior. First of all, issue 5 wasn't banning smoking entirely. You still have your car, your house, and certain outdoor locations. Most enclosed, public spaces will now be smoke free. Second of all, the government does control other behaviors that are considered dangerous to other people, not just the person partaking in the activity. Speeding, anyone? Driving drunk? Shooting a gun off in a public place? If you want to get into the debate, those DO control your behavior. It just so happens that all those other behaviors have a DIRECT effect on the health and well-being of anybody you're around. Since the general public tends to be too stupid to protect themselves, it falls to the government to protect them. Understand that I don't believe this argument to extremes. I wish people were smart enough to not smoke, or not drive drunk. But they do, despite knowing the dangers.
Anyway, now we won't have to say "party of 3, non-smoking" anymore! Woo!
In other election news, I'm super happy to report that issue 4, the Ohio Constitutional amendment to force-allow smoking in many public places has FAILED, and issue 5, the law proposed to ban smoking in most public places has PASSED!!! WOO HOO!!! You can find more about it here: SmokeFreeOhio. One of my favorite 'dissenting arguments' against issue 5 was that gov't shouldn't control people's behavior. First of all, issue 5 wasn't banning smoking entirely. You still have your car, your house, and certain outdoor locations. Most enclosed, public spaces will now be smoke free. Second of all, the government does control other behaviors that are considered dangerous to other people, not just the person partaking in the activity. Speeding, anyone? Driving drunk? Shooting a gun off in a public place? If you want to get into the debate, those DO control your behavior. It just so happens that all those other behaviors have a DIRECT effect on the health and well-being of anybody you're around. Since the general public tends to be too stupid to protect themselves, it falls to the government to protect them. Understand that I don't believe this argument to extremes. I wish people were smart enough to not smoke, or not drive drunk. But they do, despite knowing the dangers.
Anyway, now we won't have to say "party of 3, non-smoking" anymore! Woo!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
I voted...did you?
OK I am officially a democracy geek. I got the warm fuzzies walking out of my voting location, knowing I'd done my part.
WWII
***Note*** for some reason Blogger will not show the 'scaled' version of the photo, but if you click on the link you can see the photo. Oh wait, that's cause Blogger sucks 50% of the time.
How cool is this picture? When my husband's grandmother died, we all gathered at her house and started sorting through old photographs and such. It was very cathartic for everybody, since Grampa had died five years earlier. We came across this photo, and it was decided it would go to J. His grandfather is the man on the far left, with the pipe and no shirt. The bottom right symbol, in case you can't read it, says Signal Corps, U.S. Army. 'Bud' was a cook. He was a neat man. He was always so very nice to me, even when Jim and I first started dating. We don't know any of the other men in the picture.
Rock the Vote!
Voter apathy has really been getting on my nerves lately. If you really don't care about the issues, and you don't like any candidate for a position, you'd best shut the hell up when your taxes go up, or the hospital gets shut down. I don't want to hear it when you want to know why we're sending prisoners all over the state due to jail overcrowding. You whine about policies set in place that DIRECTLY affect you by the legislators, but you can't be bothered to take five minutes out of your day to go vote? Look, it didn't take me that long to get onto the League of Women Voters website, find the issues and candidates in my state and on my local ballot, and get informed. LWV does a great job of giving the arguments for and against, and summing up each candidate and each issue.
GO VOTE. And I definitely don't want to hear that crap about "My vote doesn't count." It definitely does. Remember the last two presidential elections? So narrow you could have huffed and puffed and blown it one way or the other? I've worked on pushing an issue or two in my little town here, and literally seen how heavy you can sway the vote if you get to talk to enough people. Which we did. We got the property tax levy increase to be passed by a 50% margin, because the town didn't want their police and firemen being laid off. We also had a petition signed by 50% of the people who were going to vote that would have voted for a higher levy. That doesn't happen all the time. I've seen my vote count in more ways than one.
Go VOTE!
GO VOTE. And I definitely don't want to hear that crap about "My vote doesn't count." It definitely does. Remember the last two presidential elections? So narrow you could have huffed and puffed and blown it one way or the other? I've worked on pushing an issue or two in my little town here, and literally seen how heavy you can sway the vote if you get to talk to enough people. Which we did. We got the property tax levy increase to be passed by a 50% margin, because the town didn't want their police and firemen being laid off. We also had a petition signed by 50% of the people who were going to vote that would have voted for a higher levy. That doesn't happen all the time. I've seen my vote count in more ways than one.
Go VOTE!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Post Secret
Some of you may know that PostSecret is new every Sunday. I check it every week.
This postcard is my favorite for this week.
This postcard is my favorite for this week.
Court Hijinks
So yesterday J goes on a prisoner transport, taking prisoners from county A to county B, then some from county B to county C, then a few on the final leg back to A. I ask him what it's like. Do they talk to the officers? He says yes, but he usually turns up the radio so they can't hear 'em. He says every prisoner stinks. Doesn't matter what jail. Doesn't matter how long they've been there. They stink. He says they always ask if they can smoke. My husband doesn't smoke, but even if he did, they're not allowed to smoke in the vans. I am told by the TV/movies that cigarettes are currency in some jails. However, apparently in Logan County, OH, the prisoners are given a carton when they are admitted. On the one hand, maybe they'll kill themselves off quicker. On the other hand, what a waste of taxpayer dollars. Anyway, J knows other officers who do smoke, and will smoke in the van in front of the prisoners.
Anyway, yesterday J is starving during this transport, having only grabbed a bagel on his way out the door. So they stop at a convenience store so he can get a cup and a bag of chips. On the way out of the van, he asks the prisoners if they need anything, can he get them some cigarettes? He's met with a chorus of YEAH! To which he snarkily replies, "Too bad!"
I don't know about you, but I got the biggest kick out of that.
Anyway, yesterday J is starving during this transport, having only grabbed a bagel on his way out the door. So they stop at a convenience store so he can get a cup and a bag of chips. On the way out of the van, he asks the prisoners if they need anything, can he get them some cigarettes? He's met with a chorus of YEAH! To which he snarkily replies, "Too bad!"
I don't know about you, but I got the biggest kick out of that.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
Here's your sign...
J's got a new rant about the public in general. OK maybe not the general public, just the public that ends up going to court often. He's been pretty fed up with being at court services. Sitting at an x-ray machine all day long gets REALLY boring. In the four weeks he's been at the courts, though, he's already whored up more overtime than he did in the previous YEAR. Which, I've got to say, is rilly rilly nice.
He tells me, since I've never been in any court in my life, that as you walk in the building, there are SEVERAL signs telling you what to do to prepare yourself for the x-ray machines.
His a-hole frat buddy says "Can I bring my pencil and paper in?" being a smartass, like it's J's decision what you can and can't bring in to the courthouse. Now I can't remember what his response was, but it was basically pointing the kid at the signs, and telling him not to be a smartass. The kid responds "Oh I wasn't trying to be sarcastic, I just wanted to make sure I could bring them in." Listen folks, if you're going to be a smartass, at least stick it through. Don't backpedal when some authority figure calls you out on it. Apologize, or keep being a smartass. Don't wuss out and try to lie your way thru.
J also told me a really funny story about an inmate who was being a super-jerk in court yesterday. He kept talking out of turn, and during the recess kept talking to people he wasn't supposed to, and making faces at the judge. J said the guy was acting like a child so much, he almost turned him around to face the corner and put him in time-out! I told him if he did that, I wanted pictures.
He tells me, since I've never been in any court in my life, that as you walk in the building, there are SEVERAL signs telling you what to do to prepare yourself for the x-ray machines.
- Every package must go through the x-ray.
- No weapons of ANY kind, including but not limited to the following: x y z.
- No food or drink past the x-ray.
His a-hole frat buddy says "Can I bring my pencil and paper in?" being a smartass, like it's J's decision what you can and can't bring in to the courthouse. Now I can't remember what his response was, but it was basically pointing the kid at the signs, and telling him not to be a smartass. The kid responds "Oh I wasn't trying to be sarcastic, I just wanted to make sure I could bring them in." Listen folks, if you're going to be a smartass, at least stick it through. Don't backpedal when some authority figure calls you out on it. Apologize, or keep being a smartass. Don't wuss out and try to lie your way thru.
J also told me a really funny story about an inmate who was being a super-jerk in court yesterday. He kept talking out of turn, and during the recess kept talking to people he wasn't supposed to, and making faces at the judge. J said the guy was acting like a child so much, he almost turned him around to face the corner and put him in time-out! I told him if he did that, I wanted pictures.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
laugh o' the day
Today I was clicking through my usual list of blogs that I routinely visit, and found that Officer Gary's wife has a blog also. It's not about him being a cop, but I read through it anyway. It's called "You know what I hate?" and I found a HYSTERICAL post from a few weeks ago. Had to share.
Crappy Husbands.
Note: It's not bashing her husband. Just read it. I got several laughs out of it.
Crappy Husbands.
Note: It's not bashing her husband. Just read it. I got several laughs out of it.
Asshole book
I want this book! The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't" Unfortunately it isn't due out til February of next year.
Here's a good synopsis/review of the book. It's about, you guessed it, assholes. How to recognize one, how to stop being one, how to deal with them when forced to interact with them. My favorite: The dirty-dozen list of asshole actions:
Here's a good synopsis/review of the book. It's about, you guessed it, assholes. How to recognize one, how to stop being one, how to deal with them when forced to interact with them. My favorite: The dirty-dozen list of asshole actions:
- Personal insults
- Invading one’s personal territory
- Uninvited personal contact
- Threats and intimidation, both verbal and non-verbal
- Sarcastic jokes and teasing used as insult delivery systems
- Withering email flames
- Status slaps intended to humiliate their victims
- Public shaming or status degradation rituals
- Rude interruptions
- Two-faced attacks
- Dirty looks
- Treating people as if they are invisible
For what it's worth, I work with someone guilty of ALL TWELVE.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Life over property, take 2
Man shot while breaking into home.
In continuing with the theme of my most recent posts, here's another example of A.) how you would react to a break-in while you are home, and B.) how you defend your property or yourself when it's threatened.
So far the story is very sketchy, but says a woman called to report her husband had shot someone while that man broke into her house. The woman then went on to say that the intruder was one of Warren County's most wanted.
How did she know that? I wouldn't know the faces of the most wanted, unless it was Osama Bin Laden.
Obviously this is a slightly different variation on defending your property, since last week the criminal was driving away with the property, and this week it's a home invasion. I'm interested in public reaction to this one. I hate to say it, but
But you'd better believe if you broke into my house, you'd be meeting with the business end of a lethal weapon.
***update***
The scuttlebutt we're hearing is that the woman must have known who the man was. She was overheard at the main County building telling someone on the phone that her husband killed somebody, referring to the intruder by first name only. Suggests familiarity, not only by the woman, but by her family that she was on the phone with. That means there's definitely something more going on with this story...
***end update***
***update Nov 2***
OK so now charges have been filed against the shooter. More info is coming out that the people all lived together at some point, or that the deceased previously lived in the house he was breaking into. I realize not all of the facts are at my disposal, but even if David Brian Richardson formerly lived there, why was he trying to get back in? The 911 tapes have been released, so I suppose it's under investigation to see if he was truly breaking in or what. Obviously it's not a clear-cut story. Nobody's making a huge scene, calling all the news channels to be interviewed, and defend the actions of the recently deceased.
You know, every time I see 'recently deceased' it makes me think of the Handbook from Beetlejuice.
*** end update 2***
In continuing with the theme of my most recent posts, here's another example of A.) how you would react to a break-in while you are home, and B.) how you defend your property or yourself when it's threatened.
So far the story is very sketchy, but says a woman called to report her husband had shot someone while that man broke into her house. The woman then went on to say that the intruder was one of Warren County's most wanted.
How did she know that? I wouldn't know the faces of the most wanted, unless it was Osama Bin Laden.
Obviously this is a slightly different variation on defending your property, since last week the criminal was driving away with the property, and this week it's a home invasion. I'm interested in public reaction to this one. I hate to say it, but
But you'd better believe if you broke into my house, you'd be meeting with the business end of a lethal weapon.
***update***
The scuttlebutt we're hearing is that the woman must have known who the man was. She was overheard at the main County building telling someone on the phone that her husband killed somebody, referring to the intruder by first name only. Suggests familiarity, not only by the woman, but by her family that she was on the phone with. That means there's definitely something more going on with this story...
***end update***
***update Nov 2***
OK so now charges have been filed against the shooter. More info is coming out that the people all lived together at some point, or that the deceased previously lived in the house he was breaking into. I realize not all of the facts are at my disposal, but even if David Brian Richardson formerly lived there, why was he trying to get back in? The 911 tapes have been released, so I suppose it's under investigation to see if he was truly breaking in or what. Obviously it's not a clear-cut story. Nobody's making a huge scene, calling all the news channels to be interviewed, and defend the actions of the recently deceased.
You know, every time I see 'recently deceased' it makes me think of the Handbook from Beetlejuice.
*** end update 2***
Cops, Donuts and Fast Food
I should definitely start this post off by saying I hope I don't deeply offend anyone with this post.
Police Chief fired for attempts to get officers in shape.
I never thought I'd hear the day when a police department became so politically correct that they couldn't handle being told they *should* get in shape. Not even that they were forced to do so.
Winter Haven, Florida officers must pass a physical fitness test to be hired, like so many other departments, but are not held to a standard after being hired; also like so many other departments. The chief issued a memo suggesting 10 reasons police officers should be in shape.
I've got to admit, I'm kind of a fat snob. I firmly believe that many of the health problems that plague so much of our country are directly related to the fat-is-beautiful, clean-your-place mentality we drill into our children. And I don't for one second feel sorry for people who cause their own heart disease, high blood pressure, back/knee problems, diabetes type 2, ETC ETC because they can't stop eating. I have yet to hear of any medical journals, studies, or health articles that prove people are fat for purely genetic reasons, or reasons out of their own control. I am bound to piss people off with this standpoint, but we're a nation of whiners who can't be held responsible for anything we've done. To the point that doctors are unable or unwilling to tell their patients that they need to lose weight or they will continue to deteriorate.
I also strongly believe that officers should take better care of themselves, and should take periodic health assessments and physical fitness tests to keep healthy. My husband J also believes this. He has come home in the past and discussed foot pursuits where the overweight officers he works with were unable to keep up, unable to catch the person, and who injured themselves attempting to chase someone. He's also come home and been angry with himself for getting winded after a pursuit. He's come home proud that his fitness or training enabled him to gain control of a subject.
I know full well why so many cops are overweight. They spend 8 hours on edge. Many departments don't have their own kitchens. During third shift there isn't anything open but the greasy spoon diners, the Taco Bells, McDonalds, fast food. They don't have time to eat anything other than crap. Often they don't have time to pack a better meal, and turkey sandwiches get boring pretty quick. And to make matters worse, those of us that support the departments and the men & women in blue tend to bring extra goodies around the holiday times. Plates of cookies, cakes, pies, donuts, etc. Those shops also donate at certain times of the year. People that thank the police usually do so in the form of some bakery concoction. I'm guilty of it.
Those foods aren't bad, on occasion. They're devastating when it's all you eat. And no amount of exercise is going to save you if you're eating empty carbs, saturated fats, and tons of sugar.
I guess what I'm getting at is I'm shocked this chief was forced to resign over this. I've sat around groups of cops, usually over a meal, and invariably someone makes a self-deprecating comment about their weight or fitness level. This chief was trying to motivate his department, without singling anyone out (so the article claims), and lost his job. Granted the article does claim this is just one in a series of examples that the officers felt 'picked on' by their chief. But in a job where you pick your battles, isn't that one you should have let go?
Police Chief fired for attempts to get officers in shape.
I never thought I'd hear the day when a police department became so politically correct that they couldn't handle being told they *should* get in shape. Not even that they were forced to do so.
Winter Haven, Florida officers must pass a physical fitness test to be hired, like so many other departments, but are not held to a standard after being hired; also like so many other departments. The chief issued a memo suggesting 10 reasons police officers should be in shape.
I've got to admit, I'm kind of a fat snob. I firmly believe that many of the health problems that plague so much of our country are directly related to the fat-is-beautiful, clean-your-place mentality we drill into our children. And I don't for one second feel sorry for people who cause their own heart disease, high blood pressure, back/knee problems, diabetes type 2, ETC ETC because they can't stop eating. I have yet to hear of any medical journals, studies, or health articles that prove people are fat for purely genetic reasons, or reasons out of their own control. I am bound to piss people off with this standpoint, but we're a nation of whiners who can't be held responsible for anything we've done. To the point that doctors are unable or unwilling to tell their patients that they need to lose weight or they will continue to deteriorate.
I also strongly believe that officers should take better care of themselves, and should take periodic health assessments and physical fitness tests to keep healthy. My husband J also believes this. He has come home in the past and discussed foot pursuits where the overweight officers he works with were unable to keep up, unable to catch the person, and who injured themselves attempting to chase someone. He's also come home and been angry with himself for getting winded after a pursuit. He's come home proud that his fitness or training enabled him to gain control of a subject.
I know full well why so many cops are overweight. They spend 8 hours on edge. Many departments don't have their own kitchens. During third shift there isn't anything open but the greasy spoon diners, the Taco Bells, McDonalds, fast food. They don't have time to eat anything other than crap. Often they don't have time to pack a better meal, and turkey sandwiches get boring pretty quick. And to make matters worse, those of us that support the departments and the men & women in blue tend to bring extra goodies around the holiday times. Plates of cookies, cakes, pies, donuts, etc. Those shops also donate at certain times of the year. People that thank the police usually do so in the form of some bakery concoction. I'm guilty of it.
Those foods aren't bad, on occasion. They're devastating when it's all you eat. And no amount of exercise is going to save you if you're eating empty carbs, saturated fats, and tons of sugar.
I guess what I'm getting at is I'm shocked this chief was forced to resign over this. I've sat around groups of cops, usually over a meal, and invariably someone makes a self-deprecating comment about their weight or fitness level. This chief was trying to motivate his department, without singling anyone out (so the article claims), and lost his job. Granted the article does claim this is just one in a series of examples that the officers felt 'picked on' by their chief. But in a job where you pick your battles, isn't that one you should have let go?
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