A Fredericksburg police officer and a suspect were killed late last night in a shot-filled incident fueled by the suspect’s apparent obsession with a former girlfriend.
Officer Todd Bahr, 40, a member of the city force for just under two years, was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head, city police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe said.
The suspect, 47-year-old Gregory Berryman, died in a shoot-out with police in the Belmont Apartments parking lot off Cowan Boulevard near the police station.
Bledsoe said Berryman was shot multiple times by city officers after he fired shots at them and an unoccupied police cruiser shortly after 11 p.m.
Police said that after being struck, the suspect put his own gun to his head and fired.
At that time, Bledsoe said, police were unaware that Bahr had been shot. He was found about 15 minutes later near the 2500 block of Manor Court.
[…]
Berryman, whose last known address was in Stafford, was no stranger to city police. He was arrested in September when he entered a home in the 1500 block of Airport Avenue looking for the same former girlfriend.
According to police reports, Berryman was carrying a rifle wrapped in a blanket. He confronted a woman who lived there and ordered her to lead him to the former girlfriend.
At that time, police said the woman had broken up with Berryman several weeks later. She no longer lived at the residence, and the resident told Berryman she didn’t know where she’d moved to.
Berryman was charged with armed breaking and entering, abduction and carrying a concealed weapon.
He was convicted in Fredericksburg General District Court on Oct. 18 of brandishing a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon, both misdemeanors, and got two 12-month jail terms, one of which was suspended.
It was not clear this morning when Berryman got out of jail, but defendants generally only have to serve half of active misdemeanor sentences, meaning Berryman could have been freed after six months from his arrest date.
It’s time to pull out of Iraq Washington, D.C.
AP:
Starting Saturday night, officers will check drivers’ ID and turn away any who don’t have a “legitimate purpose” in the area – a plan that has drawn swift criticism from civil liberties groups.
“The Constitution and the Bill of Rights should not become the next victim of the street violence,” said Johnny Barnes, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union for the National Capital Area. “This plan will treat every resident of that area the way criminals are treated.”
The checkpoints come as police try to combat a spike in the number of homicides, which rose 7 percent in the city in 2007 after several years of decline.
Uh…haven’t Cathy Lanier and Adrian Fenty been Police Chief and Mayor, respectively, from January 2007 to today? I think I see a correlation here.
And, as I have noted before, guns are illegal in Washington, D.C.
Most of last weekend’s slayings occurred in the 5th Police District in the city’s northeast section, where authorities plan to set up the checkpoints. Already this year, the police district has had 22 killings – one more than in all of 2007.
“The reality is, this is a neighborhood that has been the scene of many violent crimes, and something had to be done,” D.C. police spokeswoman Traci Hughes said.
Because your department is too inept to police an area. Do the officers still have the mentality of “we don’t go down to those neighborhoods unless we get called”?
But the initiative has raised the ire of the ACLU, which plans to watch what happens with the checkpoints before deciding on any legal action.
Officers will stop motorists traveling through the main thoroughfare of Trinidad – a neighborhood of mostly tidy two-story brick rowhouses that includes Gallaudet University and is near the National Arboretum.
Police will ask motorists to show proof that they live in the area. If they do not have proof, drivers must explain whether they have a reason to be in the neighborhood, such as a doctor’s appointment or a church visit.
Police will only search cars if they observe the presence of guns or drugs, officials said. Anyone who does not cooperate will be arrested.
[…]
Responding to the threat of a legal challenge, interim D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles cited a similar case involving New York City police, who once stopped motorists in the Bronx at random hours, mostly in the evening, to curtail drive-by shootings, drugs and robberies. Neighborhood residents and commercial vehicles were allowed to pass, while others were turned away.
A federal appeals court ruled in 1996 that those police tactics were constitutional, saying that the checkpoints “were reasonably viewed as an effective mechanism” to reduce drive-by shootings.
In a Supreme Court case from 2000, however, justices struck down random roadblocks used in Indianapolis to screen people for illegal drugs, ruling that they were an unreasonable invasion of privacy. The high court’s majority concluded that law enforcement alone is not a good enough reason to stop innocent motorists.
Wow, nice to see the bloody D.C. Attorney General doesn’t know about Supreme Court precedents.
[…]
“It’s needed and it’s not needed,” said Matthew Simmons, 79, as he sat on the porch outside his rowhouse. Simmons said the checkpoints wouldn’t necessarily deter crime. He said a better solution would be to have more consistent police patrols.
What?! That’s crazy talk!
Hey, at least they aren’t paying for, and going to, the funeral of some POS that shot at two police officers.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced a military-style checkpoint yesterday to stop cars this weekend in a Northeast Washington neighborhood inundated by gun violence, saying it will help keep criminals out of the area.
Starting on Saturday, officers will check drivers’ identification and ask whether they have a “legitimate purpose” to be in the Trinidad area, such as going to a doctor or church or visiting friends or relatives. If not, the drivers will be turned away.
The Neighborhood Safety Zone initiative is the latest crime-fighting attempt by Lanier and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who have been under pressure from residents to stop a recent surge in violence. Last weekend was especially bloody, with seven slayings, including three in the Trinidad area.
But guns are illegal in D.C.! How is this possible?
Some sanity:
“I guess the plan is to hope criminals will not walk into neighborhoods,” said D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large). “I also suppose the plan is to take the criminal’s word for it when he or she gives the police a reason for driving into a neighborhood.”
Isn’t there something in the United States Constitution about “freedom of assembly” and whatnot?:
Leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union said yesterday that they will be watching what happens closely and that legal action is likely.
“My reaction is, welcome to Baghdad, D.C.,” said Arthur Spitzer, legal director for the ACLU’s Washington office. “I mean, this is craziness. In this country, you don’t have to show identification or explain to the police why you want to travel down a public street.”
And then there’s the other stupidity that’s come out of her office:
One of Lanier’s plans, the Safe Homes initiative, has yet to get off the ground because of a community backlash. The plan, announced by Lanier and Fenty at a news conference in March, called for police to go door-to-door in crime-ridden areas and ask residents whether they could go inside and search for guns. Residents and some council members voiced concerns that homeowners would feel intimidated by police. Lanier backed off, but said she plans to move forward soon by having residents call police to set up appointments.
Nothing could go wrong here: United States to give China “sensitive equipment”.
The Bush administration has approved the export of sensitive equipment and expertise to China’s military and police forces to bolster security at the Beijing Olympics, according to a number of private and public interviews and documents.
The support includes security and military equipment that is restricted for export under the Export Administration Act, prompting some critics of the policy to question its legality.
The FBI and other U.S. security agencies also are helping China to develop sensitive counterterrorism coordination techniques, such as creating joint security operations and intelligence centers, according to Bush administration defense and national security officials.
The officials said U.S. support to the Beijing Olympics is modeled on the security plan and federal assistance used for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. The techniques can be used for surveillance of protesters, including Tibetans, they said.
What the heck?: When did D.C. become Somalia?
Well, D.C. already has the necessary amount of violence, but from WTOP:
Nearly three dozen people have been arrested in a raid involving a leafy drug called khat (COT).
Police say on Friday night they seized about 30 pounds of khat at a site on 7th Street in northwest Washington. Authorities say small bags of what’s believed to be khat were being sold for about $25.
Most of those arrested face possession charges. Four people were charged with distribution.
Khat is a flowering evergreen shrub native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where it’s widely used as a stimulant.
Yeah, Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s militia was hopped up on the stuff during Operation Gothic Serpent (the events depicted in Black Hawk Down).
Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending May 24, 2008
From the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office: Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending May 24, 2008:
On May 16, 2008, Deputy C. M. Polliard received a tip about the location of some stolen property. After investigating, Michael D. Gilbert, 53 and Linda W. Murphy, 65, both of Woodford were charged with possession of stolen property. Gilbert was also charged with possession of burglary tools. Gilbert was ordered held without bond. Murphy was released on a personal recognizance bond. Court dates of May 30, 2008 were set for both. After further investigation, on 18, 2008, additional charges against Gilbert were placed for domestic assault, breaking and entering, distribution of stolen property, and grand larceny.
On May 18, 2008, Deputy C. M. Polliard responded to and address in Woodford on a breaking and entering and larceny of items. Upon further investigating, Justin Steven Sawyers, 20, of Fredericksburg was charged with 2 counts of breaking and entering, 2 counts of conspiring to sell or distribute stolen property, 2 counts of possession of stolen property all of which are felonies. Sawyer was held without bond at the Pamunkey Regional Jail.
On May 18, 2008, Deputy F. L. Brennan responded to a domestic in Ruther Glen. After investigating, Christopher S. Spurlin, 31, of Ruther Glen was charged with domestic assault. He was released on a personal recognizance bond and a court date of May 22, 2008 was set.
On May 19, 2008, Deputy R. J. Anderson responded to a domestic in Woodford. After investigating, Shawnette P. Cisneros, 25, of Bowling Green was charged with domestic assault. He was ordered held under a $1500 bond and a court date of May 20, 2008 was set.
On May 22, 2008, Deputy B. L. Fedder responded to a domestic in Ruther Glen. After investigating, Clarence Waddy, 53, of Ruther Glen was charged with domestic assault. He was ordered held under a $1500 bond and a court date of May 27, 008 was set.
On May, 23, 2008, Deputy P. E. Ford stopped Shanelle Lashawn Williams, 22, of Brandywine, MD for reckless driving speed, and issued a summons. Upon further investigation, she was found in possession of marijuana. Williams was taken to Pamunkey Regional Jail where she was released on a personal recognizance bond. Trial date is set for July 23, 2008.
On May 24, 2008, Deputy F. L. Brennan responded to a disturbance call at the Bowling Green MacDonald’s. Upon arrival and investigation, Donnie L. Poindexter, 45, of Ruther Glen was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. Poindexter was placed on a $1000 secure bond and a May 28, 2008 arraignment date was set.
On May 24, 2008, Deputy J. K. Miller responded to a New Baltimore address for a fight in progress. While investigating this matter, David D. Jeter, 35, continually disrupted the Sheriff’s Office deputies in the performance of their duties and subsequently charged with Obstruction of Justice. Jeter was placed on a $1500 personal recognizance bond and a June 4, 2008 trial date was set.
Caroline County Sheriff’s Office Wrap Up
According to Sheriff Tony Lippa, Caroline Deputies made 3 drug arrests, 3 DUI arrests, 8 domestic violence arrests, and 63 other criminal arrests during the past week. The deputies served 167 civil papers, issued 171 traffic summonses, handled 7 motor vehicle crashes, responded to 38 alarm calls, and dealt with 3 juvenile offenders. The Sheriff’s Office Communications Center dispatched 535 calls for service and handled 1,715 telephone inquiries. The CCSO also logged 27 calls assisting outside agencies and had 194 self initiated calls.
Something for Memorial Day: Remains of Maryland airman returned to family.
NBC4:
The remains of a Maryland airman missing in action during the Vietnam War will be returned to his family for burial, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.
Air Force Senior Master Sgt. James K. Caniford, of Brunswick, will be buried May 28 at Arlington National Cemetery.
Caniford and 13 other men were aboard an AC-130A Spectre gunship that took off from Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on an armed reconnaissance mission over southern Laos on March 29, 1972, according to the Department of Defense.
The aircraft was struck by an enemy surface-to-air missile and crashed. Search-and-rescue efforts were stopped after a few days because of heavy enemy activity, defense officials said.
In 1986, a team excavated the crash site and recovered human remains and other evidence, including identification tags, life-support items and aircraft wreckage, authorities said. The remains of nine men from the crew were identified.
Teams resurveyed the crash site in 2005 and 2006 and found more remains, including those of Caniford, Maj. Barclay B. Young, of Hartford, Conn., and two men whose names are being withheld at the request of their families.
Richmond Times-Dispatch shills for a convicted capital murderer.
Gag a maggot:
Kevin Green is scheduled to die by injection tomorrow night for the 1998 capital murder of a Dolphin woman during a robbery.
Green shot Patricia L. Vaughan four times inside Lawrence’s Grocery, a small business that she and her husband, Lawrence T. Vaughan, opened in 1981 in the small community where they grew up in rural Brunswick County.
Green’s execution is set for 9 p.m. at the Greensville Correctional Center, unless the U.S. Supreme Court or Gov. Timothy M. Kaine intervenes.
[…]
It is unclear when the justices will act on Green’s request for an appeal. Frequently, the high court waits until the day of the execution. Governors typically wait to act on clemency petitions until after the Supreme Court does so.
Green’s would be the 99th execution in Virginia since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the death penalty to resume in 1976. Only Texas, with 405 executions, has conducted more.
Vigils are scheduled across the state, including in a field near the prison on Tuesday evening. A full schedule of vigils can be seen on the Web site of Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty: www.vadp.org/attend-a-vigil.html
My Lord, where’s the vigil for the two victims?
And why is the Fredericksburg City Public School System allowing an employee, Claudia Vandermade, to use county resources (e-mail) to organize a vigil for a capital murderer?
What the hell is wrong with this society?
Since the RT-D was too busy shilling for a convicted capital murderer, please consult Kevin Green v. Commonwealth of Virginia, Record No. 020757:
The victim, Patricia L. Vaughan, and her husband, Lawrence T. Vaughan, owned and operated a small grocery store in Brunswick County. As part of their grocery store operation, the Vaughans regularly cashed checks for employees of several nearby businesses, including a lumber company that paid its employees on Friday of each week. Consequently, Mr. Vaughan routinely went to a bank on Fridays to obtain sufficient currency to cash payroll checks for the lumber company employees. And, he did so on Friday, August 21, 1998. Upon returning from the bank on that Friday, he placed $10,000 in a bank bag that he kept in a cabinet underneath the cash register, another $10,000 elsewhere in the store, and the remaining cash in a safe.
On the day in question, as Mr. Vaughan was starting to eat lunch and to file an invoice, two men entered the store. Mr. Vaughan saw them and recognized the taller of the two men as Kevin Green, the defendant. Green had worked for the lumber company for approximately eight to ten weeks during the preceding spring, and had frequented the Vaughans’ grocery store at lunchtime, after work, and on Fridays to cash his payroll checks.
When the two men entered the store, Mrs. Vaughan had her back to the door and was standing five or six feet from Mr. Vaughan. Thinking that the shorter man was going over to the “drink box,” Mr. Vaughan turned around to finish his filing. As he did so, he heard his wife scream, “Oh, God.” At trial, Mr. Vaughan described what he then heard:
It was four bangs. Bang, bang and I was hit. I didn’t know where I was hit, but I was hurt. I turned a complete turn and fell on the floor, sit [sic] down on my right foot and broke my right ankle. And about [the] time I went down, I looked up and I realized it was a gun being fired. I could see him, he shot toward my wife with the fourth shot. I saw his hand with a pistol in it. He was holding [it] like he was target practicing.
Mr. Vaughan testified that Green, after firing the four shots, walked back to the door and stood there “as a lookout” while the other man came around behind the counter and tried to open the cash register. When the drawer on the cash register jammed, Green directed the shorter man to look under the counter. Upon doing so, he found the bank bag containing approximately $9,000 in cash and Mr. Vaughan’s pistol, which he then used to shoot through the key hole in the cash register drawer. Taking the bank bag and the pistol, the shorter man exited the store, but Green walked a few steps over to where Mrs. Vaughan was lying on the floor and pointed the gun at her again. According to Mr. Vaughan, the gun misfired, and Green ejected a live cartridge onto the floor. Green then fired two more shots in the direction of Mrs. Vaughan. Lowering his head, Mr. Vaughan heard the gun “snap” one more time, but he did not know whether Green was pointing the gun at him or his wife. Only then, when the gun was empty, did Green leave the store.
After Green left, Mr. Vaughan dragged himself approximately five feet across the floor of the store to a telephone and dialed the “911” emergency number, but he was too weak to reach his wife who was still lying on the floor. One of the first police officers to arrive at the scene testified that he observed “puddles of blood just pouring out of [Mrs. Vaughan’s] nose, her mouth, [and] her head.” A local volunteer medical examiner determined that Mrs. Vaughan had died at the scene of the shooting.
A subsequent autopsy of Mrs. Vaughan’s body revealed that she sustained four gunshot wounds. One bullet penetrated the left side of her head, passed through the temporal and frontal lobes of her brain, and lodged in the inner frontal sinus of her face. Another bullet entered the right side of her chest and went into the upper lobe of her right lung. A third bullet penetrated the left side of her back. This was the only non-lethal wound. The fourth bullet entered the right side of Mrs. Vaughan’s back and penetrated two lobes of her right lung. According to the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy, Dr. Jose Abrenio, this wound caused hemorrhaging in her thoracic cavity, which led to difficulty in breathing and had the effect of suffocating her. Dr. Abrenio also opined that Mrs. Vaughan survived “seconds to minutes” after she was first shot.
Four days after the murder, a warrant was issued to search Green, his residence, and automobile. During the search of his home, six bullets were retrieved from the trunk of a tree in his yard. The bullets were found behind a “makeshift target” hanging on the tree. Forensic testing on those six bullets and the four bullets recovered from Mrs. Vaughan’s body during the autopsy revealed that all ten “caliber 25 Auto full metal jacketed bullets” had been fired from one weapon. About 35 to 50 feet from the tree, 16 25-caliber empty cartridge casings were also recovered.
After Green was arrested, he executed a form waiving his Miranda rights and agreed to be questioned by law enforcement officers. During that interrogation, Green admitted that he and his cousin, David Green, robbed the Vaughans’ grocery store and that he selected their store because he knew the Vaughans kept a lot of money there. Green and his cousin had originally planned to wear masks to conceal their faces. However, they discarded the masks after they had to wait behind the store in their automobile for about an hour because other people were in the grocery store. Green also admitted that he shot both of the Vaughans, hitting Mrs. Vaughan four times.
B. PENALTY PHASE
During the penalty phase of the trial, the Commonwealth presented testimony from several correctional officers who had supervised Green’s incarceration at different times and facilities. Much of their testimony described incidents during which Green exhibited disruptive behavior, refused to obey instructions, and made threats to the officers. For example, one officer testified that Green “clinched” the bars of his cell and said, “I’ll get you, I will get you.” Another officer stated that, when Green had to be placed in isolation because of his disruptive conduct, Green started throwing anything he could find, flushing the toilet, and throwing water into the hallway. Green then told the officer that he was going to make the officer’s life “a living hell.” Other personnel described incidents in which Green threw food, trash, and feces on the floor and refused to take his medication.
In addition to this testimony, the Commonwealth called Clement Leon Cleaton, an acquaintance of Green. Cleaton testified that Green had threatened to rob and kill him and that he had heard Green threaten to rob a man selling ice cream from a truck. Cleaton also related an incident in which Green had shot several times toward Cleaton’s “hog pen” while Cleaton was feeding his hogs. Cleaton had asked Green not to shoot in that direction.
Why the heck is someone holding a vigil for a piece of scum that shoots a man and a woman, robs her and her husband, and then shoots the woman two more times to make sure she dies?
Rob Wittman (R) to give Americans’ jobs to unskilled aliens at the behest of businesses.
Congressman Robert J. Wittman (VA-01) today announced that the Department of Labor recently issued new rules and regulations to reform the current process that applies to temporary worker visas.
The rules will improve the current system and make it easier for business to hire the employees they need. The action comes as businesses across the county are struggling to find enough workers.
Meanwhile, 144,200 Virginians and 7,626,000 Americans are struggling to find jobs (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 3 & Table A-1).
The Administration’s efforts may prove helpful but Congress must still take action to address limitations placed on H-2B visas. “Without prompt action by Congress to extend the existing H-2B cap, employers who rely on temporary and seasonal employees face severe worker shortages and the looming possibility of business closures in 2008,” said Wittman.
How about this amazing idea?: Hire Americans!
Workers with H-2B visas provide necessary labor for the seafood, tourism, hospitality, and landscape industries, as well as many other temporary and non-agricultural jobs in this country.
As opposed to hiring the American citizens in this country.
“As a cosponsor of H.R. 1843, the Save our Small and Seasonal Business Act, I urge Congress to take action to quickly pass legislation that would address this important issue impacting many businesses in my district and across the country.”
Instead of addressing issues impacting people seeking employment in your district and this country.
H.R. 1843 would increase the number of unskilled aliens in the country by up to 300% instead of effectively forcing businesses to hire American workers. Hooray.
Why is he supporting this bill?
I’m absolutely, positively, sure that it has nothing with Wittman receiving $5,600 from people affiliated with agribusinesses and $12,000 from agribusiness PACs for a total of $17,600 in campaign contributions from agribusinesses (OpenSecrets.org).
He has also received $3,500 from fishing related PACs as well, and that’s just doing a coarsely look through of his FEC reports. Another $1,000 from the President of the National Fisheries Institute. $500 from someone at Casey’s Seafood Inc. Another $500 from the owner of Shore Seafood Inc. $3,000 from the President and Vice President at Maritime Trading Co. (a seafood company). $1,500 from someone at Graham & Rollins (a seafood company). $500 from Little River Seafood Inc. $1,000 from an Executive at Mason Seafood Inc. $2,300 from someone at Five Seas Inc. (seafood company). $2,000 from the Vice President of Motivatit Seafoods (FEC).
Notice a pattern? Didn’t he just say that this bill would help seafood companies?
Surely, I’m just being cynical.
Forget about prosecuting terrorists, drug dealers, and murderers; get those pornographers!
Of course, the first three are not mutually exclusive.
The crap that The Free Lance–Star publishes in their opinion space:
Imagine that 19 pro-family and pro-decency groups such as the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, and Focus on the Family called a press conference to criticize the Bush administration. Wouldn’t every network, news magazine, and major daily cover the event?
No. None showed up at the National Press Club on a recent Monday. Why? The criticism of Bush was over his failure “to vigorously enforce federal obscenity laws.” Yawn.
What could the press have covered? How about this blistering criticism of Bush’s Justice Department by Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media, the event’s organizer:
“In 2002 we created a Web site to give citizens a way to report violations of federal Internet obscenity laws. Before doing so, we discussed it with Justice Department, and they said, “Great!” By February 2008, 70,000 citizen complaints were filed.
“After six years and 70,000 complaints, the Justice Department has not acted on a single complaint,” asserted Peters.
Janet Shaw Crouse, of Concerned Women for America, lamented: “Obscenity is not taken seriously even by those legally charged with prosecuting offenders. So while the Justice Department is not looking, our homes are being invaded by blatantly obscene so-called ‘entertainment.'”
[…]
And George W. Bush, who promised enforcement, reneged when elected. Hence, the press conference.
I recommend that the presidential candidates and all candidates for Congress be asked if they’d support creation of a new Obscenity Commission that can document pornography’s harm and call for specific reforms in a new report.
Michael McManus, president of Marriage Savers, is a syndicated writer.
The Free Lance–Star actually prints stuff from this loon?:
This is the same guy that essentially said don’t let your children around homosexuals because they will sexually abuse your kids (“Red Flags of a Pedophile”).
This is the same moron that called Israel’s response to the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli Army corporal, by the terrorist group Hamas “a massive overreaction that dwarfs the scale of the original incident”, “unbiblical”, “and constitutes possible war crimes” (“Israeli Retaliation Is Excessive”). Negotiating worked real well for the Israelis since Gilad Shalit is still being held hostage by Hamas almost two years later (Haaretz).
When Israel started targeting Hezbollah assets in Lebanon after Hezbollah abducted Israeli Army Master Sergeant Ehud Goldwasser and First Sergeant Eldad Regev, and launched continuous rocket attacks into Israel in July of 2006; McManus called the response “outrageous”. He said the rocket attacks “killed only 38 civilians and 12 soldiers”. He also said “[t]he U.S. Israeli bias has rendered America utterly inept” and that “Israel should be required to pay for the rebuilding of Lebanon” (“Israel’s Retaliation Is Dangerous”). The ceasefire that McManus wanted so badly hasn’t worked out so well for Israel since rocket attacks have continue to this day and the status of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev are unknown (Yedioth Internet). In one case after the “ceasefire”, a 13 month-old Gaza (Palestinian) girl was killed — not by an Israeli strike — but by a rocket incompetently launched by Hamas (AP via International Herald Tribune).
Can I call him an anti-Semite yet?
Mr. Holier-than-thou, the very-essence-and-manifestation-of-purity-and-truth, didn’t bother to disclose to his readers that he was being paid $4,000 and his organization “Marriage Savers” was receiving $49,000 from the Bush administration to promote certain administration initiatives and policies (CBS News).
Speaking of his organization “Marriage Savers”: Michael McManus was paid $69,643 in FY06 by his “non-profit”. His wife, Harriet McManus (presumably, same address listed as Michael McManus), was paid $35,000 in FY06. Their two salaries account for 45.44% of total organizational expenses ($104,643 out of $230,276) (FY06 IRS Form 990, p. 5 & p. 1).
Among some of the income sources for his “non-profit” include: “Royalties received on the sale of publications” and “fees that are paid to the organization for motivational speeches” (Ibid, p. 20).
I gotta get in on one of those “non-profit” scams.
Not to mention that Michael McManus has a great house including a tennis court. I kid you not (JPEG file).
Throwing stones and glass houses and whatnot, I guess.
And does this moron know the standards that are required to be met to prosecute “obscenity”? Quoting from CyberLaw: Text and Cases, 2nd edition, Ferrera et al., p. 315:
The three-prong Miller test resulting from the Miller v. California [413 U.S. 15 (1973)] case defines obscene material as having the following attributes:
- It arouses “Prurient interest” that does not conform to “contemporary community standards.”
- It is “patiently offensives.”
- It “lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”
Have fun trying to prove that in a court of law. Or as Ferrera et al. put it (Ibid, p. 318):
Thus we should reiterate that the factors and standards for obscenity vary greatly, depending on the culture of the state, city or town, or for that matter, foreign country. This makes it virtually impossible for a provider and others [including prosecutors] to determine, with any degree of predictability, whether the material they distribute, transmit, post, and so on, would be deemed obscene.
Meanwhile, terrorists, drug dealers, and murderers wouldn’t be getting prosecuted.
And, now, the obligatory official training video of the Republican Nanny State:
[flv:https://www.imsurroundedbyidiots.com/videos/nanny.flv 512 288]