The Politician's Confidant

When someone becomes a politician, they are exposed to people who want something from them. It could be a simple favor as using his clout to score a football ticket or using his clout to pass a piece of legislation.

How does the politician choose who will be his confidant? When he is surrounded by his bodyguards, drivers, etc., how does he know he can trust that person to not go to the press with the every day to day mundane details. After all, some news publications are always lurking for the next story.

Sometimes it may take the person, who travels in his inner circles, who has his own dirty little secrets to hide. That way, the politician can rest assured that if he has any dirty little secret, that person will keep them. In essence, a CONFIDANT is born...

Effective Governing vs. Vindictive Governing

When a politician leads with an iron hand, he loses support of the people. Sometimes the people are prevented from eliminating a noneffective politician until his terms runs out. As a result, the City suffers because of the vindictive politician's actions.

The people can later take control when they send a powerful message, to the vindictive politician, that they will never allow him to serve in any future political positions.

Power vs. Control

Sometimes power can be too much for some politicians. In their effort to exhibit their power, they often cross the line into control. When a politician tries to control those around him, the ones who feel that they are being control will resort to measures that try to show the controlling politician that they will not bow down to his demands.

A more effective politician knows that he can be more effective if he listens to the other parties point of views. Then and only then can a solution be worked out that benefits everyone.

The Damaging Effects Of Cronyism

When someone is in a powerful position and that person gives one of his cronies access to information, benefits, etc. it weakens the organization. This is especially true when that organization is city or state government and the crony who has gained access is not qualified to do so.

If a Mayor, of a large metropolitan city, allows cronies to oversee city contracts, it opens the doors to the possibility that that particular City will suffer. I know cronyism is not illegal, but what about the damage the cronie has caused. Shouldn't that elected official be somehow held responsible----if not criminally---what about civilly. Maybe the citizens of that particular city should bring a class action suit against the individual. It may have never been done before--but it could set a precedent and send a message to those who engage in cronyism and allow the city to suffer.

Underage Drinking

Several states have passed laws that punishes adults who allow underage drinking in their homes. Some states, however, find it permissible for adults to allow their own children to drink in their home. This has caused some adults to believe that they can provide alcohol to other people's children.

It is difficult, however, to prosecute these individuals. They are only brought under law enforcement's microscope when the underage drinker has caused some type of damage; whether to themselves or to some innocent bystander.

The Xbox 360 Is A Popular Commodity

The Xbox has become a popular item amongst the young as well as the old:

More than 17.7 million Xbox 360 consoles were sold worldwide by the end of 2007. In Canada, the Xbox 360 outsold both Sony's Playstation 3 and Nintendo's Wii in December, the first time the console has beaten both its rivals since September when the wildly popular game Halo 3 shattered records upon its release.

The Xbox has also been the target for thieves. The Christmas season is usually a time when law enforcement warn shoppers to be very careful, in the shopping malls, due to thieves trying to steal their purchases. Some people have also experience home burglaries during this time and they may have had their XBox stolen. There has been times when even older adults have broken into residences to steal the popular Xbox.

Older Man-Younger Woman

You have heard the stories about a lot of older men getting involved with younger women..example..a woman who is at least sixteen years his junior. If the woman is barely legal, her parents may try to intervene in the relationship.

But what does a parent do when their daughter is so hell bent on being with that older man? Well, sometimes parents have to sit back and allow their adult children to make their own mistakes. You can try to instill the proper values, but it is up to them to follow your lead.

Is It Their Fault?

Sometimes the accuse try to blame others for their actions. We usually view this as an excuse to get out of the dilemma they find themselves in. But what if the accuse is a young follower; by that I mean someone who may be mentally challenged and find themselves following the lead of someone they trust. Should they then be held responsible for their actions.?

Maybe the question should be; should they be held more responsible than the person who led them astray? This may be debatable but one should question the motives of the guilty party who may have gotten off lightly. Did they intentionally lead the mentally challenged astray?

Most People Love Dogs

Most people own dogs because they love animals. It is hard for me to imagine anyone mistreating an animal. But what if you are a drug addict? Then you are capable of doing just about anything. You may even stoop so low as trading that dog for drugs until you are able to repay your drug supplier his money.

That is abuse and that type of person is psychotic. I would have to say that the rest of the family members should keep that particular drug abuser from the family dog.

The Dangers of Psychopathy

When someone is a psychopath, there are no visible signs when you first meet one. Usually a person is taken in by a psychopath because they can be very charming. We all have heard about Scott Peterson; the psychopath who killed his wife Lacy.

Lacy had no idea of what she was getting into. That is the allure of the psychopath; you never know who he/she is until you become deeply involved.

Baby for "Dollars"

I know this sounds like a strange title to a blog post but I wanted to point out a little known phenomenon that sometimes have happened to well known athletes, rap stars and other high profile people with money: baby mama drama...

I call it baby mama drama when a desperate and naive young woman tries to attach herself to a man by having his illegitimate child. But what happens when they do this and later find out that the man they were trying to trap has no money? That may sound strange, but it does happen.

Divided Loyalty

It must be extremely difficult, for a family member, to know that a relative is capable of the unspeakable yet feel torn between doing what is right or helping that particular relative in their time of need.

How betrayed one must feel to take a criminally insane relative into their home only to be pulled into their drama later. What a complicated dilemma.

Does Crime Run In Families?

Sometimes people try not to judge a family just because some of its members have a long history of engaging in criminal activity. Sometimes, however, we do judge one family members' criminal activity as a gauge into the prospect of whether or not their younger siblings or children will follow their lead.

It should also be noted that large crime families have a tendency to support and keep quiet about their family members criminal activities. This makes it very difficult for the police when they are investigating crime and suspect that a criminal's family member can provide the needed information.

Do Home Detention Deter Crime?

When a criminal is sentence to home detention, he can also commit crimes while doing so. The internet is the perfect little space for the criminal to carry out his crime spree.

Perhaps when prosecutors agree to plea bargains, that result in home detention sentences, they should ban those criminals from using the internet.

Can Myspace Make Its' Site Safe?

Although Myspace has taken the first step toward making its site a little safer,they cannot truly keep kids and teens safe from online predators. Most of that responsibility has to rest with the parents.

It is imperative that parents put safeguards in place to protect our youth. Myspace is in the business of making money and your child's safety is the last thing that is on their mind. There is a predator, on Myspace now, and the site was not able to completely deter his use. He just started using another profile in order to carry out his reign of terror.

What's New With Jefferson?

Well there is a little news, from the old home front, that Rep. William Jefferson is trying to have his bribery charges dismissed.

What a tangle web we weave when we practice to deceive.

Chat Lines Can Be Dangerous

You never know who you are talking to on a chat line. The other person may have motives you are not aware of. They can be working for the feds or some other agency who just want to get the goods on you.


It is also possible that they are out to do you harm in other ways. Best advice: Stay away from chat lines because they may lead to your downfall.

Myspace To Speak Out

Myspace is scheduled to speak at a news conference regarding their plans on how they will deal with online predators. This is good news if their plan outline specific details on how they will deal with eliminating those predators from their site.

What Do We Do About Deadbeat Dads?

There is a growing number of deadbeat dads in this country and we as a society have to pay the cost for their lack of neglect. The problem only increases when those deadbeat dads are drug addicts. Now we are burden by the drug addicts addiction problems.

The problem increases three fold when those children are illegitimate. Mothers of illegitimate children have a harder time getting support for their children. Some of the dads just walk away from these children and never look back.

It's No Laughing Matter

It is no laughing matter when a person is broken by someone else's actions. Yes New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, but who helps those mend from their suffering from a Hurricane evacuee who has destroyed so many lives after the hurricane?

The Toll Of Drug Addiction

When there is a drug addict in the family, it usually takes its' toll on the entire family. It is quite unusual for family members to support other family members' drug addiction. That however was not the case for one New Orleans' family. This particular family supported all three of their children's drug addiction.

I guess that gives a different meaning to the words "tough love".

The Different Faces Of Plea Agreements

There is a problem in our legal system regarding plea bargaining. As a result of a plea agreement, some dangerous criminals are allowed to go free with just a slap on the wrist.

It does however depend on the jurisdiction: Some states are more tougher on those who commit crimes. It just amazes me on how it depends on what state a criminal commits his crime determines the severity of the sentence.

I feel that there needs to be some sort of across the board sentencing guidelines before our legal system accepts plea bargains.

Fraud On Myspace

There has been countless news stories about people using the online social networking site, Myspace, as a playground for child predators, burglars, scam artists and other social deviants. Several attorney generals have also battled with Myspace in order to obtain the records of convicted sexual predators.

Now Myspace may soon be viewed as a victim of its users' actions. Prosecutors are trying to bring fraud charges against Lori Drew, an unstable woman, who used the social networking site to harass a 13 year old girl. The girl later committed suicide, however, Lori Drew was never charged with committing a crime.

Can you imagine that Myspace is now being considered a victim? I hope that other fraudsters face the same fate.

What Will The Convicted Felon Do?

Will the convicted felon ask his wife for forgiveness once he gets out of prison?



Who knows; psychopaths are unaware of their behavior.

Jerry Seinfeld and Wife Gets Sued

You remember Jessica Seinfeld; the author who Oprah praised on her show? It turns out her words may not be her own:

Missy Chase Lapine, the author of “The Sneaky Chef,” a cookbook whose recipes camouflage puréed vegetables and fruits in comfort food for children, sued Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld on Monday, charging copyright infringement and defamation.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, Ms. Lapine accuses Ms. Seinfeld of “brazen plagiarism.” Ms. Seinfeld wrote a cookbook, “Deceptively Delicious,” that also employs hidden puréed vegetables in its recipes for children.

Guess what: Jessica Seinfeld's publisher is standing behind her work. I guess being married to a celebrity has it's advantages.

Widow Fights For Deceased Husband

This was such a touching article, I decided to copy it in its entirety:

In the 26 years since former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal gunned down her cop husband on a Philadelphia street, Maureen Faulkner has often felt like a reed in a tornado.

As death penalty opponents around the world rallied to win Abu-Jamal a new trial, contending that he had been framed by local police, Faulkner quietly fought back one hearing at a time.

She never missed a court hearing through the long appeals process, even after she moved from Philadelphia to suburban Ventura County. She's appeared at pro-Mumia events, handing out fliers to explain the evidence that led a jury to convict and sentence Abu-Jamal to death.

Now, with a new book that presents her view of what she believes is the misguided support that has made her husband's killer a global cause celebre, Faulkner, 51, says she is determined to remain the voice of her late husband, Danny.

"Here's a man who murdered another man with premeditation and malice. Why does he have a voice?" asked Faulkner, calm and articulate, from the sun-filled dining room of her hilltop home north of Los Angeles. "My husband has been silenced."

Jeff Mackler, a national coordinator of the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, said he hadn't yet read Faulkner's book but planned to do so. What happened to her husband is a "terrible tragedy," Mackler said.

"But it's an equally terrible tragedy that an innocent man is going to be executed in the name of satisfying her grief."

To Faulkner, "Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Loss, Pain, and Injustice" is a way of countering misinformation that Abu-Jamal's supporters have distributed in a campaign to free him, or at least to win him a new trial.

But it's also a look at a woman who decided to honor her late husband by not running away from the controversy.

The Faulkners had been married a year when she got "the knock" in the middle of the night Dec. 9, 1981. Faulkner was a five-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department.

"With his shiny adornments glistening against the dark night, I thought maybe I was dreaming," Faulkner writes of the officer who stood outside her door that night. "My heart pounded furiously against my rib cage, and my knees felt weak as I opened the door."

It was the beginning of a new life that would take Faulkner from Philadelphia to California and cast her as the living symbol of her dead husband.

"I don't want people to think I'm angry, because I'm not. I've moved on in my life," said Faulkner, who has lived with her companion, Paul Palkovic, for 16 years.

"But there's just something inside of me that says I have to seek justice for Danny."

Faulkner's book covers the well-established events of that night. Her husband, a patrolman in the city's red-light district, stopped Billy Cook, Abu-Jamal's brother, for a traffic infraction. Cook punched Faulkner, and the two started to scuffle.

Abu-Jamal, who was driving a taxicab that night, saw the confrontation from across the street and leaped from his cab to intervene.

Several shots were fired, and police moments later found Faulkner face-up on the sidewalk with bullets in his back and forehead. Abu-Jamal had also been wounded and was taken to a hospital for surgery. After recovering, he was ordered to stand trial on a charge of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors produced four witnesses who said Abu-Jamal had fired on Faulkner as he approached and then straddled the officer to fire several more rounds.

Ballistics evidence tied the bullets to Abu-Jamal's gun, which was found beside him when police arrived.

A bullet from Faulkner's service revolver was recovered from Abu-Jamal's chest. Abu-Jamal did not testify at the trial, nor did his brother. A jury found him guilty and imposed the death sentence.

Maureen Faulkner, then 25, thought that was the end of her nightmare. In 1983, she moved to California, eager to get away from the trauma and to start a new life.

"My friends were married and having children," she said. "I was pretty much alone."

But she was pulled back repeatedly to Philadelphia and that cold December night.

A nascent "Free Mumia" movement picked up steam in 1995 with the publication of Abu-Jamal's first book, "Live From Death Row." A radio reporter before his arrest, he was articulate, charming and a prodigious writer.

He was frequently invited to contribute to respected publications, and with each one, support to free him grew.

In 1995, dozens of celebrities, including Mike Farrell, Salman Rushdie, Susan Sarandon and Paul Newman, paid for a full-page ad in the New York Times laying out a case for a new trial.

The next year, a British-made documentary, "Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Case for Reasonable Doubt?," aired on HBO. Abu-Jamal was invited to appear, via audiotape, at college commencements.

Each time, Maureen Faulkner responded. She would call the publisher and ask if they knew they were supporting a convicted cop killer. She and Palkovic flew to events at which Abu-Jamal's case was being made before students, and they would sit in the front row.

They handed out brochures, watching as some supporters torched the papers in front of them. Faulkner said she's been spit on and has received threatening phone calls. For that reason, she's reluctant to specify the city where she lives or other aspects of her life.

During a December book tour, Faulkner said, she was flooded with support from people who urged her to continue the fight. The book has sold about 70,000 copies and is in its third printing, said Khuong Phan, a spokesman for the publisher, Globe Pequot Press.

Faulkner, meanwhile, is waiting for the latest twist in a long appeals process.

In 2001, a federal judge upheld Abu-Jamal's conviction but threw out his death sentence, saying the jury had been improperly instructed.

Both sides appealed and are waiting a decision on whether Abu-Jamal should be granted a new sentencing hearing -- or even a new trial.

Faulkner, who took an early retirement from work in a medical office, says she isn't looking forward to another round of court hearings.

But she said she would be there.

It never ceases to shock me how people fight for the criminals.

Does Myspace Protect Online Predators?

With an estimated 100 million registered users, MySpace.com is reportedly the world’s busiest social networking Web site. Critics say the Web site’s operators don’t do enough to stop child predators from misusing it.

Last February, a federal judge in Austin, Texas, dismissed a $30 million lawsuit filed against MySpace by the family of a 13-year-old girl who said she was sexually assaulted by a 19- year-old man she met on the site. The man had falsely told the girl he was a high school senior and convinced her to give him her telephone number.

The judge said MySpace was protected under the Communications Decency Act and cannot be required to verify the age of every user. MySpace officials have said they have worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on security improvements, including free parental notification software.

Do you think Myspace protect predators?

Domestic Violence Is An Alarming Statistics

TWENTY-FIVE thousand Victorian children a year see horrific family violence attacks, mostly between their parents.

How could anyone expose their children to this?

Two out of five of them are aged under five.

A Herald Sun analysis of Victoria Police figures shows an average of 25,000 children a year are directly exposed to domestic outbursts so violent that police are called.

Over the past five years, 124,022 children were at family violence incidents attended by police. Of those, 46,937 were under five.

Last year, 20,816 children under 18 saw attacks and more than 8300 of them were under five years old.

At least one child is present at every second domestic incidents police attend, figures show.

Maybe the drug addicted Katrina evacuee should wake up.

Gauging Online Prostitution

I found this article intriging and I thought about a New Orleans evacuee who left the "Big Easy" after Hurricane Katrina, in order to perform "Oral Sex Acts" on a prostitute. That same evacuee was later convicted of residential burglary in Pierce County Superior Court in the State of Wash9ngton. He took the long ride to find a prostitute. He did not use craiglist for his ventures but he later used Myspace and a chatline, In Tacoma, to find other prostitutes to perform oral sex on.

When it comes to finding clients, the modern streetwalker lets her fingers do most of the work, the click clack of a computer keyboard replacing the sound of stiletto heels pacing the pavement.

Just how much illicit e-commerce is going on in the area is hard to measure. But after Fife drew attention to the issue recently when it passed an ordinance targeting online sex solicitation, we decided to set up an experiment to attempt to find out.

The Fife ordinance is the first in Washington to target Internet sex ads. And there are a lot of them. A quick check one day last week turned up more than 1,000 “escort” ads in the South Sound on one Web site, the free online bulletin board Craigslist.

Told of the large numbers of Internet solicitations we found, law enforcement agencies in other local jurisdictions said they’re aware of online flesh peddling, but have mainly chosen to target their limited resources at “real world” prostitutes who are disruptive to local businesses and residential neighborhoods.

Spokesman Lt. Dave Guttu said Lakewood police had done a couple of stings using Craigslist, but made relatively few arrests considering the time and manpower required.

“And there’s a lot of down time,” he said.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department tried a Craigslist operation, but also found it labor intensive, spokesman Ed Troyer said. With only limited funding for vice operations, such operations won’t be a priority in the future, he said.

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said, “We get a lot more complaints about prostitution on the streets.”

Police in other jurisdictions have set up sting operations on Craigslist. In Seattle last year, officers using a covert ad arrested 71 people, including a bank officer and a surgeon. A recent Cook County, Ill., operation rounded up 60 women.

So what The News Tribune wondered was: How many people in the South Sound are using the Internet to find pay-for-play sex? |Read on|

What Do One Do On House Arrest?

Ask Stan "Pampy" Barre, III. The expert crime offender who spends his days thinking up new schemes to lick the pros... between the legs.



Hey Stan..They do have prostitutes in New Orleans.

Crime Stories

ALTHOUGH scores of them are published every year, mystery anthologies are harder to assemble than you might think. Maybe it was easier for 1920s editors who had to contend with a smaller, albeit rich, universe populated by Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, among others, from the 19th and early 20th centuries. As the number of writers expanded, later anthologists narrowed their focus -- to the P.I. novel, the police procedural or standout work by women, gay and lesbian or African American crime writers.

But in recent years, mystery anthologies with original premises are like variations of those darned green bean casseroles -- there's only so far you can take them. Houghton Mifflin's annual "Best American Mystery Stories" are reliable exceptions as is small press Akashic Books' city-themed Noir series, including this year's "Los Angeles Noir," which gives readers a far-ranging, multicultural view of crime from Los Feliz to Belmont Shore. But after reading the fifth single-sport mystery collection or the detective anthology featuring White House pets (sad to say), a reader can become a little jaded. |Read more|