http://www.intheav.com/AV Town Crier Sez:nointheav.comintheav.com RSS-generatorhttp://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2012/01/31/february-av-town-crier-now-postedTHE RECENT RASH OF POLICE SHOOTINGS INVOLVING UNARMED SUSPECTS There seems to be a rash of police shooting of unarmed suspects in the news as of late. Most recent was the Jan 21 shooting that took place in Lancaster. To add to the problem is when it involves a white peace officer and a minority suspect. You can bet that the race card will be played. Let’s look at the Lancaster shooting as an example. It was around 11 pm (give or take a few) on a Saturday night. The suspect (a Latino male 26 years old) was riding his bike without any lights (a violation) on the sidewalk (another violation) in a large commercial district where most of the businesses were closed at that hour. Naturally this aroused suspicion in the cops. So they attempt a routine traffic stop. The suspect drops his bike and takes off running. So the deputies pursue him. He runs into an alley where a foot pursuit ensues. At this point let’s pause and take a closer look at what we know up to this point (just prior to the shooting). The suspect knows who the cops are (hence why he took off running), he knows they are armed. On the other hand, the cops do NOT know who the suspect is, why he took off running, and whether he’s armed or not. When someone takes off running from the police, it’s an ominous sign. It dredges up all kinds of potential scenarios. The suspect could have just murdered someone, be a prison escapee, just committed a violent crime, or perhaps has one (or more) warrants out on him. At this moment the police are in the dark. Their lives (and perhaps that of the general public) could be in jeopardy. It’s at this moment during the foot pursuit that the suspect reaches in his waste-band (or some other furtive move) it’s at this moment that pursuing deputies have to make a snap decision. Do they feel that the suspect being pursued is armed and is about to pull a weapon on them? What would you do in this situation? If you wait to see, it might be too late. The pursuing deputies have to consider all the facts as they pertain to this situation that have gone down up to this moment (which I’ve just outlined). At this point the deputies have no choice but to assume that the situation is about to escalate. So they discharge their service weapon. (I should point out at this juncture that few, if any, law enforcement agencies allow personnel to fire warning shots into the air as the bullets can return to Earth with deadly results. Most (if not all) also don’t allow for wounding of a fleeing suspect (as that’s harder to do. Shooting at legs or arms is difficult at best. Plus you have the likelihood that most of the shots will miss and who knows where those bullets will end up. Plus, that gives the suspect a chance to shoot at pursuing police. Most (if not all) agencies require that officers shoot at the part of the body with the most mass, that being the upper torso. The point at this juncture is to stop the suspect. Unfortunately, when shot in the upper torso, the odds of those shots causing a fatality are extremely high.) No matter the situation, once a suspect is shot it will stir controversy. If the suspect is a minority and the cops are white, the race card will be played (regardless whether the shooting was justified or not.) (I won’t go into the issue of the race card in this column. I’ve dealt with it in the past. Basically, I think the race card is played by opportunist who promotes racism. That’s how they make a living. All they do is inflame the situation and they don’t contribute to the elimination of racism.) The public is quick to side with the suspect without knowing all the facts. In LA County, whenever an officer involved shooting results in a fatality, the lives of those involved becomes a living hell. There are several simultaneous investigations that go on. You have the local station doing their initial investigation. Robbery/homicide conducts their own as does the coroner. Then internal Affairs does theirs. On top of that you have the DA who conducts one and you have an independent citizen’s over-sight commission that conducts an investigation (not to mention the news media as well). The truth will ultimately come out. The evidence will either back the officers claim or if there’s a departmental violation, then the officers involved face disciplinary action. If it turns out they violated the law, the can be prosecuted and even sent to prison. With all this in mind, I doubt very much if too many cops are trigger happy. If the fleeing suspect has any weapon found on him, then the situation is defused. If ANY object is found, the shooting is justifiable (though some will still question the shooting not realizing in diminished light and just the act of the pursuit, the officers can’t tell what that object is. They can’t risk waiting and getting shot if it turns out to be a gun. We’re talking about fractions of seconds. You just can’t expect the officers to take that risk.) But, the controversy arises when there is NO weapon found at the scene. Like the Lancaster shooting (as well as countless others) the fleeing suspect reached into his clothes. He made what is commonly referred to as a ‘furtive move.’ In most police agencies, it’s at that point that officers are allowed to shoot according to policy. Perhaps that should be changed. Perhaps the officers should NOT be allowed to shoot until they actually see an object or that the suspects hands remained out of sight for (let’s say two or three seconds. Enough time to grasp a gun and fire from within the concealment of the clothing. Especially nowadays with the baggy clothing being in style.) But is that realistic? Does a pursuing officers have time to count to two (or three) while in the heat of a pursuit? What about poor lighting and shadows? A pursuing officer could mistakenly think he saw an object and it might only be a shadow. What if the officer’s view is momentary obstructed? As you can no doubt see, it’s not an easy decision to make here. As for the issue of racism that is ALWAYS leveled at the police is an issue that is tricky to deal with. Minorities will claim the officers were racists or used racial profiling. If the suspect is the same race, they will scream ‘reverse racism.’ You just can’t win here. Police agencies (as well as the city or county) must do more to gain the confidence of the citizens. On the same token, the citizens shouldn’t be fooled by political opportunists who fly in from out of town at every opportunity to play the race card (especially if there are plenty of TV cameras running). I know the minute that Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, or Gloria Allred show up—that the person they are representing has lost all credibility with me. I’m not too sure that there’s a simple, or easy solution to all these issues. There may never be one. The fault might just lie with society and the fact that we need a police force. You would think having been civilized for as long as we have, (plus the involvement of religion) that the human race would have raisin above the need for police. Sadly, we haven’t. So until that day, I will support and stand by my policing agency and the individuals who wear the shield until they have been proven at fault in a court of law. For more local news aim your browser to: http://theantelopevalleytowncrier.com/wordpress/ Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:45:16 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2012/01/17/supreme-court-rules-on-prayer-s-at-council-meetingsThe justices let stand a ruling holding a North Carolina county board violated the First Amendment's ban on an "establishment of religion" by opening its sessions with a Christian prayer. The judges agreed, however, the board could have a non-denominational prayer at each session.Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:30:47 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2012/01/08/spy-in-da-skyRead today's top story in the AV Press. It talks about the latest with the 'eye-in-the=sky project and how FRANK VISCO formed a company to run the project. Right from the get-go this was a no-bid contract and another 'insider' got the deal. Visco has always been first in line for no-bid deals. If you want more proof of these inside deals go the my website http:\\theantelopevalleytowncrier.com\wordpress and scroll all the way to the bottom. There's a story there called Cronyism.It's been there for a few years since I originally posted it. i did a lot of research on it. I use it just as one example of what is wrong with Parris, Visco, Gilley, Scott Erlich and all the other insiders that always get the choice deals.Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:35:49 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/12/30/january-av-town-crier-now-on-lineTHE CACTUS CURTAIN WAR HEATS UP News and commentary by J. P. ‘the cactus kid’ Biddle Lancaster Mayor R. Rex ‘Protecting who?’ Parris has thrown down the gauntlet. He has just demanded that Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford appear before the Lancaster City Council. WTF? Does King Rex now think he’s a judge and can compel non-citizens of his thiefdom to appear before him? Talk about ego. This lunatic who has people jailed for speaking their mind, certainly doesn’t live by the same rules (if you remember last month he called Ledford a “doofus.” The latest incident in the long running ‘Cactus Curtain War’ is that King Rex has just discovered that Mayor Ledford is chair of Sanitation District 14 (which is 85% in Lancaster and unincorporated areas) as well as District 20 (which is 100% Palmdale and unincorporated areas). Parris doesn’t seem to have done his homework before shooting off his big mouth. Then again, flapping his yap is what Parris seems to do best. Let’s look at the facts before we going any further: The law (as it stands today) says that all entities within any sanitation district must be represented on the board. Both Sanitation Districts were created (and infrastructure laid) before either city completed most of their current (and mostly illegal) annexations. District 20 is mostly in Palmdale and surrounding unincorporated areas. Thus the City of Palmdale and a member from the unincorporated areas have a seat on District 20. Mayor Ledford has been chosen as Palmdale’s representative. The case of District 14 bears a little more scrutiny; While 85% is within Lancaster is true, a small percentage is in unincorporated areas as well as a small percentage (that had been previously located in unincorporated LA County) has since been annexed by Palmdale. That is part of the western half of Rancho Vista. Since the infrastructure was already in place when the annexation took place, that area is NOW located in the City of Palmdale. As per the law, the City of Palmdale has a right to a seat. At this moment, Lancaster’s representative is Vice Mayor Ron Smith. I guess Mayor Parris is unhappy that his boy Ronnie wasn’t selected as chair, but that Mayor Ledford was. Ouch! (That’s gotta hurt.). This fact has just come to the attention of Mayor Blowhard Parris. Hello! Uh, er, Mr. Mayor, you have been Mayor for four years! Anyhow, Parris (the unhappy camper) wants to be appointed as Lancaster’s representative (I guess he is unhappy that his Boy Wonder has failed him). Ok, that’s fine. Then lo-and-behold he finds the meetings are held in Whittier. He wants them in Lancaster. OK, I will concede that point. They should be held locally so citizens can attend. Mayor Ledford has claimed the reason why is that it will cost $200 per meeting to have it here. According to Parris (unverified by me) that Ledford receives a $125 mileage stipend to attend. So (if that is true) then for a mere $75 more they should hold both meetings locally, District 20 in Palmdale and District 14 in Lancaster. If Mayor Parris is unhappy that the Rancho Vista section part of District 14 falls into Palmdale, then perhaps he (actually the ratepayers of District 14) should pay to have the lines re-routed to Sanitation District 20 (which would probably cause a substantial rate increase for the folks in District 14). . . . and the Cactus Curtain War escalates. Stay tuned, we’ll keep you informed as the hostilities escalate. Word on the street is that Mayor Parris has positioned troops on the Palmdale-Lancaster border. Word on the street is that he plans on sending the troops across the border and going to war! For more news aim your browser to: http://theantelopevalleytowncrier.com/wordpress/ Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:05:29 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/12/20/obama-xmasU.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Pays Homage to Obama—But Not Jesus By Terence P. Jeffrey December 19, 2011 This ornament, celebrating President Barack Obama, adorns the Capitol Christmas Tree that was officially lighted on Dec. 6, 2011. (CNSNews.com/Terence P. Jeffrey) (CNSNews.com) - The 63-foot Sierra White Fir lighted at the U.S. Capitol Grounds on Dec. 6 as the official 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree includes a prominently displayed ornament paying homage to President Barack Obama, but includes no ornament readily visible to a person standing near the tree's base that uses the word “Christmas,” or includes an image of the Nativity, or bears the name or image of Jesus Christ. On the north side of the tree--at a height of about 4 feet and easily visible to people standing near it---there is an ornament that says: “I ♥ President Obama.” Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:43:41 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/11/27/december-av-town-crapper-now-on-lineSPY-IN-DA-SKY, DAVID G. AND TYRANNY IN LANCASTER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION R.I.P. News and commentary by J. P. ‘R.I.P.’ Biddle Weasel News Service We all know that the Brown Act and U.S. Constitution come to Lancaster to die. What else is new? Outspoken critic David Grajeda was thrown in the hoosegow and they threw away the key. David G. (as he likes to be known as) was booted from the Criminal Justice Commission meeting on Oct.12 for speaking out against Lancaster Sheriff’s Station commander Bob Jonson and deputy Lee Der’icco (sp) (see video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CZCTWKjY_o&feature=player_detailpage). Whether or not if he was out of order, he was asked to leave and he did. He was arrested on Oct. 25 and held until released on bail on Nov. 9. His bail was initially set at $5000 and raised to $25,000! Wow! This for speaking at a commission meeting. Most likely this King Rex’s way of getting even for him speaking out at City Council meetings and exposing wrong doing at City Hall. Let’s not forget that King Rex owns most of the superior court judges. In addition to that; he was hit with a restraining order banning him from communicating in any manner with City Hall or city officials and he must stay at least 100 feet from City Hall. David G. (as well as his attorney Amy Konstantelos) feel this is a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Brown Act. A hearing on the restraining order will be held on Nov. 22 and a pretrial hearing set for Jan. 22 in the AV Courthouse. David G. says that he is eager to have his day in court. ** The Lancaster city council unanimously approved to spend over a million of YOUR dollars on the much ballyhooed ‘spy-in-da-sky’ program. This was (as could have been expected) a no-bid contract. That means that they are paying more than if they took bids and purchased off-the-shelf products that are already available. Instead they are paying for development of the system from scratch. King Rex claims that it will be run by the Sheriff’s Department and under their guidelines. But we know damn well that city officials will have access to the information just as they have access to anonymous calls made to the Sheriff’s station. The day is fast approaching when they will employ thought reading technology against the citizens. The ‘Thought Police’ are coming. As if all this isn’t bad enough, the public comments section of City Council meetings are no longer being shown! The Third Reich and tyranny are alive and well in Lancaster. During a recent City Council meeting King Rex (again) made reference to Lancaster being a Christian City. So much for his phony-baloney apology he made the last time he made similar comments. The bottom line: If you live in Lancaster, you’d best toe the party line and speak no evil. Speak NOT against city leaders or go to jail. If you’re NOT a Christian and a member of LBC you best leave town. And a final warning; The EPA approved the Palmdale power plant. But beware; it will give off a deadly killer plume that will kill everybody in Lancaster, at least that’s what one would think when you listen to King Rex and Marvin ‘da weasel’ Crist talk about it. King Rex even referred to Mayor Jim Ledford as a “doofus.” There’s a real case of the pot-calling-the-kettle- black. And the ‘Cactus Curtain Wars’ are going strong! For more news aim your browser to: http://theantelopevalleytowncrier.com/wordpress/ Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:21:18 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/10/30/very-quietly-obama-s-citizenship-case-reaches-the-supreme-court-ap-washington-d-c In a move certain to fuel the debate over Obama's qualifications for the presidency, the group "Americans for Freedom of Information" has Released copies of President Obama's college transcripts from Occidental College ... Released today, the transcript school indicates that Obama, under the name Barry Soetoro, received financial aid as a foreign student from Indonesia as an undergraduate. The transcript was released by Occidental College in compliance with a court order in a suit brought by the group in the Superior Court of California. The transcript shows that Obama (Soetoro) applied for financial aid and was awarded a fellowship for foreign students from the Fulbright Foundation Scholarship program. To qualify, for the scholarship, a student must claim foreign citizenship. This document would seem to provide the smoking gun that many of Obama's detractors have been seeking. Along with the evidence that he was first born in Kenya and there is no record of him ever applying for US citizenship, this is looking pretty grim. The news has created a firestorm at the White House as the release casts increasing doubt about Obama's legitimacy and qualification to serve as President article titled, "Obama Eligibility Questioned," leading some to speculate that the story may overshadow economic issues on Obama's first official visit to the U.K. In a related matter, under growing pressure from several groups, Justice Antonin Scalia announced that the Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear arguments concerning Obama's legal eligibility to serve as President in a case brought by Leo Donofrio of New Jersey . This lawsuit claims Obama's dual citizenship disqualified him from serving as president.. Donofrio's case is just one of 18 suits brought by citizens demanding proof of Obama's citizenship or qualification to serve as president. Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation has released the results of their investigation of Obama's campaign spending. This study estimates that Obama has spent upwards of $950,000 in campaign funds in the past year with eleven law firms in 12 states for legal resources to block disclosure of any of his personal records. Mr. Kreep indicated that the investigation is still ongoing but that the final report will be provided to the U.S. Attorney general, Eric Holder. Mr. Holder has refused to comment on the matter... LET OTHER FOLKS KNOW THIS NEWS, THE MEDIA WON'T! Subject: RE: Issue of Passport? While I've little interest in getting in the middle of the Obama birth issue, Paul Hollrah over at FSM did so yesterday and believes the issue can be resolved by Obama answering one simple question: What passport did he use when he was shuttling between New York, Jakarta, and Karachi? So how did a young man who arrived in New York in early June 1981, without the price of a hotel room in his pocket, suddenly come up with the price of a round-the-world trip just a month later? And once he was on a plane, shuttling between New York, Jakarta, and Karachi, what passport was he offering when he passed through Customs and Immigration? The American people not only deserve to have answers to these questions, they must have answers. It makes the debate over Obama's citizenship a rather short and simple one. Q: Did he travel to Pakistan in 1981, at age 20? A : Yes, by his own admission. Q: What passport did he travel under? A: There are only three possibilities. 1) He traveled with a U.S. ... Passport, 2) He traveled with a British passport, or 3) He traveled with an Indonesia passport. Q: Is it possible that Obama traveled with a U.S. Passport in 1981? A: No. It is not possible. Pakistan was on the U.S. .. State Department's "no travel" list in 1981. Conclusion: When Obama went to Pakistan in 1981 he was traveling either with a British passport or an Indonesian passport. If he were traveling with a British passport that would provide proof that he was born in Kenya on August 4, 1961, not in Hawaii as he claims.. And if he were traveling with an Indonesian passport that would tend to prove that he relinquished whatever previous citizenship he held, British or American, prior to being adopted by his Indonesian step-father in 1967. Whatever the truth of the matter, the American people need to know how he managed to become a "natural born" American citizen between 1981 and 2008. Given the destructive nature of his plans for America, as illustrated by his speech before Congress and the disastrous spending plan he has presented to Congress, the sooner we learn the truth of all this, the better. Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:36:32 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/10/26/november-av-town-crier-now-postedCRIME DOWN IN THE AV OR SO THEY SAY News and commentary by J. P. ‘one-man crime wave’ Biddle Weasel News Service Both Palmdale and Lancaster (again!) have announced dramatic decrease in crime. How many quarters in a row has this been? If you were to believe the numbers then there should be 0% crime by now. I listen to the police scanners around the clock and I haven’t noticed any decrease. It seems to be rolling along as usual. Which is not to say that both Sheriff’s stations aren’t putting a dent into crime? There have been numerous busts which have resulted in a lot of dangerous thugs (except King Rex) being taken off the streets (but soon to be freed by Gov. Moonbeam.). I live in the Mayflower Gardens retirement community. The only crime we have here is when someone cheats at Bingo. Earlier this month a crazed loon wandered onto the premise and spotted several maintenance workers repaving a parking lot. This whacko then saunters over and proceeds to stab one of the workers. One of the victim’s fellow workers came to his rescue and was stabbed for his efforts and was also seriously injured. Both workers were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. Both are expected to survive. This is the first major crime ever committed here at ‘Da Gardens.’ Yup! Crime is down! Then you add to that the crimes of Lancaster City Council in how they operate—that’s a crime! Plus, if crime is down—how do you explain all those parolee sweeps and other task-force related crime sweeps that have netted numerous felons? Both Lancaster and Palmdale sheriff’s stations are the busiest in the county. They also have the largest patrol areas in the county, yet the airship seems to never be around after sundown when the thugs are slithering around the streets in the AV. You would think with such a large patrol area that the airship would be up 24/7 like they are in South Central, Avalon, Century, Compton, and Lynwood? But Noooo! Considering all of the above, you have to hand it to both Sheriff’s stations for doing an outstanding job arresting all the dangerous that they do. But when city officials are busy patting themselves on the back and claiming that crime is down is kind of disingenuous at best. The stats they release are questionable at best. They base their numbers on a crime ratio of “per ten-thousand residents.” Also only Part One crimes (murder, kidnapping, terrorism, etc.) As I have pointed out here before, if you had 5 murders last year and 4 this year, it’s down 20%. But if only 5 murders occurred in a population of over 150,000, that’s not much (unless you’re one of the 5). The odds of you getting murdered are only 5 in 150,000. Not real high is it? What they are not boasting about is the type of crimes that you are more likely to be a victim of (like burglary, larceny, petty theft, vandalism, etc.). Then again, we’re talking about politicians that are making these announcements. As you can well believe, they tend to put a ‘spin’ on everything. I call it the ‘chamber of commerce’ view of things (chambers of commerce in their brochures always boast of the fine climate—no matter how bad it is, they always paint a rosy picture of it). With all this said, I’m not claiming that the AV is not a safe place to live. Overall, it’s probably one of the safer places to live (though, I can’t say that the climate is all that rosy). For more news and stories aim your browser to: http://theantelopevalleytowncrier.com/wordpress/ Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:56:18 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/10/12/u-s-finds-flaws-in-lausd-schooling-for-minorities District to overhaul how blacks, English-language learners are taught. By Susan Abram, Staff Writer Posted: 10/12/2011 01:00:00 AM PDT Updated: 10/12/2011 06:08:39 AM PDT Los Angeles Unified will overhaul how it teaches English-language learners and African-American students after a 19-month-long federal probe found they weren't getting the same education as other students in the district. Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:52:47 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/10/10/where-the-term-left-or-right-came-from I have often wondered why it is that Conservatives are called the "right" and Liberals are called the "left." By chance I stumbled upon this verse in the Bible: "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV) Thus sayeth the Lord. Amen. Can't get any simpler than that. Spelling Lesson The last four letters in American..........I Can The last four letters in Republican.......I Can The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats End of lesson. Test to follow in November, 2012 Remember, November is to be set aside as rodent extermination month.Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:07:42 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/10/05/lancast-electionsLancaster elections will be held in April. I wonder if Marvin Crist will shut down this site prior to the election season like he's done in the past--thus eliminating one of the best places to debate the issues. Just wondering what the rest of you think?Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:45:59 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/09/28/october-avtc-postedLOCAL NEWS (AS THE AV TURNS) News and commentary by J. P. ‘as the stomach turns’ Biddle Weasel News Service LANCASTER Blackmail, bomb-threats, finger-pointing, and accusations abound: Where to begin? So much crap has hit the fan in the last month I’m not sure where to start. Let’s start with the grand opening of the Laemmle BLVD Cinemas. It was reported that local gadfly David Grajeda was arrested after calling Mayor Parris a crook! (The nerve, referring to the honorable Mayor as a crook. OK, I’ll give you a moment to finish laughing). Well, it turns out that this is the tip of the iceberg, so-to-speak. Lancaster Sheriff’s station Captain Johnson went to TWC to view the video (several weeks after the event took place). The video showed that the honorable Mayor Parris spotted Grajeda in the audience and told a deputy to “get this piece of crap out of here.” It seems that The Lancaster Sheriff’s station (and Captain) (only obeys—not the law, or the US Constitution, but King Rex. The Lancaster’s sheriff’s station is King Rex’s personal Gestapo) escorted Grajeda (after he responded to Rex by calling him a “crook.”) Grejeda was escorted across the street (not really a street, but ‘The BLVD’). Grejeda then continued to call the Mayor a crook and was promptly arrested for disturbing the peace (not that there was any peace after King Rex started this whole brouhaha.) Grejeda (for those who have already forgotten) was kicked out of a city council meeting the week before because (of all the dastardly deeds) he kept straying off course (not unlike Councilmember Marvin Crist) and was arrested. Well, things start to get a little sticky . . . Grajeda was called to the Captain’s (school Principal’s) office. The Captain told Grejeda that if he stayed away from city council meetings until after the April elections all charges would be dropped (Grajeda recorded this encounter—so let the powers that be deny this!). So Mr. Grajeda did, just to see if they would be. Low and behold, the DA declined to file. So Grajeda returned to a city council meeting and exposed the whole thing (after sharing his recording with several people as protection). Here’s a link to the YouTube recording: http://www.youtube.com/americaspolitics Mr. Grejeda called Rex and Johnson out on this and referred to this as “blackmail.” I’m not sure that there is any other way of looking at this. It certainly looks bad for King Rex. If you recall, several months ago, David Abber and King Rex got into a shoving match at a local gym. Inside sources side with Abber’s account of King Rex starting the dust-up. Rex is clearly a bully. If this is not enough, King Rex (from the bench) accused (pretty much indicating Grajeda and Abber) as felons and of being a physical danger to the Mayor (Editor’s Note: Grajeda is an admitted convicted felon. As a youngun’ he committed hit ‘n’ run, There were no injuries in the case) King Rex went on about having to have body guards (he also has a concealed weapons permit as did his predecessor Frank Roberts) to protect him from these “whack-jobs” (Is this not the perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black?). Ooh. The poor baby! Perhaps if he wasn’t such a bully and started all this crap in the first place-he wouldn’t need body guards and guns. Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford doesn’t have any body guards nor a concealed weapons permit. He doesn’t travel with an entourage to protect him. You add this, with his illegal purchase of property within a redevelopment district (of which he was a director) which is a violation of law. And yet, Mr. Parris hasn’t been arrested and charged? Hello! Anyone home at the DA’s office? (Oh, wait—doesn’t King Rex (via his law form and wife) contribute to upper mentioned political campaigns?) Perhaps State’s AG Kamala Harris should step in. As reported here last month, certain speakers (David Abber, Lyle Talbot, and David Grajeda) were shot from the back when speaking before the council. Now, they’re not even shown! The camera is aimed off to the side. How chickenshit is that? It seems to me that, this constitutes some violation of the Brown Act or something. It seems their action is some form of editorializing or censoring, or something. It just doesn’t seem right no matter how you look at it. On the same token, when you speak before the Palmdale City Council, you’re treated with respect (even if you don’t deserve to be). The Mayor doesn’t interrupt you, etc. It’s the tale of two cities on opposite sides of the cactus curtain. *** The City Council approved the construction of a roundabout at the corner of Tenth West and The BLVD. On the surface, this seems to be a good idea. But, if history is any indication, their implementation of said, will likely defeat the entire purpose and makes things worse. They still haven’t grasped on to what the parking problem is on Da BLVD. Hello! It’s been painfully explained to you boneheads (if you would listen instead of pontificating). Too many of the potential parking stalls are used by trees, planters, light poles, benches, and statues of motorcycles. Get rid of those and better marking of the ‘off BLVD’ (side street) parking will likely mitigate the problem. Hello Marvin! Are you listening? We don’t need no sticking parking structures! (They’re too expensive!—Oh, wait. It’s the public’s money that you’re spending. Never mind.) *** AVTA On Thursday September 22, the DA’s Public Integrality Division served search warrants on the main office and two other locations. This was related to the on-going investigation of the three top officials who stand accused of corruption. The three have since resigned. Besides the main AVTA offices there were two other locations searched. According to DA spokesperson Sandi Gibbons those warrants are sealed due to the on-going criminal investigation. According to informed sources, Lancaster City Councilman and AVTA board member Marvin ‘the weasel’ Crist typed off local news media that the two other locations being served were the homes of Palmdale Mayor and AVTA board member Jim Ledford and Councilmember and AVTA board member Mike Dispenza. TWV-3 news had their news vans parked outside the Mayor’s home. No search warrant was served at either location. It makes you wonder why ‘The Weasel’ would do such a stupid and childish thing (then again, that’s how they roll in Lancaster. They are at war with Palmdale and have been ever since the AV Mall was built in Palmdale and not Lancaster) I wonder if it was to divert attention away from Lancaster? I’m just saying. Perhaps the warrant was served on Ron Smith who was the Chair of the AVTA when this scandal broke. Maybe it was served on Marv ‘The Weasel’ himself. Who knows? Maybe it was even served on Mayor Parris. After all, he’s got his nose in everything. Mayor Parris was quoted in one local news paper that the warrants and subsequent searches indicate that the investigation is nearing an end. Let’s hope he’s right. The public has a right to know if any of our public officials are crooks. If so let them file charges. If not, then the three administrators (who have the right to be presumed innocent until otherwise proven so in a court of law) who have been slandered are due an apology from the AVTA board and some form of monetary compensation (that should come out of King Rex’s pocket since he and ‘The Weasel’ are the ones shooting off their mouths and making unfounded accusations. Even more troubling is the fact that King Rat (uh, er, make that Rex—my bad) is a lawyer! You would think that he would know better. Then, again perhaps not. Hello, state bar. Anyone one home?) For more news aim your browser to: http://theantelopevalleytowncrier.com/wordpress/ Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:28:07 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/09/24/cuts-sought-in-cost-of-indigent-care-by-christina-villacorteThe county Health Department is seeking to cut back on its reimbursements to doctors who treat the poorest patients, and for now has stopped paying them altogether because it is running out of funds. In a memo this week, Health Director Mitch Katz said he has "no option" but to suspend payments until the Board of Supervisors reduces the rates that doctors are paid. But medical experts and county officials are warning that the consequence of reducing those rates is that fewer doctors will want to be on call to treat the county's most destitute residents. "This could potentially exacerbate an already challenging situation by further limiting availability of physicians willing to be on-call to private ERs," Katz wrote in the memo. "Ultimately, this could result in further ER closures, longer ambulance transport times, and increased ER waiting times." Currently, emergency room doctors who have failed at least twice to collect payment from their indigent patients - those who are uninsured and do not qualify for Medi-Cal - can ask the county to reimburse 18 percent of the bill. Katz proposed lowering that rate to 12 percent for claims filed in the previous fiscal year - or the department would end up $1.2 million in the red. He also called for adjusting the rate to 14 percent for claims filed in the current fiscal year, to avoid racking up a $3.3 million deficit. Cathy Chidester, director of the county's Advertisement Emergency Medical Services Agency, said doctors receive an average of $50 per claim at the 18 percent reimbursement rate. Even as he proposed the cuts, Katz warned it might reduce access to care. Dr. Robert Rosenbloom, who works in the ERs at Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar and Beverly Hospital in Montebello, said the cuts are very "disheartening." He said it would further discourage not only emergency physicians but also specialists such as surgeons, pediatricians and orthopedists, from being on-call at the ER. "Those physicians make a determination whether or not they want to be available to be called on weekends, in the middle of the night, for anybody who needs care," Rosenbloom said. "And those physicians en masse have decided that fewer and fewer of them want to take calls and subject themselves to working all night long when they have patients all day Monday, etc." As recently as two years ago, the reimbursement rate for the Physician Services For Indigents Program (PSIP) was 27 percent, with the money coming from both the state and the county. The state, however, withdrew the funding in 2009. Now, the county Health Department relies almost exclusively on the Maddy Fund, a portion of the fines charged for traffic violations, to reimburse doctors. Jim Lott, executive vice president of the Hospital Association of Southern California, expressed frustration. "How do government officials expect us to keep hospital costs down when they keep cutting payments for the medical care provided to the poor, the uninsured, Medicare and Medi-Cal patients?" he said. "The care still must be provided, and hospitals have no choice but to try to get private insurers to help cover the cost." The county Health Department's chief deputy director, John Schunhoff, said the recommendation to lower the reimbursement rate seemed better than the alternative. "One way to do it is to pay (at the current rate) until the money runs out and then the doctors who submit their claim after that just don't get paid anything," he said. "What we're proposing is to reduce the percentage that you pay everybody, so that everybody gets paid something for a claim, but they won't get as much as they would have." Lott noted 40 hospitals in California have closed their doors in the last 10 years or so, including 11 in Los Angeles County, almost all of whom cited payment cuts for treating patients sponsored by government programs. Rosenbloom said everyone who seeks emergency care would feel the pain of the cuts, not just doctors. "No matter what your insurance is, or even if you have a wad of cash in your pocket, you're going to be affected too," he said. "That's because the emergency department sees everybody who comes in the door, and when the emergency department is dangerously overcrowded, everybody is negatively affected." Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:38:04 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/09/03/lefty-liberal-commie-pinko-ratfink-congress-did-it-to-us-agaibFrom the AV News: “PALMDALE – An attorney for a legal service representing two organizations that are suing the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale for alleged discrimination in Section 8 investigations explained Thursday that entry into the program is based on race, not need. . . “The federal housing program was explicitly designed to be a desegregation program,” said Catherine Lhamon, attorney for Public Counsel Law offices representing the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and The Community Action League organizations.” Sat, 03 Sep 2011 17:42:12 +0000http://www.intheav.com/blogs/AV Town Crier/2011/08/29/sept-av-town-crier-now-postedFrom the Sept AV Town Crier SHOULD THE 17TH AMENDMENT BE REPEALED? By J. P. “unappealing’ Biddle Weasel News Service This proposal has been brought forth by the Tea Party. While NOT a member of said, I support the idea. First a little back ground. Originally the House was elected by direct vote of the people (of we -da people fame), whereas members of the US Senate were appointed by individual state legislatures. Each state had it’s own rules on just how this was accomplished. In 1913 the 17th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed that provided for direct election by we -da people. On the surface this seems OK. Then I started to look at this more closely. The first problem is that this was passed in 1913. This was the same year of the Federal Reserve Act. That does NOT bode well. That was the start of a power shift between we-da people and Congress. Let’s look at the concept. Since the House members are voted by direct vote, they (in theory) represent we-da people. OK, that makes sense. If Senators are appointed by the state, it would stand to reason that they would represent the state’s best interest. Again, let’s look at the concept; the House congressional districts are not based on state borders. They’re based on population. So in theory, they represent we-da people. The Senate districts are based equally by state. Each state has two Senators. Thus all states are represented equally in the upper house. So for that reason it makes sense for each state to choose their senators via the legislative system. That was changed in 1913 by the 17th Amendment that made the Senate a direct vote. This doesn’t really work as intended. Thus the Senate has been corrupted by special interests. It costs a lot to run for office. The fact that each candidate has to raise ungodly amounts of money makes them beholden to the highest bidder, so to speak. This just isn’t right. Clearly the 17th amendment has backfired and does not work as advertised (it may be how it was intended all along). It seems that the purpose of the 17th amendment was to allow control of the Senate by the wealthy and powerful rather than by the state. This was a corrupt amendment from the get-go, just like the Federal Reserve Act of the same year. Now that I understand the issue, I agree with the Tea Party on this issue. I do believe that the 17th Amendment was a bad idea and should be repealed. After that, I think we should repeal the Federal Reserve Act (yeah, like there’s a chance in hell of that every being allowed to happen.) However, I doubt that either will happen because it would be in direct conflict of the NOW/Club of Rome edicts. These two acts have given them almost total control of our legislative and financial systems. In other words, they have us (we-da people) by the short curlies. They will NOT give that up. That you can take to the bank (uh, ah . . . the Federal Reserve Bank, that is.) For more news aim your browser to: http://theantelopevalleytowncrier.com/wordpress/ Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:22:54 +0000