More Ideas For Hiding Security Cameras At Home

Apparently, the ability to hide a camera and preserve surveillance video has become a matter of moderate importance, lately. From overly aggressive police officers who deliberately break cameras and attack old women on cell phones to paranoid county prosecutors who cry and stomp their feet when pictured in the media, lower level government officials who do not wish to take responsibility for their actions also do not seem to wish to appear on camera. The two reactions almost always occur hand in hand.


Pictured below are some interesting and fun ways to obtain footage and pictures without anyone detecting the source of the camera. Cameras can be attached to pet collars, and hidden in light switches. Even a laptop standing open with the camera engaged can be a source of impromptu surveillance.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Private Message

Look, Laura! It's a self driving Googlemobile! Coming to a treeless lawn like yours! Complete with a camera on the top! Isn't Freedom of the Press a wonderful thing?

Nomei Velazquez Found Safe

Nomei Velazquez, for whom an Amber Alert was issued several days ago, has been found sae in Lubbock, Texas. She was, indeed, taken against her will. She did not run away from home, as some people had suspected. Her mother had initially thought, when she did not come home from school, that she was participating in an extracurricular activity, but in reality, she was missing. Isn't that interesting, Tom Schroeder?

The suspect has been charged in this case and is now in custody. Thank the Gods for a happy ending this time.

Another Question For Terri Horman

Hey Terri, I have a question for you. Remember when you bombed those two polygraphs, because your answers indicated deception after your stepson, Kyron Horman, disappeared from school? I was just wondering, now that you no longer live in Portland, did you and one of your parents meet Kyron behind the school, instead of in front of it? Was there an idea, between you and your parents, that you could secretly pick up Kyron that way, that no one would notice? Was it your idea, or was it your mom's idea? If I had been watching from the air, is this how the spot you chose as a place to meet Kyron would have looked?

Insight

Another Kansas Amber Alert

This is a picture of fifteen year old Nomei Velazquez, from Texas, and an older man with whom she disappeared yesterday, after school. In fact, she did not go home from school yesterday. Juan Delacruz, the suspect, drives a silver 2004 Volkswagon Passat, with Texas plates DF7T507. There is an active Amber Alert for Nomei, whose nickname is "Mimi", and her cell pinged, earlier this evening, in Lenexa, from a cell phone tower along Rt. 35. Nomei is about 4' 11'' tall, and about 120 lbs. Delacruz is about 5' 11" tall. 

Here is what a 2004 silver VW Passat looks like:

If you see the vehicle or Nomei and Delacruz, please call the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at 800-572-7463 or dial 911.

Kansas Representatives Do Not Deserve To Be Thanked

As an addendum to last week's embarrassment by the Kansas legislature's attempt to send a bill to the Senate, legalizing unconstitutional and unlawful discrimination against minorities by business owners and government agencies, a nonsensical organization called the Kansas Family Council, based in Wichita, have decided to rub our noses in the stench of our moronic legislators' voting habits, rather than letting the matter ease it's way into the past. The Kansas Family Council has targeted those of us whose representatives voted in favor of Kansas House Bill 2453 for automated and candid phone calls, completely unsolicited, to thank our morons in Congress for their dereliction! Unfortunately, the district which included yours truly, is in a position to receive such phone calls, as Sharon Schwartz, who represents this district, voted in favor of "We Don't Serve Your Kind", or House Bill 2453.

Kansas Family Council is a non-profit group that publishes unconstitutional propaganda encouraging human beings to act in hate and contempt toward one another. They state that church and state should not be separate, schools should favor the Christian religion and force it on all children, and that all who are not Christian should be marginalized in Kansas and deprived of rights. Kansas Family Council even pushes it's way into adoption matters, putting the process of adoption in Kansas in danger of violating laws designed to outlaw human trafficking. The Senate in Kansas has already declared HB 2453 dead on arrival, should it arrive. It not only offends many people, it conflicts with federal law. There's no reason to enact legislation that conflicts with federal law, and leaves government agencies open to lawsuits. Why does the Kansas Family Council want to keep stoking up this insanity?

The best thank-you to a representative who voices a desire to label and mistreat Americans and plunge this country backwards in time to a day when civil rights were not afforded to all citizens equally is to spare the prejudiced lawmaker one's vote.

Terri Horman Hates Trespassers

Terri Horman, former step parent of missing Kyron Horman, the second grader who disappeared from his school in Portland, Oregon, in June of 2010, hates it when people trespass, make threats, and use Facebook and other internet sites for stalking and passing threats to other parties. (Okay; I did not really say that with a straight face. Please try not to fall backwards out of your chair, laughing) The eye-rolley won't do here, we would need an emoticon that expresses laughing so hard one's face freezes into a permanent grin coupled with coffee all over one's keyboard!

In addition to giving the police half a dozen different stories about what happened on the morning that Kyron disappeared, Terri Horman lied during two polygraphs, and has been conspicuously absent during every search and vigil for Kyron. Until several days ago, she and her parents, with whom she resides, have never even bothered to put up a poster with Kyron's picture and contact information of law enforcement on their property. They did, however; post a "no trespassing" sign on a tree near their home some time during late November, after a vigil was held in Roseburg, and Kyron's name was written in the street in sidewalk chalk in front of their home. Last week, a picture of Kyron was added, and pictures of three other individuals, completely unconnected to the case, have also been posted.

The local media followed the case, and did several stories on the pictures in front of the Moulton/Horman home. The upshot of the confusing pictures is this: those women whose pictures are posted outside of Terri's parents' house are Facebook users who have joined the Roseburg Supports Kyron Horman page. They wanted to see if Kyron had been found, and keep up with developments in the case. This has been interpreted by Terri Horman and her parents, Carol and Larry Moulton, as a "threat", and pictures of the women whose nefarious deed of clicking "like" on a Facebook page dedicated to finding a missing child is plastered outside, in front of their house.

Trespassing in the real world is handled by local courts. Had anyone actually trespassed on the Moultons' property, law enforcement could have served them with an order to stop trespassing. This would enable an arrest in the event that the individual named on the order actually trespassed on a future date. It's quite likely that Terri Horman and her parents actually complained to police because their neighbors joined a Facebook page they didn't like, and quite likely that they tried to convince the local court to serve formal "no trespass" orders for that reason. In such an instance, the court would naturally decline, because, as earlier stated, this is the real world, not the Moultons' fantasy-land. After finding out that Oregon does not have a Facebook Police Unit, the Moultons, rather than simply sending letters to the social media users they do not personally like, put pictures of them in front of their house. Now I need an eye-rolley.

Abbie Hoffman Moment

In Case You Missed Church On Sunday

Another Christian learns an ultimate lesson about forcing unwilling participants to attend his church. Why did he think that the snake would be any less important to any "powers that be" than he, or any member of his congregation? Speaking of his congregation, why wasn't he more protective of them? Hopefully, the snake survived.

Hymn Before Earth Awakens

The dream conceived

The promise true;

Inside the seed

Is life anew.

Frivolous Threats

"Hello? Clerk of the Circuit Court? I got away with a serious crime against a child several years ago. I did it at the school, where I work. All my friends covered for me, and I still have my job, but the child's mother still hates my guts and won't stop advocating for student safety in Kansas public schools and calling me names! Can I sure her?"

Does that sound totally ridicules to the reader? It seems, kinda, sorta ridicules to the writer, too. It relates to a threat that was sent anonymously to yours truly concerning the initial police reports, complaints to the school board and superintendent of the Vermillion school district of USD 380, all of the letters and correspondence to and from various organizations specializing in child safety in schools, and letters to and from the NCMEC that were drafted after a guidance counselor/cross country coach at Frankfort High School in Kansas "lost" a female freshman student during cross country practice and went home and forgot about her. Most people who read the story understand why it was very, very unsafe for a teacher to remove students from the school and transport them to a rural location with no supervision and leave them to their own devices. Most people who read about the incident are also completely shocked that a teacher would fail to alert a child's parents and law enforcement after losing a child this way. But not Frankfort, Kansas. The good, Christian frankfurters of the teeming metropolis of Frankfort think that the young girl who was abandoned by the teacher was actually at fault for the abuse she suffered, and have rallied around the abuser! Now, in the wake of the revelation that Hailey Owens was kidnapped, ironically by an athletic coach in her Missouri school district, the frankfurters are out in force to try to discourage any discussion of their own dangerously blundering guidance counselor/cross country coach. Here's a recent dumbass comment made by someone desperately in need of a cranial/rectal realignment:

"Let's be clear here, if anyone is in a position to be sued, it is you. For slander. Most of this post is a lie. Your daughter wasn't running alone. The cross country kids have always been dropped off in a group. She at least started with the other kids. She wasn't on some desolate road. Tom has always dropped the kids off in the same area, and there are TONS of houses along the way."

Slander has a very specific legal definition, and making a police report and subsequent complaint to the appropriate organizations upon finding one's self or one's child the victim of a crime does not fall within it's definition. When I first opened my mouth, I was looking for a missing child. The reason my child was missing happened to be the terrible conduct of a teacher I had falsely been led to trust. After she was found, I complained to the superintendent. Then I did research on the subject of missing children, wrote to some very educated experts, and brought the information to a school board meeting. While all this makes the frankfurter guidance counselor/cross country coach look very bad indeed, it is not slander. Somewhere during this course of events, our bumbling coach admitted default. This was related to yours truly by the superintendent, who also related that the coach was "disciplined" for his actions. This admission of default makes a case of slander very difficult for an irresponsible coach to prove. Especially when I still have every letter, document, and piece of correspondence in my possession. Since the "discipline" received by the coach did not include the loss of his job, he incurred no damages over his negligence or my discussion of the same, which brings me to the other part of slander; losses. Unless the creep in question loses something tangible as a result of my reaction to this incident, he has no case against me. I also never signed any agreement guaranteeing my silence, so it is my right to discuss this matter anywhere I choose.

What do you suppose would happen if Coach Dumbass actually tried to take me to court? Do you think I would simply say, "Yes, your honor! I talked about the good coach! I know it's wrong to warn students to be careful, but I love children, so I did it anyways! I know my daughter shouldn't matter more to me than Frankfort's silly-assed little game of politics, but I can't get over loving her as much I loved her when I lived in other places, and when she was born! I concede! I concede!" If you really think I am not going to put on a defense if someone attacks me that way, think again. Seriously. The jury would probably want to know why I am so very pissed off at the school. The court would very likely skip the formality of asking Coach Dumbass if he really did as I've alleged, because he already admitted that he has, and there are witnesses, including, but not limited to my daughter. The fact that everything happened pretty much as I have stated, except that when I initially attempted to map out where my child was abandoned and where the people she and I didn't know found her, I was fuzzy on the details because I was unfamiliar with the area. That's acceptable, and I explained it to everyone involved at the time. Everything I have stated here is true.

How would a jury, and everyone involved in court proceedings feel about hearing that a child had been lost, and Frankfort High School had no personnel willing to make appropriate efforts to find her? (Driving around in one's personal vehicle does NOT constitute appropriate efforts, either, frankfurter!) There may be people within earshot who are mandated reporters of child abuse, and this was certainly abuse. Frankfort School may be sent scrambling, once again, to hide all documents related to this incident while social workers question Coach Dumbass's fitness to be responsible for children. Yippee.

People who have never heard about the whole thing would also hear about it. We all know how important it is for frankfurters to appear wonderful in the eyes of other frankfurters. The coach would have to admit that while he hates the fact that I am pissed off at him and call him names, he has given me ample reason. And this brings me to the last point I am going to make in this post: Tom's only complaint about me is that I am pissed off at him and I call him names. He hasn't lost a damn thing because of anything I have said or done, and therefore; has no case against me. No judge is going to want to listen to a whine from someone like Coach Dumbass that boils down to a desire to make a pissed off parent stop being pissed off at him and calling him names. This would be a classic example of a...........drum roll...........frivolous lawsuit. And if you take a frivolous lawsuit to court in Kansas, you end up responsible for court costs and everyone's legal fees. Just ask Laura McNish.

I'll go ahead and post in the future about some things that should have happened after I made my initial complaints that are not, and never were, slander. I will also delve into some discussion about the claim that there are "tons of houses" in rural Northeast Kansas. Keep in mind that parents who love their children generally do not like schools that employ guidance counselors who "lose" children in unspecified places. It's considered dangerous and uncool. Definitely not the avant-garde among educational professionals.

Writing That Transcends Time And Space

I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when the dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen it's muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Langston Hughes, February 1, 1902- May 22, 1967

A Few Kansans With Misplaced Priorities

A couple of trolls, who left tracks from a certain location in Northeast Kansas, seem to be very discontented with the fact that I support safe schools and background checks for teachers and others whose job descriptions involve contact with children. Very recently, a ten year old girl named Hailey Owens was forcibly kidnapped and murdered. The murder happened within the predicable time frame of three hours from the time of the kidnap. Yesterday, after finding that Hailey had been found deceased, I quoted an early article, on this site, identifying the perpetrator as a para professional and athletic coach at Hailey's school. It happened to be the article that I linked when I stated that the Amber Alert had been cancelled. Later on, it was discovered that while this man occasionally substituted at all the schools in the district, his duties as a para and as a coach were actually at the local middle school, not the elementary school attended by Hailey. While the statement probably deserves clarification, any inference that teachers and other school employees should undergo background checks is still spot on, and I will not back down from my statement that we need to be much more careful of who we trust to teach our children, here in the Midwest. But wouldn't you know it; one of the above mentioned trolls from Northeast Kansas had this to say:

"He was NOT a para or coach at her school. He was employed through another school and did not know her. You def. need to get your facts straight!"

As it happens, this troll is angry and upset because I won't shut up about a coach from Frankfort High School, in Northeast Kansas, who dropped my daughter off by herself four miles away from the school for cross country practice. I had already told him not to do this with my daughter, who was only fourteen years old at the time, because without adult supervision, any child who fell and suffered injuries or got stung by a bee and suffered an allergic reaction would have no available support. Cell phone signals are not the best in this area, and I have never heard of this practice in a public school. After refusing my offer to help supervise, as a volunteer, (only Christians are allowed to volunteer, Methodists and Catholics preferred; and I am not Christian) the coach promised me he would not do it again. A week later, he did it again, only this time, my daughter was all by herself, as the only girl who attended practice that day, and she got lost. When the coach person realized she was lost, he looked for her for awhile by himself, but did not call me, her her father, or the police. After school was over for the day, he went home and had dinner, and still had not told anyone my daughter was missing! Some folks who happened to be driving in the area where my daughter was lost gave her a ride home. Suppose it had been a dangerous person, instead? Coach person certainly was nowhere nearby, and did NOT know where my daughter was! He certainly had no control over who offered her a ride at that moment. It was a terrible chance to take with my child's life, and I certainly will never personally trust him again. I also resent the school's insistence, by keeping him on the payroll, that parents continue to trust this man.

Both the coach at Frankfort High, and the coach who kidnapped Hailey Owens are the type of school employees who should never be trusted with children. I'm so sorry if I read an article that had the wrong school listed as the place of employment. The particular school where he taught is not the point; the point is that he had access to children and children had seen him supervising games and classes, and therefore trusted him. He was not just any stranger; he was a teacher. My point was, and is, that we should not pay people who are obviously dangerous in one way or another to teach or care for our children. One way to weed out the bad ones is to perform background checks. What, pray tell, is wrong with reiterating that? How could such a statement provoke such ire? A background check probably would have weeded out the coach at the Missouri School, and the past use of terrible judgement would weed out the coach at Frankfort, Kansas. Really simple stuff; no need to become a rocket scientist first.

It's abundantly clear that the Frankfort Kansas crowd desires strongly that the incident involving my daughter and the errant coach be swept under the rug and forgotten. I will never do that for them, but here's a question: who benefits when criminal behavior is covered up and kept secret? The victims? Any potential or future victims? No, not at all. The people who benefit when crime is kept secret are criminals. Frankfort Kansas school employees and assorted others want me to stop talking about child safety and help them make their community a more welcome environment for crime against children.

Here's another group of Kansans who are upset that a nearby community is taking a serious look at child safety:

My daughter was missing just a little bit longer than Hailey Owens was missing. She is certainly very blessed and very lucky. Shut up, Frankfort Kansas!

Good For Nebraska

What a Koch Brother to do, anymore? Even the Republicans don't wanna play! Nebraska, for the second time, has foiled their plans to run Keystone through their state. First, several landowners felt cheated at the prospect of their land getting snatched by the process of eminent domain when the land snatched for the pipeline would not benefit anyone in their respective communities, or anyone in Nebraska, for that matter. So a lawsuit somehow ended up granting the governor the ultimate say-so concerning where and when the pipeline could be built. The governor, Dave Hieneman, (R) initially opposed the project because of the potential of polluting the Ogallala Aquifer should anything not go as the Koch Brothers have promised. Now, it seems that there have been concerns about too much power granted to the governor inasmuch as the decision of who must sell his property for conscience money is concerned. Lancaster County Judge Stephanie Stacy took that authority away from the governor and put it back in the legislature's hands. It's hard to imagine that one pair of corrupt businessmen can personally own as many of our local, state, and national politicians and leaders as they own, and also control any grants given to any part of the scientific community.

Amber Alert Cancelled For Hailey Owens

The Amber Alert from Missouri that was initiated last night for Hailey Owens has been cancelled. It took me awhile to figure out how to write about this, since it she never needed to disappear in the first place, but it seems that the driver of the gold Ford Ranger, Craig Wood, was an athletic coach and a para at Hailey's school. Now; where, in the entire vicinity of the televised airings of the amber alert, have we heard about something like this happening? Just one hop across the state and a couple of hours travel, and Frankfort High School can be observed supplying the same type of school employee with a paycheck for similar dereliction of duty. Granted, the child who was abandoned and left to her own devices on a dirt road in an isolated area four miles away from the nearest town was extremely lucky, and lived to tell about it. Hailey was not so lucky. The Ford Ranger belonged to a school employee, and as soon as it was located at the address to which it was registered, a search warrant was obtained for that residence. Then, Hailey was found; unfortunately, deceased. Why?

There have been rumors that Craig Wood had used different names in the past, but I have seen no real evidence of this. Even so, a school can still conduct a decent background check. Women often change their names when they marry, and many marry more than once. Reasonably accurate background checks are carried out in those circumstances every day. I have even done background checks on potential employees whose backgrounds were mostly not national, and I even had to speak to providers of references in other languages on a few occasions concerning applicants who have not always used surnames. There was no problem, in any instance, performing the background checks. And none of the three companies for whom I did this had any reason as important as teaching or childcare for checking applicants' references. 

Checking references of school employees and weeding out the ones whose past histories contraindicate contact with children is a no-brainer and a requirement on paper in most states and counties. Why aren't we doing it? Why does a teacher with politically well connected parents have free reign to endanger children with impunity? Why does a teacher who graduated from the same school where he abuses and neglects remain employed at that school? Why do "friends" feel like they are doing him a favor by protecting him? Only the shadow knows! And how did a para and athletic coach with drug problems that were unearthed in a matter of minutes by journalists fly under the radar of whoever checked references and ran background checks at the Missouri school? 

Several people have commented about this, stating that the school should not be held responsible in any way. I disagree. Hailey was, most likely, encouraged to trust and respect authority. Children are rarely taught to question authority anymore. Parents who teach their children that valuable lesson are stigmatized and marginalized by "good, upstanding" koolaide drinking school administrators. Life is often hell for the parent who loves his children enough to tell them that teachers, principals, coaches, guidance counselors, and para professionals do not always have their best interests at heart. But; while life is often hell, it would be more hellish to have to say goodbye to a beloved son or daughter because the lesson of questioning authority had not been taught.

Insight

Amber Alert for Hailey Owens

Hailey Owens is ten years old, about five feet tall, ninety pounds, and has brown hair. She was last seen a few minutes before five o'clock this evening in Springfield, Missouri. There is an Amber Alert out for her because a stranger driving a gold 2008 Ford Ranger, with Missouri tags, 1YF 454 or 1YS 454, grabbed her, pulled her into the vehicle, and traveled south. The stranger is described as a man in his forties with grey hair. If you have nay information about this, please call 1-800-KS-CRIME, or 911.

Here is what a 2008 gold ford ranger looks like:

Update: The 2008 gold Ford Ranger in question, and it's owner, were both found in Springfield Missouri a little while ago, but Hailey was not. Please be aware that the Amber Alert for Hailey Owens is still in effect.

A Little Friendly Terrorism?

Terry Loewen not only had an effect on criminal law in Kansas when he attempted to bomb an airport in Wichita this past December; he also changed civil law. As a result of his antics, the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee will hear a bill that will, if it becomes law, allow victims to sue convicted terrorists for damages in civil court. It will enable victims to recover up to three times their losses, or ten thousand dollars, whichever is greater. The definition of "terrorism" still appears to be a bit vague, however. It's a word that gets thrown around a lot, these days.

The mother of a boy at Frankfort High School, in Kansas, got very angry with yours truly, once upon a time, for refusing to allow her sons to spend time alone with my daughters in a bedroom of their house. The Pagan discipline followed by my family

embraces the making of careful choices in sexual relationships and contrasts rather sharply with the Midwestern Christian open acceptance of sexual exploitation among high school students. The mother rightfully felt ashamed of the way she had brought up her sons, yet she could not bring herself to simply admit it. Instead, she waited until she had a moment alone with my oldest daughter, (this took place at the school.....a conversation with an adult that should NOT have taken place at school with my daughter) and told her that I am a "terrorist", because she "felt terrorized" when I informed her of what local young people do in her house behind her back. The conversation she and I had did not take place at either of our homes, and was caught on surveillance, so my daughter was able to see that I did not "terrorize" anyone, and was actually quite subdued about the whole exchange, given the matter at hand. The faithful member of Annunciation Catholic Church in Frankfort Kansas was merely attempting to harm the relationship between my daughter and myself. How very Christian.

A few months later, those very boys drove an SUV on my lawn, grazed my porch, and proceeded into the neighbor's lawn, almost driving through her picture window into her living room. They did this multiple times. Law enforcement was unconcerned until they nearly hit two small children. Each time, my lawn was where the vandalism was focused. It finally resulted in a formal "no trespass" order for these two Christian young men; they will be arrested if they return. The use of a vehicle to scare my family and tear up lawns and porches was definitely meant to frighten and "terrorize". Would this be the intent recognized by the local court? Probably not, as police almost didn't bother with the problem. Yet, when the mother of these two monsters "felt terrorized" after a simple conversation, she howled and cried about it to my daughter, and a whole town is supposed to feel sorry for her because she was "terrorized" by someone who is not a Christian!

Meanwhile, lawns, gardens, trees, bushes, windows, bricks, siding, doors, ect., can all add up, monetarily. Ten thousand dollars may only be a mere drop in a bucket. The suit for "terrorism damages" would probably have to be filed separately from the suit for all the other damages. The damage done to my children by this woman's unfortunate mouth cannot be tallied, sadly, as cannot the loss of human life, should the Catholic Christian mother never get around to teaching her sons not to terrorize others.

Kansas House Bill 2453

The Kansas House of Representatives voted to legalize hate and hate fueled discrimination on February 12. They, mostly republicans, voted to pass a bill that was written to enable any business, church, or government agency to deny service to any gay person. Under the thin veil of "not officiating a same sex wedding", Kansas congressmen decided to send legislation to the Senate which would, if signed into law, allow hospitals the right to refuse to treat anyone they decide to call "gay" and police to ignore, rather than protect, anyone they deem "gay". Schools will have leeway, under this law, to torment and expel students who do not conform properly to the Kansas hate-filled rubber-stamped model of open-legged Christianity. What's next, "white's only" water fountains and rest rooms? Here's what Sharon Schwartz, representing the part of Northeast Kansas that includes Marshall County contributed, along with her vote of "Yea" on HB 2453:

MR. SPEAKER: One of the founding principles of our country, inscribed in the First
Amendment, is the right of the people to be led by their conscience and follow their
own deeply held religious convictions without fear of penalty or reprisal. Because of that,
I vote YES on HB 2453.--

CONNIE O'BRIEN, TRAVIS COUTURE-LOVELADY, WILLIE DOVE,

RONALD W. RYCKMAN, SR., BRETT HILDABRAND, JERRY LUNN, JOE EDWARDS, CRAIG
MCPHERSON, RANDY GARBER, RICHARD CARLSON, LESLIE OSTERMAN, WILL CARPENTER, KEVIN
JONES, ALLAN ROTHLISBERG, JOE SEIWERT, SHARON SCHWARTZ, KEN CORBET, RON HIGHLAND,
AMANDA GROSSERODE

Just last week, I wrote a post on this site about a New York man who murdered two women, claiming that they were Witches. He was "led by his conscience and following his own deeply held convictions" at the time he committed the murders. Is this what Sharon Schwartz wants in Northeast Kansas? It really doesn't matter what she wants, inasmuch as I am concerned. Because of her vote in favor of discrimination, violence, and hate, I will never vote for her again.

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Following The Day We Fight Back

Just a reminder of why it's so important to remain educated about local and national politics. Just last week, the Kansas House of Representatives, for all practical purposes, joined Westboro Baptist Church by passing House Bill 2435. This bill is written to allow businesses and government agencies legal recourse to discriminate against the gay community. Anyone old enough to remember "whites only" water fountains? Kansas actually doesn't have a very large gay community. Where do you suppose this action, and the attitude that accompanies it, is truly headed?

In Case You Skipped Church On Sunday

This is a big reason why today's Christians do not deserve respect.

Your Tax Dollars At Work In South Carolina

This is Kayla Michelle Finley. She just got arrested in Pickens, South Carolina. The reason she got arrested is a video she rented from a place called Dalton Video, which no longer exists. The video in question was rented, and then not returned, in the year 2005. This, of course, (eye-rolley, here) provides probable cause for an arrest for petty larceny, without even checking the statute of limitations or the availability of witnesses; and very, very worthy of the prosecutor's time and the taxpayers' money. 

If I represented South Carolina in Congress, I would ask the court in Pickens County for a list of all child support scofflaws and demand to know why a woman who forgot to return a rented video was prioritized above people with current yet ignored court orders to pay child support. It really looks like South Carolina has some cops who are afraid to face real criminals, and look for people who are not dangerous in order to justify the space they take up on the public payroll.

Sun Dogs

This phenomenon is called "sun dogs", scientifically known as parhelium, or parhelia. It happens when flat, hexagonal ice crystals in high, cold cirrus clouds refract the sunlight. The ice crystals act as prisms, bending the light through each crystal with a minimum deflection of twenty-two degrees. If they are randomly organized, the reflections will "dog" the sun as a halo, but since the ice crystals usually sink in our atmosphere, they align vertically, refracting the sunlight horizontally. This creates the effect seen above, in this picture taken on a very cold morning somewhere between Beatrice, Nebraska and Marysville, Kansas. Yours truly had never seen sun dogs before moving to Kansas. Thankyou for sharing the picture, Cindy.

Insight

Private Message

You are so right. Parole and probation officers are not losers. If their clients were winners, specifically in court, the parole and probation officers would have to learn new skills in order to put food on their tables. Did you know we won, by the way? You didn't see that coming, did you?

Have you considered the legal pros and cons of perjury, false statements, fraud, welfare fraud, defrauding insurance companies and government agencies, and embezzling? You may want to give those things some thought, because; after all, people who refuse to grow up and live life on life's terms are losers. Shall I forward your mail to De Tour Village?

White Man Yellow

Here's one of the reasons I don't care much for Christianity. Historically, the murder of adherents to religions that have been collectively labeled "Witchcraft" by zealous and hypocritical Christians has been accepted, and encouraged. Even in the advent of laws changing, so as to allow injunctions against murder to include lethal violence against victims other than White Christians, the laws are often selectively applied in order to continue to marginalize certain minorities.

Last month, a New York man named Carlos Alberto Amerillo beat his girlfriend and her daughter to death with a hammer, then called the police to let them know he had "assassinated two witches". He actually met law enforcement with a bible in hand. No real problem there, just two witches dead. He'll pay the price in the judicial system, but get rewarded in heaven by jesus, right?

Amerillo is probably mentally ill, but there are churches who actually teach their congregations to believe that there is a god who conveniently does not value the life of any person who is not associated in some type of conformity to the christian religion. Mix that type of intolerance with mental illness, and violence is often the result.

As a result of Amerillo's violent attempts to please god, a seven year old girl, the grandchild of his deceased girlfriend, is now an orphan.

It's The Day We Fight Back

Today is The Day We Fight Back. Government agencies have gathered private information on Americans and stored it, only using it to their own advantage. We never hear about missing children getting found because of data gathered by the NSA, or travelers warned of danger by spying government agencies, yet we hear, more and more often, about SWAT teams mysteriously finding addresses that might belong to petty criminals and barging into the wrong houses, and about violent cops who do not wish to appear on camera. The longer this continues, the less the Fourth Amendment mean to the American people.

Here is a link to take action now. Using your zip code, the website will help you find the appropriate representative for your area. Congress will get quite a bit more email today than usual, so it is recommended that you telephone Congress, as well.