BOLO - Help Catch This Guy

I am asking for assistance in locating the guy who physically attacked a dear friend of mine in an elevator at a Santa Monica Office Building on July 11th, 2012.  This creep laid in wait in the lowest level of the parking garage and followed her into an elevator.  He wrapped a towel around her head and told her "Don't worry, this will all be over soon". 

This young lady fought off her attacker but he was able to get away.  I have real concerns that this guy has done this before and since he was willing to attack at 9:00 AM on a busy day for the office building, it may show that he is at an escalated point in his assaults.

Please review the Press Release from Santa Monica P.D. and forward this to everyone you know.  If you recognize this dirt bag, contact Sergeant Richard Lewis of the Santa Monica Police Department at (310) 458-8462 or myself at (866) 866-2268.

Dazed and Confused

As a Veteran of the United States Army and the father of an active duty Marine who recently returned from his second tour in Afghanistan, I am deeply bothered.

On Memorial Day, I was disappointed to see President Obama lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and instead of rendering the hand salute in honor and tribute to the fallen souls buried there, he placed his hand over his heart during the playing of taps. All the other Military personal present paid the proper respect by rendering the customary hand salute. 

I like so many others immediately imagined the debate that must have taken place when President Obama took office about should he or should he not salute.  I came to the conclusion that some political advisers more worldly and knowledgeable than I must have decided that the current President should refrain from rendering the hand salute because he had never served his country.  At that point I had appeased myself and although disappointed that those fallen heroes did not receive the proper respect earned, that the counter argument was that the President, although the current Commander in Chief, had not served and therefore should refrain from saluting as it might cause even more controversy.

I truly tried to dismiss this from my active thoughts but last night as I sat watching the news, I was shown footage of President Obama getting off of Marine One on several different occasions and each time, he rendered and received the Hand Salute of the Marines pulling security for him.  This was seriously a WTF moment for me.  I am not trying to influence a political agenda.  Personally I want to vote - No confidence but I do have to voice my disapproval of a President who on one hand will salute his active duty Marine Guards but on the other refuses to show the same level of respect for those who gave their lives to ensure his freedom.

I wish someone, anyone could explain to me why the sitting President of These United States would show such a blatant lack of respect for those who paid the ultimate price to win our freedom.

GAO WHERE ARE YOU NOW

America needs you Harry Truman.  Years ago your desk in the oval office proudly displayed the sign "THE BUCK STOPS HERE".  At that time, the general understanding of the sentiment was that YOU, the President of these United States were the ultimate in accountability and that with you, lay all credit and blame.

In recent years, it would seem that the sign still resides on the most powerful desk in the world but that the sentiment behind it has changed to reflect the end game of the political fund raising dollars into the private coffers and ventures of those who seek to hold that office.  PLEASE note that I have had this thought for way more years than the Democrats have held the White House.  This is not a Democrat or Republican issue this is a systemic issue allowing the tax payers dollars to bear the costs of the fund raising efforts of the incumbent President.

Last night George Clooney hosted a private gala at his residence where those who were able paid $40,000.00 per person for the honor of dining with the President and Mr. Clooney.  Look, I don't begrudge those who can, spending their dollars to have dinner with the most powerful man in the world.  It isn't my money.  I don't care that the money leaves the State of California while the State is on the brink of bankruptcy. 

What is really insulting to me is that the sitting President of the United States of America can use three aircraft, who knows how many Secret Service whore mongers, not to mention the local resources of a financially distressed State and City to raise some record 15 million dollars for his campaign and have NO obligation to off set the amount of tax dollars spent to "go begging". 

Some years ago, people were enraged and astounded when Air Force One wasted tax payer dollars sitting on the tarmac while Mr. President got his hair cut but no one questions that it takes Air Force One and two other Military Transport Aircraft to move the President's motorcade and support personnel with equipment.  That hotel rooms must be paid for, meals per diems, fuel for the aircraft, I would suppose that airport fees must be paid and the list goes on and on.  Why is it that the Pres is not required to have the Government Accounting Office look in to the costs of these trips which are truly personal and make the President repay those costs before pocketing the remainder of his new found fortunes?

What next?  Will "We The People" be asked to fund the costs of schlepping Presidential Hopefuls from fund raiser to fund raiser?  I reviewed the ballot initiatives to the best of my ability in the past several elections and I note the box to give one dollar to the Presidential Candidate remains but no where was I able to locate a box to be checked or a chad to be left hanging that says - spend my tax dollars on fund raising trips. 

Oh and for the record I think that when the good sitting President goes out to help local politicions win their races, they, the locals, shouldd have to pay for those same costs too. 

How many homeless could be housed or hungry could be fed with the amount of tax dollars that are being spent on campaign fund rasing junkets?

About SGT STEIN

OK, I keep getting messages about "Defending SGT STEIN" and after much and serious contemplation, I am compelled to offer the following.

The following express MY OPINIONS and my opinions only.  Those opinions are based on my lengthy and honorable service to this country in the United States Military AND that during that time, I was a Military Police Person, Military Police Investigator and Senior Investigator as well as the Assistant Operations Sergeant / Operations Sergeant for several Military Installations both in the US and abroad.  I AM HONORABLY retired.

In that NONE of us were ACTUALLY present at his hearing AND in that we only know what the media would like us to hear perhaps the voice of reason is needed.

Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice is commonly referred to as "The General Article". 

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/134.htm

The military uses this article when the specifics of other Articles do not exactly apply to an offense.  In every story that I have read, there is NO MENTION that the good Sergeant was charged or convicted of violating Article 92 of the UCMJ which is "Disobeying a Lawful Order". 

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm92.htm

Please note that in the "Elements of Proof" this Article states that there must have been an order, that the order was lawful, that the person subject to the code knew the order existed and that he or she failed to obey it.  IF as some would have us believe, SGT Stein was dishonorably discharged because he failed to obey a lawful order, the military would have charged him with such, NOT used the General Article as they did.  Here are the "Elements of Proof" for Article 134 as listed in the UCMJ:

(1) That the accused did or failed to do certain acts; and

(2) That, under the circumstances, the accused’s conduct was to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces or was of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces.

Stein was charged under 134 for acting in a manner that would be prejudicial to the good order and discipline of the military.".  That is it.  That is what he was "convicted of".

In my humble opinion, it APPEARS as though the ACTUAL issue is not that Sgt Stein spoke his mind or even necessarily the jargon that he used to do so, but admittedly, some of what he said could have been charged "LOOSELY" under the military laws regarding disrespect to a commissioned officer - however in that the Commander in Chief is not actually Commissioned, even that becomes suspect.  What Stein SEEMS to have done is to have taken up the banner and initiated or advanced "The Military Tea Party".  Also note that he was not charged with "Sedition".  Sedition is chargeable under Article 94 of the UCMJ. 

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm94.htm

(a) "Any person subject to this chapter who--

(1) with intent to usurp or override lawful military authority, refuse, in concert with any other person, to obey orders or otherwise do his duty or creates any violence or disturbance is guilty of mutiny;

(2) with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority, creates, in concert with any other person, revolt, violence, or other disturbance against that authority is guilty of sedition;

We are all briefed during Basic Training / Boot Camp that although we can attend political rallies, we are prohibited from doing so in uniform.  YES, there are exceptions where the Military is asked to be present AND has granted dispensation for a color guard or for other reasons and we all know that every politician wants some photo op with men and women in uniform BUT what Stein SEEMS to have done was START or ADVANCE a political party or movement, and that he did so using his military service as a platform.

Some in the media would have us believethat Stein stated he ould disobey an order b the Commander in Chief.  I believe what he said is that he would not follow an unlawful order order.  All in the services since the My Lei Masacre with Lt. Calley in Viet Nam are taught NOT to follow orders blindly but rather to obey LAWFUL orders.  Clearly the orders given at My Lei were illegal and those who followed them were punished.  See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Calley
NOW WAIT - before you go throwing stones, I believe that Stein was used to advance an initiative at it is working.  I also believe that it is laughable that those who are sworn to "Protect the Constitution of The United States Against All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic", are not allowed the same protections it promises themselves.  An active duty military member does NOT have the right to Freedom of Speech even though they are expected to be willing to fight even unto death to defend our rights to the same. 

TWO LAST POINTS OF ORDER -

1)  Sgt Stein is set to ETS or End his Time in Service in July of this year.  That is three months from now.  Why wouldn't the Military Powers simply bar him from reenlisting? Well, what better way to quell a ground swell then to "Set an Example" of the good Sergeant?  The Military has been using peer pressure and setting examples for as long as they have been in business. 

2)  Some media would have us believe that Stein will loose all of his V.A. benefits based on the OTH Discharge (Other Than Honorable).  I did a bit more research and found:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_discharge

If one takes a minute to read the portions of this information as it applies to OTH Discharges it becomes clear that loss of V.A. Benefits is NOT a result of this type of action bu rather one that comes from a Bad Conduct Discharge. 

What is the quote?  "THE ROOTS OF THE TREE OF FREEDOM MUST BE REFRESHED FROM TIME TO TIME WITH THE BLOOD OF PATRIOTS."

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

Question authority AND the media.

Radio Resolution by L.A. City Counsel

For those of you who do not reside in the Greater Los Angeles area, welcome to the newest "ONLY IN L.A." chapter of worlds wildest politicians.  "Today, the Los Angeles City Counsel led by council members Herb Wesson, Jan Perry and Bernard Parks, as well as several minority groups" will be debating a "resolution" which according to KTLA Los Angeles states in part:

Sponsors of the resolution say John and Ken and other KFI hosts have a history of "deplorable racist and sexist remarks.

"The resolution calls on KFI to reign in its talk show hosts.

It states, in part: "Derogatory language used by some radio personnel has no place on public airwaves in the Great City of Los Angeles or anywhere in America.

"The City Council urges KFI 640 AM's management to do everything in their power to ensure that their on-air hosts do not... promote racist and sexist slurs.""

Brought to you by the same folks who think it is in the best interest of the law abiding citizens of Los Angeles to allow illegal immigrants to get California Driver's Licenses, they are now certainly inviting even more unchecked responses from the likes of Clear Channel, Rush Limbaugh and John and Ken to protect their Constitutional Rights to both Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Press. 

If Rush, John or Ken were African American Radio Personalities would the politico's be as offended by their use of the term "Ho"?  How many rap lyrics aired on the radio waves of America and produced right here in Los Angeles, contain references to illegal drugs or sexually degrading terms like; "slut", "whore", "ho" or worse?

To keep the record straight, a "Resolution" in this context is defined as:

Non-binding

Main article: Non-binding resolution

In a house of a legislature, the term non-binding resolution refers to measures that do not become laws. This is used to differentiate those measures from a bill, which is also a resolution in the technical sense. The resolution is often used to express the body's approval or disapproval of something which they cannot otherwise vote on, due to the matter being handled by another jurisdiction, or being protected by a constitution. An example would be a resolution of support for a nation's troops in battle, which carries no legal weight, but is adopted for moral support.

So at best, this is a hollow action and waste of tax payer time and money in some misguided effort to garner support of those on the political left to decry those who exercise their 1st Amendment Rights to free speech.  The "resolution" cannot impinge those rights in any way.  It can only invite continue debate and discussion which in fact creates greater polarity and must almost certainly widen the racial gap. 

Yes, this is big city politics at its best.  The presidential election looms on the horizon and polarity means big money from campaign contributors on both sides of the fence.  Those on the extreme right will certainly open their wallets to support Rush and his fan base grow.  Those on the extreme left will equally rally behind the banner of ethnic and woman's rights. 

Will it ever matter that there is now allegedly a new sex tape of Whitney Houston which might to some small degree justify the use of the term "ho" regarding her behaviour? And, if the toxicology report comes back that she was again using illegal substances, inclusive of crack cocaine, would anyone feel it necessary to pro offer an apology to John and Ken for what could potentially be an expression of a substantiated fact?  I doubt it but why are we wasting our tax dollars on this anyway?

And lest we forget; "Freedom isn't free".  As one who has served in defense of the Constitution and its Amendments I learned that it was equally as important for me to be willing to fight to the death to preserve your right to burn my flag in protest as it was for me to stand in defense of my right to fly it. 

The "Resolution" is hollow and can best be discribed as a political chess move. 

Check - It's your move LA. City Counsel.

Thank You For Your Support

As some of you know, several years ago I started a toy drive to help those in need during the holiday season.  The short version is that my youngest son was born on Christmas Day and when he joined the United States Marines, he was forward deployed during the holidays.  Since it was difficult at best to send him presents there, we did what we could, I started a campaign to receive toys from those willing to give and for the first two seasons, we delivered those toys to Toys 4 Tots locally. 

This past holiday season, I was blessed to have the continued support of some amazing organizations and individuals and through a ton of Can Do attitude and Never Give Up determination, I was able to gain permission from the Commanding General of Camp Pendleton to become the second organization in the history of the Base to be allowed to donate our toys and gifts to the families of the men and women serving this Great Nation. 

All in all, the combined efforts of those who were involved resulted in what is now known as the North Pole Foundation being born.  They are also responsible for 9 different Certificates of Appreciation, Letters of Accommodation and four Challenge Coins being awarded to the North Pole Foundation.  None of these honors would have been possible without their help.  In the near future, I hope to be able to secure a modest warehouse space with an office to house both the Private Investigations business and the North Pole Foundation. Please stay tuned to http://www.northpolefoundation.org/ for up dates and events as they become available.

I could never have made this happen without the support and love of all of those who made their own events happen and allowed their respective organizations to be a part of something that does such great work.  We will continue.  This year we are working on being able to duplicate our efforts in Arizona and with the continued support of all of those who gave of their time, energy and yes, personal finances, we will grow and continue to make differences in the lives of those who protect our rights to be who we are.

Please take a brief moment to review the video and join me in thanking all of those who contributed and more importantly, all of those who serve. 

Again, thank you to each and every one who gave.

Do not aspire to be part of something - aspire to create something others aspire to be a part of.

Ask Not For Whom The Bell Tolls

To paraphrase the immortal words of the great Edgar Allen Poe, "Ask not for whom the bell tolls"...  ask instead why the politicians are ringing it in the first place.  I watched intentently yesterday as the mayor of Los Angeles, The Los Angeles Police Chief and the Los Angeles County Sheriff all rang the "public safety issue" bell while announcing that they support some form of a drivers license for illegal aliens in the State of California.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

Folks I am a retired cop albeit Military, and I have been to this rodeo before where politico's would insult my intellegence with their lies or half truths but this is off the charts on the WTF Index.  Charlie Beck, the LAPD Chief had the unmittigated gaul to state that the reason illegal aliens don't have insurance on their vehicles, don't have the vehicles registered in their names and flee the scenes of accidents is because WE force them to drive illegally here.  WE are somehow at fault that they chose to enter this Country illegally and if WE would only give them some form of a California drivers license, that would fix the entire problem instantly.  Somehow the illegal immigrants would flock to LINE UP at the DMV, a government office, and tell the Government Employee there that they are here illegally but want to get their names and addresses listed in the Government computers so that they can be found in the future.  This way, they are certain to go out and get insurance, properly register their cars and trucks and hold their heads high when in the future they are stopped by police and asked for their dirvers license, proof of registration and insurance and proudly hand the officer their Illegal Imigrant Drivers License to ensure that the officer profiles them as such  Are we then to have a moritorium that says, IF the illegal immigrant decides to register they cannot be deported or detained when they get pulled over.  Look at the moral outrage in Arizona where the Sheriff was sued by the Justice Department for requiring Deputies to ask for proof of status when stopping someone of hispanic looking decent.  Now we have a government initiative to perfect that system in the most liberal state in the union and everyone thinks it is ok because the "public safety bell" was rung in the process.

I am appalled to say the least that the politicians leading Los Angeles, and make not mistake, at this moment, Chief Beck and Sheriff Baca are absolutely politically motivated, have attempted to make me believe that this initiative has merit and will somehow make my existance in Los Angeles more safe. If we start with the premiss that the best preditor of the future is the past and extrapolate out from there, someone who broke the law of the land by entering this Country illegally will almost certainly not suddenly become a law abiding citizen, put themselves on the radar as being here illegal and run to the DMV. 

There is an excellent line in Smokey and the Bandit where Burt Reynolds says "I have an excellent bullshit detector.  I can tell when someone is pissing on my boots and telling me it's raining".  Mayor, Chief and Sheriff - This ain't rain.