Stealing from Weer’d again:
According to the sheriff’s office, it was a “male, aggressive donkey”. Thank you, Captain Obvious! We were thinking it was one of those pacifist donkeys.
“Gun” death.
August 29th, 201221-50 to headquarters!
August 29th, 2012Have you ever heard of the Texas Highway Patrol Association?
Did you know they had a museum in San Antonio? I did not. I might have gone down to see the museum, had I known it was there. But in retrospect, I’m kind of glad I didn’t make the trip: here are some photos of the museum from the Texas DPS website.
As you might have guessed from that link and the associated commentary (which I personally think is very unusual for Texas DPS), the THPA was one of those charities that does telemarketing calls, collects your money, and does very little to benefit anyone but the company that makes the calls.
In particular, the organization apparently promised to pay a $10,000 “death benefit” to families of troopers killed in the line of duty. The organization never paid, the families sued, and…
Interestingly, the museum was founded by a former state legislator from Waco, Lane Denton. (Waco is also the home of the Texas Rangers Museum, which is actually well worth the drive from Austin to visit.)
And:
(Subject line hattip. I loved that show when I was a kid. No, I’m not that old: one of the local UHF stations showed syndicated reruns.)
Edited to add: In case you were wondering, here’s a Google Maps street view of the THPA headquarters. Note that this isn’t the large building on North Lamar, across from Texas DPS and right next to Dan’s Hamburgers, but another building.
Playing dice with the MSM, August 29, 2012.
August 29th, 2012We haven’t had a good Bell update in a while, but now the drought is broken.
Eric Eggena used to work for the city of Bell. He was the city prosecutor, director of general services, and was in charge of code enforcement.
Mr. Eggena was fired after the fecal matter hit the rotating blades of the impeller in Bell. He has not been charged with any crimes, and is not currently under indictment.
But wait! There’s more!
And because we can’t mention Bell without mentioning Robert “Ratso” Rizzo:
Today’s NYT has a nice tribute to the late DeAndre McCullough. (Previously.) The paper did run an obit several days after his passing, but this is more of a retrospective piece about DeAndre’s life and struggles.
This, along with some things Weer’d has said, and my reading of Bill James’ Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence
TMQ Watch: August 28, 2012.
August 28th, 2012We are having trouble coming up with a clever introduction for this week’s TMQ, so let’s just jump right into the NFC preview, shall we?
Into the looking glass again.
August 28th, 2012There’s a strange and noteworthy story in today’s LAT. Brian C. Mulligan is a high-ranking executive with Deutsche Bank (“a managing director and vice chairman”). Mr. Mulligan is also pursuing a $50 million damage claim against the city of Los Angeles.
According to Mr. Mulligan, he went to purchase “medical marijuana products” at a local dispensary on the night of May 15th. (Mr. Mulligan says they “help him sleep”. I was unaware that insomnia was a condition that you could prescribe marijuana for, but in retrospect I shouldn’t be surprised.)
Mr. Mulligan goes on to claim that law enforcement officers detained him, “walked him to a run-down apartment complex and told him to go to the fourth floor”. According to Mr. Mulligan, he panicked and fled from the police in the direction of Occidental College, which was nearby.
According to the LAPD, two officers responded to a report of a strange man trying to break into cars at a local Jack in the Box. While responding to that report, a second similar report came in. The two officers found Mr. Mulligan near Occidental. Their report says he matched the description of the man trying to break into the cars, he was “drenched in sweat and walked with an ‘unsteady gait'”, but he passed field sobriety tests.
The LAPD report goes on to state that Mr. Mulligan told the responding officers he had used both marijuana and “white lightning”, which the LAT claims is another name for “bath salts”. “He said he hadn’t slept in four days, was going through a divorce and felt depressed, the report said. Mulligan also said he was being chased, according to the report, which nonetheless described him as calm, lucid and cooperative.” Mr. Mulligan denies telling the LAPD officers any of this.
Search incident to arrest?
That seems odd. If I find enough cash to get a supervisor involved, I’m darn sure noting the exact amount (and counting at least twice) on my report.
That also seems odd. If they felt he couldn’t drive or otherwise take care of himself, shouldn’t they have taken him into formal supervised custody? Doesn’t dropping him at a “low-rent” motel set you up for exactly this kind of problem?
(The LAPD report claims Mulligan asked to be dropped off there. Mulligan denies this, and says “he was taken there against his will and told ‘he could not leave, under threat of death.'”)
Since everyone seems to agree that Mulligan was dropped at the motel, I’m not exactly shocked they made him pay the bill up front. I’m not saying dropping him there was a good idea in the first place, but if they did drop him there, someone’s got to pay for the room…
I kind of think I’d remember something like this, if I were a clerk. Then again, I wonder if anyone actually talked to the clerk who worked that night (the LAT doesn’t specify that), or if that clerk is even still working at the motel.
In any case, the same two officers encountered Mr. Mulligan later on that night (actually, around 1 AM the following morning). Mr. Mulligan was allegedly “trying to open the passenger-side door of an occupied silver van”. The van drove off, the officers told Mr. Mulligan to get off the sidewalk, Mr. Mulligan cursed at them, and apparently ran off. (That’s the LAPD’s account: Mr. Mulligan’s lawyers apparently dispute that he was trying to open the van door, or that he cursed at the police.)
So he didn’t recognize these officers as the same ones who took him to the motel earlier? Or he did, but he thought the ones who took him to the motel were imposters? Do you often go to “low-rent” motels with people posing as police officers? What was the point of checking him in and making him pay the bill if they were imposters planning on “robbing and killing” him?
Anyway, the LAPD chased Mulligan down. They claim he went into a fighting stance and charged the officers, who took him down and arrested him. Mulligan’s attorney, of course, denies that his client charged the officers. And:
I’m not sure what to make of this, as I have a lot of trouble believing that either side is telling the whole truth about what went on that night. There doesn’t seem to be any dispute about the whole “checked him into the ‘low-rent’ motel” part of the story, though, and that strikes me as being a big deviation from what I’d expect to be proper procedure. Was the LAPD trying to cut a rich white guy a break? Or…?
Reno.
August 28th, 2012The 2012 Reno Air Races are, in theory, just over two weeks away.
I qualify this with “in theory” because when I went to their site to check on the date, I got a big pop-up offering me the opportunity to donate money. You see, the insurance premium has gone up to $1.7 million this year, and has to be paid by September 1st. I’m not sure what’s going to happen if they don’t come up with the money by September 1st (though I’d be surprised if someone didn’t step up and make up any shortfall).
(Noted: “The Reno Air Racing Association is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(4) organization, which means that contributions to RARA are NOT tax deductible, though they are appreciated and much needed.”)
But I digress. What prompted this was a short article in the NYT claiming that the NTSB has figured out why “Galloping Ghost” crashed last year.
Rather than linking to the NYT article (which amounted to one paragraph), I thought I’d link directly to the NTSB report. Except the final report apparently isn’t out yet: what the NTSB has on their site is a press release, dated yesterday, and linking to a synopsis of the report.
In case you were wondering:
Rule One, you jackass!
August 28th, 2012Judge Vincent A. Sgueglia of Tioga County Court (Tioga County is in “upstate New York”) has been censured by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Why?
Yes. Judge Sgueglia decided to work on his revolver (described by the NYT as a “.38-caliber Smith & Wesson”) in his chambers, and…you see what’s coming, right? Negligent discharge, bullet into wall, nobody hurt thank the Lord, Judge Sgueglia embarrassed and now censured.
Noted: Judge Sgueglia says he didn’t realize the gun was loaded. To which I say: WTF? WTFF? It’s a Smith and Wesson revolver! You didn’t swing out the cylinder and check the chambers before starting work, you idiot? Checking if a Smith and Wesson revolver is loaded is the easiest thing in the world! It takes two freaking seconds! And that’s if you’re clumsy like me!
Also noted: Judge Sgueglia wasn’t just censured for the negligent discharge, but also for approving his own gun permits. He got his first permit in 2005, “listing three weapons”, and approved it himself. (“The commission said it was ‘inappropriate’ for Judge Sgueglia ‘to take judicial action on his own pistol permit application and that he should have consulted with court officials to arrange for another judge to handle the matter.'”) Between 2006 and 2010, “the judge submitted 14 amendments to his gun permit, covering 17 other pistols”.
Some credit is due to the judge, though: at least he had the gun pointed in a safe direction when it went off.
(Edited to add: I assumed all of my readers are familiar with the Four Rules of Gun Safety. However, on second thought, that may not be a reasonable assumption, so here they are.)
Hondo Harrelson, call your office, please.
August 27th, 2012The LAT suggests that this “could be a violation of federal firearm laws and city ethics regulations”. I am unfamiliar with ethics regulations in LA, so I will refrain from comment on that. I am not sure what federal firearm laws would have been violated, since private sales between individuals are not illegal under federal law. (They may be under California law; I am also not an expert on California gun laws.) The LAT is also apparently unclear on what regulations and federal firearms laws were violated:
But getting back to the story, this isn’t the first go-around at this particular rodeo.
“between 51 and 324”? Could you be a little more vague in your count? In any case, LAPD SWAT, according to the LAT, only had about 60 members.
$600? Daymn! I know Kimber’s had issues in the past few years, but you offer me one for $600, and I’ll be on that biatch like an anaconda on blood orchid serum.
(We watched that over the weekend. Two word review: annoyingly competent.)
(Also: “between $1,600 and $3,500”? That’s a $1,900 difference there, Sparky. If the comments in the LAT and Kimber’s website are to be believed, the pistol in question is the Custom TLE II, which has an MSRP of $1,054 without the LAPD SWAT markings.)
So that’s the first investigation, which the LAT makes sound half-assed. Bustamante’s investigation is the second one:
And:
Armstrong roundup.
August 26th, 2012Obit watch: August 25, 2012.
August 25th, 2012I can’t find a good way to embed the NASA videos in a post, and I don’t want to link to the ones on YouTube, which are dubiously sourced. So here’s NASA’s Apollo 11 video page. And another page containing some restored Apollo 11 video.
Ad astra per aspera. Godspeed, Dr. Armstrong.
Some stuff.
August 25th, 2012More specifically, a random assortment of things that turned up in my Post Office box today, or that I found while I was out and about. Not that I’m bragging, but I think some folks might be entertained, amused, or interested in some of these items.
The first issue of “Infowars: The Magazine” (as Gregg Easterbrook might say, “Published on Earth: The Planet”).
I’ve got big balls. (Also acceptable: “Ah, but the strawberries. That’s where I had them.“) (Previously.)
The only political party that can actually change things this year. (Get yours here.)
Finally:
My USB TV receiver from Germany is here! (Previously.) More when and as I get a chance to dink with it.
Thugs. Pimps. Nazis. Ceridian Benefit Services.
August 25th, 2012Edited to add 8/26: Lawrence has pointed out to me that this is somewhat unfair. There are, more than likely, many pimps who are kind to their women, do not beat them unnecessarily, and in general do not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Ceridian Benefit Services. So noted, and my apologies to the pimps.
More on Lance.
August 24th, 2012Nick Gillespie has a somewhat interesting piece over at Reason‘s “Hit and Run” blog, “What to Wear on Your Wrist Now That Lance Armstrong is Being Stripped of His Tour de France Titles”. Among other points, Gillespie makes an argument that echos mine from the comments in the previous post:
The flip side of this question is: do we really want people taking drugs that may have negative side effects, or undergoing surgery, or any of these other things, for our entertainment? How far do we go down this road before we turn into Rome? Are you not entertained?
Gillespie also links to this Outside article, which I missed: “Lance Armstrong: Victim?” Brian Alexander makes what I think is a very good argument that USADA
More:
The Lance Armstrong Problem.
August 24th, 2012I’ve never met Lance Armstrong. He isn’t someone I idolize. I’ve never done the Ride for the Roses, though I know people who have.
But I used to bicycle regularly (and I need to get back on the bike, now that I’ve finished school). I bought a couple of replica Tour de France jerseys to wear when I rode, which I alternated with my “Old Guys Who Get Fat In the Winter” team jersey and my vintage Aeroflot jersey.
I pulled hard for Armstrong when he was racing in the tour the first few times. I was elated when he won the 2003 tour: “Now,” I thought to myself, “he can be counted as among the best ever.” When he won in 2004, I was less excited, and I began to lose interest by 2005. It felt like he was piling on, and there just wasn’t anything at stake. After that, there came a lot of things that made me perceive him as possibly being sort of dickish – though again, I’ve never met him, and he could be the nicest person in the world, but there were things that tarnished his public image in my mind.
But I never believed he doped. I wanted one of these posters
I’m not the kind of person who buries their head in the sand and ignores inconvenient facts, though. I have a lot of trouble accepting the whole “I’m tired of fighting” line. Not from Lance Armstrong; that stuff don’t fly. “The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense. “ What kind of toll is giving in going to have on your family, Lance, when everyone is saying to your kids “Dad’s a doper”? What do you think this is going to do to the foundation; do you think it is too big to fail? The Komen folks would beg to differ.
But I’m also having a hard time buying the idea that Lance is folding up his tent and going into the night because USADA has anything on him. As he’s said repeatedly, Lance Armstrong is the most tested athlete in history. None of those tests have showed up positive. Which is more plausible?
- Lance Armstrong never used any performance enhancing substance in violation of the rules.
- Lance Armstrong doped, but was so far ahead of the curve that his doping was undetectable by the most sophisticated labs in the world.
My money has always been on number 1. In spite of Armstrong folding, it still is.
And what is the evidence against him? As far as I can tell, USADA’s case is based on eyewitness testimony from people like Landis and Hamilton, both of whom are convicted dopers. Isn’t this kind of like relying on the testimony of an accomplice as the sole evidence to convict someone of a crime, without other collaborating evidence? If their testimony is that the eyewitnesses saw Armstrong getting injections, then either:
- They knew what was being injected, should be able to provide evidence to that effect, and there should be collaborating evidence (such as blood/urine tests) to prove their assertions. Or
- They didn’t know what was being injected, and it could have been something perfectly legal; in that case, their testimony is meaningless.
Right now, I don’t know what to make out of this. I think I need some time to sort through my own feelings, and the things that are still coming out in the press.
Just a couple of random thoughts…
August 24th, 2012- Your safety is important. You’re not helping the first responders if you give them two casualties to work on instead of one. I know Ambulance Driver has brought this up repeatedly, especially in the Confessions of an EMS Newbie podcast, but: make sure the scene is safe, or at least as safe as you can get it, before you go rushing in trying to save people.
- After the Northridge earthquake, Stewart Brand did a piece about his experiences for the old Whole Earth Quarterly. Something he said has always stuck with me. Brand talked about the earthquake hitting, getting out of his car, and trotting off down the street with the intent of helping people. He then went on to list all the potentially useful stuff (like a jack) that he left behind in the car. Brand’s Rule: “First, collect your thoughts. Then, collect your tools.”