Someone once told me that they thought I had a touch of ADD. Don’t know if they’re right (I smell bacon), but my mind does vacillate through story ideas, locking onto the ones that interest me at the moment. The sub title of this blog,  A Horror Writers Journey, is right but the story idea I’ve settled on isn’t a horror tale, but it will have elements of horror within…natural for a violent crime/murder mystery.  It will also include some  questionable high-strangeness-factor events.  It is called Country Dark. I am fleshing it out now in my notebook…synopsis of chapters and character sketches (I gotta have a map, in writing as in traveling).  I’m drawn to this story, I believe, for the familiar setting it will take place; Smalltown Oklahoma. I have plenty to draw from, the characters are fictional but known to me, intimate and distant.

The other stories go on the back burner to slow cook as my mind wanders to them to add spices and body until ready to serve.  I may be changing stories (did you hear a monky?) but I’ll still be writing. Be patient; I am slow and deliberate in the creation of stories, but the writing should come swift…

~T

Thu Dec 17, 5:20 pm ET

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Tennessee investigators say a 4-year-old boy was found roaming his neighborhood in the night, drinking beer and wearing a little girl’s dress taken from under a neighbor’s Christmas tree.

The child’s mother, 21-year-old April Wright, tells WTVC-TV the boy “wants to go to jail because that’s where his daddy is.” Wright says she and the boy’s father are going though a divorce.

The boy, found outside his house in Chatanooga on Tuesday, was taken to a hospital and treated for alcohol consumption.

Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Janice Atkinson says the incident is being investigated but the department declined to release the report.

The boy’s mother says she met with child protective services and was told she will get to keep custody of her son.

WESTFORD, Vt. – A woman fatally shot her Alzheimer’s disease-suffering mother three years ago, burned the body and then had her son bury the remains — which she had placed in a suitcase — before filing a missing person report, authorities said Thursday.

AP – This undated photo released by Vermont State Police shows Jeanne Sevigny, 59. Sevigny told police that …

Jeanne Sevigny, 59, killed her mother, Mary Wilcox, because she had become “a drag,” prosecutors said as they announced her arrest on a charge of second-degree murder.

Investigators said Sevigny burned the body in her backyard and brought the remains in a suitcase to her son, who then buried it in the woods behind an elementary school. She told police in November 2006 that the 78-year-old disappeared after overhearing her talking about putting her in a nursing home, authorities said.

Sevigny’s son, Greg Sevigny, 30, was charged with unlawful disposal of a body.

Jeanne Sevigny’s lawyer, John St. Francis, said Sevigny found her mother with a pistol and was trying to wrest it from her when it went off, shooting Wilcox in the chest. Sevigny then panicked, St. Francis said.

“The poor decision-making afterwards is why we’re here,” he said. “Had she taken different steps, I don’t think we’d be here now. But it’s certainly not a homicide. It’s an accident.”

Prosecutor T.J. Donovan, however, said the evidence suggests otherwise.

“The action of burning a body in a backyard, putting the remains in a suitcase and burying that suitcase on the grounds of an elementary school are inconsistent with an accident,” he said.

Asked about the motive, he said: “Annoyance. A drag. An elderly woman with Alzheimer’s.”

Wilcox’s remains have not been recovered. Investigators descended on Westford Elementary School on Thursday to look for it.

The break in the case came when Greg Sevigny’s ex-girlfriend — who had recently obtained a protective order against him — went to police two weeks ago, a state police detective wrote in an affidavit. The woman told investigators that Greg Sevigny told her that his mother showed up at his workplace after Wilcox’s disappearance with a large plastic case and told him to get rid of it.

When asked what was inside, Jeanne Sevigny said: “Your grandmother,” according to the affidavit by Sgt. Lance Burnham.

The girlfriend told police she never reported it because Greg Sevigny had threatened to kill her if she ever said anything.

When interviewed by police on Wednesday, Jeanne Sevigny said she had found her mother with the gun and that they had struggled over it before it fired, but she didn’t know which of them had pulled the trigger. Sevigny said it was all her fault, according to Burnham.

St. Francis said Wilcox had attempted suicide in the past, and that her daughter’s actions in trying to disarm her were out of fear that she was trying to kill herself. The weapon believed to have been used — a pistol — hasn’t been found.

Greg Sevigny told police his mother told him Wilcox had committed suicide. He said the family had been talking about putting Wilcox in a home “because she was getting to be too much,” the affidavit said.

Shackled and wearing a winter coat, Sevigny, of Westford, looked nervously at her husband, Michael Sevigny, as she was ushered into court Thursday. She pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail.

He pleaded not guilty Thursday and was released to the custody of Michael Sevigny, who sat in the front row of the gallery but had little to say about the allegations.

“It’s just all confused,” he said.

His son declined to comment afterward.

BARTOW, Fla. – James Bain used a cell phone for the first time Thursday, calling his elderly mother to tell her he had been freed after 35 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.

AP – Polk County public defender Robert Young hugs James Bain, right, during a hearing at the Polk County …

Mobile devices didn’t exist in 1974, the year he was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a 9-year-old boy and raping him in a nearby field.

Neither did the sophisticated DNA testing that officials more recently used to determine he could not have been the rapist.

“Nothing can replace the years Jamie has lost,” said Seth Miller, a lawyer for the Florida Innocence Project, which helped Bain win freedom. “Today is a day of renewal.”

Bain spent more time in prison than any of the 246 inmates previously exonerated by DNA evidence nationwide, according to the project. The longest-serving before him was James Lee Woodard of Dallas, who was released last year after spending more than 27 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.

As Bain walked out of the Polk County courthouse Thursday, wearing a black T-shirt that said “not guilty,” he spoke of his deep faith and said he does not harbor any anger.

“No, I’m not angry,” he said. “Because I’ve got God.”

The 54-year-old said he looks forward to eating fried turkey and drinking Dr Pepper. He said he also hopes to go back to school.

Friends and family surrounded him as he left the courthouse after Judge James Yancey ordered him freed. His 77-year-old mother, who is in poor health, preferred to wait for him at home. With a broad smile, he said he looks forward to spending time with her and the rest of his family.

“That’s the most important thing in my life right now, besides God,” he said.

Earlier, the courtroom erupted in applause after Yancey ruled.

“Mr. Bain, I’m now signing the order,” Yancey said. “You’re a free man. Congratulations.”

Thursday’s hearing was delayed 40 minutes because prosecutors were on the phone with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. DNA tests were expedited at the department’s lab and ultimately proved Bain innocent. Prosecutors filed a motion to vacate the conviction and the sentence.

“He’s just not connected to this particular incident,” State Attorney Jerry Hill told the judge.

Attorneys from the Innocence Project of Florida got involved in Bain’s case earlier this year after he had filed several previous petitions asking for DNA testing, all of which were thrown out.

A judge finally ordered the tests and the results from a respected private lab in Cincinnati came in last week, setting the wheels in motion for Thursday’s hearing. The Innocence Project had called for Bain’s release by Christmas.

He was convicted largely on the strength of the victim’s eyewitness identification, though testing available at the time did not definitively link him to the crime. The boy said his attacker had bushy sideburns and a mustache. The boy’s uncle, a former assistant principal at a high school, said it sounded like Bain, a former student.

The boy picked Bain out of a photo lineup, although there are lingering questions about whether detectives steered him.

The jury rejected Bain’s story that he was home watching TV with his twin sister when the crime was committed, an alibi she repeated at a news conference last week. He was 19 when he was sentenced.

Ed Threadgill, who prosecuted the case originally, said he didn’t recall all the specifics, but the conviction seemed right at the time.

“I wish we had had that evidence back when we were prosecuting cases. I’m ecstatic the man has been released,” said Threadgill, now a 77-year-old retired appeals court judge. “The whole system is set up to keep that from happening. It failed.”

Eric Ferrero, spokesman for the Innocence Project, said a DNA profile can be extracted from decades-old evidence if it has been preserved properly. That means sealed in a bag and stored in a climate-controlled place, which is how most evidence is handled as a matter of routine.

The project has a bigger problem with lost or destroyed evidence than getting usable DNA profiles from existing evidence, he said.

Florida last year passed a law that automatically grants former inmates found innocent $50,000 for each year they spent in prison. No legislative approval is needed. That means Bain is entitled to $1.75 million.

James Bain,54, was wrongly convicted in December of 1974 for the rape and kidnapping of a 9-year-old little boy. Bain had been in prison since the Nixon presidency, just to give you some perspective.

The Innocence Project,  is a national organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing, was responsible for aggressively getting Bain’s DNA tested, which led to his exoneration.

In 2001 a Florida statute was passed allowing cases to be reopened for DNA testing,and Bain immediately filed to have his DNA tested, but was turned down 4 times. It was only after he presented his case to the Court of Appeals that he was granted a hearing.

Polk County State Attorney Jerry Hill told the judge that DNA testing had excluded Bain from the crime.

“He’s just not connected with this particular incident,” Hill said.

James Bain-released-from-prison after 35 years

“Mr. Bain, I’m now signing the order, sir,” the judge said, referring to an order vacating the judgment and sentence.

The first thing he did was to call his mom on a cel phone, which was the first time that he had ever used one, as they did not exist before he was imprisoned, and they did not have access to them in jail.

I can not imagine what it must be like to spend that much time in prison labeled a pedophile, as well as knowing that you are innocent. James Bain says that his faith in God pulled him through, and that he holds no ill will towards anyone involved in his incarceration.

 He says he’s not angry and is looking forward to eating fried turkey, drinking Dr. Pepper and hopefully going back to school.

The Houston Chronicle reports…He was convicted largely on the strength of the victim’s eyewitness identification, even though testing available at the time did not definitively link him to the crime. The boy said his attacker had bushy sideburns and a mustache. The boy’s uncle, a former assistant principal at a high school, said it sounded like Bain, a former student.

The boy picked Bain out of a photo lineup, although there are lingering questions about whether detectives steered him.

The jury rejected Bain’s story that he was home watching TV with his twin sister when the crime was committed, an alibi she repeated at a news conference last week. He was 19 when he was sentenced.

The victim is currently 44 years old, and has been informed of James Bain’s release from prison.State investigators have taken more DNA from both Bain and the victim for additional testing.

It is being reported that Florida State  has passed a law  that automatically provides $50,000 in compensation for every year an innocent person has spent in prison,and James will be entitled to the award.http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1377187.html

The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal clinic affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University and created by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld in 1992. The project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. As a clinic, law students handle case work while supervised by a team of attorneys and clinic staff.  http://www.innocenceproject.org/

His mother, Sarah Reed, has been in and out of hospitals in recent years. She said she is putting her house and her car in her son’s name. “I want him to have something by himself. He’s suffered enough,” she said.

This case serves as a beam of hope for those that are falsely imprisoned throughout our country, and to those heartless fools that believe everything the police say is true. The sad truth is that black men are in prison for crimes they did not commit, at a rate three times that of white men, who have the nerve to blame us for their heinous crimes, knowing that the culture is primed in bigotry and hatred to believe such lies about our people.

We are being kidnapped by the judicial system, because we are behind enemy lines.We only have our selves to rely upon, to stay strong and healthy, so that we can eventually be freed, and our good names restored, just like James Bain.

I can only imagine the level of racial injustice that was pervasive in South Florida in the 1970’s could only have fanned the flames of hatred that ultimately led to James wrongful conviction.

Just think about it…only a decade earlier, James would have been lynched in that county, as had happened there so many times in the past,…and the mob would have murdered an innocent man.

As it stands, the white man who raped and kidnapped the 9-year-old victim, got away with it, by relying upon the racism that most non-black people use to convict and kill innocent young black men.

Justice was not served here…only racism.

Follow the story here…

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/17/florida.dna.exoneration/

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6775155.html

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=113973&sectionid=3510203

A new tipline targets Sheriff Joe Arpaio.The U.S. Department of Justice has set up a tip-line as part of its investigation of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The tip line, 1-877-613-2137, is in both English and Spanish and asks those with information about the sheriff’s department to leave their names and numbers.

The USDOJ is investigating Arpaio and his deputies regarding possible civil rights violations related to crime sweeps, traffic stops and immigration raids.

“Blowback County Sheriff’s Department. How may I help you?”

“Yes, I would like to report a robbery.”

“How much was stolen?”

“Approximately $25 trillion.”

“Wow. That was a lot of money. Who was robbed?”

“The people of the United States.”

“Who could have done something like that?”

“I’m not sure, but they work for the Federal Reserve and likely for Goldman Sachs and China too.”

“I see. How did they steal this money?”

“They counterfeited $25 trillion, bought $2.5 trillion of their own bonds, both directly and indirectly, and gave it to themselves and their friends, while at the same time they cut off credit to the people, causing a deflationary and jobless recession so the value of their loot wouldn’t decrease from inflation.”

“I see. Wouldn’t Congress be concerned about this?”

“Yes. They were. They got pretty angry the Federal Reserve chairman wouldn’t tell them who they gave the money and got pretty mad when the Federal Reserve said they would crash the stock market if they didn’t allow them to do it. They got so mad that they finally listened to Ron Paul and a super majority of the Congress co-sponsored his bill to audit the Federal Reserve.”

“And did they pass it?”

“No. Nancy Pelosi blocked it from coming to a vote.” 

“I think I have enough information. I’ll have to call the investigations unit. The Department of Homeland Security gave us some new weapons for the swat team so I think we can handle this when Ben Bernanke or Nancy Pelosi comes to town. Thank you for your report.”

Not friggin Bing Crosby again!!!

Make it stop, make it stop. Despite inmates filing 6 lawsuits against a sheriff in Phoenix, he continues to pipe “Christmas music” all day, every day throughout the jail. Oh and don’t be thinking he is just playing Christian jingles, nope , he has a worldwide mix of festive season music. Falalalala lalalala. So far 4 of the suits from prisoners have been dismissed. Complaints range from “cruel and unusual punishment” to “forcing inmates to participate in religious celebrations”. Hmm, just be grateful he hasn’t got Mariah Carey’s Chrissie album on loop!

By Michael MacLeod

A SHERIFF has called for an investigation after man was caught trying to steal part of a railway track.

Lee Reap, 20, used a sledgehammer, an axe and other specialist rail cutting gear to try to remove “lucrative” metal parts of a train line running through Midlothian.

He claimed he thought the line was out of use after a friend told him he could “make a right bit of money” selling on the metal.

But yesterday at the Sheriff Court in Edinburgh, Sheriff Deirdre MacNeill QC said the track’s status was unclear and demanded a report.

She said: “If it is used by freight that is one thing, but if it is used by passengers then that is another.

“It has significant bearing on the consequences.”

Reap had travelled around 60 miles from his home in Berwick upon Tweed to the track near Danderhall in June.

But he was caught in a white van full of metal cutting equipment after locals heard banging noises from the midnight raid, and pled guilty to attempted theft today (Monday).

Sledgehammer

Fiscal depute Gillian More said: “A security guard nearby heard banging and contacted police.

“When police arrived, Reap was seen running to a van and driving off at speed.

“He was stopped at Sheriffhall roundabout and police noted the van had numourous tools including a metal bar next to a railway sledgehammer.

“There was also a socket, a wrench, an axe, one bolt and a jack, along with a railway mount.

“He told police he had been there since 9pm after a friend told him they could make a right bit of money out of the sleepers.”

Drunk

Another Berwick upon Tweed man, Hamish Middlemiss, 20, was cleared of the same charge today.

But Reap’s defence agent Chris Fehily said “drunkenness played no small part” in his client’s presence at the track.

He said: “He believed the track was disused.

“Drunkenness played no small part in his behaviour on this evening and he was rather inebriated when approached by another man on this evening.”

Reap was released on bail on the condition he does not return to Scotland other than for sentencing in court next year.

Sheriff MacNeill told Reap: “This seems to be quite a lucrative thing to do.

“But I need to find out about the track’s use before I sentence you.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Annise Parker, the mayor-elect of Houston, Texas

This is truly an inspirational story, and the headlines are a beacon of hope for many across the United States, as the first gay mayor of a major American city was elected.

Houston became the largest city in the United States to elect an openly gay mayor on Saturday night, as voters gave a solid victory to the city controller, Annise Parker. …

… Ms. Parker appeared before ecstatic supporters at the city’s convention center and then joked that she was the first graduate of Rice University to be elected mayor. (She is, by the way.) Then she grew serious.

“Tonight the voters of Houston have opened the door to history,” she said, standing by her partner of 19 years, Kathy Hubbard, and their three adopted children. “I acknowledge that. I embrace that. I know what this win means to many of us who never thought we could achieve high office.”

Lupe Valdez, sheriff of Dallas

In 2004, Dallas voters set a precedent when they elected openly gay Lupe Valdez to the sheriff’s office. Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city, also set issues of sexual orientation aside when they elected their mayor this weekend.

With all precincts reporting, Ms. Parker had defeated [her opponent, fellow Democrat Gene] Locke by 53 percent to 47 percent.

Throughout the campaign, Ms. Parker tried to avoid making an issue of her sexual orientation and emphasized her experience in overseeing the city’s finances. But she began her career as an advocate for gay rights in the 1980s, and it was lost on no one in Houston, a city of 2.2 million people, that her election marked a milestone for gay men and lesbians around the country.

Congratulations to Team Parker, and a sincere thank you to those who worked tirelessly for her victory. Love and tolerance aside, this is a major win for the city of Houston, now in the hands of a very capable mayor.

(And I’d also like to add that I wish the outgoing mayor of Houston the best of luck in his future endeavors. I heart you, Bill White.)

UPDATE: Cedar’s back!

Don’t forget to come to the party! When the party starts I’ll update the Moderator Tracker as fast I can!(The tracker is in the sidebar)

Hey Pandas! Lots of updates today, let’s start with the free item:

You’ll get it if you login today. It looks like this in your playercard:

Gift Certificates:

Gift certificates are now available! You can purchase 1,3,6,12 Year Memberships by entering the code! Your gift code appears on the Gift Certificate you received. It’s a 16 digit code in 4 groups like 0123-4567-8901-2345. You can buy it by going to the gift certificates page.

Dragons Update:

If you bought a dragon on launch day(24th Oct) then your dragon will breath fire:

This is awesome! If you feed it Flint Nibbles, it will breathe fire:

PrimaryGames Contest:

PG has a Pandanda Contest! The winner would get an 8 Gigabyte iPod Touch!

Go to the PrimaryGames blog for more info!

New Clothing Catalog:

There is a new Clothing Catalog! Go to East Market Street, enter Clothing.Co and click Fitch and click the Clothing Catalog. There are a few items for Non-members like Santa Hat and backgrounds.

Other Updates:

Henry said there will another free item after the party. Also if you click the gift boxes near the tree in Bear Hollow it will say:

~Rory

Officer Michael Crawshaw Remembered For ‘Big Heart’

PENN HILLS, Pa. — For the two and a half years that Officer Michael Crawshaw worked at the Penn Hills Police Department, he began every shift with a roll call.

Police officers hug each other at the ceremonial final roll call for Michael Crawshaw in Penn Hills.

About 100 officers from Penn Hills and surrounding areas gathered for a ceremonial “final roll call” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, marking what would have been the start of a shift for Crawshaw, who was shot and killed in the line of duty over the weekend. Many of the officers cried for their lost brother.

 ”May Officer Crawshaw rest in peace. Protect us from above. Now we will observe a moment of silence,” an Allegheny County radio dispatcher said in his transmission.

 Family and friends will be welcomed Wednesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Schellhaas Funeral Home (388 Center Ave., West View) for a viewing. A Fraternal Order of Police service for Crawshaw will be held at the funeral home at 8 p.m. Thursday. Funeral services will be at St. Boniface Church of Holy Wisdom Parish on Pittsburgh’s North Side at 10 a.m. Friday.

 Colleagues and members of the Penn Hills community are paying tribute to the fallen officer, who was a campus police officer for the University of Pittsburgh before moving to Penn Hills.

Colleagues and the community left flowers and other tributes at a memorial to fallen Penn Hills police Officer Michael Crawshaw.

 A makeshift memorial with flowers continues to grow in front a large picture of Crawshaw at the Penn Hills police station, and black ribbons have been tied on wreaths outside the building.

 Also on display is a sign with Crawshaw’s name and the phrase “E.O.W. December 6th, 2009.” E.O.W. stands for “end of watch.”

 Share Your Condolences:Share your thoughts on our message board.

  A moment of silence was held at the Penn Hills Board of Education meeting in memory of Crawshaw.

 Crawshaw, 32, was shot with a high-powered rifle as he waited for backup to arrive at 201 Johnston Road at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, county police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said.

 Robert Robinson, 32, of Homewood, is charged with two counts of homicide — one for Crawshaw and one for Danyal Morton, 40, who police said was shot over a drug money dispute shortly before Crawshaw responded to the house and was shot himself.

 More Details: Penn Hills Cop Shot Dead In Car After Drug Shooting

Officer’s Helmet Hit By Bullets While Confronting Suspect

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati police were investigating an apparent murder-suicide on Sunday night in which a police officer’s helmet stopped two bullets, WLWT in Cincinnati reported.

 Officers said Kaniesha Dangerfield, 22, was found dead in a car at an apartment complex on Sunday afternoon.

 Police Chief Tom Streicher said a man who was with Dangerfield saw Leetae Williams with a gun looking for the woman. Streicher said Williams approached, demanded that Dangerfield get out of the car, and when she didn’t, Williams shot her through the car window.

 The man with Dangerfield, a concealed weapons permit holder, pulled his gun and fired one shot at Williams before his gun jammed, then ran to find help, police said.

 Police cornered Williams, 28, in an apartment later Sunday evening.

 As a SWAT unit entered the apartment, Streicher said, Williams fired two shots blindly through a curtain, both shots hitting the right side of an officer’s helmet.

 Williams then retreated to a back room, where he shot and killed himself a short time later, police said.

 The officer was not injured. He is on administrative leave, Streicher said.

 Streicher showed the helmet to reporters Monday, pointing out the impact points and saying they believe one bullet is still embedded in the helmet’s Kevlar lining.

 Police said they are trying to determine the relationship between Williams and Dangerfield.

Ephesians 6:14 – “Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,”

Let me ask you a few questions:

All these characters, both real and imaginary, couldn’t do their work properly without their belts. The very tools and devices they need are part of or are housed on their belts. For a Christian, truth is one the greatest weapons we have against the devil. The devil’s lies can’t stand up to the light of God’s truth.

Don’t forget your belt when you armor up today!

Have a blessed day!

LUCASVILLE, Ohio — Witnesses to the scheduled execution of a killer who scattered a woman’s remains across two states could have an even more somber experience than those who watched previously when Ohio put nearly three dozen other inmates to death.

 Inmate Kenneth Biros, if executed as planned Tuesday morning, would become the first person in the U.S. to die by lethal injection with a single drug, a process most death penalty experts agree will take longer than the old method. Biros’ procedure would be the first lethal injection since the state’s switch from using a three-drug combination.

 If that method fails, a backup plan allows executioners to inject drugs directly into muscles instead of veins.

 Ohio overhauled its procedure after the failed attempt at rapist Romell Broom’s execution, which was halted by Gov. Ted Strickland in September. Executioners tried for two hours to find a usable vein for injection, hitting bone and muscle in as many as 18 needle sticks that Broom said were very painful.

Broom, 53, was sentenced to die for the rape and stabbing death of a 14-year-old girl. He has appealed the state’s attempt to try to execute him again.

The state had two goals in changing its lethal-injection process. Switching to one drug was meant to end a 5-year-old lawsuit that claims the state’s three-drug system was capable of causing severe pain. Injection experts and defense attorneys agree the single dose of thiopental sodium will not cause pain. The backup procedure allowing muscle injection was created in case a situation like Broom’s attempted execution happens again. Other states are watching Ohio’s change, but none has made a similar switch. Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia are among those saying they will keep the three-drug method.

Biros reached the holding area for death row inmates at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville on Monday morning. The small cell is about 15 feet from the chamber where inmates are put to death.

In the afternoon, he had a snack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. At night, he was to be served a meal of cheese pizza, onion rings, fried mushrooms, Doritos chips, French onion dip, blueberry ice cream, cherry pie and Dr Pepper soda.

It’s the second trip to Lucasville for Biros, who spent more than 30 hours in the holding cell in March 2007 before the U.S. Supreme Court stopped his execution and allowed him to challenge the state’s method at the time, involving three drugs. Biros, 51, was resting and appeared relaxed, prisons spokeswoman Julie Walburn said.

Ohio inmates generally have taken about seven minutes to die after injection. That’s part of a total process lasting about 30 minutes, from the time witnesses start watching the insertion of the intravenous needles until the warden announces the time of death.

In most cases, an inmate lies still after giving a final statement and following a slight heaving of the chest appears no different from someone who is sleeping.

Anesthesiologist Mark Dershwitz, who consulted with Ohio, estimated death could now come after 15 minutes.

Witnesses will be allowed to stay and watch for as long as it takes, Walburn said Monday.

 Biros’ attorney John Parker and two friends will witness on Biros’ behalf. The mother, brother and sister of Biros’ victim, 22-year-old Tami Engstrom, also will witness.

Biros killed Engstrom near Warren, in northeastern Ohio, in 1991 after offering to drive her home from a bar, then scattered her body parts in Ohio and Pennsylvania. He acknowledged killing her but said it was done during a drunken rage.

Trumbull County Sheriff Tom Altiere, allowed a witness spot under state law, will be the first sheriff to witness an execution since the state resumed putting people to death in 1999, Walburn said.

A federal judge earlier Monday refused to delay the execution, and Biros immediately appealed to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. The appeals court rejected his request for a stay Monday night, so Biros then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

 Biros argued that the state has failed to fix the problems that led to the unsuccessful execution attempt in September. He said the state still relies on unqualified executioners and lacks limits on how long they are allowed to try to find a vein.

District Judge Gregory Frost, in Columbus, said in his ruling that it appears unlikely that Biros can “demonstrate that those risks rise to the level of violating the United States Constitution.”

The state opposes a delay and says Biros has not shown that its method presents a substantial risk that he would suffer severe pain.

 In asking Frost for a stay, Biros had argued that the new execution method still left vein access issues unresolved, subjecting him to the risk of severe pain, and he had described the one-drug approach as “impermissible human experimentation.” The judge called the arguments unpersuasive.

All 36 death penalty states use lethal injection, and 35 rely on the three-drug method. Nebraska, which recently adopted injection over electrocution, has proposed the three-drug method but hasn’t finalized it.

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

FILE – In this undated file photo released by Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Kenneth Biros is shown. Biros was convicted of killing Tami Engstrom in February 1991. The condemned Ohio killer could become the first person in the country put to death with one dose of an intravenous anesthetic if his execution proceeds Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009. The execution method, which replaces the faster-acting three-drug process could propel other states to eventually consider the switch. (AP Photo/Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, File)

An Ohio prisons spokeswoman says veins appear accessible on an inmate who could become the first person in the U.S. put to death with a single drug.

Julie Walburn with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction says two separate checks of condemned killer Kenneth Biros’ (BY’-rohs) right and left arms showed accessible veins.

Walburn says Biros visited with family Monday and Tuesday morning and slept about three and a half hours overnight.

Most death penalty experts agree the new injection of one dose of thiopental sodium will take longer than the old three-drug method.

Walburn said Tuesday the department estimates it will take up to 30 minutes for Biros to die. Previously, inmates typically were declared dead after about seven minutes.

Christmas comes every five years for the San Diego County Sheriff’s office and today’s the day it plants its bottom on Santa’s fluffy, red lap (in the form of the Board of Supervisors) and presents its Christmas list.

In blander terms, the sheriff is asking the board to approve an agenda item titled, “sole source procurement  of standard law enforcement equiptment and supplies.” These are five-year contracts for police gear. X-mas list sounds better.

It would be a lot less complicated if the County maintained a weapons factory run by elven immigrants—but they don’t, no matter what bedtime stories of sugar-plum enterprise funds your parents may have spun. No, the county orders the weapons systems from private suppliers. (They might employ elves; their tiny fingers are good for filling bullet casings.)

And, of course, there’s a price tag:

Body armor….. $300,000 per year

Weapons…… $400,000 per year

Ammunition….. $350,000 per year

Holsters and other gear…..$250,000 per year

Badges and wallets…$60,000 per year

Total….$1.36 million

Here’s some of the highlights from the procurement list:

Body Armor

Manufacturer: Point Blank Solutions/Protective Apparel Corporation of America

The sheriff is asking for several models of body armor based on “threat levels.” Some are fully bullet proof, others just protect against stab wounds. The Perform XP model to the right is advertised as the “ultimate fusion of lightweight protection and peak performance.”  One user commented that his vest doubles as a back brace “for those times when I have to wait a day to see the chiropractor.” It comes in eight different colors.

.40-Caliber Glocks

Manufacturer: Glock

The Sheriff’s asking for the Model G22 and G27, aka, the “baby glock” and parts. Typically, the G27 are worn in ankle holsters, while the G22 is a full-sized piece. The department has been using the automatic pistol since 1990 and are the only weapons issued to deputies.

The reviewer at the Firing Fun blog reports that, with the G27, he “had trouble staying on target” and that he had to re-grip after every shot. “There was just no way for me to keep my hand firmly in place and not wiggle my fingers between trigger pulls.” Meanwhile, the Christian Gun Owner blog gave the G22 top marks: “Whether you buy it and shoot it just like it comes or decide to customize it to your liking, you can’t go wrong with a GLOCK 22.”

The G22 and the G27 start at retail at about $500, but can cost as high as $1,500 if you want a silencer. The sheriff would be getting them for $450 a piece.  The department will also need about $7,000 per year in parts and repair.

12-Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun

Manufacturer: Remington

The Sheriff is asking for 14″ and 18″ black polymer shotgun with a rifle-sight barrel and a three-point carry strap. Hailed as the “most popular shotgun in firearms history,” the Remington 870 is a favorite of the LAPD.

“Great weapon, reliable and a great deterrent! Good all around boom stick!” comments officer Ed O’Shea, who has also called for Sheriff Joe Arpaio to be hired as LAPD’s chief.

A sheriff’s department favorite for 48 years, this is the only shotgun used in training at the San Diego Regional Training Center. The guns  cost about $400 each and the department is budgeting for about $3,500 per year in parts and repairs.

Carbine Rifle

Manufacturer: Colt/Smith & Wesson

The sheriff is requesting the Ar 15/M4 Law enforcement model.

According to the sheriff’s office, these bad boys are used in rural areas, contract cities and special enforcement details. This model in particular has been wielded by deputies for 33 years.

“They’re somewhat of a fashion statement in the world of AR’s, but they are also eminently practical,” one reviewer explained. “Maneuverable and handy, but still accurate and hard-hitting – the M4 is equally well suited to the needs of Special Forces personnel and armed citizens!”

The rifles cost about $850 and the sheriff wants $2,000 annually for parts and repairs.

“Less Lethal” Shotgun

Manufacturer: Remington

The Model 870, less lethal shotgun fires a little beanbag. The sheriff’s office started using this particular weapon in 1999. It costs about $800.

“I’ve seen these guns unintentionally take quite a bit of a beating and keep right on ticking, just like a Timex,” one user wrote.  Firearms aficionados uniformly love the ku-chick sound.

Pepperball Launcher

Manufacturer: Pepperball Technologies

The Pro Carbine and SA 200, both semi-automatic, are exactly like paintball guns, but they’re designed to balls filled with an evil oleo resin capsicum powder. You can also load them with porcelain balls to break glass. The sheriff’s office started using ‘em in 2000. And, as a feel-good bonus, the manufacturer’s a local company.

The launcher, however, gets mixed reviews.

“A real crowd pleaser,” one user joked.  Another wrote, “Fun fun fun….and effective! Boy do they hurt though. I got lit up on my thighs and legs and there were huge bruises for more than a week. I love showing off my battle scars though lol.”

But critics complain that the gun loses pressure quickly, doesn’t fire as many rounds as advertised and doesn’t have great aim. “The crowds go wild for this one. Unfortunately over time they have become accustomed to it and run just by the rattle of the hopper,” one user wrote A few years ago, a student died after being shot in the eye with this less-lethal device after a Red Sox game.

They cost about $800 a piece.

Taser

Manufacturer: Taser International

50,000 volts. What else do you need to say? The county already has a contract in place through 2013, but the sheriff would like that extended at a cost of $167,000.

By Clint Bolick

The open warfare among Maricopa County elected officials continues to escalate. But it was taxpayers and ordinary citizens who took the shrapnel from the latest barrage.

In a shocking incident rebroadcast on YouTube, a sheriff’s detention officer, Adam Stoddard, recently was caught looking through papers in a defense attorney’s file while her back was turned as she spoke to the judge. Stoddard pulled out some papers and handed them to another officer, who left the courtroom.

Stoddard, who has no business looking through an attorney’s confidential file, claimed he read some words indicating a crime might be committed. It was not apparent who wrote the words, when they were written, or that any crime was imminent.

Judge Gary Donahoe found Stoddard in contempt of court but slapped him on the wrist, saying a public apology would suffice. When Stoddard refused, Donahoe sent him to jail.

By remarkable coincidence, the day after Stoddard reported to serve his sentence, nearly 20 of his colleagues called in sick, paralyzing court activities. A subsequent bomb threat led to the evacuation of the court for three hours. Court business, including criminal hearings, came to a halt.

Instead of urging detention officers to fulfill their important duties, Sheriff Joe Arpaio remarked that he encourages sick employees to stay home, and he referred to Stoddard as a “political prisoner.”

In addition to disrupting the justice system, the protest cost taxpayers $73 per inmate for every extra day of jail time and $25 for every juror whose time was wasted.

Sworn law-enforcement officers take an oath to uphold the law. By effectively shutting down the very justice system they are employed to protect, the sheriff’s officers displayed contempt toward the rule of law. Taxpayers should hold them accountable for abrogating their essential duties.

Clint Bolick is director of the Goldwater Institute Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.

Here Rusty poses the theological controversy that split the First Ones Council c. 85 Post-Cataclysm.  There was no doubt that God sent the cataclysm to punish mankind.  After all, First Ones concluded, it was a single man who created the cataclysm.  (They know because most of them were there and witnessed it.)  But, did God allow the cataclysm to nearly destroy the world in an effort to introduce a new world hierarchy, or just let man know that he went too far?  Was it simply punishment or the first act in recreating the world?

Those animals who believed God had intended the world to be recreated (New Worlders) opted to finish the work God started and wipe the rest of mankind from the earth.  Those against it (Positivists) saw the world rebuilding back to its former glory. The New Worlders argued that earth could never return to its former state because animals were now conscious beings and humans would never allow equality.  A return of the earth to a former state, in their minds, meant animal enslavement.  The Positivists  argued that if God really did favor animals over man then he would have completely eliminated humankind himself and left the earth in a more livable state.

The New Worlders won based on the argument that God had summoned the Outer Rabbits from beyond earth as his agents to stop the cataclysm and recreate the world.  Thus the Prime issued a new edict that resulted in the Cleansing–the total annihilation of man.

Thank you June Reyno and Poppa Koppa for this Post

There is a myth going around that once the eviction and unlawful detainer are completed, and after the Sheriff has thrown you out of your own home, there is nothing else you can besides try to rent the property. Not So! There are numerous ways of turning everything back around, placing you back in your own house and vacating the foreclosure sale, the unlawful detainer and the writ of possession. Some of them involveFannie Mae renting the house, but we come back to the issue rent from whom? If they fraudulently obtained title and now wish to charge rent which they will keep for themselves why should you be paying them? The answer is very simple: if that is the only way to stay in your house without the sheriff at your door, you do what you must.

Keep in mind that you should invoke these procedures, but don’t say within the lines they painted on the highway. Demand documents to prove that the party wishing to have a rental relationship with you is in fact the proper party to do it. Why? Because you don’t want to have paid all that money to the wrong person. And you don’t want some new party whom you never heard of saying that now they own the property and the rental deal was void because they always owned the property since the foreclosure. See the other “How to” articles over the last week and you;ll see what I mean.

—————————————————
PoppaKoppa sez: Let’s tell it straight!

The Wall Street pretender lenders, prankster banksters and squishy beneficiary Trusts unlawfully discount your original note when they do an untitled transfer of your property at a sham foreclosure auction that extracts an unnecessary 20% from home equities, THEY are made whole by pay offs on Credit Default Swaps, re-insurance from a Quasi government entity, and/or rapid re-sale of Your American Dream @ 50% of the NOD amount owed.
They blame YOU for failing to meet obligations THEY established. After inflicting untold emotional and financial harm, wearing down your Main Street Spirit, they ask you to say “THANK YOU, SIR!” when swoon goons will hand you back the keys to your own home!
Some folks call the past two years a period of necessary social change (socialism). I call it unjust transfer of wealth, demise of capitalism, and “Tyranny on The Courthouse Steps!” The Mass Media and Talking Heads will applaud this program as a Sigh of Relief for American Society… NAHJ supporters and Forty Percent of homes still in distress should see TEARS falling from The Statue of Liberty!

————————————————————————————–
U.S. offers rental programs to foreclosed homeowners
Is renting your home an option after foreclosure?

By Amy E. Buttell, Cyberhomes Contributor

Published: December 4, 2009

Programs offered by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae give homeowners the option to remain in their foreclosed home as renters. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)
If you’ve received a foreclosure notice or are in imminent danger of foreclosure and your mortgage is owned by government agencies Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you may be able to rent your home (or former home) at an affordable rate.
Fannie Mae’s Deed for Lease Program, begun in November 2009, and Freddie Mac’s REO Rental Option program, started in January 2009, aim to keep more homeowners in their homes, even if they no longer own them. Below are the three most common questions homeowners are asking about the rental programs.
What do I need to do to participate in a foreclosure rental program?
First, you need to figure out if Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac owns your mortgage, says Ryan Boyajian, president of We Save Homes Inc., a publicly traded company that assists homeowners with loan modifications and short sales. You can find out here:
Freddie Mac Fannie Mae
While some banks and finance companies that own mortgages are offering similar programs, only mortgages owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are eligible for these two programs.
What are the qualifications?
They include:

* Your income must be sufficient to make rental payments.
* The property must be in good condition.
* For Fannie Mae-owned properties, second mortgage liens aren’t eligible and subordinate liens must be released. You must surrender your mortgage deed (known as a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure). You also cannot be involved in an active bankruptcy proceeding. Homeowners who are current on their mortgage payments aren’t eligible.
* Under the Freddie Mac program, foreclosure must have already been completed, meaning you weren’t eligible for a loan modification.
* The home must be your primary residence.
* If you are a tenant of a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae homeowner, you are also eligible for these programs.

What are the terms of the rental, if I qualify?
The terms vary. Rents, especially in areas hard hit by home prices declines, will be at regional fair market value rates, which are likely to be significantly lower than most borrowers’ payments, says Andrew Housser, co-CEO of Freedom Debt Relief, a San Mateo, Calif.-based company that helps consumers settle their debts. In other words, “your rent payment will never be more than 31 percent of your income, but that amount must equal or exceed the fair market rent in your area for your type of home,” says Boyajian.

Under the Freddie Mac program, the rental is month-to-month, so if your house is sold under foreclosure to a new owner, you will have to leave at the end of the month. The Fannie Mae program provides greater stability, as the leases are 12-months, and your home will not be put up for sale during that time.

The time period to complete the lease agreement varies, but Fannie Mae expects its property managers to approve the rental application and complete the deal within 10 days, says Mia Melle, broker and president of operations at Renttoday.us, a Southern California property manager. She urges homeowners to respond quickly to a rental offer. “They have 72 hours to respond,” she says. “If they don’t, the offer will be rescinded.” Under this program, Fannie Mae may decide to extend leases for another year or continue the arrangement on a month-to-month basis.

CHARLES J. KOPPA, Realtor/Loan Officer/Investor/Grandfather, 760-787-9966 & the National Alliance of Homeowners for Justice dba: HELPING FAMILIES SAVE THEIR HOMES FOUNDATION

“Looking for Homeowner Volunteers Across America to Rescue Homeless Families That Have Lost Their Homes to Foreclosure” Call: 1-888-899-8915 / 909-795-4046
858-361-2399