Sights and Guests At UCLA Book Festival

Here are a few shots I took at the UCLA Book Festival this weekend. Free speech is alive and well at UCLA as you can see.

Authors Wambaugh, Huffington, Ackerman and Elder were just a few of many heavyweights.








and here is the video I shot of the event.

Obama/Clinton Race, Greatest Show On Earth!

Okay, I’m no fan of either Democratic candidate and don’t care for the Manchurian Candidate pretending to be a Republican either. That being said watching the Black/White voter polarization being fueled by Obama’s 20 year spiritual advisor and hatemonger is a real hoot!

There is no nice way around this mess for voters, other than to start fresh with a new slate of candidates. That won’t happen unless the current candidates take a much needed cruise on a very leaky boat.

With the new Information Age candidates have serious difficulties hiding their warts. The Swiftboat heroes saved us from a potential disaster four years ago. Obama’s and Clinton’s demons are here to stay too.

Later McCain will have some surprises that will put him into a state of seizure too. Speaking of seizures, when McCain was a much younger freshman Senator he publically called the East Mesa, Arizona retirement community of Leisure World, Seizure World. As Reverend Wright would say, “McCain’s chickens will be coming home to roost.”

California’s Worst Nightmare For Gun Owners

California Assembly member, Kevin De Leon, D-Los Angeles, has an absolute bureaucratic nightmare to spring on retired cops, California’s handgun owners and anyone in the security business.

A new special permit will be required with its own fees and duplicated background examination to purchase handgun ammunition.

The fun part for me is Mr. De Leon made no exemption for retired cops covered under HR-218, private investigators, armored car drivers and other people with various government issued handgun carry permits.

California requires any and all handgun carry permit holders to qualify on a regular basis. I guess this is another exercise of “good intentions” with unintended consequences. Perhaps the consequences were intended.

In addition the bill will end any national handgun sporting events in California because out-of-state competitors and visitors will not be allowed to purchase ammunition.

BILL NUMBER: AB 2062 can be found here.

The sponsor can be contacted here:
De Leon, Kevin [D, 45, Los Angeles]
State Capitol, Room 4140, Sacramento, CA 95814
Telephone: (916) 319-2045; Fax: (916) 319-2145
Email: assemblymember.deleon@assembly.ca.gov

The Ingenious Miley Cyrus Publicity Stunt

Hiring a smart publicist keeps you and your product in the spotlight. In case anyone was noticing a slowdown in the Hanna Montana starlet’s publicity there is nothing to worry about!

My educated guess is Cyrus’ PR flack figured some cheesecake photos would be a big seller for this already hot teen. No real nudity of course just barely enough skin to invite controversy, sell lots of magazines and keep Cyrus’ face and name out there.

Of course, cutting a deal with Vanity Fair and requiring a top named photographer like Annie Leibovitz who also likes publicity was a huge win for everyone.

Capping off the event with a phony apology before the little tart’s photos hit the newsstand was a pure stroke of genius.

I guess I need to hire a publicist…

Being A Cop Today Must Really Suck

I remember an incident when portable handheld radios were new on the department. The new radios gave officers freedom like never before.

One middle-aged sergeant had a rendezvous with an absolutely delightful 22 year-old girl. The girl went to a North side motel where she checked in. Soon the good sergeant parked behind the motel, quietly paying her a visit. That brand new handheld radio was placed on the nightstand. It was now time for our sergeant to engage in some serious community relations work with the local talent.

All that fast food and lack of exercise caught up with the sergeant while he was having more fun than his 58 year-old heart could withstand. The poor girl had to slip out from under him and there was nothing she could do as our hero was well on his way to see Saint Peter.

Our distraught maiden wrapped herself in a sheet running out to the street where she flagged down a beat car. Soon four of the dead supervisor’s officers were there at his side. The old sarge was a popular guy and the responding coppers soon figured out he needed to have died on the job for his wife and kids to get adequate survivors benefits. Quickly they dressed him and placed him behind the wheel of his patrol vehicle. Then a frantic radio call was made indicating the sergeant was found unconscious and perhaps dead. The sergeant’s reputation and pension was saved. I somehow don’t think that kind of generous intervention was present at Saint Peter’s gate however.

Working in a district lacking sanitary and decent restaurants was not that big of a problem as you could discreetly leave your district for a meal. With the new GPS technology those days are over forever.

Today there are surveillance cameras absolutely everywhere, GPS devices on patrol cars, and every obnoxious teenager has a cell-phone video camera eager to make a YouTube star out of you and your fellow officers.

These days in Chicago, departmental policy is controlled by the local reverends and crooked aldermen. Doing real police work is not an option anymore. The job of police officer has be reduced to one of simply documenting the clean-up of scenes of carnage.

If by chance you are a young person thinking of becoming a cop, reconsider. Wouldn’t you rather be doing breast augmentation surgery at a Beverly Hills medical practice for cash up front?

Author Tackles The Complex Biography Of FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover

This in not just another biography! The Publisher sent me a copy of Young J. Edgar to read and perhaps review. I was somewhat skeptical that this was going to slant one way or another politically. Political creatures usually take these biographies on and focus on their love or hatred for the subject.

Author, Kenneth D. Ackerman has the really Liberal credentials as a career Beltway insider. He gives us the story of Hoover right up the middle. Ackerman exposes both the genius of Hoover along with his public power abuses.

Ackerman readily concedes that Hoover may well have been acting from a sincere desire to protect America from a very real threat by the Red Menace. Hoover was obsessed with investigating not just the people he suspected of disloyalty and treason but their friends, associates and relatives too.

Hoover went after all the Leftist Sacred Cows such as Martin Luther King like an avenging angel. Of course all of Hoover’s excesses and outrageous civil rights violations never caught up with him as Hoover proved to be perhaps one of the savviest survivors in American history.

The surprise with Ken Ackerman is that he is a rare find, a true intellectually honest Liberal. He is a civil Libertarian who is not afraid of the truth.

Biographers are the trustees of characters’ reputations. Here Ackerman proved he is trustworthy. No matter how the reader feels about Hoover you have to admire Ackerman’s attention to detail, solid research and above all his objectiveness.

Ackerman sees all the same signs of Hoover’s abuses in the Patriot Act and other fallout of the post 9/11 era. History repeats itself and any real democracy is always fragile.

Terrorism is certainly nothing new in America, nor the overzealous efforts to contain it to the determent of the freedoms and liberty that make America great. The balance between liberty and security will probably never be perfect. Young J. Edgar is a must read for any student of government, history or law enforcement buffs.

I was partially through the book when, I learned that Ackerman was part of, The Los Angeles Festival of Books appearing with an absolute smorgasbord of great contemporary authors at The UCLA Campus. I couldn’t miss tracking Ackerman down for a lively and delightful half-hour interview and discussion. This is one I think my readers will enjoy.

Meeting The King Of The Choirboys In L.A.

Hanging around L.A. you never know who you will get to meet. Today it was the legendary author, Joseph Wambaugh. I would have liked to interview him but his fans were lined up for miles. Joe is an example for all cops that there is life after police work.

M-4 Carbine Authorized For Chicago Beat Cops

So says, J-Fed, Chicago’s new police superintendant. I won’t hold my breath waiting for this to really happen considering the current ammunition allotment and yearly requalification for the officer’s handgun use.

The M-4's must be purchased and some kind of qualification schedule must be implemented. Then the carbines must be distributed. Steps need to be taken to maintain control over these weapons so the local natives don’t steal them.

One thing for sure it won’t happen in time for the heat of Chicago’s summer or homicide season. This is just going to be another example of too little, too late.

Needless to say the press is already exaggerating the power and capabilities of these weapons. No folks they don’t fire magic bullets that explode in a ball of fire on impact. Chicago’s reverends will be screaming about cops being sent hunt the Black youth with weapons of war instead of hugs and free money.

Hey J-Fed! I like these too. How about getting 5000 of these babies to keep our cops safe?

You Won’t See This In The Mexican Vacation Brochure

How about a trip to the lovely town of Tijuana? Our Mexican Neighbors will welcome us with open arms in a laid back paradise. Yeah, right!

Let this article help you decide just where to find your very own place in the Sun!

Suspected Vigilante Arrested By Phoenix Police

Terrell Andy Moore, 28 faces two counts of aggravated assault and a single count of unlawfully discharging a firearm.

Police say Moore heard his car alarm go off, investigated and saw damage from a break in attempt as the suspect who is now a, “victim”, Jason Rhymes-Taylor, 29, walking away from the home near Union Hills and 31st Drive.

Police said the victim fled to a getaway pickup truck containing two passengers and a vehicle chase began as Moore jumped into his own car. After approximately a one mile chase, Moore allegedly opened fire on Rhymes-Taylor.

Both Moore and Rhymes-Taylor went to their homes. Family members took Rhymes-Taylor to the hospital and a police investigation was undertaken.

Rhymes-Taylor suffered two minor gunshot wounds, was treated and released from the hospital.

Police quickly ruled out self-defense because they are convinced that Rhymes-Taylor was unarmed and merely fleeing from Moore.

I’m waiting to hear the other side of this story since Rhymes-Taylor went home he certainly had time to discard any weapons he may have used or possessed.

Chasing auto thieves is perfectly legal although generally a terrible idea as is shooting car-to-car on city streets.

Arizona has really draconian penalties for these kinds of cases and so far Moore faces more than 30 years in prison.

As for the suspected auto thief, he got a free ride and won’t face any charges.

A jury will decide whether excessive force was used by Moore unless he accepts a plea agreement. Maricopa County prosecutors will never accept any plea deals with less than five years behind bars in such a case.

Even if Moore is later cleared his life will be forever changed.

Read my long time friend Arizona Republic reporter Brent Whiting’s story here.

It’s The Culture And Your Gun Laws Stupid!

Chicago’s most recent spike in violence is a 100% African American problem. Their culture is beyond defective. Black on Black crime is a way of life wherever and whenever school work, productivity and good behavior take a back seat to gangs, drugs, hip-hop and killing.

Thankfully not every Chicago African-American subscribes to the criminal Black culture. They have to cope and try and protect themselves with nothing because they won’t violate Chicago’s gun ban. Instead they avoid seeing, hearing or speaking about what goes on around them. Cooperation with police here spells death and the local cowards know the good folks are unarmed an unable to resist attack.

Chicago’s officials claim they want and need cooperation. To get that cooperation they have to allow and train and encourage people to protect themselves with firearms. The criminal element does not deserve the protection Chicago’s politicians provide to thugs through gun bans.

Here is a report from CNN. As usual they call the 19 year-old gang-bangers children, Listen to Barak Obama stutter his way around this story remembering only too well that attacking gun rights cost him votes.

Let’s Go For a fabulous short Hike!

Okay we need to take a break from war, shootings, politics and our economy, on this blog.

On any given glorious day going for a walk is fun. Add to it breathtaking scenery and it makes you want to bring your video camera.

In Spain there is El camino del Rey’s famous walkway . You have to see this to believe it! Be sure to hold that camera with both hands as you walk so you don’t drop it.