The Official Crimefile Review of Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino

Westwood Village, Los Angeles, CA—Okay so I’ve been a Clint Eastwood fan all the way back to those Spaghetti Westerns of the late 1960s. How can an Eastwood fan not see any film he both directs and stars in?

Gran Torino is about a retired Michigan autoworker and aging Korean War vet, Walt Kowalski who just lost his wife. He’s now finding that he has to make some serious social adjustments to today’s new society. He is about to embark on adventures we’d all like to avoid.

Kowalski’s most important prized possession is a mint condition Ford Gran Torino.

Kowalski can’t seem to connect with his two adult son’s or their families. I met Kowalski many times in this life. He’s a composite of so many older military veterans that have returned to an ungrateful nation.

Along the way Kowalski has to deal with thugs in a way that made Eastwood’s films so popular. Torino offers a lot more to than vengeance and curbside justice.

Walt Kowalski has to deal with the next door neighbors who happen to be Hmong immigrants. There are serious clashes with ethnic gangs of hood rats.

This is an actor’s film instead of something loaded with special effects and expensive sets. It gets by on high octane acting alone. I see some Academy Awards in the future for these fine stars. Ahney Her, Bee Vang and Christopher Carley who all rock as their young characters help Kowalski reestablish his relevance as a person.

This film is one of Eastwood’s finest.

Chicago Needs A Subway Vigilante Like Bernhard Goetz

Chicago, IL—In this Murder Capital there is a rash of attacks going on in the CTA Subway and elevated lines. Unarmed commuters are being terrorized by armed thugs. My question is, where’s New York's Bernie Goetz when you need him?

All Americans have the right to use deadly force to stop robbery, rape, kidnapping and serious assault that can happen on public transportation.

Why become a victim? Get a reliable, large caliber handgun, training and carry it! Why give a rat’s ass about any gun bans when the thugs don’t? More importantly shoot the bastards!

Should you shoot a thug or two leave them lay and disappear. You have a right not to talk to police and no law requires you to stay. If the cops catch up with you say nothing and ask for a lawyer. You can’t be penalized for silence and cooperation get’s you nothing but a solid case against you for carrying a gun.

At first Bernhard Goetz was only a ghost. They only had a poor artist’s rendering of him until he made contact with the police. Goetz spilled his guts and went through hell for years even though he was acquitted for assault and homicide related charges. Why put yourself through Hell when you can shut up instead?

Even in Chicago you need not surrender to crime. Fight back and win. Let the mothers of these thugs scream and whine at the loss of their darling little cowards. Let the Liberals express their shock and horror of American surviving through self-reliance and self-defense.

Justifiable use of force in defense of self or others is never a crime. Some jurisdictions use bogus laws to violate the rights of Americans to keep and carry firearms and to that I say, so what! Cowardly thugs will skip this venue in a hurry as peace, comfort and safety will replace terror abd what's wrong with that?

Obama Is An Assassination Lightening Rod.

Washington, DC—I’ve said it before that being President of the United States brings a ten percent chance of assassination with it.

Foreign operatives, the mentally disturbed and people with deep political convictions are the ones most likely to succeed in such an act.

Barack Obama is hated by millions for two reasons, the Black color of his skin and the Red color of his politics. I’ve grown up like so many Americans during the Cold War with the view that the only good Communists are dead Communists.

Like the late Martin Luther King embraced Marxism so does Obama.

I don’t have the stomach to take action until someone over-rides the Constitution threatening our freedom. History has taught us that even without such a threat there is no shortage of candidates wanting to fill the shoes of John Wilkes Booth.

The Secret Service

This organization has hundreds of agents and uniformed officers with the job of protecting the President. They know full well that the next attack on an American President may come from an unconventional and technologically advanced weapon. The days of using simple firearms for such deeds may be over.

The Secret Service has to assess every threat and deal with them. I hear the words, “credible threat” all the time and I’ll be damned if I would know one if I saw it. Every threat is credible until proven it was not a threat.

These fine men and women are sworn to uphold, defend and protect the Constitution. At what point in a President’s term do they turn on a President that threatens the American way of life?

Today we are traveling in uncharted territory with the Left leaning George W. Bush and the Liberal majority in our Congress destroying our free enterprise system.

Bailing out poorly run or corrupt banks and businesses with tax money will never work. No other solvent banks or businesses can compete with competitors getting free government money for failure.

We have the greatest challenges ahead for the American Experiment. I give neither Barack Obama nor our soon to be, former way of life much chance of survival.

Orlando SHOT SHOW Being Covered By Master Gun Scribe Frank James

Orlando, FL—No I could not attend this year’s show but Frank James is saving me from the sore feet as he and his camera are out chasing the new stuff.

He has plenty of pictures on his site right here.

Blogo Lawyer Ed Genson Walks off The Job.

Springfield, IL—In a move I predicted, lawyer, Ed Genson will wind up litigating Governor Rod Blagojevich's removal in Federal District Court rather than before the Illinois Senate. The cunning lawyer said today he'd not become part of an un-American exercize.

The heavily, Democratically controlled Senate won’t afford Blagojevich simple due process rights such as being able to subpoena witnesses and confront his accusers. They are afraid of exposing Barack Obama to revelations that would lead to his fall from Grace.

The court will have no choice but to stay any removal and order the Senate to stop violating Blagojevich’s rights. That means they will have to allow the governor his right to due process so he can raise his defense.

This strategy buys time for everyone and will also provide a more convenient time for Blagojevich to negotiate a plea agreement and resignation. That of course is exactly what Obama needs.

On a side note there is dissention within the FBI. Some Chicago field agents think that the Justice department is protecting Obama from scandal. Some have speculated on their impending transfer to the field office in Guam once Obama has got Obama hatchet man Eric Holder running the show.

US Airways Passengers Are Safe

NY,NY—In the Catholic Church there was a patron Saint of travelers. He was St. Christopher who was defrocked as a saint by the church as a myth over 20 years ago. Some Catholics still wear those medals despite the church’s demotion of Mr. Christopher.

Was it some kind of divine protection or just dumb luck that nobody died in today’s aircraft mishap?

I know there is a lot of damage. Lost data and destroyed laptops, cameras and ruined clothing. All the cargo and luggage is below the water line. It will cost a bundle to extract the plane and make it airworthy once again. But no lives were lost!

I remember a similar accident I personally witnessed from the air of a November 1968 water landing for Japan Airlines flight. I could see the passengers in little yellow life rafts around that plane in the San Francisco Bay.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The SHOT SHOW Is In Orlando, FL

Orlandao, FL—The SHOT SHOW is the largest gun related trade show in the world. This year it’s being held in gator country.

I can’t be there this year but attending and blogging every day is the prolific gun writer, Massad Ayoob. He is my eyes and ears this time and he can be yours too.

Anyone attending the show should pay a visit to the Eagle Grips booth for the world’s best gun grips.

Next year the show returns to Las Vegas and I will be there.

Read Ayoob’s blog right here!

Gun Triggers, Police Training, and That Sad BART Shooting

Oakland, CA—The New Year’s shooting that took the life of Oscar Grant was tragic for sure. I don’t buy that event as an intentional shooting.

No cop would intentionally shoot a helpless man in the back in front of scores of witnesses under the conditions made clear by the cell-phone captured videos.

Before this is over it may destroy the life of a second man, Johannes Mehserle, 27, the cop who pulled the trigger.

The duty or service weapon for BART police officers is the Sig-Saur .40 caliber semi-automatic. It has a 12 pound+ trigger pull. This is an ideal police sidearm.

What then caused the event? I won’t rule out some form of negligence but there were serious distractions that most certainly contributed to the killing.

Police officers are trained to fight off tunnel vision. That is our natural instinct to focus on what’s happening or the threat in front of us. Police are taught to pay attention to all 360 degrees around their positions.

The answer to the questions about was going through the young officer’s mind during this event has yet to be explained. Under the circumstances we cannot demand answers from this cop. He is protected by the same Bill of Rights that we fought wars to protect.

On that Oakland platform there was an angry mob taunting and making verbal threats to police simply doing their job. That crowd can take part of the blame because they distracted at least one cop and that’s all it took.

Was there something the officer saw or heard that caused him to draw the weapon that’s not visible on the videos?

Cops have to multitask under threatening conditions. They carry lots of equipment, perhaps too much equipment. They automatically extract that equipment from their uniform belts without looking. That in itself can be problematic.

Could have there been a spastic or involuntary movement of his trigger finger?

The experts will be examining this case for decades and perhaps so will our courts.

Roland Burris The Movie Star!

Chicago, IL—Most of my readers did not know our Blagoman shill, about to be sworn in as the new Illinois junior Senator was a movie star in a past life.

Ok folks! Tell me what major motion picture showed this image of Roland Burris?

Go ahead and make your guesses in the comments section and I will verify the right answer. A hint: Chicago coppers should figure this out in about 1 second.

The answer is posted with comments...

Transit Cop In Custody Charged With Murder.

Minden, NV—Bay Area Rapid Transit cop, Johannes Mehserle, 27, of Lafayette, CA surrendered here on a California arrest warrant from Alameda County, CA.

Mehserle was recorded on several cell phone video cameras shooting 22 year-old Oscar Grant who was face down in a prone position. Grant died from his wound.

The videos show Mehserle trying to put cuffs on Grant, and Grant appears to be struggling, when Mehserle suddenly pulls his service weapon from his holster and fires one shot into Grant's back.

This event polarized Oakland and has lots of very ugly anger spilling over. Small riots have broken out bringing about ove1 100 arrests in Oakland since the shooting. That anger caused Mehserle who had been getting death threats sought safety and refuge in Nevada.

The biggest question that remains unanswered if whether or not the act was deliberate or an accident. That question may be answered by a jury of Oakland residents.

Nobody said being a cop was easy.

The Lost History Of The Chicago Police Department

Click on picture to enlarge.

Chicago, IL—There is little information provided to Chicago police officers about the department and its rich history. For example many officers don’t know the names of or the philosophy of the past police superintendents and before that, police chiefs.

I’m sure in the Graphic Arts unit there are many old photographs. There are decades of old Star Magazine issues that should be digitized and made available.

If I had about a month and the full cooperation of the department I put up a historical website with the highlights of the department’s good and bad times.

I’d love nothing more than to put up the stories and pictures behind each year’s winner of the coveted Police Medal. The story of these heroes and their moments of bravery are inspiring.

Going through old Police Board files and publishing some of the more notable discipline cases would show how human failings distracted officers from their missions.

The influence of corrupt politicians has left its mark on the department. If we don’t know about the problems how do we avoid repeating the same mistakes?

The department’s crime lab has been able to solve many high profile cases. They have pictures of amazing evidence going back many decades.

The old O’Brien Street academy must have had its share of recruit's ghosts running through the boiler room at night. I bet you could also hear the ghostly screams of recruits as the bones in their wrists snapped during defensive tactics training.

I had to laugh when I got this old picture of the academy. In the picture I can see my old blue 1971 Chevy Vega. That was Motor Trend Magazine's, Car of the Yrar. I had my “get out of parking tickets” stickers from the IPA and COP on both sides of the windshield. (See lower left corner of the picture)

There must be a real history buff that will handle this important mission.

Controlling Elder Abuse At Care Homes While Providing Peace Of Mind.

PROTECTING MOM WITH THE GRANDMACAM!

We’ve all heard horror stories of the rape, beatings along with the neglect of incapacitated and elderly people confined to some care facilities. Sex offenders, sadists and other criminals sometimes find employment in these places. The victims of these kinds of crimes are too often unable to resist or even complain about that kind of treatment.

In addition to investigating abuse allegations my investigation agency has taken on care facility security audits and dealing with efforts to prevent abuse. I’d much rather make these crimes impossible than investigate them after the fact.

With technology there is a cure. People will always behave themselves if they know they are being watched. Families will never have to worry about loved ones who need protection again.

The care facilities can offer a secure video link to families that will be able to watch their loved one in real time from anywhere in the world on a computer with an Internet connection. The care givers would never know when the the patient is being watched and a backup 30 day digital recording can be saved to resolve any neglect or abuse questions.

Consent must be given by the patient or if incapacitated the guardian of the patient can give formal consent. We must abide by all federal, state and local laws. Getting laws changed in states that may preclude this would be easy because of the greater good and they would accommodate the elderly by making any needed changes.

Reputable care facilities that are proud of the services they offer will embrace this effort. The facilities will find this kind of passive surveillance will both serve as a marketing tool and protection from allegations of abuse or neglect.

The tools needed are a simple computer, internet connection, camera and necessary software.

I have already brought this service to in home applications. I’ve done it in both covert and overt settings. It’s time to bring this to care facilities.

This is also about giving peace of mind to families that their loved ones are safe and in comfortable conditions.

People desiring this type of service can contact me right here for information and costs. Paul Huebl Investigations