We’ve spent hundreds of billions of tax dollars and incarcerated millions of Americans over this natural weed. Not only is this the number one cash crop but it also provides untold jobs for law enforcement, court workers, and a huge number of government contractors. Let us not forget paid government snitches. The drug war has become a joke as millions of illegal aliens are drawn to this country to earn a living in the drug underworld. Have people stopped using marijuana because it’s against the law? How can America’s politicians be so dumb as to believe the drug prohibitions do anything but increase profits of criminals? I hate drug abuse but have learned long ago the Drug War is worse then the drugs themselves. The take for the Marijuana industry alone is $35 billion a year.

The deal was simple bring in a gun and leave with a card worth $50.00 0r $100.00 cash with no questions asked. If you have a shotgun and first saw the barrel short and you could get paid double! Last week, bureaucrats and various do-good organizations handed your hard earned tax money over to local thieves and burglars. It cost taxpayers well over $60K for 1200 guns. Most of the guns turned in were old and of questionable serviceability. A few of the guns are rare collector’s items suitable for museums but unless these surrendered guns are stolen along the way they will be destroyed. That’s happened in the past with thousands of guns entrusted to Chicago officials such as, General Francis P. Kane who later resold the guns to gang members and was never prosecuted. This cash burning silliness will only cause the void in the marketplace to be replenished with the latest and greatest firearms made. I wonder who may have been murdered so some criminal could steal their guns in order to p...

Perhaps I am! In the late 60’s a song hit the charts that has ever since been sung by loads of singers of every description. Never once was I lucky enough to see the original artist, Bob Lind sing his great hit, Elusive Butterfly . Originally this song was recorded with an orchestra complete with violins. Here is Bob Lind alone outdoors with only a guitar and his voice in more recent times. Here is another real treat! Here he is as a kid doing the song!

Okay my life has taken unusual turns. I can’t truthfully say what I’ll be doing from one moment to the next. I’ve never been one to like the routine. Not long ago I was lucky enough to get some voice coaching from a good friend who is a real pro that just happens to be an Emmy Award winning singer, writer and producer. This lady, Sue Ann Pinner prepared me for a musical theater production. Sue Ann had already released four CD’s with her remarkable voice that have sold internationally. During a short break from the lesson Sue Ann played a melody she wrote on her piano. It was a magical melody that had no companion lyrics. Suddenly I had an Illumination! Yep, I saw the light! Until this very moment nobody has written a song about the remarkable life of a great man who recently passed away. I went on a quest to research the man’s life beyond what I already knew. I’m a fan of story songs such as Marty Robbins’, El Paso, Jimmy Dean’s, Big Bad John and Gordon Lightfoot's, E...

It’s The Journal News, and it placed on line for worldwide viewing the entire pistol permit database providing full names and zip codes of every pistol owner in Westchester and Rockland New York. In America you have a right to keep and carry a gun. Some believe you also have a right to privacy. It’s outrageous that citizens are forced to get a license to exercise their right to possess a gun and then have their privacy invaded and lives placed in danger by both government and some local rag as a result. The publication of the list of gun owners now provides every contract killer, home invader and burglar with this sensitive information. It was a horrible thing to do under the color of journalistic work product. Publishing the list just because it's there and a public record, does not make this somehow acceptable or reasonable. Of course I can see additional harm where paranoid local employers abuse the list to avoid hiring or promoting gun owners. One can only guess what othe...

Time recognized the creators and consumers of the new Internet media free for all as the Person Of The Year. That’s the millions of people writing, filming, watching and reading blogs, vlogs and Youtube. The new technology has revolutionized the way we get and share our information, performances and thoughts. The question is not if but when government reglates and taxes this to death?

I’m not sure where this one came from but it’s described on Youtube as, “Two young recruits from the Swedish police academy spend a few weeks with members of the Chicago’s police department. Only trailer.”

In mid October I was treated to a screening of the Clint Eastwood, Steven Speilberg first offering, Flags of Our Fathers . I had no clue they made a second film to tell the other side of this story. Today I saw this screening in Hollywood. In every war as the bodies of the dead are collected it’s those personal effects found that tell the story behind the life that was snuffed out by the horrors of combat. They are the photographs of the families and those heartbreaking letters. War is dehumanizing and too often motions pictures never show the other side of the conflict. The World War II films from Hollywood used ethnic slurs like kraut or Jap to describe hateful and faceless enemy soldiers. The truth is that it’s always the conscripts who fight to maintain their way of life in their own country. These lads are sent fight all wars started by politicians and dictators. For the Japanese soldiers there was no glory in their shameful defeat. Unimaginable hardship, fear and loneliness...

Wealth and power are the most reliable aphrodisiacs that attract women. Such may be the case at the LAPD where a sex sandal is rocking the department these days. I’m not passing judgment on the allegations involved but this may give new meaning to "Oral Boards". This is an incredibly timeless story where only the names and dates change. Here is a link to this sordid tale that’s winding its way through the courts in Los Angeles.

It was a year ago today that I suffered a profound hearing loss and inability to do many of the things I normally do everyday. I was picked for an acting role of a recurring character in a primetime TV series after an audition and two callbacks. Just a few days later, I was out of the makeup chair and on the set. I could not hear the director or anyone else. The director quickly lost patience and I was replaced. Needless to say that has also affected much of the other work I do along the way. To keep from going nuts I began this blog turned vlog. My doctors told me that the hearing loss would be temporary and they were right. It just took a lot longer then they anticipated for me to hear again. Finally my hearing has returned nearly 90% and for that I’m grateful. This vlog has made a little lemonade out of some really sour lemons. I learned some new tricks along the way about blogging, vlogging and the related technology. I hope my difficulties have brought a little humor, e...

I received a video this morning that provides a rare exhibition of Chicago’s finest at work. This is an artsy montage of photos and video clips going as far back as the Haymarket Riot and decades later 1968 Democratic National Convention. This is a must see video I think everyone will enjoy.

We do live in a rather litigious society where sometimes allegations have process servers working overtime. The below video may be the scenario for your next hot date needed to keep you out of a courtroom.

The latest revelation in the Duke University rape case is the parade of numerous men’s DNA found in the alleged victim’s underwear that did not include any of the accused Duke lacrosse players. This crucial evidence was apparently not turned over to the defense in a timely fashion as required by long established law (Brady vs. Maryland). This is just one more in a long line of outrageous examples that showcase prosecutorial misconduct and a concerted effort to deny the defendants their fair day in court. This alone should be a enough basis to remove Nifong and his office from further control of this case. The court can appoint a special prosecutor who would have the power to reinvestigate, reevaluate and dismiss the indictment if that’s what’s warranted. Should the facts be as they appear, Nifong’s career as a lawyer should end in disbarment. The accused and their family’s money damages are increasing every day since their arrest and indictment. It’s time to cut the losses.

Again, the laws that prohibit meaningful self-defense in Chicago assisted a mass murderer. Chicago’s gun laws very effectively disarmed the law-abiding workers of a downtown law firm but did not disarm a mass killer. Chicago politicians that enacted those gun laws were willing accomplices to the actual murders. How many more law-abiding people will be forced to go unarmed to be robbed, raped or murdered in cities where the predators have all manner of deadly weapons? The decades old experiment in gun control has failed because it’s simply unworkable. Gun laws only have meaning for the law-abiding that prefer to obey the law. As for violent criminals these gun laws have no meaning whatsoever. Guns save lives and that’s exactly why we train and arm our cops with them. In modern times all but a tiny handful of states have allowed the law-abiding the right to carry firearms for legitimate self-defense. Illinois, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia still have absolute bans and pr...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid netted nearly half of all employees of this long established meatpacking company plants in six states. These arrests were not made for being in this country illegally but for crimes associated with Identity Theft designed to fool Swift & Co. into hiring them. The financial damage to Swift & Co. will be huge as they scramble to replace their workers. The upside is that there are now a lot of job openings that can be filled by unemployed and under employed American and legal resident workers who need and deserve them. I hope that the other American companies that have been hiring illegal aliens get the message they have to do a lot more than wink at the bogus documents presented by their job applicants or face this kind of business interruption and financial loss. These, immigrant, identity thieves deserve some jail time before they are returned to their native countries. Just ask the opinions of those people trying to buy home and c...

I knew the reality TV show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition had pulled out all the stops to make a new wheelchair friendly house for the paralyzed LAPD hero, Kristina Ripatti. This beautiful young wife and mom was trapped in a small home that prevented her from doing those special things moms want and need to do. This was an excellent opportunity for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to make some fantastic television, of course with the hearts, minds and talents of builders, fellow cops, firemen and lots of just plain folks. They did a two-hour special show that was terrific. I knew this sweet but sad story would make any grown man cry. I also knew that there was a special screening with the guests of honor at an overflowing Torrance church that I could have attended as a journalist. I just could not deal with the emotional side of this story so I chose not to attend and instead experience the show at home. This fantastic act of kindness is merely a jump-start for this young family to d...

African-Americans have long standing problems in American. Too many African-Americans are born into sub-standard education, poverty, crime and drug abuse. In addition, African-Americans are over-represented in our jails, prisons or on parole and probation. African-Americans are truly second-class citizens who are now forced by a majority of our politicians and the Congressional Black Caucus to compete for jobs, medical care and other entitlements with 20 million illegal alien invaders who are voraciously looting our country and assets. The most vulnerable African-Americans are the law-abiding ones who are forced by circumstances to live in the highest crime neighborhoods in America. They are victims of burglary, robbery, extortion, sexual assault and murder. In the large cities like New York, Chicago and the District of Columbia self-defense handguns are banned setting these citizens up for the easy victimization and all of its related suffering. Of course the violent criminals i...

One of the things I love about my vlog is that I can provide whatever content that I feel like. Today I received this clip e-mailed to me by a retired Chicago burglary sergeant from the old Area Six (Thanks Jim!). Sit back and enjoy the next couple of minutes with Bianca Ryan. div> Amazing 11 year old!!!

There are two sides to the gun argument. There is no middle ground on this volatile issue nor should there be. Of course there are those that say they believe in gun rights but support “reasonable regulation”. Those are the same “reasonable regulations” that are painstakingly obeyed by the law abiding and ignored by criminals. Gun laws always work on the law-abiding. Gun laws cannot reduce violent crime since criminals don’t care about laws or right and wrong. Gun laws do help violent criminals avoid capture or injury while they victimize others. Gun control brings false promises as it actually makes our world a more dangerous place. Gun and gun rights haters have been raised on the religion that demonized guns. These folks have been told that, “Guns serve just one purpose, killing!” On first blush this seems to make sense until you take the time to investigate the truth. The reality is that guns save lives by deterring violent criminals. The human survival instinct keeps vi...

I could not pass on this one! It seems as though this respected Arizona police agency has gone out of their way to conform to absolute political correctness. An officer recently let two minor littering suspects Rap their way out of a citation. Okay, I laughed and won’t apologize for that. I can’t help but put myself in the litterbug’s shoes. Getting out of a court appearance and fine is always a gift. This one was novel. The incident was taped and broadcast on a local cable access TV show, called, Tempe Streetbeat and some overly sensitive Black viewers complained. The segment in question showed Sergeant Chuck Schoville made a street stop and after ID checks invited the two lads to perform a Rap about the dangers of littering. The two offenders quickly rapped their way to freedom and they all had a good laugh. All laughed but NAACP who was demanding action from the Police chief. As for the young rappers, I suspect that California lawyer Gloria Alred is got her investigators...