LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

It's been well over 40 years since America's favorite President, Richard Nixon declared his "War On Drugs". As you can see outside your window, the decades long struggle to penalize the masses for using illegal substances has been a success. 
OK so you know I'm kidding. 
 
We, the American taxpayer, have spent over a Trillion dollars and have incarcerated millions of people for drug infractions. Money and energy that could have been better spent on recovery programs from coast to coast with most of the allotted funds available for domestic infrastructure and healthcare.
 

 
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced legislation last Thursday to end the federal ban on marijuana and let the states decide how to manage it.
 

“The legislation would limit the federal government’s role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or inter-state smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal,” according to the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for pot legalization. 
 

Congressman Frank said the goal of the bill, HR 2306, is not to legalize marijuana but to remove it from the list of federally controlled substances while allowing states to decide how they will regulate it.
Quoted in the LA Times, he said: "I do not advocate urging people to smoke marijuana. Neither do I urge them to drink alcoholic beverages or smoke tobacco. But in none of these cases do I think prohibition enforced by criminal sanctions is good public policy."
 
He then added: "Criminally prosecuting adults for making the choice to smoke marijuana is a waste of law enforcement resources and an intrusion on personal freedom." I guess it would be hard to tell Barney Frank from Ron Paul on this subject, so it's not such a shock to see both sponsoring this bill.
 
Other than our own Maurice Hinchey calling for the complete legalization of Marijuana and getting little support, this is the first time the effort has been bi-partisan and achieved any publicity. 

 
More than a dozen states allow the sale of medical marijuana, but the practice is not legal under federal law so there are messy clashes within divisions of law enforcement. In the middle of all of this is a coalition of officers called LEAP. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. You can find more on them by going to www.leap.cc 
 
Several months ago, President Obama was asked in an interview about this same subject. That video is below:




Last week, to commemorate the anniversary, a group of former law enforcement officials unveiled a new report detailing the failures of the government's long battle against illegal drugs and denounces the Obama administration's current drug policies.
 
When we consider the amount of money American taxpayers spend to continue this failed policy, our ability to complain about many of the other expenditures diminishes greatly. Our own county corrections employees admit putting our resources to better use would change the quality of life throughout the Hudson Valley region. Might even change the gang landscape in the Newburgh area. But until something happens on the federal level and the state of New York follows with drastic changes to drug policy, we stand no chance.

DRUG TESTING FOR SNAP BENEFITS?

The Huffington Post has an article about the recent Kentucky proposal to do random drug testing. Drug testing on those participating in the SNAP program. 

If you receive Welfare, Medicaid or food assistance (SNAP), you would be subject to random testing. This would indicate whether you were using the system to fund your habit on the backs of the taxpayer. The same taxpayer that funds the very police department burdened with your illegal activities.

This bi-partisan bill was introduced by Kentucky state Rep. Lonnie Napier who told HuffPost would "get people off drugs" and save money for the state. I'll tell you this conversation has happened everywhere people gather to discuss our municipal budgets. 
To hear about someone actually bringing this to the floor somewhere intrigues me. I'm going to be paying close attention to this one.

Napier quoted in HuffPost: "I believe there is a place for public assistance for those that really need it, but I don't think there should be public assistance for those using it to buy drugs. It's widely known here and all over the country that they'll take the food-stamp card and buy good groceries with it, and then swap them for illegal drugs. My deal would only be random testing, and this would put the fear in people to keep them drug-clean because they would lose their public assistance if they show up with illegal drugs in their system."

I see the bill would not alert authorities for prosecution when the results turned up positive for drugs, but the intent is to get people off drugs with the threat of losing assistance. Works for me.

It was also pointed out that Michigan did testing in three welfare offices. Out of 258 clients, 21 tested positive. Mostly pot. 
They thought the effort wasn't worth the cost, but I'd say the testing caused the clients to stop doing drugs once the law went into effect. Think of the savings in law enforcement. 
 
Napier also quoted: "I think it's time somebody stepped up to the plate and tried to help people get off of drugs. If you're continuing to let people have free handouts and they're using it for illegal drugs, then I guess we're helping them do it."

Considering the recent sting in Kingston and the millions in SNAP funds that Ulster County will never get back, this might be a worthy discussion locally.

NATIONAL DNA DATA COLLECTION

Earlier this week, Chuck Schumer made that announcement that he would introduce legislation that would mandate DNA testing and storage of that information for all persons charged with a serious offence.  

Our state is way behind on this issue. How it is that 23 other states have such a DATA base and the Empire State doesn't, escapes me. New York State has it's fair share of violent crime, so let's not kid ourselves. I suggest the state to, not only join the rest of the DNA network, but have the federal government mandate this system across the nation.

I personally don't see collecting DNA as some kind of personal rights violation, as some would suggest. Some have stated that the cost to our law enforcement system would be daunting. Schumer's plan would provide money to get states to use tools that could tie violent criminals to past crimes in which their involvement went undetected.

At a press conference in Syracuse, Senator Schumer said "Providing police officers and district attorneys access to a DNA database is like turning on a light switch. Much more is illuminated."

He continued: "Our bill would provide financial incentives for states to set up these databases. It will not only put criminals behind bars, but it will also save money. DNA is far more accurate and when our police and our detectives and our DAs have it at their fingertips, they can solve crime more quickly."

In the county's Government Operations & Efficiency Committee, we are set with the task of reviewing mandates that the State and Fed place on the local municipalities. This would no doubt affect the Sheriff's Department here in Ulster. Funding is always the issue and with this case, if our Senator can get the cost of DATA collection and maintenance covered financially, I don't see where the GOE would have any problems.

PICK & CHOSE WHICH LAWS TO ENFORCE

The New York Times had this in their recent edition regarding the California Prop 19 vote:

Attorney General Eric Holder says the federal government will enforce its marijuana laws in California even if voters next month make the state the first in the nation to legalize the drug. 

The Justice Department strongly opposes California's Proposition 19 and remains firmly committed to enforcing the federal Controlled Substances Act in all states, Holder wrote in a letter to former chiefs of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter, dated Wednesday.

"We will vigorously enforce the CSA against those individuals and organizations that possess, manufacture or distribute marijuana for recreational use, even if such activities are permitted under state law," Holder wrote. 

So we are to understand that the Federal Government is prepared to enforce their Federal Laws in California if the state decides not to, at the same time the Federal Government blocks Arizona Law Enforcement when that state decides to enforce the Federal Laws for them?

Just checkin.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: ARIZONA

Judge Susan Bolton is wrong.

What the federal court has done in the ruling this Wednesday, is allow the federal government to continue doing as little as humanly possible to enforce our Immigration laws.

There are times when I scratch my head and ask, why do my brothers and sisters on the left, not see the damage afflicted to the U. S. by the continued drug and human trafficking that the Federal government seems to care less about. This would be the government that was controlled by both parties in the House and Senate and under Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and now Obama.

To me, it's very simple. People come to this country to seek a better life, support their families and reach for the American dream. Here's the catch...WE want you to do it legally. Yeah, I know...too much to ask.

Thousands of new residents come here from other countries annually through the proper channels. They are subjected to Criminal and Medical Checks, Pay serious fees and succumb to random, and often invasive, home inspections while enduring the process. Many would like a simpler process but for the ultimate privilege of becoming a US citizen, they put up with it.

Not so for 12 - 20 million illegal immigrants. (Estimates vary when they either include overstays or not) There are plenty of people here in the US that simply didn't bother to check in when they entered the country. People who are unknown to our government. When I say unknown, I mean we don't know their criminal or medical history.

I know, the Amnesty/Open Borders advocates will surely beat me up for even pointing these facts out, but those are the facts. It's tough to "refudiate" them.

As for the Arizona law, there's still plenty left in the legislation that supporters are cheering. Arizona will be able to block state officials from so-called "sanctuary city" policies limiting enforcement of federal law; require that state officials work with federal officials on illegal immigration; allow civil suits over sanctuary cities; and to make it a crime to pick up day laborers.

Something the Judge failed to address when she was giving the green light to Coyotes south of the border. Striking down these "sanctuary city" policies has always been the No. 1 priority during this whole process.

Just the idea that the local municipalities will no-longer be able to block state agencies from enforcing immigration laws within their borders is a serious triumph to law enforcement. No matter where the issue ends up during the appeal process, Arizona will have some additional tools to work with.

Sheriff Arpaio, one of the more vocal advocates for real border security, indicated that the ruling by Judge Bolton merely lifts the mandatory requirement that officers ask for residency papers during an arrest. It doesn't prohibit officers from asking. What he told viewers on CNN is he would like those who broke the law to spend some time in jail before handing them over to ICE. That way they would experience some kind of penalty for the crime rather than a pampered bus trip back to Durango.

This whole set of events has also highlighted that our Federal Government has failed us on the immigration issue. There are many laws on the books pertaining to legal status already. Most resemble what Arizona was attempting to do through their own resources. But the desire to pander and mince words on the campaign trail has lead our Federal leadership to give a one finger salute to our border patrol and local law enforcement. That goes for all 50 states.

Judge Susan Bolton is wrong on the issue of State's rights and the protection of it's citizens and I look forward to the Supreme Court's handling of this case.

MANSLAUGHTER FOR DRUG DEALERS

This just in from the New York Senate wire:

The Senate Democratic Majority passed legislation (S6418A) sponsored by Senator Craig Johnson (D-Nassau) which toughens existing laws to make it so a person who sells a controlled substance that causes a death would be charged with manslaughter.

This legislation is part of a comprehensive effort to combat drug abuse. Along with other measures that focus on prevention efforts, this legislation targets those who exploit drug addiction for their own profit and holds them accountable when others die because of their actions.

Under current law, a dealer cannot be charged in relation to a heroin user’s death unless the dealer is physically involved in the injection of the drug. Under the proposed legislation, the statute for Manslaughter in the Second Degree would be amended to include anyone age 18 and older, and with a prior drug conviction, who knowingly sells a controlled substance to another person that is consumed by such person or another person and such controlled substance contributes to the death of such person or other person.

Senator Johnson said, “A gravely serious heroin epidemic is gripping Long Island's youth and those who sell death to our children must be held accountable. This legislation will give prosecutors one more tool to protect our communities and safeguard our future.”

Senator Darrel J. Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent) said, “Drug use among teens has become a real problem throughout the state and certainly in the North Country. While our focus must be keeping kids away from drugs, that includes keeping them out of reach from drug dealers.”

Senator Brian X. Foley (D-Blue Point) said, “As communities across Long Island struggle to combat the increased flow of heroin and other illegal drugs into our neighborhoods, we must protect our children and families. This legislation sends a clear signal to drug dealers that we will not allow them to declare open season on our youth."

Senate Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson said, “We must give law enforcement the tools it needs to stop the deadly sale of drugs to our children. From one parent to another, I commend Senator Johnson for his efforts to keep our streets safe and our children secure from drug dealers.”


For more information: http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6418A

FEMALE DOC INVENTS CONDOM WITH TEETH

With all the focus on South Africa during the World Cup, we get all wrapped up in the games and the team rivalry. What goes unreported during such international events like World Cup and the Olympics, is the increase in the sex trades around the featured cities.

This year is no different except that the poorest of the poor are in higher concentration in South Africa. What's more is the incidence of rape is multiplied during the games in a country with the highest occurrence of rape globally. This is why Dr. Sonnet Ehlers is distributing the female condoms with teeth in various South African cities where the games are taking place.

How do you like the looks of that thing? The woman inserts the latex condom like a tampon. Jagged rows of teeth-like hooks line its inside and attach on what shouldn't be there. Now I know this sounds like the screenplay of a horrible B movie, but if you're living in an underdeveloped country where authorities tend to assume you deserved the treatment you got, you'd think about getting a few of these.

Now, you're thinking, what good will this do? He's liable to kill the victim once the deed is done. Well, thats usually the outcome of half tha rapes in countries like South Africa, so while the rapist is jumping around the sidewalk with a plastic monster attached to his Johnson, she will have the chance to escape.

Dr Ehlers was quoted on Roland Martin's Blog: "Once it lodges, only a doctor can remove it. It really hurts and he cannot pee or walk when it’s on. If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter… however, it doesn’t break the skin, and there’s no danger of fluid exposure.”

The final outcome would be an arrest of the rapist once the medical staff removed the plastic monster. Well, one would hope.

Dr Ehlers also stated: “I believe something’s got to be done … and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman.”

STRANGULATION: NOW A FELONY

Here is news of a piece of Legislation that should never have taken this long. New York lawmakers have finally approved legislation establishing that strangulation (squeezing someone's throat or covering their nose and mouth to diminish breathing) is a new felony crime of strangulation. You may ask, why would this be addressed at this point, wasn't it always so?

Well, no. Since choking during domestic violence cases is so common it would seem logical to have it part of the assault charge. But since it isn't specifically addressed as a specific crime, attackers end up facing menacing or harassment charges instead. This is no-longer the case.

Judges throughout New York State can now use the incident and the choking of one's partner as an additional tool to better address the dangerous issue. Whether it's an act between same gender or mixed couples, the threat of domestic violence is no different and the harm one person can do to another knows no boundaries. What to do about it if it should happen can now be decided more clearly by a judge.

I find it fascinating that this type of heinous act would need to be more defined to get the attention it needs considering the damage that so many perpetrators have done to their victims for so long. Like so many other domestic issues, redefinition seems to be the trend these days and although very late, our lawmakers deserve our thanks on this one.

THEY SEE DEAD PEOPLE

Hyperspectral Imaging 101

The forensics lab may have a new tool to use next time they are searching for a missing body. I know it sounds gruesome, but the scientists from McGill University have been testing this instrument through application for a little while now.

Hyperspectral Imaging is the new buzz word in this field and it's changing how people think about graves, soil and plant growth.

As soon as there is some decay, the whole Ph changes which alters the electromagnetic spectrum, visible and infrared light from plants and surface which is measurable from instruments above the search site. Scientists are finding graves of not only 10 and 20 year old burial sites, but of ancient ones too.

So, with a little more research, I find for the first five years a decaying body inhibits plant growth due to the toxicity of the soil. Plants that grow over such recent graves don't reflect as much light in the visible and near infrared region. This is what scientists can detect using their new fangled cameras.

After five years, however, the plants growing over buried body suddenly reflect about twice as much light instead of absorbing light. Although the naked eye cant tell, the hyperspectral camera is programmed to do just that. It takes about five years for a buried body to become fertilizer.

This technology is expected to help in discovering mass graves in areas where countries suffered decades of internal bloodshed and the victims were buried in unmarked mass graves. Do Bosnia and Rwanda come to mind?

Its not too wild to think that this could also help during archaeological dig sites, such as the recent Native American discovery at the future Millens Scrap Yard on Rt 32 in Ulster, NY. But whether we get to see this technology in action in our area or not, it should be available enough to give perpetrators of such heinous crimes less opportunity to hide their evidence.

CONTROL & TAX CANNABIS: NOV BALLOT

I just had to post this AP story from March 24th:

Law Enforcement Leaders Announce Support

Sacramento, CA – The California Secretary of State today announced that the Initiative to Control and Tax cannabis has qualified for the November ballot. Reflecting the Initiative’s broad and diverse support, the Secretary of State revealed that vastly more than enough signatures were submitted from voters from across the state in near-record time.

The news was hailed by a number of veteran law enforcement officials across California. “As a retired Orange County Judge, I’ve been on the front lines of the drug war for three decades, and I know from experience that the current approach is simply not working,” said Retired Superior Court Judge James P. Gray. “Controlling marijuana with regulations similar to those currently in place for alcohol will put street drug dealers and organized crime out of business.”

“The Control and Tax Initiative is a welcome change for law enforcement in California,” said Kyle Kazan, a retired Torrance Police Officer. “It will allow police to get back to work fighting violent crime.”

Jeffrey Studdard, a former Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff, emphasized the significant controls created by the Control and Tax Initiative to safely and responsibly regulate cannabis. “The initiative will toughen penalties for providing marijuana to minors, ban possession at schools and prohibit public consumption,” Studdard said.

For more on the public safety benefits of the Initiative, please see http://www.taxcannabis.org/index.php/pages/public-safety-benefits-fact-sheet

Similar to the current regulation of alcohol and tobacco, the Initiative will give local governments the ability to control and tax the sale of small amounts of cannabis to adults age 21 and older. The Initiative includes significant safeguards and controls: it will increase the penalty for providing marijuana to a minor, expressly prohibit the consumption of marijuana in public, forbid smoking marijuana while minors are present, and ban possession on school grounds.

http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/initiatives/pdfs/i821_initiative_09-0024_amdt_1-s.pdf

Studies by the Board of Equalization and the Legislative Analyst Office show that the Initiative will generate billions of dollars in revenue to fund schools and public safety. Several recent polls have shown the Initiative has the support of a majority of California voters.

California’s tax regulator, the Board of Equalization, which currently collects alcohol and tobacco taxes, estimates that cannabis taxes could generate $1.4 billion in revenue each year, available to fund schools, law enforcement, and other critical needs.

www.boe.ca.gov/legdiv/pdf/ab0390-1dw.pdf

The California Legislative Analyst’s Office, which provides nonpartisan fiscal and policy advice, states that in addition to generating new tax revenue, the Initiative would allow correctional and law enforcement resources to be redirected to more pressing needs. The LAO says that in addition to generating “a few hundred millions of dollars annually” it could also save “several tens of millions of dollars annually” and permit the “redirection of court and law enforcement resources.”

http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/090485.aspx

For more on the fiscal benefits of the Initiative, please see:
http://www.taxcannabis.org/index.php/pages/fiscal-benefits-fact-sheet

Multiple polls show that a majority of California voters support controlling and taxing cannabis. California’s widely-respected Field Poll revealed that 56% of voters support the Initiative.

http://field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2306.pdf

MORE PRESSURE ON PATERSON?

You all may remember an article I did last year about Paterson appointing Harry Corbitt to superintendent of the State Police. Remember all the comments about what a terrific choice he was? Well, he may still be a terrific cop and has my utmost respect for all he's done in the past, but his long history of serving the State of New York is over.
Corbitt, has acknowledged only a week ago, that a state police official had contacted the woman who accused Paterson's aide, David Johnson, of assaulting her last fall. Soon after, the woman dropped complaint. According to AP reports, Corbitt has expressed discomfort with the pressures of being involved in the developing story and has decided to leave office.

I eluded to the possibility that the Governor's troubles may not be over yet in an earlier post. According to the News 9 transcript that I found, Corbitt's boss, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Denise O'Donnell, resigned a week ago, saying direct contact by the governor and troopers with the woman was "unacceptable" regardless of their intent.

If this thing gets any deeper, Paterson may follow the footsteps of his predecessor and leave us with Governor Ravitch like I predicted. Does this seem like one of those slow motion car accidents that you just helplessly watch as it happens? It's remarkable.

GANG SCUM IN KINGSTON

When criminals decide to attack each other in our neighborhoods, everyone suffers. What happened Wednesday on Cedar Street should have been in a TV drama only. With one young man dead, four in custody and another on the run, you'd think we were living in the Bronx. Well, surprize! You're in Kingston.

Problem is, you cant make this a case of failure on the Police force, the Administration or the neighbors. I wish it were that simple. You see, scum like this live in cities, small towns and rural homes across the state. Gangs thrive during times of severe hardship, and this is definitely a time of hardship.

The victim, Charles King of Henry Street, was no angel himself. Guns, drugs, violence and prostitution are a fact of life for many in our urban stressed neighborhoods, however, an execution of this sort has no place in our city.

The Freeman and Record have done a good job of reporting the details of the murder, but the citizens of Kingston have to figure out what more we can do to discourage the gang mentality of our local youth. Because URGENT has it's limits and the taxpayers scream that they can no-longer afford to fund additional law enforcement or intervention services. So what do we do? Fingerprint everyone who enters the city? Hell, we cant even deal with the undocumented residents in our multi-family dwellings.

Two of the three youth involved in the murder, were from our midtown west area. If convicted, they'll have their whole lives thrown away as a result of getting involved with gangs and their dealings. What a waste. And where the frak are their parents?

There are numerous accounts of local residents claiming they see illegal actions occur on the streets infront of their homes daily, but wont report the actions because of retaliation. Will this spur more action from the residents or push them to ignore the issue even further? I'm just saying, this retaliatory hit on the streets of Kingston will have more of an affect on our quality of life than you may initially expect.

My thanks goes to KPD, UC Sheriff, URGENT and the District Attorney for swift action in these tough times. Now how can we insure that this wont happen again?

LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE

Tuesday evening, I had the privilege of sitting in on the Law Enforcement Committee as they reviewed much of what the departments had ahead of them in the near future.

One serious issue was the procurement of additional vehicles. with an average of 120-140 miles on the cars in service, the 6 month long process for ordering new cars puts the mileage and maintenance well past the effective level. Having been schooled well by Kingston Police Chief Keller and officer Tinti on the value of scheduled car replacement, I fully understood where the Sheriffs department was coming from.

We also got to look over the funding roll-over from 2009 for the Operation Impact line at the request of UCDA Holley Carnright. With an annual budget of over $200K, with the annual budget cycle ending in June, the program focuses on the inter municipal criminal activity connected to drugs & gangs.

We were strong supporters of Operation Impact while I was on the Council and will continue my support while on the Legislature. The amounts shifted to the 2010 spending cycle amount to less than $10 grand and looks to be gleefully accepted by the committee.

The Committee also reviewed and supports the continuation of the NYS Emergency Management communications program which, by the description I heard, has been working quite efficiently since 2007. Another easy endorsement.

Final assessment: I was quite impressed with the laundry list of enforcement departments that Chairman Hayes had visited in this new leadership position. His background in this area surely helps in his navigation of the issues. Well done Jack.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE COUNCIL

This Wednesday afternoon, I had the opportunity to attend the monthly meeting of the Criminal Justice Council held in the County building. The group, like many of the committees and commissions across the county are getting their leadership and missions in order after another change in the Legislature.

I attended for the purpose of witnessing the functions of yet another think tank. This one is no joke. By the end of the two hour session, I was convinced that I would like to be a regular member.

Membership includes personnel from Probation, Law enforcement, and DSS as well as UCCC, DA's Office, city & county court and the Public Defender's office. The members of the Legislature who joined me, Carl Belfiglo and Jack Hayes, are just as enthused to see what they can do to affect change in Ulster County and the trend in recidivism and cost of Law Enforcement.

Preliminary discussions to get us up-to-speed included a run down on how the courts handle cases, judges discretionary dictates in people moving, the unfunded mandates in DNA and information collection as well as the re-entry programs and the diminished funds in which to operate them.

When reviewing stats on the cost of incarcerated and space, I asked if they could elaborate on what percent of the inmates were illegal immigrants that could be handed over to the Federal facility in Orange County. They said, all instances of illegals that get this far are automatically transferred to INS, however, local law enforcement would have to want to pursue federal law enforcement as the minor infractions occur in their townships. They are primarily slack in this area, so there is limited incarceration costs for the county.

It was noted that the change in the Roc Drug Laws has pushed the case load for probation to a new level since the sentences are less related to jail time.

We also heard about the drastic up-tic in costs to cover the court assigned counsel, since the trend is to have single representation for each defender, as if these lawyers couldn't handle more than one case at a time. What gives?

I hope to secure a space on this Council to aid in the continued transition that most members feel is slow moving. There are decades of non-attention to these matters that only a few years ago warranted the formation of this think tank. I think it's marvellous. Lets make something happen.

I.C.E. ON THE JOB AT STUART AIRPORT

The Workers’ Rights Law Center, based in Kingston, has “strongly condemned” last week’s arrests of a dozen illegal immigrants who worked for Empire Warehouse Solutions at Stewart International Airport.

OK, let me digest this. They were happy that illegal immigrants were given working papers, forged Federal documentation, held false Social Security Cards and performed jobs in a secure facility that other properly documented immigrants could have done?

So, let think on this. People from around the world are willing to pay big money, suffer through the gruelling process of emigrating to the U.S., have their contacts, family and housing situation inspected, and criminal/health history studied for years to have the privilege of living in this country. [can you blame them] And yet, those that commit this forgery of identification and take jobs from other legal immigrants are coddled by who?

The suspects were arraigned on charges of falsifying business records and were sent to the Orange County Jail. Most were being held for deportation to their home countries. Authorities said the investigation was initiated by an airport employee who questioned suspicious documents that were presented to him.

Did anyone notice the line in the Freeman article that: All 12 suspects underwent Transportation Security Administration background checks before being hired. An employee that wasn't really looking for these details found the false documents to look suspicious, and the TSA let them pass? Amazing.

Either Empire Warehouse Solutions ability to assess the authenticity of documents is outdated and flawed or they chose to ignore the obvious and let applicants work without proper documentation. Which is it? Whatever the answer...I think we have a problem here.

DEFENSIVE HOLIDAY DRIVING

This past Tuesday evening, while on my way home from work in Blue Mountain, I happened upon a traffic accident. It was a small blue pick-up truck driven by Robert Knisell and he had plowed down a row of mailboxes about 300 feet before reaching Rt 212.

Having just seen evidence of his prior off-road excursion about a mile behind us, I knew it was the same driver, and immediately pulled across from his landing sight. Joined by the neighboring business owner Kathy Guerin, we approached the driver.

As you'd expect, he stumbled out of the demolished truck like a scene from Duddly Moore's movie Arthur. My concern for his vehicle and the property he damaged vanished as I was now angry at the possible loss of life and limb he really could have caused.

The Saugerties police Dept showed up quite quickly and charged him with DWI and some traffic infractions. Mr Knisell told us he had just left the cemetery up the mountain after visiting his newly deceased wife and found himself emotionally distraught. Well, had he hit another car or reached his final perch while the school bus was letting students off, he would have placed another couple of families in the same heartbroken situation.

This incident gives me the opportunity to remind everyone that there is no good time to drive buzzed, drunk, drugged, or even preoccupied with phones, screaming kids and applying make-up. Pay attention to the road, watch out for other drivers and lets make it through this happy holiday season together unharmed.

MORE ON CITY BUDGET 2010: KPD

As many of you are aware, off-duty police officers, their families and friends are as the Freeman puts it, "fanning out across the city." They are armed with petitions that object to the proposed lay-offs in their department.

I understand that hundreds have already signed the petitions and hundreds more are expected to. Feel free to add your signature to mine when they greet you at your door. As tough as this budget is, I know the importance of a police presence in a city like ours.

I had the distinct joy of visiting the city of Newburgh a few days ago to help my brother. I walked around the lower Broadway area by their DMV building in the safety of daylight. The Newburgh Council is laying off dozens of police officers in a town over-run with crime and gang violence. It doesn't make sense.

Above is a picture of Broadway in Newburgh in the safety of daylight.

The Freeman notes: Sottile and the union have been in talks to avoid the job cuts, but so far, the issue remains unresolved. Officers in vehicles patrolling the streets is my main concern. That is where I will engage the department.

The proposed 2010 City budget will be the subject of a public hearing November 5th in the main chambers of City Hall.

Even with the layoffs, Sottile’s budget proposes to raise the city property tax rate for homeowners by nearly 10 percent. But with further explanation from Comptroller John Tuey, the actual dollar impact to the taxpayer will show a 1.5 to 4.5% increase because the overall assessment of city properties has dropped in value compared to the 2009 rates.

The assesment rate and the tax increase kick in at the same time. A 10% increase on property that is 8% lower in assessed value results in a fraction of what the initial increase in payout to the taxpayer as reported by the papers.

As promised, I will continue to pass along the details of what the council discusses. On a different note: the national unemployment rate (according to the benefit applications) is just under 10% but with a slight drop in continued collections. Odd.

INMATES SHOULD WORK FOR US

So, I'm checking out some recent articles pertaining to innovative measures to offset the never-ending cost to taxpayers, and I see this one about low risk inmates at the Pike County Jail in Pennsylvania. They pay $10 a night for room and board.

Sounds amazing doesn't it?

Those who cannot pay, may work off their bills with custodial or other tasks that can be done with a minimum of supervision. So let's think about this. Is there anything different in New York that would prohibit this program? If not, I'd like to start the research.

The article points out that motivating and supervising people who have wound up in jail will not be easy most of the time. But giving the inmates the chance to get out of the compound and work off their new housing fee might be the key to a well behaved crew.

One of the hopes embodied in our system of incarceration is that people will learn the value of work and start to understand what they need to do so they can avoid a return trip. Hell, I'm advocating for a tougher workfare system. One where you perform public service before getting a check. So of course I'd like to see the inmates working for the privilege of living off our hard won money.

Can this be done in New York State and would YOU want inmates working off the tax burden they afflict on us?

URGENT NABS TWO MORE SCUM

It's unfortunate that it takes so long to make a good case when getting scum off the streets. But if that's what it takes, I say keep up the good work.

URGENT nabbed two dealers Friday evening up in Saugerties. Confiscating over 12K of cocaine. The two are from out of the Hudson Valley; the Bronx and Schenectady. Typical right?
This trash comes into our neighborhoods, sells their death and then goes along their merry way back to their source for more. Just look at the reports in the paper, you'll see the city address listed daily.

It took several months for URGENT to buy enough to secure a watertight case against the two. How many more are still out there?
I guess it's just another example of how some of our tax dollars are actually working. And to think Newburgh is laying off half their police officers.