Religion By Rikers The Jail Jihads

Court Sketch Of Bronx Radical Muslim Terrorists

The recent arrest ’s of several  Bronx Men are examples of home grown Terrorist whose hatred of this nation (America) and Jewish Observers appears to have been cultivated and paid for by U.S. Tax Payers.   ( see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/nyregion/21arrests.html )

These men apparently indoctrinated in Radical Islamismwere intending to blow up an American Cargo Plane and bomb a synagogue are troubling reminders of  domestic  terrorism. In August of 2007 the NYPD released a detailed study of this threat. See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20278590/

It has been reported that the four men who were under observations for a year were incarcerated for past criminal offenses and converted to Islam in prison. PBS detailed the growth of radical Islam in U.S. Prisons see http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/about/show_homegrown.html

Here is the Bombshell The mosque  that these terrorist prayed in is led by Imam Salahuddin Muhammad, also an Imam in the New York Prison System See http://www.radicalislam.org/news/foiled-ny-terror-plot-%E2%80%93-sophisticated-homegrown-jihad

What Is The Role Of Religion In Prisons The ” Captive Audience ” and Separation of Church and State.

The arrests of these domestic terrorists raise fundamental constitutional questions, what role does religion play in our prisons and should we the taxpayer be footing the bill.   ( For a pedagogical discussion See http://www.intuitionondemand.com/essays/Prison_Paper.pdf )

At What Point Does Empathy  Convert to Aggressive Recruitment.

My grandfather a devout Catholic and member of the Saint Vincent De Paul Society http://www.svdpusa.org/regularlyvisited prisons where he gave out candy and cigarettes.  Was my Grandfather an ambassador of Catholic kindness or a propaganda’s of the faith and or perhaps a synergy of the two.  However he dis not communicate  radical intolerant religous beliefs hell bent on killing Americans and Jews.

It has been reported that25% of the entire inmate population at Rikers Island is Muslim or converts thereto. See http://www.library.omc.ca/mtarchives/000073.htm 

In such facilities they often demand ‘fundamental first amendment religious rights, and frequently demand special treatment and specially prepared meals. See http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=11918Prisoners  PETA brought one case demanding vegetarian meals. See http://www.forward.com/articles/7679/

Like Birds of a Feather Flock Together By Race Fostering The US vs Them.

The Jewish Anti Defamation League (http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_terr/dangerous_convictions.asp present facts that suggest prisoners tend to group together according to their race.  We all know ” you need to be protected ” in prison, so they suggest a person who is Caucasian might join the ” ayran nation” giving an illusion of  membership in Aryan ideological belief. Bottom line its easy to target and exploit prisoners who frequently and  are already outcasts with little or no employment skills upon re-entry to society.  ” the fishing for souls is good”

Are Prison Officials Properly Monitoring Religious Sermons Or Are They  Subordinating Their Duty For  Prison Tranquility?

We all know that prisoner harmony is essential as Correction Officer are outnumbered by inmates who frequently are some of the most dangerous criminal in society. But at what price

With respect to the recent arrested prisoners we know they were jailed in N.Y by Imam Muhammad and later joined his mosque, coincidence or active recruitment.  Second what kind of sermons was he teaching under the guise of religion and with the present facts it is fair to assume and infer it was ” radical Islam”. 

 Where is the government oversight regarding religious teachings in prison. Apparently None Zero, Zip.

In America you can be jailed for a “Hate Crime”  and the intent of the law is to impose a harsher sentence on those whose intent and overt conscious criminal  objective is motivated by racial, gender, ethnic, religious, and or sexual orientation.

Perhaps this law was written in the context of the Holocaust, and the shibboleth of “never again’ was taught to us all as a reminder that ‘ hate” of another person and intolerance of others is anti American. ( Bosnia, Serbia, and Rwanda remind us that memories are short.)

Today we have an important colloquy regarding “detainee prisoners” with President Obama believing that prions “foster and fester” resentment against our nation and are fundamentally against our morals.  Former Vice President Cheney suggests that supervised enhanced interrogation and closing prisons was necessary to protect Americans.

The recent arrest of ” domestic terrorist” who honed there skills in prison demonstrates the difficulty of this matter. It’s not as easy as heads or tails.

NYPD Retired Sergeant Robs Bank

Retired on A Disability Former NYPD Sergeant Feeney Commits Armed Bank Robbery

Today local news organization report that Thomas Feeney , who retired from the NYPD in 1994 on a disability pension robbed at gun point a bank in Smithtown, N.Y. See http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/20/2009-05-20_nab_retired_nypd_sarge_in_bank_heist.html and see http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-libank0520,0,3597374.story

Im sure his defense lawyer will argue that he  suffers from Declining Retiree Pension Syndrome.  This a-hole is a disgrace and should be put in jail for 8 years minimum.  The nerve of a man on a pension who worked as a cop to put a loaded gun in the face of a hard working bank teller.  He is scum pure and simple

As you can see Mr. Feeney’s alleged disability did not prevent him from eating well, and dressing like a teenager in his over-sized jersey.  I guarantee you Feeney was one of those lazy bums who with the assistance of his lawyer milked the system for a disability pension, the ole unprovable bad back.

The FDNY is the biggest abuse of disability pensions which entitle the retiree to 3/4 of their entire salary tax free. Many are now calling for more stringent medical review of the pension boards that review and approve disability pensions.  For there is ample evidence from  the unrealistic high number of person granted disability pensions.   See http://www.nypost.com/seven/02092009/news/regionalnews/fdny_disability_pay_cause_for_alarm__pol_154196.htm

For a legal case which gives you a sense of the complicated legal matters involving disability pensions.  See http://www.law.cornell.edu/nyctap/search/display.html?terms=disability%20cases&url=/nyctap/I97_0076.htm

Orlando P.D. Layoffs Collateral Damage Disney And The Economy

  Municipalities Tax Revenues Fall In Economic Downturn, Lay Offs, Pension Failure and Municipal Bankruptcy Risk Increase.

Despite the hype   see ( http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090518/NEWS01/905180327/1002/NEWS01 )surrounding some recent  White House comments that a ” bottom”  in the economic downturn has been reached the facts indicate the opposite.  Don’t be fooled by the  recent positive  Wall Street bullish trading  uptick despite this false positive , our economy is in bad shape. 

  Florida has been especially hard hit as their economy had tremendous growth in real estate and tourism in the good times and now is falling fast and hard.  http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared/news/stories/2008/10/FLA_DECLINE05_PBP.html

It’s not just Florida, all through the nation  State and local governments are about to collapse and some in California have  actually declared bankruptcy and the precipice may be at hand. See http://seekingalpha.com/article/135193-municipalities-under-economic-stress-inside-the-muni-trading-mess and see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/business/economy/08muni.html

Disney is an illustrative example of the domino effect when the economy recedes. Disney  has reported a decrease in attendance at Disney World, ( http://www.theonion.com/content/amvo/disney_fails_to_meet_expectations and  as such local communities , business, hotels, restaurants, rental cars, airlines  etc, are not not generating the revenue they made in the past, and as such the state and local treasury coffers are down. As they are not  receiving the tax income they had previously obtained. Something has to give,  and what is the most costly component of government expenditure, JOBS.

Some states such as New York  has still not come to terms with the coming economic crisis.  ( See http://www.nypost.com/seven/03092009/news/regionalnews/nyc_economic_downturn_will_be_deep__prot_158784.htm But have know doubts New York is not immune andin fact our correction will be worse than Florida or California, as we are overly dependent on Wall Street revenue.  The predator real estate agents can hype the market all they want, their rain maker spouses in Albany and in the Banking Industry can’t help they this time. Dont belive me  Professor Nouriel Roubini predicts another 20% drop in New York real estate values. See http://www.datamaxmarketingsystems.com/DMSNoteNewsletterApril.pdf All you have to do to bear ” factual witness ” is to observe all the empty store in New York City, who use to pay rent, hire employees, pay taxes and make N.Y. a chic place. See http://gothamist.com/2009/01/14/expect_more_empty_storefronts.php

How bad are municipalities they are hemorrhaging ,  instead of healing and treating the wound, we just give blood and its gushing out .  Look at California , where the economic downturn will cripple the sate , and maybe cause pensions to fail. See  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12114nd 

Cops Lay Offs And No More Christmas and Holiday Decorations.

This week  the City of Orlando announced layoffs for approximately 10 %  of their work force including Police and other emergency workers.  Its so bad they won’t hang Holiday decorations. See http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-bk-orlando-firefighters-layoffs-051309,0,7171266.story( http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/15-Orlando-Police-Officers-To-Be-Laid-Off/1$46706). In another region of Florida Palm Beach P.D. negotiated give backs and made concessions during contract negotiations, only to have personnel furloughed. See. http://www.wftv.com/video/19476171/index.html In Oakland over 150 cops will be laid off. http://www.policelink.com/news/articles/104860-oakland-mayor-proposes-layoffs-for-140-officers

The NYPD and New York civil servants are totally ignorant of the coming crisis. Because the city has lost nearly 36 million in annual revenue from wall street coupled with a decline in real estate transactions, valuation and the revenue it generates lay offs are inevitable. Its just a matter of when, and Mayor Bloomberg has hinted that up to 25% of the workforce may have to be cut. See http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE50Q6IH20090127

The current economic crisis is like a tsunami, the waters are receding and many are ignoring the plain facts and acting in a reckless manner. This is sad. Stitches, staples, surgery, pain and a prolonged recovery , slow steady therapy will help us. No infusion of “borrowed” money will get us out of this crisis.  We are not the generation of WW2, who appreciate temporary aid and have the ole protestant work ethic. We are a nation caught up in our own hubris, selfishness and individual political agendas.  Sad.

LAPD Protective League Sense of Entitlement

This week  U.S. District Court Gary Freess ruled that the City of Los Angela’s  must pay it’s police officers for the time it takes to put their uniforms on. ” 

Putting on — and taking off — uniforms and safety equipment is essential to the job and requires compensation.

The Judge apparently “piggy backed ” his decisions based upon a 2007 suit in which the  San Leandro Police Union brought the municipality to court over the same issue . See http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20081216/ai_n31134843/ See http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/LAPD-Officers-to-be-Paid-for-Dressing-Time/1$46619  My research reveals that the U.S. Labor Department my have started this economic tsunami, when they forced  Purdue  to make back payment to workers who had to ” dress” up in proper safety suits. See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/10/us/poultry-plants-to-pay-workers-10-million-in-compensation.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizations/L/Labor%20Department 

The Local news accounts of this decisions may be read at  : http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-policedress8-2009may08,0,2060482.storyGreedy

Unions Put Overall Membership At Risk By Demanding Monetary Compensation that non civil servants don’t receive.

The Los Angelia’s Police Protective League http://www.lapd.com/  is the union that negotiates wages and work terms for the LAPD officers. While I know the union’s job is to advocate for their membership. I personally believe that fighting for such de minimis benefits which I think are trivial make the union look greedy.  In these times of un precedented economic hardship this will cost the city millions they can’t afford and make Officers seem as they are immune to sharing the pain and have a sense of entitlement.   Here is another fact LAPD members get $975.00 per year to purchase uniforms , not too shabby.  See Everdayhtml.com/salary.joinlapd.www://http

Millions of Workers Put On Uniforms Don’t Get Paid For It, Neither should Police Officers.

The facts are that everyday, many businessman have to ” suit up” tie, pants, jacket shoes shined etc, all to keep a professional image. Airline Pilots , stewardess’s also must dress up in a uniform.

Civil Servants Now Compensated Better Than Private Sector.

In this troubling economy civil servants should be grateful for employment, benefits and a pension which are the envy of most tax paying citizens. A recent review of Michigan employment revelaed this to be true http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=8207 

Unions often posture and use the compensation of Executives to justify their own compensation as non greedy.  http://www.nupge.ca/node/790

A Tipping Point Pensions Earnings Are Dropping And Taxes May Have to Rise to Pay for Civil Servant Pensions.

However the real problem in this descaling economic market is that the generous public pensions have benefited from the previous economic expansion. Now that the stock market is in decline the projected investment earnings have fallen and will require hire taxes to maintain public pensions.  See http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/04/1_trillion_state_pension_hit_c.html

Public Unions Double Standard Feeling No Pain A Sense of Entitlement.

As the public is already overtaxed, unemployment rising, real wage growth declining , real estate,  wall street and the auto industry in a slump how long to union leaders think they can sustain such trivial benefits. In Toronto  see http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpmagazinedaily/archive/2009/01/23/double-standard-in-a-recession-unions-civil-servants-living-in-another-world.aspx

Texas Highway Robbery “Tenaha Police ” Officers Shaking Down Motorists

Tenaha Texas Allegations Police Shaking Down Motorists

Like something you here about from tourists to third world nations CNN is reporting an investigation into allegations of Police Officers in Tenaha Texas  ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenaha,_Texas )    are shaking  down motorist for minor traffic infractions. See http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/05/texas.police.seizures/index.html?eref=rss_topstories  The incidents are all erily similar and show disparite treatment of African American motorists giving rise to blatant and invidious discrimination.  The facts are similar, either pay up now  surrender your assets or face jail, money laundering charges and in some cases losing your children to the County protective children services. I have only seen this pay or perish scenario in the old black and white movies, but if true it demonstrates why good officers get bad raps from foolish and perhaps bigoted law enforcement agencies. IF TRUE THIS IS EXTORTION PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

It is also being reported that many ( disproportionate raising the inference of discrimination) of the motorist being stopped were African American. Apparently motorist were told to pay up or they would seize their car or face jail. See http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-texas-profiling_wittmar10,0,6051682.story

In one reported scenario  the Police threatened to seize the children of an African American couple if they did not turn over $6000.00 , which they had in their possession to purchase a new car. Apparently the local Shelby District Attorney http://www.scdag.com/drew up complaints in many dubious cases.

In March the LA Times first reported possible misconduct and illegal search and seizure of motorist vehicles, warning LA residents to stay clear. See http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-texas-profiling11-2009mar11,0,2572041.story

 The local Tenaha Police with the apparent knowledge and support of the Shelby County DA, say they are stopping cars for “drug interdiction”.  However, a search of a car is not automatic and the U.S. Supreme Court just this past week ruled Police may not search a car absent probable cause just because the motorist is subject to arrest. See http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.kbCVkBoPXM&refer=home

In many jurisdiction especially rural America “forfeiture” of assets has been used as a way to fund law enforcement agencies.  PBS reported on this as an ” economic agenda” a hidden result of the drug war see http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/snitch/readings/hidden.html

I will continue to monitor this incident, but with a population of only 1000 residents, this aggressive law enforcement seems to be dubious, possibly discriminatory, and highly suspect.  

A blogger http://deathdrive83.blogspot.com/2009/03/texas-law-enforcement-using-civil-asset.html first reported this incident and it took a couple of months for the major press to catch on, no wonder the old print media is struggling.

POLICE MEDIOCRITY ON THE RISE

Mediocrity  is on the rise and it’s  everywhere.  This past week  I take my family out to dinner to celebrate my nephews Sean’s  13th birthday. I order a bottle of Cabernet  the waitress returns  and begins to open the bottle without permitting me to read the label.   She was also clueless as to presentation of the cork , so forget a decanter!.

She  than asks me  ” who else is having wine”  I replied “why don’t you put the wine glasses in front of the adults and offer them the wine.” She rolls her eyes and  locks eyes at me wide open with a facial upward scorn , as if  I was a barbaric thug. How dare I correct her, the nerve of me to question her skills.

A professional is never insulted and if  mistake is made they look inward to correct the matter so that they may achieve higher levels of excellence in their chosen profession. ( wine etiquette link below) (http://www.calwineries.com/learn/tasting-wine/wine-etiquette/restaurant-etiquette )

Now lets talk about Police Etiquette aka professionalism.  Here is a blatant example of a naive Officer.

Despite all of the law cases  anytime a person is arrested or cited for cursing at the police,  the speech ( to be unlawful)  must be of such a nature as to cause “public alarm” , “unrest” or incite imminent violence.  So a comment such as here  ” what the fuck” on it’s face is protected speech.

Here,  the 911 caller  speech to the 911 police operator ” what the fuck” and the continuing  “uping the anti “  while perhaps lacking etiquette  it is  clearly an emotional outburst.  Secondly, 911 operators are trained and know that many caller’s will be emotional as they are facing an emergency situation and are prone to be hyper emotional and as such their thought process temporarily impaired.  It’s the professional who keeps their poise in the midst of a hectic complicated difficult and perhaps dangerous incident. If you do not you are not professional.

As such  and in my opinion  the speech in the video not in violation of the statutory codes  whose constitutional purpose and  intent is  to limit only violent speech which may cause imminent public alarm/harm. For a nice colloquy see http://www.theamericandissident.org/Thoreau-freespeech.htm and seehttp://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=10326

My First Amendment professor John Delaney http://www.johndelaneypub.com/catalog/about_us.php a brilliant man always said ” Just because you have a First Amendment “RIGHT” does not make it “right”.

This was in response to the U.S. Supreme Courts Holding  in Skokie v Illinois ( http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=432&invol=43 that American Nazis could parade in a Jewish community in full Nazi regalia with swastikas.  See http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/strwhe.html

In another case of police mediocrity  this week Nassau County Police responded to a home in which an order of protection was in effect.  See http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-libird0212722542may01,0,3305656.story

Under New York  State Law police must arrest a person who is in violation of an order of protection.  ( see http://www.nycbar.org/pdf/report/DV_Committee_OP.pdf

Apparently here the Officers did not follow the law and make an arrest.  As such they may have contributed to the death of this lady. I don’t know if they knew an order was in effect.  However, did they ask? and even if they did not know of the order.

However, the law in N.Y is clear in a domestic violence incident between family members  if a police officer subjectively believes danger may occur in the home he may effect an arrest.  Sadly now and perhaps because of mediocre police work  a women  and mother is now dead.  Seven Officers have been identified see http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-ny-woman-stabbed,0,3465865.story

Clearly we have allot of fine men and women in law enforcement, but increasingly I am observing folks who took the oath to uphold the law as a “JOB” instead of a career the latter often are low achiever’s and poor performers as opposed to the former who perform heroically and admirably with little public appreciation.