New Orleans Mothers Day Shooting

What a way to ruin a great day.  New Orleans police are trying to identify a possible suspect in the Mother's Day gunfire that wounded 19 people during a neighborhood parade in the Big Easy. The Original Big 7 organized Sunday's event. The Original Big 7 was founded in 1996 at the Saint Bernard housing projects.


Surveillance video shows a man wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants that may be responsible for the stupidity. Police believe more than one gun was fired. At least three of the victims were seriously wounded. 10 men, seven women, a boy and a girl were wounded by the spineless coward. The FBI is a bit more kind in labeling this as "street violence." The crime scene occurred 1.5 miles from the French Quarter and near the Treme neighborhood, the subject of the HBO show.

The reward for information leading to arrests and indictments of this idiot is $10,000, according to police.
Police are looking for possibly three suspects that appear to have run from the scene.

Is Ariel Castro a Beast? ~by Legal Pub

Ariel Castro, a 52 year-old former school bus driver, is accused of imprisoning three women for about a decade.  His arrest raises many questions for which there are not always politically correct answers.  Castro was charged with three counts of rape and four counts of kidnapping. 

Typically victims names are not shared.  So why are the names Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight on the lips of most reporters across the nation?  In short these three victims all vanished between 2002 and 2004. The disappearances were national news back at the time of their disappearance so finding the women alive in 2013 was big news. Berry was on all of the national networks after the 27 year-old told police that she escaped when Castro forgot to lock the "big inside door" of the home when he left to go to McDonald's. Berry's screams for help were answered by a neighbor who came to her rescue. Berry's 911 call has been played hundreds of times on TV and radio networks.


Castro has also been charged with kidnapping Amanda Berry's 6-year-old daughter (Jocelyn); however, if Castro fathered the child is it really kidnapping? Perhaps no one other than legal scholars will question the wisdom of such a charge; however, the charging information on this count seems technically flawed. Since Jocelyn is the daughter of Castro and there is no custody order to the contrary, it would appear that kidnapping is an erroneous charge.  Child abuse, child neglect etc are perhaps more appropriate charges.

What went on behind closed doors in this Seymour Avenue home? The media describes beatings, chained confinement, starvation and death threats. If true, Castro is either a beast or he is mentally ill.  In either case, he is not likely to ever be on the street again. Castro also allegedly impregnated Knight five times and then allegedly starved her until she miscarried. Castro also allegedly forced Knight to deliver Berry's baby in a plastic kiddie pool.  Castro allegedly threatened Knight if the newborn died. (Seems a bit inconsistent that Castro wanted Berry's offspring but not Knight's.)

Did Castro act alone?  Castro's brothers were originally detained by police but have not been charged with any crime associated with the victims. Victor Perez, chief deputy prosecutor for Cleveland, said there is no evidence that either brother were involved in any crimes against the women.  Consequently, so far all accounts seem to indicate that Castro acted alone when he lured the victims into his car on separate occasions ten years ago.  Castro apparently secretly kept the girls in his west Cleveland home. At one time or another, all three females were chained up in the basement.  In later years, all three were allowed to live on the second floor without restraints. Nevertheless, the women exited Castro's home just twice since their kidnapping.

So how are they doing now?  Knight, 32, remains in a Cleveland hospital. Berry, 27, and DeJesus, 23, are home reunited with friends and family.

What do we know of Ariel Castro?  Grimilda Figueroa is the mother of four of his children. In 2005, Figueroa obtained a protective order against Castro after he allegedly broke her nose, ribs, and dislocated her shoulder. Since 1997, Figueroa had sole custody of Castro's children. The protective order barred Castro from coming near Figueroa or the children. A judge dissolved the protective order on November 21, 2005.

While Castro is to be presumed innocent, it is unlikely he will avoid life in prison or a mental institute. While he appears to be a beast, he is likely a sick mentally ill bully who needs a permanent vacation from society.

West Fertilizer Co. Illustrates A Good Reason To Have Adequate Liability Insurance

West Fertilizer Co. blew up and caused a lot of damage in West Texas on April 17, 2013.  It also killed 14 people. More than 200 others were injured.  There was over twenty million dollars in damage to the surrounding area.  A trial lawyer's dream turned nightmare as the company had only $1 million in liability coverage! Attorneys such as Randy C. Roberts who have filed lawsuits against West Fertilizer's owners were told Thursday of the $1 million in liability insurance. Brook Laskey, has been hired to defend the plant.  Laskey confirmed the small amount of insurance in an email to The Associated Press.
"The bottom line is, this lack of insurance coverage is just consistent with the overall lack of responsibility we've seen from the fertilizer plant, starting from the fact that from day one they have yet to acknowledge responsibility," Roberts said. Roberts anticipates that the plant will file for bankruptcy.

State and federal investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire and explosion. It was unknown as to the amount of ammonium nitrate present at the time of the fire."The law allows courts to presume negligence when something happens that would not ordinarily occur but for negligence... A fire might be an unavoidable accident, but an explosion of this magnitude resulting from a fire is not an unavoidable accident," explained Roberts.

Senseless Violence Can Occur Anywhere...

Lawrence Capener, a 24-year-old maniac, allegedly jumped over several pews at St Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church  and stabbed four people. (A photo of the church appears here courtesy of the A.P.) Such an act of utter senseless violence is not something one would expect to see at a Catholic church in Albuquerque during Sunday mass. What makes even less sense is that Lawrence Capener allegedly targeted the choir area.
Among those injured were church choir director Adam Alvarez and flutist Gerald Madrid. (Madrid was actually stabbed five times.) Fortunately, all four victims were treated at a local hospitals and they did not have life threatening injuries. An off-duty police officer and others at the church stopped Capener before he could do too much damage.

Capener will likely be charged with several felonies. However, the motive for Capener's bizarre behavior is still unknown. The Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan released a statement that he was "saddened by the attack... I pray for all who have been harmed, their families, the parishioners and that nothing like this will ever happen again."

Abdella Ahmad Tounisi Needs Education

The biggest problem with being stupid is that "it's dumb." Perhaps not an elegant statement but truer words have perhaps never been spoken. Abdella Ahmad Tounisi of Aurora, Illinois is 18-year-old and he is stupid if what authorities say is true. Specifically,  Abdella Ahmad Tounisi is accused of trying to join an al Qaeda-linked group fighting in Syria.  This is a big mistake given our FBI's position on terrorism. Tounisi was arrested Friday as he prepared to board a plane bound for Turkey. (Not exactly a tourist destination.)

Tounisi is allegedly an acquaintance of Adel Daoud, an American accused of trying to bomb a Chicago bar last year. (If nothing else, Tounisi proves his stupidity by association.  What is it that you learn in school about birds of a feather?)  Tounisi faces one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The criminal complaint alleges that Tounisi made online contact in March with a person he thought was a recruiter for Jabhat al-Nusrah, the militant Islamist Syrian group which is thought to be a subdivision of al Qaeda in Iraq.

Tounisi was actually sending emails to an FBI employee instead of the terrorist group.  Tounisi is represented by a public defender.  He faces a maximum of 15 years if convicted.

Patriot Day Spoiled by Senseless Bomb Which Kills and Maims of Innocent People in Boston

 

The Pakistani Taliban, an insurgent group, says they didn't do it.   (They did admit to a failed bomb attack in New York nearly three years ago and terror attacks that have wreaked havoc on this South Asian nation for years. However, they say this was not their brainy idea.) In fact, their leader Ehsan told the media, "Certainly, America is our target and we will attack the U.S. and its allies whenever the [Pakistani Taliban] finds the opportunity, but we are not involved in this attack."  Taking this low life at his word, then we must ask who is responsible for the cowardly bombings that took three lives and injured over a hundred more?
At this time, no one has claimed responsibility for the bombs, and the fact that no firearms were used in the attack so we can't blame it on the pro-gun crowd. FBI are poring over video and photographs from the Boston Marathon for clues to determine who is responsible. Two bombs exploded near the finish line killing three people and injuring more than 140. A third incident, a fire at the Library, is believed to be coincidental.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Richard DesLauriers was very brief with the press because it "is a criminal investigation that is a potential terrorist investigation." The sequence of the blasts suggests theories involving Islamic militants or U.S. anti-government extremists but at this point, no one really knows.  There was no advance warning of the attack.  And like typical cowards, no one has claimed responsibility.  The Boston Marathon is an international event that belongs to the world.  Only a coward would target such a peaceful multinational group of people.

Inspire, an Internet publication spewing Yemen-based al Qaeda propaganda provides blue prints for such attacks.  But one doesn't have to be a terrorist to follow their insane plans. Jihadists are lunatics no matter where they are from.  It is hard to conceive how any God would endorse or approve of teaching people to build homemade explosive devices designed to kill 3 innocent people and would 140 more.

The explosive devices appears to be made from pressure cookers filled with metal nails and ball bearings. Photographs suggest that the devise near the finish line had been hid in a black backpack, according to law enforcement. Photographs of a damaged pressure-cooker container was being circulated to help track the source.
Let the authorities investigate this before we form a lynch mob. Start by finding the identity of what appears to be a man on the rooftop of a building near the finish line. (See above photo taken by Dan Lampariello.) If nothing else, he may have had a clear view of what transpired. And yes, interview the Middle Eastern Student whose apartment was searched hours after the bombing. But don't neglect investigating the idiotic lunatics native to our country. In the interim, let's not rush to judgment, lets have a fair inquisition.

4-17-13 Update:  Hey Coward:  An eight year old boy, Martin Richard, eight, and Krystle Campbell, 29, have needlessly died.  A twenty-seven year-old Chinese graduate student also lost her life. 176 others were injured. What did these innocent people do to you?  Are you so weak and so powerless that you have to kill a defenseless little boy than cower in fear? Don't you want your backpack and pressure cooker back?  If it is a fight that you want, why not admit your offense and openly challenge the Boston people to do something about it?  But before you do, you may first want to read a little about the Battle of Bunker Hill to size up your opponent.

4-17-13 Afternoon Update: Has the little weasel coward been spotted? A store video camera near the second bomb may have captured a suspicous persons image.  In addition, The Associated Press has a confidential informant that says a suspect has been detained and may be charged in federal court located in Boston. The coward is believed to be involved in placing the explosive device made from a kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and other shrapnel. Officially, the FBI has said that no one has claimed responsibility for the murder. "Contrary to widespread reporting, there have been no arrests made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack... Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate. Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting."


Okay, we are going to be real cautious... Hopefully a suspect is in hand and hopefully will soon be introduced to the hand of justice.  (And if he had help, we are coming to get you too!)

Update 4-21-13: Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the oldest shooter, was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Hospital Deaconess Medical Center Friday morning after a shoot out.  The fatal blow to Tamerlan was likely being run over by a vehicle.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was in serious but stable condition at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where 11 victims of the bombing were still being treated. The most serious federal charge available would be the use of a weapon of mass destruction which typically does not carry a death sentence.  State charges, including that of murder, could also be brought. State causes could trigger a death sentence.

Update 4-24-13: Tsarnaev is represented by an experienced public defender, Miriam Conrad.

Conrad heads the Federal Public Defender Office in Boston.  She defended "shoe bomber" Richard Reid in 2001.





 

Is Christopher Knight the Legendary North Pond Hermit?

Christopher Knight, 47, does not appear to be the brightest crayon in the box. Mr. Knight was arrested last week while stealing food from a camp for people with special needs in Rome, Maine.  Knight lived like a hermit for decades in a makeshift camp in the woods.  While normally such men are ignored by the press and society as a whole, Knight is different because he may be responsible for more than 1,000 burglaries for food and other staples.  Knight seemed to get away with his thievery until he was apparently caught on surveillance.

Knight is known as "the North Pond Hermit" for the past 27 years. He was so well known to some summer cottage owners that they voluntarily left food out for him.   Knight is currently residing in Kennebec County Jail until he can be tried for his alleged offenses. Jail may be an improvement over the unheated tarp covered tent which he has been living in for many years.
At the time of his arrest, Knight was clean-shaven with short hair. He has only been charged with the Pine Tree Camp burglary, in which $238 worth of goods were taken.  His bail is set at $5,000.